Black Thunder (Markson AU)

Chapter 8: Have to Prove It

The next morning, Mark awoke in unusual comfort. He was unexpectedly warm and lying down on a soft surface instead of the cold, hard couch. He saw gray sheets and the white ceiling out of the corner of his eyes, and he let out a little sigh of comfort. All of a sudden it came to him. He was in Jackson's bed. He turned his head to see if Jackson was still in bed, but the bed was empty- the only evidence of him being wrinkled blankets. Mark sat up and checked the time.

10:14 AM.

"Ugh! Dammit," Mark hissed, pouting a little. "Great...I have to miss another day of work." He fumbled around for his phone and opened it up, his vision still slightly blurry from sleep. 3 missed calls from Jackson, 1 text from Ten, 1 text from Mr. Kim, and a text from an unknown number. Curious, Mark opened it up.

"This is JB," it said. "Make sure you have my phone number." Mark added the number to his contacts and named him "JB". Afterwards, he opened up the other texts he'd gotten.

Ten: Hi Mark! Are you better or are you still sick?

Mr. Kim: Hi Mark, I hope you're doing alright! I just wanted to let you know that you can pick up your paycheck when you come back to work. Get well soon!

Mark glanced over at the 3 missed calls from Jackson. Did he have to tell me something? He wondered as he picked up the phone to call him. As the phone was ringing he layed back down, savoring the feeling of a soft mattress and not the hard cushions of Jackson's couch. The phone rang three times before Mark's ears were suddenly filled with the sounds of loud chatter and clinking plates.

"Hello?" Jackson said into the phone.

"Hi Jackson," Mark replied, staring up at the ceiling. He ran a hand through his messy bed head and rolled over to his side.

"Did you just wake up?" Jackson asked, followed directly by muffled shouting about order number 5.

Mark hummed in reply. "I did."

"How are you feeling?" Jackson asked. He paused for a moment before adding, "Better or worse?"

Mark felt his forehead and pressed his lips together. "A little better than yesterday," he mumbled doubtfully. "He Still don't feel great, though."

Jackson clicked his tongue. "Mhm. You still have a fever, I checked this morning when I left for work. Just make sure you rest and drink water. There's medicine on the counter for you."

As Mark began to gag, Ten's voice suddenly came on over the phone. "Hi Mark!"

"Hi Ten!" Mark's face immediately broke into a smile at the sound of his friend's cheery voice. He grabbed Jackson's pillow and hugged it close to his body for warmth.

The younger was quick to reply. "Are you okay?" Ten's tone changed to one more concerned and sad. "Do you still feel sick?"

Mark rolled over in Jackson's bed and nuzzled into the pillow. "Yeah, sort of," he replied sheepishly. Ten murmured an "oh" in disappointment. "But don't worry," he said with a smile. "I should be back by next week."

"That's a long time thoughhhh..." Ten whined, and Jackson had to hold back a chuckle. "Jinyoung keeps annoying me in between orders. Come back soon, okay?"

Mark laughed and nodded. "I will, I will."

"Okay," Jackson's voice says. "I have to go back to work, and you should go eat breakfast. I'll see you soon."

The two of them exchanged goodbyes, and Mark pressed the end call button. With a sigh, Mark stood up and instantly shivered at the cold. He hugged his body with his arms and put his hood up before stumbling into the kitchen. He found a bowl of cereal and a tall glass of water on Mark's side of the table, along with a little cap of purple liquid.