⛓️

Calm was all Seonghwa could feel at that very moment. As he rested against the gleaming red platform shaped like a giant crescent moon that overlooked the buzzing city below, he slowly shut his eyes, wondering how easy it'd be to just fall asleep right now.

Only, something stopped him from doing so. And it was in the form of the boy currently seated beside him, his body so close as he nestled his head on Seonghwa's chest.

Hongjoong's arms were snug around Seonghwa, secure and far from unwanted. The taller had never thought he'd love how physically affectionate Hongjoong could be at times, but then again he'd never known he'd love certain things until the smaller boy did them himself.

"I can't believe we're literally sitting on the sign board of the biggest hotels around here," Seonghwa muttered, staring down at Hongjoong's form. Half of him itched to, maybe, run his fingers through the shorter's silky chestnut hair, and he may or may not have been about to do it when Hongjoong suddenly jerked his head upwards, his golden eyes focused on him.

"I brought us here 'cause this place reminds me of one of the Kdramas I'd watched with Yunho some time before, since he just loves that kinda stuff," the shorter answered, chuckling a little bit. "Crap. What's the name again?"

Seonghwa's hand rested on Hongjoong's back, his chest incredibly warm. It was a feeling he knew he could get used to. "Hotel Del Luna?"

Hongjoong's face lit up with a big smile as he snapped his fingers. "Yes. That one. How'd you know?"

"Mingi likes watching dramas, so during summer I watched it with him." Seonghwa smiled a bit at the memory. He could remember Mingi excitedly pulling his bed covers over them every night, eager to watch the next episode of that particular kdrama. Mingi, despite not big on believing in supernatural stuff in real life, would never shy away from a movie or book series that included fantastical elements in it. They were even his favourite.

"You guys must be really close," Hongjoong spoke then, causing Seonghwa to look at him. "I can tell."

"We've known each other since kindergarten," Seonghwa replied, before biting his lip in thought. He and Mingi were alright, and Mingi was acting like himself again, but lately, Seonghwa didn't think that things were completely back to normal. It was something he couldn't shake off no matter how much he tried.

Seonghwa's mood began to dampen, but before he could let himself be pulled into that downward spiral of overthinking again, Hongjoong was pulling away, bringing himself up to his feet.

"Alright," the shorter extended his hand towards him. "You're not gonna do this again."

Seonghwa raised his eyebrows, confused as to what he was referring to. "Do what?"

"Think." Hongjoong crouched to stare directly into his eyes, their faces just a couple centimeters from touching. "Contemplate, mull over, hypothesize -- "

"Alright, alright." Seonghwa swallowed, trying his best not to let his gaze stray to Hongjoong's lips. "How far were you planning to go with the definitions anyway?"

"Only up until that point." Hongjoong smirked, softly patting the taller's cheek. "But, I mean it. We're gonna do something else tonight."

"What?" Seonghwa allowed Hongjoong to pull him to his feet, only for the shorter to swiftly turn him around then. Seonghwa's back suddenly collided against Hongjoong's chest, the latter's arms teasingly hiking around his waist.

Seonghwa's chest tightened at the contact, his heart palpitating rapidly. He really did not expect that. Something quite similar to butterflies scattered inside his stomach right then as Hongjoong's swayed them side to side, his movements achingly gentle.

"...What are we doing?" Seonghwa whispered. He'd never admit out loud that his heart skipped a beat as soon as Hongjoong laid his head on his shoulder.

The shorter male intertwined their fingers, humming a tune Seonghwa wasn't familiar with. "...Slow dancing."

"Slow dancing," Seonghwa repeated, not believing his ears.

"Yeah." Hongjoong kissed the taller's neck, that area immediately heating up. "I'll dance with you so you won't have anything to think about."

"There's no music."

Hongjoong grinned, their eyes locking. "I'm humming."

"We can't dance here since the roof's slanted. It's dangerous." Seonghwa continued listing the ways which this plan of Hongjoong's could go wrong, but the shorter just kept staring at him, mindlessly nodding along at certain parts. "...Aaand you aren't listening to one word I'm saying."

"You bet." Hongjoong twirled a grumbling Seonghwa around, before leaning in to kiss his knuckles like the princes did in those old Disney movies. "But it's not my fault. You're too beautiful."

Seonghwa's skin grew flushed from that kiss, which he didn't like. He didn't like what Hongjoong was doing to him, what he was making him feel. It was new, and it wasn't anything he'd experienced before. It scared him because he was quickly getting addicted to the hold Hongjoong had over him -- to Hongjoong in particular.

So, he pulled his hand away, pretending that he didn't like it. "We're not slow dancing on the roof of a hotel."

"Oh, so we are dancing." Hongjoong stepped closer, settling his arms around Seonghwa's hips. "Just not slow dancing."

"No we're not." Seonghwa made no move to stop Hongjoong though when the shorter tugged him in so close their noses grazed.

"I got a little twist," the shorter said. "We do whatever 'dance' we can, and the person who gets the most upfront and intimate each time is allowed to get any of their questions answered."

"That sounds absolutely ridiculous," Seonghwa replied, but his heart began to race with anticipation.

Hongjoong shrugged, before rushing forwards and quickly tackling Seonghwa to the ground in the least forceful way he could manage.

Seonghwa's eyes were wide, mouth searching for the words that just wouldn't come to him. His breathing hitched as soon as Hongjoong climbed over him and straddled his lap.

"That is not a dance," Seonghwa gaped. This entire sequence of events reminded him far too much of their first kiss, and just like before, he found Hongjoong dangerously attractive.

"It is in my world," the shorter answered, mischief glinting in his catlike eyes. His hands languidly played with the drawstrings of Seonghwa's hoodie, his touch casting waves of heat down the taller's chest. "I guess it's time to answer my question."

Seonghwa, at that very moment, didn't want to lose this game. Whatever 'this' game was. Yes, he seriously didn't mind the smaller boy on top of him like that, but the competitive side of him was winning over.

Maybe it was because he'd caught Hongjoong off-guard, or maybe because he'd suddenly unleashed the strength he never knew he had, because in a second he'd flipped them over, Hongjoong promptly taking his place on the roof instead.

"I win," Seonghwa widely smiled. A nervous type of adrenaline swirled inside him as he held Hongjoong's arms and pinned them over his head, the shorter looking at him the whole time.

"This dance is weird," was all Hongjoong could mutter, this palpable tension now simmering between them.

"Shut up." Seonghwa's eyes met Hongjoong's, electricity sparking underneath his skin at how heavy and unrestrained the latter's stare was. It was flirty, fond, and sensual all in one.

Seonghwa's ears felt so hot right then he was sure they resembled flaming red stop sign.

"You win." Hongjoong didn't move from his position. "What're you gonna do to me now?"

"You're making it sound so -- " Seonghwa inhaled, letting the shorter go.

"So what?" Hongjoong sat up, tilting his head innocently to the side with a smirk.

Seonghwa gulped, knowing Hongjoong knew fully well what he meant. "I'm gonna ask my question now."

Hongjoong crossed his legs, but his smirk was still there. "Shoot."

"How did I enter your dream?"

Hongjoong fiddled with the springy bracelet around his wrist, and it made Seonghwa remember Saturday night when he'd seen San and Wooyoung with their own type of bracelet, one that belonged to them. "No idea. Why are you asking me this?"

"You're the one with the superpowers here," Seonghwa deadpanned. "I thought you would've found out by now."

"It's Monday," Hongjoong retorted. "I hate doing stuff on Monday."

Seonghwa rolled his eyes, hearing the shorter snicker next to him. "Well... Can't you at least ask someone about it?"

Hongjoong shifted closer until their lips were just seconds from touching. "Depends on what you're willing to do to get it." He slid his arms over Seonghwa's shoulders.

Since when did he get so bold, so flirtatious and so touchy? Seonghwa had no idea, but it was driving him crazy.

"I'm pretty sure blackmail is illegal," he said, surprised he was still able to articulate properly despite Hongjoong's gorgeous face so near to his.

Before Seonghwa could even blink, Hongjoong had him pinned instead, his hands unable to move at all.

"Now I win." The shorter still had the nerve to look splendidly naive, but something dark and naughty twisted inside his gaze.

"I -- "

"Shh," Hongjoong tutted, leaning in. "Just...kiss me."

Seonghwa did so without further complaints. Their lips met, slow and steady like they both wanted to savour this moment for as long as they could. Seonghwa didn't mind that Hongjoong was on top of him again; in fact, he liked it. He liked it when Hongjoong's cool fingers ran over his skin, liked it when Hongjoong kissed him so gently, so ardently like he was the only person that existed in the entire world. Like he was the only person that mattered.

Hongjoong made Seonghwa feel special in ways he couldn't describe.

"I'm going to leave a mark on your neck," Hongjoong said at that moment. "If that's alright with you."

Seonghwa opened his eyes, still a little dazed from the shorter's lips on his moments prior. "...What?"

Hongjoong smiled at him, smoothly running his finger down his neck like he was enamoured with it. "A hickey. I wanna leave a hickey on you."

Seonghwa's heart raced with...preparation? Excitement? He didn't know. All he could focus on was Hongjoong and Hongjoong alone. "You sure you aren't a vampire?"

"I'm not. But if you keep mentioning it I might just sink my teeth into you and get a taste."

The innuendos were just too much for Seonghwa. He grimaced. "Shut up and get on with it already."

"Your wish is my command."

Seonghwa cringed. "Hongjoong -- " he started, only to swallow the rest of his words when the aforementioned male stooped down on the slope of his neck, gently nibbling on the skin there. It shouldn't have felt this good, but it did.

Heat swelled in his chest when Hongjoong bit on the already sweltering area, never exerting too much pressure that could actually hurt him. "...Is this okay? Does it feel nice?"

"Y-Yeah..." Seonghwa didn't have the luxury of feeling embarrassed by his stuttering, as Hongjoong had moved on to another spot, one right on his collarbone.

Hongjoong sucked on the skin there as well, the soft pad of his tongue instantly warming Seonghwa up.

"I thought...I thought you only wanted to give me one hickey," Seonghwa breathed, heartbeat pounding so loud in his ears when Hongjoong looked up at him.

"If it makes you uncomfortable, I'll stop," the shorter stated as he stroked Seonghwa's inky black hair, his touch feathery light like he didn't ever want to injure him.

"Don't," Seonghwa shook his head. "I... I really like it."

⛓️

Hongjoong pulled out a small, bulbous object from his pant pocket, smiling at the way Seonghwa's eyes immediately followed after it.

"What's that?" The older asked. Both males were seated now, staring out into the numerous city lights. The only difference was that Hongjoong was smiling, bubbly, whilst Seonghwa's neck was still burning from the impromptu makeout session they'd taken part in just minutes ago.

Seonghwa didn't even wanna know how many marks Hongjoong had left on him, and a part of him wondered if he was gonna regret his reckless actions later.

"It's another location sensor apart from the in-ear Yunho and I use on our missions. Yeosang gifted it to us so we could call on them anytime we absolutely need to."

"Oh." Seonghwa licked his lower lip. "Can I..."

"Touch it? Yeah." Hongjoong passed it over to him, scooting closer until their shoulders and thighs brushed. "You press on the little red button in the middle, and then -- "

Seonghwa had already done as he'd instructed, watching with an amazed expression as the upper part of the black ball extended, whirring about as it displayed all the complicated machinery inside of it.

A beam of light shot out into the air right then, startling the dark haired male. The light soon disappeared, though, showcasing a hologram of a person Seonghwa had never seen before.

"Hi, Yeosang," Hongjoong greeted with a small wave, and Seonghwa quickly remembered what Yunho had said about them.

Yeosang had long, blond hair that curled a bit over their shoulder, with round brown eyes that were currently narrowed at Hongjoong. They looked quite close in age with both Hongjoong and Seonghwa, their facial features daintily and prettily sculpted. They didn't look real -- and maybe they weren't.

"The hell did you call me for?" Yeosang asked Hongjoong, their voice rather deep considering their childlike looks. They crossed their arms over their chest, not seeming too happy with the summoning.

Hongjoong gestured to Seonghwa, who still looked a little flabbergasted at the other's unexpected appearance. He smiled to himself when he caught the taller adjusting his collar to over up the marks on his neck. "Seonghwa here wants to ask a question."

Yeosang sat in front of said male, awfully three-dimensional that Seonghwa couldn't help but marvel at the technology behind it. "Okay, I was about to sleep and stuff. But now I'm curious, Hwa. I can call you Hwa, right?"

Seonghwa cleared his throat. "Uh, sure."

"Only his friends call him Hwa," Hongjoong pointed out.

"Then I guess we're friends now," Yeosang grinned, showcasing a set of small teeth. It was cute.

Seonghwa nodded, chuckling at the way Hongjoong huffed.

"No offense, but is this...how you normally appear?" Seonghwa asked Yeosang. "Are you also a Variant?"

"Ah, well," Yeosang began, "I actually exist in real life. I'm also part robot, so that's that."

Seonghwa never would've guessed. The blond, despite their holographic form, looked exeedingly human. "That's... actually cool."

"Thanks!" Yeosang beamed.

"Can we get to the questions now?" Hongjoong interrupted. His face scrunched with impatience.

Yeosang waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, I know you're jealous." They ignored Hongjoong's dramatic gasp, looking right at Seonghwa. "So, Hwa. What question do you have for me?"

"Well," Seonghwa clasped his hands together. "I can enter Hongjoong's dreams. I mean, I've entered them once or twice -- "

"Once or twice?" Hongjoong mirrored, staring at the taller with widened eyes.

"Yes. Once or twice," Seonghwa stated. God, that sounded pretty weird once he said it out loud, especially with Hongjoong and Yeosang both staring straight at him.

"You mean you can consciously appear in Hongjoong's dream?" Yeosang asked.

"Not exactly consciously," Seonghwa clarified. "I just show up and then he's there. The first time I did it, I saw Hongjoong -- " he paused, thinking about that orphanage he'd seen. There was a chance that building existed, at least in Hongjoong's reality, especially since he'd seen the shorter's body change also in his dream. And Hongjoong confirmed it was real, so everything else had to be, right?

"Saw me do what?" Hongjoong asked. His yellowish eyes were as intense and inquisitive as always, but this time around they made Seonghwa a lot more nervous.

"You were walking around and I was there," Seonghwa responded, keeping everything vague for some reason he couldn't explain. "The last time I appeared in your dream was Saturday, and we were able to talk then."

A bunch of floating, translucent screens popped up in front of Yeosang right then. The blond blankly stared at them as they kept scrolling, kept decreasing and increasing with the amount of information on them.

"Right now, you can see them being possessed by the techno-demons," Hongjoong whispered quite loudly into Seonghwa's ear.

"I can hear you!" Yeosang commented. The screens vanished, and then they clapped their hands. "Okay, so first of all, what you just described is called Dream Walking. It's a rare ability, and just like lucid dreaming, it needs more and more practice to get good at it."

"I never knew that was a thing," Seonghwa muttered.

Hongjoong looked just as confused as him. "Me neither."

"It's already hard enough to be able to control your dreams as a whole, but the fact that you can do it with Hongjoong is..." Yeosang looked between the two of them and began to smile. "I think you two have something extra special going on here."

⛓️

a/n: this is sort of a filler chap, but at least its cute. also, i tried to write morally grey characters for this fic lol, did it work?

also i'm gonna do a thing where i choose my fave comments from previous chapters. right now it's this one from vecafe_latte about seongjoong here!! i laughed a lot when i saw it 'cause it's true lmao

and this one from theza-theevil too

(but pls pls if you're uncomfortable with me showing your comments let me know and i'll take them down)

thoughts?