Hongki, like everyone else in the world, was only human.

He was prone to having a bad day every once in a while. Granted, most of his bad days were only a slight step down from his okay days, which caused him to return home in an even worse mood than usual. What he dreaded most, however, were the really bad days—the ones where everything that could possibly go wrong will go wrong. It didn't matter how small or silly or insignificant the problem, if it caused Hongki mental stress or physical pain, anything that could go wrong most certainly would.

He woke up late, only to become tangled in the bedsheets and trip over his own feet in his haste to get out of bed. He ended up whacking his head against the nightstand, and as he lie sprawled across the floor, groaning and clutching his head in pain, he just knew that this was going to be one of those days.

He nearly tripped himself a second time on the way to the bathroom, and by the time he stepped out of his tiny apartment, he'd managed to drop his toothbrush in the toilet, poke himself in the eye while trying to make his dark circles a little less noticeable, and then, once Hongki had finally stumbled out his door, phone in hand, he watched as the device slipped right through his fingers—

—and tumbled all the way down the stairs.

It was at this point that Hongki decided if God existed, he really got a kick out of tripping Hongki and knocking things out of his hand.

Hongki hardly had the chance to mourn his cellphone's loss—its shattered, pitifully broken loss—before he heard someone call his name. Turning around, Hongki caught sight of the landlord, Mr. Kang, making his way up to him. Hongki inwardly sighed. He already knew he was behind on his rent. He was working on getting it settled as soon as possible, but he didn't need another lecture about it in the meantime.

“Look, sir, I'm sorry, but I'm running really late right now—”

“I only need a minute,” Mr. Kang interrupted, before he heaved a weary sigh. “Hongki, I've tried to be as patient and understanding as possible, but this is the third month in a row you've missed the due date. You haven't even caught up with last month's payment.”

Hongki cringed. “I know, and I'm gonna get it straightened out. If you can just give me a little more time—”

Mr. Kang shook his head. “I can't keep doing this for you. When rent is due, it has to be paid on that day. You agreed to that when you signed the lease. I give my tenants a grace period, but you've overstepped that and then some. I can only help you so much before I have to ask you to leave.”

“Please, just give me more time,” Hongki all but begged, his pride forgotten as thoughts of living out on the street engulfed his mind. “I'll come up with the money somehow. Things have just been really tight lately.”

As the words left his lips, Hongki couldn't help but frown.

With all the bills and utilities piling up, and the lack of money for anything edible aside from instant ramyun noodles from the convenience store around the corner, he was more than looking forward to his first paycheck. While it certainly wouldn't solve all of his financial problems, the unusually generous salary would help him out tremendously. He just needed a couple more weeks. A couple more weeks, and he'd be okay.

“I understand that,” the aging man murmured sympathetically. “Really, I do. Living on your own like this, it's a struggle. I've been there. But this is the last time. If you can't catch up with your payments by the end of the month, you'll need to find another place to live.”

“But sir—” Hongki tried to argue, but stopped himself almost immediately. Mr. Kang had been more than considerate of Hongki and his financial instability, offering him chance after chance to catch up on his payments without being thrown out. Hongki was really going out on a limb by asking for even more time, when he'd already been given more opportunities than he deserved.

The realization nagged at him, nudging him with guilt. Mr. Kang was a kind man, perhaps too kind for his own good. Hongki didn't want to take advantage of that kindness, but perhaps it was a bit too late for that. The man had let him stay this long, and Hongki knew he was fortunate that Mr. Kang was an understanding man.

“Okay. I get it. I'll have the money,” Hongki sighed, though he truly was grateful to the man. He understood his landlord, after all. A young brat who was drowning in student debt, in and out of employment for years without a stable source of income for more than mere months, Hongki wouldn't have been so kind. Anyone else would have thrown him to the street in a heartbeat.

Mr. Kang frowned, and Hongki knew this was truly his last chance. “I'm sorry, Hongki. I really don't want to kick you out, but you're not giving me much of a choice.”

“I understand,” said Hongki, this time as he bowed his head gratefully. “Thank you. And I'm sorry.”

Mr. Kang smiled all of a sudden, clapping a hand on his shoulder and offering a reassuring pat. “You're still young, Hongki. Lift up your head. Don't give yourself wrinkles over something like this.”

It goes without saying that by the time Hongki made it to work that morning, his horrid mood had gone from bad to worse. He'd hoped his favorite coffee from his favorite cafe would have lifted his spirits and alleviated the headache that had begun to throb at his temples, but he'd hardly taken three steps out the door before a stranger bumped into him and knocked the liquid happiness right out of his hand. It ended up splattered across the pavement, and as Hongki turned his eyes to the cloudy skies overhead, he threw his arms up in the air in a theatrical show of exasperation.

“You're mocking me, aren't you?!” Hongki shouted at the heavens, ignoring the odd looks he received from the passing strangers around him. In response, the clouds opened up and let loose an endless downpour. As strangers continued to rush past him, covering their heads to protect themselves from the rain, Hongki merely stood there for a moment, soaked to the bone and in disbelief, until he threw his head back and laughed.

It was a loud, incredulous laugh, one that was obnoxious and surely made Hongki look like a psychopath. He received quite the array of strange looks for this little outburst, but he couldn't have been bothered to care.

If he wasn't certain of it before, he sure was now.

Somebody up there was having a really fun time playing with their otherworldly powers.

It was still raining when Hongki made it through the company gates, and the moment he pushed through the glass doors out front, he was met with a sudden blast of air condition as cold as a gale on a frozen winter's day. A set of violent shivers ran down his spine, sending goosebumps across his arms and all the way down his legs. He momentarily cursed himself for not having enough sense to check the forecast before he left the apartment, and as yet another shiver escaped his body, he found that another figure had slunk close to his side.

Hongki sighed, but opted to keep walking, even though he knew his company didn't take too kindly to being ignored.

“You look like a drowned cat,” were the words Jonghun taunted him with. Suddenly, Hongki became all too aware of the dark gaze and wicked smirk, and he knew Jonghun was just waiting for a snap from Hongki, a retaliation of some sort—though it was a retaliation he wouldn't get.

Sighing wearily, Hongki flicked his gaze at Jonghun, though he couldn't help but grimace and run his hand through his dripping locks at the remark. His fingers snagged on a knot, and Hongki winced, knowing full well he probably did look like a drowned cat. Whereas Jonghun was dry as a bone, Hongki was soaking wet, no doubt looking as though he'd just spent the last few hours rolling around in a swamp.

Taking one look at Jonghun's dry appearance, Hongki snorted.

Knowing him, Jonghun probably conned some poor trainee into holding an umbrella for him, and then likely demanded they lay their jacket on the ground so that his precious, costly shoes wouldn't get muddy. Hongki certainly wouldn't put that much past him, and the mental image alone infuriated him. Fabrication or not, Hongki couldn't deny the fiery storm of emotion that burned in his chest every time he looked at Jonghun.

“Not today, Jonghun,” Hongki finally grumbled, though his voice lacked the bite he wanted to throw at him. “I really don't want to deal with you today.”

“Why are you so pissy? All I said was—wait, what the hell happened to your head?” Jonghun grabbed his wrist and gracelessly wrenched Hongki's hand away from his head, allowing him a full, unobstructed view of Hongki's forehead.

Hongki simply blinked at him, wondering for a brief moment if perhaps Jonghun had been creeping around his apartment again and somehow heard—or saw—Hongki's painful brush with the nightstand. As quickly as this thought appeared, however, he pushed it away just as easily, because he realized the spot must have bruised. Quite colorfully, judging from Jonghun's appalled stare.

“A meteor fell from the sky,” Hongki cracked, yanking his arm out of Jonghun's grasp.

Jonghun made a face. “Is that supposed to be a joke?”

Hongki feigned hurt.

“You don't think it's funny? Damn, there goes my dream of becoming a world-class comedian.” Without waiting for a response, Hongki his heel and continued on his way down the hall, but a hand soon clasped around his arm and tugged him backward. Hongki spun around, finding Jonghun's gaze flickering and his nostrils flaring.

“Did somebody hit you?” Jonghun demanded, and Hongki could only scoff. He ignored the way Jonghun's dark eyes all but bored a hole right through his own, that intense stare as dark and vast as the midnight sky. Cracking a sarcastic smile, Hongki shrugged out of Jonghun's grasp once more.

“Yeah, I got into a fight with the alien inside the meteor,” Hongki quipped without a second's hesitation. “He tried the whole take me to your leader thing, and when I said no, he kicked me in the head. I woke up in the middle of a cabbage farm, and that's when I realized that those mushrooms I ate weren't shiitake mushrooms.”

Jonghun merely stood and stared at him for a moment, seemingly dumbfounded by the ridiculous statement, before his mouth fell open and string of nonsense escaped his lips.

“You—what—that doesn't even make sense!” He snapped, before he crossed his arms over his chest and glowered at Hongki, his dark gaze swimming in a sea of fire. “Why are you so weird?!”

Hongki smiled without humor. “Funny, I said the same thing about you.”

“Hongki, wait!” Jonghun hissed when Hongki began walking away again. The moment his fingers clasped around Hongki's hand, however, Jonghun made a face and immediately released him. “Your skin is freezing.”

Hongki sighed. “Oh no, you've uncovered my secret. I'm actually a vampire. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to hurry to my coffin before I turn to dust.”

“Can you be serious for five seconds?!” Jonghun barked, to which Hongki responded with a wry smile.

“Sorry, my record is only three seconds. Maybe one day I'll make it to five.”

“Hongki!”

“What?!” Hongki shouted right back at him, watching as Jonghun grit his teeth, his dark gaze pooling with something new—a strange blend of fury and a much softer emotion, something that was flecked with with hints of nerves and apprehension. Hongki could only stare at him, because the word nervous didn't seem like the kind of thing Jonghun would feel—if he ever felt anything aside from fury and entitlement, Hongki wasn't quite sure.

Finally, Jonghun huffed and formed his words, his voice coming out quite a bit gentler and more reserved than Hongki was accustomed to. “You saw it, right? What I wrote?”

Hongki rolled his eyes. “Oh, no, by the time you came over, I had suffered a and forgot how to read.”

“Stop giving me attitude!” was the roar that echoed through the hall, down the corridor and around the corners. Hongki swore Jonghun could have wakened the dead with that unsuitably loud voice of his, but as Jonghun stalked close to him, all but pushing him against the wall, Hongki suddenly found all the air in his lungs had abruptly escaped.

Jonghun slapped a hand against the wall, right next to Hongki's head, and leant close to his face. Hongki stared at him, gaze hard and unwavering, as Jonghun's dark eyes nearly burned a hole right through his face. Those eyes, they swam with such a vast, heated storm of emotion, Hongki couldn't pinpoint any one precise thought. Their gazes locked, and their breaths intertwined with one another, leaving Hongki with a sudden heat spreading throughout his heart, and to every inch of his body.

It was suffocating, as if Jonghun's eyes had set him on fire, leaving him to burn from the inside out. A bright pink flush spread across Hongki's cheekbones, and suddenly Jonghun was so close—too close for comfort. The warmth from Jonghun's body soaked into his skin, melting his resolve and burning straight down to his soul. It was dangerous, having him so close.

It wasn't good for Hongki's sanity, to have Jonghun's gaze flick down toward his lips, looking as though he wanted nothing more than to take them between his own. It was too overwhelming, the fact that for one fraction of a moment, Jonghun was all too warm, and smelled all too inviting, dark eyes taunting him to lean forward and taste those plush pink lips of his.

Indeed, Hongki was only human.

And just like everyone else in the world, he was prone to having a moment of weakness. It would have been so easy for him to give in, to satisfy Jonghun's ego by giving him exactly what he wanted. The thought of feeding Jonghun's admiration for himself, of making him believe he was so irresistible that not even Hongki was immune to him, it was enough to offer a moment of clarity amidst an endless sea of muddled thoughts.

No, Jonghun didn't have the right to leave him breathless. He didn't have the right to fluster him like this, to leave him dizzy in the head and weak in the knees. No, Hongki was much too stubborn for that. It took all of his self control not the knee Jonghun in the crotch just to push him away, as easy as it'd be, but it was Jonghun's voice that rang in his ears, low and nearly growling out his name.

“Hongki—”

Hongki's gaze darkened with a threat, and finally he had regained his senses. “You have three seconds to back off before I knock you unconscious.”

Jonghun's brow knit together at the words, though he ended up ignoring the threat, much to the degradation of Hongki's ego. Pursing his lips, Hongki lifted his hands and roughly shoved Jonghun backward, watching as the dark haired man stumbled on his feet, nearly falling on his .

“What's wrong with you today?” Jonghun barked out, staring incredulously at Hongki as he brushed nonexistent lint off his clothes. A noise of disbelief escaped Hongki's throat, wondering if Jonghun was stupid, oblivious, or both. Hongki bared his canines at him, just barely resisting the urge to chuck his shoes at him again.

“In case you haven't noticed, I'm having a horrendously ty day, and it's not even 7AM. I'm cold, and wet, and exhausted, my head is killing me, and there is coffee all over my shoes,” the words trickled off into a petty whine, and suddenly Hongki no longer felt angry, just extraordinarily exhausted. Running a careless hand through his hair, he then heaved a heavy sigh. “As if I haven't pissed off the heavens enough, I'm so far behind on my rent that I'm probably getting kicked out of my apartment in a couple weeks, so no, I'm not in the mood to play with you today.”

Jonghun blinked at him.

“Can't you just buy new shoes?” he said stupidly, the words tugging at Hongki's long forgotten patience.

“No. No, I can't just go out and buy new shoes, because I have these things called bills, and rent, and student debt,” Hongki snapped, his words dripping with venom. “I don't get to live in a castle free of charge, where somebody else cooks and cleans for me.”

Jonghun's gaze flared. “You think we live like royalty here?”

Hongki stood his ground. “You're a spoiled prince, Jonghun. You've made that much perfectly clear.”

“Oi, Jonghun,” a voice called out, breaking the two from their heated staring contest. “What are you doing out here? We're supposed to be instructing the trainees—oh, Hongki!” Hongki's gaze flicked down the hall at the sound of his name, finding an old friend, Lee Jonghyun, treading toward them.

“Ah, it's been so long,” Jonghyun said once he'd caught up to them, and Hongki didn't miss the way Jonghun's eyes darkened a shade, his hand clenching into a fist at his side. Jonghyun, however, continued to smile, completely oblivious to the dark cloud surrounding Jonghun. “You look... Wow. You know what, I'll finish that after you dry off and aren't scowling at me like that.”

Hongki ran a hand over his face, wondering if the flush had finally disappeared. “Nice to see you too, Jonghyun,” Hongki sighed, though the sentiment was lazy and half-assed.

“Yonghwa told me you're working here now, among other, ah, interesting things,” he spared a glance at Jonghun, who merely scowled back at him, and suddenly Hongki wanted nothing more than to slink away and get his job done quietly. It seems he'll never get a peaceful day, not when he's working at this crazy place.

Hongki rolled his eyes. “Yonghwa also has a really big mouth.”

Jonghyun chuckled. “Yeah, he kind of does, doesn't he? But I'm also his best friend, so I get to know everything, whether I want to or not.”

“Well, like you said, Jonghyun, we're busy with the trainees,” Jonghun butted in all of a sudden, grabbing at Jonghyun's arm and attempting to tug him down the hall. “There's no time to socialize.”

“You're the one who looked out the window and then took off like a bat out of hell, so give me a second,” Jonghyun grimaced, easily shrugging away from him as his gaze settled on Hongki's face. “Listen, Hongki, I'm busy tonight, but let's go for drinks and catch up tomorrow.”

The fact that Hongki seemed to perk up at this infuriated Jonghun. He clenched his teeth. Just a moment ago, Hongki been snapping at Jonghun over his “horrendously ty day,” but one offer of drinks made him forget all of that? What the actual ?

“Are you buying?” asked Hongki.
 

“Are you crazy?” Jonghyun barked out a laugh, grinning when Hongki said nothing and merely raised an eyebrow at him. “No, we'll call Yonghwa and pawn the bill off on him like we used to.”

Hongki scoffed at this. “I'm not listening to that whine fest.”

“Hey, Yonghwa might whine a little at first, but he doesn't mind. Not really, anyway, at least when it comes to you.” Jonghyun's gaze softened all of a sudden. “He misses you, you know.”

“I gotta go,” Hongki said suddenly, spinning around as though the words had struck something in him—whether it was good or bad, Jonghun couldn't tell. Either way, Jonghun could only watch Hongki's back as he retreated down the hall, shoulders rigid with tension. Jonghun frowned at this. Yonghwa misses him? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“Tomorrow night, yeah?” Jonghyun called out.

Hongki waved him off. “Whatever.”

“Hm, I don't know what Yonghwa's so worried about. He seems fine to me,” Jonghyun murmured, seemingly to himself, before he looked over and found Jonghun glowering at him with the force of the sun. Jonghyun raised his brow. “Wow, that is a really scary face. What, jealous it's not you going on a date with Hongki?”

“It's not a date!” Jonghun exploded, the mere thought of it causing his stomach to bubble with rage. Jonghun won't even deny it, he'd always been the jealous type, and downright possessive when it came to the things that were his. He'd already claimed Hongki for himself, and he wasn't about to let anyone—least of all Jonghyun or Yonghwa—take him away.

“If you say so,” Jonghyun shrugged. “You know, I wasn't quite sure what Yonghwa meant when he told me that you've taken a peculiar interest in Hongki, but I think I understand now. You've got a thing for him.”

“He's off limits,” Jonghun all but growled.

“Is that what you think?” replied Jonghyun, before he shook his head and sighed. “Look, Jonghun, Yonghwa isn't the confrontational type, so I know he'll never approach you about it, but Hongki isn't someone for you to mess with. He's a tough nut to crack for a reason, and sorry to break it to you, but Yonghwa's already got dibs.”

“Dibs?” sputtered Jonghun, as his brow rose incredulously. “Are we in kindergarten?”

“Jonghun, you need to understand something,” sighed Jonghyun. “Hongki lost the most important person in his life, and it damn near killed him. If it wasn't for Yonghwa, Hongki probably wouldn't be alive right now. Yonghwa...” Jonghyun blew a puff of air through his lips. “I guess, in a way, you could you say he saved him.”

Jonghun made a face. “Hongki doesn't seem like the type to need saving.”

“He'll never admit it, that's for damn sure. He's always been like that, though. Never calling for help, never accepting it. Yonghwa calls it pride, I call it being unreasonably stubborn.”

Jonghun stared at him. “Sounds to me like Yonghwa's got a complex about fixing things that aren't broken.”

“They need each other, Jonghun. Without Hongki, Yonghwa's miserable. And without Yonghwa, Hongki wouldn't be able to stand up.” Jonghyun aimed a meaningful look at Jonghun's face. “Do the right thing, and don't get in the way.”

“Let me make one thing perfectly clear,” Jonghun muttered, his dark gaze flickering with the spark of a flame. “I don't share. Why don't you go tell Yonghwa that he's the one who needs to stay out of my way?”

A declaration of war?

Jonghun had never needed to fight for anyone.

Lee Hongki was a challenge, and Jonghun swore that Hongki would be his, no matter the cost.

><><><><

A/N

Happy New Year, everyone!
It's been a while, and I wish I had a legitimate excuse for not having this chapter posted earlier,
but in all honesty, I have no excuse. The holidays came, and the days slipped away from me.
Nevertheless, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!



There was a lot more this chapter, but I ended up cutting out a lot, and stripping the last half or so.
However, what was stripped has been moved to the beginning of the next chapter, which I'm really excited for.

The next chapter contains one of the first scenes I imagined for this story, so I'm excited for you all to read it.
Jonghun will begin to understand Hongki a bit better, and Hongki will start to open up a little.
Jonghun will still be ornery, and there will be much back sass and fluff and general feel-good moments. (along with the constant bickering, of course.)
 

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this.
Your comments, votes and subs are much appreciated, and I hope you'll continue to share your thoughts.
:)