The next few weeks passed quickly for everyone, as both classes and extracurriculars started to ramp up in intensity. Donghyuck still ate lunch and hung out after class with Renjun and Jaemin, on days when he didn't have a meeting to attend or too much homework to do, but it felt like, whenever he stopped to take a breath and have fun, there was always a dozen other things demanding his attention.
He found himself questioning daily why he was working so hard, making sure that his grades didn't slip and that his homework was all submitted on time, but the answer remained the same. He could selfishly justify manipulating some things, for the sake of forging and repairing relationships with his members--morally, that too was still up for debate, but he tried not to dwell on it too much. He would not, however, allow the other Donghyuck to return to a world in which his future prospects had been ruined through his apathy or lack of effort.
No matter what his doppelganger was like as a person, everyone deserved the chance to graduate high school, he reasoned, so Donghyuck did his best to make sure that would still be on the table, even if it ultimately slowed down his search for the rest of his family. As a result, he seemed to spend more time in the library than with his friends, as a few big tests were already looming that he needed to make sure he was ready for.
Renjun was as supportive as ever, helping him with homework wherever possible, but Renjun couldn't actually attend every class for him and he had his own classes to worry about. He did make an excellent cheerleader though, as did Jaemin, who was mostly useless for academics but seemed to have an unending supply of snacks and coffee whenever Donghyuck needed it most. The three of them solidified their friendship into a tight bond as time marched on and, for that, Donghyuck was grateful.
Following his little revelation that weekend, Jaemin had taken to trying to pretend he wasn't remotely interested in Renjun romantically whenever Donghyuck was around. This, unfortunately for him, only made it more obvious, and Donghyuck was amazed that the other boy hadn't noticed yet. Renjun was either completely oblivious or a very good actor, because he continued to blithely bicker with Jaemin at every opportunity, much to his chagrin, and seemed to enjoy nothing more than winding the younger boy up to the point where he turned beet red in the middle of the cafeteria--much to Donghyuck's delight.
Donghyuck hadn't been able to see much of Chenle outside of Drama Soc meetings, but he cherished every moment he got to spend with the adorable freshman. He had only grown more tactile with Donghyuck over time, something the older boy was definitely not complaining about, and he would often drop his head onto Donghyuck's shoulder or flop down dramatically across his lap as the group engaged in discussion after discussion about auditions, rehearsals, lighting, stage design and the other hundred things that went into staging a show in high school.
From Wednesday that next week, some of the dancers had started turning up to their lunchtime meetings, offering their input and suggestions to help enhance Dejun's vision for the musical. The older boy had roped in a few teachers to help too, from across the arts faculty, and things seemed to be starting to take shape. He'd mentioned that he wanted to organise auditions soon, and Donghyuck had happily offered to put up flyers and yet more sign up sheets when the time came--this time with some of his own flair, unlike the drab monochrome the Drama President seemed to favour.
Jaemin, in particular, had been very vocal about opportunities to best integrate the dancers into the show. He had impressed both Dejun and the Dance leader--whose name Donghyuck had missed the first time it was mentioned, and had since forgotten twice to ask Jaemin about--with his ideas, and Donghyuck couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as he watched his friend take centre stage in the debate.
Jisung had turned up to the very next meeting. He was still as timid as ever, and he'd taken to following Jaemin around the drama studio like he was auditioning for a role as his shadow. Donghyuck hadn't tried to approach him after that first time in the auditorium, but Chenle had no such hesitations. So far, his attempts at conversation hadn't yielded many results, but Donghyuck could have sworn he saw Jisung almost crack a smile at one of Chenle's jokes in their latest session, so he was still holding out hope for a miracle.
After a week or so, Renjun had started taking up residence in the corner of the drama studio whenever Jaemin and Donghyuck were there, muttering something about how incredibly sad it was to eat lunch on his own when they had questioned him on it. He never said anything, and he always had a novel or a textbook in his lap while the rest of the room loudly talked over each other, but Donghyuck caught him watching them several times when he'd looked over. Renjun denied it when asked, but the younger boy suspected he was a lot more interested in what was happening around him than he would admit.
It wasn't the normal Donghyuck was used to, but it surprised him how quickly he fell into the familiarity of a routine, and he actually found himself relaxing and allowing himself to enjoy the ride at times. He continued to experience twinges of guilt whenever he dwelled on all the loved ones he hadn't seen in over a month--people who he still missed like a hole in his heart--but he knew he was just making the best of the situation. If he enjoyed aspects of it now and then, he hoped they wouldn't judge him for it if they knew.
--
"You look tired." Jaemin greeted him with finger-guns as Donghyuck slid onto the bench next to him, fingers already groping around in his backpack for his lunch. Nudging Jaemin's sandwich aside to make room for his elbows, he slumped down onto the tabletop and sighed.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Jaemin-ah," he muttered. Jaemin didn't respond to that, instead shoving a snack pack under Donghyuck's nose. He was half tempted to turn it down, just to spite Jaemin for his suggestion that he looked anything less than spectacular, but the dark circles he'd seen in the mirror that morning were testament to the fact that Jaemin wasn't far off the mark. "I had an English essay due this morning. I barely slept."
"I thought you finished it by eleven," Renjun said accusingly, as he dropped his bag down on the floor next to Donghyuck's and claimed the seat opposite. "You told me when I called you at midnight that it was done." He waggled a finger disparagingly in Donghyuck's face and frowned down at him. "This doesn't look like it was finished early."
"I wanted it to be perfect." Letting his eyes droop, Donghyuck shifted to lean against Jaemin, deciding that the tabletop was entirely too cold to allow him to nap through lunch like he wanted to. Jaemin accommodated him without complaint, supporting him with an outstretched arm behind his back, and continued to pile food into his mouth with his free hand.
"You really don't have to torture yourself like this, Hyuck. One bad grade isn't going to kill anyone." He didn't have to see Renjun to picture the disapproving look on his face. He'd been forced to admit to both of them why he was so keen to maintain good grades, when he'd fallen asleep at lunch two days in a row the previous week.
Renjun had made the salient point that he hadn't had to do school work like this for years and it was never going to be as easy as it would have been for the other Hyuck, but he hadn't listened. They didn't like it, and Renjun had stepped up his daily check-in calls and homework exchange programme to compensate, but he had insisted. Hence why he currently felt like he was ready to face plant into Jaemin's lap.
"You need a break," Renjun continued, when Donghyuck didn't argue with him. The tone of his voice suggested that he had won some sort of victory over Donghyuck's stubbornness, and Hyuck didn't have the energy to crack an eyelid and inform him that his compliance was mainly because he was half-asleep. "You're coming to the game tonight, right?"
He did react to that, blinking slowly as his eyes focused on Renjun's slightly blurry face. "Yeah," he said. "That's why I stayed up so late and started the math assignment after I was done with Shakespeare. I'm not missing it."
He had missed the soccer game the previous week, the last friendly game of the season, and Renjun had made him promise to come to this one. It was the first time this year that the school would turn out en-masse for a sporting event, Renjun had explained, and he wanted the three of them to show some school spirit--and to spend a couple of hours ogling Jeno, but he hadn't actually said that part out loud.
"I'll come and grab you from the library at seven, okay?" Jaemin poked him gently in the arm until he nodded, and then Donghyuck propped himself up on his arm to eat as much food as he could manage before their lunch period ended.
--
When they arrived at the sports field several hours later, Donghyuck could immediately sense the difference between this game and the friendly game he'd come to weeks before. There were a lot more people, for one--although not so many that the stands were completely filled yet--and he could spot a few students in a uniform he didn't recognise milling around near the edge of the pitch.
He didn't know what school or what team they were playing, and the generic initials on the scoreboard didn't give him any clues as they scooted around the empty ticket booth, making their way towards the loud hum of noise. There were several dozen floodlights already illuminating the pitch in front of them, the lateness of the evening necessitating their presence to cast off most of the shadows, and beneath the nearest one was a cluster of spectators buying snacks from a small mobile food-truck.
"Anyone want anything?" Renjun asked, reaching for his backpack to pull out his wallet. Donghyuck shook his head quickly, while Jaemin shrugged noncommittally. Renjun huffed but zipped up his backpack again. "Okay. Your loss." Food truck forgotten, Donghyuck started scanning the nearest stand for free seats. There were plenty on the ends, and Jaemin started to head for the steps automatically, but Renjun grabbed his arm to stop him dead in his tracks.
"What's wrong?" Jaemin asked, turning to look at him. Donghyuck watched as his eyes slid slowly from Renjun's face down to where the older boy held his wrist in his fingers, blinking owlishly at the place where their skin touched. Renjun didn't notice his surprise, because he maintained his vice-like grip on Jaemin's arm and started tugging him in the opposite direction.
"I want to sit over on the other side tonight," Renjun insisted, pointing with his free hand to the emptier stand on the other side of the pitch. Donghyuck's brows furrowed as he recalled Renjun's disappointment at not sitting that side at the previous game they'd attended together, but said nothing. Instead, he nudged Jaemin towards Renjun with a shoulder, before stepping around them both and walking towards the path that lay beyond the food cart.
"Come on, Jaemin," Renjun said softly, fingers shifting from Jaemin's wrist to intertwine their fingers. For a second, Jaemin stood frozen, staring down at their joined hands, but then he allowed Renjun to drag him after Donghyuck, who walked a few paces ahead of them. He didn't say anything as they rejoined him, but Jaemin knew that he'd taken notice from the way he raised a single eyebrow questioningly when Renjun wasn't looking. Jaemin had no response for him, other than to blink rapidly and try to remember how to walk in a straight line, even as his brain attempted to memorise the exact way Renjun's fingers felt wrapped around his own.
They found three seats together at the clubhouse end of the stand, two rows back from ground level. It wasn't central or a row with the best views in the house--those had still been available, despite the crowds getting a little bigger by the minute--but it had been Renjun's choice and the other two had acquiesced without question.
He had a small, private smile on his face as they sat down, tucking his hands into his pockets and leaning into Donghyuck's shoulder for warmth. Donghyuck wasn't about to wipe that smile off his face for anything, especially as he saw the older boy was already fixated on a small cluster of players warming up on the pitch in front of them.
Jeno was with them, Lee 7 emblazoned on the back of his shirt in a neon green that seemed to glow under the floodlight above his head. Lucas was also there, to Donghyuck's surprise, and he quickly nudged the boys on either side of him to get their attention. He had a neon number 5 on his back as he laughed at something Jeno was saying to him, and the name Wong was printed above it.
"What?" Jaemin asked, when Donghyuck failed to say anything. Jaemin stared down at the group for a few seconds, before turning back to the speechless boy with a scowl on his lips. "You don't need to point Lee Jeno out to us, Hyuck. We know what he looks like." On his other side, Donghyuck felt rather than saw Renjun open his mouth to unleash a suitably biting remark in response, so he interrupted the inevitable argument before it could begin.
"I wasn't going to mention Jeno," he told Jaemin, making sure to keep his voice down. There weren't too many people around them yet, most students and parents choosing to congregate towards the middle of the stand, but there were a group of freshmen girls two rows behind them with an obnoxiously sparkly banner that had the team's names on it, and Donghyuck didn't particularly want to be overheard. "I was looking at Lucas."
"Who?" Jaemin asked, as Renjun nodded thoughtfully.
"Yukhei," Donghyuck clarified, remembering that Renjun had mentioned that Lucas went by his real name here. "I know him better as Lucas, but that's not the point." He turned to Renjun, who tore his eyes from the back of Jeno's head long enough to look at them. "You didn't mention he was friends with Jeno."
Renjun rolled his eyes. "Yukhei is friends with everyone, as is Jeno." He paused, glancing back down at the pair briefly, before clarifying. "Friends with everyone who is popular, I mean. He's one of the most outgoing people in the senior class, and that's saying a lot. Everyone loves him. Just look."
He gestured to the stand opposite and Donghyuck scanned the crowd leisurely, noting that quite a few students--mostly girls, although there were a few sporadic male fans--had handmade banners or electronic signs, most of which featured Yukhei's name prominently. He even spotted one girl with a crude, handmade replica of his soccer shirt, complete with his number and family name in green paint.
"He seems well-liked," Donghyuck mused, turning his attention to the boy in question, who had just started to stretch with Jeno and the rest of the team. Another boy, one with a wide face and broad shoulders, seemed to be leading the warm-up, but Donghyuck noticed that most of the team looked to Lucas for their cues anyway. "That hasn't changed."
"I bet Yukhei is popular in every universe," Renjun whispered, and Jaemin snorted with laughter as he agreed with him.
"You're probably not wrong," Donghyuck mused, as the team split into groups and moved onto ball exercises and sprints. They all watched in silence for a few minutes, before the group containing Jeno and Lucas moved to the far end of the pitch and they couldn't see them properly anymore. Renjun pouted at that, then continued to pout as the four freshmen girls behind them started to debate the relative attractiveness of the different members they had written down on their poster boards.
"You have got to be kidding me," he muttered five minutes later, as one of them started describing Jeno's impossibly pretty smile as her friends cooed and giggled in response. "Do they really have nothing else to talk about?" The group continued, undeterred by his hushed grumblings, and Jaemin leaned around Donghyuck to fix his friend with a look that promised trouble.
"Careful, Renjunie," he snapped. "People might think you're jealous."
"Shut your damn mouth, you--" Donghyuck slapped a hand over both of their mouths with a swiftness that surprised even him, and the rest of Renjun's words were lost into the thick fabric of the gloves that Donghyuck had actually remembered to bring to school in preparation for tonight.
"Chill," he told them both, as Jaemin tried to peel the fingers off his face and Renjun smacked his knee hard enough to make him flinch. "I'd quite like to enjoy the game without you two killing each other." When neither of them made any other moves to disturb the peace, he tentatively removed his hands and they were left glaring at each other mutely.
"Besides," he continued, following a flicker of movement he'd spotted out of the corner of his eye. "They're coming back. I think it's about to start." True to his words, Jeno and Lucas were walking diagonally across the pitch towards where he was sat, trailed by half a dozen other boys carrying various pieces of warm-up equipment. Jaemin's words forgotten, Renjun turned his attention back to the action, while Jaemin glared at the side of his head like he could burrow inside with sheer force of will and make Renjun like him instead of Jeno.
"Oh my God!" One of the girls behind them yelped and there was a loud rustling sound, which was enough to have Donghyuck turning in his seat to look back at them. They were all on their feet, giggling excitedly as they waved their banners at the group that was coming closer with every step. He couldn't help but smile at the way that they had drawn a small pink heart over the jieut in Jeno's name, but he had to turn his back on them when they started to shout the players' names in unison like an idol fan chant.
Down on the pitch, Jeno and Lucas had reached the gravel at the side of the field and were collecting labelled water bottles from a box on the floor, which was guarded by a short, balding man he thought was the coach. As they drank, Lucas' eyes scanned the crowd idly, passing quickly over everyone until he made eye contact with Donghyuck. Or almost made eye contact; Donghyuck couldn't quite tell whether he was looking at them, or at the girls waving and screaming behind them, but then he nudged Jeno's shoulder and leant in to say something in the younger boy's ear.
Jeno's eyes lit up as he spoke, turning to stare up in the direction Lucas pointed. He didn't make it obvious, his hand remaining close to his hip, but the finger that Lucas uncurled was unmistakable to an observant Donghyuck. The two of them stared up into their section of the stand, and the girls behind him went crazy with excitement. He would have thought that a member of a popular idol group had turned up--despite there technically being at least five present with the girls none the wiser--but it was definitely Yukhei's name they were shouting.
"He's looking at you, Injun-ah." He could have almost convinced himself they really were enraptured by the ridiculous spectacle behind him, but he would have needed to be blind to miss the way Lucas' lips smoothly formed the characters of Renjun's name as they stood huddled together, water bottles in hand, trying hard not to look like they were staring at the boy to his right.
"Who?" Renjun glanced up from the spot in his lap he'd been focusing on, but his attention was on Donghyuck and not the boys currently watching him like he was an exhibit in a zoo, one that might bolt if they looked at him directly. Jeno was leaning on Lucas' shoulder, neck twisted awkwardly as he stole glances up at them not-so-subtly.
"Who do you think, idiot?" he muttered, grinning as Renjun finally took the hint and glanced down at Jeno--who promptly panicked and turned his back on the stand completely, causing Lucas to start laughing hysterically at him. Donghyuck sighed.
"Hyuck, I think you're due for a whole heap of sleep after this," Renjun told him sternly, eyes narrowing as he tried to figure out why Lucas was now doubling over next to the object of his affections. "Yukhei is probably just amused by the terrible spelling on those banners, and Jeno isn't even looking this way." He huffed out a breath, slumping down into his seat a little. "Tell me if he actually does anything interesting. I'm starting to get a headache from the banshee quartet behind us."
By this point, the coach had signalled for the team to huddle and had begun speaking to them, shouting to make himself heard over the normal people talking to each other in the stand behind him--and the four freshmen girls who were currently exhibiting a lung capacity that made Donghyuck jealous. Jeno and Lucas were still talking quietly to each other on the outskirts of the group, but neither of them looked over again. Still, Donghyuck noted that Jeno wore a happy smile. It lit up his whole face, it hadn't been there five minutes ago, and it stayed that way for most of the game.
They won.
Jeno scored twice.
As they left the stand after the game, Jaemin complaining loudly because Renjun was threatening not to drive him home for blocking his view of Jeno's second goal, Donghyuck could hear people around them talking about how fired up the boy had been. He'd been totally in the zone all game and, of course, he'd looked so incredibly cool and relaxed and handsome doing it--cue eye roll and fake puking ad infinitem.
That said, he wasn't a betting man, but Donghyuck would wager it didn't have anything to do with screaming freshmen girls or glitter-smeared banners.