Chapter 55: PxP
Luther brought Joshua back to his apartment. On the way, he refused to walk properly—insisting on slinging an arm over Joshua’s shoulder, as if he planned to lean his entire body weight on him.
Joshua spoke softly, "Alright, thank you."
He felt he should invite Luther upstairs, but... he didn’t want to. Still, Luther had been so kind...
Luther looked at him, then suddenly reached out to rub between Joshua’s brows. Joshua, puzzled, lifted his eyes to meet his.
"Don’t frown like that—you look like some old man. Old man Joshua," Luther teased. From what had just happened, he thought Joshua seemed much calmer now—quiet, obedient, soft like cotton.
Seizing the chance, he pinched Joshua’s cheek. Joshua caught his hand and said, "I had a great time today. Thank you so much."
Luther lifted his chin. "I’m your best friend, right?"
Joshua thought for a moment, then nodded earnestly. Luther seemed about to say something more, but a fluffy stuffed bunny was suddenly thrust in front of him.
As if offering a precious treasure, Joshua held the small plush bunny in both hands and presented it to him. "It’s nowhere near as good as that free dessert card, but I used up all my luck to win it. I’m giving it to you, Luther."
Luther looked down at the bunny resting in Joshua’s palms, eyes narrowing slightly as he murmured, "It’s not inferior at all."
Then he took the bunny, waved it a little in front of his eyes, before lowering his gaze again—to Joshua, who was smiling brightly at him.
Suddenly, Luther thought—no, it really was inferior. At least right now, he didn’t want the little bunny. He tried to capture the big one standing in front of him instead. Then they could argue daily, and when Joshua cried, he’d coax him until he stopped. That would be fun. After all, for a crybaby like Joshua, only he could make him feel better.
In the end, Luther missed the "bunny." He watched until Joshua disappeared, then finally stepped on the gas and drove off. He was still humming under his breath, feeling a surge of inspiration—like a melody bubbling up from his chest, demanding to be written down.
Luther returned home in high spirits, already thinking that he could give Joshua a celebratory hug when they met again tomorrow.
But of course, he didn’t forget the most important thing!
He glanced at the photo he had just taken and a few others—all of them pictures of him and Joshua.
Just as he logged into his account, ready to make a post, a notification popped up: Joshua had tagged him.
Luther blinked in surprise, feeling a flicker of excitement he didn’t notice himself.
As always, Joshua’s post contained only one photo.
In the picture was the dessert card—Joshua’s hand holding it, and Luther’s hand beside it, making a V sign.
[Joshua_Shining Path]: "The sweetest gift from my best friend @Luther_Shining Path."
Luther was so happy he could barely stop himself from laughing out loud. He quickly made his own post, containing far more photos than Joshua’s.
The first photo showed Joshua grinning ear to ear in front of the prize wheel.
The second captured Joshua tugging on Luther’s hand, urging him to eat dessert.
The third was of Joshua posing in front of a billboard featuring himself.
And of course, the fourth was the adorable, fluffy bunny.
Luther didn’t even bother writing a caption—he just reposted Joshua’s post.
Fans from both sides immediately flooded the comments.
[Oh my god, they’re on a date!]
[We spent a whole day together, hahaha. This is too cute.]
[Luther’s post, but only Joshua appears in the photos... I get it. Truly best friends.]
[Super best friends, hahaha.]
[Too adorable, I hope Luther’s happy.]
[They’re both so cute.]
[Ever since I saw Joshua touch Luther’s hair that once, I knew their relationship wasn’t ordinary!]
[I swear I’m not trying to ship them, but... There are too many ships, someone stop me!]
[I know this amusement park! I think I saw them this morning!]
[Pics, pics—I really did see them!]
The attached photo showed Luther and Joshua standing under a billboard—slightly blurry but still recognizable.
[I thought they were just a tall couple at the time, who knew...]
[Why would you assume they were a couple? I’m confused.]
[No, you guys don’t get it. I think Joshua was crying, and then Luther was comforting him... at least that’s what it looked like!]
[Delicious. Absolutely delicious. Please, mother, feed me more content.]
[Sisters, if you’re like me, come to this topic >link]
Under the new topic, fans were already deeply discussing—both Joshua’s and Luther’s fans mixed.
[I’m not shipping them as a CP, but can we make a fan club for the Joshua & Luther duo? They seem really close.]
[Definitely! Joshua actually called Luther his best friend—they’re so sweet!]
[Everyone, come to the Joshua & Luther duo post! Here, they must be a pair!]
[I already came up with their name!]
[Spill it! Don’t leave us hanging like that—you don’t deserve to eat if you tease us halfway!]
[I thought it fit them from the start—PiPi, little chirping chicks, so cute! Adorable baby birds!]
[...]
[Keep thinking, everyone!]
[What? I think PiPi sounds fine!]
[I want something more royal!]
[Yeah! A prince and princess—make it a Royal CP!]
[PxP, that works! What do you think? The icon should be two crossed swords.]
[Why does that sound kind of dark?]
[Hahaha, that’s just because your mind is dark!]
Joshua watched his popularity score climb higher, unable to stop himself from sighing satisfactorily. As expected, interacting with fans regularly really was a good thing!
Hearing Joshua’s cheerful tone, Nine didn’t know what to say. After all, he didn’t dare tell Joshua that he and Luther already had an official CP name.
Let them be—it’s all just fan imagination, it won’t affect them anyway!
Strengthening that thought, Nine said, [Didn’t expect you to enjoy being an idol this much.] He’d been startled earlier when Joshua suddenly cried.
Joshua replied softly, "I just felt like everything was a little unreal."
Nine comforted him: [Don’t worry, you’ll never return to your old life again.]
Joshua lowered his gaze and murmured, "Yeah... I’ll never go back..."
The trainees’ two-day break ended quickly. It was time for them to return to the studio for the second live ranking announcement!
As Joshua stepped out of his apartment and was about to call a ride, the roar of an engine split the air. A motorcycle sped toward him, suddenly braking hard, the tail swinging dangerously close to him.
Joshua froze, looking toward Leonard.
The man wore black jeans and a red-and-black biker jacket, unzipped halfway to reveal a black T-shirt underneath. His red hair fluttered in the wind as he tilted his chin and said, "Get on. You made me wait long enough."
"I already called a car. And you didn’t even make an appointment," Joshua said softly.
"Get on," Leonard repeated, jerking his chin impatiently.
In the end, Joshua got on the bike.
"Hold on tight," Leonard said simply before revving the engine and shooting off like the wind.
At least he had the sense to slow down in crowded areas—Joshua was grateful for that much.
"Had fun hanging out with Luther?" Leonard suddenly asked.
The wind roared past Joshua’s ears, yet he could still hear Leonard’s words clearly. "Why are you asking that suddenly?" he asked quietly.
Leonard clicked his tongue, clearly irritated.
Nine couldn’t help commenting: [He’s not planning to take you off a cliff, is he?]
But in the end, Joshua arrived safely.
Leonard slung an arm around Joshua’s shoulders when he hopped off the bike. "Let’s go."
He didn’t want to linger here any longer—otherwise some stupid mutt would probably come bounding over to cling to Joshua again. He was obviously the one who approached Joshua first, so why did everyone else want to stick to him too?
So annoying.