Love UnHeard || SeongJoong [Ateez]

[Part E] 7. I'll be there, will you be there too?

"Did you know that writing in the paper with different pens makes different noises?" Seonghwa said, hand in hand with his boyfriend walking down the university corridors.

"Yep, you thought it didn't?" Hongjoong looked at him surprised.

"Of course, why would it? I don't understand, it's the same thing... Why would it make a difference?!" He said a little frustrated, raising his voice without realizing it.

Hongjoong shushed him putting a finger on his lips, some people turned to look at them.
"Sorry, I still don't control the volume of my voice..." Seonghwa said scratching the back of his neck.

"It's okay," Hongjoong smiled, "I think it's cute."

Seonghwa giggled a little shy. In no time they were at the garden, San and Yunho waiting for them. The place was green this time of the year, with flowers of all colours already bloomed. The sky was clear and the weather warm enough to wear shorts again. It was almost June and you could feel it in all the students.

The four of them sat on a picnic table, taking out some Uno cards ready to play until the other four finished their classes. They planned on eating dinner together.

"Guys, how do you tell the difference of who is who on the phone? The other day my mom called and I thought it was my dad..." Seonghwa said laughing a little. Listening through the phone's speaker was quite more difficult than hearing someone face to face.

"Don't worry about that, my mom always mistakes my brother's and I voices on calls," San said shuffling the cards with skill. Seonghwa nodded and turned to Hongjoong, who was no longer sitting by his side but instead he was standing up near them about to lit a cig.

He had forgotten Hongjoong smoked, he hadn't seen him do it since he got hospitalized.
Seonghwa quickly got to his side and snatched it from his hand, leaving a questioning Hongjoong holding an invisible cig and with his fire still lit.

"Excuse you?" The mullet boy said with sass.

"Smoking is bad," Seonghwa answered unamused.

"No shit Sherlock, now give it back," he demanded placing his hand palm up in front of Seonghwa's face.

"I haven't seen you smoke for so long, why start again now?" He asked slowly.

"The fact that you haven't seen me smoke doesn't mean I haven't been doing it." He said soberly. Seonghwa just stared at him with a sad expression, he didn't want to but the younger shook his hand signalling to give it back. He did.

[I'm disappointed at your lack of will, ] Seonghwa signed going back to sit down, now a little mad at his boyfriend.

"C'mon Seonghwa this is not an easy thing to quit! I've been smoking since I was like 15!" He said following the older.

Seonghwa turned to look at him in the eyes, "Even more reasons to quit it as soon as possible, I don't want you dying from lung cancer!" The other shoot back.

"Seonghwa it's not that easy, I get stressed if I don't smoke! My anxiety peeks up when I'm too long without having a cigarette, it's no big deal! It's not like I smoke three packages a day? I only—" Hongjoong stopped talking when Seonghwa switched off his implant and turned around.

"Oh, now you can't hear me? Bitch that ain't fair— Anyways... I'm gonna go to my house now," He said to Yunho and San who were just watching the pair argue, mouths open and wide-eyed. He turned on his heels and walked fast to his dorm.

When the shorter was out of sight San looked to Yunho and then back to Seonghwa, the older switching the sound on again. "First couple fight?" He smirked entertained.

"Oh, c'mon San, don't be an ass," Yunho slapped the back of his head. "And by the way, smart move there Hyung," he wiggled his eyebrows. "You pushed the 'I can't hear you' to another level,"
Seonghwa sighed, got up and left the table.

"Uh? What did we say?" Both mumbled at the same time looking at each other.
 
"Who are we gonna play with then?" San asked in disbelief.

"Me bitches,"

"WOOYOUNG!"

----

At home, Seonghwa couldn't stop thinking about how Hongjoong didn't even try to stop smoking. Yeah, maybe he said it too out of the blue and without talking with him prior. Maybe he should have approached the subject more subtly. But as Hongjoong said, he didn't smoke three packages a day. The most he had seen where 5 cigarettes in a day, maybe 6 at most, but normally he had 3 or 4.

That wasn't good either, and maybe he will go up in time, Seonghwa didn't know that. But for the moment, he decided to ignore it. He didn't want to fight Hongjoong over that, he wanted to be there for him when things are difficult, not be the one making him miserable.

He got up from his bed and checked the time, 7:45, they had planned to go to dinner with all their friends at 9 pm. Maybe he could go to Hongjoong's dorm and tell him he was sorry, spend some time with him and then drag him out for dinner.

That was another problem, Hongjoong's eating habits were really strange. He spent hours without eating if he was working, not realising it or simply not wanting to stop working even if his stomach was crying for help. Seonghwa rarely saw Hongjoong eat. It probably was because of his low income that he couldn't buy much food, or maybe he just prioritize some things over that.

Because of that, Seonghwa and his friends were always inviting Hongjoong for lunch or snacks. They killed two birds with one stone: making Hongjoong stop overworking himself and making him eat, as well as enjoying his amazing company.

Jongho said that Hongjoong has always been small and thin, although the time he looked his thinnest was when he first met him at University months ago. Since then, he has been putting on some weight. Seonghwa could notice, so the subject of food wasn't as alarming anymore, it was just happening without Hongjoong realising it.

Those were the little things that kept Seonghwa up some nights, wondering if he would be enough for the boy to start taking care of himself. He spent nights making up scenarios and solutions just in case. He worried about the ones he loved and felt the necessity to give everyone love and support.

He had noticed something in every friend. Yeosang's fear of speaking in front of unknown people; Wooyoung's overthinking; San's insecurities; Yunho's fake smiles; Mingi's regretful eyes... The only one who seemed to be in a perfect relationship with himself was Jongho. Seonghwa could even pinpoint every problem within himself, but when it came to reading Jongho, either he was just himself or he was a really good actor.

He shook his head getting out of his thoughts, he had to say sorry to Hongjoong and then together go to the dinner with his friends. He had decided, even with everyone's flaws, he was going to be there for them. To be with them. If something was going wrong, he will be there as support and he was sure his friends will be there for him too.

Somehow, even though he didn't want to admit it yet, his future life wasn't imaginable without this seven guys by his side.