Beast ~ Seongjoong

four: the warmth of promises

When Hongjoong woke up, he was lying in an enormous bed wrapped in black satin sheets. Black silk curtains framed the four poster bed and beyond the sheer curtains, Hongjoong saw the glitter of chandeliers and the outlines of furniture befitting a grand bedroom.

Hongjoong pushed himself up into a seated position, finding his body was not nearly as sore as he imagined it would be, though his left thigh felt rather constricted. He pulled back the black satin sheets and peered down at himself.

His ripped and tattered clothing had been replaced with an airy white blouse tied at the front in a small bow and loose white shorts which ended just above the knees. Hongjoong pulled the short fabric up and noticed his thigh, where Wooyoung had bitten him, was securely wrapped in white bandaging. He rotated his leg slightly, feeling the gentle pull of something attached to his skin, stitches?

It was then that he noticed a shift in the curtains and Seonghwa appeared, carrying a tray of food.

"You're awake," he smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed and placed the shiny silver tray on the sheets next to Hongjoong, pushing it towards him with an encouraging look on his face, "I brought you some food," he said, "You must be hungry."

The sweet smell of pastries filled Hongjoong's nose and he looked down at the tray of food. Gently warmed pastries, both of the sweet and savoury variety, gooey cheese and chocolate oozing out of their centers; fresh fruits, blueberries, strawberries and sliced apple glistened, flecks of water shining in the dim lighting; and both a glass of orange juice and a small cup of tea sat on the tray.

The delicious looking food, coupled with the length of time since Hongjoong had had his last meal made his eyes light up and his stomach growled excitedly. He bit his lips shyly as Seonghwa chuckled.

"Please, go ahead and eat." Seonghwa said, "I don't know what you like so I asked Jongho to get you a variety."

Seonghwa watched him with interest as he picked up a chocolate pastry and took a large bite. Warm chocolate and soft puff pastry filled his mouth and Hongjoong moaned enthusiastically, not holding back as he quickly finished the pastry in three bites and then started on the cheese one.

They were so fresh and tasty Hongjoong could have sworn they had been freshly baked, but why would a beast make pastries if all they ate was humans?

Hongjoong slowed down as his stomach slowly grew satiated, and after taking a long swig of orange juice, he decided to ask Seonghwa one of the many questions he had that was begging to be asked.

"Seonghwa, who made these?" he asked, flicking his eyes down to the tray of food.

Seonghwa smiled gently and moved to sit closer, his movements fluid and graceful, "Jongho, one of my brothers." he replied, "he's always been curious about human cuisine, so we made a kitchen in the castle just for him to bake and experiment."

He paused and picked up a single blueberry, admiring it, "The fruit are from the greenhouse gardens where he grows many of the produce he cooks with."

He popped the berry in his mouth and chewed it carefully. Hongjoong didn't fail to notice the small grimace as he swallowed, and Seonghwa flashed him an abashed smile, a look which softened his features considerably. Hongjoong doubted he smiled like that to many people.

"I still can't quite get used to that taste," Seonghwa mused.

"What does it taste like to you?" Hongjoong asked, curious to know how something as subtly sweet as a blueberry could make Seonghwa grimace.

"Extremely bitter, with a sour aftertaste." Seonghwa replied, "Jonho says the taste grows on you after a while, but it even took him several months to grow accustomed to basic human foods like fruit."

Hongjoong raised his eyebrows at that, an action which made Seonghwa smile with such open affection that warmth spread through Hongjoong's chest. Seonghwa shifted closer to him and swept a hand through his hair, his sparkling eyes locked with Hongjoong's.

"As leaders of our kind, Jongho in particular is of the stance that we can live peacefully with humans, if we put in some effort to live like them. I agree; we shouldn't act like rabid animals, killing and devouring without any self control or consideration of the consequences of our actions."

Seonghwa's eyes searched Hongjoong's face, openly admiring with gentle eyes as if he were trying to memorize every feature of the other's face. Hongjoong's heart skipped a beat as warmth swept over his body like a warm breeze.

He understood the look in Seonghwa's eyes. Though he had only known the beautiful man for a short time, he felt like he had known him for an eternity, and he knew those eyes─ which only seemed to look at him in such a way ─held the desire to protect and cherish him.

He thought back to Seonghwa's words at Rosé's house: how Mingi could think to kill something as beautiful as you...

"I knew you were different," Hongjoong whispered, his eyes falling on the lips he longed to have against his, heart throbbing in his chest for the desire to deepen and strengthen the connection between them.

Seonghwa cupped Hongjoong's face in his large hands and slowly shifted his face closer, "Do you feel safe?" his question but a breathy whisper.

Hongjoong's eyelids fluttered shut as they shared the same breath, riding the gentle wave of peaceful bliss, a special moment just between them, as if nothing else in the world were more important.

"Yes,"

Hongjoong's nose gently bumped Seonghwa's and his lips willingly parted as they found his in a ghosting kiss when Seonghwa spoke, "You are mine now, and I will protect you at any cost."

And with that, their lips connected, sealing the promise of Seonghwa's words with delicate pecks and gentle touches, and Hongjoong knew he never wanted to let go.

A/N: Are you guys enjoying this short story? Personally, I prefer Joong as a more dominant, feisty character, but this time we got soft Joongie <3

Thank you for reading <3 so far and look out for my Seongsang short story "Sinful" coming October 2020