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The cold, dark night covered the hotel, and almost everyone slept soundly by now. Tree, who was reading a book before going to bed, flinched when someone knocked on his room door.
“Come on in,” he responded.
The person that knocked opened the door silently and showed himself. When seeing the worn out figure, Tree quickly recognized him. Concern took over him quickly, already knowing something was up.
“Marker?” Tree faltered. “What happened?”
The aforementioned kept drying tears from his swollen eyes. Barely able to speak, he could only gasp bleak apologies the second Tree called him out and avoided looking at him.
“Just- sit down, buddy. Sit down and try to breathe, it’s gonna be okay,” he stammered, trying to reassure him.
Marker nodded numbly and followed the command. Almost instantly, Tree softly grazed his hands on Marker’s dampened cheeks and thumbed them lightly. Maybe he shouldn’t have even come in the first place; despite avowing to trust Tree, he never wanted his boyfriend to worry too much.
“Okay, can you, tell me what’s wrong?” Tree tried requesting once Marker’s breathing steadied.
Speechless, he took out his cotton arm warmers, slits of different sizes on both forearms. Around the cuts were reddish edges that made the wounds protrude. Despite some of them actually cutting the skin, none of them managed to make him bleed.
Still, Tree already knew what was going on.
“Oh no… Alright, stay here, I’m gonna get you some things and come back, okay?”
Tree knew from the start that whenever Marker slit his forearm, he never dared to make himself bleed. But, he also knew of the impact this action had, and knew what to do when he relapsed.
When he left the room, the first thing he aimed to get was a cup of water. Then, he searched for a pile of dirt on one of the upper shelves ーso he didn’t have to search it outsideー and took a handful. Trying to keep everything without falling, he hurried to Marker’s room to take out a pocket with a ream of paper sheets, his trustworthy pencil case and two plushies from his bed: one of Fanny, and one of Marker himself.
Now with all covered, he went back to his room, and saw Marker still sitting, now more tranquil than before.
“I’m back,” Tree announced, closing partially the door behind him with his feet. “I brought some things I thought you’d like,” he added.
Laying everything on the bed, he let Marker check what the botanist got him and found delight in the plushies, which he pressed closely to himself without hesitation. As he left them on the bed and picked all the needed materials to make a drawing, Tree gently thumbed his shoulder.
“Thanks, Tree!” He beamed, a bright smile adorning tired but now content eyes. He squeezed his best friend in a tight side hug, almost leaving the other breathless.
“No need to thank me, really,” Tree spoke up after the capped one let go.
Marker shook his head and started drawing. Highlighters and markers of different colors quickly filled one page, and then another, and another. Even Tree himself was baffled to see complete artworks in mere seconds. If there was something he adored, it had to be seeing his boyfriend happy, especially when partaking in his sacred hobby.
“Want to draw something?” Marker proposed, his eyes glued on his next artwork while picking some dirt to eat.
“Sure,” Tree chuckled hesitantly.
After taking one of the sheets of paper and a black pencil, he started with a few doodles of himself. Then, a purple pencil swayed around the sides of the sheet, doing a great job decorating it. For the abundant hair drawn on himself, he took a dark green micro-tip marker and did its lineart, occasionally using the same school supply to decorate the rest of the paper as well. As he worked with everything, it looked like it was getting finished and clean. Regardless, he couldn’t help but feel something was missing once finished.
Maybe he knew what to add…
Another quick doodle of someone filled a spot next to Tree’s. This time, the person drawn in question was nothing less than Marker! Something similar to a pistachio green micro-tip marker framed the capped one’s lineart, making him look great. Tree smiled at his artwork and tried inspecting for any mistakes when putting it to eye level. Marker, in utter curiosity, peeked at the evergreen’s drawing and made a surprised expression. It filled his hearth with warmth.
“You drew us?” He exclaimed in amazement.
“Of course I did.”
“Aww, thanks, Tree!”
He planted a small kiss on Tree’s cheek, near the commissure of the lips. Only a small flustered laughter followed after, as he held Marker’s forearms. He remembered why both were here in the first place, and observing the superficial slashes Marker made onto himself hurt Tree inside.
“Does it still hurt?” He asked, gently caressing the harmed skin.
Marker, seeing the concern the botanist tried to hide with the question, shook his head. “Not anymore. I’m feeling better too,” He opened up, speaking up almost casually.
“That’s good to know.”
A yawn from Marker interrupted his response, to which Tree chuckled. It reminded him of the way owls yawn and made endearment washed over him. As he continued stroking around his wrists and forearms, something still bugged the evergreen: he didn’t let Marker know the huge space he took in the former’s heart, or at least not enough.
“Thanks for being here,” Tree gratified in a murmur before pecking his teammate on the forehead.
“Aww, it’s nothing really,” Marker quickly replied, dazzled by the gesture.
After some seconds of smiling at each other, he caught grasp on the reason why Tree thanked him as a whole, and his smile grew wider. Of course, the latter noticed this change and snickered.
“You didn’t get it before?” Tree teased.
“Of course not!”
Both laughed lightly at Marker’s ingenuity, and before he could see it, he had Marker clinging onto him in a snuggly hug. Caught by surprise, Tree hugged back, making sure there was no gap between them. If there’s something both love from each other, it has to be these hugs. These soothing hugs they shared when they both could feel safe around each other without a peck of judgement nor any nosy eye.
Tree enjoyed seeing Marker comfortable and trusting him enough to share his biggest fights, whether high or low. In all honesty, it made him even happier to see the capped one feel better.