#shirwaters

anthwill— neither of them had been with a guy before, and so breaking that barrier and getting together was quite the challenge for them. they didn’t know how to handle it.

will, assuming his feelings weren’t requited, did his absolute best to act like he just wanted to be friends. they had been so long, and he really valued what they had. he thought he was hiding it pretty well until hanbon started teasing him about it.

anthony went with the opposite approach. he realized quickly that there was no shot in hell he was going to be able to conceal these feelings, and so he made it a bit. he started flirting with will, pretending as though he had no shame (he did.) in hopes that when the real feelings would show their face, Will wouldn’t bat an eye. looking back on it, he was probably laying it on too thick.

enough was enough for will when anthony “jokingly” begged him to make out for the fourth time in one day. they had kissed a lot that night, and after that point they realized they should probably stop pretending.

entirely unrelated note; they DEFINITELY leave hickeys all of the time on one another omg

bunch of lovers— we all talk about how anthony is a massive yearner in love with literally everyone (he is, don’t get that twisted), but i don’t think he fell first in the slightest. i think hanbon fell for anthony first, years before they had become bunch of friends together. it wasn’t a loud crush or anything, but it was one of those warm comforting ones that don’t fully consume you. she didn’t ever plan on asking him out or anything.

will fell second, and much harder, for anthony and hanbon at the same time. incredibly overwhelming for him. didn’t know what to do with himself, especially when they started doing bunch of friends together, where he then fell for coy, too. he “joke” flirted with anthony because he needed an outlet for these feelings, but when anthony started acting flustered in response instead of just joke flirting with him back, he only got more overwhelmed.

when coy started having feelings for anthony, and eventually will too, he went to hanbon about it, and they bonded over their crushes on the two of them. they would joke about how if one pulled one the other would take the other all of them time. at least, until they noticed anthony and will getting closer. then they didn’t know what to do.

anthony lets slip one night about being kinda into coy and hanbon too, and will is filled with so much relief. they don’t sleep that night, instead coming up with a stupid but really cute plan to ask them both out in the middle of the night. they execute it the next morning without second thought. canbon are very excited that they didn’t have to pick one or the other, and because anthwill hadn’t slept that night thinking about the two of them, they all cuddle together on the couch and take a nap.

platonic canbon— i like to think that they have nights where they come together and talk about boys. like a tea party once a month where they give each other updates on their love lives.

i also think hanbon would start stealing hoodies out of his closet when she’s over. i have nothing to back this up i just think it would be really really cute. then coy goes to take something of hers as payback but it actually has the opposite effect of what he was going for and now they’ve been in her room for hours while he tries on her clothes.

hanpo— they’re the kind of people to make sure they go on a date at least once a week, even after they’re married. most of the time this looks really simple, like taking a break from editing to go get coffee together or locking the goffice and watching a movie. for special occasions like their birthdays (which they celebrate together btw) or when they get long stretches of time, they like to do bigger more “ridiculous” dates. they really like treating one another in that sense and they constantly are coming up with new ideas to execute THE date of all time.

initially it started with anthony planning all of their dates because he loves planning things for the people he cares about, and hanbon would let him because he really enjoyed it, plus he was really good at it! but after a while she wanted to start planning things with him too, and so now they alternate who gets to plan the date that week and it keeps it fun and cute.

popiso— of any bof ship, i think these two would try to hide their relationship from the others the longest.

literally since they say they started hanging out, all of their friends (and eventually their fanbase) had been telling them how good they would be together. and they always denied it and called it dumb.

…until they caught actual feelings for the other. they hid their crushes on one another for a stupidly long time, i’m talking years, because they were embarrassed about it and too stubborn to be wrong.

when they eventually did get together, they still hid it from their friends, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of being right. initially, the planned bit was to randomly invite all of their friends to the wedding randomly one day whenever they got engaged in the far future. this was foiled after about half a year when will caught them making out on anthony’s bed when he came in to ask about something for the channel.

shirwaters— obsessive sapphic gal waters and shirley enemies to lovers. they are arguing ALL of the time, especially before they get together. they watch each other like hawks, originally just to catch the other slipping to use it in their next fight. but when you start obsessing over the small details like that, you’re bound to find things you do like.

they started noticing the other watching them. it eventually turned into a game, trying to see how much they could observe the other without getting caught. which turned into a game of “how many times can i get caught before she says something”. which turned into a collaborative game of “how many times can we call each other out for being obsessive before we realize we have a problem”.

the conclusion of that game was a tragically low number of times. a compliment or two accidentally slipped between biting words and the facade was broken, and they were forced to face that their obsession with the other was no longer from hatred.

they still argue, but they also kiss now. as god intended.

willbon— they seem like the kind of people to really enjoy crafty art dates together. anything where the two of them get to be open and expressive with one another is HUGE for them they love that shit. they’re also constantly going on whimsical little side quests. just generally having the most fun all of the time.

they each act like the other is the most precious thing in the world. cannot shut up about what the other person has done lately. act like a puppy when its owner comes home when their partner walks into a room. love letters are left all over the house. stupid notes left on post-its are left on their leftovers or their car or their mirror or their pillow or—

i also think out of any pairing here they would get married the fastest OR never at all. there’s something about their combined whimsy that makes me believe either end of that spectrum.

willcoy— i’m sure it’s been said before but i WILL be saying it again. pet names. so many of them. all of the time.

it started ironically, obviously. some dumb jokes thrown out by coy.

“hey baby, where did you set the camera?”

“will-pillow—” “—that one is awful coy—” “—how did you sleep, my love?”

“me and the wife are going out tonight, anthony, that’s why you’re not invited!”

and will started to do the same back at him. eventually, neither are sure the other even knows their name anymore.

their friends are soooo over it, but that just makes them even more annoying and obnoxious with it. they even start having cuddle nights where they sit around a laptop and make a google doc of the worst ones they can find to piss them off. their friends fall for the ragebait every single time.

they pretend they hate them too, and that it’s just ironic, but somewhere along the line the stupid names grew on them, and they have a couple they genuinely use too, when no one else is around.