clover || seongjoong

four

as days went by, hongjoong and seonghwa had less and less time for each other. time seemed to loop and simultaneously slip out of their hands.

running after the clock's hands, it seemed pointless. but hongjoong couldn't stop. he looked for any free few seconds that would let him spend at least a few short minutes with his boyfriend.

his boyfriend who seemed to be affected by stress a little too much.

they weren't as close as they used to be. seonghwa trying to perfect his art style, spending hours and hours in front of his computer and desk. but whatever wouldn't happen, hongjoong still understood his need to work, his stubbornness. he would still understand him

at least that's what he kept saying to himself.

because he promised seonghwa that he'd always be there for him no matter how difficult the hardships were.

__✤,

hongjoong just came back from the shop, done getting groceries as usual. he took his sneakers off and placed them on the floor under the wardrobe. his eyes got stuck for a while on the place where seonghwa's shoes were laying.

the older boy hasn't left the flat in a few days, and even if he did, the cycle would repeat soon after. hongjoong shook his head, throwing all of his thoughts in the corner and headed to the kitchen, unpacking everything there.

then suddenly a loud, sharp noise reached his ears, making the crouching boy turn into a petite hedgehog that hid himself away from the danger. with only one exception - he had no spikes.

"sorry, my hand slipped off of the door knob. i didn't mean to make that much noise" seonghwa threw, as he left his room, which by now had became a cave permanently inhabited by him. he reached the counter and cracked a smile at his favorite snacks laying there. his eyes dropped to the ground where he noticed his boyfriend hugging his knees and hiding his face behind them.

all of sudden hongjoong felt something touch his right knee and guessed that was seonghwa. however, he didn't move. it kind of confused the older one - usually his lover would open up to him with one single move coming from the latter.

he guessed he had to do more than usual.

"did i scare you?" seonghwa softly spoke as he tilted his head, patiently waiting for an answer. it's absence began to bug him. he rolled his eyes and scratched his temple, trying his best to come up with an efficient set of words.

"i'm sorry baby, i didn't mean anything bad. will you look at me now?" seonghwa asked, rubbing his boyfriend's thigh with an overflowing amount of care, though the eye roll he did just a second ago showed quite an opposite attitude.

hongjoong turned his head to the right. his eyes focused on the soothing touch he had been given, he finally felt at peace. he laid his palm on the older one's hand and planted a soft peck on it. gently surrounding it with his thin fingers, their tips still all covered in rosy shades because of the low temperature outside, he picked it up and placed it on his right cheek.

melting into the warmth and delicacy that came from his beloved one, hongjoong finally smiled and whispered "i'm okay now"

seonghwa could swear he suddenly felt his pupils turning to heart shaped ones at the sight of the fragile boy in front of him, letting him take care of him. rubbing the still quite cool skin, he watched as warm roses bloomed on it. "are you sure darling?"

hongjoong nodded, his smile deepening at the adorable pet name his boyfriend added to the sentence. it felt like sprinkles on top of an already delicious ice cream, since the question showed that he actually still cared.

"come here" seonghwa moved back a bit, taking a seat on the wooden floor, spreading his arms and legs with an inviting warm stare that was glued onto his chocolate brown eyes.

hongjoong felt his heart jump from happiness, just like he himself did, right into the welcoming embrace. seonghwa swiftly managed to catch the cheek of his boyfriend with his lips, right before it got buried in his neck, placing a chaste kiss on it.

and with that, they both realized how much they missed each other's touch. how much seonghwa missed the feeling of holding a certain someone close to his heart. how much hongjoong missed the feeling of comfort and safety while being surrounded by the strong arms of his beloved.

and now, even though it seems quite irrational to say..

they both forgot how much they love each other.