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The soft light filtering through the heavy curtains was the first thing Donghyuck noticed, followed by the faint scent of clean cotton and something earthy, like cedar. His head throbbed in protest as he shifted, the silk sheets grazing his bare skin.
Bare skin?
His eyes flew open, and he froze, his heart racing.
This wasn’t his hotel room.
The bed was massive, the kind you only saw in luxury magazines, with a headboard carved in ornate swirls. There was a window spanning an entire wall, offering a breathtaking view of the Vancouver skyline. But none of that explained why he was here. Or why he was naked. Or—
The weight of the ring on his finger brought him to full consciousness. Donghyuck’s gaze darted to his hand. There it was: a sleek, understated silver band sitting snugly on his ring finger. His stomach churned.
“What the—”
A groan sounded beside him, and he whipped his head around. The man next to him shifted, his bare back stretching as he buried his face deeper into the pillow. He had short, messy hair that looked just a bit too perfect even in sleep. His toned shoulders and fair skin gleamed in the morning light, and Donghyuck hated that his brain decided to notice.
“Who the hell are you?” he blurted out, voice hoarse and cracked.
The man stirred again, groaning. “Too early for this…” he muttered.
Donghyuck grabbed the first thing within reach, a pillow, and whacked the stranger on the shoulder. “Wake up! What is going on?”
“Okay, okay, I’m up!” the man snapped, sitting up abruptly. His sharp jawline and piercing dark eyes hit Donghyuck like a truck. The guy was gorgeous. Too gorgeous. But none of this made sense. The stranger glanced at Donghyuck, his confusion evident as his gaze scanned the room. “Wait, where…?”
“Exactly!” Donghyuck waved his hand. “Where am I? And why are you—why am I—why is there a ring on my finger?”
The man blinked at him, then looked down at his own hand, revealing an identical band on his finger. His brows furrowed. “What the—?”
“Did we—?” Donghyuck started, his face heating up.
“No.” The man’s voice was sharp and certain. “No way.”
“Well, how else do you explain this?” Donghyuck shot back, gesturing wildly at the rings and the bed and their complete lack of clothing.
The stranger dragged a hand down his face, muttering something under his breath before fixing Donghyuck with a glare. “Look, I don’t know what happened last night, but we’ll figure it out. Let’s start with names. I’m Mark. Mark Lee.”
“Donghyuck,” he replied warily. “Lee Donghyuck.”
Mark frowned, glancing around the room. “Okay, Donghyuck. First step, let’s put on some clothes. Then we’ll talk.”
---
Few minutes later, they sat across from each other in what appeared to be the suite’s lavish living area. Donghyuck had borrowed one of Mark’s hoodies, which hung loose on his smaller frame. They’d found their IDs and some vague receipts from a club called Aurora.
“We got married?” Donghyuck repeated, staring at the certificate they’d found folded in a corner of the room. His hands trembled as he held the official-looking paper.
Mark sighed, leaning back on the couch. “Apparently.”
“This has to be a mistake,” Donghyuck insisted. “We were drunk. Insanely drunk! No sane person gets married to someone they just met.”
“Well, neither of us was sane last night,” Mark muttered, running a hand through his hair. “But okay, no big deal. We’ll just annul it. Problem solved.”
Donghyuck breathed a small sigh of relief, until he read further down the document. “Uh… there’s an issue.”
Mark’s gaze snapped to him. “What issue?”
Donghyuck pointed to a section of the certificate. “It says we need the witnesses to sign the annulment papers.”
“Witnesses?” Mark asked, his face darkening.
“Yes. Witnesses.” Donghyuck shoved the paper at him. “Apparently, we needed two witnesses to get married, and now we need them to undo it.”
Mark skimmed the document, his frown deepening. “Who the hell are the witnesses?”
“That’s the million-dollar question!” Donghyuck threw his hands up. “Do you remember anything about last night?”
Mark closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Flashes. Music, lights, maybe tequila? And…” His expression turned sheepish. “That’s it.”
Donghyuck groaned, collapsing back into the couch. “Great. Just great. We’re stuck married because of two strangers we don’t even remember.”
Mark rubbed his temples, clearly trying to piece things together. “Okay, let’s not panic. We’ll figure this out. Someone at the club must remember us, right?”
“Do you know how many drunk people club-hop in this city on a Friday night?” Donghyuck snapped. “The chances are—”
“Hey.” Mark’s voice softened, catching Donghyuck off guard. “We’ll figure it out, okay? Let’s just take it one step at a time.”
Donghyuck glanced at him, startled by the sudden calm in his voice. For a moment, the tension between them eased, and he allowed himself to nod. “Fine. But you’re paying for the cab to the club.”
---
Aurora looked entirely different in the daylight. The neon signs that had likely pulsed rhythmically the night before now looked faded against the sunlight, and the interior was quiet, with staff cleaning up the remnants of the previous night’s chaos. Donghyuck trailed behind Mark, his head still pounding slightly from the hangover, while Mark’s confident stride seemed unaffected.
“I still can’t believe this,” Donghyuck muttered as they stepped inside. “Married to a personal trainer. Of all people.”
Mark shot him a glance, his lips twitching into a smirk. “What’s wrong with being a PT?”
“Nothing,” Donghyuck replied quickly, then added under his breath, “It’s just… unexpected.”
“Right. Because you planned to get drunk, meet a stranger, and marry him?” Mark shot back, raising an eyebrow.
“Touché,” Donghyuck grumbled.
A tall woman with a clipboard and sharp eyes approached them. “We’re not open yet,” she said, her tone polite but firm.
Mark held up his hands. “We’re not here to drink. We, uh, were here last night and needed to ask if anyone remembers us. It’s kind of… important.”
The woman studied them for a moment, her gaze narrowing slightly as it flicked between them. “You two look familiar. Were you the ones dancing on the bar?”
Donghyuck’s eyes widened. “We what?”
Mark groaned, rubbing his face. “Oh God.”
The woman gave a sly smile. “You two were quite the hit. Kept buying rounds for half the crowd, too.”
“Do you know if we talked to anyone specific?” Donghyuck asked, trying to ignore the mortifying image now burned into his brain.
She tapped her pen against her clipboard. “You were with two other guys—real party types. They were the ones who cheered you on when you started talking about… forever love or something.”
Donghyuck froze. “Forever love?”
The woman shrugged. “You were plastered, hon. I think they were just egging you on. One of them had a face tattoo, if that helps.”
Mark sighed. “A face tattoo. Great. That narrows it down.”
“Do you remember their names?” Donghyuck asked desperately.
She shook her head. “No, but check with security. They might have footage.”
---
The security footage revealed only snippets of their night. True to the woman’s word, Donghyuck and Mark had danced on the bar, laughing and holding hands as if they’d known each other forever. It was cringe-worthy, to say the least. Worse, the two witnesses, a guy with a face tattoo and another in a flashy leather jacket, were complete strangers.
Mark leaned back in the security room chair, exhaling sharply. “We’re not getting anywhere with this.”
Donghyuck crossed his arms, glaring at the screen. “So, what? We just stay married? Forever?”
Mark gave him a pointed look. “Relax. There’s got to be another way to annul this. We just have to—”
“—find people we don’t even know in a city this size?” Donghyuck interrupted, his voice rising. “Do you hear yourself?”
“Hey, don’t take this out on me,” Mark said, his voice firm. “You were just as involved in this as I was.”
“Oh, trust me, I know,” Donghyuck shot back. “I’m the one who woke up to a stranger in my bed.”
Mark’s jaw tightened, and for a moment, he said nothing. Then he stood, brushing past Donghyuck. “Let’s go. No point arguing here.”
---
Back in Mark’s apartment, the tension was palpable. Donghyuck sat stiffly on the couch while Mark leaned against the counter, his arms crossed.
“So,” Donghyuck said after a long silence. “What now?”
Mark glanced at him, his expression unreadable. “Well, you’re here for a vacation, right? How long are you staying?”
“three weeks,” Donghyuck replied cautiously. “Why?”
Mark sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Look, neither of us wants to be married, but we can’t exactly fix this overnight. Maybe we just… wait it out. See if anything comes up about the witnesses.”
“And in the meantime?” Donghyuck asked, narrowing his eyes.
Mark shrugged. “We act like adults. Coexist.”
Donghyuck snorted. “Coexist? In what world does that make sense?”
“In the world where you don’t want to spend your vacation in a courthouse,” Mark retorted. “Besides, my place is big enough. We won’t even have to see each other that much.”
Donghyuck hesitated. As much as he hated the idea of staying with Mark, he couldn’t deny that it made sense. Hotels were expensive, and figuring this mess out would take time. “Fine,” he said begrudgingly. “But I’m not doing your laundry.”
Mark smirked. “Deal.”
---
The first few days were awkward, to say the least. Donghyuck avoided Mark as much as possible, spending his days sightseeing and his evenings locked in the guest room. But no matter how hard he tried, their paths inevitably crossed, like when Mark offered him breakfast one morning or when they bumped into each other in the living room.
It was on the fourth night that things began to change.
Donghyuck was curled up on the couch, scrolling through his phone, when Mark came back from the gym. He was sweaty, his tank top clinging to his torso in a way that made Donghyuck’s cheeks heat up. Mark grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, then paused, noticing Donghyuck staring.
“What?” Mark asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Nothing,” Donghyuck said quickly, looking away.
Mark chuckled, the sound low and warm. “You’re terrible at lying.”
“And you’re terrible at wearing normal clothes,” Donghyuck shot back, hoping the snark would cover his flustered state.
Mark smirked. “You like it.”
Donghyuck glared at him, but his lips twitched in the beginnings of a smile. For the first time, the tension between them felt less like frustration and more like something… lighter.
---
Mark turned out to be unexpectedly considerate, which only made it harder for Donghyuck to stay annoyed with him. By the fifth morning, Mark had started brewing coffee before Donghyuck even woke up, the smell luring him into the kitchen like a moth to a flame.
“Morning,” Mark greeted, his voice still a little raspy from sleep. He was leaning against the counter in gray sweatpants and a loose t-shirt, the sight annoyingly domestic.
Donghyuck grunted, still half-asleep as he grabbed the mug Mark had set out for him. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”
Mark shrugged. “Figured you’d appreciate it. Besides, I make better coffee than the cafés near here.”
Donghyuck took a sip, reluctantly admitting to himself that Mark wasn’t wrong. The coffee was rich, smooth, and exactly what he needed. “Thanks,” he mumbled, sitting at the kitchen island.
Mark smirked, leaning forward on his elbows. “You’re welcome, sunshine.”
Donghyuck nearly choked. “What did you just call me?”
“Sunshine,” Mark repeated, his grin widening. “You’re so grumpy in the mornings, it’s ironic.”
“Don’t,” Donghyuck warned, pointing his spoon at him. “Don’t start with pet names.”
Mark held up his hands in mock surrender, but the teasing glint in his eyes didn’t fade. “Whatever you say… sunshine.”
---
That evening, Donghyuck found himself sprawled on the couch, a blanket over his legs as he scrolled through Netflix. Mark had gone out for a late session at the gym, and the apartment was blissfully quiet. But just as Donghyuck was about to start a movie, the door opened, and Mark walked in, carrying a bag of takeout.
“You’re back early,” Donghyuck commented without looking up.
“Yeah, thought I’d bring dinner,” Mark said, dropping the bag on the coffee table. “What’re we watching?”
Donghyuck frowned. “Who said you were invited?”
Mark shrugged, sitting on the other end of the couch. “It’s my couch. Besides, I brought food.”
Donghyuck sighed but didn’t argue, especially when the smell of fried chicken wafted through the room. “Fine. But I pick the movie.”
Mark raised an eyebrow. “You? Pick a good movie? Doubt it.”
“Oh, shut up,” Donghyuck snapped, tossing a pillow at him. “I have excellent taste.”
Mark caught the pillow effortlessly, laughing as he leaned back. “Alright, impress me.”
By the time the credits rolled, Donghyuck was too engrossed in their playful banter to realize how much the atmosphere between them had shifted. Mark’s laugh had become oddly infectious, and his presence no longer felt suffocating.
---
The next few days passed in a rhythm Donghyuck didn’t expect to enjoy. Their accidental companionship began to feel almost natural, marked by sarcastic remarks, shared meals, and quiet moments in the evenings. But it was the little things that caught Donghyuck off guard, like how Mark always remembered how he liked his coffee or how he’d throw a blanket over Donghyuck when he fell asleep on the couch.
One night, as they sat on the couch watching another movie, Donghyuck shifted to stretch and accidentally bumped Mark’s arm. “Sorry,” he murmured, pulling back quickly.
Mark glanced at him, his gaze lingering for a second too long. “You’re fine,” he said, his voice softer than usual.
Donghyuck’s heart skipped a beat, but he brushed it off, leaning back against the couch. Still, he couldn’t ignore the strange warmth blooming in his chest.
---
It happened on a rainy evening, the kind that made the city feel smaller and quieter. Donghyuck had been grumbling about the weather while Mark made dinner, the sound of the rain tapping against the windows like a soft melody. When they finally sat down to eat, the conversation drifted to their lives before this chaotic mess.
“So, why Canada?” Mark asked, twirling spaghetti onto his fork. “Why not somewhere tropical for your stress-relief trip?”
Donghyuck sighed, poking at his plate. “I don’t know. I wanted something different. New experiences, you know?”
Mark nodded, his gaze thoughtful. “And how’s that going so far?”
Donghyuck glanced up, meeting Mark’s eyes. The sincerity in his expression caught him off guard. “Better than I expected,” he admitted softly.
They fell into a comfortable silence after that, the kind where words felt unnecessary. Later, as they stood side by side in the kitchen washing dishes, Donghyuck turned to hand Mark a plate. Their fingers brushed, and Donghyuck froze.
Mark looked down at their hands, then back up at Donghyuck, his expression unreadable. Before Donghyuck could say anything, Mark closed the distance between them, cupping his face gently. “Can I?” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Donghyuck’s breath hitched, but he found himself nodding, his heart pounding. Mark leaned in slowly, giving Donghyuck plenty of time to pull away, but he didn’t. Their lips met in a soft, tentative kiss that quickly deepened, stealing the breath from Donghyuck’s lungs.
When they finally pulled apart, Donghyuck stared at Mark, his mind racing. “What was that for?”
Mark smiled, his thumb brushing over Donghyuck’s cheek. “Felt like the right thing to do.”
Donghyuck didn’t argue. For once, it felt like something was finally going right.
---
After that night, things between them shifted subtly, though neither spoke about it directly. Donghyuck found himself lingering in the kitchen longer when Mark cooked, his eyes drawn to the way Mark moved effortlessly around the space. Mark, in turn, seemed to gravitate closer to Donghyuck whenever they were in the same room, brushing past him in ways that felt deliberate.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
The memory of their drunken marriage still hung over them like a dark cloud, and Donghyuck couldn’t shake the frustration of their situation. One evening, after a particularly stressful day of searching for their elusive witnesses, Donghyuck snapped.
“This is impossible!” he exclaimed, pacing the living room. “I didn’t come to Canada to play detective.”
Mark leaned against the wall, watching him with crossed arms. “I know it’s frustrating, but yelling isn’t going to solve anything.”
“Oh, so now you’re the voice of reason?” Donghyuck shot back, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Mark’s jaw tightened. “Look, I’m trying here. Maybe you should, too.”
Donghyuck stopped pacing, turning to glare at Mark. “Trying? You think I’m not trying? I didn’t ask to wake up married to a stranger, Mark!”
“Neither did I!” Mark’s voice rose, the tension between them snapping like a rubber band. “But maybe instead of complaining, you could focus on what we can do.”
“And what’s that? Keep pretending this isn’t a complete disaster?” Donghyuck’s voice cracked, his frustration giving way to something more vulnerable.
Mark took a step closer, his expression softening. “It’s not pretending,” he said quietly. “I… I don’t think this is a disaster.”
Donghyuck blinked, his anger faltering. “What are you talking about?”
Mark hesitated, running a hand through his hair. “I’m saying… maybe this isn’t as bad as we think. I mean, look at us. We’re not exactly fighting every second of the day anymore.”
Donghyuck opened his mouth to argue but stopped. Mark was right, they’d gone from being strangers to something that felt almost comfortable, even… intimate. The realization made his stomach flip.
“I don’t know what to think,” Donghyuck admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
Mark stepped even closer, his gaze searching Donghyuck’s face. “Then don’t think,” he said, his voice steady. “Just… be here. With me.”
Before Donghyuck could respond, Mark leaned down, capturing his lips in a kiss that was anything but tentative this time. It was firm, demanding, and Donghyuck couldn’t help but melt into it, his hands curling around Mark’s sides as if to anchor himself.
When they broke apart, both of them were breathing heavily, their foreheads resting together. “We’ll get through this, okay?” Mark murmured. “Together.”
---
A few days later, their search finally paid off. Mark received a call from the nightclub manager, who had tracked down one of the witnesses, a man named Jake with a face tattoo. Meeting him at a café, Donghyuck and Mark explained their situation, half-embarrassed as Jake laughed.
“Man, you two were wild,” Jake said, sipping his coffee. “But yeah, I remember signing something for you. My buddy Troy was the other witness. He’s out of town, but I can get his signature when he’s back.”
Donghyuck felt a rush of relief. “Thank you. Seriously.”
Jake shrugged. “No problem. Kinda jealous, though. You two seemed pretty into each other.”
Donghyuck and Mark exchanged an awkward glance but didn’t correct him.
Over the next week, as they waited for Troy’s return, Donghyuck and Mark settled into a strange routine. Despite the looming annulment, the growing affection between them was undeniable. Donghyuck found himself drawn to Mark in ways he hadn’t expected. The way he always listened, the way he made Donghyuck feel seen.
But the closer they got, the harder it became to ignore the elephant in the room: the fact that their time together was temporary.
On the night before Troy was due to return, Donghyuck found Mark sitting on the balcony, staring out at the city lights.
“You okay?” Donghyuck asked, stepping outside.
Mark glanced at him, a small smile playing on his lips. “Yeah. Just… thinking.”
“About what?” Donghyuck prompted, sitting beside him.
Mark hesitated before speaking. “About us. About how… this feels like the first time in a long time that I’ve had something good.”
Donghyuck’s breath caught. “Mark…”
Mark turned to face him, his expression raw and vulnerable. “I know we’re supposed to end this, and I get it. But… I don’t want to.”
Donghyuck’s heart pounded in his chest. He’d been trying to ignore his own feelings, but hearing Mark voice what he’d been too afraid to admit shook him.
“I don’t want to either,” Donghyuck confessed, his voice trembling.
Mark reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers. “Then let’s not.”
---
The next day, instead of meeting Troy, Donghyuck and Mark sat in their living room, talking for hours about what their relationship could look like, this time, sober.
As Mark held him closer, their bodies tangled together, Donghyuck whispered, “I think we might be the luckiest drunks in history.”
Mark chuckled, pressing a kiss to Donghyuck’s temple. “Forever love, huh?”
Donghyuck smiled, his heart full. “Forever love.”