ateez family au

143

"Help me."

A blue tie dangled before his eyes, blocked his view out of the window in the cafeteria. Seonghwa lifted his head a little and came eye to eye with Hongjoong who he had last seen a week ago in a wet and dirty alleyway. He looked determined, not like his usual grey self.
"No."

He whined, almost. But he was eager to not let the elder win another battle. He had embarrassed himself enough. "you don't even know what I need your help for."

"I genuinely do not care."

Hongjoong slammed his hands onto the table, his insides completely losing it already. "You're an asshole you know that? You're just big talks and nothing behind!"

"Uhh~ little kitten has claws," Seonghwa commented still quite unfazed by whatever the younger tried to pull on him. His eyes wandered around them, a smirk pulled on the corner of his lips. He was eager to know how long the shy little boy could hold through that tough play while everyone was watching him. The elder didn't enjoy everyone's eyes following him much, but at the moment it was just the right topping to the situation. Indeed, he was an asshole, he wouldn't deny.

Hongjoong's eyes followed the elder's and his knees little by little trembled. He bit the insides of his mouth bloody; he had started it, he needed to finish and win. Otherwise he may look for another school to attend to; the embarrassment would kill him. So, he gathered every bit of man he had and grabbed Seonghwa's tie at the knot and yanked him closer to his face. The elder's eyes widened in surprise, yet he still didn't let go of his oh-so-dear coolness. And that alone was Hongjoong's motivation to hold on. It was his turn to be embarrassed, bared in front of the whole cafeteria. "Listen here, Park," he said and cocked a brow, "you're going to help me with my music. And if your snobbed ass doesn't want to, you just prove that you have no backbone. Huh? Isn't it that? No backbone to show what oh-so-good skills you brag to have?"

Seonghwa's lips were pressed in a thin line, his jaw flexed and brow twitched at the sudden closeness and boldness of Hongjoong. He hadn't thought the younger would, but he did and it was rather amusing. So, he played it low, shrugging his shoulder. "Okay."

"Wait that's it?" Hongjoong hissed and loosened his grip just a little but didn't let go yet, he couldn't. Too many people were intensly staring at them by now; how was he supposed to act now?

"You don't know what to do now, do you?"

"... help-"

A smug grin spread over the elder's lips as he put his hand over Hongjoong's that was still holding his tie. "Walk out the door to the west wing. I'll meet you in the music hall in ten minutes," he grinned and loosened the younger's fingers around the tight fabric, let his hand fall. "... You really are some helpless kitten, huh?"

~

"you said ten minutes."

"Oops."

"It's been two hours you ass," Hongjoong snapped and crossed his arms as he wat he the elder calmly put his backpack on the round and seat himself on the small podium.

Seonghwa let his eyes wander around the room, sighed, couldn't care less about the younger and his scolding. "You really do need my help, ah? Would have bet you left after fifteen minutes."

"You said you were coming!"

"And you kept waiting for two hours?"

With a huff Hongjoong climbed into the podium next to the elder, a good meter and a half between them. There was a long silence Seonghwa surely didn't seem like wanting to break, yet the younger couldn't bear it any longer. "How should we start?" he asked and looked at the elder. Seonghwa remained silent, closed his eyes and leaned back onto his elbow. Hongjoong waited, and waited until he decided he should try again. "... Should I show you what I wrote until now and we go over it?... "