ateez family au

o36

To their fifth anniversary, Hongjoong had bought them matching silver watches, their nicknames ingraved on the backside. Seonghwa rarely wore it, just on special occasions as he feared it could break or get scratches. He loved that watch, it was the first 'big' gift Hongjoong had gotten him, and with the names only the two of them knew ingraved it was priceless for him.

"Oh, this bitch!"

~

"How have you been, mom?" Hongjoong asked, he felt so happy to see her. His bother rarely visited, called or texted him. And he never got the chance to visit her, as he was either working of barely had time for his own family. But now he was at home for a while, he could visit his parents during the next break as he had planned.

Hongjoong loved his parents and his sisters. He held onto them for dear life to be exact. Seonghwa on the other hand couldn't understand why exactly. He had been in his life for about eleven to twelve years and he dared to say that Hongjoong's family, especially his mother, weren't people who deserved such great love. Hongjoong just forgot pretty fast, maybe he had forgiven them for everything already, but Seonghwa didn't. There was a reason they got married on the farm of Seonghwa's parents, there was a reason the children just liked Seonghwa's side more. He wasn't about what happened after they got married, what hurt him more was what Hongjoong went through until then. Hongjoong knew, Hongjoong still felt it sometimes, he didn't forget, he tried his best to. He was a man now, had a family of his own now, but something didn't let him go. They had never been supportive of his dreams, Seonghwa did his best to get him where he wanted to be. He had to work since young age for his own, Hongjoong didn't know pocket money and sometimes he had to finance his sisters. Again, Seonghwa was the one to take that weight off of his shoulders, supporting him in every way. He could also remember all the things they had called his husband, before and after their wedding, he was well aware that it hadn't stopped. Hongjoong knew that, deep inside he did.

Maybe he felt so embarrassed to be a part of such a family, maybe he was jealous that Seonghwa's family wasn't like that, maybe he tried to cover it up by pretending he couldn't remember.

"Oh I'm fine, son, so is your father and your sisters. We really miss you, you don't visit us anymore! Ahh tsk... Doesn't he let you?" she replied, grabbed Hongjoong's hand, stroking it. "Tsk tsk tsk... He can't just rip off my son of his family! But I heard you visited his parents last summer! Ah... Hongjoong... I have the feeling, Seonghwa tries to... Distance you from us! We love and miss you so much my son"

"Eh-what? Nono, mom! That's not it! Really! He would never do that-"

"Never do that? But can't you see how he even thought the poor kids to not talk to their grandmother correctly. Hongjoong please, wake up. I think... I think Seonghwa uses you, honey"

Yunho's head abtuptly shot up, looking over to his father and grandmother. Something made him feel quite uncomfortable. Not only him, but Mingi and Wooyoung looked like they had heard what was beeing said. "Ah! I'm bored of that, come on, let's play that game in my and Mingi's room! That'd soo much more interesting. Come on, I will help Jongie up the stairs!" Yunho decided, forcing his bothers up the stairs. He didn't exactly know why but he didn't like what he had heard and he didn't want the younger to hear more. The second he had closed his bedroom door, another one was slammed shut. He eavesdropped, heard someone walk down the stairs with rather loud and fast steps and then loud voiced found their way to his ear. "How about we turn on a little bit of music?"

~

Seonghwa turned red because of anger. Oh there was a lot he could tolerate or ignore, but at that very moment he just didn't want to. He was very much done covering up her ugly face for Hongjoong's sake.