What if...? || Markhyuck

-88-

[january 2022]

[minhyung]

When it comes to waking up after parties or sexually exhausting nights, Donghyuck and I were completely different in that regard as well. I would wake up early and he would sleep well over sleeping standard. Quite the opposite of how we usually do. I opened eyes around 10am, due to factors that were not entirely natural. Hyuck's phone was vibrating furiously on the nightstand next to my head. I quickly reached out and barely managed to see Seth's name before I disconnected the incoming call. I closed eyes in response to the light of day. We hadn't drawn the blinds yesterday. No wonder, there were more important things going on and after a shower, we didn't notice such matters anymore.

Donghyuck was lying on stomach next to me, head under the pillow. He was instinctively protecting himself from the morning. Only Hyuck's hair and nose were sticking out from under the sheets, he was breathing calmly. I smiled to myself. It was a very good start to the new year in my opinion. I yawned discreetly, covering boy's bare shoulders. I felt that I probably wouldn't fall asleep again.

Seth tried to contact Donghyuck every now and then. Donghyuck sometimes wanted to pick up, sometimes didn't. He was rather reluctant to let me know how these conversations went and surely I didn't demand it from him. After all, it was his private relationship with ex, which I shouldn't interfere with. Of course, until there were hints in the air that he would want to be interested in returning to a romantic relationship. Then I would have to interfere - good and proper. However, my trust in Hyuck was enormous, despite the rather big secrets he had in life. I learned to function with the thought that this guy was just like that. Genuine and loving but at the same time with a tendency to keep many things to himself. At least Hyuck didn't claim otherwise. In a painfully honest manner, he announced that this is the way life shaped him and I simply had to accept it and try to build our relationship with that knowledge.

After lying there for a while, I was convinced that I definitely wouldn't fall asleep again. I carefully freed myself from Hyuck's arm, which was lying limply across my chest. I got dressed, drew the blinds and started cleaning the floor from our yesterday's stuff.

Honestly, I doubted that sex would happen. Somehow... When we got into the cab, it was almost 2am, we both seemed rather tired. Cab driver dropped us off a few blocks away but Donghyuck suggested walking instead of turning the car around. We talked for a while about very mundane things like New Year's resolutions. In the elevator we started summing up this year, which was... absolutely hardcore for us - emotionally. We came out of these crises totally different.

And then Donghyuck asked if this year had changed anything in how I feel about him.

A damn uncomfortable question.

I had to think about how to answer well, so as not to get lost in stress again, because then things came out of my mouth that I didn't name very well. For Donghyuck, however, my silence quickly became an answer, so he fell silent and I didn't catch it in time, too focused on choosing the one, the most appropriate one.

"I definitely understand you better," I finally muttered. This year was a real collection of information about Donghyuck's functioning for me. I was still sorting them in my mental drawers.

"Simply fabulous," he snorted with ironic laughter and walked out of the elevator dynamically. Only then did I realize that something was off.

"Hey, did I say something wrong?" I was surprised. Donghyuck opened the door with a key but before entering, rested forehead on it and took a deep breath.