JBB: An Artblog!
cherry valley forever
hello vonnie
Stranger Things
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Cosimo Galluzzi
@theartofmadeline
we're not kids anymore.
h
RMH
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
Xuebing Du
Misplaced Lens Cap
Today's Document
YOU ARE THE REASON
oozey mess
Three Goblin Art
Keni
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seen from Türkiye
seen from Azerbaijan
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seen from Singapore
@kwnoah
(slides in and crashes into wall) what’s up gamers :D introducing to you my second character, noah jung. he is a former pre-med major and current food & nutrition major, aka the premade 010. here’s his about page and his app and originally i was going to write up a plot page but didn’t manage to do so in time for acceptance ;;
i will be putting some info about noah below and some basic wanted connections!
please like this to plot and i’ll message you <3
YOHAN
“good! prepare to be more excited!” yohan grins at noah, his nose scrunching up in delight as he grabs at this seatbelt, clicking it into place before moving to back the car out of the parking spot.
the roads are practically empty due to the late hour especially around their campus and before they know it, they’re almost on the highway headed towards their end destination. here’s a very small pit of anxiety in his yohan’s stomach as they drive, a worry that noah won’t be as excited about yohan’s surprise as he is right now. and yohan is terrified of disappointing his friend. but it’s easy to bury the feeling as he continues to be overwhelmed by the sheer giddiness that yohan is also feeling, seeing noah’s excitement.
“here,” yohan says as he hands over his phone to noah. “pick out something for us to listen to.” as he drives, the car dark save for the illumination of streetlights they pass. “i have a few playlists but feel free to pick whatever you’re in the mood for."
they’ve only been driving for an hour or two when yohan pulls over in a rest stop that’s teeming with life. he pulls up to the gas pump and gets out, stretching his legs as he fills the car up. despite the very late hour, there’s buses and families pulling into nearby spots and heading into the large building next to them to take advantage of the food and bathrooms. yohan stretches his arms above his head as he finishes pumping gas and leans down on the window to talk to noah. "did you want to head in and get something to eat or did you just wanna eat some of our snacks and get back on the road?”
he has to look away from the other’s face as they get onto the road, his gaze going to whatever is outside the window instead. it’s dark out, so there isn’t really much to see but at the same time, he’s felt better than he has in a long time. considering it’s finals season, he probably should be studying for their upcoming exams but he’s not as stressed as he used to be in medicine.
and also it’s yohan.
he’s expected for a long time that he has a small crush on the older, but as of late, it’s only been getting worse it seems. he’s always been a romantic and he’s always been the type of person who falls and falls hard, but even when he’s imagining things with his future, it’s sad to say that the person next to him has slowly started looking more and more like a certain hyung that he’s in a car with, going to an unknown (at least for him) destination. and it feels like a date.
dangerous territory, noah, get out of that mindset.
danger, danger, danger.
he gets distracted from his thoughts (about yohan) by yohan (which isn’t a great distraction since he’s the source) handing a phone to him and he brightens, always enjoying being in charge of aux. “i have a few driving songs! not that i drive but, like, you know. to listen to on the bus,” he comments, quickly finding the songs and playing them.
the time passes by too quickly for him but he thiks when they arrive it’ll be even better so he doesn’t complain too much, outwardly. he quickly unbuckles his seatbelt at the question from the other male, excited to stretch his legs since they’ve stopped for gas anyway. “i’ll pop inside? maybe they have good gas station food ... i tried chicken from one convenient store and it was really good! do you want anything?” he asks, a bright smile filtering across his face.
Gifsets of Lee Felix ↳ the most flustering game of yut nori 😭 | DO NOT REPOST
› time out
HAYUN
for someone who has been through what he has, seo hayun is a remarkably calm and well-adjusted individual. in fact, he might even be a little too well-adjusted. his friends have certainly gotten frustrated with him for his lack of reaction, and hayun does understand where they are coming from, even if it doesn’t seem like it. so somehow, along the lines, he had become somewhat of an older, almost… mentor figure? for some of the other students who have been struggling with high levels of stress.
the knock on his door comes on a good day, and hayun makes his way (slowly) to the door. he’s always careful, never wanting to overextend himself and cause more damage that he doesn’t need to put up with.
opening the door quietly, his eyes widen slightly to see his former classmate, now transferred into a different department. “noah?” he questions gently, his expression softening as he steps back to allow the younger foreigner room to enter the apartment. “why don’t you come inside? do you want something to drink?”
he’s not exactly sure what’s wrong, but at the very least, he can provide noah with somewhere to decompress and someone to talk to, if that’s what the other needs.
mentally, he’s probably not in a good place to be good company right now.
but also, he knows himself well enough that if he had allowed himself to stay alone, he probably would’ve had a mental breakdown and started crying alone in his room or something. and he doesn’t really want to do that. though, he guesses hayun has gone through enough of those that at least if it happens anytime soon, the older male will know what to do.
probably.
“i made brownies,” noah offers meekly once he’s inside hayun’s apartment, trying to give a smile that falls short of his usual bright ones. he feels bad, considering he’s definitely intruding on his hyung’s alone time and he probably shouldn’t be.
he holds up the large container, his smile drooping a bit at the corners. “oh ... i meant to separate it so you could keep a tupperware to yourself ... ah ...” he trails off, thoroughly disappointed in himself for forgetting even something small like that. never mind that he had intentionally done it earlier. it feels stupid now.
forcing the smile back on his face, noah lifts his head slightly to try to act like he’s doing fine and he’s not currently, maybe literally, dying. “you said you liked them last time i made them, so i wanted to bring you some fresh ones!”
book avalanche.
KIYONG
determined to reach the damn book, he manages to find an empty chair that he can lift himself onto in order to reach the said book. kiyong prays silently in his heart to all the deities out there observing his foolish desperate self as he places his feet gingerly onto the chair.
“put your soles down firmly so you won’t fall over, just like how you stand on the blades,” he coaches himself quietly, trying to not give into his fear of ‘what if he falls over’ or ‘what if the chair tips over’. he’s a seasoned olympian figure skater so he can absolutely do this simple task of fetching a book from the top shelf.
or maybe not. just as he’s about to retrieve the precious book, someone quickly passes by his chair in a rushed manner, bumping their bulky backpack full of textbooks into the bookshelves. before his brain can fully compute on what is about to happen, the sight of books falling from the top shelf makes him to let out some indescribable noise which is soon drowned out by the sound of books cluttering all around him.
it is not his day.
he watches as the student grabs a chair and brings it over to the shelf. part of him wonders if this is even a good idea to begin with, and he bites on his bottom lip as he tries not to be obvious. no one seems to have picked up on the fact that he’s watching someone random in the library and he hopes that no one will.
but that doesn’t stop him from watching.
it almost feels like everything happens in slow motion, having stood up when he had seen the other student pass by with the backpack. he watched as the shelf was bumped, and how the chair had wobbled and then. finally. as all the books came crashing down. he doesn’t say anything, the noise having been enough for multiple heads to have turned and perhaps for the librarian or a helper to be alerted.
this time though, noah rushes over, concerned as he starts picking up some of the books. “are-are you okay?”
hey! you’ve got a message!
text prompts! please reblog if you’d like to take part!
( sms ) : hey! is this [WRONG NAME] from the club last night?
( sms ) : wait right there, i’m on my way
( sms ) : sorry, who is this?
( sms ) : so… last night was fun.
( sms ) : can i come over?
( sms ) : did i leave my underwear at your place last night?
( sms ) : i am having the WORST / BEST day!!
( sms ) : we need to talk.
( sms ) : i’m in. whatever it is you’re planning, i’m in.
( sms ) : you awake?
( sms ) : i miss you.
( sms ) : i’m sorry.
( sms ) : wanna hang out later?
( sms ) : it’s honestly insane how much i love you.
( sms ) : i’m worried about you.
( sms ) : please don’t say i told you so…
( sms ) : you know how you totally adore me?
( sms ) : got any plans tonight?
( sms ) : i know it’s three am but i got donuts and i’m outside.
( sms ) : i’m outside. come on. we’re going out.
( sms ) : i’m boooooooooored.
( sms ) : i can’t sleep.
( sms ) : i know it’s late, but… would you like to go for a walk with me?
( sms ) : where are you?
( sms ) : i love you.
( sms ) : are you really okay?
( sms ) : please don’t shut me out. i can tell when something’s bothering you.
( sms ) : can you come pick me up please?
( sms ) : this date is a total disaster. can you call me with a fake emergency?
( sms ) : why have you been acting so weird lately?
( sms ) : you know you can tell me anything, right?
( sms ) : not to sound like a tv trope, but i need a plus one for a wedding this weekend. you in?
( sms ) : wanna do fake proposals at fancy restaurants for free food?
( sms ) : wanna go on vacation together?
( sms ) : i got arrested and it’s a hilarious story but i really need you to come bail me out first.
( sms ) : what the hell happened last night?
( sms ) : i don’t wanna be alone tonight. can i stay at your place?
( sms ) : i got a code red situation.
( sms ) : what’s shakin, bacon?
( sms ) : what should i have for dinner tonight?
( sms ) : it’s so boring when you’re not around.
( sms ) : so… the drunk voicemails i left you last night… you totally listened to them, didn’t you.
( sms ) : i love you but if you ever eat my bagel bites again…
( sms ) : wanna go out tonight?
› scared to be lonely
CORY
a part of him doesn’t want noah to bring anything up. doesn’t want either of them to bring any thing up.
the spoon moves smoothly through the pancake batter. the ingredients finally mixed together and ready to cook. he sets the bowl on the counter by the stove top and hovers a hand over the burner to see if its hot. a nod and then a pan is placed on the hot burner, butter already in the middle and beginning to melt.
he wonders if they could go the whole morning without mentioning anything. or perhaps that is the wrong way to look at it. a childish notion that they could pretend nothing happened instead of addressing it–them. it’s not that he regrets it, its just that cory is someone who does not do conversations of intimacy very well. embarrassed? yes, that could be a good word to use. though he knows he has been called worse things in the past that he dares not repeat right now.
the pancake batter sizzles on the pan as he places two smaller circles to cook. one hand wrapped around the handle of the pan while the other balances a spatula . only then does he turn his gaze onto noah. a softer expression on corys normally so serious face.
“i enjoyed it, yes.” he replies, voice steady despite how internally flustered he is feeling. “surprised I did as I heard the first time can often be a… disappointing experience. that said, I was not disappointed.” can he sound anymore lame? the pancakes are flipped and they sizzle as if mocking him.
he’s not quite sure what he should say, fidgeting slightly even though he recognizes that the look on cory’s face is different from the stoic one that he’s usually on the receiving end of. his shoulders practically sag with relief at the admission that cory had enjoyed it as well. he’s about to say something else when he hears the fated words come from the other’s mouth.
the first time.
THE FIRST TIME?!
the microwave beeps at that exact moment as if to punctuate all the blood draining out of his face as he stares at the other male who had dropped that on him like it was nothing. “cory,” noah says slowly, his braincells slowly computing everything that was trying to run through his thoughts. there was too much he wanted to think about but he didn’t even know how to function right now, considering he had just woken up.
“that was—i was—your first?” he tries to lower his voice but he’s on the verge of shrieking, his tone higher pitched than usual. it’s probably not a big deal, considering the whole concept of virginity is a social construct created to shame people but noah is a firm believer that your first time should be a special one with someone you genuinely like. and he’s pretty sure he and cory are not at that point.
“you should’ve—” he pauses, the microwaving beeping insistently to remind him that there was something forgotten inside and he steps over to pull it open, touching the bacon and hissing, rapidly pulling his hand back. his life was a sitcom. honestly. only he could get himself into these situations. “you should’ve told me ... i would’ve stopped if i had known, i’m sorry.”
› hits just right
YOUNGHYUN
when he sees a certain individual named noah jung playing genshin impact at the top of his friend list on discord—that alone isn’t enough to raise any alarms. besides, noah had been busy. he knows that noah had been too busy to login, can see it on the game itself whenever he gets on. another reason why he hasn’t been asking the other to coop too.
but when younghyun notices that noah had hit the 13 hours mark, he thinks that’s a cause for concern. he already knows he has very few friends, he doesn’t want one of them to drop dead just like that. who does? let alone with genshin freaking impact being the cause of death.
( not that he isn’t guilty of the same crimes. he’s currently feeling salty towards the game though. please refer to his current discord username. )
like any worried friend, he shoots noah a message. he isn’t surprised to see that he gets a reply a minute after. looks like the boy is wide awake. younghyun can’t decide whether that’s a good thing or not.
50000 primos no yelan today at 3:38AM
> gotcha. won’t ask any questions > glad to see u alive at least lol
well, it’s not like younghyun is feeling any sleepier. he has his fair share of insomnia-induced thoughts that he can’t beat tonight. nothing wrong with dragging noah down with him, or vice versa.
50000 primos no yelan today at 3:40AM
> want some mcdonalds? > might keep u alive a while longer
he’s genuinely not sure how he had wasted so much time—mostly it was the fact that he hadn’t logged in for a while so he had a lot of catching up to do. he had missed a few updates as well, which was why it had taken so long to get into the game at the beginning in general, since he had needed to wait for everything to download and then had finally been able to log in.
oh his precious genshin. how he missed it so.
now that it had been mentioned though, noah can feel the strain in his shoulders and in his neck and in his lower back from the way he had been sitting in his desk chair for the last thirteen hours apparently. his ears ache a bit from is headphones too and his wrists are aching. ahn younghyun, a lifesaver. he’s going to have to pay for the other’s mcdonald’s for this alone.
huwutao today at 3:41AM > i’m down > let’s go > the usual one?
he closes out of the game after making sure he’s not somewhere that he’ll load back in and get immediately attacked, teleporting to liyue city just in case before shutting it down. he stretches, feeling everything in his back pop and then shuts down his computer too. if he comes back and it’s open, he might accidentally be tempted into loading in again. checking his outfit, noah deems it decent enough to wear out—sweats and a tshirt, which is all he usually wears anyway. he throws a hat on to counter whatever he might’ve done to his hair and checks for his wallet and keys before heading out to their usual mcdonald’s.
huwutao today at 3:47AM > heading out right now
book avalanche
starter for @kwnoah based on this post
he’s not sure what’s going on with the lecturers these days as he ruefully stares at his to-do list for the week that spans over three pages. sometimes he wonders if they plot together to burden their students with a bunch of assignments simultaneously in one go.
figuring he couldn’t run away from his dreaded fate of being stuck at the library for the next couple of weeks, he’s now in the said library hunting for the necessary books required for his assignments. kiyong’s eyes twitch when he spots one of the titles located right on the utmost top shelf (what’s with libraries and super tall bookshelves?).
he sighs as he looks around for any empty chairs or maybe those mini stairs he’s seen the librarians use before, a pout gracing his tired face. “maybe i should have listened to the nutritionist growing up… could have been taller,” he mumbles to himself.
considering he spends half of his free time in a cafe (working), he doesn’t really want to spend more time in hansel & gretel, so he opts to find another place that he can stay at to do homework and catch up on his readings. and it’s one that he doesn’t have to buy a drink at or anything either—the library.
honestly, as he’s settled down with a water bottle and a small snack (that he’s been very self-conscious about eating since it’s so quiet in the library), noah thinks he’s hit the jackpot. now he understands why so many people opt to study in the library rather than in cafes or anything and he thinks maybe he’ll become one? that would be funny, to tell his friends he was heading to the library instead of anywhere else. they would probably all think he’s crazy.
maybe that’s what he needs. to turn over a new leaf and become a library person.
also, people watching in the library is fun because he doesn’t really know anyone here and he’s seen a lot of interesting things already. what catches his eye this time, is a guy who seems to be trying to reach a book on a high shelf. noah wants to offer to help, but he’s not very tall himself so he just continues watching instead.
200915 🐣 felix radio vlive
› time out
✨ —— time for noah’s regularly scheduled mental breakdown / @kwhayun
the figurative weight of the world (just the weight of his parents’ expectations) (which is arguably worse) (honestly) on his shoulders is something that he’s coming to dread. he had never thought he was the type of person who cared so much about what other people thought—which is definitely a lie because heck, he’s always cared but he’s just gotten better at hiding it—and with the whole cory thing and then seongbin and. maybe. maybe he just needs to stop thinking.
his brain goes into overdrive, set firmly into DISTRACTION MODE and he finds himself robotically getting ingredients to make brownies with. it’s been a while since he’s baked at all, so he’s hoping it’s enough of a distraction that he won’t be thinking too hard.
it doesn’t work.
when he’s finished with the brownies, he lets them cool as he mindlessly goes to wash the dishes. but once he’s done that? he’s back to spiraling. it takes a long while before he realizes what he needs is probably just another person, and the person who’s the easiest access as well as probably the best mental support (or just someone who knows about all the problems he’s going through and won’t ask too many questions and will just let him chill) is just down the hall.
so he grabs the box of brownies that he hasn’t portioned out yet but also can’t be bothered to do right now and books it to hayun’s place as quickly as he can. he knocks on the door, completely forgetting about the doorbell, and rests his head against the wall as he waits, closing his eyes as he tries to stop the figurative walls from figuratively crashing down on him.
ROHA
“ yes, noah… i only hangout with you because you smell good, ” roha returns, his eyes rolling playfully as he continues digging into his dessert. there’s a level of comfort between he and his comrade that he doesn’t have with many others, and he’s thankful to noah for allowing him to just… be himself. “ that’s, like, literally the only reason, too. like, i actually think your personality sucks and find you to be kind of creepy. ” it’s said in the driest possible fashion, his sense of humor an acquired taste. luckily though, he knows that noah understands that most of what he says is in jest and he shouldn’t be taken so seriously. truth be told, that’s largely apart of the reason that roha clung so closely to noah whenever he was in seoul. he always felt like anyone really understood him, but all of that changed the instant the two of them met, and the thought of his friend possibly ditching him for other friends felt like the worst thing in the world. now he’s able to look back and laugh about his past behavior, and he hopes that noah does the same. at the end of it all, it was out of love.
broken free from his thoughts at the mention of being brought leftover pastries, roha’s eyes open wide with wonder; his excitement evident. “ have i ever told you how much i love you ?? ” he chirps, scooting closer to his pal on the curb; one arm swinging over his shoulders as he balances what’s remaining of his ice cream in his opposite hand. “ it’s kinda like you read my mind because i’ve been way too lazy to go shopping for anything and i just ran out of ramen, so you’re saving me a trip not only to the store, but also to the cafeteria. ” sloppily, he brings his treat back to his lips and finishes off the cream before taking a bite of its cone. with his mouth pretty full still, he pipes back up. “ i gotta do somethin’ for you now, though. is there anything i can get, or do, for you ?? got some math homework you don’t wanna do ?? i’m your guy !! ” he doesn’t think that noah would want to cheat like that, but if he did, roha wouldn’t mind. it’s not like it’d be hard for him anyway. he’s certain of that.
“i knew it ... you break my heart roha,” he comments, dramatically clutching at his chest and then acting as every following word was a gunshot to his already broken heart. it’s a bad performance honestly, and he’s sure this is the reason he could never become an actor. (among other things ... obviously.) but he’s never been able to tell a lie, every thought of his so clearly written across his face. he’s an open book, most of the time, and he likes to think that that’s his charm though he’s sure some people would probably think otherwise. either way, he knows roha is only joking and teasing and that’s what causes him to give his friend a playful nudge with his shoulder to show that everything that he’s said is also only in jest.
if only all friendships were this easy.
he’s glad his dramatic acting performance hadn’t upset his ice cream though, and he goes back to munching on the cone happily before roha slings an arm around his shoulder. noah grins, leaning into his friend and he really does enjoy any and all types of skinship, especially when it’s initiated by the other party. “it’s in my backpack—i’ll grab the bag for you after i finish my ice cream,” he promises, before his eyes widen at his friend’s offers. “oh—no no, i really don’t need anything in return. in fact, you’re doing me a favour by taking the pastries off my hands!” it’s true too, because he’s been working at the bakery for so long now that he feels like he’s been overdosing on carbs since he was first hired. he can’t get sick of the pastries though, of course not, but he also does think he should probably cut back, if only for health reasons and nothing more.
also he’s allowed to eat a pastry for free everyday when he’s at work, so it’s not like he’s lacking in quantity or variety either. “i can’t eat all of them anyway. don’t worry, really.”
YOHAN
as yohan makes his way down to the lobby from noah’s dorm room, his excitement continues to rise. he knows he should probably feel a bit of guilt at the fact he’s literally running away from responsibility and should be holed up in his dorm room like the other half of campus slaving over his textbooks and notes. but at this moment, there isn’t a shred of guilt to be found. sure, he knows he’ll feel it later when he’s suffering during his exams but he’ll worry about that later.
although this trip initially was born out of the want to help noah relax, it’s been so long since yohan had done anything spontaneous let alone seen the beach for himself. so needless to say, yohan is ready to get on the road and put miles between him and his responsibilities.
yohan smiles as noah meets him in the lobby, eyeing up the packed bag glad he took his suggestion at bringing a change of clothes. knowing the two of them, they’re going to end up soaked and covered in sand before the end of his trip. yohan’s smile turns mischievous as he shakes his head, “it’s a surprise surprise, of course. otherwise, where’s the fun in that? now, come on, let’s go!”
yohan turns on his heel and leads noah out of the dorm’s lobby and down the short walk to the lot. the parking lot was empty full of parked cars but yohan was lucky to snag a spot near the door. “i’ve got a cooler of snacks and some other food for later.” yohan says, as he reaches out for noah’s bag before hitting the alarm on the car. the car isn’t very big to begin with, but yohan definitely made it seem a lot smaller with his supplies. the car door beeps as he opens it and slides noah’s bag into the very small space he made for it earlier.
once he’s satisfied with how everything looks, he climbs in the drivers side and starts the car. “last chance to back out.” he teases noah as they sit in the parking lot, the night dark around them with the only light being from a old streetlight and the cars headlights.
“oooooh,” he responds, excited about the prospect of a surprise surprise as he had called it. it’s exciting, honestly, to suddenly have yohan show up and tell him he’s taking him somewhere and just to trust him. noah hasn’t experienced excitement like this in ages and he genuinely can’t contain the grin that spreads across his face at the older male’s words.
following along after yohan, he nods excitedly, letting him take his bag. “i packed some chips and a few sticks of instant coffee,” he adds helpfully, watching as his bag is added into the rest of the supplies already in the car. he can feel the excitement building as he climbs into the passenger seat, checking his pockets once more to make sure that he hadn’t forgotten his phone or his wallet, not wanting to be a burden to yohan.
after all, this was an impromptu trip and noah was just going along for the ride.
“no way! i’m not going to back out on a trip,” he exclaims, grinning. especially not with you. he keeps that last part to himself though, cheeks slightly pink though he only turns to look out the window to hide the blush on his cheeks. it’s exciting, and he has to remind himself not to think too into this little trip with yohan or he might get ahead of himself and start dreaming up different scenarios. he can’t let himself get carried away though and he shakes his head slightly to try to get rid of those thoughts, to stop them from going down a path he shouldn’t let them go down.
“especially since hyung planned it,” noah adds, unable to help himself from saying it. he glances over at yoahn, watching as he prepares himself to drive and he fights the smile that wants to spread across his lips. “i’m really excited.”
mistaken identity
JUN
embarrassing doesn’t feel like the right word to use to describe this situation.
you see, embarrassing is when you do something silly in front of a crush, or when you spill a drink all over yourself in the middle of the restaurant, or when you dm your celebrity crush and your ex girlfriend decides to steal your phone, convinced that you’ve been seeing another girl, only to see that you’ve been blocked by said celebrity for spamming their instagram dms with ( ‘where is the music queen’, ‘my ears are so lonely without you’, ‘please respond’, ‘my band makes music! we could feature in your new album if you ever decide to release it!’ ). thanks a lot rihanna.
but is embarrassing something you’d say to describe accidentally slapping the ass of someone you weren’t too close to yet, while thinking they were your best friend that you may be a little bit more than too comfortable with.
yeah, maybe.
because junyoung’s ears go red and he places a hand quickly over his mouth. “yea! it’s just something i do as like… a way to say hello! sometimes i’d give it a squeeze? i mean, it depends on the mood but ––” by now he knows he’s just running his mouth, because while junyoung would love to get to know noah on a much more deeper, personal level –– he thinks this isn’t the way about it.
“but, i’m sorry! i wouldn’t have done that if i knew it was you! i seriously thought you were eden. but i kinda guessed you weren’t afterwards…” his voice trails off, he doesn’t say that the amount of cushion differed slightly from eden’s. that’s almost like admitting he’s a professional at this, which he is not. still, junyoung feels terrible for this, and wants to find a way to make it up, preferably quickly and amicably. “you know what, i feel awful. you can slap mine back as a way to get back at me if that’ll make you feel better!”
honestly, noah doesn’t know how to process this. he’s genuinely not sure what just happened from when he had heard the door open behind him to the moment that junyoung’s hand had slapped his ass. it’s a weird situation to be in, and part of him just wants to melt into the floor and become one with the material that was used to make the school. he’s sure anything would be better than this, and he finds his brain slowly trying to dissociate from his physical body.
no, noah, you can get through this.
part of him wonders if junyoung realizes that he’s just sort of digging himself a deeper hole with every word that comes out of his mouth. it’s a bit funny actually, if he wasn’t feeling so mortified that junyoung had slapped his butt as a friendly greeting towards someone who he had thought was his best friend. it’s so ridiculous that it’s honest to god funny now and noah has to hold back the inappropriate giggle that’s trying to force itself up through his throat and past his lips.
it doesn’t work, and he lets out what could be classified as a nervous giggle. it’s awful and he hates it immediately, but the situation only feels like it’s gotten more ridiculous with the solution that junyoung offers into the air. noah stares at him like he’s grown a second head for a long beat between them before he just gawks.
“i’m okay thanks,” he says, probably a bit too quickly but he definitely doesn’t want to slap junyoung’s butt in return for getting his own butt slapped. “was there—was there a difference in our butts?” he asks, probably a bit stupidly. “you knew immediately that i wasn’t eden?”
what are you most afraid of when telling your parents that you're not in medicine anymore?
there’s a lot of things i’m scared about actually ... like, i know they’re going to be disappointed because it was one of the only things they really asked me to do, and originally i really wanted to do it too but after a while ... hyung you know, i was struggling so hard to memorize things and formulas just didn’t click in my brain and none of the definitions made sense, you know? i figured medicine just wasn’t for me, and it made me really ... sad. honestly. i still don’t know. i know they’ll still love me (hopefully) and probably won’t disown me (fingers crossed) but i just don’t know how to deal with letting them down?
( 🎶 ) 𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗥… in which bae roha reconnects with a rare longtime pal, and reminisces on all the memories they’ve made together. written, with so much love, for 𝗻𝗼𝗮𝗵 𝗷𝘂𝗻𝗴. set in present day; in the middle of the night.
with a triple scoop of his coveted salt-flavored ice cream piled high in a waffle cone, roha takes a seat on the vacant curb outside of the parlor; stretching his legs out onto the road. it’s been so hot outside lately that the only time of day he feels comfortable leaving the comfort of his dorm is when the moon takes its rightful place in the velvet night sky. there’s added bonuses ( and even more incentive for him to get some fresh air ) if there’s a promise of frozen treats and good company, too, and tonight, he just so happens to have both. he’s known noah for a long time now, and it’s crazy to him that, despite his comrade constantly traveling back and forth between korea and australia throughout their childhood, they’ve managed to still stay linked. being pals with a someone for as long as they have has its pros and cons. at least in roha’s opinion. for one thing, they know one another well enough that conversations are seldom stiff and uncomfortable, but at the same time, they’ve also witnessed one another’s painfully awkward phases. though, looking back on it, he can honestly say that noah didn’t seem to have one. well, not one that roha noticed much. however, the same can’t be said vice versa. he knows that for a fact.
he remembers feeling enraged with jealousy whenever noah would make plans to hangout with his other friends, and although the other handled it with grace and didn’t seem bothered by it much, roha feels embarrassed that he would get so mad about it back then. even his brothers would get onto him about how immature and annoying he would act whenever it came down to sharing noah with others, and in retrospect, he totally sees their point. sadly, this is something he still struggles with, but luckily for him, he’s grown up a lot since then, and feels like he has a better grasp on his emotions now. instead of succumbing to those scarlet feelings of anger, he can rationalize with himself in a way that he never could as a kid, and he hopes to prove to noah that he’s better adjusted nowadays. so, as they sit side-by-side and indulge in their desserts, roha looks over to him; his elbow nudging his arm.
“ how was work ?? ” he asks, then licks up another helping of his treat afterwards. “ not gonna lie, i kinda love whenever we get a chance to chill after you get outta the bakery because you always smell like cookies and cake, ” he teases, chuckling.
it’s late and he hadn’t had time to run home and shower before it was time for him to meet with roha. they’ve had a long history, though only of friendship, and it’s something that noah treasures greatly. he’s always had a lot of friends, though only a few had ever become good friends, and that’s what roha is to him. they’ve had their differences, but noah doesn’t mind—not when he thinks that’s what makes the other boy so special to him.
“it was good,” noah replies easily, sighing softly afterwards. he was the one who was locking up for the night tonight and had ended up staying later than he had planned, which had foiled his idea of showering before meeting his friend today. his mom had called, which was the reason he had ended up stalling, still updating her about what he was supposedly learning about in his major. part of him really wanted to tell her what had happened, and that he had ended up not following through on his end of their deal but he couldn’t bring the words up.
this was a never-ending point of contention for him and he decides it’s not something that he wants to talk about right now.
instead, his focus is on the ice cream and his company of one of his best friends. licking at the top of his ice cream, smiling as the flavour—a rainbow sherbet—hits his tastebuds. “you’re only hanging out with me because i smell good?” noah asks, his tone of voice fully teasing as he nudges his friend in retaliation, eyes bright. “oh, i brought you some leftover pastries too—i want a muffin for breakfast but you can have the rest!”
