Black and Blue | Markmin

𝙵𝚒𝚟𝚎.

The front door opened and slammed shut. Followed immediately by the door opening and being shut again, this time accompanied by a shout.

"Hey don't slam the door in my face, this is my house!" Renjun complained loudly as Mark walked into the boy's empty house, looking around carefully just to make sure that Renjun's family really wasn't home. The last time they had met, it hadn't been good. To put it simply the meeting had promptly ending with Mark being shoved out of the house, called a 'fucking disgrace' and 'disappointment' before the boy's parents said that he should never see Renjun again.

The detail of why are better left unsaid.

"Hey Mark! Are you listening to me?"

Mark turned around and shook his head, causing Renjun to let out an annoyed groan, the younger throwing his bag onto the kitchen counter. Mark tossed his bag next to Renjun's and looked around, nodding before moving towards the stairs to the second floor. He happily walked up the stairs and down the hallway until he reached Renjun's bedroom.

Mark opened the door to the bedroom and flopped down onto his bed, letting out a relieved sigh, closing his eyes. He felt the mattress dip, an 'oof' following the dip, and an arm fall to rest across his stomach. He opened his eyes again to see Renjun laying on his stomach next to him, his eyes closed as his arm rested on Mark.

"Get off me bitch," Mark grumbled and shifted to shoved Renjun away, the younger boy opening his eyes to shoot a glare at him.

"I'm letting you lay on my bed peasant, think again before trying to get me off my bed," Renjun spit out before sitting up, pushing Mark's torso with his hands. Mark let out a laugh, trying to stop Renjun from shoving him off the edge of the bed.

Grabbing the boy's arm in an effortless attempt to stop the younger, Mark's torso was halfway off of the mattress before his eyes caught a long and quite fresh scratch running up Renjun's forearm. He jerked up at the discovery, his hand shooting out to grab the boy's arm, pulling the sleeve up to expose even more of the cut.

"Renju-" Mark started but Renjun jerked his arm out of Mark's grasp, looking down with embarrasment as he tugged the sleeve over the cut. "A-are-" He swallowed, looking in shock at the boy sitting in front of him. He wouldn't...would he?

"I'm not... hurting myself or anything Mark," Renjun looked up, nervousness shining in his eyes as he looked worriedly at Mark, "It's... you can't tell anyone. Not a soul." Mark sucked in a breath as his mind spun with an assumption. A strong assumption but...

"Do you have a soulmate Renjun?" Mark whispered softly, as if saying it too loudly would announce it to the entire world - something he most definitely didn't want to do. Tears shone in the boy's eyes and his lip quivered as he nodded shakily, throwing himself into Mark's arms.

"Oh my God Mark please, please don't tell anyone! I can't handle that. I-I didn't even want a soulmate," Renjun cried out as his finger's curled around the fabric on the back of Mark's shirt, Mark's arms circling Renjun's torso. He let out small shushing sounds, his hands rubbing Renjun's back as the boy cried, clearly not wanting anything to do with his soulmate.

Mark felt bitter resentment settle into his bones as his friend's tears soaked into his shirt. It was so unfair. So utterly unfair. Why did Renjun have to go through so much pain for something that he didn't even want -- that had been forced upon him?

"Shhh, don't worry Jun, I won't tell anyone. I won't tell a single soul," Mark whispered out soothingly, "Your secret is safe with me, okay? What kind of friend would I be if I went around gossiping about you, hm?"

Renjun nodded against his chest, sucking in ragged breaths as he tried to calm himself down. Finally Renjun moved back, looking into Mark's eyes with a puffy and red face. "You won't tell anyone?"

"No, I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you Mark," Renjun sniffled and sat back on his heels, then moving to sit with his legs crossed. Mark sat back too, sitting right across from the boy who rubbed his face with his shirt sleeves. "It's been happening for...I don't know close to a couple of months?"

"And you've been hiding this from me for this entire time?" Mark questioned, a little hurt that his best friend didn't feel comfortable enough to confide in him about something so serious. Renjun nodded, guiltily looking at Mark and biting his lip nervously.

"I-I'm sorry I just didn't know what to do. At first I just thought that I was bumping into things and not remembering but then...these scratches and cuts started appearing everywhere and I knew." Renjun tugged at the cuffs of his sleeves, sniffling.

"Jeez, what kind of fucking asshole hurts himself just to try and find his soulmate. Especially when it hurts their soulmate too." Mark growled, anger bubbling up as much as he wanted to push it away. God he hated it so much. How society was so fixated on trival things like this. To the point where they would hurt themselves and make themselves bleed just to find forced love.

It was utterly and absolutely disgusting. 

"W-well maybe they're not doing it on purpose you know? Maybe someone else is hurting them, like if you had a soulmate. You get into fights," Renjun pointed out and Mark scowled.

"I don't have a soulmate, and even if I did I wouldn't want them. Partners should be chosen willingly, not by some stupid phenomenon," Mark ranted insensitively, Renjun nodding slowly. Mark's eyes softened. He shouldn't be complaining about something like this while Renjun's hurting. "Listen, at least let me help you bandage them. They look painful and you're not taking care of them."

"Alright. Thanks Mark."

"Don't thank me, it's what anyone would do."

"That's not true and you know it."

Mark smiled to hide his grimace. It was really all too often that friends sold each other out for their moment of fame when the couple went worldwide. It was pathetic really. "Let's go make some popcorn, I'm in a weird mood now. Thanks for getting a soulmate dumbass." Mark rolled his eyes and stood up, grinning as a pillow hit his arm.

"It wasn't like it was my choice!"

"Whatever you say lover boy."

Renjun jumped off the bed and Mark laughed, running out of the room with his smaller friend chasing after him. It was nice that they were able to stay like this despite all of the greivances in their life.

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