𝗸𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗿; renhyuck

.•five•.

as renjun tiredly dragged his finger along the spines of various books in the sci-fi section of the library, his muscles felt tense and his whole body was begging for a nap. being the night-owl he'd trained himself to be, the poor chinese boy was unable to fall into any form of slumber without a method of aid. be it reading 'til his eyes drooped, writing short stories to eat at his exhausted brain, meditating to a deep-voiced guide, or taking a couple of sleeping pills (though this option was used minimally).

other students from both classes and all year groups were flitting about as well, minding their own business, taking a calm and peaceful hour for themselves. saying the library was a sanctuary would've been a little optimistic, as wars had broken out within the soothing walls as well during various occasions. but it was definitely the next closest thing to a safe-haven after the private dorms where fighting was banned. really, the warriors of the school didn't actually tend to come up here, thus establishing a space for more gentle-natured, soft pupils to reside.

the young male eventually chose a thick enough novel that would hopefully last him a couple of days. where he managed to scrape up reading time, he didn't know. though renjun wasn't one to complain where gifts were involved.

the sound of quiet whispering and mutters had him pausing in the aisle alone. the next one over, 'teen fiction and romance' if he wasn't mistaken, was occupied by a couple of female ivory students it seemed. he tuned into the conversation not because he was a violator of privacy, but because he'd heard his name.

"mhm, he said the ebony class monitor and disciplinary leader sleeps with hyuck. that's so weird though, right? i mean, he's an ebony student, and donghyuck is ivory...."

"oh shit, seriously? i mean, one of the guys told me he's constantly sending people out of haechannie's room, but we thought it was just him being strict."

renjun clutched the book to his chest tighter, fingers trembling around the hard surface and eyes downcast upon the red, carpeted floor. at first, he wondered if he was hearing things. there was no way he could be accused of screwing around with the biggest player their school had to offer, when he'd promised the two presidents and the principal that he would uphold only the most virtuous behaviour. but...he was the only disciplinary leader of the ebony class....and he was certain his co-hall monitor wouldn't stoop so low.

they're just girls being girls, he nodded to himself, sliding his back down along the mahogany bookshelf until his ass hit the ground, deciding to wait it out a while. those ladies would leave eventually....hopefully.

"imagine if it was true though," one of them gushed excitedly. "that would cause the worst war yet, wouldn't it? it's so strange."

"it's probably bullshit," another scoffed, "are we forgetting that hyuck is one of our warriors? he hates those ebony students."

"yeah, guess so."

the chinese teen sighed airily, tilting his head back to rest against the dark wood and scrunching his eyes shut. what an exhausting day it's been, and it's saturday...

•            •             •

"what's this crap i'm hearing about you sleeping with that fuck-up; lee donghyuck?" yukhei demanded, resting his hands down against the canteen table jisung and renjun were sitting at. "it's obviously not true, isn't it?"

jisung choked on his noodles, receiving worried pats on the back from his friend as the accused boy looked back up at the third year. "oh god, are those stupid rumours actually spreading?"

"you knew about them?"

"well...i heard them three days ago in the library. and i'll have you know they aren't true and i haven't actually interacted with that jerk in like, five days."

"mhm, good," the oldest hummed, glancing over his shoulder at the ivory class who were all conversing as usual. "i wouldn't doubt you, renjunnie, but these rumours need to stop."

"holy shit, why haven't i heard these rumours?" jisung eventually emerged as a survivor of the largest choking hazard in the canteen: the ever-addictive noodles. "who spread them? i'll hide a knife in my pocket, use my cute face to lure them into a conversation, and then it's lights out-"

"i love the way you think, little guy," yukhei chuckled, "but for once, fighting them is a bad idea. we'd be playing into their hands, wouldn't we?"

"oh, right," renjun leaned against his palm in thought. "if we initiate a war over this, it automatically makes me look guilty. it'll appear i'm defending myself against a crime, even if i didn't commit it."

"woooow," someone made a long, dramatic noise from the sea of white across the hall, "he's a secret slut?"

"don't do anything," the smallest boy held the larger pair's arms as they tensed up grumpily. "he's working us up. also, for all it looks bad for us, if donghyuck is pinned for sleeping with an ebony student, he'll have equal hell to pay. he'll defend us."

"you sure about that?" jisung arched his brow. "he's a dickhead."

"your language is so colourful," renjun tugged at the taller's squishy cheek as a punishment. "i never taught you such slangs."

"sorry renjun..."

yukhei ruffled their hair as he pushed up from his relaxed stance against the table and trailed back to his own group of friends. everything seemed to grow in terms of the anxious atmosphere, and it was only when the gentle giant had left their company that renjun noticed everyone in his class group looking at him. they seemed worried, confused....concerned. nobody believed that their beloved huang renjun would stoop so low as to sleep with the enemy, and he'd hold that trust with care.

he subtly peered towards the other side of the dining hall to note one thing, and he really didn't like what he found...

donghyuck seemed totally disinterested. just moving his food across his plate, nodding and chuckling at various jokes shared at his table and appearing to be in that state some would call 'meh'. it was as if the rumours weren't a bother for him, and he didn't care at all. that didn't bode well for the genuinely panicked brunette who wanted him to help out this time.

"it'll be fine," jisung rubbed his shoulder. "he's putting on a brave face."

"i hope so..."