STILL HERE, seongjoong

01: fever

STILL HERE
a seongjoong fantasy/medieval/
best friends to lovers au

contains:
× angst, fluff, seongjoong as best friends, character death (quite a bit), open ending
× highkey inspired by ateez's japanese ep still here
× i worked hard on this so pls love it :'(

***

Seonghwa first meets Hongjoong when he is just three years old.

It's only his first day at the village's nursery after being taught at home for the earlier half of his life, but he's an absolute sight to behold. His eyes are bright and starry, a cosmos of both curiosity and wonder of his new and strange surroundings, and of course this draws the attention of the townspeople. A majority of them are eager to witness the village head's wife's new bundle of joy that has now been exposed and allowed to socialize with the other toddlers his age.

Seonghwa's already grown to detest their invasive stares, his chubby cheeks tightening as he purses his lips at their constant touches and unnerving, eager smiles. He dislikes their observant, crinkled stares and, though most of it is lost in translation anyway, hates how their mouths move to form consonants that buzz around his head, in and out his eardrums.

They all talk and laugh around him, and his mother joins in as she takes in their chatter and obvious envy in stride. It's no secret that Lady Park -- with her lean, graceful figure, gentle smiles and soft, healthy black hair that cascades down her back in these secure, pretty braids -- is nothing less than beautiful. The entire Park household is, and only just a few days after Seonghwa was born, word had spread around the village of how downright angelic her new child is.

The women continue to talk, stuck to his mother's side like a swarm of bees on fresh honey, and Seonghwa squirms, ready to be let go. He feels his mother stroke his hair, lovingly, pressing a faint kiss to his round cheek that he otherwise would not have minded if not for the fact that he felt immensely stuffy and trapped in her arms.

She settles him on the wooden floor, grips his little hand even when he's sure he can make it across to the other side without much help, and talks to another lady to his chagrin. It doesn't matter which one; with their neat braids and long, flowy dresses, they all appear the same to the toddler. And he just wants them to disappear.

Lady Park's hand slips for half a second, and then Seonghwa takes off, stabilizing himself as he waddles all the way over to the first thing his eyes land on at a pace he's positive he can manage.

It's a cot, certainly more than a meter away, but it's grand and tall, with majestic knees and dark wood that glints off the mid-morning sunlight.

But before he can make it there, he's surrounded again. This time by little boys in their vests and breeches, and little girls in their puffy dresses and tiny shoes. They look at him like the taller people do, like he's on another plane of existence from them even though they're the same height, and it makes Seonghwa annoyed and confused.