Donghyuck could easily say that Mark had become the best thing in his life. 

At the end of the day, now, there was something to look forward to: the school bell no longer denoted sad conversations and lying to his friends and family and going for fruitless visits to the home of his childhood crush. Now it meant escape from the cruel world of his adolescent life and into the world of his Mark, soft, sweet, omega Mark who didn't care about the bull of outside. When Donghyuck was in Mark's room, all they had, all they needed, was each other. 

Yes, these precious moments had an expiration date. But Donghyuck couldn't dwell on it. If he was to have any pleasure in this life, he would have to pretend that moment wasn't coming. 

The way he felt about Mark...the way he felt about Mark was inexplicable, natural, easy, destiny. It was more than like or friendship, it was deep affection and care. Probably, Donghyuck could say it was love. 

And that was why he felt he had to keep his and Mark's new friendship a secret. It was so easy to tell that it all was love, and anyone could tell it would be a bad love, for both of them. 

But Donghyuck didn't give a single . He didn't want to stop loving Mark and he didn't think he could, even if he tried. So not sharing his new love with anyone was for the best, so nobody could make him doubt or be dissuaded. 

Did Mark feel the same way? Donghyuck wasn't sure. He always felt these same intense and forceful emotions coming from Mark just as much as they came from him. But Donghyuck couldn't feel secure in it; he might have been projecting. He felt strongly enough for that to be a possibility. 

But nonetheless, he'd love Mark as long as he could. He always had, after all. 

Donghyuck contemplated all of this as he made his way from school to Mark's cabin. These days there was no fear, no doubt between them; Mark insisted Donghyuck just enter whenever he could, whenever he pleased. Donghyuck didn't even bother to knock as he pushed Mark's front door open, making his way through the house as quickly as he could, bursting into Mark's room. 

And there he was; soft, thin, pretty, so easily broken. But Donghyuck would never let that happen, as long as he could, as much as he could. 

Mark's pink petal lips bloomed into a small upon seeing Donghyuck's face, his pitch black bedhead sticking up every which way. 

"Hi," he said quietly, his voice a bit low and garbled. 

"Just woke up from a nap?" 

"Mmh." 

"Do you wanna sleep more? It's okay, I can wait." 

Mark shook his head, adjusting himself so he was sitting up. "No. You're here; I wanna be awake." 

Donghyuck smiled at that and came closer. It was utterly cold that day, probably as some sort of punishment from the gods to the pack for having such sunny days a little while before. So despite the two fires blazing strong Mark had pulled the blankets tight around him, just on the verge of shivering. 

"Are you cold?" Donghyuck asked with concern, sitting on the edge of Mark's bed. 

Mark shook his head. "I-I'm fine." 

Donghyuck hummed and ignored him, standing up to try and stoke the fire a little more. 

"That's as big as it'll go..."

"I dunno," Donghyuck mumbled, going back to Mark and putting his fingers on his slightly exposed collarbone. Donghyuck gasped and jumped back a little; his skin was colder than ice. 

"It's always like that," Mark explained. 

"M-Mark..." 

"I'm always a little cold Hyuck. Don't worry about me." 

"I can't help it," Donghyuck mumbled. They locked eyes for a second and for a brief moment, some of the color came back into Mark's face. 

Donghyuck adjusted himself, sitting on the edge of Mark's bed. They'd been so close emotionally these days that physically things were becoming easier. Donghyuck didn't feel weird about holding Mark's hands when he talked, even when it made Mark stutter and smile for a few seconds afterward. And now Donghyuck didn't feel weird about reaching around to rub Mark's skinny arms with his larger alpha hands, trying his best to keep him warm. 

"Isn't this uncomfortable for you?" Mark asked with a little chuckle. 

Donghyuck shook his head and smiled. This twisted position honestly was a tiny bit uncomfortable, but if it made Mark feel even slightly better, it was worth it. 

They fell silent as Mark let out a tiny, relaxed exhale. Donghyuck let his eyes briefly wander around the room, landing on his bedside table. 

Somehow, the flowers Donghyuck had brought him all those days ago were still there. Well, they could barely be called flowers at this point, it was more like just wilted stems in a little glass of water, brown petals scattered all around. Donghyuck wondered why Mark even bothered to keep them there; he was sure one of his parents probably wanted to move it. But Donghyuck could imagine it in his head, Mark's parents trying to get rid of it and Mark firmly insisting they keep the stems and the glass there, the two shaking their heads in confusion and frustration. But Mark smiling at those dead stems when he was alone, not at what they are but who they represented. 

"How was school today?" Mark asked, bringing Donghyuck back from his head to earth. 

"Oh. Same as ever," Donghyuck answered. "Test hunt's coming up so the other alphas are going feral. I'm just waiting to see you. How was your day?" 

Mark sighed. "Fine. Same as ever too. I just waited to see you as well. My dad's being weird still." 

"Jaehyun?" 

"Yeah. I kinda probed him the other day and he admitted that taking care of me is an affront to his alpha-ness." 

Donghyuck held back a growl, not wanting to scare Mark. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "Fool. He's a ing fool." 

"I know, I know. It makes me so sad. But, I don't want to be sad when I'm with you, you know?" 

"Alright, alright, we can stop talking about it." 

Donghyuck smiled at Mark and then snickered; in rubbing Mark's arms he'd accidentally sort of climbed on top of him. In that same moment Mark clearly noticed too, the two locking eyes and Mark flushing a little bit. The corner of his lips upturned in a shy smile. 

"U-Um." 

"Sorry," Donghyuck said awkwardly, moving a little bit off Mark. 

"I mean...u-um...it's n-nice when you...um...if you want you can lay down next to me. That...might keep me warm the same, or something, I dunno..." 

"Are you sure that's okay?" Donghyuck asked. 

Slowly, Mark nodded. "Yeah...yeah. it's okay." 

Taking a deep breath, Donghyuck moved back to the edge of Mark's bed. He slowly lowered himself down until he was laying beside Mark. Mark tossed the covers over him and he settled in, turning to his side to face the omega. 

Immediately they locked eyes, just laying beside each other in that small bed, only meant for one omega. So they were so close that Mark shivered, whether from the cold or the intensity of the moment, Donghyuck wasn't sure. 

But if it was the cold Donghyuck had to watch out for him so he moved himself a little closer, wrapping his arm around Mark and pulling him into his chest. The omega shivered but released a small sigh of relief. His skin was freezing to the touch but hopefully, the fire on Donghyuck's skin, inside his chest, would keep Mark warm. 

And ever slowly, Mark began to get a little warmer, his skin still cool but not quite so uncomfortable to put his hands on. Mark, clearly feeling more comfortable, dug himself further into Donghyuck's broad chest. Donghyuck put his hand on Mark's back and began to rub in circles.

"You're so warm," Mark mumbled into him.

Donghyuck chuckled. "Actually, it's pretty warm in here, with the fire going and all. And you know, I've always been like that." 

The omega paused for a long time before answering. "Every time that the sun came through my window, in those days when it was warm out, I thought of you," he mumbled, ever gently. 

Donghyuck felt his heart skip a thousand beats and he let out a shaky breath, practically aching at Mark's words. He couldn't stop himself from holding Mark closer. 

And Mark held him back, firmly pulling himself in, arm thrown over Donghyuck's waist as well. He warmed up a little. His breaths were smooth. This was right and Donghyuck felt almost too comfortable; he never wanted to leave. 

Being with Mark...being with Mark was just so easy, no matter what. It should have been awkward but it wasn't, at all, the two teen boys more relaxed than they had been in years. It shouldn't have been so simple; they had only really reconnected a few weeks before. But it felt like they'd known each other their whole lives, not with any distance like there had been in the real world. 

Life was beautiful and perfect in that tiny, tiny bed with Mark, that tiny omega that Donghyuck needed to be his. That practically already was his. 

Donghyuck just wasn't sure, just couldn't be sure that the intensity he felt was returned. 

But in this tender moment, he needed to know. He couldn't have this moment clouded by later realizing Mark had never felt the same, all along. He had to know now. If he had to run, now, he could run. But even just a moment more of this and he'd never escape his feelings for Mark as long as he lived. 

He wouldn't leave Mark, ever. Even if Mark felt nothing for him. But if that was the case, now was Donghyuck's last chance to close his heart, to carry on and have a normal life. 

One more moment in that tiny bed and he was stuck with forever, no matter what the outcome of his confession. 

So he had to do it, now. 

"Mark," he breathed out, the first word spoken between them in what felt like ages, even though it was probably only a few minutes. Mark didn't say anything, didn't look up, but nodded into Donghyuck's chest. His skin was warm to the touch, now. Just a little bit of heat radiated from him. "I've loved you as long as I can remember." 

Mark shuddered. "Like...." 

Donghyuck knew what Mark was asking; what kind of love did he mean? "Not friends. More than friends." 

"Me too, me too," Mark answered right away, his breaths shaky as he inhaled and exhaled. "But Donghyuck." The omega looked up at Donghyuck and his eyes were so bright, wide and full of concern and fear. Unthinkingly Donghyuck cupped his cheek, just slightly warm under his fingertips, he just wanted Mark to feel okay. "Donghyuck, it wasn't supposed to be like this." Mark looked away sharply, almost shamefully. "I...I never thought it would end up this way. I thought I would be an alpha, and you would be my omega, and things would be easy and happy and the whole pack would respect us, and I dunno, maybe I'd be Head, and Donghyuck I was supposed to take care of you..." Mark took a deep breath, eyes downcast as if he was on the verge of tears. "I wasn't supposed to be like this. I wasn't supposed to be an omega, I wasn't supposed to be...sick." 

"Mark...didn't I say that it was my turn to take care of you now?" Donghyuck spoke calmly. 

The omega nodded, pausing for a beat before speaking. "You did." 

"Well...then if you want, I'm yours. It doesn't matter that things didn't turn out the way we expected. I want to take of you. I am so happy to take care of you. And you take care of me in ways I don't think you can even imagine." Mark finally looked back up and Donghyuck and Donghyuck had to blink because he was so bright, so pretty, so delicate, with the stars in his eyes.

"I want you," Mark whispered, so low Donghyuck could barely hear. 

Both of them were shaking, hard, in that tiny bed, gripping each other like they were all they had, like their lives depended on it, and in that moment they did. It wasn't quite the explosion of feeling Donghyuck thought that it would feel like when Mark answered his confession, reciprocated his utter affection. It was truly more of an implosion, his insides burning, so much going on inside him that he wasn't sure quite how to let it all out. 

"It's...it's okay that things aren't perfect or how we thought they would be, Mark," Donghyuck spoke, starting to trace circles on Mark's gaunt cheek. "As long as we're together, it's okay. Being together...it's more than we expected these days, right?" 

"Yeah," Mark answered, managing his first smile since Donghyuck's confession, the joy of this moment finally sinking in. "It is..." 

"The only dream I've ever had is for us to be mates for life." 

At his words, Mark's smile quickly faded, looking down between their bodies. Donghyuck rubbed his back and gazed upon him in concern. "But...but Hyuck, that won't be very long. My life won't be very long." 

Donghyuck shut his eyes tightly for a moment. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. But more than all of that, he wanted to be strong for Mark. 

"It doesn't matter," he mumbled, and it was the truth. As much as it hurt, it didn't matter if they didn't have very long. They needed to take advantage of the time that they did have together, make the most of Mark's last years, give Donghyuck enough love and memories to get him through the rest of his life. 

"But I'm gonna hurt you," Mark choked out, voice broken.

"It doesn't matter," Donghyuck repeated. "You'll hurt me more if you reject me over this." 

Mark pondered over Donghyuck's words for a moment. "I wanna be with you so bad," he breathed out. "But it would be so selfish of me." 

"Then be selfish," Donghyuck firmly answered. 

Mark fell silent for a moment. He ran his fingers along the collar of Donghyuck's shirt, his tan neck, the shell of his ear, his soft, dark auburn hair. Finally he let himself lock eyes with Donghyuck. Donghyuck didn't say anything, didn't touch. He let his one hand stay on Mark's back, keeping him warm, grounding him to earth, but moved his other hand back to his side. This was a big deal, Donghyuck knew. As badly as he wanted Mark he didn't want to pressure. 

"Okay. I'll be selfish," Mark spoke, more to himself than to Donghyuck. 

Donghyuck took in a deep breath, his lips turning in an astounded smile. Before he could control himself he reached over and pressed his lips to the corner of Mark's jaw before pulling away, staring shamefully at the spot he pressed his mouth too. 

"I'm sorry, I should've asked, I just can't-" 

"No," Mark interrupted seriously. "No, I...your lips are so soft, Donghyuck, I like it." 

After taking a deep breath Donghyuck nodded to himself and kissed the area again, more tenderly, more slowly, with more control. Yes he loved him and needed him but he had to be careful. Mark was precious; he couldn't be over eager.

"Again," Mark mumbled, clutching Donghyuck's strong alpha arms. Donghyuck listened, kissing a little further up Mark's jawline now, then paused. He had to give this moment its due; he'd dreamed about it for so long he couldn't just go ahead and do it. He let his eyes fall onto Mark's lips and he yearned, so badly. 

"Why'd you stop?" Mark whined, just the cutest and Donghyuck almost died just thinking that cuteness was all his. 

And that was all he needed to press his lips to Mark's, their first kiss.

It was better than he ever imagined. 

He didn't want to linger too long and ruin everything so he pulled away, right when it felt right. Mark looked blown away and Donghyuck smiled pridefully. 

"I didn't even think I'd get a first kiss," Mark admitted with a quiet giggle. "Let alone one like that." 

Donghyuck chuckled and brushed Mark's hair out of his eyes. "I'll give you as many of those as you'd like." 

Suddenly, Mark tightly clutched the front of Donghyuck's shirt. "So...we're promised? I...I wanna promise myself to you, I want to, really bad...." 

"Yeah. Yeah, we're promised," Donghyuck answered, shifting back onto his side so he and Mark faced each other in the bad. Easily their legs intertwined, foreheads pressed together, so much warmth between them that briefly, Donghyuck thought Mark could never be cold again. 

Again they fell silent, just letting the moment run through them, between them, alternating between breathless smiles and shocked expressions.

"I love you so much Donghyuck," Mark finally whispered shakily. 

A shiver ran down Donghyuck's spine just hearing those words leave Mark's mouth. His greatest fantasies could not compare to this. It was the moment he'd spent his adolescence living through as nothing more than a pipe dream, his ideal but it was better, somehow. It was so much better, with the real Mark by his side, as long as he could be. 

"I love you too," Donghyuck spoke. "I love you too. My promised mate." 

Mark smiled. "I'm so lucky." 

"Me too." 

Mark paused. "No, you're not, it's-" 

"Mark I'm lucky. I'm lucky to have you." 

Mark made the smallest, cutest noise and buried himself deeper into Donghyuck. Donghyuck smiled and held him close, Mark just like a tiny ball, Donghyuck surrounding him, protecting him. 

"I don't want you to leave." 

"Me either," Donghyuck answered. He never wanted to leave. All he wanted was for things to just be like this, forever. 

But he had to leave some time. Some day. This had an end, an expiration date. 

But Donghyuck would deny it as long as he could.