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hannie-dul-set · 4 months

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six quick and easy hacks to 🆙 the quality of your fanfiction!

as promised, here it is! i’m not here to tell you how to plot out your story, or how to write your characters’ personalities. the tips i’m sharing are more on formatting and structure, secret (not really) cheat codes to instantaneously make your already written work even better!

my qualifications? being a tumblr hag for over five years (my even more embarrassing pre k-pop writeblr included!) so i’ve unlocked quite a bit of secrets and discovered some eurekas throughout my time here HAHAHAH. anyway, let’s start!

#1 VARIETY IN PARAGRAPH LENGTHS, SENTENCE LENGTHS, AND SENTENCE STARTERS.

nothing turns me off more than seeing paragraph blocks after paragraph blocks when looking for some new fics to read, especially when you’re reading from a cramped up device such as your phone.

when i write a lengthy paragraph, i try to follow it up with a one-liner, or a mid-sized one. but it’s something i consciously keep track of— when i noticed that, “oh, this gdoc is getting a little too wordy, a little too chunky,” i make sure that my next paragraph is significantly shorter than the current one because it keeps the entire page interesting. one to two sentences of lines of paragraphs after another and another doesn’t look pretty. chunks of paragraphs after paragraphs is boring.

make your pages visually dynamic by ensuring variety.

like this, for example.

→ fic: home for the bitchless.

seeing a large chunk of text and a singular line immediately after also sort of forces your reader to stick around and read an otherwise intimidating lengthy paragraph because— oh! what could have possibly led to that singular like of dialogue or thought! #subtlemanipulation you get me? 😔🤙

this rule of mine applies to sentences and phrases within the paragraph as well!

→ fic: love vomit.

and as a bonus, you can use paragraph breaks and cuts to your advantage! manipulating the way a sentence or paragraph ends in a certain way makes your works more rhythmic! and, when you play it around the right way, abrupt cuts and breaks also add the right mood and drama to your work!

→ drabble: the boy who cried wolf.

part three of tip number one (one…we’re still at number one…) is on sentence and paragraph starters. i keep it as a rule of thumb that if i start a paragraph with “you,” or with someones name, i don’t use it again in the next one to avoid monotony. it’s a very miniscule thing really, and i doubt that people notice this HAHAHA but this is something i religiously swear by because repetitions like this are visually boring.

→ wip: sunwater.

of course, this can’t be avoided all the time, and repeating the sentence starter “You” or any other pronoun, word, or phrase can be intentionally utilized to strongly drive a point. just don’t overdo it!

→ drabble: patience, patience.

→ blurb: monsters don’t hide under the bed.

→ fic: the psychology of strawberries.

there are other good and strategic uses for repetitions as well! we’ll get to that later.

lastly, variety in sentence and paragraph starters doesn’t simply mean changing up the first word. things can still get really boring even if you use “you” or a character’s name interchangeably if your sentence structure remains the same.

this, for example, is monotonous.

the structure (and length) of all three sentences are the same. A does this. B does this. A does this. and even if you switch things up but still use the same sentence structure, it still falls flat. case in point, below, a structure i often see in a lot of fics i stumble across.

those are flat. those are boring. they don’t…you know…make you feel something, even when you follow the rule of not using the same starter twice. let me try improving it by adding more variety in the sentences (+ adding a tip that i’ll be discussing right after!)

the word “He” here is used twice to create a rhythm and draw emphasis, but the rest of the excerpt maintains a sense of variety to make the narrative more interesting and compelling to read.

#2 PICK A POV AND STICK WITH IT.

before i start a scene, a drabble, or blurb, the first question i ask myself is, “whose point of view do i want it to be in?”

one, it’s a lot neater, more organized, than omniscient point of views in my opinion (unless you’re like a super fucking skilled writer of course HAHAHHA). two, it allows for a bit of mystery, suspense, and engagement because you don’t have access to what other people are thinking about, and three— in line with the first tip— when you know whose brain you’re in when writing, it allows for more dynamic narrations, gives you an excuse to be messy because our internal thoughts are messy as well, and makes the writing a hell of a lot easier when you’re focused on monologuing one person alone!

when writing shorter fics, drabbles, or blurbs, i swear by this rule, no excuses HAHAHAH but when writing longer fics, sometimes i switch around the point of views per scene, just to make a more well rounded story.

sometimes, the point of view doesn’t even have to be any of the main character’s! writing from an external POV is also really fun and adds another layer of interest. see example below, a Jeonghan breakup fic written exclusively from the perspective of the outsiders. very fun idea!

breakup scene written in Seungcheol’s POV.

another squabble written in Seungkwan’s POV.

→ wip: the breakup soup.

#3 REPETITIONS AND THEMES = COHESIVENESS.

this section contains tricks on how to wrap up your fics into one cohesive little present with a pretty ribbon on top!

first is the use of repetition. use a cool funky line at the beginning of your story, and reuse/rehash/revise it at the end for a neat finish, especially when you have trouble figuring out a way to end your story (lifesaving hack! trust me!)

i use this mostly in my shorter works—

→ drabble: you’re my bucket list.

→ blurb: louder.

—but it works just as well with longer fics, especially when the repetition is all throughout, and not just at the start and finish.

→ fic: mogi.

sometimes, it doesn’t even have to be a repeated phrase or line! it can be a little gimmick and it’d still work to make your fic cohesive! for example, in the fic below, i use the giving of strawberry candy/strawberry kisses to tie all the different scenes together because this was initially a set of separate drabble ideas wrapped into one long fic.

→ fic: the psychology of strawberries.

and for this one (another ricky fic….yes…..) i use the whole cat metaphor to do the same.

→ drabble: yours to keep.

the next tip to make your work cohesive is to grab a singular theme, object, whatever, and take advantage of it for your narration HAHAHAHHA this can be better explained by looking at the examples below.

theme: citrus.

→ drabble: citrus in the morning.

theme: storm.

→ blurb: blizzard.

the above examples are my shorter works, but it can work for longer fics as well! just check out this 36k word monster HAHAHAHHA.

theme: seasons.

→ fic: love vomit.

these are very simple ways to make your fic more put together! even if it’s just a simply blurb about a confession, adding a theme to aid the imagery bumps your fic quality to a +++++

#4 THROW AWAY THE Y/N’S!

now this one is quite honestly just a personal nitpick HAHAHHAHA but seeing the word Y/N when i’m reading something really pulls me out of my immersion. (and i only stopped using Y/N’s in my fics at the start of my 2023 comeback….so if you see my older works still using it…hahahha please don’t prosecute me).

anyway, you can do this either by embedding it in the narration—

→ fic: star studded baggage.

—or by using nicknames and titles instead!

→ wip: the breakup soup.

→ fic: can’t handle this.

#5 GET INTO THE (UN)NECESSARY SPECIFICS.

instead of just saying “Your professor called you,” grab a random last name and say “Prof Yoon asked to see you in his office.” instead of saying you went to the cafe, the mall, the store, grab an actual place or make one up because no one in the world says “they’re going to the cafe to grab a frappe,” (unless the store’s name is actually The Cafe). people say they’re going to Dunkin Donuts or Coffeebreak or wherever.

sure it’s not plot relevant, sure it’s not integral, but little things like this make your narrative and dialogue a lot more realistic and less awkward. it makes it seem like your characters are actually living inside a world of their own.

#6 GRAMMAR AND FORMATTING.

these are given HAHA but when i talk about grammar, i mean making sure that the commas and periods are consistently inside the quotation marks when writing dialogue. i mean minimizing the use of italics because overusing it can ruin the reading experience of a good piece (i was guilty of this too!) and i mean making sure that the use of tenses are consistent all throughout (unless if it’s a creative and plot choice), because all these things really matter if you want your fic, drabble, or blurb to be of overall high quality.

and that’s basically it! hope these tips help somehow...hope i’m not revealing my secrets for naught and someone can actually put them to good use HHAHAHHA what’s most important obviously is that you’re having fun with what you’re writing…etc. etc. insert inspirational you can do it speech here.

anyway, happy new year! and happy reading and writing<33

#writing hacks ft. my self promos HAHAHAHHAHA #tomorrow x together x reader #enhypen x reader #nct x reader #seventeeen x reader #zerobaseone x reader #riize x reader

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princessleechan · 2 months

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“Choi Seungcheol must die” Chapter 36

Masterlist

📌chapter tags: SMAU, inspired by “John tucker must die”, John tucker!seungcheol, college au, revenge fic, girls speaking out, mother Irene here to open some eyes to change some lives, must die team have a talk, giving each other space, some closure

taglist: @silvsie @christinewithluv @stayinhellevator @aiforyuu @2youngsworld @justcruisingalonguntilbamkpop @asyre @simpxxstan @anzellll @hipsdofangirl @plskillme22 @lirtha97 @lixiel0ver @notevenheretbh1 @leah-rose03 @woozarts @expensive-idiot @doveblackboat @the-boy-meets-evil @tamakis-bbyy @freshdetectivenight @mrsdacherry @smilechannie @alltheshineofthestars-blog @ocyeanicc @horanghaezone @wonuqrtz @leewonkyeom @horangboosadan @kkooongie @myghobi @wonunuwoo @wonwootakemyheart @shuasunshine @dinonuguaegi @ckline35 @miriamxsworld @itsokaytobedumb00 @seokgyuu @nishloves @bmkgemz @conwunder @kawaiimusiccollection @humankimbap @ashes23 @writingbarnes @strawberryya

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animeniacss · 4 months

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So Close Yet So Far - Mingyu x Reader - Chapter 9 - Special Visitors

Synopsis: Your college friend, Kim Mingyu, has had a grip on your heart since the first day you met. Over the past few years, as you acquired more friendships and memories, those feelings only grew. However, recently, Mingyu has seemed a bit more distant, at least when it comes to any ideas of romance. It only gets worse when rumors fly that he's off to Japan to receive a marriage proposal! Unsure what to do, you wonder how you can keep Mingyu by your side without jeopardizing your friendship or your growing feelings. You never expected that waking up one drunken morning next to two hot angels would be your ticket into Mingyu's heart.

Genre: Romance, College!AU, Modern Fantasy, Comedy, Angsty

Length: approx. 6.9k words

Chapter 9 - Special Visitors

Mingyu and Joshua stood in silence for what felt like an eternity. Joshua was used to eternity. As he stared at Mingyu, he watched his features change. He was shocked; eyes wide at the seemingly calm individual shouting something so out of nowhere. He was confused; eyebrows narrowing as he tried to infer exactly what Joshua meant. It took a second, but he was soon angry; eyes narrow as he looked at Joshua once more. “I’m sorry…what?”

“You need to leave her alone.”

“Joshua.” Jeonghan tried one more time, but it was like he suddenly turned invisible.

“And who are you to tell me that?” Mingyu asked. He stepped closer to Joshua, who said nothing as he continued to stare right at him. “If anything, I’d like to know what happened so I can fix it. Weren’t you the one who was so eager to help me just the other day?”

“That was then and this is now. You’re the one who lied to her and made her upset. You seem to have been selfish the entire time and she’s the one suffering. And she won’t even tell you why because she knows it’ll cause you to feel guilty.” Mingyu hesitated a bit, his angered expression not once faltering. When he saw Joshua’s hand rub his shoulder, jaw clenching a bit as he continued to stand tall in front of him, Mingyu shook his head.

“Joshua,” Jeonghan repeated, but Joshua wasn’t done.

“She clearly doesn’t matter to you, since you have no problem swooning many girls across Asia so they drop everything and follow you home. What did you even give to Mina that had her run after you when you left?”

“What are you even talking about?” Mingyu asked.

“You know,” Joshua said simply. “And now Jeonghan and I are here trying to pick up the pieces and make her feel better because you have been seemingly nothing but secretive.” He scoffed. “I don’t know what she sees in you.”

“I can kick your ass, you know that?” Mingyu asked.

“Tch. You won’t. Not only because you don’t mean that, but she’ll never forgive you.” Mingyu’s eyes darted away for a second at the sassy remark, and Joshua shook his head.

However, Joshua only had one second to feel a new wave of confidence, because Mingyu blurted back with: “What? Do you love her or something?!” Joshua’s breath caught in his throat, and piercing pain shot from between his shoulder blades. It bolted down his shoulders and to the tips of each finger, before going back again. Over and over, the ping-pong sensation of this lightning bolt moved, trapped in his body and trying to get out. Joshua’s grip on his shoulder tightened before finally loosened. He dropped to his knees, taking a second for his entire body to let out a shaky gasp. “Woah. Shit.” Mingyu gasped, stepping back. “What the…?”

“Joshua.” Jeonghan hurried to his side, kneeling. Joshua looked over, using his free hand to rub ever-growing sweat off his brow. Jeonghan leaned close. “Stop it. You’re going to make a big mistake.” He quickly muttered a bitter yet terrified hiss between his teeth. Joshua nodded, shaking his head to bring himself back to reality. Slowly, he could feel his body calming down, the convulsing pains slowly dulling before disappearing to a numb pounding between his shoulder blades.

When he looked up, he saw a hand sticking in his direction. He followed the arm until it reached Mingyu’s face. His expression was neutral, no longer angry or ready to start a fight. Reluctantly, Joshua took his hand and stood to his feet. “Whew.”

“Are you okay?” Mingyu asked, clear confusion still written on his face like an open book.

“Yeah.” Joshua gasped out, nodding his head. He had no energy to continue being jealous of Mingyu. The idea of that feeling alone made his back throb in pain. He immediately felt Jeonghan take his arm.

“Let’s go.” He said. Joshua could not even argue, rubbing his shoulder as Jeonghan led him away from the swarming eyes of the crowd. Mingyu watched the duo disappear out of the view of the public eye, and for a second, Mingyu was tempted to follow to make sure Joshua was ok. Feelings aside, the pain on Joshua’s face felt thick, contagious even. Any who got close could catch that pain for themselves, taking some of it from his burdened shoulders. It made Mingyu shudder. Just then, he heard a voice behind him, pulling him from his thoughts. When he looked over, he saw you and Hoshi exiting the library. It took a second for both of your eyes to meet, Hoshi not taking long to see the both of you lock eyes as well. He put a hand on your shoulder, smiling sweetly at you in what seemed to read as reassurance. You looked back at Mingyu, waving your hand in his direction. Mingyu raised his hand as well. God, did he want to say something to you? He wanted to talk and walk with you on the way to class like you usually did. However, even from a distance, he could see hurt in your eyes, and he bit his tongue as he simply made his way to class, quietly holding back all of the things he so desperately wanted to say to you right then and there.

🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶So Close Yet So Far🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶

Jeonghan waited mere seconds for the duo to be alone to turn to Joshua, who still seemed a bit disoriented, before shouting: “Are you kidding?!”

“Huh?” Joshua asked, looking at his friend.

“You almost got in a fight with Mingyu. Why?”

“He upset her.”

“Don’t make excuses. You’re jealous.”

Joshua’s eyes went wide at the accusation. “Jealous? Are you out of your mind!?”

“Me? Aaaah, Joshua. Are you stupid? If you do this-.”

“I’m not doing anything,” Joshua said. “He needs to know that she’s upset for hiding secrets from her!”

“Yeah, and you acting like a jealous boyfriend is not the way to do it! You didn’t even ask me before you started talking to him!”

“I was able to handle it.”

Jeonghan snorted, shoving Joshua back by his right shoulder. Joshua flinched at the pain. “Yeah. Right.”

As you were heading down the path, you wondered where Joshua and Jeonghan were so close to your next class. It was surprising not seeing them by the library after class ended, ready to chat you up with their new ideas on how to fix your relationship with Mingyu and get Mina out of the way once and for all. The more you thought about it, the less it felt possible. You didn’t know how talking to Mingyu would feel going forward knowing that he held such a big secret from you, with no intention of you ever finding out. Without Joshua and Jeonghan checking on things in ways only they could, would you have figured it out?

“You’re getting angry over nothing! It’s fine.”

The sound of an angry, yet familiar voice, stopped you in your tracks and turned your attention towards its source. The trees surrounding the nearby picnic area that few students occupied were thick, but you saw what looked to be two figures at the top of the hill, close in proximity to one another as they talked. You stepped closer, and the yelling got louder:

“You almost flew into a jealous rage over the guy we’re trying to get someone set up with.” Jeonghan clapped his hands ferociously to the beat of his rant. “Not only that, if your body didn’t reject all that negative emotion, you probably would have punched him.”

“No, I-.” Joshua stopped himself, tongue pressing the inside of his cheek in annoyance.

Being correct was not something that felt rewarding at this moment, and Jeonghan groaned. “Envy is a sin, idiot,” Jeonghan said.

“I know that,” Joshua said. “Stop lecturing me. You’re not Seungcheol.”

“Yeah, you’re lucky I’m not!” He said. “If he finds out…”

“Don’t threaten me, Jeonghan.” Joshua crossed his arms. As you got closer, your shoulders slumped as you finally recognized the duo fully. I wonder what made them decide to get into one of their silly arguments here? You thought, especially when you saw that nobody else was around to witness the fight. As you hurried closer, it seemed the duo didn’t even notice as they continued shouting at one another.

“Guys?” you called. No response. “Hey.” You stuck your hands in between the duo, much as you always did. “Hey.” You said once more time.

“You’re going to ruin everything!”

“I am not!”

“What are you going to ruin?” You asked, hoping that if you inserted yourself in the conversation, it would snap their attention back to you. It did.

“STAY OUT OF THIS!”

The silence you so desperately wanted hit the three of you like a truck, and your hands dropped to your sides. Joshua and Jeonghan looked at you for a moment, then at one another. You nodded your head, before fixing the backpack strap that was digging into your shoulder from how hard you were gripping it.

“I’m sorry.” You muttered, before turning around and heading back down the path you came from.

“Wait,” Jeonghan called, but it fell on deaf ears, your walk picking up into a brisk jog as you hurried straight into the building of your next class. “Oh, no.” He looked at Joshua, who stared in the direction you hurried off to with an absolutely stunned expression.

“Oh, okay this really isn’t good, huh?” he muttered to himself, hand running through his hair as he tried pacing, hoping it would come up with a plan to help them solve this.

Nothing came to him, and he wished he could simply curl up in a ball and sit with that debilitating pain in his side. It hurt much less.

🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶So Close Yet So Far🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶

Instead of going to class as you had intended, you found yourself sitting on one of the concrete ledges that led to the open practice field. The campus soccer team was out there now, practicing while the sun was still high in the sky. You pulled your knees to your chest, chin resting in between your knees as you watched them play. The image of Joshua and Jeonghan, the literal epitome of beauty, elegance, purity, and grace, in a screaming match, made your heart hurt.

“I didn’t think angels had it in them to fight like that.” You mumbled. “I hope I didn’t do anything, and everything is okay.”

“For what?” You heard a voice call from behind. When you looked up, you saw Mingyu walking over. His pace slowed just a bit the closer he got, but he motioned beside you. “Hey. May I?” You were hesitant, sure, unsure what the both of you would talk about. However, it beat feeling alone, and you nodded. Mingyu plopped down beside you, his feet dangling over the large wall that dropped to the very edge of the field. He was silent for a moment, resting his palms behind him like a podium and reclining back a bit. “Did you find Joshua and Jeonghan?”

“Yeah.” You said. Mingyu tilted his head as you squeezed your knees even tighter. “I think they’re upset with me.”

“What? Why?” Mingyu asked. You shrugged.

“They were arguing. I tried to stop them but they didn’t seem to want me involved.”

Mingyu thought back to how roughly Jeonghan pulled Joshua away a bit ago. He shook his head. “I don’t think that means they are upset with you.” Mingyu assured. “You just have to let them figure it out. They seem pretty close. I’m sure it’ll be ok.”

“I hope so.” You agreed, a solemn tone still lingering in your voice. As you glanced over at Mingyu, you saw his head tilt up to the sky. The glow of the sun tickled his features, eyes squinting a bit to not let its rays sting them too much. It got to the point where he raised a hand, using it as a shield to cover his eyes better. When he looked back at you, he seemed shocked to see you staring back. However, that didn’t stop a smile from creeping onto his face.

“You know.” He began. “Finals are coming up soon.”

“Oh, great.” You muttered. “That makes me feel so much better.”

Mingyu smiled. “I promised to give you a great birthday this year when they’re over. Even better than just chicken.” You remembered parts of that conversation, the both of you laughing in the car after a delicious and filling meal together. It felt so foreign thinking back. “I know you’re upset with me.”

“I’m not.” You quickly interjected. Mingyu frowned.

“You seem upset with me.” He stated.

“You didn’t do anything to warrant me being upset with you.” Mingyu smiled.

“I know that’s not true. You’ve been avoiding me for an entire week.” He confessed.

“It’s finals. You said so.”

“When had that ever mattered?” he asked. “I figured you needed space. I told the others to give you some too. I was worried someone like Seungkwan would try to meddle in and make it worse.” You shook your head, Hoshi’s smiling face flashing in your mind. “I must have done something. You don’t look at someone with so much pain in your eyes unless they’ve hurt you.” Immediately, you turned your face from his view, allowing him to laugh in amusement. “See? Told you.” The sound of him gliding along the concrete caused you to turn back in curiosity about his movements. He was sitting closer to you, and you looked up at him. “Whatever I did to upset you, I’m sorry. Please, let me make it up to you by giving you a good birthday.” You seemed hesitant as your eyes wavered. “I promise that I’ll make it worth a million apologies.”

“Why didn’t you say you were going to Japan to meet for an arranged marriage?” The words spilled out like warm liquid from a dropped glass, causing you to look as shocked as Mingyu did. He blinked, staring down at you as he tried to find the right words to say. “Mina told me.” You added.

“I had intended to turn her down from the moment I knew I was going.” He said. “I don’t know why she followed me here.”

The fact that you knew the reason clear as day made your heart speed up just a bit. “You didn’t tell any of us.” You said softly.

“I’m sorry.” Was all Mingyu could muster, the hurt in his voice once again obvious. “I didn’t know how to. It’s not as easy to share as a ‘sudden business trip’, you know?” a smile formed on your lips, and the beaming grin that formed on Mingyu’s face in return could have most likely been seen from a mile away. “Aah, perfect. I got a smile.” He took that as a sign to stand up, grabbing his bookbag and looking down at you. “Let’s change the topic. I hope you’re ready for the best birthday of your life.” He said. “I already planned the entire thing.”

“No, you did not!” You gasped, standing up beside him as he roared in amused laughter.

“Did to. It’s going to be awesome.” The both of you turned, ready to head back to class, when two more individuals stood in your way. Mingyu’s playful smile turned to a frown of disinterest, seeing Joshua and Jeonghan standing there in silence. When Mingyu stepped forward, you reached out and took his arm.

“I’ll see you later. Okay?” you said. Mingyu seemed hesitant, offering one more look at the men who had long since stopped their bickering, and had resorted to not speaking at all.

“Fine.” He said. “I’ll come by and see you at the café when my classes are done.” You agreed, waving Mingyu off as he brushed past the two angels and headed off down the path he was originally on, leaving the three of you alone. You knelt, picked up your bag, and put it on your shoulder. No words were able to come out of your mouth as you watched the both of them approach you, visibly upset by what transpired moments before.

When they stuck two strawberry milks in your direction, you looked up at them with a cocked eyebrow. You immediately caught their guilty expressions, motioning the drinks closer to you.

“Sorry.” They both said.

“Are you done fighting?” you asked.

Like twin parrots, they said: “Yes.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.” The parrots squawked.

“Even if it’s a joke?”

They hesitated there, finally sharing a glance since the three of you reunited. “…No.” You laughed a bit. Reaching out, you took both of the strawberry milks into your hands.

“I guess I will have to accept that, then.” The duo seemed relieved, and you looked between them once more. “Can I ask now what you two were even fighting over?” Again, the duo shared a look, seemingly unsure of how to respond. Your smile faltered just a bit before Jeonghan finally spoke up.

“Joshua got hurt.” He said. Both you and Joshua seemed shocked by the comment. When Joshua looked back over to you, you were already approaching him. You reached out, putting your hand on his arm, your gentle touch an attempt to help with whatever had happened. You felt Joshua tense at your touch, immediately looking away.

“What happened?” you asked. Seeing how worried you were, Joshua felt himself get flustered. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he tried to provide you with an answer that would work.

“I just got dizzy.” He assured. “I’m okay, now. I think yelling with Jeonghan woke me up a bit.” Though he laughed, you did not seem convinced.

“Well, I have to work after class.” You said. “Promise you’ll go home and rest. Okay?” Joshua blinked. “If you got dizzy, you need to rest and eat well. Angel or not, you can’t let yourself get sick.” You turned to Jeonghan. “Make sure he rests when you get back to my apartment. I should have some painkillers.”

“Roger,” Jeonghan said. You nodded, turning back to Joshua.

“Rest.” You repeated in an almost motherly tone. “I can’t get through finals or celebrate my birthday if you two aren’t there to help me out.” You smiled. Joshua saw the tips of your cheeks tint pink as the next words left your lips. “Mingyu’s planning it.”

🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶So Close Yet So Far🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶

Back at the house, Joshua was lying face up on the couch, eyes at the ceiling. You had long since gone to work, sending the duo back to your house with Joshua promising he would rest. And rest he did. He could hear Jeonghan in the kitchen, the liberty he’s taken using your appliances never once seeming to end. Jeonghan walked over, setting a steaming cup of tea on the coffee table. Joshua’s eyes fluttered around the room as he sat up. He couldn’t tell what felt hotter: the steam of the tea or Jeonghan glaring daggers into his back.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yes,” Joshua said, taking the cup carefully into his good hand. He took a long sip, allowing for the liquid to course his body and hopefully overtake the still lingering pain once and for all. When he looked at Jeonghan, he saw him pacing the door. “What are you doing? She’ll probably be home soon.”

“I’m not waiting for her,” Jeonghan said simply. The stillness in his voice, one he hadn’t heard from his friend in a long time, made a shiver go up Joshua’s spine. He looked over, rising from the couch.

“Then who…” when Jeonghan turned his head, Joshua immediately blinked. “Jeonghan, no.”

“I had no choice,” Jeonghan said, and it seemed like it meant it. “You need to be reminded of what we’re trying to get back to instead of…whatever it is you’re thinking of now.” Joshua ran a hand through his hair as he began to pace the floor.

“Well, you can’t tell them anything!” Joshua said. “You’ll worry them for nothing!”

Jeonghan was silent for a minute. Then, he nodded. “Fine. I won’t tell them anything.” Joshua’s sigh of relief was heavy, and he nodded. As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Jeonghan stepped aside, allowing Joshua to go and answer. He took a deep breath, shaking out his hair and assuring there was no longer sweat on his brow as he went and opened the door.

In front of him stood four men, all of them wearing a white button-up and a pair of slacks. Simply standing there allowed them to ooze elegance and ethereal beauty, without so much as speaking a word. Joshua scanned the four of them, the one in the center immediately getting his attention. His striking dark black hair stood out among the other's lighter hair tones, which varied from blonde to brunette. Not only was his dark hair noticeable, but Joshua had to dart his eyes up just a bit to catch a glimpse of his face. He had pouty lips and striking eyes.

“Seungcheol,” Joshua said simply. The leader of the group immediately grinned.

“Heeey, Joshua.” He said. Joshua sighed as the group walked in. He caught glimpses of his other brothers as well. He immediately got hugged by Seokmin, his smile incredibly wide.

“Hyuuuung~. It’s been too long.” He said, the excitement making Joshua unable to hold back his own. He saw the others follow in, Wonwoo quietly examining the area with curious eyes while the youngest, Chan, strolled in last.

“Is she here?” Chan asked curiously.

“Ah, no. She’s at work, but she should be back soon.” He turned to look at Seungcheol as he headed deeper into the apartment, hands in his pockets. He saw Jeonghan standing by the couch. It didn’t take long for Joshua to catch that Jeonghan suddenly had something in his hands, what seemed to be a piece of paper grabbed from your home printer. Joshua was still being hugged by a cheerful Seokmin as he headed back into the apartment, Wonwoo offering to close the door behind him. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Jeonghan called for us.” Seungcheol simply explained.

“Besides, it’s been a while since we’ve left heaven. We needed a break.” Chan stretched his arms over his head. “I said we should all go out to eat but got rejected, as usual.” Joshua hummed, nodding as he finally released himself from Seokmin’s loving hold. As his eyes fell on Jeonghan, he saw him grip what was in his hands. “What is that?” he asked.

“A welcome card?” Chan grinned in amusement. “You’re so thoughtful, Hyung.”

“Sure,” Jeonghan said. Without missing a beat, he looked Joshua dead in the eyes and flipped the card over, revealing text written in dark marker, one he must have found buried in your junk drawer. The room went silent as everyone read its words to themselves.

He’s fallen in love with her.

Joshua blinked. He glanced over at Wonwoo, who had wide eyes behind his rimmed glasses. He glanced at Seokmin and Chan. Seokmin had his mouth covered in shock, while Chan’s face held the anticipated grin of a younger sibling about to watch the eldest get scolded. The next thing Joshua knew, he was at Jeonghan’s side, gripping the paper and Jeonghan’s wrists in his hands. He saw Jeonghan flinch at the pain of Joshua’s tight grip, but only looked up at his friend with a straight expression.

“You said you wouldn’t tell, Jeonghan.” He hissed, voice trembling.

Jeonghan seemed completely unfazed by Joshua’s sudden panicked voice. “I didn’t,” Jeonghan said simply. Then, it hit.

“Hong Jisoo…” Joshua looked over, seeing Seungcheol practically staring him down. His eyes burned with intensity, the intensity of a leader and that’s why they addressed him as such back home. As Seungcheol got closer to Joshua, he could feel Jeonghan slither out of the way, practically protecting himself behind Wonwoo as the group waited to watch the scene unfold before them. Wonwoo turned his head, watching as the older angel rubbed his wrist.

“We’re about to witness history,” Wonwoo said. Jeonghan nodded.

Seungcheol took a deep breath before he finally spoke again. “Let me see…” he said.

“Huh?” Joshua looked confused. Seungcheol simply spun his finger in a small circle.

“Your wings.” He said. Joshua, not wanting to cause any more tension in such small quarters, turned around. He felt Seungcheol lift his shirt, exposing his back to all those behind him. The cold air made him shiver a bit in surprise, and he bit his lip. He waited to see what Seungcheol was going to do.

He did not expect Seungcheol to press a thumb to Joshua’s back, specifically in between his shoulder blades. The stinging sensation that coursed through his body mixed with the already dull throbbing he had, and made Joshua gasp, immediately turning around and yanking his shirt down.

“OW!” He shouted.

“Your entire back is red.” Joshua could hear a mix of disappointment and worry within the serious tone he forced himself to carry. “What were you doing just before this that it looks like that?” When Joshua didn’t answer, Seungcheol turned to Jeonghan. Jeonghan could feel that angry stare hit his chest next, and he blinked.

“Aaah, uhm.” Jeonghan pressed a finger to his chin. “Well-.”

“Don’t lie.” He practically begged. “I can’t help either of you if you lie.”

Jeonghan avoided Joshua’s pleading expression in order to get the words out. “Joshua almost got in a fight with Kim Mingyu, because of some events that caused her to get upset.” Joshua let out a defeated sigh, running a hand through his hair. Seungcheol looked back at him again. Despite not looking right at him, Joshua could see Seungcheol’s hand reach down to the couch, grabbing the throw pillow you had used the day before to sob into. If it was still damp, he had no idea. Seungcheol took a minute to examine the pillow.

THWACK.

“OW!” Joshua shouted, hands immediately going up to over his head as it ricocheted side to side. “SEUNGCHEOL!”

Laughter roared behind him – mostly from Seokmin and Chan – as Seungcheol continued hitting Joshua over the head with the pillow once. Twice. Three more times. “Are you out of your mind!? Do you want to stay stuck here forever?! Do you want to end up a fallen angel like-?”

“No!” Joshua shouted before Seungcheol could finish uttering a name Joshua was desperate not to hear. Finally managing to escape, he took a few steps back from Seungcheol. “It’s not like that situation at all. Nothing is going to happen.”

The amused laughter had stopped. Nobody looked convinced.

“Out of the both of you, you’re not the one I thought this would happen to.”

“Hey!” They heard Jeonghan shout, and his friends snickered in amusement.

Seungcheol sighed. “How did this even happen?”

Joshua sighed, shrugging. “I have no idea. I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I’m trying to help her.”

“You’re a terrible liar, Hyung.” Wonwoo pointed out, and Joshua groaned.

“Not only do you two fools get kicked to earth for running around distracting other angels with your ridiculously stupid pranks.”

“Jun’s wings still haven’t recovered, by the way.” Chan made sure to intercept. Jeonghan shook his head at the youngest angel’s comment.

“But now just as you’re about to solve the problem and come back, you pull something like this.”

“Seungcheol.” Joshua tried to speak.

“It’s like you don’t want to come back. How does this even happen with a girl you’re supposed to be helping get with someone else?”

“I know. I’m not trying to jeopardize that.”

“Clearly you are,” Seungcheol said. “You’re supposed to be a role model to humans, not try to romance them.”

“I’m not trying to do that,” Joshua assured.

“According to Jeonghan, you almost threw a punch at her boyfriend.”

“He’s being dramatic. I did not.” Joshua clarified. “Besides, he’s not her boyfriend.” Seungcheol scoffed, shaking his head.

“I cannot believe you just said that.” He muttered.

“Hyung we should trust him,” Seokmin spoke up, hoping to break up any tension. “If he said he won’t do it, he won’t do it. They’ll come back to us.” Seungcheol rubbed his temples in response as he nodded his agreement with Seokmin.

“I don’t think either of you guys realize how hard he stares at her,” Jeonghan said. Joshua looked at his friend.

“Why do you keep talking?” he asked. Jeonghan crossed his arms, his usually light and gentle face growing an annoyed pout.

“I’m not leaving without you.”

“You won’t,” Joshua said sternly.

“It doesn’t seem that way.”

“Oh, my-.” Wonwoo nudged him before he could utter the last word in frustration. Running his hands through his hair, he gripped the strands tightly, the brown tufts curling around his fingers as he was now the one to pace the room. For a second, he looked at the door and realized you hadn’t come home yet. When his eyes darted to the clock, he realized it was much later than he would have expected from you. “Where is she? She should be off work by now.”

🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶So Close Yet So Far🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶

Work had never felt so long, especially knowing that Joshua was home recovering from whatever it was that hurt him in the first place. You had no idea angels could even get hurt, thinking it was simply impossible with the power of heaven or whatever. As you walked down the street, 15 minutes into your 30-minute walk, your mind kept racing with the events that happened just today. Joshua and Jeonghan’s fight, Joshua’s supposed injury.

I planned the entire thing. It’ll be worth a million apologies.

Mingyu’s warm smile popped into your head as those words enveloped you like a hug, attempting to wipe away all of your worries. You sighed in relief, hugging yourself as you continued walking. In the corner of your eye, you saw the lights of a 24-hour convenience store. Feeling your stomach rumbling, you made the abrupt decision to go inside and get a snack. Hopefully, that would help make the long walk home feel a bit easier, or at the very least, distract you. When you stepped inside, the teen worker quickly greeted you, finally taking a second to look away from his handheld game. The store seemed pretty dead. The first thing you did was grab a small bag as you scoured the aisles for something that tickled your stomach in just the right way. I should get all three of us something. You thought. Ice cream, chips, grab-and-go lunch boxes, and chocolate snacks were tossed into the basket to be purchased. Nothing seemed to tickle your interest in those aisles for what you wanted now, and you were starting to get discouraged.

Just as you were about to turn the corner one more time, into the milk and yogurt sections, another individual was standing in front of you. It seemed he had just popped up, but it could have also been his shorter stature that made you miss him in your frenzied search for something to fill your belly. “Oh.” You took a few steps back, and he looked over at you. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.” He said simply. You turned your attention back to the aisle, but it seemed were still looking in your direction. The both of you stood side by side for a quiet minute. It was very quiet, probably even the longest minute of your life. You tried to act natural, eyes glued to one snack. Then another, and another, hoping he eventually would go away. However, when you took one risky glance in his direction, you saw he was looking back at you. He had very porcelain skin under a set of jet black hair, half tugged up in a bun that left the rest dangling freely by his shoulder, and matching with his deep black tee-shirt and jeans. He had very defining features, and when he offered you a very simple smile, you saw his cheeks puff out just a bit. “You look lost.”

You shook your head. “Not sure what to buy.” You said. He wasted no time pulling something off one of the shelves, and handing it to you casually. When you took it into your hands, you saw that it was a large banana-flavored yogurt, covered in a green foil top. You looked over at him once more, and it seemed her had the same thing in his hands.

“I’m a fan of those.” He said.

“Thank you, uh-.” You stopped yourself when you realized you didn’t know his name.

“You can call me Woozi.”

“Woozi?” You arched an eyebrow in confusion. “Is that a biblical name, or-?”

He seemed to laugh at your joke, shaking his head. “No. It’s a nickname.” You immediately noticed him look away as a look of longing – one you knew all too well – trickled into his eyes.

“Ah, ok. Woozi.” You said, nodding your head.

“You can call me Jihoon if you want, too. I don’t mind.” He shrugged simply, popping a straw directly into the yogurt and sipping it, turning his head to the counter. You nodded, deciding not to press any further. After a second, Jihoon looked at you for a final time, seemingly wanting to ask one more thing.

“Do I have something on my face?” you asked when the quiet stare you were getting felt a bit unnerving.

“This might be rude, or random, or both, but…you look familiar?”

“Do I?” you smiled at him. Jihoon nodded. “From where? Do you go to my college?”

“No.” Jihoon pursed his lips to think for a minute. It took a second, but his fingers snapped together and his eyes sparkled. “Oh. You crying in a café a few days ago. About a 10-minute walk from here.” Your mind immediately flashed to the scene. You recalled unfamiliar hands trying to help you contain the coffee spill, but your eyes were so blurred and your brain was so foggy that you could hardly recall it. As the blurry image reformed in your mind, it smoothed out just slightly, the squiggly lines that once acted as features smoothing out to reveal Jihoon’s face. “I couldn’t place it at first, but….”

“I uh…” you trailed off as embarrassment, covered your cheeks. “Oh jeez, now I’m flustered.” You heard Jihoon emit a humored laugh. “It’s just a small world, I suppose.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes.” You said. “Thank you for your help, I guess.” He put his hands in his pockets as the both of you headed to the counter to pay for the milk.

“Don’t think anything of it. I was stunned nobody else got up to help you.” Jihoon said simply. “Could you help me with something?” You turned to him again, surprised by his sudden request as you took out your wallet. He immediately raised his hand, before pulling out his own and setting what was clearly way beyond the price of the yogurt onto the counter. He thanked the man, walking out the door before you could even utter a ‘thank you’. “I heard there was a bar nearby. The Corner Tavern. Could you point me in that direction?”

You thought back to the fuzzy, yet memorable night when you first met Joshua and Jeonghan. You could still feel the tingling in your fingers as they pressed into the cool glass. “I actually live right there.” You smiled. “I’ll show you. Especially since you just bought all of this for no reason.”

Jihoon seemed relieved. “Thank you.” Escaped his lips as the both of you headed to pay for your belongings and headed in the direction of your house. The walk was quiet, with you unsure of what to say to this stranger. However, you felt a calming aura from him. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, hands in his pockets as he strolled alongside you, admiring the late-night scenery as the sun finished settling along the skyline. Or, maybe it was the knowledge that he performed a random act of kindness less than a week ago.

“Where do you live?” you finally thought to ask. Jihoon seemed startled by the question; he didn’t expect it. However, without missing a beat, he raised his finger and pointed down the first street you passed.

“That way.” He said simply. “You?”

You pointed in the opposite direction. “That way.” Jihoon nodded. “Have you lived around here long? I feel I’ve never seen you before today. I’m pretty good at getting to know the locals.”

“I’m not outside often,” Jihoon admitted. “I just was craving a drink.”

“I bet your friends would come if you asked.” You said. Jihoon shrugged.

“I don’t have many of those.” He admitted simply, sticking his almost finished yogurt back into his mouth and finishing it up. The pain in his voice made you frown. You felt how hard it had been the past week or so prepping for finals without your friends by your side, despite that being your own decision. Hoshi approaching you with advice made you feel that. You could only imagine not having any of that at all. He broke your train of thought by asking: “Can I buy you a drink?” The absolute forwardness of this man made your cheeks flush hot, and you looked away from him. All you could hear was his amused laughter. “Not like that, not like that.” He assured before you finally looked back in his direction. “Just to thank you for showing me the way over. Like I said, don’t go out much so it’s nice to have someone to talk to.”

“I have to get home...” You motioned.

“Ah, right.”

“But if you live as close as you say you do, we should hang out.” Jihoon glanced in your direction once again. “My friends are really nice. They always welcome new people into the group.” Jihoon watched as you pulled out your phone, scrolling through it a bit before turning it to him. He squinted at the moment, eyes adjusting to the bright light that hit him in the darkness as he studied the picture. It was a group shot of everyone mushed together in your latest study group. Joshua and Jeonghan poked their heads from the back as Mingyu knelt behind you, giving a thumbs up. Seungkwan’s face poked in through the corner just barely, and Minnie offered a peace sign beside Joshua. As Jihoon scanned the picture, he caught the image of a hand with fingers curled into a paw, and cheeks crushing eyes into crescent moons. “They’re really nice.” You said once again. “I haven’t been kind to them for a short time, but I know they’ll still be around when I need them.”

Jihoon seemed to really take in that last comment, nodding his head. “Wow. They must be nice, then.”

“Maybe I can text you one of these days and we can hang out.”

“Uh-.” Stunned by your unwavering kindness, Jihoon pulled out his phone and handed it over to you. You were quick to tap a few buttons, before handing it back to him. When he looked down, your name, phone number, and email were all stored inside. “You hardly know me,” Jihoon said. When you tilted your head, Jihoon added: “It’s not in human nature to trust easily, is it?”

“Mmm…” you hummed. “Are you trying to say you’re not to be trusted?”

“Heh, no,” Jihoon said.

“Then I don’t mind. Besides, if you turn out to be untrustworthy, the boys in the picture will beat you up.” After a moment to reconsider, you pursed your lips. “I think.” Jihoon had to laugh at the last comment. “I have to go now. For real. But I hope you think about it. I know we only met today but it feels recently I’ve been meeting new people left and right.”

“Haha, now who is the one getting flustered?” You laughed a bit at his comment, before waving.

“Goodnight.” You called. “Have fun.” Jihoon waved, stuffing his hands back in his pockets as he watched you head down the path you had pointed to. He was silent the entire time, holding his phone tightly in his hands as he watched you turn the corner once more, disappearing from his view under the cloak of the night sky. His mind went back to that picture that you had shown him of all your friends. Specifically, the one with the ridiculous-looking hand paw. He ran a hand through his hair, nodding his head as he muttered to himself:

“Not how I expected this night to go.” Spinning on his heel, he simply strolled down the first street he faced, the tavern becoming smaller and smaller over his shoulder.

When you arrived back to your apartment, carrying the bag in your hand, you overheard muffled chatter coming from behind your door. A brow arched in confusion, you strolled closer, hearing as what seemed like familial bickering getting louder and louder. “What the…” you were quick to open the door, swinging it open. “Hello?”

When six sets of eyes looked in your direction almost immediately, you flinched in surprise. Your eyes scanned every face, each more shocked than the last. When you landed on Jeonghan, he breathed a sigh of relief. When you looked at Joshua, he looked incredibly flustered and panicked. When you looked at everyone else….

…who the hell were they?

“Joshua….” You mumbled, eyes continuing to bounce between the four men scattered in your already cramped house. “Jeonghan…”

“Hm?” They said in unison, even the ones whose names you didn’t call, much less know. “What the hell are four more attractive men doing in my apartment?”

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rasparagus · 2 years

Text

the bus stop on main st.

pairing: minghao x gn!reader

summary: you find comfort in the arms of the man you least expect

wc: one word shy of 2.5k

extras: university!au, enemies2lovers (i guess???), comfort fic i suppose, reader is doin a whole lotta cryin, emotionally unaware minghao, lowkey dumb minghao, angst but honestly barely, fluff

His silence mocked you. Sometimes you wish he would spew a mean remark at you, be truly mean to you; instead, his indifference infuriated you, made you feel unworthy of even a fleeting thought in his mind. Even as you sit here now, you know your mind should be celebrating Seungkwan’s achievements, but your mind can’t help but wander to Minghao’s smug expression.

You remember when you first met him. Minghao, Seungkwan, Chan, and you all sat near each other in a French culture class your freshman year, and naturally when finals season came you guys begrudgingly formed a study group together. Yours and Minghao’s obvious knowledge for the subject prompted the other two to seek guidance from you both. And to be fair, you were happy to help. You had been looking to diversify your friend groups beyond your old high school classmates and the people on your dorm room hallway. It seemed everyone else felt the same—except Minghao.

The first time you guys met for a study session, you and Joshua arrived to the study room first. Your enthusiastic greeting was met with a dry “Hi,” and any attempt at small talk was thwarted by short, uninteresting responses. Every conversation you had with him gave you the impression that he was perpetually trying to stop talking to you as soon as possible.

“I’m not surprised you and I are the first ones here,” you’d said. “Seungkwan and Chan can’t be on time to save their lives. I mean, haven’t you noticed they always show up to class at least five minutes late. And they don’t even walk together!”

“I tend to pay attention to the professor, not them.” You halted your giggles and cleared your throat.

“Yeah, me too,” you replied, averting your eyes from him as he peeked at you above the frame of his glasses. Even after the two younger guys showed up, you couldn’t help your face from feeling warm and your hands from shaking whenever you needed to explain a topic.

But that was a year and a half ago. Over time, as the group began to hang out beyond study sessions, the embarrassment dissolved into resentment. Who was he to make you feel inferior? Why should you feel like you’ve been put under a microscope every time you make a silly joke around him? You reasoned that if he would ignore you, you could do the same. This behavior didn’t go unnoticed by Chan and Seungkwan who, both being mood-makers, made it their mission to relax the tension during every group interaction, only to be met with childish silence.

You manage to snap yourself back into reality and away from thoughts of Minghao and his off-putting attitude. It’s the night of Seungkwan’s choral ensemble performance, and he’s invited you, along with a ton of his other friends, to his apartment to celebrate. You’d noticed a few familiar faces upon arriving and chose to sit in the open space between Nayeon and Soonyoung on the couch, catching up with the two friends who you’ve missed due to all of your busy schedules. As soon as your eyes had landed on Minghao sitting on the ground next to a taller man in glasses, your grin momentarily fell and since then, you’ve been making a conscious effort to keep your eyes on the other half of the room.

When a game of Cards Against Humanity breaks out, you roll your eyes at the cliche party game, but you’re excited to take your mind off of him. Unfortunately, you find yourself taking every turn of his as an opportunity to passive-aggressively place the most insulting card, ignoring every other offensive or taboo card in your hand. And each time, without fail, he manages to pick your card as the winner, despite the anonymity of the cards. You brush off each win with a snarky remark.

“God, how do you manage to win every single time Minghao is the card czar?” Seungcheol asks, throwing his hands in the air with exaggerated exasperation. “Is your humor that similar?”

“You’ll start winning when you really mean what you put down.” Everyone laughs in response, glancing at the white card on the coffee table. Minghao glares at you in response.

A few more rounds go by and you casually pull your phone out, lazily scrolling through Instagram as every one else shuffles to find an appropriate card. Dino begins to grab the white cards when your thumb stops in its tracks, as your eyes zero in on your ex’s latest Instagram post. Jaehyun is looking lovingly into the eyes of his new partner, with his gently draped across their shoulder. They look happy in a way you never were with him, in a way that you doubt you’re capable of being with anyone. Suddenly, Seungkwan’s living room feels a lot smaller and the air seems a lot thinner. Dino’s comments about this being a throwaway round bring your attention back to the scene in front of you, but your mind refuses to focus on the task at hand. You shove the phone back in your pocket and try to play the next few rounds with the same smile and wit you had before, but your brain is incapable of forming any funny quips. When Minghao’s turn comes and you don’t win the round, a few people joke at your lack of focus; you just shrug and laugh weakly. You don’t even make it a full ten minutes before you excuse yourself in a small voice, saying you need to catch some sleep so you can wake up for an early-morning study session. Minghao eyes you suspiciously as you stand and leave the group while everyone whines at you to stay just one more round. You give Seungkwan your well wishes and leave early, repeating you excuse incessantly, despite his obvious concern.

“Did something happen?”

You can only find it in yourself to apologize to the host profusely while quickly backing up toward the door. When you walk out you gasp in the humid air, placing your hands on your knees as if you’d just trudged through a marathon. The sun is almost fully set and a misty rain has begun to fall. You start to make the trek back to your own apartment, kicking rocks on the sidewalk as you start your journey.

By the time you make it to the bus stop, you’re practically sobbing, and you have to force yourself to quiet down every time a stranger passes you. This is the bus stop you used to meet Jaehyun at to walk to campus together. The bus stop where your past lover begged you to believe his loyalty to you despite the clear video’s you’d seen of him kissing another person at some small, dingy house party. The same person whose pretty face stared back at you in his Instagram post. You don’t blame his new partner, and you feel icky for even being slightly envious of them. You know you’re better without him, but you can’t help the suffocating feeling in your chest. Feeling the cold metal of the bench causes the memories to feel ten times more vivid, and your sobs grow more uncontrollable. Since you’ve started walking the misty rain has begun to fall in steady, fat drops. You pull the hood of your jacket taut against your head and look down at your hands, both in self-pity and in an attempt to avoid getting rain in your eyes.

“What the hell? What are you doing out here?” Perfect timing. The one who would revel in your pain most is here to see you at your worst.

“Be real. Am I pathetic?” Instead of responding with a simple yes and moving forward like you expected him to, Minghao takes a seat next to you, leaving less than an inch between his thigh and yours. He moves the umbrella he’s holding to cover your body.

“Why would you ask me that?”

“‘Cus I feel pretty fuckin’ pathetic right now. And you may hate me, but at least you’re honest.”

“Well, no, I don’t think you’re pathetic,” he says. There’s an unfamiliar affection laced in the way he emphasizes his words.

“I’m sitting here crying over a guy that I haven’t spoken to in months. I don’t even like him as a person anymore, but somehow the thought of him being with someone else hurts like hell.”

“That’s natural. You and Jaehyun dated for like a year. And after what he did to you, it’s probably weird to see him happy with someone else.”

“You’re right,” you agree. You pause mid-nod. “I didn’t know you knew anything about me, let alone my terrible dating history.”

“I’m not completely oblivious to you, you know. The whole reason I followed you out here was because I knew you were lying about that study session. You’ve always been a night studier.” Suddenly, the raindrops falling by his feet seem to be more interesting than your eyes, as he lowers his head to avoid your gaze. “And as far as Jaehyun is concerned, it’s pretty hard to ignore your relationship when I’m beating myself up wishing it was me.”

You wipe your teary eyes with a fist and stare at Minghao, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“Are you confessing to me right now?” Your voice raises in pitch.

“I guess I am.” He breathes out an airy chuckle.

“Wow. I thought you hated my guts.”

You start to assess every interaction you’ve had with Minghao since the day you met. Somehow along this trip down memory lane, you think of every moment you brought Jaehyun around. How Minghao always seemed to disappear. How Jaehyun would whisper that some prim-looking guy was eyeing him like he wanted to fight—you attributed to “typical Minghao superiority complex” at the time. In the back of your head, you realize you realize that you may liked him this whole time, too. Despite Minghao’s distance you didn’t miss his loving qualities. You observed constantly how he doted on Seungkwan and Chan, making it his personal responsibility that they stayed fed and passed their classes. You noticed the sketches in his notebook, the intricate lines and colors that bled beautifully into each other, and you thought—just for a second—that this was a man capable of understanding love and pain and joy in a way that you didn’t know was possible. Then, you start to self-reflect. You’re not proud of it, but every time you cracked a joke at lunch, you realize you glanced at him, secretly (a secret to him and your own conscious mind) hoping that it would be the first one of yours that elicited a chuckle from him. Every time you announced an accomplishment in the group chat, the bitterness you felt was not merely anger at Minghao’s lack of response; it was a longing to be congratulated by the one whose words you truly valued. Even tonight while playing cards, in the midst of trying to place the most scathing card, you note the way you had to push down a deep desire to see him smile at your jokes.

“You have a pretty terrible way of showing people you like them,” you sniffle, always willing to take a jab at him even when your head aches from the crying.

“I know,” he says. “I wasn’t trying to come off as rude at first. As soon as you walked in for that first study session freshman year, I knew I liked you. But I don’t know,” he sighs and looks at his hands. “The idea of being open about it scared me. You’re so bright and funny, and I’m generally pretty reserved. I didn’t have the confidence in myself to think you could like me back. I know it sounds stupid but—“

“Yeah, it is stupid.” You both know there’s no true malice in your words.

“But I thought that distancing myself was the easiest way to cope. If I never talked to you then you wouldn’t know that I liked you. And I could watch you be happy from afar in group settings. It was comfortable being a coward. But it hurt both of us more in the long-run.”

“And here I was thinking you were some wise and rational guy. Look at what the heart will make some people do.” You smile and poke his side. He throws an arm over your shoulder and you lean into him comfortably.

“I’m sorry. I really am. It was childish for me to keep this up for so long and probably make you feel bad in the process.”

“You’re right, but I accept your apology. Believe it or not, despite your very awful ways of showing affection, I came to like you, too. You may be bad at processing feelings, but I’m bad at even recognizing mine. Who knew I was capable of liking Xu Minghao?”

“I’m glad you are.”

“Me too.” You give him a cheesy, love-laced grin. In a fit of confidence and recklessness flowing through your veins you crane your neck to give him a peck on the cheek. You watch him closely as plump lips expand into a wide smile and the hand resting on your arm starts to feel a little clammy against your skin. The two of you giggle as if he hadn’t just found you crying yourself into a frenzy.

“They’re gonna make fun of us so bad aren’t they.”

“They’ve been clowning me since they found out I liked you. Which was like a week after we met. So…be prepared for the worst.”

As a silence falls between the two of you, Minghao asks a question that brings your attention back to him.

“Can I walk you to your place tonight?”

“You know how many times I’ve gone home drunk from Seungkwan’s by myself. I’m fine, honestly, you should go back to your place and get some rest. It’s not dangerous, really.”

“I know,” he says, looking up at the darkening sky. “I just don’t wanna leave your side just yet.” Your mouth goes dry and your heart flutters. You nod and give him a fake pout, poking fun at his sudden romanticism.

“Well, since we have so much time on our hands,” you muse. “There’s something I’ve always been interested in about you.” Before Minghao can express his confusion in words you follow up with, “your art.”

He smiles shyly before pulling up a hidden photo album on his phone and scrolls through. You decide not to tease about the impressionist sketches and paintings that anyone could tell were modeled after you. Instead, you find yourself content with being next to him, feeling the warmth of his body, taking in the fresh scent of the rain, and allowing the cool metal of the bus stop bench to take on new memories.

a/n: thanks a lot for all the love on the vernon fic. i wont lie i feel a lot less confident about this one than the vernon one. this plot just felt corny and underdeveloped to me. im still working on my plot writing skills so be patient lol im not used to writing long creative things. this fic was edited in a rush so pls let me know if you see anything that needs to be corrected. this lowkey took a lot out of me since i made myself write and edit it so quickly just to get it out of my brain lmao. anyways, this was originally a joshua fic but something made me make it a minghao fic cus he’s just on the brain these days xoxo.

feel free to like, reblog, reply, or send in asks to give feedback <3

#minghao x reader #xu minghao #svt myungho #svt minghao #minghao x gender neutral reader #minghao x poc!reader #seventeeen x poc!reader #race neutral reader #seventeen fic #seventeen fluff #minghao fluff #seventeen angst #ro's.fics

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