Sunshine | Markhyuck

31: apparently Mark's not very smart either

Mark checked his phone one more time as he climbed uphill, just in case the younger changed his mind. Luckily for him he hadn't.

Letting the cool night's breeze blow past his face as the slight itchiness came upon him, Mark sat down at the top of the hill. He 0sighed, pressing his hands against the grass as he looked up at the silver sparkles in the sky.

"I understand what you see in stars now."

Mark smiled softly, "yeah?"

"they're gorgeous."

Mark turned his head to see the younger boy sat on a small hill a few metres away, staring up at the floating lights above him in awe.

"yeah," Mark looked down, his face dusting pink in darkness, "they are."

Both boys sat in the quiet of the night, taking in the comforting, almost warm silence that enveloped them. Their breaths matched the pulse of stars and their hearts, placing the trust of their secret in them.

Mark looked over the field, the three am streetlights glowing distantly like embers in a fire. A small place if you took a step back really. The kind you sing about missing in some lame song. But those songs were right. From this height, this distance, the town looked gorgeous, the perfect sunset town.

But everything looked pretty from a distance. It once you went inside did you see the faults and flaws that made the town a home. The beat-up chairs and benches. The houses and buildings worn away from the years they've spent sinking. The broken streetlights, classrooms falling apart, the slanting roofs.

The things that made the place itself.

The place that made home home.

Cause the benches were sat on by family, couples, strangers and friends. Busy workers stepped on the floors of the buildings. The lights blew out for the shadow man to walk home, the classrooms were to keep the blinds down and talk and slanted roofs were for secret whispers between the people we keep close to us.

"hyung," the red-haired boy quietly called out, Mark humming in acknowledgement, "is this okay?"

Mark tilted his head back, his eyes gradually softening as he looked over to him, "yeah, Hyuckie, this is okay."

"...I like that."

"hm?"

"Hyuckie."

Mark chuckled, "yeah?"

Donghyuck turned to the boy, sending him a slight smile, barely even noticeable over the distance., "yeah."

Normally the smile would've sent Mark into some sort of coma at this point without the barrier, but luckily, or maybe unluckily, the space between them prevented it from happening, it only sending maybe a slight tinge of warmth through the elder's skin.

"I like the darkness actually."

"you do?"

Donghyuck nodded, "it's the one time I don't have to try."

Mark's eyebrows furrowed, "what do you mean."

Donghyuck sighed, leaning back on his hands as his shirt rippled in the wind, "under the moon, I can just be Donghyuck, not loud, not bright, not jumping for joy, just Donghyuck."

Mark nodded, mumbling a small "oh" before looking back up at the sky. "Aren't I intruding then?"

Donghyuck chuckled softly, "No." he closed his eyes for a moment. "you let me be Donghyuck, I don't need to try around you. I feel at peace."

"I'm glad I give that to you."

"I'm glad you do too."

He understood what the younger boy meant. After the last time they spent together, Mark felt more at ease. A ridiculous thing to feel after almost dying at his hands, but that's what had happened. Mark could feel the freedom of being in Donghyuck's presence, the homely feeling of being loved unconditionally as they spoke to one another. Now instead, there was need, a want, for the boy's touch, for his hand to be only in his, forever and always.

Mark stood up, Donghyuck frowning on reflex, "you're going already?"

Mark stretched, shaking his head, "no," he sighed. He shook himself a bit before walking down the hill, over to the younger.

Donghyuck's eyes widened as Mark made his way up to his hill with a smile, hands stuffed into his pockets. He went to move away yet Mark shook his head, instead taking a seat next to him and interlacing their fingers and sending fire through Mark's skin, barely better than last time.

"is this okay?"

Donghyuck's breath hitched in his throat, his face slowly coming darker in the moonlight as he nodded. "Mm, it's okay."

Mark gazed at the smaller boy, eyes warm and loving. He gathered him in his arms, nuzzling into Donghyuck's hair, "good." He kissed his forehead, "really really good."

"...hyung."

"Yeah, love?"

"I want...to kiss you...but I can't, can I?"

Mark shook his head, holding him close to his chest, "No." Mark was pretty damn sure at this point if he were to kiss Donghyuck's lips he would actually be sent into a coma or possibly even death. Of course he'd want to risk it all and do so, but it would also cut his time with Donghyuck short, which was much more important.

Donghyuck swallowed, closing his eyes as he melted more and more into Mark's touch, "I want to."

"I know, baby," Mark carded his finger through the smaller boy's hair, breathing shakily the air of the night.

He held on to the boy tightly, ignoring the burning, bubbling feeling of his skin. He tried convincing himself he was fine, that in the night, in the arms of Donghyuck, he was safe, no bad could come, despite every single other time telling him otherwise.

"please, please just let me have this."

"Mark hyung, you're burning up," Donghyuck spoke up, words laced with concern.

Mark sighed in defeat, removing himself from the boy, Donghyuck accidentally whining quietly. Mark chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair as he stood up, the younger leaning into the touch, savouring it for as long as he could before Mark pulled away.

Mark pulled out his phone, reading the time. Glancing at his gradually bubbling and blistering hand, he sighed, stuffing his phone back into his pocket and walking away from the boy.

He glanced back, "I'll see you later, Hyuckie."

Donghyuck smiled back at him, "come back to me soon."