Two days later, and Jaemin overslept.
Normally, he doesn't bother setting an alarm. Ever since he and Mark had started dating, Mark wakes him up with kisses, so he stopped setting an alarm.
But he kind of forgot to set one when Mark said that he'd be leaving early next morning; way more earlier than usual, and couldn't wake Jaemin up.
Jaemin kicks himself when he wakes up and realizes he has twenty minutes until class starts, and that he still has a line of dried up drool on his face.
Feeling like shit, Jaemin is rushing to brush his teeth, wash his face and then quickly packs his bag with everything he needed for the day (or at least, he hopes he took everything he'd need), before grabbing his Anthropology essay from his desk and running out the door.
Jaemin didn't even get to have his daily cup of coffee or tea yet, and he more than needed it, especially since he woke up late.
But he can't be complaining, he doubts that this scenario wouldn't happen again in the futur.
So he sucks it up and all but runs to class, cursing his professor's lecture hall for being on the opposite side of campus, a full ten minute walk which Jaemin was going to have to shorten immensely.
He's almost there, three quarters of the way with four minutes to spare when he sees someone walk out of the on campus coffee shop.
Wouldn't bother him, any other day, it wouldn't matter who walked out of that coffee shop. But today, he knows the silhouette of the person and he knows that it's Donghyuck, carrying a tray of three iced coffees.
Donghyuck, Jeno and Mark.
Jaemin doesn't need to have super vision to know that those are the names on the three cups.
But he doesn't have time to think about it, doesn't have time to thing about how Mark went to hang out with Jeno and Donghyuck after whatever he had to deal with, how he wasn't asked to hang out, even if he had classes, and he really doesn't have time to act upon his urge to feel sad because he shouldn't be sad when there was probably a reason for them acting the way they were.
So his eyes blur out everything around him, and he just sprints to his lecture hall, seeing only in tunnel vision.
In hindsight, it probably wasn't the smartest thing to run through campus with tunnel vision, especially with so many bustling bodies and other students rushing around him.
But Jaemin doesn't really realize that until he's colliding with a body, until the front of his shirt is soaked and cold, and until his Anthropology paper was stained with what appeared to be iced coffee.
All blood drains from Jaemin's face when he realizes what happened to his paper; Anthropology was his first class. Which he only had two minutes to get to.
"J-Jaemin, I'm sorry."
At the voice, Jaemin snaps his head up, his teary eyes coming in contact with Donghyuck's wide ones.
In any other circumstance, Jaemin would feel embarrassed by the onslaught of tears behind his eyes, but at the moment, he's just frustrated.
Frustrated because he worked day and night on that stupid Anthropology paper, shed tears over it and it wasn't even that good, but Jaemin worked so hard on it, just like how he worked so hard on his relationship with Jeno, but Donghyuck seems like he just adores erasing all of his hard work.
"Shut up," Jaemin says, hating how shaky his voice sounds in front of Donghyuck, hating how how the latter knows how much he is affected.
"Jae—"
"No!" The younger snaps, one tear escaping his eye as he crouches down to pick up his soaked paper. "Why do you have to take everything away from me?"
Donghyuck watches as more tears start to stream down Jaemin's face, and his chest feels tight for some unknown reason.
Before Donghyuck can question what Jaemin had meant, Jaemin is already leaving, soaked in iced coffee, leaving Donghyuck alone with his soiled Anthropology paper at his feet.
——
Jaemin doesn't go to his lecture.
He can't muster up enough courage to go to class smelling like bitter caffeine while his white shirt is stained different shades of brown.
Maybe in another world, Jaemin was braver and wouldn't care.
But in this world, Jaemin cares a bit too much, and he's a bit too frustrated to continue on with his day collectedly.
He sighs, stripping his shirt off and heads to the bathroom to take another shower, blinking away the tears of frustration.
Maybe today was just an off day.
——
"Guys, oh my God," Donghyuck groans, opening the door to his dorm room, where Mark and Jeno were sitting on the bed, talking about whatever. "I think I just ruined everything."
"As in?" Mark questions, eyebrows furrowing when he realizes that Donghyuck came back empty handed. "Where's the coffee?"
"Forget the coffee," Donghyuck sulks, wedging himself between Jeno and Mark. "I think Jaemin hates me." He says sadly.
Because of Donghyuck's tone, Jeno is thrown off guard.
"You think?" The black haired boy shrieks. "Don't you think it's because you guys are horrible to each other?" He asks, cocking up an eyebrow.
"No!" Donghyuck immediately denies before groaning again and laying his head on Mark's shoulder. "Guys— I-I think it's more than that," he says, taking a shaky exhale of breath.
Mark makes a sound of confusion in the back of his throat, shrugging Donghyuck's head off of his shoulder.
"What do you mean?" He asks, eyebrows scrunching together in the middle.
Donghyuck hangs his head low, twiddling with his thumbs which were laid on his lap.
"So I went to get our coffees," he starts, and Mark and Jeno both nod their heads on either side of him, showing that they were listening. "And I saw him on my way out. I didn't pay any mind to it," he quickly adds. "I wasn't gonna say anything to him, but he looked really tired and... Frazzled.
"He spaced out for a second— I don't know why— but then when he focused again, he just started running again and it seemed like he was heading in the direction of the sociology building."
Mark curses under his breath, earning looks from Donghyuck and Jeno.
"Jaemin doesn't set alarms," Mark sighs. "I normally wake him up, but I left to talk to my English professor before she left."
"That's probably why he seemed so frazzled," Donghyuck notes before continuing with his story. "Anyways, he was running and probably didn't see where he was going, because I don't know why he'd do it on purpose—"
"Do what?" Jeno asks, getting a bit frustrated because Donghyuck was dragging out this story longer than it seemed necessary.
"He bumped into me and the coffee spilt all over him," Donghyuck says quietly. "And his... A-Anthro paper," he shamefully adds.
All three of them know that for the past two days, Mark has been hanging out with Jeno and Donghyuck more because Jaemin was too busy juggling all of his courses, while also trying and struggling to write his Anthropology paper.
So when Donghyuck tells them that his paper was ruined because coffee had spilt on it, they all knew the severity of what happened.
"Where is he?" Jeno asks first, always being on top of things when it came to Jaemin. Or maybe he hasn't been lately, which lead them to this current situation. Either way, he'd like to know where Jaemin was now.
"I don't know," Donghyuck answers, guilt thick and heavy in his voice. "But he didn't go to class. He turned away from the sociology building."
Jeno sends them both a small look, almost like an apologetic smile, and they both get the message.
"It's alright," Mark says. "Go find him."
Once Jeno leaves and the door closes, Mark sighs and looks at Donghyuck.
"Don't feel too bad about it," he smiles, kissing the younger's head. "Everything will be fine."
"I don't even know why I feel as guilty as I do," Donghyuck admits, wincing a bit when he feels his chest heat up.
But then he realize how weird it was for your chest to heat up out of the blue.
"What?" Mark asks tentatively, watching as Donghyuck's face contorts into one of slight discomfort.
"I don't know," the younger mumbles.
But then realization clicks in his mind and he groans, finally understanding why Jaemin's situation was bothering him so much.
Just to be safe, he looks down his shirt, and for sure, right there on the left side of his chest is Na Jaemin, tattooed in the most ugly colour: purple.
"Fuck."
__________
did it take too long