Sunshine | Markhyuck

41: guess someone feels jibbed outta love

Renjun dropped his chopsticks abruptly, startling all the boys who kept staring at him as his head shot up. Mark, Jeno, Jaemin and Jisung dropped their heads in synchronisation, looking at their food, Jaemin pushing around cut up sausage around his bowl.

"Is there something wrong?" Renjun snapped. Mr Seo chuckled in the background as the rest of the boys slowly raised their heads, looking at him skeptically.

All four onlookers tilted their heads, squinting at the smaller boy. Renjun's face heated up in embarrassment as he slammed his fists on the table. "What are you doing?"

Jisung stood up, leaning over the table to look at the older boy. "Maybe it's his eyes?"

Jeno moved his head closer to Renjun, supposedly analysing his eyes. "Hm, maybe."

Mark rubbed his chin as he and Jaemin mimicked Jeno's actions. "Oh that could be a factor."

Renjun's eyes were wide as he sank into his chair away from all four of them in his face. He turned his head gradually to Chenle, "do you understand?"

Chenle simply shrugged, muttering something in Chinese as he rolled his rice around his bento box.

Renjun groaned standing up and grabbing Jeno by the collar, raising his fist in the air. "Tell me, you shit."

Jeno tutted as he was held up, "well it's definitely not his personality."

"ANSWER ME!"

Mark breathed out a laugh, "nah we all just had an epiphany, don't worry my friend."

Renjun blinked at him, his eyebrows slowly furrowing as he let go of Jeno's shirt. He lowered himself into his chair. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, we just all realised that at least at one point in our lives we had some sorta crush on you," Jisung clicked his tongue with a shrug, dropping back into his chair.

Renjun's jaw dropped as Mr Seo choked on his food in the background. "Um...hello?"

Jaemin rolled his shoulders back, plopping back into his chair and resting his head on Jeno's shoulder. "I mean, you're pretty cool, Injunnie."

The smaller boy looked at the table in disbelief, ears slightly red as he processed what the hell his friends just said.

His head shot up suddenly, "wait, why did none of you tell me?"

Mark shrugged, "dunno, man."

"Renjun hyung, did you ever like any of them?" Chenle looked at him innocently.

Renjun's face dropped, face heating up again as he turned his head toward the younger. He slowly raised his hand, pointing to the opposite side of the table. Pointing at Mark.

Mark coughed as he choked on his spit, "wait, what?"

Renjun hid his face with his hand, looking as if he wanted to bury himself in his backyard, "let's not dwell on that, shall we."

"Welp you learn something new every day," Jeno nodded, clasping his hands on the table. "Like today I learnt that bananas have 11 chromosomes."

Jaemin blinked at him, "Babe, you're gonna forget that in two days."

"Yeah I know," Jeno slumped with a pout. Jaemin giggled, patting his poor boyfriend on the shoulder.

Mark had zoned out by then as everyone moved on to their own conversations. Instead focusing on a small point in the room as his mind reeled.

Sunlight treatment. Seemed quite unnecessary now seeing as there were ways around it. He never needed the sun. Just his sun. And in small doses, he slowly could handle being around Haechan, Donghyuck. He guessed now the only reason he would ever need preventive treatment would be to go out with Donghyuck, see the world in a different light. So that they wouldn't have to roam closed shops under streetlights but open cafes in the calm afternoon air.

Though Mark was now practically convinced that nothing could ever beat the darkness. Maybe it was because it was what he was used to. His darkness was what people associated with light at this point. The warmth and trust of their lives placed in the light, Mark had it in the darkness. And though he got sick of it every now and then, the darkness brought comfort, and that's what he always loved returning to.

Kun was right. Mark was literally waiting for the day to become a hermit crab forever. There was no trust in the sun, only discomfort and pain, and if he could get rid of it, he'd want to do it in a heartbeat.

But Donghyuck was in the sunlight, wasn't he. The little bit of the dark that carried over to the place he didn't want to go. And yet here he was genuinely contemplating something for the sake of spending more time with a boy who he couldn't even make physical contact with yet.

"So what's buzzing round your head, huh?" Renjun slid his chair over to him as Mark looked up.

"The treatment," Mark muttered, tapping at the table. "I dunno I feel I should take it."

"Well there isn't a real reason now," Renjun giggled, "things seem to be working out better now."

"I know," Mark scratched his head, "but there kinda is a reason."

Renjun looked at him quizzically, Mark inhaling as he smiled. "Still Haechan, but for different reasons." The elder boy looked down at the table, "I want to be able to spend time with him, Injun. I want to be able to not just be with him at night, in the dark, but also in what ever the fuck the other thing is. I wanna see what it's like, I got too used to the dark."

Renjun hummed, leaning on the table, "Maximise the time you get with him so you can just like...love him more. I get that."

Mark glanced back up at him with his lips pressed together, "is that weird? Should I?"

"I don't see why not," Renjun shrugged, "you just said that there was now a reason to do so. Plus, it means that we all get more time together out of classrooms and homes. I could actually take you to that sunroof cat café I told you about."

Mark chuckled, "guess that's true."

"Damn, should've met Haechannie a long time ago," the younger boy snapped his fingers.

Mark pouted, "I mean, you could've just left, my dude."

Renjun punched Mark's shoulder as he laughed, "as if I'd let you leave me, bitch. You're gonna be stuck with me for a very very long time, I assure you."

Mark broke into a tiny smile, "yeah?"

"Of course," Renjun looked at him properly, seeing the uncertainty in the older boys eyes. Renjun chuckled, linking their arms together, "If I was sick of you that much, you know I would've left your bitchass a long time ago. But trust me when I say that I love you very much, idiot, and that even if you didn't want to do the treatment and actually became a hermit, I wouldn't've been mad. None of us would." He hugged Mark's side, resting on his arm as he gestured to all the guys in the room. "These people stick by you, here, cause they care. Cause they want to deal with you and your bullshit allergy and your bullshit personality. We still choose to be here with you, Marko. Don't worry so much about it."

Mark hummed, resting his head on Renjun's, "Hyuckie told me the same thing..."

"Well then, Hyuckie is right." Renjun gave him a mocking grin.

Mark rolled his eyes as he lifted his head, "will you ever just not?"

"Nope," Renjun sat up and kicked Mark's leg under the table, "and I can fucking promise you that."