【Ａｓｐｈｙｘｉａ】 seongjoong

Comeback

Hongjoong inhaled deeply as he took in the familiar scent of his pillow. He pressed his face further into the soft plush and sighed in contentment. He could have sworn he had the most awful dream about escaping some kind of hospital but he was glad it was over now and that he hadn't left his nice, warm bed.

Deciding that he had probably slept enough, he stretched in a cat like manner and set his feet on the chilly wooden floor. He scratched absently at the back of his head and he smacked his lips as he made his way blindly to the bathroom. His mouth was surprisingly dry and his limbs were heavier than normal. Maybe he was getting sick.

Now inside his bathroom he flicked on the lights and noticed that his first aid kit was all over the floor. Frowning in confusion, he bent to pick up a few of the items. Once his hands were full he stood up to put them back in the case when he caught sight of himself in the mirror. For the second time in twenty-four hours, everything clattered back on the ground.

Staring at his reflection everything from the day before came rushing back. Feeling bile rise in his throat, Hongjoong threw himself at the toilet and felt himself dry heave violently. If he had anything in his stomach, he was sure it wouldn't have been there for long. After about a minute of convulsions, the small man felt something wet touch his cheek. Reaching up and touching his face, he found that he was crying.

The first tear seemed to open the dam and suddenly he descended in full out sobs. He didn't know how long he sat on the cold bathroom floor but by the time he pulled himself up and looked back in the mirror, his eyes were heavily swollen and bloodshot. Feeling a sudden surge of anger and disgust at the sight that greeted him, he picked up his soap dish and tossed it at the glass. He watched in a sick sort of satisfaction as the mirror shatter along with his reflection.

Once all the anger seeped out of his body, he suddenly felt exhausted and empty despite just waking. Not able to stand to be in the same room anymore, he made his way slowly to his living room and collapsed on his couch. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He was about to place his head down when he noticed a bowl on his coffee table that he didn't remember being there before.

Mingi. The name suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. The lanky man had been in his apartment. He would have known that Hongjoon hadn't come home. In fact, who knows how long he had been trapped in that hell hospital before he had woken up. He couldn't imagine how his friend must be feeling. He was sure that the other was probably out looking endlessly for him and he didn't have his phone to call him.

Standing from his couch he made his way into his room to change clothes. He knew it was a horrible idea to go out right now in an emotionally volatile state. He didn't even know or understand the full extent of what had happened to him but he couldn't let his friend worry for another moment. He had to tell Mingi he was alive.

Not really caring what he was grabbing, he threw on a black hoodie and black pants. He ran a hand through his hair and, remembering it was a bright red now, pulled a black cap on that he found in the back of his closet and threw the hood on top. It wasn't necessarily strange to have bright hair. It was Seoul, lots of people had unusual hair colors. He could just tell people he dyed it, but it still felt unnatural to him and he felt it necessary to hide it. He didn't want to risk running into anyone that could recognize him while he was out.

The biggest problem was his godforsaken eye. Going back into the bathroom, he sorted through the mess that was his first aid kit, mindful of the broken mirror shards, before finding what he was looking for. He was grateful now that he still had the disposable eye patches from when he had pink eye last year. He placed that on his face and, once it was secure, put on a surgical mask to hide the rest of his face, just to be safe. Once ready, he pulled on the first set of trainers he grabbed by his door and headed out.