You were sitting on the edge of your bed, elbows resting on your knees, eyes fixed on the floor. The room was quiet, except for the faint hum of some appliance in the background, and your thoughts were so loud they practically screamed. You were thinking about Mark. Again.

It wasn’t exactly unusual. Lately, he’d been on your mind way too much. His sarcastic grin, his unapologetic mouth, that gleam in his eyes right before doing something absolutely insane. You remembered the adrenaline — how your heart would race every time he showed up with that chaotic energy that drove you up the wall… but also made you feel alive. Like just being around him made the world sharper. Wilder. More dangerous.

Yeah. Mark was a damn lunatic in the making. And yet, there you were, thinking about him like he was the only thing that mattered.

You shut your eyes tight, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, as if the air could flush him out of your chest. But he didn’t leave. He lingered, etched into your thoughts, stubborn as ever.

Then you felt it. Something — a hand, maybe — on your shoulder. Your body tensed instantly, a shiver running down your spine. You blinked and turned—

And there he was. Mark.

Standing beside you, like a curse come to life. That same crooked, troublemaker smile on his face — smeared with blood. His nose was bleeding, and so was the corner of his mouth, but of course, he didn’t seem to care. He just laughed, casual and stupidly charming, like he hadn’t just walked out of a fight.

—"Hey, dumbass!"

He grinned at you, voice light and teasing, like it was the most natural greeting in the world.

Your heart skipped a beat. God. Had you summoned him? Had thinking about him nonstop actually worked like some kind of messed-up spell?

You stared at him, torn between wanting to punch him or pull him into a hug. Because of course it was Mark. He always showed up like this. Bloody, reckless, smiling like a devil. And somehow, just seeing him there made something in your chest unclench.

And Mark? He looked at you with those eyes that still sparkled despite the blood and chaos — like just seeing you made everything feel a little more like home.