↱FIRST↲ ⇾hongsan⇽

melt

"So we're not going out?" Yunho deflated, disappointment evident in his voice.

Seonghwa gave him a deliberate glare from over his knife, and Yunho forced a wobbly smile.

"This is all Yeosangie's fault." Hongjoong muttered, meaning for his words to remain unheard against San's shoulder, but Yeosang's pout made it fairly obvious that Hongjoong had failed miserably.

"I'm sorry, hyung." Yeosang said, astonishingly sincere, and it was spoken with entirely too much kindness for the eldest to do anything except reach for the tanned boy's hand, squeezing his palm gently.

"I'm okay with going out. Just...let me-"

"We could always just go out for drinks instead." San suggested, standing up and detaching himself from Hongjoong so that he could make his way to Yeosang instead, where he wrapped himself around his shoulders in a backwards bear hug.

Hongjoong watched them from across the kitchen, allowing himself to soften as San brushed Yeosang's hair back and spoke quietly in his ear, focused and adoring in their own little world, oblivious to the sudden chatter as the rest of the group negotiated through ideas.

Hongjoong was sure that a long time ago, when his heart wasn't nearly as content and his anxiety was through the roof, he would have been jealous watching San be so comfortable with someone else.

The way San held Yeosang by the waist and guided him out of his chair just to hug him would have made Hongjoong's chest hurt, pain and betrayal hitting first before anger ever did.

But San was the one who held his hand under the table at dinner.

The one who pressed their knees together and kicked encouragingly at Hongjoong's feet whenever the cameras weren't looking, smiles loving and embraces lingering.

Hongjoong wasn't insecure when it came to San, because he knew who it was that slid into bed with him at the end of the night.

He knew which boy had eyes only for him.

Which is why when the eight of them finally came to the agreement that they'd eat the dinner Seonghwa prepared and then go out for drinks, Hongjoong was already leaning back in his chair to make room for San again, even before the blond unlinked his arm with Yeosang's and turned around to return to his seat.

Hongjoong spread his legs, patting his thigh with a smile, but San stopped just short of his knees to pull him in by the chin for a kiss, their noses bumping in a hazy rush that made San smile too widely for the kiss to last longer than a single moment.

Hongjoong didn't mind.

Half an hour later after various servings and endless laughter, they all waited for Jongho and Yeosang to finish washing dishes before pairing up and splitting into two seperate vans.

It was almost impossible for them to go anywhere in Korea without getting recognized anymore, but with burly clothing and a promise of secluded seating, they were somewhat able to feel like a normal group of boys in their twenties.

That, and the guiding presence of their manager who practically held their hands everywhere they went, firm and dependable against their sides every time they sprinted through an airport or wanted a taste of freedom outside of their dorm.