Johnny Suh Drabbles - Tumblr Posts

Lost and Found

It’s all about balancing different genres in this blog, so here’s another melancholic piece. 

But before I make you sad, here’s a cute Johnny GIF that’s sure to put a smile on your face.

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

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Summary: Essie is not her usual self again for quite some time, and Johnny’s starting to get bothered by it. They talk it out, and in the process, learn more about how to make their relationship work. 

POV: I think I wrote this during the start of the year, so this is in 3rd person. 

Word count: 1,600 + words

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Essie was slowly losing herself again – the present part of her, that is. 

She found herself holed up in her room most of the time, reading and writing. She watched series by herself sometimes when she felt like it. She needed all the inspiration she could get so she could compose songs. 

Her trip to her home country triggered something in her to be more immersed in the things that she has almost forgotten. 

In college and during her first years at work, she would always have a book in her bag. She would read whenever she was bored or when she waited for her transportation on her way home. Sometimes, she took the time to go to a café, notebook and pen in hand, to write all the quotes from the book she was reading that have inspired her. 

She lost this habit when she moved on to a much hectic job in publishing, which she is still in but in a different country. 

It was as if her trip to her homeland had rekindled her previous passion to the point that she barely talked at home. 

Her boyfriend, Johnny, was concerned. This was not the first time that she distanced herself from her loved ones. 

When she was guilty of her week-long affair with his best friend Jaehyun, she almost killed herself. But now she was living in her bubble and avoided long conversations with anyone as much as possible. 

That applied to him as well, which hurts. He could barely get ten words out of her before she went back to her room after they ate breakfast or dinner together. Most of the time, she ate by herself. When he wasn’t able to cook anything, she would do so herself or get takeout. He was concerned that she had food delivered more often than having a home-cooked meal. 

Despite her aversion to people these days, he noticed that she was more at peace with herself. There was a look of content in her face as he saw her in her room reading a book. Sometimes, he felt her passion for writing when he would look at her write swiftly in her notebook. 

He never fully closed the door to his room so he could always have a look at what she was doing. And of course, the possibility that she would come to him and tell what was up with her. 

But it has been three weeks already, and she continued to float in and out of her world. He felt as if he was gently kicked out, leaving him no explanation and just standing outside of it. 

This time though, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He would break into her world again and demand that he deserved a space inside. He loved her so much that he couldn’t risk losing her to anyone else, not even to herself. 

\\\

Essie, who continued to believe that she was losing her present self, sat on the couch reading another book. 

She knew she was all alone since Mark was abroad, and Johnny left early to work out. She had at least three hours to herself to do what she pleased inside the house. 

She put on an old record and played it softly, opened the windows to let the breeze sway the curtains, and put in a new bunch of flowers from their backyard. She even prepared a pot of her favorite tea and a plate of biscuits on the coffee table to serve as her snacks when she gets hungry from her reading.

The setting was ideal – oh, how she wished she got that beautiful white Gunne Sax dress at the thrift shop to make it even more perfect! She looked down on her peach lace dress she was wearing and smoothed its skirt. She was fine with what she was wearing. 

As she continued to read and flip through the book she was reading (another bizarre Japanese literature book she picked up from the discount bookstore), she didn’t notice that the door opened, and Johnny entered in his gym clothes. He wore a muscle shirt, jogging pants, his trademark black sneakers, and a baseball cap in the same color. As he gently dropped the bag on the floor, he saw his girlfriend humming as she turned to a new page. 

She looked so peaceful with her curly hair down and saw that she wore a smile on her face as she continued to read. 

He didn’t want to ruin her moment, but he wanted to have a moment with her for so long. 

Sneakily, he went behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulder. “Hey baby,” he whispered, kissing the side of her head, “I haven’t seen or heard from you in ages.” 

His action made the girl stop and place her book on the table. She squeezed his forearms gently and looked up at him. “Hi Johnny,” she whispered back, flashing him a smile. “How are you?”

Her response was a bit heartbreaking. It was as if she had lost in touch with him even if they see each other every day in the apartment. He didn’t let his emotions get the best of him as he kissed her forehead. “Baby, you’ve been distancing yourself again. Why is that?” 

She gestured him to sit beside her on the couch, which he did by jumping over and immediately wrapped his arms around her waist. “Oh, have I? I’m sorry if that’s the case…” He noticed that her hands were still on her sides. 

“Baby, you’ve got to let me know if you need space. I can’t just always guess it by the way you’re acting. You have to let me know if you want to have some time for yourself. And I’ve missed you so much. You’ve been away for two weeks, and yet your mind’s still away now you’re here for almost a month,” Johnny was on the verge of crying as he expressed his sentiments to Essie.

The girl watched him closely – the way his eyes crinkled in distress, the way his eyebrows knitted together in the middle, and the way his lips pouted at the end of his short speech. She was re-familiarizing all these things, as she has forgotten about it momentarily. 

“I’m sorry, John. I didn’t mean to, but I guess you could say that. I do need my own time. I wanted to process everything that happened recently.” 

“Did something happen during your trip?” 

It was Essie’s turn to become emotional. “Yes, dear. It was as if I have reconnected with the person I used to be, the person I wanted to be.”

They stared at each other for a minute, observing each other’s features. Johnny missed looking at her cute button nose and her plump lips while she missed staring into the fading acne marks on the side of his chin. Every small detail counts with them, and these were the things that they kept in mind about each other whenever one would be gone for quite some time. 

“What do you want to be, my love?” 

“I’ve always wanted to be an artist of my own.”

Johnny closed the small gap between them, making his girlfriend sit on his lap. “What do you mean by that? Do you want to act, sing, draw, paint, or whatever?” 

“Well, you’ll see when you watch the vlogs I’ve made. They’ll be up…” Essie glanced at the wall clock across them, “maybe later in the evening. I collaborated with a close friend of mine with the editing.”

The guy’s eyes widened in shock, and he squeezed her tightly. “Wow, my baby has a vlog now! I can’t wait to watch it,” he pecked her on her temple. 

“I think it’ll have installments. So you’ll know more about me then,” she said softly before pecking his cheek. 

He let out a soft ‘oh’ before raising an eyebrow at her. “Is there anything else I have yet to know about you? Don’t I know everything yet?”

His question made her go back to her original spot on the sofa and pick up her book again. “Yes, John. There’s a whole lot of things you don’t know about me still. And maybe you’re the same too. After all, we’ve just started going out. You don’t expect to know everything yet about your partner, right?” 

Johnny stroked his chin while in deep thought, slowly digesting the words she said in his mind. 

“Fair enough. But still, baby…communication is key. You’ll let me know what’s up with you, okay? Don’t keep me guessing or push me away suddenly. Because if you continue to do that, then it might affect our trust with each other.” 

Essie sat still, her eyes boring into him. Her hands were neatly on top of her lap, her book delicately perched in between her thighs. 

“I know, and I’m sorry. But I’m not so sure yet when I’ll be back to my usual self. Or if I’ll be back at it at all,” she chuckled, thumbing through the book and looking for the last page she read. 

“Essie…” He pulled her back again into his chest, and she buried her face in it once their bodies intertwined with each other. 

“Johnny…” She mimicked, her soft voice sounding strange to her ears. 

“Please, baby. I can’t afford to lose you anymore. I want you so bad in my life. Please don’t leave me.” His words were muffled against her hair, but she heard them. 

“Please give me a bit more time and space. I’ll just be here. I won’t leave,” she responded, looking up at him with glassy eyes. 

He kissed her, and she returned it, and once again they were reconnected with the love they have for each other.

–––

FIN

Wondering

Instead of offering a sad read this time, I have a mushy one that got me thinking about relationships in general. Maybe it will do the same thing to you as well, or maybe it won’t. 

Anyway, here’s a bashful-looking Johnny who looks like a million thoughts ran through his mind at that moment. 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

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Summary: Johnny reflects on the state of his renewed relationship with Essie, and then shares a sweet moment with her. 

POV: 3rd person here. 

Word count: 865 words 

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Johnny wondered why he loves Essie so much despite the things that happened between them. 

She cheated on him, which he also did with his ex-girlfriend. Both didn’t last a week since they were both guilty of their actions. 

His girl was also courted by some of his friends, particularly Mark and Sehun. She declined Mark’s proposal since she has always seen him as her little brother like he does. However, she did not entertain any of Sehun’s advances because she has already learned her lesson with Jaehyun and that he was too cocky for her liking. 

Speaking of which, he has now rekindled with his friendship with Jeong Jaehyun, who he considered as his brother from another mother. It might not return to what it was, but he couldn’t imagine what life would be without one of his dearest and closest friends. 

As Johnny watched Essie sleep on her side of the bed, he noticed that most of her curly hair covered her face. Usually, she would be annoyed whenever a strand (yes, that specific) of her hair crosses her face and would swat it away. Since she’s sleeping, she didn’t feel anything. Her mouth was slightly ajar, and he could see the formation of her drool. 

He smiled at this sight of his lady, who always tried to look like her best (and flawless) self. It took time for her to be more open about her natural side – no make-up and everything – since she felt self-conscious around him. 

“You’re so perfect, I feel like such a blob when I’m beside you,” she told him one time while covering her face in shame. 

“No, I’m not,” he responded to her then, gently taking off her hands on her face. “We’re both humans. I accept all your quirks and imperfections, and I know you do with mine.”

She cried afterward, and he hugged her with all his might. 

Johnny ran his hands through her hair, untangling the knots that have formed at the end. It relaxed him, and he knew that it made her feel the same when she was awake. 

He couldn’t fathom where his love for her came from since he never stopped loving her despite the things they did. 

Was this fate or destiny then? If that was the case, he accepted it wholeheartedly. Essie was his soul mate, the love of his life, the mother of his children, and the one he would die for. 

She woke up when his hand got stuck on one of her curls, grunting at how it pained her. “That hurts,” she mumbled, swatting his arm away from her head. 

“Sorry, baby…” Johnny removed his hand on her hair and placed it on her waist. “Combing through your hair relaxes me,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head. 

“Same here,” she opened her eyes fully and looked at him. He had bags under his eyes, and his cheeks looked puffy. “Hey, did you eat last night? I wasn’t able to check on you. I fell asleep early,” she sat up on the bed and rubbed her eyes a bit. 

“Yeah, I did. I ate some leftover tonkatsu,” he sat up as well and wrapped an arm around her waist. 

“Your cheeks are puffy,” she squeezed them lovingly before giving them a peck each, “which I know you don’t like. But I love them.”

He rubbed his sore cheeks and groaned. “I couldn’t help but eat at night these days. Too tired, you know?”

She nodded at his statement and nuzzled her neck on his chest. “Both of us are. Were you able to sleep well?” 

“Not really. I couldn’t sleep. I envy you, to be honest.” He tilted her head to look at him.

They stared at each other for a minute before he pecked her on the lips. 

“Don’t be, you know my body clock’s messed up,” she pulled him to her level to peck him again, “and I’m just catching up on sleep now.” 

“Because like what Nini and I have been telling you, go to sleep early. But no, you just have to be a stubborn baby,” he pinched her nose, which made her yelp in pain. 

Essie rubbed her nose after he let go and pinched his arm. “Yes, Dad. I know. But is there anything I can do to help you fall asleep now?” Her tone of voice became soft, and she gave him a sweet look that made his heart skip a beat.

“Maybe the things I do for you can help me fall asleep?” 

“Okay, anything for my love,” the girl responded, guiding her boyfriend back on the bed and combing through his hair. 

She did what he usually did for her: comb through his hair, sing (in her case, hum) a lullaby, and even tap on the thigh. 

He fell asleep a few minutes after with a smile on his face. 

“I love you so much, Seo Youngho,” Essie whispered, kissing his forehead before she got up from the bed. “I choose you over everyone else in the world, and I will make sure of that in this lifetime.”

–––

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! :) 

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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.

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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! :) 

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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 

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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

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. 

Steal Your Girl

It’s been a busy week for me, hence the lack of updates. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to post as much in the coming weeks, but rest assured that this blog will not die. 

Anyway, let’s get back to complicating things with EXO’s maknae Oh Sehun this time. Say what? 

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :) 

–––

Summary: This piece is a precursor to this. Read about Essie meeting Sehun for the first time, and the hilarious shit that she says when inebriated.

POV: 3rd person 

Word count: 1,200 + words

Warning: Italics are for thoughts and foreign words. Since they’re all adults here, expect a lot of alcohol mentions. Please drink responsibly, and don’t get into trouble for this if you’re a minor. Damn, I miss drinking my wine, beer, and soju, y’all.

––––

Meeting Oh Sehun for the first time was an uncomfortable and awkward experience for Essie.

The guy didn’t do anything at all – it was just his vibe that put the girl off. He visited the apartment she shared with her best friend Johnny Suh after his schedule, and he wore a surly face almost throughout the night.  

She knew that Johnny was Mr. Congeniality, but she was surprised that he hadn’t introduced Mr. Oh Sehun to her until now.

“Hey, Essie. I’d like you to meet Oh Sehun. You can call him Sehunnie,” was her housemate’s introduction to the guy who almost obscured his face with a black bucket hat.

“Youngho, not that,” he whined, nudging Johnny on the ribs.

“Aw, come on! She’s a great girl, you’ll love her,” the Korean-American returned the nudge to his friend.

It was the first time Sehun looked at Essie, and she felt a mixture of fear and shyness. It was as if he was staring straight into her soul with his piercing gaze. When he didn’t say anything, Johnny proceeded with his spiel.

“And this sweet girl is Essie Park, my bestie and housemate.” The girl felt her best friend’s arm loop around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. She went along with his act and gave a small smile to her guest. He didn’t return it and continued to stare at her.

“Nice to meet you, Sehun,” she said, reaching out her hand for him to shake. He took it wordlessly and gave it a good shake before he plopped himself on the sofa.

“Do you have any soju or beer here?” The girl winced at Sehun’s voice, which sounded hoarse and a bit scratchy. Maybe he smokes a lot. Ugh, I hope I don’t end up talking like that…she thought, breaking away from her best friend’s hold.

“But of course! Do you think we’d run out of alcohol here? Not with this chick around,” Johnny pointed at Essie, who flipped the bird at him. Sehun chuckled at their interaction, making the girl look at their guest.

He stared at her again, and she was becoming more bothered with it.

\\\

Sehun had dinner with them first before they set up the balcony for drinks. It was a good thing that Essie just replenished their alcohol supply with soju, beer, and wine. The guest helped himself to a bottle of grapefruit-flavored soju while Johnny and Essie started with cabernet sauvignon.

“Really, wine first? You’ll regret your choice later,” Sehun commented before taking a swig of his drink.

“Is there a rule on drinking which alcohol you should take first?” Essie felt sassy after sipping on the wine.

“No, you drink whatever you want. I was just about to share that drinking wine first before soju didn’t end well with me, but since you seem so riled up about it, I won’t continue.” The guy in the all-black outfit huffed, turning away from her as he continued drinking his soju in peace.

The girl looked at her companion for help, but all she received was a shrug. “That’s just the way he is, baby. Let him be,” Johnny whispered, swirling his glass of wine.

It was Essie’s turn to stare at Sehun – specifically the back of his head and his phone – and she hoped that she made him feel uncomfortable this time.

\\\

The night was still young, and all of them were on the verge of being thrashed. Sehun was massaging his temples, Johnny was a laughing mess, and Essie kept on bumbling about anything.

“So I told him, he should go home because I can’t bear the thought of him shitting all over the place,” the girl was slurring, but she did her best to finish her story.

“And then what did he do? Did he listen to what you said or made a shit of himself?” It took Johnny to reply as he kept on laughing now and then.

“Ugh, you two! Shut the fuck up!” Sehun groaned, covering his face with both hands. “You’re making my headache with your noise…”

“I suggest you leave then,” All signs of Essie slurring disappeared as she glared at their guest. “If you can’t tolerate our noise, go ahead. You’ve been nothing but a rude guest who can’t seem to smile at others who are sharing theirs with you.”

“Baby, please stop,” It seemed that Johnny was (sort of) back to his senses as he held his best friend’s arm. “Don’t provoke him. That’s just the way he is, I told you.”

“Me? A rude guest? Because I’m not smiling? Well, I’m sorry, princess. It’s your first time meeting me, and you’re already closing your doors on me.” Sehun positioned himself on the floor, right across from Essie.

“See? The way you talk is so…cocky! You’re so self-assured! You’re overconfident! You’re worse than him!” The girl pointed her thumb at her best friend, who called her out. “Hey! Don’t drag me into this baby!”

“Who did he learn it from, huh? Of course, it’s me who taught him to be like that!” The guy across Essie pounded on his chest to emphasize his point.

“Hey, I didn’t learn it from you dude! This is all-natural self-confidence!” Johnny piped in, his turn to pound his chest.

“Ugh, whatever! Both of you are pompous idiots who happen to be very handsome!” Essie raised her hands in frustration before standing up to leave the balcony.

The two guys looked at each other first before they looked at the balcony’s sliding door.

“Did she just call us handsome?” Johnny asked, slowly tilting his head to face his close friend again.  

“Very handsome, at that. I wonder who she could be referring to,” Sehun replied, running a hand through his hair.

“She did say it’s us, Sehun hyung,” the younger guy started laughing again. “I told you she’s a lovely girl. The words that come out of her mouth amaze me every time, especially when she’s drunk.”

“I get what you mean. She amuses me. I want to get to know her more, Youngho.”

“You know you’re like a brother to me, but I won’t allow that.”

Sehun raised an eyebrow at his dongsaeng. “You already got first dibs?”

“Back off, Sehun hyung. Please. She’s mine.”

“But she doesn’t know that she’s yours. Technically, she’s a free woman with no attachments.”

“Oh Sehun. Please. Don’t.” Johnny’s words hung in the air as the two men stared at each other.

“I can’t promise you anything, bro…” Sehun stood up from his position and went inside, presumably to follow Essie to wherever she was.

Johnny was quick to follow, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his friend went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

“You think I’m just going to sweep her away?” Sehun smirked before he drank another glass of water. “I know you could that,” his close friend said, folding his arms over his chest.

“Relax. I just want to get to know her better as a friend too, you know.”

“Sometimes, you make me feel nervous hyung, and tonight is one of them.” Johnny sighed, leaning against the wall.

Sehun laughed at his reaction and patted him on the back. “But really, I’ll do let you know if I’m going to steal your girl, so you better watch out.”

–––

FIN

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.

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.