Phoenix: Blow a spark || ATEEZ

23| Playing pals

Wordcount; 1,100 words

"Why are you here again?"

Hongjoong sat at the library, scowling up at the silver-haired boy who at that moment came walking toward his table. A rather meek smile was sitting coyly around his lips and Hongjoong did not like an inch of it at all - the other's luring energies being the worst. And still, although he had given his best intimidating eye-stare, the silver-haired boy pulled out the chair beside of Hongjoong and leaned in to study the opened books upon the table.

"What do you want, Seonghwa," the smaller male grumbled as he reached forward with his arms and tried pushing his stuff as long away from the foreign Phoenix' blue eyes.

It didn't seem as if his tint to his words extended to the silver-haired, as he just let a hum fall from his lips, and Hongjoong pursed his own lips in pure infuriation. The magic inside of him was burning his skin, and he was already ignited to strike at any time. His hands moved to smack the books close while he glared at Seonghwa.

"Didn't you hear me? Go away!" Hongjoong exclaimed when the other finally turned his head at him.

But Hongjoong was caught on the spot when he noticed how the silver-haired only smirked at his threatening words, "You're quite stubborn, Hongjoong, aren't you?"

Even if the words were rolling smoothly off Seonghwa's lips, the boy suppressed the strike of satisfaction that the other's tone of voice brought to him, and instead glanced away from those blue eyes.

"S-stop.." Hongjoong mumbled while he struggled with gathering the heavy books into his bag again.

He didn't see how Seonghwa moved closer as he smiled teasingly, "What did you say? I couldn't hear you."

Despite Hongjoong knowing the question came from and teasing voice, he just couldn't help himself from feeling that anger coming back, "I SAID-" he exclaimed, but stopped himself from finishing the sentence when something wet touched his neck.

It was as if all time stopped around him when a chill cast over his body, and something prickly was added to his neck where the warm wet feeling lingered. Then a rough texture was sliding across his skin and he finally understood that it was alive.

"What is crawling at me?!"

Hastily, Hongjoong turned around to stare at Seonghwa for an answer to his distress, but the latter was only giggling at the situation outplaying in front of him. The boy widened his eyes and pursed his lips as he went to move the crawling thing away himself rather than having the silver-haired laugh like that at him for who knows what. At the moment his hands touched the warm, rough crawling thing, a hissing sound hit his ears and the boy started panicking. Another fit of laughter came from the other boy and Hongjoong would have wanted to burn him alive if he hadn't been this frightened of the animal wrapping its tail threatening around his neck as it licked his skin.

"TAKE IT AWAY TAKE IT AWAY RIGHT NOW SEONGHWA!!" he yelled at the male beside him; doing nothing to the matter.

Firstly in the second Hongjoong's hands started heating, Seonghwa reached forward and grabbed whatever was clinging to Hongjoong's throat like its life depended on it. Hongjoong did notice the supreme smile attached to the silver-haired boy's face while he did so, and he kicked his legs under the table.

"Shut up, you're annoying!" he said and was back to scowling as his eyes caught sight of the lizard lying in Seonghwa's hands.

The taller one grinned, "Yeah and this was hilarious! I have never seen anyone being this scared of Toothless before."

The lizard was not cute at all, Hongjoong thought. It looked like a spiky dragon, looking around for its next prey; now being Hongjoong. But that wasn't the worst part of it all, seeing how the sand-toned thick lizard twirled its tail around Seonghwa's wrist and arm, and it was named Toothless.

"Are you still scared of him, he is sweet, is he not? He's a bearded dragon."

Sweet, right. Hongjoong didn't know what to say and just kept glaring at Toothless who, in opposition, seemed very engrossed with looking at him, with rather hungry eyes. What a sweet tooth. Huffing, he turned around instead and proceeded to stuff his books into the bag as he had been doing before. His arm stung from the movements, but Hongjoong ignored the pain and swung the bag onto his back. The boy left the library before Seonghwa had the time to run after him with his odd pet-lizard.

_____

Hongjoong had never thought that a being even worse than Wooyoung existed in this world, but he started to doubt his own believings.

"You know San, right?"

Seonghwa was currently following the shorter boy out of a classroom and to Hongjoong's horror were the current statistics that he and Seonghwa shared more than half of their classes together. His stupid bearded lizard pet sat on his shoulder, attracting many of the fellow classmates' attention as it was not a normal thing to bring at school. Apparently, Seonghwa didn't give it a second thought.

Hongjoong tensed at his words, before answering, "No."

"But.." the silver-haired started as they strode down the filled hallways, "he is also a Phoenix. I know that you are aware of the other Phoenixes here and San's energy is something you just can't notice."

Hongjoong ground his teeth in annoyance, "No! I do not know who this San guy is!" he retorted with a sneer, and turned his back at the other, "And stop talking to me."

For a moment, the boy felt as if his harsh words had actually hit Seonghwa so hard, that it had hurt him because the other suddenly became so silent. A feeling of guilt grew in his stomach, and Hongjoong stopped walking any further. Slowly, he turned around at his feet to find Seonghwa standing right behind him, but the boy surprisingly didn't startle when he felt a warm hand touch his shoulder; he became petrified.

"Why are you so sour..?"

Hongjoong's eyes tensely trailed up the other's features like they were drawn by a force until they rested at his beautiful blue orbs. He could feel himself slowly sink deeper even though he did not wish to do so.

"You do not know who I am, so stop pretending as you do! We're none other than strangers," he spelled between a breath of air before writhing away from Seonghwa's hand and disappearing down the hallway.

☯