#Joshua has an admirer because of course he does

[halfseoulco]

All My Love: A SEVENTEEN x Hogwarts AU

Published Wednesday, February 14th, 2024 — Happy Valentine's Day and, more importantly, happy Carat Day! Honestly, I really got attached to these versions of the SEVENTEEN members that I created for the Christmas AU, so I decided to continue their stories with what I hope is a cute series of events for our thirteen diamonds. ♡

As a refresher, here's some information before you start reading!

Word count: ~ 10,800

AU Ages:

Seventh years — Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Joshua, Junhui, Soonyoung

Sixth years — Wonwoo, Jihoon, Seokmin, Mingyu, Minghao

Fifth years — Seungkwan, Vernon, and Chan

AU Houses:

Gryffindor — Seungcheol, Soonyoung, Vernon, Chan

Ravenclaw — Wonwoo, Jihoon, Minghao

Hufflepuff — Junhui, Mingyu, Seokmin, Seungkwan

Slytherin — Jeonghan, Joshua

Description: It's Valentine's Day at Hogwarts and everyone has plans—or some things that go according to plan and some that don't. Romance is on the table for some, while others prefer to spend quality time with their friends—because all love is important. All you need to know is that you probably don't want to be Vernon.

Read “All My Love” on Ao3!

The Black Lake — February 14th (early evening)

"Hansol Vernon Chwe!"

The Gryffindor winced as his boyfriend's voice transcended octaves in his unbridled fury.

"You'd better have a good explanation for this!"

Gryffindor Fifth Year Boys' Dormitory — February 1st

"Vernon?"

The fifth year Gryffindor turned his head away from where he had been watching the rain fall outside the window to look at his oldest hyung over his shoulder.

"Oh, hey, hyung," he greeted him with a nod.

"Have you seen Seungkwan recently?" Seungcheol asked him, brow furrowed with concern.

"Um, not since last night," Vernon replied, face blank. "Why?"

The older Gryffindor sighed, sitting next to him on the bench seat in front of the window.

If not even his boyfriend had seen him recently, then maybe Seungkwan's situation was far more serious than anyone realized.

"I'm worried about him," Seungcheol admitted. "He doesn't really seem like himself. Not anywhere near a quarter as fussy as he normally is about everyone and everything." He glanced at Vernon out of the corner of his eye, noticing that he had gone back to facing the window. "You're usually attached at the hip, it's unusual that you haven't seen him at all today."

"Are you saying that I should know where my boyfriend is every minute of every day?" Vernon said tonelessly.

"No, that's not what I'm saying." Seungcheol tilted his head to one side, surveying him carefully. "I'm saying that as his best friend, you might know what's been going on with him."

The younger boy turned his head away.

"So you do know," Seungcheol said gently.

Vernon's shoulders tensed. He said nothing for a few moments, Seungcheol waiting patiently while he grappled with whether he should confide in the prefect or not.

Finally, his shoulders slumped.

"Last spring," he began, "one of Seungkwan's closest friends from home... passed away."

"I remember," Seungcheol said gravely. "That's why he was gone for a while."

"Yeah, he went back home to attend the funeral." Vernon sighed. "The friend... he was a Muggle... and obviously Seungkwan couldn't tell him that he was a wizard, so his friend thought that he had gotten a scholarship to attend some fancy boarding school in the UK. Seungkwan had been jumping through all kinds of hoops to stay in touch with him without giving himself away, getting letters sent by Muggle post... talking about classes that are taught at Muggle schools... They would hang out all summer when Seungkwan would go home after every end of term... but then..." Vernon rubbed at his nose furiously with the sleeve of his sweater, sniffling. "His friend was really unhappy and I think he missed Seungkwan a lot—"

"It's okay," Seungcheol stopped him. "You don't have to keep going."

Vernon nodded gratefully, wiping at his eyes.

"His birthday was last week," he said softly, "and Seungkwan hasn't been taking it very well. I feel like I should be doing something... more? Better? But he barely even talks to me, won't even look at me sometimes..." He finally looked up at Seungcheol, his eyes sparkling with tears. "Hyung, I don't know what to do. I feel like such a bad boyfriend."

Seungcheol inhaled deeply through his nose, his mind running through the memories he had of Seungkwan and Vernon, both back when they had been just friends and after they had gotten together. To anyone who didn't know the pair very well, it would seem like Seungkwan took care of Vernon in every way—because that was how his affection manifested itself—but their friends all knew that Vernon was Seungkwan's biggest supporter and that the Hufflepuff relied on his boyfriend more than anyone. At just fifteen, they had a connection deeper than most adults Seungcheol had met; and no one who saw them together could ever accuse Vernon of not being a good boyfriend.

Seungcheol exhaled heavily.

"You're not a bad boyfriend," he reassured Vernon. "The fact that you're worried about it this much is proof that you're not. All you need to do is let him know that you're here for him." He stood up, patting the younger on the shoulder. "Besides, Valentine's Day is coming up in a couple of weeks. Maybe come up with something that will really show him that he's not alone in this."

Astronomy Tower — February 14th (early afternoon)

"What took you so long?" Wonwoo asked, not taking his eyes off the book he was reading.

"I'm so sorry," Mingyu huffed, stuffing something into his school bag. "I got stopped by... Alice Pembroke... on my way up here." He dropped to the floor next to his best friend, chest heaving with exhaustion. Shoving his still-open bag away from him, he raked his fingers through his sweaty hair. "I didn't mean to be late."

"I know you didn't," the Ravenclaw said softly. "You have quite a lot of sweets in your bag," he observed, finally looking away from his book to peek inside the contents of Mingyu's school bag.

The Hufflepuff beater snorted.

"I would offer you some but after that one Gryffindor girl was sent Sugar Quills dipped in love potion, I've learned not to eat anything people give me on Valentine's Day," he muttered, zipping up his bag and leaning back against the wall, eyes closed. "It's all a bunch of nonsense anyway."

Wonwoo carefully folded the corner of the page he was reading before setting the book aside. He tried to remind himself that it wasn't because he felt inadequate and needed Mingyu to tell him that he was wrong about what he was going to say—he just wanted him to be happy. The possibility that his best friend was choosing to remain single so that he would always be able to hang out with him just didn't sit right with him, and he would make sure that Mingyu's love life no longer suffered, even if it meant he had to spend more time alone.

"You know, you don't have to keep turning down girls because of me," he said quietly.

Mingyu slowly straightened up, opening his eyes to stare at Wonwoo blankly. When he didn't say anything for a few moments, Wonwoo decided to elaborate.

"Every time I try to have this conversation with you, you refuse to talk about it," he pressed. "You like girls, or at least you liked the girls back home. I know that you want to fall in love—that you believe in love—but you've rejected every single girl that's been interested in you since we started at Hogwarts. It's okay, you know? I'm not going to become a recluse if you start going out with someone. I can take care of myself."

Mingyu continued to stare blankly at him, showing no sign that he was taking in anything that the Ravenclaw was saying. Irritated, Wonwoo waved his hand in his face.

"Is any of this getting across to you?" the usually laidback boy demanded.

Still not receiving an answer or any indication that Mingyu had processed anything he had just said, Wonwoo stood up and started gathering his things, trying not to be too aggressive about it. If Mingyu wanted to keep avoiding the subject, then he could do it by himself.

"Wha—wait, wait, wait!" Mingyu said hastily, lurching forward and tugging on his arm to stop him. "Don't leave! I... I'm not trying to be annoying on purpose, I just—" He cut himself off, exhaling through his teeth. "I don't really know how to explain it."

"Explain what?" Wonwoo asked, looking down at his best friend, who was still sitting on the floor.

"A lot of things," Mingyu replied, leaning back against the wall again, "but I promise you that I'm not turning down dates because I think that you can't function without me."

Now thoroughly embarrassed that he had even voiced that particular insecurity, Wonwoo hesitated for a moment before dropping his bag back on the floor and sitting back down next to him.

"I'm sorry I got upset," he murmured. "I just don't want to be the one holding you back from something that I know is important to you."

"You're right, it is important to me," Mingyu agreed, "but not right now." He tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling of the Astronomy Tower. "It's funny... we're in our sixth year, we have one more year left after this before we have to go out into the world and decide what we want to do with our lives... and I still feel so... young."

"I mean... we are." Wonwoo looked up at the ceiling himself, eyes following the veins in the stone. "Sixteen is not old enough to really make any decisions, not even about girls."

"Right, so I don't really understand why everyone is trying to find their future spouses now. I know a lot of Pureblood families don't arrange their children's marriages anymore, but there are still a few Slytherins who are already bound to betrothal contracts! Betrothal contracts! In this day and age! Anyway..." Mingyu grabbed his bag and shook it, the contents rattling around inside. "This? It's all fake. These girls are only interested in me because they think I'm handsome."

"You are handsome, though," Wonwoo pointed out.

"Thanks, but my point is that they don't know me. They don't know anything about me," Mingyu said. "I'm nothing more than good looks to them—with bonus points for being a foreigner and adding to the intrigue."

"Well, how is anyone supposed to get to know you if you don't let anyone close enough?"

"I don't need anyone else!" the Hufflepuff insisted stubbornly. "I have a twelve-person friend group. For some people, that's more than enough. Plenty. A lot, even."

"Oh, you won't find any disagreements from me there," Wonwoo said, chuckling. "Sometimes I think our friend group is a little much at times, but they're very understanding about me time. Anyway, back to you, you're being very cynical. A lot of people our age date for fun. No one's telling you that it has to be that serious, it might just be nice to have someone to spend time with on Valentine's Day. That's all."

"Is that something you want?" Mingyu asked him.

"Someday," he answered. "Not today, though. Besides, no one's been asking me, but a lot of people have asked you. That's why I'm bringing it up. If you were less nice, the girls here might start calling you a heartbreaker. Even Cedric Diggory had a girlfriend, you know, before the Triwizard Tournament."

"They can say whatever they want about me, it doesn't matter," Mingyu said, shrugging. "We're graduating next year and I don't think I'm going to be looking for jobs here, so I don't have to play British wizarding politics by avoiding rejecting girls from good families. I value my time and I'm choosing to spend it with people whom I also value, which includes you. Like..." He scratched the back of his head, frowning. "I think you're the most important person in my life and I want to be with you forever, but like... in a... not romantic way? If that makes sense? Like, I think we could get a house together and split bills and go grocery shopping and I would find that just as fulfilling as doing all that stuff with a girlfriend. I mean, girls are nice, but they're not you."

"I think the word you're looking for is 'platonic'," the Ravenclaw supplied helpfully. "And for the record, I feel the same way. I think people whose friends stop existing for them once they get a significant other are terrible."

"Yeah, what is up with that?" Mingyu agreed. "Can you imagine Seungcheol and Jeonghan just dropping all of us? Or Seungkwan and Vernon?"

"Never." Wonwoo shook his head. "Our lives are all so wrapped up in each other's, the thirteen of us can never really be apart. We're going to be old and gray... and taking up an entire apartment complex building by ourselves."

"I think that would be fun, honestly. A huge high-rise in Seoul, paid for by Jeonghan hyung." Snickering, Mingyu dug through his bag, unearthing a couple of packages of kimbap wrapped in plastic from under the piles of candy and cards. "My mom sent these, by the way. She specifically told me that I could not eat your portion, so you are now legally obligated to eat it."

"Tell her I said thank you," Wonwoo said, gratefully accepting the kimbap and unwrapping the plastic. "Your mom always has really great timing, she just knows when to send food."

"See, now you have to be friends with me forever," Mingyu teased. "Otherwise, no kimbap for you."

Wonwoo punched the Hufflepuff's arm affectionately.

"I don't need kimbap for that," he promised. "We were always going to be friends forever."

"Is there something longer than forever?"

"Forever and a day."

"That's still forever."

"I know."

Hufflepuff Sixth Year Boys' Dormitories — February 14th (afternoon)

Seokmin shuffled through the pile of parchment in his hands as he trudged into the sixth year boys' dormitories, muttering to himself about moonstone properties and measurement conversions. Entirely preoccupied with trying to figure out where he might have made a mistake on his last quiz, he didn't notice that anything was amiss until a voice broke through his concentration.

"Whoa, what happened in here?"

Seokmin's head snapped up when his dorm mate walked into the room, the amazement in his tone catching his attention.

"Well, that's certainly something," he said, blinking at the grand display in front of him.

The curtains of his four-poster bed had been pulled back to reveal a large bouquet of red, pink, and white balloons floating in place with magic above his mattress. Also floating in the air was a single card in a plain white envelope with his name printed neatly on it, although it didn't look like anyone's handwriting that he recognized—especially since the person had written it in Korean and he knew what all of his friends' handwriting looked like when they wrote in Korean.

Seokmin crossed the room to his bed, dropping his bag on the floor and the parchment in his hands on his bedside table. He plucked the card out of the air, using a quick spell to break the wax seal on it without destroying the pretty heart shape. When he opened it, he saw that the person had tried to also write their message to him in Korean with the help of a translation spell; and while the words were a little clumsy, he immediately found himself touched by the effort.

"To the one and only Lee Seokmin,

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm sorry that I couldn't face you in person. I'm not ready to reveal myself to you yet, but I still want to tell you that you make me smile every single day because you deserve to know. Please accept this card and the balloons well, I worked really hard on the spells to make them work. Maybe someday I will be able to tell you how I feel face to face. Until then, please be happy and healthy, and tell some new jokes in class when you learn them. I promise I will laugh like I always do.

With love,

Your secret admirer"

Reaching the end of the card, Seokmin stared silently at the words on the cardstock paper, trying to think of people in his classes who maybe laughed a little too much at his jokes or paid him any kind of special attention. Truthfully, there were very few people who didn't find him funny, so he quickly gave up on trying to figure out his admirer's identity that way.

"Does the card say who the balloons are from?" his dorm mate asked him, breaking him out of his deep thought.

"No, secret," Seokmin replied absentmindedly.

"Oh, that's a shame. Well, good on you anyway, mate!" His fellow Hufflepuff clapped him on the shoulder. "At least there's someone out there who likes you a whole lot."

As the other boy left, Seokmin inspected the balloons with a critical eye. The card had said that his secret admirer had worked really hard on the spells to "make them work" and he was curious to see exactly what the balloons were meant to do. What could you even make balloons do with magic anyway?

Intrigued, he cautiously poked one at the front of the bunch and gasped as the shiny surface rippled, revealing the words "POP ME".

"But I'm easily startled," Seokmin muttered to himself.

Wand clutched in hand, he debated just leaving the balloons alone and enjoying the sight of them—but the thought of never finding out what kind of magic had been placed on them was too tempting for him to ignore.

Waving his wand, he then quickly braced himself for the loud pop, covering his ears. However, instead of a popping sound, a high-pitched voice chirped, "I hope your Valentine's Day is magical!"

The voice had been disguised, of course, but the realization that his secret admirer had charmed the balloons not to make sounds when he popped them because they knew he was easily startled had tears welling in the corners of his eyes. Wiping at his face with his sleeve, he eyed the remaining balloons, trying to decide which one to pop next so that he could hear a different message.

"Wow, who sent you those?" Junhui asked, peeking in the doorway on his way down the hall.

"No clue," Seokmin told him happily, "but they're pretty amazing. Look!"

The older Hufflepuff entered the room, approaching Seokmin's bed to get a closer look at the magic balloons. The sixth year tapped a random balloon, showing Junhui how the words "POP ME" appeared, then waved his wand, causing the balloon to pop.

"I must need Occlumency because I can't get you out of my head!" it trilled.

"That is some amazing charm work," Junhui praised, peering more closely at the balloons. "The person who sent them to you didn't leave a name?"

Seokmin passed him the card.

"Too shy," he informed him.

Junhui read over the contents of the card quickly then handed it back.

"Hmm, would've been nice to know so that you could thank them for their effort, but the gesture is thoughtful," he said, shrugging. "They even made it so the balloons wouldn't make noise when popped. They must have enough classes with you to know you're a big ole scaredy cat."

"Yah!" Seokmin huffed, even though it was true.

Junhui chuckled, ruffling his hair affectionately.

"I'm happy for you, Seokmin-ah," he said, his tone genuine. "I'll see you later, meeting up with Minghao."

"What else is new?" Seokmin called after him as he left. "Now, back to these balloons..."

The Whomping Willow — February 14th (early evening)

"Who do you think it is?" Junhui asked his best friend, having just finished telling him about the charmed balloons Seokmin had received from his secret admirer.

Minghao didn't look up as he answered, his focus on washing the tea leaves in preparation to brew tea for the two of them.

"Your guess is as good as mine. A lot of people think Seokmin is funny, I'm sure he has no shortage of admirers."

"Honestly, I kind of want to know just so that I can ask them how they came up with the spell," Junhui said thoughtfully. "It was really very impressive. Whoever did it must like Seokmin a lot."

Minghao hummed in agreement, still concentrating on the task at hand.

The pair had chosen a nice spot not too close to the tree to set up a small, low-rise table so that they could sit and drink their tea together. Minghao often held these tea ceremonies alone, something that he did purely for his own joy and relaxation. The activity required singular focus, which took his busy mind off of other things for a while. It's not that the others were never invited, but they understood that it was something he needed to do for himself; and he had an unparalleled collection of different teas for a sixteen-year-old living away from home.

Junhui stretched his arms over his head, looking up at the Whomping Willow looming deceptively calmly above them.

"Do you ever wonder about what it would be like to settle down with someone?" he mused. "Even if they really like you, they still might not understand certain aspects of your personality or what's really important to you. What if they don't appreciate your tea ceremonies?"

"I haven't really thought about it," Minghao replied, tone even. "I know that I'd like to settle down eventually, but that seems pretty far off. There are still so many things I want to do first—like graduate from this school that we worked so hard to get into. I'm not enduring racism and xenophobia from narrow-minded Brits to worry about whether some witch from the English countryside appreciates my tea ceremonies. Besides, I do the tea ceremonies for myself, not for other people."

"You're preparing a tea ceremony for me now," Junhui pointed out.

"Yeah, well, that's you."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning you're not on the same level as everyone else," Minghao elaborated. "You're my best friend, and I know you do appreciate my tea ceremonies."

Not even remotely satisfied by the reassurance his best friend was giving him, the Hufflepuff pressed further.

"Will you miss me after I graduate?" Junhui's eyes left the Whomping Willow, dropping back down to observe Minghao's hands as he started to steep the tea leaves in hot water. "Tell me honestly."

"Don't be stupid," Minghao told him flatly and without missing a beat.

"Hey! I was just asking—"

"And I'm telling you again: don't be stupid." Minghao didn't take his eyes off the tea leaves, even as he spoke. "No offense to our friends but you know I'd miss you the most. I can't believe I even have to tell you that."

"It wouldn't hurt you to tell me sometimes! I like the reassurance."

"All of our friends are already talking about how I'm going to try and sneak you into the Ravenclaw dorms every weekend next year. If they know it, then so do you. Now drink your tea."

His tone was not unkind, simply matter-of-fact, the way it often was. Junhui knew that Minghao was nice in his own way, and he definitely cared about him—he just communicated it a little differently.

Having already poured the freshly brewed tea, Minghao carefully slid a teacup across the table towards the Hufflepuff. Junhui simply stared at the cup for a moment, admiring the detail and craftsmanship of the emerald green and gold accent pattern. Tendrils of steam wafted up gently but Junhui knew it would be the perfect temperature. It always was.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, finally picking up his tea and bringing it to his lips.

Minghao hummed in response, picking up his own tea. The fragrance coming from the perfectly steeped jasmine tea leaves filled the chilly February air around them, almost as if they were in their own bubble.

Most days they really were.

Junhui knew that he was really lucky that Minghao had come to Hogwarts at the same time as him, even though they were a year apart. It had been a long and difficult process to get accepted as a second year; and if Headmistress McGonagall had been a less generous woman, he never would've met Minghao—or any of the others. They had been made fun of and harassed from the moment they had arrived, but now—almost at the end of his time at the illustrious school—he wouldn't have done things any differently.

Now, if he could only be as certain about what laid ahead.

"Do you think falling in love is as big of a deal as everyone makes it out to be?" Junhui asked, setting his cup down.

"You're full of existential questions today." Minghao also set his cup down. "I think... that it's probably really nice in its own way... but that it's not the only kind of love that's important. Love comes in all forms and they're all equally necessary and fulfilling. People put all of their eggs in the romantic love basket and then wonder why they're still unhappy when they ditched all their friends for a new relationship."

"So you don't think it's lame that you're having tea with your best friend on Valentine's Day?"

"Of course not." Minghao snorted. "There's nothing else I'd rather be doing. Anyway, do you think it's lame for Mingyu and Wonwoo to be hanging out in the Astronomy Tower of all places doing who knows what when Mingyu has the entire female student population after him?"

"No, not at all," Junhui replied quickly. "They are each other's most important person."

"Exactly." Minghao smiled at his best friend over the rim of his teacup. "Aren't I your most important person?"

"Yes. Always yes," Junhui assured him.

"And you're mine, so don't worry about it anymore," Minghao said, reaching across the table to pat Junhui's shoulder fondly.

"Why do I feel like you're the older one instead of me?"

"Because it's my duty to impart wisdom upon you from time to time," the Ravenclaw informed him matter-of-factly. "It comes with the house."

Junhui rolled his eyes.

"In other news, my mother wrote to me this morning letting me know that one of the girls with whom I attended primary school told her parents that I'm going to a private school in the UK, and so they contacted my parents asking if they had any prospective fiancées in mind for me," Minghao told him. "My pretend pedigreed education is apparently an attractive quality."

"Ah, they're Muggles," Junhui concluded. "Your parents don't have a problem with that, do they?"

"No, definitely not." Minghao shook his head. "I just think it's much more difficult to try and be in relationships with non-magic folk. You have to hide so much, not even just because you think they can't be trusted but because you never know how they're going to take the news. It's a lot of information for most people to handle."

"I don't know, I think my father took it pretty well," Junhui said, thinking back to the story his parents had told him about how his mother had broken the news to her then-boyfriend that she was a witch. "But he is a little odd himself, so I think he was just relieved that she wasn't as normal as he thought she was."

"Your parents are a pretty strange pair," Minghao admitted, "but I like them. They're very nice."

"And your parents are hilarious," Junhui returned, remembering when they had come to the pick-up point at Hogsmeade to take a Portkey back to China for the summer just last year. "You really take after them."

Minghao shrugged.

"Superior genetics."

Junhui snorted into his teacup, blowing bubbles across the surface of the still-hot liquid.

"Don't scoff," Minghao pretended to scold him. "You have the very best best friend you could possibly ask for. You should be grateful."

Still holding the teacup to his face to hide his smile, Junhui nodded in agreement.

"Oh, I am. I always am."

The Library — February 14th (early evening)

"I knew I'd find you here!" Soonyoung exclaimed happily, weaving through the aisles as he skipped towards the study tables.

Jihoon looked up at the Gryffindor, frowning. The table that he was sitting at was covered entirely in books and parchment, a stark contrast to the other empty tables. In fact, his was the only occupied table in the entire library. Madame Pince wasn't even lurking in the shadows as usual, considering that Soonyoung was speaking at louder than an inside voice and she hadn't come over to reprimand him.

"I'm usually here," he deadpanned, looking back down at his work, "the same of which cannot be said for you."

Soonyoung didn't look the least bit offended by Jihoon's words, long since used to his particular form of communication. Undeterred, he looked down at all of the materials spread out on the table, trying to figure out what Jihoon was working on even though it was upside down for him.

"You have to be the only person in the entire school who's studying today!" he pouted, pawing at the parchment nearest to him. "It's Valentine's Day! A day for love! What are you even working on?"

"Getting ahead," Jihoon said shortly, yanking the parchment back from him. "Love can wait."

"Jihoon-ah, you'll work yourself to death," Soonyoung chided him, pulling out the chair opposite the Ravenclaw. "I think you should take a break."

"That's how I like it," Jihoon grumbled, "and I have nothing pressing to attend to tonight, so there's no point in taking a break."

"I came all the way up here, to the library—where I never am, as you correctly pointed out—to find you and you won't pull yourself away from your books to hang out with me?"

Jihoon's quill paused mid-scratch, the only indication that he had heard the seventh year's question, before he continued writing.

"You don't usually ask me to hang out," he said, his tone bordering on indifferent.

"It's not for lack of wanting to. I always want to," Soonyoung admitted. "And I always think you're going to say no, so I never ask."

He thought he could see a faint pink blush on Jihoon's cheeks but it was hard to tell from this angle.

"That's not very Gryffindor of you," Jihoon commented, scribbling away.

"It's the one thing in which I lack courage," Soonyoung huffed. "But to be fair, you're very intimidating, even though you're the cutest person I know."

Jihoon accidentally pressed down on the parchment too hard with his quill, creating an ink blot over the words he was writing. Swearing under his breath, the tips of his ears red, he waved his wand at the offending spot.

"Stop talking nonsense," he hissed, the red flush spreading from his ears to the rest of his face.

"I'm not!" Soonyoung insisted. "I think you're the cutest person in the whole school!"

"Shut up!"

Jihoon wasn't even trying to focus on his work anymore, intent on getting Soonyoung to stop talking before he had a coronary. Not that it was possible. The seventh year was actually very shy—but you would never know it by the way his mouth ran a million miles when he was around his friends. He seemed determined to say his piece and nothing was going to get in the way of him saying it.

"You're always so strict and I think it's because you like it when people listen to you, but you're always doing nice things for people while pretending that you had nothing to do with it," the Gryffindor continued, oblivious to the fact that Jihoon was now bypassing red and heading into scarlet. "Like that time you jinxed those people who had been making fun of Junhui and Minghao when they first arrived. It was so impressive, I remember thinking that you were such a cool and dependable person even back then."

"That's enough!"

"And you're so buff for such a small and cute person." Soonyoung rested his chin on one hand. "You could probably knock me out if you really wanted to. Honestly, please do it, it would be the greatest honor of my life. Anyway, it makes no sense... and yet it makes perfect sense. Everything about you is just... so fascinating."

The Ravenclaw jumped up from his chair, hurling the quill he had been using at Soonyoung, who turned and ducked just in time to watch it sail over his head.

"Whoa! What was that for?"

"Why are you saying all this?" Jihoon demanded. "Did you come up here just to embarrass me?"

Realizing that he and the sixth year were not on the same page in spite of the way he had just gushed about him, Soonyoung shook his head.

Apparently he had not been clear enough.

"Accio quill," he murmured, holding a hand out for the quill Jihoon had thrown at him before offering it back to him. "I'm not trying to embarrass you, although I am sorry if that's how you feel. I'm just trying to tell you how I feel, which is that you scare me but I like it—I like you."

Jihoon snatched his quill back, face still impossibly red.

"You have a funny way of showing it," he snapped. "You have mere months left before you graduate, your timing is nothing if not grossly impeccable."

"I know, I haven't been very brave," Soonyoung said, shrugging, not even the least bit put off by Jihoon's criticism. "I really didn't want to ruin our dynamic or make things weird for the others, but if we hadn't agreed to the no dates rule for the Yule Ball, I would've asked you."

"You said you weren't interested in anyone when Minghao asked you," Jihoon pointed out, narrowing his eyes at him.

"So I lied." Soonyoung started gathering the parchment on the table into a pile. "I haven't exactly told anyone that I've been harboring this secret crush on you for three years. I'm no good at keeping secrets but I was very good at keeping this one. And stop being so pragmatic about this, I'm trying to be romantic."

"I really don't know what you want me to say to all of this," Jihoon said snippily. "You're the last person I expected to confess to having a years-long crush on me."

"How about you say what you want to say?" Soonyoung suggested, a hopeful expression on his face.

Jihoon, having just noticed that the seventh year had compiled all his parchment into a neat stack, slid the pile away from him and across the table, putting everything into his school bag. He then waved his wand, sending his books flying back onto the shelves in their rightful places. When he had stalled enough, he sighed and turned to face the Gryffindor.

"I know we've been friends for my entire time at Hogwarts thus far," he began finally. "I know that I can trust you, that you're telling the truth—that you wouldn't confess just to yank the rug out from under me, as I believe the expression goes. I know all of that, logically, but considering that—as you said—people find me intimidating, it's hard to imagine someone being so earnest about their feelings for me. Most people think I'm too... domineering."

His hands came up to his throat, loosening his blue and bronze tie from around his neck.

"I can't even really say if I like you as more than a friend or not," he said, sounding apologetic. "I didn't think it was a possibility, so I never considered you in that way."

Soonyoung leaned over the table between them, reaching for the Ravenclaw's school bag and hoisting the strap over one shoulder. He maintained eye contact the entire time, willing Jihoon to believe him but also wanting to fluster him just a little bit more.

"But as you said, you know that you can trust me," he pointed out. "Plus, if you think about it, you're a strict taskmaster and I'm a glutton for punishment—we're perfect for each other."

Jihoon tried to wrestle his school bag back from the taller boy, his pale face gaining back the red that had just begun to fade.

"You can't just say things like that!" he hissed.

Soonyoung simply tugged the bag out of his grasp and just out of his reach, smiling cheekily.

"I've waited three years to confess," he reminded him. "Now that the secret's out, I have all sorts of things that I kept to myself that I'm going to say—including how adorable I think you are. Walk with me?"

Jihoon stared up at him for a few moments, expression unreadable. If he thought at all about refusing him, the thought didn't last. Tucking his hands into his pockets, he nodded towards the front of the library.

"Well, after you then."

Slytherin Common Room — February 14th (dusk)

"Hong!"

Joshua didn't even so much as raise his head, instead making an indifferent "mmm" sound in acknowledgement.

He didn't need to look to see who it was—the voice alone was clue enough.

William Bennington the third was an awful homage to the Pureblood Slytherins of old. With generations of English aristocratic breeding to support his claim to everything he wanted in life, he was disliked even within his own house and by many of the portraits in the dungeons; and after seven long years sharing a dormitory with him, he still said "Hong" with a certain sneer that was clearly affected by poorly concealed racism.

At this point, Joshua had been living in the UK long enough to let things roll off his back, but William could've given Draco Malfoy a run for his money with the way he paraded about the school as if he owned it.

"Pretty prince doesn't have a date tonight?" William asked him, dropping down onto the sofa across from him, his tone mocking.

"Not that I'm aware of," Joshua replied pleasantly, still not looking up from his book.

"Hey, it just goes to show you that looks aren't everything in life," the other boy commented snidely. "The girls here won't go after some foreigner with no title. And aren't you a Half-Blood?" he added as an afterthought. "Yeah, that won't do at all."

Joshua turned the page, letting William carry on the conversation by himself. The golden-haired heir to a Potions empire (or so he claimed, Joshua had never bothered to verify this) had been harassing him from the moment he had set foot in the common room first year; and he had long since learned that it was best to let him converse with himself to get everything out of his system before he was satisfied. Not only did William take issue with his race and his blood status, he seemed oddly offended by his appearance as well, referring to him as "pretty" with his tone suggesting that he did not mean it in a positive way.

"Nothing to say?" William asked him softly, noticing that his tirade was falling on deaf ears. "Truth hurts, does it?"

"If you say so." Joshua barely shrugged his shoulders.

Apparently it was the wrong thing to say.

"You think you're better than me?" William demanded, suddenly shooting up from his seat. "That you can sit there like you're royalty and I'm some sort of commoner? I'm far more important than you will ever be!"

Joshua sighed, recognizing that his night would be a lost cause if he didn't address this particular problem promptly, and slipped a tasseled bookmark in between the pages of his book before closing it and looking up at his aggressor for the first time during their previously one-sided confrontation.

"I get that certain things matter to you," he said carefully, "but they don't matter to me—and they don't matter to a lot of people anymore, not even the Slytherins here. I didn't realize that me being dateless on Valentine's Day was of such great significance to you, especially when it's of no significance to me and my evening. Maybe you should be more worried about the fact that you care so much about what I'm doing with my time, alone or otherwise."

William's upper lip curled into a sneer, his eyes narrowing.

"Listen, you filthy—"

"Oh, shut it, Bennington," snapped a voice from behind Joshua.

Joshua turned to look over his shoulder, noticing that Mira Nott had just come from the girls' dormitories and was standing just behind the sofa he was sitting on.

According to Jeonghan—who seemed to always know the latest gossip amongst the various wizarding families—Theodore Nott had settled down with a Pureblood witch from Bulgaria who had graduated from Durmstrang. They had met while Theo had been taking some time away from England and had returned together shortly after their wedding.

While she had been a cute girl when she had first arrived, Mira had grown into an exceptionally pretty young woman by the age of seventeen. Taller than most of the other girls in the school, the first thing that Joshua had noticed about her was that she had perfectly straight posture that adjusted minutely according to her movements. With long, dark curls framing her face, a warm complexion, and high cheekbones, she had the best features of both of her parents—except that she had one brown and one blue eye, both of which were cunning yet also surprisingly kind. Top of the class in at least every class Joshua shared with her, she was also the Slytherin Seeker; and he loved to watch her fly against Seungcheol during matches. Her intellect and athleticism made her a formidable opponent, and their matches were always close ones.

All that being said, Mira was obviously highly sought after—even by William Bennington the third.

"Don't mind him. Joshua," she said to him, a beautiful, wicked smile on her face as she made direct eye contact with William. "If betrothal contracts were still common practice, I would've already asked my father to request a meeting with your parents to discuss one."

Joshua resisted the urge to grin broadly at the way William's face had gone absolutely scarlet, a purple vein starting to make its appearance at his temple.

"You flatter me, Mira," he said to her instead, laying it on a little thick for the benefit of their audience, even as he ignored him. "I don't think I would be opposed to such a meeting. There's still time to write to your parents and mine."

Standing up, he offered her his arm.

"Walk with me?" he asked, every bit the perfect gentleman.

"Of course," she replied, walking around the sofa and linking arms with him.

Triggered by the events taking place right in front of him, their forgotten peer leapt up from his seat, positively quivering with entitled rage.

"Mira! You cannot possibly be thinking about entering a betrothal contract with that Half-Blood foreigner! My father—"

William's deranged bellows were cut off abruptly as the door swung shut behind them.

"I wonder what his father would have to say if he knew that the daughter of a Sacred Twenty-Eight family had filed a complaint with the school governors about the shady little deals William conducts in the prefects' bathroom," Mira said innocently.

Joshua smiled at her, completely enamored. Was there any other witch at this school more perfect than the one looking at him right now?

"You are so ruthless, I love it," he told her.

She tossed her hair over one shoulder, smiling back at him.

"Tell me more."

Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch — February 14th (evening)

"Yoo-hoo! Channie!"

Chan squinted down at the figure waving up at him, figuring out who it was based on the gleaming head of hair.

Camille Archambault, which she had told him meant "bold master"—the girl from the Yule Ball.

It had been almost two months since Christmas and he had met up with the stunning beauty from Beauxbatons a handful of times—a Hogsmeade outing here, a walk on the grounds there. They were what some people might call dating, if a little intensely for something that was supposed to be casual. Translation spells helped bridge the language barrier; and she was sweet, funny, and charming. She was quite good at spells, and she had told him that if she had been a student during the time of the Triwizard Tournament, she would have entered. She liked picnics by the greenhouses and broom rides with her arms wrapped around his waist, coffee with milk poured in delicate swirls and the feeling of his hand intertwined with hers, primrose perfume and the way he got red right before he kissed her.

Sometimes he found himself thinking that he should be a little more cautious with his heart—that he should be waiting for the other foot to drop—but so far he was having fun, and he supposed that was what mattered.

He was surprised that she could tell it was him considering how high up he was, but he did catch her staring at him from the Ravenclaw table quite often. She never looked embarrassed at having been caught—in fact, it only emboldened her and he ended up having to be the one to look away.

"That girl never gets tired of looking at you," Jeonghan had told him once, the disdain in his voice more like that of a disapproving parent rather than an overprotective friend. "I wonder how she manages to concentrate on her studies when she's staring at you all the time. I suppose she'd at least get an Outstanding in Lee Chan."

"Let them be, Hannie," Seungcheol had admonished him gently.

Secretly, Chan wondered what Camille saw in him, exactly. She had been the one to ask him to dance at the Yule Ball and the one to lead him out to the gardens that night. She had also initiated all of their dates so far, as well as most of their shows of affection, which he still hadn't quite gotten used to. After their time together at the ball, he hadn't expected to hear from her again, yet she kept seeking him out. She seemed to have memorized his schedule to account for all the classes she didn't share with him—she always knew where to find him, even when he didn't tell anyone where he was going.

It was flattering, he had to admit.

At the ball, she had asked him how to pronounce his name correctly, repeating it multiple times even after he had told her that she had down—and then proceeded to only refer to him as Channie, saying that it was her cute name for him. One of the other Beauxbatons girls, having only heard Camille call him Channie, tried to use the nickname one morning and the next time he saw her, she was missing her eyebrows.

"Why doesn't she just grow them back?" Mingyu had asked, perplexed.

"If she would, she could," Chan had replied, shrugging. "Camille's really good at spells, the other girl probably can't figure out how to reverse it."

"Wow, you'd better make sure she never gets mad at you."

Privately, he agreed.

That being said, he wondered if she felt like she had to teach him everything—where to put his hands, when to kiss her, what he should say. He had made his lack of experience known that night in the gardens, but she hadn't seemed to mind. She had simply directed him and he took direction well.

And yet... he couldn't help but think it was as though they were caught up in a race in which only she knew where the finish line was—and the thought made him more than a little sweaty-palmed.

Coming back to his senses, he Summoned the Quaffle he had been practicing with and tucked it under one arm. Although he wasn't on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Chan still liked to fly. It brought him peace and helped clear his mind, and on an evening when he figured he had no plans, it was the perfect way to spend his time.

I guess I have plans now, he thought to himself.

He circled the goalposts on the far right side of the pitch, making a nose dive and pulling up straight just as his toes skimmed the grass. He dismounted smoothly, giving Camille a friendly smile as he approached her, Nimbus 3000 broom in one hand and Quaffle in the other.

"Hi, Camille," he greeted her. "What can I do for you this evening?"

"Bon soir, Channie," she returned, smiling prettily at him. "I admit, I am a little disappointed that you did not come looking for me today. I was hoping that we could spend some time together."

"Ah, I wasn't aware that that was what you wanted," he told her sheepishly. "It's Valentine's Day and we're not, you know, official, so I didn't think you would want to do anything."

"Channie, Channie, Channie." Camille shook her golden blonde head. He caught sight of delicate pearl strand earrings dangling from her ears, a matching set with the string of pearls around her neck. "I am going back to France at the end of term, do you think I want to waste time going slow?"

"I wouldn't think it was a waste of time," he protested, cheeks growing pink. "I just... haven't really hung out with a lot of girls. You move kind of fast."

"Oh, I know, mon chéri, it is what makes you one of the good boys," she said, touching his cheek, her expression fond. "I always enjoy our time together, and I think it would be silly to not make the most of the time we have left, non?"

Chan dropped the Quaffle on the grass and placed his own hand over her hand on his face.

Being with Camille was like one ongoing surprise party. Sure, it was fun, but it also kind of gave him a heart attack. Even though he always did his best to try and read her mind before she actually executed any of her plans, he more often than not found himself unprepared. It was a little jarring to be caught unawares as many times as he had been since they had started seeing each other, but he knew that he had to enjoy the ride while it lasted.

She was, after all, leaving at the end of term.

"Let me shower first?" he asked her.

She tilted her head to the side to press her lips to his other cheek.

"Meet me at the entrance to the grounds in half an hour," she murmured in his ear. "I'll be waiting."

The Gilded Phoenix (Private Room) — February 14th (night)

"You know I really didn't need all of this," Jeonghan said, taking a sip from the glass of elf wine he was holding daintily in one hand. "We could have stayed at school and I would have been just as happy."

"I know, but it's our last year at Hogwarts. Maybe it sounds kind of childish... but I just wanted to do something to commemorate our last year as kids," Seungcheol told his boyfriend honestly, shrugging. "Life is going to change pretty dramatically once we graduate. I feel like we're never going to have this kind of peace again."

"So you wanted to live in this bubble of youthful innocence one last time," Jeonghan guessed.

"Exactly."

"We're still going to be kids when we graduate," Jeonghan said thoughtfully. "The Wizarding World in the UK moves so fast, it's amazing how anyone manages to find something stable so soon after graduation."

"Are you planning on going home?" Seungcheol asked him.

"Yes, for a while. My parents will want to see me—and they'll want to see you as well."

"I think I'll go home for a little while, too." Seungcheol ran a finger around the rim of his wine glass absentmindedly. "There's this famous producer based in London whom I'm trying to get an internship with, though. I'll need to find a job so that I can get a flat nearby if I get accepted."

"Darling, you know that you don't have to work if you don't want to," the Slytherin reminded him. "I don't have to work if I don't want to, and I'm more than capable of taking care of both of us. Besides, my family loves you. We'd be married as soon as we landed on Korean soil if it were up to them."

"Spoiled rich kid," Seungcheol teased.

"You love me," Jeonghan flirted back.

"Always." Seungcheol took Jeonghan's hand, his thumb skimming the tops of his knuckles affectionately. "Look, I appreciate you offering to support me financially, but I want to be able to do things on my own, whatever I choose to pursue."

"Your music has always been important to you. You're an artist. You could... simply think of me as your patron," Jeonghan suggested.

"Hannie—"

"I mean it," Jeonghan insisted. "You would be focusing on making music without worrying about your finances. It's not like I would be paying for you to stay idle. I'm sure I could also come up with work for you."

"I really can't accept," Seungcheol said firmly, "so please don't ask me to."

Jeonghan set down his wine glass with a huff.

"You never let me do anything for you!" the Slytherin exclaimed, eyes narrowed dangerously. "I always indulge this little... complex you seem to have about being perceived as the provider, but you know that that concept is extremely outdated. There is no hunter-gatherer dynamic in the twenty-first century."

"You think this is about my masculinity?" Seungcheol asked incredulously.

"Yes, I do!" Jeonghan snapped. "I let you open jars for me and move my furniture around because I know it makes you feel useful. The least you could let me do is use the resources I have to help you!"

The Gryffindor leaned back in his chair, staring at his boyfriend in disbelief.

"So that's how you really see me," he said flatly.

Jeonghan sighed, deflating at once.

"Cheollie, it's not that I see you as some sort of caveman," he said sadly. "You help me all the time. I just want to be able to help you for once."

Seungcheol's expression softened. He knew that Jeonghan just wanted to help—he was generous to a fault, and throwing his money at problems was his way of trying to make things better. There was some truth to what he was saying, though—his ego wouldn't let him allow his boyfriend to pay all the bills while he tried to make it as an artist.

"You do help me," he murmured, taking both of Jeonghan's hands in his. "You help me every day just by existing. I'm already taking advantage of the fact that you wake up every morning still wanting to be with me."

"You're stupid," Jeonghan huffed, eyes watery. "You big, stupid man. You're not taking advantage of anything. Sometimes I wish you would!"

"Alright, point taken." Seungcheol chuckled, gently smacking the palm of one of Jeonghan's hands. "I mean it, though. Do you know how coveted you are by most of the student body?"

"Of course everyone wants me," the Slytherin scoffed. "As they should. It doesn't mean that they can have me. I'm yours, and I always will be."

Seungcheol smiled at him.

"I know."

"So will you let me bankroll your endeavors in music?" Jeonghan asked hopefully.

Seungcheol stared at him for a moment, considering.

"I'll think about it," he said finally.

"I suppose that's the best offer I'm going to get." Jeonghan sighed dramatically, picking his wine glass back up. "Life doesn't have to be so hard, you know. If there's an easy way, you should take it, never mind your moral qualms regarding classism and the way the one percent uses their wealth to get ahead in life."

"Hannie, you're the one percent," Seungcheol pointed out dryly.

"And what about it?" he sassed back.

"Nothing, you're the most benevolent benefactor in all the land," the Gryffindor said primly.

Jeonghan reached across the table and tugged his boyfriend forward by his black tie, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"Only for you."

The Black Lake — February 14th (early evening)

Vernon paced back and forth anxiously on the far shore of the Black Lake. He had tasked a pair of what he hoped were reliable second-year Hufflepuffs to locate Seungkwan and bring him to the Black Lake, where he would get in a boat that he had charmed to row itself across the water. He had spent more of half of the time between the day he had talked to Seungcheol and Valentine's Day panicking over what to do, then spent the remaining time trying to get everything together, including practicing the spell to make the boat row itself for several days. That morning, he had packed a picnic basket full of all of his boyfriend's favorite things, as well as a blanket, and he hoped that his sincerity would come across.

Before they had started a relationship, Vernon and Seungkwan had been friends, and even then they had done something small and quiet for previous Valentine's Days, just because there was no one else they'd rather have spent that time with—and because Vernon had spent his first five years at Hogwarts avoiding any girls who even looked at him longer than necessary. So really, he didn't need to worry. Seungkwan just happened to be his boyfriend now—it wasn't as though he needed to be impressed further.

Vernon looked down at the picnic basket sitting on the rather cliché red and gold patterned blanket and wondered if it was enough.

Maybe I should have gotten flowers? he fretted.

It wasn't so much about the fact that it was Valentine's Day than it was about how much Vernon had been worrying about Seungkwan since his late friend's birthday.

Every time the Gryffindor had tried to approach his boyfriend to try and get him to open up, Seungkwan had always come up with excuses for why he couldn't talk and would busy himself with something else. It was frustrating, of course, but it was more anxiety-inducing than anything—and more than once Vernon wondered if he was just a really bad significant other who didn't know how to talk to his partner just right in order to get him to confide in him.

"Agh!"

Startled out of his own self-wallowing, Vernon looked up to see the boat that he had charmed to carry Seungkwan across the lake rocking back and forth wildly—with Seungkwan in it.

Privately, Vernon was relieved that the boat was already pretty close to shore, but he didn't think that his boyfriend would see it that way—and definitely not after the boat tipped to one side, dumping Seungkwan into the lake that was surely still freezing.

"Oh, no," Vernon muttered, covering his face with his hands. "He's going to kill me. He's going to kill me then bring me back so that he can kill me again."

Peeking through the gaps in his fingers, he watched as Seungkwan swam the remaining distance from where the boat had tipped over to the shore, weighed down by his school robes. A fairly decent swimmer from his years spent growing up on an island, Seungkwan was letting his fury propel him forward with surprising strength. Dripping wet and looking absolutely furious, he stomped up the bank towards Vernon, who silently sent prayers heavenward and hoped someone heard him.

"Hansol Vernon Chwe!" The Hufflepuff tore through his full name. "You'd better have a good explanation for this!"

Not my government name, Vernon grimaced.

Lowering his hands from his face, he said uncertainly, "Happy... Valentine's Day?"

Seeing that Seungkwan was opening his mouth to deliver what would probably be the human equivalent of a Howler message on a Monday morning in front of the entire Great Hall, Vernon interrupted.

"Look, I didn't mean for you to get dumped into the lake!" he blurted out. "I've been planning everything since the beginning of the month and with everything else, I didn't have that much time to practice the spell on the boat. It was just supposed to bring you across the lake without you having to do anything, I swear!"

Seungkwan held up an index finger, cutting him off. Vernon shut his mouth abruptly, anxious, as his boyfriend leaned his body to one side and peered over his shoulder at the blanket laid out behind him with the picnic basket.

"Kwannie," Vernon began.

Seungkwan made a noise, his index finger still raised. He inhaled deeply—dramatically—then lowered his finger.

"You planned all of this?" he asked.

Vernon nodded rapidly.

Seungkwan exhaled.

"Okay, walk me through your vision." The Hufflepuff gestured with his hands for his boyfriend to proceed. "Tell me what was going through your mind when you came up with all this. I want to know."

"Well, it's our first Valentine's Day together as a couple." Vernon scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "And I know that you've been really sad since Binnie's birthday..." When he noticed Seungkwan had stiffened at the mention of his friend, he said defensively, "I tried to talk to you about it so many times but you wouldn't talk to me! I thought that maybe I was doing something wrong, or that you felt like you couldn't trust me to open up... so I talked to Seungcheol hyung."

"And he told you to drown your boyfriend in the Black Lake?" Seungkwan deadpanned.

"He told me that I should use Valentine's Day as an opportunity to show you that you're not alone," Vernon corrected him gently.

Seungkwan huffed, wringing the water out of his robes as he avoided looking at the Gryffindor. Vernon watched him for several minutes while he fussed over his water-logged clothes before he finally straightened up and took a few steps closer to him.

Vernon held his breath.

He's going to break up with me, he chanted in his head. He's realized how bad I am at this whole relationship thing and he is going to break up with me.

"I'm only going to say this once, so you'd better listen," Seungkwan told him sternly, holding his face securely between wet hands. "Well, not only once, because I will always tell you good things about yourself so that you're aware of your own worth, but regardless! Me not talking to you about Binnie has nothing to do with how good of a boyfriend—or even how good of a friend—you are. You are doing wonderfully, I promise. Do you understand? Nod for yes, shake for no."

Vernon nodded, face still trapped between Seungkwan's hands.

"It's very difficult for bossy people like me to let go," the Hufflepuff continued, trying to sound flippant. "We need to be taken care of just like everyone else, but we're not very good at letting other people take care of us. And it shows in our dynamic, even after we got together," he added, using one hand to gesture between Vernon and himself. "So me avoiding talking to you every time you tried to talk to me about Binnie is not because you're not good at being supportive, because you are—it's because I'm not good at being vulnerable. Understand? Nod for yes, shake for no."

Vernon nodded again.

"I appreciate the effort you put into this." Seungkwan smiled at him, the effect only slightly diminished by his bangs still dripping water onto his face. "I appreciate the effort you put into us, all the time; and I'm sorry that I made you feel as though I didn't."

"I know how hard it is for you to say sorry first," Vernon teased, his voice muffled by the squishing of his cheeks. "So I appreciate it."

"Yah!" Seungkwan pinched his cheeks gently. "But you're right, and I really am sorry. You're an amazing boyfriend and I love you." Vernon jumped, not expecting the sudden declaration when neither of them had never said those words before. Noticing this thanks to his grip on his face, Seungkwan only held on more firmly. "Do you understand? Nod for yes, shake for no."

Unable to do anything else, Vernon nodded.

"Good."

Seungkwan loosened his grasp and stroked the apples of Vernon's cheeks with his thumbs affectionately.

"Because I do. Love you, I mean. Since first year, when you told those boys off in class for bullying me," he clarified unnecessarily. "I knew then and there that you were someone I could count on, and you've proven time and time again how right I was—although, of course, I've never been wrong in my life. So I'll tell you that I love you all the time, because you need to hear it. I want you to hear it and know that I mean it, because I've never meant anything more in my entire existence on this wretched planet."

Vernon swallowed.

"Kwannie, I—"

Seungkwan stopped him, putting a hand over his mouth.

"Tell me when you're ready," he said. "I'll still love you then, even if you make me wait for a long time. But don't make me wait too long, okay? Nod for yes, shake for no."

Vernon nodded.

[cvpitvno]

Hi, this is for any svt member or all of them if you want, but how they react when their s/o stops them from oral/fucking because they're insecure that they didn't shave down there. Pls and thank you.

SVT REACTION TO THEIR S/O BEING INSECURE ABOUT NOT SHAVING

𖤐 — gn terms, i think it’s pretty gender ambiguous

￫ SEUNGCHEOL

will deadpan and go on a rant about how he’d still dive head first even if you had a full on bush - seungcheol loves you, not only your body, so it doesn’t have to look picture perfect like in those cheap pornos for him to love you

￫ JEONGHAN

hannie will stop and deadpan at yoi as if asking if you’re serious - his favourite version of you is when you’re a bit messy, rolled out of bed or greasy hair setting in… so why would be mind hair? he thinks it’s raw and shows the real you

￫ JOSHUA

josh will be respectful and back off, but it would kickstart him into making sure you know that what you want to do with your body doesn’t concern him - if you wanted to never shave again, he wouldn’t stop you because he respects you (like your partner SHOULD!)

￫ JUN

pft will drop his pants and just point at his crotch, showing off his own unshaven body - “i haven’t shaved either - i’m comfortable if you’re comfortable baby”

￫ HOSHI

absolute crack but this man would bring up his love for tigers in one way or another to validate his reasoning for why you should let him fuck you even tho you haven’t shaved

￫ WONWOO

i can see wonwoo as being someone with quite a bit of hair down there too so he’ll ask you if you mind him with hair as his argument - if you don’t mind him with hair, why would he mind you with it?

￫ WOOZI

woozi seems like the type to be a very well groomed person when it comes to his hair down there, but i don’t think it would serve as an issue to him - he’d stop, ask if you trusted him, and would talk to you about how he loved you no matter what was on or not on your body

￫ SEOKMIN

dk would actually kinda take it to heart - he’d see this simple insecurity as a lack of trust and think it had something to do with your perception of him (did he seem like the type to look down upon body hair? of course not but that’s what would be going through his head)

￫ MINGYU

similar to woozi, mingyu seems to be the type to like his body more clean shaven, but man did he love the feeling of going down on you with hair or the feeling of his pelvis against the plush curls of your own pelvis

￫ MINGHAO

honestly, i can see minghao being really respectful about your own decisions - while nothing can hinder him in admiring and loving your body, he does believe that if you don’t feel comfortable with it, then neither does he

￫ SEUNGKWAN

kwan would put a stop to that shit immediately - “if anyone- i mean i hope there’s not anyone but me - but if anyone ever gives a damn whether or not you have hair on your body… slap the shit out of them”

￫ VERNON

similar to dk, mans would rethink his life and wonder if he did something to make it seems like he would care about you having body hair or not - he’d talk about it but in the end wouldn’t push to continue or for you to face your insecurity head on

￫ CHAN

chan would pull you close and just discus with you rather than stopping at trying to bring it up later - he reassures you that he genuinely doesn’t mind if you’ve shaved or not, but if it’s something you’re not comfortable with, then he’s fine with that as well

tmi - so i’m on a weekend trip with my sister, sister in law, and her sister, and the airbnb has a hot tub and i shaved everything but my bikini line and i was a lil insecure, BUT i remembered i had this ask so i had to answer it even tho i’m in vacay mode

but… just so everyone knows - hair is normal, and it will always be normal even on women / fem presenting people. just because society is too absorbed in old values doesn’t make your body any less valuable and beautiful if you got some hair on it okay?

if it wasn’t intended to be there it wouldn’t be, okay <333

[coupsjin]

ੈ✩‧₊˚ svt hyung line: your first date

╰┈➤ summary: your first date! (obviously) so cute

╰┈➤ warnings: svt x afab, kissing (coups, wonwoo, kind of jun)

╰┈➤ a picture is provided for every member, just for you to visualize the setting!

250-400 words per member!

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

scoups / seungcheol

he asks for your number after spotting you at a bbq restaurant. he carefully plans out the perfect picnic date, followed by a night walk by han river! he heavily interviews mingyu on how to make salads, pastas, and anything else he thought you might like.

"you must really like this girl, hyung"

the day comes. he decides to wear simple jeans with a black shirt and sweater (to give to you later ofc!). his legs feel like jelly and become weak with nervousness and excitement, replaying the moment you made eye contact with him in the restaurant and softly smiling to himself. he opens the door and sees you in a stunning outfit, taking a moment to admire you and takes in a breath of the fresh spring air.

"shall we?" he said with sparkles in his eyes.

when you and cheol pick a location under a tree, he gloats about all the delicious food he made you that morning. it's a bit awkward, but the way he talks and looks at you make you at ease.

after having the food he made, it has now become night. like his plan, he gives you his sweater that is way too big for you. he laughs and teases you, but you're distracted by the smell of his cologne wrapped around your body. you blush, and take his hand.

after many laughs and serious conversations, he suddenly turns in your direction and looks into your confused eyes.

"have i told you that you look beautiful tonight?" he says in an almost whisper, a smirk plastering on his face.

he moves one of his hands to the back of your neck, the other moving to your waist, and leans in for a soft kiss.

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

jeonghan

you approach him, but he falls harder. you and jeonghan had a few classes together, and you've waved and made casual small talk a couple times. at first it seemed like nothing - just a classmate. but as your conversations grew more personal, you could sense something was different. did jeonghan think the same?

you decided to put it to the test. after class, you went to his locker and asked if he wanted to study at the library together that day. he jokingly asked if this was a date, and you being flustered, bluntly answered:

"of course not! i just need help with homework."

he agreed, and you came to the conclusion that he didn't feel the same way. until you saw him have a huge smile on his face when he turned to his locker.

at the library, jeonghan kept stealing glances at you. you caught on quite fast, and looked at him back, holding eye contact.

"what, am i that handsome?" he teased.

focused on studying, you didn't pay attention to him for a while. when you do peep a glace, you can see that he's asleep on top of his math books. you were first mad, because he promised to help you with your english assignment. but seeing his long eyelashes cover his cheeks, and his slow breathing made you stare at him for longer.

when you turned your attention back to your textbooks, he opened his eyes a tiny bit, and smiled when he saw you stuck on a problem.

"she looks so pretty." he thought, while pretending to wake up.

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

joshua / jisoo

you meet on a plane, coincidentally sitting next to each other. he smiles when you sit down, and makes small talk while you wait for the plane to lift off. he messages jeonghan for desperate help, wanting to ask for your number but too scared to approach you. he ultimately does get your number, and asks you on a date when you land in korea.

he decides to take you to a street market on a hot summer day. he takes you around different vendors, asking if you want anything at each one. jisoo runs across a bracelet stand, and immediately starts choosing one for both of you. he finds one with a cute bear charm and buys two, running back to you and showing them off.

"what do you think?" he asks, beaming with excitement.

you obviously love them and wear it on your right wrist.

it was getting way too hot, so you two decided to take a break and go to a restaurant for dinner. you have meaningful conversations and have a good laugh when he talks about the time when he poured a huge glass of ice water down seungkwans back, and funny times while living with the members. as time went on, you became comfortable with him.

at the end of your date, he insists you come back to his place for ramen and a movie, but you politely decline as you had some work to finish up.

"i guess that'll be our next date, then." you say, lighting his disappointed face up with a huge smile.

"deal."

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

jun / junhui

you and jun are old friends. you've been friends for 5 years now, and jun hasn't felt attraction to you at all - until now.

at one of your usual hang outs with the rest of your friend group, he pulls you aside from the bar and leads you outside. the streetlamp lit up his face, revealing his sharp nose and eyes. he asks if you want to come over the next day and watch his new drama, exclusive fairytale.

"oh, and it's a date." he says confidently, waiting to see your reaction.

you've also liked junhui for quite some time now, so you were excited to say the least. you happily agree and head back inside to finish up the night out.

you arrive at his house with a comfy but flattering outfit, nervous and excited to see him. you ring the doorbell and the door immediately opens. he welcomes you to his apartment and you head inside and get settled, while he's busy on his phone.

"what are you doing on your phone, jun?" you ask.

"ordering food for our date! what do you wanna eat?"

you decide to order pizza with fried chicken and coke, which he happily orders while smiling at you.

when the food arrives, he turns on the show and you eat the food while catching glances at him. a romantic scene between him and the female lead character plays, and you glare at jun who looks at you nervously.

"is this why you wanted to show me this, so i can get jealous?" you sulked jokingly. he laughs it off and says something you didn't expect.

"wanna recreate it?"

authors note: OMG i had so much fun writing jun's part... yes pls lets recreate it jun

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

hoshi / soonyoung

you met at a dance class held by hybe. he was one of the teachers, and had his eyes on you the whole time. by the end of the class, he was always standing beside or near you, and complimenting you on your dance skills. he pulls you aside and asks for your number (he makes an excuse and says that he would like to collab with you sometime, and not in by any means romantic).

later in the month, you meet him a couple more times to discuss possible collabs and choreos. during the most recent "meet-ups":

"dino cancelled our plans on the weekend.. i wonder what i can do instead?" he asks you with hopeful but nervous eyes.

you suggest asking one of the other members to go out, which he immediately declines for some odd reason. his face scrunches up, thinking of something.

"i want to go with you! lets go bowling this saturday."

surprised by his sudden proposal, you get flustered. it was true that you had developed some level of feelings for soonyoung after talking with him every week, but you didn't expect this.

on the date, both of you had a BLAST. it was a mix of pure rivalry, and taking short glimpses when he was drinking water, or when he wasn't looking at you. hoshi felt the same way. he teased you for struggling to pick up the bowling ball, and having a slip when you were returning to your seat.

he insisted to drive you home. on the drive back, the laughter continued. the moon was big and bright, with seventeen's "imperfect love" playing on the speaker - it was perfect.

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

wonwoo

being the new girl in school, wonwoo had his eyes on you from the start. he isn't the most extroverted type, so he always kept his distance from you. his friends are always teasing him when they catch him staring at you from across the room. it's a big deal for wonwoo to like someone - but it was an easy decision with you.

after school, he approaches you and asks you to a casual dinner (this was when you guys started talking and had become friends). you weren't too sure at first, because you wanted to focus on your studies.

"i guess i'll give him one chance." you thought, and agreed.

he booked a reservation at a pretty prestigious restaurant to impress you. he picks you up at your house, and it's super awkward on the ride there. by the time you two sit down, he's practically begging for the menu just to have something else to talk about.

suddenly, after the food arrived, you two hit it off. conversations were flowing, you were comfortable, laughs were shared, and your feelings for him grew.

when you were talking about one of your classes at school, he stared at you with the most sincere you've ever seen him. flustered, you pause.

"why, what's wrong?" he asks

"nothing's wrong - i'm just admiring you."

after a successful dinner, you walk along the path of a park lit with fireflies and street lamps.

"can i hold your hand?" he asks

instead of replying, you interlock his hand with yours, feeling his warmth travel up your arm. he lifts up your hand and gives it a soft kiss.

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

woozi / jihoon (woozi x producer y/n)

it all started when you sat next to each other in a meeting. you really looked up to him as a producer, and wanted to get to know him better (in a platonic way). after the meeting had ended, everyone gathered for refreshments outside of the room. you asked jihoon for his number, which he happily gave you. he also loved your work and looked forward to meeting with you soon.

you met several times at hybe again, briefly having conversations or just waving when you both were busy. jihoon has had the opportunity to work with you for projects and future plans, and was always the one to initiate new ideas and new meetings. he was just excited to see you.

although both of you had feelings for each other, you couldn't risk professionalism in the work place. so you set it aside. until one day, when you two were alone in his studio, he said the unexpected.

"look - i know this is unprofessional, but i can't help it. would you like to go on a date some time?"

you obviously agreed, having your eye on him for a long time. the plan was to go to an aquarium after work, then return back to finish up some more work.

the aquarium was a walking distance, so it was pretty easy to choose a day. you had a great time at the aquarium, joking with him and just staring at the fish tanks for a long time without a word.

it was time to head back to the hybe office. when you got outside, it was raining. hard. you both looked at each other and bursted out laughing.

"i guess we have to make a run for it!" he said excitingly. he grabbed your hand, and counted down from 3.

"3... 2... 1... go!!"

you ran through the rain, feeling cold splatters on your face and laughing out loud with the perfect guy.

authors note: this is literally so cute.. i saw that picture on pinterest and knew that it had to be woozi :')

[hanmi-xo]

Seventeen Complimenting You

S C E N A R I O S | O N E S H O T S | S M U T | M A I N

-------------------------------------------

How I think the Seventeen members would compliment you.

-------------------------------------------

Seungcheol: "You're really beautiful. The most beautiful person I've ever seen in my life." He'd be in awe by your beauty but be shy about it at first until you make eye contact with him. That's when he never pulls back. He would gaze at you as if you're the only person in his world.

Jeonghan: "Of course you're beautiful. Isn't it obvious?" He knows how amazing you look, but he is never good at expressing himself through words. For you to ask if you look okay seems like a ridiculous question, because to him you will always look great.

Joshua: "You're beautiful." He would say it when you're looking away from him so he could admire you without you noticing. He's the type to randomly say a compliment just so he can see you get shy. He loves randomly teasing you just to get a reaction.

Junhui: "...You're really pretty." He would be shy but he would want you to know how eye-catching you are. He seems careful with his words but would want to say more when the time is right. Seeing you get flustered is enough for him.

Soonyoung: "You're really pretty! I swear! I'm not lying!" You wouldn't know if he is being serious or not since he likes joking around with you. He would be upset and do his best to make sure you know how amazing you look. He wants you to know how he honestly feels about you even if you try to push him away.

Wonwoo: "Beautiful." Surprisingly romantic, he would tell you you're beautiful when you don't think you are. He would ruffle your hair so your attention would be on him and not on your insecurities. He'll always make sure you're okay even if he's far quieter than the other members.

Jihoon: "Yes, you're beautiful, okay?" He seems like the type to not want to admit things if it makes him feel embarrassed. So for him to call you beautiful takes a lot out of him. He would be flustered afterwards and cover his face to avoid making eye contact with you.

Dokyeom: "Beautiful. Amazing. Gorgeous..." He would not stop throwing compliments at you even if some might be references to memes. It didn't matter if you were down, upset, or frustrated, he would always tell you the aspects that makes you extravagant to him. He's a romantic and he'll make sure you feel loved.

Mingyu: "Don't be silly. Of course you're beautiful." He isn't shy when it comes to complimenting you. He seems confident when he's around you and he even feels more comfortable talking to you. To him, you're his home and he can say whatever is on his mind.

Minghao: "Are you dumb? Do you want me to call you ugly? How do you not know you're beautiful?" He's sassy but he's loving. His remarks can be a surprise at first but that's just how he is. He'll admit you're beautiful but it'll annoy him if you think you aren't. He'll straighten you out so you can see how gorgeous you are to him.

Seungkwan: "Wow, amazing. Perfect." He would clap his hands at you while he admired your existence. To him you were like an art piece that is worth his praise. Before he would be awkward with praising you, but once he got comfortable, it's like a natural thing to him.

Hansol: "You look good. Beautiful as always." He's nonchalant. He doesn't make a big deal nor does he make it awkward. He's cool with it. Your beauty is obviously acknowledged and he makes it known by physical touch and his way of looking at you.

Chan: "Beautiful? Yes! You're beautiful!" He seems like the type to fumble his words because he has too much energy. He'll express himself with honesty, but be a bit clumsy with himself. It's what makes him cute and humorous. He'll get shy afterward and try to calm his nerves so he can speak to you without feeling embarrassed.

 • • •

S C E N A R I O S | O N E S H O T S | S M U T | M A I N

[channiebelly]

Hot and Cold

tropes: light humilitation, praise

ship: ot13

wordcount: 1.5k

@carattummies wrote a fic the other day based on a conversation we had so i decided to write one based on our conversation too! you can read her one here

Chan has been gaining weight and really liking it. He thinks his friends are liking it too, until their teasing becomes too much for him and Chan decides to go on a diet.

Chan has been gaining weight. He didn't notice it at first, until he woke up one day and there was a little pot belly spilling over the waistband of his underwear. Stepping on the scale revealed he had gained 10 pounds.

His first reaction is to panic. Gaining weight without noticing is not something he wants. After, he starts to think about it more, and he decides he doesn't mind. His belly is cute and it's nice to squish and play with. He's also been enjoying eating more than usual than lately, and he wants to continue that. He likes food! So, he decides to just let it happen. If he gains weight, then he gains weight.

It's very easy, he learns. Now that he has fully given himself permission to just eat whatever he wants whenever he wants, the pounds start to pile on quickly. Over the next months, he's reaching 20 and then 30 pounds gained. His belly starts to push against his shirts and becomes impossible to suck in. His thighs start to thicken and push against each other and his butt starts to round out, and jiggles as he walks.

Chan loves it, so much more than he thought he would. He finds himself standing in front of his mirror shaking his belly or twisting around to see his growing ass. He strokes his belly absentmindedly all the time. Rather than being annoyed by having to buy new clothes, he likes it. He loves his new body. It's cute and sexy and he loves its softness.

His friends notice. Of course they do. Chan isn't trying to hide it. At first it's just little fingers in his squishy belly and gentle pats when he walks into the room, with comments about how he's filling out. These just make Chan blush. He doesn't mind them at all. Then they notice his growing butt and begin slapping and squeezing it whenever he walks past. Chan likes this too. It makes him feel sexy. There's light hearted teasing about him growing out of his clothes and the way he has to sit with his legs further apart because of the increasing size of his thighs. Still, he loves his body and he loves eating. If anything, the comments just encourage him more.

As Chan reaches 40 pounds gained and could be considered properly fat with steadily developing moobs, love handles that threaten to escape his waistband, and a belly that is becoming harder and harder to manouveur around, the teasing changes. The pokes and pats turn into them grabbing his belly and shaking it. "You're so jiggly," Jeonghan will say, and he makes Chan stand there and makes everyone watch the way Chan's entire belly shakes just from a single pat. When Chan grabs a second helping of dinner, Joshua calls him a big boy and laughs about how of course he would be eating more. When Chan has to rock himself slightly to gather momentum to stand up, Mingyu and Wonwoo laugh about how he's got to be careful or he'll get too fat to stand up at all.

There's more than that. One day Chan shirt rides up and leaves a strip of his belly on display and Seokmin tells him he's outgrowing his clothes just from sitting down. One night he accidentally spills a bit of sauce on his shirt and Minghao calls him a slob, even though Chan is generally a very tidy eater. It just keeps going and going. They get more and more comfortable with laughing about Chan's growing frame.

At first, it doesn't get to him. Chan continues to admire his growing belly, and enjoys exploring the incredible sensitivity of the moobs that he's growing. His belly is almost sitting on his lap now, and he's excited to know what it feels like when it finally happens.

But then it does start to get to him. He starts to think that maybe he's the only one who likes his growing body, and the others are right: it is gross. He starts to think maybe he is a bit of a slob and that he shouldn't just eat whatever and whenever. He's getting bigger than he ever thought he would, maybe he should just stop and lose the weight now before it gets too difficult. This is getting a bit out of hand.

Chan decides to go on a diet. He throws out all of his favourite snacks and buys only healthy foods from the grocery store. He bans himself from all of his favourite fast food places and restaurants. He even joins a gym, one that he knows none of his friends go to so they won't see him huffing and puffing as he attempts to use the treadmill.

He thinks no one notices that he's only taking one helping at dinner and refusing dessert. He starts refusing lunch meetups with his friends, preferring to eat his meal prepped salads. He skips games nights to go to the gym.

It only takes two weeks for Seungkwan to corner him one day and ask him what's up.

"You've stopped taking seconds at dinner," Seungkwan says. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I've just decided to go on a diet."

"Why?"

"I'm getting a little big, don't you think?" Chan places a hand on his belly. He's going to miss feeling it's comfortable squishiness beneath his fingers.

"But you always looked so happy when you were eating. And you seemed like you liked your belly. You would always smile when people brought it up. You looked proud of it."

Chan didn't realise that anyone had noticed how much he liked it. "I did like it. It's just that I think I'm getting too big now. That's what everyone else seems to think, at least."

"What?"

Chan shrugs. "Everyone's been making fun of me. I started to think that I should just get the message."

"It was just teasing. Was it really bothering you that much?"

"Kinda. I appreciate it, though. Sometimes you need your friends to keep you on track."

Seungkwan looks angry. "Don't go on a diet Chan. You look cute and happy like this. I'll deal with the others."

Chan listens. He doesn't know why, but he listens. He gives up on he gym and heads to KFC or Wendy's whenever he feels like it. He immediately feels better. Dieting really isn't for him.

Seungkwan must've had very strong words with their friends because the next time he sees them there's no belly shaking or calls of "the big boy is here" when he walks in the door. Instead, Seungcheol greets him with a hug and says "you look very cute today." He pats Chan's belly in the way that he used to when Chan was first gaining weight, and says "I hope you enjoy dinner tonight."

When they sit down for the meal, Jun, who's sitting beside Chan keeps refilling his plate. "You look like you're really enjoying the food. I want you to eat lots of it."

"Yeah," Soonyoung says from across the table. "You look cute when you eat."

The dinner is really good and Chan eats until his belly is full and aching. No one says a mean word about it.

After, some of their friends go to play ping pong and some of them watch a movie. Chan joins the movie watchers on the couch. Jihoon is sitting next to him, and doesn't mention that he has to shuffle over to allow for the spread of Chan's legs. Instead, he just offers to give him a belly rub instead. Chan agrees and Jihoon puts his hands under Chan's shirt. "For the most relaxation possible," Jihoon explains. Chan almost falls asleep to the calm feeling of Jihoon's gentle hands easing the pressure in his gut. "Your skin is so soft," Jihoon says as they're leaving to go home.

Chan goes home feeling like he's on cloud nine. He feels cute and comfortable and he falls asleep with his arms craddling his belly lovingly.

Their compliments don't stop. "That hoodie looks great on you," "Your cheeks looks really cute today," "Your butt looks amazing in those pants," "Your belly is so nice to touch." Slowly but surely Chan gives up on any ideas of going on a diet and his weight continues to go up. On the day that Chan hits 50 pounds gained, he's surrounded by his friends, full from a large helping of dessert, Vernon's head resting on his thigh because apparently he's the best pillow ever and Jeonghan's hands slowly kneading into his side.

"You look happy these days," Seungkwan says that evening.

Chan grins at him. "I am."

[purplelea]

Do you feel like kariya is a good person to look up to? Like I know day 4 happened but that's like the worst thing he did. And I honestly can't be mad because that "hello, villain? Screwing with you is my job." Line just hits me weird. I'm tempted to write a fic but I dunno

Now that is an interesting question. I see what you mean by "day 4 is the worst thing he did" but that's actually the only thing we see. And while that's the most nefarious action he took, that's the only one we saw, but he's been a Reaper for so long that he most likely erased hundreds of not thousands of players before. Is Kariya an overall good person? No, I don't think so.

But, as you said, "it's his job". Here we fall into the morals of the Reaper's Game and I'm afraid I'm not qualified enough to judge. But I can offer some ideas anyway.

What's the job of a Harrier Reaper? It's not to mindlessly erase Players to rack up points and rise up the ranks as Uzuki seems to believe. Kariya sees further: he knows that the Reapers (Harriers, Supports, Officers...) all have the common goal of helping to judge which Players are worth reviving. It's not about erasing them all, it's about putting up obstacles that will make them grow (for instance, erasing Rhyme was the way to help Beat grow, wasn't it?) and erasing those who are not strong enough to survive. It follows the basic rule of the Reaper's Game which is the survival of the fittest.

Now that rule can obviously be contested in many ways, as it is directly contested mulstiples times during twewy directly, and by Neku himself, who believes that all Players should live again. So there's mutiples questions here: do you agree with the survival of the fittest? If not, do you believe that because someone is asked to do something, then that takes away their responsibility in the actions taken (it's "just his job")?

I don't have any idea on how to answer those questions. Just food for thought!

But on the other hand, Kariya can be looked up to on some subjects. He knows what matters to him (Shibuya) and he's willing to risk his life for it (for instance, going against Shiba or helping Beat and Neku in week three of the og). There's many other steps he takes in order to protect Shibuya (finding the source of the Taboo Noise, trying to find out what Joshua's deal is, fighting against the Plague Noise on his own to protect the RG inhabitants from it...) which clash with his "lazy" personality and show that he can definitely give his all for something as long as it matters enough to him. That man got his priorities straight, I can admire that.

I wouldn't say that he likes to help people because we don't see him do it that often. I believe he's doing it with the same goal in mind that he has for everything else he does: Shibuya's well-being. He helps out Beat to grow because that's what the Game is about, and same for Rindo, because he knows that having people who win the Game and get revived is a good thing for the city thanks to the influence they will have on it (see Shiki's influence through Gatto Nero!).

In the end, to answer your question... it depends on what you believe in. Nobody's perfect, and there's definitely people worse than Kariya to look up to. But it's important to be aware of what his morals are, because of course he's very much a grey character when it comes to those.

[opyre]

I finally beat the game for myself ! I had watched @otlaw stream it for me when it first came out , but playing it myself definitely brought about so much more wonder and intrigue to the world and characters for me . I have a lot of thoughts about how I'd like to run this blog and general canon divergences that I wish to piece together for the sake of ease of access for all of my writing partners ! this certainly is not all of them , but they are the ones i've given greater thought to thus far . this is a long post , by the way . . . oops .

triggers mentioned as follows :

parental abuse ( mother , specifically ) , religion , suic*de alluded to but not specifically mentioned , possession

first , i'd like to touch on joshua's relationship with his parents .

his relationship with elwin was a bit more strained than the game let on , or how i imagine the relationship between elwin and clive . i think elwin put a lot of pressure on joshua ( intentionally , or nonintentionally ) and forced him to live in a bubble of burdensome expectation . i think he dearly loved his father , but the yearning for his approval oft made their connections rocky . i don't think they had many heart - to - hearts , but i do think joshua admired him . he loved him , of course , but i don't think he felt safe or appreciated around him , and i don't think they knew much about each other beyond the surface level and their inherited family dynamics . his ' inner voice ' section states : ' i don't want to disappoint him . . . '

his relationship with anabella was complicated . anabella made him feel protected , like he had someone who should ( not 'would' , necessarily ) care for him , and he relied on her heavily . she was the parent he looked to most to care for his needs , but unbeknownst to him , she did not care for many . her interests were always self - serving , but as a child , joshua was blind to it , and when he wasn't , he'd simply deny it in the favor of giving her the benefit of the doubt . because he loves her . as his ' inner voice ' section states : ' she can be scary , but it's only because she loves me . ' we can see in the scene that causes her death how joshua just wanted to save her . he wanted to help her . he believed there was still a chance that things might turn around , while jill and clive simply look pained that he gave her the chance and she betrayed it . again . i believe it was a common theme for them growing up . joshua being anabella's defender . not necessarily speaking up on her behalf , but making excuses to make sense of her behavior . i believe he often read between the lines with everyone , and everything . and still does . and there is certainly more to their relationship and the things she does and what he learns that i think about during his time with the undying , but that's for another post and another time .

on the subjects of his relationships with others , i wanted to point out specific variations that i will be adopting into my portrayal with my affiliates ( of these characters listed ) exclusively and a lot of this is stuff we have plotted out together and discussed .

CLIVE ( @otlaw ) : joshua and clive's relationship has so much nuance to it . they were brothers who were raised in a toxic family environment with very different experiences between their parents , the realm , and their expectations . they love each other so wholeheartedly and dearly , but it also does not undo the tragedy of their pasts , nor the tragedy of the night of flames . they are brotherly in the way that they are so aware of each other's flaws , but so aware of each other's strengths as well . certain jealousies plague them , and their guilt in regards to each other seems unending . they are full of love , but they are so riddled by the bitterness and blight ( figurative and nonfigurative ) of this world and the ways their lives have affected not only themselves , but each other . their paths are so closely interwoven . if i can recall , clive is the only person on their side that we see joshua get explicitly angry with .

JILL ( @glacierites ) : screw what square enix did to jill and joshua for real . first amenity : when joshua first awakens with jill at his side after the 5 year skip , he does not simply brush her aside . he blinks awake in a steady realization of who he is with and why he is where he is , but does not presently realize that it is jill who is kneeled beside him . he is transfixed on helping clive , as he gets up to try to save him , but when jill calls his name , he recognizes her immediately . his eyes tear up and he tells her he will return , before priming and flying forth . joshua and jill have a lot of nuance as well , but get along better than clive in joshua in terms of their similar personalities . they spent a lot of time together as clive trained and sparred and share many sacred memories , secrets , and inside jokes with each other . also . he hugs her before they leave for origin . he gives her the moment with clive of course , but i'll be damned if he will hug dion and mid and not jill . he loves jill . that is his family . that is his sister .

JOTE ( @tutelaris ) : jote and joshua are so much deeper and more complex than canon lets on for me ( and prince , but let me not put words in his mouth , haha ) . jote became a trusted companion of joshua's as she was one of the few among his age group and helped to nurse him to health during his five year coma . after awaking , jote as beside him most every step of the way . she helped him with physical therapy and comforted him ( when he had no choice but to let her ) through regaining tragic memories and the nightmares of his past . they shared many deep moments together as he learned to reconstruct who he is as a person , and she learns that she is indeed a person ( as this is how joshua treats her , not just a subject to the phoenix ) . they are comfortable in silence with each other , but they also share secrets with one another , sacred moments and memories , and exclusive behavior and remarks . i like to think that when clive and jill around the two of them they're like 🤨🤨 also note that while i do ship with prince's jote romantically , joshua and jote do not act on romantic feelings for each other until joshua returns from origin in his joshua lives au verse ( which i will expand upon in a future post ) .

*** i also want to note that i am COMPLETELY open to writing with duplicates of these characters and developing separate plots aside ! i am not exclusive to anyone and would love to explore more potential dynamics !

and now for something completely canon divergent that i just think would make things much more interesting : joshua can commune , at times , with the phoenixes of eld , his forefathers . he has always been in touch with his powers , but truly awakened to the phoenix at age seven , two years before the remembrance ceremony . during the awakening to the fullness of his power , he entered a vision - like , dream - like state where he was held in a center room within his mind ( reminiscent of the ruins at phoenix gate ) as his forefathers granted him advice and gave him warnings of the future and what the power of the phoenix truly entails . they spoke much on the healing , and protector aspects of things , solidifying his resolve to one day become a person who can protect the people he holds most dear . but really , to protect everyone he is able . i like to think that they can speak to him , but he cannot speak back , and they only speak through his mind in these visions , when the calling becomes extremely important . it does , however , take a physical toll on his body , oft knocking him from his feet and sending him to his knees in confusion and slight agony and pain .

on the subject of communing with spirits and perhaps , gods : i'd like to think that joshua housing ultima inside of his body did things not just to his body but to his psyche as well . i don't think ultima ever possessed him by any means , like , joshua was always in control of his body and his actions ( illness(es) aside ) , but i think he'd see pieces and fragments of the fallen , memories of ultima's in his dreams , and random glimpses of the fallen and origin .

and while we're talking about 'religion' : i think " the founder " or the man who founded the twins , became someone idolized and almost worshipped over time . he became a legend that was voiced into a god by centuries of cult - like religion that eventually became regionalized as a mass understanding of his sanctity and their gratitude toward him . i think this is why they often use him name in exclamations similar to ' by the [gods]* ' , ' thank the [heavens]* ' , or simply , ' founder ' in a sigh of relief . ** could be substituted with the way they use ' founder ' .

[graftisms]

JOSHUA & JENNY — DAY NINETEEN

location :   night / post day-glo party / bathroom 

featuring :   @blondcs​ & @properbantz​  ​

JENNY

she's impressed with the way her makeup lasted, almost everything but her lipstick still pretty much intact, only one corner of her false lashes poking up a bit. and mimi's corset! it's not tied correctly, but the effect is there and she twists around to admire herself from different angles, fully checking out her own cleavage. "nice," she mutters, holding all her hair up in her arms and pouting in her best pamela anderson.

JOSHUA

he walks into the bathroom before realizing she's in there, taking a few steps back immediately because lingering in the doorway. "sorry. room for one more? i just need to brush my teeth." eyes take in her new outfit, recognizing that top. "is that mimi's?"

JENNY

"what?" she answers immediately, slowly processing the words through a tipsy, overtired haze. "oh, the top?" she looks down, running her hands down over the bodice. "yeah, we just switched. you know, truth or dare." she explains, stepping to one side to gesture him in, lips curving in a secret smile. "who wore it better?”

JOSHUA

"that's a trap question if i've ever heard one." walking into the bathroom, he meets her eye through the mirror and mouths you. purely because mimi isn't here, and the way he just left things with naomi has him feeling a little bold. josh grabs his toiletry bag. he'd been lying about only brushing his teeth, because of course he has a skin care routine he has to do every night before bed. "did you have fun tonight?"

JENNY

her bottom lip draws between her teeth, biting down on a smile as her brows lift—not quite a question, but maybe daring him to give her a little more. she'll blame it on the alcohol, but she can't deny the compliment hits its target, even if it is only lip service. she does a playful shimmy of her shoulders before turning the sink on, washing her hands for something to do, a reason to stay in there. "there were definitely a few highlights," she nods. "maybe next time we kiss it can be without mimi."

JOSHUA

he takes his time shuffling through his things, so he doesn't have to look right at her as she mentions their kiss. after fighting with naomi on and off throughout the night, especially because of his kiss with jenny and mimi, he knows enough to not comment on it. but in a moment of weakness he looks up and meets her gaze through the mirror, and that tug of interest he felt during their date is back. "i... i feel like we should talk about this," he sighs out, because he doesn't want to talk (he kind of wants to do anything but), but it's the only way to deal with all of this without stepping on more toes than necessary. turning to face jenny, josh takes a step closer towards her, removing most of the space between them. "obviously we haven't known each other very long," he says, thinking it's crazy that it's only been twenty-four hours.  "but i'm not going to lie... i had fun on our date last night. i think you're sexy, and interesting, and i would love to get to know you better." a pause. "but i'm also with naomi right now, and i really care about her. we're... in the processing of figuring out what we want, and that may or may not include you, so if you really are interested in getting to know me... can you be patient with me? i'm trying not to make anyone out to be a mug."

JENNY

the minute it comes out of her mouth she knows it was the wrong thing to say. she drops his gaze immediately, focusing on turning off the water and toweling off her hands as she feels him getting closer. 'i feel like we should talk,' might not have been a guaranteed kiss of death, but paired with the body language, the exhaustion, it's not looking great. she wants to cut him off and beat him to the punchline right away but keeps her teeth clamped firmly over her lip as she finally glances up at him, his real face, not his reflection. he really is hot. on one hand, she thinks the idea that they have to talk about it at all is ridiculous, he doesn't owe her any kind of explanation—it's only been a day—but on the other hand, the fact that he feels like there's something there to talk about feels important. it's both affirming and annoying. "this doesn't have to be a huge thing, josh. like, i knew coming in that you were with naomi." a delicate shrug of her shoulder. "and i know you're probably gonna stay with her. it'd be different outside the villa. like," she's struggling to find the words she wants to say. "in here, you have to be in a couple to be safe. you can't really play the field, so i sort of have to start getting to know people or i'm gonna end up getting dumped, you know?" in other words, she can't really be patient. and doesn't want to be. "it's just bad timing, which is literally so frustrating because i just, like—" she cuts herself off with a laugh. "i'm so attracted to you."

JOSHUA

why was this so fucking hard? josh admittedly hadn't watched much of the show before coming, but he knew the gist--or so he thought. but this feels like he's trapped in a maze with no place to run, naomi and jenny both getting further away rather than closer. "i'm sorry," he sighs, leaning against the sink as a hand goes to his temple. "it's just been an exhausting night, but that's not your problem." maybe a little bit, considering their kiss started it all, but it's a moot point. "it's not like that," josh says with a touch of impatience, not liking how him asking for more time is turning around to jenny acting like she already knows how this will play out. he wishes he knew, but everything feels so up in the air right now. "listen, you gotta do what you gotta do, and i get that," he swallows, then reaches for her hand, tugging her a little closer. "but i'm not bullshitting you, okay? i'm serious about wanting to get to know you." he thinks. a half hour ago he was more sure about patching things up with naomi, but after their last conversation he doesn't think it'll be fixed that easily, and he's not sure they're both willing to put in the effort to try. her admission of attraction is a strike of heat through his body, his fingers stroking the pulse in her wrist gently. "do what you gotta do, but don't write me out just yet," he tells her. maybe he'll regret this tomorrow, but tonight he wants to go to sleep on a positive note, not a negative one.

JENNY

“josh,” she warns, not feeling quite as serious about any of this as he seems to. her feelings only go as deep as not wanting to leave the villa—one, for fear of missing out, and two, for the blow to her ego—he has way bigger emotional stakes in the game, stuck in his head since her arrival. it’s obvious he’s been caught up with some fear of the public’s perception, wanting to be the bad boy but terrified of the backlash. her preoccupations have been of an entirely different nature, all coming to a head now that he’s touching her hand and pulling her in closer. it’s obviously not the moment, but her thoughts are racing through scenarios, desperate to figure out how she can make it happen. if she can make it happen. just a kiss. one kiss to confirm all those doubts about naomi. “you may have good self control, but i don’t. if you keep touching my hand like that…”

JOSHUA

it's not lost on him that josh had been in this bathroom with naomi only a few hours before, apologizing for kissing the very same girl that was in front of him. he had an excuse then--a weak one, but an excuse no less--but if anything were to happen between them now, there'd be no excusing it. tension crackles between them and it's clear they both feel it, and despite her warnings, josh doesn't let go of her wrist. "don't write me off just yet," he tells her again, looking her right in the eye, but it's not even about that anymore. now, part of him just wants to see if she'll actually do what she's threatening to do.

JENNY

it may as well be an invitation. she gave a full disclaimer, offered an out, all but laid out her plan of attack and still he stayed. there’s a moment of stillness as that reality catches up with both of them, a slow smile curling at her lips as blue eyes flash back and forth between his. the anticipation is electrifying, buzzing under skin, pulsing through her whole body and her last warning comes as a quirked brow over lust-darkened eyes as her hands curve against his face and guide his lips to hers.

JOSHUA

she warned him, but josh still feels the jolt or surprise when she reaches for him anyway. he'd like to say that she kissed him, but the way he anticipates her lips leaves the line between them not as blurred as it could be. her wrist slips out of his hand as he grabs her waist instead, needing something solid to hold on to as he kisses her back. does it last a few seconds, or a few minutes? josh doesn't actually know--time seems to slow when it happens, first because of the realization that he's kissing someone that's not naomi, before the excitement of him kissing jenny fully kicks in. his other hand reaches up to hold onto her face, lips moving to deepen the kiss--- before he completely pulls away, the shock of what just happened traveling down his spine. "shit," he whispers, and before he can do anything else, he goes to lock the bathroom door. if anyone were to walk in now, he'd fucking die. "we shouldn't have done that." eyes look up at her guiltily, but his gaze fixated on her lips. how soft they are. how nice they tasted. naomi's face in his head, making him want to put his fist into a wall. taking a few steps forward towards her again, he hesitates before resting his hands on her waist, letting their chests brush against one another. "can we keep this between us for now?" he knows how douchey it is as soon as he says it, but at this rate, josh knows he's on a roll. "please. we're talking tomorrow, and then... we can pick this up where we left off." as if his eyes aren't already mentally undressing her anyway.

JENNY

it’s over too fast, lazy eyes blinking open as one hand reaches up to brush against her lips and finding a smile where his mouth just was. “shhh.” somewhere between wired and sleepy and way too fucking smug, she steps back toward him, hands resting over his where they sit warm and solid against her hips. “relax. this isn’t a big deal, i promise.” her voice is gentle, one hand reaching up to rake her nails back through his hair before coming to rest at the nape of his neck. “no one has to know, okay? just between us. just… c’mon. don’t go yet.” pressing her body against his, wide eyes practically plead with him, blue on blue before glancing down at his lips and pushing up on her toes to kiss him again.

JOSHUA

she's wrong, and he knows it. josh would like to believe this isn't a big deal, even when the weight of his actions aren't as heavy as they should be, but he knows he's risking a lot doing this with her. right now, it feels worth it; he's so sure naomi is going to dump him tomorrow, and him and jenny clearly have the attraction and physical chemistry there, and isn't love island for exploring options? but he's burying the larger implications of this, the awareness that he's hurting someone he really cares about, and probably burning that bridge for good. but if the bridge is already burned, no point giving into temptation once more. his hands reach for her face so he can lean down to meet her lips again, bodies press together so much that he ends up pushing her back into the sink, pinning her against it. his hands run down her body, outlining the strings of her corset, before grabbing her hips again, pulling them flush against his own.

RHYS

after whoever knows how long, he’s slipping away from dylan because he needs to use the bathroom. still drunk now with sleep in the mix, he pretty much stumbles his way over to the bathroom and tries the door with no avail. so he knocks, not so loud he’ll wake everyone up, but hopefully loud enough whoever is in there will hear him. “hey come on, seriously i need to pee.”

JENNY

it’s maybe the first real moment josh hasn’t been stuck in his head with her. they’re all frenzied kisses and wandering hands, getting bolder with each passing second. all too aware they’re on borrowed time, hands explore frantically, his pawing down her body and gripping at her hips, hers knotted in his hair and scratching down his back. she leans them both back against the counter, him half hovering over her, lips never missing a beat until a knock on the door startles them both. her eyes flick to his, unpanicked but needing some direction. how does he want to play this? “oh, is it locked?” she asks dumbly, cringing a bit at her breathless voice before locking eyes with josh, an unspoken question as she nods toward the handle.

JOSHUA

fuck, fuck, fuck, goes his thoughts as soon as he hears rhys' voice. josh pulls away like she's made of hot lava, fingers running through his hair to try to fix it. if rhys catches them together with the door locked, he's going to put two and two together... so josh's eyes wander to the toilet stalls, and as quietly as he can, he jumps into one of the stalls and shuts the door. let rhys thinks he's taking a shit while someone else is in here.

RHYS

“jenny? jenny, please? i don’t want to go all the way downstairs.” he’s pouting, trying the door again.

JENNY

she thinks it’s a bit ridiculous that he’s hiding in a stall—isn’t rhys one of his friends?—but she buys him time anyway. “that’s so weird, i didn’t even know this door could lock…” she’s putting her hair in a ponytail as she unlatches it, a casual smile on her lips to mask the nervous laugh as she greets rhys. “sorry about that.”

RHYS

he gives her a little smile, a mumbled thanks before going over to a stall, doing his business, then actually using soap and water to wash his hands (wow). he took a couple extra seconds to splash a little water on his face too before looking back at her, “..getting ready for bed?“

JENNY

she spends a few seconds too-long putting her hair back, then begins washing her hands. there isn’t much she can do to kill the time without her toiletry bag and she wants to catch josh before leaving. “yup. everything’s all calmed down out there?”

RHYS

“yeah, pretty much.” he gives her a little nod before ducking out. “night.”

JENNY

“night,” she echoes while drying her hands. the silence stretches on a few seconds, triple checking the coast is clear.

JOSHUA

he's really tempted to sit on that toilet for the rest of the night, thinking about his action. it's only when he hears rhys walk out and the water's still running that he realizes jenny is still waiting for him. is it bad that part of him had been hoping she'd leave too? he waits for a few seconds before slowly coming out of the stall, feeling a lot more embarrassed than he did leaving the three-way kiss. "we should get to bed," he clears his throat, bypassing her to reach for his toothbrush--the real reason he had come in.

JENNY

she watches him a moment, eyes apologetic as she comes up behind him to give his shoulders a quick squeeze. “promise you’re not gonna overthink this?” her hands linger, then a soft pat before she’s backing toward the door. “it’s okay to be selfish. we get to be in this villa one time. make the fucking most of it, okay?” hand on the handle, she can’t resist one last quip. “and brush your fucking teeth. you taste like gin.”

JOSHUA

oh, he's going to overthink this. but josh nods towards her anyway, suddenly exhausted and ready for bed. too bad he knows there's absolutely no going to sleep after naomi tonight. josh takes an extra long time brushing his teeth and doing his skin care routine before heading outside.

[heninovalisa]

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share the wonderful testimony to you my friends.

Chapter 1

HIS PRESENCE

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

One of the most inevitable things about time is it changes and parallelly it does with our thinking too. Apparently, a string of events and a wide range of emotions has radically changed my views about struggle. And for me, my life was not pleasant but I had to face the reality by enduring it.

I just graduated from a college and was trying hard to apply for a job. There were many dreams which I had for me. Life kept getting harder. All my friends began to be busy with their own stuff. At that point I decided to go for a dream in which probably I might not get succeed. I decided to take language course while looking for a better job.

In the past, I have been through a lot of things and one of the most heart breaking thing was I lost my father. The most admiring thing about my dad was he never gave up no matter what the circumstances were. Whenever my beloved dad faced any rejection or struggles he received grace from God through prayer. Even today whenever I find myself in an unpleasant situations or scaling up daunting challenges, I encourage myself by remembering my dad who never gave up.

In 2007, when I was 14, we celebrated Christmas in a small town and for me it became the city of sadness because I have to accept the fact that my dad passed away. It was an unexpected devastating moment of my life. It was going to dramatically change the course of my life and the people closest to me.

The thing I miss the most about my dad is right after the school I used to go to his office and use to wait until we go home together. It obviously bothered my mom because I use to miss my homework due to staying with dad long at his office. While in all this my father would get happy seeing me at his place. I use to help him in his office by messing up everything, by writing on papers and indulged myself in things which I considered or felt right to do it. And on the way back to home, we use stop by our favorite food corner to grab my favorite meal.

Life was never been the same after my dad went to be with Lord in Heaven. It tore me up from inside. Everything about my life abruptly changed. It made me feel like my world came crushing down into chaos. We have to move from one city to another to continue living. I was with my mother and sister (who was 7 years old). During this time I got the result of my first intermediate school graduation exam. Me and my friends were been excited to choose the senior high school. But because of the financial condition my mother suggested me not to choose an expensive school which she couldn’t be able to afford. We lived in a small rented hose and mom has to sell snack for our daily expenses. I could do nothing and often found myself missing my dad terribly in cascading tears. I had to deal with my own struggles with the escalating time.

I happily approached my mom to convey that I was accepted in the best high school in our city. But she ignored and said, “I know the school is very good for you, but the fee required is expensive for me”. Her words lingered in me with millions of other questions running over my mind. I started thinking of taking another school.

However, I was encouraged by a friend of mine to entire the expensive school. After registering every student is require to pay fees for the first semester. I kept quiet, sat for a moment and was trying to figure out why am I here? Who will be my provider for the money? Even though I don’t pray often but I was quite sure I will receive the mercy from the father in heaven.

Once again I received God’s grace and help when all the doors were closed. I started to discipline myself to pray and read the Bible every afternoon in my room. School activities began and students were required to stay in the dormitory. I was happy because I could enjoy the delicious food not like at home which was sober. Besides that, there were friends who loved me sincerely.

Sometimes I use to feel inferior because I could see other friends can call their parents and ask for anything, whereas I can’t. It saddened me. I didn’t had anyone to share my feelings. Finally I decided to complain to the Father in Heaven. Every day, I use to pour my heart to Him.

I found myself in a new semester. I started getting along with my friends, we use to laugh together and even cry. During the high school I was always called by the teachers for the same reason I haven’t paid the fees. Every time that happened it hurt me badly. I have complained, cried and got angry on God and asked “Why? Why? Why? I don’t like the way my life is and when can I be like others. Where is my Father?” I finished praying went to school and explained to teachers that I can’t pay the fees and asked a bit more time to pay my fees and requested them to allow me to take part in the exam.

I was allowed to attend the exam and to my surprise a friend of mine approached me and said, “I have a little pocket money which you can use to pay your fees so that you may continue with your exam”. I was so stunned and speechless, cried while receiving the money. Whenever a similar situation came again, it did not occur to my mind to call mom or anyone to cry.

I always prayed and hoped that Father God will help me. Through all the ways He helped me. He showed His Love. I began to bravely call Him my Father, my provider. He refreshes my soul, which brings me into tender love. Even though I faced financial struggles but I never gave up on prayer. I shared all my feelings to my Father in Heaven without caring whether he will answer it or not.

Chapter 2

CHOSEN by FATHER

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Now I was ready to entire the university. Students were enrolling themselves in the top universities in the Indonesia and aboard. I also thought about it, but the mere thought of who is going to take responsibility of my tuition fees use to bother me. My marks were not good enough. I finally decided to continue my education in Jakarta. As I was been packing to leave, and my mother said, “It’s better to go to college here because who will help you in Jakarta”. My answer was, “Yes! You are right but anyways I am going to Jakarta”. Despite of all the circumstances, I decided not to give up on my situation. I started praying for it without caring whether God will hear it or not.

I arrived in Jakarta with brand new dreams fully trusting in God to start a new life. At the weekend I attended a spiritual event where each participant guided to pray to God to make a way out. I stood in the back row and was been praying, “ God I have no father and you are the only one whom I look up to and the only thing I want from you is I don’t want hear my name being called because I haven’t paid the fees like back in those days of my high school times”.

I was about to embark on a new journey and God was the only person whom I trusted and who have the audacity to deliver me from all of my heartaches. I came back to my room to make preparations for my university. I was absolutely aware of the fact that my mom was not supportive to me to continue my education because of not having enough money. Sitting on the sidelines of life, confused and clouded with uncertainty I was broken. And the worst part was my mom doubted my heart belief.

After a month of getting use to college life much to my shock I met a woman send by Father in Heaven who was willing to pay my fees till I get graduated. It was a pure act of Divine intervention.

My eyes started flooding with tears. All I wanted to do was to slow down my tears back and racing heart. But I couldn’t hold back my tears as it was hard to take her words seriously. I began to work hard in my studies. I was able to finish all of my assignments. And the best thing was I was never been late to pay my semester fees. The greatest truth is my Father in Heaven who is provider prepared everything for me.

The presence of my Heavenly Father removed all my grief. I had cried in nights drifting through hopelessness. I use to call him even though I couldn’t see light at the end of the tunnel until his compassion came through a woman who was willing to take full responsibility of my fees.

Though there were challenges, but with God on my side and since I was been overtaken by His inexplicable grace I could finish my graduation in socio-political science. It was like a dream come true moment with friends taking pictures of each other hugging with eyes swelled up with tears of joy. Needless to say, I could feel my heart hammering in my chest enveloped in happiness it was so surreal. Climbing on the wings of memories all I can say is God’s intentions are so much greater than ours. We can’t even fathom what He has planned for us. Our finite brain can’t comprehend His ways.

We are chosen as children in the Kingdom of Heaven. Children will get facilities from His Father. Jesus will give it to you and me too. No matter what our conditions are; why should you hesitate to go to His presence? Royal facilities will be given when the child begins to speak to His Father. Speak your heart, your bitterness, your lack or poverty and your ignorance thoroughly. Call Him and ask Him to reveal Himself in all your circumstances. Never stop pray even in an increasingly difficult situation until God fills your heart with new hopes because all the glory and thankfulness belongs to Him.

For me prayer is a way to separate myself from the hardships of my life and to see Jesus holding my hand, even in pain, despite the awareness of my limitations. Like I told you before, back my in my college I would chose to call Heavenly Father at any time in every twist and turns, in all my lows and dark moments were I felt cornered, deserted and insulted. He will fulfill all your needs. Do your part by calling Him Father. He is in Heaven and the most incredible thing about Him is you can call Him at any time. He is faithful. He is good. He is full of love. He loves you more than I can ever put on words.

Prayer

Father I am your child. You are my Father lead me to my destiny only for your kingdom purpose.

Hallelujah! Amen!

Chapter 3

CALLING For YOU

“Therefore Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19

My phone beeped with a text from the servant of God congratulating me on graduation. Around the third week down the flip the calendar we met each other in a fellowship. She came, stood next to me and said, “It’s enough! Don’t work for your flesh, this is the time to serve your Father in Heaven”.

This episode of my life made me realize that Father in Heaven used her to navigate the level of my life for the royal facilities that was been kept in store for me. I was in transition period from a child who often asks the father for her basic needs to a child who should do the commandment of the father in heaven.

I started to participate in the community prayer lead by her. Until one day she suggested me to make a spiritual group. I used this opportunity to understand what is God’s purpose in my life? Beside that I also wanted God to answer my prayer in an even more remarkable way.

This was also a transition period for my personality. It dawned on me that it was the time for me to get new blessings of course in a comparable quality to make me humble in order to appropriately enjoy the blessings of Father in Heaven.

I heard God talking to me through a servant of God who said while praying for me, “I am the God who promised. I willing fulfill my purposes”. The words plowed through my heart. It was downright overwhelming, to know that Father still accepted me and was gracious towards me who was always just interested in asking things without thinking of the obligation as His child.

From that moment on I made the decision to complete my assignment as a child who resolved to do the best in every God given responsibility. Whenever I have failed I went back to God to repair and correct myself. And all through the journey He has given the Opportunity to learn and to rectify myself.

In the His Divine purpose he permitted me to come to India with a call from the Father in Heaven as an instrument of blessing.

Prepare yourself to be a leader to fulfill God’s calling in your life. God is never late. His time is always right. Be the light wherever you are. Pray for everyone present in your life. Don’t keep bitterness. Think of good things and be pleasing to Father in Heaven. You are chosen to

MISSIONS FOR THE NATIONS

be a blessing to the nation. Don’t let pain, bitterness or fear block God’s purpose for your life. The Lord will prepare you as leaders to proclaim the truth.

Be humble like Father in Heaven. Pray to Him in all the circumstances of your life. Let our lives always please the heart of the Almighty God. So, I really would encourage you my brothers and Sisters God’s Love will fully prepare you to be a leader for the nations

[skyvinn]

Sometimes You write Serious Stuff

“It’s all about framing, 

it's all about existing bias.”

Humans are bias creatures. To make the must-have general sweeping statement - We are Judge-y people, and We believe we are at the top of the animal chain of smartest creatures ever. You are dead certain though, that the housecat staring at you with is tail tick-tock-ing an idyllic pace thinks otherwise. It's probably going “heh humans and their unrealistic dreams. Now comb my fur and give me a rub before I plonk myself on your keyboard”. You pick up your phone, take a picture of said cat and continue to type.

Of late, you have been radiating motivation, perhaps the way the UV radiation is that much stronger in Australia. It has led you to enrol into a Coursera Brand Management course by the London Business School. Part of its Module 1 included an interesting experiment by Washington Post. Not exactly an unknown experiment of taking the known-artist and sticking them on the streets to busk. But the related reading you are tasked with has - as you exaggerate - its epiphanies.

It is clear to you that the article was meant to showcase the importance of branding. You can have the best product but without the successful branding behind it, you’ll be lost in the other millions of competitors or in this case, famous violinist Joshua Bell was relegated to background unnoticeable noise outside L’Enfant Plaza metro, Washington D.C. A BGM that was only worth $30 bucks. How could that happen? How could the Shark in Tank be better than this virtuoso? (Yes, you add that snarky comment cos you can).

Picture from dailyartmagazine.com (who took it of Hirst’s website)

As the professor on recording confirms for you, it's all about branding – “without context” appreciating anything becomes harder. This gets you recalling all those knowledgeable facts stuffed into you during your schooling days; priming bias, that’s what this is all about. The pricey concert ticket makes you perceive it is going to be amazing. It’s the label you see, the nice price tag that reeks luxury. Then you go, don’t forget selection bias! A concert hall = music appreciators. But a metro station at peak morning hour traffic? You aren’t going to have good business mate, maybe try again in the evening.

So, you get it, to be successful at branding, you need to create the right consumer experience. Layman terms – time, place, occasion. Business terms – value creation, experience, effectiveness, brand purpose etc.

The article itself is more “artsy”, it brings in the views of philosophers. Gist of it, framing matters for us to appreciate beauty. Without the right frame, we would struggle to appreciate it. You can appreciate this idea; without the right framing of ‘needing to prevent thieves from entering your house’, you would not be very appreciative of that locked door when you left your keys behind said locked door. At those times, instead of swearing, you think “it’s time I change that lock into a fingerprint one, pretty hard to forget my fingers”.

Anyhow, here is the thing, humans are biased people. Our brain is biased and that affects our perception of things - our ability to appreciate. So the article may have focussed on whether beauty needs to be framed, your professor is focussed on branding and you…you were simply enjoying the author’s writing. There was no framing of who the author is – you find out at the end he is a Pulitzer winner. But all the same you could admire the writing style and the whole ‘think branding’ was not in the forefront of your mind one teeny bit.

You acknowledge of course, it's all about the framing. You are attempting to do some blogging, writing becomes important. You appreciate it just as those few people stopped to listen to Joshua Bell because they appreciate music, perhaps more than heading to work ╮(╯▽╰)╭ Now, where does this leave you? A very guilty feeling of preferring to blog than study ʅ(´◔౪◔)ʃ

You wrap up this self-reflective piece with a stingy but very “you” opinion. Without the right frame and the right branding, the best of products can still flop. BUT as a consumer, you like your ‘best kept secrets’ restaurants to well stay secret, because when they get branded with a Michelin star, you won’t be able to afford it ┐(‘～`;)┌

Click for the original article because you are dead sure you would have missed out on the main point of the article. (ﾉ≧ڡ≦) 

À bientôt!

[animation-is-my-jam]

Can I get some TJohnson headcanons???

(Cracks knuckles)…..okay 🙂

Name headcanons: (this probably very obvious) but T.J stands for Tim Jr.

And Johnson's full name is Joshua Johnson (the "what's your favorite word?" segment helped me with that one),,, everyone just refers to him by his last name because TJ does it so often.

Early/present (to the show's early seasons) ages (6-7):

- TJ and Johnson definitely met in first grade or second grade talking about Wordgirl whenever she first made her debut. I could see the scenario of a very shy, lonely Johnson admiring his classmate's (TJ) confidence and toughness (or what babies back in elementary thought was tough xD). Johnson immediately wanted TJ to be his friend since he didn't have any yet, and TJ being the little shit that he is, very much took advantage of Johnson's determination to be his friend and basically established their fanboy or sidekick dynamic.

- Johnson was very much aware that he was sorta being treated like a lackey by TJ, especially when it came to TJ founding the international Wordgirl fanclub. But both TJ and Johnson thought of it as a play time thing or pretend playing. They already did that a lot when it came to playing out Wordgirl's crime fighting so why not pretend to be a fierce president and a fierce loyal second in command. They took their play time in their roles pretty darn seriously that TJ and everyone else refers to him as Johnson because as president, TJ wanted to address Joshua Johnson by his last name like an authority figure would. Of course he did this so often that others didn't know anything about the shy Joshua Johnson that everyone automatically assumes that 'Johnson' is his first name. Johnson is perfectly cool with this.

- TJ and Johnson from then on basically do everything together, when it comes to completing classwork or playing, there are no other kids that TJ or Johnson would rather hang out with…(besides Chazz that one time but we'll get to that too.)

- Johnson envies TJ in a lot of ways despite also admiring him. For one, TJ is very confident and proud of his snarkiness. And two, his family life. Johnson's parents are divorced, his mother didn't want to bother fighting for custody so he lives with his father. His dad is a working man and lives in the more forest area of Fair City (like Violet's family does),so Johnson is often left alone while his dad tries to keep the lumber industry alive. (yes I have decided to make Johnson's father a lumberjack). Johnson's father is also the silent type but not shy…just not good with words or emotions. Whenever Johnson comes over at the Botsfords to play with TJ he gets hit with so much familial feels that it's too much. At least the only time where he could feel that similar Familial feeling is when he spends hanukkah with his mom.

- Johnson doesn't actually have the same hype about Wordgirl that TJ does, the main reason he actually acts hyped is because his best friend TJ is really excited and happy that it makes Johnson happy too.

A little bit later/present ( the show's middle and late seasons) ages (8-9):

- TJ has always been both a little stinker and insecure. With how he very much tries to hide his enjoyment for "girly" media, to how he doesn't openly show affection. It's kind of strange considering there doesn't seem to be any restricting gender norms or toxic masculinity at home that could make him act like that sometimes. So one headcanon that I have is that he mainly gets it from his other school peers or other more insecure boys he occasionally hangs out with. (we'll save this HC for later, it will become important 😊)

- Johnson and TJ of course enter the city's little baseball league together, however they're at opposite teams, this dismays them a bit, but soon they find it fun to be on opposite sides as they have another silly pretend game where they pretend to be fierce rivals.

- Johnson at this point starts having a kiddie crush on TJ now. Doing everything not to only keep his BFF but to impress him enough to show his feelings. TJ unfortunately doesn't notice it, thinking that Johnson is just clingy like that and because he's insecure pushes the poor boy away from his hugs or slight affections.

- This discourages Johnson and there's a brief period of time where Johnson ceases on that behavior. TJ feels bad and (misses his affections) so one day he secretly hugs Johnson back. Making Johnson confused as heck but enjoys the hug anyway.

After certain episodes/present ( the show's middle and late seasons) ages (8-9):

- (Oh boy "All that Chazz" time) (recommended watching this episode for some reasonings behind my headcanons XD)

- after the events of that episode TJ does slightly apologize to Johnson as he helps TJ redecorate his room back to its Wordgirl theme. He knows he pushed him aside for a kid who seemed cooler but was not cool at all. That Johnson is a real friend and he promises to never do that again.

Johnson is thankful and blushing as he also promises to not leave TJs side either. (but is disappointed to know that TJ technically doesn't see him as "cool")

- ("Go gadget Go" time..I I KNOW THIS EPISODE SUCKS SO MUCH FOR TOBECKY AND TOBEY BUT ITS GOOD WITH TJOHNSON AND JOHNSON DEVELOPMENT)

- Johnson is starting to feel more comfortable being himself and speaking up more. He's never fought with TJ like that before but he enjoyed standing his ground….even though he was then tricked by Tobey and started crying when TJ wanted to kick him out of *their* fanclub. He knows he messed up on letting Tobey do all his work for the competition but TJ has to admit that he can't be in charge all the time in their play time and friendship. TJ knows this and apologizes. He knows that he should have just admitted that Johnson was right and not try to treat him like a sidekick all the time when they hangout, after all that position is just pretend when they do fanclub stuff…right?

- After this, TJ makes an effort to try and be better when it comes to how he handles those closests to him. Basically after like a year TJ learns about actions and consequences along with some moral lessons as he grows. He doesn't want to be the annoying pesky brother all the time, just a little more mischievous but not rude. And he doesn't want to be more authoritative or troubled by Johnson's friendship/affection.

- ("What would Wordgirl do?")

- Turns out for TJ that not being authoritative or annoying on purpose all the time pays off. He's never really been a tough or mean boy, deep truly down he's much more gentler and sensitive than he wants anyone to see. And that is more present with how his relationship with Johnson has happened. TJ probably at times doesn't fully grasp his own crush on his best friend, but he does know that he can't run the fanclub without him or not be near him most of the time.

- So the boys are closer than ever, meaning that it's no secret to anyone who observes them that they both like each other in the cutest kid way ever. However they don't know what to really call each other then. Johnson, and TJ (a few times) sorta let it slip to each other how they feel, but they're 8 starting 9, they don't know anything about romance. So one day at recess they decide to make another game out of it…boyfriends or better bffs! TJ at least knows what a boyfriend is so he goes with that. They don't know exactly how to act like a "couple" ; it's mostly the label and more hugs that cements this new development...at least for TJ. Johnson is definitely ecstatic, he's wanted this for a while now and he can't wait for what it means in the future…even if they did treat it like another recess pretend game…it doesn't mean it's not real. (Right?)

Later/slight Future (6-7 years pass) ages (13-14):

…..

Personality-

TJ: A little bit more openly sensitive. Tries to do the right thing all the time as Wordgirl and the Botsford definitely influenced that moral compass in him. Still ever insecure about himself, often fabricating certain things to seem more "cool". Downplays his fanboyish attitude for Wordgirl media as he knows now that Wordgirl is his sister and that not many kids his age particularly care about it.

Johnson: Still soft spoken but he's getting better about his shyness. Wants to be more open about how he truly is instead of

…….

Early Teen dramatics:

- The boys are still best friends, however there are some changes…for one when they entered middle school they quietly and disappointedly dropped the boyfriends title, after all it was only a silly little game they played when they were young.

- Johnson is no longer part of the little leagues or is interested in joining their future highschool baseball team, Johnson tried to be interested in it for the sake of TJ, but he's found his real passion in theater, as he turns out to be a good actor. Plus he never got along with the rest of the boys in their baseball team anyway or "TJ's other friends". They always made fun of him.

- While sad that Johnson isn't into baseball anymore like he is, he still very much encourages Johnson's passion with the theater department.

- Because of Johnson's departure TJ hangs out a little bit more with the other kids at his baseball team…they are not a good influence, but TJ is blinded by their more rude behavior…after all they are a bunch of fourteen year olds. They appear to treat TJ like "one of the dudes" but they totally see him as chump and often make fun of his friendship with Johnson. TJ hears this ridicule and his insecurity on how he behaves around Johnson flares up.

- Even though they aren't "boyfriends" anymore they obviously have feelings for each other, more deeper from when they were young. TJ is aware of Johnson's feelings (Johnson doesn't try to hide it) but TJ is being a dummy insecure boy so he tries to pretend that his own feelings aren't there.

- Before their first highschool semester summer break at a baseball game Johnson pulls TJ aside to confess. Before TJ could even respond the other teammates and students attending hear this and make fun of both of them. Johnson doesn't care as long as TJ agrees that they're being jerks, (but TJ being the insecure crowd pleaser that he is) doesn't agree with Johnson, just saying that the fellas are only joking around and that he and Johnson "are not like that". This heavily offends Johnson. TJ is initially saying that he doesn't return his feelings or that TJ would rather preserve this fake image of himself. So Johnson leaves his eyes getting tinting red.

- TJ immediately knows he's fucked up again and when the other boys try insulting Johnson as he leaves, TJ immediately turns aggressive. A fight breaks out…. Just know that it ends with TJ being temporarily suspended from the team and earning a broken arm.

- after all that mess TJ desperately tries to make it up to Johnson, still not confessing his own feelings but trying to make sure that their friendship is still strong. Johnson though is not accepting those apologies. He's rightfully upset at TJ for once again choosing to be insecure and a follower.

- TJ talks with Becky about this dilemma, and he of course gets a mouthful from her, she's honestly surprised that they weren't dating. Making TJ feel awful as he should have made his true feelings for Johnson more clear and that he should stop caring about what others think about him.

- TJ also gets some out of nowhere advice from Tobey too, when TJ is coming into grips about his true self. Tobey, coming over to the Botsford house to see Becky, catches the young teen outside his backyard in the rain looking distraught. Tobey tells him how he's also struggling with issues of his identity and how to amend mistakes for the people they love. TJ appreciates this advice and thinks that Tobey is not so bad after all…

- It's officially summer and TJ is planning the most of it by having all this free time to make it up to Johnson, and also braven up to confess his feelings that were always there.

- Unfortunately for TJ, Johnson had signed up for a summer theater camp outside the city. In part so Johnson can better his acting, but to also avoid TJ.

- TJ is even more sad since now how would he ever make it up to Johnson if Johnson is away and purposely ignoring him. He vents this to his parents who of course try and cheer him up as they give TJ his first phone so he could possibly keep in contact with Johnson while he's away.

- Before Johnson officially gets on the trip to leave for camp, TJ chases after him to say sorry again, giving him his number if they ever want to talk about their entire situation in text. Johnson laments and tells TJ that he'll think about it, but of course saying how the years of playing pretend hurt him, that of course he'll still see TJ as a best friend if TJ doesn't return his feelings, but if TJ does have romantic feelings for him,,,that he can't be afraid and that they can't play pretend for that…Johnson wants it to be real because it felt real back then. TJ agrees, promising Johnson that he'll tell him all about it.

- they're on better terms now, but of course they're now apart during the summer…time for TJ to sulk and hope Johnson receives his first text message.

……

- during the summer they do indeed text each other. While Johnson can't be on his phone at all times since he's at camp he tries his best to talk with TJ during curfew. They exchange typical stuff, memes, encouraging words, how their days went. Then TJ gets all mushy, texting him heart emoticons and calling Johnson "Joshua or Joshie" (his first name) as a term of endearment. Johnson greatly appreciates this and also starts being mushy too.

- TJ is starting to be more open to who he is and letting out his emotions more clearly. Not only openly admitting that he likes Johnson but finally sitting down to talk to Becky about him knowing her secret identity, expressing how he low-key resented her for perfection as the golden kid.

- The boys dearly miss each other, TJ texting mountains of admiration words to Johnson as he doesn't fear showing off his feelings. Saying how it's just not the same without him here. Johnson admits the same, while he has met some chill friends at camp nothing could replace TJ's company.

- they just continue to text each other gay soft cringe stuff (/lhj) throughout the summer until Johnson can come back.

- When Johnson does come back TJ doesn't hesitate to meet him halfway, grabbing him to a spinning hug. They agree to grab ice cream together to talk more about their summer. It ends with them holding hands as they usually do but now it means something real.

Officially dating headcanons:

- When they officially begin dating shortly after Johnson returns from camp, TJ isn't bothered to be affectionate, keeping Johnson really flustered as it's uncharacteristic for TJ to be like that sometimes.

- nicknames:

For TJ: Handsome, king, captain.

For Johnson: Hon, sweetie, rubio, Joshie, Johnny, buddy.

- they're both the jealous one, just different ways they perceive their jealousy. TJ doesn't mind speaking out loud about it or being obvious while Johnson is more passive but stares intensely.

- Separation anxiety (yes)

- After all that drama that happened with the baseball team on insulting Johnson, TJ is much more defensive and will not hesitate to fight someone again if they talk bad about his boyfriend. (Johnson has always been TJ's secret bodyguard, his dad has taught him a thing or two in self defense so don't mess with Johnson's boyfriend either).

- TJ shows up to every play that Johnson's a part of and claps the most obnoxiously whenever he appears. This is the same with Johnson as he cheers the hardest in TJ's games whenever he gets on the field.

- so yep when Tj's arm is healed and returns to the baseball team there's definitely bad blood between them. Of course the other boys object to Tj's presence, but TJ is such a good player that the school doesn't want to risk losing a season if they don't have him on. This leads to TJ being very smug around them.

- Johnson and TJ actually have their own rivals…it's Victor Best, Chazz, and Royal dandy(?!) Turns out Victor has joined TJ's baseball team and plans to be captain, as Chazz and Royal Dandy threaten Johnson's position in theater.

- (Johnson: “ Wait a minute, I thought you died years ago?!”

Dandy: “.... Anything is possible ol cap cheerio!!”)

- They of course have a mutual good friend in Rex!! Even though he skipped a few grades up they still depend on him for support… and help on their math homework.

- While Johnson has grown to be taller, TJ is still the bulkiest, carrying Johnson around in ease.

- Often go on dates.

- are kinda trouble makers now too, being all anti authority in school.

- you see I mentioned before how I said that Johnson also lives in that more rural forest area of Fair City like Violet, well since his father often works he has previously been left with the heaslips, making Violet and Johnson develop a brother-sister dynamic. This has Violet and Becky embarrassingly gossiping about TJ and Johnson whenever they are openly around.

- If there was any danger to Fair City and the boys had to pick a weapon for defense, TJ would choose a baseball bat while Johnson the bow and arrow.

- Johnson is a low-key tobecky shipper…. making TJ suffer /lh

- Johnson's other interests come in farming and animals, while TJs are music (DJ over here) and video games.

- First "I love you" exchange happened when Johnson ordered TJ a pickle-less burger and gave him most of the fries. Truly TJ knew that Johnson was the one. /lh/pos

- Both are part of the Becky/WG defense squad.

- Tim and Sally absolutely adore Johnson and can't stop gushing about them whenever Johnson comes over, to TJ's embarrassment.

[finallydelight]

who did ming become close with from first to last?

oooohhhh i love this oneee, thanks for the ask 💙

coups :: the moment she saw this man, she was going to love and admire him for the rest of her life. he became a trainee a couple of months after her and officially the first svt member she ever met. he just found her absolutely adorable and couldn’t help but wanting to be friends with her.

mingyu :: he’s such a social butterfly and she reminded him a lot of his younger sister, so he just kinda started hanging around her? he carried her on his back a lot when they were younger.

chan :: boy was he happy to meet someone the same age as him. each other’s lifelines during their trainee days. they confided in each other, listened to each other, helped each other, etc. they truly are each other’s best friend.

seungkwan :: he adopted her. like literally. one look at the 13 year-old girl and he was whipped. he’s the youngest in his family, so being able to baby someone made him super happy. she looked up to him so much (still does), so she loved spending time with him.

junhui :: she loved him the moment she saw him. she made quite a lasting first impression on him. the first words she ever said to him were “I love you” in chinese. cause of the language barrier, they would just kind of communicate through head pats of hand gestures.

vernon :: took a couple months. they just didn’t run into each other a lot? they became close through chan and vibed with each other. would try to teach her english, but she never took him seriously. she liked him, because she could tease him as much as wanted and he wouldn’t get annoyed with her.

dokyeom :: he always wanted a younger sister, so when he saw the girl hanging with some of the older trainees, he found one. they are also just very alike? they’re kinda the female and male version of each other. the members found it a little creepy sometimes how alike they are.

joshua :: at first she was intimidated by him, cause he came from LA, but once she actually talked to him, she liked him very much. yerim has such younger sibling vibes, he just couldnt help but want to take care of her. she would always say “goodmorning” to him in English and he found it freaking adorable and would look forward to seeing her in the morning.

jihoon :: this paring took a while to get close. he just never really had female friends and he didn’t know how to interact with her. started getting to know her better through bumzu, cause he made her sing a lot of his vocal guides or even demo’s.

jeonghan :: the same as kwan. one look and poof she got adopted again. she reminded him so much of his younger sister and he missed her a lot, so taking care of ming came very naturally to him.

hoshi :: this friendship took a long time. yerim was honestly just very scared of him. he scolded the other trainees a lot and she always found herself staying away from him. until he saw her dancing to ‘Replay’ by shinee and he couldn’t help but join her. after that they became a very iconic dance duo.

wonwoo :: also took quite a long time. they knew each other, but just didn’t interact as much. once yerim was officially confirmed to be debuting with svt, he wanted to get closer to her, but didn’t really know how? cheol suggested he should walk with her to school. wonwoo was stressing cause what was he gonna talk about with a middle schooler? but he found the girl super charming and from that moment on they got closer.

minghao :: he was the last member to join the team, so of course he’s the last one she became close with. loved him immediately tho and with the help of jun, they could talk to each other. he’s an only child and seeing someone look up to him and wanting to spend time with him even tho they couldn’t properly communicate with each other, he was very touched by that.

[wonunuu]

still loving you ∞

prologue

synopsis: as jeonghan waits for his singing career to grow, he gets impatient and angry for the lack of recognition he has been receiving. along with his frustration came his drinking habit. with you already juggling medical school and trying to make some money for the two of you, can you still handle the weight added on by your boyfriend?

genre: angst, romance, drama

pairing: actor!jeonghan x fem!reader

word count: 1.5k+

profiles | m.list | next

a/n: hey everyone!! i’m actually camping rn so if responses are a lil slow, it’s cos i have no wifi or making cotton candies for little children. but i hope you all have a good week and stay safe!! 💓

send an ask or fill out the form to be tagged!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

“I’m almost there. Just wait for a little more.” You half scream to a very impatient Seungkwan rushing you from the other line before hanging up your phone and shoving it into your purse. Right now, you are sitting in the back seat of a cab heading to the airport where the rest of your friends are waiting for you. 

To your disappointment, you weren’t going for a vacation in Maldives where you dream of basking under the sun as you dig your feet into the pearly white sand, and a cold refreshing fruit drink in your hand—nope definitely not. Instead, you were going there to wave Chan, your history freak best friend, good-bye before he leaves for his expenditure to Egypt where he will be staying indefinitely.  Of course you were sad to see him off, and it made you sadder that you don’t know when you’ll see him again. His passion for history was undeniably strong that he even chose to become an archeologist (hence the Egypt dream destination). You found his love for the subject to be incredible and very admirable. With that being said, you’ve decided to be a supportive friend and be there to celebrate and see him off as he leaves to start a new chapter in his life. 

This isn’t the first time you’ve all had to say good-bye to a friend. In fact, this is the third time and you desperately hope it’s the last because god knows how much more you can withstand seeing your friends leave. A lot has happened in the past four years. At least to your friends.

Minghao and Mingyu left the country. Minghao went back to China to study martial arts, but also because he was homesick. You all saw this coming as you’ve all witnessed his never ending facetimes with his mother. Like yeah, it’s sweet and all that they have a close relationship, but it’d be sweeter if their calls didn’t last until two in the morning. Mingyu is in Paris, France because he is now a supermodel, as surprising as it may sound but it isn't because, wow, the man is fine. Anyway, he now walks on runways in his expensive clothes alongside other famous models whom you could care less about. But you are very happy that he’s become successful. 

After graduation, Joshua landed a job at SM publishing company as a book editor, editing countless manuscripts all day. He worked there for his co-op placement in his third year of undergrad school. Apparently they were very impressed with his work and offered him a position as soon as he graduated. 

Seungkwan is now a civil rights lawyer with his own law firm—which is very impressive as he literally just graduated law school last year. Him being a lawyer didn’t surprise you though, seeing how much loved to argue his point and what he believed in until he was proven correct—which he says he knew from the very start. This aspect of him makes him one of the best in the field, and that is totally not your biased opinion. 

Wonwoo is now a striving film editor. Since he was a philosophy major, hearing that he was gonna go into film was shocking news to you. But after looking at some of his works, you admit he does have talent in the field. Directors are practically on their knees begging him to be in their editing team. Who would’ve thought that the man who used to eat dog treats would make it this far.

Seungcheol opened up a club with performers, but you weren’t going to question that. The man was a business major, and so if this is what he learned and if this is how he wants to run his business, then it’s whatever. Afterall, it is his business, literally. Besides, he said he’s happy about it and that it gives him lots of money, and therefore, you should be happy for him too. 

Vernon? He’s stuck in medical school with you. But boy you were relieved this year will be your last before starting your internship. That is if you pass the board exams. Vernon has been busting his ass studying and preparing for this huge exam because it’s probably the biggest exam a medical student ever does in their entire life. He spends at least thirty hours a week at the library, his face stuffed between piles and piles of medical textbooks, and taking notes until his hand gets numb. 

He can’t say the same for you though. There is not a day where he rings your phone to ask how many hours you spent today for committed studying. You would get a long sigh and a fat scolding when your answer is three hours or less, which is the case often. 

As a medical student you’d expect reading textbooks, doing research and taking notes to take up three quarters of your day. But your life is not at all how you pictured it to be. You work two shifts at the cafe you’ve worked at for four years; one in the morning and one in the evening. Though studying while working isn’t exactly forbidden by your boss, it’s not a good idea since the two shifts you work for happens to be when the cafe is the busiest. 

Anyway, you do this because you need money to provide for yourself and your boyfriend who lives with you. Speaking of, after your graduation, Jeonghan has decided to pursue a singing career, and although it may have been an impulsive decision that was made on a random day as he chats with his friends, you were quite surprised to see that it’s not as bad as you thought it’d be? Question mark because your friends would say otherwise.

Your friends, specifically Seungkwan, would say it’s worse than you had expected. But Jeonghan was trying his best, and that’s all that mattered. You believe that one day he will get noticed and will achieve his dreams, and you wanted to be beside him for it. To be beside him all the way through. But as of now, he is trying his very best. 

Sometimes he would get calls from bars or restaurants to do a little show, and when he does, you also go with him, even if that means missing a shift at the cafe or sacrificing your study time to watch your boyfriend’s gig. He doesn’t make much from them, which is why you work  so you can have money to buy groceries, to pay the bills and to pay rent of your shared apartment. But you didn’t mind, not a single bit. You wanted to be supportive towards your boyfriend, and you’re happy seeing that he is doing what he likes. Nope, you didn’t mind at all. 

“That’ll be twenty seven bucks and forty three cents.” The driver informs you of the fee. You take out your wallet and take out a twenty dollar bill and a five dollar bill. You unzip the little pocket where you store your coins to get the remaining change, but you took in a gasp when you saw the pocket was empty. 

“I’m so sorry, it seems as though I only have twenty five bucks at the moment.” You apologize as you look at him through the rear-view mirror of his car. He said it was fine, you thank him and apologize again before leaving the car. 

As you pass through the airport doors, you see each of your friends giving Chan a hug. You sprint to where they were, and fortunately, you make it right on time. 

“Took you long enough,” Seungkwan mumbles with his arms crossed to his chest as you passed by him. The others, Wonwoo, Seungcheol, Vernon and Joshua all greet you with relieved smiles etched on their faces. 

You wrap Chan in a warm hug, your chin resting on his shoulder and the scent which you will miss like crazy fills your nose. He hugs you back, “Glad you made it!” 

“Of course I’d make it,” you say as you pull away. 

Chan glances behind you as if he was looking for something. “Jeonghan didn’t come with you?” 

“Probably drunk at their apartment,” Seungkwan mumbles as he stares into the airport ceilings. The rest of the guys shoot him a death glare, and Vernon tells him to shut his air hole. 

“Sorry,” you look at him apologetically, “he had a gig last night. He’s really tired, but he wishes you good luck.” You lied. Seungwan was right, well sort of. Jeonghan was in fact at your apartment with a hangover. You didn’t want to admit it because if you do, Chan might miss his flight because instead of getting on board, he would first scold you, then drive to your apartment to have a not so gentle talk with your boyfriend. So you kept your mouth shut.

“Flight 2342 to Cairo, Egypt now boarding,” the PA calls.

It was forty minutes before his flight so he needed to board the plane. You all collectively wave him a goodbye and wish him a good life there. He pulls his suitcase behind him and walks away, occasionally glancing back.

“Have fun! Stay safe!” Vernon shouts. Seungkwan follows with, “Call us when you get there!” 

“If you dig up a hot mummy, tell it to hit me up!” You smack Wonwoo’s arms, and he laughs, amused by his inappropriate comment. But Chan gives him a thumbs up, causing all of you to burst out in laughter. 

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

🏷: @shuajeong @sunflowergyeomie @ofcoursewhynottt @yoonzinow @sydneyy-jade @softforqiankun @sbnchaos @hanniewife @k-min9yu @1800zuho @boogyuu @moonlit-willow @haoareudoin @lealea203 @love-svt @hoerangdan @serenadesvt @anissanightyoung @pimpnameyannie @yyxyzti @gothhyucks @gottsegne @cheonsahannie @peekabooseoksoon @tobereadbyme @gothiccguk @dancingddays @cherryskles @isa499 @cassiopeia1104 @geminirules @kwonsyoungs @stonyiscanon @monstathedisco @wang-nicholas @beomiebear5 @itsdnguyenxoxo @chwlogy

unable to tag: @yypiggi @tobio-oo @abcdefghijae

[because-of-a-friend]

Boyfriend!Seungcheol Fluff

Thanks for the requests and compliments anons and @seungcheoluwu​ !!! Y’all are all too sweet! I really hope you guys like this one! Remember everyone, this is a series I only do by request, so if I’m missing someone you want, just request it! I already have Seungkwan and DK requested so those will be out soon!

MASTERLIST

Seungcheol | Jeonghan | Joshua | Jun | Hoshi | Wonwoo | Woozi | DK | Mingyu | Minghao | Seungkwan | Vernon | Dino 

Honestly

Between being a trainee

Debuting in a kpop group

Having the responsibilities of a leader

And always being mostly concerned with keeping the other boys safe and happy

Coups doesn’t really ever think about dating

His life is just a whirlwind of responsibilities that never really seems to end

Anytime the thought crosses his mind, he just reminds himself that he doesn’t really have the time

As the leader, everything falls back on him so keeps any other distractions outside of Seventeen minimal so the other boys can always depend on him no matter when or where it is 

But lately

He feels like he’s been able to breathe easier

Seventeen is successful 

All the boys have grown and are so responsible and able to handle most things on their own 

So Coups is slowly having some responsibilities lifted from his shoulders

And one day he realizes that the idea of dating doesn’t seem so impossible anymore

But who would he even date?

He’s pushed that idea so far out of his head that he hasn’t even considered whether he would date anyone around him 

He’s embarrassed to admit it, but there’s a part of him that’s really shy about things like that so he doesn’t even know if he has it in him to go out and date

And there’s another part of him that he’s even more embarrassed of that really wants a magical love story, a spark

He just doesn’t feel like he has that with anyone near him

And then one day, he runs into you

“Oh my god, Seungcheol?”

He sighs, expecting a fan, readying himself to be bright and sociable 

But he knows you

The two of you went to school together years ago

“[Y/N]?”

“Seungcheol, it is you! This is so great!” 

You exclaim and then pull him into a hug

He happily returns it, feeling a familiar warmth from seeing someone from his past

“This is insane, I honestly didn’t think I was ever going to see you again!” 

“Oh yeah” he looks down awkwardly. “I’ve been busy...”

“Well yeah, you’re only the leader of one of the biggest kpop groups out there!”

He knows that, of course he does

He’s worked long and hard to be S.Coups of Seventeen

But when you say it, he feels shy for some reason 

“Oh yeah... I guess”

You laugh happily 

“Hey, we have to catch up sometime! When are you free?”

Seungcheol rattles off his schedule for the next week

You find a free spot that you share, grab his number, and make the plans

It’s lunch at a restaurant you had never been to before

You sit awkwardly at the table you grabbed and wait anxiously for Cheol to show up

When he does run in, he stops at the entrance to look for you

When he spots you, he pauses, taking time to straighten out his clothes and brush out his hair

He clears his throat and then calls to you

You feel relief fill your veins when your eyes land on Cheol

You wave at him, a grin spread across your face

He rushes over to plop down in the seat across from you

Once you two catch up on what’s been going on, there’s a bit of a silence

He’s worried that that’s it

You two just had those few good moments and now you won’t have anything to talk about anymore

But then you bring up a story from your school days

“Remember that time, Minhyuk was rushing to get to class, but he wanted something to drink first...”

“And his hand got stuck in the vending machine???”

“Yes!”

You both laugh and bring up more memories and laugh more

It eventually opens up more conversation 

And soon speech just flows easily between you two 

Then Seungcheol looks down at his phone and realizes you two have been sitting there for hours

And to him that’s the sign

There’s a spark

“Hey, [Y/N], do you maybe want to get dinner sometime?”

“Are you asking me on a date Choi Seungcheol?”

“Yes, how about it?”

“I think I’d like that very much”

Dating Seungcheol is easy

He makes it easy

He’s attentive and caring and selfless and mature

He’s a cookie-cutter perfect boyfriend

You’re spoiled as hell

Cheol loves deeply and fully and that love spills out in every way imaginable

He spends even more time on his schedule so he knows he can always make time for you

He’s always affectionate and it’s always in the ways that make you feel the most safe and loved and comforted

I mean, it’s hard not to when sitting in his strong arms

And he treats you so tenderly

Hand holding always includes soft strokes of his thumb up and down your skin

Hugs are tight and long and include sweet whispers 

Cuddling is always comfy

He loves random unconventional affection, like tapping his head against yours, brushing your noses together, plucking your chin

Kisses are always either sweet pecks on your nose, forehead, cheeks and lips

Or slow, deep, sensual kisses 

He takes affection pretty seriously since it’s one of the ways he shows he loves you

Sometimes you wonder why he’s so good to you

Or why your relationship feels so... big

Like seriously it feels like something so incredible and beautiful

One night, Cheol is walking you home and you voice your thoughts out loud

He laughs 

“Are you seriously having thoughts like that because you have a good boyfriend?”

You pout

“Seriously, Cheol, I’m just asking, why are you so good to me?”

He shrugs “Cuz I’m dating you?”

“I know that but... I don’t know”

He smiles and pulls something out of his pocket before handing it to you

“Because you’re special and you deserve it” 

You look down at what he handed you and your heart stops

It’s a little paper flower

Your mind gets taken back to high school

It was an overnight school trip 

Seungcheol had actually been able to come on that one, which was rare due to his schedule when he was a trainee

So everyone was excited to have him come along, the whole class celebrated for him to actually be able to come on the trip

You wanted to be excited too in order to be a good classmate

But 

You’d been having a rough week

Things went wrong with friends, family, grades

So you were kind of off the whole trip

You can’t even sleep

So you get up in the middle of the night and sneak out and walk around outside

It’s really pretty 

There’s a forest and a river

The stars are clear

You sit on the bank of the river and watch the stars sparkle in the reflection of the water

You jump when you hear someone walking behind you

“Hello? Is someone there?”

You can hear your voice shaking, and you feel dumb

“Relax, [Y/N], it’s just me!” Cheol’s bright voice sounds out from the darkness behind you

“Oh, hi Seungcheol, what are you doing out here?”

“I just went to use the bathroom. What about you? Why are you out here?”

“Couldn’t sleep”

You shrug and turn back to the river, embarrassed at the feeling of tears filling your eyes

Cheol’s shoulder brushes against yours as he sits next to you

“Wow, the view of this river is something else, can’t get this back home”

You shake your head to try and disguise your gesture of wiping tears off your face with your sweatshirt sleeves

There’s a moment of silence

“You don’t have to be embarrassed of crying, [Y/N]”

You freeze at his words

“Sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable, it’s just that... you’re not very good at hiding it”

You laugh a little despite the fact that tears are now pouring out of your eyes

“You wanna talk about it?”

“I don’t wanna burden you Seungcheol”

“It won’t be a burden, [Y/N], I promise”

So you let it all out

You tell him everything that was bothering you

And he listens silently as he folds a piece of paper

Once you’re done talking, he lets you cry it out

“I’m not really good at the whole advice thing sometimes, I’m not sure what to say to help you best”

He grabs your hands and and places the paper in them

“But I will tell you this: I know you’re a strong person and even if you feel like you can’t take it, you can lean on me for help!”

“When did you learn to do this Seungcheol?”

You stare at the paper he’s folded into a flower 

“Oh I can’t remember, I just do it sometimes”

You look up at him

He laughs a little at your expression and leans forward to wipe the rest of your tears off your face

“Why are you doing this, Seungcheol?”

“Doing what?”

“Being so... nice to me. We’re not really friends... I mean, it’s just... we’ve never been super close”

Cheol grins at you

“Because you’re special and you deserve it”

When your mind comes back to the present

You look up to see that Cheol has walked a few paces ahead of you

“You kept this from all the way back in high school? I thought I had lost it”

“You did,” Cheol laughs. “You dropped it on the trail back to the cabins, I snatched it up afterwards”

You stare at the flower, admiring how it’s held its shape all these years

You feel tears start to well up in your eyes

You quickly deflect by making a joke

“So Choi Seungcheol has been harboring a huge crush on an old classmate this whole time”

He shakes his head and grins at you, grabbing your hand to continue your walk

After that, Cheol is your whole world

You feel childish but you believe y’all were fated to be together

You put in the effort to spoil him as much as he does for you

You know he has a lot of pressure with being a leader

So you become a safe haven for him to rant out his problems

And you always do little stress relievers for him: back rubs, spa nights, tv binges with tons of junk food

You buy him little accessories and in-ears for him to use on stage

Sometimes you cook dinner for the boys so they don’t have to worry about it

The other members fawn over you constantly 

You and Cheol develop this ridiculous sense of humor that only the two of you get

You’re just a couple of nerds together

Whenever you’re at events together, he always has his arm around you

When you attend their concerts, he always greets you by running up, wrapping his arms around your waist, spinning you around and pecking your lips

Like I said, your relationship is easy

The two of you just click well

It’s a long time in the making but it’s a beautiful romance that is so worth it

[aijee]

hi aijee! read in defence of the side character a while back and wanted to ask: does wonwu like mingyu for mingyu or because he's a representation of who wonwu could have been/a reattempt at his relationship with joshua but done differently (since wonu is joshua 🤔)? i know bcs the story is meanie the obvious answer would be the former (and that's supported by how wonwu tweaked the script to fit mingyu more) but since the obvious parallels btwn shua/ww's and mg/ww's relationships were drawn...

(cont, reattempt at his r/s with shua anon here!) i bring up that question bcs it's written in the earlier chapters that ww says it's "hard to fall in love with mirrors" and jun says "you say this now, jww", comparing that w/ later, how mg is basically in ww's position...? i just wanted to know what you thought of this theory, without necessarily considering the meanie-ness of the fic. thank you!!! have a good day <3

Hello! You’ve basically hit the nail on the head, anon. (In this post, I’m referring to SVT by names as characters, not the IRL people.)

Fundamentally, one of my intentions was indeed to write Wonwoo/Joshua of the past in parallel to Mingyu/Wonwoo of the present. The parallels aren’t exact, as they shouldn’t be for creatures as complex as people, but the echoes of the past are definitely heard.

At the start of IDOTSC, present-Wonwoo was both drawn to and aggravated by Mingyu, who represented the “successful best outcome/future” dreamt by past-Wonwoo. Wonwoo back then was swept up in ambition, industry success, and young love. Present-Wonwoo became envious of Mingyu because he was everything past-Wonwoo wanted to be.

To address your very first question, over the course of the story, Wonwoo’s draw to Mingyu transitioned from envy and work obligation to truly falling for Mingyu as he is, realized flaws and all. In imagining how I personally treat looking at my reflection in a mirror, I think about the contrast of:

Admiring the best parts of myself, how good I look dolled up for the day.

Scrutinizing all my flaws, scars, dark circles, etc.

“It’s hard to fall in love with mirrors” because of facing #2. Seeing the worst parts of yourself in someone else is hard. But Mingyu helped Wonwoo do just that (and vice versa for Mingyu from Wonwoo, but this wasn’t as explored as heavily since we’re reading from Wonwoo’s POV). Jun says “You say this now” because he knows Wonwoo so well that, despite WW acting closed off, he has an open heart that needed someone like Mingyu to recognize that #1 can co-exist with #2 in a successful, worthy-of-love person.

In a way, it was also a journey of Wonwoo learning to love his past and past self. In being the “new Joshua,” so to speak, Wonwoo took on the role of loving someone who was inherently flawed, but also inherently good and passionate. Present-Wonwoo, like Joshua, eventually took on roles that weren’t the high-profile celebrity job that many dream of (Josh’s indie film career turned into being an acting coach; Wonwoo’s college aspirations for fame turned into being a variety show writer). However, in the roles they played to their younger companion, Joshua and Wonwoo became role models to look up to and admire, even to the point of attraction.

Unfortunately, Joshua had to move abroad for familial reasons. (I had this whole backstory for him being a third culture kid, having to deal with cultural conflicts, traditional Asian parents not approving of an artistic profession, etc. But I didn’t get to explore that too much either lol.) I did my best to paint Wonwoo/Joshua’s relationship as one that could have worked out, but things just got too strained eventually. In contrast, Mingyu/Wonwoo worked out much better, perhaps in part to Wonwoo’s personal growth and self-acceptance.

Hopefully that makes sense! It’s been a hot second since I’ve thought critically about IDOTSC haha thank you for bringing it to the table again.

[woozisnoots]

Hello alex! Maybe I'm to early for having a emergency request but I haven't really going anywhere outside my house beside buy groceries and I haven't socialize properly in months (maybe there is a bunch of people can relate). It's stressing and make me mentally exhausted for months 😭😭😭 can I request something like joshua fluff or wonwoo fluff that can comfort us? And I get it if you can't do it since I think I'm to early for asking. Anyway hope you have a nice day ❣️

no ofc it’s not too early! pls, i want to do this for you guys 🥺💓 these are meant to be small so i ended up doing both. i hope you enjoy and if you ever need someone to talk to, my inbox and dms are always open!

𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧!

° pairing: joshua x reader, wonwoo x reader ° genre: fluff! ° word count: 1214 ° warnings: none! ° tagging: @jaeyoonurl bc she has a thing for j*shua hong

masterlist!

— joshua

in the scenario that you and joshua are living together in a small apartment complex, he does the slightest bit to annoy you whether it be intentional or not

like he’ll either make you stay in bed with him  longer than usual so you’d be late to a zoom class / meeting

or he’d purposefully flick you behind the ear while you’re cooking which causes you to accidentally pour more than just a pinch of salt on your eggs 

since josh owns that little projector that has slides of all the different constellations, he would turn it on right before you guys go to sleep as you lay next to each other on the bed and just stare at the stars from your ceiling

he loves making jewelry to pass the time while you guys watch netflix together. and wants nothing more than receiving an accessory that you made yourself

“joshua hong, please!” you fling your arms up to reach for the object now in joshua’s hands, much to your avail. “it’s literally so ugly. i beg you, please don’t wear it!” the little jump you add doing nothing but exhaust your energy. 

you knew it was bad idea, you should have trusted your gut the minute joshua left to get the groceries. forty-five minutes was just not enough time for you to possibly make a small thank you gift for you boyfriend. a token to say, ‘this is what three years has gotten us.’

“but you gave it to me!” joshua refutes back. you let your guard down, breathing rapidly in order to catch your breath from the unnecessary movement of having to keep up with him. he, on the other hand, took this as an opportunity to run, sprint away from your wrath and make a clean line for the bathroom before shutting the door to securely lock it in place. 

joshua hears your wallowed out screams coming from the other side and softly chuckles under his breath, wondering when you’ll ever get used to his childish antics at times. he safely unravels his hands to reveal the tiny object. and he can’t help but smile wide, ear to ear, and think, ‘so that’s why i felt something pointy.’ 

you’ve given up at this point. by now, he’s probably already seen your gift and for all you know, everything is doomed. your hand laid flat on top of the door, deciding whether to shrivel in front of him now or wait until he confronts you first. yet, he’s able to make that decision for you as he abruptly opens the door causing you to fall forward straight into his arms. 

“why, hello gorgeous,” you watch from underneath him, the corner of his lip rising up to form a cheeky smirk. you squint your eyes menacing at the thought that he could possibly be wearing the horrid gift you made. tilting your head to the side, you open one eye to catch a glimpse of green hanging from joshua’s left ear. he turns his head just slighty so you could get a better look. “you’ve really out done yourself, if i had anything to say about it. though i have to say, i didn’t think you’d go for the cute food aesthetic. i thought you hated avocados.”

blood immediately rushes towards your cheeks and hide your face from joshua’s vision but he was too quick. using his brute strength, he pulls your weight so you’re standing in front of the mirror, back facing him. your mind spirals as you feel joshua tuck strands of your hair behind your ear. “awe lookie, i knew you’d be wearing the other one,” he says before deliverying a small peck to your cheek, leaving you a scrambled mess. “what a perfect anniversary gift.”

— wonwoo

spending time with wonwoo during quarantine would be rather quiet and simple, but that doesn’t mean your time spent together is boring

having little to nothing to do all day makes you realize how much renovations you guys can do around your home

your morning conversations over breakfast would be about different home décor that you found on amazon and you would end up having such a fun time talking about it because you guys turn them into little debates over if the items are actually necessary 

that being said, wonwoo would be so willing to buy anything that would fill your guys’ boredom. and yes, that would include getting two separate desks, possibly four computer screens, two headsets, two light up keyboards for the heck of it, and of course: two very comfortable gamer chairs

no, he would not let you win at any games for freebies — you gotta earn that shit

out of all the days of the week, nothing was ever reserved for sundays. truly, every day was a free day — lounging around, doing chores, testing new cooking hacks to see if they actually worked. but sundays especially were just extra... boring. the very end of the week with absurd nothing to do. which has led you to spend this sunday morning in front of your dual computer screens with your boyfriend joining you on the other side of the desk.

“damn it!” you exclaim, lightly slamming the keys on your keyboard due to this endless frustration boiling inside of you since you’ve started playing. “how do i keep losing... it’s club penguin for fucks sake!”

your hands collect your face with pure dread and exhaustion, wondering how your supreme logic failed you during card jitsu. you hear a hearty chuckle coming from wonwoo sitting across from you. “the cards are just in my favor, sweetheart.”  he eyes you as he takes the warm cup of coffee to his lips to take a sip. “how about, best two out of three to see who has to make breakfast?” the huskiness of his voice growing deeper with each word, leaving you in trace for just a moment. 

you ponder at the bet, looking back between the screen showcasing your pink penguin and your beautiful barefaced boyfriend, ultimately coming to a decision. “what about. i watch you wipe out your penguin foes for the next few rounds and then we can make breakfast together,” you suggest instead, your mind thinking far beyond your apparently lousy deck of cards. 

“fine by me,” wonwoo shrugged, adjusting himself comfortably to his seat. you silently admire him from where you are, noticing how notably meticulous he was being when he’s focused. wonwoo’s eyes captures yours but gives you a puzzled look. “are you not gonna come over here?” he quietly asks. 

the simple question makes your head drop, feeling embarrassed as you try hard not to show him how flustered he made you. regardless, your legs move without you having to think it over. and instead of sitting on the small space that he left for you on his chair, you move his arm aside to face him before straddling your legs and sitting on his lap. 

wonwoo, completely unfazed, takes his free arm not holding his mouse and tugs you in closer to his chest so you can lay your head on his shoulder. for the remainder of your morning, your eyes slowly start to droop to the sound of penguin screams and victory.