penumbra

Chap. 8 - Smothered

As he hurried home after his last morning class ended, Seonghwa idly thought to himself about how colder it was getting as his final exams for that semester neared. The streets were more frequently colored in fluffy white now and he could rarely make it to the university without ordering a hot beverage to-go on the way to keep himself warm in the freezing temperatures. His fast pace was actually helping to keep his body heat up, too. He was in a bit of a rush to get home. Minjoon and Siwoo had asked to meet Hongjoong again and the cafe he worked at sounded like the perfect pick, he just had to be fast enough not to miss the beginning of his shift. Seonghwa also found the request a bit odd since he was expecting the three to take some more time before seeing each other again after the last fiasco of an encounter. It had barely been a week. Oh, well. They must've headed off in their own way or something.

That had to be it, because when he arrived at his apartment his childhood friend was curiously restless and more eager than he expected to leave at once. Hongjoong had taken a shower and already picked which ones of Seonghwa's clothes to wear - the older made a mental note to go out with him and get him some of his own clothes later.

Hongjoong was truly excited to visit the café. Of course, he assumed he'd be receiving his first bag of blood from San and Wooyoung so that was already something to be thrilled about; being well-fed and keeping Seonghwa safe from him. But besides that, Hongjoong was just so genuinely happy with the idea of getting familiar with a place that was part of Seonghwa's routine. He didn't go out unless his friend invited him somewhere. Not only did it help keep his anxiety at bay but lessened the chances of Yonghwan finding him by being out and defenseless.

"Good, you're already ready" Seonghwa smiled from the door, shifting his weight from one foot to the other in anticipation to leave as quickly as possible so he wouldn't be late. He hadn't even taken off his shoes. "Let's go, let's go!"

He agitatedly beckoned the younger to follow him like you'd call a child over so they'd stay close, and Hongjoong walked right over almost with a skip in his step.

"It's like a twenty minute walk from here" Seonghwa said, a bit breathless from his quick steps. "It's pretty close, thankfully. Maybe we can make it in fifteen."

Hongjoong had a coy smile on his face as he effortlessly kept up with the other's pace without breaking a sweat. He grinned widely at the wintery, milky shaded sky that threatened to sprinkle down more snowflakes on the big city, silently thankful for being able to see and actually enjoy such a beauty of a view. In his time with Yonghwan, though mostly locked inside, he was able to see the sky on winter days sometimes, yes, but it carried no weight. It just looked and felt as empty and void of substance as his existence. He was always recovering from something terrible he was told to do or that he was forced to endure. Now it was like he could actually see the nuances in textures and hues all around the white, frosty landscape. Hongjoong was giddy because he realized he'd gotten to a place where he was kind of able to see colors in his life again. He hadn't even been staying with Seonghwa for a whole month but already felt a stronger will to 'live' than he felt in the last three years.

He looked at the older by his side, who was breathing shallowly and walking at a frantic pace but never fully running, and chuckled to himself.

"What's so funny?" Seonghwa asked, not stopping.

Hongjoong just smiled and reached for his hand, wrapping his pinky in his. The blonde tripped and almost face planted on the sidewalk before coming to a full stop on his tracks. He looked at the younger with big eyes and then eyed where the two were connected by touch. "Oh, god..." He mumbled as he started walking again, making a show of rolling his eyes to get the attention away from his flushed cheeks, only for Hongjoong to answer with a sweet and carefree laugh that made his heart skip a beat or two.