⛓️

"So..."

Seonghwa looked up from his Chemistry notes which he'd been cramming since he had a test after lunch, his heart stuttering a little when he saw the familiar person standing in front of the oak tree he sat on.

It was hard to tell how San felt then; he didn't look too happy, but he wasn't ashamed either.

Seonghwa wondered if Hongjoong really did tell San he now knew about him, but judging by San's body language, he probably did. "...Yeah? You wanna tell me anything?"

San still stood there, looking at Seonghwa like he was going to do something bad if he stepped closer. Seonghwa didn't like it, so he decided to speak up.

"Hongjoong was the one who let me know what you are."

At this, San flinched as if the taller's words hurt him. He quickly sat down on another root, keeping some distance. "I know. But you didn't have to say it like that."

Seonghwa shut his book with a frown, momentarily forgetting about his test. "Say it like what?"

San exhaled, raking his fingers through his dark locks. "Look, I may not be a 'total human', but I really don't like being referred to as a 'what'. Kinda makes me annoyed even though we're friends."

Seonghwa's frown eased, replaced by a twinge of guilt. He recollected the several times he'd called Hongjoong a 'what' instead of a 'who', and even if the shorter hadn't commented on it, it'd probably made him as mad as San felt right now. "Oh, I'm sorry."

San shrugged. "It's fine. Just -- you don't feel a type of way, right?"

"What do you mean?"

San glanced at him, his eyes an average brown that was reminiscent of the majority of students in this school. But now, Seonghwa wondered if they'd been contacts all along. "You don't feel weird around me, right? I mean, Hongjoong told me you reacted a kind of way towards him once you found out about his capabilities."

Seonghwa shook his head. Yes, he'd been shocked once he saw how San's legs had elongated during the race he had. Shock was even an understatement as to what he'd felt at that point in time, but that didn't mean he'd want to stop being friends with him. Although he'd only befriended San at the start of his sophomore year, the shorter treated him well and didn't try to infiltrate his life with his beliefs like the others had tried to do. He was funny, sweet and thoughtful, and Seonghwa's opinion of him wasn't going to change anytime soon, despite what -- or who he was.

"You're still my friend," Seonghwa confessed. "That isn't gonna change. Hongjoong's just annoying."

Hongjoong being irritating wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie either. He had his considerate moments, like when he'd bought a new hoodie for Seonghwa and gave him those cookies that prevented him from going hungry last night.

The image of Hongjoong excitedly talking about his favourite star entered his head. Seonghwa remembered that moment where they'd gotten so close he was able to identify his intriguing scent; when the low breeze danced through his hair, the moonlight highlighting his delicately sculpted features.

He was like an oxymoron in every sense of the word; soft but daunting, nice but definitely not a pushover. He was graceful and often soft-spoken, but he was also frighteningly powerful that it scared Seonghwa shitless at times.

"...ngi, though."

Seonghwa blinked, reality slapping him in the face. "Uhm, what?"

San fortunately did not look annoyed that he hadn't been paying attention at first. He adjusted his jean jacket, his fingers nervous. "Don't tell Mingi."

Seonghwa bit his lip, slowly nodding. He kinda felt bad, but he already knew if he hadn't stumbled in front of Hongjoong that raining night, then he would've still continued to remain oblivious to whatever was going on. "Right. I won't."

San ruffled his hair, his lips jutting into a slight pout. "We kinda have to keep our identities secret. You already shouldn't have known in the first place -- no offense."

Seonghwa opened his chemistry notebook. "None taken. But..."

San's legs were crossed where he sat, his palms framing his head. He looked a bit more relieved now. "What, Hwa?"

Seonghwa's eyes met his. "What do you do? I mean -- what can you do? When you were running during p.e, I saw your legs stretch. Is that one of your powers, that is, apart from cheating?"

His joke didn't go ignored as San laughed, eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Dude, I didn't cheat," San denied. "Okay, maybe a little. But I needed to get a good grade!"

Seonghwa smiled, happy his friend was back to normal. "But you always crush it at running, though."

"Wanted to beat everyone else," San replied while playing with his fingers. "...Also, as you can probably already tell, I have elasticity which means I can stretch any part of my body at will. Gosh, this sounds so weird, but yeah."

Seonghwa nodded, trying his best to ingest that type of information without his skepticism getting in the way. He'd been so used to normalcy and ordinariness in his life that everything that'd taken place thus far didn't seem plausible in the slightest; yet they were.

San silently observed his face, his smile slowly dimming. "You don't believe me."

"I -- I do," Seonghwa pressed. "It's just... I don't know. I'm not used to all this, I guess."

"It's okay," the shorter of the two shrugged. "At least you aren't being weird about it."

"You deal with..." Seonghwa raked his mind for the most appropriate word, "with Mons...right?"

"Damn, Hongjoong even told you about those huh." San chuckled lowly, tapping his freckled neck. "But yes, I kinda fight with them. Sometimes it's even fun to do; can't fully describe why though."

Seonghwa couldn't imagine fighting with those large shadow beings and calling it fun, but at the same time, he was still a little interested.

He opened his mouth to say something else when he spotted Mingi heading their way with his black bag slung over his shoulder, the taller's smile growing once he spotted them.

"Hey Mingi," San greeted with a grin, his attitude betraying nothing about what he and Seonghwa just talked about.

Mingi sank himself next to Seonghwa, zipping open his bag and passing the first snack over to him. Lunch today wasn't appetizing (but when was it, to be honest), so Mingi'd gone out of the school to buy some things for them.

"Choco-pies; great for studying," Mingi joked.

Seonghwa offered him a closed-mouthed smile, before tearing open the wrapper. "Thanks, Mingi."

San scoffed. "Bitch, where's mine?"

"Are you studying?" Mingi teased.

"Yes I am. I'm studying every damn thing with my eyes right now."

Seonghwa almost choked on a choco-pie. "You can have mine."

"Nah," Mingi shook his head, before throwing San his own pack. "This one's for you alone."

San acted like he was barfing his guts out. "Please, not this romance shit in front of my choco-pie."

"Yah!" Mingi exclaimed with panicked eyes, reaching over to hit San with his water bottle. "Shut. The fuck. Up."

Seonghwa could only roll his eyes at his friends' antics, taking a bite out of his snack. He thought over San's earlier words about not telling Mingi anything, which didn't fully sit right with him. But then again, he doubted Mingi would believe anything as he was as much of a sceptic as Seonghwa was.

He decided it'd ultimately be the right thing to not tell Mingi what was going on.

⛓️

Seonghwa's eyes were closed as he laid on his bed when he suddenly felt that something was there. Dread creeped up his skin in the form of goosebumps, but he stubbornly kept his eyes shut, pretending he was fast asleep.

"I know you're awake."

Seonghwa stayed still, but he soon regretted doing that when he felt fingers shifting through his dark hair.

He immediately opened his eyes and grabbed Hongjoong's wrist, glaring when the shorter boy just laughed.

"Why are you in my room?" Seonghwa questioned, his voice stiffer than he'd intended. It was hard not to speak properly when only a couple inches away was a grinning boy floating above him like some horrid ghost in a horror movie.

Hongjoong yanked his wrist off, but still stayed where he was. "I'm gonna answer another one of your questions."

Seonghwa couldn't stop himself; his eyes took in Hongjoong's cardigan and shorts, along with the small hoop earrings that decorated his ears and his glossy nude lips, and his eyelids were coloured with faint eyeshadow and glitter. He looked like he was heading somewhere.

"Admiring me?" Hongjoong's voice had a teasing lilt to it.

Seonghwa scoffed and looked away, turning another side. "Get out."

Hongjoong lowered himself until he landed on Seonghwa's bed, and now they were facing eachother.

Seonghwa's breath hitched at Hongjoong's close proximity. The shorter looked like some doll lying there, his small body appearing even smaller and his smile minimal but content. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" Hongjoong shifted even closer. So close, in fact, that Seonghwa ended up falling off his bed.

He groaned in agony just as the back of his head hit the floor, his anger rising like a huge tidal wave. "Kim fucking Hongjoong -- "

Said male was busy guffawing his ass off, cross-legged on the taller's bed like he owned it. "Goddammit, Seonggie. Guess you really fell for me, huh?"

"You piece of shit!" Seonghwa hissed, climbing up his bed to tackle the shorter on it. Hongjoong gasped as soon as their bodies splayed over the bed, but his surprise was soon replaced with aggravating smugness.

"Is this fucking fun to you?" Seonghwa demanded, glaring daggers at the shorter boy. His breath came out in short, adrenaline-fuelled pants, his limbs still holding Hongjoong's petite body in place.

The chestnut-haired boy giggled, the airy sound squeezing Seonghwa's heart. "Well...yeah."

It was then Seonghwa became aware of their position on his bed.

His hands were still fisting Hongjoong's cardigan, able to feel the shorter's pounding heartbeat under his fingertips. And Hongjoong was right below him, all pixie-like and smirking at him like he just knew something he didn't.

Seonghwa quickly got off, his heartbeat still racing off the tracks.

Hongjoong promptly sat up, observing the taller through entertained eyes. "So...you ready to hear what I have to say, or are you still hot and bothered over me?"

Seonghwa ignored his last comment for the sake of his sanity. "Where are you going?"

Hongjoong grinned, adjusting the one ring on his finger. "Mon-hunting, Seonghwa. And you're coming with me."

"No I'm not."

"You are if you really wanna know more about me," Hongjoong answered. "So, what's your choice?"

Seonghwa felt himself sigh.

⛓️

a/n: thoughts?