donghyuck opened his eyes slowly, disturbed by the noise.

the room he was in was dark, the only light coming from the sun rays passing through the closed blinds, he recognized it was mark's room when he noticed the full ashtray lying on the messy desk. he smiled thinking about the fact that the stone-cold blondie had offered him to sleep with him for the night, and chuckled silently.

he turned around, in order to face mark. the boy was lying on the side, his face squished in the pillow and an arm dangling over donghyuck's waist, on his bandaged wound.

the boy seemed so innocent and vulnerable right now. who would think this actual softie was a cold-hearted gang member? well, no one would if they looked at mark's face right now.

however, donghyuck's eyes drifted to mark's chest. he had no shirt on, making donghyuck blush slightly. but what was really tormenting him was the reddish scars that he had all over his torso. there was enough light to allow him distinguishing them, but not enough to inspect them closely.

donghyuck stretched out his arm to brush his fingers above the old wounds, retracing their contour slowly. mark's body was marked for life, those horrible scars were like tattoos on his canvas, except they weren't voluntary. or were they?

donghyuck couldn't think about it further, mark's eyes fluttered and finally opened, looking directly in donghyuck's ones. the younger pulled his hand back flustered.

"g-good m-morning." he stuttered shyly.

"morning." mark said in a raspy voice.

the two boys looked at each other, not breaking the eye contact for dozens of seconds, but donhyuck eventually drifted his attention on mark's torso. he slipped his hands onto mark's scars again, caressing them the softest possible.

"you have so many of them..." donghyuck whispered.

mark coughed and straightened up. "i-i'll go to the bathroom." he said, passing over donghyuck to get out of the bed, grabbing his t-shirt that lied on the chair and putting it on. he approached the door and stopped his actions before opening it.

"there's no need to ask the other about them." he said, looking blankly at the door. "they don't know anything."

and with those words, he left donghyuck alone in his bed.

XXXXXXXXXX

"so, hum... do you feel better donghyuck?" taeyong hesitated.

they were in the middle of their lunch, and taeyong had somehow broken the warm ambiance that lingered in the room to replace it by a way duller one.

once those words said, mark, who hadn't said anything since the beginning of the meal, raised his head and looked at donghyuck who was sitting facing him. the younger met his eyes for a brief second before answering.

"hum... yeah, kind of."

"is your waist still hurting?" jaehyun asked pointing at the reddish bandage which was wrapping the boy's waist.

the injured boy shook his head.

"you shouldn't apply too much pressure on your wound. it won't cicatrize well, and it's going to bleed even more." he continued. "pass at the infirmary after lunch, i'll clean it and make new bandages."

donghyuck nodded. he didn't remember touching to his waist after jaehyun had treated it. he had been very careful not to touch that area actually. perhaps that he slept on in a bad position? he was about to shrug these thoughts off when he received a kick in the shin, making him wince.

raising his head, he looked at mark who was right in front of him. the boy mouthed a 'sorry', making donghyuck confused for a second. it's only after that he realised that if he had bled, it was mark's fault: mark had slept with an arm around donghyuck's waist, and he had probably something to do with the state of his injury.

donghyuck smiled remembering the soft hours the two boys had lived the night prior. mark was intimidating and all cold-hearted on the outside, but this was only a shell, because, deep inside, he was caring and almost... loving. yes, donghyuck thought for a second that mark was someone he could grow feelings for.

and well, seeing this bright smile appearing on donghyuck's face made mark himself smile sincerely, for the first time in years.

XXXXXXXXXX

donghyuck was spending his afternoon with doyoung. after watching tv shows for four hours straight, doyoung had asked to donghyuck to accompany him shooting and he had accepted. not that he had anything better to do actually.

they got down to the training zone, the immensity of the place amazing donghyuck once again. arriving at the shooting stand, they took place next to mark who was shooting merciless on a target.

"still here mark?" doyoung asked taking out his guns.

mark hummed, looking towards doyoung, but his eyes stopping immediately when they landed on donghyuck. "you're here?"

donghyuck shrugged.

doyoung and mark shot in silence for a dozen of minutes, donghyuck sitting on a chair behind them and watching in awe.

after series of shots, mark turned around and approached donghyuck.

"y-you perhaps want to try...?" he asked holding out his gun, under doyoung's eyes.

donghyuck shyly took the gun, careful not to put his fingers near the trigger.

"i thought nobody could touch your precious gun." doyoung said, shooting again.

"shut up." mark muttered, signalling donghyuck to stand in front of him.

doyoung finished shooting and looked towards mark.

"you know, taeyong doesn't want him to hold a weapon." he said with a head motion towards donghyuck.

"taeyong doesn't have to know about this."

doyoung sighed.

on his side, mark was trying to teach donghyuck how to use a gun, because the boy had obviously never held one.

"when shooting, you stretch your arm in front of you, wrist straight and you pull the trigger when you feel ready. to aim, you have to align your eye with this little thing" mark said pointing to a part of the gun, "this thing" he pointed to another, "and the place you want to hit on the target."

donghyuck nodded, thinking again about all the things mark had told him.

"you have to be sure about your shot." mark explained, passing his hand over donghyuck's one and aiming for a target ten meter away from them. "you'll never hit your target if you don't believe you can make it." mark approached his body from donghyuck's, pressing his chest on donghyuck's back. "and the hardest part is pulling the trigger, because if you pull it too early, you miss your shot, and if you pull it too late it's the same. you need to be sure and pull it at the very right moment." he finished, whispering in donghyuck's ear making the smaller weak in the knee.

"and when it is the best moment, pull the trigger." mark gently pressed donghyuck's finger that was resting on the trigger, making donghyuck actually pull it and finally shoot.

the boy flinched at the loud noise the weapon made, closing his eyes tightly, making mark chuckle at the cute action.

"that's it donghyuck, you did it."

donghyuck opened his eyes, looking at the gun in his hand, the target and then at mark. "i did it!" he said happily jumping the gun still in hand.

"whoah!" mark said taking the gun from his hands. "don't point that over your allies." he said, making donghyuck blush in embarrassment.

"s-sorry, i didn't know."

"don't wo-"

"i'll go grab something to drink." doyoung cut him, leaving the two alone.

after seconds of silence, donghyuck gained confidence again. he raised a brow looking at mark cockily. "so, normally, nobody can touch your gun..."

"well, you don't have a gun. i need to lend you one." mark said.

"i'm sure you have tons of spare ones." donghyuck scratched his head.

"and?" mark questioned.

this made donghyuck smirk. "am i special for blondie?"

mark's eyes darkened, and he pulled donghyuck by his collar, dangerously approaching their faces. "dare saying that again."

donghyuck smiled mischievously. "blondie?"

"i have a name." he growled, his voice lowering as he speaks.

"well, i prefer blondie."

mark's grip tightened, approaching donghyuck's face from his even more.

"i didn't come here to see you two eating each other, thank you." doyoung said, making both mark and donghyuck flush red. they parted and barely looked at each other after that, not that they didn't want, but their eyes couldn't meet without them getting all flustered.