⛓️

Coming back to his home, Seonghwa felt a pinch of something similar to loneliness. The livingroom was dark with shadows lingering around every corner, but the kitchen lights were on, the plates in the sink unwashed.

Seonghwa dropped his bag on a table and marched inside the kitchen, for once not inhaling any type of alcoholic fumes or anything close to that. But the mess in the sink heightened the anger he felt towards his father, towards himself and towards his life.

Hi, Son. I got a little hungry so I decided to make some ramyun. Hope you don't mind!

I also went out. Don't wait for me!

The words were haphazardly scribbled and barely legible, but Seonghwa understood them anyway. He took the note stuck to the fridge and slowly crushed it in his hand, his shoulders hunched in defeat.

His father was his father. So that meant Seonghwa had to bear with the man even when he'd cleared the one food Seonghwa had been planning on eating that night. And there was already a shortage of edible stuff at the house.

At times like these, Seonghwa couldn't relinquish the loathing his father frequently made him feel. The man was messy, always got himself drunk at the worst of times, and then ate whatever he wanted even when he knew his son needed it to not go hungry.

Seonghwa tore the note in half and tossed it into the bin, wishing he'd taken up Mingi's offer to spend the night over at his house instead. The taller also had a father of his own, but his was actually a responsible human being, unlike Seonghwa's dad.

In the overall grand scheme of life, Seonghwa often wondered where he'd fucked up.

After he washed the plates since he couldn't stand any type of disorder for long, he switched off the lights and walked to his room with his bag.

Luckily, he didn't have any homework or assignment to do. Unluckily, lying back first on his bed with nothing to do set fire to the nagging thoughts that often plagued his mind during moments like these. Thoughts that didn't shy away from letting him know just how pointless everything was, and how he wasn't doing anything tangible with his life.

You're boring.

Hongjoong's words echoed in his head, turning his flaming thoughts into a full-blown wildfire. And it vexed Seonghwa, because why did those words affect him this much? He didn't give a crap about Hongjoong or his stupid alluring eyes or his annoying bright smiles. Hongjoong was just an infuriating little shit that thrived on driving him insane with his unreadable, highly frustrating self.

Seonghwa didn't want to deal with the shorter anymore, but he was still so perplexed about what he truly was. And that was the most upsetting thing.

Something hit his window.

The sound startled Seonghwa, his first thought being that someone had thrown a stone or something his way. But, the sound was too low for that to be, so what...

His heart slammed against his throat when he noticed the silhouette present by his window. It looked human, familiar.

"What -- " Seonghwa's eyes blew wide when a head of chestnut shaded hair peered into his (inconveniently open) window.

"How does this shit fully open -- " a distracted Hongjoong was mumbling as if sneaking into Seonghwa's bedroom at night was the most plausible thing to do.

The fear Seonghwa had felt diminished instantly. He walked up to the struggling boy by his window, his presence finally gaining the shorter's attention.

"The fuck are you trying to do?" Seonghwa questioned once Hongjoong looked up. His eyes were like sparking embers burning at the fireplace, catching the taller off-guard once again.

"Oh, hi," Hongjoong greeted with a big wave.

"Answer my question."

"Transported here to talk." Hongjoong tapped his thin fingers over the window sill. "I promised, didn't I?"

"I never said you could come to my room."

Hongjoong grinned, and Seonghwa's heartbeat quivered. "Hey, dude. I came all the way over here to answer your questions. Are ya really gonna send me back -- "

Seonghwa didn't know what drove him to do what he did next, but as soon as he forced Hongjoong's fingers off his window, causing him to lose his grip, regret bit him in the butt, because Hongjoong was falling.

And it didn't help that Seonghwa's room wasn't near the ground. Fuck. He quickly reached out, but that proved futile.

In less than a second though, Hongjoong had propelled himself forward, his face right in front of Seonghwa's before the taller could blink.

"I..." Seonghwa gulped. Hongjoong held his hand out, inching it towards him. And normally, Seonghwa would step away, because he wasn't a fan of touches especially ones that came from near strangers. But as Hongjoong's fingers splayed themselves over his shirt collar, his nails slightly digging into his skin, Seonghwa could only wait with bated breaths.

Right then, Hongjoong snatched him by the shirt and slipped him out the window.

Panic flooded Seonghwa's veins, because now he was in the air with Hongjoong.

"W-What," Seonghwa stammered, the cold nightly breeze engulfing his entire body. The troublesome winds played with his hair, sweeping it away from his face while Hongjoong remained as calm and collected as ever. "What are you doing?"

Hongjoong didn't answer, only grabbing his hands and dragging him closer and closer to the dark sky. They were so close the moon appeared as some large lightbulb shining down on them.

Queasiness took over, Seonghwa feeling mere seconds away from throwing up. He had to have been hallucinating. He just had to be. None of this was real, none of this was actually taking place --

Hongjoong dumped him on grass that felt like cotton. Ungracefully rolling on top the grass, Seonghwa inhaled and exhaled huge gulps of air, feeling like he was about to die.

Hongjoong plopped himself next to him without breaking a sweat, two cans of some kind of soda in hand.

"Take this." Hongjoong passed one of them to Seonghwa, the condensed droplets on its surface slithering over his trembling fingers. "It'll make you feel better."

Seonghwa gripped the can so tight its lid almost popped off. "Once again, you almost killed me."

"But I didn't," Hongjoong smiled while taking a sip from his own can.

Seonghwa watched his drink. "What is this?"

"Just take it, sheesh." Hongjoong had already finished his, and was now lying on the plush grass, his arm folded behind his head. His eyes were trained upwards, the sky for once matching their colour.

Bright yellows and daring oranges flickered about on the night sky, reminding Seonghwa of supernovas. Each second, they gleamed, shooting sparks and varying shades of colour everywhere. Seonghwa thought they looked like fireworks, but more spectacular.

He'd never seen this place before.

"Where are we?" He asked, finally drinking from his can. He glanced at Hongjoong who'd now had his eyes closed.

The shorter's face was pale, contrasting downright marvellously with his red lips. They formed a smile, making Seonghwa think of roses. "Stellar."

"Stellar?" Seonghwa questioned, taking more sips from his drink. It oddly tasted like cola, and the more he drank from it, the more heat swelled his insides. But it was the comfortable kind of heat.

"It's a mini dimension we're in," Hongjoong clarified, opening his eyes. He chuckled when he saw that Seonghwa was already done with his drink. "Hey, slow down. It's kinda addictive."

He didn't object when Seonghwa's hand reached out for more cans, though.

Seonghwa swallowed his second drink, before moving on to his third. "I have no idea what you're talking about. But then again, nothing you do makes sense to me."

Hongjoong barely looked perturbed by Seonghwa's statement however, just observing the taller through his glowing eyes. "Okay, you stop after the third can. Seriously."

"...You can't tell me what to do..." Seonghwa's words came out as a murmur, and then he was lying down next to Hongjoong, squinting at the sky. The swirling colours appeared more vibrant, reminiscent of stardust and all things alien.

Seonghwa choked out a disbelieving laugh. He was pretty sure he was high on something. "...Hongjoong."

Hongjoong hadn't stopped watching him all this time. "Hmm?"

"Did you really bring me out here to talk, or are you just fucking with me?"

Hongjoong laughed. "I wanted to spend time with you."

The colours in the sky grew more and more distorted, slower.

"Bullshit. I'm pretty sure you just drugged me." Despite his words though, Seonghwa was smiling. But it wasn't a pretty smile. No, it was one that was pained and angry, because he was furious at the world. At everything.

"I didn't drug you," Hongjoong answered. "It's supposed to make people like me relaxed. Not my fault you took so much so suddenly."

Seonghwa shut his eyes after several moments of silence. "...Hongjoong?"

The shorter's voice was soft. "What?"

"I fucking hate my life."

"Interesting."

Seonghwa didn't know what had gotten over him. Maybe it was the beautiful, limitless sky. Maybe it was that drink Hongjoong had handed to him. Or maybe it was nothing at all. All of a sudden, Seonghwa wanted to spew his innermost thoughts, the ones that kept him up at night.

"I," Seonghwa inhaled, "am an unlucky piece of shit that people only tolerate out of pity."

There was silence for a second, but then Hongjoong spoke up.

"I mean, you are a piece of shit. But I don't pity you."

Seonghwa opened his eyes and giggled, the sound so foreign coming from him. He blamed it on whatever concoction he'd drank. "Thanks."

"Welcome." Hongjoong smirked. His eyes at that very moment were like garnet crystals, the flecks reminding Seonghwa of the molten lava he'd been so intrigued with as a kid.

"I felt like drowning in lava as a child," Seonghwa suddenly sputtered.

"Weird change of topic."

"Why do your eyes look like that?" The drinks Seonghwa had inhaled had given him extra bravery to keep maintaining eye contact with the boy next to him. He wasn't as intimidated anymore, but there was no way he'd admit that out loud though.

"Like what?" Hongjoong played naive.

"Like the sky."

Hongjoong eyeballed him. "I'm not fully human." His teeth were whiter than ever under the catastrophic skies, his canines making him appear roguish and wild. Pretty.

Seonghwa rose a brow. "You're answering me so easily now."

"Because I know you won't remember any of it in the morning."

Seonghwa scoffed, itching to slap off the smug look on Hongjoong's face. "Like I'd ever forget this."

"Trust me. You will."

Seonghwa rolled his eyes. He then crossed his arms over his face, enjoying the cool breeze and the gentle sway of grass beneath his body. "I feel like crap."

"No, you don't. You're just tired."

Seonghwa hated that the shorter could read him so easily. "Fuck off."

Hongjoong threw his head back and laughed, loud and unapologetic. It was high-pitched and melodious, catching Seonghwa's eye almost immediately.

Seonghwa watched him like he was mad. "Are you really okay?"

Hongjoong's laughter dispersed into little giggles that shook his smaller body. "It's just -- You're so interesting, Seonghwa. You always tell me to leave you alone, yet you clearly want me around you."

Seonghwa's eyes narrowed, alarm pulsing through his insides. "You're an annoying prick that I want nothing to do with."

"At this point though, we could be considered friends," Hongjoong hypothesised.

"Suck my dick."

Hongjoong's smile widened. "You act all 'prim and proper' at school, but here you are, telling me to suck your dick."

Seonghwa sighed, screwing his eyes shut. "I don't wanna talk to you anymore."

Hongjoong didn't seem to get the memo though, because in the next nanosecond he was flinging a distressed Seonghwa over his shoulder, waltzing down the endless field of grass.

Detesting the position he was now in, Seonghwa flailed his arms all about, even proceeding to slap the shorter's back numerous times over. "Fuck. Kim Hongjoong, let me go."

But Hongjoong was like a stubborn block of ice, even when Seonghwa resorted to tickling him.

"Shh, just sleep," he whispered. He started to ascend, his grip around the taller's waist steady.

"How are you stronger than me?"

Hongjoong laughed, the sound vibrating through Seonghwa's chest. "You'll get there eventually, Seonggie."

Seonghwa didn't bother questioning what he said, embracing his defeat as he hung like a sack of potatoes over Hongjoong's shoulder.

"You were also wondering if there were other people like me, right?" Hongjoong said while they drifted inside the stars. "Well, during p.e next week, study the ones closest to you."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?"

Hongjoong grinned, eyes burning through the night. "You'll see."

⛓️

a/n: thoughts?