Hongjoong and San deal with the aftermath of revealing their relationship to the world through a music video.
Through this potentially devastating decision, Hongjoong is reminded why exactly he fell in love with San in the first place.
A story told...
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2023
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From an outsider's perspective, everything seemed fine.
The hotel room was cold, but not too cold for Hongjoong to want to throw himself out the window, and the enormous flatscreen that was positioned directly across from the bed was turned on to some Japanese news broadcast that Hongjoong could actually understand in fragmented bits of language he'd managed to learn over the years.
It was peaceful, undisturbed, and if Hongjoong was anyone else, he wouldn't have noticed the look in San's eye when the boy finally made his way out of the shower.
He wouldn't have paid any mind to the thoughtful frown on San's face as he paced around the room in nothing but a towel clutched to his hip, the muscles in his arm straining for attention when he raised a hand to brush his damp hair back from his forehead.
"Do you know where my blue sweater is?" He asked distractedly, turning to face Hongjoong when the elder started laughing squeakily.
San's eyes seemed to smile before his teeth even appeared.
"Oh."
Hongjoong pulled lightly at the sweater San was looking for, the sweater he had so happened to put on because it smelled like lavender and lilies and all the beautiful things in the world that reminded him of San.
He smiled shyly as San dropped his towel and tugged on a pair of boxers.
"I'll give it back if you want, but I prefer you like this." He said, smile widening when San stepped closer with a tilt in his lips, cheeks coloring.
Hongjoong grabbed at the boy's wrist, yanking him closer to the edge of the bed just to press a kiss to his stomach.
San sighed at the action, bringing a hand up to course through Hongjoong's nearly white hair as though encouraging, but in the end he was the one to pull away when Hongjoong's fingers started trailing up the side of his thigh.
"Sorry." He mumbled, but Hongjoong shushed him diligently, unworthy of an apology.
He kissed San's hand before finally letting him go.
He let San finish getting dressed in silence, the boy unnaturally slow as he searched for a t-shirt, because Hongjoong had known something was wrong in the first place, and he knew he was in no position to push for answers.
