Ships Passing In The Night ｜Markhyuck (OT21 AU)

Chapter 53

Despite Mark having insisted that he'd really been waiting for Jeno all along that day--lurking conspicuously outside their classroom as the bell went for lunch, his fellow soccer player nowhere to be found--the sweet gesture quickly became a habit. To Donghyuck's bemusement, Mark didn't seem to notice the way that crowds gathered each day like clockwork, whispering and talking amongst themselves while the senior waited patiently for Donghyuck to exit whatever classroom he was in.

He wasn't sure exactly where Mark had obtained his class schedule from, although Jaemin had developed a suspiciously twitchy eye when he'd brought it up in casual conversation, but Donghyuck supposed there were worse things in life than to have the person of his dreams following him around like a lost puppy. Dreams because, despite Mark's obvious eagerness to be in his company every day, the other boy had made sure to maintain a deliberate, careful distance between them since that first time.

Sure, he still pressed up close into Donghyuck's side whenever they navigated a particularly narrow hallway, or sat close enough on the cafeteria bench during lunch for Donghyuck to feel the warmth of his body through multiple layers of clothing, but there was something different about the way Mark treated him now. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed--or why--but Mark had taken to treating him like a fragile glass ornament that might shatter at any moment, and Donghyuck...well, Donghyuck hated it.

"Are you getting food today?"

Mark's voice snapped Donghyuck out of the funk he'd been in for the last ten minutes, ever since he'd emerged from his History classroom to find Mark inspecting the decorations on the freshman class board outside. He blinked up at the older boy, who was watching him diligently from a respectable distance away, and had the sudden, overwhelming urge to lunge forward and bury his face into Mark's shirt, to close this cavernous void between them by force.

Instead, he just sighed and nodded. "Yeah."

"Forgot to pack it again?" Mark's tone was light, playful in a way that reminded Donghyuck achingly of the boy he'd grown up with, but the harsh set of Mark's jaw and the detached dullness behind his eyes belied any hopes he might have of Mark getting over whatever mood he was in.

"Worse." Jaemin chose that moment to poke his head around Donghyuck's shoulder, grinning mischievously. "He packed it last night and then left it in the fridge." Jaemin patted his friend on the bicep, in a move that was probably meant to be consoling, and then focused in on Mark again. "Come on, hyung. Let's leave this idiot to queue for his processed garbage in peace. I'm hungry and Renjun has dumplings I need to steal."

He didn't think Jaemin was fully aware of the awkward tension he'd effortlessly just cut through like a knife, but Donghyuck still flashed a grateful smile at the back of the exuberant boy's head as he dragged Mark off towards their usual lunch table. He knew that it was only a matter of time before one of the nauseatingly happy throuple figured out there was trouble in paradise--he'd have to deal with that, and Mark, when it happened--but, for now, he was thankful for the respite.

"What are you getting, hyung?"

Startling, Donghyuck spun on his heel to see Jisung watching him curiously from a few paces away. He had a tray in his hands, several items from the drinks fridge already crowded on one side, while Chenle stood at his elbow, tapping the lid of a large plastic container thoughtfully as he read the handwritten label pasted to it.

"I don't know yet." Behind him, someone coughed very deliberately, and he spun on his heel to face a tired-looking staff member brandishing an identical plastic tray in his direction. Apologising sheepishly, he accepted it with both hands, hoping fervently that she hadn't been waiting long, but the look of resigned irritation on the woman's face told him otherwise. He bowed his head again, colour rising to his cheeks, and quickly selected something at random from the display between them. "This looks good."