ateez family au

133

"Ah... yes, Yunho was a cute baby," Seonghwa smiled in nostalgia and looked at his oldest son in the backseat. The tops of the boy's ears were red in embarrassment, he looked quite pained by his baby stories. "Now look at you, so big and tall, mhm? Ah... when did you grow so much? I remember so well when you waddled through our old apartment," the father giggled, "you had this yellow jumper and that was it. You didn't want to wear anything else."

"And the way he refused to sleep in his bed!" Hongjoong commented and also turned his eyes to the backseats. "I can't remember a night you let us sleep. Always crying at night because you didn't want to sleep alone in your crib," he told and couldn't but also smile in sad nostalgia. "I always laid you on my chest, right here and that's how we slept for the next one and a half year." Hongjoong held his hand above his heart to strengthen his words with gestures.

"Papa~ who was the cutest baby?" Wooyoung asked and popped his head up to face his father. Purposely, he made cute faces and sent his father little kisses.

"Ah Wooyoungie, you all were cute, I can't decide who was the cutest~" Seonghwa replied responsibly, shaking his head at the overdramatically cute faces.

"Tsk, you looked like you bite random people-" Hongjoong snorted instead and didn't even try to hide the laugh, to which he got a hit by his husband. "What? Please, Wooyoung sure wasn't the cutest-"

From the backseats, one could hear stifled laughing, well, except for Yeosang, he enjoyed the scene loudly. "Hah! I knew he was an ugly baby-"

"Hey I didn't ay ugly, young man-!" Hongjoong tried his best to save the situation miserably. His eyes went from side to side, trying to find something that would open a new topic. "Who wants to hear another story from when Papa and I were in high school?"

"Ugh that's boring-"

"That wasn't a question"

~

The halls of the school building were empty as he walked through them, the sound of his heels filling the silence. There were no classes anymore, no clubs; it was already late. But he didn't feel like going home yet. Why would he go home? Nothing was waiting for him, other than his annoying mother and the responsibility for his sisters. Adults kept saying that these would be the best of his years, that these times would never come back and he should enjoy them.

Hereby, two questions plagued Hongjoong's mind.

How worse is it going to get?

Can I just skip this fucking level called high school?

Unfortunately, there was no answer to respond to his questions that he liked and it just made it worse. Adults didn't understand anything, nothing at all. And yet they spoke to him like they knew how the world functioned, as if he was a little clueless child.

He let out a frustrated groan that echoed through the halls, then drowned between the soft music coming from the other side of the west wing. The teen stopped for a moment and just listened to the dull sound of a guitar, even quieter a voice probably mumbling the lyrics to the song. Curiosity took over him and he blindly followed the music to the practice rooms of the school band. Mr. Oh had given him the key to the practice room because Hongjoong didn't have the opportunity to play an instrument at home. Another reason to not go home yet; there was surely no support waiting for him, was there?

The closer he got, the clearer he heard the rhythm, the voice, and at a point, he was able to guess who it was. And when he passed the small window in the wall and saw who it was, his heart sunk in his pants. "why do I keep running into you?" he cursed under his breath and tipped his lips. He wanted to just turn around again and leave, it was ridiculous that somehow they happened to cross paths this often. First their 3-months punishment, detentions, and now that. But the other wasn't playing bad, his voice was so smooth and harmonized so well with the song. Hongjoong wouldn't lie, he was good at what he was doing, he knew when to appreciate something good.

But while doing that, the younger got caught up in a long train of thoughts, so that he didn't notice that the music had long stopped. When he was pulled out of his thoughts, he came eye to eye with the Park Seonghwa who was probably judging from the inside. The elder just had that one expression.
Hongjoong awkwardly scratched the back of his head and waved at him, not knowing what else to do. Seonghwa sat motioned his head inside, somewhat telling him that he could come inside. Then, he sat back down and turned his back to the younger, playing another song.

The door opened with a squeak that was way too loud for Hongjoong in his blushing and embarrassed self. He stood awkwardly in the room at first, but relaxed as he kept listening to the softly played chord percussions. "... you like Linkin Park?"

The elder stopped playing for a moment and looked up. "You know them?"

"Uh- yeah," Hongjoong replied and sat onto the barstool across from Seonghwa. He couldn't but examine his attire. While he was still in his school uniform, the elder had been home and had changed into black, ripped, skinny jeans, a tight black turtle neck, and loads of silver jewelry. Not to mention the smudged eyeliner around his eyes. "I didn't know the band had practice today...?"

"We don't, I'm waiting for a couple of friends," Seonghwa replied shortly and tipped his lips. "It's band night at the bar downtown, we're going there...," he explained and then chuckled drily.

"Hey- what are you laughing at?" Hongjoong asked quite alarmed and perked up in his seat.

"Noting! Just... just thought that I would see you there cause like... I don't know, felt like it. Looks like I was wrong though," Seonghwa replied and put the guitar away.

"We aren't even legal in bars- I don't know how you plan to get in there-"

"Hongjoong, please pull the stick out of your ass-" the elder groaned and rolled his eyes, "do you really think anyone cares about that?" Seonghwa replied and leaned forward. "Come, I'll show you."

Hongjoong was captivated by the elder's eyes and the intense look he was giving him. his bold words and manner made him blush madly. "I- I- can't- home- I-"

Seonghwa tilted his head a little to the side and a devilish smirk ghosted over his lips. "Home? Would you rather go home or the exclusive concert with all the best of best bands?" he asked and then looked him up and down. For Hongjoong it felt like he was devouring him with his eyes, which made heat rise in his face. "Let's have a little fun tonight, hm?"

~

"... so you two went to a bar illegally on a weekday?"

"... does that mean we can-"

"... as long as you don't get caught and I know where you are"

-

Hey hello ! How are you doing?

Hsjsjdjf my writers block is still fucking with me but I tried!!

Ah yall-imma cry I have a break rn but it doesn't feel like it at all:')

Schools gonna kill me someone sue them for first degree murder

So so much happened I can't even point out all so open discussion let's talk

And while you're here, pls manifest fucking peace for kingdom💀💀💀

Sis just started and it's already going📉📈📉📈📈📈📉📉📉📉📈📉

WOAH LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING

I FOUND THE HOMOS OF MY SCHOOL

Watch me getting rid of my toxic friend group and slowly slip to the gays-only group bwhaha and one of them is also a kpop stan she's so fucking kind and-I cannot-sis went up to me and asked if I knew this Australian dude Felix cause he's amazing
And I straight up replied ✨cooking like a chef  I'm a five star Michelin ✨
That was some bonding😌✨

Ah... I guess that's all I have to say?

Please stay healthy and safe!

-gulkurusubb