↱RIBS↲ ⇾seongjoong⇽

じゅうご

Too Fucking Late For This Bullshit

Seonghwa arrives home late one night, after a rehearsal with the crew, to an empty apartment.

But when he walks through the kitchen, and into the hallway, it looks like the place has been burglarized.

The door to the small storage closet is thrown open and there's piles of linen on the floor, a box of old books and knick knacks toppled over.

Seonghwa's heart starts to race.

What the fuck.

He freezes, straining to hear something, anything; muffled breath, footsteps, anything that'll indicate another person in the apartment.

But he hears nothing.

He steels himself and throws open the bathroom door first, but there's no one there, and it's all pristine.

Nothing out of place.

The door to the bedroom is also thrown open, and when Seonghwa walks through it, tentatively, things are strewn all over the floor.

But there's no one there.

All the drawers of the dresser are out, clothes ruffled around, and the closet has been practically emptied.

It was overly stuffed anyway, with far more than just clothes because they're short on storage space, and now it's a mess on the floor.

What Seonghwa notices, however, is that nothing is missing.

Just rummaged through.

Like someone looking for something specific.

And suddenly, an idea crosses Seonghwa's mind.

He digs his phone out of his pocket and calls Hongjoong, tongue poking into his cheek as he does.

He picks up on the fifth ring.

"Hongjoong, dear," Seonghwa starts.

"...Shit."

"So it was you."

"...Shit."

"I thought we'd been burglarized, Hongjoong!"

"I'm sorry, oh my god, is- I didn't realize it was so late. I was... I needed a tambourine," he finishes sheepishly.

Seonghwa can practically hear him wincing through the phone.

"A tambourine."

It's too fucking late for this bullshit.

Seonghwa is tired.

"Yeah, and I knew I had one somewhere because I stole it from that music retreat I went to that one time, and I really needed it for the song, and it... uh... it turns out it was in the back of the closet."

"Hongjoong?"

"...Yeah?"

"I am literally gonna fucking kill you."

"Baby, I'm sorry, please don't be mad. I lost track of time, I was planning to just finish the goddamn chorus and then come home and clean it all up, I'm so sorry."

"A fucking tambourine Hongjoong."

"I know, it's ridiculous."

"You're ridiculous. Do I have to buy you a giant clock, huh? When are you gonna stop losing track of time in the studio? Oh my god, my blood pressure is so high right now, I could actually kill you ."

"Baby, please, I'm so sorry, don't touch it, I'll clean it up, okay? I'll even reorganize it, I know you love that, when things are organized, please-"

"Hongjoong, your curfew is right now. "

"Right, right, here I come, I'm coming right now," Seonghwa can hear him shoving things into his bag, computer keys clicking.

"Here I come. Please don't kill me when I get there. I'm too young. I love you."

Seonghwa hangs up.

God, he hates Hongjoong sometimes.

He just wanted to go to sleep but there's a pile of summer clothes and Christmas decorations on his bed.

He doesn't kill Hongjoong when he gets home—in amazingly good time, which suggests he took a taxi.

But he glares just enough that Hongjoong apologizes again, sheepishly and hurriedly cleaning up the bedroom.

Seonghwa takes pity on him, because he's soft like that, and cleans up the hallway, but he lets him learn his lesson other than that.

"I'm sorry babe," he says, when they're getting ready for bed, brushing their teeth in the bathroom.

Seonghwa just grunts in response.

"Really, I'm sorry," Hongjoong says after he spits out his toothpaste into the sink and rinses.

Seonghwa wipes some foam off of the corner of his mouth and swipes it onto Hongjoong's cheek in retaliation.

Seonghwa knows he'll think it's completely gross and in any other situation Hongjoong would be ripping him a new one for it.

But right now, Seonghwa watches as disgust crosses over Hongjoong's face before he reins it in.

"I deserved that."

"Damn right you did," Seonghwa says once he's washed his mouth out.

"Now can you kiss me? This tension sucks." Hongjoong smiles, and does.

Thumbs rubbing over Seonghwa's cheekbones as he cradles his face.

"Don't get it twisted, you're still in trouble," he breathes against Hongjoong's lips when they pull apart.

"I know, baby."

"...but you still get to cuddle me tonight."

"Thank you, it's an honor."

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[ this chapter is short but the next is 11k words, love you all and i will see you in the next one! ]