eternal ↬ markhyuck

three

"This doesn't look familiar," Mark groaned as he passed a log shaped like a dog. He definitely didn't remember that from last time. He had been walking for half an hour already but he just couldn't remember how he had found the field last time. All he could go on was that the scent had led him most of the way. But today, he couldn't smell it. It was all the worse because he had a little basket in his hands filled with fruit and napkins which wouldn't usually weigh much, but with the threat of heat stroke from the sunny spell, it was much more difficult to carry it for so long.

He stopped for a moment and fanned his face with his hand. Finding that it did little to help, he held the hem of his t-shirt and shook it to get some air onto his chest. He dropped the basket onto the pine needled floor and looked around with gritted teeth. Today was worse than yesterday. Even under the cool protection of the trees, he still felt muggy. He picked the basket back up and continued into the woods, crunching the leaves and branches underfoot but hardly hearing the sound as silence rang in his ears. It was sometimes opposed by the odd chirp of a bird or the squeak of a mouse.

He stopped again and dropped the basket, leaning his forehead against the rough bark of a tree. He tilted it to the side and let out a prolonged exhale before pushing away from it and looking down at the little red flowers on the floor. Wait a minute. He remembered seeing them before seeing the field last time. Sure enough, after recollecting himself and his cargo, he carried on and spotted the little white buds under the roots of the trees. He couldn't stop the victorious smile on his face from seeping through, but the sudden onslaught of floral smells could. It gave him an immediate headache.

Mark followed the scent nonetheless and stepped over an uprooted tree to clap eyes on the sight of a colourful field through the trees. He picked up his pace, disregarding the heat, and pushed past the trees until his foot touched down on the edge of the field. "Finally," he sighed and smiled to himself as he looked down at the petals, stepping tentatively on them.

He moved through the field while looking left and right excessively. But when he heard the sound of humming, he knew that the boy was definitely here today. A flood of relief washed over Mark. He followed the sound to the same place as yesterday where the flowers had been flattened down for the boy to sit.

And there he was.

He sat cross-legged in the same clothes with the same hairstyle and the same round, surprised eyes. "Hi," Mark bowed.

"Mark?" The boy scrambled to his feet and brushed the petals off his knees. "What're you doing here?"

"I came to apologise for barging into your personal..." he gestured to the field, "area?"

"You didn't have to!" He assured but looked even more confused than yesterday. "But you really shouldn't have come back."

Mark nodded and held the basket out. "I'm sorry again. It's so pretty here though... I hadn't even known about this place until yesterday."

"No one knows this place," the sandy-haired boy mentioned, eyes lighting up when Mark sat down and opened up the basket. There was an assortment of fruit - apples cut to look like little rabbits, orange slices, chopped mango, kiwi fruits, cherries... The list went on. And it nearly broke Mark's back to get all of these. He wasn't the richest guy alive, in fact, he was struggling everyday just to pay bills. But he knew he needed to do something nice for this person in front of him who he had disturbed. It was the most decent thing to do.

He pushed the basket towards him and smiled. "I brought these to apologise. I hope it's enough."

The boy licked his lips at the sight but suddenly looked conflicted. "You really shouldn't stay here long... But we can eat the fruit."

"We? I brought them for you."

"I can't eat them on my own. Besides, I was rude when I literally pushed you out of the field yesterday. It's as much my apology as it is yours."

Mark nodded and smiled, taking a piece of orange and peeling the skin off. "What's your name, anyway?"

The boy had a slice of apple in his mouth, which made his eyes light up exponentially. He was clearly enjoying it. "Donghyuck."

"Donghyuck," Mark repeated. "Well, it's nice to meet you."

"You too," Donghyuck replied shyly and reached for a piece of kiwi fruit. He nibbled on it with his eyes glued to Mark. "How did you find your way back?"

The older shrugged, trying to play off the effort. "Wasn't too difficult."

Donghyuck's face visibly fell. "That's not good," he mumbled under his breath and shook his head. He then looked up at the older boy and shuffled towards him. "Listen, as much as you might want to, please don't come back here. Please."

Mark frowned and blinked. He rather liked the aura of the place. It was so serene and yet teaming with life. He felt immediately at ease once he stepped foot in the field. "What is this place?"

Donghyuck sighed and tilted his head. "You didn't answer me."

He sighed and nodded, knowing that it was unprofessional to show reluctance in front of a stranger. "Okay. I won't come back. But can you answer my question?"

Donghyuck smiled in relief and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. His smile was dazzling. "It's my garden."

Mark, clearing his throat after the gorgeous smile, looked around to cover up his faint blush. "Then where's the house?" He realised he was asking a personal question this time and waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind." He reached for a cherry and pulled the stalk out.

Donghyuck just sat opposite, cross-legged, with his cheek resting in his palm, which was supported by his elbow on his knee. His eyes warmed at the sight of Mark. He hadn't spoken to anyone in ages, considering no one ever just 'stumbled across' his garden. It was...nice. But he still felt a pending sense of alertness, knowing that this boy shouldn't stay for long. His smile fell at the thought. He liked any sort of company.

"So did Johnny show up in the end?"

Donghyuck sat up straight and smiled again, nodding. "He did."

"That's good," Mark noted, twisting the stalk of a cherry between his index finger and thumb. He did feel glad for some reason. He noticed that Donghyuck wasn't eating anymore fruit and frowned. "You can eat anything you want."

The boy chuckled and stretched his arms above his head, yawning. "I'm good. I had some, so I'm not hungry anymore. Thank you." The sun felt nice against this skin and he couldn't prevent the smile on his face. He liked small talk.

Mark blinked and looked down at his hands, which were clasped. He remembered the scene in his head from yesterday, in which he was pushed out of the garden but when he turned around it was gone. "There's something odd about this place."

Donghyuck nodded and chuckled again. "It's special."

They chatted until the food was finished, but then Donghyuck urged Mark to leave quickly. They waved goodbye and Mark was reminded that he shouldn't return. Of course, he did promise not to, but he liked the younger's company. Up until this point, he hadn't spoken to people since dropping out of school for his financial strife. He rarely left the house and only did so to make money. But today and yesterday, he had never felt more alive than when he was out in the open with the other boy, appreciating nature's beauty.

So needless to say, Mark would return to Donghyuck's garden.