AND WE'RE BACK BABY! Got power, got internet, so enjoy!
Tomarktober Day 12: Scared
Cold hands close around his throat, cutting off the flow of air. He struggles desperately, clawing at the arms that immobilize him. They squeeze tighter, leaving him unable to draw breath back into his chest. Soon, he gives up and goes limp in the grip of his captor. He can feel the life slipping away, his eyes closing...
Mark's eyes fly open, and he sits up gasping for breath. He scans his surroundings, taking in the blankets pooled around his knees, the rumpled sheets under his palms.
It's okay, he chants softly to himself, laying back down in an attempt to go back to sleep.
It was just a stupid dream.
Suddenly, the dark is overwhelming; heavy and suffocating.
Mark begins to sweat, every nerve ending on fire, his skin warm to the touch. Then he feels it, a strange tingling sensation in his neck, like a sign that he's in danger; that he has to protect himself.
His breathing speeds up again as he tries desperately to rid himself of the terrible feeling, getting more worked up as his attempts fail, one after another. Tossing and turning, sitting up, holding his breath.
Finally, the blue-eyed boy forces his fingers to dig into the sides of his neck, digging into the thin skin. The sensation fades away, but Mark's anxiety stays.
What was that? Would it come back? Did he have some terrible disease? Cancer? You could get cancer in your throat, right?
He emits a helpless whimper, mind spinning and thoughts rushing by to quickly for him to grab on to any particular one.
So he grabs his blanket, wraps it around his shoulders, and shuffles down the hall to, what he hopes will be, his sweet salvation.
"Mark, baby, is that you?" Tom sounds groggy, forcing himself awake to fully acknowledge the shadow in the doorway.
Mark hums in reply, wrapping his blanket tighter around himself and trying desperately to ignore the awful prickling sensation on the back of his neck.
"C'mere, don't just stand all the way over-"
The younger boy is interrupted by Mark dropping the blanket from around his shoulders and running to the bed. He throws his arms around Tom's neck, who quickly opens his own to catch him in surprise. Mark clings to him like a koala, burying his face in the the broad expanse of Tom's chest, attempting to make himself as small as he possibly can.
The warm, uncomfortable feeling around his neck returns, and Mark winces, releasing Tom slightly so he can press his calloused fingertips harshly into the side of his neck until it passes.
Tom narrows his eyes with concern, though it goes unnoticed in the dark of the too-early morning. He slides his hands through Mark's hair, trying to soothe whatever inner turmoil has surfaced this time.
Mark releases his throat and curls back into the brown-eyes boy's side, laying down with the covers pulled up as high as they go.
"What's going on love?" Tom asks, insistent and pressing.
Mark takes a breath, unsure of where to begin or how to say it.
"I don't know, I woke up from a nightmare about somebody suffocating me until I died, but when I woke up, something happened with my neck an'-" He takes a rattly inhale, forcing himself to continue. "It feels like this hot, unbearable feeling buzzing under my skin, like a warning that someone is about to go after my neck-" The blue-eyed boy breaks off, muffling a fearful whine and hiding his face in Tom's shoulder.
Tom presses a kiss to the crown of his head, running his fingers up and down the expanse of his back. There was nothing he could really say when Mark got like this, too freaked out to even finish his own sentences.
"Can I touch?" The question is quiet, barely reaching Mark's ears as it leaves Tom's mouth.
Mark nods hesitantly, twisting his fingers into the hem of his t-shirt.
Tom slips his hands around Mark's throat, not pressing, just holding it.
The insufferable sensation immediately disappears, replaced by the heavy comfort of Tom's warm hands.
"Better?" Tom smirks, feeling Mark go lax under the touch, the tension flowing out of his shoulders as he relaxes.
The older boy hums in affirmation, releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding. For the first time all night, he feels completely and utterly safe, wrapped in the haven of Tom's long arms.
(Also so a little note about the thing Mark experiences in this one: I do get this weird feeling in my neck sometimes when I'm laying down, and it does help to like cover it up?? Idk. I've tried googling it, but nothing ever comes up. Ty @hamsterpotatos for the nightmare idea. )












