Sunshine | Markhyuck

27: a unique take on a sleepover

Mark looked down to the phone ringing in his hand as he drew up his blinds once again to let the darkness in. A small smile etched its way on his face as he saw the contact. He looked up out the window, expecting to see the boy calling to be sat in at his window once again, however this time he wasn't there.

Mark glanced around the room with furrowed brows before his eyes landed on the small bundle of covers and pillows heaped on Haechan's bed, his small face poking out of the fluff and his phone beside his head. Mark chuckled, walking backwards and answering the call.

"Haechannie," he breathed out as he landed on his bed.

"No," Haechan shook his head in a tiny kind of way, "not Haechan."

"Oh?" Mark cocked his head, crossing his legs on the mattress, "then who?"

Haechan uncovered his head more, moving his arm around the pillow he was cuddled into.

"Donghyuck."

Mark broke into a smile, flopping back on his bed, softly laughing to himself as he clasped his phone tightly. "So you know it worked."

Donghyuck hummed in response. "Now, hyung, get into bed."

"Why?"

Donghyuck inhaled deeply as Mark sat up, "because I want to talk to you."

Mark raised an eyebrow but nevertheless followed on with his words, getting under his covers and placing his phone beside his head.

They lied in silence, only faint rustling heard from either side of the phone as one of them moved slightly. Donghyuck clutching on to his pillow, burying his face into its side while Mark held his pillow close to his chest, unconsciously rubbing the fabric with his thumb. A way to hold each other. Donghyuck breathing softly as he held on to Mark as he wanted to, Mark hoping that Donghyuck would sleep soundly to the sound of his heart, even if sometimes it felt like it was racing faster than anything he could think of.

There's something cruel about not being able to be with those you want.

As if every other damn problem wasn't enough, the one person you wanted, or sometimes even needed, was out of reach. Too far. Out of grasp. And while at the start it seems fine, the longer you wait, either one of two things happens.

It may fade slowly over time, a small burnt image, someone gone but never forgotten., A scarred mark on your brain after a while, something you remember vaguely if you're lucky. A distorted image of a flame somewhere in your mind where you can remember what it was but not where it came from.

Or...it may eat into you.

It might dig itself deeper and deeper into your mind, getting twisted and looped around all your memories, past and present, so much so that everything reminds you of them. You turn your head to the leaves and you can see some resemblance to someone, something, even if it's as abstract as the clouds. The kind of person that gets trapped within the confines of your skull, and pulls your attention in every way imaginable. And the more it happens, the more you embrace it. The more you love the feeling.

Mark never thought he'd experience either of those problems in his short life time, yet here he was, having been through both at only 19. How wonderful. This exactly the kind of life he envisioned for himself.

Mark rolled his head to the window, watching Donghyuck shake slightly under his covers.

"Baby okay?" he asked gently.

Donghyuck nodded, "just a little cold that's all, don't worry."

"Oh," Mark nodded, turning his head back to the ceiling. He chuckled quietly, "the sun is cold."

Donghyuck giggled slightly, "didn't know that could happen."

"I know right," Mark laughed, glancing back at Donghyuck.

Donghyuck looked up to him, sending a small smile to him which sent a short sharp burn through his skin. It wasn't bad, which Mark was very grateful for, but it still caused him to wince. Donghyuck's face fell as he muttered a small sorry.

Mark brushed it off, turning on to his side, "it's fine, it didn't actually hurt that much."

"It still hurt though," Donghyuck mumbled quietly, "I've hurt you before, don't really want to do that again."

"You could never hurt me, Donghyuckie."

"Hmm, remind me again what happened last time?" Donghyuck propped himself, glaring at Mark through the glass, "right, you ended up in hospital."

"And whose fault was that, huh?" Mark mirrored Donghyuck's position, jokingly glaring back at him.

Donghyuck pouted through his smile, pushing at the pillow. "Shut up, I wasn't thinking," he sighed, flopping on his back.

Mark giggled, resting back down on his side, moving his arm around his pillow once more, "seems you don't think quite a lot."

"My best friend after you is Yangyang, did you expect me to have impulse control?" Donghyuck turned his head sharply to Mark who simply grinned back.

"Fair point," Mark breathed out.

Donghyuck's eyes softened as he gazed at Mark, a smile threatening to come through but being bitten back. Mark's smile faltered, pressure beginning to press down on his chest. He swallowed, looking down to his pillow to try and distract himself from the building emptiness.

"Hyung, you're very pretty, you know."

Mark's lips tilted out, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips, "oh really?"

Donghyuck hummed as Mark let his eyes go back to his window. The younger turned back on to his side, "very much so."

Mark laughed, cheeks slowly dusting pink, "thank you, Hyuckie."

"Could never compare to you though."

Donghyuck chuckled, turning pink himself, "thank you, hyung."

Mark's eyes widened, pursing his lip together, "didn't mean to say that out loud."

"It's okay," Donghyuck swished his hand, "I don't mind."

Mark exhaled, clasping tightly to his pillow, simply gazing in Donghyuck's eyes across the distance of their roofs.

"Mark," Donghyuck called out quietly, "you need to close your blinds."

Mark's face fell, "no."

"Mark, sunlight." Donghyuck spoke more sternly, making Mark frown deeper.

Mark reluctantly got up from the warmth of his covers. Not that it made much of a difference, Donghyuck's presence still sending a pleasant hum throughout his body, and the closer he walked to the window, the more his skin began to burn.

A six.

Mark smiled, waving at the younger boy, mumbling a small goodbye as he hung up. The blinds coming down finally letting the cold of his room settle around him, through his skin that had been burning for the past hour or so. Mark had gotten so used to the warmth, or in reality heat, that Donghyuck brought with him, the coolness seemed more like a punishment now than a blessing.

Granted he had been itching the back of his hand the entire time so the cold did help that. You lose some, you gain some.

Mark crawled back into his covers, gripping tightly to the pillow beside him. With a small sniffle, he buried his face into the soft warmth of Haechan, of Donghyuck.