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as cozy as a campfire 🔥❤️

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Lover Boy | h.js

pairing ➳ commoner!joshua x aristocrat!fem!reader

genre ➳ regency era romance, historical, drama, slow burn, angst.

word count ➳ 8.3k

warnings ➳ for the sake of plot reader's surname is Jones ( just ignore it), might be historically inaccurate, arguments, some family issues, pressure for marriage, reader is mean at one point, wanted to include smut but it lowkey felt wrong cuz this was the time when showing ankles was scandalous so 🤷‍♀️

synopsis ➳ pining for someone like him is as scandalous as it can be but the heart wants what it wants and your heart wants him.

He's here once again.

You peek through the curtains, watching him park his bicycle before reaching for the bouquet of flowers sitting in the basket. He has brought tulips today, in purple, your mother's favorite.

Your heart thumps rapidly in your chest as you watch him from your hiding spot in your room, behind the curtains. You ingrain his beautiful features in the deepest parts of your brain, taking in each slope and curve with rapt attention.

As if he can feel your gaze burning on him, his head tilts up and he blinks, before recognition flashes in his eyes. He gives you a sweet, almost teasing smile as you've been caught spying on him and you immediately pull the curtains shut, hiding from his eyes.

Yeah, real smooth.

This has become a regular habit for you. Watching this particular man, this flower delivering boy every Friday and Tuesday morning just after breakfast, which you hurry to finish so that you don't miss him.

It's nothing but a harmless crush really, ongoing for about a year. It started on a rainy morning when you were out on the patio, watching the rain when he appeared, riding his bike, almost drenched from the downpour.

You quietly viewed him from your spot, watching as he handed a beautiful basket of roses to your mother before tipping his hat in goodbye and jogging back to his bike. Just as he was about to leave, somehow his eyes landed on you— a bored, quiet yet intriguing look on your face at the same time, and he held your gaze for a good few seconds before smiling at you as if you had known each other forever, before going on his merry way.

Something about that smile changed you from deep within. Whenever you'd close your eyes you would only see him, his crescent eyes, the crinkles around them and his sweet, comforting grin. It haunted you to the point he became your obsession.

You extracted a little information about him from your mother who gave you a strange look. But you couldn't be bothered. You had a frustratingly beautiful fixation.

And so it began. You spying on the flower delivering boy— or a man, given how solid his body looked under the puffy shirt. Days bled into weeks and then into months and your fixation evolved into something more. Something that tugged at your heartstrings, made you memorize every little detail about him which would come to plague your mind in the darkness of the night. Prompt thoughts that, if heard by your mother would put you up for an exorcism by the church.

Being the oldest daughter of the earl comes with both fors and againsts. Fors, being pretty clothes and jewels, carriage rides to fancy parties, respect and admiration from everyone, oh— and good food. That's about it. Againsts, however, there are plenty. 

Like being constantly nagged by your mother to find a rich suitor and get married. Like being cornered with plenty of such rich suitors whom you never find just slightly attractive. But the biggest one of them would be if you were seen with the pretty flower delivery man.

Your mother gave you a pep talk one day when you asked for his name, saying that you better not get familiar with the likes of him and instead focus on finding a man to marry and have children with.

It was annoying, really. So much so that you wished you could summon that stupid handsome man and kiss him just to vex your mother. Alas, it remained a wish.

Like most of the things in your life.

-

"Your sister is expecting," your mother announces as she carefully spreads pomegranate jam on her bread. You stop eating for a second, processing the words and then nod. "I'll be sure to visit her and congratulate her."

Even though it isn't evident on her face, you know your mother is over the moon. Your sister, the one 3 years younger than you, got married last winter and within four months she's expecting. You also know that this is what she wishes for you too and now the conversation will venture in that direction.

"Once again, ____. I'm telling you to find someone— "

"You know I'm not interested, mother," you cut her off, sipping your tea. You can feel her gaze burn into you as there's a heavy pause before she drops her bread on the plate and wipes her fingers with the napkin. "Which is why I've found someone for you. You know lady Downwell. Her nephew is an extremely talented young man with gorgeous looks. He is plenty rich too. I've asked him to have lunch with us today so that you may get to know each other."

The look of horror on your face matches your fathers as you drop the cup from your hand, sending it crashing down and he chokes a cough before blinking rapidly. Your younger brother, only 8 years old, sitting next to you, screams in glee while slapping on the jam spread on his toast, sending it flying, "Sister is getting married!"

Your mother doesn't blink an eye at the commotion.

"D-dear, isn't this a bit too sudden?" Your father starts gently. The woman spoken to glares at him. "Sudden? You know how long I have been telling her to find a suitor. She is well above the age to get married. If we keep going like this no one will marry her except an old, blind oaf!"

"S-still, my love. You could have told me. I would have looked into him."

"I have already done that. He is the perfect gentleman. You will see when he arrives."

The way your mother talks so nonchalantly, deciding your fate right in front of you without even bothering to ask makes your blood boil. You clench your fists as tightly as you can, trying your best to not lash out but the effort is in vain.

You stand up abruptly, sending the chair back with an ugly screech as you snap, "If you think for one moment that I'm going to marry someone you choose for me, then you are gravely mistaken, mother!"

She stares at you, horrified but before she can curse you out, you head for the door, snatching your cloak on the way. 

You've had enough of this nonsense.

-

Hours of wandering later, you find yourself in the market, among the hustling and bustling of people who keep sparing you second glances, undoubtedly because of your pristine, polished appearance. You try to ignore them, instead focusing on the beautiful array of fresh produce, their color so vibrant you feel hungry. You keep walking, passing by the stores of fruits, vegetables, potteries, bakeries and more until you stop in front of a fairly large flower shop. It is minimally designed yet stands out among all the other shops and before you know it, you're stepping inside, pushing the door open.

It is empty except for the huge rows of flowers of various colors and sizes and types, arranged in long rows on one side of the shop. On the other side is a counter with a chair, a reception you assume, in which sits no one.

Just as you are about to call out for someone, a man appears from the back door, wiping his hands with a handkerchief and as his eyes meet yours, your breath is stolen.

It's him.

The flower delivering man.

Joshua.

Your breath stutters as you blink, feet almost moving to bolt out the door, for no particular reason except your shyness. Though, he saves you the trouble.

"Hello, Lady Jones. What may be the occasion that has led you to visit me?"

"Y-you recognize me?" You whisper, a little breathless.

"Should I not?" He blinks innocently. "I deliver flowers at your place twice a week, my lady."

"Y-yes. I am aware." You murmur. He waits for you to say more but when he's met with silence he offers, "The reason for your visit? Does your mother not like the pansies I dropped this week?"

"No, I am... not here about that." You look around awkwardly, moving your hands in the air as if they will conjure up the words. "I- I was wandering nearby and... I came across this shop. It looked lovely so I came in. I had no idea it belonged to you."

He nods, seeming to ponder over your words. Then he hums, as if satisfied and asks, "Would you like some tea? I have passion fruit and camomile. I would recommend the latter."

"Um," you swallow, throat dry. "Yes, please."

Lord, your mother would lose her mind if she knew you were having tea with him. Which makes you only want to do it more.

He offers you to sit on one of the two chairs by the window of the shop while he disappears inside the door he approached from. Once alone, you take in your surroundings, cozy and warm, a beautiful scent of flowers wafting in the air, soothing your stressed soul. But the ambiance of the environment doesn't stop you from chewing on your lip anxiously because you realize that running from the breakfast table isn't going to help you out of your situation.

When you return home tonight you'll be scolded by your mother or maybe, if your luck is really bad then she has probably already sent men looking for you. The thought makes you crane your head and look out the window suspiciously.

"Something got you anxious, my lady?" Your head whips back to see Joshua approaching with a tray containing two cups of tea. Setting it down on the small coffee table, he takes a seat on the vacant chair to your opposite.

"N-no," you murmur, eyes averting his. He hums and you have a feeling he doesn't buy your words. Nervous to make eye contact, you instead watch the steam emitting from the cups and chew on your lip.

"I have to say, I am quite pleasantly surprised with your unexpected visit. I never imagined you would set foot in this shabby little place."

"It is not shabby at all," You frown. "It is wonderful, albeit a little short but it has such a comfortable atmosphere."

"I have heard you rarely step outside the grounds of your place. It is quite an honor to have you here."

"I— yes that is true." You whisper, wondering if he thinks you are a spoiled little princess. But you have your reasons for staying inside most of the time. An unmarried girl your age, a daughter of the earl at that, has people frowning upon you all the time. If they are not frowning, the ladies or their sons of the high society are asking for your hand in marriage. It gets annoying and makes your skin crawl, being spied on all the time.

"I tend to garner a lot of attention when I step outside," you murmur shyly, reaching for the tea and taking a sip. 

"Why so, my lady?" The man frowns, making you squirm in embarrassment. Is he really so dense?

"Perhaps because I am well of age yet not married?" You state.

A beautiful flush coats the man's cheeks as he blinks and lowers his head. "Right, of course. My apologies, my lady."

His reaction makes you laugh. "It is nothing to apologize about, Mr...?"

"Hong," he offers.

You smile. "Mr. Hong. In fact, apologizing makes it worse almost." He flinches, looking ashamed, "Right." You offer him a kind smile to make him feel better. He says nothing as you sip your tea and watch outside the window and you feel his occasional glances at you.

An ambient silence later, he asks, "If you do not mind me asking, why are you yet not married?"

You blink, slightly taken aback. No one asked you that question so far, never bothered to know the reason why you have always run from the bond of matrimony. He probably takes your silence as irritation because he once again flushes red and apologizes, "I'm so sorry, my lady. I keep saying the most inappropriate words."

"No, no, not at all, Mr. Hong." You set down your cup. " I was a little surprised, that's all. No one has asked me that, ever."

"Oh." He breathes, blinking at you in curiosity. You exhale and play with the strings of your corset, wondering if you should tell him the truth. Before you think too much, your mouth starts moving. "I suppose I want the love I read in books. I want to feel the longing, the passion, and the desire they talk about in the stories. I have seen many many men but none of them made me feel those things. They were too reserved or awkward, too haste or rude, or just simply wanting the privileges of marrying an earl's daughter. So, I suppose I am yet to be betrothed for I am wishing for that type of love."

He remains still, observing you with careful eyes, making you feel embarrassed. You whisper in embarrassment, "Silly, is it not?"

He shakes his head. "Not even the slightest, my lady. In fact, that is really thoughtful. I admire the way you think."

"Oh," heat flares across your face as your heart thuds loudly in your chest. "T-thank you." You breathe.

He gives you his sweet smile, "You are welcome, my lady. I hope you find the love you are looking for. I assure you, you will one day."

His words make the wave of reality crash on you as you remember that your mother has already prepared a man for you. You sigh wistfully as the bitter words leave your mouth, "I do not think that will be happening."

A frown mars his beautiful face as he shifts in his chair and peers closely at your face, "Why do you say so, my lady?"

"My mother has already arranged a marriage for me." You blurt out. It definitely is not the wisest decision to say this to an almost stranger but the burden of the thought weighs heavily on your chest and it feels slightly better to let it out. Joshua seems stunned as he has gone speechless and is now watching you quietly.

Moments tick by in silence until he finally whispers, "I am sorry to hear that."

You let out a dry, unceremonious laugh. "Me too." He gives you a sympathetic look before reaching for his tea, probably feeling a little uncomfortable. You don't feel any better as the sane part of your brain questions why you are dumping your stupid problems on the man you've been talking to for ten minutes and who is also the man you have secretly pined for.

Sensing that you should leave now and find some other place to hide till dusk, you shift in your chair and clear your throat. However, he cuts you off.

"Do you perhaps have someone you like?" The man asks. You blink, stunned at the question as you process your thoughts.

Do you like someone?

Yes. A hundred times yes.

It is the man sitting in front of you. The one you can never have.

"I...yes, I do." You reply, face heated. He nods thoughtfully and suggests, "You should let him know then."

"I am not sure he feels the same for me." You avoid his eyes as if he can see the truth in them.

"Then ask him," Joshua says like it is the most obvious thing in the world. "Let him know. Any man would be crazy to refuse you, my lady."

Really?

His words make heat bloom in your face as your heart beats faster. "That is high praise, Mr. Hong."

"It is nothing but the truth, my lady." His words are fiercely sincere. You watch him for a breath, letting his words sink in and then, do the last thing a sane person would ever do.

"Will you be my betrothed, Mr. Hong?" You whisper, so low you assume he won't catch it but he does. You can tell by the way his eyebrows rise and his eyes widen as the hand reaching for the teacup stops mid-air. There is a heavy pause in the air as you wait, feeling like the entire world has stopped.

And then, he does something you never quite expected. He starts laughing. A full on belly laugh as he writhes in his seat and howls in laughter, the sound echoing around as if to mock you.

He has a hard time catching his breath and when he does he looks seriously amused. "My lord! You have quite the sense of humor, Lady Jones! I almost believed you!"

Embarrassment and anger flare through you. How dare he think you are joking when you said the bravest thing one could imagine to say? Your hands clench into fists as you abruptly stand, sending the chair back roughly and glare at him.

Your reaction completely sobers him as the look in his eyes changes, replaced with panic. But you have reached past the point of caring. Utterly humiliated, you turn and march for the door, fingers working on fastening the clasp of your cloak. Just as you are about to pull the door open his hand grabs your elbow, halting you.

"My lady! Please, wait!"

Unshed tears gather in your eyes as you scowl at him, clenching your teeth to hold in the fury.

"You...you were not joking, were you?" His voice is meek and the look in his eyes tells you that he knows the answer.

"I—..." He struggles to find words and it's almost pathetic so you save him the trouble.

"It is all right, Mr. Hong. I did not expect you to feel the same for me and neither do I expect you to save me from my trouble. You asked me to let him know and I merely did. This should not be a problem. We will never face each other again so we can put this past us and pretend as if it has never happened." The words are hard to speak, especially since you are so close to him, closer than you could ever imagine being and you can see the specks of gold in his eyes, and breathe in the faint scent of flowers and mint coming from him.

And that is torture. 

So you free yourself from his grasp and bolt out of his shop, feet carrying you through the throng of people in the market.

You spend the next few hours just wandering around, crossing large meadows, grape vines, marigold gardens and so much more, all the while trying to forget his reaction.

You did not expect him to fall head over heels for you but the last thing you could imagine was to be laughed at. How humiliating. The more you think about it, the more shame you feel.

What if he has someone he likes? What if he is already betrothed to someone?

Oh Lord, you wish the ground would open up and swallow you whole.

Your aimless wandering comes to an end with the fall of dusk as your aching feet carry you back to your home where your mother's wrath awaits. Oddly, you do not feel scared of that, your heart already burdened with another type of emotion.

As you predicted, your mother is livid the moment you step into your house, sending the servants scattering away at her booming voice as your father tries to calm her down and give you a sympathetic look. You care for none of those as you simply let her shout at you and then retreat into your room where you curl up into a ball on your bed and lie in silence.

You don't know if it's the heartbreak or exhaustion that lulls you to sleep.

-

The next morning when you come downstairs, you find the house empty other than your father. Apparently, your mother and younger brother have gone to the neighbor's place for breakfast so you sigh in relief.

As you finish your breakfast in silence and the maidservant clears away your plates, your father emerges from his study and stops when he spots you.

After a beat of silence, he takes a seat next to you and gives you a soft, meaningful look that chokes you with emotions. "How are you holding up, darling?" He quietly asks.

"Fine, I suppose. I have accepted my fate." You reply, staring at your lap. Your father sighs wistfully. "I know your mother can be too much to handle at times but she means well. She did that out of concern for you."

You resist the urge to roll your eyes.

"That being said," your father continues. "She should not have arranged a meeting without consulting with you first. I apologize on her behalf, darling."

You swallow and blink back the tears and manage to simply nod in reply. When he calls your name you are forced to meet his eyes and you can see the seriousness in his expression.

"You don't have to accept anything you are not comfortable with, darling. I know you, my daughter and I do not want you to move into an arrangement unhappy when it ties you up for life. I want you to think and I want you to make the decision. Whether you marry Lady Campbell's niece or wait for someone, I want you to decide for yourself and stand by it. And I promise to help you with that however I can."

The wave of gratefulness you feel is immense as you croak, "Really, father?"

"Yes, my child." He reaches for your hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. You take a breath and whisper, "I do not want to marry her niece. I am not ready, not yet at least."

He nods calmly and pats your shoulder. "Then you will not. I will have a talk with your mother later but ultimately you should convince her, make her see your point. It may be hard but it is not impossible."

You nod solemnly, a flurry of hope and motivation flowing through you. A thought occurs to you and just as your father is about to get up and leave, you stop him.

"Father, what kind of man do you expect me to marry?"

He frowns. "I'm not quite following, darling."

"I mean, do you wish for me to marry someone who is from high society like us? Or would you be fine if I brought home an ordinary man?"

He ponders for a moment before replying, "I wish for you to marry someone you love or at least someone who understands you, respects you and protects you." Then his eyes narrow on you, "Do you have someone you like, my daughter?"

"No," you murmur, because that's not completely a lie. Yes, you like someone but that person doesn't like you so it is pointless to mention that. Your father watches you for a moment before walking away and leaving you by yourself. You watch the blue sky and the garden from the large windows, yet your thoughts remain stuck on one particular man, who smells like flowers and hopes and love.

-

In the afternoon when you come downstairs, intent on spending some time in the garden, tending to the flowers, you realize something is up.

Your mother's scowl of disdain greets you at the bottom of the stairs as she stands in front of your father's study, her arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently.

You don't need to ask what is wrong as she speaks, "What did you do, young lady!"

You're baffled and it is safe to say you have no idea what you could have done. Calmly, you ask, "Could you explain, mother?"

She hisses, "What is that flower delivery boy doing here!"

"Huh?"

"Mr. Hong is here to see your father, wishing to talk about you, _____! What did you do yesterday? Did you meet with him?"

The ground beneath you disappears as you fall and fall, tumbling down into an abyss of anxiousness. Throat dry, eyes wide in alarm, you set sight for your father's study and take determined steps towards it. Your mother is horrified, calling for you to stop but you don't listen as you slam open the door to the study.

Two pairs of eyes greet you as your father sits behind his large oak desk, hand resting under his chin thoughtfully and Joshua stands in front, dressed formally, clutching his hat between his hands.

You open your mouth, to make some excuse or maybe accuse the poor man of lying but your father saves you from it.

"______, darling I'm in the middle of a discussion."

"But father— !"

"_____." Your name is uttered in a warning which makes you shut up and begrudgingly, you step back but not before sending your best threatening glare at Joshua who keeps looking at you impassively, no emotion whatsoever written on his face.

Just as you close the door, your mother is hot on your heels as she throws a dozen questions left and right. You try to block them out as you bite your nails nervously.

Your agitation carries you to the garden as you try to take a peek into your father's study but alas, the drapes are on, blocking the complete view.

What is Joshua doing here? Is he here to complain about you? Tell your father how you stupidly confessed to him? Or threaten to tell everyone about your actions?

Oh, sweet lord.

The thoughts overwhelm you and you wish you could fall to the ground and cry. You are too wired to do that but you know you will be crying later, when this handsome threat leaves and your mother grounds you forever.

You rub your temples in sheer worry as you pace back and forth in the garden littered with beautiful plants. This is usually your place of solace but right now you feel nothing remotely close to it.

This is it. You are doomed. You will still end up marrying some man you aren't interested in but now with an extra bit of shame and scandal.

The sound of footsteps wakes you out of your stupor as you whip your head to see Joshua leaving the house. You charge straight at him, hissing, "What on earth could you be doing here, Mr. Hong!"

He stares at you blankly for a moment before replying, "I think you and I both know the reason for my sudden presence, my lady."

His calmness bursts fury in your veins like he just didn't ruin your already ruined life.

"Are you insane?" You seethe. "Why would you tell my father about that? It was a mistake, alright? I know it was inappropriate but could you not have saved me from the shame?"

He remains silent, just blinking.

Oh, how you wish you could choke him.

"I— I just do not understand, Mr. Hong!" You rub your temples, searching for the words. "You always act like a gentleman but behind the facade, you are just scheming, are you not? What did you ask my father for, huh? Blackmail him for money? Threaten to tell everyone about my stupid confession unless you got paid?"

There is a flash of anger, mixed with hurt in his eyes that makes you shut your mouth. Maybe you went too far.

Shit. This only keeps getting worse.

There's a long moment of silence, where you two gaze at each other, you cowering under his hard stare before he sighs softly, "I believe it is best you ask your father. He will tell you everything."

He tips his hat in goodbye before briskly walking out the gates, leaving you frayed with nerves and slightly guilty.

-

Your father's movements are cool and calm as he pours himself some tea, definitely not looking like someone who had been threatened or blackmailed. Well, you just assumed that and the more time passes, the more you realize your observation was terribly wrong. Which further worries you.

What is going on here?

"Please put me out of my misery, father," you speak, eyes watching him helplessly as he sits down behind his desk and takes a sip. Humming in satisfaction, he sets the cup down and meets your eyes. There seems to be a hint of an amused curve in his lips but your disoriented brain could be just imagining that.

"As you saw, Mr. Hong was here. He had something shocking to say. Or ask, I suppose." This time, there is a full on amused smile on his face that makes your toes curl.

Holding your breath, you wait for your father to continue.

"He asked me for your hand in marriage."

What?

What?

The air in your lungs gets trapped inside as you forget to breathe. Had you not been sitting down, you would have tumbled on the ground by now.

You had to have heard that wrong. There is simply no way...

"C-could you please repeat that?" You are choking.

Your father smiles. "He wishes to marry you, my daughter. He came to ask me for permission. It appears you came across him yesterday and also professed your feelings toward him..."

There is a buzzing in your ears as your father's words fade away, replaced with an overwhelming wave of emotions. You are stunned, grateful, impressed, guilty and so much more that you don't know what to do with yourself. You wish you could cry but the utter shock in your system prevents you from doing that too.

When your father calls your name multiple times, you snap out of your haze and blink at him. "What did you say to him, father?"

A playful smile dances on his lips. "It's sufficient to say I was completely stunned at his bravery. He is a noble young man and I am thoroughly impressed and assured that he would take care of you in every way. So I told him I would speak with my daughter and that if she truly desires him, I will bestow my blessings."

Tears of relief and gratefulness leak from your eyes.

"F-father..."

His eyes soften, "You like that man, do you not? Is that why you asked me whether I would be okay if you did not marry someone in the high society?"

You nod shyly. "Yes, but I was just curious, father. I really did not imagine he would come here and ask for my hand in marriage. I just blurted out my feelings the other day and I..." You shake your head, absolutely bewildered until the realization dawn's upon you.

How rashly you behaved with him. How you accused him of things he never did.

You always act like a gentleman but behind the facade, you are just scheming, are you not?

Threaten to tell everyone about my stupid confession unless you got paid, no?

You wince as you remember your words. Immediately you stand up. "I need to go somewhere. Can I take your horse?"

He lifts a surprised eyebrow before nodding. "Send your mother inside on your way out."

You almost bolt out of the room. Your mother stands right outside but you push past her and reach for your cloak hanging by the door as she throws a hundred questions in your direction.

"Father is waiting for you!" You tell as you fly out the front door, heading for the stables where you find your father's trustee horse Bella and get on it.

Soon you are flying down the streets, Bella's legs gracefully carrying you to your destination, Joshua's flower shop. You can only hope he's there as you have no idea where he actually lives. Well, if he isn't there then you are just going to wait for him. You were a complete spoiled brat and you said some very mean things to him that you need to apologize for no matter what.

The market soon comes into view and a minute later you are in front of his shop where you get down and fasten Bella next to a pole. You almost break down the doors as you push them wide open, grateful that they open.

But inside, there is no one.

"Mr. Hong?" Your voice is filled with urgency.

No reply.

A chill settles into your bones.

He shouldn't be far away if he left his shop unlocked, right?

Tentatively you step into the shop, eerie stillness in the air...or maybe it's the imagination of your guilt. You pass by the reception booth and the displays of flowers and come to stand in front of the small door at the back of the shop. Seeing it slightly ajar, you breathe in the courage and give it a gentle push.

The door opens to lead you to a garden, so full of flowers it feels unreal. It is a burst of colors, a piece of paradise, and something so beautiful you could never imagine.

You step down a couple of stairs and put your foot on the grass, eyes taking in the huge land of flowers. With the sun slowly setting down on the horizon this feels magical. Walking a little further into the garden, you spot the man you are looking for, as he is crouched near the ground, washing his hands next to a pail of water.

Before you can stop yourself, you are calling out for him.

His head whips around at your voice as shock colors his face. You take quick steps towards him as he stands up and wipes his hands with a handkerchief, a sudden look of disdain settling on his face. You, however, don't let that dissuade you.

"The door was open so I let myself in. I hope you do not mind." You murmur, not being able to hold his gaze and instead looking down at the ground. The reply you get is a sound, somewhere between a hum and a grunt, increasing your guilt tenfold.

You have never seen him like this. His normal joyous self is replaced by this cold mask and icy glare. It makes you jittery with nerves as you try to form a complete coherent sentence in your head.

"I.... I—"

"What brings you here, Lady Jones?" There is an underlying harshness in his tone that breaks your heart.

"My father has accepted your proposal!" You blurt out instead of apologizing. His eyes widen visibly in shock and his mouth parts just a little bit before going back to the previous unyielding gaze.

"I see." Is all he says, frowning. He turns his back on you in dismissal and picks up a watering can to walk over to a bunch of marigolds. As he waters them you trail behind like a lost puppy, hands clenching and unclenching at his utter dismissal.

"Mr. Hong, listen—"

"I am glad you took the liberty to come all the way here and let me know that but I think you should head back. The sun will set soon." He states not even glancing at you.

You stop in your tracks, glaring at him as tears burn in your eyes. Before you know it, you yell. "Will you let me speak for a second? I am trying to apologize here, mister!"

He turns around in a flash and scowls at you as he snarks. "Well, you sure are not doing a good job at it!"

You gasp, a sudden pinch of pain in your heart as you take a step back. "You won't even listen to me!"

He spares you a glance for a moment before going back to his work and that sets the limit. You screech, tears of hurt and guilt and exhaustion pouring down your cheeks. "I'm sorry, okay! I ran over here as soon as father told me everything! I know very well what I said was out of line and I'm sincerely sorry for that! I was scared, okay? The things I mentioned took place before and I did not want my father to be blackmailed or humiliated, especially for my actions! But I was wrong! I was too quick to judge you and I should have known better and I'm sorry!"

You stop to catch your breath and wipe away the tears while he stands immobile with his back facing you. Getting the clear message, you spit out the bitter words. "I can clearly see that you have now changed your mind and I am not blaming you. I shall go and let my father know that you are not interested in me anymore. Goodbye!"

You turn on your heel, marching out of the garden and into his shop where you take in a deep breath, the familiar scent of comfort filling your nostrils for the very last time and head for the front door. Just as you grab the handle, a hand catches your wrist and pulls you back in a flash, making you lose your footing and bump straight into a strong chest.

The scent and warmth of Joshua envelopes you completely as he wraps his arms around you, one on your waist and the other cradling your head, holding you against him tightly. You tense up and try to free yourself but he only grips you tighter, burying your face into his hard chest and before you can think, a stream of new tears flows out of your eyes. You clutch his shirt in a tight fist as you sob into his chest, murmuring a continuous string of apologies. He shushes you, rubbing a reassuring palm on your back as you let out all the pent up frustrations.

When you have finally ridden out the wave of overwhelming emotions you pull back, embarrassment creeping up your neck. Joshua, however, gazes at you fondly as he tucks a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

"You shall do no such thing, you hear me, my lady? I am marrying you and now that your father has agreed, there is no going back."

You chew on your lips. "But...I do not wish for you to feel trapped in this marriage. I do not want you to marry me just because—"

He holds up a finger against your lips, shushing you immediately. The touch of his skin against yours shoots tingles all through your spine and you suddenly wonder how his lips would feel against yours.

"I want to marry you, lady Jones. I am no longer shy to admit that thoughts of you have plagued my mind for a while now. But I simply pushed them away because I never imagined you feeling the same. However, we are here now and I want you to have no doubts about my feelings for you, for they are the most genuine."

Your face burns with embarrassment as your heart flutters in your chest at his heartfelt confession. You realize he still has his arm around your waist as he gazes at you softly and once again, you voice out the crazy thought that pops into your mind.

"Will you kiss me, Mr. Hong?" Your voice is breathless as you meet his eyes. They go wider than saucers upon hearing your words as he quickly retracts his hands from your body, leaving behind an aching longing.

"My lady!" He chides and you can see a hint of red blooming in his cheeks. "I shall not defile you before we are—"

You hover on your toes and press your lips against his, silencing him. Just as quickly as you kissed him, you pull back, your shyness and nervousness getting the best of you.

The look of utter horror on the man's face makes you cringe as you look down in shame. "I— I apologize, Mr—"

This time you are silenced as he tilts your head up by your chin and kisses you, all warm and soft. His lips mold against yours perfectly as he gently explores your mouth, leaving you breathless yet desperate to continue.

When he pulls back, your lips are puffed and your heart beats so loud you're afraid he can hear it. There is a different kind of look in his eyes, heated and full of desire as he intently stares at your lips for some agonizingly long moments. When you are about to lean in for more he takes a step back, a serious look on his face.

"I meant it when I said I shall not defile you before our marriage. My control is hanging by a thread right now so please do not tempt me, my lady."

"_____." You whisper.

"What?"

"Please call me by my name. I do not like it when you refer to me as my lady."

He frowns but you can see he finds the idea tempting. "I do not think that it will be appropriate."

"Just when it is the two of us." You add, hoping to convince him. He sighs, defeated and calls your name softly, stealing your breath all over again. He presses a soft kiss on your forehead as he pulls you into an embrace, making you melt against his chest and breathe him in.

A while later, you remember that the sun has set and you are expected home soon as you pull back with a wistful sigh. "I need to get going. My parents are going to be worried."

Joshua nods as he reaches for a coat folded over a chair. "I shall accompany you." He states, already moving for the door.

"It is not necessary—"

"Nonsense. It is dark outside and I shall ensure the safety of my future wife." The teasing smile on his face makes you grin like a lovestruck fool and you happily let him accompany you home.

_

A week later, Joshua drops by your house, having tea with your father before taking you out for an afternoon stroll. You dress up for the occasion, putting on a flattering gown and doing your hair and makeup as he takes you to a nearby vineyard.

"How have you been?" He asks politely. A week of not seeing him has made you somewhat shy and awkward as you murmur your reply shyly.

"Having second thoughts, my lady?" He raises a brow, teasing. A pout forms on your lips. "I told you not to call me that. And no, I am not."

"Good." He smiles. The afternoon sun falling on his face gives him his ethereal glow and shamelessly, you wish for the wedding to come quicker as your desire for him continues to grow.

"Then what seems to be the issue?"

"Just things..." You trail off, unsurely. "My mother, mainly. She is having a tough time accepting this." You sigh, motioning between the two of you.

A frown mars his face, making you feel guilty. While it is true that she is still pestering you to change your mind, you have started to learn how to tune it out. You let her know that you were not going to change your decision no matter what she said and the fact that your father and your siblings were on board with you definitely gave you courage.

With your mother holding a grudge, you took it upon yourself to start preparing for the wedding. Your sister also came to help and along with the aid of the maidservants, it is coming along pretty nicely. The linen draper came by today as you finalized your dress and now that that is out of the way, you feel a lot better.

Joshua has remained silent beside you as you two continue to walk and you start fiddling, wondering if you've hurt his feelings. "You do not have to be concerned about my mother. She is just not happy with our... differences but I am sure she will come around." You reassure him.

"Does it bother you?" Joshua asks suddenly, stopping and meeting your eyes. "That I am not from high society?" 

"Why would you think so?" You ask, almost yelling. "I do not care where you come from or what your status is, Joshua. It pains that you would think so."

He sighs. "I am sorry, love." The pet name rapidly blooms heat on your face and it amplifies as he reaches to grab your hands. His larger fingers rub your knuckles soothingly as he offers you a soft smile. "I just... sometimes worry because I will not be able to give you the lifestyle you are used to. But you do not have to worry too much. My father may not be high born but he was a great businessman and I have inherited all his properties. He also left me a land—"

You shut him up with a kiss. He's taken aback and just as he is about to deepen it, you pull back with a teasing smile. "I think the person worrying too much here is you, mister."

He chuckles softly, dropping a quick kiss on your nose and intertwining his hands with yours as you resume your walk. "I shall try my utmost to keep you happy, love." He promises.

You smile. "I know you will. I shall do the same."

-

That night as you prepare for bed, your mother peeks into your room and surprising you, invites herself in. You watch her, a little confused as she takes a seat on your bed because she has been avoiding you as best as she could until now.

She fiddles with her nightgown for a while before heaving a deep sigh, making you wonder what bomb she is going to drop on you now.

Her eyes meet yours. "You are truly going to marry that man, no?"

"Yes, mother." You try not to sound too exasperated. She sighs, murmuring something about how you are stubborn like your father and then straightens up.

"You have to understand I am only concerned about you. I love you, ______. You are my daughter and I only want the best for you."

Your heart softens. You exhale loudly. "I know that mother but I need you to understand that Mr. Hong is the best for me. He may not be what you had in mind for me but I find him perfect. He makes me happy, mother."

She stares at you impassively for a while, making you anxious. Did you push her too far?

"I talk from experience, darling. My time with your father had always not been so breezy. The famine that took place in your birth year was not easy. Even as an earl, your father had to struggle to provide for us."

You know this story. That year the famine was particularly harsh, affecting the entire country and your parents had a hard time getting by with your older brother and you, despite being affluent.

"I know how hard times can get and I was married to an earl. I keep imagining the same may happen to you and he would not be able to take care of you and your children."

You sigh, letting a thick silence stretch between the two of you. While she has a point, you would rather struggle with someone you love than live comfortably with a man you despise. It would simply kill you.

"Do you regret it, mother?"

"What?"

"I know you had better proposals than father. During the hard times, did you ever regret choosing him? Having us?"

Your mother indeed had fancier marriage proposals as your grandfather was a duke. Your mother even had a direct proposal from the prince but she refused, choosing your father instead.

She sits in silence for a while before shaking her head. "I do not."

You smile. "Then there you have it. Life is bound to get harsh sometimes, mother. But we can overcome it with the people we love, can we not? You overcame the hard times and now look at us."

Even in the dimly lit room, you can see your mother's eyes shine with unshed tears. She watches you for a moment before a small smile appears on her lips as her arm reaches out to cup your cheek. "When did you grow up so well, darling?"

You smile, your eyes getting teary too as you shuffle closer and wrap your arms around her, tucking your head under her chin. She holds you in her arms like you are a little kid all over again, stroking your hair and gently swaying back and forth.

"I will ask him to come over for lunch, tomorrow. There is still some time left for the wedding so I suppose I should start to get to know him."

She doesn't need to mention who she means by him because you already know and a large smile sets on your face, making your cheeks hurt.

-

A fortnight later, you and Joshua were pronounced man and wife in front of all your loved ones. It felt surreal as you kept wondering how this flower boy became your lover boy so quickly and unexpectedly. Whatever the magic, you were glad and grateful.

Your husband later surprised you with a beautiful cottage by a magnificent lake just by the city that he had purchased for the two of you as a wedding gift. And in there, he stuck to his promise and did a great job of defiling you, again and again and again...

a/n: thank you for reading lover boy! if you enjoyed it please like, reblog and comment your thoughts! for more of my works, check out my pinned post.

wishing you a lovely day.

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Hi hi skye!!! Hope your doing well hehehe. Do you have any soft domestic thoughts about svt vocal line hehehe

hello! im doing good, hope you're doing well too! here you go :)

waking up to smell of joshua making something in the kitchen wafts into air, awakening you from your slumber. you sleepily open your eyes as you try to make out what he's making but the smell of something sweet and coffee hangs in the air, coaxing you awake. you walk to the kitchen, catching joshua off guard as you wrap him in a back hug. "good morning princess", he says and you can hear the smile in his voice. "morning, what are you making", you ask, peeking over the side to see what he was cooking. "hm french toast yum", you say, answering your own question. he'd give you a big stack wit syrup and your favorite toppings and somehow they were always the best french toast you ate.

jeonghan taking care of you if you were sick, having caught a nasty cold from one of your coworkers. he'd take care and baby you so much. he'd let you sleep in, wanting you to rest enough and he'd not let you get out of bed for anything. if you needed anything, he'd be more than willing to bring it to you. he'd get you some simple food to eat and even then if you didn't really have an appetite, he'd feed you a few spoonfuls. he'll definitely pull the 'a plane is coming' with the spoonful of food as he feeds you.

woozi being your pillar during hard and tiring days. he'd see you come home looking so tired and he's immediately come over to you, taking your bags and placing them on the table. he'd see the tiredness in your face as he held your hand. he'd take the liberty of ordering some food while you change and he'd listen to you if you ranted or just spoke about your day.

fooling around with dokyeom at home and somehow he always makes the mundane tasks fun to do. you were clearing up your wardrobe so you dumped all the clothes on your bed. and this was how dokyeom found some cute and pretty tops and dresses that he had never seen you wear and he's like 'how have i never seen you wear these. so that's how you were now doing a try-on haul for your boyfriend who was way too eager to see you in those clothes. he would just be 'baby it's a crime i've not seen you in this dress, you look so good", he coos as he looks at you, only to make you get shy under his gaze.

movie nights with seungkwan where you watch a horror or scary movie because he said he wasn't scared but now he's hiding his face behind the pillow as he practically leans all his weight on you.

Baby Please Come Home - hjs

title: baby please come home pairing: joshua hong x gn!reader genre: fluff, established relationship, idolverse w.c.: 2.9k summary: they’re singing deck the halls, but it’s not like christmas at all a/n: it’s predictable but still cute okay leave me be

“Y/N! There’s something for you outside the door!” You emerge from your room to see your roommate standing at the front door.

You haven’t ordered anything recently so you aren’t sure what it is. When you reach the door you see it’s not a normal package either. It’s a box wrapped in shiny red wrapping paper with a bow on top, just like a Christmas present. 

You pick it up and look at the tag on it. To Y/N, From Your Secret Santa.

You frown a bit in confusion before moving to the couch to open the present. You carefully unwrap the present to reveal a normal box under it. When you open that box you find a pile of clothes and a bag of candies for you. The clothes are adorable and definitely your style and the candies are your favorite kind. It would be a great, if only you knew who it was from. You aren’t a part of any Secret Santas this year so you’re not sure who even sent the present.

You search through the box a bit more before you find a note in the bottom.

Dear Y/N,

Merry Christmas! I know Christmas this year might be hard on you, so I thought I’d send you a little something to cheer you up. When I saw these sweaters I knew they would be perfect for you and I know you can’t miss out on a sweet tooth moment. Wishing you nothing but the happiest of holidays.

Love,

Your Secret Santa

You search the note for hints but still come up short. You have an idea of who you hope it would be from, but you banish those thoughts from your mind. There is no way it could be from him, he is busy with other things this time of the year. If anything it’s probably from your mom just trying to do something nice for you. You appreciate it nonetheless and you can’t wait to thank the gift giver when you find out who it is. It is exactly what you needed to get you in the Christmas spirit.

The next couple of days the gifts continue to come. Some Christmas decorations, a stuffed teddy bear, some scented candles, that book you keep talking about buying. Each gift comes with it’s own note and it isn’t until the seventh day of gifts that you finally put the clues together.

This gift is of a Lego set. You’ve only told one person about this set and the note confirms your suspicions.

Dear Y/N,

I remember you mentioning this to me once or twice. I know you try to hide your love for Legos but I hope this can help be more open with your joys, even the little ones. You deserve things that make you happy. Let’s put it together the next time I see you, yeah?

Love,

Your Secret Santa

Tears well up in your eyes a bit. Of course it’s been him. You were crazy to think anything else.

“Hey Y/N- woah, are you okay?” Your roommate barges into your room only to be stopped in their tracks by your tears.

“I’m fine, I just…Josh has been sending me the gifts.”

Joshua is your boyfriend. You guys have been dating for years now but his time is often spent in Korea with his K-POP group. You know how much being an idol means to him, and you support him no matter what, it’s just hard to not have him around as often as you’d like.

This year he’s been busier than usual and gave you the news a few months back that he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to come back home for the holidays. It has been weighing on you pretty heavily with Christmas coming up and something about the gifts make it better and worse.

It’s a sweet gesture, sending you gifts he knew you’d like to help you celebrate Christmas even while he’s an ocean away. You appreciate the sentiment to no end, but the smallest part of you can’t help but wish you could just have Joshua with you.

“Why don’t you call him?” Your roommate suggests. “I’m sure he would love to hear from you.” With that they leave your room again and you search for your phone.

You double check the time in Korea before you dial his number. You haven’t talked to him in a while outside of a few minor texts checking in on one another. You haven’t seen his face outside of promotional photos though. The phone rings twice before Joshua picks up, his face filling your screen.

“Hi baby!”

“Hi, how are you? Have I caught you at a good time?”

“Yes, yes, of course. Anytime is a good time for you,” he tells you. You know that is definitely not the truth, but it’s still cute he said it. “So what’s up? How’s my favorite person been?”

“I’ve been amazing. All thanks to your gifts, Secret Santa.”

You watch the way Joshua’s face contorts into a grin. “Ah, you’ve figured it out! I’m glad, I was hoping you’d figure it out soon. I know I can’t be home for Christmas, and it’s been killing both of us, but I hope this can make up for some of it.”

“It’s amazing, you’re the best boyfriend ever Josh. Truly, thank you. You didn’t have to put so much effort into it, but it’s much appreciated. You have me very spoiled.”

“Oh just wait for your next few gifts. I had the boys help me pick out a couple of them and I just know you’re going to love them. Send me your reaction when you get them, okay?”

You’re not sure why but without meaning to, tears start to well in your eyes again. “O-of course Josh.”

“Oh baby. Baby what’s wrong? Is it too much?”

“No, no, I love the gifts, they’re all amazing, trust me. It’s just…I miss you so much. Christmas doesn’t feel like Christmas without you. The gifts are wonderful and everything, but it’s not the same you know?”

“I get it, and I’m really sorry I can’t be home Y/N. You know I wish for nothing more than to be with you right now.”

“I know that baby, and it’s not your fault. It doesn’t stop me from missing you though. I have my friends and family and everyone, but you’re the one who means the most to me. I wish we could just cuddle under the blankets with hot chocolate and watch bad Hallmark Christmas romance movies.”

“I wish I could kiss you right now,” Joshua says. His face is more somber now, but you can still see the hint of admiration behind his eyes. Your heart fills with warmth knowing that you guys love each other no matter what.

“I’ll give you double the kisses the next time I see you,” you tell him.

“Well then, I’ll try to be home as soon as possible.”

“Shua-yah!” You hear someone call for Joshua off camera, it sounds like DK.

“Ah, duty calls,” you joke. “I’ll talk to you later, yeah?”

“Of course. I love you, don’t forget that.”

“Never, as long as you don’t forget I love you just as much.”

“I couldn’t even if I tried, not that I ever would. I have to go now, but remember to text me with your reactions to your gift tomorrow. Okay, bye, love you!” With that, the phone call ended. You sigh and place our phone back down.

“Please come home soon,” you mutter to your room before getting up to get on with your day.

Luckily finding out that Joshua is your ‘Secret Santa’ has given you more reasons to text him. You give him a daily update on your gifts and how your reactions to them. Each one is just as amazing as you expect. Just when you didn’t think you could love Joshua more, here he is, showing how well he listens to you and how much he cares about you and how well he knows you.

Truly the only thing that could make everything better would be to have your boyfriend with you in the flesh.

You push those thoughts away as you continue getting ready for Christmas dinner. You’re going over to your parents house to eat dinner with your family and to exchange presents. You fix your outfit before clasping the gold chain necklace around your neck. It was the last gift Joshua gave you and you nearly cried when you saw it.

It’s a beautiful piece with a thin gold chain and a beautiful gem pendant. On the back of the pendant is your and Josh’s initials engraved. It is the most gorgeous piece of jewelry you own and sure to pair it with your outfit for tonight to make sure Joshua is with you in some way.

You check yourself in the mirror once more before you make your way to your parents house. Your father greets you at the door before ushering you into the house where your mother is finishing up dinner in the kitchen.

“Y/N! Oh it’s so nice to see you sweetie.” Your mom presses a quick kiss to your cheek before continuing to tend to the food.

“Let me help you Mom, you seem to have a lot on your plate.”

“Oh no, I’m good here. How about you help set the table though.”

“Can do! How many places should I set?”

“Eleven places, dear.”

“Eleven? Who else is joining us?” It was customary for your family to have ten places during holidays.

“Oh it’s just one of your father’s work friends. He didn’t have anyone to spend the holidays with so your father offered him to come here. Isn’t that nice?”

You hum in agreement before you start to set the table. You softly sing along to the Christmas music your mother has playing as you get the table ready for the feast. Just as you finish setting the last place the doorbell rings and you rush to get it. When you open the door your grandparents stand there and you greet them with hugs.

Soon the house fills up with the guests and your mother starts to place food out on the table. Being with your family fills you with a warm feeling and even though your boyfriend is still on your mind, the presence of your other loved ones helps relieve some of that pain.

Everyone is seated at the table when you notice the eleventh spot is still empty.

“Hey Dad, is your friend still coming?”

“Hm? Oh, right! He’s just running a bit late sweetie. We can start to eat without him.”

You can’t shake the feeling something is a bit off but you don’t make a fuss as everyone starts to dish out the food. You fill up your plate and start to eat while your family starts to make idle chatter in between bites. You only listen to half of it, your brain wandering off to thinking about what Joshua’s doing right now.

You make a mental note to try and call him later tonight when your thoughts are interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

“Oh Y/N sweetie, could you get that?” Your father asks and you nod before getting up and walking over to the door.

When you open the door you come face to face with a man you’ve never met before. He must be your father’s friend. You welcome him in, trying to tamper down the disappointment that rises in you. You don’t know why you thought it would have been someone else. Joshua is in Korea, you know this. He has important idol work to attend to, he can’t just get up and come to America because you miss him.

You sit back down in your place as your father and his friend start up a conversation about their job. Your appetite has lessened and you can’t help chide yourself for having such silly thoughts. You fingers move up to fiddle with the chain around your neck, trying to remind yourself that just because you’re not together physically doesn’t mean you guys aren’t with each other in other ways.

“Y/N honey, are you okay?” Your mother asks and you look up to see your mother staring at you with a worried expression.

“Hm? Oh yeah, I’m fine. I was just lost in thought. Dinner is great though, thank you for making all of this.” You make a show of taking a big bite of the potatoes on your fork. Your mother still looks a bit worried but drops the subject, thankfully.

You try to put yourself back into the conversation. Just because things aren’t how you wish, doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy yourself. It works some, listening to your grandparents share anecdotes and getting to know your father’s co-worker.

When dinner is finished the adults pour a drink and you sit and talk with them for a bit more before you excuse yourself for the night, claiming tiredness taking you over. You don’t go straight home when you leave you though, driving downtown instead.

You walk the decorated streets, listening to the faint Christmas music playing out of the street speakers. There’s a bit in the air but it doesn’t bother you much. Most of the shops are closed and the streets are fairly empty, save for a few families and a handful of couples.

You stare at the couples for a little too long, thinking about your own boyfriend. When you focus hard enough you can almost feel his hand enveloping yours as you walk down the street.

A few minutes later you sigh and give up, heading back to your car. It’s no use. As much as you can imagine and wish and try, Joshua still isn’t with you, and your Christmas is nothing but sad and lonely. 

You take your time driving back home, listening to your radio and staring at everyone’s light displays. It’s nearly midnight when you pull into your parking spot and trudge up to your apartment. The lights are off when you get inside and there’s no noise, signaling your roommate is spending the night at their parents’ house.

You change out of your nice clothes and pull on one of the sweaters Joshua sent you before you start a pot of hot water for some hot chocolate. You check the time, 11:58. Joshua should be free right now, even though it’s not Christmas over in Korea anymore. You dial his number only for his phone to go straight to voicemail. Damn it.

You wonder what he’s up to right now as you pour the cocoa powder into your mug. It’s also from one of Joshua’s gifts. You think to yourself that if you can’t be with Joshua, at least you can surround yourself with things that represent him.

Just as you’ve sat down on your couch to turn a movie on, you hear a knock on your door. You glance at your clock. 12:04. Who could be at your door at this time? Did our roommate come home and forget their key again?

You set your mug down and make your way to the door before opening it. When you do you nearly scream out. Standing at your front door is the one person who’s been on your mind for weeks. You don’t have control of your body as you move forward to throw yourself onto the man. You wrap your limbs around him as you feel tears start to stream down your face. He’s quick to catch you, pulling you into him even together.

You don’t know how long you stay like that, crying in his arms, but you don’t think you’ve ever been happier than in this moment. When you finally pull away you see his face is also a bit tear stained. You can’t help but pull him back into a hug.

“W-what are you doing here?” You hold him tight, like if you let go of him he’ll disappear. 

“I told you I'd be home as soon as possible. I just had to get those kisses you promised," he tells you with a grin. "Truthfully, I just kept thinking about you and Christmas and I knew I needed to come home. I talked to our manager and they gave me a few weeks for break so I could come home and be with you,” Joshua explains. “I’m sorry I’m late though.”

“Late?” You pull back again so you could look Joshua in the face.

“I missed Christmas, I’m sorry.” Joshua gestures to the clock. “Past midnight.”

“Oh shut up, who cares? It only matters that you’re here now.” You finally allow Joshua to step into your apartment fully. “You know, I loved everything you gave me, but you are the best Christmas gift.” You pull him into you again, this time connecting your lips as you do.

The kiss is soft and gentle yet passionate as you both try to make up for months of being apart. When you pull away Joshua has a dopey grin on his face.

“You know you’re pretty romantic,” he teases and you roll your eyes.

“Says the guy who flew here from Korea just to be with me. Now I think you owe me a movie night with hot chocolate and lots of kisses.”

“Only if we get to build the Lego set as well.”

“I think you have yourself a deal.” You press another quick kiss to his lips before you go to grab your Lego set. You know you’re going to spend the rest of the night reading instructions wrong and drinking way too much sugar but you can’t imagine a better way to spend your night.

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my laurve

☆ JOSHUA BESTFRIEND TEXTS

pairing: joshua!bsf x reader

genre: fake texts / smau? humor

a/n: hihiii i just made this because i couldn't sleep so enjoy!! :]

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please do not copy, repost or steal any of my work. all content belongs to @odxrilove

5:12 PM

You and Joshua needed a vacation desperately and he couldn’t agree more. The months before the public holidays always get busy for the both of you in your respective field of work. So, this announcement was a pleasant surprise on your part, courtesy of your boyfriend.

Maybe it was possible to fall for your lover all over again for such meticulous planning.

 “You just sit there and look pretty, love. I’ll even take your pictures when we arrive,” he promised. And gosh, you could jump his bones from how sweet he is.

He’s lying down on the beach chair, the light wind and the Nipa Hut’s shade a balm to your sun kissed skin. After taking your own photos, you wanted nothing more than to just be with him. If you could attach yourself to him, you would. You know you’re usually not like this. But the rarity of spending time together when you’ve both been so preoccupied prompts the thought. 

Keep reading

“be more careful.”, “you’re going to get sick.”, “i think we’re soulmates.” with joshua please? 😸

the act of caring for another

pairing: non-idol!fiance!joshua x gn!reader

prompt: 6 + 20 + 45 from these prompts!

word count: 0.6k~

warnings: reader is sick. soft shua. no proofreading, intentional lowercase.

daisy’s notes: ok ngl... writing this made me a lil sleepy  

joshua hong, self-proclaimed expert of those he loved, knew that you were a thousand times more stubborn whenever you were sick. that was why he always took the opportunity to baby you more. otherwise you’d end up like this: sitting on the floor, watching him change the bed sheets because you spilled soup everywhere.

(to be fair, he pulled a chair aside for you to sit in. you just refused to budge from your spot with one of the only clean blankets wrapped around your shivering form.)

“joshy,” you whined from your spot as he wiped down the mattress protector. that’d been his idea after you spilled your tea once, just to ensure that it wouldn’t happen again. “i’m sorry.”

he paused from where he’d been reaching for the fitted sheet to unravel, turning back to look at you. you were pouting, and he had to fight back a smile at how cute you could be. “it’s okay,” he crouched down, reaching for your hands instead. he pulled you forward, at first just to plant a kiss on the top of your head. “just... be more careful from now on, okay? tell me if you don’t feel good.”

“but i’m fine,” you whined. despite your protests, you let him pull you up to your feet. “i just... dropped the bowl by accident.”

he’d seen the way your hands shook for a moment, and he knew it was a lie. another downplay of how awful you felt. wordlessly, joshua pushed you toward the chair, letting you settle down. getting you back into bed would be easier if you were sitting higher up.

“i wouldn’t mind feeding you,” he said. “that’s what husbands are for, right?”

the tiniest smile crossed your lips as you looked up at him. “you’re not my husband yet, joshy.”

he ignored the urge to kiss you then and there. as if you didn’t call him your husband when the two of you were with strangers, always dropping the word so casually because you knew how giddy it made him. he’d referred to you as his spouse before, too. ever the dutiful lover, joshua turned away from you to focus on making up your bed again. the sooner it was done, the sooner you could rest... and the sooner he could have you back in his arms, once he gave you your medicine.

it was easy enough to go through the tiring habit of making your bed (something joshua always preferred to do with you, just to share the work and lessen the load), to start the washer to remove the stains, to give you your medicine once you were tucked underneath your layers of blankets. taking care of you would always be the easiest thing for him to do, if he was honest, even when it seemed tiring.

(”it’s easy because i love you,” he had said the last time you were sick. “it’s always easier for people like that, y’know?”)

he’d reached out for you, expecting for you to do the usual when you were sick: fold yourself into his arms and tease him about how he was oh so clearly in love with you. yet this time, you pulled away. before he could question it, you looked up at him as he leaned over you.

“you’re going to get sick,” you whined a little, already looking as though you were about to nod off. “i don’t wanna make you sick...”

he snuggled in anyway. “i don’t get sick. it’s fine,” he pressed a kiss into your neck. “you should sleep if you want to.”

after a moment, you cuddled closer to him, pressing your warm lips against his arm. he listened to the way your breathing grew slower with fatigue, your head drooping against the pillow.

“shua?” you mumbled at one point, not quite asleep yet. “i think we’re soulmates.”

he’d smiled as he kissed your shoulder once more, before snuggling in for a nap with you. “i think so, too.”

prompt: asking the boys (as a stranger) for help to get away from a stalker

pairing: jeonghan x reader; joshua x reader (separate)

warning: stalkers

Jeonghan

jeonghan would just be standing idly when he gets bumped by you

you stuttered an apology, showing him your shaking hands and panicked eyes

you flinch as you find the stalker that's been following you for the past 20 minutes

he notices this and goes in in front of you blocking your sight from the person

you look up at him tears brimming in your eyes

he steels his gaze and turns back to the man approaching you both, jeonghan hiding you behind him in case anything happened

the man backs off seeing that jeonghan wouldn't back down, and left

jeonghan takes you to the side of the path as you calmed down

you thank him for his help and he gives you a warm welcome

he would even give you a pat on the head when he's assured that you'd be safe by yourself.

Joshua

you're a foreigner who had the lucky chance to come to Korea for vacation

unfortunately, you couldn't speak the language save for a few casually used phrase and sentences

so being confronted by a person who you didn't know, in a country that didn't speak english was very intimidating

he kept saying stuff that you didn't understand, even though you poorly communicated to him that you didn't understand anything he was saying

it had gotten to the point that he was basically harassing you, as he grabbed your wrist and pulled you away from the cafe

fortunately for you, a tall gentleman that wore the worker uniform came to your rescue

they exchanged words before the man glared at the both of you and went of the establishment bitterly

"oh thank you so much. i thought i was gonna have a panic attack," you said relieved with a hand over your heart

"you're welcome. you should be more careful though. those groups take advantage of foreigners. next time don't entertain them, just walk away immediately," he politely advised, "i'm joshua, by the way, and i believe this is yours? (y/n)?"

you blushed at how prettily he said your name and responded, "yes that me. thank you again so much for your help."

he smiled and nodded as the both of you exchanged your goodbyes

with your beverage in your hand and a cute boy helping you, you couldn't help but blush at this wonderful vacation event in your life

ⓒharlynnuniverse please do not copy, translate any of my works.

why did I have to read angst on a saturday MORNING

red roses have thorns too

order up: jasmine coffee with lychee jellies and joshua for @strawberri-uyu !

an unrequited love wedding planner drama 

check out the (now closed) carat writers club summer fair event!

warnings: arguing + yelling, wedding talk, reader is pretty jealous and not healthily dealing with that for most of this (i’m not condoning this behavior! this is not a good way to deal with such emotions) and kissing (not involving reader)

drama and angst, 872 words, joshua x reader

a/n: im so sorry this is so late but i hope you enjoy 😭 and thank you to @adi–writes for making an appearance in this drabble :>

taglist: @noniemylove​ @seokmingiggles​

“I think the red roses are better,” you grit out, the words falling through your clamped jaw. 

“It looks tacky having them for literally everything!” Joshua exclaims, running a hand through his hair. “We both know the arch should be a different color, y/n.”

“It’s what the couple wants, Joshua,” you spit. Adjusting your pitch, you do your best to imitate his obnoxiously sweet voice, complete with mouthy hand motions. “‘What the couple says goes.’”

Bringing his hand to his forehead, he lets a long exhale through his nose. “Not when they’re gonna ruin their wedding photos with their stubbornness.”

“It’s their wedding, not yours!” 

“Obviously! What’s your problem, y/n!?” He yanks the chair out in front of him, plopping down and rubbing his eyes with his palms. “We used to be a team.”

You sigh, crossing your arms defensively over your chest. Well…he has a point. You can’t even remember how long it’s been since you and him got along. You used to even go out together after work to a bar or nearby restaurant to wind down from stressful plans and uptight couples. 

Before you were business partners, you were friends, great friends. That’s how this started, anyway. When did it all go wrong? 

Keep reading

I loved the HHP unit scenario!! I was thinking about the Performance unit and vocal?? Could you? I loved your writing

Hello! Of course!!

Thank you so much for submitting an ask! I am going to first start with vocal unit and then write performance unit! later on! :)

(also sorry this has taken so long, hopefully performance unit ver will be out this weekend!

Jeonghan:

oh jeonghan. he is definitely a sassy boy. he would see you and the person hitting on you interacting, and want to get closer to you. but he would at first have the intention of trying to hear what the other person is saying (hoping for an awful pick up line) so he can make fun of/scoff at them, before proceeding to make your relationship known by the other person.

his eyes don’t move from that person until they are far out of either of your sight lines.

“jealous much?” you’d tease, only to get a scoff from him.

“how can i be jealous of someone who can hardly flirt” he’d retort. he would never admit it, but he was very much in fact jealous of that person.

Joshua:

another person who i think would react in very different ways depending on the situation. for the most part, i think he would play nice as much as he can to avoid conflict.

when he saw you and the other person interacting, he could tell that you couldn’t tell that the person was flirting with you, and not just being extremely nice.

he doesn’t hesitate to make your relationship clear with small but impactful forms of pda. with an arm around your waist (or a back hug if you are standing) , he whispers something that only you can hear, like one of your inside jokes, to make you laugh and further drive the point home that you are in fact taken.

Woozi:

not even gonna lie i imagine this man’s to be so silent but so scary. like even if you aren’t “uncomfortable” he would be so mad seeing that this person wasn’t giving up despite you rejecting them.

you would see him fuming from the other side of the room and send a small smile to him to reassure him that you are okay and not uncomfortable, which causes the tension tugging on his heart to ease up.

bonus points if the person flirting with you turns to see who you’re smiling at- they would see jihoon glaring back at them and immediately be unsettled.

he would feel very accomplished with himself.

DK:

much like joshua, he would be trying to keep the peace between parties, so he would first approach the two of you by placing one of his hands on the small of your back, and shooting a smile to the stranger across from the two of you before greeting them.

but, let’s say it doesn’t go so well…. the other person is far from interested in dokyeom s presence, even with an arm around you. they completely ignore his presence as they keep pursuing you.

it takes more time than the average person to make dk mad, but the second you are uncomfortable it’s over.

dokyeom can feel you tense up, which causes an almost instantaneous shift in his entire demeanor. instead of the usual sunny smile, his face is blank, staring back at the person still trying to talk to you.

“you should back off.” he states, with much more aggression and dominance than either of you expected. but somehow, with a scoff and a roll of their eyes, the person walked away.

dk immediately puts his hand over his chest to calm himself down. “i thought they were gonna beat me up!” he exclaims quietly.

“me too” you chuckled back.

Seungkwan:

have you seen this man when he’s mad or annoyed?????? yeah. imagine being glared at by seungkwan. no thanks.

so you can only imagine how the other person feels when they practically feel holes burning into their skull, before turning and seeing none other than seungkwan glaring them down from across the room.

most of the time, the person leaves before seungkwan ms strides bring him to his spot beside you, but if the person hitting on you is still brave enough to endure short distance glaring from seungkwan, it doesn’t last for very long before they start shifting uncomfortably and eventually excusing themself.

a/n: performance unit version coming soon! requests are open! :)

back to masterlist

joshua hong will be the death of me

Joshua (홓지수): making out to make up

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

Joshua finally arrived and you got into the car.

"Sorry I'm late, I'm really sorry." Joshua said, reaching his hand to yours. His warm hand held yours gently and you just let out a sigh. "I'm really really sorry I was late.. I'm really sorry."

You forced a smile after hearing his endless and genuine apologies.

"It's okay Shua. Let's just get back home." You replied, only looking ahead at the road.

Joshua was hesitant to continue, knowing that you were still upset. He licked his lips out of guilt and removed his warm hand off of yours and placed it back on the steering wheel.

He bit his lip nervously.

"Y/N..." He didn't look and you and you felt your heart grow heavy. "Can you go sit in the backseat for me?"

Upon hearing those words, you started feeling guilty too. But you didn't put up a fight and left the passenger seat and moved into the back seat. You were so inside your own head that you didn't see Joshua leave the driver's seat.

You opened the door to the backseat and then sat down, closing the door behind you. You looked at the driver's seat to find it empty.

Suddenly, the door beside you opened and you saw Joshua. Puzzled, you stuck your head out of the car.

"What are you doing?"

Joshua put his hands on your shoulders and locked his lips with yours. Your closed your eyes immediately and accepted his kiss. Usually, he never made abrupt moves like this.

He slowly made his way into the car and you continued moving back until your head hit the opposite car door.

Joshua finally removed his lips from yours and turned to close the door.

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and continued to kiss him, his hands on your hips. Though the space was small, both of your bodies pressed against each other felt somewhat comfortable.

Your fingers played with his hair as he laid a final kiss on your forehead before gently putting his forehead on yours.

"You're not doing this because you feel sorry, are you?" You asked.

He chuckled and licked his lips. "I am."

You hit his chest playfully.

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

-serenityseventeen

Gentle sexy Joshua forgot to ask permission but that's okay, because he's gentle sexy now, not gentle man kskskskkekek and he's getting way too buff I don't think I'm ready to die yet

a little boost for my upcoming smau <3

✦✧ — ❝the twelve months❞

pairing — joshua hong x fem!reader

genre — smau, fluff, angst, (attempted) humour, high school!au, established relationship

synopsis — four seasons, twelve months.

warning(s) — small font, ignore twitter timestamps, stated in each chapter

chapters ♡

profiles.

radio djs / the seven musketeers / joshua & friends

season one.

status: tbd / writing / ongoing / complete

season two.

status: tbd / writing / ongoing / complete

season three.

status: tbd / writing / ongoing / complete

season four.

status: tbd / writing / ongoing / complete

author’s note . . .

hi everyone ! this is the first ever smau I have ever written, so please understand if some things are wrong or some parts are confusing. this is only the masterlist of masterlists for my smau. each season will have its own post where I will link all its chapters. that’s all from me; hope you all look forward to my smau ^^ p.s. a ‘read more’ cut will be added when the first season starts !

credits — thank you to lovely @piakae for making the banner for this series !!! love you always ♡

taglist — @i520sn @piakae @enhacolor @amoryeonjun @flrtsbin @luvthatleader-nim @yvnjin-s | fill out this form to be added to the taglist !

[ gen. masterlist | svt masterlist ]

reading fics have become my coping mechanism and I mean it

Say It Back.

Synopsis: A tipsy Joshua is a clingy Joshua.

Characters: Joshua Hong × Reader

Genre: Fluff.

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, Joshua is tipsy, Joshua sings like a line from Ditto by New Jeans, playful insults.

Word count: 688

The apartment is dark and quiet when Joshua opens the door and stumbles into the living room. After regaining his balance, he turns around to shut the door and accidentally slams it a little too hard.

"Shhhh," he slurs as he shushes himself. "Y/n is sleeping."

He makes his way to the bedroom, not without bumping into a few pieces of furniture on the way, to find you under the blanket with your back facing the door.

"Y/n..." He whines while crawling towards you on the bed before throwing his entire weight onto you.

The smell of alcohol hits you before you can even open your eyes.

"Shua what the fuck," you grumble, slightly pissed about being woken up from your slumber.

Joshua tries to plant a kiss onto your lips as you turned to face him but misses and the kiss lands on your cheek instead.

"Shua..." You groan as you attempt to push him off you. "Get off me, you stink."

His head shoots up at your words.

"How could you say that Y/n," his voice wobbly as his eyes turns glassy. "That's so hurtful."

You let out a big sigh at his theatrics. "I meant the smell of alcohol all over you and your breath stinks Shua."

He lets his head drop back into the crook of your neck.

"My feelings are hurt," he sighs dramatically, "why do the people I love hurt me."

You know that the only way to stop him is to play along with him.

"What can I do to fix this," your tone is nonchalant, all you could think about is getting him off you so you can go back to sleep.

"Geez y/n, the least you can do is pretend to sound like you care after hurting my feelings like that."

"Okay Shua, I'm so sorry for hurting your feelings. How can I make amends?" Using the most pretentious and sweet voice you can come up with as you meet his droopy eyes that are now right in front of your own.

"You could make it up to me by giving me a kiss," he suggests with a smirk.

"Absolutely not with that alcohol breath." You retort.

You see a pout form on his face and in that moment he looks so adorable that you couldn't bring yourself to care about the smell of alcohol anymore.

You lean forward to give him a quick peck.

"Can you get off me now?"

He scoffs. "That wasn't a real kiss and you know it."

"God you're annoying when you're drunk." You mumble under your breath.

"I heard th-"

Before he can finish his words, you shut him up with a kiss. After breaking away, Joshua finally rolls off you to lie on his side of the bed and you turn away from him to go back to sleep.

There's a beat of silence then you feel him moving behind you, his strong arms soon find their way around your waist.

"I love you," he says softly.

You hum quietly in response then you feel his grip tighten, "why aren't you saying it back."

"Can you please just let me sleep in peace?"

Joshua begins humming a tune into your ear then starts singing, "말해줘 say it back..."

When you continue ignoring him, he goes back to whining.

"Y/n... Say it back..." He nuzzles his face into the back of your neck.

"If I say it back will you finally shut up and let me sleep?"

"Yes," he replies a little too eagerly.

"Okay fine I love you," you say back incoherently.

His legs come up to wrap around yours. "Can you at least say it like you mean it?"

"That wasn't part of the agreement."

"Y/n..." More whines from him as his hold on you tightens even more.

"I'd actually love you if you took a shower and brushed your teeth."

"If I do that will you say it back?"

"We'll see."

"Okay wait for me," he gets up from the bed and scrambles to the bathroom.

"Don't fall asleep!" You hear him yell through the sound of the running water.

a/n: this was not inspired by that one scene from in the soop at all ahahahahaha :-) -bibi

ynshua :(

joshua ; good to me

➔ synopsis: people ask how you managed to snag popular boy joshua. you've been wondering the same thing.

➔ warnings: insecurities, mentions of party drinking || genre: hurt & comfort? ➔ 1476 words || scenario || college!au || requested by 🍮 anon

➔ notes: per 🍮 anon's request, the term of affection is peaches. this took a while to write, but i hope it's what you're looking for, love!! reminder that my requests for scenarios are currently closed (considering doing them as commissions) while reactions and au!rambles are still open. as always, reblog if you liked <3

Well, this is awkward.

You press yourself into the wall, tucking your legs against your chest. Behind you, music pours from the speakers, muffled by glass sliding doors that lead from the kitchen to the outdoor deck. Maybe if you’re quiet enough, they won’t notice you huddled right next to the stairs, just feet away from their lawn chairs. Fingers wrapped tight against your wine cooler, you feel your heart beating in your palms.

“Wait, you’re serious? Joshua’s taken?” The girl slumps in her seat. Her words ring clear in the night air. “I mean, it makes sense. There’s no way a guy like him can be single, but man, I was hoping.”

You don’t remember her name, but you’ve seen her before. Waist-length mermaid hair and a cute face all the upperclassmen adore. She asked to borrow a pen from you once and actually returned it after class, so she can’t be that bad. It doesn’t make it any less strange, hearing her gush for the past ten minutes about your boyfriend and her attempts at flirting with him.

“S’okay, I was in the same boat.” The guy next to her sighs and takes a swig of beer. “Confessed to him after baseball season only to find out he started dating someone a few days before. I think you have a class with them. His partner.”

Her spine straightens. Jungle juice sloshes onto the wooden planks in her haste. “Really? Who is it?”

“Uh, you know Y/N? They always go around with a canvas bag and a black water bottle, like, this big.”

Silence. Then a disappointed groan.

“Them? Yeah, I know Y/N. They sit a few rows behind me in Intro,” she says. She licks absently at the alcohol trickling down her wrist. “Are you sure, though? Josh is super popular, and they’re...I mean, I’m sure they’re cool, but—” she waves a hand — “those two don’t really match, y’know?”

You suck in a breath. Thankfully, it’s drowned out by the rising sounds of cheers inside. Someone must’ve won the beer pong tournament.

They don’t match him, y’know? Y’know? Y’know? You know she doesn’t mean it maliciously. Her tone was more curious than accusatory. The words still rattle in your head. You should’ve made your presence known earlier. Y’know?

Of course you know. You’ve been saying this — to yourself, to Josh, to your best friends — ever since he asked you out, and it took so long for him to convince you otherwise. You thought you worked through this, but something about tonight, whether it be the alcohol in your system or the smell of late autumn rain, makes the familiar ache return.

You drop your head onto crossed arms.

The door slides open, hitting the wall with a bang. The eruption of bass-boosted speakers and chants of Chug! Chug! Chug! only lasts seconds before the door closes again, but the newcomer’s laugh is easily recognizable.

“Hey, Taehyun! Jieun!”

Ah, so those were their names. You don’t have to look up to know they jumped to their feet.

“Josh, hey!” Taehyun calls out. There’s shuffling as someone moves. “You want my seat? I was just going inside.”

“Nah, I’m looking for Y/N. They came out for some fresh air, but I think we’re leaving soon, so my friends wanted to say bye. Have you seen them?”

You peek at their reactions. Joshua’s hands are stuffed in his pockets, shoulders raised to block out the night chill. Despite the flush on his face, his eyes are bright and clear, looking at the other two expectantly.

“Y/N? They were out here?” Jieun glances at Taehyun, alarmed. “Do you think they heard…”

Taehyun clears his throat. “We haven’t seen them. Maybe they went back inside?”

Joshua shakes his head. “They would’ve looked for me first,” he says. He looks around. “That’s weird.”

It should be dark enough, right? Maybe you can send him a text when he goes back inside. Make up a lie about being in the bathroom and then meeting him up out front. The lawn is dotted with path lights, but they’re far enough to keep you in shadow. You press yourself further into the wall, ignoring how the ridges dig into your shoulder.

“Hey, Y/N!” Joshua yells out.

That’s cheating. The sudden exclamation jolts you, and the gravel beneath your shoe slips. And because nothing is going your way tonight, your boyfriend looks over and meets your gaze immediately. He shoots you a smile. Charming and adorably boy-ish with how the wind ruffles his hair.

Taehyun’s and Jieun’s expressions are much more sheepish. They give you a nod before rushing back to the party. Kiss & Make Up by Dua Lipa is playing right now, the beats thumping out a rhythm that’s much faster than your heart. Joshua makes his way over and crouches in front of you.

“You look a little sick, Peaches,” he says, easing the drink from your hands. You didn’t realize how tight your grip was until his fingers rub at sore knuckles. “Everything okay? Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened. I’m alright.”

He doesn’t believe you, that much is obvious. He doesn’t push it, though. “Soonyoung wanted to catch up a bit before we bounced, but if you’re not feeling well…” He trails off, swiping at your cheek. “I can tell him we’re leaving. No need to strain yourself.”

“I can say hello,” you insist.

He scans your face before shaking his head. “Nope, let’s just go home,” he says, offering you a hand. “C’mon, we’ll go out through the side gate.”

Joshua pulls you to your feet and, threading his fingers through yours, guides you through the bushes to find the small gravel path leading out of the property. He tosses both your drinks in the outside trash can. The cold night air fills your lungs, pushing out every thought except the ones you’re actively trying to avoid, and with your buzz fading away, the feelings are sharp, digging into your confidence.

His shoulders are wide. You’ve known this, but the letterman jacket fits him, making his shoulders appear even wider. Despite their size, you wonder if they’re strong enough to carry your burdens.

As if feeling the weight of your stare, he stops and spins on his heel, hand still not leaving yours.

“What’s wrong?”

You startle, dropping your eyes to the pavement. “Nothing’s wrong,” you say. He’s always been good at sniffing out your moods.

The moonlight reflects off a piece of glass. Probably left from a broken beer bottle. You kick at it, watching it shimmer and shift between concrete cracks. You stop when Josh steps closer, the toes of his shoes nudging against yours.

“Look at me, Y/N.”

You do. His brows are furrowed, and you hate how concerned he looks, brown hair mussed away from his face. You reach up to smooth away the lines in his forehead, smiling faintly when he leans into your touch.

“Are you okay?” he says softly, not breaking your gaze. “Did something happen back there with Taehyun and Jieun? Did they say something?”

Part of you wants to lie, to brush him off with a laugh and point to the diner down the road. But when he looks at you like this, how can you lie? Stepping forward to lean against him, you sigh.

“Why are you with me?” you ask. His arms come up to cradle you, rocking back and forth as you sigh again. “What do you see in me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you know they’re both interested in you? Jieun’s so pretty, and Taehyun is so much better at socializing.” You grip at his jacket, hoping he understands without you saying more. “And hearing them talk made me wonder: what do you see in me?”

He hums, thinking. His heartbeat is steady against your hands.

“A future,” he finally says.

You pull back to see his face. Wind tossed hair, moonlit eyes, flushed cheeks, and so much adoration for you it takes your breath away.

“I wish you’d stop worrying about what other people said, Peaches.” He presses a kiss to your forehead, murmuring against your skin. “There’s always going to be people smarter or better looking or more athletic or more talented than either of us — that’s just how life works. There’s only one you, though, and only one me. Only one us. It’s hard, but please remember that my heart is yours and yours alone.”

You don’t know how long you both stand there, but when you ease out of his hold, you feel lighter. He’s right. There will always be Jieuns and Taehyuns, but for you, there will only be one Joshua.

“You’re too good to me,” you say.

“Right back at you.” He tilts his head down the street. “Diner fries?”

can I squish him

hello!! thank you for requesting again. this is a part two. i hope you like it. <33

pairing: joshua hong x gn!reader

prompt: a platonic relationship between idol!joshua and idol!reader, part two

genre: fluff

word count: 1k

nia's notes: maybe a little rushed, but i tried my best. thank you again for sending something in. im so sorry that it took so long, school has been a lot lately.

the world tour of your group had finally finished and the next big schedule for your teammates and yourself was the asia music awards, the biggest ceremony for asian artists. with the massive success of the tour and your group’s album, your team had been invited to the awards show and nominated in multiple categories.

right now, you and your teammates were in the car, waiting to arrive at the venue for the awards. as you moved closer you could hear the sound of fans and the shutter of the camera from the paparazzi. the nerves were creeping up on you but the calming and comforting words from your cousin reminded you and brought serenity to you. a few hours earlier, your cousin, joshua hong, had called and spoken to you about your feeling towards the award show and immediately assured you that things will go amazing, as well as wishing you and your team luck for winning an award.

the car reached a halt and the door slid open, signaling you and your members to walk out and greet the people waiting for you. the fast-paced shutter and the words of the paparazzi asking you and your members to look in their direction welcomed you and your team. the instant screams and cheers of your fans also were present as you walked over to the red carpet. smiling and waving your hands, you bowed down in respect and greeted the people outside. the flashes and the cheers didn't stop even as you and your team headed inside the venue.

as you walked in, you could immediately see your cousin off in the distance talking with his members. you told your teammates that you were going to visit your cousin and walked up to him.

“joshua,” you called out his name and waved your hand slightly, your other hand holding your dress. he turned around and smiled a big smile and made his way towards you. the other svt members in the background smile too, happy to see joshua reunited with his sister. joshua ran a little and pulled you into a big hug, this action resulting in the cheers of your fans and carats.

the fans were currently in the venue getting seated in the fan aisle. the both of you laughed a bit and walked over to your designated table. it looked like the staff made sure that you and joshua were sitting together. your team on the left table and the svt members on the right table.

the smile never left your face as you talked about your family. "are you nervous?" joshua asked while looking at you, if you didn't know your cousin you wouldn't be able to catch the tint of worry seeping through his tone.

you looked down, the smile still presents on your face. "i am, isn't everyone nervous before such an important event."

"you're right but don't let the nerves get to you. it is not any better than now." joshua's advice helped in regaining the confidence that slowly left your body when you walked inside the venue. a few hours later, the awards ceremony finally started. the hosts entered the stage, and the nerves showed up again.

the category which your team was nominated for was next and the winner was announced in a few minutes. joshua's hand found yours and he squeezed it in encouragement.

"and now the winner of the newly recognized female group is." the anticipation killed you and your teammates, all of you looking at each other. the sound that resonated through the speakers next to you sang with the name of your group.

tears sprung from your eyes and your teammates as you walked over towards the main stage to claim your award. reaching the stage, your team and yourself bowed your body. saying the greeting, you could hear the cheers of your fans. in your farsight, you could see your cousin smiling so brightly, with so much pride in his eyes. the happiness that resonated with him reached you and made you feel even prouder and happier.

each of your members took turns to thank your fans and now it was your turn.

"i want to say thank you from the very bottom of my heart to all the fans that stood by us. i never expected such support and love from all the fans and it feels amazing to receive all of the generosity. words cannot be framed in how much we love you and how appreciative i am to be following my passion with people i can gladly call my family. i also want to thank my cousin."

just mentioning your cousin was enough for more cheers to pop up, in the distance the smile on his face just grew. "thank you joshua for always believing me and making sure that i never wanted to give up in my dreams even when i wanted to."

after collecting your award, you walked over to the table and were immediately brought into a big hug by your brother. congratulations and praises rolled off his tongue. his members came up and congratulated you and your team too.

"let us take you out to dinner sometime," joshua said as he looked at his members, they too looked quite supportive of your cousin's statement.

your team nodded their heads in confirmation, the offer was too good to pass by.

today reminded you how lucky you are to have joshua as your brother, in your opinion joshua was and will always be the best brother in the world, and you were thankful for him every single day.

WHY DID YOU END IT THERE.

As The Sun Dies, So Do We

pairings: husband!joshua x gn!reader

genre: angst, apocalyptic(?), hurt, end of the world type deal

warnings: alcohol consumption, major character death(s) (not really specified), you might cry?

word count: 1.4k

synopsis: you both watched as the world took its final breathes, sharing your last few minutes before this love became just a memory.

s.n.: this story is technically for @stormyjisung for her birthday even though it was last month but as a overthinker, couldn't write a angsty shua story. BUT HERE WE ARE.

network(s): @preciousillusions-net @kflixnet

20 minutes...

1,200 seconds left before this world is nothing but a molting rock above. The people within just a memory and grains of dust. Signs of life ending quicker than the creator above might have predicted.

Or did he so predict this tragic faith? A faith uncontrollable yet beautiful. Just knowing that everyone else will all perish along with you and not continue living their longed life brought a sense of solace within you.

With one more push to this insanely heavy couch, you made sure it was stable before wiping away the beads of sweat from your forehead. Your hair stuck on the skin.

You sighed, breath flowing into the polluted air. Tension left from your body as you finally slacked back onto the torn cushion of your couch.

"What's with the sigh?" A voice queried you behind you. Footsteps approaching at a minimum pace but getting to the couch whatsoever.

"Nothing," You replied honestly. "Just can't believe this is all happening and that we have a front row seats of it all."

Which you did. Your couch that was once in front of your TV, in your home, broadcasting the end of everyone's chapter, was now on a hill right above the many oceans that joins together in some way.

You always pondered around the thought of how the world would look like before it became non-existent. Maybe an apocalypse made by clumsy scientist? Or the air becoming so thick that it never makes it down your lungs? Skies blossomed with grays and melchony. But you never imagined it to look like this...

So beautiful and enticing..

The sky was painted with eternal sunsets, an ambient of oranges, yellows, pinks, littered across. Clouds faceless yet expressing their sorrow of not delivering enough rain where you would beg for it. The sun was right above the horizon, it's rays swimming in the ocean below. Just beautiful..

"Mm," Was the only response you got as well as a light groan as your lover finally sat down on the couch next to you. A cracking noise was heard before your peripheral caught attention to the beers in his hands.

15 minutes..

900 seconds that you have left with your muse. 900 more seconds before his soul is not in this same place as yours, entagled.

"Here you go," your lover announced, a beer awaiting in his grasp.

You gladly accepted. You didn't know what came over you but before you knew it, you were flushing the alcohol down your system in no time. The fizz in your tongue and the burn in your throat before letting out a light hiss as it settles down in your stomach.

"I can't believe it's actually happening.." You repeated for the umpteenth time. "We are really going out like this."

"Together." He added on.

"Together.." You repeated back with caution. The alcohol finally kicking into your system.

10 minutes.

600 more seconds before "together" becomes just a wish for you both. 600 more seconds before separation becomes the ending.

"Together..." The world slipped out once more, this time a whimper as you finally pieced together the outcome of all of this. As selfish as you were thinking how everyone will have the same faith at the same time, you sunk in that he will too have that faith. Gone from you.

"My love.." He finally spoke before embracing your trembling figure into his own. Sweaty after pushing this heavy weight of a couch up an insanely steep hill but comforting. "My dear, wonderful, Y/N.." The shakiness of his voice signaled his breaking point as well but his tear stayed solid for now. Just for now.

Tears continued to stream down and soaking the both of you. Reality was too heavy to carry at this point and hearing the nicknames that you will never hear again made you realize that you really should've cherished them more.

As for Joshua, holding you this close and sinking in the intimacy being shared was almost as suffocating as the pollution. The sky still beaming down and watching one of the many couples finally realize this was truly their final night alive as the world crumbles into nothing.

5 minutes.

300 seconds to cherish each other's love, guilt storming above the both of you knowing that way more could have been given and taken.

It sucks that the end of everything is when you finally realize such beauties could have been held onto way tighter and loved in such ways. But why is that?

Why is it we feel such intense emotion we couldn't experience before risks or threats such as this?

Because we sink in that there is no going back.

There was no going back to belting out highnotes not late nights, seeing who will get the higher score at a random karaoke bar. No more cuddles in the morning with small Ted talks, no more back hugs while you chop the vegetables and your lover taking over in fear of you possibly harming yourself, no more showers together where you make little horns out of the soaked hair, no more words to be written in this book that was supposed to go on for way longer than it did.

"My precious jewel," Joshua voiced broke again, and so did his well-being. "How about I make you fresh batch of pancakes when we meet again? With whipped cream, a smiley face," He smiled through his words. He knew meeting you again was only a chance and not a guarantee. But tricking himself into such was the only thing keeping him sane.

The thought of a life without his wife was a killer alone.

"With a side of sweet coffee, just as you like." The deluled man continued with a shaking body.

1 minute.

60 more seconds before these fantasies become just ash and wishes never are granted again. 60 more seconds where this love will remain just a memory.

Joshua pulled back, big hands cupping your soggy cheeks. "How does that sound?" He asked with a bittersweet smile spreading across his face. Tears escaping at the sight of your much more heavier sobs but he didn't want to come to terms to what those tears really mean.

All you could do was nod. Words fogged in your mind.

30 more seconds.

30 more seconds before your last night ends.

Joshua gently swiped his thumb pads over the newborn tears rolling down with ease.

"May I have my goodnight kiss? I can't sleep without it." Asked Joshua, knowing the obvious answer. Yet still wanting to hear your voice.

"You know this will be our last-"

"May I have my goodnight kiss, Y/N?"

15 more seconds.

15 more seconds to accept this last wish. 15 more seconds to feel his lips pressed onto yours. 15 more seconds to see that smile that holds more words of love. Words of love that probably doesn't exist but is rather felt.

Without a second thought, you crashed your lips onto his. Tears continued their race down your faces and down to the couch below. The bittersweet in your mouths was so prominent but you needed to feel each other just one more time..

One more..

10...

He pulled away just slightly before connecting his head with yours.

9...

"Goodnight, my precious Y/N.."

8...

A sob left from you, but you managed to spill the words out before the storm crashed above you.

"Goodnight, Joshua.."

7...

"I will forever love you. No matter what form I take, what life I live, what planet I live on, you are always within me. Our love is forever embedded."

6...

"I love you too, Hong Joshua."

5...

"Sleep well, darling.."

4...

You both sat back, cuddled into each other's sides and never to be separated. Your head was tucked right beneath his chin and his hand continue their familiar dance on your back.

3...

You both saw the infamous flash of light slowly fall down from the sky, Death riding down in amazing glory as he comes to collect his most wins.

2...

You clasped Joshua hand for extra proximity. The screaming below you both blurred down to nothing as all what matters right now is the fading memories and awaiting future. The rings glowing on your hands as a painful reminder death will truly do you part.

1...

"Sleep well, Shua."

did you enjoy your order?

if you did, please reblog, like, (pls) comment, all of that jazz :>

have a good day, sweets ^^

tagging: @stormyjisung @star1117-archives @fairyhaos (sorry) @icyminghao @etherealyoungk @m4rsluv @trblsvt @gyu-effect @odxrilove @luvhyun3

this is so cute !! someone get me a joshua hong this instant 🥹

heads up! fem!reader + marriage depicted.

for what is probably the thousandth time over the past few days, your phone buzzes with yet another new notification.

joshua looks up from where he's sprawled out on the hotel room's king bed, waiting for you to finish getting ready for your dinner reservations, and reaches for your phone without much thought. he picks it up, and already sees the new message before he cracks a smile. ah. another one of these messages. he gets up, making his way to where you're standing in the bathroom, finishing your makeup, still grinning as he clears his throat.

"this time... from someone named sarah," he looks down at your phone, reading off the message, "wait, i didn't even know you were dating someone, w-t-f-question-mark."

your shoulders shake a little as you resist laughing, more concentrated on doing your eyeliner. "oh my god. i knew this was a dumb idea."

"it's been funny, though." his eyes twinkle and he leans against the doorway. "you literally hard-launched me as your husband to these people."

you pull the liquid eyeliner away, turning to him with a smile he already wants to kiss. "yeah, and?" you rest a hand on the counter, leaning against the hard edge. "i like keeping our photos for myself." you pause, head lulling to one side, "aaand i really don't like the people from my hometown enough to keep them updated."

your husband chuckles warmly, though, because he was always the opposite. pretty much everyone in his life knew about you: every anniversary you celebrated while dating was punctuated with a picture of the two of you by the end of the night, every social event he posted about often had a picture of you by his side... joshua simply liked being taken by you. he didn't overly flaunt it or anything, but there was literally no way for his friends and family to not know about you.

meanwhile, you literally logged into your old account just to post a few wedding pictures your friends had taken and sent to you (you didn't want to post the official ones that'd already been touched up and sent to you both--those were for your private account) and a 'love you, mr. hong <3' as the caption. no tagging joshua, no other announcements, just pictures of you marrying the love of your life.

(needless to say, it's caused a slight rift in people who somehow thought they were entitled to your private life despite not speaking to you for years. )

"you really didn't have to post these," he says after a moment. "i don't mind being your dirty little secret--" he's cut off when you swiftly smack his arm, and he laughs warmly over it: you're so easy to tease. "i mean it! you didn't have to tell anyone about me if you didn't want to."

"i know," you go back to finishing your makeup. "i just... i wanted to."

"hey." joshua's voice is softer now, and it makes you turn to face him. wordlessly, he leans in, kissing you as one hand cups your face. you can feel his wedding band press against your skin. "i love you. a lot."

you giggle and plant a quick peck against his lips. "i love you, too, you dork. now let me finish so we can leave soon."

with another warm chuckle, he presses a lingering kiss against your cheek. "as you wish, mrs.hong."

13 Days, 13 Men, 13 AUs #12:

JOSHUA HONG + arranged marriage au

1,2k words /// genre: fluff (?) /// warnings: food mentions. that’s all.

In which it’s hard not to fall for him, even in your circumstances.

One small agreement changed your life forever. For the better or the worse, you were not sure. But it sure was different from what it was before.

Two months after your engagement, you were still wary of the cameras. You didn’t grow up in the public eye like he had. You hadn’t been of much importance to the world until your name began appearing next to his.

Joshua seemed anything but nervous, effortlessly smiling and showing off his good looks to the press. You couldn’t help but feel a little envious.

“Relax a little,” he leaned down to whisper in your ear. “They won’t bite.”

“But the viewers might,” you mumbled while faking a smile. He laughed at your comment, as if it was a joke between the two of you. “Glad you’re so amused.”

You felt him grab your hand and squeeze your fingers in a comforting manner. “I know it’s still scary, but I’m here for you.”

“I’m not too sure how you’re going to help me.”

He offered a mischievous smile and leaned closer to your ear. The cameras began flashing at double the intensity.

“Hey, what do you call a magic dog?”

You resisted the urge to scoff. “Not one of your dad jokes again.”

“Oh, come on,” he whined, pulling on your arm gently while you led him into the venue and out of the view of the cameras. “Entertain me a little bit.”

You sighed and came to a stop to turn to him. “One joke.”

“One joke,” he agreed with a smile. “Just one.”

“Alright.” You straightened your back and readied yourself. “What do you call a– what was it? A magic dog?”

“A magic dog, yes.” He grinned. “Do you want to know?”

“Sure.”

“A labracadabrador.”

You laughed. Why? You did not know. It seemed silly. “That was so bad.”

“Seemed to amuse you,” he pointed out, “and that’s all that matters to me.”

You could only hope the cameras didn’t catch your flustered state.

The longer you were together, the more natural it felt to be with him. Even though your friends pitied you, saying how unfortunate it was for your marriage to be arranged, you didn’t feel so bad about it. It was what it was. And if you were in an arranged marriage, you were glad it was with Joshua.

Joshua made your days easier. He quickly found a place in your daily routine, as if he belonged there from the beginning.

Friday nights were reserved for events and galas. His silly jokes and endless compliments were there to cheer you up and cheer you on, his hand never once left your waist. He stood tall and smiled bright whenever someone said anything along the lines of "You look great together."

On weekdays, he often made his way into your lunch plans. He never hesitated to pick you up at 1 pm sharp, equipped with his charming smile and a restaurant suggestion.

“I’m sure your company doesn’t appreciate your long lunch breaks,” you told him while twirling pasta onto your fork. “Must be annoying for them.”

Joshua scoffed. “What are they gonna do? I’m the chairman’s son.” He offered you a wink right after. “Besides, they all know I’m busy romancing my gorgeous wife-to-be.”

You wondered if the endless compliments would ever stop making your heart skip a beat.

On Sundays, he liked to take you on dates. Just the two of you. And sometimes the paparazzi. It became a game of sorts, a challenge to see if you could outsmart and outrun them.

The Sunday afternoon a week before your wedding would be held was no different.

You did your best to muffle your laughter as Joshua led you through a narrow alleyway, further away from the public view.

"Did we lose them yet?" He asked you over his shoulder though his pace never slowed. Months of sneaking away had made him both more skillful and competitive.

You glanced back. Sure enough there was someone coming up behind you, their gasps for air and clumsy steps echoing between the walls, and a shadow stalking the noise.

"Not yet," you whispered back before feeling his hand squeeze yours a little tighter. "Where are we going?"

He let out a rather helpless chuckle. "Hell if I know."

"The rooftop?" you suggested.

"I like the way you think!"

You soon found a ladder – your escape route. Joshua went up first, though he kept looking back to make sure you weren’t far behind.

“Hurry! They’ll catch us!” Despite his anxious voice, his face betrayed a sense of mischief and adventure.

“I’m coming,” you softly called to him.

He was up on the rooftop before you could even get halfway up the ladder. He leaned his head over the edge to smile at you. “You’re kind of slow.”

You rolled your eyes at his remark and accepted his welcoming hand. He pulled you to the rooftop – and right into his embrace – in just the nick of time. You could hear the paparazzi’s ragged gasps for air and hasty footsteps below as Joshua held a hand over your mouth.

“Just in case,” he reasoned a moment later before smiling brightly again. “That was fun.”

“They won’t find us up here, right?” you wondered and sat down next to him on the ground, ready to stretch out your limbs and bask in the sunlight.

Joshua laughed. “They might if they saw a certain slowpoke climbing the ladder.”

“... I’m divorcing you,” you joked, but failed to keep a straight face. His smile was infectious and soon you were giggling among yourselves on the rooftop.

“You can’t divorce me yet, silly,” he pointed out and tapped your head. “We’re not married yet. You’ll have to marry me first.”

“Then I’ll marry you first and then demand a divorce at the reception.”

He scrunched up his nose a bit. “I’d prefer you didn’t.” The look he gave you almost melted you into goo right there. Never before had you felt so important. He seemed as fond of you as you felt of him as he said, “I quite like having you around. It would be a shame to lose you so early, and over a dumb joke.”

The silence was nice. It didn’t feel like a burden anymore, not like it had when you first met. You let your body lean against his shoulder, your head comfortably resting on his neat dress-shirt, and not an ounce of hesitation ran through you.

“Does it ever bother you?” he asked you as he leaned his head on yours.

“What?” you wondered but found yourself unable to move to give him the full attention he so deserved. He didn’t seem to mind too much though.

A soft sigh sounded almost like a secret. “The idea of marrying someone you didn’t choose for yourself?”

Maybe the idea had bothered you some time back – you realized – back when it was all still new and you listened to your friends for relationship advice. But sitting with him now, in that moment, felt right. And so you knew your answer.

“It doesn’t.”

He hummed a tone higher than usual. “Really? I figured it would bother you a bit.”

“Why?” You chuckled. “You trying to leave me at the altar or something?”

“No! God, no!” He was offended that you’d even suggest that and you could see it in his eyes when he turned his head. The outrage melted into soft adoration once again and he smiled. “I was afraid you would.”

“But I won’t.”

“Then I won’t leave at the altar you either. Promise.”

“Promise.”

A/N: I can't believe I have only one fic left of this event aaaaaaaaaa . Also my keyboard sort of broke while I was writing this and I had to take it all apart and deep-clean it and it took like half a day so I had to sort of rush this au. Life's weird.

◈ adorable and insufferable // joshua hong

joshua x gn!reader, 1.5k+ words

tags: sick fic, fluff, crack, established relationship, joshua makes small snuffly bunny noises when he's sick

warnings: food mention at the end

notes: for his birthday present, i give him a cold. as you can see, i love him very much.

Your boyfriend is sick.

He is, also, an absolutely terrible liar.

That leads you to the situation right now, where you’ve cornered Joshua in the kitchen, hands on your hips, a bunny headband pushing your hair back, and it’s not the most intimidating sight but Joshua gulps all the same, eyes darting around the kitchen nervously.

He’s looking for an escape route. You can see it in his eyes, clear as day, so you step even closer, voice dangerously calm as you speak.

“No, keep your eyes on me,” you say, face set into an angry frown. “Shua.”

Joshua looks at you, and tries not to breathe too weirdly. “Um. Y/N?”

You look him up and down, and then slowly fold your arms. “Shua,” you say again. “Are you sick?”

He blinks rapidly, and then has to stop, because it makes his head feel all woozy. “No?” he tries, and then coughs a little. He’ll claim it was out of nervousness, because you look kind of terrifying right now, but your eyes immediately widen at the sound, and he knows he’s busted.

“You are!” Instantly, you lunge for him as he tries to dive past you and escape this interrogation. “Joshua, come back! You’re sick!”

“I’m not! I’m not, I swear I’m not,” he insists, trying to pull away from the iron grip you’ve clasped around his wrist. Resistance is futile, though. You’re not letting him go, now that him and his wellbeing are involved. “Y/N, baby, please, I’m totally fine.”

“No you’re not,” you say firmly, and then begin dragging your whining boyfriend out the kitchen and towards the stairs. 

“I—” He sneezes, then, a loud and wet sneeze that scrapes at his throat and makes his eyes water, and he pauses, shocked. He sniffles, rubbing his nose. “Okay. Maybe I am.”

You shake your head, partly exasperated, partly fond, and continue pulling Joshua up the stairs.

He’s been shuffling around the house looking mildly ill all day, and you’ve been waiting for the right moment to pounce on him and get him up to bed. Because Joshua, when he gets sick, utterly refuses to give in and accept that he’s coming down with something, always waiting until the last moment to finally admit defeat to whatever illness has plagued him this time.

By the time you’re opening the bedroom door and ushering Joshua inside, he’s looking considerably worse than before, face all flushed and eyes watering from the sudden coughing fit he had while coming up the stairs.

“Come on, baby,” you coax, tucking him into bed. You press a hand to his forehead, a little alarmed and a little amused by how quickly he managed to look severely ill during the short walk upstairs. “Sleep.”

“I can still function, you know,” he insists as you pull the covers over him. “I can—I can do things.”

“I’d rather you not,” you say, smoothing down his hair and tucking away a few stray strands. You shake your head in faux disappointment. “I knew you’d get sick from all those days where you went out wearing all those thin layers in winter. What were you thinking?”

Joshua huffs petulantly. “It’s called fashion.”

“It’s called making yourself sick,” you return, and then chuckle at his pout. Leaning down, you press a quick kiss to his forehead, brushing a finger over his cheek fondly. “Now sleep. You’re going to feel way worse tomorrow if you don’t.”

He grumbles, but there’s a small smile on his face as he bids you goodbye and asks you to shut the door properly on the way out.

───────────── 💗

Your boyfriend is very, very self-sufficient. He tries not to bother other people with his struggles and his concerns, but he’s also very terrible at hiding it away when someone asks him directly if everything’s okay.

He’s also really weak in the face of attention.

Which means that while he’s very self-sufficient, the moment you notice he’s unwell and call him out on it, he melts instantly and gets taken over by his sickness so quickly that it surprises you every time.

Slowly, you creak open the bedroom door, peering inside to see Joshua staring blankly up at the ceiling. His head snaps towards you as you walk across the room, but his eyes are all glassy.

“Y/N?” he murmurs, and all he’s said is your name but it’s like he’s speaking through a ball of cotton. 

“Yes, it’s me,” you say, smiling a little, because his eyes positively shine when you confirm it. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, you place a damp towel over his forehead, feeling his cheek with the back of your hand, and wince a little at how warm he is. “Goodness me, Shua, you’re burning up.”

“No, I’m not,” he murmurs. “You’re burning up.”

You smile a little, pinching his cheek lightly. “If you were this sick, then why didn’t you say anything, hm? You should’ve told me earlier.”

“I’m not that sick. I can still do stuff,” he says, eyes falling shut just slightly as you begin stroking his hair, a relaxing movement. “Hey, hey, Y/N, watch this.”

“Hm?” You stop stroking his hair, sitting back and waiting patiently. 

There’s a long silence, and then Joshua cracks an eye open to look at you. He looks expectant—well, as expectant as a person with an extremely high fever can look—but when you don’t say anything, a small frown creases his brow.

“Didn’t you see it?”

“See what, baby?”

“The cartwheels. I did cartwheels.”

The statement is so absurd that you think he’s joking, but his face is set into such a serious pout that you can’t help but laugh a little, because there's something about fever-drowsed Joshua that is so adorable.

“You didn’t do any cartwheels, baby,” you say gently, and go back to stroking his hair. “You didn’t even get up.”

Joshua frowns, the pout deepening. “Oh.” His eyes close, and then open again. “I did them in my head, though. I’m sure I did.”

Cute, you think helplessly, unable to stop the smile spreading across the face. “Okay.” You kiss his nose. “I believe you. But I’m gonna go get you something to drink and eat, and then you’re gonna meds, okay?”

He makes a small noise of discontent when you get up, and then coughs, giving a pathetic sniffle like a sad little bunny, and you almost want to just stay next to him and never leave his side.

“You’re gonna need to take the meds to get better faster,” you say at the door. “I’ll be back soon, promise. Wait here.”

Joshua makes that sad noise again, but he watches you go. “Okay,” he says, all mumbly. “I promise not to cartwheel away.”

You laugh a little, because good lord, he’s so adorable. “Okay. I’m trusting you, alright?”

“Mhm.”

You close the door and walk down the stairs, shaking your head fondly.

───────────── 💗

It’s only several days later that his fever finally lets up, and he’s well enough to walk around the house once more. You wake up to Joshua in the kitchen, a blanket around his frame, making pancakes.

“Baby?” you ask, rubbing your eyes and yawning. “What are you doing?”

Joshua turns to you, and then grins, eyes crinkling fondly. “Hey, sweetheart,” he says, and deposits the last pancake onto a plate. “I’m making you breakfast, of course. Here. Eat up. Want some french toast too?”

“Wh—huh?” you say, incredibly intelligently, slowly sliding into the seat that, like the gentleman he is, Joshua had pulled out for you. “Why?”

“It’s a thank-you present, obviously,” Joshua says, as he busies himself making french toast. As if the pancakes and spread of fresh fruit and waffles (he cooked waffles too?) aren’t enough. “I’ve been insufferable over the past few days.”

You chuckle a little, thinking of Joshua insisting he can do cartwheels while you try to spoon feed him soup. “Yeah, you have. But I didn’t mind. You’re my boyfriend. Of course I’m gonna put up with you.”

Joshua laughs. “Thank you, Y/N. What would I do without you?”

“You’d be dead without me,” you say, incredibly seriously, and it makes Joshua laugh again. His eyes are still a little puffed up, but he beams at you, all full of life, and it makes you grin too.

“You’re totally right,” he says, and leans over to peck you on the cheek. “I love you.”

You smile, taking hold of his chin and bringing him down to press a longer kiss to his lips. “I love you more.”

Joshua quirks a grin at that, kissing your forehead for good measure before going back to the bread. “Let’s not start that argument again. Eat your pancakes, sweetheart, before they get cold.”

You look over at him as he busies himself making yet more food, and it makes you a little dizzy, really, just how much Joshua loves you. And how much you love him in return. Even when he’s doing cartwheels in his head and insisting he’s doing them in real life.

“Hey, now you’re all better, you can do those cartwheels you kept wanting to do.”

“Really? Should I?”

“Yeah! I bet I can do them better though.”

“Oh, you’re on.”

fics tags: @jeonginssa @weird-bookworm @minhui896 @bunnyiix @slytherinshua @haowrld @belladaises @moonlitskiiies @mirxzii @zozojella @kawennote09 @thedensworld @a-wandering-stay @abibliolife @doublasting @wonranghaeee @icyminghao @sweet-like-caramel @your-yxnnie @evasaysstuff @odxrilove @kyeomyun @crackedpumpkin @jeonride @kellesvt @sakufilms @eightlightstar @onlyyjeonghan @aaniag @amxlia-stars @raevyng @isabellah29