Ship/Member: Joshua/Minghao--ish. could be Joshua & Minghao Major Tags: N/A Additional Tags: post-enlistment, idolverse, arguably magical realism, minghao-pov but josh-centric(??), Permission to remix: Yes please! i'd love a joshua perspective on this! a/n: mods this is 400 words :))) and this is quite vague, but i'm challenging myself with concision today. also op, i changed one tiny thing and replaced the question mark with a period for the last line. hope that's okay!
***
Enlistment rattles them all.
It’s only Seungcheol and Jeonghan this year, but removing vital pillars from architecture wobbles the entire structure. It feels awfully like they’ve lost footing. Duties suddenly shift. Burdens worsen. Minghao watches Joshua take the brunt of the impact, nearly crumble under the weight, and soldier on.
Despite his worries, Minghao understands, and almost wishes he doesn’t. Joshua has to be the leader now, and as the leader, he mustn’t crack. Although most of them are holding out, Joshua has always cared for others too much and himself too little. There is a terrible fear rooting in Minghao’s chest that Joshua will bite off more than he can chew.
The most terrifying thing to Minghao is that he might not even notice when that does happen. Joshua can hide behind makeup and a smile and act like nothing’s wrong. Jeonghan and Seungcheol won’t be here to catch him before he realizes he’s falling.
Worry settles in them all like dust.
/
Over the course of a week, that worry disappears. Minghao doesn’t even register it.
/
Joshua suddenly becomes more tactile. He begins initiating contact. Minghao finds it strange but says nothing. He wants to be worried, but it feels like he no longer knows how to.
Must be fatigue.
/
Minghao sees the exacerbation of Joshua’s insomnia incrementally. His eye bags become perpetual. He’s constantly hiding a yawn behind a pale palm. Minghao caught Soonyoung and Wonwoo in furtive conversation once, words worry-stained, eyes quietly trained on Joshua’s back.
His own apprehension comes choking him at the jugular.
Arms slide around his waist. The shape of Joshua is familiar against his spine.
A deep breath in. The fear vanishes.
/
An idea begins forming.
/
“What do you think you are doing?” Minghao’s tone isn’t confrontational, but Joshua still tenses, frozen in a position, darkness thin around them in the practice room.
“Myungho.” Joshua turns around, lowers his arms, shoulders drooping like they bear incredible weight. Minghao aches somewhere far within.
“What are you taking from us?”
Joshua’s expression wavers for a second. Then his face is smooth once more, full of blank bafflement. He smiles; it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“What do you mean?” His voice wobbles. It’s confirmation enough.
Minghao’s tight, indrawn breath whistles like wind through empty branches.
His chest hollows out. Where his fear once was, a ghostly ache flickers now.
“It was you the whole time.”
*** some notes: what i imagined in my head was that joshua had to ability to remove what he deemed were negative emotions from others through touch. also!: this is not my original idea, as i've read fic with this premise, and made some adaptions for this fill. credit to whoever came up with this concept. it's very intriguing!
[FILL] between the shadow and the soul
Major Tags: N/A
Additional Tags: post-enlistment, idolverse, arguably magical realism, minghao-pov but josh-centric(??),
Permission to remix: Yes please! i'd love a joshua perspective on this!
a/n: mods this is 400 words :))) and this is quite vague, but i'm challenging myself with concision today. also op, i changed one tiny thing and replaced the question mark with a period for the last line. hope that's okay!
***
Enlistment rattles them all.
It’s only Seungcheol and Jeonghan this year, but removing vital pillars from architecture wobbles the entire structure. It feels awfully like they’ve lost footing. Duties suddenly shift. Burdens worsen. Minghao watches Joshua take the brunt of the impact, nearly crumble under the weight, and soldier on.
Despite his worries, Minghao understands, and almost wishes he doesn’t. Joshua has to be the leader now, and as the leader, he mustn’t crack. Although most of them are holding out, Joshua has always cared for others too much and himself too little. There is a terrible fear rooting in Minghao’s chest that Joshua will bite off more than he can chew.
The most terrifying thing to Minghao is that he might not even notice when that does happen. Joshua can hide behind makeup and a smile and act like nothing’s wrong. Jeonghan and Seungcheol won’t be here to catch him before he realizes he’s falling.
Worry settles in them all like dust.
/
Over the course of a week, that worry disappears. Minghao doesn’t even register it.
/
Joshua suddenly becomes more tactile. He begins initiating contact. Minghao finds it strange but says nothing. He wants to be worried, but it feels like he no longer knows how to.
Must be fatigue.
/
Minghao sees the exacerbation of Joshua’s insomnia incrementally. His eye bags become perpetual. He’s constantly hiding a yawn behind a pale palm. Minghao caught Soonyoung and Wonwoo in furtive conversation once, words worry-stained, eyes quietly trained on Joshua’s back.
His own apprehension comes choking him at the jugular.
Arms slide around his waist. The shape of Joshua is familiar against his spine.
A deep breath in. The fear vanishes.
/
An idea begins forming.
/
“What do you think you are doing?” Minghao’s tone isn’t confrontational, but Joshua still tenses, frozen in a position, darkness thin around them in the practice room.
“Myungho.” Joshua turns around, lowers his arms, shoulders drooping like they bear incredible weight. Minghao aches somewhere far within.
“What are you taking from us?”
Joshua’s expression wavers for a second. Then his face is smooth once more, full of blank bafflement. He smiles; it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“What do you mean?” His voice wobbles. It’s confirmation enough.
Minghao’s tight, indrawn breath whistles like wind through empty branches.
His chest hollows out. Where his fear once was, a ghostly ache flickers now.
“It was you the whole time.”
***
some notes:
what i imagined in my head was that joshua had to ability to remove what he deemed were negative emotions from others through touch. also!: this is not my original idea, as i've read fic with this premise, and made some adaptions for this fill. credit to whoever came up with this concept. it's very intriguing!