Chapter Text
“Well, I kind of expected that. I mean, you're hanging out with us after all. But for real, just tell him,” Ten says as he finishes his food. While scooping up the remains with a spoon, he continues, “The worst thing he could do is say no.”
Mark grimaces, sipping from his drink. His eye twitches, then he lets out a forced laugh. “He could break it off.”
“Markie, you know he wouldn't do that,” Ten deadpans. “You’ve been together for almost a year, and you guys have been through much worse. Why the hell would he break up with you over something so normal?”
“This is different! I’m basically asking him to—” Mark leans in, pink dusting his cheeks. He whispers as if someone might overhear their conversation in the noisy food court of a bustling mall. “But I… fuck, Yukhei might think I’m a freak if I try to talk to him about BDSM.”
“Literally everyone’s kinky, one way or another,” His other friend, Taeyong, pops in. “And who knows? Maybe Lucas might be into that sort of thing too.”
“Maybe…” Mark trails off, bringing a hand to his face. It feels really warm, and he curses. “Ugh, just thinking about it makes me nervous.”
“The man has blue hair, wears leather jackets and chain jewelry, and calls everyone ‘bro’. Markie, he’s totally kinky.”
“W-where is the c-correlation—?”
“Ohhh, Markie all shy—” Taeyong's teasing is cut short by the abrupt ringing of Mark’s phone. He takes it out of his pocket and presses ‘accept’.
“Hi babe! Yeah, I’m just hanging out with Taeyong and Ten hyungs in the mall,” Mark speaks into the phone, stirring his drink with the straw. “Mhm, I’ll be over in a bit to help out. Is everything ready?”
Mark finishes his drink and lets out a sigh, “Yup, I’m leaving right now. See you!” He ends the call and looks up to see both of his friends wiggling their eyebrows. “What the hell are you guys doing that for?”
“Was that Yukhei? Oh, don’t mind us,” Taeyong says as Ten giggles. The former smiles devilishly, “Whatever you’re gonna do, I’m sure it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“That has to be the worst thing you ever said to me,” Mark grumbles, standing up. He puts his phone back in his pocket and sighs, stretching a bit. He points an accusing finger, “And don’t get any ideas! I’m just helping him move into my place, that’s all.”
“Booooo,” Ten drawls, throwing a thumbs down. “You’re no fun!”
“I’m no fun—?” Mark sputters, then fires back. “Like the both of you are any better!”
“Hey, I still have Doyoungie,” Taeyong chimes in, and points to the cheeky man beside him. “And he still has Johnny. And our boyfriends can admit that in bed we’re really—”
“Please don’t tell me the details,” Mark groans, face pink. The pair, still seated, howl in laughter. “Ugh, fuck you guys.”
“Hey babe, how were Taeyong and Ten hyungs?” Yukhei says, pecking his boyfriend’s cheek. Mark groans, having to stand on the tips of his toes to reciprocate. “Embarrassing as always?”
“You have no idea,” Mark sighs, then steps past to observe Yukhei's soon-to-be-former living room of his soon-to-be-former apartment. There’s a few boxes, and they’re mostly small— manageable. “Is this all of it?”
“I don’t own much,” Yukhei shrugs. He picks up a box and places it on top of a bigger one, slowly picking them both up. He grunts from the effort. “Sorry babe, can you—”
Yukhei tries to gesture to the door, and Mark automatically opens it wider so that the boxes can fit through. Yukhei lets out a noise of appreciation, then proceeds to carefully navigate his way to Mark’s car. Mark giggles, fond, then starts to help out.
“Wahhh, done!” Mark calls out as he puts down the last box on his apartment floor. He feels Yukhei hug him from behind, and he laughs. He turns his head for a kiss, so very sweet. “Welcome home, babe.”
Yukhei merely hums, loving the taste of Mark on his lips. They part after a few seconds, and Yukhei's cheeks are pink, “Help me unpack? I’ll take the bulk of it, don’t worry.”
“Sure thing,” Mark sighs into the embrace, wishing they could stay like this forever, before reluctantly removing himself from his boyfriend. He stretches, hearing some bones crack. “We can put your important stuff in my bedroom. Wait, no— our bedroom.”
“You’re way too excited about this. I like it.” Yukhei giggles, then moves to open a big box. It’s full of clothes, and he takes it with him to Mark's— no, their— bedroom.
“I already set aside my stuff in my closet, so you can place your clothes in the free space!”
“Okay!”
There’s a creak of something being opened, then the swishing of cloth. Mark opens another box, seeing personal care products in it, “Babe, I’m gonna put your hygiene stuff in the bathroom, okay?”
A voice calls out from the bedroom, “No problem. Thanks, Markie!”
Mark hums as he takes the box with him to the bathroom and starts to organize Lucas’s things. As he sets bottles and containers down onto a shelf, his mind wanders. He thinks about waking up next to his boyfriend, having meals with each other, spending quality time together, and his heart flutters. He giggles to himself, the only way to deal with how the happiness fills his soul.
When he’s done, he takes the box back with him to the living room, dumping it unceremoniously onto the floor. He reminds himself to take it out later when they’re done settling Yukhei in.
While unpacking, Mark’s turned it into some sort of game— what’s inside?
Is it office supplies? His hands make contact with one box; it's one of the bigger boxes, and Mark had to use both of his hands to pick it up. There’s rattling sounds as he holds it up, and he tries to guess what’s inside like it’s a christmas present. Maybe it could be jewelry? Yukhei does have a lot of accessories. Or could it be something else?
“Shit, what if it’s some electronics...” Mark cringes, immediately stopping all movement. He remembers that Yukhei had a PS4 setup; he prays that he didn’t destroy anything.
When Mark opens the box to check if there’s any damage, blood rushes to his head and adrenaline forces his heart to speed up. His throat is dry as he stares into the box, not believing his eyes.
His fingers gingerly clamp onto something and when he brings it to his face and— Yep, this is totally a collar that may or may not be worn in BDSM. It’s coated in simple black, with a ring attached to the front. He sets it back in the box, seeing a blindfold, a ball gag, leather straps for— fuck, this is too much.
Mark feels like jelly as he crashes onto his couch, and the box rattles as it flops onto his lap. Its contents stares up at him, mocking, and Mark's mind races. How long has Yukhei had these? He’d never seen them around his place before; was Yukhei actively hiding it? Had his boyfriend used them with other people, before they became a thing?
He’s still sitting there, dumbfounded, when the devil himself steps out of the bedroom with an empty box in hand. He wipes a drop of sweat from his forehead, before laughing. “I’m finally done. Looking back, I guess I’m really living up to the b— Mark?”
Mark doesn’t say anything, just continues to gape at the box filled with sex toys. The toys used for sex. The sex toys. This is a box full of sex to—
“Oh,” Yukhei gulps, and the sound of it has his boyfriend snapping his head up and looking like a deer caught in the headlights. “You found them.”
“Um,” Mark’s voice cracks, and he has to clear his throat to gain any semblance of composure. First things first. “How long have you—”
“I-I had them before we got together,” Yukhei mumbles, awkwardly fidgeting. He’s red, using a large hand to try to hide his face. “I was going to show them to you someday, I swear! I just… I didn’t know if you wanted to use them.”
Yukhei takes a deep breath and regains his composure. His eyes are steely and it sends a shiver down Mark’s spine. “I— we don’t have to use these. It’s just… it’s a little something that I enjoy, and it’s fine if you don’t like this type of stuff. We can just put this box away and—”
“N-No way! I mean, no way. It’s fine. I actually—” Mark jumps up, and the box almost topples over when he stands. He grabs it at the last second, awkwardly balancing it on his palms. He looks lost—does he continue holding it or should he put it down? He opts to place it on the floor beside them. “I actually… wanted to… try something like t-this with you...?”
“Oh.”
“Y-yeah,” Mark laughs awkwardly, and he wants to melt into the ground when he hears his voice crack. “But we don’t have to— y’know— ‘cause like… I get that it’s very, uh, yeah—”
“I don’t… mind…”
Mark looks his boyfriend in the eyes, feeling his whole body heat up. Yukhei is staring right back at him, not backing down; his face is stone cold, but his red ears give him away.
“D-dude, are you serious?”
“Yes bro,” Yukhei says, voice firm. His eyes are wide, unyielding. He's is so sure of himself that Mark doesn’t know how to react. “I want to do a scene with you.”
Mark gapes like a fish but, whenever his lips moved, no sound came out of it. When something eventually does, it’s a high-pitched squeak. “G-great. That’s, uh, great.”
He brings his hands to his face, covering them as much as he can. Fuck, he can’t talk to Yukhei like this but now that they’re here, they might as well. His voice is faint and a little muted as his palms squish his cheeks together, but he hopes that his words are somehow understandable. “S-shit. Sorry I just— um… I didn’t really think we’d talk about t-this. I guess?”
He starts waving his hands, frantic. His voice shifts from low notes to high pitches, excitement and nervousness racing through his veins. “I mean, I kind o-of did! Like, I wanted to… talk to you about this for like, a l-long time. For a little w-while.”
“Mark.”
“A-and it’s just... wow... you get me? I thought I was like, dreaming or something but— haha I just— fuck, I’m really n-nervous—”
“Mark,” Said man feels fingers grip his lower jaw and raise it, and when his eyes stop looking this way and that, he’s looking into Yukhei's' eyes and oh, that’s a very sharp gaze. “You need to calm down.”
“R-right,” Mark's voice is soft and breathy, fanning the older’s face lightly. He swallows, “I’m calm.”
“Are you?”
“Y-Yes. I mean, yes.”
“Because if you’re not, then I don’t know if we can do this,” Yukhei hums. “You know that BDSM requires a lot of communication for it to work, but we can’t do that if you’re all over the place. We can talk all we want but it won’t be any good if the conversation’s just one-sided, right?”
“I’ll be so good for you,” Mark manages to say, despite how firm Yukhei is holding his chin. His eyes sparkle, eager to please; a nice contrast to the stony expression Lucas is wearing. “I promise.”
“Yeah?” Yukhei raises an eyebrow. His eyes flicker to the box of gear beside them, before looking back up to make eye contact with Mark, smirking. He leans in close, breath fanning the Mark’s ear, and Mark gasps.
“W-wait!” He pushes Yukhei away, using his other hand to clutch his chest. His cheeks have never felt so warm until now, his heart was drumming against his chest like never before. He giggles, because that’s the only thing he can do when he’s so on edge. “Wait. W-we need to... we have to—”
Mark takes in a deep breath as he steps back. His eyes are closed as he gathers himself and the blush that bloomed fades. When he opens his eyes, they are clear and pay no mind to Yukhei's raised eyebrow as he speaks. “Let’s talk.”
“Will the traffic light system be okay?”
“‘Red’ for stop, ‘yellow’ for slow down, ‘green’ for continue, right?”
“Yep,” Mark is so thorough, trying to make sure he’s getting everything down to the letter, and his boyfriend is so patient with him. Even though some things are self-explanatory and there’s no need to ask questions, Mark doesn’t want to get anything wrong. Yukhei appreciates that by saying, “Good job.”
“Okay, I’m fine with it,” Mark nods, but freezes. “Wait, what if— what if for some reason one of us can’t speak?”
“We can… hmm,” Yukhei hums, furrowing his brow. “Have you heard of the two squeezes test?”
“No…”
“Well, basically we have to put our fingers in each others’ hands,” Yukhei shows it by grabbing one of his Mark’s hands and putting his finger in it. He coaxes Mark's other hand to let his own engulf his boyfriend’s finger. “And we have to squeeze the hand twice with our finger.” and Yukhei demonstrates so by gently pressing the other’s palm.
“What happens if, for example, I squeeze only once? Or I don’t squeeze at all?”
“Then we have to stop the scene,” Yukhei says. “From what I read, squeezing the hand is a very simple motor skill. And if you can’t do that, then it means you’re too far gone.”
“Oh,” Mark gulps. “Okay. I-I’m okay with that. But what if we need to stop and the finger test can’t be done?”
“Tap on the other person three times?”
“O-okay. Yes.”
“Alright, we got that out of the way. So next is…” Yukhei mumbles, shutting his eyes to will the blush away, before opening them again. “How to start the scene.”
“Well…” A hand reaches into the box, and there’s some rattling until the shorter man manages to grab it. He holds the collar up, eyes shining and cheeks pink. “Maybe we can signal a scene if like, the collar is worn. Is that okay?”
Yukhei stares, eyes wide, before nodding. “Yeah. That could work.” His boyfriend beams with pride, and Yukhei reciprocates that smile.
“Next is… well, if you’re up for it… honorifics.”
“You mean like—” The next words leave Mark’s mouth through a stage whisper. “L-like ‘daddy’?”
“Oh god, it’s— kind of…? I mean, if you’re into that? B-but if that… you know… that isn’t your thing, it’s fine. It’s just kinda like… protocol? You know, to establish the dynamics.”
“I-I’m fine with honorifics! I just… ‘daddy’ isn’t really for me.” Mark winces, blushing furiously.
“I-it’s okay! There’s other titles like…” Yukhei snaps his fingers, trying to make the words come to him. “There’s ‘master’, ‘sir’, ‘lo—”
“I like those two!” Mark says loudly, before realizing what he had done. His mouth gapes open like a fish. Blood tints his skin cherry red from the tips of his ears down to his neck. “I-I mean. I like those two.”
“Okay. Great. Well,” Yukhei clears his throat, a little red himself. “So next we have to talk about…”
It vaguely felt like a lecture, Mark thinks, as he waves his boyfriend goodbye. Mark is currently running to meet his literary agent, and his mind is racing a mile a minute, too.
But a helpful lecture. A very enlightening one, His brain helpfully sings. And now we just have to wait for Friday.
Friday.
Their talk went well into the night, never wanting to leave a stone unturned. At the end of it, the couple had agreed that their first scene would be on Friday, and until then, they won’t touch each other or themselves. Friday. Three days from now. Fuck.
Mark’s errand isn’t even urgent, but the man finds himself rushing through his day, hoping that Friday would just come. He looks at his watch and groans; it’s not even noon. Go figure.
It’s just a couple of days. Mark can handle it, maybe. Hopefully. What would his boyfriend think if he could see him right now? God, Yukhei would tease him nonstop, at least until the day. And when it comes—
“I’ll get everything ready for the scene. So you just have to come home,” Yukhei breathes out, letting his finger brush up against his boyfriend’s neck. Mark shivers, gulps when Yukhei's nail skims his Adam's apple. “And then we can play.”
“Fuck.” Mark curses, furiously tugging his shirt down in order to hide the front of his pants. He hopes he isn’t hard in his jeans— he would never hear the end of it.
“So I told Doyoung that the apartment wouldn’t allow p— Mark?” Taeyong’s voice jolts him back to the present. He looks around and realizes that, oh yeah, he’s in the mall’s food court. “You’ve been spacing out lately. What’s up?”
“N-nothing. I just—” Mark had intended to put up a fight, but deflates when Ten raises a skeptical eyebrow. “Fine. Yukhei and I are… going on a date on friday.”
“Ohoho, a date?” Ten cackles, loud sipping from his smoothie. “And what’s so special about it that you’re ignoring us?”
“Yeah Markie,” Taeyong scowls, albeit playfully. He plays with his noodles by twirling it in its bowl. “Friday is still two days from now. Live in the present.”
“It’s just special to me, okay! It’s— it’s gonna mean a lot to me.” Mark mumbles, his cheeks warming. He’s not sure how to say it’s a little more… ahem, different than their usual dates. But the other two get it, somewhat. Somehow.
“Okay, okay, we won’t pry,” A sigh escapes the eldest, and a smirk ghosts atop his lips. They don’t need to pry, because they already know. To what extent, Mark isn’t sure, but he knows they see right through him. “But y’know, good luck with whatever you two have in store.”
Ten starts giggling, “You guys will still be alive next monday, right? The whole gang’s gonna get together to celebrate Johnny’s promotion.”
“Yes, hyung, we’ll be there.”
“Unscathed?”
“...I'm not sure yet.” Mark mumbles, snorting to keep the laughter in when he feels Ten kick him under the table and he hears Taeyong gasp. His ears are flaming.
“I cannot believe he just said that. Tennie, can you believe he said that?” Taeyong whirls to face Ten, flabbergasted. The latter just nods, mimicking his shocked face.
"Mark,” Black hair spills over Ten’s face as he shakes his head. “I’m praying for the both of you. Who knows what the two of you would end up doing.”
Thursday.
“Hey babe, I made breakfast,” Yukhei calls from the kitchen. “Egg fried rice.”
“Thanks,” Mark pads into the room and leaves a sleepy kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek. He gets two cups from a shelf, places it on the dining table, and makes his way to the fridge. “I’ll set up everything else.”
Yukhei hums, and they fall into a blanket of noiselessness. What is there to say?
The air is still quiet as Yukhei places the fried rice on two plates and Mark gets some spoons. It’s by pure coincidence that they both sit down at the same time, staring at the steam that floats up and caresses their faces.
“Well, let’s eat.”
More silence— save for the scraping of ceramic or the silent gulping of water— sits atop their shoulders like a lazy cat, refusing to budge. Mark’s face is blank, but his mind never ceases its chatter. It’s tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.
Yukhei, the saint he is, cuts through the stillness smoothly with a, “So. Friday.”
“Y-yeah.”
“Are you nervous?”
“A little bit,” Mark admits, picking at his food. “I just… I mean, I don’t wanna disappoint you. Especially since you’re like, experienced and I’m still a noob.”
“We’ll learn,” Yukhei says. “Things can’t be perfect on the first try, and that’s okay. We’ll learn from it.”
“You think?”
“I know,” Yukhei nods, full of confidence. “I know you, Markie. I’m sure things will go well. Do you trust me?”
“Y-yes,” Mark stutters. It’s not that he was unsure; the question was just sudden, is all. “Of course I do.”
“And I trust you. This is going to take a lot out of the both of us, but we’ve been so careful to construct this scene. You’re going to do amazing.”
“If you say so,” Mark smiles. “Now I’m all excited.”
“Me too. I can’t stop thinking about you,” Yukhei grins. “Are you doing anything major tomorrow?”
“Just need to meet with my agent again. He likes the book,” Mark giggles, blushing. “But he wants to talk about how we can make it even better. Then maybe we can find a big publisher who’ll buy the manuscript.”
“Oh my god...That’s awesome, Markie! I can’t wait to read it,” Yukhei's eyes sparkle with sheer delight, and his smile could rival the sun and all the stars combined. Then, like a curtain being dropped, his eyes darken until there’s just a teasing twinkle as his grin turns sly. He purrs, “Don’t be too long.”
“I-I won’t,” Mark is dizzy, light-headed from how quickly his boyfriend can don different personas like they’re clothes. He vacuums up the rest of his food, and when he looks up, his eyes are glittering. Eager to please. “I’ll come home as soon as I can. I promise.”
“Mark-sshi! Glad you could make it,” The literary agent stands from his seat, shaking Mark's hand. Around them, the coffee shop is bustling with life. “I already ordered our drinks, the same from last time. Is that alright?”
“Yes, yes! Thank you. I’m uh—” Mark sits down as does the agent. Mark clears his throat. “I’m not late, am I?”
“No, no, not at all. If you were, I was too busy going over the manuscript again,” The other man laughs, setting a stack of paper on top of the paper. “First off, it’s good! You already got that from my email, of course. But going through it again, I think that the sentences are too clumped together. The audience might find it hard to read.”
“So you want me to add some space in between the paragraphs?” Mark receives a nod in return. “No problem. Done and done.”
“Great,” The agent nods with approval. He flips through the stack. “My next suggestion is—”
Mark isn’t listening.
But, he swears, he was! At first, at least.
The day stretches on, and a subtle look at his watch tells him that two hours had passed. The bell on top of the shop’s door jingles relentlessly with every person going in and out, and the agent’s voice becomes muddled.
Mark can’t help but think.
He's getting ready to leave, stepping out of the bathroom after fixing his hair, when he’s met with his boyfriend. Lucas is holding the box full of the BDSM gear, which had been set aside in the living room, and Yukhei spins when he hears the door open.
They don’t say anything to each other as they make eye contact. They let the butterflies in their stomachs flutter freely and the sparks fizzle in the air.
It’s Yukhei that backs down. He winks, turning around and carrying the box into their bedroom. The door shuts with a soft thud.
Mark clenches his fists and gulps. Fuck.
“Is everything okay?” The agent asks. One of Mark’s legs jolts under the table. “You’re red. Are you ill?”
“No, I just—” Mark laughs nervously, tugging at his shirt. “It’s just a little hot in here.”
“Hm, it is pretty crowded. I’m feeling a little warm myself,” The other man clicks his tongue, turning and letting his eyes sweep the room. It’s five in the afternoon, but the place is packed like it’s still lunch hour. The clamouring of the store compliments the crowd of people, and the literary agent sighs. It can’t be helped, he supposes. “I’ll email the list of my suggestions, and perhaps we can meet again some other time for the illustration art?”
“Perfect,” Mark stands, shaking the agent’s hand as he gathers his few belongings. “I’ll send you the revised manuscript on… Wednesday? Will that be a good day for you?”
“Not a problem. Thank you, Mark-sshi.”
Yes, yes, yes. Mark gives him a dazzling smile. It distracts the agent from how hard he's clenching his fists, knuckles going white. “Get home safe.”
Mark curses as he steps off the bus. He checks his watch; it’s just about to hit six o’ clock.
The ride took longer than expected— stupid traffic had been holding him up. Still, after a very slow and very tense bus ride, he’s finally home.
“You just have to come home,” A whisper. “And then we can play.”
Mark shivers as he walks into the lobby. He throws a wave at the receptionist, almost dashing to the elevators. Thankfully, one is about to reach the ground floor; one good thing about this day. The door opens and Mark pushes the button for his floor, staring at the ground as the doors shut. Today, today, today.
“You seem excited,” Mark looks up to see a woman— one of his neighbors. Why hadn’t he noticed? She smiles, “Something good at home?”
“Well, not really,” He chuckles. Mark hopes it didn’t sound forced. “Just had a really long day. Y’know? Can’t wait to go home and relax.”
“Oh my, what a hardworking man,” A ding echoes through the metal. “Ah, here’s our stop.”
Mark offers an awkward, “See you around.” as they go their separate ways. When he sees the door that leads to his room, his heart threatens to pound out of his chest. He reaches for the door handle, but hesitates as his heart beats faster still.
Deep breaths, Mark. Deep breaths.
He breathes in and out. In and out. Until his breathing has calmed and his chest feels light. Until his mind ceases its prattling and he’s able to school a neutral expression. Until he has complete and total control of himself.
That’s when he opens the door.
Mark takes his shoes off smoothly and quickly, crossing the threshold in record time. He drops his things on a nearby table, and he finds himself standing in the middle of the living room. It’s empty.
There isn’t that usual singing from whenever his boyfriend is using the bathroom, and the kitchen seems devoid of any sound as well. Then it must mean…
Yukhei steps out of the bedroom, clad only in boxers.
It was perfect timing, too— in his hands, he’s twirling the collar. He was whistling, but the sound dies down when he spots Mark standing in front of him.
The air is buzzing, buzzing with tense anticipation, and Yukhei manages to start it off with, “Welcome home.”
“Did you eat?” Mark asks. His voice is even, composed. “Or get some rest beforehand?”
“Don’t worry, I ate early. I figured you might be a while,” Yukhei lets the pads of his fingers rub against the leather as he closes the distance between the both of them. “So I took a little nap.”
“And is everything… prepared?”
“Yeah,” Yukhei breathes out. He shifts on one foot, not knowing how else to get rid of the jitters that threaten to swallow him whole. “Yes. I laid all the things we agreed to use for the scene on the couch.”
“And how are you feeling?”
“I’m feeling a b-bit nervous,” Fuck, Yukhei’s voice is starting to break. He takes a deep breath, gathers as many threads of composure as he can. He sweeps his hair back, electric blue hitting the apartment lights harshly. “But I want this. I’m ready. I promise.”
“Good,” Mark coos in approval. He looks up to stare his boyfriend in the eye. His gaze doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t contain an ounce of fear or nervousness. A complete contrast from Yukhei. “You know what to do, don’t you?”
Yukhei just nods, because he doesn’t trust his mouth enough to answer without stuttering. He proceeds to buckle the collar around his neck, sighing shakily at the familiar feel of it.
“What are the rules, Xuxi?”
“Obey all of sir’s orders. Answer all of master’s questions honestly. Don’t come without sir’s permission. ‘Red’ is for stop, ‘yellow’ is for slow down, ‘green’ is for continue.” Yukhei's voice is raspy, its edges tinted with desperation. He wants to play.
“Kneel,” Yukhei’s knees give out at Mark's voice. It left no room for disobedience, or for open interpretation; the command was so simple, but it makes Yukhei feel so very small. Fingers lift his chin up and he’s met with clear, intimidating eyes; they shine with an intensity that has Yukhei's stomach swoop. Then, Mark smiles. It’s sadistic, and full of promises. “Good boy.”