Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“You’re falling behind, Joongie!” 

Seonghwa called after him, skipping ahead while his best friend — now rolling his eyes — had his hands full with an oversized cooler he had borrowed from his parents. The night was warm and pleasant, typical of summer, sometime in late July. Crickets chirped around the two, singing their usual evening song that Seonghwa found oh-so nostalgic.

Every year, they found the time to return and camp in the woods behind Hongjoong’s parents’ house — a tradition they had looked forward to since it began fifteen years ago, when they became best friends back in elementary school. The new kid walked up to a crouched, nine-year-old Park Seonghwa, who was watching a stag beetle crawl along the edge of the sandbox. 'You’re my friend now!' a prepubescent Kim Hongjoong announced with a puffed chest and a pointed finger. Seonghwa, taken aback by the brash declaration but agreeing nonetheless, was met with a wide grin missing its front teeth.

Poking at weird bugs and drawing silly faces in the dirt together during recess quickly turned into Seonghwa racing home to finish his homework on Friday nights so he could beg his mom to let him sleep over at Hongjoong’s on the weekends. And upon receiving permission from Mrs. Kim as well, the boys would set up a little tent outside, smack dab in the lawn of his friend’s backyard. As they grew older, their tent moved to the edge of the forest, then eventually a bit further in, but still in sight of the house.

In the years that followed, and as permission changed so they were only allowed to camp no more than a short walk from Hongjoong’s house, Seonghwa’s feelings changed too. That admiration for his friend melded into something more; dreams of playing games and roughhousing turned into ones of kissing and exploring each other’s bodies in a different way. And this solidified the notion Seonghwa had long known — that he was different from the other boys in class.

The night he confessed his shameful secret to Hongjoong in their tent, back in the autumn of tenth grade, had been seared into his mind forever. The memory had lingered after all those years: the image of his awkward, lanky legs tucked up against his hiccuping chest as he broke down in choked cries after one of their classmates called him a slur in front of a few others that Friday morning, one of whom was Hongjoong. And though his friend had stood up for him, his knuckles connecting squarely with the bully's jaw, Seonghwa was still petrified he would be judged. That Hongjoong would hate him, that he'd find out the intense emotions Seonghwa harbored for him and feel disgusted. But that night, and with a tight hug that was a bit out of character, Hongjoong assured Seonghwa he didn't care, and that he would always support him no matter what. That being gay wasn't a big deal, that it didn't make any difference as Hongjoong was concerned. And even though Seonghwa was comforted by his words, a small voice deep inside wished Hongjoong had followed it all up by blurting out that he somehow reciprocated Seonghwa’s feelings too.

But he didn’t, and Seonghwa shoved his crush for Hongjoong deep down, knowing their friendship was what mattered most and not worth losing. Besides, he had no idea if Hongjoong was even attracted to men; his friend never talked about his love life, crushes, or anything of the sort, not even when it came to female classmates or celebrities. And Seonghwa was always too scared to ask, knowing the heavy disappointment he'd feel if he heard he had no chance with Hongjoong.

Years had gone by since that pivotal night, and their tent was now pitched a decent hike into the forest. Since starting college, they had committed to making each camping trip a longer walk, aiming to become more at one with the wilderness and enjoy more of what the forest had to offer. Though, tonight wasn’t really about enjoying nature. Tonight was about enjoying each other’s company, catching up, and reminiscing. At least, that was Seonghwa’s goal.

“I'm falling behind because I’m the one lugging around this stupid, heavy cooler.” Hongjoong grumbled. Though despite the negative words, a smile was evident in his voice. 

Seonghwa turned on his heel, dirt kicking up as he walked backwards, a coy smile playing on his lips. Hongjoong may have loved to complain, but he usually never meant it, especially when carrying something bulky meant spending quality time with his favorite person.

At least, that was what Seonghwa liked to believe.

“Need some help?” he offered, stopping to hold a hand out to split the carrying between the two.

Seonghwa easily fell into rhythm with Hongjoong and grabbed one of the cooler's side handles, the two always in sync. The icebox swung between them, ice and cans clattering against each other and the plastic insulation as they trekked along, their campsite not much farther away.

Hongjoong took a deep breath, and Seonghwa parroted him, refreshing air that smelled faintly of pine and what can only be described as 'outdoor summer' filled his lungs.

“Can’t believe you dragged me out here,” his friend muttered absentmindedly.

Seonghwa gasped in mock offense. “Oh, don’t act like you hate it!” He gave him a playful shove on the shoulder, causing Hongjoong to bark out a laugh. “It’s tradition, Joongie! Besides, we have to celebrate your first real job!”

“Oh c’mon Hwa, it’s not that surprising that Eden offered me the position after my almost two-year internship,” the shorter man remarked, rolling his eyes.

“Still, these things deserve to be celebrated. Plus, we skipped last year when I had to go visit my grandparents. Who knows when we’ll have another chance.”

Seonghwa sighed, turning his head to look out at the forest surrounding them, dusk filtering through the trees and visibility dropping since sunset. He would have grabbed the flashlight from the tent if he’d known it'd so dark by the time they were done packing up the cooler in Hongjoong’s garage.

Hongjoong hummed in agreement, following his gaze. “Yeah, you’re right. I have missed coming here.”

The two fell into comfortable silence, lost in their own thoughts and worlds as they continued down the path. Seonghwa’s mind drifted to the future, to how their lives were going to change, hopefully for the better. He turned his head to look at Hongjoong, who was focused on the dirt trail ahead of them. Like anyone, he had changed physically over the years since they were children. He was a bit taller, though still a few inches shorter than Seonghwa, but his arms and legs had grown stronger, and his jawline had filled out into that of a grown man. More importantly, Seonghwa had seen how Hongjoong had grown as a person, as an individual with spunk and attitude and drive. He had matured, but was still just as fun and sincere as he’d always been. He was thoughtful, caring, and incredibly loyal to Seonghwa, even if he would never admit such words of praise about himself out loud.

And that was what Seonghwa had always loved about him. 

Loved.

Pushing the crush deep down didn’t matter, because spending time with Hongjoong almost every day for fifteen years meant his attraction was solidified, and those childish feelings had morphed into something stronger. But at this point, after so many years, he never expected anything more. He was more than satisfied settling for friendship, to stay by his side as his best friend.

Hongjoong turned his head, catching Seonghwa staring. 

“What is it?” he asked, eyebrow cocked.

“Uh." Seonghwa cleared his throat. "I thought I saw something behind you," he said, lying.

Hongjoong glanced to his left, then back to him, wearing a look of confusion. Seonghwa gave him a half shrug, hoping he wouldn't ask any more questions.

As they passed countless red pines, Seonghwa couldn’t help but appreciate the beauty of the forest surrounding them. He was so fortunate to live somewhere so scenic. The trees provided just the right amount of cover without being too dense, and in a couple of months they would turn gorgeous shades of yellow and orange, reminding him of a sunset. He wondered if they’d find the time to come out again in October, perhaps if Hongjoong wasn’t too busy with his new job, and Seonghwa with graduate school. Life had been easier when they were children and didn’t have adult responsibilities.

He glanced up at the sky through the branches, seeing that dusk was quickly giving way to night. The moon looked full tonight, bright enough to cast a faint glow along the trail, which helped as they were walking without a flashlight. Still, it didn’t matter much; if he remembered correctly, the campsite shouldn’t be much farther.

Which was fortunate, as Seonghwa’s arm was beginning to ache from the heavy cooler, its small handles pinching his fingers until they began feeling numb. Some weightlifting would have really come in handy right about now.

“Hey, did you hear that?”

Hongjoong’s voice snapped his attention away from the bothersome pins and needles in his fingertips, and he was practically yanked back when the shorter man stopped, Seonghwa needing to steady the cooler as to not drop it between them.

“Hear what?” Seonghwa turned to find Hongjoong looking over his shoulder at something else

“There was some shuffling behind us. It sounded weird, maybe large? Maybe what you saw before?”

Seonghwa waved him off, readjusting the cooler as drinks and ice sloshed against the tub. “Probably just a squirrel,” he dismissed. It wasn’t like he had actually seen anything.

Hongjoong gave one last cautious glance around before nodding. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

The two continued their walk again in silence, but stopped almost immediately. There was definitely something rustling nearby, something larger, shuffling and moving closer. The two men peered behind them toward the source of the noise, eyes scanning the treeline. Yet even with the bright moon, it was difficult to make out anything beyond the dark shapes of shrubs and the thick trunks of the pines. Whatever was out there was getting closer though, the shuffling beginning to sound more like footsteps.

“Maybe a bear?” Seonghwa whispered, his eyes flitting between Hongjoong’s frown and the direction of the noise.

“I’ve never seen one out here before,” Hongjoong muttered. “Let’s just keep moving. Hopefully it’ll just leave us alone.”

Seonghwa nodded, tightening his now significantly sweatier grip on the cooler. The two men made a mutual, unspoken agreement to pick up the pace, speed-walking down the path in an effort to reach their campsite as quickly as possible while lugging the most inconvenient object.

However, the sound behind them wasn’t stopping; instead, it was growing louder the faster they moved, like something large galloping or running toward them. It was as if their speed was only urging the animal on, like prey being chased down by a predator. Did bears really hunt like this, stalking their prey and giving chase?

All logical thought processes went out the window when Hongjoong shot him a fearful look, and Seonghwa knew they had to run. He remembered tucking bear spray somewhere near their sleeping bags; they just had to get back to camp. Running while carrying the icebox only made the experience ten times more uncomfortable, the heavy container repeatedly bumping against Seonghwa’s thigh.

It was almost snatched out of Seonghwa’s hand, the ribbed plastic handles tearing into the tips of his fingers when Hongjoong abruptly stopped. “Ack! Wha-”

“Shh, listen,” His friend held his hand out in a ‘stop’ gesture, glancing behind them and staring out at the dark landscape. 

"I don't hear anything," Seonghwa whispered.

"Yeah, exactly."

The forest was completely devoid of sound around them. No more thunderous footsteps, not even crickets — just the wind pushing through the rustling pines.

“Maybe it left?” Seonghwa shifted his uneasy gaze between his friend and the landscape beyond.

As Hongjoong opened his mouth to respond, it was as if the world slowed to a crawl. From the corner of Seonghwa’s eye, he registered a dark blur, at least double their size, moving into frame. The next thing he felt was the full weight of the cooler dropping into his hand, which then slipped from his grip and plummeted straight to the ground.

A shriek — unclear who it came from — pierced the landscape as the blur tackled Hongjoong to the ground. Seonghwa watched in horror as his friend screamed and thrashed, while something inhuman sounded from the creature as it pinned him down, before it took off, fleeing between the trees as quickly as it had appeared. Seonghwa gasped, left staring at Hongjoong, who laid flat on his back on the dirt trail and wheezing, one hand clutching his shoulder where the animal was attached to him.

“Hongjoong!” 

The cooler lay abandoned on the trail, ice and drinks scattered around it. Seonghwa hopped over the cans and dropped to his knees beside his friend. “Oh my God, are you okay?!” he cried, taking in the full extent of the damage. Hongjoong’s shirt, an old, cream band tee, was stained a deep crimson around the neckline where blood had begun to soak through. His hand, clutching his shoulder, was slick with red, droplets trailing down toward his elbow. His arms were scraped up as well, likely from the fall, though it was hard to tell the true extent of his injuries beneath his clothes and the layer of dirt now covering his skin and mixing with the blood.

Hongjoong coughed, groaning as he curled in on himself. He pulled his hand away from his shoulder, trembling as he lifted it to look at the blood. “What the fuck just happened?” he asked, hissing as he quickly brought his hand back to clutch his shoulder.

“I- I don’t know! It was the bear — it came out of nowhere!” Seonghwa reached toward Hongjoong’s shoulder, trying to peel back his shirt to see past all the blood, but the latter flinched, and Seonghwa quickly retracted his hand in worry. “Oh God, Joongie… did it bite you?”

Hongjoong swallowed hard, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead under the full moon’s light filtering through the pines. His chest heaved with gasps for air as he nodded, muttering, “I think so.”

“Let me see,” Seonghwa insisted with as much patience as he could muster. Hongjoong met his eyes, pain and worry etched across his face, but soon nodded in consent, grunting as he pulled his hand away from the wound again to grip Seonghwa’s forearm.

The shirt was torn at his shoulder where he’d been attacked, the stained fabric barely hanging where the gash looked deepest. Seonghwa carefully reached over, stretching the T-shirt’s collar away from his neck to get a better look at the wound. It was a distinct bite mark, larger than a human’s — clearly an animal’s. Blood oozed steadily from each puncture where teeth must have sunk into muscle.

Hongjoong’s breathing was shallow, his face drained of all color, including the rosy flush he’d had earlier while struggling with the cooler. “I think we need to take you to the hospital,” Seonghwa muttered, trying to hide the obvious shake in his voice and swallowing down the nausea that threatened to bring up the protein bar he’d eaten a little while ago. He wasn’t used to seeing so much blood, and the only thing keeping him upright was the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Seonghwa carefully let the shirt fall back into place, making sure it didn’t brush against the wound.

Hongjoong swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing before he spoke, his voice hoarse. “Okay.”

It hit Seonghwa just how much danger they were in. He whipped his head around, searching for any flash of eyes or sign of the beast watching — waiting to attack again. This bear, or whatever it was, had clearly developed a taste for human blood. It could come back at any moment, finish the job, and take Seonghwa down too. They needed to get out of the woods.

Seonghwa slowly stood, trying to steady his racing heart and make sure he wasn’t about to pass out before bending down to help Hongjoong up. Hongjoong reached up, weakly interlocking his cold fingers with Seonghwa’s, the blood staining his skin now sticky as it dried. Dirt was mixed into it, caking his palms and gathering under his nails. “Careful,” Seonghwa said, trying not to rush him too much as he guided Hongjoong into position. He crouched so the smaller man could lift his good shoulder and wrap his arm around Seonghwa’s neck, grunting once he was fully supported.

“Just leave the cooler. I’ll come back for our stuff later,” Seonghwa said, as if Hongjoong were in any position to pick it up and lug it home. The priority was to get out as fast as possible.

The two started the short hike back to the house, with Seonghwa checking in on Hongjoong every couple of steps and readjusting his grip to give him more support, all while moving as fast as he could without risking further injury. He had to bend down slightly to stay at his friend’s level, which, though uncomfortable, was nothing compared to the pain Hongjoong must have been feeling. Hongjoong stayed quiet except for the occasional grunt of pain or acknowledgment.

Another fear settled deep in Seonghwa’s bones, alongside the possibility of the animal attacking again — that his friend was going to bleed out. Given how much blood covered Hongjoong’s upper body and hands, there were likely major arteries in his shoulder that may have been severed… Not to mention the bacteria or viruses the bite may have introduced. They needed to get back to the house as fast as possible, get Hongjoong into his clunky little sedan, and speed to the nearest emergency room.

The forest around them was eerily quiet, not even the birds’ and crickets’ evening song having returned after the attack. Seonghwa was on edge, hyper-aware that there was some kind of large, hostile animal out there that wasn’t afraid to attack humans unprompted, ready to strike anything that caught its attention. He knew running with the cooler had been a bad idea; they should have stayed calm or tried to scare it off. It probably thought the two of them were deer or something. But since it fled, there had been no sign of it. The shuffling was gone, and the only sounds were the crunch of pine needles beneath their feet and the rustle of Hongjoong’s sneakers dragging along the dirt.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the creature was toying with them like a child with its food. Relief wouldn’t come until they were safely inside Hongjoong’s house, or preferably checked into the emergency room.

“Almost there, Joongie,” Seonghwa whispered, willing his uncooperative face into as relaxed a smile as he could muster through all the panic he felt. It didn’t matter, though, because Hongjoong was too focused on the trail below, likely a coping mechanism for the distressing pain and shock he was in.

The walk felt like it had taken over an hour, and the relief Seonghwa felt upon seeing the house come into view past the pines was quickly replaced by worry that they could still be attacked again, and the fact that he still needed to get Hongjoong help. Would calling an ambulance be better, he wondered, but Hongjoong’s house was up a series of winding back roads, and Seonghwa knew these roads better than his own neighborhood. Driving Hongjoong himself would be best, and he would do whatever was necessary to get his friend help, even if that meant breaking a few laws and speeding.

As he urged Hongjoong up the wooden deck stairs, carefully maneuvering him around the patio furniture, Seonghwa hurried them to the back door, fumbling to open it before realizing they had locked it before leaving. He reached into Hongjoong’s front jean pocket and was relieved to find his house keys, grateful they hadn’t fallen out in the scuffle.

“I’m going to grab my keys and wallet,” Seonghwa said as they stepped inside the dark house. Hongjoong’s parents had left to visit his brother, who lived a few hours away in a town Seonghwa always forgot the name of. He carefully slipped out from under Hongjoong’s arm and gently guided him down to sit on the edge of the couch. “I’ll be back in two seconds.”

Hongjoong nodded, his hand drifting back up to clutch his shoulder. He was hunched over, and Seonghwa could see his back straining as he fought to draw breath. Turning his gaze to the window overlooking the backyard, Seonghwa squinted; in the pale moonlight it was hard to see, especially at this distance, but he could’ve sworn he saw movement at the treeline.

No matter. They were safe in the house, and would be even safer once they were in his car.

Seonghwa jogged to Hongjoong’s room to grab his things from his backpack. He unzipped the front pocket, quickly finding the wallet, and then desperately searched for his car keys to no avail. He rifled through the rest of the bag, but still couldn’t find them.

“Where are they?” he huffed, tossing his bag down in frustration. Seonghwa turned to check the pocket of his hoodie draped over the desk chair across the room, rifled through Hongjoong’s unmade bed, which was now a tangled mess, and even looked under the dresser in case they had fallen. Still nothing. “Fuck,” he swore under his breath, cursing himself as he realized he must have left them in the tent. Okay, whatever. It would be faster and safer to take Hongjoong’s car than run back to the tent and risk dying out in the woods alone.

He sprinted back to the living room, wallet in hand. “Joongie, we’re going to take your ca-” Seonghwa froze mid-sentence, finding the couch empty and Hongjoong not where he had left him. Alarm bells rang in his mind as he imagined the worst — that his friend had gotten up and collapsed somewhere, unconscious and probably bleeding out. Or even more horrifying, that the animal had somehow made its way inside, taking Hongjoong and mauling him, shredding him apart while he screamed for-

"Seonghwa."

Seonghwa practically jumped out of his skin upon hearing his name muttered behind him. Spinning on his heels, he came face-to-face with Hongjoong, a slightly terrifying silhouette in the darkness of the house. “Jesus Christ!” Seonghwa clutched his chest, trying to calm his skyrocketing heart rate from the jump scare. “I told you to stay on the couch!” In the dark, Seonghwa could barely make out Hongjoong’s features. “We need to take you to the hospital.”

“Let’s just stay,” Hongjoong said, his voice quiet.

“What?” That was the last thing Seonghwa expected to hear. “Joongie, you were attacked by a wild animal! What if you got rabies or something? We need to take you to the hospital!”

Hongjoong didn’t move. Seonghwa could feel his eyes boring into him even in the darkness, and it filled him with a sense of dread and some weird feeling he could not explain. Beyond the injury, beyond the circumstances, something was clearly not right.

“C’mon, Hongjoong.” He reached out and gently grabbed his friend’s hand, trying to lead him toward the garage. But Hongjoong stayed firmly planted in place.

“No.”

Seonghwa spun back around, exasperated and frustrated by Hongjoong’s sudden stubbornness when he had clearly not been okay just moments earlier.

“The bite, it- it needs to be cleane-!”

“Just clean it here.”

“It’s deep! You're probably going need stitche-”

“We can go to the hospital tomorrow.”

“Joongie, I really don’t think that’s a good idea! You were not oka-”

“Enough!” Hongjoong snapped, and Seonghwa recoiled from him, reaching over and flicking on the kitchen lights. His eyes were blown wide, and Seonghwa could now see that the hand that had been clutching his shoulder was balled into a tight fist at his side. Hongjoong cleared his throat, averting his gaze. “S-sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. I, um, I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

All Seonghwa could do was stare at him in response, caught off guard by his friend’s behavior. Never in their fifteen years of friendship had Hongjoong yelled at him like that.

Without saying anything, Seonghwa watched as Hongjoong loosened his fists. “I’m not in that much pain anymore… and I’m just… really tired. I’d rather hang out here than spend hours at the ER.” Hongjoong bit his lip as he spaced out, staring off to the side. His shirt and arms, from elbows to fingertips, were covered in dried blood, now flaking onto the rug below.

Before Seonghwa had a chance to come up with an argument, Hongjoong pushed past him, robotically moving toward his bedroom.

And Seonghwa mechanically followed after, his mind reeling with questions, like what the hell had just happened? What had come over Hongjoong so suddenly, to flip his demeanor completely 180 degrees? He had to be in shock or something, because that wasn’t normal, and it only made Seonghwa feel worse. Some ferocious, wild animal had ambushed him, torn into his shoulder, and Hongjoong was just going to act like everything was fine? Besides the physical damage to his muscles or tendons, or whatever other important bodily structures those sharp teeth must've destroyed, Seonghwa knew for a fact that whatever that thing was, it had to be carrying some kind of disease. His friend needed to be checked out by a medical professional.

Hongjoong flicked on the bathroom light and swung open the medicine cabinet above the sink. Grabbing a brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a roll of gauze from beside it, he placed them on the counter. Through the reflection, Seonghwa could see his eyes were unsteady, darting between the items in front of him and the toilet a short distance away. Seonghwa reached out, placing a gentle hand on Hongjoong’s unaffected shoulder in an attempt to calm him, causing Hongjoong to snap up and meet his gaze through the mirror.

“Let me,” Seonghwa said, gesturing for Hongjoong to take a seat on the closed toilet. If his friend refused to go to the hospital right this instant, maybe cleaning the wound would buy Seonghwa enough time to figure out a way to properly calm him down enough that he could be convinced.

Fortunately for him, Hongjoong yielded and moved to sit on the edge of the toilet. His breathing was still unsteady, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths as he stared down at the plush bathmat beneath his shoes. As Seonghwa gathered the supplies, Hongjoong, without hesitation, peeled his shirt off and tossed it onto the floor beside the tub. Seonghwa widened his eyes, taking in his friend, now bare-chested, and hated that even in an emergency he still felt the need to avert his gaze, warmth creeping up his cheeks. His friend had just been in a horrible accident, and here he was, feeling embarrassed?

This was maybe the first or second time he had ever seen him without a shirt on, as Hongjoong had always opted to keep one on when they went swimming or would change in the privacy of a closet or the bathroom during sleepovers.

Then again, there was no way Seonghwa could properly clean the wound without the garment being removed. Luckily, Hongjoong didn’t seem to notice Seonghwa’s clear discomfort as he took a seat, still seemingly lost in his thoughts or pushing through the obvious anxiety he was radiating.

Under the warm bathroom lighting, the wound was clearly an animal bite. Large, likely from a carnivore, its canines leaving distinct indentations where they had sunk into the muscle. Did bears leave such distinct bites as this? Didn’t they usually tear prey apart with their claws?

Seonghwa gulped, dousing a cotton ball with a generous amount of hydrogen peroxide. “This might sting a little,” he murmured before carefully swiping it over the wound. He expected Hongjoong to flinch, knowing even a paper cut burned when disinfected, but his friend stayed perfectly still, aside from his leg bouncing restlessly. “Doing okay?”

Hongjoong snapped his head up, staring wide-eyed, but not quite seeing him. "F-Feels fine, like water. It doesn't hurt."

"You don't need to lie," Seonghwa muttered.

"I'm not."

Seonghwa shook his head and continued wiping away the blood and dirt from the wound. With every swipe, the state of the injury became clearer. And it looked… okay? The bite wasn’t oozing, nor was it as inflamed as Seonghwa would have expected. In fact, was it even possible that it already looked kind of healed? As if Hongjoong had received it several days prior rather than less than an hour ago?

Were his eyes playing tricks on him? Maybe the wound had never been as severe… But then again, Hongjoong was clearly in immense pain before, having struggled to stand and walk on his own while they were out in the woods.

With a nervous swallow, Seonghwa finished cleaning it as best he could, pouring a generous amount of peroxide over the wound to wash out the dirt, watching the liquid trickle down Hongjoong’s chest and stomach. Seonghwa licked his lips. He had no idea what he was doing, not really sure how to properly clean an animal bite like this. Would this really be enough to stave off bacteria and disease?

With no visible dirt left in the indentations and the bite looking as clean as possible for an open(?) wound, Seonghwa smeared antibacterial ointment over it and carefully covered it with a large sterile gauze pad, taping it down. He stepped back to get a better look at his work and cringed upon realizing the rest of Hongjoong’s upper body was still caked in dirt and blood.

"Damn it, we should've done this after you washed off."

Seonghwa tossed the bloodied cotton balls and used medical supplies into the small trash bin next to the toilet before turning to the sink. He bent down and opened the bottom cabinet, where he knew Hongjoong’s mom kept extra towels. “Let me get a rag and clean you up."

"It's fine, I'll just shower." Out of the corner of his eye, Seonghwa saw Hongjoong stand abruptly, where he then pulled down his pants with no hesitation. Both jeans and boxers were now bunched at his ankles, and the rest of his body was bare, out on display.

Seonghwa immediately felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment, quickly turning around to avoid looking at his crush, who was now very suddenly naked, just an arm’s reach away. In the process, he bumped his head on the sink counter. “Ow- shit! Joongie!” He clutched his throbbing head, facing the bathroom door as his neck and cheeks burned with shame. “Can you give me a warning!?”

He glanced back just enough to see Hongjoong’s expression as he looked down at his unclothed body, eyebrows knitted in confusion. “I… I don’t know why I did that.” He stood there as if thinking deeply about something before turning and stepping into the glass shower. Seonghwa let out a steady breath when he heard the water turn on.

“Don’t get the bandage wet. Let me know if you need help.”

“Okay,” Hongjoong muttered, as if his mind was elsewhere.

Seonghwa sighed. "I'm going to get you some clean clothes." He slipped out of the bathroom once receiving a grunt of acknowledgement.

Hongjoong’s behavior was strange, to say the least. Removing his shirt can be easily explained as necessary to having an injury be cleaned, but removing everything else and standing in front of Seonghwa completely nude? And then acting like he hadn’t done it on purpose?

It wasn’t like Hongjoong to mess around like that, especially when he knew how much things like this worried Seonghwa. Something deep in Seonghwa’s gut told him his friend wasn’t joking, that he genuinely had no idea why he had gotten undressed.

Then it had to be anxiety, or something mental, Seonghwa concluded. Hongjoong was putting up a brave front so as not to appear vulnerable in front of him, not that it was really working, but now was not the time for such foolish behavior. After being brutally attacked by some wild animal, Hongjoong had every right to feel afraid. He needed to let himself be helped, to be taken to the hospital and have his wound be properly checked out.

Then again, the bite looked surprisingly okay. It wasn’t bleeding… it wasn’t that deep… it didn’t even look that fresh. But a dirty animal bite was still exactly that — dirty. An infection was still a very real possibility, including rabies, and Seonghwa would never be able to forgive himself if, God forbid…

Pulling out his phone, Seonghwa opened the search engine and typed:

“how long can you wait before getting a rabies shot?”

Rabies shots should be given as soon as possible after exposure, ideally within 24 hours.

He let out a deep breath he didn't realize he was holding. The urgency to go to the hospital immediately, as he had thought was the best course of action, was no longer there, but Seonghwa decided it would still be best to take Hongjoong sometime tonight. If he didn’t want to go right away, then fine, Seonghwa would give him an hour or so to relax. And hopefully the warm shower would calm him down further so he wasn’t so out of it.

He walked over to the bedroom window and pulled the blinds aside to take a peek outside. For a second, he worried something, or someone, would be standing on the other side, as if waiting to be seen. But there was nothing; the backyard looked completely normal in the pale moonlight.

Seonghwa couldn't shake the paranoia and feeling of being watched, so he opted to distract himself with the task at hand, opening Hongjoong’s top dresser drawer to grab a clean pair of dark boxers, followed by sweatpants from the middle drawer, and an old worn drama club T-shirt from their high school in the bottom drawer. Seonghwa gripped the fabric, memories of his friend nailing and drilling sets together while the shirt clung to his sweaty torso flooding his mind. He hadn’t realized back then that friends weren’t supposed to look at each other that way, and the thought made him feel uncomfortable, like some sort of pervert. And now, seeing Hongjoong naked while he was clearly unwell made him feel even more disgusted about his unrequited feelings.

The shirt moved up to his nose almost unconsciously. It smelled of the familiar laundry detergent this house used, a comforting anchor in a moment of distress.

Seeing Hongjoong wear the shirt again would make him feel a bit better.

The sound of the shower shutting off pulled Seonghwa from his thoughts, and he walked over to the bathroom door with the bundle in hand. He rapped his knuckles against the wood. “All done? I have clean clothes for you.”

Seonghwa jumped back as the door swung open, revealing Hongjoong standing with a short towel tied around his waist. Steam billowed around him, carrying the scent of shampoo and body wash. Water droplets traced down his bare chest, and Seonghwa’s eyes followed them before he caught himself, just as they slipped past his nipples. With a dry swallow, he quickly averted his gaze, forcing himself to focus on the bandage as he handed over the clothes. “Here. You better not have gotten the bandage wet.”

Hongjoong reached down to untie the towel, as if to change right there, but Seonghwa’s hand shot out, gripping his wrist. “Maybe change in the bathroom," he gritted through closed teeth. His cheeks burned with shame all over again as he refused to make eye contact. Hongjoong’s hand relaxed, and he nodded before stepping back and closing the door behind him.

Seonghwa hoped Hongjoong wouldn’t take his requests personally. He knew that once he was feeling better, he’d probably be embarrassed by his actions, and Seonghwa didn’t want him thinking something strange had happened between them. He didn’t want Hongjoong to feel uncomfortable knowing his gay friend had seen him naked several times — especially if he thought Seonghwa had been ogling him or thinking too much about it.

A few moments later, Hongjoong reemerged, fully clothed, his hair still damp. He bit his lip, not quite meeting Seonghwa’s eyes. “I made sure to keep the bandage dry.”

“Good, Joongie. That’s good.” Seonghwa tried to push away the charged feelings he knew he was the only one experiencing. He cleared his throat, combing his hair back from his forehead, wishing he could take a shower himself. But he wouldn’t feel comfortable doing so when he should be supervising. That could wait until after they went to the doctor… hopefully within the next hour or two. “Do you feel comfortable going to the hospital now… or want to lie down? You said you were feeling tired…”

Hongjoong gave a half-hearted shrug, and as if on cue, a loud gurgle sounded from his stomach. “Ah, well… I’m actually kind of hungry.”

"Okay, um, I can find you something to eat. Or make something. Come on." He rested a warm hand on Hongjoong's back and ushered him towards the kitchen.

Wracking his brain for ideas on what to make, Seonghwa decided that something light would probably be best. Like toast, or crackers — easy to digest and won't irritate an already anxious stomach.

He searched through several cabinets, trying to find something that could work. There was a box of chamomile tea, whose warmth would help promote relaxation. Plus a half-opened bag of chips, but grease didn’t seem like something Hongjoong should be consuming right now. Besides that, there wasn’t really much else. It seemed like his parents had recently cleaned out the pantry or packed most of the food for their trip.

Seonghwa shifted gears, turning his focus to the fridge, hoping Hongjoong’s parents might have some leftovers that would be better than sour cream and onion potato chips. Tugging the door open, he peered inside. There was every condiment one could think of… some eggs… cherry cola… and, bingo — some leftovers. He picked up a particularly large container and pulled it open.

“Looks like there’s some soup here, and rice.” Seonghwa turned to face Hongjoong, who was leaning against the counter behind him, picking at his nails. “Want me to heat some up for you? I can make you some tea too.”

Hongjoong nodded, lifting his thumb to bite the hangnail off.

"Alright, I'll make you a bowl." Seonghwa shut the fridge and poured some soup into a ceramic bowl pulled from a cabinet. As he transferred the liquid, he could feel Hongjoong’s eyes on him, staring without saying a word. "You can sit down, I'll bring it all over once it's done." He glanced over his shoulder and saw his friend indeed watching his movements.

Seonghwa felt a bit like a doting mother, but he really had no problem caring for a sick Hongjoong. It was… domestic, allowing him to close his eyes and pretend they were something more — especially since Hongjoong was usually hard-headed and would have put his foot down about all the special treatment he was getting if he weren't so out of it.

Hongjoong's dark eyes trailed from the spoon, up Seonghwa's arm and landed on his face. Seonghwa felt like he was under a microscope.

"I, uh, just want to hang out with you," Hongjoong said after clearing the hoarseness from his throat. "This was supposed to be a fun night and I feel like I ruined it."

Seonghwa scoffed. "Joongie, you were attacked by like a bear or something. How would that even be your fault?" He placed the bowl in the microwave, the ceramic spinning under the warm light as it began heating up.

Hongjoong shrugged, pouting slightly. "Okay, but still, the night was ruined."

"It's fine. You know I'm happy when we do anything together. And we can go camping a different weekend. I'm sure you'll manage to get at least one day off with your new job." He nudged Hongjoong’s calf with his foot, and his friend reached up to scratch the back of his neck, giving a small smile.

"Yeah, yeah I'd really like that. We can't miss out on our yearly tradition."

"Exactly. So you better eat your soup and take it easy. Can't have you dying on me tonight." As if on cue, the microwave beeped behind him, signaling that the bowl was done heating up. He reached out, carefully removing it with an oven mitt.

"Want to eat at the table?" Seonghwa asked, holding it up.

"I'll just start eating here while we wait for yours to heat up."

As Seonghwa waited for his own serving to heat, he started a kettle on the stove as well, while Hongjoong eyed his bowl as if it were going to run away from him. It turned out the box had exactly two tea bags left, which was very convenient, because Seonghwa looked forward to a warm drink to soothe his own anxieties that were still crawling under his skin. Hongjoong seemed understandably out of it, and Seonghwa realized he wasn’t much better when he jumped at the kettle’s sharp whistle.

And at least once, he found himself glancing out the large, single-paned, curtain-less window over the breakfast nook that overlooked Hongjoong’s backyard. A chill ran down his spine at the thought that anyone out there could see them as clear as day, while from his angle, he could see nothing in return.

"It's far away now." Hongjoong's voice caused another jump.

"What?"

"The um, the animal. It's not close by."

He turned to face Hongjoong, who was now blowing on his soup to cool it down.

And how exactly could you know that for sure, Seonghwa wanted to ask, but the question felt pointless, because Hongjoong was probably right. The animal had fled after the attack. If it had wanted to finish the job, it would have done so immediately, while they were still out in the woods. It wasn’t going to lurk near his backyard and stake them out in the house.

Seonghwa served them each a cup of tea, along with heating up the rice once his bowl was warmed. He carried all the food over to the dining table between the kitchen and living room, setting up a small makeshift spread. Hongjoong followed after him, and the two began chowing down.

Chowing down may not be the exact right words, at least for Seonghwa. His appetite was practically nonexistent, likely from all the stress of the day. On the other hand, Hongjoong seemed ravenous. Once seated, he nearly inhaled his soup, and once finished, inhaled half the rice, at least courteous enough to leave the other portion for Seonghwa.

"You can have more if you'd like." Seonghwa gestured to his half, and Hongjoong stared at it as he seemed to really consider the offer. It wasn't like Seonghwa was going to eat much of it anyways.

"Are you sure?"

"It's fine, Joongie. I'm good with the soup."

Hongjoong looked between Seonghwa and the rice one last time, before nodding and dumping the other half in his empty bowl.

Seonghwa cocked a curious brow as he watched his friend shovel spoon after spoon of rice into his mouth, a new worry arising about him choking on such big bites.

"Slow down. There's no rush." He nudged his foot against Hongjoong's under the table.

"Hm?" Hongjoong looked up from his bowl, mouth full and white grain stuck to his bottom lip. Seonghwa hated how cute he looked, like a squirrel carb loading for winter.

Hongjoong swallowed his mouthful and promptly picked up his mug of tea. Seonghwa's eyes widened in shock as he drank the entire mug of hot liquid, hopefully not scalding anymore, in maybe three gulps. "Is there more soup left?" Hongjoong asked after slamming the now-empty mug down in satisfaction, looking clueless about his uncharacteristic behavior.

"…Yeah. There should be some left…"

Seonghwa watched helplessly as Hongjoong swiftly pushed his chair back and marched back to the kitchen to serve himself another helping.

Having a big appetite was probably a good sign.

If he was feeling genuinely sick, whether that be from an infection caused by the bite, or anxiety, Hongjoong likely wouldn't want to eat very much. The fact that he was so hungry meant that he had to, at least, feel a teeny bit better.

But when Seonghwa started thinking about it too much, he realized his friend really wasn't much of an eater. He was on the shorter side, with overall smaller proportions, and was always a one-and-done kind of person when it came to servings. Not saying he didn't eat, but just that Hongjoong loved to pick at that singular serving, always being the last one to finish at a table. And Seonghwa always had to nag him to eat his greens, which somehow managed to move around the plate but never actually made it into his mouth.

But having a big appetite was probably a good sign.

Hongjoong returned a few minutes later with another, hefty serving of soup. And by the time Seonghwa had finished his first and only bowl, Hongjoong was done with his second and already cleaning up after them.

"I don't mind washing up later," Seonghwa offered, approaching with his dirty dish, but Hongjoong waved him off and instead took the bowl from his hand and started scrubbing it.

"It's cool, Hwa. You made me the dinner, so I don't mind cleaning up."

"Well, your mom technically made the dinner," Seonghwa said, smirking as he leaned against the counter beside him. His gaze drifted back to the curtain-less window — still dark, still motionless. He looked away again, eyes catching on Hongjoong instead, where the edge of a bandage peeked out from the collar of his shirt. "So it doesn't hurt at all?"

"Hm?" Hongjoong turned to see what he was referring to. "Oh. Yeah no. Like it itches, but that's it."

"Weird," was all Seonghwa could say. How come his paper cuts or shaving nicks hurt for days on end?

Things could've been worse, though. Hongjoong could've been in excruciating pain, struggling to breathe and stand, just like how he was back in the woods. Like a strong appetite, no pain was another good sign.

In his panic, had Seonghwa's mind conjured up the severity of the situation? Was it never bad to begin with?

"Wanna watch a movie?"

"Aren't you tired?" Seonghwa glanced between Hongjoong and the microwave clock. It was a little past ten. After all that happened, even he wouldn't mind resting.

But, despite him seemingly feeling better and being in little pain, Hongjoong really should still go to the hospital for a rabies shot, and maybe some stitches.

And the longer we put off going to the hospital, the more tired I'm going to get and not feel like driving, Seonghwa thought.

Hongjoong shut off the faucet and dried his hands on the dish towel. "A movie wouldn't be bad."

He sighed, and immediately relented. "Fine." The rabies shot could be put off a little while longer, and it wasn't because the exhaustion of the day was finally setting it and sitting on the couch for two hours sounded incredibly tempting.

When the two flopped down in front of the TV, Seonghwa could already feel himself melting into the leather as Hongjoong picked up the remote and opened one of the streaming services his parents generously paid for. "How about a scary movie?" he asked with a devilish smirk, prompting a scowl from the other.

"I'm not watching a scary movie after the stressful night we just had." Seonghwa yanked the remote from his hand. He continued, “Besides, you’re a big scaredy cat, remember?”

Hongjoong huffed a laugh when Seonghwa poked him in the ribs, and grumbled a 'whatever,' rolling his eyes while trying to play it off even though he knew Seonghwa was right.

An action movie just seemed too overstimulating, and horror or thriller was again, not happening. It was bad enough Seonghwa felt an overwhelming urge to glance outside still, even after receiving Hongjoong's sympathetic reassurance. So, they landed on watching a Studio Ghibli movie that Seonghwa remembered Hongjoong obsessing over in middle school.

"Aw, I haven't seen this in years," Hongjoong remarked, clutching a throw pillow against his chest.

It was the correct choice. Hongjoong would be comforted by the nostalgia trip, and then once the movie was over and everyone was thoroughly relaxed after being distracted for several hours, they could finally get checked out at the hospital. And then Seonghwa could truly rest in peace knowing Hongjoong would be safe and fine.

Everything would be fine once the movie was over.

Except, the first obstacle revealed itself about twenty minutes into the film.

"Are you hot?"

"Huh?" Seonghwa glanced at Hongjoong, who sat an arm's reach away from him. He was using his t-shirt to fan himself, and was overall quite squirmy on his spot on the couch. "We can turn on the fan."

Hongjoong nodded, and Seonghwa reached for the fan remote he spotted on the coffee table in front of them. Cool air quickly began being pushed around the room after setting the fan to high, and always being a cold person, Seonghwa curled up under the throw blanket.

Even with the fan, Hongjoong continued to squirm. "I don't know, it's probably just the soup and tea." He switched to using the pillow to fan himself, hair blowing off his forehead with every bat.

Heat could also be a sign of infection, so another good reason to take him to the hospital once the movie was over.

Seonghwa's eyes followed Hongjoong as he soon groaned in frustration, tossing the pillow down and standing up abruptly.

He yanked his sweatpants down. "It's too hot for these." With a dry swallow, Seonghwa's eyes followed the pants as they flew in the air and landed near the TV. He didn't say a word when Hongjoong, now only sporting the hand-picked drama club tee and boxers, plopped himself back down, practically sitting on top of Seonghwa.

What was up with his friend tonight and his sudden proclivity for a lack of clothing? And the couch could fit, like, six people. Was curling up half-naked right against Seonghwa really necessary? Since when had his friend been this clingy?

Even through the thick fabric of his jeans, Hongjoong's bare thighs were radiating heat, and Seonghwa was so hyper aware of it that he seriously struggled to follow along to what was happening in the plot.

Pulling up the throw blanket even farther up his body, he tried his absolute best to focus on what was going on ahead.

Fortunately, Hongjoong quieted down after stripping. The fan on full-blast plus shedding the fleece sweats must've been enough to properly cool him down, so much so that it lulled him to sleep.

Seonghwa jolted when he felt Hongjoong's head touch down and rest on his shoulder, soft snores sounding near his ear. For a second, Seonghwa swore he couldn't breathe. And yet… it was really nice. Having Hongjoong near him like this, it made his heart soar. And he knew he was a pervert for having such thoughts, but fuck it. For once, Seonghwa wasn't going to complain. He wasn't going to beat himself up.

Instead, he was going to focus on the movie ahead and relax. And then once it was over, he was going to gently wake his friend up, and drive him to the hospital.

So with a soft smile, Seonghwa enjoyed the movie. And he felt really… good.

Seonghwa felt so good, in fact, that he no longer felt the need to check the window to see that there was indeed movement at the edge of the tree line.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡🌕☁︎ﾟ ⋆

A very strange noise reached Seonghwa’s ears and trickled into his hazy, sleep-riddled mind. Blinking his eyes open, the first thing he could make out was the credits rolling slowly down the screen. Seonghwa sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and stretching his arms behind his back, remembering where he was. Memories from earlier that evening seeped back into his mind, along with registering that the strange noise his brain couldn't comprehend while unconscious was very obviously moaning and whimpering.

Hongjoong. The attack.

“Joongie?” Seonghwa croaked, still groggy and stiff from sleep. He tried to squint and make out his friend in the dark. Between the dim lighting of the credits and the pale moonlight blanketing the room through the window, he barely made out his quivering form and not much else. He scrambled to flick on the floor lamp near the television to get a better look at his friend.

That relief and hope he had felt before falling asleep was gone. Hongjoong looked outright unwell.

He was laying back on the cushions, head listless on the armrest. His body was twisted slightly onto its side, his right leg resting over his left, though his back remained flat against the couch.“H-Hwa…” he rasped, his eyes blinking sluggishly as they rolled back before drifting downward again, as if he couldn’t properly focus. Concern flooded Seonghwa as his gaze flitted between the sheen of sweat soaking Hongjoong’s hairline and neck, and his chest that was rising and falling rapidly, like every intake and release of air was a chore.

"What's wrong? Tell me where it hurts." Seonghwa dropped to the ground, kneeling next to the couch as his hand came up to press against Hongjoong's slick forehead. The skin pressed against the back of his hand was disturbingly warm. "God Joongie, you're burning up."

It seemed like a struggle for Hongjoong to keep his lidded eyes on the man hovering above, but he still managed to speak. "I don't feel good…"

His weak voice broke something inside Seonghwa. "We're going to the hospital," he said, voice firm but it was a challenge to hide the shake that attempted to seep through.

Seonghwa knew they should've gone to the hospital right away. He knew he should've put his foot down and forced Hongjoong to go, even if he was anxious, or scared, or whatever!

And now here he was, clearly ill with an infection or something. They should've left first aid to the experts, should've gotten the rabies shot, should've gone as soon as it all had happened hours ago!

Hongjoong groaned, hand weakly reaching out to in an attempt to hold Seonghwa against his forehead. Seonghwa swallowed, biting his lip as he carefully moved Hongjoong's hand down to his side, much to his friend's dismay given the pained frown and groan of protest.

"I'm going to get your keys and then we're going."

As Seonghwa stood up to move away and fetch the car keys, Hongjoong suddenly doubled forward, hand flying to grip his chest. The grunts and gasps escaping him, paired with his wide eyes and rapid blinking, only made Seonghwa worry even more.

"What's happening? Hongjoong, tell me what's happening!" He flew back down to his side, holding Hongjoong's shoulder as he continued to jerk and curl in on himself. Seonghwa could see the white spreading under his fingernails as he pushed his palm against his chest, while his breathing was worriedly shallow.

This was clearly not the flu. Seonghwa was not equipped to help Hongjoong with whatever was going on, whether this was some sort of cardiac episode or, heaven forbid, rabies.

Fuck driving Hongjoong himself. Things were significantly more serious. He needed to call for help, needed to call for an ambulance.

Seonghwa spun to find his phone that had to have been around. He remembered it being on his lap during the movie, so it must be somewhere on the couch.

Pillows were shoved off as he desperately searched, checking between and under the cushions to no avail. As he continued tearing apart the couch before shifting to check the coffee table and end table nearby, a shrill cry that dug deep into his ear drums snapped his attention back to Hongjoong.

His arm was held up in front of him, mouth dropped open and eyebrows wrinkled as he wailed, high and sharp. Hongjoong's hand trembled, and from Seonghwa's position hunched over the coffee table, he could see what looked like something dark and slick emerge from the cuticles. The hand contorted in on itself as long forms extended past his palm where his fingers curled in.

"Wha- What the fuck…" Seonghwa breathed out, mind attempting to comprehend what he possibly could be seeing. From his angle, he struggled to make out what was going on. The darkness against his finger made him think of blood… oh god, did Hongjoong cut himself on something sharp!? Then again, the long forms themselves looked so foreign, his friend's skin pale in comparison under the warm light.

What could they possibly be? Was it… foam from the couch that was now somehow stuck to his nails?

Though he had no real time to react, as a sickening crack, one he could only assume came from the couch shifting beneath Hongjoong, resounded through the room alongside his friend’s broken scream.

Seonghwa watched, stunned, as his friend fell back and thrashed on the cushions. His warped fingers desperately grasped at his shirt, and Seonghwa was shocked to witness them somehow slicing through the words Horizon Drama Club like scissors on paper.

He had no idea what was happening, but his body moved on its own, rushing to grab Hongjoong and steady him, trying to stop the violent movements.

He was hurting himself. Those sounds… he must've been having muscle spasms or a seizure… and he was hurting himself!

Stopping him physically, grabbing his arms, that was the right move, right? That was what you're supposed to do to stop a seizure, right!?

Seonghwa took a hold of either of Hongjoong's arms, channeling all his strength to try to keep him still with not much success. "It's okay, Joongie! It's okay!" he pleaded, but Hongjoong, who's face was twisted in pain, continued to thrash and writhe in his grip. From this position, Seonghwa was able to get a better look at Hongjoong's hands.

He froze.

While Seonghwa looked down in shock at the unimaginable, Hongjoong used the moment to squirm out of his grip and violently launch himself back down on the armrest.

What Seonghwa thought was foam stuck to his hands, were his nails. No, not nails — claws, impossibly long and dark, slick with blood smeared halfway up, like an incomplete nail polish job.

Huh?

Suddenly, Hongjoong rolled off the couch, body hitting the rug facedown with a thump, and Seonghwa had to jump back to avoid getting hit and knocked over.

Hongjoong seemed to settle slightly once he hit the ground, his jerky movements slowing, but the groans of pain escaping his mouth, and that same cracking sound, which definitely hadn’t come from the couch, made Seonghwa’s stomach turn.

The last thing he expected to see was the T-shirt that clung loosely to his friend's body rip as if he somehow grew five sizes too large in a matter of seconds. Yet, with horror, he watched as every moan coincided with another few threads giving way, exposing his tanned back to Seonghwa. And a gasp caught in his throat when Seonghwa took notice of more cracking being paired with the impossible — that his shoulders were widening and becoming broader.

Hongjoong desperately grasped at the rug, almost as if to escape the unseen force mutilating his body. He arched his back with a shriek when his boxers joined his t-shirt, threads giving way and tears appearing along his hips and as they too expanded. The leg bands that hugged his thighs snapped, and Hongjoong let out a guttural groan as his thighs grew, muscles developing into something uncanny in a matter of seconds.

Seonghwa was frozen, stunned at the sight. His body was unmoving, except for his stomach that churned more as his friend's condition only grew worse.

Through the ripped t-shirt, and with several consecutive cracks that finally registered in Seonghwa's blank mind as Hongjoong's bones breaking, his friend's spine appeared pushed out under the thin skin. For a second, bile climbed up Seonghwa's throat when he thought each knob of the cord would breech and tear through, as if being pushed from the inside out. Instead, he was equally disturbed to witness each vertebrae separating with a pop.

Hongjoong writhed on the rug, rolling onto his back as more cracking resounded when his torso stretched, uncannily long and unnatural. Those long, browning nails gripped the front of his t-shirt, tearing it away to expose his chest which pulsed similar to his spine.

Another desperate moan escaped Hongjoong's lips as darkness spread across his body. And Seonghwa was horrified to realize it was coarse hair sprouting, taking over the sandy tan of his chest, his arms, his legs like black mold in a shower.

Seonghwa felt his legs move on their own, calves hitting the edge of the coffee table behind. His ankle somehow caught on the cool, metal leg, which sent him rocketing over the other side. Pain spread against his back as it made contact with the rug, all the air in his lungs knocked out in an instant. He struggled to sit back up, blinking away the pain and groaning knowing it would turn into a bruise come later.

A sudden noise startled Seonghwa, pain fading away as he quickly remembered where he was and what was going on.

What exactly was going on? He still couldn't comprehend what he was seeing when Hongjoong's body draped over the coffee table in front of him, Seonghwa flinching in response. Those long claws dug into the wood, the sound jarring and wrong in Seonghwa's ears, quickly drowned out by the horror upon witnessing his friend's face morph into something disturbingly unrecognizable. His once-smooth skin wrinkled and shifted, his once-pointed nose upturning and widening into something almost canine, while the disturbing pops were accompanied by the same cries of pain echoing from Hongjoong’s body.

Hongjoong let out a choked, wet gasp as his mouth opened unnaturally wide. One of Seonghwa's favorite features, Hongjoong's perfect, rounded teeth, elongated and sharpened to points, animalisitic, as if to match the set of teeth that left the bite in the first place.

"I-It hurts, Seonghwa," Hongjoong moaned out, and despite the hoarseness and depth that was in the forefront of his pitch, his friend's familiar softness still bled through. And Seonghwa's heart shattered to a million pieces, because despite it all, Hongjoong was still aware. Still sentient. Just as confused as he was, just as desperate for whatever this was to end.

Seonghwa's mouth opened to respond, but Hongjoong's deep groan drowned out anything he was going to say. More cracking reverberated against the walls, and Hongjoong's fingers lengthened with disgusting pops, doubling in size along with his palms, which now closely resembled feet.

He knew it was his friend, that he shouldn't be horrified, shouldn't be afraid, but Seonghwa couldn't stop himself from trying to scramble and get away. He hit the floor lamp behind him, sending it to ground. The force of the contact must've knocked the bulb out of place, or shattered it, as the living room suddenly became dark, with only the pale moonlight filtering through the window to illuminate the scene.

Hongjoong collapsed over the table with a groan, and when his head snapped up, his usually velvet, almost obsidian eyes glinted in the moonlight, appearing yellow and cat-like.

Then he watched as Hongjoong fell back behind the table, the last thing Seonghwa could make out being the paw-like hands rising to clutch at his face before he disappeared from sight. Another deep moan, something not quite human, was heard followed by more cracking that Seonghwa knew he'd never be able to un-hear. Then silence. For several seconds that felt more like hours.

"J-Joongie…" Seonghwa somehow managed to squeak out.

SLAM!

Seonghwa shrieked and flinched when a large, muscular, and extremely fuzzy arm slammed down on the table, claws digging into the wood. Then, Seonghwa's heart rate quickened, as a large form slowly emerged from the other side. It was a wolf-like creature, no, he was a wolf-life creature. Hongjoong now had the head of a wolf — pointed ears, an elongated snout hanging open, saliva dripping from the rows of sharp teeth that looked too large to fit inside his mouth. His tan skin could no longer be seen, dark hair covering him from head to toe, and his legs, muscular and contorted, ended in feet bent in an uncanny, canine-like shape.

Even though Seonghwa had witnessed the entire thing — had seen his friend painfully, agonizingly transform into whatever this was — he still would not believe it could be Hongjoong if it wasn't for the remnants of his t-shirt and boxers barely clinging on to his broad hips and chest.

Not really sure what to expect next, he just sat there, body frozen. He watched as the beast pulled itself up from the ground, a bit wobbly as it gathered its bearings, its eyes catching the moonlight and never once leaving him.

Then, bending down onto all fours, it lumbered over the coffee table. And it hit Seonghwa — this thing was going to kill him.

Seonghwa screamed, whipping his head around to attempt to scramble away, but he was up against the wall. His eyes shot toward the kitchen, behind the beast, mind quickly running through the possibility of getting away, of escaping.

But there was no way he was going to outrun it.

Cornered, Seonghwa raised his hands above his face in surrender.

He was going to die. Torn to shreds. Limbs ripped off one by one, leaving him like an old doll, stuffing spilling from where his arms and legs should have been.

The beast growled, advancing toward him painfully slowly. Warm breath and drips of saliva making contact with his arms caused Seonghwa to flinch, a wet sob escaping his lips.

Everyone wishes to die a peaceful death. Perhaps in their sleep, unaware. Few people are given such mercy. So Seonghwa always figured he'd die like everyone else. Cancer. Heart disease. Pneumonia.

It never crossed his mind that his death would come in the form of mauling, in the form of impossibly sharp claws tearing through his flesh like a knife carving out a turkey. Paired with excruciating pain with no one to bear witness.

Except for Hongjoong.

Hongjoong.

The beast — his best friend, his love, was going to tear him apart.

Then it hit Seonghwa, while the fear of being mauled to death was still there, a new worry arose. Was Hongjoong aware of his actions? Did he know who would be beneath his claws, who's blood would be dripping between his fingers, in his jaw, coating his fur?

The vibrations from the beast's growling racked Seonghwa's body.

Why was this happening?

Why Seonghwa?

Why Hongjoong?

Why?

Then the growling stopped. And he was convinced white-hot, searing pain would follow. Yet… nothing came.

Through his trembling fingers, Seonghwa opened his eyes to see the beast no longer focused on him, but instead staring out the window, to the backyard.

And he didn't even have the chance to wonder what could've grabbed its attention, when Seonghwa screamed out, as the window exploded and bits of glass rained down on his head and arms.

Once the onslaught of shards seemed to be over, his eyes instinctively shot open to see at the very last moment, a blur of dark fur disappearing through the frame.

Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump.

Heavy footsteps faded into the distance as the beast presumably escaped into the woods.

The living room was left eerily quiet, minus Seonghwa's shaky breathing and whimpers. His body was still frozen in place, shocked into unmoving.

It was going to come back at any moment to finish him off.

But after what felt like eternity, and after thoughts of calling for someone slowly filtered back into his mind, the nausea from earlier returned… Along with the mental images of Hongjoong's body contorting, the disturbing cracking of his bones, and his screaming which Seonghwa knew he'd never un-hear.

Seonghwa retched, heaving up his dinner onto the rug below. He only stopped when his chest ached, his throat burned, and bile was the only thing left emerging from his mouth.

Everything he witnessed tonight was never going to leave his mind.

Then again, what exactly did he witness?

Once his retching turned to dry heaving, and the rug below seared brands into his knees, he somehow found the strength to stand. Seonghwa staggered to the window, which looked as if it never had glass to begin with, and a warm breeze attempted to loosen the strands of hair that had become plastered to his face with sweat and tears.

The woods across the way were dark. Empty. No movement. Nothing.

Seonghwa feared the worst.

Hongjoong was gone.

Credit to AlienShrimpz on Twitter!