The Only Exception // (GOT7 Markson)

9

Mark wore a dark hooded sweater, hunched over on a park bench when I pulled up. I turned the engine off and exited slowly, not knowing what kind of condition he was in.

"Hey you." I said very softly, my hands in my pocket awkwardly. The bench was lit up by only one faint streetlight that flickered pathetically above us.

Mark sniffled lightly and looked up at me. His usual glow was replaced with a sort of weary, dismayed look. His eyes were red and puffy like he had been crying all night.

"Thanks for coming," he smiled a little, "You really didn't have to."

"It's nothing. How you holding up?" I pressed. Mark scooted to the left a little to give me room on the bench. I happily sat next to him.

"She's got pneumonia. The doctors originally thought it was something a lot worse, but their tests came back negative. So they think she should be fine in a couple weeks minimum." He told me.

"I'm sorry to hear that, man. I'm glad it wasn't something worse though. That must be really scary for you." I said.

"Yeah. I get really sensitive when I know bad things are happening to my family. There's only three of us now, and it hasn't been easy being their only support." He admitted, running a hand through his auburn hair.

The streetlights above us flickered a little and then popped, leaving the small-lit circle around us go completely black. Mark let out a defeated chuckle; it was nice to hear him laugh - even if it wasn't genuine.

"Well, this is perfect." I whispered to him through the darkness.

"Sorry for bringing you out here. I just like to be outside where I'm alone. Plus, I couldn't see my mom like that very much longer. Tyler, my little brother, got a ride home from the hospital with a friend so I was a little lonely." He whispered back.

"Well, I'm glad you called. I didn't have much planned for tonight anyway." I replied, moving a little closer to him. "And to be completely fair, I sort of couldn't wait until Tuesday to see you again."

Mark turned his head to me, although I couldn't see his face clearly through the darkness, I knew he was appreciative. I saw the fog of his breath cloud up around us. He didn't really say anything, he just sort of sighed.

I leaned forward, unsure of what he was thinking of in that moment. I didn't want to weird him out or anything. But to my surprise, Mark leaned his head on my right shoulder, then let his body exhale and huddle into me. I was caught off guard, unsure of what brought this on, but I wasn't complaining for one moment.

"Your mom will be okay, Mark. Don't worry about her so much. She's a strong woman." I hummed down to him with confidence. I had met his mother a couple of times, and if I was right about her fighting spirit, she'd pull through.

"Thanks Jackson." he answered, nestling his head a little more into me.

Although I was in shock a little, I handled the situation as delicately as I could. I wanted the moment to last forever, but after a few minutes my arm fell asleep and began throbbing with electricity.

I very gently nudged Mark; he seemed to be falling asleep. I was glad that he was able to find comfort, even if it was at the sacrifice of my own.

"Hmm?" Mark yawned lightly, realizing that he was dozing off. He sniffled and pulled his head away.

Immediately I felt the blood rush back into my arm. I felt relieved but also a little disheartened; I wish it were like this all the time, Mark by my side.

"You've had a rough day. Let's get you home, alright." I said, patting him on the left shoulder. He looked down and nodded, rubbing one of his eyes sleepily.