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When Seonghwa got home the following Monday, he was expected to run into a warm, empty, abode, but was surprised to see Hongjoong home. Seonghwa wasn't familiar with the other's schedule so he always assumed he had school or some shit.
So, to find Hongjoong sitting in the middle of the living room, on a massive white sheet, painting messily, made Seonghwa's eye twitch in annoyance. To make matters worse, there were three other people present, people he's never seen before.
Seonghwa stood in front of the four with his arms crossed, looking down at them. "What are you doing?"
While the unknown three looked at Seonghwa with curious stares, Hongjoong just continued his creative task, unbothered by Seonghwa's interference. "What does it look like? Look around."
"You're making a mess in my living room."
That's when Hongjoong eventually looked up at the older, "our. It's our living room. Our parents brought the place for both of us, stop being so self-centred."
"Oh really." Seonghwa laughed sarcastically. "I didn't know children could own property. Because that's what you are Hongjoong, a child."
The way the two glared at each other, caused tension to bubble, making the other three fidget. They hadn't met Seonghwa yet and they certainly weren't liking his first impression.
Not being able to control his emotions, Hongjoong flicked his paintbrush at Seonghwa. "Red, just your colour."
Seonghwa stepped back as the stainful liquid dropped down his face and the white shirt he was wearing. "You bastard. This is Armani!" He yelled, gesturing to his clothes.
"Sucks to be you." Hongjoong stuck his tongue out, further proving Seonghwa's case about the younger being childish.
Seonghwa's hands were practically shaking with the urge to strangle Hongjoong there and then, but he didn't want to stoop down to Hongjoong's level. "Quit it."
"Why? What are you gonna do?" Hongjoong urged.
Seonghwa's eyes scanned the floor accustomed with different art supplies. He grabbed a thick paintbrush, probably used for interior decorating, dipped it into some red paint and smeared it all over Hongjoong face, making the younger's mouth drop open when the liquid coated his skin. Seonghwa was bent down, face to face with Hongjoong, a smirk plastering his lips, "I think I like you better when you're covered in blood. It brings out your eyes." He wiped a strip of paint off the others cheek mockingly, "murder looks good on you."
Within seconds, Hongjoong had printed two multicoloured handprints onto Seonghwa's white shirt, pushing the other back. Since he was balancing, Seonghwa fell back, but he wasn't down for long. He dipped his hands into some blue paint without giving much thought to the colour, and drug his hands down Hongjoong's clothed chest, leaving finger marks in its trail.
Hongjoong mocked, "who's childish now?"
Allowing his pride to take over him, Seonghwa launched at the other, wrapping his painted hands snuggly around Hongjoong's neck, tackling him onto his back. He glared down at the other, "I'd watch my mouth if I were you, prince. I won't hesitate to do to you what you did to those men. I watched the footage and I must say I'm pleasantly surprised. You aren't as weak and pathetic as you seem."
"Yet you have the nerve to pin me down like this?"
"Someone needs to put you in your place."
"What makes you think I'll listen to you?" Hongjoong snickered at the other's boldness.
Seonghwa tightened his grip Around Hongjoong's neck, slightly constricting his breathing, and fed his smirk, "oh trust me," He found joy in the small chokes leaving the younger's lips, "if you think you're bad, you have yet to see what I can do."
Hongjoong clasped at Seonghwa's hands, searching for breath, and his legs fidgeted, trying to get out of the elder's trap. He was definitely intimidated, his anger quickly disposing.
Before Hongjoong could fully blackout, he watched as Seonghwa was pulled off of him by Yunho who was quickly pushed off by Seonghwa.
Yeosang stepped between the two before a fight would break out. "Stop it! All of you need to calm down." He was mainly looking at Seonghwa who just scoffed.
"This is my house. I don't remember inviting you here." The oldest pointed in Yeosang's face.
"Hey! This is Hongjoong's house too!" Wooyoung butted in with his shrill voice, starting a staring contest with Seonghwa.
Breaking the intense eye contact was the feeling of a thick splatter on Seonghwa's head, soon followed by the visual of pink paint dripping down Seonghwa's face, thick clumps getting stuck in his hair. Seonghwa turned around slowly, trying to make less of a mess, facing Hongjoong who had mischief written all over his expression; small gasps were heard from the others.
"Pink looks good on you." The younger reincorporated Seongwha's previous words.
Not caring for self-restraint anymore, Seonghwa lunged at Hongjoong once again, pinning him onto the couch, he pinned Hongjoong's arms above his head, and Seonghwa pressed his knee in between Hongjoong's legs loosely. He inched his face closer to the younger, tightening his grip on him, causing the other to whimper. Pink paint flecked onto Hongjoong's cheeks from Seonghwa's hair, creating blobbed freckles on his, now, rosy cheeks.
A few seconds passed of just the pair of them staring into each other's eyes. They found themselves, once again, searching for a sense of something in the other's deep gaze, but they found nothing, once again.
Seonghwa was dying to break through the heavy barrier that Hongjoong had built around himself. There were so many sides to him, Seoghwa didn't know whom the real Hongjoong is. The shy kid who studies music? The childish boy with a cute whine? Or the pure slayer that craved blood? Seonghwa was positive that the younger one has some interior motive and is only messing with him. Either way, Seonghwa wasn't planning on letting his guard down.
His eyes bore into Hongjoong, but his voice was directed at the other three, "You lot, leave."
"But-" Wooyoung tried to reason but was cut off by the oldest.
Seonghwa finally turned his head to look at them, "Get out!"
The authority of Seonghwa didn't affect the others, only urged them to look at Hongjoong in question. Hongjoong nodded at them, telling them that he can handle himself. The free returned the look of affirmation and started grabbing their coats and shoes before leaving the married couple alone.
"Get off me." Hongjoong tried to move under Seonghwa's grip but failed miserably. Instead, he had to watch as Seonghwa' eyes raked his figure shamelessly.
"Tell me your secret, dear Joongie." Seonghwa spoke tauntingly when he finally met Hongjoong's angry eyes again.
Hongjoong faulted slightly, "I don't have any secrets."
Once again, the younger was left to shiver under Seonghwa's intense gaze, causing him to divert his eyes elsewhere. Unfortunately, Seonghwa grabbed his jaw, now holding Hongjoong's arms up with a single large hand, forcing the blond to look at him. "There is something not quite right about you. Whether it be that you are merely a traitor, or that you really are crazy, I will find out."
Through squished cheeks and forcefully pouted lips, Hongjoong replied, "You searching empty grounds. I'm not hiding anything."
"And when I catch you out on that lie." He moved closer, his hot breath tickling Hongjoong's ear, "I'll cut out your tongue so you'll never be able to spit out another word." hypocritical much? "Drop the act, Hongjoong. I saw what you did, you can't hide from me anymore."
"Shut up." Hongjoong spat.
"You call us evil, yet you're exactly like us. So quit with this bullshit facade, and stop looking down on us as if you're an angel's child." Seonghwa was fed up. He wanted to break Hongjoong, but it was proving harder than he thought.
Hongjoong remained silent, knowing what Seonghwa was saying is all true, but he couldn't allow it to fathom in his mind, he didn't want those thoughts to build up into something unbeknownst.
Seonghwa scoffed and pulled himself away from Hongjoong, ridding the arousing image of the younger weak under him from his mind. "It's not so bad, y'know. You can be seemingly oblivious all you want, but you can't deny the fact that you love it. You love the feeling of having the power and strength over someone else, the feeling of watching the light of life fade out of your enemies eyes, or the exhilaration after a fight and the accomplishment that follows."
Just by the way it was described, Hongjoong relished in the momentary feeling. Hongjoong sat up slowly, avoiding the other's eyes. "That's the difference between you and me, Seonghwa." He stood up, scratching dry prices of paint from his skin, "you allowed yourself to be pulled into this life. I've been trying to escape it."
He didn't realise it at first, but Seonghwa noticed tears pooling in Hongjoong's eyes. He was crying. Seonghwa didn't know what to do, how do you deal with someone crying? Because Seonghwa didn't know. He was struggling to believe this was the same person who slaughtered three men Single handedly and scared another into submission seemingly just from a few words.
Seonghwa sighed, "just go and take a shower."
Hongjoong didn't move, neither of them did, at least not until they heard someone walking into their home. Neither of them looked behind them at the hallway that leads to the front door, waiting for whomever walked through the door.
"What the hell happened here?" Chanyeol's voice was loud, echoing through the large room. Then he looked at the couple, "what happened to you two?"
The pair looked at each other, completely covered in paint, and then around them. The majority of the crafts ended up on the couch and the floor, the paint staining stubbornly.
"I just brought you both a new couch. Now I need to buy another one?" Chanyeol complained to himself as he approached them. He ordered Seonghwa to sit next to Hongjoong, who he just noticed was crying. He looked at his son, "what'd you do to him?"
"Nothing."
"Clearly. Why's the kid crying?"
Seonghwa shrugged, "I don't know. He was cursing and throwing paint at me five minutes ago."
"I'm fine." Hongjoong grunted, sitting back frustratedly.
"See, he's fine." Seonghwa gestured to the boy. "Now would you enlighten us on why you've decided to pay a visit?" He completely ignored the faces Hongjoong was making behind his back.
"Your sister's birthday." That's all Chanyeol needed to say to make Seonghwa groan in disinterest.
The Park siblings weren't close at all. When Seonghwa was busy training, his sister was busy being a normal teenager. By all means, she is just as feisty as every Park in the mafia, but as a woman, she was allowed to do as she pleases.
In the mafia, the women are the backbone of the organisations. They make the important decisions and make sure everything remains in-check. They are the serpent behind the innocent flower, and that perfectly describes Seonghwa's sister.
"She has decided to throw her engagement party the same day." Chanyeol added.
"I didn't even know she was engaged." Seonghwa admitted. "What does this have to do with me?"
"She wants you both to attend."
There was a deathly silence.
"No." The married pair spoke at the same time.
Chanyeol scowled at how ridiculous they were being. "Do it for Jihyo. You haven't spoken to her in months. And she really wants you to go with your husband. She hasn't met Hongjoong yet."
"If she's anything like him." He gestured to Seonghwa, "I'd rather not meet her."
Seonghwa looked at him with furrowed brows, "you were literally crying two seconds ago. Get back to it, or would you like me to make you?" He threatened.
"I'd like to see you try."
"Enough." Chanyeol cut in. "You're going. Both of you. It's this Friday and if I don't see the pair of you attending together and getting along, I'll stick you in the torture room together for a week. Got it?"
Like two teenagers being told off, they had their arms crossed and nodded their head.
"Good." Chanyeol sighed in relief. "Get Jiyho a present or something. Make her feel appreciated. And don't threaten her fiancé." He pointed at Seonghwa.
"Fine." The raven haired spoke spitefully. "You want us to get along?" He picked up Hongjoong's hand and intertwined their painted fingers, holding up their linked hand up for his father to see clearly, "we'll show you how well we get on at that party.
Chanyeol once again couldn't hold in his disappointment and left the penthouse.
Hongjoong quickly removed his hand from Seonghwa when the man left and gave Seonghwa a confused look when he faced him. "What the hell was that about?"
"Nothing." He spoke, "he just really does my head in sometimes."
Hongjoong actually chuckled, to the raven haired surprise. It was a pleasing sound. "I could say the same about my father."
That was the first time they shared a mutual understanding. It may not be a good one, but it was one they could relate to in their messed up world.
"I'll jump in the shower first." Hongjoong got up and travelled upstairs, leaving Seonghwa to clean up the mess.
The older didn't mind, cleaning calmed him down. He walked over to pick up the paint pots when he took a moment to see what Hongjoong was painting. It was the back of a denim jacket, on it was a replica of 'the starry night' by Van Gogh. It was actually beautiful. Seonghwa traced his fingers over it, making sure not to smudge the paint. Was there really anything Hongjoong couldn't do?