Ships Passing In The Night ｜Markhyuck (OT21 AU)

Chapter 1

Hi. So this is my first fic for NCT, and it's been writing itself in my head for weeks.

Just know that this is going to be a long one because I can't stop once I start something. So strap in.

New chapters hopefully at least twice a week (or as often as possible).

Thanks for dropping by. I hope you enjoy.

P.S. I write in British English. Ignore any quirks of language you may disagree with. It's just a British thing.

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"Haechan-ah?"

Blinking owlishly at the bright screen in front of him, Haechan startled slightly at the sound of his roommate's voice. He'd assumed Johnny had fallen asleep hours ago--indeed, a glance at the small clock in the corner of the screen indicated that it was well past 4 am.

"Yes, hyung?" He didn't turn to look at the older man, knowing that he was likely sprawled out on his bed on the opposite side of their moderately sized room, as he had been the last three times he had checked. Johnny didn't often stir in his sleep, which suited Haechan just fine. It meant fewer distractions when playing his video games, and Johnny had long since learned to sleep through any particularly loud explosions and drama happening on screen.

"Why are you still awake?" Johnny asked, his voice gruff and deepened from sleep. "You know that we have a schedule in the morning."

"It's fine, Johnny-hyung," Haechan said dismissively, fingers flying across the keyboard as he scoped out his next kill. "I'll sleep in a minute."

"Haechan!" The bite in Johnny's voice made Haechan pause for a heartbeat, just long enough for his opponent to execute a neat head-shot, then the screen went black. With a sigh, Haechan turned to face his roommate, rubbing his tired eyes with the back of his hands.

"Nice one, hyung. I'm dead now anyway, so I'll sleep." As he watched, an indecipherable mix of emotions crossed Johnny's face and the older man frowned. Haechan didn't like seeing the disapproval in his eyes, especially when it was directed at him. "It's no big deal."

"We've talked about this, Haechan," Johnny muttered, rolling over so that he could sit up in bed. He stretched, arms completing a wide arc that caught Haechan's eye, and leant forward to rest his elbows on his knees, feet planted firmly into the carpet between their beds. "You've been really tired these last few weeks. I covered for you with manager-hyung today, but I know that Taeyong and the choreographers noticed all of your mistakes in practice today. We all did."

"I--" Haechan blinked once, twice, watching Johnny's face for signs of a joke or a lie. Nothing. Just the truth, written plain as if the older man had hung a sign on the wall above his head proclaiming his disapproval. "It's just one day. One mistake. I'll sort it out, I swear."

He knew that he'd been slacking off a bit too much lately, especially with a 127 comeback looming and new choreo and promotions that required his attention. He'd had a few--dozen--late nights playing games, but Johnny had joined him for most of them. It wasn't fair for his roommate to be criticising him, not when Johnny usually spent just as many late nights in the digital world. Although now he thought about it, all of his usual partners had started finding excuses lately. He couldn't quite recall the last time Jaehyun had accepted one of his calls after midnight, and Johnny had been crawling in bed earlier and earlier lately.

"It's not just one mistake, Haechan-ah. Everyone has mentioned it, and I can't keep covering for you. You're not a kid anymore."

Haechan opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out. Thoughts flitted in and out, grasping for his attention, but one thing stuck in the front of his mind.