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Midterms are finally over - spring break is officially here, and Donghyuck is more than ready for it. This semester’s been kicking his ass so far, and a break sounds like a blessing from the heavens.
He unlocks the door to his apartment, a smile on his face. Hell yeah. He can’t wait to party the rest of the week away-
He nearly chokes when he opens the door. He takes a step back, hand still on the knob, and coughs - but it only gets worse.
Not worse - stronger. The smell coming from inside his apartment is super fucking sweet. It makes Donghyuck feel lightheaded for a moment.
Fuck? Fuck. Fuck. Donghyuck freezes in the doorway.
This can’t be right. Mark was supposed to leave this morning to go back home for break. He had his bags packed and talked with Donghyuck over dinner last night about how excited he was to go home with sparkles in his eyes.
His roommate isn’t in heat, he can’t be - he takes his suppressants religiously.
Oh, right. Mark ran out of suppressants two weeks ago.
(He stared down at the empty bottle with an adorable frown when they were getting ready in the morning. Donghyuck remembers teasing him, saying something about how Mark better not be in heat when he randomly comes home one day. Mark just laughed, shook his head out of amusement. He tossed the bottle into the trash.
“I won’t,” he promised with a smile, “I’ll get more soon, don’t worry.”
Donghyuck doesn’t remember Mark buying more, though. He hasn’t been taking anything in the morning for the last week.)
Fuck.
Donghyuck turns away, inhales as much air as he can from the outside. It doesn’t do much - the warm scent of freshly baked cookies sticks to his tongue and his nose.
He should go, he thinks. He should burst into Jaemin’s apartment with nothing but his backpack full of notebooks and his laptop and announce he’s going to be staying there for the entirety of next week.
But his feet stay planted in front of the door. There’s something that’s keeping him here, a voice in the back of his mind that tells him he can’t leave, not yet. He doesn’t know if they have food in the fridge, he doesn’t know if they have enough ice packs. He doesn’t know if Mark has everything he needs to get through this.
Or maybe it’s something else entirely. That something that Donghyuck likes to deny and suppress and fight against every time his friends tease him about it - that he fell for Mark the second he saw him.
He steps in and closes the door. Locks it too. No one needs to know that his roommate is in heat right now. The whole apartment complex probably already knows, though - if the scent circulating through the air vents didn’t give it away.
Donghyuck takes careful steps across the living room and into the kitchen. The air is thick and sugary and threatens to swallow him whole. He bites the inside of his cheek - there’s already a feeling stirring in his gut, the alpha in him starting to awaken. Fuck.
He checks the fridge - they don’t have anything besides some old rice and condiments. “Shit,” Donghyuck mutters, and he goes to check the cabinets: the only things he finds are some fruit cups and granola bars. This isn’t good - this isn’t substantial at all - how will Mark have energy?
Donghyuck thinks he should order takeout and leave it outside of Mark’s room. But he doesn’t want anyone coming near their apartment - it absolutely reeks, and subjugating the poor takeout guy to a lungful of butter and melted chocolate chips is just sad.
And the thought about bringing anyone else into a space where Mark’s scent is stuck in the walls and under the floorboards is unbearable to think about. Donghyuck doesn’t want to do that.
After checking the kitchen, he heads towards the hallway to where the bedrooms are. He’ll have to pass Mark’s room to get to his own. This situation is only getting worse with each passing second, and Donghyuck wants to scream.
Mark’s door isn’t fully closed. There’s a tiny sliver left open - it’s not enough to peek in, but it’s enough to-
He completely stops when he hears a moan from Mark’s room. It’s high and breathy, but there’s something underneath - something that hisses and boils under all the sweetness.
Donghyuck sucks in a sharp breath - it’s immediately a mistake. He chokes, this time, the scent flooding his senses, and he breaks into a series of coughs. Fuck, he thinks again, as tears build at the corners of his eyes.
The moans come to an abrupt stop. The sheets rustle. Donghyuck’s cursing at himself internally. Then,
“Donghyuck?”
It’s so small and quiet and utterly wrecked. Donghyuck clears his throat and bites his tongue so hard he thinks he tastes metal.
Silence wraps around them - it’s nearly suffocating and awkward, and Donghyuck realizes he should say something.
“Mark?” he asks. His voice is fucked, too. Curse these alpha instincts for making his voice drop an octave and sound rough as sandpaper when he hasn’t even done a thing. He hasn’t even seen Mark yet.
Mark continues, “Can you get me water? It’s so hot.”
The question is innocent. But Mark’s voice sounds so pretty, all strained like that. Donghyuck considers the thought, then chides himself for it, and promptly forces himself to stop thinking about it.
“Sure,” he finally says, the word like gravel between his teeth. “I’ll be right back.”
He’s going back the way he came. Part of him wants to run out the door now and actually go through with his plan of staying at Jaemin’s. But the other part tells him to stay and take care of Mark, in more ways than just making sure he eats and has water. He hates himself.
The water’s cold as it fills the cup - Donghyuck now realizes how hot it is. A thin layer of sweat is already sticking to his skin, under his clothes. He’s already so hot and bothered by the simple scent of omega and it’s a bit pathetic.
It’s been a while since he’s helped someone out with their heat. The last time was about six months ago with his ex - the same ex Donghyuck sobbed about into Mark’s arms and Mark patted his head and told him it was going to be okay in the softest, most comforting voice.
The water flows over the brim of the cup and onto his hand. He pulls the cup away from the fridge like it’s burned him, and blinks, Mark’s scent wrapping around him again and Donghyuck’s reminded of the current situation at hand.
He’s standing in front of Mark’s room again. Condensation makes his fingers sticky and he debates whether to leave it at the door or actually go inside. It won’t be a good idea to go inside - he doesn’t know how he’ll handle it. He doesn’t know what Mark’s doing in there, but the sounds he heard earlier tells him enough.
Mark, all splayed out and bare, begging to be fucked and knotted all in that pretty voice of his. Donghyuck winces and tells himself to never think of that again.
He places the glass down onto the hardwood floor, right in front of Mark’s door. “Your water’s out here,” he says, rough and low. Fuck. “Do you need anything else? I’m going to Jaemin’s-”
“Can-” Mark’s voice cracks around the edges. Something behind Donghyuck’s rib cage twists. “Can you bring it in here?”
It’s such a simple request, yet Donghyuck feels like he’ll go crazy. He has to step in there. Mark’s scent is already in his nose and in his mouth and in his core, all burning at once, and he swallows only to almost choke on it again.
“Okay,” he whispers. He doesn’t know if Mark heard him. He doesn’t know if he wants Mark to hear just how affected he is.
He pushes the door open with a simple tap, physics does the rest of the work.
Dear god.
The first thing he sees is skin. All pale and smooth and bruisable. Mark has his back towards him, but he still manages to look so small against the bedsheets. He looks like he’s curled into a ball - knees to his chest - and he’s only wearing boxers. Donghyuck tries to ignore the wet patch on them.
He takes a step closer to the bed - he’s already dizzy. He wants to bolt out of here but he also wants to pin Mark down and-
He clears his throat. Takes a few more steps closer. He places the glass gently onto Mark’s nightstand and says, “Here,”
“Thanks,” the word is quiet. Mark makes no move to grab it. He doesn’t even turn his head.
“Mark,” Donghyuck doesn’t know why he’s reaching out, why his hand is suddenly hovering over Mark’s arm. He stays like that, for an awkward slice of a moment - he can feel how hot Mark’s skin is before he retreats and shoves his hand into his pocket.
“It’s on your night-”
A sob breaks through the air around them, wheezy and all broken edges. Donghyuck’s heart sinks to his stomach as he watches Mark’s shoulders curl in, and then there’s a whimper. It’s not as sharp, but it’s coated in something that hisses - boils under all the sugary sweetness.
Pain.
“Hold on,” Donghyuck says. He’s acting mostly on instinct, now, and that instinct leads him back to the kitchen and into the medicine cabinet and to a bottle of ibuprofen.
Painkillers don’t do much, he’s heard from Jeno, but they’re something. He grabs the pills and the pack of fruit cups he saw earlier, because Mark will need to eat something eventually. He also finds a few water bottles at the back of another cabinet he didn’t check earlier - convenient.
He brings them all back to Mark’s room.
Mark has moved - he's on his back now. And it's a sight to take in.
His chest is flushed a pretty red. His lips are red, too - a little swollen, maybe he’s been biting them. His hair is matted to his forehead with sweat and his eyes are glazed over - it’s the heat spell, Donghyuck recognizes it to be. The stain on Mark’s boxers is much more obvious now, and there’s even some on the bed.
Donghyuck swallows and almost chokes on Mark’s scent again. He manages to save his pride, though, and doesn’t.
The glass of water is still on the nightstand, untouched. Donghyuck places the food and bottles down next to it, then untwists the ibuprofen bottle - he dumps two pills into his hand. He looks down at it, then at the water, then at Mark.
Mark's skin is so smooth. He's lean and fit in all the right ways, in all the right places. He looks amazing right now. Fuckable.
Donghyuck flinches.
He blinks and tries to focus again. Right. Painkillers and water.
He places the pills onto the nightstand. "Mark," he says, but it's useless. Mark barely moves, and only offers a slight head tilt to glance at him. Donghyuck bites his lip before continuing, “I brought you painkillers. And some food.”
Mark doesn't do anything. Donghyuck stares at him.
Then Mark screws his eyes shut, suddenly, and another pained sound falls from his lips. He rolls onto his side again - this time he's facing Donghyuck. He curls up, a mirror of his position earlier and brings his hands to his chest. He's clutching onto something very tightly, and Donghyuck can now see what it is.
It's one of his shirts. Precisely, it's one of the shirts he left on his bedroom floor last week after passing out on his bed after getting completely wasted at a frat party. It's probably gross - it reeks of alcohol and sweat and smeared makeup - but Donghyuck understands why Mark needs it.
The shirt is covered in his scent. There's no laundry detergent barrier to dull it out - it’s all raw honey and a hint of spice. Donghyuck is grateful he didn't throw his pile of clothes in the wash because it seems to be helping Mark - or at least, his alpha pheromones are somewhat calming, and Mark doesn't have to suffer as bad.
And for his pile of clothes: all of it is here. Behind Mark, there's a few shirts stewed across one side of the sheets. Donghyuck couldn't get a good look at it earlier since Mark had his back to him, covering it up, and then he realizes - oh.
It's a nest. At least an attempt at one.
And there's something about this - about Mark using Donghyuck's clothes for his nest - that has Donghyuck's head reeling.
It makes sense why Mark did it, though: Alpha scent helps omegas through this. Donghyuck is the only alpha who's around Mark all the time, so it makes sense why he stole his clothes. It's a natural part built into Mark's biology.
And the urge is to ruin Mark is what's built into Donghyuck's biology.
He winces again, and tries to ignore the fire that's spreading through him. He should leave - this is his cue, he already got the things that Mark needs.
But he picks up the pills, like the stupid whipped idiot he is. He hates seeing Mark in pain. "You should sit up," he says. “If you take these, you'll feel better, okay?"
Mark still doesn't make a move, but he makes a sound. Donghyuck feels it in the air and through Mark's scent, and it's like a quick electric shock, but it lingers, hot and needy.
Donghyuck clenches his teeth and tries to stop the room from spinning. He doesn't know if Mark is trying to tell him something - even though a small part of him hopes he's trying to convey a help me sort of message - or if it's their natural instincts calling out to each other.
Mark mumbles something. "What?" Donghyuck asks and fixes his eyes on Mark's face.
"I don't want it," he says. His eyes are still glassy, and his words are thick with the heat haze.
"But-" Donghyuck starts.
"I want you to stop the pain." Mark speaks again, and this time it sounds bashful. Donghyuck blinks - this sounds genuine, the most like Mark. Not the heat.
Or it's Donghyuck's pea-sized alpha brain thinking that.
"Mark," he begins. Dear fucking god, this boy is going to be the death of him. "You're in heat, you're not thinking clearly. You should take these and rest. Sit up," he tries to sound affirmative, but his words only come out in fast, breathy sentences.
"Don't wanna," Mark whines, and his voice cracks and pops, like he's on the verge of tears again. Donghyuck shudders when he feels the electric spike in Mark's scent, cutting through the sugar like a knife through butter. He nuzzles into his hands, into Donghyuck's stinky shirt. "-hurts too much."
"Well if you took these," Donghyuck bends down, at eye level with Mark, and holds his hand out. "-it wouldn't hurt as bad." his voice dips into a whisper, gentle and soft. He looks at the furrow between Mark’s eyebrows and the pain behind the glaze in his eyes. Donghyuck feels his heart crack again.
Fuck. He can't leave Mark like this. Screw his spring break plans and all the parties he was planning to go to. Mark needs someone to look after him, he can't be alone when he's already this far gone.
And maybe Donghyuck's a little far gone, too.
He reaches out to touch Mark's back - Mark's skin feels like fire, sparks flying through Donghyuck's fingertips, but the air feels like a cloud - it's suddenly sweet again. Pleased.
Mark instantly relaxes under his touch. Donghyuck helps him sit up with careful and slow touches. He ignores the fire in his core that's threatening to burn him from the inside out because he wants to touch Mark more - make him writhe, make him moan, make him scream on his knot.
He doesn't do anything. He keeps his hand on Mark's back until he's fully situated against the headboard and leaves it at that. Mark can't consent properly, no matter how much he asks for it - I want you to stop the pain. Donghyuck shoves that to the back of his mind and goes to grab the medicine from the nightstand.
His hands are shaking. He doesn't know when it started, but it needs to end right now. He curls them into fists and squeezes, feels the bluntness of his nails dig into his palms, and takes a deep breath.
He inhales a lung full of Mark's scent and ignores the way his cock jumps in interest. Fucking hell.
He takes the pills in one hand, the glass in the other. Mark doesn't struggle, thankfully, despite not wanting it, and lets his mouth fall open as Donghyuck gives him the meds and lets him wash it down with water after.
Mark drinks like a parched man, gulps it down like he hasn't had water in weeks. When he’s done, he leans back against the headboard and closes his eyes. Donghyuck watches a drop of water slide down his chin and fall off his jawline. He wants to reach out and wipe it with his thumb-
"Thanks," Mark whispers. His voice still sounds fucked. "That was good."
"I told you it'll make you feel better," Donghyuck croaks. Shit. He really needs to get it together. Fuck his inner alpha for wanting to fucking devour his roommate in heat who can't even consent.
He tightens his grip around the empty glass in his hand. "Do you need anything else?" he asks.
Mark doesn't open his eyes when he says under his breath, "Knot."
Of course he wants that. That's probably all he's gonna want for the next week. Donghyuck shudders.
"Do you have any toys?" he asks. He notices Mark flush at the question, a new rush of red crawling up his cheekbones.
It's stiff for a moment between them - Donghyuck still chokes on freshly baked cookies and his rapidly decreasing self-restraint, until Mark opens his eyes, half-lidded, and says, barely audible, "I don't want my toys."
"Where are they?" Donghyuck still asks, flicking his gaze around, anywhere his eyes can be except Mark. The urge to just pin him onto the bed and have his way with him overwhelms all of Donghyuck's senses and he needs to just give Mark his toys and get out of this room.
Then, Mark mumbles, "Want you. Please Hyuck. Hurts so bad."
He sounds so broken.
All of Donghyuck's breath leaves his lungs at that very moment, and all he can smell and breathe and taste is Mark. It's fucking dizzying, it's fucking maddening, and the alpha in him roars.
"Are you sure?" he asks. His head is spinning.
Mark nods."Yeah," he says. He looks at Donghyuck then, and there's something behind his eyes that sparkles through the haze. "Never been more sure of anything."
Donghyuck gets on to the bed and plants his knees on either side of Mark's thighs. He moves slowly, eyes watching Mark’s expression the whole time, though all he wants to do is pounce on Mark and hold him down. He finds himself hesitating when he lifts his hand and touches Mark's cheek, skin burning his fingertips, sending sparks all the way up Donghyuck’s arm.
Mark doesn't break eye contact. His lips are parted, cherry red and shiny with spit. He's beautiful.
Donghyuck leans closer, and breathes against Mark's lips, "May I?"
"Yes," Mark's eyes fall shut again. "Yes. Please, I need you."
Donghyuck kisses him. He can’t believe he’s actually doing it - but what he can believe is that it’s better than any of the times he’s dreamed of this or thought about it. Mark tastes even sweeter than he smells, and he whines into Donghyuck’s mouth, all pretty and needy, hastily grabbing onto Donghyuck’s shoulders.
Donghyuck tries to be tentative, at first, teeth barely grazing Mark’s bottom lip. He doesn’t want to overwhelm Mark - or worse, hurt him - but when Mark pulls back and breathes, “More,” against his mouth, he lets the fire consume him entirely.
He pushes Mark flat onto the bed and gets his hands around Mark’s wrists, pinning his arms above his head. Mark lets out a shaky breath as Donghyuck kisses across his jaw, noses at his scent gland - it’s so sweet and dizzying and he thinks he can drown in it forever.
"D-don't bite," Mark stutters around a moan. Donghyuck’s gums fucking ache, but he listens. It’s difficult, though - it's like he's playing push and pull with his inner alpha, and when his teeth graze the juncture of Mark's neck and shoulder he bites his tongue to resist the urge to sink his teeth into Mark's delicate skin.
Mark begs under his breath - a mess of pleases and fuck me and knot me spilling into the space between them. Donghyuck groans and pulls Mark’s boxers down with one hand.
There’s so much slick. More than Donghyuck has ever seen during a heat before, and it’s driving him a bit crazy. He leans forward, lips against Mark’s ear, and whispers, “You’re so wet. Fuck, you’re so hot.” as he slides two fingers into Mark at once.
Mark gasps, then moans. He rolls his hips against Donghyuck’s fingers in a desperate attempt to get himself off, and Donghyuck thinks, vaguely in the back of his drunk on pheromones mind, that he’s cute.
He’s so hard in his pants it hurts, but he can’t take the eyes off the way Mark continues to grind down against his fingers. If he’s so pretty like this already, Donghyuck wonders how he’ll look on his cock.
He’ll probably look even better - begging and whining and so wet that it makes a sound with each thrust. Fuck.
Mark comes - it's sudden and loud and one of the hottest things Donghyuck has ever seen. He throws his head back as cum sputters onto his stomach and moans “alpha” in the most needy way that Donghyuck feels like he loses his mind.
It doesn't stop there - of course it doesn’t. Donghyuck finally gets himself out of his pants and shirt after Mark begs him to fuck him and give him his knot, and he slides in with no resistance at all. His breath hitches - Mark feels amazing around him, all tight and slick and it’s almost euphoric. It’s the best he's ever felt while helping an omega through heat. He moans, low in the back of his throat, and he starts a pace right away.
Mark clenches onto his arms, draws red lines down his back, tugs the hair at the nape of his neck with clumsy fingers and desperate whines. "Knot me," he moans, and he sounds delirious, absolutely out of his mind. Donghyuck can't even recognize his voice. "Alpha, please, give it to me-"
Donghyuck comes with a low groan and a sweet taste on his tongue. His knot pops into Mark and expands, and that's enough to send Mark over the edge again - he comes onto Donghyuck's stomach and nearly screams.
It's all heavy breaths and slow movement between them, for a moment, as Donghyuck lays his head on Mark's chest. The fire in his gut is satiated for now - he glances up at Mark and leaves a kiss on under his jaw. "Better?"
Mark hums, lazy and content. "Yeah," he says, and his voice is barely there. "Still hurts but not as bad."
That brings a small smile to Donghyuck's face. "Good," he says. He can sense it through Mark's scent too - it's no longer full of sparks of electricity or hot patches of pain. It's all sugar and fresh and very, very sweet.
After his knot deflates, they go at it again.
“Flip over for me?” Donghyuck asks. Mark does just that, and it’s exhilarating how pliant he is, how he bends so easily under everything Donghyuck gives him.
He wonders if Mark is like this outside of heat, too. If he’s this easy. If he’ll beg without the heat eating him up and without the raw need for a knot right away.
Donghyuck holds Mark’s hips up with one hand, grips onto Mark’s hair with the other. It’s nowhere near as gentle as the first time - Donghyuck fucks Mark until he almost cries, moans and cries half-muffled into the pillows.
His teeth graze the nape of Mark’s neck as he leans over Mark, chest to his back. The urge hits him full force again, his gums aching down to the bone - bite him. He flinches and pulls away from Mark’s skin so fast like he’s been burnt, thrusts stuttering, and Mark wiggles his hips and whines at the dip in the pace.
Donghyuck comes first. He can’t knot Mark again, though, but that’s okay - Mark still shudders, whole body shaking as he comes onto the sheets below them with a cry.
Later, after they’ve come down from their highs, Mark tucks his head under Donghyuck’s chin. He looks exhausted - but satiated for now.
Donghyuck strokes Mark’s hair and listens to Mark’s breaths even out against his collarbone. Before he lets sleep pull away, he thinks,
We have days left of this.
—
Donghyuck wakes up to writhing omega in his lap. Mark is grinding against his thigh, whining every time he rolls his hips, eyes screwed shut and shaky arms planted on Donghyuck's chest.
"Fuck me," he mutters, and he opens his eyes to meet Donghyuck's half-asleep gaze - he looks half-asleep too, all hazy and caught up in the fire of his heat. "Knot me, alpha, please."
His voice is stretched thin - about to break. Donghyuck grabs onto his hips gently, touches feather-light against Mark's burning skin.
"Okay, okay, I got you," he says as he slowly lifts Mark to line him up with his cock. When Mark sinks down, the same euphoric feeling hits Donghyuck all over again, and he moans through his teeth. He watches Mark make a rhythm for himself, bouncing up and down until he's throwing his head back and moaning.
He has a perfect view of Mark's body, a perfect view of his neck. Donghyuck's gums ache again. It'll be so easy to lean forward and sink his teeth into the skin, make a bite that will be with Mark until his next cycle.
He doesn't. He stays on his back, hands on Mark's hips, and feels a copious amount of slick drip onto his thighs.
"Ah, gonna-" Mark moans. Donghyuck reaches for Mark's dick and finishes him off with a few strokes. Mark's moan is loud and raspy, and his whole body trembles as he spills into Donghyuck's hand.
"Want your knot," Mark still grinds down, not bothered by oversensitivity. "Fill me up," he says, all breathy, but there’s something confident under it - something demanding.
And fuck. That's one of the hottest things Mark has ever said, and the coil in Donghyuck's gut bends and twists and snaps. He comes with a groan and feels his knot expand inside Mark.
They take a moment to catch their breaths, and Donghyuck watches Mark with a careful eye - Mark doesn't fall asleep, but he looks dazed and happily fucked out for now. Donghyuck wraps an arm around Mark's waist and uses the other to scoot himself up the bed until he can sit back against the headboard. Mark sits in his lap and leans his head on Donghyuck's shoulder, whimpering softly when Donghyuck's knot shifts inside him as a result of their changed position.
“Have some water,” Donghyuck says, reaching for a water bottle on the nightstand. He twists the cap off and holds it out to Mark. Mark lifts his head from his shoulder, slow and languid, a sleepy look in his eyes - cute - and then takes the water bottle from Donghyuck’s grasp.
He gulps it down fast like he did the first time, some dribbling onto his chin.
“Slow down,” Donghyuck can’t help but laugh. He places his own water bottle down and places his fingers over Mark’s, tilting the bottle up so the water doesn’t flow as fast.
"'M thirsty." Mark says, wiping his mouth with the back of his other hand.
"Are you hungry too?"
Mark considers with a cute tilt of his head. "I don't really get hungry during my heats." he says.
"I'm still gonna give you something to eat," Donghyuck grabs the pack of fruit cups. He knows it isn't anything substantial, and it won't last them too long, but it's something that’ll give them energy for a little bit.
He takes two fruit cups out - they're the peach kind - and he realizes they don't have spoons, and neither of them can get up to get one. That's okay, though, because he'll show Mark how to fold the plastic covering into a makeshift scooper.
Mark tries to rip open his cup. He doesn't get it on the first try, or the second, or the third. He frowns at Donghyuck and blinks at him, holding the fruit cup out - open it for me?
Donghyuck wants to scoff, say something like open it yourself, Mark Lee, but Mark just looks so cute and small and Donghyuck’s heart melts. God, he’s fucking whipped.
He smiles, more amused than anything, and takes it from Mark and rips off the covering for him.
Eating is quiet. Donghyuck scoops up a peach with his folded plastic lid and watches Mark do the same. It's strangely domestic - the first taste of normalcy they've had since the heat started - and it almost feels like a regular day where he and Mark are eating dinner together.
Except Mark's sitting on his knot and eating a fruit cup in the most adorable way, and Donghyuck doesn’t believe this is real.
He’s reminded that this is very much real. Mark throws his empty fruit cup and they both don't care enough to know where it landed, and he starts kissing Donghyuck's neck and whispering pleas into his ear, all while grinding down on Donghyuck's deflating knot.
He fucks Mark like that again: in his lap, Mark's nails digging into his shoulders. It doesn't take long for Mark to come - and then Donghyuck flips them over and fucks Mark into the mattress, pushing Mark's legs back until they knock against his shoulders with each thrust.
He doesn't know how long they go at it, or how many times either. But by the time Mark closes his eyes and snuggles against Donghyuck’s chest, there’s no more sunlight streaming through the blinds.
He's so tired, muscles achy and bound to become sore, but heat doesn't care about what it's doing to the physical state of your body. In a couple hours, probably, Mark will be awake again. Despite how exhausted Donghyuck is, he untangles himself from Mark with careful hands and even more careful movements, slips on some pants and goes to the kitchen.
He grabs more of the essentials: water, ice packs, some granola bars (damn, they really don't have any substantial food). He finds his backpack on the kitchen floor, the same place where he left it, and unzips the first pocket to check his phone.
Over one hundred messages from his friend group chat. Twelve missed calls from Jaemin. Eleven from Jeno. Seven from Renjun. And three from Jisung.
Donghyuck rubs his eyes with the heel of his palm and sends a text to the group chat to announce he isn't dead. He's surprised none of them came to his apartment door and knocked an annoying amount of times - they probably were going to, but they caught onto the powerful scent of freshly baked cookies and decided against it.
He doesn't expect for all of them to reply immediately.
nana: wow!
jen: ur alive!!!
injun: what the fuck were u doing
nana: i genuinely thought you fucking died
injun: ur literally always on your phone where the hell have u been
ji: hi hyuck
Donghyuck blinks at the texts. Now he has to explain himself.
fullsun: mark went into heat
The group chat explodes.
Donghyuck doesn't have time to answer any of their impending questions because he hears a moan. There's a spike in the air - Mark's scent brews with want, the sugar tinged with something sour and hot. He sends a quick 'gtg' and switches his phone to not disturb. It’s a shitty move, he knows, but heat waits for no one.
He slips his phone into his pocket and brings the food and water back to Mark's room.
He finds Mark rutting against the sheets, face pressed into one of Donghyuck’s shirts from his nest, moans and whines muffled as he tries so hard to get himself off.
Donghyuck almost wants to keep standing in the doorway and watch. Mark’s so pretty, trying to find the perfect angle that gives him the right amount of friction.
It doesn’t seem to be working. Mark whines, loud and throaty, sounding so unsatisfied and desparte, and rolls over onto his side. This gives Donghyuck a view, now - his breath catches in his throat because holy fuck this is so hot.
Mark stuffs his face back into Donghyuck’s shirt as he wraps his hand around his cock. His movements are fast, and it’s a series of moans and whimpers until he comes in spurts all over his fingers and the sheets.
Fuck. Donghyuck knows he’s hard, he can feel it against his pants and it’s uncomfortable. He’s about to step in and make his presence known, but Mark reaches behind himself and slips his fingers in with a loud cry.
“Donghyuck,” he moans. He lifts his head from the shirt to only to press his face into again, and his other hand holds it under his noses. His eyes are shut, his mouth is open, and his wrist moves slowly behind him.
Donghyuck can’t take it anymore.
“I’m here,” he says, like he’s out of breath. He walks over to the nightstand and places the food and water down. “I’m here,” he repeats, and Mark looks up at him, eyes half-lidded and glossy.
“Need you,” Mark whispers, and Donghyuck takes off his pants and gets onto the bed.
They fuck until they both get sleepy. Donghyuck presses his nose to Mark's nape and feels the urge to bite him twist in his belly again. He instead leaves kisses at the start of Mark’s spine, and collapses on top of him after he comes.
It’s been a long day. They’re both exhausted, and Donghyuck’s thighs burn - but he doesn’t mind it when Mark leans back against his chest and laces their fingers together at his waist.
Donghyuck buries his face into Mark’s hair and pulls him closer to his chest. He tightens the grip of their hands, and falls asleep with nothing on his mind except freshly baked cookies and the sparkly look in Mark’s eyes.
—
It's been about three days since Mark's heat started - not that time really matters during times like these. It's all a blur, honestly, because Mark will wake up and Donghyuck will fuck him as many times as they can go before until they're both drained and then they'll fall asleep in a mess of limbs and sweat and slick and cum.
Having food and water within reach has been a tremendous help - between knots, Donghyuck will make sure Mark eats something and drinks some water. Mark's skin still burns to the touch, but the ice packs help take off some of the edge. Their apartment still smells like cookies, but honey and spice is now mixed into it. And it also reeks of sex. The neighbors definitely know what they’re up to.
The sheets are filthy. Donghyuck feels bad for the tiny zoo animals printed all across Mark's duvet. And that's why he decides to wash them.
He carries a sleepy Mark to his own bedroom and brings a shirt from the half attempt of a nest along with him so Mark has something to hold onto. He thinks the change of environment will help - everything here carries Donghyuck’s scent, so even when he's gone he hopes Mark can still feel safe.
He throws Mark's sheets into the wash and comes back to find Mark curled up into a ball, like how he found him on the first day. Donghyuck can sense the pained spike in Mark's scent again, and he thinks about going to Mark’s room to grab the bottle of ibuprofen, but he hears Mark say something.
"Donghyuck," his voice breaks around the name. He rolls over onto his back, hands pressed to his lower stomach. He shudders, then his whole body shakes. He squeezes his eyes shut. Donghyuck sees tears, and his heart suddenly feels like a stone in his chest.
"Please," Mark begs under his breath, opening his legs. Slick is already dripping and forming patches on Donghyuck's gray sheets.
"It's okay," Donghyuck whispers. He gets onto the bed and kneels in front of Mark, places his hand over Mark's shaking ones.
"Breathe with me," he starts.
Mark only lets out a sob and starts shaking even more. "It hurts."
"I know it hurts," Donghyuck tries to keep his voice calm and steady. Tries not to let panic eat away at him. "I'll stop the pain in a minute, but I need you to breathe-"
"Alpha," Mark whines. "I need it, come on, I-" he wiggles around the bed, and Donghyuck has to press down harder on his hands to hold him down.
"Mark," he says softly. Mark looks up at him, lips parted and breaths heavy, and more tears are rolling down his cheeks. Donghyuck feels something in his heart crack, "Inhale,"
Mark sucks in a breath, shallow and shaking at the edges.
"Exhale,"
He watches Mark's chest fall. "Inhale," he says again.
They repeat the process until Mark's breath becomes steady and the tears slow down. He seems calmer, now - it's less heat and more Mark - and Donghyuck leans forward and presses their foreheads together.
"Inhale," he says and he feels Mark breathe against his lips. "Exhale," he slides two fingers past Mark's rim. Mark whimpers and arches his back.
“Better?" Donghyuck asks.
“Yeah,” Mark moans. Donghyuck smiles, glad that it helped - he’s used this exercise before, back when he helped his exes with his heats. It helps clear their heads - dulls the heat haze momentarily, brings them back down to earth when they’re lost in the desire to be fucked.
“Good boy,” Donghyuck whispers.
He makes Mark come like that - just with his fingers, four of them. Mark shudders and twists against the bed and Donghyuck watches him, drowsy on sugar, and thinks, you're beautiful.
—
It's been five days of fruit cups and granola bars and now they need something that's actually substantial.
While Mark takes a nap, Donghyuck sifts through the kitchen cabinets, again. He ends up two packs of ramyeon and smiles in delight - this will definitely be good, and Mark will enjoy it too.
He boils the water and checks up on Mark - he's still sound asleep, his nose shoved into one of Donghyuck's shirts. A small smile creeps onto Donghyuck's face - he's cute.
After the ramyeon is done cooking, he separates it into two separate bowls. He grabs two pairs of chopsticks before heading back to his room.
Mark is awake now - he's still laying down and holding Donghyuck's shirt to his chest.
"I brought food," he announces as he sits down on the bed, in front of Mark's knees. "Here," he holds out a bowl to Mark, and Mark smiles as he sits up.
"Thank you," he whispers as he takes the bowl into his hands.
It tastes amazing. Holy fuck. Donghyuck thinks it's the best food he's ever had, for a moment, despite it being literal packaged ramyeon that's been hiding at the back of the cabinets for some unknown amount of time.
He looks at Mark who’s absolutely devouring his bowl as well.
"I thought you said you don't get hungry during your heats?" it comes out more as a laugh than a chide.
"'S good," Mark says around a mouthful. "I'm starving. I don't know how I didn't eat during my heats before."
Donghyuck hums. That prompts him to think about how Mark's spent his previous heats - though he rarely has them since he's good about his taking his suppressants, or he was good - anyway. He wonders if Mark's ever spent a heat with another alpha before, but that thought leaves him with a sour taste in his mouth.
They never really talk about it. Their cycles. When Donghyuck has his rut, Mark goes and stays with Ten or Taeyong for a few days until it passes. They leave it at that. Mark doesn’t have his heat, usually, since he’s on suppressants.
"I usually spend my heats alone," Mark says, then. His voice is quiet, and there's a tint of shyness in it.
Donghyuck gets that. Spending your cycle alone fucking sucks, and it’s so difficult. He can’t imagine what it’s like for Mark - with all the cramps and slick on top of it.
“Sometimes they happen when I'm at home. I kinda slack on taking my suppressants when I'm not at school." Mark continues. He laughs a little, more nervous than anything. "I ran out, and I thought I'd be fine because I was going home in a couple days, but. It hit."
Donghyuck blinks and that's when he's reminded that it's spring break. "Oh," he says, for the lack of better words.
"Yeah," Mark reaches over and places his empty bowl onto the nightstand. "But I have you." he smiles, and he climbs onto Donghyuck's lap and wraps his arms around his neck.
Donghyuck doesn't know what to make of those words, but he doesn’t have time to dissect them. Mark kisses him and he tastes like spicy peppers from the ramyeon and spun sugar all at once, and for some reason, it still tastes good. His hand palms Donghyuck through his pants and Donghyuck groans into his mouth, bites Mark's lower lip in retaliation.
"Fuck me," Mark says, and it's not desperate or whiny. It's something close to a demand - confident in all ways, but still warm. Donghyuck has never seen this in Mark before, but it’s refreshing and new, and it’s a side he’s willing to learn more about. "Come on, alpha."
Donghyuck doesn't need to be told twice.
—
The next day, it’s a lazy morning: Mark wakes up and doesn’t ask to be fucked right away, so they cuddle for a few minutes. Legs tangled together, arms thrown around each other. Mark’s skin isn’t burning hot anymore - Donghyuck thinks it’s great because now he can pull his fluffy blanket over them and not have Mark complain about how it’s too hot.
“We stink,” Mark says. He nuzzles into Donghyuck’s neck, nose pressed against his jawline. “We should shower today.”
“Yeah,” Donghyuck agrees. They need it. The sheets need to be washed too.
When they get out of bed, it’s almost the afternoon. Donghyuck grabs clean clothes for them to wear - Mark’s heat isn’t done yet, but it’s almost there - he’ll probably prefer to still have Donghyuck’s scent around him.
The shower’s a bit cramped, but they make it work. Mark insists on washing himself, pouts when Donghyuck tells him no, but lets Donghyuck do everything anyway.
Mark’s hair is soft between Donghyuck’s fingers. The shampoo bubbles around his hands, and he makes sure not to get any into Mark’s eyes - but Mark’s eyes slip close a moment later, and he hums in content.
“Feels nice?” Donghyuck asks over the running water that pelts against his back.
Mark cracks an eye open. “Yeah. Fuck.” he tilts his head to the side, and Donghyuck’s eyes go straight to his neck. That familiar feeling returns to his gums, leaves a taste in his mouth that’s hard to resist. This is the perfect opportunity, his alpha brain tells him. Donghyuck shakes his head and bites his lip. Don’t.
They’re drying themselves off when Mark suddenly grabs onto his wrist. Donghyuck looks up and stops in the middle of tugging on his sweatpants, and Mark gives him a pout, but his cheeks are flushed red.
“I…” he starts, then he looks down. Donghyuck looks at him, lets his gaze drift below Mark’s waist - oh. Mark is hard.
“Please?” Mark asks, all tiny and quiet.
“Sit down,” Donghyuck says, and he lightly pushes Mark’s chest so he can sit on the toilet seat. Mark does without any hesitation - god he’s so obedient - and Donghyuck sinks down to his knees.
He licks gently at the head first - Mark’s already reacting, hands gripping the edge of the seat. And then Donghyuck sinks down slow, looks into Mark’s eyes the whole time, and Mark keens, toes curling against the tile.
It doesn’t take long - Mark comes down Donghyuck’s throat in a matter of minutes, crying out, thighs trembling under Donghyuck’s hands. He swallows - and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand when he pulls off, and then Mark’s cupping his cheeks and pulling him up to kiss him. The angle is awkward: Donghyuck’s still half-way on the floor, but they don’t mind.
Mark tastes sweet, butter and chocolate chips and warmth, and it makes the bitterness of cum fade away in Donghyuck’s mouth.
--
Mark sleeps for most of the next day. Donghyuck spends part of it cleaning: throwing away their empty fruit cup containers and wrappers, putting their bowls and glasses into the dishwasher. Changes the sheets too.
He goes and scrolls on his phone for a little too long - just to catch up on everything. His friends are still throwing questions at him about Mark and he gives them gross sex details in response, and Renjun kicks him out of the group chat for a while before they eventually add him back.
Mark walks out into the living room, clad in one of Donghyuck’s sweatshirts as he rubs his eyes cutely. Donghyuck’s heart does something, and he chooses to ignore it.
“Hey sleepyhead,” he says from the couch. “You slept for like. Fourteen hours.”
“Heat really takes it out of me,” Mark says. “I was exhausted.” he sits down beside Donghyuck, “I’m hungry.”
“How does takeout sound?” Donghyuck asks, going out of his messages app and into the postmates one.
“That sounds good,” Mark replies. He tilts his head back against the couch cushions, and Donghyuck smiles at him.
“Usual order?”
“Yup.”
The moment they get their food, they bring it to their coffee table and plop down on the floor and eat it like mad men. They rip through every carton of the Chinese food and eat it all in less than twenty minutes. Every bite is like heaven in Donghyuck’s mouth, and it feels so fucking good to finally have some great food after a week of snack foods and ramyeon.
“Wow,” Mark says, tossing his dirty napkin into one of the empty cartons. He slumps back against the front of the couch. “That was fucking amazing. Way better than fruit cups and granola bars.”
“Yeah,” Donghyuck says, equally as pleased. They sit in silence for a while, content and satisfied.
“I’m sorry,” Mark suddenly bursts out, and Donghyuck blinks at him. He’s about to ask for what? but Mark continues, “For going into heat. I probably ruined your spring break.” he doesn’t look at Donghyuck, and plays with a loose string on his sleeve.
“Hey,” Donghyuck says. “Don’t apologize. I didn’t mind.”
“Really?” Mark asks, genuine disbelief in his voice. Donghyuck almost frowns - did Mark really think he was ruining his spring break? “I just. Why did you stay?”
Donghyuck opens his mouth. Closes it. He doesn’t have an immediate response - or at least one he could say. I’m kinda in love with you. But I’m not gonna say that to your face.
“I care about you,” he ends up replying. It’s still true. “I didn’t know if you had everything you needed. We barely had food in our fridge.”
Mark blinks, and still doesn’t make eye contact. “Oh,” he says softly.
Donghyuck sucks in a breath. “I heard that heats are hell to go through alone. They’re probably way worse than going through ruts alone,” he says. The next part comes from somewhere deep behind his ribcage, “I wanted to help you. Didn’t want you to suffer.”
Mark still doesn’t look at him, but a blush crawls onto his cheeks. Donghyuck doesn’t know what to make of it - he’s probably reading between the lines too much, but he hopes that Mark believes that what he said is all genuine.
“Will you,” Mark starts, voice quiet, just above a whisper. He pulls his bottom lip between his teeth. “-help me through my next heat?”
Donghyuck blinks. Once. Twice. “What?” he asks, stunned.
“Will you help me through my next heat?” Mark asks, a little louder this time. The redness on his cheeks deepens, burns high on his cheekbones.
“Yeah,” Donghyuck says, and it comes out breathy. Holy fuck. He doesn’t know what Mark’s implying here but-
“I’ve liked you for a while now,” Mark confesses. He brings his hand to his face and rubs it over his eyes and cheek. “Fuck, this isn’t how I planned for this to go in my head.”
“You planned your confession in your head?” Donghyuck asks, voice pitching higher. He’s amused - and shocked. He can’t believe this. Mark likes him back?
“Shut up,” Mark buries his face into his hands and turns away. Donghyuck laughs, breathy and high pitched, and happiness floods through him like a tidal wave.
“I like you too,” he says, and it feels amazing to say it out loud. Almost freeing. Mark doesn’t lower his hands from his face, so Donghyuck does it himself - and replaces Mark’s hands with his own.
“You’re so cute,” he says, nearly giggles because of how giddy he feels. Mark blushes even more, cheeks warm under Donghyuck’s palms.
When they kiss it’s soft. Tentative, chaste, and sweet. Donghyuck feels something warm roll through his veins and settle at the pit of his stomach - this feels amazing.
“I want you to bite me,” Mark says, their foreheads pressed together. He wraps his arms tighter around Donghyuck’s neck.
Donghyuck’s brain short-circuits. “A-are you sure?” he asks, eyes wide. Holy fuck. This is alot to take in at once - he can bite Mark. He can bite Mark.
“Yeah,” Mark smiles. He tilts his head to the side. “Claim me, Donghyuck.”
Donghyuck buries his face into the juncture of Mark’s shoulder and neck. And when he sinks his teeth into the skin, his heart soars - it’s wonderful, and Mark lets out a pretty gasp, fingers tangling into the back of Donghyuck’s shirt.
He smiles against the bite after he makes it, and runs his tongue over it too. Mark flinches out of surprise, and then whines. Donghyuck laughs and pulls away.
“Thank you,” Mark says. He kisses Donghyuck, and though it’s short, it’s deep, and Donghyuck can feel it through their newly created bond. “For everything.”
Donghyuck smiles against his lips. “You’re welcome.”
The air around them buzzes with content, warm and sweet.