11:11 [ pewdiepie ]

XII. chocolate cupcakes

Mark was already snoring on the couch erstwhile Felix was the exact opposite. He was wide awake, his thoughts refraining his eyelids from drooping.

He was leaning on the door frame, arms crossed, watching Dawn sleep.

That's why she had bruises, he thought.

Here he was sulken with grief. Then there was Dawn, who lost her sister, her only rock, at a young age, and add the fact that she had been beaten and abused far too many times.

And yet she still has the vibrancy of youth coursing through her veins, seeing all things in a positive view. And there he was, thinking of crushing her magic by bringing her back to her father.

It was unfathomable how Dawn could do it, being all euphoric despite the things she had been through.

He didn't know if he had the strength to be like her.

He walked towards the bed and cautiously sat on it. He pulled the covers over his legs and laid down.

He closed his eyes and started singing inside his head, hoping it will make him dozy.

A little bit of sleepiness would be good right now.

•••

Mark opened his eyes through the sound of clinking of the kitchen utensils. He rubbed the sleep off his eyes and lazily sat up.

He grabbed his phone from the table, stood up then entered the kitchen with yawns and somnolent eyes. He sat down and small hands placed a cup of coffee in front of him.

"Thanks," he mumbled. Dawn beamed and went back to cooking. She hummed a song Mark couldn't recall. He's heard it before, he just couldn't remember.

"You look so happy," Mark marveled before taking a sip.

Dawn stopped and looked up from her cooking, "Do I?" Am I too obvious?

Mark smiled. He looked down at his phone and Dawn went back to her business, humming the song again and again.

Notifications were popping up every once in a while. He looked through all of this to see if Jack has sent him a message. He breathed a sigh when there was none.

"Do you already want to eat breakfast, Uncle Mark?" His focus snapped right back to Dawn. She was smiling, always that gleaming beam.

"Sure," he stood up to help her. "Let's not wait for Felix. I'll be starving then if we wait for him to wake up."

Dawn nodded and he smiled. He took two plates and the utensils then placed it on the dining table. She prepared their breakfast on a big plate.

When they were already settled, they started munching on their hash browns and scrambled eggs.

Dawn was stealing glances at Mark all the time, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't blurt it out. Mark felt her eyes on him so he gazed at her direction, his spoon suspended in mid air.

"What?" Mark asked. Dawn looked down and started fidgeting with her hands.

"Can you... help me with something?" She inquired meekly.

Mark put down his spoon, "Sure. What is it?"

"I'm going to bake some cupcakes. It's just... I'm not that good at mixing the ingredients in a bowl. I'll always end up spilling its contents so Hope used to be the one doing the mixing," she looked up. "Can you help me with the mixing?"