Ships Passing In The Night ｜Markhyuck (OT21 AU)

Chapter 2

Five minutes later, Haechan was still sat on the floor, staring at the blurry whorls and grooves that had to have been carved into the wood panels over time. He knew he couldn't sit here forever, because there was the small matter of waking up in a strange room and being shouted at by a woman he didn't know to deal with, but he just couldn't bring himself to move just yet.

The feelings and emotions from the previous night were still fresh in his mind, in his soul, even if his roommate didn't appear to have made the leap into this unknown place with him. Haechan knew that, even without being able to see beyond the end of his fingertips. He didn't know how he knew, but the cool air around him seemed to scream loneliness. No. Wherever he was right now, and whatever was going on, Johnny was not here. He was alone.

Nobody cares.

His final thoughts from last night slipped unbidden into his mind, and he almost laughed out loud. He still carried the feelings of abandonment he'd unearthed, and his insides felt like they'd been rubbed raw, but he knew that he'd be able to fix things with Johnny and the others eventually. He'd talk to Mark, tell him everything--like he always did--and they would figure out a solution together. It would all be fine.

Mark Lee would know what to do.

"Lee Donghyuck." This time he didn't jump at the interruption. The voice sounded closer now, but he didn't make any move to get up off the floor. "Don't tell me you're still in--" The door crashed open behind him, or he assumed that was what the sound was, and then he felt a shift in the air that meant he was no longer alone. "What are you doing?"

The voice sounded irritated, at Haechan he would guess, but he couldn't figure out why. Was this a new dorm aunt, whom he'd not met yet? None of them ever called him Donghyuck anymore, but he guessed it was possible... but it still didn't explain where he was. Or why she thought he was somehow late for school, a place he hadn't been in a very long time.

"I fell out of bed," he answered honestly, when it became clear that the woman wasn't going away. "And I can't find my glasses."

Another frustrated sigh broke the silence, one that stirred up an involuntary twinge of guilt in his gut, but then a pair of glasses were being slid into his hand and warm fingers were ruffling his dark hair softly. A soft, fluffy strand of black hair flopped down into his eyes and he pushed it away instinctively, before realising that it was entirely the wrong texture to be his.

"What is going on?" he muttered, shoving the glasses up his nose and blinking quickly as the world suddenly became a whole lot clearer. "Where am I?"

"Darling, are you okay?" The voice sounded concerned now, and Haechan looked up to meet the keen gaze of a kind-looking woman, who looked to be about the same age as his mother. She had strength and warmth in her eyes, and he got the impression that he was meant to feel something fierce for her but, instead, there was only confusion and the start of a stress headache.

"Who are you?" As he spoke the words, he knew they were a mistake, even as the woman's face fell and disappointment replaced the affection and worry.

"You promised me you wouldn't drink any alcohol last night," she said quickly, pulling away and straightening stiffly. Crossing her arms over her chest, she frowned down at the boy still folded on the floor. Haechan hadn't realised how comforting her hand in his hair had been until it was suddenly gone, and he shivered as he pulled his arms around his torso. "You drove home! What were you thinking? Your dad will be so disappointed when he finds out."

"My dad?" Haechan was aware that he was asking a lot of questions, and getting almost no answers, so he tried to focus his thoughts and concentrate. Whatever was going on here, he could figure it out. "You're...my mom?" It came out as another question, but he knew it to be true as he said it, even if he was pretty sure he'd never seen this woman before in his life.