rose quartz || seventeen

nine

as the sun dawned on friday morning, joshua found himself sat at the kitchen island with his hands wrapped around a warm cup of coffee, light cascading throughout the room.

it was unusually early for the sun to shine, the clock reading just after twenty past six, but joshua wasn't complaining. he was the first awake (as far as he was aware), and was more than okay with peacefully basking in the sunlight. it was a chance to ponder his thoughts, especially given the frenzy of emotions that had been spiralling within his head for the past couple days. at least he'd managed to stop thinking about his parents- he'd underestimated how much denial he'd been about their deaths, and now it'd truly dawned on him what had happened he'd been struggling to cope with just how angry he felt towards it, angry at the world for giving them rose quartz eyes, angry at society for the way it treats people like them- people like joshua.

but now, he had something new to think about. something smaller than a pinprick, nestled down within the crevices of his heart.

jeonghan.

it was talking to seokmin that made joshua realise just how much he really did like him. he couldn't explain it- it was so surreal to say out loud that he liked jeonghan. he wasn't even sure he'd known that before he said it, but as soon as seokmin had asked the question "wait, as in, like, like him?" something in joshua knew.

he just felt so... safe, in that moment. it was like everything that happened over the past week or so, his parents, running away, being invited to live in the house he currently sat in- it was all right in front of him- and it was all thanks to jeonghan.

there was only one problem with his feelings. one that he was sure seokmin had realised too, which must've been why the younger seemed so surprised by his sudden confession.

seungcheol.

why did he and jeonghan have to be so close? the way the others in the house spoke about them made them seem like and old married couple, which as far as joshua was aware they most certainly were not, so why did seungcheol seem to think he had the right to act like they were? like joshua was some sort of homewrecker for getting close to jeonghan. if seungcheol was really that possessive over him, why hadn't the two gotten together yet?

as far as joshua was concerned, he was well within his rights to like jeonghan in whatever way he felt. even if seokmin seemed to think it wasn't a good thing, joshua was sure he'd warm up to the prospect soon enough. seokmin had been such a good friend to him since he'd moved in, he trusted the younger would be more than happy to help him find out how jeonghan felt, in the same way joshua would be more than willing to do the same for seokmin if he were to like someone.

sighing, joshua tightened his grip on his coffee. suddenly, a flash of a peachy-pink hoodie shot past his eyes, a certain lee chan practically smashing into the wall, causing the entire room to rumble as the hanging paintings and ornaments shook while he caught his balance.

"hey, shua!" chan's hair was sticking out in every direction, his smile dopey and his eyes ecstatic as he triumphantly raised his arms above his head. "i won the race!"

joshua was taken aback. "hey, chan- race against who?"

as if on cue, seokmin came panting into the room, his face bright red. "it's- too- early- for this-" he wheezed.

chan cackled. "haha, old man! i win!"

"you're only two years younger than me!"

chan straightened himself up, nodding with sarcastic wisdom. "and those two years make all the difference."

"dickhead... oh, hey shua!" seokmin regained his composure almost as soon as he realised joshua was in the room, a small, jokingly judgemental smile on the older's face.