Ships Passing In The Night ｜Markhyuck (OT21 AU)

Chapter 5

This boy knew, Donghyuck realised, as Renjun's unwavering, ever perceptive gaze refused to let him look away. The subtle inflection in his speech. His very particular choice of words. His hand clamped down on Donghyuck tightly enough to be painful. He knew.

"You really believe me?" His voice hitched as he spoke the words. The world seemed to slow, the other patrons and staff around them fading into oblivion as Renjun nodded solemnly, never losing eye contact. As if he had given them the permission they'd been waiting for, tears welled up in Donghyuck's eyes and overflowed in a sudden torrent that took his breath away. He heard the scrape of Renjun's chair on the tiled floor and light footsteps coming closer, then a gentle pair of arms was curling around him. He was pulled into a warm chest, face tucked into Renjun's thick sweater.

"Let it out, Hyuckie." The words blew warm air across his ear, and he was all too happy to comply. He burrowed deeper into Renjun's chest and allowed himself to feel. To hurt. To cry.

--

He really did feel a lot better after the tears dried up--he had only been mildly embarrassed when their elderly waitress had brought him a stack of napkins and a free sundae. He hadn't corrected her when she'd assumed it was about a break-up, and he was now sharing the ice cream with Renjun as they talked.

As it turned out, Renjun had gone to Jaemin by Tuesday afternoon. It had taken a few days for Renjun to reason through afterwards, but Jaemin had told Renjun just enough for the boy to conclude that something was going on that couldn't be explained by normal means.

"He said it was a crazy story," Renjun had told him, "but something just didn't add up. I've known you since forever, and you're not like that. I saw the look in your eyes when I told you to go away. You looked genuinely devastated. You're a great actor, Hyuck. You always have been, but no one is that good.

"I then considered some kind of psychosis, but that's illogical. You've not shown any signs of it before, and one summer is not enough time to suddenly lose your mind completely." He'd paused then, looking up at Donghyuck. "Not unless you've suffered any blunt force trauma recently that I don't know about?"

"Nope. I can't say that I have." That had been that, for Renjun. If he removed everything that he'd deemed not possible, the only option left was that Donghyuck was telling the truth. They didn't yet agree on the reason, or the how, but they agreed that it was entirely possible to fall asleep in one life and wake up in another.

"Aliens. It's always aliens." Donghyuck had laughed at that at first. Then Renjun had reminded him that it was about as likely as dreaming, and he'd shut up. It didn't matter the theory behind it. What mattered was that he had someone in his corner, someone who made him feel like he wasn't totally crazy for the truth he knew deep in his soul.

"The important question now," Renjun said later, after Donghyuck had finished giving him a detailed rundown on the way the membership system worked in NCT--Renjun hadn't quite understood, even after they'd been over it twice, "is what the end game is here."

"End game?" Donghyuck frowned. "Like The Avengers?"

"The what?" Agast, he'd stared at Renjun in horror until his friend had cracked a wicked grin and laughed at him. "Don't worry. We have that, although I haven't seen one in years. It's all a bit much for me." Now that sounded like the Renjun he knew, Donghyuck thought. Ever the culture hermit.

"Anyway," Renjun had continued, "I meant the end game for this reality. As much as I'd like to not be a figment of your imagination, or the creation of some omnipotent, intergalactic hive mind--wait, no, that would be awesome." He grinned again, and Donghyuck couldn't help smiling too. The sense of camaraderie, of belonging after a week of feeling like an imposter in someone else's life, was exhilarating. "The point is, we need to figure out how to get you back where you belong."

"That seems like a big, fat question mark right now, Injunie," Donghyuck muttered. The other boy's eyebrows rose in surprise, as he realised his slip of the tongue. "I mean Renjun. Sorry."

"It's fine." The older boy blushed slightly. "I've just never heard that one before. Is that what you call...other me?" He didn't seem particularly upset by the prospect. More curious than anything, if Donghyuck had to guess.

"Yeah." Donghyuck grinned. "That or a pain in my ass." Renjun just rolled his eyes at him. It was so familiar a gesture that Donghyuck felt his heart soar. This was the Renjun he knew. Not exactly the same in experiences, but the core of the boy was there. He was still...him. "I love you, Renjun-ah. In my world, we're closer than brothers... all of us are. I'm glad you're here with me right now. I'm just sorry that your me was such a douchebag."

"That sentence is such a mind fuck, I'm not even going to touch it." Renjun paused, then leaned across to hug Donghyuck again. "But I love you too, Hyuckie. I've missed this side of you, more than you know. I'll miss you when you're gone too, but I'll help you get back home. I promise."