#idefk im bad at words lol

[assless-chapstick]

man I llove your couch au, and I'm so jealous of your couch au john. so many amazing boyfriends. they're all so different, and they're all amazing, and they all love him. but this got me thinking - what do arthur, charles and javier love about john, respectively? cause honestly, from everything you've written about him, john sounds like such a handful. like it just sounds like he'd be A LOT to deal/put up with, just an extremely stressful person. so what do they love about him?

Me, shuffling a giant stack of papers nervously, stress-smoking and sweating profusely: haha ha ha good question mister why do people like m- HIM HIM why do people like him! Haha why…

In all honesty, I’m answering this question because the couch au has almost become its own separate entity, with the boys being like OCs built of the scaffolding of the RDR characters I love… I plan on definitely repurposing them and their universe in the future as OCs, and like, as such, of course everyone has that one OC that is just a caricaturized version of themselves, or a sort of ideal, right? A character they project onto and use to work through their shirt n stuff…

So of course I love this question and I have a lot of answers!! Cuz I know while John doesn’t seem like the uhhh ideal partner or friend, he does have good qualities, and the boys do all love him in their own separate and unique ways. I think it’s just the snapshot I present of John is…. Not entirely flattering.

To start, I think if you called Arthur John’s boyfriend to his face, he’d laugh his ass off. They’re not dating, they’ve never dated, the idea of them dating is so ridiculous as to be unfathomable. They’re just friends, best friends, brothers not in blood but in bond, you know?

Like the love Arthur and John have for one another is platonic, but intense. They’re ride or die besties, have been since they met. They grew up together, and while they fight and disagree sometimes, they’re a part of one another in a way that can’t be explained; it’s just, if you know, you know. So of course, sharing everything else, sex is something they share, too. They’re friends, and sex is something they do together as friends, and they understand one another so deeply and implicitly that boundaries are almost never crossed.

If you asked Arthur why he loves John, he’d probably say that he loves John because he can’t imagine not loving him, you know? He just can’t imagine a world where John isn’t there when he wakes up, complaining about how Arthur snores and how they’re out of coffee now that John’s poured them both a mug. He can fathom not wrestling John for the last mozzarella stick even though they’ve got a whole other bag in the freezer, or going grocery shopping without John riding on the front of the shopping cart and narrating everything Arthur puts in the cart like it’s fucking Nascar or something.

When Arthur looks at John, he doesn’t just see a bratty twenty-something in ripped up jeans and a t-shirt that’s been carefully distressed to look like it when through a garburator; he sees a decade’s worth of inside jokes and adventures, arguments and apologies, shared secrets and honest advice. He sees the hurt little kid who just needs someone to sit and listen, and the young man who needs to be told to shut up to quiet the hateful shit in his heart.

Charles loves John because Arthur loves John. He’s not the kind of guy Charles would usually go for, and that’s part of it, too – the novelty of being with someone messy and loud and a little bit much at times. But in a way, loving Arthur is like… putting on 3D glasses. When he sees John through Arthur, he sees more than just some loud, brash, bratty sour patch kid; he sees the fullness of him, how someone like John could not only be tolerable, but loveable.

Charles likes John for his honesty, and his sincerity. If John doesn’t like something or want to do something, he’ll tell you. He’s not mean about it, but he’s not afraid to tell you you probably shouldn’t get bangs cuz your face is too round, or that he really enjoyed the movie you just said you hated. John is honest, and unafraid of asking for what he wants, and Charles finds that refreshing and comforting; sometimes it’s hard for him to navigate social situations because he’s anxious, and people don’t just say what they mean all the time. He doesn’t have to worry about that with John.

I think he also likes the fact that John doesn’t take a lot of shit too seriously. John’s been through a lot, and for the mess that he is, he’s pretty good to have around when you’re feeling low, cuz he doesn’t make a huge deal of things or want to solve it. Charles can get pretty deep in the paint with depression, and John never dotes on him or makes a big deal out of it or tries to fix it when it can’t be fixed, you know? Arthur is very much the kind to worry himself sick, but John won’t push and Charles appreciates that.

John'll just ask “wanna talk about it?” and Charles won’t answer cuz his words are all locked up and he doesn’t even wanna say no, the weight of sadness is so heavy on him, so John just shrugs and brings over a package of Oreos and starts like… licking the middles out and passing the cookies to Charles. It’s the grossest thing, but Charles eats them anyway because sometimes you just need a fucking cookie and to not talk about your shit and John gets that.

Javier loves John because loving John, having him the way Javier has him, is like having a secret. John is loud and rude and nasty and hard on the outside, but when Javi worms his way in, he finds the soft, sweet, vulnerable parts that nearly no one else knows.

They were acquaintances, friends-ish at first, and John was just a Cool Guy he knew; easy to talk to, always down for whatever, kind of a douche but in that way where he’s nice to you and you feel like you’re one of the Cool Kids because of it…

Like they’d be at parties together, before they knew one another well, and Javi could just flip down on the couch beside John and John would pass him a joint, super chill, lean over and show him some stupid meme that’s only funny when you’re high and hanging out with another dude.

And so when they start to date, it’s a lot like that. John isn’t super touchy-feely, it feels a lot like two dudes hanging out, until John starts to get comfortable and let his guard down and then Javi falls for him hard.

Loves the way John snorts when he laughs at something he thinks is really funny, how he’ll make really bad dad jokes and then laugh at his own stupid jokes. Loves the way John goes soft and coy and shy when Javi treats him like a girl and gets sweet on him, the way he blushes when Javier calls him corazón and flaquita. Loves John’s passion and tenacity and boisterous public persona, and how that melts away when they’re in private and he just gets to be with his John.

It’s hard to tell they’re dating, when they go out together, because they just seem like good friends – maybe there’s a little too much closeness, too much whispering and giggling and playful shoving and body shots – but when they’re alone together, that softer side of John comes out and Javi treasures that.

And John is sweet in private – does things like bring Javi his favourite take-out after a tough exam, or text him when he sees a poster for one of Javi’s favourite bands. Remembers things, and works hard to show he knows and cares and is listening, even if it doesn’t always seem like it.

Anyway feller, I hope that answered your question and you can understand just what makes all of John’s many, many, many, MANY flaws worth it to the ones who love him! He’s not perfect, but he’s for some good qualities. Thanks for asking, mister!

#the couch au #im not projecting YOURE projecting #its up to you to decide what is me and what is made up in this John #i hope it was concise and compelling #even in my own life i find it hard to describe why i love someone #i just know that i do #like ppl ask me abt this girl im talking to and what i like about her and im like UMM??? Nice??? #NICE??? #idefk im bad at words lol