Work Text:
it's official spring.
seonghwa has been waiting for this practically all year. it's his favorite pass time in the whole world; spring cleaning.
he's excited to put all the heavy jackets and hats and scarves away packed with the snowboots that were definitely not fun putting on.
seonghwa also takes out some spring decorations like pillows and throw blankets. the only holiday he'll go overboard with decorating is christmas and halloween, of course keeping it friendly for hongjoong's sake.
the pair currently reside the basement, where seonghwa neatly keeps everything packed and labeled in bins and baskets of all sorts of sizes.
hongjoong has only been to the basement a handful of times; he's absolutely scared of it and won't go by himself. he figures it must be safe, however, when seonghwa casually walks down without second guessing.
he clings onto him when the automatic light by the steps turn off. a small whimper is heard but not overlooked. the older already knows why the younger is afraid of the basement;
"joong, there are no monsters down here, I promise." seonghwa automatically reassures. "now, can you put your winter jacket in the bin where mine is?"
the kitten hesitantly nods, but nonetheless follows the instructions given anyways. what joongie loves the most is that seonghwa always makes room for his belongings.
when successfully placing his jacket in the winter clothes bin, he turns around and finds the room empty. without hesitation, the kitten grips onto his tail. when he feels alert or scared, he doesn't like any part of his body being exposed.
"hwa..." he whimpers rather loudly. when he recieves no answer, he lets out pained little mewls. "m-mama..." he tries again, but he once again recieves no answer.
he stomps his foot in place as he begins to whimper loudly enough where he thinks hwa will hear him.
he feels nervous as it's dead quiet in the basement, he could most likely hear a pin drop if one fell. with his senses heightened, his tail begins to slightly spike up.
"mama...where mama?"
out of nowhere, he feels someone run up from behind him and grab him by the waist.
"BOO!"
hongjoong whimpered as he tried to push himself off whoever grabbed him. his heart dropped to the floor as he curled in on himself. his eyes were screwed shut, yet tears still passed through.
"baby, it's only hwa...you're okay..."
hongjoong's eyes shot open at the familiar voice, running straight into his mama's arms with not a moment to spare.
the older picked him up and placed him on his hip. he securely held on when hwa was walking up the steps and closed the basement door. "oh sugarplum, hwa didn't mean to scare you...that was not nice of hwa, huh?"
the kitten smushed his cheek onto the older's shoulder, continuing to sniffle. "hwa is so mean that he did that huh, baby?"
and even though joongie was scared, he gasped lightly at what seonghwa told him. "hwa no' mea'...hwa ni'e...no say tha', mama."
"alright, baby" seonghwa cooed "hwa won't say bad stuff like that anymore. but I didn't mean to scare you, I'm sorry, honey."
hongjoong nuzzled closer into his neck. "for'ibe my hwa."
the older placed him back on the floor with a kiss on top of his hair. let's go finish putting some stuff away in the basement and then we'll decorate, sounds good?"
the kitten wiped at a tear in the corner of his eye and nodded, waddling right after hwa.
-
all morning the pair were busy packing away their winter stuff and brought up their spring clothing along with some decorations for the living room and kitchen.
hongjoong was busy running around through the house; especially with the screendoor open. with the rain they've been getting the past few days, the kitten had no choice but to stay inside cooped up.
and as much as he loves to snuggle under the blanket with his hwa, he definitely enjoys running around and letting all of his energy out as well. seonghwa watches him run through the backyard and into the living room without a care in the world.
he also slightly feels a headache forming from listening to the younger squeal and scream with joy from letting all of his energy out.
"be careful, baby! I don't want you to get hurt!"
but as much as his head hurts, his heart grows warm at his baby breaking out of his shell and being himself. since day 1, joong had a feeling that seonghwa was someone he could trust. and look at them now, almost 2 years later as his legally adopted child.
10 minutes have passed and the kitten's movements dwindle down. he moves sluggishly towards the couch; grabbing his sippy cup and his blanket before getting comfortable.
"mama...I s'eepy..." the younger calls out softly. said person appears in the room without a moment to spare. the kitten watched with sleepy eyes as hwa closed the living room curtains and grabbed his laptop to play joongie's favorite naptime music.
the sweet and soft melodies of a lullaby begin to fill their ears. seonghwa helped hongjoong get all nice and cozy in his blanket, replacing his sippy cup with his blue pacifier.
"my little baby kitten is so sleepy from running around, huh?" hongjoong keens at the nickname and the gentleness of the older's voice.
"mama, s'yay wi' me..." and how could he say no to his baby when he looks so soft and tiny wrapped in his fuzzy blanket?
"my precious baby boy, mama is always going to be by your side." he goes to sit on the cushion next to the kitten's head, lifting his head gently to place on top of his lap.
hongjoong purrs in content, with the way seonghwa strokes his hair while the other hand caresses his little pudgy cheek. "y'ove mama..." he whispered almost to himself as his eyes slipped closed.
one thing seonghwa absolutely loves is that hongjoong is one hell of a sleeper, especially when he lets all of his energy out. he figures he'll stay like this for a few more minutes before finishing up packing.
-
"joongie!"
"hongjoongie!"
"-joong, please wake up!"
said kitten whined at the noise he heard, trying his best to get comfortable and go back to sleep. but a shrill cry made his cat ears perk up.
"park hongjoong, wake up please!"
at first his heart sank a little at hearing his full name...but then he realized; why is hwa calling him almost sounding in a panic?
he moved his blanket off of his body as he went to go find hwa. he didn't have to search far as his heart broke at the scene in front.
his poor seonghwa with tears clouding his eyes on the floor by the last step of the staircase; and judging by the way his leg is bent, he's definitely in pain.
hongjoong at first just stood there in a panic, what is he supposed to do when it's hwa who gets hurt?
"h-hwa..."
"joong, go grab my phone for me, I need to call your hyungs." hongjoong shakily went back to the living room to grab the older's phone.
he watched with an ache in his chest at hwa trying his best to call one of his hyungs- he thinks he heard sangie's voice- in a rush.
it definitely broke the kitten's heart to just stand here and watch his hwa in clear discomfort and he doesn't know what to even do.
"m...mama..." he whimpered. although he's not the one who's hurt, that still didn't stop the tears from flowing. it hurt him seeing his hwa hurt.
"you stay...with hwa, baby, okay?" seonghwa winced as he tried to sit up but the miniscule movement made him hiss out in pain.
when joongie took a closer look at his injured leg, he mewled out almost in a shaky tone. "h-h...wa, y'eg...b'eed..."
seonghwa looked down to where hongjoong was staring at, and true to his words, there was a pretty nasty cut running upside his leg.
"oh honey, it's going to be alright, can you help hwa and g-get me a towel?"
hongjoong hastily ran around the kitchen to find any towel he could grab. seonghwa somewhat smiled at the pitter patter of his sock-clad feet running around.
but the pain in his ankle combined with the nasty cut on his leg...seonghwa is definitely in tears with the pain.
he's not one who's afraid to show his emotions, always tells joong that it's okay to cry or feel scared. seonghwa however tries his best not to show his stress or overwhelming feelings in front of the younger.
but we can't control whatever comes in our paths, and so seonghwa couldn't stop the tears from flowing. it just hurt so bad...
hongjoong returns not a moment too soon, shakily holding a cloth in his hands. he drops on the floor next to his hwa as he watches with tear brimmed eyes the way hwa tries to stop the bleeding on his leg with the cloth.
"mama go' booboo..." he mumbles, voice growing wet with concern.
"it's alright baby, your hyungies are going to come and help hwa, there's no reason to be scared..."
but the way his voice was trembling and tears were rapidly spilling down his cheeks, the kitten was definitely not convinced.
hongjoong was cautious but either way he knew his hwa needed comfort. with a careful step, the younger leaned forward and nuzzled into his neck, doing his best to kitten lick the tears away.
the duo was jolted out of their little moment when the front door practically busted open.
"HWA WHERE ARE YOU?! ARE YOU INJURED?! WHERE IS THE BABY? OH MY GOD, IF YOU HEAR ME, SAY SOMETHING!"
"mingi stop shouting!" seonghwa screamed, wincing as his leg moved the tiniest bit.
jongho appears, gasping at the scene in front of him. mingi follows suit gasping as well. they watch the poor kitten trying his best to comfort seonghwa, as the older is clearly in pain and in need of help.
"please...take me to the hospital because this hurts like a...you know what" seonghwa desperately pleads.
jongho is the first to react on instinct. as he's reaching over to carefully pick up seonghwa, mingi takes care of the kitten. he whimpers loudly, watching with fear as jongho carries his hwa bridal style and out the house.
"mama..." he makes grabby hands, mewling in fear as mingi carries him upstairs into their bedroom.
"it's okay, baby, mama is gonna be okay." mingi gently reassures as he helps joong into a pull-up for a precaution. he frantically searches around the room to pack his essentials into his little backpack.
he doesn't really understand what's going on or where they're going, he's just being picked up and placed wherever his minnie hyung puts him.
the whole time hongjoong cries out for mama. he just wants to see him and see if he is okay.
-
"joongie, shh, it's okay, my star. the doctors have to make sure mama is okay and the booboo on his leg is taken care of." seonghwa strangles out, breath staggering from the searing pain.
upon arrival, hongjoong watched in horror as seonghwa was ripped away from him while they were split in different directions. jongho continued carrying seonghwa with the multiple nurses who were to assist in checking him in.
mingi stayed close behind with the younger; which he's definitely struggling to manage a crying kitten in his arms. hongjoong whimpered as if he were in pain, eyes frantically searching for either jongie or his hwa.
"sweetheart, it's going to be okay. hwa has to get his booboo fixed and then we'll go home." mingi weakly reassured, hongjoong was barely listening.
"no hur' my mama..." he blubbered out, cheek smushed against his minnie's shoulder.
mingi makes his way to the room seonghwa will be checked into. his heart breaks as hongjoong watches his hwa cry out in pain, clearly uncomfortable and stressed out. he lets out a loud mewl, trying to let his minnie hyung let go of him. he just wants to be with mama and keep him safe.
luckily the nurses leaves after what feels like forever in joong's mind, mingi puts hongjoong down. the two hyungs staying with them watch as the kitten runs to the chair that's near the bed, gripping his mama's arm in a protective manner. in his mind it's a constant 'must protect mama'.
"joongie, don't worry. mama feels safe now that you're here." seonghwa strokes his hair to keep him eased. but it was definitely easier said than done.
"are you doing alright? do you need anything?" jongho asks the older "do you want me to get joong anything?"
ssonghwa shakes his head "no, I believe we're okay for now...besides this nasty scratch...it seriously hurts."
"how did you get that anyway? what even happened?" mingi noses his way into the conversation.
seonghwa sighs "it was one of those blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments. joong and I were doing some spring cleaning. he was taking his afternoon nap and I was finishing bringing some stuff back to the basement. but I lost my footing and my ankle definitely twisted in a way it wasn't supposed to." he takes a deep breath as he explains. "the decorations I was holding for sure scratched me. it was that type of pain where no noise comes out cause it hurts that bad."
hongjoong sniffles as he does his best to protect his mama. anytime one of the hyungs came closer, joong was on high alert. he didn't really pay attention if it was jongie or minnie, his instinct is to keep him safe.
the moment the doctor walks in, hongjoong is trembling with fear. he's definitely not a fan of hospitals and doctors; especially now. he just wants his mama to feel better and go home to keep him safe.
he watches as he examines his ankle and the nasty gash on his leg. he couldn't hear what the doctor said, but he saw a slight twinkle of fear flash in his hwa's eyes.
"joon'ie pyo'ec' mama..." he mumbled, arm clinging tighter onto the older, baring his teeth as he began to hiss.
seonghwa's eyes widened in shock "I'm so sorry, he's just on high alert right now...joongie, it's alright, mama is okay."
the doctor reassures, checking the gash once more before standing up. "mr. park, how are you with needles? it looks like you'll need stitches."
seonghwa's heart dropped, gulping audibly "n-not very good...do I really need them?"
"I'm afraid you do" the doctor answered back, eyebrows raised in sympathy. "we need to disinfect and stitch before an infection occurs."
the older looks up at his friends in horror, he's terrified but the growing grip on his arm from the kitten brings him back to reality. "I don't want him in the room when you do them...you see how he is now, it'll only get worse if he sees me in even more pain."
"I'll give you a moment and will be back shortly to begin."
the trio stand in silence when the doctors leaves the room.
"I'll take him out the room." jongho announces.
"and I'll stay with you." mingi reassures.
seonghwa nods, letting out a breath of relief. he feels so lucky that his friends are here to help him. but soon enough, he feels an unwelcome feeling of dread hit him.
"as much as I want my baby here with me, I don't want him to see any of this and panic." seonghwa can feel tears forming in his eyes, not even attempting to wipe them away. "jongho...just please be careful with my star."
"I'll do my best." jongho reassures, feet scuffing on the floor as he makes his way over to the kitten.
seonghwa places one last kiss on his forehead before he feels his hyung wrap his arms around him.
hongjoong immediately begins to panic. he grips possibly tighter on the older. "m-mama..." he begins to whine.
"joong, we'll be right back, okay? your minnie hyung is going to stay with your mama." hongjoong doesn't listen to what his hyung told him, he feels on extreme high alert.
his face contours one in pain, his shoulders begin shaking from the tears that begin to flow towards his neck. jongho does his best to release joong's grip from the olders arm, but the younger doesn't understand what's going on.
he's afraid that he's being taken away from seonghwa- forever.
"n-n...mama!" hongjoong mewls rather a little too loudly in jongho's ear. the poor baby grabs harder onto seonghwa.
the older watches with tears as he uncurls the kitten's fingers from his shirt, tears forming. "baby...I promise you're coming back. I love you so much, you're going to be back soon."
mingi stands near seonghwa's bed, watching the scene unfold. he feels bad watching jongho struggle, but since he's rather stronger than him, he decides to let him bring the distressed younger out of the room on his own.
it hurt everyone's hearts when seonghwa managed to push his baby into jongho's arms instead. the way hongjoong began to panic made seonghwa blink through his blinding tears. "baby, you're alright, mama is not leaving...baby, I'm going to be here when you get- urgh...- b-back..."
"joongs, it's alright-"
"NO! m...mama!" hongjoong let out an ear piercing shriek, trying his best to wiggle out of jongho's grasp. his breath was picking up, practically gasping.
without a final word, he managed to exit the hospital room, even though seonghwa was shaken up seeing his baby leave in a panicked state. he could hear him screaming and crying out in pain from down the hallway.
"mama! no...mama!....m-mama!"
the pain in his leg is momentarily forgotten as the pain in his heart from leaving his baby deepens. he places his head in his hands, mumbling under his breath how sorry he is to his baby.
he didn't realize the doctor walked in until mingi held his hand for support.
-
"shh, joongs, it's okay...you're okay."
jongho's voice becomes shaky, his grip on the person he's holding tightens as they walk further out the hospital.
he's definitely getting some strange and questionable looks thrown his way. after all, he's holding onto a screaming and crying hybrid, who's trying to get out of his hold.
the kitten even hissed at jongho, desperately wanting nothing more than to go back to his hwa and go home.
his hyung figures to leave the hospital and take him back to the car, the last thing he'd want to do is disturb any patients.
"mama..." joong whimpers, ultimately given up on thrashing around. the screaming has died down, but the tears picked up instead.
jongho reaches the car and goes to sit in the backseat. he manages to find the younger's blanket and gently places it around his shaking form.
"shh, honey, you're shaking...I know today was very scary, but I promise mama is going to be just fine." his hyung slowly pats his back with the tiniest bit of pressure.
"ma...ma...mama..." the kitten hiccuped, peaked his head up trying to spot the said person he's been searching for.
"I know, sweetheart, I know you want mama...you're going to see him soon...but you have to relax, joongs."
hongjoong whimpered as he clutched his blanket with a strong grip, using it to hide his face and wipes the overflowing tears.
when he has calmed down a great length, jongho carries him out the car and insteads rocks him in his arms.
"jongie...wan' mama..." he blubbered, voice growing wet with tears.
"mama had a really nasty booboo, the doctors are helping mama feel all better." jongho does his best to simplify his answer to the younger.
"mama no y'eave?"
"what do you mean by that, baby?"
"mama wan' me? mama no y'eave me?" he stares up at jongho with pleading teary eyes. jongho takes in his red puffy nose and his tear stained cheeks. his cat ears twitch with any slight noise they hear in the parking lot.
his heart breaks looking at him. he can't imagine what must have been going through his head from the minute he saw seonghwa hurt. then being brought to the hospital. then suddenly being ripped away from his mama.
he must have thought he was being taken away from seonghwa. he wasn't given any explanation as to what was happening, so he assumed the worst. he placed the kitten down, reaching down to cup both of his cheeks.
"hongjoong, you are not being taken away from your seonghwa. he was in a lot of pain and didn't want you to see him like that. mama loves and adores you with all of his heart." jongho thumbs away at the stray tears that linger.
"jongie...I pro'yec' my mama" he crosses his as he furrows his eyebrows.
his hyung smiled at him "that's a big word that you said...very good job! you did protect your mama. you're a very good boy, joong."
it was a huge relief to see the kitten smiling after what happened in the past hour. he kitten paws at his eyes, rubbing both of them when a yawn overtakes him.
"jongie...I s'eepy..." he lets out another yawn as he holds his arms up again. jongho gladly picks him with ease, making sure he's securely wrapped in his blanket.
"go to sleep then, joongie...you had a very busy morning."
the kitten contently holds onto his tail, sifting through the fur as he smushes his cheek onto his hyung's shoulder.
as they make their way back into the hospital, and find seonghwa's room, hongjoong does his best to hide the leftover tears that he can't control when they spill out.
seeing seonghwa in pain, then being ripped away from him- it was definitely scary for hongjoong. he just wants to keep his mama safe, but he couldn't do that when he was forced out of the room.
walking down the hallway, hongjoong faintly sees his minnie hyung standing by a closed door.
"awe, joongie, don't cry, it's all okay" he sifts his fingers through his hair. hongjoong just let's him. from the looks of it, hongjoong honestly looks so miserably tired.
"he's definitely tired, but he wants to see hwa." jongho explains. "speaking of hwa, how did it go with getting stitches?"
mingi is the one who sighs, running his fingers through his hair. "let's just say you're lucky you took hongjoong..."
-
once hongjoong was abruptly forced out of the room, seonghwa broke down. he put his head in his hands, his shoulders visibly shaking.
"what k-kind of mother am I? oh god....minnie you heard him? I've never heard him scream like that before..." seonghwa blubbers out, gripping onto his hair in anger.
"hyung, don't beat yourself up. you are an amazing mother, not for a second don't ever doubt yourself about it. it's best that hongjoong isn't in the room when the doctors comes in." mingi softly rubs his back reassuringly. "he probably would have started hissing and biting the minute you show any pain."
"I know, but-"
seonghwa gets cut off when the door opens. in walk a doctor and a nurse, holding a small tray of supplies.
"alright, mr. park. this will easy and quick." the doctor informs.
"a-and painful, right?" seonghwa gulps, squeezing onto mingi's hand.
the doctor nodded sympathetically "since the cut isn't big, it shouldn't take too long for us to stitch it."
mingi watched as seonghwa scooted further away from the doctor when he approached closer.
"m-minnie..." seonghwa looked up desperately at him. he's absolutely terrified and wants nothing more than to have his baby here with him and go home.
"I'm gonna be right here, hyung, it's okay."
but the minute the doctor starts the first stitch, seonghwa screams out in agony. the nurse apologizes as he has to hold his leg down firmly in order for the doctor to finish.
but the pain hurts so bad...
"n-no....no...I don't want this anymore...ow ow ow...shit, no no NO!" seonghwa whimpers out, practically hiding himself in mingi's arms.
the taller coos internally at how similar seonghwa is acting right now like hongjoong. he holds him closer, stroking his hair.
"please stop..." seonghwa whines "no more...ow ow OW! minnie, where's my baby?! I want my baby!"
"he's safe with jongho, hyung, he's okay. he'll bring him up when you're all finished...oh hyung," mingi coos "he's almost done, it's all okay."
"I just- shit shit that really hurts- I just want my baby..." seonghwa blubbers out, face becoming blotchy with the excessive amount of tears falling down towards his chin.
he sighs a giant breath of relief when he sees the doctor pull away, still gripping onto mingi's arm.
"so since the gash was pretty deep, just for precaution, I would advise extending your stay until at least tonight, maybe even tomorrow morning."
the older just nodded, feeling a little grumpy as he just wants to go home with his baby and get out of here.
"I will send a nurse back in an hour to check on you. get plenty of rest, mr. park"
mingi thanks the doctor before pulling out his phone. seonghwa watches the nurse gather the supplies on the metal tray, proceeding to leave the room. "go tell jongho-"
"already on it, hyung." mingi pockets his phone. he feels his heart break at watching seonghwa curl into himself. he doesn't bother to cover himself with the blanket, the smell isn't very comforting.
mingi sits on the chair next to the bed. he gently holds the older's hand in his. "your baby is coming soon, okay? jongho is bringing him up now."
-
"they want him to stay overnight?" jongho asks, to which mingi mutely nods in response.
the pair simultaneously look down at the kitten in his arms. he's softly crying to himself, using this blanket to smush his face against the fabric.
"you should have heard hyung when the doctor gave him the stitches, he was literally like hongjoong. he kept crying that he wanted his baby the whole time...it was kind of sad to watch."
"alright, let's start the little reunion~"
mingi holds the door open for his friend as they carry the kitten into the room.
"hyung, joongie's here..."
the figure on the bed shot up out of bed, lower lip wobbling when he finally sees his baby after so long.
"oh my sweet baby, come to mama" seonghwa doesn't bother to wipe his tears. he hears a loud whimper from the kitten, jongho helps place him in seonghwa's arms.
"oh my baby, don't ever leave me again. mama loves you so much" the older blubbers out as he pushes back the hair on his forehead.
"m-mama?"
"yes, my star?"
hongjoong sniffles, twiddling with the fabric of his blanket. he looks up with his doe-like eyes. "mama...wan' me?"
"what?" he pulled back the slightest, earning a small whine. he makes sure hongjoong is looking right at him, cupping his face.
"of course I do, you're my baby, my son, hongjoong. mama loves you, he always wants you to be with him." he wiped the continuous tears that strolled down his cheek. "baby, mama was so scared when you left the room. I always want you by my side, my lovebug."
"joon'ie pyo'ec' mama" he nuzzles his cheek into seonghwa's palm, wiping his tears along as well. "joon'ie y'ove mama."
"and mama loves joongie, too. come, my baby, it's going to be a long day, let's take a nap together."
hongjoong faintly smiled, hwa rarely takes naps with him. so whenever he does agree to, hongjoong gets all excited. he curls up next to his mama and his blanket.
he curled up on his back, safely secure in seonghwa's arms. his pacifier was left in the car, so as a substitute joong placed his thumb in his mouth. normally hwa doesn't like when he does that, but he can let it slide for just this once.
wrapped in his blanket and his hwa's warmth, he's out within a minute. seonghwa looks up at his friends nodding as a way to say thank you.
"jongho...was hongjoong saying that before when he left? that I didn't want him?"
said hyung looked up to see tears welling in his eyes. "um...yeah he was...I think he thought that he was being separated from you. It was hard to calm him down after that..."
seonghwa looked down at his sleeping baby, maneuvering him closer in his arms. "my sweet forever baby, I will always be here for you."
--------
"joongie, stay next to hwa, baby." he holds his hand out, making slight grabby hands when he saw the kitten waddle over to him.
he held his cat plushie in one arm as he grabbed hwa's extended hand. "wha' happen', mama?"
seonghwa smiles down at him, ruffling his hair in affection. "hwa is putting carpet on the steps, so that way no one would fall and get hurt."
joong moves closer behind hwa when he sees a few people enter in and out of the house. "remember when hwa fell and got a really bad boo boo on the steps?"
hongjoong looks up, nodding slowly. he grips at his hand tightly "mama hur'?"
"no, baby, mama doesn't have any more booboos...but, the nice workers are helping put carpet on the steps so no one gets boo-boo's anymore."
joongie grips the back of hwa's shirt when he sees one of the workers coming up to talk to him. seonghwa picks him up to comfort him he feels the grip become tighter.
"hey, joong?"
"yes, mama?"
"you know that mama loves you very much right? I will always be here for you and keep you safe." he leans his cheek on top of the younger's head.
"joon'ie pyo'ec mama" he nuzzles into his mama's warmth, clutching his cat plushie.
"yeah...joongie protects mama."