⛓️

Hongjoong made sure his and Seonghwa's paths didn't cross at all the next day. And yes, it was intentional, and yes, he wasn't in the exact mood to see him or anyone at school for that matter.

Fortunately, they had few classes together every Tuesday, and Hongjoong spent the entirety of Chemistry not talking to Seonghwa and avoiding his continuous stares. For a while his actions amused the shorter boy, because Seonghwa often liked making it known that he 'wasn't into guys', yet Hongjoong couldn't even count the amount of times he'd caught him staring.

Hongjoong's nightmare the other night had left him in a much too sour mood to interact with other students today, and no matter how much a huge part of him itched to spend time with Seonghwa (aka annoy him), he knew deep down that the taller would rather Mingi over him. After all, the guy was his best friend, and Seonghwa had only gotten to know Hongjoong for a short period of time. Nothing could beat that.

So for the remainder of his classes, Hongjoong impatiently sat through them and waited for the day to be over already so he could go home and hide away from the world until whenever he wanted.

⛓️

Seonghwa was starting to get really bothered by Hongjoong's actions towards him again. The shorter made a beeline out the door as soon as any class they'd shared ended, and whenever their eyes met Hongjoong would quickly head in the opposite direction as if he just couldn't stand the sight of him for more than one second.

It gave him a horrible sense of deja vu, and it never failed to distract him which occasionally landed him in hot water with his teachers, as well as gain him numerous worried glances from Mingi since he wasn't acting like himself.

Of course, whenever Mingi asked him what was wrong Seonghwa would only reply that he was okay, appreciating the fact that his friend wouldn't question him further even when it was clear he still had his doubts. The last thing Seonghwa wanted was to cause any kind of rift between them when they'd just gotten everything back to normal.

To make matters worse, he couldn't stop thinking about that dream he had last night about Hongjoong and what he'd done to that building called Sunrise Orphanage. Why did that place appear in Seonghwa's dream when he'd never seen it before in his life? And why did Hongjoong destroy it so mercilessly?

Seonghwa tried to convince himself that nothing was going on. He'd just had a weird dream that made no sense, and all he should be focusing on right now was maintaining his grades so he could get into a good college after graduating highschool. He shouldn't allow anyone to get in the way of that, even when they happened to be a certain half-human boy with spellbinding laughter and eyes that were so uncommon yet held so much warmth in the moments Seonghwa had least expected them.

But, no matter how many times Seonghwa repeated this to himself, he still couldn't stop thinking about Hongjoong, and it drove him nuts. No matter the many, many times the shorter teen teased him or made him mad, Seonghwa still missed his company even when he didn't want to admit it to himself.

He missed Hongjoong, and just like the last time when Hongjoong pulled this dumb disappearing stunt on him, it affected him greatly. Seonghwa didn't like it at all.

"Listen to this mashup I made. Promise it's mixed better than the last one," Mingi was excitedly saying to both him and San the next day during lunch. The tallest of the trio had brought his bag along and had already pulled out his laptop, ecstatic to show San and Seonghwa the latest song mashup he'd created.

San was the first to react, the computer and bluetooth headphones on his lap and his gaze trained on the screen. "I hope you made another one with that group again. ATEEZ, was it? They fucking rock."

"Yeah, I did," Mingi grinned, chuckling when San gave him a hasty high-five.

Seonghwa wasn't one to care much about music and stuff pertaining to it, but he was naturally interested in whatever his best friend made because he could tell Mingi'd found his passion and loved what he was doing -- something Seonghwa had always struggled with. So he peered over San's shoulder, ready to listen to the mashup when his eyes spotted Hongjoong further ahead rushing into the school premises. His heartbeat instantly sped up for reasons unknown, and before he knew it every part of him ached to talk to the younger for once and let him know how everything had went down with him and Mingi.

Seonghwa had a guess Hongjoong'd probably gone to the library, and although it made him sound like a complete jerk, he found himself restlessly counting down the seconds until he could go meet up with the shorter.

"How was it?" Mingi asked, watching Seonghwa the most. "Wait -- don't tell me. I already know you both thought it was the coolest fucking thing ever."

"Don't get all cocky, dude," San commented. "But it was nice."

Seonghwa braved another glance where Hongjoong had entered into. "I really like it." Yes, he truly did. He liked whatever Mingi produced because they always sounded amazing, but all he could think about at that moment was finally confronting Hongjoong about why he was suddenly so adamant on ignoring him for the second time in a row.

Mingi playfully nudged him with his elbow, his smile soft. "You always say that."

"That's because it's true," Seonghwa replied as genuinely as he could. Then, he got up to his feet, earning both Mingi's and San's attention.

"Bathroom again?" That was San, and Seonghwa didn't even have to look at him to know that he knew exactly what was going on.

Seonghwa cleared his throat, rubbing his neck. "Yup. But don't wait up for me, guys."

"Is everything okay?" Mingi asked.

"Yeah," Seonghwa shrugged, trying his hardest to appear super casual. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Mingi was looking at him like that again. Like he didn't quite believe his words, but wouldn't risk prying and asking anymore questions. At that point in time, Seonghwa didn't know whether he actually liked it or not. "...Alright. Later."

Soon after, Seonghwa hurried off in search of Hongjoong, steps hurried and his pulse racing. He ran up a bunch of stairs, double-checking the time on his phone to make sure the bell wasn't gonna ring anytime soon.

In less than a minute he came across the school library, entering the place without giving it much of a thought.

Hongjoong was there.

Seated at the back, like always, with a pair of glasses on this time, and instead of his phone he had an open book perched between his painted pink nails, a look of extreme disinterest plastered all over his face.

Seonghwa suddenly didn't know what to do next. It was like his legs were now stuck to the floors, and all he could do was keep staring.

Hongjoong saw him, and for a second Seonghwa wondered if he'd grab his things and try to leave the library as quick as he could, or even more likely, just vanish into thin air like Seonghwa had seen him do multiple times.

Hongjoong didn't do any of that, though. He just sat and continued watching Seonghwa with those glowering eyes of his, his facial expression betraying nothing. He wore a large fuschia pink sweater with sleeves extending all the way to his palms, and his cheeks had sort of this faint blush on them that... shouldn't have looked this pretty.

Seonghwa cleared his mind of that thought and promptly shortened the space between them, pulling out a free chair to sit on. Hongjoong continued to look at him, and he'd be lying out of his ass if he said it didn't make him a little intimidated. "...So..."

"Why are you here?" Hongjoong asked without any hesitation on his part. The book he'd been reading -- some fantasy type story with a title Seonghwa didn't even bother trying to make sense of -- was still open in his hands, almost like he wasn't planning on giving Seonghwa his full attention this time around.

It gave the taller this annoying, constricted feeling in his chest that felt quite similar to being sucker-punched in the gut, but it wasn't like Seonghwa could admit that out loud.

He also couldn't the conversation with: Hey, so I somehow saw you in my dreams destroying this orphanage or whatever -- promise I'm not a creep or anything!

Because of this, Seonghwa opted to clear his throat and bring up the actual elephant in the room. "Stop ignoring me."

Hongjoong scoffed. He actually scoffed. "Ignore you? Why would you think that?"

"Because you did the same thing last week!" Seonghwa nearly yelled, before remembering he was in the library, and he and Hongjoong weren't the only ones around either. He inhaled a deep breath. "Whenever you see me, you turn the other way. Whenever I just want to fucking talk to you, you find a way to make yourself a million times harder to find. Are you pissed at me?"

Hongjoong shook his head. "...No."

"Then why are you treating me like this? Do you hate me? Is that it?" Seonghwa questioned, his tone revealing just how perturbed and troubled he actually felt regarding this whole issue. And he despised it. Despised Hongjoong for making him feel like this.

Hongjoong snapped his book shut, the intensity of his yellowish eyes setting fire to the warmth that suddenly buzzed underneath Seonghwa's skin.

"I don't hate you," he lowly admitted, bringing calm to the flurry of thoughts storming Seonghwa's mind. "I don't hate people that easily."

"Then why..." Seonghwa trailed off when Hongjoong slid something over the table they shared, his eyes widening with recognition. It was the paper containing the questions he'd wanted Hongjoong to answer. That time honestly felt like forever ago.

"I've answered every question on here," Hongjoong stated. "There's no need to talk to me anymore."

Seonghwa shook his head, feeling nothing but disbelief and fear at the shorter's words. "No. You...you haven't answered everything yet."

"I can fly because I can teleport. That it?" Hongjoong answered, picking up his book again.

Seonghwa didn't know how to respond. But he knew he definitely didn't like the thought of him not talking to Hongjoong anymore, despite how stupid it sounded. "No."

"We've hung out enough. You only wanted to satisfy your curiosity, and you finally did," Hongjoong told him. "You have your life, and I have mine. There's nothing else we share in common."

Seonghwa's jaw clenched, heart squeezing uncomfortably. "...You said you wanted to be friends."

Hongjoong didn't miss a beat. "And we were. We spent time together, and we talked. But that's all it's ever going to be. Besides, I'd been tasked to find out stuff about you, and now that I have, we should just stop this."

Every word Hongjoong uttered tattooed itself into Seonghwa's brain, repeating over and over and over again until he could no longer think of anything else. The shorter just revealed his reasons for befriending him weren't exactly innocent either, and Seonghwa could say nothing about it since they'd had similarly selfish goals in the beginning.

But now...

Seonghwa searched his jeans pocket and pulled out a pair of earrings. One of the two pairs Hongjoong had gotten for him at the last dimension they'd been to.

"I... I still haven't gotten my ears pierced yet," he muttered, glancing Hongjoong's way. The smaller boy was still staring, which Seonghwa considered as a good sign. "And...I still haven't taken up on your offer to get my nails painted with you."

Hongjoong scoffed again, but this time, there was a certain pleasant ring to it. "...I know you don't want that. You're just trying to soften me up, but it's not gonna work."

Seonghwa slapped his chest to try and display his sincerity a bit more. "No. Seriously. I want this. I'd like to get my ears pierced and my nails painted by you and you alone."

"Stop being fucking weird, weirdo," Hongjoong said. "And don't force yourself to do anything you don't want to in life, it isn't worth it."

"I mean it, Hongjoong. I really do. I'm being serious."

"I don't believe you."

"Then what should I do to make you believe me?" Seonghwa asked, praying with his whole being that Hongjoong wouldn't get any outrageous ideas.

Hongjoong patted his chin, his curved lips forming a little pout. "Oh -- I know. Stop being friends with me."

Seonghwa's hand glided over the table and held Hongjoong's wrist, effectively catching the shorter male off-guard. Just like Seonghwa had expected, Hongjoong's skin felt cold to the touch, his fingers almost hidden by those long sweater sleeves of his.

"I don't want to stop being friends with you," Seonghwa said.

"We don't share anything in common."

Seonghwa strove to maintain uninterrupted eye contact with Hongjoong, and to his surprise, the shorter was the one to break it first. "Then let me be the judge of that."

"The hell do you mean?"

"We hang out some more. I see more of what you do, and if I complain or show the slightest bit of discomfort, you're free to -- " Seonghwa formed an 'X' sign with his arms, "cancel our relationship."

Hongjoong smiled like he still couldn't figure out if Seonghwa was kidding or not. "You're such a dork."

Seonghwa returned the smile, flashing his teeth in the process. He made another 'X' sign. "Wrong answer."

"Fine. Whatever."

"Wrong an -- "

Hongjoong jabbed him in the rib with his finger. "Shut the fuck up."

Seonghwa chuckled, about to add something else when someone new entered the library; someone he knew very, very well.

His smile fell once he saw Mingi there, and what followed had to be the most awkward sequence of events Seonghwa had ever experienced in his entire life.

Mingi came up to them, expression calm which oddly made Seonghwa all the more anxious.

"Hongjoong, hi," Mingi said, ushering a stiff wave.

"Hey Mingi." Hongjoong coolly sank against his chair, this subtle but real tension electrifying the air.

"Honestly, I had a feeling you'd be in the library," Mingi told Seonghwa while placing a hand on his back. This was usual. Seonghwa knew all about how his friend loved physical affection and gave it out to anyone he felt comfortable enough with, but at that moment Seonghwa wanted nothing more than for him to not do that, especially not with Hongjoong's eyes on them like that.

Seonghwa nervously laughed, hoping his discomfort wasn't as obvious. "Uhm, yeah."

"We were just talking," Hongjoong added with a grin. "Is that okay?"

Mingi slightly cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowing a little. "What do you mean by that?"

Alarmed, Seonghwa opened his mouth to say something, only for Hongjoong to cut him off.

"You guys are best friends. Are you okay with him hanging out with another guy?"

Seonghwa couldn't freaking believe what he was hearing. "Hongjoong -- "

"Of course I am," Mingi frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

"We should really leave now," Seonghwa told Mingi, gaining the taller's attention. "The bell rings in five minutes."

The tension in the atmosphere eased up a little, but Mingi still looked highly bothered by Hongjoong's question.

Seonghwa stood up to his feet. 'Not. Cool', he mouthed once Hongjoong watched him. The shorter boy just rolled his eyes, which frustrated him more.

"Mingi," Seonghwa tried again, tugging on his friend's arm to get him to move. He succeeded, but as soon as they left the library and descended down the stairs, Mingi stepped away. His heart dropped.

"Why didn't you tell me you were meeting with Hongjoong instead of lying to me?" Mingi asked, dropping all forms of cordiality. "Did you think I'd get mad at you or something?"

Seonghwa's hands curled into tight fists. "I'm sorry. I should've told you everything. Please don't get angry at me."

Mingi's lips formed a line, his eyes softening. "I'm not angry at you, Hwa. I could never get angry at you, I promise. I just want you to be more honest with me, is that alright?"

Mingi stared expectantly at him, which shoved Seonghwa further into the quicksand of guilt he'd naively built for himself.

I don't want to lose you. Ever. Mingi's tearful words of the past resurfaced in Seonghwa's mind, and he inhaled a shaky breath.

"...Hongjoong and I have been hanging out. A lot, actually," he confessed. "He's a nice guy and I really enjoy his company. He's the one who I left that party on Saturday for, and he's also the one who made that lunchbox we'd eaten at work."

"Oh." Mingi gulped. "Okay."

"We argue and squabble around a lot, but I'm convinced we're friends now. He can be weird at times, and oftentimes dresses like it's his last day on Earth, but he can be...funny? Yeah, he makes me laugh," Seonghwa continued, smiling a bit to himself. "He's interesting and I think he has a liking for music as well, which is something you both have in common -- "

"Okay, okay. You guys are good buds now," Mingi said, his laugh coming out so forced it was painful to hear.

"Jealous?" Seonghwa joked, only for his next words to die in his throat when he saw the brooding, wistful look in his friend's eyes. "...Is everything okay?"

Mingi smiled. "Duh. Why wouldn't it be?"

His answer was the same as Seonghwa's had been below that oak tree, which evoked this sense of unhappiness within him. He suddenly couldn't shake the feeling that Mingi was lying to him. "Mingi..."

The bell rang, and the taller of the two adjusted his yellow hoodie. The colour reminded Seonghwa of Hongjoong's eyes.

"We should go get ready for p.e, hm?" Mingi told him. "Coach Kim already hates latecomers."

Mingi acted okay enough, so there was no point in worrying, right?

⛓️

a/n: thoughts?