It Follows {Book One}

20

Thursday, August 23
8 days

•Donghyuck•

Mark ran his hands up and down Donghyuck's arms, fingers running over the bumpy, uneven scars before lacing their fingers together. Donghyuck let out a small breath of air against Mark's neck. "You're perfect."

Mark gave him a sad smile. "Nobody could ever be as perfect as you."

•

Donghyuck's throat swelled as he forced back sobs. He had spent too much time crying. Too much time wasted, he wasn't going to sit there, wallowing in self pity and waiting for death.

Mark had taken his pill. Donghyuck rolled his eyes. Mark wasn't known for being very smart, and Donghyuck didn't think it would be that hard at all to get his hands on another one.

He doubted Taeyong let the younger boys keep theirs. He just had to find them. And if he couldn't, well, there were plenty of other things that would do the trick.

•

Mark stared up at him, the faintest trace of a smile just barely twitching at the corners of his lips. Even so, he was happy. Donghyuck didn't even try to hide it, eyes falling closed when Mark started moving his hands up and down his sides gently.

Donghyuck squeezed his legs against Mark's waist, using Mark's chest to hold himself up. He was tired, but he knew if he let himself rest, even for a short amount of time, he would fall right asleep. So he sat there, straddling Mark and enjoying the quiet. Something he didn't get to do very often, despite being the loudest out of all their friends. Aside from Chenle, maybe. There were very few moments where Donghyuck felt nothing but love. All of those moments were because of Mark. Mark always made sure to make him feel beautiful, make him feel like he was actually worthy of love. Mark gently tugged Donghyuck down and began placing hot, open mouthed kisses over his neck.

•

"Hyuck?"

Donghyuck turned towards the soft voice. Chenle stood just at the end of the aisle, peering at him nervously. "What, Chenle?"

"Um . . . I just was wondering what you were doing."

"Nothing." Donghyuck mumbled as he turned back to the shelf that was covered in unopened packages of medications, and tossed out the ones he didn't think wouldn't do any damage.

"Hyuck, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. Mark meant a lot to all of us, but I can't imagine how hard this must be for you."

"Everyone is losing somebody." Donghyuck responded, his voice monotone.

Chenle chewed his lip and took a few steps closer. "I know that. Mark told me his plan a couple days ago. He made me promise to look after you."

Donghyuck straightened up and turned around. "Look after me?" He laughed. "Shouldn't I be the one looking after you?"

"In most other situations, but Mark didn't think you would be able to handle his death, and he didn't want you to see him."

"And I didn't want to live this long, but we don't always get what we want."

•

"I don't understand it either, Mark." Donghyuck told the frustrated boy. "Nothing bad has ever happened to me, my parents are the best people, I have absolutely no trauma. I don't know why I just can't be happy, is it genetic or something? I don't know of anyone else in my family that's this fucked up," he paused to wipe away Mark's tears. "It's all I think about."