David returned home just as evening settled in. It had been four long days since he left for business, and the first thing on his mind was Mark. As soon as he walked through the door, still in his travel-worn clothes, he headed straight for the stairs.
"I'm going to check on him," David said quietly.
Tony quickly stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "Whoa, slow down. You just got back. At least take a shower first."
David frowned, clearly impatient.
Tony continued, "Come on, look at yourself. You've been traveling nonstop, you're tired, and you look rough. If you go to Mark like this, it'll only make him more suspicious. Just freshen up, change your clothes. Maybe eat something. Then go see him."
Tony smirked and added with a chuckle, "Or maybe you're planning to eat him instead?"
David gave him a sharp look no smile, no reaction just that cold stare.
Without a word, he turned and walked past Tony, heading toward his room.
Tony stood there, shaking his head as laughter escaped his lips. "Yeah, still no sense of humor, huh?"
After his shower and a fresh change of clothes, David made his way upstairs, his footsteps steady but unhurried. The door to Mark's room creaked slightly as he pushed it open.
Mark was lounging on the couch by the window, flipping through a book he clearly wasn't reading. The moment he saw David step in, a smirk spread across his face.
"Well, well," Mark drawled, setting the book aside with exaggerated flair. "Look who is finally back guys it is David Marcos. Should I clap? Maybe give you a standing ovation?"
His tone was light, teasing almost mocking but his eyes didn't quite match the sarcasm in his voice. There was something else there. Something unspoken.
David didn't respond right away. He just stood there, taking in the sight of Mark like he'd been starving for it.
Mark raised an eyebrow. "What? Cat got your tongue? Or did your grand business trip teach you how to stare harder?"
David's lips twitched barely but it was there.
You've been gone for four days," Mark said, his voice low but steady. "I asked your guards. They told me you went on a business trip."
He stepped forward, eyes narrowed in the dim light of the room. "But we both know you have no business... unless it's death. So tell me, David who did you kill this time? What family did they belong to? And what was their crime, hm? What offense earned your blade this week?"
David didn't speak. He stood there, muscles tense, jaw clenched so tight it ached. Mark's words had struck him straight across the face not physically, but deeper. Deeper than any blade could ever cut.
He hated this about Mark. with just a few words, he could pull the darkness out of him and smear it across the room. He was trying… truly trying to be better. To be a better version for Mark. But it never seemed enough.
No matter what he did, no matter how much blood he chose not to spill, Mark still looked at him like a monster. And David... starting to hate how Mark talk to him more.
Mark's voice trembled with restrained fury, his eyes locked on David's. "My father worked beside your father. They were partners, bound by loyalty, and both of them paid with their lives. You think I don't know what happened? Your father's dirty business is what got both of them killed. And you… you're no different."
He took a step forward, hands clenched at his sides.
"Do you believe I could love you? That I'd forget everything the blood, the lies, the years you've kept me locked away like some prisoner of your guilt?"
His voice cracked, but his anger didn't falter. "Three years, David. Three years of this cage, of silence, of waiting for something that was never going to come. You say you care, but all I want is peace. Freedom. Let me go."
Mark's breath came in ragged bursts now, chest heaving. "I will never love you. Not now. Not ever."
He shook his head, "All that's left in me for you is hate. There's no kindness you can offer, no love you can show that will ever erase what has been done. David…" He paused, swallowing the ache in his throat. "I hate you. I hate you so damn much."
David stood close to him. His shadow stretched over Mark, voice low and edged with a warning. "I'm not as kind as you seem to think," he said, his tone flat, controlled. "You talk too much. Say things you shouldn't. Keep pushing, and I can't guarantee your safety anymore."
Mark let out a hollow laugh, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Like I care," he spat. "Dead or alive what's the difference? You already took my life the day you locked me in this place."
He took a shaky breath, gaze unwavering. "Do you think I'm afraid of death, David? You're wrong. I think about it every day. And one day, you might walk in here and find my body cold on the floor. So if you're going to kill me, do it now. Spare me the waiting."
"Shut up," David snapped, his voice sharp like a blade. "Just… keep quiet."
Mark's voice rose, full of defiance and desperation. "Then let me go. Free me. Give me back my life."
David answer.
"What is it out there you want so badly?
I just want to be free."
Silence stretched between them like a wall neither could climb. But Mark's words still hung heavy in the air thick, bitter, and impossible to ignore.
Stop dreaming," David said coldly, "You're not getting out. It's impossible. I won't let you go."
Mark's body was tense, but he forced himself to stay calm. His chest rose and fell with slow, shaky breaths as his eyes locked onto David's. There was anger there but something else too.
Something intense in his eyes as he looked down, staring at David's lips like he was thinking something dangerous."