Jongho is staring at him from across the room.
It's making Hongjoong uncomfortable, the way the physical therapist just watches with those wide eyes, happily wrapping up a pile of resistance bands that he had Seonghwa using earlier in their session.
The man is dressed in dark grey joggers and a muscle shirt that Hongjoong swears reveals every indent in his sculpted torso.
He wonders briefly if Seonghwa has noticed just how built his therapist is and if he likes that sort of thing.
"Joong-hyung," Jongho begins sweetly, putting away the bands in a bin by the wall.
"Why do you keep looking at Seonghwa-hyung like that?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know, like you're waiting for something to happen."
Hongjoong shrugs, completely confused.
"I really don't understand what you—"
"This is you," Jongho interrupts, making a blank face with comically-wide eyes at the wall.
He then turns and affects a whole new persona, batting his eyelashes coyly and fluffing his hair.
"And this is Seonghwa-hyung," he explains. "What is going on?"
Laughing off the question, the nurse inclines his head towards the hallway where Seonghwa is taking a phone call from San about work.
"Uh, how long has he been on the phone? It's almost time for his shower."
"Can't wait to get him naked, Joong-hyung?" Jongho questions, smirking something devilish.
It's so unlike the usually demure young man that Hongjoong has gotten to know.
"W-What?"
Jongho cackles at the nurse's obvious embarrassment.
"Relax, I'm just teasing you. But to answer your question, he's been out there for almost half an hour and it could take longer. Happens sometimes with work, you know?"
"Oh, ok, I'll just probably come back for him later then." Hongjoong moves to exit the room, already thinking of taking Joy out for some extra garden time, but before he even gets close to the door, the therapist calls him out.
"You're really not going to answer my question, huh? The one where I asked why you both have been acting so strangely."
"We're not acting strangely," the nurse refutes, "it's just that, you know, we've finally stopped arguing all the time. It's.... nice."
Jongho narrows his eyes in obvious suspicion.
"Uh huh. Well, no offense to Hyung, but no one ever describes their relationship with him as 'nice'. Difficult, strained, requiring a lot of effort— those are the ways people describe him, not this breathy 'nice' like you just said."
"Breathy?" Hongjoong cocks a brow and tries to stifle a chuckle.
Just what on earth had gotten into Jongho?
YOU ARE READING
↱ECHO↲ ⇾seongjoong⇽
FanfictionAfter losing the love of his life three years ago, Hongjoong vows to honor Seongie's memory by becoming a nurse, caring for the sick and elderly. Jaded by the tragic past, he resigns himself to a quiet life without attachment. Seonghwa was an extra...
