Minghao Fluff - Tumblr Posts

sunsets and you

pairing - est!relationship minghao x reader genre - fluff word count - 196 warnings - nothing synopsis - your lovely boyfriend wakes you up from a picnic a/n - guess who's in a writers block and feels guilty about not posting for 2 weeks straight

"don't move-" you mumble sleepily head resting on his chest as rays of sunlight illuminate your face.

"honey- the sun is setting, we should get going" he says, nudging your shoulder lightly. In all honesty Minghao feels bad for waking you up, but you really need to go now.

"5 more mins...." you protest, voice barely audible.

"honey... c'mon, just open those pretty eyes of yours, for me?" he pleads, as he watches your eyelids flutter open. and he'll never get tired of the feeling, the feeling of watching your beautiful eyes open as they meet his above.

"what time is it.." you wake up looking around, sun melting into the sea, bright hues of pink, red, and orange visible.

"5pm darling, let's go.." he gently says, eyes focused on your half dazed expression. you slowly get up from his comforting chest, already missing the warmth.

and by the time you fully return to consciousness he's already done folding the picnic blanket, placing it into the basket carefully. your eyes trace his beautiful silhouette and when he's done he returns to you with a smile. picnic basket in one hand and your hand in the other.

ADDICSVT 2024

Tolerate It - Xu Minghao

Synopsis: Watching the love of your life be with the wrong person should be classified as cruel and unusual torture. While you loved to see him smile, you hated the fact it was because of someone else.

Pairing: Xu Minghao x reader

Inspired by: Tolerate It - Taylor Swift

Genre: Angst - unconfessed feelings, arguments, jealousy, friends to lovers, ft. Wonwoo, Jun, and Mingyu

Word Count: 3.4k

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Living in a city sometimes felt constricting. For the longest time, you always dreamed of living in a major city where there was always something going on. However, coming from home work to loud shouting, blaring car horns, and constant movement all around got overwhelming. And you weren't the only one that felt that way.

You were grateful for the opportunities thrown your way. However, sometimes you just wished you take a step into peace and quiet.

It was Minghao that suggested that everyone should take a trip to the woods. He found a company where you could rent out a company, which was perfect for you and your group of 14 friends. But it seems you miscounted. This whole time, you had no idea that Minghao was planning on bringing his girlfriend as his plus one. You didn't even know you were allowed plus ones!

At the moment, you were in the kitchen washing the dishes after the meal Minghao, Joshua, and Mingyu cooked up together. Minghao, Seokmin, Hoshi, and Cheol took it upon themselves to start a bonfire. They believed it was the only appropriate way to kickoff your weekend getaway. Well, Minghao wasn't helping much. He was more so keeping his girlfriend company, having his arms wrapped around her and holding her close. It made you sick to your stomach.

"You know, if you stare long enough, they might get an idea you're watching them like a hawk," Wonwoo commented.

You didn't even noticed he slipped into the kitchen. However, you noticed he had yellow rubber gloves on and was there to keep you company. To be honest, you wanted to dot he dishes by yourself to sort through your thoughts, but you knew Wonwoo was always a good person to confide in. You smiled appreciatively before stepping aside, allowing him to have access to the pile that filled the sink.

"So, I'm taking it you didn't know she was coming?" He asked. "No, not at all. I didn't know until I got out of Cheol's car," you confessed, a hint of sadness in your voice. "Trust me, none of us knew except Minghao. This was apparently his idea of trying to get us to meet her." "By tricking and trapping us here?"

You both shared a laugh at that idea. It made you feel a bit better that you weren't the only one blindsided. Normally, Minghao was so upfront with the group about his feelings, so you were confused why he's kept her hidden for so long. You only knew of her by him mentioning that he was going on a date with a new girl that Dino set him up with. And the poor maknae already got an earful from you.

"I always thought you two would end up together," Wonwoo commented.

His gaze was locked on the dishes submerged underneath the bubbly water. Your gaze was locked on him. Your eyes were a bit wide, not sure if you heard him correctly. However, he glanced out of his peripheral to see your eyes locked on him. "So you're not denying that you like him? Or did I just make things awkward because you guys are best friends?"

You were at a loss of words. How the fuck did Wonwoo figure it out? Who told him? Or were you that painfully obvious.

There was no denying that you had feelings for Minghao. How could he when he treated the world with kindness? How could anyone not be attracted to him when he looked like he was crafted by the Gods? His visuals and his heart of gold set your heart ablaze easily. But you two were friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

He made that part obvious by being with someone else.

Wonwoo let out a chuckle. Putting the last dish in the drying rack, he grabbed the towel to dry off his hands. "Don't worry, y/n. Your secret is safe with me," he vowed. He pressed a kiss to your forehead before he walked away, leaving you motionless in the kitchen.

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Everyone was gathered outside in a small circle around the fire. Seugncheol and Hoshi looked at the fire with pride at the fire they created. All the rest of the guys were chatting, either drinking beer or coffee depending on the guy. You were sandwiched between Jun and Wonwoo.

Unfortunately, you had a front-row view of Minghao and his girlfriend. Her heart twitched with ache as she sat on his lap. Every few seconds, he would take the time to ensure the blanket was wrapped around her body.

"Stare long enough and he's going to notice," Wonwoo whispered. "Or worse, she might."

If you could, you'd hit him on the shoulder. But it would cause too much attention to the others, which knowing them, they'd pry until your secret was let out. You silently thanked him though as his voice caused you to turn your head.

"Could always just blame the fatigue from traveling." "Wow, look who is using their brain," Wonwoo teased.

You rolled your eyes before leaning back fully in the lawn chair. You had your legs curled up to your chest. Sure, you were decked out in sweatpants, a hoodie with a long sleeve shirt underneath, and a beanie, but it wasn't enough to keep you warm. The fire wasn't aiding at all.

"Geez, y/n. You're practically turning blue," Jun chimed in.

Before you could protest, you were being lifted into the man's lap. You stared up at him, disbelief that he actually moved you but also that he pulled off a move like that. Where was the shy boy you met a few years ago?

He winked at you before wrapping the blanket around you. You weren't sure where it had appeared from but then put two and two together when you saw a pouting Mingyu making his way back to the group from inside.

"Hey! That's not fair," he whined out. "Oh come on, Gyu. The baby is called," Jun called out, motioning down towards you.

Mingyu didn't even notice that you had migrated from your spot to Jun's lap. He softened his pout at the sight of you bundled up like a burrito, your face barely showing thanks to the beanie and dark blanket.

"Okay, you got me there. Y/n, is too adorable to get made at," Mingyu chuckled. He swiftly made his way back to his seat, placing himself where you used to sit which was beside Wonwoo. Much better for everyone. "Sweetheart, do you want a s'more? I'm a pro!"

You nearly popped out of Jun's lap in excitement at the offer. The guys around you laughed as Jun wrapped his arms around you, tightening his grip slightly so you wouldn't go rolling off of his lap.

"I'm taking that as a yes," Jun laughed before kissing the crown of your head.

Your eyes widened slightly at Jun's actions. You peered up at him but all he did was wink. Wonwoo was sitting back in amusement, as the rest of the group didn't really seem to blink twice at Jun's antics. Jun was the type of guy who opened up more as he got comfortable around people.

Yet, you couldn't help but ponder on it. Was it a friendly kiss? You couldn't deny the blush that was coating your cheeks as Jun openly showed rare affection in front of the rest of the group. Did it mean something more?

"Hold on, y/n, how do you like your marshmallows?" Your internal investigation was interrupted by Mingyu calling out to you. You turned over to see Mingyu trying to get the marshmallow to stick to the skewer. Fearing the worst, Wonwoo was on supervising duty.

"As gooey as possible! I don't want it to drop into the fire, but get really close," you smirked, knowing it would be a challenge for him. "Whatever the princess wants, she gets," he declared.

You and Jun chuckled as Mingyu got to work.

These were the moments that you longed for since the trip was proposed. For the first time since arrival, you felt relaxed. It helped that Jun was allowing you to curl in his lap like you were a cat.

For Minghao, this was a moment he didn't expect. His eyes were locked on you and Jun, trying to figure out the puzzle between the four - Jun, Mingyu, Wonwoo, and you. Was there something going on? Did he miss something? "Babe? Baby? Helloooo, Earth to Hao?"

He jumped as his girlfriend called out to him. She had a slight pout on her lips as she gazed up at him. Minghao blinked a couple to reorient himself before he finally looked down at the woman in his lap. Woah, I've never just zoned out like that before.

"I was telling you all about what Sasha told me the other day. Weren't you paying attention to me?"

Part of him longed to be apart of the group. I mean, that's how envisioned this trip going. He thought everyone could come together as one group, not break into two smaller groups. Sure, that happened sometimes with a group as large as this but he didn't think that would happen when they were all meant to be hanging out together now. But he didn't want to be a rude person, so he quickly shook his head.

"Sorry, sweetheart. I think the fatigue of driving today is starting to catch up to me."

She raised an eyebrow and just stared at him for a moment. It was like she was trying to decipher if he was lying or not. However, she just shrugged before talking more about her inner circle.

Has she even talked to my friends once since arriving? Did she even make an effort to do so?

It made Minghao curious, especially when you, his best friend, were able to easily blend into his friend group. He even thought you were better friends with some of the other guys than he was. But that was just a testament to what a great person you are.

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One by one, the group began to dwindle and head inside for sleep. You were still outside with Jun, Mingyu, and Wonwoo whereas Minghao and his girlfriend were inside in the kitchen. He was probably making his nightly tea to help ease him to sleep.

"You're welcome, you know," Wonwoo announced.

Picking your head up off Jun's lap, you raised an eyebrow. You were getting sleepy yourself, so you were contemplating going inside or staying a bit longer. However, Wonwoo's statement woke you up and caught your attention.

Chuckling at your confused state, he sat up a bit straighter. Jun and Mingyu shared a knowing look which just further drew in your curiosity.

"Oh you know, for making Hao jealous?" Wonwoo explained. Your eyes widened as you glanced between the three guys before landing on Wonwoo. Your eyes narrowed on him, about to pounce but was eased down by Jun's hold. Note to self: never discredit Jun's strength again.

"You promised not to tell," you hissed. "Angel, it's not hard to put the pieces together," Mingyu added. "Yeah, I mean, we kind of knew you might have a thing for him but seeing you be a bit quieter around the two of them just confirmed."

You dramatically threw your head back. That's it. Your life is over.

"I think I speak for the rest of the guys when we thought you two would end up together."

Your head instantly sprung back. You groaned slightly from the head rush you caused yourself. Jun snickered before allowing his fingers to trace against your arm, comforting you.

"Don't just be mean and say shit like that, Jun." At least Wonwoo didn't deliberately spill your secret, I guess.

You just didn't know you were that obvious to the others.

"Y/n, I mean it. You guys have a special bond. Not only is it apparent that you care about him on a deep level, but he does for you too. I guess we all just thought you were close friends, but we all saw how your personality shifted when she started coming around." "But he's not into me, guys. If he was, he would have said something by now." "Do you think maybe he was waiting for you to say something first?"

You frowned slightly at that idea. I mean, as much as you were waiting for Minghao to confess, you could have confessed as well.

SMACK

You looked over to see Jun and Wonwoo glaring at Mingyu between them. Mingyu was rubbing his arm, looking at you apologetically. The sight alone caused you to smile and relax a bit.

Deciding it was time to go inky ou tapped on Jun's arms. Getting the hint, he loosened his arms from around you so you could stand up. You stretched for a second.

"I guess we'll never know, boys. But what I do know is that I am exhausted and ready to shower to get the smoke smell off of me."

A chorus of goodnights echoed behind you as you said goodnight yourself and head towards the cabin. As much as you loved a good campfire, you didn't want to bring the smell in with you to bed.

Silently, you moved the sliding patio door to the right so you could slip in.

"I don't get why you are so distracted. Back in the city, you always have your attention on me." "I'm sorry you feel that way, but I also was hoping you would take this trip to get to know my friends? I don't want you to feel like you have to just talk to me." "So what? I'm not as important to you as your friends?"

Yikes. That wasn't what you were expecting to talk into you. You figured the house would be silent and you'd be the one making the most noise as you tried to navigate back to your room.

It got quiet as you quickly closed the patio door, not wanting to allow any chilly air or critters into the cabin. You turned around to be greeted by two pairs of eyes staring at you. One was trying to stare into your soul, almost as if she wanted to burn a hole right through you. The other was softer, almost apologetically and shameful.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll see you both in the morning."

As quickly as possible, you scurried out of the kitchen as you desperately wanted to escape the tension inside.

"And you're still paying attention to other people more than you are wanting to pay attention to me!"

While you had your suspicions about what might be driving a wedge between the lovers, you didn't want to stick around and speculate. Now that you had a small group of supporters cheering for you and Minghao to find your way to each other, you were positive they'd fill in the dots if they also overheard anything.

Your priority right now was to get in the shower and curl back underneath the covers.

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SLAM

You jolted in your bed, your sleep interrupted but he sound of the slamming door. You were sure it had woken up the rest of the house too. Luckily for you and your nosey self, your bedroom window overlooked the front of the house. Quietly, you moved over towards the window.

To your surprise, Minghao's girlfriend was the one responsible for the noise. She had her pink duffle bag thrown over her shoulders. With no Minghao chasing after her. You watched as she climbed into the car already waiting for her, the smoke from the exhaust pipe lifting into the air.

Her voice was muffled but loud yet you couldn't make out the words that she was exchanging with the driver.

Where was Minghao? Was he okay?

You quickly got out of bed, but tried to be light on your feet. In a house of 13 men who were just as nosey as you, you had to be very quiet to not ring any silent alarms. You weren't really in the mood for a line of interrogation seeing that it was in the middle of the night.

Just as you were about to slip out of your room, you heard movement coming from the other side of the door. You halted your movement.

Knock knock knock

You were holding the breath you didn't even know you were holding. From underneath the door, you saw the shadow of two feet. Not much to indicate who was at your door.

"Y/n, I know you're up," Minghao said, his voice soft. He didn't sound angry or heartbreak, especially for a guy who's girlfriend (even if you could still call her that) stormed out of the vacation cabin.

It didn't take much longer for you to grasp the golden doorknob and twist it open.

Before you, you were greeted by the sight of Minghao. He was leaning against the doorway, wearing grey sweatpants and a matching grey hoodie. You were convinced Minghao was created by the universe as an apology for the patriarchy.

"You couldn't have made things easier for me?"

You stepped back, allowing Minghao into your room. He nodded before walking in, heading towards your bed. He sat on the edge but leaned back on his elbows. He was almost too calm for your liking.

Knowing that the other boys may have been alerted by Minghao's presence, you quickly closed the door behind you from prying eyes. You looked at him curiously, your heart pounding. Make what easier for him?

"I may be your best friend, but I am not qualified to be your couples' therapist," you said. "Come on, y/n. I know you're into me. Or are you really going to tell me you are into my best friend without telling me?"

Caught redhanded. Dammit.

You opened your mouth to try to defend yourself but nothing was coming out. Your lack of a response confirmed his suspicions, and actually made him believe Jeonghan who had overheard your conversation with Wonwoo earlier in the kitchen.

"Come here, darlin,'" he called out to you.

Without thinking about it, you made your way over towards the man presented on your bed. With each step towards him, your heart pounded faster. It didn't help that he had his eyes trained on you the entire time.

"I thought best friends weren't supposed to lie to each other," he frowned. "I wouldn't say it was necessarily a lie, Hao."

He scoffed as a playful smile was adorn on his lips. Once you were close enough to him, he pulled you in close. You were standing in between his legs as he peered up at you. His hands slowly began moving up and down your arms.

"But you weren't quite exactly truthful with me. How long did you think you could go without confessing to me?" "As long as possible if it meant keeping our friendship." With one hand on your wrist, the other hand moved up to tuck the loose strands of your hair behind your ear. "Good thing I don't want to be your friend anymore."

You swore you could hear your heart shatter into a million pieces at the statement. What did his girlfriend, or whoever she was now, say to him? "Because I don't think friends can do this."

Pulling gently on your wrist, Minghao seemingly eliminated any space between the two of you. He pulled you close enough so your knee hit your bed before leaning up to kiss you. You couldn't even resist. This was what you always wanted, to be his.

You kissed him back, gently moving so his back hit the bed and you were on top of him. Minghao smiled into the kiss, clearly happy about the reciprocation. His hand left your wrist to hold your way, the other cradling your face. You didn't even have time to move your hands onto him before he moved you over so he laid beside you.

The only sound in the room was the sound of your lips smacking against his. He was just as good of a kisser as you imagined.

Slowly, you pulled back. He offered a gentle smile as you did the same, but he could see there was something on your mind.

"You don't need to worry. I ended things with here. She pointed out that I was eyeing you all night, in the way maybe a best friend shouldn't," he confessed.

Your hands gently moved to cup his face. Hearing that news, you couldn't help but let your smile grow wider.

"Now who was the one who could've made things easier?" You teased.

minghao loves you, and it comes as easily as breathing most days.

however, when he wakes up at 4:43 in the morning because you’ve stolen the duvet in your sleep, he has to remind himself of that a little bit.

everyone has flaws, and yours is duvet-hogging. leaving him practically shivering on the other side of the bed — yes, he’s being dramatic, but he’s cold, and it’s some sort of ungodly hour, and so he sighs, and tries his best to pry the ends of the duvet from you.

you barely even stir when he tugs you closer, brushing a hand over your face and kissing your forehead; it’s practically an unconscious movement, it’s so automatic for him. one arm loops around your waist, the other manoeuvres him back under the duvet, and he sighs with relief at the warmth that settles over him.

that’s when you decide to wake up, your eyes barely even opening. “hao?” you whisper sleepily, syllables running into each other. “did i steal the blanket again?”

minghao rubs a soothing hand over your back. “no,” he lies, just a little one to coax you back to sleep. he’ll complain to you in the morning, over coffee and breakfast and a little bit of nagging.

“okay,” you say hoarsely, and curl even closer to him. “i’m going back to sleep now.”

he smiles, just barely, at your sudden announcement, and brushes his lips over your forehead again. “okay,” he agrees, but you’re already gone — looking so peaceful that even when he wakes later in the morning to discover you’ve stolen the duvet a second time, he can’t be mad; because despite your blanket-hogging tendencies, loving you still comes as easy as breathing.

an / I HATE WRITINGGG (lie)

taglist: @n4mj00nvq @eoieopda @som1ig @glowunderthemoon @wondering-out-loud @graybaeismytae @hannyoontify @sahazzy @dokyeomin @icyminghao @smilehui @nicholasluvbot @lvlystars @immabecreepin @hanniehaee @kokoiinuts @astrozuya

Stars & Butterflies

Summary: Minghao, an art student, has a secret identity, and you’re the only one who knows.

Content: fluff, friends to lovers, college au

I don’t think there’s any warnings needed for this one!

At the shrill sound of a whistle, the kudo athletes spring into motion. You wince as their helmets collide, imagining the sensation. After a few seconds and another whistle, the team relaxes once more, and gather around their head coach. You can’t hear what he says, but a few moments later the team shouts an unintelligible syllable and breaks apart.

You stand up, gathering your things from your seat on the bleachers. Spotting number 8 making his lone way across the field toward you, you skip down the stairs and wait by the fence. “How do you do that?” you ask Minghao as he pulls his helmet off, shaking his shaggy hair and grinning. Even right after a hard practice, he’s infuriatingly beautiful with his half-up man-bun and his caramel skin that shines with sweat.

“It’s easy,” he says, brushing the back of his hand against his forehead. “You get used to it after years of practice.”

“Well, speaking of practice,” you say, “do I finally get to see your magnum opus today?”

He gives a shy grin. “No,” he admits. “She’s not finished yet.”

You are one of the few people who knows the identity of TikTok famous “MoonMuse”, a talented artist who built an almost Banksy-like cult following through mysterious social media posts of beautifully framed art. He’d been commissioned by celebrities, politicians, millionaires and other personalities for his incredible gift with oil paint, harking back to impressionists like Van Gogh and Monet in his style.

It is, in fact, this tall, muscular young college kudo champion standing before you who is behind these art pieces. You only found out because you, a photography student with a penchant for procrastination, fell asleep in the lab, and when you woke up, you had to exit through the painting studio. He had been there at 2:30 in the morning, working on a piece, and you had instantly recognized his style.

He had gone on to explain to you how only you and one of the art professors knew the face of MoonMuse, and begged you to keep his secret. Something in his eyes — the passion, the desperation maybe — had convinced you to agree. Plus, there was nothing to gain from exposing him. It would just be mean. Then, you had asked him if you could watch.

“I can’t paint to save my life,” you had told him, “so there’s no way I could copy you.”

He gave you a half smile before nodding at the chair next to his. Turning back to the canvas, he began adding strokes to a magnificent flowered garden scene.

You had stayed there almost all night. Watching Minghao work had moved you — it was both soothing to watch and inspiring to witness the care he took with even the smallest details of the painting. Through his eyes, the world looked more colorful, more romantic, more beautiful than it really was. You found yourself wanting to live in the world he saw.

Minghao had insisted on walking you home, because you lived across campus and there was a particularly dark and dangerous street you’d needed to cross to get back to your apartment. The walk back had been full of awestruck questions from you. He seemed flattered by the attention, even remarking that since he never saw his clients in person, he never got to witness their reactions to his work.

“So why do you do it?” You’d asked, thinking about the way artistic work often relies on validation. “If not to make them happy, why paint at all?”

He looked at you, then, and laughed. “I don’t ever paint for anyone else. I paint to keep myself sane.”

This struck you as odd. It lingered with you as you worked on your own art, so much that you found yourself waiting for him every night at the painting studio. Most nights he never showed. Finally, though, he had. And, surprisingly, he seemed genuinely excited that you had met again.

This had been the night you had asked him about why he needed to paint to stay sane. Between strokes of his brush, he told you about how he had a painful tendency to give too much of himself. He rarely got to feel or process his own feelings, especially hard or negative ones. That was where painting came in. “When I paint, I get to make these painful things into something that I can look at. I get to make it beautiful so I can process it.”

He had laughed when he’d caught the expression on your face — in awe was probably the best way to put it. “I’m sorry,” You had stuttered, blushing.

“It’s okay,” he had reassured. “I…actually really enjoy how amazed you get about things like this.”

He bumped you with his shoulder comfortingly. You had looked up at him, and his gentle, open, happy smile had actually reached his eyes for the first time.

He’d walked you back again, and this had become your ritual. At the entrance to your apartment building, he’d stopped you with a gentle hand on your arm before you walked away. He’d asked for your phone number.

He’d texted you right as you’d arrived home — just to say goodnight, but also to tell you he wouldn’t be in the studio again til Friday. You had smiled at the butterfly emoji he’d used to close the text. Appropriate — since there were a flock of them in your stomach.

Today marked your 100th meeting. You’d fallen in love with him somewhere around the 33rd — you had invited him to come with you while you practiced astral photography. He had watched you set up your tripod and camera and asked a couple quiet questions, looking absolutely huggable in his puffy coat and beanie at the top of a rugged mountain. The light finally faded, and Minghao had turned his face toward the sky. “Whoa,” he’d whispered.

The sky was full of tiny pinpricks of light, never visible from the city, but here in this mountainous landscape they were clear. It was why you came here -- and part of why you'd invited him. For a moment, he stared, entirely dumbfounded.

Then he looked at you, and you had been shocked to see his eyes filled with tears.

"I've never seen stars like this before," he said, his voice almost reverent. "I couldn't have even imagined that they existed."

You watched as a tear slid down his cheek and fought back an urge to cup his face in your hands. A telltale burn behind your eyes alerted you that you might join him in crying, and you quickly hid your face behind your camera. But he looked back up at the sky, wearing the most peaceful and contented smile you'd ever seen in your life. It was hard not to stare at him. It was hard not to want to protect him from everything bad in the world. And it turned out that it was absolutely impossible not to be in love with him.

On the way back down the mountain, after the moon had risen and ruined any chance for pictures, he'd asked if he could come watch while you developed the photos. Surprised, you had told him that of course he could. There in the dark room, he told you about his life. He told you about leaving his family in China and coming to school to study art on a kudo scholarship. He told you about the bitter homesickness he felt, about how sometimes he felt so anxious about his choice that he couldn't sleep. He told you how desperately afraid he was to reveal himself to the world -- how much his peace meant to him, and how difficult it would be if he lost it.

At this, you felt your eyebrows raise. He noticed. "What?" he asked, a hint of teasing in his tone. "Am I getting a bit too moody for you?"

"No, it's not that," you reassured him. "I get feeling anxious about something that important." Then, choosing your words carefully, you said, "It's just that I don't get that last part. I don't know if you can lose peace."

Now he was the one looking at you with raised eyebrows. "Why do you say that?"

"Because," you said, looking at your hands, "peace is internal. It doesn't come from anyone but you." You forced yourself to look into his eyes. "Why aren't you at peace with yourself?" you had asked him, quietly.

"I don't know," he'd replied.

You had walked home that night in complete silence together. You had worried he was mad at you -- so worried that you turned to face him before you went inside. "Minghao, I --"

But he had stopped your apology by bringing you into a big hug. He smelled like clean laundry and the pine woods you'd left only a few hours earlier. "Don't you dare," he said with a laugh in his voice. "I'm just thinking about what you said. I'm not upset." He seemed a little quiet the next few days, but then he got better.

Indeed, today he seemed to smile much easier than he had when you'd first met him. Right now, with the fresh springtime air on his skin as you walked to his apartment next to the painting studio, he almost had a spring in his step. "You're chipper," you say to him, laughing as he grins widely at you.

"I am," he replies, opening the apartment door for you. "I'll shower and then I have something to give you."

You nod, pulling out your laptop and working on some homework while he gets cleaned off. He comes out from the bathroom looking a little flushed, his hair still wet, and you can hardly take your eyes off him. He smiles at you, patting the side of his hair with a towel. "It's at the studio," he says.

He grabs your hand, whirling you around and pulling you down the stairs to the studio. Placing both hands over your eyes, he guides you through the studio until you come to a stop. Then he lifts his hands from your eyes, placing them instead on your shoulders.

You stare at a medium-sized canvas on which he's painted the most stunningly beautiful picture you've ever seen. It's a mountaintop at night, the stars enchantingly close and vibrantly colored in shades of orange and yellow, beaming down at two small shadowy figures who seem to be gazing up at them in awe. The painting is full of priceless wonder and joy. "This...is amazing," you say, trying not to choke up.

"It's that night," he says, watching your face eagerly, almost hungrily, to discern how you're feeling. "You remember?"

"Of course," you say, nodding. You let out a big gust of air. "I honestly can't understand how you plan on topping this. This isn't your magnum opus?"

He looks at the ground shyly. "Honestly, this is a kid's crayon drawing compared to that one."

Your jaw drops. "I'm not trying to doubt your skill," you say, "but I can't imagine anything more beautiful than this." You approach the painting, almost wanting to touch it, but thinking better of it.

"I can," he says quietly behind you. You look over your shoulder to see him beaming at you. "You can touch it," he adds. "It's yours."

"Mine?" you gasp. "Minghao, I can't. I mean, this should be in an art museum."

"Crazy how it's gonna hang in your house, huh?" he says stubbornly. "Seriously, it's yours."

"What if someone asks where I got it from?"

"Tell the truth," he says. "MoonMuse."

"Then they'll know I know who you are."

He shrugs. "That's okay with me."

You grow desperate. "This is seriously too much. I wish I had somewhere beautiful to put this up, but I don't! It deserves to be seen."

"It will be seen by the eyes that matter," he insists. You blush, but then a noise at the door makes you jump.

"Hey," says a girl at the door. "What is that?"

"A painting," Minghao says tersely. "Who are you?"

But she ignores him. "Whoa," she says, pushing past you to stand right in front of the painting. You wince as she touches it with a greasy finger. "I heard MoonMuse goes to school here, but I never thought..."

"How did you hear that?" you ask, your voice sharp.

She pulls out her phone and shows you a video. It's a sneakily filmed video of Minghao painting. You are sitting in the corner watching in the video, and he says something that makes you laugh. You suddenly feel dizzy as the video cuts to a headline about MoonMuse's identity being revealed. The video says that the person filming realized it was Minghao after he saw what he was painting in his room.

The room painting flashes onto the screen, and you cover your mouth with your hands.

It's a poor-quality image of what looks like a masterpiece. The painting looks familiar. The hair, the eyes, even the nose...

It's you.

Given Minghao's impressionistic style, it's more colorful and more beautiful than you, but it's unmistakeable. He perfectly captured you caught in a laugh, with your hair blowing off your shoulder. You look at him, and he's staring at you with his mouth open in horror.

Unable to bear it, you run out of the studio, into the golden sunset, as tears sting your eyes. You haven't made it four steps before you hear him calling your name.

You whirl around to see Minghao following you. "Why did you run away?" he asks you.

"They found out," you say, panicked, as a tear splashes onto your cheek. "I'm so sorry -- I think it's my fault, Minghao."

He actually takes a step forward to brush the tear off your face. "I mean, it was kind of inevitable. I had to come forward at some point, right?" He keeps his hand on your face. "But I need to ask you something."

"What?" you ask, looking up at him.

He puts his other hand on your other cheek, cradling your face in his hands. "What did you think of the painting?" he says, looking into your eyes with an intensity that makes your stomach turn over.

You suddenly remember. "Oh," you say, and blush.

He swallows hard before continuing. "I painted my whole heart into that painting. That picture really didn't do it justice, and it really isn't finished, and I'm not thrilled that you saw it before I really figured out what to say to you."

"It was beautiful," you tell him honestly. "More beautiful than I deserve, honestly."

He tsks in disapproval. "It's you," he insists. “It’s exactly what I see when I see you.”

You are speechless. He laughs a little at your expression before continuing. “That day on the mountain, and after in the dark room, I saw that you had been healing something you didn’t hurt. I don’t remember ever feeling this cared for, and that means a lot to me.” He pulls you in so your noses are almost touching. “Please stay with me.”

You feel yourself trembling at the closeness of him - surprised that although you’ve spent a stupid amount of time daydreaming about having him hold you like this, it still feels so new and crazy and wonderful. You nod. “Okay.”

He smiles - brilliant, blinding. You can no longer resist reaching for him — feeling the warmth of his cheek against your fingers, brushing his soft hair from his temple, just like you’d imagined but better, and Minghao spins you around in giddy joy.

He sets you down, your faces still close together. You both look at each other with huge smiles, and he uses a finger to tilt your chin up. His eyes drop to your lips and then back to your eyes — a question.

You answer without speaking, just smiling into his eyes. He moves in, slowly, giving a brief but impossibly sweet kiss. His arms tighten around your waist as the kiss deepens. You feel a knot of tension in your chest dissolve, and you melt into him, kissing him back with gusto. Throwing your arms around his neck, you let him kiss you into oblivion.

It seems like several days before you finally stop, standing with foreheads together, breathing each other in. “I love you,” he whispers.

“I love you back,” you whisper in return.

❁ pictures you've taken of your boyfriend, minghao

More of the boyfriend pictures series

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐨!

frat boy!hao x fem!mc

minghao is kinda sorta maybe in love with you, but he thinks you're so out of his league.

☆ featuring — svt (mainly jun and 97s), nct!china line (kun, xiaojun, hendery, yangyang), maybe more?

☆ mini smau, acquaintances 2 lovers, pining, minghao thinks ur brother winwin is scary as hell, hao also thinks that you're dating your best friend xiaojun (but ur nOt), stupidity, incredibly fast paced

☆ status — completed

a/n: lmao ik i'm supposed to be doing ten billion other things rn but i'm in a svt funk and that svt-nct chinaline crossover pic did not help

UPDATED NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR!: i actually regret writing this so much cuz this is NOT how minghao would act whatsoever 💀 also, it isn't very inclusive at all, so i apologize—this is pretty much just an oc atp. pls do feel free to skip past this if you are uncomfortable.

第一集 / omg she's here ?!

第二集 / big brother *gulps*

第三集 / send help pLs

第四集 / go touch grass /srs

第五集 / get yourself together, man !!

第六集 / istg it's fate

第七集 / she was insane for that

第八集 / i *am* the threat :)

𓆟  𓆝  𓆟

permanent taglist: @tayunji @im-a-big-mess @staysstrays @y3jiishot @crazywittysassy @seomisaho @stopeatread @enhacolor @yedammi @rnjfy @jaehunny1428 @mythicalamphitrite @ana-is-losing-her-mind @super-btstrash-posts @otchae @luv4vernon

taglist: @cosmicallyfaye @vortex-detected @lilactangerine @ihrtadri @justasoftstan @tyongf-sunflower99 @jeonnyread @thesunsfullmoon @paintandwine @haomelon @j-8star @artgukk @bokutos-bbg

send an ask or comment to be added! (not making a form this time cuz it's short)

sway

pairing: the8 x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 615

structure notes: snippets in square brackets ("[]") are flashbacks.

warnings: like a very vague sexual reference?

a/n: it is way past midnight and i am struck by feels. i will proofread this later.

taglist: @itsveronicaxxx @zurikyo @husbandhoshi @starlightjoong @junhui-recs @kimhyejin3108.

"you know i can't dance, minghao"

your boyfriend chuckles fondly but keeps tugging at your hand, successfully coaxing you into standing from your comfortable seat on the couch. the speaker on corner table plays a familiar melody, and a frown makes it's way to your face as your mind tries to pair it with a song you know.

"it's easy", he soothes, leading you to the center of the living room, "no hard steps, i promise. you'll like it".

you doubt it. this is not what you had hoped to spend your evening doing. a glance at the elegant wall-clock reveals there's 5 minutes till midnight, which means you'll spend the eve of your birthday dancing. not the worst thing you've done on the day, but you were kind of hoping for a quiet evening with minghao. you've never been one for celebrations and attention.

"okay, let's get this over with". you've known this man long enough to recognize the determined glint in his eyes.

"that's the spirit", he steps forward, his face inches from yours, "your hands go here", his voice is soft, even softer than the touches that place your hands on his shoulders, "and mine", his arms wound around your waist gently, "go here".

"are you sure this position is for dancing?", you breathe, looking at him through your lashes, "i'm totally fine with the alternative, by the way. totally".

he rests his forehead against yours and chuckles, fond eyes meeting yours, his face glowing in the dim light.

"later", he whispers lowly, brushing his lips against yours, "that's for later, i promise".

he moves his head before you can respond, his cheek brushing on your shoulder. his body starts swaying slowly to the beat of the song, and you find yourself doing the same, your arms instinctively moving to wrap around his neck while his tighten around your waist.

somewhere in the back of your mind, it clicks - you definitely know this song.

"are we dancing to false god?", the incredulous note in your voice breaks the intimate atmosphere, "taylor swift's false god?"

"you like the song", minghao answers nonchalantly, but you spot the faint pink rising up his neck, "it's nice, it's soft".

"it's also about - "

"shh", the breath against your ear makes you shiver, "don't overthink this, just dance with me".

we're not dancing, you want to say, we're swaying awkwardly. before you can open your mouth though, the song ends and soft piano fills the room as the next track starts. yours, by ella henderson.

he remembers.

["it's a little sad for a song about love, i think", minghao comments while you play the song on repeat, "especially for your taste. you generally like those poppy love songs"

"i do love my poppy songs", you clutch your heart dramatically, grinning at his smiley eye-roll, "but there's something about this one, you know? makes you want to dance in dim lights at midnight"]

"you remember", you whisper in his ear, pulling him closer and pressing a kiss on his skin, "oh god, you remember. i love you".

"a low price to pay for your love", he chuckles, "i love you too".

it's just the music then, echoing through the walls of the home you've built with minghao, while the two of you bask in its melody, wrapped around each other and swaying slowly. he breaks the quiet in the last chorus, his voice so soft that you would've missed it if his lips were not pressed to your ear.

"i know you don't like celebrating, so we won't. but", he pulls back slightly to whisper against your lips, arms still holding you close, "happy birthday, my love".

High Infidelity

Summary: There are many different ways that you could kill the one you love, the slowest way is never loving them enough. So what happens when you find someone who was all too willing to give you thee attention you craved, you said you'd only dip your toes into the idea, and yet, you find yourself already drowning. The novel you've been writing has been in progress for the better half of two years now, your writer's block beating you up, and your husband hasn't shown you any sympathy. Maybe a visit to the art exhibit from this new artist would jog your creativity, but what happens when this new artist offers you more than just relief from your writer's block?

Characters/Pairing(s): Xu Minghao (The8) x F!Reader

Genre: Smut, Angst, Fluff

AUs/Trope info: Non-idol!AU, Aged-Up!AU, Right Person (not) Too Late

Word Count: 10.6k

Warnings: Infidelity, very inappropriate conversations with a married woman, afab!reader, wears dresses, lmk if i miss something!! (Smut warnings under the cut)

Rating: 18+

A/N: banner and dividers by @daemour!! tysm!! This is also a rewrite/reupload of my own fic, "High Infidelity" on @pyeonghongrie, yes I reskinned my own fic.

A/N 2: Thanks to @nebulousbrainsoup, @kwanisms, @the-boy-meets-evil, @wooahaeproductions, and @gongiz for beta-reading!

Smut Warnings: tipsy sex (not drunk), vaginal sex, unprotected sex, creampie, nipple stimulation, masturbation, lmk if i missed anything!

The rain soaked into your skin—cold and icy—piercing you painfully. All your personal belongings were strewn all around you, and your soon-to-be ex-husband was angrily slamming the door shut, but you couldn't help but feel relieved.

After all, you were finally free.

"I'm right here, honey, I love you." He whispers into your skin, slowly unbuttoning your shirt, one button at a time. He kisses your skin every time new skin is revealed to both of you, he kisses your skin so delicately as if you'd break at the slightest touch-

"Y/N, you still haven't dealt with the dishes yet." Your husband, Haru, said monotonously just as you were starting to gain momentum in your writing.

You groan, the interruption making you lose focus and motivation to write. You stare at the last word on your document, gaze burning into each pixel as if hoping that this piece would write itself.

Unfortunately, life said, "Fuck you."

With another groan, you rub and pinch the bridge of your nose, a headache starting to settle in as your husband returns to work as if he didn't just cause you a serious inconvenience.

Standing from your comfortable computer chair, you take calm and even strides toward your kitchen, where only a handful of dishes are left in the sink.

And this little shit didn't even bother washing like, what? 8 dishes? He has to be kidding me, men.

You thought to yourself, your inner monologue only making you more irritated. But you wash them in silence, thinking of ways to calm down and clear your head so you have a clean slate to work with to get inspired again.

I think I should visit the gallery again, there's this new artist that I've been following. He's getting pretty popular, maybe I could draw inspiration from his work?

You think maybe this is the best idea you've had since you put bacon bits on mac & cheese.

Taking the time to visit this gorgeous gallery was the correct move.

Xu Minghao is a passionate man, you can see his dedication to his craft in all the pieces in this gallery. He was a mixed media artist, sometimes his work was pops of color on a canvas, others were sculptures made of clay, made with the most delicate of hands, and others were more niche, like the stained glass piece in another part of the gallery.

One thing about Minghao's work is that his subjects are also subjects of passion.

Paintings of a man's devotion to worshiping his lover's skin, a stained glass recreation of The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, and his latest masterpiece, simply titled "Passion", a sculpture of a woman in the throes of pleasure, with her lover holding her close to him, no gap between their skin, eternally locked in a passionate embrace.

As a romance writer, this is exactly what you need.

You take in this sculpture, the light of the gallery display emphasizing the delicate attention to detail this piece had, you know the man who made this takes pride in this, his work, skills, and dedication finally being realized.

You stare in awe at this piece for a little over 20 minutes, the more you look at it, the more entranced you become of the mastery of this craft.

You feel a presence beside you, a man around 5'11", slightly muscular build, in a turtleneck with glasses sitting delicately on his nose. He has a peculiar hairstyle, a mullet to be exact, and the most gorgeous face you've ever laid your eyes on.

"I see you like this piece in particular," He started, hands in his trouser pockets while smiling fondly at the piece, "'Passion' was a difficult piece for me to finish, ironically enough, I got bored of it quite easily." He continues, turning to face you.

"I'm Minghao, by the way, Xu Minghao. If you haven't already figured it out." He takes a hand out of his pocket, extending it towards you.

"Oh, I'm Y/N, Park Y/N. It's a pleasure to meet you, Minghao. Your exhibit is astounding, I love your dedication to your work." You take his hand to shake it,

He chuckles at the compliment, "Oh please, save your praise, I know that name from anywhere. I love your latest work, that book was what inspired this entire collection, to begin with."

You gawk at him, oh my god, he reads smut. My smut.

"Oh my, what an honor! I'm glad you also enjoy my work." You receive the compliment gracefully, "Although, I do want to hear more about why you got bored of this piece in particular, such a wonder to the arts community, surely you aren't downplaying your work?"

He smiles, perfect teeth on display, you swear you’ve never looked at a man like this in your life. You were down bad for his smile.

"I'm not saying I think it's bad, I just got bored of the creative process." He explains, "Although I do want to continue adding to this collection, perhaps we can go and get drinks together? Exchange ideas?" he offers.

You ponder on this for a bit. Going out to drinks with a budding friend wouldn't hurt, right?

"Could I give you my number? Let's set aside a day to chat. I have to get home to my husband before it gets too late."

A smirk came into his face, something dark about a seemingly insignificant change in his expression, “Of course, I look forward to our time together.”

The mug in your hands warmed your palms, and your focus was fixated on the man in front of you. He talked about another piece of his, titled “Longing”; it was heavily inspired by his desire to find someone who shares the same passion as him, the longing to hold someone in a way that nobody else could, intimacy in its purest form.

“It sounds a bit pathetic, I’m known for my work in the art of passion and, to put it simply, sex; but I haven’t been able to find the company of a lover myself. Perhaps that’s just the consequence of being a hopeless romantic. Then again, you wouldn’t know the feeling of being lonely, I assume.” He said calmly, a small chuckle ending his tangent.

“Oh I wouldn’t say that,” You look into the mug in your hands, your reflection swirling in the tea. Your face looks back at you, eyes sunken in and sad, “To put it nicely… my husband robs me of solitude, but fails to offer me company.” You shouldn’t be talking about Haru like this. Your husband works many hours, tirelessly providing you with the house and connections for you to pursue a career in writing. But that wasn’t the reason why your anxiety was swirling in your stomach.

Looking back up at Minghao, the same dark expression sits on his face, a minuscule smirk, barely there even if you squint, “Well, we’re friends now, aren’t we? I could keep you company.”

That. That was a quality of his that you noticed fairly early on. You can never read his true intentions, suggestive prose with just enough deniability to gracefully reject him without the conversation becoming inappropriate.

But your anxiety wasn’t caused by that, no, it was caused by the fact that you didn’t want to reject him.

“I’d like that, Maybe we could head to a bar and get drinks there too? My husband won’t be back for a few months because of a business trip in a few weeks. I could use the company.” You say, looking at him through your lashes; he knows his effect on you, and the mental gymnastics that both of you play over the table was just appropriate enough that to anyone listening, it’s just two friends agreeing to get drinks sometime in the future.

But to both of you, well, only the two of you know what’ll happen once the sun goes down.

“Of course, my schedule is free for the rest of the month. Be sure to think of me if you need company.” He offers you a soft smile, directly contrasting how intensely he’s making eye contact with you. The way he’s looking into your eyes makes you feel vulnerable like he’s directly using them as windows into your head. You’re half-convinced he could read your mind, if he could, he’s a master at hiding it.

You haven’t learned much about him, but from what you do know, you can never take his words at surface level, much less his actions. The way he’s leaning over the table, elbows on the surface, and his shoulders relaxed. His closing the distance, even if just by a hair, and the way his posture suggested the epitome of familiarity, shook you to your core.

His presence is almost suffocating, his dominance over your mind silencing whatever protest his suggestions may have created. You nod dumbly, “Of course, be warned though, I think of you a lot.” This causes his smile to relax into a smirk, the kind that could pass off as a smile if you don’t think too hard about it.

“I’m glad to hear that. I think about you a lot too.” He says picking up his cup of tea, “So much that a collection was born from the thought of you.” He takes a sip from the cup in his hands, eyes meeting yours over the rim of the cup, the way he holds eye contact with you always makes goosebumps litter your skin, the cup hiding the growing smirk on his face, silently enjoying his effect on you.

“Ah, speaking of the collection,” He started again, after setting the cup down, “Would you do me the honor of visiting my studio sometime? I’ll text you the address right now, you can come by at any time if you’re interested.” Taking his phone out from his pocket, feeling your phone vibrate in your pocket, you pick it up. The small device, usually light, feels like a heavy weight on your palm.

Opening your messages, you see that Minghao already sent the address, a building about 20 minutes from the cafe you’re in right now. “Lovely, could I trouble you to pick me up when I decide to visit?” You ask,

“Of course,” He replies, a gentle smile stretches across his face, “I’d love nothing more than to see you more often.”

The first time you entered Minghao’s studio, it felt like a dream. The studio wasn’t small by any means, the place was neat, neater than what you imagined any artist studio would look like. “Make yourself at home, I’ll brew some tea for us,” Minghao said as he took both your coats. Hanging the heavy fabrics on his coat rack, he gently guides you to the couches with a hand on your back, the light touch helping to ground you in this new environment.

He shoots you a quick smile before turning his back to you, setting his electric kettle to boil the water at the perfect temperature for tea. He rummages through his extensive tea set collection, settling on a simple white ceramic set with wooden handles. His eyes meet yours briefly, taking note of how you watch his every movement with care and curiosity, the way you were fascinated with the way his hand veins jumped every time he set a piece of the tea set down.

The kettle finishes boiling, he finally sets it down next to the tea set. “I want to introduce you to this teacake that my friend from home sent me,” He pulls out a teacake about the size of his head from the drawer under the table, wrapped in a slightly stained paper. He carefully unwraps it to show you the rich brown of the aged tea leaves, “This is a 15-year-old aged pu’er, I haven’t had the chance to try it yet, so I’d like to try this with you.”

“What an honor, I read from a recent interview that you were waiting for a good day to taste that right?” You ask, trying to gauge his reaction, if he’s surprised, he doesn’t show it,

“Of course, making a new friend is a special occasion, isn’t it? I’d consider that a good day.” He replies cooly, taking a tea knife and carving out a piece of tea to steep for a second, you watch as he delicately handles the porcelain set, the control in his movements reminding you of his mastery in sculpting, “You know, making tea is much like cultivating a new relationship,” he starts as he stands up to take the kettle off the stand.

“You carefully carve out your leaves, boil your water to the perfect temperature to bloom them, and steep the leaves a few seconds at a time.” You see him pour the water over the tea leaves, dried blades blooming like flowers under the delicate stream. “Each steep of tea is different, starting from the bloom until the flavor develops; and only then will you appreciate the true complexities of what tea has to offer.”

A small smile grows on your face as you watch him pour the first bloom onto his tea pets, “If my assessment is correct, you’re trying to correlate the developing flavors of tea with how our relationship is progressing?” He nods, confirming your hypothesis, “Then, I’ll ask you a question, which steep are we on?” you say with a cheeky smile.

Minhao grins at this, eyes almost disappearing with how wide his smile was, “Literally? The second steep.” He says as he pours more water over the leaves, you let out a chuckle at his little joke, “Figuratively? The fifth.”

You tilt your head a bit, “The fifth? I didn’t realize we were already at that stage.” you say as you accept his offer of a teacup.

He chuckles, “Well, I don’t just share my most expensive teas with anyone, so I might as well share it with one of the most brilliant minds I know.” he said while bringing the cup to his lips, sipping the drink carefully while making eye contact with you over the rim, winking playfully.

You raise your cup as well, the rising steam not being the only reason for your flushed face, you grin against the rim of your cup, savoring the rich and deep aroma of the high-quality tea.

After a while of banter and small talk, you finish your tea, setting down your cup gently on his expensive-feeling coffee table, he stands from his seat, “Could I show you something?” he said, holding his hand out to you. You place your palm on his, the warmth from his hand seeping into your skin. The touch was negligible, simple, even, but the contact with his skin sent electricity through you, like a violent jolt of excitement.

Minghao notices this and smirks, feeling pride swell up in his chest as he pulls you up from the couch, leading you to the other side of the room with a hand on the small of your back. He finally stops in front of a large canvas, laid across what looks like a bare-bones bed frame. You turn to him, curiosity growing on the expression of your face.

“What’s this? This looks fairly new, the paint on the frame still seems wet.” You ask, eyes raking over the splotches of color seemingly placed without much thought or care, it looked like the aftermath of a messy and angry paint spill.

“It is new,” Minghao starts, “I’m trying a new technique where I release frustrations by getting whatever paint catches my eye and throwing cups of it without much thought.” He shrugs, nothing particularly of note, but you do notice the amount of emotion that is in the piece.

“It’s not an elegant piece, but for a collection centered around passion I find it missing raw emotion.” He runs his hand through his face, frustration taking over his features, something you noticed early on was his emotions were closely tied to whatever art was around him, it seems as though the frustration in this one was affecting him at this moment.

“Yes, the human form and sex are great subjects, but pure, raw emotion is hard to capture.” He mumbled, eyebrows furrowing. “So, that’s why I invited you here. Tell me, as someone who’s written longing, despair, and everything in between. How does this make you feel?”

You pause and take in his words, turning back to the canvas and trying to soak in the colors, the shapes, and the emotion behind this piece. Yes, frustration is here. Yes, anger is here. But how does it make you feel?

“It makes me feel like I’m missing out on something.” You say simply, your stomach sinking just thinking about what that might entail. Minghao has a genuine look of shock for the first time since you’ve met him. His head tilted to give his attention to you fully.

“Really? Interesting. That’s the first time I heard that about this piece specifically.” He said with a lopsided grin, seemingly getting a new stroke of genius with your answer. He looks back at the canvas too, shoulders shaking from his restricted laughs. Your answer seemed to entertain him a lot. That much you can figure out, but you can never be sure what goes on in the mind of Xu Minghao.

Just then, your phone starts to ring, you only know one person who would call you at this hour—your Husband. You watch as the expression on Minghao’s face falls, face contorting into something short of a scowl for a split second before settling on his usual cool neutral expression. It was so quick that you barely missed the change, it happened so quickly that you decided it was all in your imagination as you ran to answer the phone.

You pick up the phone, “Hi honey-” You were cut off by your husband speaking,

“Get home, it’s getting late and you haven’t started dinner yet.” He said simply, before promptly dropping the call.

You stand there, the line going dead as you try to hold back tears. You take a deep breath, too afraid to show your face to Minghao in case tears were about to fall from your face. Grabbing your coat, you turn to face the door.

“Thank you for inviting me over, I have to get home now,” you said, your voice a little shaky, as you roughly opened the door.

You were out of his sight as Minghao stood alone in his studio, pondering. As silence took over the space, a dark smirk on his face.

'How long before you break?' he wonders.

The next time you and Minghao meet, you’re sitting on a park bench watching the autumn leaves dance to the silent song in the wind. You’re pulled out of your thoughts when you hear leaves crunch beside you, seeing the tail of Minghao’s long coat swaying in the wind.

He sees you, a smile spreading across his face, his long hair almost covering his face. His fast-paced walking makes the leaves crunch under his weight rhythmically. You think that he looks beautiful under the soft brightness of the autumn morning, only ever seeing him in the harsh rays of high noon or the constant humming of fluorescent lights.

You feel the heat radiating off his body through your and his coats as he sits next to you on the park bench. “Beautiful morning, the view is exquisite.” He says, looking directly at you. You giggle at this, he’s always been such a charmer ever since you met him. You peel the notebook from your lap, “I’m no artist, but the park is too gorgeous this time of year to not at least try to capture on paper.” you say as you open it to show him a relatively crude sketch of the scenery.

“Oh? This feels like a threat to my career.” He says with a chuckle, “But, genuinely, this is an amazing sketch. Are you sure you aren’t an artist?” You think you could get used to how relaxed you were around Minghao, conversations with him flowed so easily, it reminds you of the times your husband used to be invested in you as a person. Perhaps it was easier to compare the thrill of meeting a new person with feeling the start of a romantic spark, it was a dangerous game to play with him.

“No, I’m not, but I can appreciate a masterpiece when I see one.” You say, this time looking at him. He notices this and laughs at the fact that his joke is being used against him. He closes the notebook, handing it to you to put in your tote bag.

“The weather is perfect for a walk, care to join me?” He said, offering his hand for you to take. You accept the offer, the warmth of his palm being something to ground you on such a dreamy morning. Leaves crunch under both your weights in synch, your hand moves from his to hold onto his arm, and you try not to notice the lean muscle of it or the steady and secure way he guides you through the path.

You breathe in the autumn chill, enjoying the comfortable silence that followed the quiet whistle of the wind. “Your book,” Minghao said, his silky voice cutting through the silence effortlessly, “The one that inspired the collection, I’ve been following your publisher’s updates on the series, and I was wondering if you'd be able to share your progress on the second book?”

“Ah, about that.” You grimace, and you shake your head, quelling the urge to complain about your husband’s lack of sympathy for your predicament. “Maybe I’ll tell you another time, it’s not something I can talk about at the moment.”

Before you can correct the old man, Minghao speaks up, “Of course, could I take three of these?” He said, pointing at the basket of Jonquils.

He hums, luckily, Minghao was never the type to pry, “I get it, ever the tortured poet you are.” he said in a joking tone, you let out a chortle at this, agreeing that you may or may not be one.

Both of you are stopped by a flower vendor, “You both are a lovely pair,” The old man starts, as he turns to Minghao, he asks, “Could I interest you in some flowers? I’m sure your lady would appreciate them.” He smiles.

“Of course, you’re in luck too, these are the last off-season flowers I had in my greenhouse.” the old man said as his nimble fingers wrapped the flowers in some yellow tissue paper.

“I'm really lucky indeed.” He agreed while looking at you, your cheeks warming up at the implication. Minghao accepts the flowers and happily pays for them, gracefully handing the bundle to you.

Holding onto the stems, your fingertips graze over the delicate petals of the bright yellow flowers. “Thank you Minghao, they're beautiful.”

He smiles at the way you look at the flowers fondly, simply adoring the way your face lit up; literally, the yellow from the flowers reflected off your face and gave it a yellow hue.

“Shall we continue to walk?” He asks, offering his arm for you to hold again, you hold onto it, the flowers in your other hand. And you let the silence take over again.

Before you knew it, you've spent the entire day laughing and talking with Minghao, only stopping at several vendors for food and other trinkets, feeding the ducks berries, and watching the fish in the pond.

But the day has to end at some point.

You regretfully leave Minghao at the train station, waving goodbye through the glass of the train doors as you watch his figure get smaller and smaller.

Arriving home, you try to find a vase to put your flowers in, setting it down on the kitchen counter, your husband walks in and sees them.

“They're ugly, don't put them anywhere where I could see them.”

He said coldly, you try your best not to scoff at him, still searching for a vacant vase.

Finally finding one, you decide to place the flower vase on the windowsill of your office, the bright flowers contrasting everything else in the room, the dark and neutral furniture your husband got for you.

You jolt, realizing you're comparing your husband to another man.

You expected guilt to eat you up at the realization, but really, you couldn't find a reason to keep defending Haru.

“Could you come over to the studio later tonight? I don't think I should be alone.”

This text from Minghao worried you a bit, you've been spending a lot of time with him recently, you met him 6 more times after he got you flowers at the park, and you never noticed that he could deal with something so sinister.

Of course, you agree to come, your closest confidant in your adult life needs you right now. You wait for your husband to fall asleep in his office, again, before you leave the house, walking to the end of the block before calling a cab.

Arriving at his studio, you already knew the code, punching in the numbers 150526 on the smart lock, the studio opens with a click.

You take cautious steps into the studio, seeing the silhouette of a man on the couch, his back towards the door, nursing what you assume is a wine glass in his hand.

He turns his head to face the door, “You came.” He said, with relief in his voice, a little slurred from the alcohol you assume.

“You called.” You replied. Shrugging off your coat to hang, you join him on the couch. He looked a lot more disheveled compared to the usual clean and put-together Minghao that you know.

His hair is slicked back, some pieces of hair falling onto his face, his tie loosened, his shirt unbuttoned to reveal his collarbones and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. And glasses resting lowly on his nose.

You look at his face, and you notice dark circles around his eyes.

“Drink, and stay with me. Please.” He asks, no, almost begs you. You don't have the heart to decline. He pours you your glass and you both toast your glasses together.

You take the normal sip and he downs the rest of his, taking in a deep breath as if to steady himself. “Y/N, there's something I need to tell you.”

Your stomach drops at this, anxiety filling the pit of it as you nervously wait for the rest of what he has to say.

“I think I'm in love with-” he pauses, “someone I shouldn't be in love with.” He finishes, leaning forward to pour himself another glass of wine.

Your face falls only slightly, a minuscule change in expression that neither you nor Minghao catch. You cross your hands over your lap as soon as you realize your silence.

“Why can't you be in love with them?” You ask. Your head tilts as you take another sip of your wine. He hums, a smile graces his lips, but it doesn't seem to reach his eyes.

“They refuse to be vulnerable with me, opening up throughout our time together then closing back in the next time I see them.” He says with some fondness, “Also, they're married to someone else.”

“You probably should've led with that.” You mumble lowly, “I see, I know that all too well, wanting someone you can't have, someone so close yet so far. It's suffocating, especially when you haven't felt like yourself in so long, and then this person comes around and gives color back to your sad, gray, life. It's cruel, actually.”

You realize you've been rambling, turning to meet Minghao's eyes, you notice an emotion swirling behind them, something bittersweet, a realization that may change the course of your relationship.

“Anyway, how did you end up falling for them in the first place?” You ask in an attempt to bring the conversation back to him,

“Well, at first it was just a cure for boredom, I saw how receptive they were to my advances and I thought their marriage served as a fun, harmless challenge for me. But I got to know them, spend time with them, I got to witness the color come back into their face and I couldn't help but find it beautiful. That fact that I did that, bring color back into their face, slowly becoming someone again. The moment I saw their face light up with a simple gift I knew I was down, down bad.”

You hum, thinking the person Minghao was talking about is one of the luckiest people in the world right now. To be loved by him was like witnessing Orpheus’ choiceless grief that drove him to save his lover from the underworld, it was like feeling the devotee's dread-filled need to turn around, it was like experiencing the immediate forgiveness of Eurydice.

You wanted to be loved by him.

You both continue to chat and drink, and it isn't long before the two of you finish your second bottle of wine, Minghao offers to pay for your cab home, and he decides he's going to sleep in his studio.

You reflect on the events of that night as you slip into the cold covers of your marital bed, your husband’s side tidy as it was for the past month.

You run your hand over the pristine and cold sheet, imagining someone else filling its space on your bed, as he does your heart.

Minghao added a new piece to his collection, his gallery is still a work in progress and you walk through familiar doors. The very same statue you were entranced by still sits by the entrance, and you see a very familiar figure standing in front of it.

“I feel like this already happened before.” You said cheekily, he snorts at this, handing you a paper bag with tissue paper peeking from the top.

“Maybe this happened before in a dream, maybe we were destined to meet under the judgemental fluorescent lights.” He jokes as you feel the weight of the bag on your fingers.

“What's in the bag, Hao?” You ask cautiously, mischief flashing on his face before he fully turns his body to you, giving you his full attention.

“It's something you might like, maybe.” He said, his confidence faltering toward the end of his sentence. Tucking his hands into his trouser pockets, he eagerly waits for you to open the semi-heavy bag.

You carefully move the paper to the side of the bag, seeing white porcelain peaking back at you, you whip your head with with your face showing an expression of surprise. Minghao smiles, enjoying your reaction to his gift.

“You got me a tea set? That's so thoughtful, thank you.” You say with a smile, inspecting the frog patterns in the glaze.

“You mentioned your husband is leaving for a business trip soon, so I figured you'd like a set so we can have tea at your place. I'll even bring you a teacake to keep.” He said as he pulled a hand out of his trousers, fixing a stray hair that fell from your up-do.

“It's perfect, thank you.” You said, looking up at him, a smile still on your face.

“Do you want to walk around the gallery with me? I added a few pieces since then, and I'd like to talk about them.” he said, offering his arm. You wrap another hand around him, the familiarity of his arm under your palm giving you a sense of calm.

You spent the rest of the day walking around the gallery and chatting, other gallery-goers openly gawked at Minghao. It was obvious, really, the artist is here in the flesh, and he's gorgeous.

Minghao stopped to entertain other guests too, seeing him in his element made pride swell in your chest. His work, and by extension him, is finally being recognized by more people in the community. His hard work and dedication paid off handsomely.

Stopping in front of a mural, you noticed it was a replica of a really old painting. A painting of Ares and Aphrodite getting caught by Hephestus.

“Oof, poor bastards.” You joke, Minghao found this funny too, chuckling with you.

“It’s almost comical how this painting compelled me. I don't know what drove me to recreate the thing as a whole mural, but we both know I'm a little crazy.” He says with a playful groan, you try to hold back a loud laugh by giggling into your palm.

“Well, dear Xu Minghao, everyone knows crazy people are geniuses.” squeezing his arm, you check out the side of his face. His side profile was so sharp and soft at the same time, the dichotomy of his features was an easy subject to study. He's a gorgeous man, too gorgeous for his own good you think.

You both sat down on the bench in front of the mural to chat, and before you knew it, enough time has passed that the gallery was about to close.

Minghao calls a cab for you, and you arrive home in-tact, but not safe.

“Y/n, where have you been running off to these past few weeks?” Your husband questioned you as soon as you entered your home. Your mood instantly dropped, feeling the weight of your actions all at once.

“I'm hanging out with a friend, and it's really not that deep. It's not like I've neglected house work at all. So you should have a reason to care.” You snap back, a little too much for such a simple query. Your husband rises from his seat, cupping your face with a gentle hand for the first time in a long time.

“You’re my wife, of course it's my concern.” He said, just as he was about to make you fall for him again, he said, “We haven't been intimate in a long time, I'm leaving in a few days, so I want to make love to you before I go.”

Ah, there it was. He only ever shows affection for you when he's asking for sex nowadays.

You nod, what followed was unfulfilling and unsatisfying sex. Missionary, a few pumps just to get him off, and he didn't even kiss you.

And obviously, he didn't make you cum.

Your husband is fast asleep in your bed for the first time in months, and yet you can't find it in yourself to be happy about it.

You take out your trusty friend, egg.

The jolts to life with steady vibrations as you press the toy to your clit, relaxing into the sheets as you imagine a pair of calloused hands roaming the plane of your skin.

Controlled pressure and technique only a sculptor could have, his hair falling over his face, and his eyes holding you gaze as if you gave him everything he could ever want by simply existing.

He looks at you like you hung each star in the sky just for him, just so he could watch your skin bathed in moonlight, twinkling like the most precious diamond he could ever have.

This man isn't your husband, It was Minghao.

Your orgasm came unexpectedly, the realization that you were fantasizing about him snapped you back into reality so violently that you ruined your own orgasm.

You huff as you tuck the toy back into its drawer, pulling up the covers to try and sleep off the guilt.

Your husband left for his business trip a few days ago, and you made preparations for your first guest in a while. You finally set up the tea set when you heard a knock at your door, springing up, you head towards the door to look through the peephole, you see Minghao dressed a little more casually, a cap on his head and a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

You swiftly unlock the door for him, he smiles upon seeing you, tipping his cap, he says, “Good evening, it's a pleasure to finally be invited into your home.” You greet him back, stepping to the side to let him enter. As he does, he takes his cap off to let his hair fall onto his face again.

He offers you the flowers and you take them, “I'll go find a vase for these, make yourself at home, dinner is still cooking in the oven.” You said as you turned back to find another vase.

After finding one and setting the flowers in your office again, you find Minghao setting a record on your turntable, a slow tune plays through the air, instantly making the room feel calmer and homey.

“I didn't pin you as the type to have such an extensive vinyl collection, you have good taste too.” He said, swaying to the music by shifting his weight from one leg to another.

“I didn't feel the need to mention it considering I haven't touched those in a while. My husband hates them.” You say solemnly.

“Well, he isn't here now. Let's enjoy the music,” he said, holding his hand out for you to take, “Dance with me?”

You smile as you take his hand, he suddenly pulls you towards him and you land on his chest, his arms wrapping around you securely as you sway to the calm of the music.

You think to yourself, This is nice, this is safe. I wonder if this is what it feels like to be married to Minghao instead.

You turn your head and press your ear to his chest, hear him breathe slowly, his heart beating rhythmically. This is the first time you were ever this close to him, practically holding him in a loving embrace.

His woody cologne almost distracts you, so seductive and masculine and you almost reach up to cup his face, to kiss him. Before you realize that he isn't your husband.

You're both snapped out of your little bubble when the oven dings, signaling that dinner is ready. You break away from him, already missing his warmth as you set the dining table, one that hasn't been used in a while.

You eat dinner with him, talking about your days and how work has been. It's a welcome change of pace from your husband’s tolerance of your presence. You didn't have to beg Minghao for footnotes on his life, you didn't feel like you're taking up too much of his space or time.

It's safe, secure. It feels like you're being celebrated for existing.

You dwell on this feeling long after Minghao heads home, your stomach and heart full. As you slip into the covers you wonder what it'll feel like to hold him under them, for him to kiss the crown of your head and whisper the three words you desperately wanted to hear again.

You fall asleep with the fantasy that when you wake up, he'll be right next to you.

Minghao invited you downtown this time, various pop-up stores of luxury brands recently opened and he just secured a sale of a really expensive painting; so of course, what better way to spend that money than taking a shopping trip with his closest friend.

“This would look amazing on you.” He said while taking out a dress, it's a color that compliments your hair and skin wonderfully. Minghao always knew how to dress.

“Oh, I'm inclined to agree, but I'm not willing to look at the price tag for that one.” You joke, shrugging as you follow him around the store.

“Nonsense, I'm offering to pay.” He said, turning his nose up. “I'm getting this for you, I'll ask the salesperson for more sizes so you can try them on.” He said, turning to the salesperson doing just that.

The salesperson nods enthusiastically, bringing the dresses to the dressing rooms and ushering you in despite your protests. Minghao only smiles in amusement as the curtain hides your figure, he sits on the bench near the dressing rooms in silence, scrolling through Instagram on his phone.

He hears the curtains roll open, it only takes a moment of him looking at you in the dress to take his breath away. It fits you perfectly, hugging your body deliciously. Minghao almost drops his phone onto his lap, his grip loosening, star-struck by your beauty.

“How does it look?” You ask, awkwardly fiddling with the expensive fabric of the dress, feeling a little too expensive to be on your body.

Minghao wordlessly stands from the bench, looking a little dazed, he turns to the salesperson and tells them, “We're getting the dress.” As he walks toward the cashier almost in a trance.

You're a little taken aback by his reaction, but nonetheless you change back into your regular clothes. As soon as you walk out of the dressing room Minghao Pushes you back in with more dresses.

“Please try these on.” He says, not having the strength to look you in the eyes. You comply.

It took you hours of trying on dresses and accessories to the point that you almost bought the store out. Minghao couldn't get enough of the mini-fashion show you were putting on for him, and it's not like the salespeople are complaining either.

You walk out of the first store with multiple bags in hand, you thought that was enough shopping for the whole year maybe, but no, Minghao pulls you into another store, and another, and another, all leaving with bags (multiple) of clothes.

It got so bad to the point that Minghao had to leave your bags in his car so you could free up your hands to buy more stuff.

You stopped trying to fathom the amount of money Minghao was spending on you, yes, he did buy items for himself too, but he looked much more satisfied to provide for you rather than procuring items for himself.

The car ride back home was filled with way too many ‘are you sure's and ‘you really didn't have to's. But Minghao was insistent on you keeping all the items he got for you.

“I'm being serious, you're a gorgeous woman, you deserve to be spoiled like a queen.” he said, turning to you while waiting at a red light, “You need to visit my studio in the clothes I got you, you'll fit right in with my paintings.” He smiles.

Your face flushes at his compliments, a bright and happy smile stretching across your face. You couldn't remember the last time you were this happy with someone. To find joy in the company of another felt liberating, you felt like you deserved this.

Minghao drops you off at your place with your new clothes, helping you get them into your living room like a true gentleman.

“I'll see you next time, Y/n.” He said stopping at your doorstep, annd leaning down to press a kiss on the crown of your head, he took note of what your shampoo smelled like and left. Leaving you awestruck in your doorway as you watch his car drive off.

This studio has become so familiar to you, like a second home almost. Punching in the code was muscle memory at this point, the smell of drying paint and clay becoming a calming scent.

You smooth over the front of your dress, one that Minghao got you, as you enter his studio again. Shrugging off your heavier coat, the beginning of winter creeps closer as the trees lose the last of their leaves.

Minghao just got out of the bathroom, wiping his hands on his paint-stained shirt and apron. He looks at you, the dress, the way it fits on you. And he smiles widely.

“Hey there gorgeous, what are you doing all the way there? You should be over there with the rest of the art.” He says cheekily.

You giggle as you enter the space more, stopping in front of him taking his extended hand and following it, giving him a twirl.

He simply adores the way the fabric flows and shapes around your curves and contours, your skin practically glowing with life.

He fights the urge to kiss you, succeeding for now.

He guides you onto the couch, a turntable sitting next to his stone tea tray on the coffee table. ”Oh? This is new.” You said when you noticed it.

“Oh that? I got it for when you come over. I got a few records too, if you'd like to make yourself comfortable while I brew us some tea.” He said, untying his apron to hang on an easel, turning his back to you and he started preparing tea like before.

His movements and practiced, you'd guess this tea ceremony is second nature to him, considering he always talks about it. This scene is safe, familiar, it's comfortable.

He does this whole song and dance again, you've seen him do this over and over again but you can't seem to get sick of it. It's like you're giving yourself excuses just to keep seeing him.

But they don't feel like excuses, not at all, they're just more reasons why you feel deeply, and so quickly for Minghao.

Again, the both of you talk about everything and anything under the sun, him walking you through all his latest pieces, him plans for new ones creativity vibrating through ever cell in his body.

You imagine him talking so passionately about the future, maybe even a future with you.

Before you could realize what you were doing, you’re holding onto Minghao’s shoulders for support,

and you lean up to kiss him.

Minghao fights the urge to kiss back, he fails.

His hands come up to cup the back of your head tilting his head to deepen the kiss, pouring all his emotions into the simple, gesture of affection.

Your head was spinning, dizzy from his cologne and the wind getting knocked from your lungs as soon as your lips met his. It was electrifying, finally feeling the warmth of his body pressed so close, yet so far from yours.

Oh, you wanted him, so, so badly.

He pulls away first, heaving from the intensity of the kiss, eyes in a daze. Meeting your eyes again, he couldn’t help but lean in for another kiss.

This time he's really pressing into you seemingly drunk off of the feeling of his lips meeting yours. He's just a man at the end of the day, a weak, weak man in the face of paradise.

He came back to his senses once he felt the cool metal of your wedding ring on his neck. Jolting back, he pushed your shoulders back, creating a significant distance between the two of you.

“I, I think you should leave.” He said turning to hide in his studio bathroom to collect his thoughts.

You stood there puzzled, did he not feel the same way you did? But why did he kiss you, twice? Something isn't adding up.

But moreover, you can't ignore the painful sting this rejection gave you. You wanted him, did he not want you? What was the point of trying so hard to make you fall for him when he just decided to back down when he finally had you?

You gather your belongings and leave the studio, the door clicking to lock behind you. The ride back was suffocating, it felt like you left a part of yourself in that studio with Minghao. And you fear that this may be the last time you see him.

You haven’t spoken to Minghao in the weeks following the kiss, your nerves on fire every time you remember how his pillow lips felt so right on yours.

You're standing in front of the mural. The one where Hephestus caught Aphrodite, his wife, and Hephestus, her lover, having an affair and having sex on their marital bed.

It's funny, looking at this mural. You spent your last weeks wandering his gallery, searching for his shadow, but he always seems to evade you so easily. He's marked you like a bloodstain on a pristine white dress, lingering like fog on a cold autumn day.

Winter is still young, yet you feel cold. So, so cold.

As if your most desperate prayers were heard, Minghao practically materializes next to you.

“Hi. I'm sorry I wasn't able to speak to you for the past few weeks. I'm a coward, a fool to run from you.” He said, both of you looking at the mural and not at each other.

Silence follows, you couldn't look at him, you couldn't speak to him. “Y/n I-”

“This isn't the place to talk about this.” You said coldly.

Minghao flinches a bit, not used to how icy your voice was. It usually greets him so warmly, so lovingly.

“Let's go out to drink, there's a bar that's walking distance from here, if you'd like go go with me. I have too many things to say to you, too many thoughts left unsaid. You deserve to hear them, at least.” He said, remorseful.

You really couldn't find it in yourself to stay mad at him. So you agree to walk with him.

The walk to the bar is silent, unlike your previous walks. You're so far from him, you even refused to hold onto his arm like you usually do.

It's early winter yet Minghao is sweating bullets, he's almost vibrating at a frequency that could shatter glass. His nerves are all over the place, he's acting so out of character, nothing like the calm, cool, collected Minghao you've come to know over the past few months.

He takes a deep breathe before you both enter the bar.

A few drinks in and you’re already tipsy, “You know- hic- my husband is being a dick to me.” You drunkenly slurred, “This novel I’ve been writing for over two years now is fucking me in the ass- I- I want to finish it so desperately but all he does is sucks the soul out of me. He’s a giant pain in the ass-!”

Minghao snorts at this, loudly talking over the music of the bar, “Your husband is a fucking dick! Your work is amazing. If I were him, I would do anything to help you get rid of that writer’s block, you know, inspire you.” He tucks a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

“You’d do that?” You ask, clinging onto his arm, “Thank youuuu hao bear~ you’re the best-!” You giggle into his arm, your weight pressing against his side. You’ve only known him for three months at this point, but his ideas and influence on your work improved your writing and motivation drastically.

“Hao bear? That’s new, you’ve only known me for- what? 3 months? You’re already calling me nicknames!” He holds the back of your head gently, pressing his forehead onto yours, “I should give you a nickname too… Starlight, how does that sound?” At this point, you tune out every other sound other than the sound of his voice and the pounding of your heart.

This man had you in a chokehold the moment you met him, you were fucking doomed from the start.

“Starlight? Yeah, I like it more than a little bit.” You say softly, your words almost getting lost in the noise of the bar.

“Let’s move to somewhere quieter, yeah? Tell me more about your work. We can head to my place to settle down for a bit.” There it is, the same dark, barely there smirk that plagues your stomach with butterflies.

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

Arriving at Minghao’s place, you take a quick look around his apartment. Everywhere you look is a pop of color, bold splotches of vibrant hues making the place look like it was pulled straight out of the 80s, “Hao, your place is amazing, the furniture brings me so much joy~” You giggle a bit, sitting down at the plush red velvet couch shaped like a seashell.

“Thanks! Most of the furniture is thrifted from retro thrift stores, I like this style more. It brings so much personality to the space.” He passionately talks about them, “Do you want anything to drink? I have water, juice, and beer here.” He says, rummaging through his fridge.

“Oh, just water, please.” You say you have a feeling that you need to at least sober up for whatever the night brings.

He takes two glasses of water and places them down on the coffee table. It’s the only piece in the entire house that is a neutral color, a fine hardwood. You couldn’t tell what it was at a glance, not that it was important anyway.

“So, let’s talk about this book that you’ve been struggling to write now. Could you tell me what it’s about?” He asks, taking a swig of his water, you stare at his side profile while he does, sharp yet delicate features, his Adam’s apple bobbing from his drink.

Bro’s so majestic.

“Well, it’s about an artist who’s losing passion for his work, told from the perspective of his lover. It’s a spicy romance, with, in my opinion, a correct amount of sex scenes-”

“Give me a percentage of how much of it is smut.” Minghao interrupts you,

“Like… 75 percent?” He snorts at this, “Anyway, I’ve been stuck on the last spicy scene of the book, the climax, pun not intended,” You take a swig of your water, “I mean, it’s not like I don’t have experience writing that sort of thing, or lack experience in sex either, but my sex life’s been such a drag with my husband being gone for long periods and-”

Minghao interrupts you again, “And he doesn’t fuck you right, does he?”

The forwardness of his words made you freeze, you contemplated whether to reject him here, to tell him it wasn’t appropriate to talk about this with you, especially about your husband. You know how Minghao looks at you. It wasn’t a secret to anyone that he wanted you, but he never acted in any inappropriate way. He never makes you uncomfortable.

This was no exception. The swirling in your stomach wasn’t because of unease, no, this was because of arousal.

“No, no he doesn’t.”

He leans in, kissing you. This time he's not rushing, no more pushing and pulling, no more things left unsaid. He wants you, he'll have you. That was a promise.

He lifts you from the couch, lips never parting as he carries you to his bedroom, peeling each other's clothes, bumping into walls and furniture. But you couldn't care less, you were lost in each other's embrace and you can't think of another place you'd rather be.

Half-naked on Minghao’s bed, who, need you be reminded, was not your husband.

His hands roamed your sides, the heat from his palms warming your skin, causing it to flush, his soft, plump lips pressing feather-light kisses to your neck. You could feel his breath behind your ear, his hair tickling your cheek.

“How would your husband feel if he knew what you were doing with me right now?” He asks, clearly getting off on the fact that you were in his bed, getting ready to fuck him, a man who wasn’t your husband.

“I hope he’d be disappointed, but at this point, I think he forgot about me.” You say with a chuckle at the end, trying not to ruin the mood.

Minghao gently pulls away from you from that, “What?” he asks quietly, the word almost getting drowned out by the hum of the air conditioning, “Sorry, I know this was supposed to be a taboo, forbidden relationship thing but… I’m angry at him.” He says, avoiding your eyes.

“I know I’ve only known you for a few months, but I never felt this way before. It fucking kills me to think that a woman like you would be forgotten, for what exactly? Work?” He said anger gradually filling his voice. His hand reaches for your face when your eyes meet, thumbs pressing down on your cheekbone. The controlled and purposeful movement reminds you just how pliable you are under his touch. He sculpted you into what he wanted you to be; beautiful, strong, unashamed.

You gently cup his face, still hovering above you, “Kiss me, Minghao.”

And he did.

His lips met yours in a searing embrace, just the force of his passion against yours was dizzying, fiery desire clashing to make fireworks behind the eyelids that fluttered close. You never felt this type of longing from your husband, never felt his devotion being kissed through your lips like Minghao’s tongue was exploring it.

At that moment, you knew you were gone.

Minghao pulled away from you, hazy eyes meeting yours as the string of saliva that connected your mouths broke. At that moment, Minghao was stuck in a trance, his lips coming to meet yours over and over like he couldn’t stop tasting your lips even if he tried. A sweet ambrosia, too saccharine to stop. He’s become addicted to your lips molding onto his like sickly sweet honey sticking to his lips.

Out of breath, he grabs hold of your waist, rolling over to get you on top of him. He reaches behind you, unclasping the hooks of your bra and letting your breasts fall free from it. He cups both of them while you sit up, grinding on his hardening cock through his boxers, he groans at this, reflexively squeezing your boobs.

Placing both of your hands on his pecs, you also give them a gentle squeeze. Minghao notices this and his gaze darkens, passing his thumbs over your hardening nipples. Your pussy clenches onto nothing at this, a soft gasp leaves you as you started to grind harder against Minghao.

His nails started to dig into your hips, his own desperately grinding up against you for more friction. Soft moans leave him as he throws his head back against the pillows, eyes fluttering close just so he could focus on the sensations of your clothed cunt grinding against his cock through his boxers.

“God, get off of me before I cum in my underwear like a teenager.” He says with a playful groan, lifting your hips off from his crotch.

“Right, you still need to cum inside of me.” You say back playfully, his eyes darkened at this.

“Fuck, you make me want to keep you forever,” taking one of your hands and placing a kiss on your palm.

He lifts his hips only enough to get his boxers off, shimmying them off to somewhere on the floor near his bed. You also take this time to take your underwear off, secretly hiding it under his pillow when you lean down to kiss him again.

When you both pulled away, another string of saliva connected you two. You took two fingers to swipe at the liquid, bringing it down to rub your clit while you lowered yourself down to grind on his bare cock now.

Minghao hisses, “Fuck, I can feel how wet and warm you are, sweet christ.” he breathes out a shaky breath as you grind your bare wetness on his cock, lubricating the shaft for later. You moan at the contact, body slightly shaking from the friction of the tip of his cock hitting your clit occasionally.

“God, Minghao, fuck I need you inside me.” You desperately whine out. You lifted your hips up to finally hold his hard cock to align it with your pussy, slowly sinking on the thick girth. You throw your head back at the satisfying stretch his dick was making you feel.

“Fuck, you feel so good, so tight and warm,” He moans, he’s not shy about letting you know how good it feels with how vocal he’s being, he takes your right hand and holds it tightly, pressing it against his chest. You could feel his racing heartbeat under his skin, “Let me keep you forever, please, don’t make me beg, run away with me.”

You openly gape at him from this, You’d be a fool to accept this, especially since you’ve only known him for a fraction of the time you knew your husband, but god dammit.

“Take me with you, anywhere you want to go. I’m yours, please take me.” You say desperately. You’ve never been wanted this badly before, and god, you wanted more, for the rest of time.

Minghao abruptly thrusts up into you from this, tightly clenching your hand in his, still pressing on top of his racing heart under the skin. You cry out in pleasure, somehow the sensation of his heart under your palm elevates your pleasure, making you go dizzy at the thought that you’re doing this to him, and only you.

You come close to your climax embarrassingly quick, the sensation of his cock rubbing your velvet walls so perfectly made your head spin. Your ears are ringing so loudly that it almost drowns out your sounds of pleasure, and the sound of skin slapping against skin.

Minghao isn’t far from you either, the same dizzying effect taking hold of his mind too. He’s so close to finishing that he could almost taste it, his moans and whines of your name leaving his lips like a mantra, a prayer, even.

“Minghao I’m gonna cum-!” you say frantically, pressing your forehead onto his as he meets your lips with his for the nth time. You swallow the moans he spills into your mouth as you both climax at the same time. His heart still beating frantically under your palm.

“Did you mean that?” You ask breathlessly, “When you said you wanted me forever, did you mean it?” you couldn’t look him in the eyes.

“Exactly, I meant it word for word. Let me replace the ring on your finger with mine.” He smiles at you.

In the end, he did replace the ring on your finger with his, much more extravagant, and elaborate. Your husband wasn’t surprised at your sudden request for a divorce, since your marriage was already failing before you met Minghao.

Still, time was the ultimate truthteller.

Your husband found out about your High Infidelity around the middle of your divorce proceedings, and in a rage, he threw you and all your belongings out onto the driveway. In the middle of winter rain.

The rain soaked into your skin, cold and icy piercing you painfully. All your personal belongings were strewn all around you, and your soon-to-be ex-husband was angrily slamming the door shut, but you couldn't help but feel relieved.

After all, you were finally free.

You finished your book, it received critical acclaim and it was a New York Times Best-Seller.

And you got to marry Minghao, the love of your life. Who you were happily married to until the both of you grew old.

FIN.

minghao smiles at you the moment he sees you're awake. "morning, sunshine."

"what did you put in that tea yesterday?", you frown, even though you're still a bit asleep and your whole body feels as relaxed as it possibly could.

"just some herbs my mom taught me", he holds your shoulder, massaging your flesh and smiling when he sees that you weren't as tense as the night before. "feeling better?"

"the world could end right now and i wouldn't even flinch. i'm so relaxed~"

hao chuckles, pinching your arm.

"great. there's some left, it's in your favorite bottle. take to the office with you."

minghao has to convince you to go to work; he has to kiss you a few times to wake you up properly, so you won't be late - but, damn, he's also so glad that you're feeling okay.

inspired on the tea i drank last night bc wtf, i'm feeling like i could levitate with how relaxed i am (thank god).

hii! I've noticed that you haven't written anything for minghao yet (according to your master list) so I wanted to request something cozy and homey with him. like maybe cooking together or waking up together or something along those lines.. :)

hello anon! i was feeling extra sappy with minghao and this also happens to be my first work for him. thank you so much for requesting it, i hope you see this!

gender neutral reader. warnings: none.

muse — xu minghao | 1,382 words | fluff

minghao blinks his eyes open to the sound of silence. there’s not much he can hear right out, except for the distant sound of cars going past. he lazes around for a few more moments before giving in and checking the time on his phone.

it’s just shy of six in the morning. he needs to be up and at the studio by nine, but he doesn’t feel like moving just yet. he puts his phone away and turns around to you, to watch you sleep.

the first time he’d ever done it was unfortunately a time you weren’t actually asleep, and he’d ended up staring at you for ten minutes before you woke up and apologized to him, saying that you couldn’t pretend to stay asleep without wanting to burst into laughter.

he still remembers how embarrassed he’d been by that, and how you made it up to him with kisses and multiples reassurances that it had been okay, that he could do it again, that it wasn’t a problem at all, you’d just been caught off-guard the very first time.

the thing is — minghao adores you. he’s in awe of you. to him, no one else on this planet even compares to how exquisite you are. he loves how like-minded the two of you are, how affectionate you’re with him, and how much you support him without even saying any words. of course, he loves going out on dates with you, seeing new places with you, seeing you match the outfits he wears, but this might just be his favourite sight in the world.

this being seeing you asleep on your side, facing him, a hand tucked under your head and the other holding his own. as an artist, he’s used to noticing the finer details about everything he sees, so when it comes to you, he could lose himself for hours noticing every single thing about you that makes him love you more.

minghao gently untangles his hand from your grasp, drawing his own blanket over you properly so that you don’t feel cold. he immediately feels the cold winter air hit his bare arms, and he winces as he gets used to it. he’s going to need to workout before he leaves, because there’s no time for it in the evening. not if he wants to finish work fast enough to come back to have dinner with you.

his fingers itch for a brush. it’s been a while since he’s painted something. the last thing he’d put on his canvas had been a rendition of a sunset he’d been able to see with you a few weeks ago. it had been magical; the beautiful hues of orange and yellow blending with the shimmering brightness of the sea, contrasting the pale hue of the sky.

but nothing looked more beautiful than you sitting next to him, watching the sun rise and letting the water wash over your legs. he’d been tempted to paint you instead, right there, but you’d dragged him out on a monday morning for inspiration, despite the fact that both of you had work soon, and he wasn’t going to let it go to waste.

but he doesn’t really need inspiration. not when you’re his muse.

he runs his fingers across your face as gently as he can, glad that you’re still asleep. you’ve been having trouble sleeping recently, and he’s glad he’s part of why you’ve been sleeping better. he smiles when he notices two faint pillow creases stamped into your cheek, angry red lines that he hopes don’t hurt you at all. you somehow manage to look even more perfect with them.

he doesn’t know how long he’s been staring at you before your eyes blink open slowly, and somehow his eyes are the first thing that yours find. he holds his breath, waiting for you to speak.

“hao?” you ask, voice croaky. “what time is it?”

minghao checks his phone again. “six thirty-seven. you still have twenty three more minutes to sleep, if you want.”

“mm,” you say, before you roll in closer and pull his arm to yourself. “wake me up at seven, then.” before he can say anything, you look up at him. “aren’t you supposed to leave early today?”

he nods. “do you want me to leave?”

you huff and tug at his arm to pull him closer to yourself, and he goes down willingly. “you know that’s not what i meant.”

“what did you mean, then?” he asks, pinching your nose softly.

you’re used to his teasing by now, so you just roll your eyes throw an arm around his waist. “did you sleep well, hao?”

“really well. you?”

“me too. but…how long were you staring at me this time?”

he feigns shock. “you could tell?”

“i can just…feel it, somehow,” you giggle. “won’t you tell me?”

“do you really want me to?”

“of course,” you say, eyes shining despite the layer of sleep clinging to them. minghao wishes he could spend more time with you like this. it’s almost like you’re forcing yourself to stay awake despite having some more time to sleep, just to talk to him. the thought warms his chest.

“maybe forty minutes? maybe more.”

there’s a grin on your face. “correct me if i’m wrong, but…i think you love me?”

he could just refute it, tease you a little, joke that you’re in too deep, but he can’t. there’s something about the early hours of the morning combined with the fact that he has the honour to wake up with you that makes his heart heavy. he’s lucky to even have this, especially with you.

“you’re right,” he says, voice rough, feeling his waterline sting suddenly. “i love you.”

the grin on your face disappears slowly. “hao? is everything okay?”

“of course it is, darling,” he says, bending down to kiss your forehead, brushing off some rogue strands of hair to kiss it properly, tucking it behind your ear so he can see your beautiful face better. “i love you. is that wrong?”

“no, silly,” you say, leaning up to cup his cheek in your palm. your hand is cold. maybe he should’ve warmed you up better. “you sound…sad. like there’s something eating at you.”

he closes his eyes and indulges himself in your touch, trying to work out his words, marvelling at how easily you can read him. “i…love you. you know that, right?”

“yeah. i love you, too. but…?”

“but,” he sighs, “i just…don’t have the right words to tell you how much i love you. i could say i love you a thousand times, but it wouldn’t be enough. i could kiss you a thousand times and it wouldn’t be enough. i could…i could ask you to marry me but nothing would be enough to tell you how thankful i am that you’re here with me. that you’re mine.”

silence, just the two of you in your bedroom, the sounds of life filtering in from outside the window.

your breath is shaky when you speak. “hao.” you drop your hand down to his arm. “i love you, too. you don’t…i don’t need any grand gestures from you. just…be with me. every single day. be mine forever. that’s it.”

“there’s nowhere else i want to be.”

“then that’s all i need.”

minghao presses a kiss to your head. he hopes it conveys everything he’s feeling right now. he’s about to say something more when your alarm goes off, and he really should get going if he doesn’t want to reach work late.

“see you in the evening?” you ask, hand catching his as he attempts to get to his feet. “maybe we can talk about…getting married? for real?”

minghao hasn’t even opened the curtains yet, and he feels like he’s standing in front of the sun again. he’s going to go to work, do well, come back home to you and hold you and hear about your day and eat with you. he’s going to surprise you with a painting of yourself, and he’s going to marry you. that’s the life he’s built for himself with you, and he loves it.

it’s all he needs to keep going, every single day.

“i can’t wait. i’ll be back before you know it, darling.”

taglist: @bookyeom @wootify @strnsvt @cloudycaramel @thepoopdokyeomtouched @minnieminshi @nonononranghaee @hrts4hanniehae @viewvuu @bewoyewo

whatever you want, my angel | xu minghao

SYNOPSIS. in which your boyfriend calls you a term of endearment from his native tongue. PAIRING. xu minghao x gn!reader GENRE. fluff, a little bit of humour, established relationship WARNINGS. a singular kiss WORD COUNT. 845

requested by anon: Hey congratulations 🎉 on 2k! Hope you grow more (Ik you will!)! Fighting! 💓I wanted to request Minghao + #32 from List 1 (Fluff Dialogue Prompts)💖💖💖 - #32: "Did you just call me (pet name)?”

notes: hao looks so angelic in those photos i found omg going crazy. anyway, thank u sm lovely i hope u enjoy this 🥹🫶 short but cute hehe. this was the first thing ive written in 2 weeks sorry 😭😭

join the 2k celebration!

"Just a few more minutes, tiánxīn."

You never thought you could spin your head around as fast as now, eyes locking on your boyfriend casually stirring a spoon in a pot on the stove, low hums escaping his lips as if he was minding his own business.

Though as you get yourself to squint your eyes, you notice the extremely subtle curve that he has to his lips while the steam swirls around his head.

"Repeat that."

"Hm?" Minghao perks his head back up, eyelashes batting together innocently. "Did I say something?"

You place a hand at your hip, cocking your head to the side as you point a finger accusingly at him. "That. That nickname. Did you... did you just call me tyenshan?"

Minghao nearly bursts into a chuckle at your mushy pronunciation, and you feel your face growing red from the slight embarrassment. He bites his bottom lip, trying to stifle his amusement, and reaches over for the lid to cover over the pot before turning to face you with a small smirk.

"Tiánxīn."

You blink at him, still a bit puzzled. "Tyanshin? Tyen..."

Minghao just quietly watches as you struggle to grapple with the unfamiliar term. There's a hint of teasing in his eyes, but also a warmth that makes your heart skip a beat. He wipes his hands on a towel before stepping up to you, letting an arm sneakily wrap around your waist to pull you towards him.

The sudden closeness steals your breath for a moment. Minghao's arm feels warm and secure around your waist, and you can smell the faint scent of spices clinging to him from his cooking. Yet his gaze at you is filled with nothing but affection, even under the dim lighting of the kitchen light, and you can't help but melt into his touch.

"Sweetheart," he mutters casually. "That's what it means."

Your eyes grow wide momentarily, as if taking in the weight of the singular term of endearment. It's such a simple word, yet the way he says it𑁋with such tenderness and a hint of playfulness𑁋sends a warmth radiating through you.

You feel your fingers knead lightly at the fabric of his shirt at his side, and a curl passes through your lips as you get yourself to lock gazes with him.

"Can you say it again?" You ask again, a teasing tone to your voice.

MInghao just chuckles. "Tiánxīn𑁋"

He's cut off when he feels your lips softly press against his. The contact is all too brief, and nearly has him chasing after your mouth when you part away from him. There's a mischievous look blanketed to your features, but he finds himself still caught in a daze at whatever boldness you just unleashed.

"I like the sound of it," You say wistfully. "Tell me another one."

Minghao lifts a brow. He has no idea what you're trying to plot (if anything), but he complies nonetheless.

"Wǒ de tiānshǐ," he murmurs, voice soft yet confident as he gazes into your eyes. "My angel."

Your heart seems to do a tumble and a flip simultaneously in your chest, and grasping onto the urge to teasingly rebuttal seems to dissipate away right under his eyes and his cute ass smile. You can feel your feet practically melt into the floor below, and you resist the need bury your face into his shoulder out of pure, giddy shyness.

"Oh," You mumble bashfully, heat crawling up your neck and to the tips of your ears. "Hao..."

"Ah, and another one," he jests, and you perk up once more. "Bèndàn."

"Bèndàn?" You repeat right after him, before letting out a feigned gasp. "Wait, dàn? Aren't you literally calling me an egg?"

"Mhm," Minghao answers charmingly. "My beautiful, silly little egg."

An airy scoff escapes your lips, the tension dissipating into hearty laughter bouncing off the walls as you swat playfully at his chest with a hand, making Minghao bring his arms up to shield away from your playful attacks.

"Alright, alright," he utters out between breaths as he steps his way back to the stove. "I'm sorry, you know I don't mean it."

All you do is roll your eyes before placing yourself directly behind him and letting your arms wrap around his waist. You nuzzle your cheek against his back, closing your eyes for a few moments to relish the comfort of his warmth coursing through you, a few contented sighs leaving your mouth. You could probably stay in this position for hours and not get tired of it; his presence enough seems to soften away whatever worries you had throughout the day.

"Call me that more often."

Minghao just grins. "What? Bèndàn?"

"I𑁋No!" You lightly flick him with your finger. "Just... more of those other ones, please?"

Minghao lets out a soft chuckle, the rumble travelling through his chest and sending shivers down your spine. He swiftly turns off the heat to the stove, then reaches down to gently squeeze your hand where it rests on his stomach.

"Of course, tiánxīn," he replies softly, affectionately. "Whatever you want, wǒ de tiānshǐ."

taglist (open) ʚɞ @haowrld @icyminghao @slytherinshua @jeonride @eternalgyu

@lockburn-castle @vrnism @weird-bookworm @ryuwonieebae @wonwooz1

@mark-geolli @caramyisabitchforsvtandbts @aaniag @wootify @carlesscat-thinklogic23

@phenomenalgirl9 @mirxzii @bookyeom @parkjennykim @melodicrabbit

@bewoyewo @honglynights @bananabubble @treehouse-mouse @starshuas

@totomoshi @armycarat2612 @etherealyoungk

we are not strangers anymore

“Mingyu one shot”

a drabble for @tasteslikenostalgiaa  from your secret Santa, Merry Christmas ❄️

Secret Santa event by @caratwritersclub

Pairing: Kim Mingyu x female reader, (feat Minghao)

Genre: fluff, strangers to friends

Warnings: it’s a fluff so no warnings

Word count: 1.3K

Author’s Note: When I started writing I was so confused how to write and what to write, then I ended up choosing this trope. This trope is very new to me, I tried making it a bit sweet, hope that worked and I really hope you will like this Tan, and wishing you Merry Christmas 🎄❄️ and I would be posting this on a time (your b’day date as time), I thought this would a be sweet gesture for you.  

Hopefully you’ll like this Tan~  happy reading <3

And this was my first time taking part in secret santa event by carat writers club, and I enjoyed it a lot, thankyou for giving me such an amazing friend, and I love this event!

I was looking at the painting in the museum, solo museum dates were something always comforting to me. It felt like art always connects me to a different world, like my escape. Art is always something I feel they speak the way no one could and they comfort me. I feel like it’s home. Home isn’t always a place, it can be something or someone that makes you feel safe. 

I was walking and looking at all the art pieces with a deep thought, I heard a click sound and was caught off guard. ‘did someone recognize me?’ ‘but I tried my best to cover myself’ these thoughts came flooding to my mind, and I turned around and bowed.

The moment I turned my head, I saw two guys and soon recognized them as Mingyu and Minghao. They were around the same age but they were my seniors in the company. Like how can you not recognize THE Kim Mingyu and THE Xu Minghao.

“Oh?” I got startled because of Minghao’s voice and I saw Mingyu lowering the camera.

Did he recognize me? I doubt that because, if we ever interacted with eachother, it was mostly because of company and some projects or like collabs for dance challenges, I guess.

“Hello” Mingyu smiled at me.

“Hello” I smiled at him, he could probably see my smiling because of my eyes, because I’m wearing a mask.

“Sorry if I startled you” he looked apologetic, I shook my head, “No no, it’s fine”

“You like art?” I turned to look at Minghao, I nodded.

One thing I was sure now, they recognized me. “Do you want to join us? Or are you on a solo date?” Mingyu was surely an extrovert. I was about to say something then he spoke, “don’t think we will get uncomfortable, because we will rather get one more company who enjoys art” his smile, there’s something I couldn’t resist anymore, he is always so humble and kind with everyone.

“Okay then” I smiled. “Let’s go and check out the remaining two” only two art works were left, I was walking with them to check them out. It felt like I got a new company for few minutes. Solo dates are fine but when someone joins you unexpectedly, it just makes everything a bit better.

“Do you come and visit museums usually?” I looked at Minghao, I nodded, “Yes, because I feel home” I smiled, hoping he would understand how I feel.

“That’s amazing” and we both smiled. He looked so genuine, when he was talking about art. He is someone who loves art, I feel more connected to him at times. Being my senior at the company, I always looked up to him. He amazes me a lot and I admire him a lot.

“Have you eaten something?” I looked at Mingyu when we were walking out from the museum, I shook my head. “I had breakfast and didn’t had lunch yet” I told him the truth, “Well you can join us, if you’re okay with it” I thought for a second, Mingyu looked humble while inviting me for lunch, but I was almost a stranger for him and Minghao, we never interacted exclusively but he is inviting me over a lunch, it melted my heart, and when someone asks me ‘have you eaten?’ it always touched me; maybe because at times I forget to eat because I get busy? it’s one of the sweetest gesture anyone could make for me.

“Are you okay?” I looked at Mingyu, I was taken aback with his question because how worried he looked, then I realized I was starting to tear up because I felt overwhelmed then I nodded and smiled.

“I’m okay, I was just a bit surprised and overwhelmed” there was no reason to hide I guess “we never interacted with each other, like this and I was surprised when both of you recognized me even when I am wearing a mask right now. And then giving me company and inviting me over lunch, I felt a bit overwhelmed.” I avoided his gaze for a second.

Minghao smiled and I looked at him, “we are idols, even you recognized us, although we are wearing masks right now” he smiled again. I was about to argue and tell them that how am I not supposed recognize them? And Mingyu cut me off with his words.

“And we are not strangers Y/N, it’s just we never got a chance to interact exclusively till now and we would be glad if you could join us because we would be getting a friend. Three of us are of same age after all” I smiled at him, “How did you know- I blurted out

“We work in the same company” I looked at Minghao, feeling embarrassed, “right”

“So, do you want to join us?” I nodded smiling big, it felt nice. It felt like I found new friends to hang out who have same interests as mine.

We took a cab and went to a restaurant Mingyu choose. During the whole ride I didn’t feel alone or felt like I was with strangers, rather felt it was a dayout with my own friends. It felt like we were having just normal conversations with friends. We were talking about art, photography and hobbies, while talking about photography, Mingyu looked really interested, “Mingyu, I really wanted to tell you, I love your photography skills. And Minghao, I really wanted to tell you I love your sky pics, specially sunset ones” they looked surprised, “you check our posts?”

I almost forgot our group account follows them , and we don’t have personal Instagram account yet but I just check in twitter randomly when they appear on my timeline or check their accounts randomly, “Sometimes”

“That’s something I didn’t know” Mingyu laughed, “Well… our group account follows your group account and I sometimes happen to see your sunset pictures or sky pictures, they really heal me at times” thankfully my mask had me covered or else they could see my cheeks red because I’m embarrassed.

After telling them, how photography is precious to me, because I want to capture the beauties on lens, although they don’t do justice for what we see infront of us. I always wanted to capture the beauties which hold so many memories for me.

After having lunch and talking about random things, we were about to part ways, because of our schedules “so, Y/N let’s stay in contact and let’s have another day out like this, we really enjoyed your company. And do me know if you come across art exhibitions or something which you want to come, then I’ll give you company” I nodded and smiled at Mingyu; then he gave his phone to me, I looked at him, “number and kakaotalk id”

“Ah” I gave him my number and added both in my kakaotalk, “let’s stay in touch then!”

“You’re way too cute” I looked at Mingyu, taken aback. Minghao was looking at him, with a face I couldn’t understand, I was thinking how to respond, “everyone says that!” he looked so defensive, “thank you~”

“Well, we have practice in an hour and we don’t want to be late” I nodded, understanding our busy schedule  “Yes, I understand, I too have practice in few hours. Guess, that’s it then”

“See you around Y/N” I smiled at Minghao and he gave me a shoulder pat, he was really a warm person. “See you soon Y/N” Mingyu smiled at me, and my heart skipped a beat. I didn’t know why would that happen but maybe because he was standing really close to me. “Yes, see you guys soon” I gave him a full smile.

Their cab came, and they waved at me, before they could leave I heard Mingyu’s voice faintly, ‘Finally I’ve her number and we are not stranger anymore’ I saw Minghao smiling and nudging Mingyu’s shoulder which looked like he was teasing him, I turned around feeling my cheeks heated up.

“but I’m glad we are not strangers anymore” I said this to myself and saw my cab already came.  

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₊ ⊹☼ Pairing: The8/Xu Minghao x reader ₊ ⊹☼ Synopsis: Multiple chance encounters across lives, with a soul somehow fated to yours throughout ₊ ⊹☼ Genre: Reincarnation au, slight fantasy/historic au ₊ ⊹☼ Word count: 1.67k ₊ ⊹☼ Warnings: Mentions of death, loss and grief. Minor character death mentions ₊ ⊹☼ A/N: This has been sitting in my drafts for a while as I didn't feel that the story was done yet. However, it's at a good point right now to post. Maybe I'll return to add to it further at one point though.

──────────────────── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───────────────────

Loss is an emptiness that eats away at the soul, a metaphorical knife carving it’s design on the surface but leaving behind wounds deep enough to bleed. And the strange thing about loss is you let it. In a sense it’s a sickly beautiful thing to experience as the blood pours out staining over the pure memories and taints them to be forever red. A crimson red that’s the same as the heart that somehow still beats inside your chest, because while it feels like everything should be still, time moves on. Time still encourages hearts to beat and wounds to bleed.

And bleed they do…

Your first loss shouldn’t be considered that actually. There are so many factors that completely contradict it as “the first loss you experienced”. For a start, you had lost people before. A woman who never had the chance to be a mother, your mother, passing away before she got even a second with her child. A young boy, who once you considered a brother, starved under the night sky with his eyes locked onto the moon. After all, Grief was no stranger to your soul. He visited often and settled in your bones like a heavy sick reminder of life.

No, none of these was your first loss. A kind of deep grief, yes, but they felt inevitable somehow.

Your first loss came in a form you never expected. A loss of opportunity and the questions of what could have been. Leaving the first scar of many dotted over your skin.

You didn’t know his name the first time, you barely got to know him at all actually. It was a fleeting moment that stopped the world if just for a second. Even if it was just for you.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The makeshift grave you created when Chan died was positioned out in a forest glade on the edge of town, giving him the privacy and peace he deserved. An ideal place for him to continue watching the night sky like he did when he was tangible, and now as a star, a place for him to look down on from above. It seems childish now thinking that was how the world worked, that he would stick around for you.

You know better now.

You had been spending the afternoon visiting him, after collecting flowers for your little stall, coming to rest up in the willow tree sheltering the glade from the outside view. The branches allowing you a raised position to look down below, which is how you spotted him initially. This dark haired beauty dressed in clothes that didn’t seem typical for that of normal adventurers. You assumed that’s what he must be, no one else tends to come out that far. Somehow, he had stumbled onto Chan’s clearing though, only the fates may know how, and came to a pause in front of the poorly carved headstone you placed on the first death anniversary. It didn’t matter that there was no body to bury, his memory would live on.

Something about that resonated in this figure’s mind. It wasn’t obvious at first but moments later when you got the first glimpse at his soul-bearing eyes and the way they scanned the words told you all you needed. He was memorising the words, breathing out his very essence into the world and immortalising this time. The phrase you had heard many times before bringing tears to your eyes as it was spoken out loud after a year again.

“The moon sure is lonely tonight”. He was just reading out loud that time, but maybe that’s why it left such an impact. There were no deeper connotations or commitments that suffocated the moment. It was raw and real.

If given the chance of every lifetime, you would chose to return to this moment eternally.

He left not long after that with a new print on his soul in the name of Lee Chan and the fleeting thoughts of a phrase once whispered. It wasn’t until afterwards that you saw the carefully placed bundle of forget-me-nots. Flowers that symbolise memorises and the concept of thinking of loved one ones while one is away. You don’t remember ever have crying as hard as you did that night as you allowed yourself to break down after having repressed everything for a long time. The hope that someone else would continue to think of the young boy and maybe one day return providing a sort of comfort you never realised you needed.

You continued with your routines and visits but never once saw the stranger again. Your first loss came unexpectedly and you couldn’t help but think of what could have happened if things were different. Had Chan been alive to greet him? Had you spoken out to him? Had you got to know him? But you didn’t and so the opportunity passed by and life continued until death came to claim you too.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What you didn’t expect was the life that came after and the memories that flickered back to you slowly. You could remember it all clearly at first but the more time progressed and lives were lived, the hazier things became. So you wrote to remember. Diary entries inked across pages depicting and detailing each moment and connection you continued to share.

It took you a total of three lives to realise you and your stranger were somehow connected. You seemed destined to spot him under the moonlight over and over again, each time bringing something new for you to note.

However, it was your fourth life that something truly changed, with an opportunity for the two of you to introduce yourselves. A night-time balcony overlooking the palace gardens providing a shared relief from the noise of the party inside. You had yet to see your stranger that lifetime and you certainly weren’t expecting to find him approaching you from behind on his own escape from the ballroom.

Your eyes had found comfort in the solitude of the starlit sky, with a faint recollection of a young voice discussing constellations in great enthusiasm. Your body curled up onto the stone edge with the coldness contrasting to the heat radiating from the party inside. There had been no mention of the balcony being off limits but it seemed abandoned in that moment similar to how you felt. Maybe that is why when you heard the small thuds of footsteps approaching you assumed it was a guard coming to bring you inside. However, as you turned around to face them, your breath stalled inside your throat.

There he was…

Face to face, the moments that followed allowed you both to subtly scan each other’s figures, sharing a second of joint solitude. His clothes reflecting his obviously high social status, yet you naturally found yourself focusing on his deep, knowledgeable eyes. The ones that both equally haunted and comforted your thoughts. Then he spoke and his light voice rung out in a whisper like he was afraid to break the silence.

“I’m sorry for interrupting you, but I needed some time away from the chaos and couldn’t help but notice you out here alone with only the moon for company. You both seemed rather lonely tonight. Would you mind me joining you?”

The paraphrasing of the familiar line rang in your ears as you couldn’t help but tear up and turn back to the full moon in an attempt for comfort.

“Not at all, feel free to join us.”

His figure stepping closer as he approached the balcony edge himself and admired the view before the two of you. It was a comfortable silence that followed, neither of you feeling the need to fill it with meaningless chatter at first. However, as you turned to gain another glance at him, wanting to capture every detail for your writing later on, your gaze fell onto the baby blue flowers that lay in his pocket.

“Forget-me-nots?”

As he turned to meet your eyes, he saw the way they lingered onto his flowers and then noticed the similar ones decorated into your own outfit.

“Hmm, there is something special about the resilience of these little blossoms which bloom in clusters throughout marshy harsh terrain. In a sense I admire the way they manage to preserve and grow with those tough conditions. It’s something I often see reflected in humanity, although, unlike the flowers, not often do people manage to make it full bloom I find.”

The philosophical answer was not one you had expected from him, but certainly wasn’t unwelcome. You had your own greater meanings to the flowers that you shared back with careful consideration, still unsure of if your stranger retained his memories like you. It was something you noted in a previous life where you tried to speak to a different Chan and was left alone once more, that not everyone had the privilege, or was it a curse, to remember like you do.

“For me, they symbolise remembering those who once were but no longer are. A promise to keep the memories of them alive for as long as you live. The stories you experienced and the thoughts you shared allowing a part of them to stay.”

Silence settled back down between the two of you, which is why you could hear the song that started to play out by the band. A slow dance of sorts. In some twist of destiny, he reached his hand out and asked for your hand before the two of you spent time twirling across the balcony. This moment shared only by you two and the sky.

As you came to a close and the clocks chimed to signal an hour passing, with you settled in your stranger’s arms, two names were breathed out into the universe before you parted ways and he disappeared back into the ball.

“Xu Minghao.”

A name meaning brightness and vastness, one that seemed to fit the person you came to spend time with perfectly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

do you have any soft domestic hao thoughts? 🥺

OH BOY

domestic!hao who'd get pouty whenever you forget to wake him up before you have to go to work

domestic!hao who'd look up houses out of your price range with you, just to imagine what your shared potential future could look like

domestic!hao who'd buy you matching sunglasses or scarves or rings because he thinks it's endlessly romantic - it'd feel like you'd have a piece of the other with you wherever you'd go

domestic!hao who'd link his arm with yours wherever you'd go, pressing soft kisses to the back of your hand from time to time

domestic!hao who'd love to just watch other people with you - making up stories of what their lifes are like

domestic!hao who'd doodle little hearts or stars on your skin, because the thought of you looking at his little masterpiece and thinking of him makes his heart swell in his chest

Romantic gestures

95s, 96s, 97s, 98s, 99s ··- ฅ^._.^ฅ

a/n: another one that took me a long time lmao. there are some that i debated on, as in, it didn't really fit the members in the narrative i create, but feel free to give me your own opinions too. enjoy reader !!

genre: fluff

warning: none (do tell me if i missed any!)

Minghao: Hao and his ways of showing you that he cares !! he’ll randomly ask for some of your clothes, ones that you don’t wear often but feels comfortable wearing, and when you ask why, he answer with a simple, “I’ll put them in my home for whenever you stay the night.” istg this man and his silent romantic gestures. And he’ll be so cool about it, like ‘yeah I just want you to feel comfortable whenever you crash in, want you to feel like it’s your home too. What about it?’... Everything, hao. Everything. It isn’t as romanticized of a gesture but the sole thought of how he prioritizes your comfort and your ease melts your heart. 

Mingyu: It’s the little things that he does secretly that hits a little bit harder. Whenever the two of you go out on a date, you always wanted to have a little time to yourself. Walking around the mountains, humming some tune while watching stars fall, or when you helped wonwoo’s s/o clean up their kitchen before going for a movie night with your lovers.In those moments mingyu would always sneak up behind you, silently capturing the moment, smiling to himself at how adorable you look doing the most mundane things. And sometimes you would catch the sound of the camera shutters but never really mind them, but what you didn’t know was that he kept them in physical form. Something you both can hold and keep. So when gyu caught you looking at those pictures in the bedroom drawer, he sneaked up behind you, arms finding comfort on the small of your waist, head resting on your shoulder. And with the most smiliets, giddiest voice ever, “surprise?”

Seokmin: See, seokmin is really attentive. He’s extremely caring, and may not seem like it, but his extroverted-ness have taught him how to read people. And so when you waited for your parents to arrive at the restaurant where you would introduce soekmin to them, he knew he needed to be the best boyfriend ever to you. The 10 minutes that passed seemed like an eternity and by the way your eyes were fixed on your food, slowly growing cold, he knew you were more than nervous. Not that your parents would be unaccepting, they’re the sweetest people ever, but the mere thought of them expecting more from you turns your stomach upside down. So, instead of stimulating your brain more by talking, he placed his hands on your knee. Slowly rubbing it, making incoherent shapes, which are mostly wonky love hearts. And when your parents arrive, he moved his hands away. Only to be brought back by yours, intertwining your fingers with his. Saying the most silent ‘thank you’. 

Seungkwan: Seungkwan would leave little memo notes on your laptop and you would find your self chuckling at the content. It started out with simple words of affirmation. He’d shyly give it to you, face red, denying it as anything romantic. But as you get comfortable with each other, he’d winked at you before you go into your study/office room, and you’d find yourself head to head with pink and yellow sticky notes. All saying your favorite kdrama lines, your favorite actor quotes, song time stamps. It was so bizarre going through them whenever you feel yourself slowly deteriorating, because a little look at the neon paper would give you a boost knowing that seungkwan wrote it with your comfort, safety, and energy in mind. And once you finished your work, you would cling to him all day teasing him that what he did was romantic, and was cheesy, and you absolutely loved it. 

Vernon: His go-to gesture to comfort you is to lend you his spare earphones. The main reason why he favors them more than headphones despite the comfort and quality the other gives.. It’s such a simple gesture with such simple reasoning behind it. All he’s trying to say is ‘wanna listen to my music? I think you’ll like it’ or ‘take your mind off of things for a sec, i have something to show you… here, listen to this.’ but that little move of a hand of him offering you the unused earbuds means the world to you. Shows you that he cares, that he wants you to know this musical part of him o distract you from things that might be bothering you at the time, inevitably falling for him more. So in lonely bus rides, or stressful study/work sessions, hansol would raise his eyebrows, you would nod, he’d give you his spare earbud, you’d use it, and with intertwined hands, go on about your day bathing in eachother’s company with your shared playlist playing. 

Chan: You’d be lying if chan giving you bouquet of flowers everytime he drops by your house wasn’t cheesy. It was. It was hella cliche too. But you love it and it fills your heart to its brim. Chan wasn’t really a flower/plant person per-say. But with the knewly found knowledge that you raise little plant children, he decided to show you that he loves that aspect and characteristic of you by giving you more plant babies. Don’t get me wrong though, he doesn’t just gives you it and leaves it to wilt. He did some research flowers, how to take care of them, what soil is best used, and most importantly, it’s meaning. You know chan, he’s all for the meaning of little things, and if that means it can show you how much he loves you, that's all he needs.

Pillow talk with Seventeen

A/N - just something quick I’ve been working on alongside a longer oneshot featuring Mingyu and Wonwoo coming soon! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: this is for entertainment purposes only and does not represent any of the members in real life. Any warnings you think I’ve missed, please let me know!

S.Coups/ Seungcheol

Clingy. Like, will pull you in to bed and koala you into spooning. He’s always the big spoon of course, mostly to stop you from putting any more distance between you than he wants. Likes to mumble random words of affection that come to his mind. And WILL expect you to do the same in return.

I think it’s fair to say that he will sulk if you don’t wait up for him. Seriously, if he comes home to find you already asleep he will feel sad that he can’t have a proper cuddle. Because he doesn’t want to wake you when you look so peaceful. But don’t worry, whenever this happens he always gets cuddles in the morning instead.

Jeonghan

Is a tease and will tease as a warning. That basically means that whatever he wants goes. If he only wants to cuddle, then it doesn’t matter what you want, you’re only getting cuddled. That’s not to say he’s mean at all. It’s just there’s a hierarchy set in your relationship and if you try to test that then beware.

Overall, he’s very gentle with you. Soft touches and lingering kisses - you know, the ones where he pulls away earlier than you expect just so he can watch you chase after his lips. Smug. And loves to make you blush by pointing out how clingy you’re being and asks if you’ve been touch deprived.

Joshua

Ambience is important to him. Usually he will light a couple of candles and turn off the lights so the room is left in a warm glow. You both lay on your sides, staring into each other’s eyes as you talk. And everything is peaceful.

Joshua is quite affectionate and so he likes to have his arm on your waist, slowly brushing up and down your torso. Likes when you do similar ministrations to him too, like placing your hands on his chest and smoothing them along his abdomen. Also finds it really amusing if you grab his arms and give his biceps a squeeze (will tense them a bit more so he can hear your praise over how strong he is).

Jun

If Jun had it his way, he could stay up all night taking with you. Usually, you end up having to gently quiet him down because he gets carried away with his excitement. Initially, you begin cuddled into each other, the soft pillows and duvet surrounding your bodies in a little cocoon. And you share whispers with each other, light words of affection, as your eyes flutter shut.

As Jun admires, he begins to compare you to all the cute things that pop up in his mind. But the more he goes on, the more silly he becomes and the less resolve you have against fighting the urge to laugh. And so the jokes begin. Before you know it, you’re both giggling together and, just in general, messing around. Until you’re finally so exhausted that you no longer have enough energy to laugh.

Hoshi/ Soonyoung

Always beats you to the bed, laying with his hands outstretched and grabbing the air in signal for you to fall into his chest as quickly as possible. It’s very lighthearted and affectionate with Hoshi. Particularly with his tiger agenda.

Loves burying his face into the crook of your neck because he knows that’s where you’re most ticklish. Snickers into your skin when you begin to wriggle around in his hold, but you never have a chance to escape from his death grip on you. Will growl when you refuse to stop moving. Might have even not so accidentally bitten you once too…

Wonwoo

Snuggling into bed with Wonwoo, he likes to make sure that you are comfortable and settled before he himself gets cosy. That means he will need a lot of reassurance that the way he is holding you is ok. His favourite is to have your head laying on his chest, one arm around your waist and the other gently combing through your hair.

Just before sleep is Wonwoo’s favourite time to spend with you because there’s no distractions to get in either of your way. He can ask you all the questions he wants about your day etc… and always enjoys your infinite musings about the world. Deep chats are his favourite with you, it allows him insight into the depths of your mind and vice versa. You’re the only one he allows to explore that much of him.

Woozi/ Jihoon

A lot of the pillow talk that goes on between you consists of him talking away about his current work. It’s a good time for him to vent out any stresses so you don’t mind listening to him until his hearts content. There have been times when you’d dozed off half way through his rants, mostly because you find Woozi’s voice so soothing, regardless of what he’s talking about. Not that he minds at all. In fact, he adores how angelic you look while asleep.

Physical affection is generally in the form of him lightly holding your waist or holding hands. Nothing too extravagant. Although, without fail, he will give you a goodnight kiss just before he falls asleep.

DK/ Seokmin

There’s two options when it comes to pillow talk with Seokmin. He is either peppering feather light kisses all over your face, all smiles and giggles. Or he’s dead serious in his advances. The serious times consist of him alternating between wanting nothing but to stare deeply into your eyes and making out. In which case, good luck trying to actually have a conversation with him, let alone having enough time to get a word in edgewise.

When he’s in a more lighthearted mood, he likes to play the little game of seeing how many times he can interrupt your sentence with kisses before you get annoyed and give him that faux-serious glare. To which he simply pecks your lips again and has you absolutely melt for him.

Mingyu

Considering the given name of pillow talk, there is never really that much talking going on. Mingyu prefers to have more physical signs of affection, particularly when you’ve just settled in to bed. His favourite is to be sat up against the headboard with you cuddled into his chest. Especially so if you tuck your head under his chin. Sometimes he’s feeling extra clingy (which is more often than not in his case) and he’ll pull you fully onto his lap and hold you so tightly. And kisses are mandatory. He will sulk if you refuse.

Adorably smiley when you are too tired to protest against his affection. Like, seriously, he didn’t know his heart could beat this fast just from how passive you are to his wants. Though, let’s be real, how could anyone ever turn down a cuddle from Mingyu? I swear it would be like committing a crime.

The8/ Minghao

Having quiet time is important to Minghao, so he thrives off of just being able to lay in silence with you at the end of a long and tiring day. Silently admires every part of you and likes to mindlessly play with your fingers because - and he’s adamant on this - it’s fascinating how small your hands are.

He’s a little more sneaky with other forms of affection. And by that I mean like it’s only after he is sure you’re asleep that he will bring your hand up to his lips (which he hasn’t let go of the entire time) and press a delicate kiss on each of your fingertips slowly.

Seungkwan

Did somebody say sleep? Not when it concerns Seungkwan. He cannot get enough of laying in bed with you, whatever the circumstance. He likes it if you are the one to initiate cuddles because it makes him feel wanted. Gives you adoration filled side glances whenever you do something habitual/ without realising.

For real, he has a mental list of things you do subconsciously that he loves. For example, how you begin with a normal proximity between you at the beginning of the night, but somehow end up practically morphing into him shortly after. How you mindlessly play with his fingers as you recount the events of your day or latest gossip. But his favourite is when you randomly reach out to caress his cheek, brushing the pad of your thumb over his skin with so much love it makes his heart swell.

Vernon

Does this thing where he pretends not to notice you get into bed beside him, instead keeping his focus on his phone screen. But his inability to hide his smile gives him away. You usually have to snatch his phone from his grip, quickly leaning in to press a quick peck to his lips before he can gage what’s happened.

It’s never just a quick peck though, his hand instantly gravitating to holding your cheek so he can deepen the kiss. Eventually, you’re so tried from leaning over him in an uncomfortable position that you begin to move back, Vernon chasing after you, in no way done with making out.

Dino/ Chan

He just wants kisses, nothing else. Seriously, the second you fall into bed together he’s captured your lips desperately in his. He’s happy, so smiles the whole time and whispers how cute you are in breaths between more kisses.

Presses you into the mattress below him, holding your hands on either wide of your face as he stares down at you devilishly. And actually has the audacity to make comments about how desperate you are for him through laughter when he’s the one that hasn’t let you get so much as a hairs breadth away from him the whole time.

Museum date with Minghao?🥺

Museum Date

Minghao x gn!reader

Warnings: none :)

I feel like museum dates with Hao would the cutest and softest thing in the world

like you two would just be walking around looking at all the exhibits

if it's an art museum he'd have to stop and look at every. single. one.

but he'd be holding your hand the entire time so it was fine

now

the roles would be switched if it was a field museum (i.e Chicago, Smithsonian)

you'd take the longest time reading all the little plaques for each sculpture, picture, etc...

especially if it was something you studied

eventually Hao would rest his head on top yours, arms around your chest

just hanging on top of you

for lunch he would take you to some hole-in-the-wall place and it would be the best food you've ever eaten

OOOORRR

a cute little museum and coffee date

personally I like this one better

after staying in the museum for HOURS thanks to you two

you'd both go to the cafe down the block and order your favorites

maybe split a pastry

imagine holding hands and sipping coffee as you stroll down the street

for some reason I'm picturing this in the fall or winter which makes it ten times better

cheeks are rosy from the cold

his eyes soften as he feels you curl into him to keep warm

yall I got so soft just thinking about this

robe

warnings: references to sexual activity, hickeys. this is suggestive stuff, folks.

a/n: inspired by this post by @imagine-svt. hi aeris, i took your prompt and made it suggestive (hope that's okay). i saw aeris's post before sleeping, wrote this on my phone in 10 minutes and boom it's here. taglist: @itsveronicaxxx @husbandhoshi @zurikyo @starlightjoong

"are you naked under that robe, minghao?"

your boyfriend continues his movements, barely sparing you a glance before nodding. you suppose you should be used to him coming up with choreography at all sorts of places by now, but it still surprised you when you walked in on him practicing a new move in front of the mirror, his chest peaking out from underneath the the fluffy bathrobe. you're almost completely certain that he hasn't even noticed the dinner on the table behind him.

the robe swishes as he executes fluid movements, his eyes fixed on his reflection as he tries different angles for a move. you can't help but trace his exposed skin, the small love bites from your previous activities catching your attention.

"i can't believe you're ogling me", he sounds offended, looking at you disapprovingly, "while i'm trying to earn my bread and butter".

"well, if your bread and butter involve you dancing almost naked in hotel rooms, then you're going to get stared at in those rooms", you retort teasingly, "not that i won't support you, if that's what you want".

"thought a lot about me dancing naked, have you?", his voice is steady, but you catch the light flush creeping up his chest.

"and so what if i have?", you arch a brow. remembering your reason for interrupting him, you add, "actually, i'm here to ask if you want dessert".

minghao's eyes stray from your face to slowly go down your body, barely-hidden satisfaction seeping on his face when he takes in the light marks on your neck.

"if you're up for it", he responds, his eyes filled with clear intent.

"i am", you bring the hotel dessert menu from behind your back, "once we're done eating that dinner on the table".

"oh", he turns to see the food, "y-yeah. ofcourse"

"oh, baby", you walk up to him, pecking his pink cheek, "you're so easy".

coffee and campus

your lives as college students, and coffee

pairing: performance unit (seventeen) x reader

genre: fluff, university au

words: 375

warnings: none, really. food mentions, and coffee.

a/n: it's been a hot minute since i've written any fluff, so please bear with me if this is absolute shit. feeling nostalgic about college days today, so here we are. these are all based on my own experiences.

taglist: @itsveronicaxxx @husbandhoshi @zurikyo @kimhyejin3108 @starlightjoong

JUN

when you're working. shows up to the library because he knows that's where you'll be, you're only alerted by his presence when a hand replaces your empty cup with a full one. places his books/laptop next to you and gives you a fond smile, looking around to check for on-lookers before pressing a soft kiss on your lips. when he's seated, sneakily pulls out your favorite cookies and pushes one in your mouth; the library might have a no-food rule but that's never stopped the two of you.

HOSHI

at a late-night biking-themed cafe. you're drinking this place's signature coffee - advertised as one of the most potent shots in the world. you and your boyfriend do this all the time, trying out relatively harmless things that you probably shouldn't do. the coffee is one of the most bitter things you've ever tasted, and soonyoung's face scrunches adorably as he swallows it. maybe you should move to less adventurous activities for date nights, but when the two of you are sharing notes the next morning and giggling over your own stupidity - you can't find it in you to regret.

MINGHAO

at a hole-in-the-wall afternoon cafe. like clockwork, you and minghao show up every wednesday to this little place, where the owner knows your name and stops other customers from sitting at the table by the window that you like. you sit next to each other instead of face-to-face, your fingers occasionally threading through his hair, a fond look on his face as he leans into your touch. you talk about everything and nothing, munching on pastry as the faint smell of his tea and your coffee fills the air.

DINO

between lectures. when his class finishes before yours, he waits outside your lecture hall with a cup of your favorite coffee (the version that's available in campus, anyway). if you look particularly tired, he'll pull your bag from you, ignoring your protests. you walk to the library together, your coffee in one hand and his hand in the other, trying to convince each other that it's a good idea to get started on that assignment due weeks from now - but as always, you end up procrastinating. oh well, atleast you have each other.

紫色.

(pt. 1)

pairing: minghao x gn!reader, side character!mingyu genre: fluff; idol-fan au words: 1.9k a/n: thank you chau & ina for helping & proofreading this for me! i’d also like to dedicate this to all the carats (esp. 8stars) and our idol-fan fantasies <3

“i’m wonderstruck, blushing all the way home. i’ll spend forever wondering if you knew, i was enchanted to meet you.”

— loving hao is purple.

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