Johnny Suh Imagines - Tumblr Posts

Two Birthdays

I wrote this piece today in honor of today’s birthday celebrators, one of which NCTzens should know by heart. 

Mark Lee has been my gateway to the world of NCT, and now I am fully immersed in it. Well, not so much with the Dreamies but I appreciate them.

Then, who’s the other one celebrating their birthday? I guess you have to find out who! Johfam knows – don’t embarrass me, guys.

As always, I put a GIF to hype you up – here’s Marky with black hair, which is the best color on him. 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

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Summary: This piece is dedicated to Mark Lee and Mama Suh, who share the same birth date of August 2. Johnny and Essie prepare something for them, and then get emotional at the end. Aren’t they such attention-hogging drama queens? 

POV: 3rd person as usual. 

Word count: 1,160 words 

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August 2 is an important day for Johnny Suh – not only is it the birthday of his dearest eomma, but it was also the special day of his bro Mark Lee.

Since Essie Park has been living with the two boys for quite some time now, those days have also become important to her. She loves both of them – Johnny is her boyfriend, while Mark is the little brother she never had.

She woke up early to prepare a feast for the birthday celebrators, which in turn, made her partner do so as well. Both of them were puttering away at the kitchen at five in the morning, preparing a mixture of both Korean and Western dishes.

“Baby, why don’t you check on the birthday boy?” Johnny suggested after placing a newly cooked omelet on a plate with mashed potatoes and vegetables on it. Essie gave him a thumbs-up and silently ran to Mark’s room, whose door was slightly ajar. She could see that he was cocooned in his comforter, and she couldn’t tell if he was still asleep or pretending to be.

“I can’t tell if he’s still sleeping or not,” she whispered once she was back at the kitchen. The couple glanced at the clock – it read 7:40 a.m. – and giggled. “Probably not yet,” her boyfriend said, who picked up the French press nearby to make their coffee. “Let’s give him a few minutes, and then we’ll surprise him.”

\\\

At around 8:30 a.m., Essie led Johnny to Mark’s room as he carried a small tray of breakfast food. She opened the door carefully and saw that the young man was still asleep. This time, they can see his bare face – he always had a mustache forming – and they could hear him snoring lightly.

She went to the left side of the bed while Johnny went to the opposite side, placing the tray at the foot of the bed. The couple looked at each other first before they decided to surprise Mark by screaming their birthday greeting.

“Happy birthday, Mark Lee!”

The birthday boy, who is now 21 as of writing, was startled and kicked the comforter off the bed. “What the hell,” he grumbled, looking at his hyung and noona in disbelief first, “but thank you, guys. You didn’t have to scream into my ear like that.”

“But that wouldn’t be fun, right?” Johnny snickered, which earned him a glare from the younger guy. “Happy birthday, Marky!” Essie squealed, messing with his hair. He bit his lip as his hyung joined in on playing with his hair, trying his best not to be annoyed at the situation.

When they were done, Johnny reached over to the small tray and placed it closer to Mark. “Of course, you know how it is in this household when someone has a birthday. We made you breakfast fit for a king like yourself.” Essie made dramatic hand gestures to emphasize that, as there were three plates crammed into the tray that contained a full-course meal.

“Thank you again, Johnny hyung and Essie noona! I truly appreciate it,” the birthday boy said, now less grumpy than a few minutes ago. Once he got his utensils, he dug into his majestic breakfast. The couple patted his back affectionately as he bit and gulped his food.

After he finished eating, Johnny left the room briefly to grab his Polaroid camera. Then, they took pictures – the couple’s favorite was of them kissing Mark on the cheeks with the guy completely flustered in the middle.

“This is so cute!” Essie gushed, staring at the newly-developed photo lovingly. “I’m going to hang it up in my gallery. May I, love?” Johnny winked at her, which meant she could. She replied by tackling him in a hug, in which she also included Mark after.

“I love you boys so much,” she murmured while still in proximity with them. “We love you too,” they said in unison, and everyone giggled at their harmonization.

They spent a few more minutes in bed talking and teasing each other until Mark had to go home to his parents’ house to spend the rest of the day with them.

“Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow, guys. I might spend the night there,” he said as he tugged at the straps of his backpack.

“It’s okay, Mark. You deserve the time off with them. And I’m sure it has been a while you went to Mass with your family too,” Essie said softly, remembering the time that she and Mark went to church recently to pray for their intentions.

“Yeah, that’s true. Well, I’m off then. Have a nice day ahead!” Mark waved at them until he was out of their eyesight.

\\\

“Then, that leaves us with the next thing on our agenda – call Mama,” Johnny said once they retreated to the couch.

“Check what time is it there first, dummy,” Essie teased, flicking the space in between his eyebrows. “I’m sure she’s awake at this time,” he replied, rubbing the part she hit. “Come here, my big baby,” he patted the space beside him, “and let’s call her up to say our birthday greetings.”

It was already late in the evening in Chicago when the couple called Mama Suh, who was already in her pajamas. “Happy birthday Eomma! I hope you had a fun and fabulous day there,” Essie said while she waved enthusiastically at her boyfriend’s mother.

“But of course, my darling! We went to this hotel and had a nice steak and wine dinner,” the older woman shared, which got her son ‘ooh’-ing and ‘aah’-ing at the details of her day.

Johnny and Essie snuggled closer to each other as they listened to Mama Suh talk about her day and more. “I wish you two could go here again, I’d love you to experience what I had too,” she said wistfully, making the couple hug each other tighter.

“We’ll fly there again once things are better, Mama. We promise that,” her son replied.

“Yes, Ma. You can count on that. We miss you so much,” his girlfriend added.

As much as they didn’t want to end the call on a sad note, Mama Suh got teary-eyed, and soon, they were crying and sniffing.

Although it has been years since Johnny decided to work in Korea, he always made it a point to fly back to his hometown in Chicago yearly. However, given the current pandemic, he couldn’t.

The couple held each other for a while after their call, saddened by the effects of the global situation and a million other thoughts.

“Baby?”

“Yes, love?”

“Promise me we’ll be together forever?”

Essie looked at her boyfriend’s distraught face, and she kissed him squarely on the lips. “Yes, I promise you that.”

He returned the gesture and carried her to their shared bedroom, presumably to make sure that she will stay true to her words.

–––

FIN

P.S. I know, it doesn’t feature enough Mark! Don’t worry; I have another post to make up for that.

JN (Part I)

And we’re back with more Johnny content here! Of course, he’s the apple of my eye, my ultimate current bias, the love of my life, and the list go on. But I do get tempted by other good-looking K-pop men sometimes...

Here’s a GIF of him looking adorable with some noticeable blush. The color reminds me of Glossier Cloud Paint in Storm, but of course, I could be wrong. Drop that blush shade, dude! 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: These pieces were inspired by a prompt list by @neoculturedrabbles​. Since you guys know how I feel about Johnny, please expect that the next installments will feature two prompts in it too. 

POV: 2nd person since I wrote this late last year. I know; you’re getting tired of reading that over and over. 

Word count: 1,800 words 

–––

Prompt #1: “Shut up!”

“Make me!”

Now that you and Johnny were a couple, that didn’t stop him from annoying you to tears.

You were working on an article at the dining table when you heard him sing Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ off-key. He was at the kitchen, cooking his trademark omelets for breakfast.

“John, please!” You shrieked, turning your head towards the kitchen. “Can you pipe it down? I’m trying to work here!”

He responded by continuing the song, his voice more off-key than before.

You rolled your eyes and went back to your laptop, huffing in annoyance.

A few minutes later, Johnny emerged from the kitchen with your breakfast, and he was now singing Heart’s ‘Alone’ in the same irritating manner.

“Love, what’s up with you? Why are you annoying me? Do you know I’m about to have my period soon?” You said when he placed a plate of omelet and rice in front of you.

“I’m not doing anything unusual,” he said, this time placing a cup of coffee beside your breakfast, “I’m just being myself, you know?” He winked at you and patted your shoulder.

“But baby, you know when I’m in front of my laptop, I’m most likely working,” you grumbled, now taking the cup of coffee to sip on it.

“I can never tell,” he sat on the seat across from you, “Maybe you’re just reading hentai or playing your porn games,” he wiggled his eyebrows for effect, and you almost spit your coffee.

You just flipped him the bird and took another sip of the coffee he made. As always, he got your preferred taste perfectly – strong and sweet, just like he is.

“How dare you, Suh Youngho! I don’t do that anymore!”

“Yes, you do! You fell asleep with your Incognito window on a hentai comic the other day!”

That was the last straw, and you went to his side and pinched his cheeks. “You silly boy! Stop taunting me!” You squeaked, pinching his cheeks harder while he laughed at your flushed and annoyed face.

“No, I’m not going to stop teasing you! It’s also my job to annoy you since your sisters are out!” He said in between your pinching.

“Johnnyyyyy!” Your hands snaked their way around his neck, and you felt tears brimming at the corners of your eyes. “Shut up!”

“Make me!” He challenged, his face serious.

Now that was something you didn’t expect – he had his poker face on, and he seemed calm. You let go of your hands around his neck and settled them on his shoulders.

But when he gave you his trademark wink, you felt miffed again. You decided to play his game and pecked him on the lips instead.

You weren’t able to get away from him since he locked you in his embrace and deepened the kiss.

As your tongues clashed against each other, you gasped when you felt something poking beneath you. Ugh, not again! He was turned on with what you did, and you tasted like coffee, of course.

You let go when you felt very bothered by his boner and pinched his nose this time.

“You big freak,” you huffed, raising your middle finger at him again, “You’re such a tease, you know?”

“I know, baby,” Johnny had the guts to lick his lips in front of you, “and I’m going to taunt you every day with all my loving.”

“Can we have breakfast now?” You got your spoon and fork and started digging into your meal.

“Sure thing, baby,” He said while he moved his plate and drink beside you. When he was done, he sat on the chair to your left and fed you a spoonful of rice and omelet. “Say ‘ah,’” he instructed in a flirty tone, which you obeyed.

“Don’t be so grumpy, my baby princess,” he cooed, wiping the excess rice on the top of your lip.

“But I’m about to have my period! My chest feels heavier, and I feel more bloated,” you whined.

“Even if your boobs don’t get bigger and you don’t look plumper, you are always a grumpy girl,” it was now his turn to pinch your cheek.

You crossed your arms over your chest and looked away from him. Since his hand was still on your chin, he tilted it again toward his direction.

“If you promise me that you won’t be grumpy anymore, I’ll stop teasing you.”

You sighed in defeat and nodded. “Okay, I’ll try my best.”

“No buts! You should do it. You look the most beautiful when you smile.”

You pinched his arm in embarrassment and went back to eating with your head down. “You are such a flirt, love. But thank you.”

“You’re welcome, baby.” He kissed the side of your head, and both of you ate in silence after.

///

Prompt #12: “You’re a pain in the ass, you know?”

“Yeah, but I’m your pain the ass.”

Your head was throbbing in pain because a) you lack sleep, and b) Johnny was being such a pain in the ass to deal with.

As you searched the cabinet for some Advil, you saw a pair of long arms reach over you and grabbed a large pink pillbox.

You turned around to see it was the source of your headache, grinning sheepishly at you. “I assume you need Advil?”

You nodded in response, silently grabbing the pillbox from him. You went to the dining table where a glass of water was waiting for you and opened the box to get your much-needed medicine.

You felt Johnny’s eyes on you as you swallowed the pill and drank water. You closed your eyes for a bit, savoring its bitter taste in your mouth.

But then, you remembered all the things he did during the previous week that got on your nerves.

He hid your strawberry-flavored Greek yogurt from the fridge just when you were craving for it.

He placed your usual mug in the highest cupboard the day after he was in charge of doing the dishes. You had to climb up the sink just so you can reach it, and he laughed at your attempt to grab it the first time you discovered it was up there.

He woke you up by replacing your alarm with his voice recording remixed with EDM beats. He laughed again when he saw your grumpy reaction, your hair sticking all over the place as you chased him around the house with your pillow.

He used your favorite tote bag (which you waited for ages to be restocked!) when he went grocery shopping all by himself, ruining it in the process. Now it was under his care, and you didn’t know if he has finished mending it yet.

But the most annoying thing that he did was when he tickled you to tears when you didn’t wake him up when he needed to be up early for a schedule. Although he seemed annoyed at first, he was also in tears from laughter as he saw you writhe in his touch.

You let out a huge groan before lying on the couch. “This headache sucks,” you said, curling up on the sofa.

“You need some rest, baby,” you heard Johnny say, who was now standing in front of you. He wore a basketball jersey and jogging pants, which was his usual home attire.

But as always, you were distracted with his big and meaty guns. You grabbed the pillow at your foot and covered your face in it so you couldn’t see his towering figure over you.

“I’m resting right now. Please,” you looked at him briefly, “stop annoying me. You’re one of the reasons why my head is throbbing right now,” you covered your face with the pillow again.

“Oh, but why me? I have been nothing but good to you!” You felt an additional weight at the end of the sofa, which meant that he sat down beside you.

“But you kept on annoying me by hiding my food, ruining my stuff, and most of all, you almost tickled me to death!” You threw the pillow at him, which he caught. He held it in front of him and looked at you with puppy eyes.

“But Essie! You know that’s one of the ways to show that I love you!” He whined while making cute faces at you.

“Johnny, there are times that I appreciate it, and there are times that I do not,” you grumbled, now sitting up on the couch. “You’re a pain in the ass, you know?”

“Yeah, but I’m your pain in the ass,” he responded smoothly, running one of his hands through his hair.

“Ugh, Suh Youngho!” You groaned, lying back on the couch again. As soon as your back hit the sofa, you were flustered to see him on top of you with a Cheshire cat grin on his face.

“But you’re so cute when you’re grumpy!” He said playfully before his hands went to your sides and tickled you until you were in tears again.

“I’ll get you for this, John!” You said in between wheezing and kicking.

The tall guy snickered, but then he looked at you with concern when he noticed that your tears didn’t stop falling. He stopped tickling you and wiped your tears away. “Sorry, baby,” he whispered, now kissing your forehead.

You shut your eyes for the nth time today, processing this intimate moment you got yourself into. He was too close, and you could feel his breath against your forehead. Your body felt warm from head to toe, and his body felt that way as well.

But come to think of it, your head stopped pounding. You opened your eyes and saw that he gave you the sweetest smile before kissing your temple.

“Do you feel better now?”

“Surprisingly, yes. I feel much better now,” you gently pushed him away from you as you sat up once more. “But I think I should still get some rest.”

“That you do need, baby. Come,” he held your hand and led you to your room. “I’ll tuck you in.”

“No, John! I’m fine. You don’t have to do that for me,” you mumbled, looking away from him as he squeezed the hand he held.

“I insist. I want to make it up to you for being a pain in the ass.”

“But you’ll always be even if you do sweet shit like this, you know?”

“Yeah, I do. But still, please? Can I tuck my surly baby in bed?” He pleaded, blinking his eyelashes cutely at you.

“Ugh, fine. I request for hair brushing and thigh tapping too, please.”

“Anything for my dear Essie,” he said before carrying you into your bedroom bridal-style.

–––

FIN

JN (Part II)

I’d like to thank everyone who loved the first part of this mini-series, so now I offer you the second part. I’m not sure how many parts this will have; I’ll have to see my archive first. 

As a clue to what you’ll be reading, here’s a GIF of him in his trademark off-duty outfit. Doesn’t he look cozy? And if you’ve noticed, he tends to use that word a lot too.

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: Yup, our content for this whole week and possibly into the next ones will still come from my writing based on the prompt list created by @neoculturedrabbles​.

POV: 2nd person for both. 

Word count: 1,600+ words

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Prompt #3: “Is that my hoodie?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

\\\

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Nope, it’s mine now.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“But Johnnyyyyy!”

///

Prompt #19: “Hey, babe?”

“Yeah?”

“How much do you love me.” 

Sometimes, you wondered how much Johnny loved you.

Even if you always get into spats now that you’re already in the fourth month of your relationship, he never seemed to hold his anger for long. It was usually him who apologized first, and you forgot what you fought about when he made up with you.

Tonight was a normal night for you – cuddling on the bed watching Netflix, your bedside tables with a bottle of beer each. You wore one of his shirts and a pair of boxer shorts, while he wore a sleeveless shirt and sweatpants. You were watching ‘Money Heist’ on his iPad Pro, and both of your arms were linked around each other’s bodies – yours were on his neck and his were on your waist. You nuzzled your face on his chest, and he responded by kissing the top of your head.

“Did you miss me that much, baby?” He asked, tilting your head to look at him. You were not sure if he was tipsy – his face and ears were flushed.

“Yeah,” you murmured, stealing a peck from his lips, “we’re always so busy during the weekdays that we can only catch up every weekend.”

“I’ll fix my schedule so we can have dinner at least every other day. Sounds good?” It was his turn to peck you on the lips, which you returned with much force.

You paused the episode you were watching and caught up with you intimately with cuddles and kisses. When you pulled away to catch your breath, he pressed your forehead against yours.

“Hey, babe?” You started, looking up at his deep chocolate eyes.

“Yeah?” He tightened his hold around your waist and pecked your forehead.

“How much do you love me?” You cringed inwardly at how saccharine you sounded, but you were curious to know his answer.

“Baby, do I really need to answer that?” He broke his hold on you as he massaged his temple with one of his hands. “Of course, my love for you is limitless! It knows no bounds! It can’t be measured at all.”

“Why do you love me so much?” This time, you sounded as if you were about to cry. You were quite moved with his answer, but you just had to hear more from him.

“Because I just do?” You cocked your head to the side, signaling for him to continue. “There are some questions that don’t need answers because really baby, actions speak louder than words.”

With that, he kissed you again, and you reciprocated with all the love you have.

You were lucky to have a man like him in your life, and you wanted everyone to know of that. Maybe soon, because now he’s all yours for the taking.

“You’re so clingy right now, are you ovulating?” He asked, squeezing your butt. You thwacked him on the shoulder and bit his upper forearm.

He yelped in pain, which motivated you to dig your teeth deeper into his arm. When his scream sounded more girly than yours, you let go.

“You idiot, of course not! I just missed you, that’s all,” you said after wiping the saliva from your mouth. He glared at you for a moment before peppering your faces with kisses.

“And I missed you too. I hope we can have more moments like this every day, baby.”

“Same, love, same,” you whispered, caressing his cheek.

You exchanged more mellifluous words before Johnny decided to continue watching the series you put on hold.

You were back again in your original position, arms wrapped around each other as you watched ‘Money Heist’ in his device.

–––

FIN

How He Loves

Let’s throw it back to one of the first Johnny-centric stories I’ve written, which was during the time I was just getting into NCT 127 and not that into Johnny yet. 

Look at me now – I’m head over heels, and I try my best to obtain his merchandise if I can afford it. And of course, I live for his Bubble messages at Lysn!  

This GIF gets me every time – the nerve of this flirt to do this to me, but I know I like it! 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: This piece was written after this post. Hence, they are connected. I’ll do a master list soon of all my posts and which ones are connected. Maybe you can remind me too? 

POV: 2nd here, baby. 

Word count: 1,000 + words 

Recommended listening: I’m an Arctic Monkeys stan, so feel free to listen to the songs I will embed here. And yes, I’m sharing my playlist of depressing songs too that shares the same title as the one Essie has.

–––

As one of the most famous poems starts, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”

You love that Johnny is open to any of your interests, eventually loving them as his own.

Both of you have diverse music tastes, but you listen to more indie than pop. He has learned to love the Arctic Monkeys, your favorite band of all time. Whenever the two of you are headed to the pub, he always played their ‘AM’ album. He sings along with you to Matt’s high-pitched voice in ‘Knee Socks’ and slightly raps with you to ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High.’ On sunny morning road trips, he would play their ‘Suck It and See’ album, and the two of you will poke fun of ‘Brick by Brick.’ Then, the two of you will get sentimental when ‘Love is a Laserquest’ comes on, and he would always hold your hand at the end of the song.

You have also learned to love more Korean pop because of him, and now you have a newfound appreciation for girl groups and even hip-hop artists. Both of you loved creating playlists for each other to the point that you have a lot of playlists already. You always play one of his creations whenever you’re on your commute or when you’re just chilling at home. He admitted that he listens to your ‘Of Heartbreak and Despair’ playlist when he wants to get in touch with his emotional side, and you couldn’t help but be flattered by this information.

You love that Johnny allows you to smoke when it’s just the two of you after Kibum goes off on his way. The older guy doesn’t tolerate smoking and gets into a fit when he smells cigarette smoke on you.

Once it’s just you and Johnny, he finds the nearest Starbucks he could drive to. You sit outside with him sipping an iced Americano and you a piping hot Café Mocha. You light a stick and blow the smoke away from him, but sometimes he makes fun of you by leaning closer and inhaling loudly the smoke that came from your mouth. You nudge him aside, and he just laughs at you, amused at your reaction. “Don’t do that Youngho, sitting beside me is already secondhand smoke for your pretty lungs,” you muttered, tugging the hood of your jacket to cover your face.

He lets you finish three sticks at most and slaps your hand away from the carton when you’re about to get your fourth stick. “No more,” he grunted, before squeezing your hand into his. You break away from his grip easily and immediately search for the hand sanitizer in your bag. You don’t want his hand to smell like smoke or any part of him actually. Sometimes, you would spray with him with your Victoria’s Secret perfume, so he still smells good. He loved the smell of Bombshell that he now keeps a bottle or two in his car.

You love how patient he is with you in many ways, but let’s start first when you two work out.

You admit that you are a lazy ass bitch who just wants to sleep all day, but he won’t allow that. He would invite you to exercise with him, whether that’s doing muay thai or aerial yoga. There were times you felt like covering your face in embarrassment when you couldn’t do some moves or positions, but he never made fun of you. Instead, he would assist the trainer to help you perfect the routine. He did not mind how sticky your arm was with sweat as he held it in his warm hand.

After you struggle with his exercise of choice, he would treat you to your favorite food. The two of you would eat at your favorite Italian restaurant, where you unabashedly stuff your face with focaccia bread. He will just laugh at your puffy cheeks as he mixes the balsamic vinegar and olive oil for you to dip your bread on. If you didn’t go there, you two would head out for some Persian food. You love how joyful he looks whenever he douses the basmati rice and beef chelo kebab with loads of garlic sauce, and laugh when he makes faces after eating ox brain.

Another way that you love him being patient with you is when he has no complaints waiting for you to get ready when going out.

As much as it pains you to admit it, you are a high-maintenance girl. You always want to look glamorous and make a statement whenever you went out, even if you would just grab groceries beside your apartment. You couldn’t leave the house with some makeup on and huge hoop earrings.

He would tuck the stray hairs away from your face when your curls couldn’t be pushed back by your headband. Or he would tie your hair away from your face when you were too focused on blending your eyeshadow, mumbling that he’s bored, and he likes playing with your fluffy mane. In return, you would do his eyes when he felt like adding another accessory to his look. Most of the time, he requested for a brown smoky eye, and you always delivered. “I wish you’re a part of our tour, I’ll have you as my makeup artist,” he chuckled, admiring the work you did.

“Shut up,” you muttered, packing away the makeup you used on him. He grabbed your wrist and pulled you closer to him, his eyes making contact with yours.

You felt your cheeks heat up as he looked at you rather intensely. It felt as if he was peering at your soul.

You know he’s handsome. If you were being honest with yourself, he looks like a prince right out of a fairy tale. All you needed him to do was wear a pristine military uniform. When he winked, you burst into laughter.

“The fuck was that,” you whispered, removing his hand on your wrist. “We both look good in smoky eyes, baby,” he replied seductively before winking again. The both of you just laughed at how silly this situation was turning, and maybe this masked how you two felt for each other.

You still couldn’t believe that he loves you more than just a friend. It has been two weeks since his confession, and your mind hasn’t grasped the idea of you two going out on dates, even if people thought your hangouts were more-than-friendly dates.

––

FIN

Studies on Tension (Part II)

The follow-up to this piece is now here, and of course, I can’t resist a fierce-looking (or in other words, intimidating) Johnny GIF to start it off. 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: Aside from what has been mentioned, this is also a piece that I wrote inspired by the prompt list created by @neoculturedrabbles​.

POV: 3rd person here. 

Word count: 950 words 

–––

Prompt #4: I had a dream we were dating.

Johnny spotted Essie lying on the couch still in her work clothes. She was scrolling through her phone while hugging a throw pillow, oblivious to anyone who might see her. 

He had just finished cooking, and he didn’t notice the arrival of his housemate. Sometimes, Essie liked to be sneaky to both him and Mark and surprise them with her presence without saying a word.

“Hey, Essie,” he started, slowly approaching her. He wasn’t sure if she was in a good mood or no,t but it pays to be cautious when she had just arrived from work. She can get quite snappy when asked the wrong questions. 

“Hey, John,” she said, not looking up from her phone. She was intent on reading whatever was on the screen and barely moved from her position at all.

“I just cooked dinner. Would you like to eat now?” He crouched down to her level, tilting her phone a bit so she could see his face. She blinked in return, and she sat up a moment later. 

“What did you cook?” She straightened her skirt and wiggled her legs a bit before standing up. “Our favorite: Mexican food. Come see it for yourself,” This time, he led her to the dining table by holding her wrist.

She had no violent reaction to this – in fact, she looked at the back of his head with an inscrutable expression. 

Essie remembered the dream she had recently, and what he did was giving her déjà vu. It was as if a part of that dream replayed tonight as he held her wrist to lead her somewhere.

When she saw he cooked burritos and quesadillas, she sighed contentedly. “Aw, Johnny! You have just satisfied my Mexican food craving with this!” 

“That’s great to hear! Shall we dig in?” He gestured for her to sit in her usual seat, which she did and dug in with gusto to the dishes he prepared. 

While they ate, he found her silence a bit disturbing. Usually, they conversed about everything while eating dinner. It was one of his favorite parts of the day since they get to air out their concerns, discuss current events, and just get to know each other better. 

They have been best friends for over a year now, and they have been housemates for more than six months. It wouldn’t hurt if their relationship becomes closer than that, right? 

“You know, Youngho…I had a dream we were dating,” Essie said after an awkward moment of silence.

“Oh? What did we do there?” This got Johnny’s interest as he almost bumped his body into the table to be closer to her. 

“Nothing much, it’s almost the same as the things we do regularly. However, there was one instance that you held my wrist and led me to places you wanted us to see. It reminded me of what you did earlier, to be honest…” Her voice faltered at the end, and he saw that she attempted to hide her flushed face from him with her shoulder. 

“Okay... I mean, I do that to you regularly? Sometimes, I even hold your hand when I want you to see some things, and you move like the slowpoke that you are,” that got him a glare, “but what else did you dream about us…dating?”

It took Essie a while to answer, as she chewed her lip on how best to continue her story. 

“Well, that’s it. Just the way you held my wrist reminded me of that.”

“Didn’t we kiss there? Or even hug? I do hug you almost every day, but how about kissing? Wait, I do kiss you, but not in that sense, though!” Johnny became a blubbering mess, and the girl sitting across him covered her red face with her hands. 

“Oh dear, he made a big deal out of it. I should’ve kept my mouth shut,” she grumbled, peeking at him through the spaces in between her fingers. He was still babbling about what he does as her best friend.

“Come to think of it, the things I do for you border on what a boyfriend can do for his partner.” His realization made Essie groan. 

“So, what does that mean then?” She asked eventually, her face once again covered by her clammy hands.

“I don’t know, should we try dating? I mean, if you’re up to it?” 

It was incredible at how Johnny stayed calm and collected while asking questions that can make or break a moment. 

“Are you serious?” The girl’s voice bordered on hysterics, which she downplayed by coughing afterward.

“If you are, then sure. After all, isn’t that the next course of action when a girl and a boy became best friends with each other?” 

Essie looked at his face and saw that he was indeed serious with his words. “Please forget I talked about this,” she mumbled, eating the rest of her burrito with her head bowed. 

Although their conversation about her dream ended awkwardly, Johnny felt a mixture of hurt and disappointment that his best friend didn’t think of leveling up their relationship. 

He wouldn’t mind dating her since they know so much about each other already, but if she doesn’t feel the same, he felt like a fool for suggesting that they get together. 

Why do girl-boy friendships can be so complicated? Why is there a likely possibility that they fall for each other? There are three outcomes from that scenario – first, they can remain friends; second, they can become a couple; and third, their friendship is no more.

He hoped that they don’t end up as the last option.

––

FIN

Quarantine Series (Part II)

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

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

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

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

POV: 3rd person

Word count: 700+ words

–––

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

–––

FIN

Quarantine Series (Part III)

Remember their Relay V Lives last April? Yes, those have inspired me to write the next two installments of this series. 

For this one, the GIF below says it all. Isn’t it exciting? I got it from Tumblr too but I can’t seem to find its source, so please let me know who this belongs to. Thank you!

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

–––

Summary: I already said what you needed to know about this piece above, so I would just like to add that Johnny’s outfit here is inspired by this photo of my first love Adam Driver. Dang, I really have a thing for big, tall men! 

POV: 2nd person

Word count: 1,200+ words

–––

“Get up, loser! We’re going to exercise!”

Johnny Suh screeched, banging open your door to report of this so-called mandatory activity. “Why are we going to exercise?” You whined, burying yourself deeper into the comforter. “No buts, ma’am! We’ve got to shake that ass to get that toned bod!” Your housemate said, removing the blanket that covered your body and twirling you to look at him. But before you could even complain that you didn’t want to, your eyes widened at his outfit.

“What the hell are you wearing?” You shrieked, absorbing Johnny’s chosen workout attire of a bandanna, skimpy tank top (with ‘Let’s Get Physical’ printed on it in silver glitter), and a pair of neon booty shorts. “The weather’s hot, baby. And maybe I want to show off the fruits of my labor so you and Mark will be motivated to work out even more,” he said, now showing off his rainbow-striped tube socks and retro sneakers.

“You look as if you stepped out of a cheesy 80s aerobic video, but whatever,” you grumbled, finally getting up from the bed. “Can you give me five minutes to change?” He responded with a thumbs-up before he screamed again in the hallway. “I’ll let you do ten push-ups if you don’t comply with that time!” You could only roll your eyes at his words before you search your closet for a pair of jogging pants.

\\\

Four minutes later – for fear of doing something you didn’t even know how to do properly – you emerged from your room and saw that Johnny had already set up the living room with mats, kettlebells, and weights.

“Wow, you’re early,” your instructor said, eyeing you from head to toe. “For a beginner, you sure dress well,” he gave you another thumbs-up, which you replied by flipping the bird on him. “Mark Lee! Where the heck are you?” His booming voice made the younger guy come out, who wore all black for his workout attire. “I see you’re in black, Mr. Lee. Maybe we’re going to mourn the loss of your excess fat after this,” Johnny snickered, earning giggles from you and your fellow attendee. “Now, let's get it!”

\\\

Although Mark was fitter than you, he was showing signs of fatigue from the routine that your instructor demonstrated. You can say the same for yourself, but you didn’t want anyone of them to see how exhausted you are. However, Johnny was still in high spirits by teaching you guys how to do exercises with the kettlebell and even pumped up the music. To be honest, you didn’t want to take his workout seriously because his playlist was all over the place – aside from the aforementioned cheesy 80s aerobics music, he also had promiscuous rap songs and even techno headbangers from the late 90s. As much as you wanted to laugh at how the playlist shifted from Vibez to Crazy Frog, Johnny berated you when he caught you not following instructions.

“Miss Park, please! If I catch you not following again, I’ll make you do 10 more,” he hissed while moving the kettlebell up and down.

“Can we get a break, please,” Mark groaned, looking paler than usual. “We’ve been at it for 20 minutes, hyung. Please?”

When the brown-haired guy dropped the kettlebell on the mat, you and Mark rushed to the kitchen to get some drinks.

“Don’t drink anything that isn’t water or any sports drink! We’re not yet done!”

\\\

Johnny’s exercise routine took 45 minutes, and it ended with you and Mark lying on your respective mats in pain. “Am I that out of shape?” He huffed, looking up at the ceiling. “Nonsense, you’re fitter than I,” you replied, your breath still catching up with your exercise. “Look at me, I might die anytime soon.”

“That’s even more nonsense!” Your instructor sat beside you with a huge smile on his face. “You did great, baby! I never thought you were that flexible,” he handed you a bottle of Pocari Sweat, which you accepted wordlessly.

“How about me, hyung?” Mark’s question was answered when Johnny threw another bottle of the sports drink at him.

“This was really fun! Maybe we should do it twice a week. We don’t have much to do during this quarantine anyway.” He was ecstatic at how he made you and Mark tired from exercise that his eyes were practically glowing.

“Who says we don’t have much to do? I can list a lot of things I can do during this quarantine that doesn’t involve exercise,” you grumbled, sitting up so you can now drink your Pocari Sweat.

“You and your sedentary activities,” Johnny scoffed. “Why don’t you and Doyoung make a club? You two are practically holed up in your bedrooms anyway.”

“There’s a certain joy of staying inside, Mr. Suh. For someone who isn’t an extrovert like you, you wouldn’t understand.” You placed the bottle on the floor with a thud, shaking Mark a bit.

“Hey, noona. Calm down,” he whispered, scooting closer to you. “And please, don’t fight. If there’s one thing I don’t want all of us to do, it’s that.”

You stared at Johnny, who returned the gesture. You had a stare-off that lasted for fifteen seconds before you heard Mark stand up and go back to his bedroom, mumbling something along the lines of ‘never-ending sexual tension’ and ‘dense as fuck’.

“But seriously, Essie. Exercise is good for everyone. I don’t need to remind you that, right?” You couldn’t look at the guy beside you, who talked with such a soft and loving voice. You could only nod in response and looked at your lap. “I’m going to make this a regular thing, and of course, you and Mark could also hold activities of your own that all of us can do.”

“I’m guessing Mark will make us perform a song together, considering all of us play instruments,” you chuckled, remembering the times that he gathered everyone in the living room so each one can perform a song of their liking.

“I think so too,” you heard Johnny move closer to you, “and I wonder what’ll be yours?” When you looked up, he linked an arm around your waist and pulled you closer to him. “Maybe eat,” you said matter-of-factly, making him laugh. You felt his abs as he did so, and you tried to move away, so you don’t completely become a flustered mess. He didn’t let you and tightened his hold.

“It’s all balanced then,” he kissed the top of your head before letting you go. “Our next session will be two days from now, so talk to Mark which one of you is in charge of tomorrow’s activity.” He helped you stand up, and in return, you helped him clean up today’s set-up. “I think I want to go first, I want us to eat something I haven’t eaten in ages…” you mumbled after packing away the last of gym equipment into its respective cabinet.

“Oh, is that so? But still, talk to Marky.” Johnny jerked his thumb toward the younger guy’s bedroom. “Yeah, I know. But thanks though for today.” You grinned, giving him two thumbs-up. “And thank you as well, my grumpy baby,” he messed your hair with his hands, “I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s feast.”

“Same here,” you laughed, now dashing toward Mark’s room. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to talk to Mr. Lee here.”

–––

FIN

How They Met

How original of me to use that title for this post, but getting straight to the point is always a good thing. 

Now we’re getting into the beginnings of Johnny and Essie’s relationship, so that might be something you’ll be reading more of soon. 

I’m imagining that this GIF could be something that he’ll do when you get to know him for the first time. Do you agree?

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: To copy what I wrote on my draft: Inspired by an IG post of Johnny caught staring at the camera every time he’s at the airport. Yeah, he will make me nervous too. But I won’t back down – I’ll give him a wink in return! I find my thoughts amusing sometimes. 

POV: 3rd person 

Word count: 1,440 words 

Warning: Italics are for thoughts, people. 

–––

Legend has it that Johnny Suh likes to look at people straight in the eye to make them feel nervous.

That was what Essie Park felt when she made eye contact with the tall guy, who was waiting next to her in Starbucks.

They were waiting for their orders at the counter, and she felt that someone was looking at her. She was correct – she saw the guy was staring at her. She didn’t back down from his intense stare and returned it briefly before she realized how handsome he was.

When she focused her attention on the barista who was preparing her order, she felt her cheeks grow warm. A few seconds later, her name was called, and she grabbed her order hastily.

Nope, she wasn’t going to look back at the handsome guy who might be staring at her still.

Essie was, once again, correct – Johnny Suh was observing her. She stood out among the crowd with her curly hair, flashy denim jacket, and leopard-print pants. She looked ready to prowl in this concrete jungle, and there was a part of him that wanted to join her.

The girl was eating with her best friend Nini, who sipped at her hot chocolate quietly and went back to work. Meanwhile, she ate her penne pasta with gusto and slurped her mocha frap with no care in the world. She was hungry, and she was not afraid to show it to everyone.

This made Johnny smile, who drank his iced Americano from afar and almost zoned out on what his friend was saying.

“Were you even listening, John?” Jeong Jaehyun waved a hand on his face, raising an eyebrow at him as well.

He apologized, but his eyes were still on the girl devouring her meal. Jaehyun followed his stare and noticed Essie who had sauce on the sides of her mouth.

“That girl sure is hungry,” he chuckled, looking at Johnny whose eyes never left her. “Yeah, I know. She intrigues me,” his voice softened at the end as well as his stare. “I think she’s cute.”

Jaehyun looked at the girl again, then at Johnny. He repeated the motion a couple of times until he giggled. “Go ahead, John. Make a move on her. I dare you,” he poked a finger on his friend’s chest, who swatted it away from him.

“I don’t know; I’m shy?” Johnny confessed, his face and ears turning crimson. “You? Shy? What happened to that overconfident guy that I know of?” Jaehyun poked him again in the chest.

“Let it rest, Jay,” the taller guy rolled his eyes, “It’ll happen. I’ll talk to her.”

\\\

Essie and Nini returned to their apartment after their breakfast at Starbucks, wherein they resumed their daily activities. Nini was working on a project while Essie was editing another textbook. When she got bored with reading too many words, she shifted her attention to editing a video for fun.

Since both were too busy to cook – and to be honest, the girls weren’t great at it – they decided to get takeout. Essie craved Chinese food, which her best friend didn’t have a problem with. “Chinese food is universal,” she said before focusing back on her project again.

Forty-five minutes after their call, the doorbell to their apartment rang, and Essie stood up to get it. The delivery guy was beaming at her with their food, and she returned his enthusiasm. But before she could even enter her apartment again, she saw the guy at Starbucks right next door.

Their eyes landed on each other, and it made her feel nervous again. She was about to step inside her home when the guy jogged towards her, his eyes never leaving her.

What is it with this guy, and he keeps staring me at like I’m some kind of freak? She thought, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She couldn’t move from her spot, as if in a spell from his stare.

“Hi there,” he greeted once he was in front of her. “I know I was beside you at Starbucks a while ago,” he smiled, making her blush.

Essie could only nod, slowly covering her face with the paper bag containing their takeout.

“I just wanted to say that you looked awesome. I like the jacket that you wore.”

The girl was dumbfounded at his statement. Seriously? Just because of my jacket? She felt a bit disappointed but at the same time, relieved that it wasn’t anything major.

“Uh, thanks?” He nodded at her simple response, but he didn’t move from his spot. “So, what’s your name?” Essie couldn’t stand awkward moments and had to ask him anything.

“Oh, sorry! That was not smooth of me,” he chuckled, running a hand through his hair. “I’m Johnny, by the way. You can also call me John if you like.” He held out a hand for her to shake, which she did with her free hand.

“I’m Essie,” she said, shaking his hand while maintaining eye contact. That was the way you were supposed to do it anyway.

“So, you live here, eh?” He asked, looking around the area after they were done with their handshake. “Actually, I was visiting some friends here. I’m sure you know Taemin and Kai, right?”

Johnny was ahead of you and told you why he was here. But when you heard him mention your neighbors, your eyes widened. “Yeah, they live right next door?” She jerked her thumb towards their apartment, which was to your left. “How do you know them?”

“Oh, I used to go to school with them. I decided to pay them a visit along with another friend.” He peered at the house next door and saw a figure through the window. “He was with me in Starbucks too,” he pointed at the guy wearing a brown sweater. “His name is Jaehyun.”

Essie nodded, slowly absorbing all the information she was learning. “Uh-huh,” she mumbled. “Well, nice to meet you, John. See you around!”

She turned back to her apartment, but the guy didn’t let her just yet. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her a bit closer to him. “Hey, wait a minute! I’m not done yet!” He planted the girl back to her spot and smirked. “Since we’re acquaintances now, it is just proper for them to exchange numbers. You never know what we may give each other, right?”

Oh, brother, she groaned to herself before whipping out her phone from her pocket. “Please put in your contact details here,” she deadpanned.

He laughed at her reaction and handed his phone to her. “You do the same as well,” he said, closing the small distance between them.

She could smell his cologne, and she will not deny that he smells so fucking good. She shut her eyes for a moment before she pressed her number rapidly on his phone. “There,” she shoved the device back to his hand, “please save that, and I’m going now.”

“Why are you in a hurry, baby?” He teased, pocketing her phone in his jacket. “I won’t return your phone if you keep on rushing.”

“Dude, I’m hungry. Can’t you see this?” She gestured to the takeout she carried with one hand. “My roommate must be dying of hunger now.”

Johnny burst into laughter and returned her phone in between fits. “You are precious, Essie! I think we’re going to get along well just fine.”

She rolled her eyes at him, getting irritated at how he continuously laughed at her. “I’m sure we are,” she muttered sarcastically.

“Anyway, it was nice to meet you! I’ll keep in touch,” he waved his phone at her, “This won’t be the last time we meet. Have a nice day, baby!”

Essie waved silently but huffed back inside their apartment, where Nini looked at her expectantly. “What happened? I heard someone laughing, and I think it was a guy,” she remarked.

“Yeah, it is. Turns out a friend of Taemin and Kai’s visited them. And he was at Starbucks too.”

“And you flirted with him? Essie, please control yourself!”

“Niniiiii!” The girl whined, stomping her way to the kitchen. “He was the one who flirted with me!”

“I’m sure he did,” Nini teased, now standing up to help her friend. “Anyway, let’s eat! The food must be hot still because someone heated it by flirting with a stranger!”

Essie was close to crying at how her best friend teased her but pouted instead. “I’ll get you for this, you old hag!”

The older girl just laughed and prepared the table for their late lunch.

–––

FIN

The Look

Like Tripping, I tried to post this through the app, but the content didn’t appear. What a bummer, so we’re starting all over again. 

My subconscious is telling me that this week’s all about the past, so here’s the actual continuation on one of my first posts here. 

You’re a true Johfam if you’ve heard of the title before. If not, maybe this GIF can help you refresh your memory?

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: To continue what I was saying in the beginning, this piece is the continuation of this one, plus a necessary flashback. I hope that the main timeline is making more sense as I post more of my old writing though. Are you following along or not really? Please let me know.

POV: 2nd person 

Word count: 1,200 + words 

Warning: Italics are for thoughts. As per usual, the video of the song mentioned will be embedded below for your listening pleasure. 

–––

Once upon a time, Mark Lee has told you about The Look.

It was the look that Johnny gave when he was flirting.

His eyes narrowed, and his already full lips seemed like they wanted to kiss the person they were talking to.

And right now, you saw that he was giving you The Look. At your family home. With your mother and sister moving around the dining table both of you were seated at. They were busy preparing for your dinner, and he was your guest of honor.

“So Essie,” he started, one of his long arms reaching over you, “have you ever thought of spending Christmas with somebody other than family?”

Your eyes widened at his question. October was about to end, and he had already been thinking of Christmas.

“Well, I can, but I don’t think most of my friends are free during that day? Why do you ask?”

“I was thinking if you can come home with me in Chicago? You know, my parents know you’re one of my best friends, and I think you’re the only one who hasn’t been there in our house,” he said while running a hand through his glossy locks.

There was it again – The Look. It was as if he wanted to pull you into his lap and kiss you, but at the same time, he had to behave since it was his first time at your house with your family.

“Is that so? Well…maybe?” You mumbled, looking away from his come hither stare.

But before he could even reply, he was cut off by your sister. “Essie, can you help us set the table, please?” With her request, you were immediately up and running. Johnny stood up too and helped you. He held the plates and utensils in his arms as you put placemats on all the seats. You placed the utensils while he set the plates. You had teamwork down pat to the point that you gave each other fist bumps after doing so.

“Nice work, dude!” You laughed, which he returned with a shy smile. You raised an eyebrow at him since this wasn’t the usual response he gave you after a fist bump. In return, he held your wrist and dragged you away from the dining area.

He stopped when both of you were on the porch, where you saw the sun about to set. It was a beautiful sight – hues of blue, orange, and pink painted the sky. You sighed at the wonder that is nature, and you heard him do so as well.

“What’s up?” You asked, swiveling your body towards him. “Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you privately,” he replied, moving closer to you.

“What is private about this?” You gestured to the open space in front of you – there were houses beside you, and there were still some children playing across your home.

“Well, they wouldn’t listen to what we’re going to talk about, eh?” He cocked his head to the side, The Look forming on his face again.

“And what do you mean by that?” You had your hands on your hips, about to get sassy on him. To be honest, The Look was making you feel nervous.

He’s my best friend, yet he’s acting so flirty with me. I don’t want to get the wrong idea, unless…

He wrapped his arms around you and pulled him to his chest. You were about to protest, but you felt one of his big hands caress your hair. You know that made you weak.

“I can’t take this anymore, Essie,” he purred, his voice making your legs feel like jelly. You could only look at up him in surprise.

“I want us to be more than what we are now,” he said, eyes twinkling with conviction. He even had to pull you away a bit and make you steady.

Your eyes widened once more at what you’re hearing. He was full of surprises today, and at least your poor heart can still handle it.

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

It was as if the world stopped that moment – your eyes stared into Johnny’s, his hands now clasped on yours. All he needed to do was bend, like the prince that you secretly thought he was. And when he did, everything went black.

///

You woke up to the sound of ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ by Muse. “Why would someone play that song so early in the morning?” You grumbled, rubbing your eyes agitatedly at the loud sound booming from your speakers.

Once your vision has adjusted, you saw your boyfriend in his boxer briefs dancing and lip-syncing to the song.

Oh shit, you thought, your mind racing with a million thoughts. Did he sleep over at my house or what?

Once he reached the falsetto part, you noticed how tight his underwear was. And of course, he was sculpted to the gods. But since you are a grumpy person before having coffee, you smacked him with a pillow.

“Put some clothes on, Johnny motherclucking Suh!” You said, your voice still hoarse.

He didn’t get mad that you threw a pillow to cover his nearly naked figure. He laughed instead and decided to torture you more. He got back into the bed with you and tickled you until you were in tears both from laughter and pain.

“Stop it, please,” you said in between panting, getting tired from his unique torture exercise. He did what was told and flipped you to face him. You saw stubble on his face, and you couldn’t help but peck at it. You found it sexy since he always shaves it. “You really like it when I have facial hair, no?” He whispered, his breath almost tickling your ear.

“Yeah, I like it when you look a bit dirty,” you said, your hands now cupping his face. He gave you The Look, and your hands found its way around his neck.

“You know, I was dreaming about your confession.”

This startled him a bit, and he tightened his grip around your waist. “What about it?”

“I can’t believe that I fainted when you did,” you said, burying your face on his shoulder.

“I bet you fell for my Disney prince imitation,” he snickered, moving a bit so he could see your flustered face.

“You know I have a weakness for that!” Your whine was met with a peck after, which led to some kisses here and there.

Today was Day 2 of you and Johnny becoming official. He stayed over at your house after Key left, helping you clean the house. Although you know you can be quite a horny bitch, Johnny didn’t do anything funny or anything that you did not approve of. You slept hugging each other since both of you were tired from the chores you had to do.

“You sure are a messy girl,” You remembered him telling you, rolling his eyes to annoy you even more. You replied with a thwack on his butt. “Shut it,” you grumbled before you hugged him tighter.

“Night night, baby princess,” he said, kissing you on the forehead. You smiled in your sleep, wholeheartedly contented and satisfied with life.

–––

FIN

Sugar and Fluff (Volume 3)

This is not the usual edition of this series, as this focuses more on the tension between Johnny and Essie before becoming a couple. 

The stories are still sweet and fluffy, but at the same time, it isn’t. Anyway, here’s Johnny rocking the keyboard as a hint on what to expect for today’s post. 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: I think I’ve already said what you need to know, but I’d like to move what I usually mention at the Warning header that italics are for thoughts and italic and bold are for lyrics.  Both videos of the song mentioned will be embedded below for your listening pleasure. You can also click the link of the song in the second part if you’re not into the video, but why would you miss one of the cutest MVs of all time? Just kidding, guys. 

POV: 2nd person for both 

Word count: 1,800+ words 

–––

I. Because Johnny playing the piano will always be iconic

There were times you missed playing the piano.

You and Nini used to go home late from school because you took piano lessons. However, you weren’t able to move past the first grade as you eventually found it difficult to play. Reading notes past beyond the staff and figuring out how to play half notes made you lose your interest since it took you time to figure it out on the keys. Nini was able to finish the program and could still play a complicated piece if asked to.

Now that you were living with Johnny and Mark (who was unfortunately abroad again), you were delighted to see that he had a piano at his place. Not only does he have the classical instrument, but he also has an organ in the corner of his bedroom.

One time, you asked him to play after a long day at work. “Play some for me, Johnny,” you asked, tapping the side of the instrument.

He was lounging on the sofa, watching a video on his phone. “Come again, baby?” He said, briefly looking up at you. “Can you play the piano for me?” You sat down beside him and even leaned toward his face to show how much you wanted it.

“Hey, what’s up?” He sat up straight and examined your face. You don’t usually ask him to play the piano unless you were not feeling well or you needed added stimuli for sleep.

“I don’t feel so well,” you whispered, looking away from him. “Why? What happened?” You heard him come closer to you, the fabric of his pants and the sofa cover rustling together.

“I’m not comfortable telling yet,” you responded as he held your hands. “Okay baby, I’ll wait for that,” he squeezed your hands first, “but now I’ve got to fulfill your request.”

He went to the piano and you watched him prepare, wiggling his fingers first before he placed them over ebony and ivory keys.

When you heard the iconic introduction of Alicia Keys’s ‘If I Ain’t Got You’, you stifled a sob.

It brought back memories of your childhood playing the piano – after all, she was the person who inspired you to play.

Some people want it all

But I don't want nothing at all

If it ain't got you baby

If I ain't got you baby

He sang, which made you more emotional. It has been a while since you heard him sing again. You went to his side and sang along with him.

Some people want diamond rings

Some just want everything

But everything means nothing

If I ain't got you, yeah

You looked at each other as you finished the chorus, then gave each other the most genuine smiles you could muster.

It was a beautiful moment that both of you would treasure – you even mentioned it during your wedding speech!

Even though you know you don't have a great singing voice, you did your best to give justice to the song. You believed that you harmonized well with Johnny, who was giving more than his best self to execute the song.

If I ain’t got you with me, baby

So nothing in this whole world don’t mean a thing

If I ain’t got you with me, baby

As the song ended, Johnny looked at you expectantly. “That…was good, right?” He asked carefully and a little out of breath since he used more of his singing voice today.

You nodded, flashing him a grin. “Yeah, that was great. Can’t believe we harmonized so well,” you said, taking a seat beside him on the stool.

He laughed at your comment and looped an arm around your waist. “I hope that made you feel better,” he whispered, his mouth too close to your ears and neck.

Shivers went down your spine with his words, but you didn’t let him make you weak. You leaned forward and whispered back, “Yes, it did. Thank you, Johnny.”

His other arm snaked around you, and now you were enveloped in his embrace. You settled your head on his shoulder, and he did the same.

“You know I’m always here for you, right?” He murmured against your ear, making you wrap your arms around his neck.

“Yes, I know. And I’m so grateful for that.” You had to pull away a bit to look at his face, and he made a kissing face.

You know you wanted to kiss him back, but you know that you shouldn’t. You nuzzled his neck in response, which made him giggle. “Not there!” He whined as he squeezed your sides. You yelped when he pinched too hard and attempted to bite his shoulder.

You were in a playful mood after getting your emotional side out of your system, which Johnny shared as well.

You moved your tickling game at the couch wherein you laughed, cried, kicked, and bit each other. Once both of you were tired, you stared into each other’s eyes while you embraced.

“I missed moments like this,” Johnny started, one of his hands now stroking your hair.

“Same here,” you replied, one of your hands cupping his face.

You two were so close that people thought you were dating. You had to correct people that you aren’t – you told them that you were so comfortable with him that you can be really intimate with him at times. You didn’t know if he said the same thing to other people though.

There were instances that your closeness made you feel things – you just wanted to kiss him, cradle him in your arms, or even do it with him. You had to fight it because you were not sure if he felt the same.

You wanted to say something, but the words left your mouth. You looked at him lovingly, wishing that something will come out of your intimacy. He sensed your longing and pecked you on the lips.

It was very brief that you weren’t able to process it. You blinked when he pulled away, making him giggle at your reaction. “Aw, you’re so cute Essie,” he said, pinching your nose. You glared at him in return, and he soothed the part he pinched.

“I love you,” he said, his face glowing with warmth.

The words came out of your mouth without any hesitation: “I love you too.”

Those three words may seem romantic, but they can still mean differently – either they mean he loves you more than you think or he loves you just as his best friend.

You wondered what he meant by that.

\\\

II. Inspired by my favorite Regina Spektor song

When Essie realized she was in love with Johnny Suh, she knew she was screwed.

She had a lot of guy friends who were close to her, but they did not reach the level she had with the Chicago native.

They were quite intimate – they had skinship similar to that of a couple. People often thought that they were dating, which they either pretended to be (at times to fend off creeps) or dismissed.

Sometimes, she had to hold herself back from touching him. She knew other people would make comments behind their back about the way she massaged his hand when she was bored, or when her hand absentmindedly ran across his chest down to his waist when she was comforting him.

But that was how they were. In return, Johnny liked to hug her and bury his face in the crook of her neck, as if he was kissing it. There were instances that he did – just a simple peck. That wasn’t romantic, right?

However, these gestures were getting to her. The topics they were discussing lately were about relationships and what they would like to see in their ideal partner.

Essie noticed that he was taking notes. When she talked about how she would love it if her dream guy would get her tickets to any one of her favorite performers at a show abroad and watch it with her, he made it happen a week later.

He dragged her to the airport at 3 a.m. on a Thursday so they could fly to Peru and watch Franz Ferdinand later in the evening. They spent two days and three nights, resulting in a memo from her office when she got back. It was a surprise that made her feel loved and terrified at the same time.

Whenever people did something for her, she appreciated it. Truly, madly, and deeply, like the song goes. But she was terrified at how her heart beat loudly against her chest when he held her hand, gripped it tightly, and looked at her straight in the eyes as he led her closer to the stage of the concert they were watching.

“Aren’t I a step ahead of your ideal partner?” He said while the strumming of an electric guitar echoed in the open night.

She cocked her head at him, gesturing him to repeat what he said. He laughed in response and patted her shoulder. “Never mind,” he mouthed as he continued to hold her hand.

In fact, she heard him loud and clear. But she didn’t expect his words. She was rendered speechless by it.  

As she currently watched Johnny furiously typing away on his phone at the other end of the sofa, she reevaluated her feelings for the nth time.

They were living together for the past three months, along with their friend Mark. Her apartment, which she shared with Nini, was under repair. It was her part of the house that needed repairs, making Nini stay behind and watch over the process.

Essie was lucky that Johnny immediately offered his apartment, which had another spare room. When she moved in, she was shocked that he made it a replica of her room. She found it creepy at first but then grew to love it each day. It was sweet, very sweet, of Johnny Suh to do this.

He has always been sweet, if not smooth, for the duration of their friendship.

His actions must tell her something by now, right? But no, she could also be the densest person in the world.

“Hey, baby. Are you okay?” Johnny broke her reverie, glancing at her worried face before going back to his phone.

“Yeah…I am,” she responded slowly, her eyes looking for something to distract herself with (other than him, duh). “I’m just…at a loss.”

“What do you mean?” This got his attention as he shoved his phone in his pocket, moving closer to her at the other end of the couch.

“I…I don’t know what to do,” Essie whispered, looking at her palms this time.  

“Hey, what’s up, really?” She could feel the warmth of his body near her, and she closed her eyes when he wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her toward his chest.

“Johnny…” she mumbled, burying her neck on her shoulder. Her left arm hooked around his waist while her right gripped the fabric of her dress tightly.

“Baby…” Those words were enough to make her weep.

Why must you make me feel this way?

–––

FIN

JN (Part III)

Buckle up for more Johnny and Essie content this week, as this story is quite long that it deserves a part of its own in this series. 

As always, I give a clue on what you’re going to read about, so feast on this scrumptious GIF of this devilishly handsome man. 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: In this installment, which is still based on the prompt list created @neoculturedrabbles​, Essie tries her best to avert her eyes from Johnny’s arms and in the process, control her urge to get physical on him. Will she succeed? Read on to find out. If I were her, I might not. Sorry, not sorry!  Before I forget, the timeline for this is before they got together. 

POV: 2nd person 

Word count: 1,200 + words 

Warning: Italics are for thoughts and foreign words. Otherwise, you shouldn’t be surprised how much of a flirt Mr. Johnny Suh is. 

–––

Prompt #24: “What the frick frack diddily dack is that.”

You always felt a bit uncomfortable whenever Johnny wore a sleeveless or muscle shirt.

His biceps were showing, obviously – why would he not flaunt his hard work? But sometimes though, it made him look like a fuckboy. Especially when he paired it with a baseball cap worn backward? Ugh! It can send off the wrong impression.

However, that was what he wore around the apartment today. He was in a black sleeveless shirt, a pair of baggy joggers, a pair of hypebeast sneakers, and a baseball cap worn backward. You almost recoiled at the sight of him but did your best not to look like you abhorred his look.

“Morning, Essie,” he greeted before drinking from his tumbler. Of course, you noticed the movement of his arm muscles when he did.

“Hey dude,” you said nonchalantly, hoping it would hide how uncomfortable you were seeing his arms so early in the morning.

“Where are you going today? It’s quite early, and it’s a weekend,” he said after putting down his tumbler on the table.

“I don’t know yet if I’ll leave the house or not. I just felt like waking up early today,” you replied, heading for the fridge to look for something to eat.

“Want me to cook omelets? I think there are still some ingredients for me to make a tomato and mushroom one,” he said, approaching the fridge and peeking at its contents beside you.

“Uh, sure. I would love that, please,” you stepped aside after grabbing a carton of coffee-flavored milk. “Okay, it’s settled then. A tomato and mushroom omelet for me and the lady,” he winked at you first before he got the ingredients he needed for your breakfast.

You sipped on your drink quietly, your eyes following his every movement. Despite your effort to learn the process of making omelets while observing him, your eyes landed on his arms again. Damn it, they’re the ultimate distraction, you thought angrily. I just want to bite into them!

Once he was done cooking, you prepared the table. He helped you when you couldn’t reach the cupboard for the placemats and coasters and even berated him for putting up there. “You have no consideration for us short people sometimes, Youngho,” you grumbled.

“Hey, you aren’t that short! I’m sure you could reach it if you just jumped a couple of times,” he said jokingly, flashing you his trademark toothy grin.

You were about to give a rebuttal, but you were distracted with his arms again. The outline of it was too tempting to touch, and you huffed back into the dining table to set the placemats and coasters.

It took about ten minutes of preparation for you two to eat breakfast since you also waited for the coffee to be done. You were having kapeng barako, which you still had left after Johnny bought them at the Filipino market a few weeks ago. He was learning to love it while you have already when you still lived in your home country.

Breakfast conversation was normal – you caught up on your activities for the past week, shared your current favorites, and even had a pun battle. At least your talking distracted you from his arms, even just for a moment.

However, it returned when he joined on the couch for some lazy action. You sat on the sofa while scrolling through your phone, looking for interesting happenings on your social media feed. He sat a few inches beside you, mimicking the same action like yours.

“So, what’s happening today?” He asked, not looking up from his phone.

“Not much. There’s a food festival at the mall downtown though,” you said, clicking on the banner of said festival.

“Food again? That’s why we’re getting rounder, baby! I know it’s a shape, but it’s not a good shape!” He retorted, looking up at you briefly to see how you would react.

You glared at him, and he gave an apologetic grin in return. But before the glare in your eyes vanished, his arms were in full view for your pleasure. The outlines of his muscle enticed you again, and you had to look somewhere else so you wouldn’t be staring at it the whole day.

There was a red spot on the side of his neck, and you squinted your eyes to see if it was what you thought it is – yup, it was an insect bite. If it was a hickey, then you would know who gave it to him, right?

“What the frick frack daddily dack is that?” You asked, pointing at the insect bite on his neck. He raised an eyebrow at you, and you moved your pointer finger closer to his bite. When he looked down to see what you were pointing at, that was when you attacked him in full force.

You bit his right bicep hungrily, and he yelped in pain. That didn’t stop you from digging your teeth deeper into his skin, and this time, he was screaming like a girl.

“Baby, stop it!” He whined, his hands fumbling to pull you away from him. You only growled and dug your teeth deeper into his skin. “Baby, please!” He moaned, and you let go, wiping the saliva from your face.

“And now I return the question to you: what the frick frack,” he grabbed a small towel from his pocket, “daddily dack was that?”

Your teeth left marks on his bicep, and you smiled in satisfaction. You marked him. Not that he’s yours or anything, but it made you feel like he is.

“I couldn’t help it. Your arms were distracting me!” It was your turn to whine, and you weren’t shy to look at his other unbitten arm.

“I know they look good, but baby, they are not food, okay?” He examined the part you bit and sighed when he saw the marks.

“Maybe next time you’ll not wear sleeveless shirts when I’m around?”

“No way am I changing my clothes for you! I’ll wear what I want!” He wrapped his arms around himself, and this made you bite your lip. His arms looked more appetizing to you, and a plan was brewing in your head to mark his other one.

“If that’s the case, then expect your arms to be bitten over and over again!” With that, you charged at him again and bit his other arm.

He couldn’t do anything to stop you because if he was being honest with himself, he liked to tease you by showing off his arms.

He didn’t expect that you’d be biting them though. But for now, he’ll endure the pain of your bites because he considered it as a flirtatious act from you.

As you let go of biting his other arm, he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into a hug.

“That’s unfair, I’m the only one who gets bitten,” he whispered. You shut your eyes at your proximity and the way his voice sounded. You couldn’t speak when you felt his breath close to your lips.

“You’re such a tease, do you know that?” he breathed. You tried to peek how close he was, but you just couldn’t. He might do something that you’d never thought he would do to you.

And he did – he pecked you on the lips before he left you on the couch dumbfounded.

–––

FIN

JN (Part IV)

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

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

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

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

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

Word count: 1,700+ words

Warning: Italics are for foreign terms this time. 

–––

Prompt #3: “Is that my hoodie?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

\\\

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Nope, it’s mine now.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“But Johnnyyyyy!”

\\\

Prompt #9: “What are you doing?”

“…nothing.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

–––

FIN

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

Sugar and Fluff (Volume 4)

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

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

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

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

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

POV: 3rd person 

Word count: 1,700 + words 

Warning: Italics are for thoughts.  

–––

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

///

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Huh, what do you mean by that?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

\\\

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

–––

FIN

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

With Family (Part I)

Since we’ve got the friends-to-lovers thing down pat, there’s got to be a part of the story that focuses on meeting the parents or the rest of the family. Am I right? 

Here’s a new mini-series with that concept, and I hope you’ll like it. 

As always, here’s Johnny, but serving boyfriend looks in his white shirt, jeans, and sneakers. I wish I was already a fan when Ennana was still airing though.

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

–––

Summary: In this first installment, Essie takes Johnny to her family home and introduces him as her boyfriend for the first time. Do things go smoothly or end up hilariously? Well, go ahead and read the darn thing. 

POV: 2nd person

Word count: 900+ words

Warning: Italics are for foreign words. 

–––

You hyperventilated in the car as you realized, for the nth time today, that you were bringing home Johnny to meet your family. This time, it's as your boyfriend, not the close friend you brought last Christmas. 

“Baby, please. Don’t be nervous. We can do it. They’ll love me,” your driver, who is actually your boyfriend, reassured. He held your hand with his free one while the other was on the wheel. 

You took a glance at him and gulped. He looked so perfect in just a white shirt, faded blue jeans, and a pair of high-top Chuck Taylors. 

“I know they’ll do. But still, I’m nervous. More so when I meet yours…next week?” You buried your face in your free hand, and your breathing got worse.  

“I’m sure Eomma will love you too,” his grip on your hand tightened. “But remember, I’m not pure Korean. I have Filipino blood in me too,” you mumbled, focusing your attention on the scenery outside. 

“That doesn’t matter! She’ll love you no matter what. Anyway, we’re near your home now!” He said in a singsong voice, making you uneasier in your seat. 

When you saw the all-too-familiar red arrow gate of your home, you shut your eyes. “This is it, Mommy and my sisters will meet him as my boyfriend now,” you mumbled to yourself, which Johnny heard. 

“Yes, and they will adore me. They will think I’m perfect for you. They will think you hit the jackpot with me,” he responded to your soliloquy before kissing the hand he held. 

“Where do you get that confidence, honey? I wish I had that as well,” you said, now looking at his face. He gave you one of the most heartwarming smiles of mankind, and you sighed dreamily. 

“I hope that smile gives you confidence,” he chuckled, now letting go of your hand. “Sorry, I have to focus on parking first.” You placed the hand he held on your lap as he went silent for a moment since double-parking remained a challenge for him. 

\\\

Now that you were outside the gate of your house, Johnny slipped on a black jacket and a baseball cap. He didn’t want to look too casual at first but shared his plan to remove these items once inside. 

You rang the doorbell to your house, and your elder sister opened the gate for you two. “Hey John,” she greeted, giving him a fist bump. She has met him before your other sister, and apparently, they bonded over sports, which you couldn’t get into no matter how hard you tried. 

As you stepped inside your house, the dining table was filled with your favorite food. You noticed that there was some Korean food too – your other sister must’ve cooked that. She appeared a moment later, still in her apron. “Hey, you two,” she greeted, giving you a peck on the cheek while she shook hands with your boyfriend. “I’ll just freshen up a bit, and I’ll meet you back here.” With that, she disappeared into her room.

Your mother was the last to show herself, and Johnny was quick to help her. She had a cane, and you rushed to her side as well. “Hi Mommy,” you said softly, “we’re here now.”

“Hi sweetie,” she responded, giving you a small smile. “And if it isn’t John! I knew you two would end up with each other,” she addressed Johnny with a bigger smile, making the guy blush. 

“Thank you if you thought that way, Mommy,” he said as he held your mother’s free hand. “And you’re calling me Mommy already!” Your mother guffawed before looking at you. “I think he wants to marry you, sweetie. But aren’t you still young?” 

It was your turn to blush now, and your sisters were looking at you funnily. 

“Told you, she’s the one who’s going to get married next,” your elder sister said before holding out a hand to your other sister. “Five bucks, please.”

“Nuh-uh! Unless there’s a ring on it, I won’t pay you!” The eldest one replied, flipping her hair before heading toward her seat on the dining table. 

Your mother continued to laugh at the scenario, and you and Johnny could only exchange awkward smiles. 

\\\

The dinner turned out great – your boyfriend loved the Korean dishes your eldest sister prepared. He also loved the Filipino food your other sister cooked, such as the tinolang manok and afritada. 

“Never knew Filipino cuisine was this diverse,” he commented as he bit a potato from the afritada. 

“There’s more to our cuisine than just seafood, hijo,” your mother commented, who was now extracting meat from crab pinchers. 

“And I don’t like seafood, sorry,” you mumbled, taking another spoonful of rice and meat. 

“It’s okay, I cook more meat dishes anyway,” he said, smiling at you as he finished the potato he was eating. 

“You’re lucky you found a guy who can cook for you, hija,” your mother said in between chewing crabmeat. “John, do you know she has quite an appetite?”

“Moooom!” You whined, feeling your cheeks warm from her expose. “But it’s true!” Both of your sisters said simultaneously, which made your boyfriend laugh. 

“Yes, I do. She eats a lot, especially when it’s her favorite food. I saw her finish a gallon of ice cream in one sitting,” he said, making your family laugh this time.  

“Jooooohn!” You glared at him, which he responded to with a wink. “Don’t be shy with them! They’re your family! They’re the first to know of your appetite before me, duh,” he patted your arm to calm you down. 

“Yeah, why are you shy sharing this information with us? You know we still love you even if you can finish the contents of the fridge in a week,” your eldest sister said, earning the sniggers of everyone else on the table. 

You puffed your cheeks in defeat and continued to eat in silence.

–––

FIN

P.S. I know, it seems incomplete – I ran out of creative juice when I wrote that. I’m leaving it there, or maybe I’ll update it when I’m inspired again.

Down

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

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

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

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

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

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

POV: 3rd person 

Word count: 703 words to be exact

–––

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

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

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

“Love?” She whispered, approaching him cautiously.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

–––

FIN

With Family (Part II)

This installment will be the last for now, but rest assured that I will write more of this since it’s something I have fun thinking scenarios of. 

One of my many inspirations for this part aside from my personal life was Johnny’s outfits when he went to America late last year. 

Heck, I even made a collage of it with one of Adam Driver’s looks in Marriage Story because both looked so similar but had different tones! Please see image below: 

In short, I really like big and tall guys. Dude has to be since I’m also like that in real life. Well, I’m not that tall, but others think that’s the case. 

Anyway, mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: After meeting Essie’s mother and sisters, it’s time for Johnny to meet her estranged father. Also, read more about the couple’s dynamic at home. Can you relate to them, especially those who have been in a relationship or are in a relationship? Please let me know by commenting on this post!

POV: 2nd person

Word count: 1,600 + words

Warning: Italics are for foreign terms. Since we have songs mentioned here again, please scroll down to the bottom of the post to listen to them while reading or whatnot. 

–––

“Baby, wake up,” you stirred at the husky voice of your boyfriend who was gently shaking you. 

“I’m awake,” you mumbled, slowly opening your eyes. You saw him in his usual brown hoodie and sweatpants, and he looked worse for wear like you are right now. 

“We have to leave the house at eight,” he pulled off the covers from your body, “since we’re going to have Mass with your family.” 

You stood up straight immediately and shrieked. “Oh my god, I almost forgot about that!” You covered your face in your hands, ashamed that you were almost running late and at the thought of Johnny meeting your father for the first time. 

He had already met your sisters and your mother a couple of weeks ago, but now he was going to meet your estranged father. 

You and your father didn’t have any beef. It was just him and your mother who had a complicated relationship. You grew in a dysfunctional family because of that, but that doesn’t mean that you love one parent more than the other.

“It’s okay, baby. I’ve already met your family except…” His voice trailed off, afraid that you might not like what he was going to say next. 

“Yes, you’re going to meet my father,” you dropped your hands on your lap and looked at him. He was concerned at how antsy you were feeling and kissed your forehead. “Don’t worry. I can handle him. Maybe he’s not going to handle me,” he chuckled, his hands taking in yours. 

“Well, let’s see about that…” you squeezed his hands, “but we better get moving, shall we?” 

He nodded and led you to the bathroom, wherein you saw your towels hanging next to each other on the rack. 

“So, who’s going to take a bath first?” You let go of his hands and placed them on your hips. “Of course, I’ll be the one who goes first,” he pointed a thumb to himself as he went to the sink and plucked his toothbrush from the holder. 

“Okay, why did I have to ask,” you grumbled, tugging on your shorts as you plunked yourself in the toilet. “And don’t look, just focus on brushing your teeth,” you pointed a finger at him as you shimmied yourself out of your panties. 

Good thing Johnny was intent on brushing his teeth while you peed. Since he was intent on brushing all corners of his teeth, he didn’t notice that you were done until he heard the flushing of the toilet. 

“Call me when you’re done with that, okay?” You said as you went back to the bedroom. 

\\\

A few minutes later, Johnny was done and went back to the bedroom to tell you it was your turn to brush your teeth. 

But before words came out of his mouth, he was speechless at the sight of you just in his shirt and your panties. Your butt was on full display for him as you lied on the bed scrolling through your social media feed. 

He slapped your butt, and you immediately turned to see him smirking at you. 

“You just had to do that, huh,” he whispered, pinching your thighs this time. You swatted his hands away from you and got up, pulling down your shirt, so he doesn’t see your panties anymore. 

“Take a bath now, please,” you said as you got your toothbrush and squeezed a pea-sized amount of toothpaste. “Yes ma’am,” he purred as he removed his hoodie, revealing his perfectly sculpted body. 

You tried your best to look away, but he didn’t let you – instead, he winked at you as he flexed his body in front of the mirror. 

“Like what you see, baby?” He said, slowly approaching you.  

You rolled your eyes in response, but deep inside you could feel your insides warming up. “Just take a bath now, please,” you said in between brushing your teeth. 

He slapped your butt again before he cackled his way to the shower. “If only we weren’t in a hurry, I’d want for us to take a shower together.”

“Younghooooo!” 

\\\

You returned to the bedroom again and groaned as you listened to him sing in the shower. At first, he sang ‘A Whole New World’ and you were singing Jasmine’s part silently. Then, he sang ‘Change the World’ (by Eric Clapton) and even did the guitar sounds of the song. The last song he sang was ‘True to Your Heart’ from the Mulan soundtrack, which you couldn’t help but sing along to loudly as well. 

Once he was done, he emerged in the bedroom with his towel wrapped around his waist. “It’s your turn now,” he said at the doorway while holding a seductive pose. You flipped the bird on him before removing your shirt inside the bathroom. 

“Damn baby, you’re looking finer each day,” he howled, his eyes focused on your chest. “Johnny, please! Get dressed now!” Your cheeks were burning as you stepped inside the shower. 

“But really, your boobs are getting bigger and your ass firmer!” You heard him say from the bedroom, and you screamed in annoyance.

\\\

You left the house at exactly 7:45 a.m., and both of you wore burnt orange. You rocked your favorite corduroy skirt in that autumnal color while he wore it in a turtleneck, which fit him snugly. 

“We totally look like a couple,” you said while you eyed your skirt and his turtleneck. “Well, aren’t we?” He replied, his hand slipping into yours as he drove with one hand as always. 

“I know,” you looked at him in the eye, and he winked, earning giggles from the both of you. 

“You’re such a flirt! Do you know that, my love?” 

“Yes, I know. But only to you.”

\\\

You arrived at the church right before the Mass started, and you saw your family waving at you at the far right corner of the place. Your mother was beside your father, who looked dashing in his black shirt and jeans. Sitting beside your mother was your elder sister and her girlfriend, while beside your father was your eldest sister and her American husband. You decided to sit beside your elder sister and her partner, with you sandwiched between your boyfriend and your sister’s partner. 

After the Mass, you had lunch at the nearest Korean restaurant, and Johnny was gushing how cute your parents were. 

“It looks like your mom’s totally in love with your father still,” he whispered as you waited for the meat to be cooked on the grill.

“I know, but he doesn’t really feel that same anymore,” you whispered back, tightening your grip on his arm. You saw that his face fell, and you pecked him on the cheek to cheer him up. 

“Don’t be sad, but that’s the truth. It’s rare for me to see my mother this happy though,” your eyes were focused on how your mother was feeding kimchi to your father, who took it hesitantly. 

“I want us to have a loving and long-lasting relationship, baby,” he kissed your hand after he whispered those sweet words to your ear. 

“Me too, love.” But before you could look at each other with goo-goo eyes, your elder sister cleared your throat and raised an eyebrow at you two. 

“Some of us are trying to eat here, lovebirds.”

You and Johnny mouthed your apologies and went back to eating. 

\\\

The day went by fast – everyone took a walk in the park and enjoyed what nature had to offer. Johnny was quick to assist your parents when they had difficulty walking or moving, and you followed suit. You endured the teasing you got from your family while your boyfriend tried his best not to join in and defend you. 

But the highlight of today’s event was his bonding with your father. You overheard them talking about photography, and you couldn’t help but smile at their interaction. 

“Essie, why don’t you set up a photo walk in all of the parks in the city? I know you did that before,” your father said as he noticed you observing them. 

“Yeah, I know, but I’m not sure if all of my photographer friends are still in the country,” you replied sheepishly. 

“Nonsense! There will always be people who love photography and would love to get to know people through it,” your father eyed Johnny with a smile on his face, “and let’s do it next week?”

You glanced at your boyfriend, who looked ecstatic at attending his first photo walk. 

“Sure, Dad. I’ll do that.”

\\\

On the drive home, Johnny was beaming with all the things he learned from your family. 

“Your dad’s so cool, baby! You never told me he’s like a master photographer of sorts! I can’t wait to borrow his medium format camera next week!” He was squealing like a teenage girl as he went into the nitty-gritty of photography. 

“Well, now you know,” you grumbled, looking at the car window. “I’m glad you enjoyed today.” 

“Yes, I did. I hope we’ll get to do this next time with my family,” He looked at your reflection on the car window and saw a panicked expression on your face. 

“Baby, don’t worry. Eomma and Appa love you already,” he squeezed your hand gently. “And they can’t wait to see you again.”

You cried silently on the trip home as he held your hand. Although you have already met his parents, you still felt afraid of them. Your heritage was something that you thought they would have issues with, but they said that it was okay. 

What mattered most was that Johnny was happy with the woman he loves, and they could see that whenever you were around him. 

It was after that second meeting with his parents that he admitted of his plans of settling down, and you fainted because you knew what would come next.

He was going to propose to you eventually. You just had to prepare yourself when and where he was going to do it.

–––

FIN

Puppy

And we’re back with some good old fluff, inspired by this photo that I got from Pinterest: 

I’ll leave it up to you to deduce what the story will be, but know it’s going to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

–––

Summary: This piece, like many others to come, was written using this fluff generator. Here’s the prompt it generated: 

 A puppy follows Johnny home, and Johnny can't bear to part with it. Johnny brings the puppy inside and tries to hide it from Essie.

POV: 3rd person 

Word count: 1,200 + words

Warning: There’s a song embedded at the end of this post since I mentioned one. However, it’s not for very young children since the album it appeared in has an Explicit Content sticker on it. But if you’re not a minor, then it’s all good. Just in case any kiddies are reading, you know? 

–––

On his way home, Johnny noticed a black Labrador puppy following him.

He did a photo walk by himself since his best friend, Essie, was busy at work.

They were living together for now since her apartment was under renovation.

Her other best friend, Nini, was the one overseeing the project and had to stay behind. As much as it pained Essie to be away from Nini, she was able to transition well in his home.

After all, he replicated the vibe of her old bedroom in his spare space. He was all about the little details, which she appreciated.

Johnny remembered her as the puppy moved faster so it could walk beside him. He knew that Essie was afraid of dogs, but who could be afraid of a cute little ball of fur?

He picked up the dog whose tiny tail was now wagging. It looked at him expectantly, as if wanting to be taken home. It had silky black fur and huge brown eyes. It didn’t have a collar, which meant that it didn’t belong to anyone.

It was as if the puppy was meant for him, meant to be brought home.

That’s what he did as he carried it like a baby. Passersby cooed at how adorable his little buddy was, some stopping him on the road to pet its glossy fur. Others waved at it, and the puppy barked in response. It was probably delighted that many people found it cute, which is actually the case.

As Johnny was approaching his apartment, he remembered Essie once more. He wasn’t sure how she would react if he brought home the puppy: either she will be terrified, or she will be fine with it. Maybe she would get over her fear of dogs if they have a puppy around!

Despite the brief optimism he thought of his new buddy, he was afraid that it would make Essie uncomfortable. Once he was at the door of his apartment, he decided that he would hide the puppy first.

\\\

Essie arrived around 8 p.m. and looked like a hot mess. Her curly hair was all over the place, and there were food stains on her cardigan.

“Hey, how are you?” Johnny asked, cautiously approaching the girl whose blaring headphones he could hear. He heard Limp Bizkit’s ‘Rollin’, and that could only mean one thing – she was royally pissed.

She took off her headphones and gave a deep sigh. “As always, I’m tired. I had a lot to do for the day, and my brain is ready to be replaced,” she said.

But before she could even change into her pair of room slippers, a small black figure dashed to her side.

Johnny’s eyes widened as he saw the puppy, whom he named Jordan, looking at Essie excitedly.

He hid the puppy in a box where he could easily see it while he cooked dinner. However, he became engrossed in his cooking that he forgot about it.

Essie was frozen in her spot, unable to move since she didn’t know what the puppy will do next. If she moves quickly, the dog may move in the same manner as well. It is also possible that it might get her slippers and gnaw it. If she moves slowly, the dog will continue to look at her curiously and even bark, as if asking what she is doing.

“John…” She started, staring at the puppy who was returning her gesture.

“Yes, babe?” He asked, looking at their interaction.

“Why do we suddenly have a puppy here?”

This time, she looked at him, and he could tell that she was both annoyed and scared.

“Well, it was following me on the way home, and I decided to take it with me because it was too cute to resist…” He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

There was a brief silence before Essie replied. “Can you please get the puppy first? I want to change into comfortable clothes.”

Johnny was quick to pick up the puppy and cradled it to his chest. Essie was able to change into her room slippers with ease and went to her bedroom to change clothes.

“You scared Mommy, baby,” he whispered to the puppy, who barked in response. “What? You’re mad at me? Why? After all that I’ve done for you!” He rocked the puppy in his arms, who went silent and decided to snuggle on his arms.

A few moments later, Essie reemerged in her shirt and track bottoms. She watched Johnny taking care of the puppy like it was his baby.

“If this isn’t the cutest thing ever,” she said, leaning against the wall with her arms folded. There was a smile on her face, which made Johnny blush.

He could only count the times Essie smiled genuinely. She laughed most of the time, and seeing her smile at what he was doing gave him weird feelings.

It shouldn’t be weird when he knew that he loves her, right?

Johnny continued to stroke the puppy’s head until it fell asleep on him. This was Essie’s cue to come near and observe the animal. It was definitely cute, just like the guy who was holding him.  

“Would you like to hold Jordan?” he asked, offering the puppy to her. She nodded silently, and he handed her the small dog carefully so it wouldn’t wake up.

Once she did, she cooed at how soft and silky its fur was. She cradled it like a baby as well and even hummed a lullaby. It was Johnny’s turn to gush at this scene and clasped his hands together in glee. “This is the cutest thing ever!” He cried before going to his room to get his camera.

He took a picture of his two favorites – one was with Essie looking at the camera and tilting Jordan towards the camera, and the other was a candid one with her looking at the dog fondly.

Eventually, they put Jordan back in his box and had dinner. While they were eating steak and mashed potatoes, Essie broke their silence with her suggestion.

“Why don’t we get a dog bed for him and some toys?”

Johnny almost choked on his food and looked at her in shock. “You aren’t mad that we have a puppy now?”

She shook her head and gave him another smile that melted his heart. “Yeah, I don’t mind. I mean, it’s really cute. And maybe I can get over my cynophobia with Jordan. And by the way, why did you name him that?”

“He looked like a Jordan to me, babe! And of course, I need another representation of my hometown!”

Both of them laughed at this, as Johnny is known for adding his ‘Chicago’ touch on just about anything.

The evening ended with them watching Netflix on the couch with a newly-awakened Jordan on Essie’s lap. Johnny couldn’t help but smile at both of them as they focused their attention on the screen. He felt warm and complete – he wanted this to be his future. Maybe the only thing missing is a kid, but for now, he’s content that they have this stray puppy that became theirs.

–––

FIN

P.S. Don’t be like Johnny and pick up a stray puppy out of nowhere, even if it’s the cutest thing ever. Safety first?

Video Call

Imagine if this was the view on your phone screen. 

I might pass out in real life, but we have Essie to fulfill our fangirl fantasies. 

Before you think anything else about this piece, let me say that it’s fluffy and funny. Well, a bit funny. You guys know how I write already. 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

–––

Summary: To change things up, this piece was not written with a fluff generator in mind. I was just missing Johnny and thought of writing video call snippets and more between him and Essie. 

POV: 3rd person 

Word count: 700 + words

Warning: One of the scenarios here was inspired by real-life, and as usual with me, it has sexual innuendoes. Nothing extreme, just a bit perverted. There’s also a song at the end of the post since I mentioned one here too. Lastly, text messages are with single quotations and italics. 

–––

“I miss you so much already,” Essie whined to the screen, pouting when she saw her boyfriend smirk at her. 

Johnny was in Chicago right now, visiting his parents. Although she had already met them here a couple of months ago, they returned to the place they called home a week after that. 

The first week of December passed by with them apart from each other. She was sad that he wasn’t going to spend the holidays with her, and that included her birthday. She understood that he has family on the other side of the globe, and it has been a while since he was there.

“Don’t you think that I feel the same way?” Johnny huffed, looking briefly at both of his sides, “I miss you so much too, baby. I’ll find a way to be there on your birthday,” He looked sadly at the camera and frowned when he saw that his girlfriend was tearing up. 

“It’s fine, love. I understand your obligations,” she sniffed, “the most we can do is to keep in touch with each other. But I hope you’ll be here for my 27th…”

“I’ll try my best, okay? Don’t cry now,” he comforted her through the screen, pressing his thumb lightly over the image of her crying face. 

Their call lasted for a few more minutes since Essie had visitors coming. She decided to host a fancy dinner for her closest friends – Nini was out of the country with Jongin, if people were curious to know – before their social calendar becomes full with other holiday parties. 

Later on, she received a text from Johnny: ‘Hope you had fun with your dinner party! And I hope you didn’t drink a lot. I’m not there to baby you and your hangover. Be a good girl tonight, and I promise to make it up to you when I get back. I love you so much, my baby princess!’

She couldn’t help but get teary-eyed again with his message, but at the same time, her smile grew bigger. 

Essie felt so loved this evening despite the distance she has now with her boyfriend. 

\\\

Johnny laughed when he opened the photo that his girlfriend of more than six months sent him.  

Essie sent him a photo of her eating a Hungarian sausage with gusto. She bit into the meat stick with her eyes closed, with cheese oozing out at the sides.

He knew that his girl loved meat, but this was telling him something else as well. The message that accompanied her photo was: ‘I got myself a Hungarian sausage with cheese at the food bazaar today. It reminded me of you; I don’t know why. Or maybe I do know why! Hahahaha love you John hope you eat something that reminds you of me~’

“Baby, you’re hilarious,” he said to no one in particular before he burst into laughter again.  

A few hours later, he sent her a photo of him eating a carton of her favorite ice cream.  He added a message too: ‘Of course, I just have to eat your favorite baby! As one of your favorite songs said: you’re cold as ice cream but still as sweet. So dry your eyes, Sunday girl~’ 

After reading it, the girl sang the lyrics he referenced, earning her looks from fellow pedestrians. She shrugged them off and hummed the song as she continued her walk home. 

\\\

There was nothing new with Essie swiping Johnny’s clothing, especially his outerwear. 

The guy chuckled when he received a photo of his love wearing his brown fuzzy jacket. The caption of her photo read: ‘Mama Bear misses you so much, Papa Bear. Since you’re not here, I’ll wear this for now. Thank you and love you forever John!’ 

He replied to her post with a selfie of him pouting. ‘Who said you could wear that, Mama Bear? Loljk of course we have shared custody over that fluffy jacket haha I love you more Essie!’ was the message he typed after sending his photo.  

On the other side of the screen, Essie giggled when she saw her boyfriend’s response to her photo. “Shared custody, eh?” She eyed at the teddy jacket she now wore, “As if this thing’s our baby! John is silly, as always!” She wiggled her fingers first before she composed her reply to his latest message. 

––

FIN

Body

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

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

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

Want to know more? Then, read on!

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

–––

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

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

POV: 3rd person

Word count: 700 + words

––

The little things always get us, right?

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

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

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

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

\\\

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

\\\

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“No buts, sir! Take a bath now!”

––

FIN

Biohazard

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

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

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

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

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

POV: 3rd person

Word count: 1,300 + words

–––

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

\\\

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Baby…what the hell is this?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

–––

FIN

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