Secluded ✦ markhyuck

04

As dawn breaks and the first few rays of sunlight seep in through the windows, Mark finds himself still very much awake. Although he tried to rest, anxious thoughts would fill his head, and he could only lie in bed questioning what had happened that night and if there was an intruder in the house.

A quiet yawn alerts Mark to Donghyuck's slow awakening. He watches as he turns over to face Mark and smiles warmly at him.

"You're up early," he remarks before his expression slowly falls, "You look exhausted...Did you sleep last night?"

"Honestly?" Mark speaks in a quiet voice, "No."

"Mark," disappointment saturates Donghyuck's voice, "Why not?"

"I just..." Mark starts before determining it was best to ask his pressing question, "Did you take a walk in the woods, last night?"

Donghyuck narrows his eyes in confusion and shakes his head slightly as he props himself up onto his elbow.

"Of course not. Why?"

Sickness slowly creeps its way up Mark's throat at this response. Was Donghyuck playing some sort of sick prank on him? Was he telling the truth?

"I just...I thought I saw someone outside and you...you weren't in bed with me..." he mentions.

Donghyuck rolls his eyes and waves his hand in a dismissive manner.

"You were probably just seeing things," he brushes his concerns off, "Better yet, you were probably just having one of your nightmares again. You've been having a lot of those for the past month or so."

"Nightmares?" Mark questions, and Donghyuck nods. Mark couldn't recall having nightmares before, nor did last night's events feel like a dream as opposed to real life. He slips his hand under his pillow, feeling the relatively cool metal of the knife's blade against his fingertips.

No...whatever happened last night was real. He was certain of it.

"No, it was real. I saw someone. I walked outside to the shed to look for them, but they ran away. Or...or something like that," Mark insists.

"Mark...we're living in a secluded cabin in the middle of the woods...the only people here are you and me," Donghyuck says slowly.

"I know what I saw!" Mark snaps. Regret instantly fills his body and he covers his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay..." the younger murmurs softly.

Silence befalls the two as Mark tries his best to move past his outburst of anger. He decides to ask about yet another pressing inquiry on his mind.

"Hyuck? Do you know why the shed is all boarded up and chained up?" he questions.

Donghyuck blinks slowly at him a few times before responding.

"It's been that way for a while."

"Yes, but why? What's in there?"

"I think you need to not be so concerned about a rotting old shed. It's creepy and old. End of story."

"Don't you want to know what's inside?" Mark presses, but this question seems to flip a switch in Donghyuck. The smaller turns deathly serious and stares at him with such intensity that it bores holes into Mark's soul.

"You already promised you wouldn't go in there. I suggest you keep that promise," he says darkly. This sends a chill down Mark's spine: one which seeps deep into his bones and makes him physically shiver.

Suddenly, Donghyuck smiles kindly once more.

"Can you make me breakfast? I'm starving," he requests brightly before giving him a soft pout.

Still stunned from Donghyuck's former remark, Mark stares blankly at him.

It was then that Mark was absolutely convinced that the younger man was trying to scare him. What didn't make sense was why he was carrying the prank on for so long. Still, Mark takes this as confirmation that there was, in fact, no intruder last night. There was no threat. Only Donghyuck being an asshole. With this realization, he sighs deeply and shakes his head, finally feeling the ability to put his mind at ease once more.

It's then that he finally answers:

"Yeah, sure."