Ships Passing In The Night ｜Markhyuck (OT21 AU)

Chapter 56

A/N: I'm sorry it's been a while. Work got really busy and I didn't have time for much else, but thank you for your patience. I'll try to check all the comments and stuff I missed this week, if I can.

T/W: Mentioned/Referenced Homophobia (It's only mentioned once—and there's no actual homophobia going on here—but it's there in name, if that's something you need to be aware of!)

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Wednesday morning found Donghyuck in an increasingly familiar situation, slumped bonelessly over his desk in homeroom as the sun valiantly endeavored to complete its journey up from beyond the horizon outside. The strip lights overhead were a little too bright, a little too intense for eyes that were still bleary with sleep, but he wasn't sure he'd make it back to his seat if he got up to turn them off.

The notebook under his cheek was surprisingly comfortable as a pillow, Donghyuck thought absently, as he shifted his arms to better shield his face from the luminous onslaught. Someone else had just entered the room, he knew from the shuffling noises somewhere towards the rear door behind him, but he didn't bother to look up.

If they needed him, they could walk over and address him directly. In the meantime, he'd steal all the sleep he could get, precious minutes ticking by in semi-consciousness that he would have much preferred to spend cocooned inside warm sheets at home. He'd volunteered to be here, after all—and Donghyuck didn't regret his decision to drive into school early to facilitate an early soccer practice—but that didn't make the actual being here any less painful.

"Good morning to you too, Hyuck."

"Huh?" Blinking slowly, Donghyuck peeled his cheek from where it was molded to the shape of his forearm and lifted his head to meet Renjun's keen gaze. There was a distinct spark of amusement in his friend's eyes as he met them, and then Renjun folded himself into a graceful squat to place himself more on Donghyuck's level.

"I said good morning," Renjun said helpfully, smirking when Donghyuck simply frowned in response. "I said it several times, actually, but you were dead to the world when we got here."

"We?" Donghyuck pushed himself up a little more, his elbows bearing most of his weight as he sought out whoever had entered with Renjun. To his surprise, there were now a handful of other students in the classroom, spread out across their various workspaces. He wasn't particularly surprised that he'd slept through their arrivals, but it did mean he'd likely slept longer than he'd anticipated.

At a nearby desk, a girl he'd spoken to a few times offered him a small half-smile as his gaze brushed over her. She had several books out in front of her, and earbuds in to block out background noise, so he returned her silent greeting with a polite nod before his gaze landed on another familiar face, weaving through the maze of desks towards Renjun.

"Hyojin-ah." He waved as enthusiastically as he was able, given that it felt like a thousand fire ants were marching down his shoulder towards his fingers from the position he'd fallen asleep in, and she returned it with a happy grin.

"Morning." She elbowed Renjun gently in the side to get him to move over, and then hopped up beside him onto the desk he was sitting on. He rolled his eyes, but did as she wanted without protest, reminding Donghyuck how quickly their friendship had blossomed over the past few weeks. It made him happy to see them bonding, and he knew how much it meant to both of them.

"What time did you get here this morning?" Renjun asked, folding his arms over his chest as he and Hyojin stared down at Donghyuck from their shared desktop throne. Donghyuck winced in discomfort as he shifted in his seat, but turned to peer over at the clock that hung on the wall above the door. It told him he'd been asleep at his desk for well over an hour, which explained the stiffness and how the residual tiredness was now quickly fading away.