Oneiric Tryst

19. The Secret

The night after they had settled on a date idea, Seonghwa didn't sleep. Hongjoong spent all night waiting for his stats to show up on the monitor, but they never did.

And Hongjoong's mind ran wild with possibilities. That Seonghwa was too shy at the idea of the date. That something bad had happened to him. That a big incident at work had occurred that needed his undivided attention.

Hongjoong was left to gnaw on his fingernails nervously all night long. San was in the left room, sleeping, as he took care of that girl he had been assigned. When he stepped out of the chamber in the morning and found Hongjoong curled up and with bloodshot eyes on the chair, he instantly stepped over to deliver a soft hug.

"He didn't sleep?"

Hongjoong leaned his head against San's stomach, exhausted. Some cat hairs stuck to the other man's clothes, but Hongjoong didn't mind them.

"He didn't. Not a second."

Worried, San's eyes scanned the monitor. Hongjoong had been checking the news for any accidents all night long, fearing that Seonghwa might have got in trouble with risky people.

"Do you want me to ask Wooyoung about it?" San's fingers brushed through Hongjoong's hair. The little circles he massaged in the man's scalp had him sigh contently.

"I don't want to be too overbearing... Maybe he just stayed up with friends. Not like I have any right to dig around in his actual life." Downtrodden, Hongjoong glanced around on his desk. His eyes got stuck on the list of dream symbols that he had written down. Sharks with their meaning of imminent danger and high risks that the dreamer felt in his actual life surroundings were the newest addition.

San followed his gaze and gave a hum.

"But it's more than that, isn't it? You need to get to the root to help with his nightmares, for both of your understanding. And the root of his is in his real life. It isn't the same as telling a kid what they saw in that spooky movie wasn't real."

"I feel it might be inappropriate to take those things apart. I don't want to rip open old wounds."

This time, San pulled the piece of paper in. He jammed his index finger down on the word 'execution' with enough pressure that his fingertip turned white.

"Those aren't old wounds. Something else is ripping open those old wounds already. Despite you being with him for weeks now, we see no betterment. If anything, things are getting worse."

Once more, San's fingers brushed through the tufts of Hongjoong's blond hair. Ever so gently.

"I'd dig. You two are close enough that he might be willing to help you. And if he truly just stayed up with friends, then all the better. It's in your job description to consider the lack of sleep as a signal, too," San ended diplomatically. Sighing, Hongjoong buried his nose in the man's hard stomach.

"We should make you captain for the time being. I feel unable to do it right now."

Chuckling, San pushed him off playfully. Mock hurt, Hongjoong slumped back into his chair.

"Then get to work, mate. I don't want to see you moping around on my ship during working hours." San dropped into his seat with a chuckle. Hongjoong laughed with him.

"Now you sound like Jongho."

San's eyes narrowed, his expression becoming pensive.

"But maybe I am... Jongho!" With a grand gesture, he pretended to rip a mask off his face. When he stayed San, both of them shrugged.

"Or not."

Amused, Hongjoong got out his phone to ask Seonghwa about his sleeping pattern. Now that he had stayed up all night, he might just fall asleep later. It was impossible to tell for Hongjoong when exactly he had to be ready at the psycho room. Not as if Seonghwa could know very well, either.