【Ａｓｐｈｙｘｉａ】 seongjoong

Secrets

Blood.

That was all Hongjoong could hear. The blood rushing in his ears as if he had been plunged into ice cold water. In the back of his mind he knew that his socks were probably getting wet from the coffee he had spilt, spreading out from the point of impact, but he couldn't even think to register it.

At this moment, Hongjoong felt as shattered as that mug.

The world seemed to tunnel out while staring at the small screen held in Seonghwa's hand. The picture was grainy, probably from zooming in one too many times, but to the young student, it seemed as clear as day. His image was frozen, his bright red hair unmistakable, as he held a leather mask in  his hand. The  picture seemed to have been taken right before he had put  it on and  rushed  into the fray only for San to pull him out. Faintly, he could hear a dull ringing as the muffled words the agent was speaking tried to break through the hazy fog of shock.

"I'm asking," Seonghwa spoke again, his voice breaking and his chest heaving with a deep breath to keep whatever emotions at bay. "Is this you?"

The world seemed to snap back at that sound and, Hongjoong, thinking quick on his feet, forced the panic to try and melt from his  body. "What?" He plastered a smile on his face. "Seonghwa what are you talking about? Is what me?"

Seonghwa didn't fall to the ruse. "Answer me." He said through clenched teeth while waving the phone in his hand. His eyes were slightly glassy. "Is it you? Are you that Ghoul from before?"

"What? Ghoul?" The red-head forced a light hearted, incredulous laugh but it came out more like a strangled choke. "How could I be a Ghoul? Hwa, that's crazy. You're acting crazy."

Hongjoong hoped that the use of the other's nickname would soften the other but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Instead, the  agent seemed to think for a moment before he stood up a bit straighter. He dropped his hand and tossed the phone onto the nearby couch.

"Take it off." Seonghwa suddenly said, his voice commanding. He took a step  forward and  Hongjoong's breath hitched, automatically taking an answering one back.

"Wha-?"

"The eyepatch," The agent's voice went deeper, more intense. "Take it off."

Hongjoong's hand flew up towards the mentioned item and his visible eye widened. His heart sped up with a sense of panic as he grew fearful. It was like a switch had been flipped in the man before him and the change was rather alarming. This wasn't his sweet, caring Seonghwa. This was agent Park. For a moment, Hongjoong had a flash of that night once more. A gun pointing at his head surrounded by a sea of fire that reflected off of an ice cold stare.

"I-I can't take it off," Hongjoong tried to plead, a last ditch effort to get the other to back off. "I was in a car accident m-my eye- it isn't right." The stammered excuses even seemed false to his own ears but he had to do something to keep the other from pressing the issue.

"I need to be sure!" Seonghwa seemed to have lost patience and moved forward, either eager to confirm the news or desperate to prove himself wrong.

The sudden movement caused Hongjoong to move backward but his feet caught on one another and he fell back with a thud, landing harshly on his tailbone. Seonghwa froze as he watched the other fall, the red-head staring back up at him with slightly teary eyes. What hurt the agent the most, however, was the sight of the student's shoulders shaking just slightly. He had scared the younger.

Immediately, Seonghwa recoiled, horrified. In an instant, his demeanor flipped from angry to regret. He dropped towards his knees and shuffled forward.