the one that got away | seongjoong (✓)

• XXXV •

CW: sexual content (will put <3<3<3 before it begins/when it ends since the beginning/end of the chapter is a little bit important!)

two weeks had passed since the events involving the sasaeng, and hongjoong had been left with a pit in his stomach since then. he tried not to make it too obvious, but seonghwa knew the boy too well.

"love... you're spacing out again," seonghwa said softly, reaching across his desk to take the boy's hand. "are you sure you don't want to come stay with me?"

hongjoong nodded, chewing his lip.

"i-i'm sorry..." he whispered. "i don't mean to worry you."

"hey... don't apologize, yeah? you're not doing anything wrong. i just want to make sure you feel safe."

"i know... i just... i'm not sure how i feel. i've talked to my therapist about it, a-and she said that maybe i should take a break from my career for a bit, b-but i don't want to... hwa, what if i lose everything i've worked for?"

"no... you won't lose everything, baby... come here, come close," he said softly, inviting hongjoong to sit on his lap.

hongjoong came around the older's desk, a small pout on his face as he was pulled in close and positioned comfortably on seonghwa's lap.

"i've worked t-too hard to lose it all..." he whimpered, cuddling in close to the older as seonghwa brought his hand to the boy's hair.

"love, you're not going to lose it all. i promise."

"really?"

"really. hell, if you wanted you could even just go dark from social media and interviews, just work on your music in private and such and that would be a break in comparison to what you do now."

hongjoong was silent, thinking about what the boy had suggested. seonghwa noticed that he was now deep in thought, kissing his temple lightly and continuing to play with his hair.

"c-can you make my drink?" hongjoong asked with a pout.

seonghwa nodded, lifting hongjoong up so that he could stand, then putting the younger back down in his seat.

"i'll be right back, okay? and if you need me, you call right out."

"okay," he whispered.

seonghwa smiled small before leaving the room, going to make the boy his drink. hongjoong just looked around the older's office, his heart fluttering slightly at every little thing that the boy had added since they had first started hanging out again. first, there were the sticky notes that hongjoong had written for him. then, there was the polaroid the two had taken on their (second) first date clipped to his file organizer. up on his bulletin board, he had tacked up a picture that the eight boys had taken together the night of hongjoong's concert, the boy himself in the middle. over on the chair hongjoong had been sitting in previously, a blanket that was now kept in a drawer in the office sat, and everyone knew that blanket was for hongjoong's use only. finally, there was a small framed picture of the two from high school, sitting right next to his computer.

you could see how much happier seonghwa was just from these little things. hongjoong brought so much more meaning into the older's life, it made him smile. in the past couple of months, seonghwa's office had become hongjoong's safe space, and the way seonghwa made sure he knew that he was welcome there whenever only made things feel safer for him.

"hongjoong, love? are you still coming over tonight?" seonghwa asked, walking in with the boy's drink and a muffin.

"mhmm," he muttered, smiling at the treats.