#Essi took 3rd

[mahalkitajohnnysuh]

Guilty

Dear. M made me do this. I'm posting the Jaehyun content I have written so far, and I will continue to write more.

For context, this brain fart is part of the main timeline.

There's something about an angry and heartbroken Jay that makes me want to write more...

Anyway, mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

POV: 3rd person

Word count: 890 approx.

Additional notes: I'm glad I could write the other 127 members in, especially Yuta. I'll make it a goal to include the rest of NCT in my stories when applicable.

---

Yuta felt sorry about how Jaehyun turned out after Essie called off their affair.

When Jaehyun came home from his solo project, he smoked and drank consistently after his schedule. Sometimes he drank whiskey in the mornings and decided to have a pack of cigarettes for breakfast. It was unfortunate that he coped in this way. Although it’s one of the many ways people do so, it is destructive in the long run. Yuta had to intervene; hence, he knew everything there was to know about this week-long rendezvous.

While he took it all in stride, he felt uneasy in knowing what would be one of the dirty open secrets the group now has.

As he watched Jaehyun singing his feelings out in the karaoke booth, he glanced at Taeil. The eldest in the group seemed unaffected by the situation as he flipped through the songbook, looking for another song to sing. It was just the three of them this time – Mark was busy as always, and Jungwoo had more hosting gigs these days.

“Fuck this shit,” Jaehyun growled, yanking the collar of his shirt angrily, “why can’t I still get over her?”

“Let it all out, bro,” Taeil said calmly, scanning intently for the number of the song he wanted to sing. “You’ll get over her eventually.”

“You know, Jay,” Yuta started, “Things are going to be different now, especially if Johnny figures out what you did with his girl.”

“I don’t care,” the youngest groaned, throwing himself on the sofa. “This fucking sucks.”

“Both of you are adults who made this choice, so you’ve got to live with it,” Yuta’s tone was firmer this time. “But that was very dumb of you, Jeong Yoonoh. Why did you even propose that idea to Essie?”

The sound of glass shattering on the floor startled the two older guys, and they saw Jaehyun had just flung the glass of water on the wall. He covered his face afterward, hiding the angry tears flowing on his face.

“You little shit,” Taeil grumbled, looking at the mess he made. “You have to pay for that.”

Jaehyun’s actions were getting on Yuta’s nerves, but he didn’t want to make a commotion. He took deep breaths to calm himself down, not wanting to engage in his friend’s bullshit.

A moment of awkward silence ensued before the heartbroken man spoke. “I thought she liked me. I thought she would choose me. I thought once I have her, I’d stop fooling around.”

Taeil and Yuta looked at each other, loss for words on what to say. They weren’t involved, nor would they like to be involved, in Jaehyun’s affairs. Each had their own lives once the cameras were off, and they tried their best not to get entangled in another’s business.

“You know what, Jay?” The eldest said, sporting a wicked grin on his face. “To make up for your shitty behavior tonight, I’d like you to sing this song with all the emotion you have.”

Like an obedient younger brother, Jaehyun stood beside his hyung and put in the numbers of the requested song. Yuta raised an eyebrow at them both, with Taeil holding his laughter.

“What are you up to?” the Japanese guy mouthed to his former roommate as the singer immersed himself in the song he was about to sing.

“As I’ve said earlier, he has to let it all out.”

When the iconic saxophone intro of George Michael’s (formerly of Wham!) infamous song played from the speakers, Yuta rolled his eyes at Taeil’s suggestion.

Jaehyun gave a memorable performance of the song despite his vocals sounding a bit strained due to all the crying and screaming he did for the past few weeks.

It was during the bridge part that he almost lost it.

“We could have been so good together; we could have lived this dance forever. But now who’s gonna dance with me? Please stay,” the tears pooled once again in his eyes.

The memories were still too fresh for him to forget. Fucking Essie felt so good, and he never wanted to be apart from her. They had intimate dances under the stars and by the shore. It felt surreal, but alas, all good things come to an end. It might be good for him, but it shouldn’t be.

Once he was done singing, he kept to himself on the sofa. His hyungs took their turns singing, and he watched them enjoy what they were doing.

From time to time, Yuta checked in on Jaehyun. It was always the same when they went out to karaoke bars: he would stay still, his eyes looking at nothing until the booze hit him and made him fall asleep.

Every so often, he would wake up and not speak a word until they go off in their respective rooms, or they would have to haul his ass back to his apartment.

This was getting tiring, seeing his downward spiral into depression. Yuta, known for his wise words, knew what they did was wrong. They should be held accountable for their actions. He bet both parties are hot messes right now, but he’s more concerned about Johnny. The tall guy might not take it if he learns about this rendezvous.

Everyone knows no one wants to mess with an angry Johnny Suh.

---

FIN

P.S. Did you expect I was going to let him sing Careless Whisper? Feel free to listen to it below! I think Jaehyun can pull this off flawlessly.

[pressedinthepages]

Windfall (Chapter 1 of 2)

Thank you so so much as always to @sometimesiwrite for being the best bouncing board a person could have, and to @eyesofshinigami for being such a wonderful beta <3

Here is the reference image used for the art!

Rating: M

Relationship: Eskel/Jaskier

Content Tags: fluff, modern au, meetcute, painting, body paint, discussion of therapy, flirting, background Essi/Aiden

Summary: While attending a painting class, Eskel finds a stroke of inspiration.

Eskel sat back and sighed. On the table before him sat his canvas, blank, atop the easel that Geralt had made for him. It had been a birthday present, and even had a little cup holder attached so that Eskel could stick his paint water there (and not accidentally drink it…again.)

It was peaceful, painting. Eskel liked looking up photos of places that he longed to visit and paint them. It occupied his mind and allowed it to be quiet for a bit at a time.

Some days though, he just couldn’t find the inspiration.

Lambert, on the other hand, was…conflicted. He knew that Eskel had been struggling with separating his work from his personal life, and painting had helped. A lot. But fuck was it boring. He could only look at so many grassy pastures before he’d start seeing them in his dreams.

And then it hit him.

With a cup of coffee.

Well, kinda. He’d been at the little coffee shop down the street from his tattoo parlor when a man ran into him and dropped his iced mocha extra espresso drip whatever-the-fuck directly onto the center of Lambert’s crotch.

The mostly empty cup hit the floor, along with the armful of flyers and a stapler that the man had been trying (and, apparently, failing) to juggle in his grasp. Lambert huffed and took a deep breath. Not his fault. Not his fault. In for four, out for seven. His therapist would be proud. “You alright?”

“Oh, gods be damned. I’m so so sorry, fuck-” He scrambled across the table that Lambert had been enjoying his smoothie at, pawing at napkins and dropping them into Lambert’s lap. He almost reached out to start patting him down, though his eyes widened as he thought better of that.

“Really, ‘s fine,” Lambert forced a smile and made his voice just a bit nicer than a grumble. “Here, let me buy you a new one.”

The younger man had laughed, bringing Lambert to pause. He took him in. Late twenties. Artsy. Clearly not heterosexual. Pretty blue eyes to go with that pretty voice. Fuck. “You know, you don’t look like the type to apologize for someone else spilling soup in your lap.”

Lambert shrugged. “Therapy. I’m trying.”

The man smiled. Fuck, he even has a nice smile. “Aren’t we all? Don’t worry about the coffee, I think I’m jittery enough as it is. I have to be off anyways, I have three more blocks’ worth of places to hang these.”

“Suit yourself,” Lambert dabbed at his pants with the napkins. Luckily they were already black jeans. “Careful going into that knife shop on 3rd. Don’t want to drop any more merchandise.”

And that was how Lambert ended up grabbing one of the tear-off tabs from the flyer the man left behind and going to the website listed. It was an art studio a few blocks over, and they offered a whole variety of classes. The one that caught Lambert’s eye, though, was called ‘Painting Outside Of The Canvas.’

A few clicks later and Eskel was all signed up. Then, all Lambert had to do was convince him to actually go.

It didn’t take much. Lambert had already paid the fee (which was going straight to the local youth arts center, all of the class teachers were volunteers,) and had agreed to take Eskel to that fancy craft beer bar that charged way too much for a pretzel with beer cheese.

“Oh, c’mon. The pretzel’s bigger than your head.”

“But it’s a pretzel, it shouldn’t cost as much as a cat sweater on Etsy.”

Eskel rolled his eyes good-naturedly, though he felt his stomach roll with nerves. He’d never actually shared any of his work outside of his family, and this was just a bit outside of his comfort zone.

Ah, fuck it.

Eskel quit his staring at the empty canvas and pushed himself up out of his chair. He stretched tall, elongating his arms high above his head and leaning backwards. His back popped, just once, and he sighed with a smile and slowly relaxed his arms back down. He padded into his bedroom and debated on what to wear. It would be a room full of strangers, and he really didn’t want to draw more attention to himself. The scars on his face already brought too many stares.

He crossed his arms. If he was being honest, Eskel didn’t have the faintest idea of what to wear to something like this. Shit, he usually just painted in his underwear and then washed any paint that had gotten on his skin off in the shower. But he figured it would be poor form to show up to an art class in just his undies.

He found an old pair of jeans that were only a tad bit too tight shoved in the back corner of his closet, and a t-shirt that, again, was just a little snug. Eskel ran his hands through his hair and looked in the mirror as he toed his boots on. He looked put together, and hopefully he wouldn’t ruin his clothes too badly with paint.

As he walked the few blocks to the art studio, he pondered. The evening breeze danced through his hair and he sighed. It had been a while since Eskel had allowed himself the comfort of a peaceful night out and the class seemed like the perfect opportunity to let loose for a few hours.

So why did he feel so anxious?

Nestled between the public library and another kitschy coffee shop, the art studio was obvious. There was a modern art sculpture in the middle of the sidewalk, and the pillars by the entrance had been carved with likenesses of people of all shapes and sizes. Eskel pushed open the door and smiled gently at the receptionist behind the desk up front.

She was young, maybe in her mid-twenties. She had long, wavy blond hair that was messily tied in a low bun at the nape of her neck. She had a charcoal pencil tucked behind her ear and a small paintbrush through the middle of her bun. Her eyes were the blue of the middle of the sea, and they were wide with curiosity. Somehow, Eskel didn’t feel uncomfortable with her gaze. It was as if she were observing him without seeing merely what was on the surface.

“Here for the painting class?” Her name tag read ‘Essi’ in loopy blue letters, and she pushed a sign in sheet towards him when he nodded.

“‘S there a lot of people in there?” Eskel asked, scribbling hastily.

Essi shook her head. “Limited class. Only ten spots for students. You got lucky!”

“Mhm. Right. Real lucky.” After signing in at the front desk, Eskel strolled down the hallway and found the classroom that he was looking for. There was already a handful of other people in there, milling about the table in the rear with snacks and tea.

Eskel grabbed a chocolate chip cookie and a cup of tea and looked around the workspace. There were a bunch of chairs with small tables set up next to them around the room. None were directly facing any of the others. Eskel meandered over to one close to the corner and set his paper cup down. The cookie was warm and gooey, and Eskel had to force himself not to inhale it.

The table had an array of acrylic paint tubes and a palette, a cup on the side with a handful of brushes of different shapes and sizes. There was also a water cup and a stack of paper towels. No easel, no canvas.

A few more people strolled in while Eskel polished off his cookie, and soon enough the instructor walked in and tipped the door shut. The light conversation stopped as she walked to the center of the room.

“Hello,” she smiled kindly. She was a bit older, maybe in her mid-fifties, with gray hair threading her soft brown ponytail. “My name is Kona, and I’ll be helping out today. Thank you all so much for joining us. It’s a free-for-all, so whatever inspiration you find, paint. Go ahead and grab a spot, I’ll bring in your canvases.”

The chair creaked as Eskel sat in it, though the cushion was comfortable and well-worn. He flicked his phone to vibrate and couldn’t help his leg bouncing. Eskel had already found his reference image and he was looking forward to zoning out for a bit while he painted,glad that his canvas wouldn’t easily be seen by the other artists.

He glanced up as Kona strode back into the room, and then did a double-take at the ‘canvases’ she was bringing in. Ten more people walked in behind her, all with soft smiles and an ethereal sort of grace in their step. Essi, the woman from the front, was one of them, though she’d taken the pencil and brush from her hair.

“Go ahead, disperse,” Kona waved her hand to the group and they all strode confidently towards an artist of their choosing. Eskel’s heart raced as a man, probably only a handful of years younger than he was, stopped before him.

“Hi there.” The man held out his hand, and Eskel’s breath was stolen from his lungs. He was beautiful, with soft chestnut hair in waves that framed his soft cheeks and strong jaw. His eyes were the clearest blue he’d ever seen, like the glimpse of sky between storm clouds. “I’m Jaskier.”

Eskel swallowed thickly and took Jaskier’s hand, giving it a gentle shake. “‘Lo. my name’s Eskel, but uh…I didn’t know that this was gonna be…this sort of thing-”

“Oh, no no no, this isn’t a sex thing,” Jaskier grabbed another chair and sat across from Eskel. Dressed in a button-down shirt with the collar open to the bottom of his sternum and an effortlessly disheveled pair of jeans, Jaskier looked every bit the muse that the ancient Greeks would imagine in their stars. “It’s just a way to get your mind thinking outside of the confines of a traditional canvas. I don’t even have to get undressed or anything, it’s all up to us.”

Eskel peered around to see the different canvases in all sorts of different states of dress. A few had rolled their sleeves up or were wearing a tank top to expose their arms for their artist, one had taken off their pants to give access to their legs, and the rest had taken off their shirts and trousers. Essi was one of those, and Eskel overheard her giggle with the man in front of her.

“So,” the man grinned coyly, one of the dark curls of hair on his head bouncing down over his eye, “shall I get to finger painting?”

Essi crossed her arms with an exaggerated gasp, though her lips were still turned in a giddy sort of smile. “Aiden! Not here! Why must you always be such a cheeky bastard?”

Eskel cast his eyes back at Jaskier. “Fuck, I’m sorry. My brother signed me up for this class, I doubt he even really knew what it was. I’m just having to…readjust my expectations a bit.”

Jaskier grinned softly. “Not a worry, I promise. Just tell me how you’d like me, and I’ll make it happen.”

Eskel thought about it for a moment. Jaskier seemed kind, and it seemed like the sort of unique experience that he wouldn’t be likely to get again. Besides, how could he just walk away from those stunning blue eyes? He nodded decisively, feeling his cheeks burn a bit as he smiled. “Alright. So, what do we do?”

“Well,” Jaskier looked around the room to the other artists and canvases, “you decide where you want to paint me, and I’ll adjust to make that happen. Do you have any ideas for what you want to do?”

Eskel pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened the photos app. “It’s the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. I…I like to find places that I want to visit and use those as reference.”

Jaskier nodded and smiled, his eyes crinkling endearingly. “I think that’s a really wonderful way to create. Use the inspiration around you to guide what’s inside. Poetic, really.”

Eskel hummed. “Never really thought about it like that.”

“What can I say? I’m a romantic.”

Eskel looked Jaskier over with a grin. “So, what would you be comfortable with for me to paint on? I’ve never really done this, but-”

“Honestly? Anything goes. Class rules dictate that I keep my underwear on, but I’m fine with whatever you’ve got in mind.” Jaskier gesticulated as he spoke, waving his hands around and Eskel couldn’t help but follow the path of his fingers through the air.

“Could I paint your back? I think that would be easiest for what I have in mind-”

Jaskier let out a breath of relief and smiled. “Oh, yes yes yes of course. Gods, I was hoping you’d say that. I brought a razor just in case you’d wanted to do my chest, but I was not looking forward to a quick trim in the closest bathroom, you know?”

Eskel’s mind ground to a halt as Jaskier babbled for a moment. His eyes flicked down to Jaskier’s chest, following the tracks of dark fuzz that escaped past the low v of his neckline. Jaskier’s hands moved to start unbuttoning and suddenly the room was quite warm, but Eskel couldn’t tear his eyes away. Jaskier looked soft and warm, with broad shoulders and a slim waist padded by a comfortable layer of cushion, the hair over his chest trailing in a strong line beneath his waistband.

“-mind if I take off my trousers too? I just don’t really fancy getting paint on them if I don’t have to.” Jaskier chucked his shirt aside and waited on Eskel’s answer.

Eskel blinked a few times and shook himself back to reality. He’s just a guy volunteering to get painted. A gorgeous guy with a smile that makes my stomach do a backflip, but still. “Y-yeah, sure. ‘S fine.”

Jaskier stood and started shimmying out of his pants. Eskel was going to look away, he really was. But, alas, he didn’t. He just watched while Jaskier’s light colored jeans fell down his thighs and pooled on the floor before being kicked off along with his shoes. His legs were strong, with muscular thighs and calves dusted with that same dark hair. Oh, fuck me. His boxer briefs didn’t hide much either, clinging to him tightly and accentuating the soft bulge resting between his legs.

Eskel cleared his throat and tried to control himself. Gods above, you’d think I’d never seen a man before. “You, uh-I like the hair. On…on your chest. ‘S good. You shouldn’t shave it.”

“You’re sweet,” Jaskier smiled and set his hand on the back of his chair. “Now, one last thing before we get started.”

Eskel nodded, keeping his gaze pointedly above Jaskier’s collarbone.

“Are you alright with chatting while you paint, or do you want quiet? If you’ve not noticed, I can run my mouth like a marathon. But I can shut up if you’d like, I know some people think my voice is annoying, which, rude. But anyway, either way’s perfectly fine with me.”

Eskel scrunched his brow. “Your voice isn’t annoying. It’s nice, soft. Soothing. We can chat, I don’t mind.”

Jaskier’s cheeks flushed a faint rosy pink. “Alright then.” He turned around and straddled his chair, lowering himself to sit with his chest resting forward on the backrest. He brought his arms up and crossed them over the edge of the back, resting his chin on his wrist.

Eskel allowed himself a brief moment to recenter. Even Jaskier’s back was pretty, with strong shoulder blades and defined lines of his musculature down his sides, smatterings of freckles traversing over the skin. Focus, Eskel. He busied himself with preparing his paints, using a few brushes to make some light grays and blues. As he set up his reference image on his phone, propped up against a tube of orange paint that he knew he wouldn’t need, he took a deep breath and scooted closer to Jaskier, close enough to feel the heat from his skin.

His voice was quiet, almost a rumble. “Ready?”

Jaskier nodded as goosebumps erupted across his shoulders. “Mhm. What are you starting with?”

“I think I’ll start with the sky…” Eskel grabbed a flat brush and grabbed some of his most saturated blue that he’d mixed. As he went to make his first stroke, he couldn’t figure out the best position that he was comfortable in. “Jaskier?”

“Hmm?”

“Would it be rude of me to ask if I could touch you? Not trying anything, I swear. I just can’t quite figure out what to do with my other hand.”

Jaskier glanced over his shoulder with a smile. “Not rude at all. In fact, I’ll go ahead and offer. Eskel, you may touch me while you paint if you’d so like, I don’t mind.”

Eskel chuckled. “You know, Jaskier? That’s a really good idea. Thank you for offering.”

“I’m nothing if not incredibly generous.”

“Oh? And he’s humble?” Eskel teased.

Jaskier winked back at him. “It’s my best quality.”

Eskel shook his head and laughed. “Go on, I’ll get started.”

He carefully set his free hand on Jaskier’s hip as he resettled himself. He heard Jaskier just barely suck in a sharp breath as their skin met, breaking the tense bubble of separation that they’d kept so far. Eskel took a deep breath and brought his other hand with the paintbrush to just beneath Jaskier’s shoulder blade. He dragged the brush slowly straight across Jaskier’s back, leaving a crease of blue as his horizon. “This alright?”

Jaskier swallowed thickly and cleared his throat. “Y-yeah. Quite, in fact.”

“Good.” Eskel mixed some of his gray in with the blue and began blending the color up in messy strokes. As he got to the edge of Jaskier’s shoulder, he added white and brought it back down. It was a quiet few minutes while Eskel got into his mindset for creating, and it felt so nice once he was there. Actually, more than nice. It was wonderful, and he couldn’t help but think that the man in front of him was the reason.

“So…” Jaskier spoke quietly, being careful not to move, “what got you into painting?”

Eskel shrugged and mixed another blue, this one for the water. He cut the skyline again and shaped the curves of where the shore would meet the base of the cliffs. Jaskier’s skin grounded him, the warmth bleeding into the tips of his fingers. “My therapist suggested it. I…I don’t take enough time for myself, and she said I needed to find something that didn’t carry pressure, but I still cared about. I tried knitting, but my fingers are too clumsy. So this was the next thing I tried.”

Jaskier sighed, though Eskel could hear the smile on his lips. “I love a man who’s in therapy. Too many people, especially men, don’t think that they need it. I think everyone needs it.”

“I agree,” Eskel hummed and started filling in the base of his ocean. Very light saturation at the horizon, falling deeper as he brought the color down Jaskier’s back. As he reached the base of his spine, the color was a dark greenish-blue. Jaskier giggled as Eskel’s brush just barely went around his hip.

“Sorry,” Jaskier breathed, “A bit ticklish there.”

Eskel bit the inside of his cheek and stifled a groan. “Noted.”

“I trust you won’t use that against me…” Jaskier glanced back over his shoulder, his eyes glinting with mirth.

“I would never abuse such information,” Eskel rinsed his brush and patted it dry with one of the paper towels, “today, at least.”

Jaskier hummed and narrowed his eyes with a smirk before turning back around. They were quiet once more while Eskel mixed his next few colors, glancing over to his reference image every so often. He decided to do the cliff walls next, so he made a few shades of browns and grays.

The paintbrush dragged in long strokes down Jaskier’s back in the shape of the ciffs, getting shorter as he moved up to create perspective. The colors blended sloppily, but Eskel wasn’t terribly concerned with that. He’d come back and touch up the details once the base layers were finished.

“You said your brother signed you up for the class?” Jaskier asked.

Eskel hummed as he made short strokes of different colors over the still-wet layer. “Mhm, he owns a tattoo shop a few blocks over.”

“That was really nice of him,” Jaskier smiled and bit the inside of his cheek. “So…is there a Mrs. Eskel?”

Eskel laughed. “Coming right out with it then?”

“I don’t know the meaning of the word ‘subtle.’”

“Fair enough,” Eskel mixed some various shades of green for his last base layer. “No, I’m not married. Nor am I in the dating scene, shit stresses me out. And…” Eskel paused before starting to fill in the remainder of Jaskier’s back with the green paint, “if I were, my partner wouldn’t necessarily be a Mrs. I’m not picky about gender.”

The younger man hummed and Eskel saw the back of his neck flush pink. He smiled and finished blending light and dark shades of green to form the top of the cliff.

Jaskier carefully cleared his throat. “Isn’t that lucky? Nor am I, as it were.”

Eskel hummed, hoping to all hopes that Jaskier would take the bait. “Here, you can relax for a minute, I want to let those layers dry a bit before the next part.”

Jaskier spun his chair around and met Eskel’s eyes. “So, hypothetically, if I were to ask you out to say, a cup of coffee, what would you say?”

Eskel smiled and shook his head, chucking his brush into the now-cloudy water cup. “Well, hypothetically, I’d suggest ice cream instead…not many coffee places are open this late around here.”

Jaskier quirked his brow and he bit his lip. “I think that would be a great idea…hypothetically.”

Eskel nodded. “I, for one, don’t especially like thinking in hypotheticals.”

“Oh?”

“So, go ahead. Ask.”

Eskel would swear it forever, but in that moment, he felt the warmth of the sun beaming from Jaskier’s smile. Those bright blue eyes peered at him, searching for whatever depths he kept buried within. “Eskel, would you like to get ice cream with me? As a date?”

“Gladly,” Eskel grinned, “How’s tonight sound?”

“Well,” Jaskier pursed his lips and looked at his bare wrist as though checking the time on a non-existent watch, “I’m getting painted on for about another hour. But I’m free after that?”

“Perfect, that’s right when my schedule opens up too.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

They sat there for a moment, just looking at each other, not really knowing where to go next. Jaskier broke the bubble of silence, chuckling a bit and reaching up to ruffle the soft chestnut waves of his hair. “Well. Why don’t we make good use of this last hour?”

Eskel nodded and smiled softly, ignoring the awkward pull of the scars on his cheek. “You’re probably dry enough now for me to do the details.”

Jaskier spun his chair back around and settled, wiggling around a bit before falling still. “Alright, Eskel. Do your worst.”

Eskel’s mind had scattered since he’d last held the brush, so he took a long, deep breath. He fought for control in the small of his belly, willing his mind to focus on the paint, the art, the canvas. Though, it seemed that his canvas was the cause of his distraction.

He sighed to himself, shaking his mind sane. Using his picture as his guide, he mixed a light and a dark gray on his palette. He grabbed a fluffy brush and loaded it with both tones on either side. Resting his free hand once more on Jaskier’s hip, Eskel began gently dabbing the brush to create soft, fluffy clouds over the expanse of the sky between Jaskier’s shoulder blades. It was only a few minutes before Eskel was happy with how it looked, and his mind had reentered that creative zone that he had come to so happily seek out.

“So,” Eskel hummed as he set the fluffy brush into the water and began mixing some blue tones and making sure that he had some white ready, “you know why I got into painting. What got you doing this?”

As Eskel began blending the blues over the ocean water, adding dainty white crests of waves where it met the face of the cliff, Jaskier smiled over his shoulder. “Well, I came here all the time when I was young. I had a hard time finding my niche, and this place helped me figure it out. So, now, when I can, I like to volunteer here. Maybe I can help someone else find their place too.”

Soft shades of green started getting applied to Jaskier’s back, forming the gentle rolls of the valleys of the top of the cliff. “That’s really admirable, Jaskier. I know you’ve helped at least one person, and probably many more, just by being here.”

Eskel watched the back of Jaskier’s neck flush a soft rosy pink. They sat quietly while Eskel continued on, highlighting the crests of the waves and tops of clouds, deepening the ocean and the valleys atop the cliff. Just as he was adding his last few details, Kona strode to his side.

“Impressive, Eskel,” she mused, her eyes meandering slowly over Jaskier’s back. “You’ve chosen a beautiful scene, and your color blending is sublime. I know we haven’t had quite enough time for you to do all of the detail work that you might’ve wanted to do, but you’ve accomplished a lot with the time that we’ve had. Good work.”

“Thank you,” Eskel hummed, setting his brush into the water cup. “It’s been really nice to try something new.”

As Kona turned away and moved to the next pair, Jaskier twisted his neck around, trying to look at his back, to no avail. “Would you let me see it?”

Eskel nodded, grabbing his phone and opening up the camera. He snapped a quick picture of the painting and handed it to Jaskier.

The young man gasped. “Holy shit, Eskel. This, I mean. I’m stunned, honestly. It’s…gods, I don’t often find myself without words, but…it seems you’ve struck me dumb.”

Eskel chuckled and shook his head. “Flatterer.”

Jaskier shrugged. “It’s not flattery if it’s deserved. Actually,” he spun around with a roguish grin on his lips and a glint in his eyes, “I could always leave the paint on for a bit and you could…finish it off at my place.”

Eskel’s cheeks flushed and he shifted in his seat, biting the edge of his lip. “That’s…very tempting, Jaskier. But I think we should stick with ice cream, just for tonight. Besides,” he winked, “I think I’m finished with that one. ‘M happy with how it turned out. And I can always start a new one.”

Jaskier nodded and handed Eskel his phone back. “I can’t wait. Now,” he stood and stretched his arms high over his head, drawing Eskel’s eyes down the long lines of his torso and back once more to the soft bulge in his boxer-briefs, “I’ll go wash off, and we can head out?”

Eskel swallowed thickly, willing himself to keep his head on straight as Jaskier bent down to retrieve his discarded clothes. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll clean up here, and I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

He watched Jaskier pad off towards the door, his legs long all the way up to where his briefs gently hugged the round swell of his bum until he turned into the hallway. He shook his head and sighed to himself before rounding up his station. Eskel twisted the lids onto the tubes of paint, bringing them, the clean paper towels, and the spare brushes that he didn’t use back over to the counter at the wall where others had already begun to leave their supplies as well. He set them down gently before returning to his table, grabbing his water cup with the dirty brushes and his used paper towels.

Eskel dropped the soiled towels into the trash bin and tipped the water into the utility sink as he turned on the faucet. He methodically rinsed his brushes, washing away the last remnants of earthy paints nestled in the bristles with his fingers. He set them into the hanging rack to dry and turned off the water, wiping his hands dry on his jeans as he strode back into the hall.

The lobby was quiet as he found a seat by the window. Eskel’s eyes adjusted to the dim evening lit by the streetlamps as he patiently waited for Jaskier. He spied Essi and Aiden arm in arm walking out to the sidewalk, her with a smear of bright blue paint on the back of her neck and Aiden with a smudge of atomic green along his cheekbone. He reached down and squeezed her bum as they walked, and she threw her head back with an unapologetic laugh that Eskel could’ve sworn he heard even inside the building.

“Gods, but they’re disgustingly adorable, aren’t they?” Eskel peered over his shoulder at Jaskier, who had silently joined him at the window. The damp ends of his hair curled at the nape of his neck and his cheeks were flushed from the seemingly quite hot water he had used.

He hummed and nodded, rising to his feet. He realized that he wasn’t much taller than Jaskier, having only maybe an inch or two on him. Eskel smiled and held out his elbow. “Shall we?”

Jaskier smirked and hooked his arm into Eskel’s. He was warm, holding firm without clinging. “I would be delighted.”

[thekillerblogofkillers]

Carroll Cole (1938-1985)

Carroll Edward Cole was an American serial killer who was executed in 1985 for the murders of at least 15 women and 1 boy between 1948 and 1980. He was born on May 9, 1938, in Sioux City, Iowa, to LaVerne and Vesta Cole. Shortly afterwards, his younger sister was born and the Cole family moved to California, where LaVerne worked in a shipyard, before going to fight in World War II. While his father was away at war, his mother had affairs and sometimes took Cole with her, threatening to beat him to make sure he didn’t tell his father. Vesta was a cruel woman who dressed him as a girl and made fun of him. At school, Cole was teased for having a “girl’s name” - he once retaliated against a classmate, Duane, by drowning him in a lake. The incident was believed to be an accident until Cole confessed many years later in a prison autobiography. As a teenager Cole committed petty crimes and was arrested for drunkenness and minor thefts often. Following high school Cole joined the army but was discharged quickly for stealing pistols. In 1960 he attacked 2 couples who were parked in cars on a lover’s lane. Not long after this, Cole called the police in Richmond, California (where he lived at the time), and told them that he was experiencing violent fantasies about strangling women. Over the next 3 years Cole was in and out of various mental hospitals, the last being Stockton State Hospital. Here, a Dr. Weiss wrote: “He seems to be afraid of the female figure and cannot have intercourse with her first but must kill her before he can do it.” Weiss approved Cole’s release in April 1963, despite the fact that he had been diagnosed with an antisocial sociopath personality. Following his release, he moved to Dallas, Texas, to be with his brother. There, he met and married Billie Whitworth, an alcoholic stripper. 2 years later, Cole burned down a motel because he believed that his wife was having sex with other men there - the marriage ended as a result. Cole was arrested for arson, and on his release he attempted to strangle an 11-year-old girl in Missouri. Cole was again arrested and was sentenced to 5 years in prison. He then moved to Nevada, where he tried to strangle another 2 women. This time, he checked himself into a mental hospital, where doctors noted his murderous fantasies but didn’t see a reason to detain him and gave him a ticket back to San Diego, California.

Whilst in San Diego, Cole committed his first murder since that of his classmate as a child. The victim was Essie Buck - he picked her up in a tavern in San Diego on May 7, 1971. Cole strangled her to death in his car and drove around with her body in the trunk for days before dumping it. 2 weeks later he killed an unidentified woman and buried her in the woods, later claiming that both women had been unfaithful to their husbands and therefore reminded him of his adulterous mother. In July 1973 Cole married Diana Pashal, a barmaid who was also an alcoholic. The couple argued frequently and Cole would often go off on his own for days at a time. He would commit murders during these periods, including 1 women whom he allegedly cannibalised. In September 1979, Cole strangled Pashal to death; 8 days later a suspicious neighbour called the police. Although police discovered the body wrapped in a blanket and stuffed into a closet, they decided that she had died because of heavy drinking and Cole was released without charge following questioning. He then left San Diego and began moving around again, killing a woman before returning to Dallas, where he strangled 3 women to death in November 1980. Cole was a suspect in the 2nd of these murders and was also discovered at the scene of the 3rd. He was arrested and taken into custody. Police came to the conclusion that the victim died of natural causes and Cole was almost acquitted - but then he started confessing. Along with this murder, he confessed to them all, at least 14 women over the last 9 years, adding that there may have been more and he couldn’t remember, due to being drunk often. On April 9, 1981, Cole was convicted of 3 of the murders committed in Texas and was sentenced to life in prison at Hunstville Prison. In 1984, Cole’s mother died and his attitude allegedly changed - he agreed to face more murder charges filed in Nevada, despite the possibility of the death penalty. In October 1984 he was sentenced to death in Nevada. Anti-death penalty campaigners attempted to have his sentence commuted, but Cole himself protested. On receiving the sentence, he said: “Thanks, Judge.” On December 6, 1985, Carroll Cole was executed by lethal injection at Nevada State Prison.

[roycruisesthebaltic]

Friday May 22 09:34 mid flight Syd to Mel

Very busy prior to today getting things done and Anne with her business and uni work. Bed last night at 23:00 finished packing. Up at 05:45 and had lots to do before leaving the house at 07:00 15 minutes behind schedule. Drove to Liana who drove us to the airport. Plane delayed about 40 minutes due Melbourne weather. Another scissors confiscated but no fluids nor toothpaste this time. ETA Mel. about 10:15. Jetstar A321 a little squashy but only for 1 hour.

14:35 downtown Melbourne

Hotel across the road from the airport just a short walk. Btw Jetstar took carry on luggage down to the cargo bay and we were lucky not to be charged. We are at the hotel today and leave for Hong Kong tomorrow at 07:25. How convenient just a walk across the road from the hotel.

We caught the sky bus into town. Walked around had lunch, window shopped. Free tram from Spencer St outlet mall to Bourke Street. Currently having another coffee, to wake up and kill time. The chocolate and cake shops are very tempting but we are resisting, not sure about resistance on the cruise in a week or so. It's quite cool here in Melbourne and the jacket I brought may not quite cut the mustard so we bought a jumper from an outlet shop. Coffee at Myers.

Dinner was at Triim a Mediterranean restaurant in Hardware lane. Read my review on trip adviser (anneroy contributor). Free tram back to Spencer St interchange. Then skybus back to Park Royal airport. Watching Eurovision. Tomorrow flight to Hong Kong departs 07:40. Wake up call at 05:00

Sat May 23 07:35

Email during the night to say flight delayed so we slept till 6. Dressed, packed, checked out and walked to airport. Currently having breakfast.

Sun May 24 16:25

Comfortable seat that lies flat, daytime flight so movies. Interstellar and John Wick. Too much food. Smooth flight only a couple of times to fasten seat belt. Installed SIM card into my phone. Arrived Hong Kong delayed docking due weather. Lucky flight was not diverted to Malaysia or China due weather. Easy quick transit though arrivals. MTR train to Kowloon HK$140 then free airport shuttle to Salisbury YMCA hotel. All too easy. Upgrade to view of harbour. Dropped bags in room then walked to Marianne jeweller. Most shops closed so back to hotel, fruit in our room for dinner and early night. Up early, bought coffee downstairs and took back to room. Fruit for breakfast. Walked 1st to tailor chose material and measured up for suit. Last time 2010 and 5 centimetres thinner now. Then to Jeweller Marianne, then a haircut and shave. Lunch across the road. Anne bought watch and hand bag. Currently Coffee in hotel cafe. Plan to catch airport shuttle at 20:30 across the road. So 4 hours to kill. I bought an "S" SIM card for iPad from honest Ali ( turned out to be a dud) in shop in arcade. Let's see if it works for 4 weeks.

23:15 Emirates lounge

Plane leaves 12:30 just past midnight so we are filling in time sitting in hotel foyer. Airport shuttle leaves every 12 minutes to Kowloon. Anne read book I walked thru hotel next to YMCA. Shops are all classy expensive like Prada Louis Vuitton and other names I've never heard of but Talia would know. And watch brands that are probably ridiculously pricey.

Decided we might as well suffer at the airport so caught early shuttle to Kowloon. Rather quick trip without traffic. Well surprise surprise, at the train station, Kowloon, you can check in your luggage. Then you board the train to the airport luggage free. The airport is something else, the size of a small city. A shuttle train takes you to the appropriate gate and lounge because it is so far away. So we ate lots, charged up the phone and iPad and now wait patiently for another 30 minutes to board the plane to Dubai.

Mon 25 12:15 pm

Amazing Emirates A380 flight to Dubai, overnight flight so we missed out on enjoying everything Emirates has to offer. Arrived early Dubai about 04:00. Easy transit thru customs, immigration. Chauffeur driven to Regent Palace hotel. Arrived hotel about 05:00 far too early to check in lovely hotel front of house Essi now Facebook friend, so we paid extra ¥200 for the luxury of a room. Had a snooze. At about 09:30 went across road to shopping centre including French supermarket Carrefour. Lunch at Dome. Bought fruit to fill in before dinner. It's very hot probably about 40 Celsius.not many burqas several men in traditional gear. Swishy shops in shopping centre. Weighed myself with clothes and shoes so possibly 1kg extra weight. Gotta be careful.

17:40

Waiting till 19:00 to be picked up for cruise dinner and dance performance. Rosemary and Garry arrived from Sydney. I checked out the trains just next to the hotel and they come often.

Tuesday May 26 21:36 in our hotel room

Dinner cruise was interesting. Mostly Indian passengers and a few locals including women completely covered in black. Magician and Egyptian dancer. Indian cuisine buffet. B- evening but something to do in the evening. A good nights sleep and breakfast at 09:00. At last a hotel breakfast that is different albeit an Indian cuisine. Off to Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa tall tower. The mall is awe inspiring in its size. The train trip to it was easy and efficient and the station located next to the hotel..well done Anne and Rosemary. Note that some carriages are women only, a friendly local explained to me I could be fined being in the wrong carriage.

At the destination 7 travelators to get you to the mall. We did the aquarium, had coffee then went up to level 124 of the tower in a super smooth elevator. Great view. Dinner at Wafi gourmet, somewhat expensive but quite good. Enjoyed the water show then train back to hotel.

12:25 old Souk Dubai Eating at Masti

Hotel Breakfast at 09:00. Taxi to Old Souk but he got it wrong and took us to old Gold Souk. Eventually went to the right place. Walked around the market mostly clothes, materials and trinkets. Very hot and dry. Bought a white Arabic garment plus keffiyeh. Pestered by hawkers.

Lunch at small cafe Masti. AED¥75 (2.7) Biryani chicken and fish plus fruit juices. Call to prayer loud and clear from several mosques.

Thursday23:30 Southampton Mercure hotel

After our shopping trip to the Souk we returned to hotel by taxi. Picked up at 16:00 for our desert safari. Our guide Botiri. Driven to the desert where we swapped to a Land Rover vintage model and given goggles and kaffiyeh.. A drive over the sand dunes looking for animals oryx, antelope like mammal. Refreshments sweet Apple juice and a falcon demonstration during which the sun set. A drive to dinner in the desert with entertainment, rifle dance and Arab lady dance. Lentil soup, rice, chicken kebabs, camel stew, dates, coffee, sweet drink mezze dips and bread. I lay on the cushions and fell asleep. Returned to the hotel by 22:30

Thursday morning vip taxi (lexus) to miracle garden. A 35 minute trip. Gardens were lovely. We waited for taxi to return us to the hotel 10:15 patiently which eventually arrived so we would make it on time back to the hotel. Picked up at 12:00 by Emerites and driven to airport. Boarded at about 14:30. 7 hour flight to Gatwick England. Emirates drove us to Southampton Mercure hotel where we are now.

May 31 sailing from Southampton to Denmark 05:48

A small room in the hotel but conveniently located. Met up with the other two families. I woke up early and walked up to the shops. After breakfast drove to Portsmouth dockyard and toured it. Took lots of photos. Light Lunch potato and cheese in a pub and had a pint. Met up with Chris and Diane in the street. Local restaurant fully booked so we ate at the hotel which was quite good. Saturday June 30 had early breakfast with Chris and Diane. Invited them to Talia's wedding (I know Diane will read this) Sadly said farewell then we drove to Highcliffe Northern Forest. Returned to hotel via the ship Celebrity Eclipse then finished packing. Checked out of hotel dropped off bags, Anne and I embarked at about 13:00 after about an hour line up. The ship is amazing. It just had a refit a month ago. Cabin spacious. Buffet level 15 very yummy. Dinner in restaurant very delicious. Prior to that we went to forward Skye lounge for drinks, part of our unlimited drink package. After the dinner went to the show, a very funny comedian. Bed early. Couldn't resist room service chicken soup at about 22:00.

12:00 noon may 31

Up early. Gym for 30 minutes 300 calories. Breakfast at Ocean View Cafe level 15. Yummy smoked salmon and herring. Spa level 12. Trivia sky lounge level 15. A,R,G playing cards.

Monday June 1 in bed 12:16 am

Lunch in dining room. Dinner yummy as usual. Singer evening show very good lady.

Monday gym, smoked salmon and herring breakfast. Spa with Anne, Denmark talk. How to cook a steak demo. Lunch in ocean view cafe. Arrived Denmark 15:00. Taxi to canal boat ride, which was excellent. Tour guide Kiya. Met Karina and had coffee and talked a lot. It was just great meeting her after 16 years. Anne had 5 herring sampler. Taxi back to ship. Dinner in Ocean View. + wine( part of drink package). A,r,g cards in our cabin. Show at 21:30 very good singer Ben 3rd place X factor, sounds like rod steward. Coffee and iced tea in cafe bed at 12:30.

Wed June 3 10:00 in cabin

Yesterday taxis all booked up so took hop on hop off bus into town. Anne and I got off at department store like David Jones. Bought mascara for Liana then a Danish with coffee ( not called Danish here). Walked to "3" shop and along the way bought clothes at H.M. At "3" shop they got internet working on iPad and spent a short while skyping the girls.

Returned to catch the bus and the first one did not stop. Fortunately second one did stop because we have no Danish Kroners left for taxi fare. Back to ship, lunch, afternoon sleep, dinner at 6:30 then excellent show, circus, lucky to find a seat. After show my iced pear ginger tea. Watched rest of movie in cabin whirlwind or whirlpool.

Up at 07:30 and gym for 30 minutes. Then Oceanview cafe for smoked salmon, herring and toast with OJ and coffee. Returned to cabin with fruit for Anne then spa with Anne level 12.

Friday may 24 05:30

Wednesday: early gym. Port talk about Stockholm and Estonia. Show was juggler comedian, excellent. Afternoon matinee was Ben the singer and the west end lady singer together. They were terrific. Lunch in oceanview level 14. After show we all met up in the cafe and I had my iced pear tea.

Thursday May 25

Arrived Stockholm. Gym for 30 minutes and met everyone for breakfast. My weight ok but I think the scales are wrong. Taxi to Vasa museum (fitted 8 into a 7 seater) ended up doing Abba not Vasa. Skyped the girls in Abba museum. Abba interesting but needs a lick of paint. Ferry across harbour to old City. Walked around. I had my Swedish meat balls and beer. Anne had herring. Walked around then long walk back to ship. My phone says 12000 steps today. Returned to ship smoked salmon open sandwiches delicious and scones. Met chef yesterday and asked for buffalo wings. During dinner maitre de said buffalo wings tomorrow (Friday) show was impressionist, least entertaining so far. Early to bed everyone, all quite tired.

Friday May 26 clock forward 1 hour. Up at new time 04:30.

Saturday 20:30 St Petersberg.

Yesterday Stockholm. Shuttle bus into town. Lunch at restaurant. Fish soup and potato dish and Swedish beer. Bought a few nick nacks for kids and friends. Old city with history, small lanes and old buildings. Returned on shuttle bus. Dinner at 18:30 and magic show at 20:30 quite good. Everyone is quite exhausted so early to bed finished watching night stalker movie in cabin. Up early in St Petersburg.

A magnificent sickly opulent city with palaces decorated in over the top paintings, crockery and gold foil. On a tour. Had to pass through customs to get off ship past miserable government employees. Tour guide Lena, good English and very knowledgable. We were early so avoided huge crowds at various venues. We are a little disturbed that Russians do it tough while such lavish opulent churches and palaces. Part of the tour was a subway ride on a noisy train over one stop. The longest escalator I've ever experienced. We had lunch provided creamy soup and chicken crêpes. Garry and I had vodka. A lot of walking today 17000 steps according to my pedometer on the Samsung. We were agog at the size of the palaces as well as the fit out. The nazis more or less destroyed these places when they left and the Russian government restored them in record time. Much artwork was removed just before the nazis invaded. Much was stolen or destroyed. Back to the ship at about 18:00, dinner in dining room at about 19:00. Everyone is tired but we all want to see St Petersburg entertainment at 22:00 tonight. Early start tomorrow another 1/2 day tour with Lena and Peter.

Sunday 23:48

Early start 07:30. Easy thru immigration today. River cruise. Churches, palaces, lunch piroga (big piroshki) blood church, mosaics. Synagogue, hermitage museum. Farewell Elena and Peter our tour guide and driver. Dinner in Murano at discount thanks to Robert. Fantastic experience. Broadway show. Delay setting sail due 40knot wind.

Monday 21:00

Sea day sailing to Lithuania. Gym, new scales more accurate, I'm a little shocked at my weight. Excursion talk. Go pro talk (bought one). Chef demo how to cook fish. Lunch, sleep, dinner with Ruth and Stephen. MacDonald brothers show. Iced ginger pear tea. Anne did trivia.

Tuesday June 9 12:00 midnight

Arrived Lithuania. Gym, weight terrible. Walked thru town. Wi fi at cafe. Lunch back on ship. Trivia. Men vs women fun quiz. Ventriloquist show. Time running out for cruise.

Thursday June 11 08:35

Yesterday Poland. Taxi tour. French markets ate pistachio nugah. And apple donut. Church of many bricks. Church with lovely orang recital. Famous ant communist ---------- place.

Thursday arrived Germany. Gym, spa, breakfast.

Coach to Berlin 3 hours. Stopped at Maccas for toilet and coffee break. Toilet 50c. Swapped at 1936 Olympic stadium to group of 8 of us with excellent tour guide Lee an American who has been here for 30 years. All day tour of various places. Berlin Wall, railway station where Jews were loaded onto trains, square where books were burned. Various other places. Currently driving back to ship, a 3 hour trip. It's 20:00. Thursday evening.

Oops Sunday June 14

We arrived back at the ship at about 21:30 and dinner in the oceanview cafe bistro. A German feast including German sausages which chef Darren went on shore to buy , sauerkraut and German beer affordable on our drink packages. Ship departed at midnight.

Friday and Saturday sea days. Gym. Trivia, talks about confessions of a customs officer, and necrotourism. Other talks from officers, navigation and engineering. Shows were Beatles(yesterday evening, Chinese magician matinee yesterday and production show. All quite good. Four families met outside our cabins in team earth to discuss tips for crew. Rosie's trivia team earned various prizes including new lanyards, most appreciated. I walked around the ship and photographed most places with my new gopro. Obviously I've put on weight. We disembarked today (Sunday) at about 08:30. Phone call to taxi company. Taxis to Southampton airport. Little hiccups with Rosie's champagne and my bottle of wine but all sorted. Weigh was ok. Howard and my priority cards got us into business lounge. Free wifi so we spoke to the girls and caught up a little on the Internet and ate nibbles. Currently 22:05 on a Dash 8 at 28000 ft on track to Dublin.

Monday June 15 22:35

Yesterday arrived Dublin. Picked up car. Drove to Sandymount Hotel. Walked to local village. Asked Una Mollony a Dubllin resident directions and she ended up making two trips in her car to take us Moto dinner at the Old Spot where I had hamburger and Guinness.

Up Monday morning, hotel breakfast then caught hop on hop off bus to trinity college, then to town and shopping centre. Irish stew at cafe below museum the Hutch. Shopped then walked to Dublin castle to catch up with Rosie and Garry. Bus to Guiness storehouse for interesting tour then a pint of Guinness on level 7. Bus to stop 24 to dinner show, Gaelic music and dancing. Train home to the hotel.

During the day I got interviewed for a Father's Day show on Saorview.

Wednesday June 17 21:30 just arrived Sligo Park Hotel in Sligo

A summary of the last two days. Belfast :Titanic museum exhibition. We had a tour. It was terrific.a few levels of information, a chair lift taking you through a mock up ship yard. A cinema showing the remote camera view that surveyed the sunk ship. The drawing room. And lots of information. The Crumlin road Gaol, a morbid but interesting historical tour of this infamous place including the gallows. A show at the Old Opera theatre in Belfast. The Business of Murder. Slow at first but quite interesting second half. It had an 8 year run in the west end. Meals at various pubs and even a Chinese meal at the red panda opposite the Europa hotel. On the way to Sligo from Belfast today we stopped at the rope bridge Carrick-a-Rede. £5.90 and a mile long very difficult walk then a precarious walk over this shaky bridge. Hmm a lot of calories burned up today. A visit to the Bushmills distillery too late for a tour but not too late for a taste and to buy a bottle of honey single malt.

An historic black taxi tour if Belfast telling us about the history and the political problems faced by Ireland. Protestants are loyal to England Catholics are republicans. Some very sad stories of the struggle.

Saturday June 20

Left last drove to Sligo. Nice hotel for 1 night. In the morning a spa. Breakfast. Off to Galway. Dinner at an Italian restaurant. Looked through Dunnes department tour.

Currently travelling to Killarney. Cliffs of Mohr along the way but fogged in. Diverted by car ferry. Stopped for chowder and potato. Currently in Listowe having coffee. During this last two days we visited a castle in fact a fortified mansion. Today's road trip passed a bicycle rally.

Last night we stayed at a B&B Seashore lodge. Had to carry suit cases up the stairs. A good B&B but a poor hotel. Breakfast was basic. Coffee finished now 1 hour to finish our trip for today.

Sunday 10:30 June 21

Arrived Killarney yesterday via fogged in cliffs of Mohar and a ferry ride across a lake. Nice hotel Brooks. Great position near shops. Big room. OK breakfast. Here for two nights. Today we drove the ring of Kerry and enjoyed the scenery. Dinner both nights at Scala Eile and they gave us left over cakes to take away. Barbara from Poland the waitress my new Facebook friend and Maurice was the manager. Good value nice food great service. Had my sixth Guinness. Tomorrow early start to Cork.

Wed June 24

Taking off Dublin on route to London central airport. Just left Dunboyne castle hotel. A great hotel, great dinner here and good breakfast. Spa was €10 for the room and had steam rooms, sauna, spas of all sorts, relaxing rooms. I note that maintenance was lacking with multiple issues in several rooms.

Prior to that we were at the Ambassador hotel in Cork where we met Tommy and Anthony, Marian's father and brother. They picked up Anne and me from St Patrick's Street outside Brown and Thomas department store and took me for a Murphys at a local pub.then a Jamesons whisky. We had a cheap Chinese meal at a local (pity we missed out on a genuine not tourist meal).

Btw last night was my seventh Guinness.

Spa, nice dinner, and good breakfast here.

Friday June 26

Currently in Lancaster hotel London. Couple of days ago flew to London City airport. Gotta remember not to take liquids on plane! Fitted 8 of us plus baggage into taxi..a miracle. Hop on hop off bus. Thames cruise with the funniest tour guide ever! . Harrods ( crazy prices AUS$14 for coffee). Saw musical Beautiful last night excellent, in the audience Gene Simmons and Michael Cain. After Harrods walked through Hyde park back to hotel. Saw Princess Diana memorial fountain and squirrels.

Wednesday July 1

Have not written for a while so here's a catch up.

Back to London where Anne and I picked up the SIXT hire car with a little difficulty interpreting the gps. We caught a train then walked till we discovered it in a car park. It's a manual Citroen and had a challenge finding out how to start it and how to engage reverse. Then to negotiate London traffic, avoiding the congestion tax. We drove to the Lancaster hotel, farewelled Cheryl, Adam, and Howard and Shirley. Then off we drove to the Cotsolds and our lovely Roman period house at Bouton on the water. We stayed here for 3 nights during which we did road trips all around enjoying English countryside. We had cooking facilities so we cooked two dinners, 3 breakfasts and made lunch twice left over sausages on rolls with coleslaw. We shopped at Tesco a short distance from our house. the Cotwolds are a magic place with a creek running through it and old English charm and a lot of weekenders over Saturday and Sunday. We bought duck food and fed the ducks. Garry and I had a pint of Hobgoblin beer brewed locally and served at 12 Celsius. Restaurants close at 6 on Sunday so we were forced to eat Chinese. On the morning of our departure a police car pulled up as someone complained about where we parked.

We left the Cotwolds and drove the Staffords to Gatwick via Stratford upon Avon and Brompton where Downtown Abbey is and was being filmed. Behind schedule we tracked to Gatwick on the M25 my gps not working, turned out we ran out of data. I drove for about 7 hours this day. Traffic on the M25 was horrific for over 100 miles. A nightmare. Went under some bridge and paid the toll on line at Jeff's place. We planned to arrive at 5, we arrived after 6. We had planned to do dinner with the Simons at 7 ended up thee at 8:30 without gps and about 10 at Monica's place after that. And we tried to ring Sharon turned out we had the home number not mobile and ringing Jeff the phone cut out yep unbelievably stressful. Wi fi at the restaurant gave us a map to Jeff so Alls well that ends well. Stayed with Monica overnight after talking till midnight. Yummy breakfast. England has great berries and yoghurt. I had a short morning walk to the seaside. We went to Smileys for lunch on the seaside I had fish and chips. Then at about 11:45 set off to Heathrow early as I was scared of the traffic. As it turned out traffic was excellent and I cruised at 70 mph. At the airport we retrieved VAT and octopus credit then relaxed in the lounge until we realised our plane was at sector C a shuttle away.

11 hour flight passed quickly I think I slept a long time as I can't account for all these hours.

Arrived Hong Kong knew the train and shuttle protocol and here we are at the YMCA and the temperature is 35 Celsius.

July. 2 Thursday

Just filled in time on an hour harbour cruise.

Did recon this morning about our trip to Macau.

Went to jeweller and to polo bag shop.

Yesterday went to jeweller and tailor. Suit measured and will be posted to Australia. Ring ready for Talia and bought earrings for Liana.

Dinner in authentic Chinese restaurant around the corner. Checked out of hotel at 12 and they are storing our bags and facility for shower if we want.

[mahalkitajohnnysuh]

Body

You know Johnny’s been showing off his body more since the year started, and are we complaining? 

Although the GIF doesn’t show much of his sculpted body, know that it has already left an imprint on my mind. 

His toned physique inspired me to write something that is not smut, but more of a wholesome appreciation for it. 

Want to know more? Then, read on!

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

–––

Summary: Despite those things I said above, this piece was written with the help of this fluff generator. Here’s the prompt it generated: 

Every time Johnny undresses, Essie notices something new and adorable about their body.

POV: 3rd person

Word count: 700 + words

––

The little things always get us, right?

Essie sighed at every detail she noticed about Johnny’s body.

It took her a couple of months into their relationship to know that he had a birthmark on his left hip. It was shaped like a bean (almost like a coffee bean, which delighted him) and was quite near his inner thigh.

She noticed it when he sat with his legs apart, and his boxer shorts were riding up a bit on his seat. She didn’t say anything about it and looked at it instead whenever he wasn’t looking at her.

It made her glance at the dot-sized birthmark she had on her right hand, which she didn’t really think about. It was always there, and she thought that he might think of the same thing with his.

\\\

When Johnny took off his shirt in front of Essie, she noticed that he had an insect bite on his left side. It was a small red dot, just like the one on his neck.

She quietly approached him and poked it, making the guy jump in surprise. “Baby, what the heck?” he asked, covering his topless body with the shirt he just removed.

“You have another insect bite here,” she poked at the protruding red dot again. “Don’t you ever clean your bed?”

“Says the girl who has more insect bites than me,” he huffed, pointing at the little red marks on her calves.

“Well, you got me. But yours are prominent because it stands out on your pale ass skin,” she remarked, pointing at the bite on his neck this time.

“Oh well, what do you suppose I do then?” He dropped the shirt on the floor and dragged her into the bed with him.

“I have a cream that can help with that,” Essie fumbled through her bedside table and took out a canister of sebo de macho. “I’ll put it on once you’re done with your shower, okay?”

He looked at the tin can she held and nodded. “If you say so, baby.”

“Aren’t you bothered with that insect bite on your neck?”

“Well, I am. But they can’t get enough of me, so…” he ran a hand through his hair, “yeah, I think I’ll need that.”

She rolled her eyes at his cockiness and gently pushed him out of the bed. “Now off to the shower you go.”

\\\

When Johnny took off his sweatpants after a long day of dancing, Essie noticed that he had stretch marks on his behind. His boxer briefs were too tight, and she saw his tiger stripes up to his upper thigh.

“I never knew you had stretch marks,” she blurted, her eyes focusing on the marks that stood out on his skin.

“Well, I’ve been working out a lot lately, so they’re bound to appear,” he mumbled, looking at the full-length mirror to check on his marks.

“I never knew guys would have them,” she moved from the computer chair towards his bed, her eyes never leaving the image of his body in the mirror.

“They do too, baby,” he grabbed his towel behind the door, “and we’re even. I know you have some too, and I love them.”

She rolled her eyes at his statement and laid down on his bed. “I have lots, from my arms to my stomach to my legs,” she eyed at them with disdain. “And I can’t believe you like them.”

He threw the towel at the foot of his bed and joined her. “Don’t be ashamed of them, baby,” he kissed the ones that were on your arm, “they make us human. And imperfections make us…perfect,” he giggled at the end of his statement, realizing how cliché he sounded.

“That sounds so cheesy, love.” She turned to face him, her cheeks red from embarrassment. “But thank you. And please, go take a shower now. You stink.”

“But you have to come with me,” he pleaded, tugging her arm repeatedly. “Give me a good bath, please!”

Essie grunted while rolling him off the bed. “No, my love. You take a bath by yourself. You’re a big boy already.”

“But babyyyyy!” He whined, giving his best puppy eyes imitation as he faced her.

“No buts, sir! Take a bath now!”

––

FIN

[mahalkitajohnnysuh]

Biohazard

Johnny Suh can make the funniest faces look like he’s flirting. Case in point: 

What does that have to do with this post? And what’s up with the title? I guess you have to read on to find out why. I’m such a tease, but let me have that moment from time to time. 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: This is the last fluff generator-inspired post for now, and it comes from this prompt: 

Essie bakes Johnny cookies out of love. Unfortunately Johnny is pretty sure these cookies are a biohazard.

POV: 3rd person

Word count: 1,300 + words

–––

This week was particularly tiring for Johnny – he was busy with work as a DJ. He was invited to be a guest DJ at a popular radio station for a whole week and even played some tunes after each session. Sure, it might pay a lot, but it can be exhausting to be up at 11 in the evening and end the day around the wee hours of the morning.

Because of this stint, he wasn’t able to hang out with his girlfriend lately. Essie worked regular hours – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – and when she came home, he was taking his second nap for the day. She would rest around 9 p.m., and he always ended up seeing her sleeping form on her bed. It pained him that she didn’t want to sleep on his bed without him in it.

“I’ll sleep on my bed for the meantime, okay? Please don’t take it personally,” she told him one time, with a sheepish smile on her face.

As much as he respected her wish, all he wanted was for her to sleep on his bed, so he could smell her scent when he went to sleep at six in the morning.

Essie would leave the house at five in the morning, and he was just on his way home. There were times that he offered to drive her to work, but she declined.

“You’re too tired already, I’ve got this,” she said softly, squeezing his hand.

He didn’t sound convinced, but once again, he had to respect her decision. He felt as if she wasn’t interested in their relationship anymore, but he was incorrect.

In fact, his girlfriend wanted to make it up to him by baking something. She had been looking at cookie recipes as of late and wanted to recreate them, even if she hasn’t baked them before.

She knew he would appreciate her effort even though she isn’t a great cook.

As soon as Essie got home from work on Friday, she got down to baking matcha chocolate chip cookies. She even hid her supplies so she could truly surprise him.

Johnny left early since he had to pick up Doyoung at his place. Sorry, you won’t see my handsome figure here tonight, but I’ll make it up to you this weekend! Love you baby princess~ was his message on a neon pink sticky note posted on the fridge.

She smiled as she pocketed the note in the pocket of her apron. His message motivated her to make the best cookies ever, which she hoped was the case. She rolled the sleeves of her shirt and shouted “Let’s get it!” like what their friends liked to say.

\\\

Essie wasn’t sure if what she made was edible or not. The cookies she baked were comically huge, a bit too hard, almost burnt, and the matcha kind of looked like mold. But when she took a bite, they were passable. It wasn’t too sweet nor too bitter. It didn’t taste like burnt batter either.

“I hope he’ll like this,” she mumbled to no one in particular as she shoved them in a pretty box.

As soon as she was done with her baking, she went to sleep. In her dreams, she felt bad that she didn’t even turn on the radio for the past few days to listen to Johnny. She tossed and turned in her sleep, feeling like a failure of a girlfriend.

And of course, she had to show off her nonexistent baking skills to make it up to him.

This woke her up, and she cried, frustrated at how his schedule was slowly tearing them apart. When she walked to the fridge to throw out the cookies that she made, she saw Johnny holding the box she put them in.

Her eyes widened in shock, not used at how early he was. She checked the clock, and it was 5:30 a.m.

“Hey baby, you’re up early. Go back to sleep,” he said, approaching her with the box of cookies she made. She eyed it with disdain, which he noticed. “Something wrong with this?” He placed the box on the table, and she could only sigh in response.

“I hope you like them. It’s my first time baking cookies so…” She sat on the chair across him, fiddling with her fingers so she couldn’t look at his expression.

“Is that so? How cute of you!” He cooed, using the cute voice he liked to do when talking to children. She felt her cheeks grow warm and covered it with both hands.

As she heard him unbox the cookies, she wanted to crawl back into her bed and hide in the covers. He didn’t deserve to eat these mediocre cookies, but she also wanted him to feel that she was making an effort to keep their relationship afloat.

“Baby…what the hell is this?”

The tone of his voice scared her, and she buried her face deeper in her hands.

“Those are supposed to be matcha chocolate chip cookies…” she mumbled.

“They look like a biohazard, baby. Are you sure it’s safe enough to eat?” She heard his footsteps walk closer to her, and he gently removed her hands from her face. He let her see her creation, and she cringed at it.

“I did my best, okay? I just wanted to make it up to you by creating something out of scratch…” She said with her eyes closed, tears threatening to fall from them.

When she heard him take a bite, she took a peek and saw an indescribable look on his face. She couldn’t decipher if he found her creation delicious or terrible. He took another bite with his eyes closed, chewing the cookie carefully.

“So…how was it?” she asked cautiously, her eyes glued on his face. It looked like he could cry at any moment as well.

“Passable, baby. The cookie’s a bit too hard, and I couldn’t taste the matcha that much,” he said as he took another bite.

She sighed in relief and relaxed on her seat, watching him finish the cookie on his hand. Once he did, he wiped his hands on his jeans and returned the box in the fridge.

“You’ll have to learn how to properly bake with me, okay? Why don’t we do it later?”

He picked her up from her seat and carried her bridal-style, which startled her. She wrapped her arms around his neck awkwardly and nodded. He kissed her forehead before he adjusted his hold on her since one wrong move on his part, or she would fall on the floor. She sensed his intention and helped him by pushing herself higher so his hands can carry her comfortably.

“You’re sleeping on my bed today since I’m back,” he whispered too closely to her ear, making her flinch. “You don’t have to do that,” she grumbled, loosening her hold on his neck.

“But I want to. And I know you missed this,” he teased as he even breathed down her neck. “Younghooooo!” She squealed, her face red in embarrassment. He laughed at her reaction and readjusted her once more in his arms as they approached his room.

“Let’s sleep now, okay? I’m ready to call it a night,” he said as he carefully placed her on his bed. “At least now I get to cuddle with my favorite plushie!” With that, he jumped on the bed and tackled her.

Essie felt defeated but in a good way – she knew she couldn’t do anything but accept his love by being the big baby that he still is.

They slept in each other’s arms – she was in her pajamas while he was still clad in his turtleneck and jeans.

He was so tired that he didn’t mind that his girlfriend’s cookies didn’t taste that great – he was happy that she still loves him and would do something out of her comfort zone to show her affection.

He felt like the luckiest man alive, but now, luck would be put aside for his much-needed rest.

–––

FIN

P.S. The face he makes in the GIF is something I imagine the look he’d react to Essie’s ‘biohazard’ cookies, and then he’ll wink at her for her effort and cuteness.  

[mahalkitajohnnysuh]

Quarantine Series (Part I)

Or as I titled it in my original file: Love in the Time of Coronavirus. How original, of course. But this new series is going to be more than that, so I hope you enjoy this. 

Here’s Johnny serving boyfriend looks (as always!) with this GIF. 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

–––

Summary: Consider this as a prelude to the series since I wrote this when the virus had just been declared a pandemic in early March. This piece also hinted of the boys’ trip to Houston and their now-cancelled tour, and how the virus hadn’t spread throughout the US yet. It’s a bit outdated on those details, but I guess you could shrug it off for now. 

POV: 3rd person, given the reason above and what I always say in this part. Maybe I should just stop explaining myself here and keep it simple, no?

Word count: 900+ words 

–––

Essie felt hysterical over the situation happening worldwide right now. The coronavirus has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and there are travel bans and lockdowns imposed in various countries affected by the virus. Her roommates went to the US, where there haven’t been many cases of the virus yet, and were bound to return later that afternoon.

Since she has been reading a lot of forums and news about the situation, she felt more panicked about them. My love, please take care on your way home. Are you feeling well? She texted Johnny, one of her roommates and her boyfriend of over six months, as she lay on the couch while hugging a throw pillow.

A few seconds later, he replied. Yes, baby. I know. I’m feeling fine, no need to worry. I’m aware of the situation. Even the rest of the guys are okay. We have to take good care of ourselves especially we’re going on tour a few months from now.

That’s good to hear, love. But still, I am worried. Please stay safe and healthy. I love you so much, she replied back, tears pooling in the corner of her eyes.

Johnny replied: I love you too, baby. Yes, I’ll stay safe and be healthy for you and everyone else. See you later!

Essie sighed in relief and went back to reading updates about the situation, more so in her home country since there are more people diagnosed with the virus as each hour passed.

\\\

As much as she wanted to pick up her boyfriend and her other roommate Mark from the airport, the two guys told her to just stay at home for her own safety.

Please stay at home instead, Essie noona, Mark said in their group chat, we don’t want you to get sick. We’ll be there in a few hours, so please don’t worry too much.

But Marky! I am concerned as hell, Essie pouted as she typed her response, this situation’s making me go crazy. I really hope that you guys are really okay.

We are okay, baby, Johnny piped in, so please, be a good girl and wait for us. We have some stuff for you too. We’ll be there before you know it.

The girl cried at his answer, hysteria overpowering her.

\\\

Despite warnings to avoid close contact with anyone for fear of the virus from spreading, Essie couldn’t help but tackle her lover once he was on their doorway.

“Baby,” Johnny’s voice was muffled through her curly locks, “it’s okay…” One of his hands rubbed circles at her back to calm her down.

“But I’m so worried!” She cried, her tears soaking the collar of his shirt. She hugged him some more until Mark, who was behind his hyung, cleared his throat.

“Not to ruin your moment but uh, can I come inside too?” The younger guy said, smiling sheepishly at his noona. Essie nodded and moved her and her boyfriend aside so he could enter with his luggage.

“Baby, you can let go now,” Johnny whispered, pecking her on the forehead. “No, I don’t want to,” she whined, nuzzling her face on his chest.

It took a couple of minutes for her to let go and return to the couch. The guys took their belongings in their respective rooms before convening at the living room and talk to their agitated roommate.

When they did, it was Mark’s turn to be hugged. Essie cradled him for a bit, which he was hesitant at first. But when he felt a surge of warmth coming from both of their bodies, he realized that this hug was one of genuine concern than anything else. He buried his head on the crook of her neck and pecked it quickly (hoping that Johnny didn’t see it).

Once they let go of each other, he sat on the bean bag across the couch while Johnny settled on to his girlfriend’s right side. “Sorry guys, the news of this virus is making me go crazy,” she sniffed, taking out her handkerchief from her pocket to wipe her tears. “I’m just concerned, that’s all. I hope you guys won’t get sick or anything.”

“We could say the same to you, baby,” her boyfriend replied, moving closer to her. “None of us want to get sick at a time like this. We won’t be able to work if we do,” he now held her hand and squeezed it gently.

“I agree,” Mark said, giving them a thumbs-up. “We have to be strong and overcome this.”

“So have you guys eaten anything? Are you even hungry? Do you want anything in particular?” Essie asked, her eyes flitting from one guy to another.

“I’m craving for soup,” the younger guy said while he rubbed his palms. “Same here,” Johnny said.

“Okay, I’ll make you guys some.” She stood up and went to the kitchen to make a cream of mushroom soup from scratch. “Please take a rest while I cook. I’ll call you guys when it’s ready,” she added before both of them briefly hugged her while she chopping vegetables.

“Thank you, baby,” Johnny said softly, kissing her forehead. “I appreciate what you’re doing for us. You know what to do if you hear me snoring, okay?” The couple shared a quick moment of laughter before pecking each other on the lips. “Yes love, I know what to do. But please, have some rest first. You must be tired still.”

He nodded before silently retreating to their room to take a nap. She watched his figure disappear into their shared bedroom and smiled when he didn’t completely close the door. Since she was satisfied that he didn’t forget their protocol, she went back to her cooking.

Essie felt better that her boys weren’t sick but hoped that they would love the soup she’s cooking for the first time in her life. There’s such a thing as beginner’s luck, right?

–––

FIN

[mahalkitajohnnysuh]

JH (Part I)

So, I’m a bit behind my posting schedule. I’m sorry about that; you know how life can get in the way of things. But here we are again, focusing on my NCT 127 bias wrecker – Jeong Jaehyun.

Since he never looks terrible in his outfits and hair color, here’s a pink-haired GIF of Jay for your pleasure. It’s one of my favorite looks on him, and this era started wrecking me towards him. Oops!

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

–––

Summary: Like the previous post, the pieces here were inspired by a prompt list by @neoculturedrabbles​.

POV: 2nd person for the first, 3rd person for the second. 

Word count: 1,400+ words

–––

Prompt #13: “Is that my towel?”

“…”

“Never mind, I’ll get it later.”

Aside from placing his dirty launder in your hamper, Jaehyun tends to use your stuff too. At first, it didn’t sit well with you, considering your other housemates did that as well. (Johnny and Mark loved using your bath products, especially your sandalwood soap.)

Eventually, after the first week of your stay in his apartment, you got used to it. However, it bothered you (a bit) when you spotted him using your towel.

When he emerged from the bathroom, you saw that your white and blue striped towel was wrapped around his torso. He didn’t mind showing you his abs, erm, torso, and you tried your best to avert your gaze at it. You focused on his face instead – it was a bit obscured from his damp hair. At least that was less distracting than his upper body.

“Is that my towel?” You started, your eyes focused on his face. You couldn’t tell what his reaction was since he shook his head to cover his face more (probably from shame).

He didn’t respond and stood still on his spot.

“Never mind, I’ll get it later. Please dry it off well,” you mumbled, walking away and heading straight to the balcony.

\\\

As you smoked your fourth stick for the day, you heard the balcony door slide open to reveal a fully-clothed Jaehyun about to dry the towel he used.

You immediately put out the cigarette and looked at him place it carefully over the drying rack. “What gives, and you had to use my towel, Jay?” You asked, making yourself comfortable on the patio chair.

“Sorry about that, Essie,” he turned to look at you with an apologetic smile, “but I tend to use the first towel that I see.”

You sighed at his response and stood up. “Next time, I’ll place your towel inside your bedroom, so you don’t use mine.” You patted his shoulder before leaving, but he held your hand to stop you.

“I’m really sorry, dear,” he whispered, looking at you with puppy eyes. You sighed again because you knew what would happen next. “I’ll make it up to you, okay? I’ll treat you to coffee.”

“Okay, fine. You know my usual, right?”

“Yeah, do I need to say it out loud?”

“Nope, I’m confident that you know it by heart.”

Your response got a giggle out of him, and he let go of your hand so you could return inside.

Why must he always bribe you with your favorite things so you can forgive him for his forgetfulness? You thought, wrinkling your nose at the thought of just going along with his plans.

But you like it anyway; you like it when he spoils you like that.

“Shut up, brain,” you mumbled to yourself before settling on the couch with your phone.

///

Prompt #16: “My ex is over there. Can you kiss me?” 

Tonight was a cliché waiting to unfold: Essie was in a house party where she’s bound to see her ex from centuries ago.

The host of the said party was a common friend of theirs but also a friend of her new buddies Johnny, Jaehyun, and Mark to name a few.

The party was to celebrate this friend’s milestone of moving abroad for a job opportunity of a lifetime.

Although the presence of Essie’s ex has not yet been confirmed, there is always a possibility that he will be there.

As she wove her way through the crowd, she noticed that Jaehyun was waving enthusiastically at her from a corner. She spotted that he had a drink on one hand, making her wonder where the hell the drinks could be.

The party wasn’t jam-packed, yet there was already a considerable crowd inside. She rushed through the brunette’s side, who was drinking a glass of red wine.

“Hey Jay,” she greeted, exchanging bisous with him. That was how they always greeted each other, anytime and anywhere. He returned it, his free hand squeezing hers.

“Glad you could come to this party,” he started, before taking a sip from his wine, “I thought I was the only one coming here.”

“Where’s John?” She asked, eyes scanning the room for the tall guy. As her eyes roamed for a moment, she didn’t notice that Jaehyun’s eyes darkened at the mention of his friend.

“He might not come; he had important errands to run,” he said, throwing his head back to disguise the fact that he was miffed with her question.

“Okay then…so let’s try to have fun here then?” Essie held out her other hand to him, which he took, and both of them went to the kitchen to get more drinks.

They chatted over wine and beer before they busted their dance moves with the rest of the crowd near the pool. People cheered for them when they did a spicy couple dance (bordering on dirty dancing) and howled even more when they recreated a pop idol’s famous choreography.

Essie’s carefree attitude didn’t last long after they were done dancing – she spotted her ex from afar talking to a girl in a skimpy outfit.

This prompted her to look at her clothing – a long-sleeved crop top, a pair of harem pants, and combat boots – and groaned when she realized what she was doing. So what if she wasn’t showing off her assets? He wouldn’t come back to her anymore, nor should she let him back in her life.

But before she could turn her eyes away from her ex, he spotted her. Panic was written all over her face as she turned to Jaehyun, who sensed her agitation. The guy wasn’t able to say anything as the words that came out of her mouth surprised him.

“My ex is over there. Can you kiss me?”

He was hesitant to grant her request at first but then realized that it was time to hit two birds with one stone – do what she was told and subtly let her know that he was into her.

So he did and pecked her on the lips.

The girl was surprised at his action but went along with it when he pressed his lips further. The peck didn’t even last a minute, but she hoped that her ex saw it so he wouldn’t dare confront her anymore.

After all, it was she who broke up with him. He had no right to claim her back for the things he did. He should understand that she was moving on just fine.

However, Jaehyun heard her wrong. Since they were in a crowded place where the music was about to ruin their eardrums, what she actually said was: “My ex is over there. Can you hide me?”

Add to that her small and soft voice – it was shocking that most of her friends don’t misunderstand her words…until now.

Essie was expecting that Jaehyun will lead her out of the area and resume their drinking session inside, but life likes to throw curveballs sometimes.

The two were left dumbfounded at what happened. “Jay…why did you kiss me?” The girl asked cautiously.

“You told me to?”

Her eyes widened, and her mouth hung open with his statement.

“No, Jay! I didn’t tell you that! What I said was, can you hide me?”

Ah, he heard all right now. His face warmed up at the realization that he misheard her, and suddenly, he couldn’t look her in the eyes. He covered his face with his hands, mumbling what an idiot he is.

“Oh no, Jay! Please don’t do this to yourself,” Essie whispered, holding him by the shoulders. “You misheard me, it’s fine. I’m not mad with what you did…”

“You liked it?” His answer shocked her again, making her clutch her chest.

“Jeong Jaehyun!” She shook both of his shoulders vigorously, which didn’t bother him at all as he chuckled at her reaction.

“I could do that again if you like.”

It took the girl a moment to respond. “Maybe when I see him near me again, I’ll let you.”

“That’s my girl,” Jaehyun closed the small distance between them by wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead. “We can pretend to be together; there’s no one aside from our common friend who knows us here.”

Essie raised an eyebrow at him, wondering where he got his bravado. “You’re awfully bold tonight, sir.”

“It must be the alcohol,” he glanced at the empty beer bottles on top of a nearby table, “shall we get another round, dear?”

“I never thought you’d ask,” she giggled, taking his hand in hers, and together they walked back to the house holding hands.

–––

FIN

[mahalkitajohnnysuh]

Quarantine Series (Part II)

For this week, it’s going to be all about this series. Let’s be consistent for a change! 

This picture of Johnny inspired me to write this second part, and I mean, who wouldn’t want a man who can carry a bag of groceries like that and more? I also love this look on him: his hair color and eye makeup look gorgeous! 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: Aside from what I have mentioned, expect something hilariously awkward here. You know, it’s my thing. If you don’t like it, you can pretend that you didn’t read it. But it’s the truth anyway when you’re in or have been in a relationship with someone.

POV: 3rd person

Word count: 700+ words

–––

Johnny is someone who can’t stay still at home and he’s slowly losing his mind the longer he is in the apartment. He feels that his body becomes heavier, making him lethargic.

Given the situation now – have you not heard of the Coronavirus pandemic? – he has to limit his exposure outside for fear of risking the health of his housemates Mark and Essie.

He kept on pacing the whole place as a simple way of exercising, then eventually got his workout gear and did an hour-long routine in the living room. When he wasn’t satisfied, he decided to walk around some more before deciding to check on his friends since their doors weren’t closed.

Mark was asleep and he didn’t bother to wake up the younger guy. God knows that he needed it – the Korean-Canadian was overworked and this was the perfect opportunity for him to catch up on sleep.

Essie, on the other hand, looked cozy in her bed while typing away on her laptop. He noticed there was a mug of coffee on her bedside table and a plate of biscuits. She looked happy as she typed swiftly on the keyboard, but he ruined her moment when he completely opened the door to reveal himself.

“Jesus Christ, John! You scared me!” She gasped, clutching a hand to her chest. “Sorry about that, baby,” he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck, “I was just checking up on you guys. Mark’s sleeping like a baby.” He sat at the edge of her bed, which prompted Essie to put away her laptop to fully accommodate him.

“He needs it badly, man,” she whispered, patting the free space beside her. Johnny crawled to her right side and got under the covers. “So, what brings you here, sir?”

“Is there anything you need to buy outside? I can do some grocery shopping if we’re running low of some supplies,” he offered, hoping that she doesn’t berate him for his desire to go outside in a time like this.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she flicked the space between his eyebrows with her fingers, “you want to go outside. You know, if there wasn’t any pandemic right now, I’d let you do whatever it is you want. But we’re dealing with something we can’t even see, for Christ’s sake,” Essie sat up on her bed and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m concerned about our health, Youngho.”

“But I’m perfectly healthy! I observe proper hygiene and wash my hands, like, over a hundred times,” he whined, mirroring her actions and ending his statement with a pout.

“That’s not the point, love,” she grumbled, dropping her arms on her sides. “But if you insist, fine. I’m about to run out on some essentials, like…” It took her a while to complete her sentence, which made the guy beside her cock his head to the side. “Yes, what is it that you need, princess?”

“I need sanitary napkins,” she whispered while looking him straight in the eyes.

There was a moment of silence as the two stared at each other. “Would that be regular, with wings, overnighter, or a combination of two?” He whispered back, which earned him a slap on his forearm.  

“Johnny! You already know my napkin preference!” Essie’s face was red as she threw playful punches on his arm. He laughed at her cute flustered face before wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into a hug. “Of course I do, it’s been six months since I’ve been buying your napkins,” he kissed the top of her head. “Anything else to add to that?”

“Well, let’s list everything that we need so you don’t have to go out that much,” she said, standing up to get a pad of paper and pen to write down what they needed to replenish in their household.

“Hey! I can only carry so much, baby! Unless you come with me?”

“No, I’m going to stay put here. Sorry, but I don’t want to risk our health,” she returned to the bed with her tools, “and fine, you buy whatever it is you can fit and carry in two shopping bags.”

“And then I get to go back to the grocery soon?”

“Johnny, I swear to God,” she groaned, “maybe give it a week or two before you go back there again, okay?” She pinched his cheek before uncapping the pen. “Now, where were we?” 

–––

FIN

[mahalkitajohnnysuh]

JN (Part IV)

We’re back with yet another installment of this series, and I believe it will be the last one for our One and Only. 

To unofficially wrap this up, here’s a GIF of him looking all cute and cuddly in this cozy hoodie! Yes, I’m a sucker for alliterations. 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: As always, that GIF is a clue! Read on more random scenarios based on the prompt list of @neoculturedrabbles​, and please take note that these were written with the tensest timeline in mind still. I’m going to call the pre-Johnny and Essie as a couple timeline as that from now. 

POV: 2nd for the first, 3rd for the second. 

Word count: 1,700+ words

Warning: Italics are for foreign terms this time. 

–––

Prompt #3: “Is that my hoodie?”

Living with Johnny and Mark means you get to swipe items from each other. If not that, either one of you uses the item of the other.

For example, every time you bring out your sandalwood soap, Johnny and Mark use it. You noticed that it was used when there were remaining bubbles on the soap when it was your turn to take a bath. You wrinkled your nose in annoyance, remembering that Johnny criticized your soap preference.

“Baby, this smells like a man’s soap. Unless you like that, of course,” he told you one time you stepped out of the shower after using a newly-opened bar of sandalwood soap.

“The hell you care, dude. I’ve become used to it, and it helps with my skin conditions,” you grumbled in response before storming back to your room.

To get back for his bashing and using your soap with no permission, you decided to get one of his million hoodies inside his closet. You were lucky that he didn’t lock his room at all – it was easy to get one of them whenever he was out. Mark was abroad again, and that means you have the apartment all to yourself lately.

You got a light brown hoodie from his closet, which was one of your favorites on him. You tried it on, and you wiggled in delight at how soft and comfortable it was. “This is mine for now, Johnny Suh,” you whispered to no one in particular before leaving his room.

\\\

When he arrived at home late that night, you were lounging in your room in his hoodie and your jogging pants. You were working on your novel again, writing about the back story on one of your characters. As you typed furiously in front of your laptop while listening to a curated playlist to get into the mood, you didn’t notice him enter your room.

As you were about to finish writing one sentence, you heard someone clear their throat. You looked up and saw the towering form of your housemate, who raised his eyebrow at you.

“Hey,” you greeted briefly before going back to your manuscript.

“Hey yourself,” you heard him through your headphones, “and is that my hoodie?”

You didn’t respond, intent on finishing the sentence you were working on.

“Is that my hoodie you’re wearing?” He asked again, his voice louder (and a bit annoyed) this time.

You took off your headphones and looked at up him again with a smile on your face. “Yeah, it is. It’s mine now,” you said confidently, flashing him your pearly whites.

“Hey, is this your payback for using your soap? Come on! I like that hoodie!” He whined, now sitting beside you and tugging the sleeve of the hoodie you were wearing.

“You have a lot of hoodies, Youngho. You bought what, like 4 or 5 of them in one go? It wouldn’t hurt for you to let go of one,” you muttered, prying his fingers off your arm.

“But that’s one of my favorites! It’s part of my Top 5!”

“Nope, it’s mine now.”

“Essieeeeee!” Johnny tackled you on the bed, and you thwacked him on the head. “Duuuude!” You grumbled, sitting up to put away your laptop on your vanity. “Don’t do that when my laptop is here.”

“And you’re more concerned about your laptop than me?” He fake-sobbed first before tackling you again back to the bed.

What ensued was a hilarious (and a bit awkward) bed wrestling fight – you two were a tangle of limbs on your messy bed.

“Ow!” He cried when he got poked by your plastic hand bookmark that has now escaped the book you were hiding under your bed. “Serves you right for messing with me!” You stuck your tongue out and pushed him off you.

He didn’t let you do that easily – he pinned both your arms and was now on top of you.

“Give back my jacket please, baby,” he purred, giving you his best aegyo even if his face was as flushed as a tomato.

“No, it’s mine. For now, that is. Can’t I borrow it for a week?”

Johnny let go of his hold on you and laid beside you on the bed. “Fine, just for a week. After that, it goes back into my closet.”

“Then I’ll pilfer another one next time,” you snickered, which earned you a pinch on your sides. You glared at him, which he ignored as he continued to pinch you more.

“No, I get to choose which one you’ll get next time,” he said, now tilting his body to face you. “There’s nothing wrong with you wearing my stuff, but you’ve got to ask permission first, okay?”

“But you didn’t ask for my permission when you used my soap!” It was your turn to whine, and he just laughed at your statement.

“Essie, it’s just soap. And I bet you have a truckload of that since you always ask your sister to get you that every time she goes to the States. So please, don’t mind us when you use your soap.”

His words took a moment for you to absorb. “Mark uses it too?!” You were close to hysterics already, making the tall guy laugh harder. “Yeah. As you said, it smells good, and it helps with skin conditions.”

You looked at him for a hot minute and focused your attention on his neck. “I doubt it’s helping you,” you said, pointing at the red mark on his neck. “Your insect bite is still there.”

“Heeeeey!” He swatted your finger away from his neck and held it. “That doesn’t count. But maybe if I use it more…”

“Fine. Let’s call it quits. You can use my soap, and I get to keep this hoodie.”

“No way, Jose! It’s still mine. You can use it for a week, that’s it.”

“But Johnnyyyyy!”

\\\

Prompt #9: “What are you doing?”

“…nothing.”

When Essie and Johnny weren’t still roommates, he often texted her or left her a voicemail to hang out with him.

“What are you doing?” Ninety-nine percent of the time, this was the first message that Essie would always playback.

“…nothing,” was her usual reply. Later on, he would text her about some activities he wanted to do with her. There were some that she agreed to, and there were some that she declined out of tiredness or she wasn’t up for it.

Since Johnny vlogged during his free time, he would always tag along with Essie and Kibum in his adventures. They did challenges together, and the three became known as the Le Fabuleux Escouade, thanks to Kibum and Essie’s French vocabulary and the netizens agreeing that it was a nice nickname for the trio.

There was a time that the two had their usual exchange that ended up with them having a mukbang at his apartment. Kibum was out of the country, so it was just the two best friends who filmed while eating Essie’s favorite Filipino dishes – Bicol Express, afritadang manok, ensaladang pako, palabok, and pichi-pichi. There was a newly-opened Filipino restaurant downtown and the girl was too eager to order almost everything from the menu.

“Since I asked you guys on my social media what you would like to know about me and Essie, we’re going to read some of them right now as we eat all this glorious food,” Johnny said to the camera, pointing at the pichi-pichi and palabok near him. Essie gave a small wave and pointed to the Bicol Express and afritadang manok beside her.

As Johnny scrolled through his phone for the questions he received, the girl started eating. She put some rice on her plate first before getting a portion of the Bicol Express. “I’m so hungry right now, guys,” Essie whispered loudly enough to be considered ASMR.

When he looked at her, his eyes widened. “Hey, don’t start without me! Wait!” He was quick to whip out his plate and put some rice and Bicol Express on it as well.

They ate a bit before Johnny went back to his phone to answer questions. He almost choked when he read the most asked question.

“Are you and Essie dating?” He read aloud before showing off the proof that almost everyone wanted to know the real deal between him and his best friend.

The girl looked at him incredulously before staring into the camera with the same expression. “Seriously, guys?” She asked before eating a spoonful of rice and meat.

“Well, Essie and I are best friends. I mean, I have a lot of people I consider that, and she’s one of them. We have been friends for over a year now,” he looked at her briefly before turning his attention back to the camera, “and I’m glad that we still are. What can you say, baby?”

She slapped his shoulder playfully before sharing her answer. “That’s true. He’s one of my best friends as well. Even if our friendship isn’t as long as my other besties, I still feel that we are. Sometimes, it isn’t about the labels that define things. It just happens, you know?”

The two gave each other a high-five before they went into their friendship clap.

“We’re just best friends, guys!” Johnny started, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “But who knows?” He glanced at her, hoping that his look of longing wasn’t that visible on camera.

To be honest, he was starting to fall for her. The more time that he spent with her, the more he wanted to be with her. He tried not hanging out with her for a week, and he felt empty. It wasn’t the same anymore.

“Hey!” Essie shouted, pushing him away from her. “Don’t lead them on like that!” If Johnny was paying close attention to what her words meant, then he would’ve realized that her statement reflected what she was feeling and not the viewers.

Essie shared the same feelings too, and their life would be even more complicated if they do get together.

Who would like their relationship to be projected onto screens, right? Not Essie, but she’s not sure if Johnny feels the same.

–––

FIN

P.S. All those Filipino dishes made me hungry! I hope you get to eat your favorites today!

[mahalkitajohnnysuh]

Cruel Game

Shaking things up with this brain fart because too much lovey-dovey can get on your nerves. Well, sometimes. Or is it just me? 

Anyway, I just want to share that I love any Jaehyun and Mark interactions. I like how chill both are, and let’s be honest – they give off frat boy vibes. 

I love this GIF of them – I feel the love, man! GIF is from this link.

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: Sharing that I love Jaehyun and Mark’s friendship is a clue to what you’ll be reading today, as the guys are fueled by their jealousy to get Essie’s heart. Say what?! Yes, I wrote this with the tensest timeline in mind, meaning it’s before Johnny and Essie got together and are getting real touchy with each other. 

POV: 3rd person 

Word count: 1,200 + words 

Warning: Italics are for thoughts and foreign terms. 

–––

Jaehyun knew he lost when he saw the look Essie and Johnny shared during one of their hangouts.

The grey-haired heartthrob, along with Taeyong and Ten, decided to visit their friends Mark, Johnny, and Essie (who also happen to be housemates). It has been a while since Mark and Taeyong were in their respective apartments due to their hectic schedules, and it has been ages since all of them hung out with Ten.

He, Taeyong, and Johnny cooked while Ten, Mark, and Essie provided entertainment through singing with their respective instruments or dancing. The three men prepared a mix of both Korean and Japanese food, which delighted the only girl in the house. “It’s as if you know what I’m craving for!” She gushed, clapping her hands together in glee.

“Of course, I know what you like,” Jaehyun commented confidently with a wink, making her blush. His action was not lost on Johnny, who looked as if he could burn a hole on the back of his friend’s head. “Thank you, Jay!” Essie chirped before she nudged Ten to help her in setting the table.

Once that was set, everyone sat down and enjoyed their dinner. It was during this part of the evening that Jaehyun knew that Essie has made up her mind on whom she likes the most. It was not lost on him that he was one of the people who first knew of her crush on Johnny and other guys in their huge social circle. If he remembered correctly, the only ones from the group she told of were him and Ten.

He caught Johnny tapping her shoulder lightly to whisper something in her ear. He noticed the way she leaned immediately to his touch and giggled at the few words he said. They shared a look before they went back to eating.

If he was asked to describe the look they gave each other, it was one of sweet longing and understanding. In short, he was jealous that he wasn’t the one who received it.

Jaehyun tightened the grip on his utensils as he continued eating dinner, feeling his face heat up in anger. “Hey, hyung. You okay?” Mark asked, who was seated to his left. He nodded in response and gave a goofy smile to reassure him.

“But your ear is, like, all red,” Ten commented before eating a whole sushi. He touched his ear and felt that he was going to get burned with how hot it was. “Oh, maybe it must be the weather? Or the room’s a bit too warm,” he mumbled before focusing on his plate again.

“Did you say it’s too hot, Jay? I can adjust the temperature of the AC,” Essie offered, now standing up to go to where she placed the remote of the air conditioner. “Yeah, thanks dear,” he said softly, looking at her figure disappear into the living room.

“Hey, that’s not where the remote for the AC is, you dummy! It’s over here,” Johnny said, following the girl into the room she went to. The sight of his friend going to where his crush was made him massage his temples in silence, which then led him to lose his appetite.

“I don’t think you’re okay, hyung,” Mark whispered, moving his chair closer to the table. The sound it made turned heads, and all of them looked at the two guys. “What?” Jaehyun was irritated at the looks he got from Taeyong and Ten.

“Yeah, you don’t seem well, Yoon Oh. Do you need a break?” Taeyong said carefully since he didn’t want to irk his housemate. After all, they were going home the same way in the same car.

“I think so. I’ll just be outside,” Jaehyun muttered before going outside to the porch. Mark excused himself shortly afterward and went to where he was as well.

The two men observed the night scenery in silence – well, they could still hear the sound of cicadas chirping and clicking and their heavy breathing.

“What brings you here, Mark?” He started, folding his arms over his chest.

“I think I know what set you off,” the younger guy replied, moving closer to him.

“Oh, you think? Then humor me. Tell me what that is,” his tone was sarcastic, which Mark picked up and returned in his response.

“Don’t think you’re the only one who’s annoyed with Johnny and Essie making goo-goo eyes at each other.”

They looked at each other for a moment and burst into laughter afterward. “Hey, why are you annoyed with them? What did they do to you? Sucks that you have to endure that, eh?” Jaehyun took a seat on the bench, and Mark followed suit. “It’s not that they did anything to me, but I think…I like Essie noona more than, you know, as a sister figure.” The way his voice softened at the end made the older guy’s heart ache.

“Damn, Mark. I didn’t know you felt that way. I guess…you can say the same thing about me too,” he brushed his hair away from his face and looked out into the dark horizon again. “It’s not usual for me to be jealous, especially towards one of my best friends. But I can’t help it. I like Essie too, but I think she has made her decision on who she likes the most.”

“Huh? What does that mean?” Mark moved closer to his hyung, his eyes shining in anticipation with his next words.

Oh crap, this is bad. I shouldn’t have phrased it that way…he thought, running another hand through his hair.

“Let’s just say that Essie likes a lot of guys, and among them all, Johnny is the one she likes the best. And unfortunately, none of us made that list. Isn’t that sad?”

It took a moment for Mark to reply. “Maybe she wouldn’t tell us that if she liked us that way, you know? But maybe she likes one of us too, or heck, even just one of us aside from Johnny hyung. But who are we to compete with him?” He peeked inside and saw that he and Essie were arguing on the dinner table.

“Hey, be confident with yourself, Mark Lee. Suh Youngho isn’t the only handsome and talented guy in the room,” Jaehyun patted his friend’s back before sneaking a look on the commotion inside. He saw that Essie looked pissed, and Johnny was rolling his eyes at her.

“But they look like a fucking married couple already,” Mark mumbled, his eyes also focused on the two. “I think they’re meant for each other.”

“Don’t lose hope. Why don’t you try?” Both men returned to looking at the night sky. “You know, talking with you made me not give up on pursuing Essie. I felt that I have already lost. That sickeningly sweet look she and Youngho had earlier broke me, man. I swear to you,” the older guy admitted, his eyes now focused on his shoes.

“But that means we’ll be competing for her then,” the black-haired guy glanced at Jaehyun, who was now looking at him. “I still want to try, you know. Even if I know deep inside she might not accept my love.”

“That’s the spirit, I guess?” Jaehyun chuckled, slinging an arm around Mark’s shoulder. “May the best man win then.”

“Good luck to us, hyung. I mean it.”

–––

FIN

P.S. The title came from ‘Sit Down’ as it suddenly played in my head the moment I saved the initial draft. Of course, how can I forget Jaehyun’s lines and his competitive spirit? 

[mahalkitajohnnysuh]

Sugar and Fluff (Volume 4)

Sit right up on your chairs, for this is a special one. Since I mentioned last week that we’re going back to the start of the timeline, here’s one for y’all. 

Finally, I get to use one of my favorite Johnny GIFs of all time since it’s related to the story. 

I mean, I literally gasped when I watched this for the first time. How dare he do this to us! My poor heart was about to pass out then. 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: This installment is a follow-up to How They Met, and how Johnny was to Essie before they became friends. I wrote these stories based on the teaser videos the group had for ‘Elevator (127F)’ and ‘Pandora’s Box’ hence using that dreamy GIF. 

POV: 3rd person 

Word count: 1,700 + words 

Warning: Italics are for thoughts.  

–––

Essie will never forget the time that Johnny pretended to be the pizza delivery boy so he could flirt with her.

It was weeks after they first met when they talked outside her apartment. She was carrying Chinese food takeout as they conversed, delaying her lunch with her best friend Nini.

For this instance, he did the same but in a way that she expected from him. She heard that he was quite a player, and she should try not to fall in love with him. But unfortunately, she did.

It was a cold day – as always in Korea – and despite Nini’s craving for noodles, Essie didn’t cave in to her request. She wanted a giant pizza that had warm and gooey cheese, pepperoni, and bell peppers, so she called Pizza Express to have her custom order.

“I have no complaints with what we’re having for lunch since you’re paying for it, right?” Nini said, flashing a Cheshire cat grin to her best friend.

“Ugh, isn’t that obvious?” Essie rolled her eyes, “I know I’ll be paying for it. So please, be a patient old lady and wait for our food, okay?”

The other girl gave her a thumbs-up before she resumed the video she was watching on YouTube.

///

A few minutes later, their doorbell rang. Essie rushed to the door and checked the peephole if it was indeed the delivery guy. She gulped when she saw someone she didn’t expect to appear at her front door again.

It’s Johnny motherclucking Suh. What the crap is he doing here?

She saw him dancing while holding the Pizza Express box with one hand. He wore a checkered shirt with a funky-patterned cardigan on top and a pair of khaki chinos. The booger also wore eyeglasses and had his light-colored hair curly! He emulated nerd chic, which he is a far cry from in real life.

“Essie, is that the pizza? Why aren’t you opening the door?” Nini asked, who looked at her friend curiously.

The curly-haired girl peered into the peephole again and saw that Johnny was still dancing with the pizza box on one hand. He was doing robotic moves with his other hand and made silly faces as well.

“Yeah, it is the pizza guy…” Essie started, tempted to look into the peephole for the third time, “but at the same time, it isn’t.”

“Huh, what do you mean by that?”

“It looks like Johnny Suh has our pizza, and he’s dancing like an idiot outside our apartment.”

Nini burst into laughter with her statement. “Wow, he must be so into you then. He had to sabotage the real pizza delivery guy so he could flirt his way into your heart,” she said.

“Niniiiii!” her best friend whined, who also stomped the floor at how flustered she was. “Just open the freaking door, and I’m hungry,” the older girl grumbled before going back to her phone.

After three deep breaths, Essie finally opened the door to let Johnny Suh deliver their order. “One custom giant pizza with three different cheese, pepperoni, and bell peppers,” he said in his best professional voice before handing the box to her.

“Yeah, that is correct,” she mumbled, absentmindedly grabbing the pizza with one hand while the other searched into her pockets. “How much was it again?”

“Oh, no need to pay for that, princess, I already took care of it.” Johnny winked at her and gave her a thumbs-up.

“Oh God, Johnny…” Essie wasn’t able to contain her annoyance with his antics and rolled her eyes. “What brings you here then, aside from sabotaging the real pizza delivery guy?”

“I want to see how you’re doing,” he replied suavely, running a hand through his curly mane. “I was just in the area, wanting to hang out with my hyungs, but it turns out they weren’t in their apartment. Then I saw the pizza guy and knew that he was coming here, so I wanted to surprise you.”

“Okay then, thank you,” she said monotonously before heading inside again. “You may leave now if you want.”

“I’ll take no for an answer there, ma’am,” he said, now catching up with her in the apartment. “We might as well hang out.”

“Then I return the same answer to you, sir. No, I don’t want to hang out with you. Today’s my day off, and I want to catch up on sleep,” Essie placed the pizza on the kitchen counter then went to the fridge to retrieve some hot sauce.

“Then I’ll watch you sleep,” Johnny was persistent to make the girl hang out with him. “Or yet, sleep beside you.”

“Johnnyyyyy!” She couldn’t take it anymore and threw a glare at him. “Why are you so stubborn?”

“Because I want what I want to have right now, and that is to hang out with you!”

“Don’t you have any other friends than our neighbors? You can bother them instead!”

“But I don’t want to! I’m already here too, and I know you, so why the heck not?”

“Hold up, hold up! What is happening here?” Nini asked as she entered the kitchen. “It’s past noon, and your voices are too loud! What are you two arguing about?”

Essie rolled her eyes (for the nth time that day) and folded her arms over her chest. “He’s a stubborn piece of ass,” she grumbled. “And she’s an annoying baby princess,” he rebutted.

The older girl looked at them silently before bursting into laughter again. “Oh, you amuse me, Essie. Just give in to his request for now. He made the effort to deliver our pizza. And I bet you didn’t have to pay for it because he already did.”

“Fine, you all win!” The curly-haired girl glared at her best friend and the flirty guy. “But you better behave yourself, mister, because I am not having it.” She took out all the packets of hot sauce from the fridge and grabbed the pizza box again so she could take it to the living room.

“I promise I’ll be a good boy,” he purred in her ear when she has settled the food on the coffee table.

“Ugh, John! Please, stop doing this to me,” Essie groaned, gently pushing him away from her. “I’m thankful for treating us to pizza, but you don’t have to be so damn freaking flirty! We can be friends but not if you’re acting this way.”

Her words hit something in Johnny, who now flashed her a genuine smile. “You do? We can be friends?”

The girl nodded. “Yeah, sure. But just don’t do this again. I feel uncomfortable when someone’s too flirty.”

“But that’s part of my personality, babe. You’ll get used to it. But I’m glad we can be friends,” he said as he sat down beside her on the couch, opening the pizza box he held for approximately five minutes outside.

As the two started eating, Nini was watching them from the kitchen doorway. She never saw someone who acted like Johnny toward her best friend. He was quite direct with his actions, which most guys she saw Essie interact with don’t have the guts to do.

She smiled as Johnny dabbed the sides of Essie’s lips with a napkin. She saw how her best friend was embarrassed at the situation – her ears were glowing red. Nini held back her laughter this time and returned to the living room to get her share of pizza.

\\\

“I remember you were such a flirt when we first met, John,” Essie said one time when they were having breakfast.

Her boyfriend, who was in a white shirt that clung to his body nicely, almost spit out his food from the memory.

“Why do you have to remind me that, baby? I know we didn’t start on a good footing,” he said before eating a spoonful of rice and omelet.

“I know, but that was funny,” she giggled, gently pushing aside her utensils to grab the cup of coffee to her left. “Who knew I’d end up with you?”

He shrugged at her question and continued eating in silence. Essie observed him with a smile on her face as he ate. His hair, which was now light brown with some highlights, was tousled, and some strands almost covered his beautiful honey eyes. He had a ketchup stain near the collar of his shirt. The veins on his arms were more protruding.

“What are you looking at, babe?” He asked, slowly looking up at her.

“You,” she said softly before bringing the cup of coffee to her lips. “I am so lucky to have you, and sometimes I can’t still believe that we’re together, you know?”

“I could say the same too,” he responded with a grin on his face. “You know how the song goes: Everything I do, I do it for you,” he sang aloud the lyrics to the famous Bryan Adams song, making his girlfriend put down her cup of coffee and laugh.

“Damn, you’re cheesy!” She guffawed, slapping the table for effect. She thought of the moments that happened earlier – he was the one who woke her up by opening their sky blue curtains to let some sunlight shine through. “Good morning, baby, wake up,” he whispered before drawing them close when he saw her sit up from the bed.

Even if it took her ages to get up – it was the weekend away – Johnny returned to their shared bedroom and plopped beside her. He laid on the bed with his body face down, showing off his wide but sculpted back. He rested his face on one of their pillows and looked at her lovingly.

“Love, please,” she said breathlessly, captivated with his beauty. “Come on now, let’s have breakfast,” he cooed, pulling her wrist repeatedly from his comfortable position.

“What did you prepare for us?” Essie replied, now standing at the foot of the bed. “The usual, because that’s the best I can cook,” he chuckled before he stood up and carried her bridal-style to their dining room.

“Thank you,” she said once he helped her to her seat. She pecked him on the cheek, which he returned on the lips. “Anything for my darling Essie.”

–––

FIN

P.S. If you’ve noticed, I tend to end my stories with that line. It may or may not be intentional. 

[mahalkitajohnnysuh]

Day Dream

Through the help of my office mate, I was able to retrieve a copy of some of my previous writing. This is one of them, which I hope you’ll enjoy. 

To be honest, I didn’t know what I was thinking – this just happened like a daydream. Yes, the pun was definitely intended.

Here’s an edited outtake of Jaehyun from the same song that appears in their Neo Zone album. 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

–––

Summary: This is inspired by Essie and Jaehyun’s steamy affair. I can’t believe I write smut for Jaehyun, but not for Johnny. How come, self? 

POV: 3rd person since this is quite new, meaning this was written pre-quarantine this year. 

Word count: 720 + words. I think this is the shortest so far? Let me get back to you on that soon. 

Warning: This is as smutty as I’m going to get for now. 

Recommended listening: Sorry if I’m going to ruin your thoughts on their song, but I did write this while listening repeatedly to it. 

–––

The longer Jaehyun and Essie went on with their trysts, the more it felt like a dream.

She lost count on what day it is – was it the third or fourth day? – as they made out on her couch.

Johnny was in Chicago while Mark was in London, so they were confident enough to do this at her apartment. Jaehyun felt that his soul was watching above their bodies and observing what it must feel like to have her as his.

“Oh Jay, please don’t stop,” she said breathlessly as he peppered kisses from her neck down to her collarbone. “No, I won’t, baby doll,” he murmured, his lips now at the edge of her shirt’s collar.

He thought that they would spend the days just hanging out and kissing, but it turned out to be a carnal affair. They couldn’t help but fuck each other, and then end the day acting like a regular couple.

They ended up naked on the couch, their clothes scattered on the floor. Before Jaehyun entered her, he lay above her and took in her naked glory with his hungry eyes. “You are so beautiful, Miss Jessica Park,” he breathed, his hands pinning her wrists down.

“And you are a beautiful man yourself, Jeong Yoon Oh,” she replied in the same manner, giving him a smile that made him pound her immediately with reckless abandon. It was the first time they were doing it without any protection, and damn the consequences for he wanted to feel her raw.

Her moans were music to his ears, and he loved it especially when she screamed his name.

“Scream for me more, baby,” he grunted, thrusting quicker inside her. “P…please Yoon Oh, fuck me some more,” she said, almost at her limit.

“I can’t hear you,” he taunted, his hands now snaking on her throat. “More, baby,” he pleaded, giving his all in thrusting into her.

She screamed his names loud and clear, forgetting that her neighbors might hear her screaming another name other than her boyfriend’s. Essie didn’t give a fuck right now – she had to admit that Jaehyun satisfied her sexual desires more than Johnny.

When they both came from their sexual highs, he peppered her whole body with kisses. “You are the best, Jay,” she said, arching her back a little so he could have more access to other areas of her body.

“Really? Am I better than Youngho?” He looked directly into her eyes as he asked this, hoping that she gives him a brutally honest answer.

“Oh, definitely,” she replied, one of her hands ruffling his hair. “You do me like nobody else.”

“I’m glad that you think that way, mon amour,” he said, kissing her inner thigh before hovering over her again. “Let’s take a shower, yes?” When she nodded, he pulled her up and carried her bridal style to the bathroom.

\\\

As much as they wanted to take a bath normally, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. They had another round inside the shower stall, and unbeknownst to Essie, he came inside her. She couldn’t tell because they were both damp with soap and water, and she was exhausted.

He carried her again toward her bedroom (she still has a separate room in case she doesn’t want to sleep on Johnny’s bed) and both dressed each other. Jaehyun helped her get into a pink slip dress (and no underwear, of course), while Essie dressed him in a pair of boxer shorts and a black shirt.

“Loving you feels like I’m dreaming,” he sang to her as he caressed her cheek. “I can say the same too, darling,” she said, mimicking his action.

“I love you so much, and I wish you were mine for real,” he pressed his forehead on hers and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Oh ma cherie amour, je t'aime tellement que ça me fait mal.”

“Touché, mon cheri,” she replied softly, tilting his chin to look at her. “But I don’t want to think about reality right now. I want to be in this dream with you.”

He responded by kissing her, which felt more comforting than sensual. It was as if she was comforting him that he couldn’t have her, and the only thing he could do was just to give in for now.

–––

FIN

Did you find out the translation of Jay’s badly-translated French statement? 

[mahalkitajohnnysuh]

Awkward

I live for moments like these, so keep on reading to know what kind of awkward I’m talking about. 

Here’s a flirty, puppy-eared Johnny to hype you up! 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

–––

Summary: It’s all about sexual awkwardness or any semblance to it with today’s offering. It’s a bit ecchi-ish if you know your anime lingo. Essie becomes a blubbering and forgetful mess, and Johnny couldn’t help but get turned on with that. 

POV: Both of these short pieces are in 3rd person, y’all. 

Word count: 1,615 words 

Warning: There are times that we should be candid about sex talk, and this is one of those times that I get graphic with it of some sort. And oh, italics are for thoughts. 

–––

Essie and Johnny were a hot mess after filming a vlog on the different kinds of red wine.

They were both laughing on the couch, sweaty with their clothes almost in disarray. The guy has three buttons undone on his white shirt while the girl’s skirt was hiked dangerously close to her underwear.

“And to think you wanted to do this alone?” Essie panted, placing her hand on her chest. “Yeah, I know. I’ll die from embarrassment that I’ll get drunk on camera alone. I’ll be more meme-worthy,” Johnny replied, patting his girlfriend’s exposed thigh.

“We shouldn’t do this again,” the girl straightened up, letting the skirt of her silk dress cover her legs again. “This is bad for our health. I think we finished two bottles per person.” She eyed the half-empty bottles of cabernet sauvignon and merlot before turning her attention again on her boyfriend.

“I know I’m going to need more coffee than usual,” he groaned. “Please, Youngho. Lay off on the coffee. Your cum will taste even bitter if you drink more than a liter, I swear.”

Essie was caught off-guard with the last words she said and clamped a hand over her mouth immediately. Her eyes widened in shock, jolting her a bit out of her drunkenness. Shit, did I just say that out loud?

Unfortunately, Johnny heard her loud and clear. “So, my baby doesn’t like how my cum tastes?” He moved closer to her, his hands wiggling in anticipation to touch her thighs again.

“John, please,” she grumbled, moving farther on the couch. “What do you suppose I drink then? You know what Mark said, right?” Her boyfriend’s voice sounded lower than usual – he was in the mood to torture, er, taunt her until she accepts defeat.

“Coffee without Johnny isn’t coffee, and Johnny without coffee isn’t Johnny,” both of them said, with Essie rolling her eyes at the end, and Johnny staring intently at her face.

“See? You know how I’m inseparable from coffee,” the guy didn’t stop moving forward, “so what do you suggest I eat or drink then?”

“John, I swear to God!” Essie hit the end of the sofa, “If only you listened to me and drank pineapple juice whenever we did it, then I wouldn’t be complaining like this!”

She was surprised at the words that tumbled out of her mouth again and buried her face in her hands. I am a worse drunk when I have wine instead of beer, damn it.

“Pineapple juice? Maybe you’d like watermelon juice too! So, fruit juice then?” Johnny stopped perusing her and leaned on the couch.

“If possible, yes. I want to taste something else, love. Your cum’s like battery acid,” Essie groaned, mimicking his action of leaning on the sofa.

He laughed at her response. “Seriously, baby? Where is this all coming from? You’re funny,” he patted her knee, which was within his arm’s reach, “And do you really want to know how yours taste like?”

“Please, spare me the details. I don’t want to know.”

“Yours taste like bitter fish paste.”

His answer earned a pillow thrown on his face. “I said I didn’t want to know!” The girl whined, pouting and crossing her arms over her chest.

“Hey, it’s fair! You commented on how mine tastes like, why can’t I comment on what yours tastes like?”

Essie just huffed and glared at him. “Come on, be a good sport!” Johnny resumed moving closer to her. “Or else I’ll fill you up with my battery acid.”

The girl wasn’t able to do anything once her boyfriend tackled her. “Let’s rev you up, okay?”

“Yes, sir. Please start me up.”

///

If there was another member from the group that Essie had a special connection with, it was Taeil.

After all, they lived close to a month with Jaehyun before the affair and bonded over their love for Frank Ocean and cats among many other things. Whenever he was out, she took care of Ying and Yang, his adorable black and white kittens.

Since it has been some time since the two met up along with their other friends, the girl couldn’t help but tackle him. “Moon Taeilllll!” She cried, almost jumping on him as she hugged him tightly. The tomato-haired guy laughed at her enthusiasm and hugged her back. “Hey, Essie noona! It’s been a while!” He said, drawing circles on her back to calm her down.

“Yes, I know! How are you, Moony? How are our fur babies?” She clasped her hands together in glee as she continued talking to Taeil, which was getting on Johnny’s nerves.

Lest we forget, Essie has been dating Johnny for a couple of months now. They’ve been through a lot – yes, do we need to be reminded of their affairs? – and for him to see her gushing at his hyung irritated him.

What made him almost lose his temper was that her short skirt went a bit up, and he saw a sliver of lace trimming when she hugged Taeil excitedly. At first, he didn’t want to think much of it. But yes, she forgot to put on a pair of cycling shorts and flashed almost everyone with her underwear.

He looked at his friends if they saw the same thing, but alas, they were all in their worlds. Yuta and Jungwoo were teasing each other, while Doyoung and his girlfriend were talking to Haechan in hushed tones. It was just Johnny who observed everything, and he wished that Mark was already there so he’ll have someone to talk to.

\\\

Essie didn’t mean to make Johnny jealous, but she felt that he was fuming because of how touchy she was with Taeil.

Who couldn’t be when he’s such a lovable and huggable friend? If she remembered correctly, her boyfriend mentioned wished that he had his hyung’s body because it was huggable.

Not that Johnny’s body was built in the same way, but the downside of having rock-solid abs is that the body lacks softness and warmth sometimes. There were times his hugs didn’t feel warm enough for her, and she had to stay in his arms for hours just to reach that level of warmth she wanted. No wonder she loved cuddling with Jaehyun more when they sneaked out before since he had more body heat despite having more defined abs.

As she continued to gush to Taeil about the latest cat Instagram accounts she found, she noticed that her boyfriend looked sullen as he listened to Mark. The younger guy arrived late with Taeyong, as both came from another project they were involved in.

“Not that I don’t appreciate you showing these adorable accounts, but I think you should talk to your boyfriend,” Taeil whispered, noticing how Johnny grunted in response to Taeyong’s question.

“I can talk to him later,” she huffed, scrolling through her phone quicker. “He’s a big boy. I’m focused on all these cute cat IG accounts that I think you should see and follow.”

“Noona, don’t be stubborn. Look at him,” he tilted her head towards Johnny’s direction, “he’s jealous of the attention you’re giving me. And like everyone else in the room, I don’t want to incite his wrath.”

The six-footer was now brooding in a corner, with Mark and Taeyong conversing with the other members. Oh God, how can I blame him for not being jealous after all we’ve been through? She thought before finally standing up and going to his location.

“Hey, my love,” Essie started, sitting down beside him. He didn’t move from his spot, but he put up the hood in his jacket to cover his profile. “Hey yourself,” he grumbled, tucking his knees to his chest.

“Are you jealous of how I’m interacting with Taeil?” She went straight to the point, which stunned Johnny a little. He was used to her mincing words every time she tried to apologize for her behavior. He tried to hide his shock by burying his chin into his knees.

“Yeah, baby. I am. I know you have a special friendship, but I can’t help but be jealous of other guys you act very chummy with. Considering, you know…” He was fiddling with his thumbs this time, a sign that he was unsure of the next things he wanted to say.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t mean to. It’s been a while since I last saw him too, and you know how much I love his kitties. So please, don’t think bad of it, okay?” Essie tugged the hood away from his face and cupped his cheeks in both of her hands.

He looked like he was about to cry, and she couldn’t help but kiss both of his puffed-up cheeks. “I love you, dummy. And I’m sorry that I made you jealous. It wasn’t my intention, I promise.”

“I’ll try my best not to be overly jealous, but baby…” He pulled her into his arms until she was sitting on his lap, “please don’t forget to wear your cycling shorts. You almost flashed everyone with your panties.”

Her eyes widened in fear, and she held onto the hem of her skirt. “Oh my God, I did forget to wear my shorts. No wonder it felt so breezy down there,” she murmured, giving Johnny an apologetic look. “Sorry, my love! It won’t happen again.”

He responded by smacking her bottom before carrying her over his shoulder. “You know what to do to make it up to me, right?” He asked sternly as he readjusted his hold on her.

“Yes, sir,” she whispered, ignoring the eyes that looked at her as Johnny brought her to a spare room.

–––

FIN

P.S. Weren’t those weak-ass endings? Or is it okay for you guys? 

[mahalkitajohnnysuh]

Intoxicated (Part I)

Since I wrote a lot from @neoculturedrabbles​‘ prompt list, I didn’t expect that I’ll come up with pieces that are connected. 

Hence this mini-series – the title should give you an idea of what you’ll be reading. 

Here’s one of Johnny’s iconic music video moments – who wouldn’t like to drink with this man?!

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

–––

Summary: Aside from what has been mentioned in the introduction, this piece is before Johnny and Essie got together but are already living together as housemates. You know, they’re trying to keep their boundaries as best friends even if they have crushes on each other. 

POV: 3rd person here, peeps. 

Word count: 1,200+ words

–––

Prompt #8: “Are you stuck?”

“Yes. Help, please.”

Essie arrived at their apartment at quarter to 1 in the morning. She was inebriated after drinking four glasses of craft beer, which had alcohol content above 5% per glass.

As she stumbled into her bedroom after 10 minutes of trying to open their door, she cried in pain when she hit her knee on her bed.

This got Johnny’s attention, who was just browsing the Internet in his room. He took off his earphones (which weren’t noise-canceling) and peeked at Essie’s bedroom to see what happened.

It was convenient that their rooms were across each other, so he could be discreet on checking up on his beloved housemate from time to time.

He saw her sitting on the floor and rubbing her knee absentmindedly. Okay, it looks she has managed herself, he thought before going back to his computer.

A few minutes later, he heard her crying in pain again.

The girl had taken off her boots and jewelry and was about to unravel her hair from the French braid her work seatmate did. However, her hair tie got tangled, and she tugged her hair too hard, making the knot more difficult to take off.

“Ah, the perils of having curly hair!” she bemoaned, one hand still stuck in her hair.

Johnny knocked softly at her door before entering and saw that Essie was whimpering in pain how her hair can be such a pain in the butt.

“Hey, Essie. What’s wrong?” He rushed to her side, one hand rubbing circles on her lower back. “I can’t get this off,” she gestured to her hair tie, “because of my stupid freaking hair.”

“Are you stuck? I mean, your hair tie’s stuck in your hair?” He had to clarify, so he’ll know what to do.

She nodded. “Yes. Help, please,” she whispered, her red and puffy eyes making him soft.

It didn’t take long for Johnny to unravel her braids but then got stuck at the part where her hair got tangled in the hair tie.

“Baby, your hair’s seriously tangled up in it,” he said after careful inspection, “is it okay if I hack it off?”

She nodded again as if she was already used to this outcome. “Sure, I always do that when I get frustrated with things getting stuck in my hair.”

He got a pair of scissors from her desk and painstakingly cut the part that was knotted into her hair tie. As he took off the excess hair from the hair tie, he noticed that she reeked of alcohol.

“Baby, how many did you drink tonight?” She raised four fingers silently. “Well, that’s quite a lot. Were you able to compute the total alcohol by volume of what you drank?”

“Twenty percent,” she mumbled, one hand running through her hair.

“Jesus, Essie! That’s a lot!” He pinched her cheek, which made her yelp in pain for the third time tonight. “I’m sorry! But I needed it! I was thirsty!” She whined, prying off Johnny’s hand on her face.

“Promise me you’re going to drink lots of water and eat healthy for the coming week, okay?” She shook her head and laid down on the bed.

“Aw, come on! You have to,” he pleaded, lying down beside her. “Whatever, dude. Can you get me my makeup remover and some cotton pads?” She croaked, raising her hands in the air as if she can get her items from the ceiling.

He chuckled at her action and did what was told of him. When Essie saw that he got her what she needed, she sat up with her palms open. “Please hand them to me,” she slurred, feeling the aftereffect of the alcohol she consumed once more.

“Nuh-uh,” he whispered, shaking the bottle of her makeup remover and putting some on the cotton pad, “you’re too drunk to even remove your makeup.”

He was the one who dabbed the soaked cotton on her eyelids, and she groaned whenever he applied too much pressure.

“You’re being too harsh, Youngho,” she moaned, trying to get the cotton from his hands. After her fifth attempt to grab it from him, he let her, and she gently patted it on her eye area. “This is how you should do it,” she mumbled.

“I was just trying to help, princess,” he grumbled, rolling his eyes at the supposedly correct way on how to remove eye makeup.

“Thanks anyway, but don’t press it too hard next time.” After a few seconds, she was done and threw the dirty cotton pad on the trash can beside her.

There was a moment of silence – if you count the sound of the air conditioner as noise – between the two before Essie laid down on the bed again.

Johnny did the same and tilted his body to look at her. She was wrecked – her makeup had already faded in patches, her eyes were red and puffy still, and her hair was in careful disarray.

It was a side of her that he didn’t usually see, and deep inside, he appreciated that she was becoming more comfortable showing her vulnerability to him.

It made him fall in love with her more. Not that he will confess to her any time soon, though.

“Stop looking at me,” she broke the silence with her whining, gently pushing him away with her hand. “But you’re so cute,” he cooed, pinching both of her cheeks.

A tickle fight ensued after, with Essie crying in tears at how Johnny knew all her ticklish spots. She was able to make him laugh though by tickling his sides, but he didn’t let her get to another ticklish spot by pinching her cheeks again.

“Stop it!” She cried, gripping his wrist. “Please stop pinching my cheeks. They hurt now.”

He took off his hands on her cheeks and placed them at her back. “Sorry about that, baby. You’re just too cute not to annoy,” he briefly pinched her nose before standing up. “I meant what I said. Remember to hydrate yourself and eat healthy, okay?”

She grunted in response and closed her eyes, processing everything that just happened.

She and Johnny are getting touchier these days, and sometimes, it made her feel things. There was a part of her that wished they were together but knew that it would be impossible.

Eventually, she slept in her work clothes and makeup still on her face. She awoke at eight in the morning, and frantically went to the bathroom to cleanse her face properly.

When she stepped out of her room, he saw Johnny was at the dining table. He looked like a dad scrolling through his phone with one hand while the other held a mug of coffee.

“Hey, Essie baby. Good morning,” he greeted when he saw her approach the table. She gave him a small wave and sat down at the seat beside him where a grande espresso and a chicken fajita roll was waiting for her.

“Got you these,” he said, pushing the food closer to her, “I know you’ve missed it.”

“Yes, I do. Thanks, John,” she said softly, digging into her favorite food from Starbucks with a smile on her face.

She felt so lucky to have a housemate like him and wondered how it would be like if she was his girlfriend.

–––

FIN

[mahalkitajohnnysuh]

Down

We all have these moments when we’re not ourselves – we feel lost, uninspired, bothered, and plenty of others. Those are not good feelings to have, but we feel them from time to time. 

Since idols are humans like us, they do have these moments too. However, they don’t put it on display and try their best to appear as positive role models all the time. 

But what if? Yes, we’re getting there, but not to the extreme. I hope you’ll enjoy this short contemplative piece. 

Here’s a blonde Johnny looking adorable and wistful at the same time in this GIF. I’m sure you guys have watched this Awsaz episode already! Have you?

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: Johnny has a sudden moment of sadness, and Essie does her best to cheer him up. Did she succeed, or did she make him feel bad? Yes, I like asking questions a lot. 

POV: 3rd person 

Word count: 703 words to be exact

–––

Although his bandmates found it usual for Johnny to stare into space, Essie felt unsettled by it.

On one warm afternoon, the girl found him doing it while he sat still on their sofa. It was just the two of them at home, with Mark busy recording at the studio. He won’t be back until late in the evening, or worse, until the wee hours of the morning.

Essie just woke up from her afternoon nap and saw her lover staring into space on the sofa. Both of his hands were placed on his knees, and he sat with his back straight. He looked like a statue out of a museum.

“Love?” She whispered, approaching him cautiously.

When he didn’t answer, she took it as a cue to sit on the couch. “Love,” she repeated, moving closer to him slowly.

“Yes, babe?” He finally answered, his eyes still focused on whatever it is he’s staring at.

“What’s wrong?” This time, Essie was just a breath away from his face.

He looked at her, and there it was – tears pooling at the corner of his eyes. “I feel sad, to be honest,” he started softly, gently taking her hands with his. “I feel like I’m not doing enough.”

Her eyes widened at his statement, and she gripped his hands tightly. “Hey, don’t think of that. You’re enough. What you’re doing is enough. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“Despite the efforts my bandmates and I are making, it feels like we could never satisfy our fans,” he started rubbing the tops of her hands as he looked away from her.

“Hey,” Essie grabbed his face with one hand and tilted it toward her. “Your efforts are enough. You have done a lot for everyone. But remember, we can’t please everybody. Fans can be really toxic, and it’s for you guys to rise above it. I know all of us want to make everyone happy, but unfortunately, some people don’t see it that way…” It was her turn to look away, but that didn’t last long as she composed herself easily. “Crap, that wasn’t helpful at all, was it?”

Johnny chuckled at her statement and pulled her into his lap. “Thanks, baby, what you said is enough too,” he kissed her left temple, “and I’m grateful to have a partner who knows how to cheer up her loved ones,” he kissed her right temple this time. “I hope I get out of this funk soon…”

“You will be,” she said confidently, twisting her body so she could face him. “You’re Johnny Suh. You are a strong, confident, and passionate man. You are also the most handsome man I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and becoming my boyfriend. You are everything to me, and of course, your parents,” that got giggles from both of them, “and don’t forget that I love you from the bottom of my heart.”

“Awww, my baby is so sweet!” He cooed, his hands now rubbing circles on her back. “I love you too, Miss Jessica Park.” They shared a passionate kiss that made them forget about their problems and the concept of time.

It had been a while since both of them got intimate, after their quick rendezvouses and Essie’s trip to her home country. The girl was aware and admitted to Johnny that she had distanced herself even if he continued to do his best to repair their relationship. Good thing that his hard work paid off and their relationship has restarted in the best way possible.

“Damn baby,” were the first things Johnny said after they pulled apart from kissing. “Damn indeed,” Essie whispered, her hands massaging his shoulder blades. “Yeah, that’s the spot, keep going…” he purred, his breath tickling the crook of her neck.

Once he felt more at ease with her massage, he positioned her to sit next to him. “Thank you, my baby princess,” he said, his hands slipping into the spaces in between hers.

“Anything for you, my dear Youngho,” she said in a singsong manner, eliciting giggles from them both. “It’s now my turn to pamper you, and you better not make complaints on how I’m going to show you my love.”

–––

FIN