PEACHES ─ xmh. ᜊ⋆゚⊹
𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟏 - 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐃
fresh peaches picked straight off the tree always reminded you of home, the summer breeze, the sticky frozen treats, and the blazing sun. they brought good memories, nostalgic places, but most importantly, they brought xu minghao.
𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊
genre: fluff, angst, college au, brother’s best friend!minghao x fem!reader
warnings: substance use, a sprinkle of family issues, disloyal past relationships, break ups, toxic relationships and cheating, 22 yr old reader / 24 yr old hao
featuring: minghao and svt! (ft. brother jun) + twice
word count: 26.2k
playlist: peaches by kai, chaser by woodz, habit by seventeen
status: in progress.
# taglist: @msxflower @enhacolor @hiqhkey
# network tags: @ficscafe @kflixnet @k-radio
back to masterlist !
𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊
[more below the cut!]
𝐢. 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠
𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊
You licked up the side of the dripping, vivid orange popsicle clutched in your hand, a lit cigarette tucked in your other, perched delicately between your index and middle finger as you walked down the sunny street. You must’ve been a strange sight to most, something so childish as a creamsicle held by the same person as a smoking cigarette. But you couldn’t help it.
You had promised yourself nearly two years ago to never smoke again. Mingyu hated the smell more than anything, and when he remained firm in his resolve to not kiss you while you smoked, you decided to quit for his sake. You knew it wasn’t healthy to fall back on bad habits, but difficult times called for difficult measures, and it was certainly a difficult time.
Your apartment came into view as you walked down the street, the worn out soles of your converse highs tapping lightly against the pavement as you approached the large building drenched in golden sunlight. It was a beautiful day. And that really pissed you off. Turning your key in the lock, you opened the door to your dingy shared apartment, taking in the sight of the seemingly empty room, rays of midday sun peeking in through the open windows. You kicked off your shoes, putting out the cigarette on the sole of the left one before your brother could notice, although you knew he would figure it out anyway. He had a way of always finding out when you did something you weren’t supposed to.
“Junhui! I’m home!” you called out, hoping that your brother hadn’t yet arrived from classes, and that you could rinse some mouthwash before he smelled the tobacco on your tongue. To your chagrin, the dusty blond boy emerged from the bathroom with a toothbrush dangling from one end of his mouth, wide eyed and with a foamy smile on his lips. You put on a smile to match his own as he walked to the door, helping you take off your jacket and hang it up, even though the help wasn’t needed.
“Welcome home! You want some tea?’ he asked, hanging up your denim jacket on a coat rack by the door. Before you could respond, he scrunched up his nose, a disgusted look coming over his face as he brought the fabric up to his face, taking a deep inhale from the powdery blue cloth as you grimaced sheepishly. He dropped the fabric, growing closer to you, sniffing with a skeptical look. Apparently he got the confirmation he needed from the prevalent smell of smoke in your hair, as he backed up, crossed his arms, and sighed heavily with a disappointed frown. “Y/n…”
“I know, I know.” you interrupted before he could finish his sentence, waving him off as you removed your school bag from your shoulder and set it on the ground by the doormat. “I told you I would quit.”
“So why’d you smoke?”
“You smoked?” another voice said, a head of dark brown hair popping out from the kitchen, startling you greatly. Minghao seemed to have appeared out of thin air, nowhere to be seen when you had done a quick once over of the apartment upon your entry. But now that you noticed his presence, you began to smell the familiar scent of tomato and eggs wafting through the small kitchen. The older boy brought out three teal bowls, all filled to the brim with appetizing rice, tomato, eggs, and green onion scattered on the top. “You’ve been clean for a long time.”
“I’m well aware.” you sighed, taking a seat at the little table in your makeshift “dining room”, barely large enough to seat three people, as Minghao slid a dish in front of you. The steaming plate of food sent you straight back to your times from middle school when you would wake up, roll out of bed, and stumble to the kitchen to see a smiling Minghao holding a plate full of breakfast. “Thanks for the food.”
“Hey! I’m not done brushing my teeth!” Junhui protested, running back to the bathroom, a bit of toothpaste dripping down his chin as he rushed to wash out his mouth. Minghao just chuckled quietly in amusement, sitting down in the seat across from you with an undistinguishable expression.
“So, what happened that made you smoke your first cigarette in three years?” You scoffed, taking a spoonful of eggs and shoving it into your mouth, eyebrows already furrowing at the mere memory of what had happened just earlier this morning.
“What, you’ve been keeping count?” you asked.
“You know I have.” he said, taking a small bite from his bowl without yielding his questioning gaze. When you didn’t respond, he propped his elbows up on the table, leaning his head on the tops of his intertwined hands. “I’ve known you for a long time. And if I know anything about you, it’s that you’re stubborn as hell. I don’t think you would’ve given up on quitting so easily.” You sighed.
It was undeniably true. Today had been an unusually horrible day, bad enough to make you break your three year abstinence from cigarettes, which wasn’t normal of your iron resolve. Minghao could read you like a book. Probably better than a book, considering he didn’t read many.
“Nothing important.”
“We both know that’s bullshit.” he said matter-of-factly. “C’mon, you trust me, right? I’m your best friend.” It was smug of him to say it in that way when he knew he was Junhui’s best friend, but he was right. You absolutely trusted him, you always have, ever since he walked through the door on Jun’s third day of junior high, your brother bouncing with excitement from finding another Chinese student at his school.
Even though he was Junhui’s best friend, he felt like he was yours too. He had always been there for you, like he day he finally overcame his inherent weakness to punch Lee Chan in the face after he called you a whore, or the day Joshua Hong stood you up on prom night for his ex and Minghao rented out a tux last minute to take you himself, even if it caused your brother to slap him later that night.
He was as much a part of your life as he was Junhui’s, and that’s why you decided to finally tell him the truth about what had caused your utterly shitty day.
“Mingyu broke up with me.” you said, stirring your straw in the cup of water that Minghao had placed by your seat. The boy in front of you had an inexplicable expression on his face, and you weren’t sure what emotions were passing through his head at the moment. “It seems like the entire school found out before I did. He didn’t even have the balls to break it off until lunchtime, even though he went around telling everyone we were split since yesterday.” You could’ve been imagining it, but you were practically certain that you saw Minghao’s knuckles clench in anger, but if he was agitated, he didn’t show it, just calmly taking another bite of his meal.
“Didn’t see that coming.” You couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not. Minghao knew better than anyone what your relationship with Mingyu was like. After all, Mingyu was his classmate, and the boy you met on the date he and Boo Seungkwan set you up with, without your brother’s consent, you might add. But you didn’t allow him to provoke you, simply taking another bite and looking at your bowl as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. He nodded with an expectant look that made you feel as though you had to give him the rest of the news, and you sighed.
“Turns out he met back up with his old childhood friend a few weeks ago. You remember Tzuyu?” Minghao nodded again, and you continued with a heavy exhale, glancing over your shoulder to see if Junhui had returned, which, startlingly enough, he hadn’t, apparently still in the bathroom. “He’s in love with her.”
“No way.” Minghao said, and it was hard for you to tell if he was kidding, but after a few moments you decided he wouldn’t treat you with so much sarcasm while you were in a sensitive moment. Although, that betrayed all logic considering he just did it minutes previously.
“Yeah. Apparently she ‘helped him figure out he didn’t have feelings for me anymore’. So he told her he was going to break up with me.”
“And she told Momo, who told Jihyun, who told Sana,” Minghao continued, seeming to sense where the story was going.
“And she told everyone.” you finished. “I’m surprised you didn’t find out. I would’ve thought you’d be the first person to know.” You stirred the straw in your drink for the second time, absentmindedly twirling the metal tube between your pointer finger and thumb and watching the ice cubes glide through the liquid.
“I missed class today,” he admitted. “I had some business to take care of.” You knew better than to ask what, just nodding. “Jun doesn’t know…”
“And he can’t.” you emphasized, lifting your head up to gaze at him fiercely. “You know what he’d do if he found out.”
“...Mingyu would beat him to a pulp if he tried.”
“I know. But that won’t stop him.” There was a moment of silence between the two of you as you challenged him with your eyes, and he lifted his hands in surrender, letting out a little sigh as he caved, and you took a bite in triumph.
“Alright, I give up. I won’t tell your brother.”
“Won’t tell me what?” Junhui asked, timing horrible as usual as he came around the back of your chair with a suspicious look to sit next to Minghao at the other side of the table, the latter giving him a smile.
“I’m desperately in love with your sister.” he grinned, and Jun slapped him on the back of his head, your cheeks flaming as soon as the words escaped his mouth.
“Hey, cut it out.” Junhui complained, picking up his bowl of food, which had already grown cold in his long absence. “Jesus, I’d rather you not tell me.” Minghao gave you a wink and a thumbs up when your brother wasn’t looking, and you smiled gratefully, albeit tightly, in return, hoping he didn’t notice how your cheeks began to feel like fire and your heart pounded like a drum in your chest.
Dinner was energetic as usual, and it was somewhat encouraging to see how little things had changed at home, despite the big shift in your life outside your doorstep. Jun and Minghao easily lifted you out of your slump, and despite the haunting reminder that you had to go back to school the next day, you were feeling better than you had all morning. Junhui had begrudgingly agreed to washing the dishes after a fierce game of rock paper scissors, which had ended unfortunately for the navy haired boy.
As the rushing sound of the sink soothed you, you rested your hair against the oaken table, letting your gaze focus on the sights outside your front window. When you caught sight of the peaceful view outside, something catching your eye, you sat up quickly.
“Hao.” you said, and Minghao let out a little noise of acknowledgement from beside you, head down on the table with his arms shielding his face from the last rays of sunlight slipping under the horizon. “There’s peaches on the tree outside.” He lifted his head from the table, face red and puffy from where he had pressed it, and gave a glance to the round fruits beginning to grow from buds on the tree just outside your apartment.
“They look pretty.” he said simply, moving to rest his head again.
“It’s weird. Peaches bloom in summer.”
“Maybe the tree knew we needed a bit of joy in the spring.” he said, voice muffled against the wooden surface. “They bloomed early for us.” You slowly lowered yourself back down to the table, a soft smile on your face thinking of his words. Maybe the peaches did bloom for you, maybe they knew that you craved something refreshing, a change in the old monotony of Seoul. Maybe they knew you were missing the trees that used to grow in your childhood home’s backyard. Or better.
Maybe they knew that Mingyu hated peaches.
𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊
─
𝐢𝐢. 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞
𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊
“For the last time Dahyun, no.” you insisted with a deep and frustrated exhale as your best friend pouted from across the table. You averted your eyes from her doe expression, afraid that her pretty pleading might actually convince you to agree to her horrible idea. “I’m not going on a blind date. It’s too early.”
“Come on, y/n.” she pleaded, hands together. “You need to move on from that asshole, and soon. Mingyu’s party is coming up next weekend, and you have to prove to him that you’re better off without him.” she said, gesturing wildly at nothing. You sucked on your bubbling soda, unbothered, more focused on the sticky feeling of your bare thighs on the hot seats of the restaurant from where your shorts had ridden up than on her strange plan. Your friends Chaeyoung and Mina, however, are enraptured by her visual demonstration, hands resting on their chins as they nod along with her.
“It might be good for you.” Chaeyoung suggested, her chin resting on a perfectly manicured hand. “I think I know someone who could help.”
“The only person that could help is Mingyu, that fucking asshole, by getting back together with me.” you said bitterly, teeth subconsciously clamping around the striped yellow straw resting between your lips as you sipped on the soda clutched in your hand. The three girls across the table exchanged a look that you didn’t seem to notice, and Mina gently reached out for your hand.
“How about you just hear Dahyun out, yeah?” They were incredibly stubborn, and it made you want to slap them in the face, but you reminded yourself that their unyielding resolve is what made you love them in the first place, and kept your hand firmly at your side. A sigh escaped your mouth as you finally relinquished your tight grip on the straw, waving them on to continue as you lean back onto the sticky fabric seat.
“Continue.” Dahyun’s eyes lit up in excitement.
“Well, I was talking to Vernon about this guy-”
“I’ve heard enough.” you said, standing up and halfway ready to leave the diner just at the mere mention of Mingyu’s best friend when Chaeyoung pulled you down with a strong tug on your shorts.
“Just hear me out.” Dahyun said petulantly, brushing her hair away from her face and continuing the story. “Vernon told me he has a friend in his grade who’s been painfully single pretty much all his life. He’s decently introverted and polite, very respectful and quiet. For the first time in years, just yesterday he finally agreed to let Vernon set up a blind date for him.” You didn’t like where this was going. You didn’t like where this was going at all, but there was something that made you hear her out, nodding silently and taking the straw back between your lips. Maybe it was that you really wanted to move on, or the boy sounded quite pleasant, or you wanted to give love another chance.
Or maybe you just wanted to spite Mingyu because he was not introverted, polite, or respectful at all.
“He’s newly 24, really smart, and pretty fun when he wants to be. And get this, he’s a cinematography and film production major. Sexy nerd type shit.” Dahyun finished smugly, knowing that you were successfully drawn in by the description of this mystery boy. You had to admit, he sounded like your type. You were always a film enthusiast, not to mention a fan of a strong willed person. Plus, introverts were always a safe bet. They were less likely to cheat on you, unlike a certain extrovert.
The three girls waited in silent anticipation as you pondered the offer, eyes down on the sunny surface of the table and teeth gnawing against the already ruined straw. After making your decision, reluctant and almost certain this would turn out to be a horrible idea as your instincts told you, you looked up into three pairs of expectant and excited eyes.
“Alright,” you caved exasperatedly, and Chaeyoung squealed. “I’ll do it. But I can’t promise any dates after this one.” The trio practically launched themselves over the table in unison to wrap you into a big hug, and you were certain they would squeeze the life out of you if they held on any longer.
“You won’t regret it y/n! I promise.” Dahyun said happily, and you sighed.
You were fairly certain that you were, in fact, going to very much regret it.
𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊
You browsed the aisles upon aisles of condiments in your local mart, searching for your favorite brand of chili paste. You were craving comfort food tonight, and despite Jun doing most of the cooking between the two of you, you thought it was about time that you learned to make mapo tofu. Your mother had taught you many years before, and you wanted to capitalize on your youthful mind before that core memory completely slipped from your brain. You tossed a small bottle of sichuan peppercorns into the basket clutched in your hand, your thoughts wandering as music pumped through your headphones, the volume so loud it threatened to shake your brain inside your skull. You barely had a moment of peace in the grocery store before your headphones were yanked out, the trembling bass replaced by a soothing voice near your ear.
“What’re you buying?” You practically jumped, shivering at the sound of the voice so close to your face, feeling the breath of the voice’s owner on your cheek. You whipped around, ready to slap the shit out of whatever stranger with no concept of personal space had interrupted your peaceful trip to the mart, but let out a breath of relief at the sight of an annoyingly smug, yet familiar brunette.
“Christ Minghao, never do that again.” you snapped at him, turning around to resume grabbing the container of chilies that you had finally found. It was just out of your reach, just a few inches above the tips of your finger. Your tongue peeked out from the corner of your mouth as you struggled to reach for the troublesome square box, but you soon felt a warm hand rest on your shoulder, Minghao’s long arm reaching up to easily snatch the container from the shelf that had seemed so out of reach to you.
“Here you go, m’lady.” he said teasingly, bowing playfully to present the chili paste to you as though one might present a crown to a king. You rolled your eyes, taking the red paste out of his hand and tossing it into your basket without a second glance in his direction. “Aw, don’t ignore me, angel.” You were beginning to feel confused and, more prevalently, annoyed at the sudden use of your favorite pet name.
“What’re you doing here?” you asked, ignoring his whining, and he straightened up, trailing behind you as you made your way to the produce section, searching for scallions among the recesses of the greens section.
“I just dropped by to grab something for dinner.”
“God, just my luck.” you said with a deep exhale as you bent down to grab a properly sized bundle of your desired onions from the stacks of produce. “What are the odds of meeting you here for the same reason?”
“Maybe it was fated.” he said with a shrug, and you whirled to craned your neck to face him with furrowed eyebrows.
“Since when did you start saying weird stuff like that?”
“Since Mingyu punching me in the face wasn’t a possible repercussion of my actions anymore.” he shrugged, and you could feel your cheeks growing a little warm at his strange behavior. Had Minghao always looked at you so mischievously? Had he always watched you with stars in his eyes when you were simply completing mundane, daily tasks? You shook the odd thoughts out of your head, searching for a witty comeback to throw at him to damper his grin, and hopefully cover up your flaming face.
“Me punching you is still a very plausible repercussion, and as you can see, my fists are ready and available.” That seemed to do the trick until he recovered from the snarky remark, flashing a charming smile.
“Not with that basket in your arms.” he said, picking it up out of your hands and holding it in his own, and you noticed how hot his hands were when his skin came in contact briefly with your own. “I can take that off your hands.” You failed to give a response, immersing yourself in finding the right package of ginger to distract yourself. Minghao’s eyes traveled over the ingredients in your basket, and his eyes lit up with excitement when he realized what you would be making later that night. “Are you making mapo tofu for dinner?”
“I am.” you said in response, and he bounced contentedly.
“Excellent. I’ll bring stir fry.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” you said, pushing a hand in his face as you dropped a stem of fresh ginger into the basket clutched in his hands. “I only have the capacity to deal with one hyperactive male idiot today, and that’s my brother. I thought you were making dinner for yourself. ”
“I was going to. But it’s just so sweet of you to invite me over for dinner, how could I refuse?” he simpered pretentiously, and you scowled, letting out an exasperated breath as you gave up on trying to understand him.
“Alright, whatever. Come over if you want.” Minghao smiled in triumph at your response, following along behind you as you made your way to the cashier, pulling out your credit card from your wallet. You turned at the last moment before you approached the little conveyor belt to carry your basket to the register, pushing a finger so close to Minghao’s face it almost pressed against his nose. “That stir fry better have snow peas. And a generous amount of meat.” He grinned coyly, giving you a playful salute as you handed your card to the cashier.
“Yes ma’am.”
𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊
You simply could not believe that after practically a decade since you had met Minghao, he was still capable of convincing you he was a good cook. Tomato and eggs was among about three dishes, all of which were egg focused, that he could cook, and when he tried to cook anything else, it was a disaster waiting to happen. So when he told you he didn’t have time to cook the stir fry at home, you naturally excused it and told him to take a seat.
You shouldn’t have let him convince you to let him help with dinner, but the heaps of groceries in the canvas bag he toted in his hand that he had brought in preparation made you feel bad. So you allowed him a third of the kitchen to make his silly little stir fry, which turned out to be more of a science experiment than anything.
“Minghao, stop.” you said for what had to be the sixteenth time that night, sighing as you took the knife away from his, careful not to cut yourself. “You do not need to cut the carrots that small.”
“They’re a choking hazard.” he argued, and you had to suppress the urge to smack him. What happened to the peaceful Minghao from yesterday? Because you desperately wanted him back. You pressed both of your hands to the small of his back, shoving hard and sending him out of the kitchen with one push.
“Stay out. Go play with Junhui or something.”
“Play? I’m not five.” he said sassily, and laughed under your breath as he stomped away petulantly to go find your brother, likely about to drag him into playing a video game or whatever they did when they were together. It seems that Minghao’s sympathetic ‘post-y/n-breakup period’ had passed quickly, and he had shifted into some kind of mix of flirtiness and consistent pain in the ass. He often would set his hands on your shoulder for just a second too long, or smile charmingly when you asked him a question he didn’t know the answer to, going as far as dropping a pick up line or two when your brother was out of earshot. He sure knew how to use his looks to convince you to do things. A mere few minutes after you had begun to cook peacefully, a voice startled you out of your culinary reverie.
“Y/n!” Jun yelled from the other room, and you rolled your eyes, checking the wok full of bubbling sauce to make sure it wouldn’t burn before abandoning Minghao’s butchered pile of carrot chunks that you had been attempting to repair and making your way to the hallway.
“What?!” you yelled back, head peeking into the hallway where your brother’s voice was coming from, and immediately sticking out your tongue at the sight you were confronted with. “Put a shirt on, you freak!” you yelled at your shirtless brother, who was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, one hand clutching the towel hanging around his waist and the other held out in front of him as he dashed through the hall.
“Y/n! Where’d my freaking purple shirt go? I’ve been looking for it for ten freaking minutes!” he yelled, and you appreciated how much of an effort he was making not to curse, despite sounding a bit silly in the process.
“How would I know?” you screeched in response, not daring to take a step into the hallway lest you see your brother naked and permanently traumatize yourself. He didn’t respond, too immersed in his own panic, and you assumed he had a date or something important happening that got him so worked up. Letting out a breath of exasperation, you entered the hall cautiously, faintly recalling that you had borrowed his lavender button up for a meeting with your friends, and you reluctantly made your way to your bedroom, praying to god that you didn’t incidentally walk past your brother finding clothes, or lack thereof.
You were surprised to see your bedroom door firmly shut, the white door pushed into its frame and a faint voice coming from behind it. You didn’t recall inviting anyone into your room, in fact, there was an explicit sign taped to the front of the white wood that stated “y/n’s room: keep out”. You pressed one of your ears against the door lightly, picking up traces of a conversation coming from a low voice, a conversation that was whispered in hushed tones and seemed very one sided.
“Alright. I said I’d do it.” a voice said exasperatedly, and you recognized it to be Minghao’s low cappuccino voice from behind the door, seemingly annoyed and speaking on the phone. “I’ll meet you tomorrow. Nothing stupid, okay?” He seemed somewhat satisfied with the answer coming from the receiver as he hung up the phone, opening the door and almost smashing into your head. You scrambled backwards, managing to make yourself look busy with something you had snatched from the bookshelf next to you, studying what you later realized was a snow globe.
Minghao, one hand on the doorknob and another holding his phone, looked at you with wide eyes, surprise evident on his face from your sudden appearance. Shock melted into ostentation as he smirked, resting the hand that held his phone against the doorframe as he watched you panic, “Eavesdropping, are we?” You shook your head, looking up at him with an unconvincing indignation.
“Huh? No, what? I wasn’t.” you defended lamely, shaking your head and placing the snow globe back on the bookshelf. “What’re you doing in my room?”
“What, is it illegal to go into my best friend’s room?” he asked, and you crossed your arms, giving him a knowing look.
“You’re Junhui’s best friend, and I’m his little sister. He’d be pissed.” He shrugged, and you took notice of a lollipop he held between his pointer and middle finger, drooping from his hand like a cigarette before he brought the cherry red sucker to his lips and licked a stripe up the side. “Where’d you get the lollipop?” An idea seemed to pass through his mind as he tilted his head to the side, a smile coming across his face that signaled something bad was about to come out of his mouth.
“Your underwear drawer.” That was the last thing he said before you slapped the daylights out of him.
Jun had barely managed, shirtless and covered in water, to stop you from obliterating Minghao any further than you already had as the brunette boy stood, hand pressed to his reddening face, laughing like a madman.
Minghao’s stir fry was never actually completed, the long forgotten carrots abandoned on the cutting board, and you burnt the mapo tofu horribly, considering you had left it in the pan for almost 15 minutes without attending to it. The smell of incinerated tofu seemed to be permanently wafting through the little apartment, all windows open to relieve the home of the scorched smell, to no avail. Dinner, safe to say, was an absolute failure, which only resulted in a red faced Minghao and beyond “caramelized” sauce, but still. He made you laugh all night.
“I don’t think I’ll ever understand your dynamic.” Jun said, chopsticks protruding from the corner of his mouth as he munched on a badly burnt piece of tofu. “You’re always at each other’s throats, yet you seem weirdly… serene isn’t the right word.”
“Maybe it is.” Minghao said, who had calmed himself once his adrenaline died down and he began to feel the actual sting from the abrasion on his face. “I think we’re pretty serene, wouldn’t you say?” Your brother seemed to give him a vaguely confused and suspicious look, but you ignored him, nodding around a mouthful of rice.
“I think I’d say so.” You gulped down your bite. “But I just slapped you in the face, so I don’t know if my word is reliable.” you coughed out, and Jun stood, pushing his chair in and jabbing a finger towards the hallway to signal his need for the bathroom.
“I didn’t mind, you know.” Hao said nonchalantly once Jun was out of view, resting an elbow on the table and cradling his head in his hand. You gave him a skeptical look, but he just stared back at you. It made you wonder, did he always have such eyes? Eyes that held an infinite galaxy behind them? Such inexplicable eyes. “If seeing that smile on your face means you have to slap me daily, I wouldn’t mind.”
“God, I don’t know what’s gotten into you.” your cheeks flamed.
𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊
─
𝐢𝐢𝐢. 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞
𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊
It was either the pale yellow dress, or the white pantsuit. You were honestly having quite a hard time choosing, both seeming like the wrong option.
Today was the day of your blind date, and rather than setting you up properly, Dahyun had chosen to pass your phone number to the menace Vernon himself, who told you the location and time through a drunken text last night at 2 am. Sufficient to say, you were not satisfied with the arrangement.
However, you persisted, keeping your word, which led you here. To an hour-long struggle about which outfit to wear to the date that might be the saving grace needed to revive your love life, or might be a disaster.
“The yellow.” Junhui said, resting against the doorframe with his arms crossed tightly over his chest and his jaw set. He had been less than happy all yesterday once finding out about your sudden plans that interrupted weekly “sibling time” —Vernon planned the date for a very bad day— and you had been putting up with your petulant older brother all morning. He was especially cranky considering the bad outcome of his date three days previous, and the fact that the very boy who stole his new “potential girlfriend” was the one ruining his bonding time. “What’s Vernon Chwe got planned that’s so important it interrupts our time?” You rolled your eyes less than subtly.
“Jun, we have plans every week. One missed day of bonding time isn’t going to ruin our relationship.” He’s right. The yellow dress was the best choice. You picked up the dress as Jun turned around to let you change in privacy.
“Still, Vernon? Honestly.” he huffed, releasing his grip on his arms and letting them drop to his sides. You came out from the closet area, fully clothed, and he turned back around, wagging a warning finger at you. “Don’t stay out too late. And-”
“Don’t stay out late?” you scoffed, hands to your ear and adjusting the new earrings you had bought, two little white daisies with a delicate gold chain that dangled so long it almost touched your shoulder. “What am I, fifteen?”
“-And don’t let Mingyu know.” Jun finished, and your jaw tightened, hands dropping from your ear.
“I got it.” you said tensely. “Don’t worry about Mingyu. I don’t think he cares.”
“If you say so.” Junhui said with a little sigh, backing away from the door. “Have fun. I’m making dinner, if you make it back in time.”
“Alright, I’ll try.” you said, brushing off the dust from the skirt of your dress and running up to your brother quickly, planting a light kiss on his cheek as you snatched your purse from the handle of your door. “See you soon Jun!”
“Have a good time!” he called after you, watching as you slipped on your converse and ran out the door. As soon as the door closed and you were out of sight, his smile dropped, melting into a look of concern. “She’s not telling me something.” He mused, exhaling deeply and trying to shake off his worries as he went to the kitchen. Maybe cutting up some of the peaches from outside would make him feel better.
𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊
You weren’t early. In fact, you were right on time, sitting at a little chestnut colored table in the corner of the cafe, strumming your fingers across the wooden surface with an expectant look on your face. It was 5:30, and the cafe wasn’t rather busy yet, considering that it was far from campus and the students were busy at the nearby, always crowded boba shop. The nice location was one thing you thanked Vernon for, you supposed. You glanced down at the watch on your wrist. It was Jun's, and your brother had insisted you bring it with you in case your phone died, which was unlikely, but you appreciated the thought. The face now read 5:45, and you let out a little sigh.
No, it wasn’t that you were early. It was that your date was late.
“My apologies for the tardiness.” a voice said from behind you, and you let out a shaky exhale at the sudden startle. The voice sounded oddly familiar, but by the time you turned to see who it was, they were gone, a rustling sound now coming from across you. The sight you were met with when you turned around was hardly something you could have expected, in fact, it was likely the last person you thought you would see.
“Minghao?” you asked in utter disbelief, and the boy only smiled, leaning his head on his upturned palm, elbow resting on the table.
“Hello, y/n.”
“You don’t seem surprised to see me.”
“I could recognize you anywhere, even if it’s just the back of your head.” he smiled, and you rolled your eyes, a smile creeping onto your face despite your annoyance. “Vernon’s a pretty bad planner, isn’t he?”
“I thought he knew we knew each other.” you said with a small chuckle. “If I knew Vernon was setting me up with you, I never would’ve come.” A pout came across the older boy’s face as he leaned back in his seat.
“Oh, y/n. That wounds me.” he feigned insult, pressing his hand over his heart dramatically, and you clicked your tongue.
“Like you wouldn’t have skipped out yourself if you knew.” you scoffed, and he shook his head seriously, the beginning of a smirk creeping onto his lips.
“I still would’ve come.” Your cheeks warmed up slightly at his nonchalant comment. Lately, it felt like you were blushing around him a lot more than usual.
“Right.” you brushed off his comment and cleared his throat, hoping he assumed you were unaffected and didn’t notice the flustered look on your face. “You think Vernon knows I’m Jun’s sister?”
“Likely not. Vernon’s a little innocent at times, some say clueless.” Minghao sat up straight as the waiter dropped by, placing two coffees on the table and a pastry.
“Odd. I didn’t order anything.” Minghao picked at the pastry, inspecting the filling and sighing disappointedly when he discovered it was apple.
“Maybe fate knew we needed some coffee to get us through the day,” he joked. You nodded in agreement, picking up your cup of much-needed caffeine in a toast before bringing it to your lips and taking a long sip of the rejuvenating liquid. Minghao did the same, eyes drifting to the front counter of the cafe and laughing under his breath at something he saw. While he seemed distracted, you took the chance to silently address him properly, shamelessly looking him up and down.
He dressed up. Minghao was never one to be caught wearing anything less than fabulous, but he seemed to have dressed to impress more than usual, wearing a pair of khaki pants, a long sleeve white blouse, a large light brown coat, a beret and– were those suspenders? You had never seen him looking so refined and, well, beautiful. But all you could think of was how the poor boy must be sweltering under all the layers.
“I didn’t think I looked that good.” he said, and you brought your eyes back up to his face only to see a shit-eating grin across his lips. “But judging by your expression I assume I made the right choice on what to wear.” You covered your mouth, hoping your horror at being caught wasn’t conveyed obviously on your face, but judging by how his smile only widened, your cheeks were probably flaming.
“Don’t be so full of yourself.” you countered lamely.
“Don’t worry, angel. You’re the most stunning one here today.” Great. You think your face just got even warmer. You only chuckled awkwardly in response.
“What’s got you so flirty lately?” you asked, laughing nervously.
“Your lack of a boyfriend, I suppose.” he said, resting his chin on his fist. Was this how it was supposed to be, then? Was Minghao always going to be this way, and Mingyu was just in the way? Maybe it didn’t seem like a big deal, but it made your head hurt just thinking about it, so you decided not to.
“Right.” you said quietly, and Minghao seemed to notice your change in attitude, quickly composing himself and shifting away from his previous playful demeanor. A few moments of silence passed between the two of you as you picked uselessly at the uneaten pastry in the middle of the table, your coffee growing cold.
“You wanna know something?” he asked, finally breaking the silence, and you looked up to meet his eyes. “I think Vernon is shit at planning a date.” This finally elicited a giggle from you, and Minghao stood, pushing in his chair and nodding his head for you to follow him. “You wanna get out of here?”
“You read my mind.” you laughed, grabbing your purse hanging from the back of the chair and pulling it onto your shoulder. Minghao offered his hand, and you hesitated to take it, hands waiting nervously at your sides. “Is the coffee paid for?” You saw Minghao look over to the counter, and you swore you could’ve seen him send a wink to a particularly familiar cafe worker before he turned back to you.
“Doesn’t matter. They can’t catch us if we run.”
“Xu Minghao, you are a bad influence.” you suppressed a smile, finally taking his hand and allowing him to lead you out of the cafe as he beamed.
Neither of you had a particular place in mind to go. Minghao lived over thirty minutes by car away from the inconveniently placed cafe, a two hour commute on foot, and it made no sense to walk there only to grab his car and drive to another location. Your car was unfortunately being fixed by a friend of yours, Seungcheol, who had promised it would be done multiple days ago, but it unfortunately turned out to be an empty promise. So, the two of you merely walked around town together, Minghao’s hands in his pockets and yours strangely itching to hold his.
“So, your love life has been boring I’m going to assume.” he said, pulling off his topmost layer, the burdensome coat, and unbuttoning the top of his shirt, letting out a breath of relief once he felt the wind on his exposed neck.
“That’s a silly question.” you laughed scornfully under your breath. “You know it has been. Especially since the breakup.” He nodded, avoiding your gaze. “What about you, Hao? I would’ve thought you’d be good with the ladies. I have an excuse for wanting to go on a blind date, but you don’t.” He clicked his tongue, looking at his shoes as the two of you wandered to nowhere in particular. Minghao seemed to ponder this statement for quite a while, no response coming from him as he thought, staring out at the sun and the way it was beginning to set in the sky, sending streaks of pinks and orange through the previously blue horizon.
“I’ve had someone in my heart for a while. I thought going on a date might help me get over her.” At his words, you looked up with surprise evident on your face, which quickly transformed into pure delight.
“Oo, Minghao’s in love?” you asked teasingly, and he further avoided meeting your eyes, kicking at a pebble lying on the pavement. “Oh, come on, Hao. You have to tell me who it is.” When he finally made eye contact, you noticed the bittersweet look in his eyes, how he watched you with disdain, before biting his lip and looking away again, distracting himself with another pebble found on the floor.
“You don’t want to know.” he said, and you knew to leave it alone, which you did.
The silence held a tension that had never been present between you and him. You and Minghao always had somewhat of a comfortable aura when you were together, whether you were bantering, cooking, studying, or trading secrets on the couch at 2 am while Junhui was still asleep. But today, something was different.
Something felt strange as the sun set in the sky, and with every inch that the star dipped down below the horizon, the urge to hold his hand only grew stronger, but you attempted to banish the thought from your head. You gulped, hoping it might satiate the burning feeling in your stomach, but it did nothing.
A few seconds that felt like an eternity passed before you finally mustered up the courage to hold out your hand, which he looked at dully, not seeming to quite understand what you were asking for.
“What?”
“Hold my hand.” It sounded like a demand rather than a question, and he widened his eyes, taken aback by the sudden offer. Neither of you quite realized that you both had stopped walking, your hand unwavering and hovering between the two of you, Minghao’s still firmly tucked into his pockets. “Hao. Hold my hand.” After a moment, realization creeped across his face, and he chuckled, placing his hand in yours and intertwining your fingers. His skin was soft, just the faintest bit of sweat across his palm, and you could smell the sweet fragrance of his hand lotion.
“Thanks, angel. I needed that.” You suppressed a smile at the pet name. He seemed to have developed a fondness for it, and you couldn’t help but find it a little cute.
After a moment of thinking, you shook your head, attempting to rid yourself of these sudden thoughts. This was Minghao. The idiot who forgot to pick up a licenseless 17 year old Jun from kung fu practice and left the boy to cry by himself in front of a 7/11. The boy who stayed up watching movies with you until three in the morning when you got rejected by Yoon Jeonghan in front of the entire school, the boy who drove halfway across town to get you takeout from your favorite restaurant while you had nasty cramps, the boy who took you out to prom when you were stood up, the boy that taught you wushu after a girl at school beat you in a fistfight, and helped kick her and her boyfriend’s ass when they wanted a rematch. The boy that was always there for you and – shit, now you’re blushing again.
“You ok?” he asked, leaning down to get a better look at your face. “Your hand is warm. Are you sick?” He smiled wolfishly. “Or is that just my effect on you?”
“You never stop.” you scoffed under your breath, and he laughed in response, squeezing your hand comfortingly. “Confidence is attractive, but there’s a thin line between that and arrogance, you know.”
“You love it.” he said, facing the sky.
“Yeah. Maybe I do.” you snapped back, and he coughed on his own saliva, which elicited a giggle, making him whirl to face you with an embarrassed look on his face. “What? Are you the only one allowed to drop snarky one-liners?”
“Wen y/n, when I get my hands on you-”
“You already have them on me.” you said back, and he stuttered, attempting to formulate a witty response. You took advantage of his silence, changing the topic as something large and sparkling entered your peripheral vision. “Oh look, a diner!” you exclaimed excitedly, letting go of his hand to run up the driveway of a cute restaurant, decorated like it just came out of the fifties. When Minghao didn’t follow, you turned back to beckon him forward with a wide smile on your face. “Come on!”
“Coming, coming.” he said with a sigh, tucking his lonely hand back into his pocket and trudging up the concrete driveway.
He really didn’t want you to let go of his hand yet.
𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊
─
𝐢𝐯. 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐬, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞
𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊
The sun had fallen far past the horizon by the time you were seated in the cushy crimson leather booth, and it made you wonder how time could fly by so fast. It seemed as though a mere hour before it was only 5:3o.
“Hello.” a sweet looking young man said, approaching your table with a pad of paper in his hand and a pink apron tied around his waist, straws and plastic forks tucked into the gaping pockets. With his free hand, he set down two opaque plastic glasses on the table, filled to the brim with ice cold water and a red straw dangling from the side. “My name is Wonwoo, and I’ll be your server for today.” You both gave him a nod of acknowledgement and he flashed a smile that seemed sent straight from the heavens, pearly whites all displayed in a row. “What can I get for you guys tonight?” You could’ve sworn that Minghao had scooted closer from his position when you first sat down, his thigh lightly pressing against yours, your exposed skin hitting the soft fabric of his tan pants, and you inched away to put some space between you, hoping he wasn’t close enough to hear your erratic heartbeat.
“You want food?” Minghao turned and asked nonchalantly, and you nodded, already feeling your stomach rumbling in protest of your lack of lunch. He turned back to the server, clearing his throat as his eyes scanned the menu. “One American style cheeseburger, and one chicken sandwich, with light sauce and no onions, please.” You grinned subtly at the fact that he remembered your food preferences.
“No problem.” Wonwoo muttered under his breath, hastily writing down your order, the pen cap perched between his teeth as he scrawled. He removed the cap from his lips, twirling it between his fingers as he looked up again, eyes searching between the two of you. “Any drinks with that? Something for the lady?” Minghao didn’t miss the way the older boy’s eyes scanned you, subtly attempting to look you up and down with his peripherals and grinning when your eyes met his. You were surprised at the sweet looking smile the angelic boy sent you when you looked up, and you smiled back in response. Minghao, on the other hand, scowled insecurely and draped his arm across the back of the seats, his sleeve rolled up and the bare, hot skin of his lower arms mere centimeters away from the back of your neck.
“You want a drink?” he asked, leaning in, and your face flushed, nodding as you attempted to hide behind your menu. “Sure, we’ll take a strawberry milkshake.” Minghao held up two fingers as he challenged the waiter with his eyes alone. “Two straws, please.” Wonwoo coughed awkwardly, making sure to note it down on his paper.
“Of course,” he said politely. “Will that be all?” When Minghao nodded in confirmation, he gathered the menus in one sweep before turning and walking away stiffly. Minghao laughed under his breath, and you rolled your eyes.
“Was that really necessary?”
“Of course it was.” Now that the tension had dissipated and the server was far away from your table, you expected him to move away, but he simply moved his arm a bit closer, using his free hand to tuck a strand of flyaway hair behind your ear.
He was close, much too close. He was close enough that you could detect the subtle scent of his sweet cologne, feel the silkiness of his blouse on your arm and see every detail in his bright, brown eyes. A few strands of his hazelnut hair dangled in front of his eyes, and you resisted the urge to brush them away. Before you could act on the feeling, he reached up to push his hair away himself, and you cleared your throat to ease the scratchy feeling in your esophagus.
You couldn’t tear your eyes off of him. You couldn’t recall a time you had felt like this before, nervous and sweating, yet so content to simply sit and watch as he brushed a spot of dust off of his clean blouse. A warm feeling crept into your stomach, and you weren’t sure where it was coming from, but you desperately wanted it to go away.
“Something the matter?” Minghao said with concern, seeming to have noticed the way your brows had furrowed and your lower lip was tugged between your teeth.
“Nothing at all.” you dismissed, and he nodded skeptically in response.
“I’m sorry.” he said suddenly, the abrupt apology surprising you. “I know this probably wasn’t the date you were imagining. After your breakup, I’m sure the last thing you needed was to be matched up with me…” he trailed off, avoiding your gaze as he looked out the window, chin resting on his hand.
“No, that’s not it at all.” a quiet sigh escaped your lips, and he turned back to you with glassy and unblinking eyes. “I had a nice time today. If anything, I’m glad it was you.” His eyes widened at that, smile lines appearing slightly in his cheeks as his lips spread in excitement.
“You mean that?”
“Of course. You’re my best friend, after all.” He chuckled in response, pushing a strand of flyaway hair behind his ear.
“Of course.” That same silence washed over you again, its hands gripping tightly around your throat and choking out all the words you wanted to say.
The sun was already low in the sky, the streaks of pink and orange that had painted the horizon melting into a soothing navy blue, stars freckling across the heavens like flickers of white paint. It was a cool night, the soft breeze filtering through the leaves of the trees, sending petals of the newly blooming cherry blossoms down the street.
It was a nice night. Too nice to be spent in silence.
Just as you were about to break the tension by speaking, a presence burst through the front door of the diner, tired, disheveled, and clearly upset.
“Xu Minghao!” he yelled, disturbing the customers, and you couldn’t tell if it was sadness or anger that was laced in his voice. He stomped over to your table, putting a large hand down on the marble counter with a frown, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. “You didn’t pay for that croissant, you asshole.”
“You gave me apple.” Minghao said, tucking the straw of his water in between his lips and taking a small sip with satisfaction. “I don’t pay for things I didn’t order.” Vernon stumbled over his words, blowing out a frustrated breath as he settled on no response. You took note of his uniform, an extremely familiar tan apron around his waist, a black, chalkboard name tag dangling from the right strap that clearly read “Jihoon”, which was certainly not his name. It suddenly dawned on you where you had seen it before, and you pointed an accusatory finger at him.
“You were working at the cafe!” you said, mouth gaping as Vernon only gave you a sheepish grin in return to your exclamation. You turned to your brunette companion who was sipping on water, an amused smile dancing across his face. “Was this your doing? I knew I saw you smile towards the front earlier!”
“I didn’t do anything, angel.” Minghao said, raising his hands in supposed innocence. “Ask the little doorway creep why he was following us, not me.” Vernon pointed to himself, wondering if he was the alleged ‘doorway creep’ your date had mentioned, and you put up a defensive hand in front of him out of pity for the poor, thoroughly disoriented boy.
“Hey, at least he tried. You have to give him props for finally getting you to go on a date. You’re gathering dust at this point.” you fired back, and Minghao smiled in acknowledgement and surrender, seemingly giving up on the banter. Vernon watched the two of you go back and forth suspiciously, a hand rubbing at his chin thoughtfully as he listened to your exchange.
“You seem like you know each other.” he said slowly, and Minghao sighed.
“Vernon,” he said, cupping your chin with one of his hands, which you found to be very soft and warm, and smelling significantly of strawberries. “Meet Wen Y/n. Junhui’s sister.” Realization creeped onto Vernon’s face as his eyes widened, confusion evident in the young boy’s expression.
“Oh shit. You’re Mingyu’s ex.” he cursed, and you tensed up at the mention of your previous boyfriend. “Dahyun didn’t tell me you were that y/n.”
“How many y/ns could there possibly be in our school?” you scoffed, and your brunette companion laughed under his breath, covering it up with a cough. It really wasn’t Vernon’s fault he could be painfully oblivious at times, both of you knew that.
“A few, I guess.” he shrugged, tucking the apron under his arm. “Sorry about that. You must know each other pretty well then, if you really are Junhui’s sister.”
“I’ve known this nerdy brat since she played with trucks and her baby teeth were still growing in. Voluntarily or not, I know everything there is to know about her.” You slapped him on the arm, and he winced with a little frown on his plump lips. “What? Am I wrong?”
“Yeah, well you were still in your Power Rangers phase when I met you. I wasn’t the only nerd.” you bit back, and his eyes widened in betrayal.
“Hey, that information was told to you in confidence!”
“It’s not my fault you were 11 and still liked men and women who danced around in rainbow suits fighting evil.” Despite your bickering, you both looked rather amused with the conversation, fully immersed in finding the perfect diss for your inner 6th grade selves as Vernon watched you with a subtle little smile.
“Yellow is the best of the rangers, easily. She was such a badass.”
“You’re full of shit.” Minghao huffed, arms crossed as he contemplated your suggestion, firmly disagreeing. “Green is the obviously coolest one. Did you see his suit? He has a whole golden breastplate.”
“That’s not a breastplate, Minghao.”
“What’s it called then, genius?”
“Sorry, I’m not exactly a connoisseur of technical terms when it comes to power ranger suits. But if you find one of those, let me know.”
“You guys are a cute couple.” Both of you halted your argument immediately to turn to the younger boy with vehement shock and embarrassment obvious on your faces, which were growing redder by the minute.
“What did you say?” Minghao scoffed, a nervous type of scoff that revealed how caught off guard he was by his trembling voice and hot face, which was progressively getting warmer. You looked equally flustered, frozen in your spot and rooted to the seat of the sleek leather like it was the only thing keeping you grounded. Vernon, however, seemed to see nothing out of the blue with his statement.
“You guys are a cute couple-” he repeated densely, and Hao waved him off.
“Yeah, I heard what you said.”
“Then why’d you ask me to repeat it?” Vernon questioned with furrowed eyebrows, and you both ignored him, coughing and readjusting in your seats.
“Go home, Vernon. I’ll comp you the money later.” The younger of the two boys seemed awfully confused by his sudden dismissal, but he obeyed and left the diner with a promise of being returned his lost money. However, even after his exit, the tension between the two of you remained.
You had never thought of being anything more than friends with Minghao. Sure, he was beautiful and arguably understood you better than anyone else, but he was also your brother’s best friend, and classmate of your boyfriend at the time.
He was always off limits, whether being guarded by Junhui, Mingyu, or simply your own conscience telling you that he wasn’t right for you, that it could only end up poorly and possibly destroy the fragile and wonderful relationship that you had spent over a decade building. It wasn’t worth it, you always told yourself, and you never thought you could imagine him as anything more than plain old Minghao.
But Vernon Chwe calling you a cute couple suddenly filled your mind with ideas. Bad ones that could lead to dangerous feelings and even more dangerous consequences.
𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊
53 notes
·
View notes