"So, what do you want to do? Order something? Or go to a restaurant?"

Hongjoong glanced at Seonghwa, still disbelieving that the man was physically here with him. While it felt real in its familiarity, the same familiarity disrupted Hongjoong's brain. Because dream Seonghwa was so similar to actual Seonghwa.

As he mulled his answer over in his head, Hongjoong's eyes dropped to Seonghwa's hands on the wheel. How they held it loosely but securely. Driving had never felt so meditative for Hongjoong.

"Let's go to a restaurant as long as they don't throw us out because we are full of dog hair."

Chuckling, Seonghwa pulled his phone out of his pocket to fasten it to the clasp on the middle console.

"I know a place that won't throw us out, trust me." Glancing between the road and the phone, Seonghwa typed in the name with careful fingers. For a mere second, the homepage of a fancy diner flashed before Seonghwa quickly removed the tab to get the address. Seeing through his ploy, Hongjoong crossed his arms.

"I hope your sneakiness won't hurt by me saying this, but I'll pay. Don't think I'll let you be Prince Charming all by yourself."

Seonghwa stifled a smile in his arm. At seeing his eyes lit up, Hongjoong's lips twitched, too.

"Don't worry. It isn't so elegant that a pirate has to feel out of place," Seonghwa reassured him. At the running gag he shared with San and Seonghwa, Hongjoong scoffed. It seemed like he must have been a pirate in his past life. The savage genes flowed through his veins.

Seonghwa spared him a glance as he halted at a red light.

"And if you insist on paying, I will insist on driving you home after."

Hongjoong enjoyed their little banter. He agreed as Seonghwa picked up speed again.

"Alright, that sounds like a fair exchange. The bag on your backseat makes me trust you enough not to expect you just want to find out my address to kidnap me."

The sun set in the same direction they were driving. Its orange light bathed the town in the prettiest glow and had the skies blush in a lovely shade of pink. Seonghwa put his sunscreen down.

"Lucky. Although I have shackles in there. That might unsettle you."

Hongjoong couldn't help the nervous glance at the bag. Not because he was perturbed, but for entirely different reasons.

Seonghwa caught onto it immediately.

"Don't you think about it. These cause handcuff neuropathy. If you want to play, we'll get ones that are made for that."

Biting his lip, Hongjoong tried his best to suppress his smile. He liked Seonghwa's boldness. Its appearances were rare, but it never failed to make Hongjoong's stomach swoop.

"Fine. Even though they would be here so conveniently. Just like the two of us." Mock annoyed, Hongjoong leaned back into his seat. Their navigator read another five minutes to the place Seonghwa had picked.

A playful chuckle escaped from Seonghwa's lips.

"In all fairness, I did not arrange for handcuffs on our first real meeting. I have no plans all evening, however, so if a tie or a shirt works just as well for you, we can figure it out then," he placated the other man. Hongjoong desperately wanted to lean over and kiss him, but he didn't want Seonghwa to relive his car crash nightmare. Thus, he merely stretched to press a kiss to Seonghwa's cheek. The man smiled at the gentle touch.

"Good call. I'll come back to it later."

By the time they arrived at the restaurant, Seonghwa's smooth social skills had buttered up Hongjoong enough that he stopped doubting the man. Their interactions were just the same as in his dreams, and Seonghwa regarded Hongjoong no less adoringly. By the time they were seated in a private little booth with a candle between them, all that Hongjoong knew was hunger and how gorgeous Seonghwa's face opposite of him was.

Seonghwa ordered some fancy fish Hongjoong couldn't pronounce with potatoes (in a fancily cut and decorated way) on the side. Hongjoong ordered the one pasta dish that sounded vaguely familiar to him. They shared a bottle of wine, and the glass looked ridiculously pretty in Seonghwa's elegant hands even before Hongjoong tasted the alcohol.

"So, Hongjoong. I'm dying to know more about you now that we finally have the right time and place. You know my deepest darkest secrets and I barely know your favourite chapstick flavour." Seonghwa set his glass down after their initial cheers and the first sip. His pleased sigh at the taste of his fish had Hongjoong chuckle.

"You're in luck. I can summarise my entire life story in five minutes or so. And then I can overwhelm you with the lengthy explanation about my favourite video games that have much more fascinating content."

Seonghwa chuckled at his plate. He fit into the cosy place, and the faint piano background music could be straight out of his dreams. No wonder he liked this restaurant.

"That doesn't sound too bad. What do you like to play? Wooyoung has those huge multiplayer lobbies where they all scream at each other."

That wasn't hard to imagine.

"I prefer playing by myself. Though maybe I should hit Wooyoung up with the few games I know where I would appreciate a companion. I play adventure games most of the time. Currently, one about an alien in space."

His geek side seemed to resonate with Seonghwa. It was time for Hongjoong to analyse his entire personality based on his favourite anime. So far, he had barely seen any interests outside of work in Seonghwa's dreams.

"Sounds intense. But yeah, ask Wooyoung. He, San and Yunho play together a lot. It's not my cup of tea. Too many buttons, too much stress."

Hongjoong had to laugh at him. The exaggerated pout Seonghwa gave him only had him coo.

"You're boring. And talking about video game stress in your job? Funny. I understand, though. It's less fun shooting people when you're surrounded by that in real life. Maybe you should try some dating simulator games. Or Sims. It has about your level of lameness."

"Hey, Sims is all fine with cheat codes. Well, the house building and character design at least. I do it sometimes on Wooyoung's PC when I'm bored."

Hongjoong couldn't disagree with that. He took back the words about Seonghwa being boring, and the man accepted the apology with exaggerated nobility. When he offered Hongjoong a bite of his fish, Hongjoong nodded curiously. Seonghwa fed it to him. In return, he got a piece of pasta.

They agreed that each other's dishes were delicious.

"Different question. What is it with you and pirates? I think at times you confused even me whether or not I was one," Hongjoong mumbled between stuffing his cheeks with pasta. Seonghwa watched him endeared while he himself ate with far more poise and elegance.

"You really look like it. The only thing you are missing is a scar on your face. You could pass as one anytime."

"I don't know whether to take this as a compliment or an insult."

Amused, Seonghwa assured him that crime looked very fitting and 'irresponsibly attractive, given my job' on Hongjoong. Hongjoong jested that he viewed the enemy as his greatest interest.

Their conversation flowed smoothly, and without the hitches Hongjoong had expected. Seonghwa was burning to know everything about him, and he countered every bit of information with genuine interest and flattered Hongjoong in his investment. Once they finished eating and a server came by to check on them, Seonghwa ordered ice cream for the two of them to share so subtly beneath his attention on Hongjoong that Hongjoong didn't notice he did until the ice cream was in front of them.

They dug into the sweet treat. Hongjoong nearly missed his first bite when he got distracted by Seonghwa's lips wrapping around the spoon. His mind just blanked, not even bringing up inappropriate memories. The beauty that Seonghwa was bewitched him. The candle between them flattered him very much.

"Tell me about your job. How come you got assigned to spook through my dreams?"

Hongjoong took extra small portions of the ice cream on purpose so he could leave more to Seonghwa. The bigger chocolate chips, too. In return, he accepted the cherry that Seonghwa pushed over to him.

"We have several offices throughout the city. They spread out nicely. We don't need super many people in the job since most people have nightmares rarely. And many of those are only because they spooked themselves with the media they consumed. We can ignore those. So we focus on those people who have reoccurring nightmares and check out their underlying health conditions. Since you work to help the public, you are high on the priority list. Though it can take a while to initiate the process. Your dreamcatcher is like a signal beacon."

Humming, Seonghwa dug through the ice cream, chasing more cherries. Hongjoong watched amusedly as it fell apart from its delicate build.

"I see. So you have quite a medical approach."

"As medical as it gets. Dreams are a lot of nonsense that we can't explain, too. I have a degree in this, but I am no psychologist."

Nobody had to say his name for both of them to think of Yeosang.

"So, what is the ultimate goal? You didn't teach me to lucid dream."

"No, you did that by yourself, and it's the most popular treatment in our work. The patients learn to manage themselves and we won't have to meddle. The other option is trying to show the dreamer the issue subtly and hope that their dreams urge them into changing the circumstances that cause their nightmares. It can be as easy as sleeping with a light on, but some dreamers are stubborn to understand."

Hongjoong sipped his wine, slowing down on the ice cream. He felt pleased by watching Seonghwa happily enjoy it.

"That's cool. What if the dreamer doesn't know of his condition?"

"Sometimes we get to write an anonymous letter, those are fun. San just loves telling people that he is a random stranger who claims to send every person a 'mental health positivity letter' when actually he writes it to just them and so oddly specific that they consider."

"Sounds real sneaky. I can't say it's illegal, but it's oddly suspicious for therapy," Seonghwa mumbled. When he noticed the lack of Hongjoong's eating, he raised his spoon to feed the man. Hongjoong accepted the bite.

"It's a grey area. Only fine because we don't actually have ties in the real world with those people. Most often, they resolve it all by themselves and never even know we were there."

"Unless they shackle you in the Gobi desert," Seonghwa deadpanned. His eyes shone with pride.

"Right, unless that happens."

They finished the ice cream and called for the tab. It wasn't as expensive as Hongjoong had expected, but more so than the good old street food he ate most of the time. They left with the kind goodbyes of the employees. Just like earlier, Seonghwa held the door open for Hongjoong as he climbed into the car.

It was late already, and both tiredness and the full belly had Hongjoong suppress a yawn. He didn't want to part with Seonghwa just yet. Thus, he willed the night to move slower as it rushed past them on the mostly empty highway.

The darkness felt like a private little bubble for Hongjoong and Seonghwa. As if nobody but them existed in the world. Seonghwa hummed under his breath as he drove, and Hongjoong had slumped into his seat to watch the other man with all the devotion in the world.

They arrived at Hongjoong's home far too early. Seonghwa took Hongjoong's hand once they stood on the sidewalk and walked him down the street to his house. As if anybody would steal him on the brightly lit street of the apartment area.

They stood in front of Hongjoong's building, holding hands and sharing another shy moment.

"You look tired. No shackles today?"

"No shackles today. I'll let you off the hook this time." Hongjoong's threat barely sounded like one for how mild his voice was. Seonghwa squeezed his hands with a smile.

"Next time, then. You should get some sleep. I can stay up if you want, so you won't have to go right to work."

"Unacceptable, I don't want to steal your sleep."

Seonghwa lightly shook his head. The chilly evening breeze ruffled through his hair and reddened his cheeks. No snow today, but Hongjoong bet the man would have looked great in it. It would match his soft black curls.

"I have some reports I need to catch up on. How about this: You sleep for at least six hours. And I will text you if I go to sleep after."

Hongjoong narrowed his eyes.

"I know you won't, you fox. You already decided I need sleep."

Seonghwa stepped in to hug Hongjoong. He soothed his sulking with a kiss on his forehead. Warm and soft, his lips lingered for a moment.

"Alright, you caught me. Just tonight? We can meet again tomorrow. I might spend all the time awake squealing about today anyway," Seonghwa muttered cheesily. His warmth seeped into Hongjoong.

"Fine, your foul tricks of seducing me to sleep work. But I expect you on time the night after."

"Of course. I wouldn't want to miss it."

For a moment, they just embraced each other in the cold, silent night. Nobody was around at this time, most windows dark.

When Hongjoong raised his head to search Seonghwa's gaze, a mutual question passed between them. This time, it was Hongjoong who reached up to guide Seonghwa's lips to his. Wrapped securely into Seonghwa's arms around his waist, they spend a few minutes just kissing until their lips heated back up.

Hongjoong nearly fell asleep in Seonghwa's arms, sighing dreamily. When Seonghwa pulled back with a giggle, Hongjoong slumped into his chest once more.

"Go to sleep, pirate. And see you soon."

Ever so slowly, Hongjoong detached himself from Seonghwa. Their time had passed too fast, and the real presence of the man couldn't compare to the dream him. Hongjoong wanted to just be around him and watch him in wonder all day long.

When Hongjoong moved extra sluggishly, Seonghwa gave a crooked smile. Hongjoong's favourite.

"Also, this."

Hongjoong startled when a chilly hand suddenly dipped under his jacket. It slipped under his shirt, too, and abruptly tickled his side. Seonghwa did extra damage with the iciness, and with a whine, Hongjoong curled into the man's side, away from the evil fingers. Right away, Seonghwa stopped.

Wide awake, Hongjoong glared at him for the interruption of his basking. Seonghwa grinned.

"Sorry, had to check if it was really you. I memorised your squeaky reaction specifically for this purpose."

Seonghwa dropped another kiss on Hongjoong's lips as an apology. Of course, Hongjoong forgave him instantly.

"Good night." With a little wave, Seonghwa skipped back to his car. Hongjoong smiled after him before he went in to finally get some sleep. He had never fallen asleep so happy and fulfilled.