"Hongjoong, I got you the data you wanted."

Hongjoong glanced up from his phone in time to get his face hit by a rush of air. Dramatically, he coughed through it as he eyed the folder freshly slapped onto his desk, then Jongho.

"Thanks, boss. Is this knowledge I need to be careful with?"

"In front of Park Seonghwa, maybe, yes. I for sure wouldn't appreciate it if people told me private knowledge to my face. Shaman or not." With a brief smile, Jongho left the office.

Hongjoong glanced at his retreating back until he rounded the corner. Recently, their chef was back to his professional and impeccable behaviour. Nothing hinted at any mishaps, and Hongjoong wondered what those few befuddled moments had been.

With a hum, Hongjoong sorted his tumbler with tea, his new documents and his bag under his arm. Mingi and he saluted each other goofily when he passed the man. Apparently, Mingi would soon join San on a special case of a patient with severe sleep paralysis disorders and collect some data there. The redhead was over the moon with the prospect recently and studied twice as hard as usual to do a perfect job. Whenever Hongjoong as much as glanced at the mountains of heavy books on his table, his head spun.

San was upstairs already. He had fled from Jongho's watchful eyes before the man would reprimand him again for leaving the window in the washroom open for three freezing hours after what San described as a 'tacos for breakfast emergency'.

When Hongjoong entered the attic, San quickly excited the open chatroom on his phone. For a moment, Hongjoong spotted his background picture of San, Wooyoung, and Byeol cuddled together on San's couch. Then the phone shut off. San whipped around in his chair, his pink hair unruly.

"I have news so spicy that you might need to take the evening off to digest them," San exclaimed excitedly. With a snicker, Hongjoong closed the door behind him and went over to his working station. Carefully, he put down his precariously balanced equipment.

"Spicier than your tacos?"

"Even spicier."

Hongjoong thanked him for activating the PC for Hongjoong already so it could run its background processes while they chatted. Then, he sat down to sip at his tea.

"Alright, spill it."

San glanced left and right as if the designated poltergeist of the attic (probably also Yeosang) could hear them. Then, he leaned closer over the two tables separating them.

"Jongho and Mingi" San nodded his head at the door "they are fucking."

Hongjoong coughed when his gulp went down the wrong tube. He coughed up his scratchy tea. Having predicted this, San smoothly handed him a handkerchief to wipe his mess away.

"Those two?! Nahh," Hongjoong shook his head in disbelief.

"Oh, yes."

"Nahhhh."

When San nodded gravely once more, the first doubts blossomed in Hongjoong's chest. Their boss? And the one person in the building who was second to Jongho's smartness? Impossible. They barely even talked to each other.

"Do you have evidence?"

"I have a nude of Mingi with an excuse that it was for Jongho if that is enough evidence? I can show you if you want." San already fumbled with his phone when Hongjoong hectically gestured for him to stop.

"No way," he muttered, still baffled.

"Yes way. I bet they fuck in the office whenever they are early. Or when we are up here. No wonder the fieldwork discussion got resolved so quickly."

Hongjoong shook his head to himself, in just as much disbelief as San. Neither of the two could mask their wonder.

Their boss had never voiced his interest in anyone. In none of the genders, in no pets, not even in the plants that San sometimes carried back and forth from his office to make the place livelier. Mingi had broken all rules, and Hongjoong was beyond impressed with the man.

"Damn, Mingi did it all right. Landed himself a onetime opportunity for his dissertation, got accepted, and got himself a department chef for a sugar daddy. Are we doing something wrong?" Hongjoong was astonished.

San scoffed and sipped on his own coffee. He grimaced right after since it had started to cool down.

"I'm more than happy with Wooyoung. If you want to date that penguin instead of a hot police officer, then I will judge, though. No forgiveness."

"Seems like I am too late to snatch Jongho now, so I suppose I will be happy with Seonghwa." Hongjoong sighed as if that were the greatest misfortune bestowed on him.

"Speaking of. Jongho got me the address of the nursing home that holds his grandma. I doubt I can go there and give her a good scare but oh I wish I could hang a Batibat tree root under her bed. If only that wouldn't get me jail time."

San stood from his seat when his monitor started showing the first distress signals. He threw a mischievous grin in Hongjoong's direction.

"The trick is to help Seonghwa until he feels well enough to do that himself. He has infinite get out of jail free cards." Both of San's hands threw finger guns at Hongjoong. Chuckling, Hongjoong waved him off.

"I doubt it works like that but it might be worth a shot."

With a giggle, San went to work. For a while longer, Hongjoong sat to gnaw on his nails as he spun his evil master plan on how to free Seonghwa from the clutches of his abuse. There was nobody for him to take care of if that grandma died a mysterious death. But the path there was the troublesome part.

At his regular time, Seonghwa fell asleep. It took him only moments to enter his nightmares. When Hongjoong hurried to go to sleep too, his heart thumped with happiness to see the man again and dread of what he would dream this time simultaneously.

Hongjoong went simple with his outfit tonight. After last time, they had recognised that basically any of their nights together had the potential to be date nights. Thus they had settled to count every as such and have a joyful time together. Not all nights needed to be a grand trip like Edinburgh.

Equipped with his gun under his shirt and all black save for his white jean jacket, Hongjoong slipped into Seonghwa's dream. Only to find himself hit in the face by the sight that greeted him.

The second that Seonghwa got aware of Hongjoong's presence, he let go of the person he had been hugging so tightly. A person, that looked suspiciously similar to the dreamcatcher himself.

Before Hongjoong could get a better look at the other Hongjoong, he disappeared once Seonghwa dropped his attention from him. Instead, he faced Hongjoong to raise his hands placatingly.

"This is not what it looks like, I swear," the officer mumbled pleadingly. Amused, Hongjoong crossed his arms.

"The fact that you feel the need to apologise without me saying a word makes it more suspicious. What were you doing?"

Meek, Seonghwa glanced at his shoes as if he had to count the pebbles they stood on. The dark cave surrounding them was thickly veiled with spider webs that covered the walls like another layer. Albeit uncomfortable in the wet and mouldy-smelling air, Seonghwa took his time to be shy about it.

"Well, I figured it made sense he would appear... Since I expect you in my dreams by now and my brain might see that as its hint."

Hongjoong chuckled, still having no answer why Seonghwa had embraced the other him so passionately. He knew he didn't need to ask, though. After all, he had tried kissing the Seonghwa of his dreams already, too. As odd as it was, it wasn't surprising since they liked each other and it was a dream, anyway.

"I trust you. Well, what is this?" Hongjoong gestured around the cave. He didn't need to voice it for Seonghwa to know that it wasn't the best dating spot. The man agreed with an exasperated grumble.

"No doors nearby, I didn't know how to change it. Do you have any ideas?"

Hongjoong stepped closer to take the man's hand. Seonghwa's fingers trembled faintly as he wrapped them around Hongjoong's. In his moment of fear, Hongjoong lifted his hand to his lips to press a gentle kiss on Seonghwa's knuckles. The man softened at the gesture.

"Let's search for an exit together, them."

Relieved, Seonghwa let him pull them along. They stumbled through the underground cave system with no sense of direction. The cave was lit only ever so faintly, but no apparent light source was nearby. Only webs upon webs.

Seonghwa was uneasy tonight. He kept glancing over his shoulder and scratching at his arms. He shivered even in his leather jacket, and Hongjoong's presence didn't seem to be enough of consolidation for him to calm down. Of course, his actual nightmares were still ten times creepier than having Yeosang nearby as spooky support.

When Hongjoong glanced into one of the tunnels crossing from their path from time to time, he spotted piles of dead bodies. All in police uniforms, and all leaving a trail of dark glinting blood on the ground as they had been dragged into heaps.

He swallowed.

"I wanted to ask you something, Seonghwa."

With an anxious glance over his shoulder, Seonghwa nodded. His face paled when something rustled in the distance.

Hongjoong gripped his hand tighter, hoping to spend some comfort for the man's stiff shoulders.

"You know, part of my job entails watching your progress in dreams. And interpret it based on what I see."

"And did I get any better?"

From the corners of his eyes, Hongjoong believed to see someone following them. Someone in a white dress.

Hongjoong wrapped his arm around Seonghwa's waist tightly, shielding him. The taller man cowered into his shoulder, his breaths choked up.

"You didn't. If anything, you got worse. This dream is one of those."

Clutching Hongjoong's arm, Seonghwa gulped as he channelled his gaze straight ahead. He was trapped too far in the web of his terror to find them an exit anytime soon. They could only run through the tunnels blindly and with something rustling behind them.

"Webs hint at family issues. And tunnels at you hiding from something. Who are you hiding from? It's not from me, or else I wouldn't have appeared earlier."

Seonghwa mumbled incoherently under his breath. When Hongjoong tilted his head in his direction patiently, the man sucked in a harsh breath to repeat himself.

"I know you are here to figure this out and that you want to help me. But you don't need to become wrapped up in my family business. I don't want you to see that side of me," Seonghwa muttered, completely vulnerable. As if Hongjoong hadn't seen everything already. As if Seonghwa didn't appreciate him so much for the understanding he got despite his gruesome mind.

"I feel like I can only do my job if I resolve this, though."

"And I am happy as it is, okay?" Seonghwa hastily lowered his voice again when his shout had been louder than intended. Leaves crunched under their feet as they gradually scaled a hill. Hongjoong didn't spot the woman behind them again.

"I'm happy to fall asleep every night and have you here with me in my nightmares. And I appreciate your help a lot," Seonghwa added softer.

"Do you fear you might lose me if you lose your nightmares?"

Seonghwa's voice dropped further until it was nothing more than a rough whisper. He fought his tears as he spoke, and his whole body quivered in Hongjoong's hold. For a second, Hongjoong feared he might rip apart at the seams and dissolve into nothingness.

"I can't imagine what it would be like to have no nightmares. I grew up with them, I befriended them. And continuing as it is but with you here to help sounds like the best it gets. I'm afraid of changing that."

Seonghwa's raw honesty touched Hongjoong's heart. As they stepped out of the cave and into a dark needle forest, Hongjoong turned to catch Seonghwa's face in his hands. The man's doe eyes were wet with unspilt tears and carried every fear known to mankind. Sad piano music filtered through the woods like a widow's mourning song.

Hongjoong brushed his thumbs over the man's cheeks.

"I understand. Then let me stay here by your side. And once you feel encouraged to transform your dreams, you can tell me. I won't stop accompanying you."

With a reassured smile, Seonghwa turned his head to press a shaky kiss against Hongjoong's palm. Their racing hearts calmed again until they picked up their walking pace once more.

"Let's go to that clearing over there just behind the treeline. I heard someone prepared a picnic for us. Someone who does axe work in these woods."

Amused, Seonghwa swung their hands between them. His delighted mood sprung over onto Hongjoong like a spark of hope.

"That sounds wonderful. I hope there are strawberries, I love those. By the way, I wanted to ask you again about Berry. I couldn't quite get her out of my head and considered going there to adopt her."

With a big grin, Hongjoong retold the entire story of him meeting the gentle dog and how Wooyoung and San had figured out their predicament. Seonghwa listened ever so attentively while Hongjoong fed him with strawberries.

Ultimately, Seonghwa awoke after they shared some kisses on the picnic blanket. When Hongjoong sat down to write his report, he was dispirited and relieved at the same time.

*********

I'm back from my exams~