{crumbs: nct one-shots}

{feel better: yumark}

concept: mark gets an emotional bug and yuta is there to take care of him.

all mark could do was lay on his back and stare at the ceiling. frankly, he was out of energy and motivation. he had been writing and practicing, dancing, rapping and singing for days on end. he was burnt out. he didn't want to do anything.

donghyuck invited him to lunch and roller skating with taeil and jungwoo. he said no. he wasn't in the mood to eat or go roller skating or even really be around his members. it was concerning to all of them, not only as his members, but as his friends. it wasn't like him to blow off their offers like that just to lay in bed.

johnny, taeil, taeyong and jaehyun had all tried to bring him food or something to do. he didn't answer the door for any of them, and most of the time it was because he was sleeping. the food ended up going to the others or being saved as leftovers.

yuta was sitting in the living room reading a book that he had downloaded onto his phone. taeyong was helping doyoung make dinner in the kitchen. the sound of foil covering a plate alerted him that they were about to ask for someone to take food to mark.

"yuta?" taeyong asked, setting the table for the other members. "could you take mark some food and the book and notebook on the table there?" he asked, pointing to a stack of two books on a small table under a lamp.

yuta nodded, pocketing his phone and grabbing the books. he headed into the kitchen. "where's his plate?" he asked.

"here," doyoung said, holding out a plate covered in shiny silver stuff. yuta took the plate, keeping the books in the opposite arm. "you can just bring it down if he doesn't take it. we'll try again later."

the japanese male nodded in understanding. his stomach dropped at the mention of the younger not eating, though. it had been a couple of days. he took the plate and the books up to the second floor, standing in front of mark's door.

he pushed it open slightly with his foot. something may have been off with mark, but yuta was glad to see that it opened without resistance and wasn't locked. he stood close to the opening, holding the plate in front of him. because he wanted mark to smell the food and actually be willing to eat. not because he wanted to see him or anything.

"mark-ah?" yuta asked gently, knocking on the door lightly. "are you awake?"

"yuta hyung?" came the rough reply. it sounded like the younger had just woken up. a wave of relief washed over the older. at least he was awake.

"is it okay if I come in?" he asked.

there was some shuffling inside the room before he received an answer. "mhmm."

yuta pushed the door open enough to walk inside, still holding the food and the books. he looked to the bed to see mark curled up in a ball, eyes closed. "my bad. i thought you were awake," yuta said, turning back toward the door.

"no. i-i'm awake," mark said, eyes opening as he sat up. "i'm awake."

yuta went to sat on the bed beside mark, the younger tugging his sleeve slightly. "are you hungry?" he asked, moving the plate toward mark. mark thought, then nodded, taking the plate from him. "that's good to hear." he ruffled the canadian male's hair.

mark smiled, a light pink dusting his cheeks. yuta's heart could have burst just seeing it. he missed seeing his smile. mark carefully unwrapped the plate, but wasn't careful in eating it. the older could tell that he was hungrier than he let on, since he finished the plate in mere minutes.

"what are those?" mark asked, swallowing a last mouthful of food and pointing to the books yuta was holding with the end of his spoon.

"ah, well, i believe the book is from johnny. he thought you would like it," he said, handing the younger the slim book of poetry. "and the journal is from jungwoo. he found it when he was out shopping with jaehyun and doyoung and thought you'd want it for your poems or something." jungwoo didn't actually tell yuta that, but he knew mark well enough to know that he enjoyed writing poems. they just came naturally to him.

"and what did you bring me?" mark asked, looking up at yuta and blinking innocently. his eyes holding a spark that yuta hadn't even realized he missed until he saw it again.

"myself. i figured you'd need someone to keep you company when you decided to wake up," he said. mark gave him a small smile, then pushed his now empty plate aside carefully. he leaned his head on the older's shoulder and smiled gratefully. "what's making you so tired?" he asked, stroking the younger's hair.

"everything," mark said. "i've been doing so much and it's so tiring... i think i just burned myself out." he looked out toward the door.

"maybe it's best that you took the hiatus, then," yuta said. "burnout is no fun. i just wish you told somebody sooner, so you weren't this tired and we could have helped you."

"i know. i'm sorry." the two of them were quiet for a few moments, yuta's arm around mark's shoulders, pressing the younger to him.

"we'll just be happy to have to back once you're at peak condition," yuta said. "we missed you." mark chuckled wordlessly, making yuta's heart full.

"i know you should go get dinner and the others are expecting you, but i kind of want you to stay here," mark admitted, playing with the older's fingers.

"maybe someone can bring me dinner while we talk. that way i don't have to leave," yuta suggested. mark looked up at him hopefully. he pulled his phone from his pocket, texting taeil to ask if he could sneak him a plate upstairs and let him know that mark was okay.

"hyung?"

"yeah, mark?"

"thanks."

yuta moved his hand to hold mark's, gently squeezing the younger's hand. "anytime you need me." mark smiled, his head still on the japanese male's shoulder. yuta turned to kiss his head.

"if you're feeling well enough to go downstairs later, do you want to watch a movie or something?" he asked.

mark nodded without hesitation. "i'd like to do something other than sleep for a while," he said with a chuckle. yuta leaned his head on top of the younger's, just smiling when taeil entered the room with an unwrapped plate much like mark's.

"glad to see you're feeling better, mark," taeil said. he handed the plate to yuta with a subtle wink. the younger blushed, pushing taeil back, who just laughed. mark raised an eyebrow and taeil shook his head in response. "enjoy your dinner, yuta. you look comfortable." he turned to walk out without another word.

mark giggled, making yuta's heart jump. "if you're comfortable, maybe we should do this more often," he said.

"if you want to," yuta told him, starting to eat his dinner. mark nodded against his shoulder, and yuta smiled into the bite he was eating. mark felt better. that's all he could have asked for. though he did get something else that he'd always hoped for.