⛓️

When Seonghwa had agreed to tagging along to Hongjoong's and Yunho's 'Mon-hunt', he had not meant leaping over large buildings and almost falling to his death.

"Come on," Hongjoong edged Seonghwa as soon as he'd jumped off the ledge of a slanted, monumental building that was so high up the townspeople looked like little colourful dots splayed around. His and Yunho's shopping bags had disappeared into thin air once they'd commenced their jumping, and at this point Seonghwa'd learnt not to question it anymore. "You scared?"

Seonghwa looked below him, breath slightly hitching in his throat. On a physical level, the buildings lined in front of him were beautiful, sleek with (real?) gold and rubies shimmering off their exteriors. He'd always been a sucker for historical things like ancient buildings, dated museums and the like.

But he'd never envisioned ever climbing over some of them in his lifetime.

"No..." He inhaled, forcing himself to look up. "I'm not scared."

"Don't look down. It'll make you nervous," Yunho gently advised. He was still beside Seonghwa, watching the shorter with worried eyes. Seonghwa hated it, because he wasn't a kid. He knew what he was doing.

Seonghwa took a step forward over the roof of the huge stony villa he and Yunho stood on, only for his legs to suddenly wobble, his small fear of heights rearing its ugly head at the least convenient moment.

Yunho had already reached out to steady him, big hands securely holding his arms in place. Yet again, Seonghwa detested that. "Seonghwa, please be careful."

"We don't have all day," Hongjoong complained from the other building, which made Seonghwa's frown greatly deepen. When their eyes locked, the shorter raised a challenging eyebrow as if he was doubting bringing Seonghwa with them.

But Seonghwa wanted to prove Hongjoong's conniving self wrong. He didn't like others seeing him as weak or incapable, and he sure as hell didn't like Hongjoong looking at him as if he was.

"I'll help you over," Yunho was suggesting, but Seonghwa had already stepped back, prepping himself up to jump.

Luckily, he wore shoes that allowed for running. And soon enough he powered down the roof and leaped, the freezing air lapping agressively at his entire body. He'd flown even higher than he'd thought he would, adrenaline acting as the drug that made his movements more powerful.

Well, that is, until he collided straight into Hongjoong's form.

"Shit -- " Seonghwa gasped just as he and Hongjoong rolled on the narrow roof of the building, the latter enveloped under his body.

Hongjoong, despite Seonghwa nearly knocking him out, looked a lot less alarmed than the taller. Instead, he stared right at Seonghwa through slanted, sensuous eyes, his lips quirking suggestively. "My my, we always seem to end up in this position..."

Seonghwa tried not to notice how the shorter's earthy skin tone contrasted enticingly with the topaz blue choker wrapped around his neck.

He inhaled a shaky, shallow breath. "...Get off me."

Hongjoong's smirk extended. "You're the one on me, Seonggie."

"Guys, are you okay?" Yunho.

In an instant, Seonghwa hurriedly hopped off Hongjoong's impassive form, his limbs feeling like lead.

"Better than ever," Hongjoong commented rather dryly as he stood up as well. Seonghwa forced himself not to look his way any longer, especially not when all he could see anytime he blinked was Hongjoong. His eyes, his lips, his smile -- everything.

Seonghwa lingered next to Yunho as Hongjoong jumped off that same building and onto another one before anyone could say anything else.

Yunho's eyebrows furrowed, which Seonghwa soon noticed.

"What?" Seonghwa's voice was rough and barely sounded like him, so he coughed, trying to sound normal again.

"He's mad," Yunho stated. "I know that face. He tries to seem all calm and collected, but he's actually seething on the inside."

Seonghwa didn't know what to say; how to reply to that. It made things even more awkward for him because that was exactly how he acted whenever he got mad. And now, he'd managed to piss off a shadow-killing, potently strong half-human who could rip him to shreds if he just so wanted.

Great. Tonight was going just splendidly.

⛓️

The trio continued to climb over buildings with little problems, a strange type of silence stretching over them. Hongjoong was the most obvious with his due to what'd happened earlier between him and Seonghwa, but Yunho's reason for his silence was practically unknown.

But Seonghwa couldn't afford asking any questions that could cause him to lose his footing, and cost him his life (quite literally).

"Yeosang says they're sensing some strange activity next to the towers at the fringe of the city," Yunho announced, breaking the silence.

Hongjoong nodded next to them, pulling out an ebony glass case that glinted dully. He was already walking away before Seonghwa could attempt to say anything, and it greatly annoyed the taller teen. He realized he didn't like the Hongjoong ignoring him.

"Who's Yeosang?" Seonghwa asked.

Yunho, thankfully, had the patience his brother so desperately lacked. "Yeosang's our designated person who picks up on frequent Mon sightings for us."

"Oh," Seonghwa nodded, landing on yet another roof with Yunho at his side.

"They also told me to say hello to you, and that your jumping skills are excellent," Yunho added.

"Uh, thanks, I guess." Seonghwa noted the taller's frequent use of 'they' for Yeosang instead of any other pronoun, and as always, his curiosity got the best of him. "...Is Yeosang..."

"Non-binary?" Yunho pitched in, swinging over a ledge with more grace than someone his height could ever muster. "Yes."

Seonghwa didn't say anything else after that, dedicatedly trailing after Yunho while wondering if Hongjoong was already at their destination, waiting for them.

You mean Yunho. There's no way he's waiting for you, Seonghwa's mind spat.

But that didn't mean his stupid heart didn't stutter in his chest once he caught sight of Hongjoong's chestnut hair inside a lengthy tower; one situated closely to a wide expanse of trees leading to the unknown.

Wind played frivolously with Seonghwa's hair, his breath leaving in abrupt pants once he realized the height he and Yunho had to jump from in order to get to Hongjoong.

It didn't help that the building he and Yunho stood on was uncompleted with cement cracks everywhere he looked.

"Hongjoong's already at the Tour de L'amour," Yunho stated in a near perfect french accent, looking as unfazed as ever by the distance. "Means 'Tower of Love', by the way, because in that tower was where two young lovers from before used to secretly meet due to the negative discourse between their two families."

"Like... Romeo and Juliet?" Seonghwa hypothesised.

Yunho laughed, looking at him with bright eyes. "Yeah. Something like that." He gestured at the tower. "Now we just need to jump as high as we can to get to my brother. I'll help if you're anxious about it."

Seonghwa quickly shook his head and squeezed his fists. Hongjoong was right there. If he indeed managed to land safely next to him, then maybe Hongjoong wouldn't look down on him anymore.

Why does it matter? The voice in his head questioned. Seonghwa didn't know the answer.

Either way, he raced and leapt as high as he possibly could, fatigue still far from attacking him. Falling down that building gave him a feeling Seonghwa could only describe as plain euphoria. It engulfed him whole and gave him new life.

Descending through the tranquil atmosphere, he felt like he was being created all over again. He felt nothing less than brand new at that moment.

Seonghwa landed on the tower before he could even count to five, swaying a little to steady himself. The love tower was so high up he could see the shining stars much more clearly, especially the ones sprinkled over Hongjoong's seated body, adorning his head like miniature crowns.

Hongjoong turned around then, his eyes alone rendering Seonghwa unable to speak. He got up to his feet, breaking apart that opaque case in his hand to reveal a whip.

"They're here," Hongjoong said, and it took Seonghwa a whole second to realize what he was talking about.

"There's nothing to worry about though," Yunho assured Seonghwa. "You just stay here and we'll go deal with those shadows."

The dark haired male nodded, inhaling a huge breath. This was truly happening.

To his utmost surprise, Hongjoong stepped up to him and placed the whip inside his palm, his cold touch sending tremors down Seonghwa's back.

"What?" He asked in confusion, peering at the black whip in his hands. The weapon buzzed and trembled like it was alive; breathing. "W-Why -- "

"Use it in case you see one coming for you." Hongjoong cocked his head to the side, tongue running over his upper lip. "Unless you can't handle it."

"I can," Seonghwa spat, but he couldn't deny it. He was nervous.

Yunho, like always, tried to be as positive as possible. "You most likely won't need it since we can get rid of them all. But just in case."

"Alright." Seonghwa breathed in and out. He could feel Hongjoong's eyes on him, but pretended like he didn't. Stop watching me, he thought. Stop looking at me like you care when you're just going to ignore me later! Stop confusing me, Kim Hongjoong.

"Stay here on the roof with the whip and don't move until we show up," Hongjoong commanded, but his voice was tender as he regarded Seonghwa. "Don't fall or injure yourself."

Make sure to stay safe! Eat well at school and take care of yourself...

Seonghwa blinked at the sound of his mother's voice, his grip on the whip tightening. Before he could even ponder over it, he hurriedly erased his mother's voice from his head and focused back on the present. "I'm not a clumsy child. I'm pretty sure I can handle myself, thanks."

His voice came out sharper than intended, which was often the case when something bothered him. Luckily Yunho and Hongjoong didn't look too affected by it.

In less than a minute, Seonghwa was left alone on the roof, alert and observant of everything around him. Swallowing down his anxiety, he peered out of the ledge, he spotted Hongjoong's and Yunho's bodies far, far below, racing into the thick forest with a strength and speed so inhuman.

A sort of disappointment nibbled its way into Seonghwa's chest; a part of him had wanted to see them fight, to see how they usually went about killing those Mons.

The whip in his hand vibrated, its tip electrified with copper red sparks. Seonghwa didn't feel like holding it anymore, but he remembered Hongjoong's words. He needed to keep the weapon close by in case something happened -- which Seonghwa really hoped didn't.

That was when he saw it.

Like an oil spill in the distance, dark liquid seeped out of the forest grounds and floated over the soil in rapid waves before disappearing into thin air. At first, Seonghwa thought it was blood, but the substance looked too dark and watery.

Seonghwa could only imagine what was going on in that forest. He wondered if he'd actually made the right decision by choosing to come here; wondered if Hongjoong and Yunho were safe; wondered what time it was back at home. He wondered and wondered, feeling more and more apprehensive of this situation with every minute that passed.

Something bright exploded next to him, startling Seonghwa greatly.

Next to him was a flaming whip, held by something dark that wasn't him.

Seonghwa almost fell over, terror seizing his heart. The shadow in front of him inched closer, all insanely wide smiles with that whip in its hands burning brighter than ever.

Drops of unsettling orange fire scorched the roof of the tower, setting parts of it ablaze.

The unknown figure walked even closer, holding the crackling whip menacingly like some demon from hell.

"S-Stay back!" Seonghwa yelled, but his voice was barely heard over all the burning and the noise. Smoke attacked his lungs, rendering him breathless within seconds. What the fuck was happening?!

The shadow held the whip above its head, the weapon scattering gigantic traces of fire everywhere. Seonghwa couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Don't fucking come near me!" Seonghwa threatened, but that thing wasn't listening to him. Fuck, where were Hongjoong and Yunho? What the hell was going on? Why was this happening to him?

The silhouette swung the whip.

"Seonghwa!" Someone rushed to him, holding him in their arms. Hongjoong.

Seonghwa shut his eyes. He was shivering, freezing. His head hurt, but with Hongjoong's body pressed against him, his pleasant smell invading his senses, the headache pounding away at his skull eased a little.

Several words entered his ears and out, but he wasn't listening. He couldn't listen when all he could see in his mind was that shadow holding that blazing whip.

Two sentences managed to stick with him out of all the numerous others, however.

"I shouldn't have brought you here, Seonghwa. I'm so sorry."

⛓️

a/n: thoughts?