with you i stretched for the sun - markhyuck

eight.

"Donghyuck, open this door right now. I'm not joking, I will kick it down," Renjun threatened from outside Donghyuck's door.

"You wouldn't," Hyuck dared to say, hoping that Renjun wouldn't.

"Watch me. Okay, one, two-"

"Okay, okay, okay. Hold on, Injunnie," Donghyuck jumped up to open the door.

He unlocked the door to see an angry Renjun on the other side. "See that wasn't so hard, was it? Now we can talk."

"What's wrong?" Donghyuck asked, settling back on his bed. Renjun shot him a glare.

"Really? You're gonna pretend like everything is okay? Really, Donghyuck?"

He shrugged. "Everything is okay, Renjun. Everything is great. I feel great."

"Really? Is that why I caught you crying on your way home from the gym? I saw you standing outside your apartment crying," Renjun's voice softened. Donghyuck looked away, interlocking his hands together.

"I was just tired."

"I know you were just tired. And worn out. And holding all your feelings in. Why are you doing this, Donghyuck? Why are you trying so hard to change? This isn't healthy, Donghyuck," Renjun said, meeting Donghyuck's gaze evenly.

"I'm trying to change for the better. Isn't that a good thing?" Donghyuck pointed out.

"No! Because you're hurting yourself in the process. You're not changing for yourself. You're changing for Mark, right? Because you heard him say that he liked manly guys," Renjun shot him a knowing glance and Donghyuck knew he had been caught.

"I want him to like me back. And he doesn't like the Donghyuck that depends on him for everything. So I'm trying something different. Is that really so bad?" Donghyuck tried to justify his reasons, but he knew Renjun wouldn't listen.

"Donghyuckie, you're just hurting yourself. You're perfect the way you are, okay? You don't need to change for anyone. If Mark doesn't appreciate the Donghyuck that depends on him - he does, by the way - he doesn't deserve you. Stop trying to change yourself for him. It's not healthy, what you've been doing," Renjun advised, pulling Donghyuck into a short hug.

Deep down, Donghyuck knew that what he had been doing wasn't the most healthy, he was beyond stressed and went to bed crying every night, only to wake up three hours later to repeat the process. But he couldn't stop. Even though he knew that Mark was worried about him, he just couldn't stop.

"Donghyuck, take care of yourself," Renjun said and Donghyuck nodded.

"I will," he promised.