penumbra

Chap. 7 - Day Eight pt.3

tw: flashbacks with mention of torture, dissociation

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Their way home was quiet. Seonghwa could tell the encounter had drained Hongjoong just by his mannerisms, although he didn't look as exhausted as the blonde thought he would. He looked rather vigorous actually. Especially for someone who apparently felt sick enough to vomit their dinner.

"How are you feeling?" It was Seonghwa who ended the silence.

Hongjoong shot him a mildly confused look at the question. "Fine...? Why do you ask?"

"You couldn't keep the food down," he explained. "Do you feel sick right now? Any nausea?"

The younger hesitated and stuttered. "Oh, right! I don't, really. My stomach's just been kinda sensitive these days, you know? Maybe it was the fat in the meat that did it today. Or maybe it was the sauce. Maybe a combination of both."

"I see... Please tell me if you feel anything else tonight, okay?"

Hongjoong nodded, scrunched up his nose and smiled to himself. It was so strange to be taken care of after the miserable years he'd had up until now, like he had never experienced the fuzzy warmth that came with it. It felt foreign and weird, but so awfully needed. Still, sometimes he just couldn't help being terrified of the idea of any interaction that reminded him of the feeling of being overpowered, even if he was effectively dying to show just how much in need of a hug he was. Indeed, Hongjoong hadn't been very fond of excessive physical affection in his teens, but now the biggest point wasn't really that he was uncomfortable - he was scared.

As the two got to Seonghwa's building and entered the elevator, Hongjoong noticed something odd about the button Seonghwa pressed. "Hey, you pressed the wrong one. Isn't your apartment on the fifth floor?"

The blonde smiled at the gleaming button that read "7". "No, I didn't, and we're not going to the apartment just yet."

The young vampire just accepted the answer and waited in silence for the elevator to get to the chosen floor. He was too mentally tired to question any further.

When they got to the seventh floor Seonghwa immediately guided both to the stairs further down the hall, going up until they reached a slightly rusty metal door. He then opened it, leading them to the dead quiet rooftop. There were no lamps around so the light on the area came purely from what the streetlights down below could reach. It wasn't much of a fancy view, but it was so cozy in a way. The cold wind wasn't harsh and one could see tiny snowflakes falling from the dark sky.

Seonghwa walked unhurriedly toward the edge with Hongjoong in tow. There wasn't much of a protective barrier apart from a low wall that roughly reached their hips, on which the blonde settled his hands comfortably. The younger still kept to himself, actually waiting for what the other probably had to say for it seemed necessary that they were there from all places - including his own apartment.

"I tend to come here when I have too much going on in my head," Seonghwa said, now resting his elbows on the low wall. "You know me, you know how frequent that is. I know there isn't much to see from here, but that's not the point for me. Just the change of perspective helps me take a step back from everything. Then I can take a breather and try to see things detached from me. You know, so I dont go completely insane. "

"Okay" Hongjoong replied, his worn out mind struggling to follow up the conversation. The taller snickered at the bland, slightly confused reaction.

"You seemed to have too much on your mind and need a breather," he added, turning his head to look and the shorter.

Seonghwa had such a gentle and caring glint in his eyes and a soft, almost motherly smile on his face. Hongjoong froze for a moment, incapable of looking away or stopping himself from admiring the beauty in front of him.