"it's almost the time i should take you back home." mark said, checking the time on his watch.

donghyuck nodded.

he had spent a very funny afternoon. it was sad it had to end so soon.

"do you want to go somewhere else before?"

donghyuck raised a brow. "it surely would have been great if i didn't reek of sweat because of a certain someone that purchased me to tickle me for half the afternoon!"

mark laughed, pulling donghyuck against him and kissing him under his ear.

"you're not reeking of sweat. your smell is divine and i would kill to smell it every day."

donghyuck smiled, cuddling into mark's side.

"yeah, but still. are you truly 19?" he asked. "i swear you looked like some elementary student running after me to tickle me."

"admit it was fun."

donghyuck couldn't help but smile remembering their crazy afternoon.

"you're lucky. it was."

"great."

mark used one of his hands to cup donghyuck's cheek and lift his face slightly to kiss him on the lips better.

"so, what are we doing?" mark asked.

"how about you take me home and you can come a bit into my room?" donghyuck proposed.

mark nodded. "that could be an idea."

both boys interlaced their hands as they walked towards mark's motorbike.

when they got there, mark helped donghyuck get ready and settled him on the backseat before deposing a chaste kiss on his plump lips.

in no time, they were in front of donghyuck's house.

this night, exceptionally, mark didn't stop his motorbike a few houses down donghyuck's house. this night, mark stopped right in front of donghyuck's porch. why?

well, they wouldn't need to say goodbye. mark would climb into donghyuck's room in a minute or so.

mark helped donghyuck to take off his things and lifted the vizor of his helmet to have a glimpse of his boyfriend.

"i'll see you in your room in an instant, baby boy?" mark asked.

donghyuck chuckled. "that's- "

the front door of his house opened, revealing his parents and his three friends.

"IT'S HIM!" renjun yelled, pointing at mark.

donghyuck turned around, looking at his family and friends.

his father came running towards him, an angry look on.

"escape, escape!" donghyuck told his boyfriend.

mark listened to him, immediately starting his engine and disappearing in the night.

"donghyuck baby!" his mother let out a worried cry, running towards him.

she embraced him as soon as she could, almost breaking his ribs.

"i'm so relieved you're safe." she said, checking her son's face. "did he try doing anything to you?"

donghyuck raised a brow, not quite understanding what was happening. why were them all worried?

"stop stressing him." his father scolded his wife. "he just had a not so pleasant afternoon. come and tell us what happened inside."

who are they kidding?

donghyuck had one of the best afternoons of his life.

why were they acting strange?

and why were jaemin, jeno and renjun there?

he tried having an eye contact with them, but jaemin only engulfed him in a hug, confusing him even more.

had someone told them he would die soon?

donghyuck got into his living room and sat on the sofa, next to jaemin. jeno and renjun sat on his other side, and his parents on the other couch, facing him.

"tell us, sweetie." his mother smiled.

donghyuck gave her a shy smile. "why don't you tell me what you know first?" he said.

"stupid me! i should have started by that." his mother scolded herself. "your father and i were debating on what to eat tonight, and your three friends rang at the door, completely out of breath. they had been running all the way from the park! do you realise?"

donghyuck tensed. the park?

that's where he was with mark.

was that the reason of their behaviour? did they know?

but they wouldn't have had this sort of reaction, would they?

"anyway, they told us they saw you being chased by some biker of your school. he was running after you and trying to harm you probably."

donghyuck tried his best to hold himself back from laughing.

a misunderstanding.

that's all it was.

"i'm very relieved you're okay, donghyuck. but we were very scared." his father told.

"yeah. you'll have to thank your friends a lot. otherwise, who knows what he could have done..."

"huh..." donghyuck blinked mutiple times, his eyes looking at all the people around the room. "actually..."

"and what about mark?" his mother asked.

"mark?" jeno raised a brow.

"hyuck was supposed to meet his boyfriend this afternoon. where was he? couldn't he protect you?"she questioned.

donghyuck slowly turned his head towards jaemin, jeno and renjun who had their eyes widened and glued to donghyuck.

"you have a boyfriend?" renjun asked.

"how come you didn't tell us?" jaemin felt offended considering the fact they had spoken about that subject earlier that day.

jeno stayed silent, but his glare was digging holes in donghyuck's skull.

"you guys didn't know?" donghyuck's father asked.

"we didn't." jeno said simply, keeping the eye contact.

"i-i'm sorry guys... i really wanted to tell you..." donghyuck lowered his head.

"why didn't you then?" renjun asked harshly. "the one and only, i guess..."

"because i couldn't..." he mumbled.

"that's ridiculous." jaemin scoffed.

"enough jaemin." jeno said on a demanding tone, making jaemin stop right away. he then raised a brow, his eyes still rived on donghyuck. "tell us donghyuck. where was your 'boyfriend' while you were being molested by some pervert?" he spat, emphatizing the word 'boyfriend'.

donghyuck took a deep breath.

now was the time to reveal some dark secrets.

"this is all a misunderstanding." he said. "i've never been molested nor attacked. this guy was chasing me to tickle me. his name is mark. and, yeah... he's my boyfriend."