↱FORBIDDEN COLORS↲ ⇾seongjoong⇽

seen

"Why are you lying to me?" Yunho said as they made their way from the dance studio, gaze resting on his best friend in question.

Seonghwa whipped around as the others walked by, Hongjoong casting him a concerned look, which Seonghwa was quick to look away from as the older walked past, sweat still clinging to his brow as his chest heaved from their workout and Seonghwa really really wanted to reach out to him — had wanted to since dance practice had started and Hongjoong had looked so focused and so... perfect...

"What do you mean?" Seonghwa jerked back to face Yunho.

They hadn't spoken a word to each other all day.

When had Seonghwa lied to him?

In fact, they really hadn't talked much since Japan...

"I asked you," Yunho crossed his arms, brow pinched as he kicked his foot to the ground, "if something happened with you and Hongjoong in Japan. I asked you that last week after we got back and you told me that nothing did."

Seonghwa felt his mouth go dry as he licked over his lip.

"Yeah," he tried.

In the back of his mind, he'd been repeating for a while that he was going to tell Yunho.

He was going to do it.

Just not now.

Not yet.

Not when he and Hongjoong were still trying to figure everything out.

So far, figuring things out seemed to exclusively consist of caution and distance — so, in a way, it felt like they were back to whatever awful step they were in before Japan — but then there were the rings on their fingers and the small smiles Hongjoong would offer when their gazes would meet, the soft touches that would rub at Seonghwa's sides or shoulders in passing, the kind looks — and Seonghwa knew it wasn't much, but it was still something.

Still an assurance that they were going to get through this.

They just needed more... time.

"Because nothing did happen," Seonghwa cringed even as he said it.

God, he hated lying.

"You lied," Yunho said, tone sad and disappointed and —

Oh god, he sounded hurt.

"You're still lying. God, Seonghwa. Do you think I'm an idiot? Hongjoong looks like he's going to combust every time you walk into a room and you, god, you," he fixed Seonghwa under a glare.

"I thought you said you were trying to get over him. Whatever happened to the masked guy? You know, the guy you won't talk to me about —"

"Yunho —"

"Are you even still trying? Oh my god, did you and Hongjoong like kiss or something?"

"Yunho, no!" Seonghwa jerked around to see if any of the others had heard, but they were already long gone down the hall.