"hey love~" seonghwa sing-songed as yechan blinked like a kitten and giggled as hongjoong held him. hongjoong slightly pulled his son's sweater down and kissed his cheek, smiling at him.

"he's feeling a little unwell, i dont know how well he would do in the therapy session today," hongjoong said as he took a seat on the bouncy sofa that was in seonghwa's therapy room.

oh. seonghwa had planned something.

"oh, that's okay," he replied, a small pout fighting to spread across his lips

"then what else would you like to do?" seonghwa questioned back

"maybe we could just talk about his progress? or anything, actually. the only thing i dont want to do is deal with a meltdown, that's why."

now, this had peaked seonghwa's interest. he wouldn't mind talking to hongjoong, as long as he would be able to hear that sweet sweet voice that was like music to his ears. he was okay with not having that day's session as long as he got to spend time with hongjoong.

he didn't know why-- but he knew that he wanted to get to know the shorter man more. hongjoong looked like an interesting person to him.

seonghwa thought the redhead was an all-in one package; he was cute, hot, a good parent and even had a cute personality that seonghwa loved. he was exactly his type.

"sure! i'm down for that," he replied a little too quickly and a little too happily for his liking but its okay, he loved the energy. 

hongjoong watched seonghwa remove his white coat, placing it carefully over the headrest of his spinning chair before he came and took a seat next to him, the sofa sinking down from the weight.

seonghwa's hair was slicked back; as usual, except now it was in a small bun because he had grown his hair out. hongjoong felt a little insecure at that, because his hair was long too, he just couldn't afford anything to make it look good. he was a little jealous to say the least. he wished he could style his hair and look as good as seonghwa did. 

that was okay though, little did hongjoong know that the man sitting next to him still thought he was the most adorable and handsome man ever. seonghwa loved hongjoong's mullet, red hair with natural black highlights; it suited him. 

there was an awkward silence between the pair, interrupted by the soft sounds of the little one giggling as he played with his two favourite toys on his father's lap. seonghwa reached out to yechan, trying to ease the thick tension in the room. the orange coloured lights illuminated against the walls, tenderly highlighting the room and giving it a comforting ambiance. the star stickers on the ceiling twinkled as faint music echoed through the speakers of the room. 

"what's this, baby?" he asked warmly, his honey-like voice echoing softly through hongjoong's ears. 

"toy," he mumbled while he gently played with the bear's ears 

seonghwa chuckled at that. 

"yes, i know that. but what's his name?" he asked again, moving slightly closer to the little one-- and hongjoong, the scent of his citrusy perfume engulfing his nose. 

hongjoong adjusted in his seat before answering the doctor's question. 

"his name is bearu. it's his favourite toy, he always keeps it with him. it's his safe place," he said, his voice filled with affection for his son. seonghwa's eyes softened as he listened. 

"that's wonderful, it's always good for children to have comfort toys. it helps them feel safe," the male commented as he looked at hongjoong who had flashed him a small, appreciative smile. 

"is that your friend, baby?" seonghwa asked yechan, the little one looking up with big boba eyes that glistened and nodded before he slightly thrusted the doll towards seonghwa, showing it to him. 

"i love." 

hongjoong fondly grinned at his son, oh did he love him so much. he pulled yechan closer to him and wrapped his arm around his tiny torso, holding him tightly against him. it was comforting to yechan, it was something his father always did. 

seonghwa's heart melted a little when yechan smiled at the plushie and then to the doctor. his two little teeth jutting out of his gums as he chubby cheeks closed tugged on his face. it was adorable. he clutched the toy against his chest as hongjoong ran his finger's through his son's soft hair. 

"he really loves him," the redhead murmured to himself, loud enough for seonghwa to hear it. his heart swelled at the interaction between the father and son-- and the father himself. 

"you're doing an amazing job with him. it's really evident how much you love him. parents who take care of their children are the best," seonghwa complimented as his eyes met hongjoong's for a split second, before the redhead looked away shyly. he blushed a bit since the compliment caught him off guard. 

"thank you doctor, it means a lot coming from someone like you," he replied, hoping his voice wouldn't crack in the middle out of nervousness.

why was he feeling like this? why did his cheeks heat up the way it did whenever he used to be with his girlfriend? he had never felt like this before, and he had been with many male friends or people before, yet why was he feeling like this when he was with his son's psychiatrist. he didn't know. it was a foreign feeling he didn't know how to name. 

before he could get lost in his thoughts, he pushed the thoughts down and looked back at yechan who was comfortably sitting on his lap, playing with his plushie. 

the atmosphere grew more relaxed as seonghwa spoke more, his reassuring voice making hongjoong feel better and more safe where he was. he figured that the older male wouldn't judge him for anything. he asked hongjoong about what yechan was like as a baby, his funny stories, his daily shenanigans too. he also asked about the little things that made yechan happy; small things such as bath time or even spending time with hongjoong. he found himself opening up to the doctor more than he anticipated, but it was fine, he was okay with sharing those things with him. 

seonghwa on the other hand listened attentively to hongjoong, taking notes of the little details he said such as his favourite thing to do with yechan or how he has fun with his baby. he was really fascinated by how amazing of a father hongjoong was, and he was sure hongjoong couldn't see it himself. the way his eyes glistened every time he spoke about the things he loved about yechan, his dramatic hand gestures that simply made him cuter in seonghwa's mind. he was interested in hongjoong-- not just as a parent but him as a person, an individual. 

yechan started to squirm in hongjoong's lap, doing grabby hands to the play corner in the room. 

"you feeling better my love?" hongjoong asked as yechan nodded and he loosened the grip on his waist.

"you wanna play?" he asked again, his son eagerly nodding.

"okay then sweetie, go on," he whispered before he let his son go to play. 

"seems like he's feeling better huh?" the doctor asked while cracking the knuckles on his fingers and stretching a bit. 

"yea, but i would rather not have the session now since he might have a meltdown," he replied

"no, that's completely okay! how about we get to know more about you, hm?" seonghwa asked as he leaned closer to hongjoong, the male blushing again since he was caught off guard. the gap between them now was much closer, the tension increasing. 

"so, what do you like to do in your free time? when you're not being the best dad ever, i mean." 

hongjoong giggled at the compliment before speaking. 

"ah, me? i'm kind of boring, i love music-- so i listen to that and i also love sports. i go play football with my friend in my free time. i used to be the captain of the college football team before yechan was born. i usually play online football games and i even watch football when i get time to. oh! and i also know how to play the electric guitar!"

seonghwa's eyes peaked with interest in what hongjoong was saying.

"that's interesting, i love football too! maybe we could go and play one day," he suggested as he adjusted in his seat, removing his shoes and crossing his legs on the sofa.

hongjoong smiled at him, genuine and warm; it made seonghwa's heart skip a beat at the beauty of the man.

"oh, sure," hongjoong agreed, a shade of pink tinting his cheeks.

he didn't know why he was feeling like that, he didn't even notice the blush on his face.

"amazing!" seonghwa exclaimed.

reality was that he knew nothing about football. the only thing he knew was that it was played with feet-- that's all. he wanted to seem interested in hongjoong's interests, hence why he said that. he would have to go home and research more on that.

seonghwa couldn't help but notice how adorable hongjoong looked when he was awkward and blushing, it was an adorable sight to see.

there was another awkward silence. the time was almost up and seonghwa wanted to get hongjoong's number but he didn't know how to.

"what do you like?" the younger asked, breaking the silence

"i love animals, i usually go to the dog shelter in my free time. i have a dog of my own, she's a golden retriever. her name is miso," he replied, a smile on his face while he spoke about his love for his dog. it warmed hongjoong a bit, knowing someone loved a living being so much the way he loved yechan.

hongjoong checked his watch and panicked a bit, realizing it was time for his afternoon shift at the restaurant.

"oh shit, i think we should leave, i have to go for my shift in half an hour," he said while panicking, packing the things back into his backpack. this made seonghwa panic too-- he had to quickly ask for his number.

"wait, can i have your number?" the male asked as he pulled out his phone

hongjoong paused what he was doing.

"what?"

"yea, maybe we could get to know each other outside of the hospital setting. you're an interesting person," seonghwa said as he turned away to look at his phone.

hongjoong was a little stunned. nobody had ever told him before that he was an interesting person, except for maybe san but he was different. he was a little surprised but was happy to give the male his number. heat rose up to his cheeks as he picked up yechan in his arms, then taking his phone out to give seonghwa his number so that he could message him.

hongjoong didn't understand the way he was feeling towards the older male, but he sure knew the feeling was foreign.

--|--

it felt good writing this many words after ages, i hope y'all like it!!