" don't take my sunshine away. "

。。。

"don't eat too much, you'll get a bellyache." mark warned seeing the younger downing his third cup of ice cream.

"but it's so good!" donghyuck was pretty much in ice cream heaven. he didn't know why he didn't get any before, because he's been missing out for sure.

mark noticed the younger becoming quite messy when eating the treat, so he stopped him in his tracks and grabbed his tissue. since he was sitting across from donghyuck, he stood up and leaned over to wipe away the bit of ice cream at the corner of his mouth.

donghyuck didn't expect that to happen, so he sat there, frozen. like an idiot.

"hyuck?"

heat flooded the younger's cheeks, embarrassed about spacing out so quickly.

on the other hand, mark had a fond look on his face. staring dreamily at the male across from him.

donghyuck noticed mark's gaze on his and coughed to break the gaze. "i think we should start getting back. it's getting late anyways."

the elder agreed to the younger's suggestion, and now they were both on their way back to their dorm room.

on the way, they walked through the pathway lined up with lit up trees. the one where donghyuck pointed out on his first day here.

"do you feel better hyuck?"

donghyuck nodded silently.

the ice cream did help, and the time he spent with mark helped too. he was content with their little date, as he considered it to be.

"that's good to hear. by tomorrow, i'll call everyone up and we'll help you look for ways to save lucas okay?" mark's thumb rubbed the top of the fairy's hand in reassurance.

it hurt to hear these words coming out of mark's mouth. it hurt even more to know that he won't be seeing mark the next day.

"mark?"

"yeah?"

"can i kiss you?" 'one last time?'

the elder stopped walking and turned to donghyuck, "of course you can."

leaning in, they connected their lips for what donghyuck thinks will be the last time. it was amazing as any other time they would kiss but donghyuck poured in everything into this kiss.

mark noticed and thought the younger was feeling much better after the ice cream date, clueless to the fact that it was far more than that.

they broke apart to breathe, and donghyuck could only think of the male in front of him. he thought about how he was living such a melancholic story. donghyuck silently wished that there was a restart button on life. if only, though.

but maybe he should listen to his own inner thoughts for once; not every story has a happily ever after. many may strive for that favored ending, an ending that would satisfy all parties. unfortunately, the story of life isn't like that.

"smile, sunshine." mark cupped the younger's face, his thumbs softly pushing up the corners of his lips. "i'm sorry that we're all in quite the shitty situation now, but we'll get through it alright? for now, can you show me that beautiful smile of yours?"

the fairy was eye to eye with mark, and for that moment, he figured he'll push his future and doubts away. clearing the board for the feeling bubbling in his stomach.

tenderness? lightheartedness? love? all he knew what that he loved this feeling, and he never wanted to forget how it felt like.

and so, the corners of his lips pulled upwards on their own, causing the elder to retract his thumbs.

mark stared admirably at donghyuck's smile that could compete with the sun's. so bright and rejuvenating, just looking at it would put a smile on his face as well.

'don't take my sunshine away.'

-☀️-

yukhei was barely holding on now. how many days had passed? how many wounds were reopened? when will this all end?

he felt like giving up, but he was still holding on to this small string of hope. the hope of escaping then finally reunited with jungwoo and his friends.

standing up to the ruler and sparing donghyuck were two things he definitely didn't regret. it was something he'd carry to his grave.

in his cell, he couldn't see much at all. only the dim reflection of a torch was his source of light, but it wasn't even that much. he was tired, his body was tired.

gradually, he began to nod off, that was until things started to get unusually bright. as he squinted his eyes, trying to adjust to the light, he saw a figure. then in a snap of a finger, he was in a room.

due to his injured legs, it wasn't long before he fell to the ground, his legs unable to hold him up. from the floor, his eyes darted around the room. familiar things made things click in his mind, as he finally realized that he was in donghyuck's room.

in the human world.

-☀️-

donghyuck fell to the ground with a thump.

he groaned in pain as he sat himself up on the stone floor. one glance of the cell and donghyuck was sick to his stomach.

the stone walls were wet, but not with water, no. it was a whole canvas of blood splatters. rusted chains hung from the ceiling, most likely to hang the prisoners from he thought. though it was a simple dungeon, the marks of pain and suffering were engrained into every stone that made up this cell.

standing up, he started to notice how terrible his kind can be. humans usually think of them as cute, peppy, heroes or heroines, but fairies could be just as cruel. behind the sparking glitter and wings were hearts made of stone. only a few actually broke out of their hearts of stone, seeing the world around them in a different light.

donghyuck had two pouches of fairy dust on his body and he was ready to get out of this terrifying dungeon. he grabbed a handful of fairy dust and sprinkled it on himself, imagining his old home. he couldn't go back to the human world because it took a lot in him to teleport between different worlds, so the most he could do as if now was to go back to his own home.

his home was in the same exact condition he had left it.

though when opening his eyes to his own room, he noticed that something was off.

-🦁-

i've started to read this book called 'love and other curses' by micheal thomas ford and shoot, it's a good read alright. idk about y'all but if i could, i'd probably spend a good couple hours at barnes and noble and just read books while wandering around.

if y'all are interested in the book, it's basically about this dude sam who can't fall in love until after his seventeenth birthday. his family line is cursed with what is called the 'weyward curse', in where anyone was is born under the name were to fall in love before their seventeenth birthday, the person they fell for would die. but he ends up falling for jennifer, or better known as tom swift.

i haven't read it all yet, i'm only on like chapter fourteen, but i like it so far.