A Dying Embrace [OT8]

011

Seonghwa 

I had no idea the founders parade was even a thing until I went into town square and it was packed. It had already started getting dark. I had stopped by the small business I always went to, to find Hongjoong but he wasn't there. 

So now I was here, finding myself lost all over again. 

I searched through the sea of people, trying to spot anyone I recognized until I saw a tall head poking out of the crowd. I weaved through the people until I made it to Mingi. 

"Mingi!" I called, making him look towards my direction. 

"Seonghwa? Hey." He said, some of his friends giving the both of us some odd looks. 

"Do you know where Hongjoong is? He's not at work." I said. 

"Oh...um..." He looked around. "I don't see him. I'll help you find him though. Seonghwa, these are Hongjoong and my friends. San, Yunho and Dami. Hongjoong is probably around the others. Guys, this is Seonghwa. He's a friend of Hongjoong's." 

I bowed slightly to them, showing off a polite smile. "It's nice to meet you." 

As Mingi was getting ready to move, Mayor Lockwood stood up on a stage, walking up to a mic. "It's starting already. We should hurry up, come on." He grabbed my arm and led my through the crowd of people. The one he referred to as San following closely behind us. 

"Maybe he's Mystic grill? He could be using the bathroom." San said. 

"Okay. I'll check there. Seonghwa can look with you around the square." Mingi said and left us together.  

"What's so important?" San said as we continued searching. 

"I need to tell him something." It was weird how sure I was of this. How desperately I wanted Hongjoong to know despite us rarely even being together. I liked him. I knew he was struggling right now. He told me what his friend saw and I knew he was trying to wrap his mind around everything but he needed something else. 

He needed actual proof. I wanted to be that for him. 

I wasn't sure why I was so fascinated with the boy but I knew it was in part due to him being the first person I saw in more than a century. He was the first blood I tasted. First person I talked to. He was the reason I had hope to leave Miss Gibbons' house. I liked him and I wanted to ease his racing mind. 

Suddenly there was a ringing in my ears and it made me freeze. "Ah." I pressed my fingers to my temples. 

"What's wrong?" San asked. 

I groaned in pain, the noise just growing louder and louder. My knees gave way and I felt myself falling. "Oh my god." I choked out, trying to hold my head together otherwise I thought it'd explode. "Ahh, ahh-" I moaned in pain, trying desperately to find anything to cling onto. 

"Seonghwa?" I heard San's faint worried voice but it was so quiet underneath the siren going off in my head. I felt his arms wrap around me, picking me up and pulling me into him. "What's going on?" 

I held onto him, trying to fight the tears as agony rippled through my veins. It was too much pain. Everything was too much. "Make it stop, please-" I cried, tightening my grip onto him.