⛓️

Seonghwa had always liked the rain. As a kid he'd harboured this unusual affinity for it, always anticipating the downpour and the icy cool feeling it left on his exposed skin. During the colder months, his mother would frequently open the door to her son drenched to the bone, an impish smile on his face and his limbs dripping with rain.

Of course, she'd often gotten mad at him for it, because more often than not, his school bag and school supplies got affected by his rash decisions. But, her irritation never lasted long though, even when it meant investing in raincoats and waterproof bags whenever rainy season was near.

As the dark grey clouds rumbled overhead, the ominous growl of thunder slipping past the skies, Seonghwa frowned at the memory of his mother.

It wasn't that he didn't want to think of her, no. It was because she was dead, and thinking about her would've done no good for his already unstable mind.

"It's okay to grieve," was what his therapist frequently said during the sessions he'd had with the man months after his mother's passing. "It allows for a healthier mindset..."

Seonghwa looked up at the twilight skies and shut his eyes as soon as he felt the first drops of rain pelting against his face. He had a grey sweater on, the hood doing next to nothing to shield his already damp black locks from the drizzling.

The rain had formed miniature pools on the granite roads which appeared as dark as they were unsettling. Raindrops rippled over the surface, distorting Seonghwa's empty expression as soon as he'd peered down at one of them.

With his hoodie starting to stick to his body, Seonghwa began his trek down the road. The water from the troubled skies were like icicles slicing down his skin, forming droplets on the curve of his eyelashes and dripping off his jaw. But Seonghwa didn't mind. He liked this.

The more it rained, the more it calmed him down. It made him feel weightless, trapped in between the roar of the skies and the serene rainfall that cascaded all around him. If people were around now, they would've thought him mad or crazy, but Seonghwa...Seonghwa needed this. With his life overflowing with a flood of responsibilities and values, Seonghwa just wanted to feel some type of freedom for once.

And that freedom was here.

He started to run, arms outstretched and palms wide open to feel the droplets that wove themselves within his fingers, soaking all the way through his sleeves and somehow warming his frozen heart. His sneakers mindlessly punctured the puddles on the roads as he bulldozed further and further into the calming downpour, the force creating drops that exploded like glittery fireworks and reflected off the dim moonlight.

Seonghwa continued to run, lungs burning and chest heaving until he unceremoniously came to a stop. With his pale hands firmly gripping his knees, he released hasty gasps and a satisfied, wet smile.

Until his peripheral vision caught sight of something in front of him.

Seonghwa couldn't help but cough at the realization, his lungs suddenly feeling a bit too tight to sustain him. The adrenaline had caught up to him, and now he was more consciously aware of his disheveled, soaked appearance.

Sat on the steps leading to some old primary school and well protected from the rain was a boy who observed him with a blank stare that got all the blood rushing to Seonghwa's face.

"Nice run, huh?"

Seonghwa forced himself to stand more upright, coils of mild embarrassment tightening around his frame as soon as he'd recognized just who the boy was.

It was Kim Hongjoong, the guy with the orthodox fashion sense and the chestnut mullet. He often frequented Seonghwa's chemistry and biology classes but never really spoke to anyone, a quiet personality despite his outrageous clothing that Seonghwa didn't think anyone else other than him could pull off.

Now, Kim Hongjoong was donned in nothing but a white shirt and simple cargo shorts, the most normal outfit Seonghwa had ever seen him wear.

Oh, and he also had some kind of hammer in his hand, a lollipop perched between the delicate curve of his lips. Which were now upturned.

"Take a picture. That just might last longer," Hongjoong remarked.

Seonghwa cleared his throat, then cringed at the rough sound it made. "Uh... Hello."

Hongjoong twirled the hammer-like thing in his hands, his painted nails catching Seonghwa's eye despite the darkness. They were black and white, reminding Seonghwa of spiderwebs.

"Hello," Hongjoong repeated, looking far too amused in this situation.

Seonghwa, once again, started to feel ultra self-conscious of his soaked form. His fingers trembled and clenched, itching to do something so they wouldn't appear so idle. So he pulled down his hood, but quickly realized that his hair was also wet.

The windy atmosphere lapped at his face, competing strongly with Hongjoong's heated gaze.

More than his attention-grabbing clothes and his unpredictable hairdos, Hongjoong's eyes were what caught Seonghwa's attention the most ever since he'd taken notice of him.

They were slanted, sometimes lathered in eyeliner or some kind of stunning decoration, and they were this burnt gold with yellow flecks inside them that seemed to vary in intensity in accordance with whatever mood Hongjoong just so happened to be in.

And as Seonghwa feverishly combed his fingers through his hair to fix it as much as he could for whatever reason, Hongjoong's yellow eyes gleamed with more vibrancy through the darkness.

"Trying to impress me or something?" Hongjoong asked, but his tone made it clear he was joking. Or not joking. Seonghwa couldn't really tell as he was too distracted with his buzzing thoughts and the harsh rainfall.

"I'm not -- " Seonghwa paused, once more taken aback by Hongjoong's strange eyes. "I-I should go."

As if on cue, the rain doused the roads with more strength, the bellowing thunder sending chills up Seonghwa's spine.

"Looks like the weather doesn't agree," Hongjoong said. His tone bordered on a tease, like he was only entertained by the series of events. It irked Seonghwa.

What even was he, anyway?

"I should go," Seonghwa repeated, his voice much firmer.

"Stay."

Seonghwa, since the start, had always been healthier than most with stamina and stealth that lasted longer than most of his peers, allowing him to almost always score high in whatever physical activity he ended up doing. So why, why did he suddenly feel like he couldn't breathe at that moment?

Seonghwa met Hongjoong's eyes, watching how the latter smirked at him. "What?"

"It's gonna rain even more," Hongjoong's smirk broadened, revealing sharp, pointy canines, "so you should probably stay with me before you get sick."

I don't get sick, Seonghwa wanted to say, but kept his lips shut. Although more reserved than the general population, Seonghwa never really had any trouble talking to others.

Turned out Hongjoong was kind of the exception.

"I..." Seonghwa trailed off, his eyes observing the metal hammer in the shorter's grip. Hongjoong's painted fingers tapped over the hard surface, those steely yellow eyes of his unnerving Seonghwa to the core.

What if he tries to murder me with it?

Seonghwa had no idea where that thought came from, but a part of him still believed it. He barely knew Hongjoong, and even when the shorter appeared harmless for the most part, Seonghwa didn't feel like pissing him off.

"Hmm?" Hongjoong's head cocked to the side. He looked like he was testing him, trying to see how he'd react. Seonghwa didn't like it. It made him nervous.

"Scared of me?" Hongjoong questioned. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"No." Seonghwa spat, irritated by Hongjoong's smugness. He walked up the latter, having peer up at him since he sat on the upper side of the steps. His irritation bubbled further.

"Wanna seat next to me?" Hongjoong asked, not seeming to mind just how drenched Seonghwa's body was.

"...No," Seonghwa answered again, hating how unsure he sounded now. Upon closer inspection he could see the astounding red that coloured Hongjoong's cheeks, matching with his lips that were now stained with his lollipop.

Hongjoong shrugged, fiddling with his large hammer again like it was some toy. "Suit yourself."

"Why do you have a fucking hammer?" Seonghwa asked before he could restrain himself. The object made him more cautioned of where he sat, but at the same time he disliked having his back facing Hongjoong.

"You should take off your hoodie. Looks uncomfortable."

"No."

"A'ight."

Seonghwa turned his head, wiping his jaw with his sleeve to get rid of the remaining droplets that'd settled over his skin. He abruptly stopped though when he could feel those eerie golden eyes on him again.

"Don't look at me," Seonghwa uttered.

Hongjoong scoffed, quickly looking someplace else. "I wasn't, though."

"You were."

"What if I like your face?"

Seonghwa's chest tightened, feeling oddly breathless once again. "Guys aren't my type."

"Never said anything about wanting to date you."

Seonghwa just huffed and turned around, inhaling steady breaths to calm his heartbeat. He'd never talked this much in one sitting before, even with his best friend. Yet, here he was, conversing with the creepy guy in his science classes that he'd regarded as someone even less than a stranger.

"Want a lollipop? I'm in a giving kinda mood right now."

Seonghwa nibbled his upper lip. "No, thanks."

"Okay." Hongjoong's grip on his hammer tightened. "Can't say I didn't warn ya."

And then the entire structure gave way.

⛓️

a/n: p.s hongjoong isn't a vampire. thoughts?