after getting ready for the day, hongjoong waddled towards the living room with a smile on his face and his dolphin plushie in his hands. he was extremely excited for seonghwa to watch him this afternoon. recently, he noticed seonghwa had been treating him differently, and he couldn't help but love the difference. hongjoong had a feeling this afternoon would be a good one.

"ok joongie, i won't be gone too long today. when i come back, would you want to watch sleeping beauty together?" jongho asked his brother. hongjoong smiled widely and began bouncing up and down, loving jongho's idea.

"yes yes yes! please, jongie?" hongjoong pleaded and jongho chuckled.

"of course, no need to beg. i wouldn't offer if i didn't want to, right babe?" jongho patted his brother's head who giggled under his touch.

the bell rang, sounding throughout the house. hongjoong squealed knowing it was seonghwa on the other side of the door. jongho covered his ears after hearing the ungodly noise coming from hongjoong's mouth, protecting his ear drums.

"excited much?" jongho laughed and hongjoong sunk into himself, feeling slightly embarrassed as his brother walked over to answer the door.

"hwa!" jongho exclaimed, giving his friend on the other side of the door a hug.

"hey jongho, what's up?" seonghwa asked as he stepped inside, not even glancing over to hongjoong. he put his waving hand down in defeat, frowning a bit in his seat.

"nothing much, but i gotta head out now. i'll see you both in a bit." jongho exited the house and quickly locked the door, leaving seonghwa alone with the one person he didn't want to be with in the world.

"hey seongie!" hongjoong shouted, jumping a bit in his seat from excitement.

"shut the fuck up, honestly i'm not in the mood today." seonghwa harshly replied, walking over to his usual seat without bothering to look at hongjoong.

hongjoong's smile quickly turned into a frown again, very confused by seonghwa's outburst.

"are you ok? did something happen?" hongjoong asked, looking at the older with doe eyes.

"it's none of your fucking business." seonghwa cursed, frightening hongjoong a bit.

"you're acting really different..." hongjoong trailed off quietly. seonghwa looked at the boy for the first time since entering the house, giving him a slightly disgusted look.

"well maybe this is the real me. don't like it? tell it to someone who cares." seonghwa spat out, taking off his leather jacket and placing it beside him.

seonghwa's words hurt hongjoong. he was just thinking about the fact that seonghwa was finally changing, finally becoming a better person to him... and now it's all down the drain, and hongjoong didn't know why.

"but, i don't understand... you were being so nice to me recently, especially last night. why the sudden change?" hongjoong asked, confused with the boy's rude behavior.

"again, i'm gonna ask you to kindly fuck off." seonghwa screamed out. hongjoong jumped back in his seat, frightened by how loud seonghwa had yelled at him.

instead of pushing the boy any further, hongjoong cuddled into his stuffed animal and turned on the television. he decided to put on netflix, flicking through the children's movies to choose a cartoon to watch.

"will you ever watch movies made for people your age? you know, you're not a fucking child anymore. when you get out in the real world, do you want people to think you're some immature freak?" seonghwa asked the boy sitting on the other end of the couch, startling the younger.

"i-i, i can't help what i like." hongjoong mumbled, leaving seonghwa to laugh at his reaction.

"whatever, don't say i never tried to help you." seonghwa looked back down to his phone, ignoring whatever hongjoong might have to say in response.

hongjoong clicked and searched around netflix but couldn't find anything he liked. he couldn't keep his mind focused on a movie when he was hurting so bad. seonghwa's words felt like knives jabbing into his heart over and over again.

hongjoong decided he needed to excuse himself from the living room. without bothering to tell seonghwa, he jumped up and ran towards the kitchen. he hadn't had lunch yet, and he knew he needed to eat in order to stay healthy.

but after looking through the refrigerator and cabinets, hongjoong realized he wasn't hungry. he honestly felt sick to his stomach, like the thought of seonghwa hating him made him want to vomit.

instead of making himself lunch, hongjoong sat down and began playing with his plushie. he used it as a coping mechanism, a way to get his thoughts out without having to confront seonghwa.

"hyuka, why do you think seonghwa is being a meanie again?" hongjoong asked the toy, lifting his little fin to his chin in thought.

"hmmm... i'm not sure, joongie." he answered himself, making a funny sounding voice for the dolphin.

"things were going so well with him, i don't understand why he changed back all of a sudden." hongjoong frowned.

"well, maybe he had a fight with his mommy? maybe he has a big test to study for? he could actually be stressed about something, wooyoungie gets like that when he's really anxious sometimes. maybe just give him some space?" hongjoong had hyuka answer, more trying to convince himself than anything.

"that could be right!" hongjoong smiled, quickly frowning again afterwards, "but maybe he doesn't like me anymore... maybe he started liking me and now he hates me again. maybe i did something wrong yesterday... maybe i made him uncomfortable when i slept on his lap. i didn't mean to do it, i'm serious! i just fell asleep like that, i can't help it."

eventually, seonghwa looked up from his phone and noticed hongjoong wasn't in his usual seat anymore. he rolled his eyes and put down his phone.

"where did you go you little shit?" seonghwa breathed out, standing up and making his way into the kitchen. when he entered, he saw hongjoong sitting at the kitchen table, talking to his stuffed animal.

"was i not good enough? you decided you needed to come in here and play?" seonghwa crossed his arms, seeming really annoyed with the boy in front of him.

"w-well, i--"

"stop stuttering and answer me! all of a sudden you can't speak properly? you've been stuttering all morning, it's getting on my fucking nerves." seonghwa furrowed his eyebrows, looking deeply into hongjoong's eyes as he spoke.

hongjoong didn't know what to say. he tried to respond, but only sounds came out, annoying seonghwa even more.

"so now you can't speak at all, that's great." seonghwa threw his arms into the air, sounding completely fed up.

"i'm sorry..."

seonghwa chuckled, a malicious smile growing on his face. anger was brewing inside of him for no good reason, and he snapped.

"you know what, you should be fucking sorry. do you know how much of my life i've wasted watching you thus far? wow, the things i could've done if i wasn't here all the fucking time. maybe i'd have a girlfriend or a boyfriend, maybe i could hang out with my friends, hell i could've read a book or some shit... but no, i'm always stuck here! like a fucking dog stuck in his cage all day long. i'm watching you, a sixteen year old, for hours at a time! so yes, you should be sorry." seonghwa exclaimed, borderline screaming in hongjoong's face as he spoke.

hongjoong's fragile heart couldn't take it any longer. after registering everything seonghwa had said to him, he couldn't hold in the tears anymore. he sprinted to his room, running faster than he's ever ran. as he ran, the tears fell out of his eyes, hard and fast.

as soon as seonghwa heard the ear splitting screams from the younger, he realized he messed up big time. he instantly regretted his plan and everything he said. seonghwa knew he had officially broke hongjoong, someone who meant the world to him.

"fuck." seonghwa whispered to himself as he quickly followed hongjoong's trail of tears straight to the boy's bedroom.

before he reached hongjoong's room, seonghwa heard the door slam loudly. he tried turning the knob to open the door when he reached the room, but he realized hongjoong had locked it. he knocked loudly, praying the younger would hear the banging over his loud sobs.

"no, get out! leave! if watching me is so bad, leave me alone! like you said, i'm sixteen. i should be able to watch myself!" hongjoong screamed from inside his room when he heard seonghwa's knocking.

"hongjoong, please open the door. open it right now. oh my god hongjoong, please! i'm so sorry. hongjoong please let me in." seonghwa begged while continuously hitting the door.

"no, leave like you said you wish you could! i'm granting your wish for you, leave me alone!" hongjoong cried out, screaming so loud that his throat began growing scratchy.

"please hongjoong... i'm such an idiot! i didn't mean it, please let me in." seonghwa pleaded, on the brink of tears himself as he continued begging.

seonghwa waited for a bit and eventually heard the cries slow down. he heard little footsteps pitter patter towards the door, making seonghwa's frown turn into a smile. the door then unlocked and creaked open, revealing a red tear-stained boy on the other side.

"hongjoong, please let me in the room." seonghwa asked the boy while holding his hands in fists, looking more distraught than ever before.

"ok, fine. come in." hongjoong stepped to the side and let seonghwa into the room.

seonghwa ran in, quickly taking a seat on the boy's bed before hongjoong could change his mind. hongjoong then closed the bedroom door and turned around to walk towards seonghwa on his bed.

"hongjoong, i can't... i can't even begin to explain how sorry i am right now." seonghwa moved over, patting the seat next to him on the bed for hongjoong to sit.

the boy sat hesitantly, "i'm so confused... that was all out of nowhere. why did you go back to your old ways? why?" hongjoong mumbled out, glancing from his lap to seonghwa's eyes.

"i... i have my reasons, hongjoong." seonghwa said with his head hung low.

"you have 'reasons' to hurt me? to break my heart? you called me an immature freak, seonghwa. do you realize that? do you realize what it feels like to be called that? do you know how bad it hurts? you know, i can't help the way i was born. but you don't have to be so mean about it all the time. it's not my fault i'm different." hongjoong began crying again, his heart beating out of his chest. seonghwa quickly wiped the boy's tears before they could reach his cheek.

"hongjoong, fuck. i'm such an idiot. you're not a freak, i don't even know why i said that." seonghwa shook his head, disappointed with himself.

"you said you had a reason. can you at least tell me what it is?" hongjoong looked up teary-eyed at the boy.

"well, um. i honestly can't, i'm so sorry." seonghwa apologized, speaking rather quietly.

"so great, you called me a freak, cursed at me, even told me i wasted your time... and you can't even tell me why! go figure." hongjoong smiled sarcastically, laughing to himself as he spoke.

"wow, fuck this sounds so horrible." seonghwa put his head in his hands, "hongjoong, i wish i could tell you, but i don't know the true reason myself. i'm so confused right now, my mind is going insane if i'm being honest. i can't figure myself out, and i decided to let my anger out on you. i'm such a horrible person, hongjoong. please, please forgive me. i beg of you. if you don't forgive me, i don't even know... i can't believe myself right now." seonghwa teared up, quickly wiping his eyes before hongjoong could see.

hongjoong noticed how choked up seonghwa was getting and quickly hugged the older. he was always known for giving people a second chance, and seonghwa was no different from the rest. he was definitely hurting, but he could tell that seonghwa was being genuine in his apology.

"ok seonghwa, i believe you. if you're confused right now, you don't have to tell me why. it's not my business. but please, don't ever hurt me like that again. i b-beg of you." hongjoong stuttered out, choking on his words due to the overwhelming emotions he was feeling.

"never, hongjoong. i will never do anything like that ever again. i'm so so sorry, i can't even explain it in w-words." seonghwa choked up on his own words, hugging hongjoong tightly.

"i accept your apology, seongie." hongjoong giggled as he leaned into the older's chest.

"thank you so much, joongie." seonghwa answered, kissing the top of the boy's head. hongjoong blushed, suddenly extremely thankful that his face was already red from tears so seonghwa wouldn't notice.

"ok, let's go downstairs now. no more crying, i hate crying!" hongjoong jumped up, putting his hand out for seonghwa to grab. the older quickly took the offer, standing up with hongjoong and slowly walking towards the bedroom door.

"how about we watch how to train your dragon?" seonghwa suggested and hongjoong smiled widely.

"yes, perfect! we get to watch you on the big screen!" hongjoong giggled and seonghwa's heart fluttered at the younger's adorable behavior.

the small boy began running down the stairs, dragging seonghwa as he went.

"not so fast, someone's going to get hurt!"

bro i swear i hate writing mean seonghwa. finally, things are going to be a little better in the world of seongjoong! well, for now... 🤫🤗

- vic