Chapter Text
seonghwa graduated from university with a degree in fine arts. he was told all his life that he wouldn't be able to do anything useful with that degree from the moment he declared it as his major. his parents told him that he should've gone into the sciences, been a doctor or even a lawyer, something that would give him a substantial amount of money so he could support himself.
while he knew that they were right because making it big as an artist, a painter no less, was not something that most people ever accomplished. even prodigies, amazing painters that had graduated before him and were expected to do something great with their lives, were not doing so well.
but despite all the backlash and nearly being disowned by his parents, he couldn't find it in himself to do something else.
he loved painting. it was his whole world.
he wouldn't consider himself the best, or even all that talented for that matter, which some of his friends would tell him that he was just being humble. he loved designing and drawing cartoon characters, painting them in these beautiful colors that nearly made those 2D drawings into something 3D. he was extremely lucky, being picked up by a small, struggling company that went around doing part-time volunteer work at local hospitals only a few months after graduation.
everyone told him that he would regret his decisions and would have to go back to university to study something that he could actually use. but it's been four years since and he has never regretted anything.
the same company grew over the years, thanks to many sponsors and supporters that loved what they stood for and decided to help finance them. so for the past four years, seonghwa had been working with them, becoming one of the most requested artists to help decorate the giant windows that lined the pediatric center of the children's hospital.
at one specific location, seonghwa just volunteered his time. the hospital was a struggling one, they didn't have enough money for extra expenses to hire artists to help bring life and color into the very gloomy lives of the children that suffered there. so when people told seonghwa that he would do nothing good with his degree, he would immediately tell them that they were so wrong.
he got to see children who were in pain all day long, smile because of a painting of a pony he did. to him, that was what made everything worth it.
he knew nearly every nurse and doctor there. it was a super small hospital and care center, but the community was strong and had a wonderful sense of family that all the other hospitals he worked at, did not have. he grew very acquainted with yunho and yeosang, who were both pediatric nurses that spent all day in the unit caring for the children. he admired them, they both were younger than him and he found it amazing how they were so good with the kids, they knew how to calm them down when the shots were too painful for them to handle.
at the same time, he also felt really sorry for the two nurses. he could never do something like that. he could never be in the constant presence of children every day who spent most of their lives suffering and in pain. seonghwa was too soft and caring, he grew too connected to anyone, especially children. it was even extremely hard on him when he noticed that a child's room was being cleared out, the parents not making any eye contact with anyone and looking more lost than anything.
he felt like he had lost a bit of his heart whenever that happened, so he could only imagine how the two nurses felt.
it was a cancer research hospital after all, and it was inevitable, but that didn't mean it hurt any less. no matter what, seonghwa couldn't help but make friends with all the kids there, teaching them how to paint shapes and small animals when they were feeling up to it. he came around at least once a month to redo the main themes in the halls, and if his schedule was open enough, he would try and come by every weekend to have little playdates with the kids.
he knew everyone there, and practically knew all of their off days and even their schedules for the most part. so it came as a shock to him when he came in one day, changing his current "my little pony" theme to "nemo", that he noticed there was a certain blue-haired man, that was seated upon a cushion in the middle of the waiting room with all the children surrounding him as he was reading them the iconic story of charlotte's web.
he had listened for a while, trying to decide if he had seen the man before or not, but ultimately deciding that he had not. he had a nice voice, it was calming even to seonghwa to listen to him read the story about the iconic pig and a spider. he couldn't help but smile as he heard some of the children gasp and giggle, the man smiling as his face became animated when he tried to act out the words he was speaking.
the more that seonghwa watched him, leaning up against the wall in the doorway to the unit, he couldn't help but notice that the man hardly ever looked down at the book. it seemed he had memorized nearly the entire few chapters that he was reading. but as much as he wanted to continue to listen, he had some work to do before his favorite child came back from her treatment.
he didn't like to claim he had favorites, but this one little girl had been there the longest. she had come in a week later than seonghwa's first day there. she was an adorable girl, who had leukemia and no matter how sick she felt, she always greeted seonghwa with at least some form of a smile and ask him what he was going to draw for her.
he wanted to have her window painted first, using his putty knife to scrape the old painting of a pony and mixing up his colors that he needed to paint a giant dory with nemo and his dad on the clean window. it seemed to be a very quiet and easy day, the nurses' station wasn't too busy and most of the kids were present in the circle surrounding the other man.
days like these were seonghwa's favorite. the spirits were high and everyone seemed to be in a good mood, even yeosang who tended to be on the grumpier side. the blonde man was even sitting with the children, having a small boy sitting on his lap and trying his best to keep him engaged. his blue scrubs had bits of black marker stains on his legs, definitely from the children who were playing around with the coloring books the hospital provided for them.
seonghwa painted in many different styles, he absolutely loved abstract painting and anything to do with nature. he had giant canvases at home that were decorated with mountains, rainforests, and even beach sceneries. of course, he had never let anyone see them before, they were his secret treasure.
but he also loved to do these simple cartoon drawings. ones that allowed for colors that you wouldn't find naturally in nature. the hospital let him paint with vibrant colors, whereas when he was home alone in his apartment, his color scheme seemed to be much darker.
it never took him long to finish the pediatric unit, or even decorate the windows to the entrance on the emergency side. when he put in his headphones, he could finish the project in three hours tops.
but today, he didn't even think to grab the headphones that were around his neck. he let the joyous sounds of the children laughing at the mysterious blue-haired man's animated voice. he loved listening to how he would fluctuate his voice, and change even the sound of it depending on which character was talking. seonghwa had finished the outline of the paintings he was going to do, all that was left was to fill in the base coat and work on the different shading colors.
"by helping you..." he heard the man speak behind him, the children growing quieter as they listened to the story, "...perhaps i was trying to lift up my life a trifle. heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that."
of course, they were too young to understand what any of that meant, or to decided what it meant to them, and seonghwa thought briefly that maybe reading charlotte's web to a bunch of toddlers wasn't the best book choice. but the tiny gasps and small "wows" that filled the room brought a smile to his face.
seonghwa fell into a rhythm, once his paintbrush hit the glass, he was in his own world. time also flew by like this, and it either took yunho to tap his shoulder and tell him that his time was up or he was able to finish the whole thing in the time allotted to him. most of the time he needed two days to finish the project, he was an overachiever at best and wanted the absolute best for the children.
so when he felt a tap on his shoulder, he knew it was his very tall friend, telling him that it was time for them to do their rounds and he would have to leave.
"i'm almost done yunho," he said, not even bothering to turn around as he painted some fine white details onto dory and friends. "just need to finish up some tiny details and i'll be out of your way."
"oh sorry," that voice definitely wasn't yunho's. "i'm not yunho..."
seonghwa turned around quickly, his vision being filled immediately with a very bright blue color.
his hair was a lot fluffier up close, it clearly had been permed or over curled. the man attached to the blinding color was a bit shorter than seonghwa was, but he only had to tilt his head downwards just a little to meet the smaller man's eyes.
"oh sorry about that," seonghwa bent downwards to put down the paint he was holding and his brush, wiping his hands on his painter's shirt, getting the white paint everywhere. "i'm used to one of the nurses coming and shooing me out of here before it gets too late."
"no need to apologize," the man chuckled, and seonghwa could see the book clutched in his right hand. "i just wanted to say that you paint very well. i've been watching you for a little bit now, and i think you're really good."
"oh, thank you," seonghwa rubbed at the back of his neck. "i try and do my best for the kids."
"they'll love it. i'm guessing you're the one that painted the ponies too?"
"yeah, that was me."
"you're like a real artist," the man smiled widely, "how long have you been doing this for?"
"well..." seonghwa started, but he looked around the room to try and find either yeosang or yunho. he needed to check his time before he stressed the two nurses out even more. they had enough things to deal with, and asking seonghwa to leave was not something they also needed on their plate. but unfortunately, the two of them were nowhere to be found, probably helping the children back into their rooms after their storytime ended some time ago.
"ever since i graduated university, i volunteer my time here when i can."
"you look young," the man commented, taking in seonghwa's awkward stance. "i'd say five years max."
"four actually."
"you come here often?"
"i try to come every week at least to see some of the kids, but i've been super busy with other projects that i haven't been able to come for the past three weeks."
"ahh," the other man stepped a little closer, nodding his head and all seonghwa could focus on was the way that his hair bounced with the movement. "i was wondering why i hadn't seen you before, everyone seemed to already know you."
"oh really?" seonghwa asked, he had a rather pleasant feeling bubbling in his chest from the idea of the children or staff members talking about him.
"the kids like to show me pictures, saying that a pretty painter man painted them for them."
that brought a smile to seonghwa's face, and he once again was reminded why he loved his job so much.
"i'm guessing your name is seonghwa. i heard the nurses talking about someone visiting today with that name."
seonghwa nodded his head again. he wasn't sure if it was polite to offer his hand out now, or if it was already too late into the conversation and would make it awkward. so he just kept both his white-stained hands by his sides. the smaller man before him smiled again, shifting back and forth on both of his feet.
seonghwa wasn't exactly the best people person you'll ever meet. he was shy and awkward and never knew what to do with his hands, much less know how to carry a conversation. he grew anxious in the man's presence, trying to figure out if he should excuse himself to keep working on his painting or try and come up with another small conversation because the smaller man had been kind enough to strike one up first.
but it seemed none of that was necessary, seonghwa could see a tall man, wearing the same old blue scrubs he wore every day, around the corner of the unit. he made eye contact with yunho, the taller man waving at him with a soft smile.
even though he looked exhausted, probably on the last few hours of his forty-eight-hour shift, he still managed to look more approachable than seonghwa ever would.
"seonghwa," he called out softly, stopping in front of the two males. "sorry to interrupt..."
"don't worry," the man with the blue hair assured the nurse.
yunho nodded to him, a very tired smile still on his face. "i hate to do this to you, especially with the short notice. getting the kids settled took longer than we thought, yeosang is still being kept hostage, but we need you to pack up and be out of here in like five minutes."
"don't worry about it, i know you're busy."
"I appreciate it so much. the paintings look amazing as always. hyejin will especially love them when she comes back."
"oh, that reminds me," seoghwa quickly added, grabbing something from one of the many pockets that lined his pants. he pulled out a piece of paper and gave it to yunho. "give this to her when she comes back please."
"will do," yunho grabbed the piece of paper, stuffing it carefully into the elastic of his scrubs. "she's had a really hard day today, she'll appreciate it very much."
seonghwa furrowed his eyebrows, his forehead wrinkling a little with worry. "bad day?"
"yeah," yunho sighed, running his hand through his hair. "her body hasn't been accepting the new treatment lately, the new medication is too strong on her body."
it was quiet for a few moments, seonghwa just nodded his head and pursed his lips together. hyejin had a very aggressive form of leukemia, and she had been doing so well for a year until it seemed it got worse overnight. now they were struggling to find something that worked but wasn't too harsh on her little body. seonghwa tried to stay up to date with her condition as much as he could, but it was hard to hear and accept that she wasn't seeming to get better at all.
he hated seeing her so sick and in pain.
"right, well..." he mumbled after a few moments. "i'll get out of your hair, i'll finish it up tomorrow. make sure to get yeosang another cup of coffee within the next hour."
"will do," yunho chuckled, agreeing with seonghwa because he knew it was in everyone's best interest that yeosang was in a good mood. "oh, and thank you for coming and reading for them again, they love that story so much."
the man turned to yunho and bowed down a little with a warm smile, "i'm happy to anytime, i love reading to them."
with that, yunho walked away from them, disappearing to the nurse's station to grab the itinerary for the rest of the day before he was allowed to leave. both of the men watched the tall man leave, awkwardly turning to each other when they were left alone.
"ah well," seonghwa tried, scratching the back of his neck again. "i've gotta get going."
"let me help," the man offered, "i've got nothing better to do."
"oh are you sure? i don't want to be a bother, there's a lot of heavy stuff to move."
"i wouldn't offer if i didn't want to."
the man helped seonghwa clean up, cleaning off his paintbrushes in the bathroom and then helping him seal all the paint containers. seonghwa made sure to leave a sticky note on each of the windows that he had painted that said "do not touch, wet paint," in giant letters. the clean-up process went so much quicker with two than it would if seonghwa did it by himself. he would have to make many trips to his car and back to get all his supplies to and from safely, but with someone else, they only needed to do two trips total.
the man helped seonghwa load everything into the back of his car, where he would keep until the following day. surprising, the work had made seonghwa break out into a small sweat. it wasn't a really hot day, but there was no cloud cover at all, and in his defense, the walk was not a small one and the supplies were heavy.
"thank you for your help," seonghwa said to the other man, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "usually takes me a lot longer to clean up when it's just me."
"no problem, i like to help people as much as i can," the man smiled at him again, his teeth were so white and perfect that they were nearly blinding. "it wasn't all that bad either, a nice little workout."
and seonghwa tried not to huff at that, it didn't seem like a nice little workout to him. that, or maybe he was just so out of shape these days.
"something like that," he added awkwardly. the anxious feeling coming back to him as soon as silence settled upon them once again. he reached up and grabbed the trunk of the car and pushed it down to close it with a soft click.
"do you live close?"
"well," seonghwa started to answer, making sure his fingers were out of the way before he completely slammed the trunk down. "not too far, but it's not exactly super close either... you?"
"you could say i live very close," the other answered. "hey do you wanna go on a little walk? it's really nice out."
seonghwa hesitated for a moment, looking back at his car and then to the man in front of him. he really didn't know this person at all, but he seemed very nice and kind-hearted. the man looked like an oversized teddy bear, one that had blue hair, at best and probably wouldn't hurt a fly. but that's what everyone says right before they're kidnapped and killed.
the man must've seen the internal conflict in his eyes, his expression softening slightly, "it's okay if you can't, i'm sure you're booked all the time for projects."
"not exactly," he mumbled, but he couldn't lie that the compliment (or at least that's how he took it) made his heart skip a beat. "i'm not really all that busy."
the man's expression lifted significantly, and seonghwa could've sworn his hair also grew in volume.
"so you can?"
"yeah, why not?"
the man smiled so widely, bouncing up and down in place a little bit. he reached his hand out for seonghwa to take, to which the other hesitantly placed his larger hand in the smaller's palm.
"i have the perfect place, it's got the prettiest white lilies."