Oneiric Tryst

22. Soaring Heights

Hongjoong sprinted up the stairs of their building. He shivered all over after having forgotten his jacket during his hurried departure from home. His neighbour had held him up, needing him to watch her plants for a week in the upcoming school holidays. With more words than necessary, Hongjoong had agreed and promised the kind old lady his utmost expertise with her plants before he had run off. Now inside the ghostly empty building, Hongjoong froze his toes off. Christmas time was rolling around the corner, and it came with the first shy flocks of snow that tumbled from the skies tiny and inconspicuous in the mornings.

Up in the attic, Hongjoong turned on the heater and activated the computer. He had no mug to warm his icy hands on, so he returned to the second floor to get himself some hot chocolate. It wasn't quite as sandy and disgusting as their coffee.

As he waited, Hongjoong rehearsed everything he wanted to tell Seonghwa tonight in his head. He should ask about the grandma situation smoothly. After he had spent the complete day wondering if her dementia was good or bad on Seonghwa, Hongjoong ached for some answers.

Only if Seonghwa were comfortable talking, of course.

With his cup balanced on his sleeves, Hongjoong scaled the stairs again. The air in the stairwell was so crisp that he could barely detect the musty smell of the walls anymore.

While he sipped his hot chocolate, Hongjoong scrolled through chat messages and Seonghwa's social media. He had uploaded another selfie, and this one had Hongjoong blush and raise his brow at his phone at the same time.

Seonghwa had taken a selfie seated at his desk. It was angled from his lap up towards him, facing his pouty expression. He supported his face elegantly on one hand and sighed into the camera.

The caption read 'Everyone, how to flirt...' with one crying emoji and one smirking one.

Hongjoong scoffed at the blatant disrespect. As if the very existence of this post wasn't him flirting indirectly with Hongjoong. Both of them knew that Hongjoong watched over any updates.

In his private messages, San had forwarded the same post again to Hongjoong. The only thing he had commented on it was a precise 'lol'.

For a moment, Hongjoong worried his lip between his teeth as he considered replying to Seonghwa's question. Ultimately, he set his phone down to empty his mug though. Even without active flirting, Seonghwa did a wonderful job at wrapping Hongjoong around his fingers. Both with his kind heart and tender voice, as well as with the depths that his mind held. Beautiful in their darkness.

As it seemed, Seonghwa was at the station tonight. The classic predator was most likely Yeosang already. And Hongjoong suspected that the addition of bomb diffusing was another one of the stress factors Seonghwa hadn't accounted for.

Hongjoong slipped into his usual leather pants and jacket combined with the red shirt. With his bomb skills at the ready, he stepped into Seonghwa's dream.

The station was bustling. All kinds of people, uniformed and not hurried around between the crowded tables. They yelled orders at each other, bumped into the scurrying bodies, and created general mayhem that had Hongjoong lost like a deer that had been separated from its mother.

For a moment, he stood between all the people that pushed past him completely overwhelmed. Then, a hand wrapped around his, pulling him away from the storm.

Seonghwa's smile was partly apologising and partly delighted to see Hongjoong. Instantly melting, Hongjoong followed him.

"Sorry for the mess. Let's get out of here," Seonghwa grinned as he threw a door open. Hongjoong pulled his head between his shoulders when a sharp wind hit him and brought tears to his eyes. Hongjoong blinked them away, and his fingers around Seonghwa's tightened when he was temporarily overwhelmed.