Ships Passing In The Night ｜Markhyuck (OT21 AU)

Chapter 40

To say that his first attempt at a romantic intervention had been a complete disaster would be an overstatement, but not by much, Donghyuck thought resignedly, as he watched Jaemin chase Jeno down the hallway outside the art studio with a wet paintbrush. He was pretty sure that said brush belonged in one of the supply bins by the sink in the classroom, but it had become a brandished weapon that was getting dangerously close to rupturing an eardrum as Jaemin shoved the business end into the other boy's ear canal.

Donghyuck followed a few paces behind them, walking alongside Renjun and Yukhei, each step taking them further from the enclosed space where he had planned to ambush Renjun and, well...locking him into a room with Jeno and Jaemin to sort out his mess of a love life was a pretty blunt way to put it but, if the shoe fit. It had been a foolproof plan.

However, just before the end of the hour, Jaemin and Jeno had gotten into a heated debate about ice cream flavours as they washed up and packed away. It had taken just a few short seconds of distraction--with Donghyuck inexplicably getting roped into going to bat for Team Vanilla on Jeno's behalf--but those few seconds had been enough for two of his three targets to escape, with stolen art supplies and a grudge match to settle out in the hallway.

"They're actually idiots, both of them," Renjun muttered lowly, as Yukhei got bored of acting his age and sped up to rescue Jeno from the headlock Jaemin had somehow managed to trap him in. He was smiling, shaking his head affectionately as he spoke, but Renjun sounded tired. Donghyuck was glad that the pair seemed to have taken being friends to heart, with a gusto that had surprised just about everyone, but he knew that it had to be a constant reminder of the tough conversations that Renjun was still putting off. "Why do I like them again?"

"Because," Donghyuck offered helpfully. He was planning to say more, but then Jaemin let out an exaggerated yelp and their attention was pulled inescapably back to the three boys currently play-fighting like they were five years old. He chuckled softly, and Renjun just sighed in defeat.

"You make an excellent point, Hyuck." Donghyuck didn't look over to check, but he was pretty sure that Renjun would be rolling his eyes as he spoke. "Still idiots though."

"No arguments there."

Thirty-five minutes later--after briefly joining in on the action to defend Jaemin's honour with a hastily sourced ball-point pen sword, finally persuading the younger boy to return the paintbrush to its rightful home, and then almost running over Yukhei in the parking lot--Donghyuck pulled into his driveway next to his father's car.

He'd almost forgotten what it was like to have such carefree fun, he mused, as he cut the engine and collected his blazer from where Jaemin had been using it as a pillow in the rear passenger seat. Back home, with his members, he'd always been the life and soul of whatever room he was in, even if he hadn't always felt up to it. That was the role that had been assigned to him long before debut, and it was a role that he usually performed better than just about anyone, but he knew he'd lost sight of himself somewhat in the few months leading up to his abrupt life-swap moment.

Everything had felt just that little bit more like a chore, he'd thought more than once, as he'd staggered zombie-like from one schedule to another, until he was having to fake smiles in private as well as in public. He'd been exhausted, even before the deliberate late nights gaming, the acting out for attention and the confrontation with Johnny that had ultimately led him here. He hadn't realised it at the time, but he'd been burning out for quite a while before everything fell apart. He could see that now.

He wanted to go home, he knew that, but Donghyuck could also admit that this time away had been good for him. He'd been able to go back to basics, and to remember all over again why he loved the people he considered his chosen family. The mellow side of him over the last few months had been a welcome change too, he realised, and had felt like something of an emotional reset. So much so that, when he'd allowed himself to dive into the playful banter between his friends that afternoon, it had felt like taking the training wheels off on his bike for a second time. It was a strange feeling, but one he was more than ready for. For a moment, as he made his way up the front steps, Donghyuck even wondered absently whether this was what personal growth felt like.