(A/n: can we please take a moment to appreciate how adorable Jeno is? Thank you 🥺)
Tw//mentions of eating disorders and depression
The next morning, Donghyuck had woken up earlier than usual being that he went to bed early last night. He slowly sat up in pain as the muscles on his body were sore from yesterday's events, the fight and the runaway. He carefully leaned his back and head against the headboard of his bed and sighed.
He reached for his glasses that were resting on top of the bedside table, groaning as the soreness fluctuated through his arm. Once he grabbed them, he slid them on his nose and blinked sleepily several times before finally leaving them open. He picked up his phone, which just so happened to be right next to him since he forgot to charge it last night, and opened it to read any notifications he received.
He saw a few messages from Mark asking if he was okay and Donghyuck quickly replied back to him, saying that he was alright and that he fell asleep early last night. His eyes averted to the time at the top of his phone screen which read that it was a little past eight in the morning, way too early for Donghyuck to be up right now especially on a weekend.
Donghyuck plugged his phone into the charger and dragged himself up from the bed as his body stung in pain. He walked into the bathroom and started freshening up. He squeezed the toothpaste onto his toothbrush after wetting its bristles and moved the brush in a circular motion on his teeth.
Once he finished that, making sure not to put pressure on the wound on his lip, he shook and spit the pasty foam out of his mouth and rinsed. He washed his face after pulling off his glasses and pat his skin dry carefully with a clean towel. Once he was done using the bathroom, he shut the lights off and went back into his room, his glasses back on.
He glanced in his full body mirror, pulling off his shirt and mentally face palmed himself since he forgot to change the bandages on his stomach. He stomped lightly back into the bathroom and removed the used gauze pads on his skin and replaced them with fresh clean ones.
He exited the bathroom again and pulled over a hoodie that fell down mid thighs, which by the way was Mark's since he stole it from the older when they finished training last week. He took off his pants and didn't bother putting any new ones on yet as he went to sit back on his bed again, cautiously bringing his knees to his chest, making sure he pulls the hoodie over his bare legs.
He chose not to do a workout today since his body should rest a bit and recover. He just sat there in silence, pondering about everything that had happened recently in the last twenty four hours. He didn't even care about the fight, although he felt bad for hurting the other two. Even if they're bullies, that didn't give Donghyuck a right to hit them no matter how many times they hit and provoked him.
He felt guilty for doing such a thing and he felt even more guilty about his father's childhood life that he's been through in the past. He knows it's not his fault that his father had to go through such things, but he can't help but feel terrible for treating his father the way he did despite everything he's done to him and the way he treated him.
He can somewhat understand his father though. He can understand the reason why Johnny is the way he is. The saddest thing is that Johnny had it worse than him and he dares have the audacity to feel this way? To feel depressed and guilty? But then he also thinks back to what Mark has told him a while ago.
"There's no such thing as somebody having it worse than the other person, meaning that you do deserve to feel this way. Your feelings are valid, Donghyuck and you have every right to feel the way you are feeling. Don't let anyone make you feel bad for feeling this way or feel guilty," He recalled Mark telling him when he broke down during their private training session.
It was at that time, Donghyuck was first starting his training with Mark, Jisung, and Jeno. Only this time, it was just Mark and Donghyuck as Jeno and Jisung couldn't make it. The tanned male's breakdown came so suddenly and nobody could have been prepared for it, but Mark knew just what to say at the right moment and cradled the boy in his arms tightly.
He had a rough day that day. His emotions and thoughts had gotten the best of him, but Mark was there to reassure the younger and plant small kisses here and there on his face to cheer the tanned male up.
Donghyuck then thought about his papa. He thought about how Ten wants to talk within later in the day and how he feels extremely nervous to do so. Now that he thinks about it, he realizes that all this time Ten only wanted to help the boy even if his intentions were taken the wrong way.
Donghyuck knew his papa had good intentions all along and he hates himself for only realizing that now as he continues to reminisce all those times Ten was checking up on him in even in the slightest way.
"Donghyuck, why aren't you eating?" Donghyuck remembered when Ten asked him that one time when they were all eating breakfast.
That was at the very beginning when Donghyuck had first started starving himself, fasting his food. He had suddenly stopped eating breakfast before school and it had been ongoing for about three days at the time which caught Ten's attention.
"I'm not hungry," Donghyuck had lied and Ten only eyed him suspiciously.
"You haven't been eating in the morning for three days. Why is that?" Ten asked seriously, his hands on his hips as he looked at the young boy with concern yet a bit of annoyance.
Donghyuck had only shrugged, saying that he hasn't been getting hungry in the morning lately and left for school.
Donghyuck felt so stupid for not realizing it earlier, for not realizing that it was his papa that first caught on to Donghyuck's drastic change in routine and behavior. He felt guilty for getting angry at Ten when he told him he'd put the younger into therapy. He didn't realize it was only to help him, but the older man could have came about it differently. How else was Donghyuck supposed to take it other than a threat?
The harsh words he retorted back to his parents when Ten suggested that continued to play though his mind.
"You're the ones who need fucking therapy."
His conscience is telling him that he should feel guilty about it, but then another part is telling him that he shouldn't because they deserved it. They deserved the same treatment he's been receiving from them. They deserve the same amount of disrespect they have been showing him.
Interrupting his thoughts, there was a knock on the door and Donghyuck being too cold to get up and open it, called out a small "come in."
The door creaked opened and revealed someone Donghyuck never expected to see. The taller male closed the door behind him as Donghyuck stood up, bouncing off his bed and jumping into the older's arms, not caring about the pain he was in.
Donghyuck had no idea his boyfriend would be coming to visit him, especially so early in the morning. But the younger was happy either way as he snuggled his face into Mark's neck, inhaling his musky scent.
"Hi, sunshine," Mark giggled and Donghyuck felt the vibration of Mark's neck against his forehead, sending chills down his spine.
"What are you doing here?" Donghyuck mumbled against the older's nape, allowing Mark to feel his breath tickle against his skin.
Mark carefully brought the tanned male to his bed and sat them down on it. The older adjusted his body so that he was leaning against the headboard with Donghyuck in his lap, each leg at the sides of his body.
"Why? Are you not happy to see me?" Mark pouted playfully and Donghyuck quickly shot his head up, shaking it.
"No! No! That's not what I meant! I-"
"Donghyuck, I'm only kidding," the older showed a warm smile, allowing Donghyuck to relax from the intensity he was previously feeling.
"But in all seriousness, I did text you saying I would come over a while ago," Mark had told him and the younger tilted his head in confusion.
A while ago? He texted the older just ten minutes ago. He looked at the time on his phone which read that it was almost eleven. Donghyuck widened his eyes in surprise. Had he really been spacing out and thinking this entire time? So much, that he didn't even realize Mark had texted him thirty minutes ago. He must have really been deep into his thoughts.
Donghyuck put his phone back to charge and looked back up at Mark with sorry eyes.
"I'm sorry. I was thinking and didn't realize how fast the time was going by," Donghyuck honestly answered in an apologetic tone.
"I kind of figured that so you don't need to apologize. It's okay, Hyuckie. If you ever want to speak your mind, you can. I'm always here to listen if you want me to," Mark gently kisses the tip of the younger's nose, making Donghyuck's cheeks flush.
"Thank you," Donghyuck replied shyly and buried his face on the older's chest.
They sat there quietly, peacefully enjoying the presence of one another as Mark was playing with the tanned males long curly hair. It had grown a bit longer in the last few months, reaching just above his shoulders. Donghyuck just stayed in Mark's warm and welcoming hold, his arms around the older's neck while the older used one of his free hands to caress the younger's smooth bare thigh. Mark knew Donghyuck well, well enough to know that something is on the younger's mind.
Mark patiently waited for Donghyuck to start speaking up about what he was thinking about. He's not going to rush the younger and would never do such a thing. However long it takes, Mark will always wait for the boy. And whenever Donghyuck finally did speak up about how he was feeling, Mark would give out his full attention to the younger and listen intently.
All Mark wants, is for his sunshine to be happy because he deserves all the love and happiness in the world. And if Mark could give him the entire universe, he would because Donghyuck is the biggest star that deserves to shine brightly in his world.
-🥊-
Everyone needs a Mark 😭
Also, this book will be coming to an end soon my lovelies! It will probably end within the next week! I thank you so much for reading and being patient.
I hope you're having an amazing day/night! Please stay safe and take care of yourself 💕
Much love...xx