What if...? || Markhyuck

-44-

[december 2020]

[minhyung]

I reluctantly entered the living room and slowly took the corner of the couch. Mom was sitting in her favorite armchair watching the evening game show. Neither she was eager to talk, nor I wanted her to do so. I only came here because of Donghyuck's request. He said that maybe I would at least try to sit in one room with her while he was washing himself. The gingerbread baking situation wasn't her fault and I really knew it. It was Jeno's, who packed afterwards and drove back to apartment. 

I couldn't say no to brunet. Especially after he decided to defend me in this whole argument. I wished to not hear it at all but Hyuck's furious voice echoed down the hall, slipping through the crack in door against my will. I didn't understand why he did it at all until he explained it to me.

"Honey, you can be a fucking dickhead at times but you're my fucking dickhead. I won't let someone who has no idea what kind of person you are to insult you. I can call you an asshole because I'm your boyfriend and I have a right to do so. However, I will destroy anyone who talks about you like that when they really know shit. That's how relationship works. We are in a relationship so I will protect you from others, no matter what and it's your fucking duty to do the same, you understand that?"

I understood perfectly.

"Where's Donghyuck?" mom asked after a while as we were still sitting in silence without my boyfriend. I wasn't surprised at all that she preferred him to be with us now. Hyuck always knew how to hold any conversation, even a nonsense one and devoid of any future.

"Taking bath," I said dryly. I didn't want this conversation, I didn't need it. We were better in silence. The silence resulted in less negative returns.

"Won't you talk to me?" she was surprised after a long silence when nothing else fell from my mouth.

"About what?" I looked at her in disbelief. We had anything to talk about at all? Any common topics? Whatever we had in common except our genes?

"Anything," she replied quite boldly. In order to talk about nonsense, you first need to have some foundations made of essential conversations. "Tell me something," she added after a while and I started laughing. This time honestly and naturally because it wasn't about my mother.

"You put pressure on the same useless things as Donghyuck" I sighed, smiling even under breath at the last wave of amusement.

"And what do you tell him then?" she asked, clearly unable to let go of the topic.

"Various things," shrugged. I rested ankle on the knee of the other leg, tilting head back. I glanced at the stairs but my salvation wasn't coming. How long can one soak in water?

"Then why can't you tell me such things as well?" she continued and I felt that when Donghyuck will finish evolving into a mermaid, he would find my mother dead in that fucking armchair because I would just strangle her. 

I followed the boy's advice and closed eyes, gasping for air. Slowly, easily, in small batches. Inhale - exhale, only pleasant memories in the head, wildflowers, full sun and my wonderful boyfriend completely naked somewhere in the middle. There is no better medicine for anger, I assure you.

"You started a little late for making up twenty years of pretending I didn't exist, that's my answer," said, waving foot vigorously in the air. I spread arms on the back of the couch, fingers gripping the fabric. I was begging the heavens that she didn't fucking provoke me too much. I swear I was really working on myself. If I had been in the body of the former Minhyung, the vase from the table would have been smashed long ago against her head. And yet I was still sitting politely on the couch and praying for Hyuck to come quickly because I really wasn't planning on making losses in this house. Jeno came out alive so far. She, too, should take care to share the fate of her favorite son.