Hongjoong found Seonghwa in a field of flowers. They were on a hill in the middle of a mighty mountain landscape. It reminded him of the alps in Europe, with their sheep herds and little brown huts strewn around like legos. Their surroundings were painted by colourful splotches of yellow and white.

Seonghwa stood in his uniform. His empty gaze was directed into a far distance, unseeing of the world around him. The expression was unfitting from such a beautiful spot. Hongjoong wondered where that dread he suffered came from. The monitor had said running, but the still picture remained serene and unbothered.

Hongjoong walked up to Seonghwa shyly. The wind ruffled through his hair and whipped his jacket back as he joined the man's side.

"Beautiful dream you have here."

Seonghwa didn't comment on the stumbling statement. He just chuckled, with meagre enthusiasm behind it.

"It will change soon. I can feel it." His eyes scanned the sky, the quickly accumulating clouds covering its blue expanse. "And also, you are here," he added. This time, his smile was more genuine.

Hongjoong copied it right away.

"Yeah, I tend to give these things away."

For a while longer, Hongjoong relished in the magnificent sight. No city nearby, not a single human soul. Just him and Seonghwa up on that hill. The higher gods thought fondly of this spot. They had crafted it with exceptional diligence.

"I heard you're taking some time off work."

Seonghwa hummed in agreement. When Hongjoong studied his profile from the side his eyes trailed over the slope of Seonghwa's nose, the curve of his cheeks. His lips had thinned, taking some of their usual pillowy fullness away.

"I am. It might be good for you. Less dead bodies and anxiety in my dreams."

Hongjoong doubted those developed only from work. The execution had meant Seonghwa's loss of purpose in his job. His heart hadn't taken kindly to that.

"It's only for a while, right? And taking care of your grandmother is a noble thing to do," Hongjoong reminded him diplomatically.

Once more, Seonghwa just affirmed him. No thought that he could share with Hongjoong passed his eyes.

"Right. She has nobody else."

When thunder rolled in the distance, Hongjoong cast a brief glance over his shoulder. Ominous clouds hung to the mountain tops and shrouded the world in darkness.

Hongjoong began to walk downhill slowly, and Seonghwa followed. The grass was less soft than before under Hongjoong's feet.

"What are we listening to today?"

For a second, both of them concentrated their ears on the faint music. It came from the mountains and echoed in the steep valleys sweetly.

"Just a playlist I found online. I didn't check what it was."

Wistful, the piano sang its song. Nobody listened apart from them. A lonely call in the distance.

Hongjoong wanted to search for its source. Wanted to find the piano that played such sad tunes and sit down to pay it company. It deserved someone who listened to it.

"Do you like it?"

For the first time, Seonghwa turned his head to look at him. In his dream, dark shadows painted his hollow features. They sunk his eyes deeper into their caves, making them look tired and weary.

"I do."

Their steps quickened when faint rain drizzled onto their faces. Hongjoong didn't know where they were going. They had no goal in mind as they descended from the mountain.

Behind them, emerging from solid rock and untouched nature came something dark. Formless and sinister. Hongjoong didn't need to look back to know he wouldn't see anything. The fear of Seonghwa's heart tonight was rooted deeper. Nothing physical Hongjoong could shoot at.

By the time a little wooden hut came into sight on a flattened hill, the rain had drenched them to the bone. Big drops splashed into their faces, making their hair and clothes cling to them. By now, Hongjoong and Seonghwa stumbled down the hill as fast as they could. The darkness came with cold and bottomless evil in its wake. Like a storm cloud about to swallow them up.

When Seonghwa nearly fell once, Hongjoong's hand shot out to him automatically. Instantly, the man responded, pulling himself back up with Hongjoong's help.

He didn't let go of his hand afterwards.

Seonghwa's fingers were icy, but they warmed in Hongjoong's smaller hand.

They arrived at the flat heaving for breath. Hongjoong took the lead and pulled Seonghwa along, right over to the hut. The door was only a few steps away.

"Do you want to leave? You can bring us right home," Hongjoong reminded Seonghwa. He stretched his hand out for the handle. It was unlocked as they stumbled in.

Hongjoong slammed the wooden door shut behind them once they were in. As he leaned against it heaving, he let go of Seonghwa's hand.

Thunder rolled above them. For a split second, the cabin was lit brightly before the dark twilight outside doused them again. Ever so unstoppable, the rain thrummed on the roof.

Hongjoong raised his eyes to look at Seonghwa.

"You wanted to stay?"

Seonghwa wrapped his arms around his torso. Shivering, he peeled the black uniform from his skin to let it snap right back wetly.

"I didn't want you to leave just yet."

Softened, Hongjoong slipped from the door to step past him. The little lighter he usually carried in his pocket slipped out of it when he tilted it to light the fireplace. Some wood still rested nearby. It was dry enough to burn immediately. The room wrapped in warm orange light.

Seonghwa stood at the window with a furrowed brow as he stared outside.

"How come? It means worse sleep for you." Hongjoong shrugged his jacket off. The leather had protected him from the rain, mostly. He put it over the chair at the tiny table for two people. In his sheer red shirt he wore underneath, he shivered. The fire spent warmth as he directed his hands in its direction.

"I like your company. Even if I had a better dream afterwards, I would probably still feel lonely. You being an actual person eases that solitude."

"Do you sleep alright when alone?"

Seonghwa shook his head as he also came over. He had unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt to expose some skin to the warm fire. Hongjoong detected the elegant slope of his collarbone peeking out in the middle.

"No. I'm the type of person who needs something to cling to in order to feel safe. A pillow usually does the job, but I learned that there is nothing quite as soothing as a person's warmth to calm me during my nightmares."

That wasn't uncommon. According to Wooyoung, Seonghwa had no pets either. Even though a friend like Berry would likely do a great service in aiding his troubles.

"I could hug you. If it makes you feel better," Hongjoong offered awkwardly. He doubted that an in-dream hug, while both of them were dripping wet and shivering from the cold, was what Seonghwa needed. And yet, a gentle smile spread on the man's face. The light flickered over them as if dancing on his defined features.

"I would love you to. But I don't want to be too comfortable so I don't wake up."

"Is being trapped in a nightmare better than returning to your real life right now?"

Seonghwa kept quiet. His unseeing eyes remained fixated on the dancing fire.

At the pull of his heart in his chest, Hongjoong spun to face him. The muscle gave a faint squeeze when Seonghwa's pain poured into Hongjoong. As soon as he stretched his arms out, however, it quickened its beat.

Seonghwa startled at the first touch. When Hongjoong's arms wrapped around his body, however, he sunk into the hug willingly. Cold and clammy, they pressed against each other, preserving the little heat they had. Seonghwa's head dropped onto Hongjoong's shoulder. Delicate fingertips dug into Hongjoong's back.

"You just haven't noticed him yet, but there is an axe murderer outside," Hongjoong hummed in Seonghwa's ear. The man stiffened when a harsh knock on the door followed instantly.

"But he can't get in here. Because I locked the door."

It made no sense, but that didn't matter. Seonghwa simply accepted that a man with a literal axe was entirely incapable of opening that door. He stayed outside, never ceasing his anxiety-inducing hammering. While on edge, Seonghwa wisely kept him outside.

"Call him whenever you need me to stay. You don't have to say it. You just have to fear him deliberately." Hongjoong sunk into the faint smell of flowers on Seonghwa. He never wanted to let go of the taller man, especially not when Seonghwa sneakily dried them off to increase their comfort.

"What's his name?"

"Yeosang. Just tell me whenever you need Yeosang and we can make it work."

Seonghwa's arms tightened around Hongjoong's frame, happy. His shaky exhale brushed against Hongjoong's neck and had him shudder.

"I will, thank you."

For a few moments, they just stood there. Engulfed by each other and deaf to the crashing and rumbling outside. Their hearts beat against each other fastly as they tried to find a tandem. Hongjoong doubted that his nervousness matched Seonghwa's fear. The beats felt different.

Undoubtedly, Seonghwa noticed it, too. But he didn't allude to it. He knew Hongjoong wasn't afraid.

When after a few moments of bliss Seonghwa shifted in Hongjoong's arms, the man instantly pulled back politely. However, Seonghwa's fingers spread out to keep him from fleeing.

"Let's sit down," Seonghwa asked quietly. Reassured that it hadn't ended yet, Hongjoong tugged him over to the bed. All furniture was squeezed tightly to fit into the little hut, but Seonghwa's mind made it work. The room was larger from the inside than the outside.

Hongjoong dimly registered that it was a double bed. Constructed by Seonghwa's mind for two people to sleep there.

They sunk onto the soft mattress. Before Hongjoong got to look down at his lap awkwardly to figure out how to initiate another hug, Seonghwa already wrapped him into his arms again. His soft sigh had Hongjoong's heart melt into a puddle of hot goo. Once more, his arms draped around Seonghwa's narrow waist.

"This is wonderful. A great hug for a nightmare." Seonghwa muttered the words into Hongjoong's shoulder. Sitting like this side by side, hugging was a fumbling awkwardness. But yet, their warm bodies leaning into each other was the sweetest bliss.

Seonghwa put his head on Hongjoong's shoulder. His hair tickled the man's chin. Holding him close, Hongjoong settled his cheek against the crown of his head ever so lightly. Like a soft pillow, Seonghwa's hair cushioned him.

For a while longer, they shared the atmosphere. It wasn't the best, with the thunder and Yeosang outside creating a constant disturbing background ambience. Some sudden noises startled Seonghwa, but he didn't deteriorate from his hug.

Hongjoong kept his eyes watchful and open as he glanced around the room. He checked if all water stayed outside, if the fire was still in its place, and that no snakes shot out between the wooden floorboards unexpectedly.

And also, he distracted himself from the handsome man that leaned in his arm. Every fibre of his being was keenly aware of how close Seonghwa was. How his breath brushed Hongjoong's collarbone, and how his lashes had fluttered shut as he rested in their embrace. Like a sponge, he soaked up all warmth and compassion Hongjoong had to give.

Gradually, Hongjoong weakened, too. His focus strayed from the room more and more. Instead, his eyes trailed over the curve of Seonghwa's cheek that looked extra soft from this angle. Over the tip of his nose, and his slightly parted lips.

Hongjoong didn't know what it was with the man today, but he looked extraordinarily kissable. The fact that he was so near and trusted Hongjoong only fed into that.

It would be so easy to dip his head and kiss him.

As if captured in a trance, Hongjoong leaned down. Like a willing doll, Seonghwa adjusted to the new angle. His face shifted towards Hongjoong, a sweet temptation.

When Seonghwa felt Hongjoong's flat breaths brushing over his lips, his lids drifted open. No surprise crossed his eyes, no dislike. Instead, he just watched as Hongjoong insecurely inched closer.

Ultimately, Hongjoong gathered all of his courage to close the gap between them and brush his lips against those of the other man in the faintest of touches.

But just as their lips were about to meet, the dream abruptly ended. Hongjoong's face met the pillows of the psycho room.

For a moment, he laid there dumbfounded. His heart raced in his throat as his mind tried to come up with an explanation. Had the dream dissolved without him noticing? Had Seonghwa panicked and jolted awake?

Dread filled Hongjoong's stomach like a foul seed that stretched its evil tendrils towards his heart. He stumbled outside, glad that San wasn't there.

One pm at noon. All monitors were empty of data.

Disbelieving, Hongjoong dropped in his chair. Then, he buried his glowing face in his hands. His heart threatened to burst, feeling feverishly hot and pulsating at the same time.

Seonghwa's alarm had woken him up.

And Hongjoong wanted to sink into the ground from fluster.