Supernerd! MARK

10 | Mark me in your heart

I jolt awake to the sound of thunder, my eyes meeting the neon stars on the ceiling which I quickly come to recognise as Mark's.

There's a soft glow of orange coming from the corner of the room in front of me, and I see Mark's back hunched over his study table as he types on his keyboard rapidly.

"Mark?" I call out, my voice raspy.

He swiftly turns his head, his eyes behind his glasses wide like they always are. "Yena," he breathes. "You're awake."

I nod groggily, pushing myself up from his bed to a sitting position. "What time is it?"

He turns his head back to his table momentarily. "Just a bit past one. Are you okay?"

I tilt my head in confusion. "Why aren't you asleep?" I ask, disregarding his question.

He shrugs, turning to me fully now on his swivel chair. "Just thought I'd get the rest of our assignment done— you've been doing most of it anyway. You should go back to sleep."

Thunder strikes again just as I am about to answer, and it makes me flinch slightly.

I notice Mark's eyes widen in panic, but before he could utter a word, I beat him to it.

"Can I ask you something?"

He seems uneasy at my sudden question, but agrees anyway. "Sure. Anything."

I hesitate for a while, fumbling with my fingers as I try to think of how to phrase my next statement. Now that I'm calmer, there's only one question that's burning in my mind. "I... just now. Why did you ask me to close my eyes?"

My brain goes back to the events that had unfolded earlier, and I instinctively bring my fingers up to my neck where a cotton gauze now sits. Through my previously hazed state, I could only barely remember Mark cleaning up my wound for me as I sit in his kitchen, his clumsy fingers working around the cut on my skin.

"Oh," Mark chuckles as he bounces his leg. "I mean, it would have been awkward if you saw me fail, right?"

I stare at him blankly, not the slightest bit convinced.

When he sees my deadpan expression, Mark clears his throat. "It was a distraction," he murmurs. "I just wanted to distract him so he would let go of you. I didn't know what I was doing, obviously, but it worked, didn't it? I mean, I would've still done it regardless even if you didn't close your eyes, yeah," he rambles.

"But what exactly did you do, Mark?" I ask exasperatedly, "I close my eyes, and the next thing I know, he's on the ground!"

Mark can't seem to find a response to my question, and I let out a sigh. Before I could press him any further, a familiar voice echoes from outside his room.

"Mel!"

Mark's eyes widen, and the next thing I know, I'm under the sheets.

With Mark's face right next to me.

I let out a gasp, but he is quick to bring up his fingers to my lips. Quiet.

I hear the door swing open, and I instinctively shut my eyes at the thought of getting caught, my fingers finding the material of Mark's t-shirt as I grip it tightly.

"Oh, you don't usually sleep this early," I hear Haechan mutter. "Oi, are you trying to suffocate under the sheets?"

My eyes fling open, only to be met with Mark's equally panicked ones. As we hear Haechan approach us, presumably to lift the blanket off so his roommate could breathe, Mark finally removes the material away from his face, and I am harshly pulled towards his chest, his other hand firm on the back of my neck as though to stop me from squirming.