never not | markhyuck

twelve ♣

   donghyuck woke up feeling not even a hint of drowsiness in his body. he slept well. in fact, he couldn't even remember getting home or slipping into bed. he sat up, pushing the covers down around his waist. the room was still and nearly silent. light shone through the small crack where the curtain hadn't been closed at the window. it was early morning for sure, but it couldn't have been too early.

   yangyang's bed was still empty while the rest of the beds were full. donghyuck hung over the side of his bed, head peeking down towards the bunk beneath him. mark lay rested on his side, eyes closed and face peaceful. his pink lips were slightly parted, timed breaths coming out quietly. come to think of it, donghyuck had never seen mark's sleeping form. he always fell asleep first, and when he woke up mark was often already awake and about. 

   he looks pretty when he sleeps, donghyuck decided. then he stepped down the ladder careful not to wake anyone, and shivered slightly as his bare feet touched the cold floor. making his way over to the closet, he pulled out a jacket and wore it over his pajamas. feeling warmer, donghyuck silently left the dorm room and escaped into the hallway.

   he had two goals; to get a glass of very much-needed water, and to figure out what time it was. donghyuck suddenly remembered that he promised to take pictures of the tree outside for his art project with renjun since it became an inconvenience when it rained. ...but where was the small camera that he borrowed from the photography club?

   as he approached the kitchen, donghyuck poured himself a glass of cool water and downed it quickly. when he started on his second glass he realized that he was a lot thirstier than he thought. finishing his drink, he washed the glass and put it away where it belonged before exiting the kitchen and taking a left to the dining room. exactly as he remembered, there was a clock on the wall on the opposite side of the room. the time read 5:53.

   a small yawn escaped him, and he debated going back to bed when he figured he'd be disappointed if it was raining again when he woke up, and he didn't get to take a picture of his model for art class. he needed to find the camera before he did anything else. donghyuck thought back on what he did friday evening as finally, memories of studying in the library resurfaced to his mind.

   off he went, towards the library and up the stairs. though he was now wide awake again, his mind felt foggy as if he were missing something. shrugging his shoulders and figuring that it was simply too early, he reached the library and headed in the direction of the table that he remembered sitting at.

   empty.

   frowning, he pulled out the chair he had sat in and began searching under the table—any possible candidate of where he could've misplaced the item. nearby bookshelves and other work tables were checked, but still no result. donghyuck sighed, preparing to give up when he remembered that he took a break in the small nook of books and pillows. it didn't take long before he was lifting cushions and reorganizing the area. sure enough, as he lifted a dark green plush pillow, the film camera that he'd been looking for revealed itself.

   "thank goodness," he mumbled to himself, taking a seat in the heap of pillows and resting for a moment. he had no idea how he was meant to apologize as well as ask for another camera from the photography club if he hadn't been able to find it. not to mention the slight humiliation he would face while explaining to renjun about the whole ordeal. 

   deciding to rest there a bit longer, he turned on the camera and watched as the screen came to life. curious as to what moments the camera could've captured in the past, donghyuck checked the camera roll and began flicking through pictures.

   most of the images held kids around donghyuck's age, both older and younger. there were pictures of students studying, pictures of students dining together, and pictures of the school athlete's in training and games. donghyuck wore a small and genuine smile on his face. their happiness was radiating through the pictures and spreading to him, a stranger who was still technically new to the school and figuring his way around the place. he had no connection to the people in the pictures, but he still shared the same feelings that they showed. the photographer had done a wonderful job.