f2l!minghao
finally wrote a minghao au !!
friends to lovers!minghao
you and minghao knew each other from childhood,, he was your neighbour in your small town where people knew each other and children would play with one another despite not knowing their playmate’s names
minghao was a staple in your childhood,, from your young years, through struggling with puberty and the first stages of adulthood and finally,, to where you are now
you vividly remember minghao,, at the age of 12,, receiving his package that his aunt had sent him all the way from the city
it had a blue and green wind breaker in it with matching trousers and a note that wished regards to him and his family
minghao dragged the box from his house and into yours,, he wanted you to watch him open his box and see what it held inside
minghao was floored with the gift
it was a simple set of clothing but he treated it as if it were a stack of gold bars,, he wore it immediately,, though the loose fabric on the end of his arms made it clear the jacket wasn’t for minghao,, he still wore the jacket like it fit him perfectly
minghao was a happy kid,, he held no grudges and tried to spark joy from even the most simple things
he lost his shit when he first saw a bee getting pollen from a flower in your yard
“are you not gonna name it ???”
“baby bee bum is his name”
“how do you know it’s a he”
“it had it’s thingy out”
12 year old minghao is very innocent,, i know all 12 year olds are innocent but minghao was extremely innocent
since you were minghao’s closest friend, he only paid attention to you, he wasn’t that keen on meeting other kids, his reason being that he has you, why should he look around for other friends
minghao was a shy kid and only tried to interact to you and only you so it meant that you only talked to him too,, but this boy wen junhui came and minghao introduced him to you and you are beyond surprised that minghao had a new friend (to clarify, minghao is not a loner and he’s not a weirdo he just doesn’t like talking other people besides you and now jun !!) that he actually !! talked to !! himself !!!!
so you, minghao and junhui started hanging out together and it has been the three of you since then up to now
minghao still wears that windbreaker till he was 14 and now, it’s a great fit for him although the colors did start to fade,, but no worries,, you and junhui got him a new one for his birthday
when the three of you turned 16,, junhui had his first s/o and that got you & minghao thinking,, s/o’s,, hUh ???
and ever since junhui introduced his s/o to you two,, minghao feels uneasy ?? bc it was a lot to take in that jun now has a s/o like,, where did that come from ??
when it became a simple idea to you,, you asked minghao of what he thought about the whole relationship thing
“why haven’t you dated anyone, hao”
“uhh, idk,, i mean aren’t people supposed to meet their person when they’re like 25 or something ?? we’re only 16,, that’s 14 years away,, what’s the point of dating now when you know it’s not gonna last anyway”
“agreed, but it’s 9 not 14”
“huh,, oH YEa i knew that”
“sure you did, hao”
after that conversation,, there became an unspoken rule between you two that dating whilst you were young was stupid and a huge mistake (junhui would beg to differ) but this became a problem when you turned 18 and minghao turned into a different person
he has clear skin now,, significantly taller, he was more lean and muscular but he was still the same optimistic child that had grown tremendously over the summer
you changed too,, and minghao noticed ,, he’s starting to think this dating-while-young rule is stupid and he’s wishing he never said it in the first place
trying to make it through college was one thing, but having to leave your hometown was another,, homesickness overwhelmed you everytime you thought of home
minghao made it better though, he’d crash by your dorm just to comfort you,, sneaking in by the back door to drop by a bowl of noodles
he wouldn’t leave your side without you spilling all the things that bothered you
you were grateful for minghao,, he’d even take you to bed to make sure you were all better, and he’d stay by your side just to reassure you that he’d always be there for you,, even if eventually you’d be tangled in his arms the next day with your head pressed against his chest
it all felt normal since you’d been sharing beds ever since you were children
but now minghao feels aching in him whenever he has his hands tangled in your hair, whenever he hears your breath so close to him that it tempts him to do things friends aren’t supposed to do, and most importantly, whenever he’d stare at you a second, a minute too long knowing fully well that it will be nothing more than platonic friendship for you
but it wasn’t, it pained you too
the sight of minghao with others was a sting you could never admit
by this time,, 16 year old jun’s girlfriend was long gone just like you predicted 2 years ago,, but that only meant he’d be the only one you could let your heart out to
before,, you had minghao to tell your worries but now that your worries involved him,, you couldn’t exactly tell him
blabbering about your problems to jun was as easy as taking candy from a baby,, he often dealt with other minor problems but to have his bestfriends pine for each other would make all the other things he worried about unparalleled
jun knew EVERYTHING
from when minghao came running to him, panting heavily just to tell him that he may or may not have feelings for you
junhui wasn’t blind, he saw the longing stares that minghao took at you, almost as if no one could see him watch every intricate move you made
and he also saw how your eyes light up at the sight of minghao and the way your smile changed when it’s minghao that’s the one talking
but this instance never seemed to collide, minghao never noticed your sudden bloom when he shows up for he had never been there to see you shift your emotions
and it never occured to you to steal a glance in minghao’s direction, too scared to even let him know a sliver of how you felt
as much as it stings to feel minghao so close, you can’t resist the feeling of having no space in between you two
so everytime you felt even the most minor inconvenience, you come running to minghao and he accepts you with open arms
the two of you were too busy holding your feelings back to notice that it wasn’t one sided
the simple things like hand holding just to see if they’d fit perfectly with yours, like resting your head on his shoulder to take a nap because his shoulder is the most comfortable place for you, like having his arm around you whenever you watch a movie are the most cherished moments you to share
normal things for the two of you are considered as couple things for others
it isn’t normal for minghao to smell your hair while you slept, comfortably combing through your locks and hum sweet nothings to your ear
and it isn’t normal for you to hold him so tightly like his yours, taking in his scent and wish that it’ll forever be like this
it feels like paradise to be in his arms but all good things must come to an end when minghao has to leave
but only because reality hits him that this will nothing be more than a friendly cuddle that all best friends do (none of which others do)
you pour your heart out to junhui as he is the only one you trust enough for your minghao catastrophe
“it sucks jun !! you know,, one moment we’re in bed together,, i’m listening to his heart beat -he knows i am and he’s letting me- and everything’s great but then he leaves and everything turns horrible,,,, it’s like i need him with me you know,,”
“weird but okay”
when minghao drama is over,, actual minghao calls him to get some help with schoolwork aka you
“junhui,,, i don’t know what i’m gonna do,, i like them a lot,, hell maybe i even love them but i don’t wanna jeopardize our friendship just because of my damn feelings but why do they call me not you,, not soonyoung,,, whenever the slightest little thing happen,, i don’t mind,, but why ??”
“that sucks big time”
junhui just wants you to get together so he can be free of all this drama,, it was fun at first but now he’s getting tired of the relentless complaining
so he tries to be subtle and drop hints to maybe persuade the two of you to go run toward each other to profess your love
“y/n,, if he let’s you do that then maybe he likes that you do and maybe you know,, it calms him down and all”
“hao,, maybe they call you because they like your comfort and maybe you too”
but you two contradict him immediately
“but why does he leave ?? i think it’s clear that he would never see me like that”
and minghao’s defense
“i don’t think that possible,, maybe they’re used to me comforting them since we grew up together and i’ve always been the one they go to”
so all jun has to say to that is “ you know what ?? if you ask me,, they/he seem to like you back. and why is that ?? because bestfriends don’t go around doing things like that,, do we do that ?? hecc no,, so just go for it before you miss your chance”
you’ve thought about what junhui said,, for several hours now,,, you had drowned yourself in alcohol after the 2 hour mark,, you’ve convinced yourself that today is the day you tell minghao how much you love him and alcohol is just a little confidence booster
you managed to walk your way to minghao’s apartment since it isn’t that far anyway
you knock on his door(more like banged) ,, to get his attention and when he finally does open ,,,
you let your feelings out like a bottle of cola filled with mentos
“xu minghao,, i hate to say this but i think i am inlove with you and your silly bed hair and your heart beat”
“are you drunk ??”
“correction,, i am very drunk”
he lets you in and settles you in the couch while he gets a glass of water,, minghao is shocked at your abrupt appearance and even more shocked at your confession
“what happend ??”
“junhui told me to tell you that i like you before i miss my chance and i like you too much to let my chance slip”
minghao feels his heart skip at your sudden confession,, he can’t help but smile to the thought of you liking him too
“since when did you like me ??”
“a long time now and i’ve been telling it all to jun because i have no one else”
you hold the glass close to your face,, trying to hide to obvious flush on your cheeks
minghao is still crouching in front of you, smiling like an idiot as you say,, one hand on your knee and the other on your shoulder to help you coo down
“i like you too” minghao finally confesses and he watches your eyes light up,, just like it had been doing for the past months
“great,, then kiss me now,, let’s seal the deal xu minghao,,, kiss me !! do it !! kiss me now !!”
“i would if you weren’t intoxicated,, i’ll wait till the morning, baby”
“call me baby again”
“baby”
the softness in his voice melts you and minghao sees it clearly,, he helps you stand on your feet,, assisting each step towards his bedroom
he lays you down and brushes the stray hair away from your face,, watching you like he has been doing before,, only this time you’re watching him too
it gives minghao the warmth he’s been depriving himself for so long
he drops down on his knees so you’re in each other’s eye level,, this time,, minghao indulges in your company rather than pulling himself away from it
“it sucks that we’ve been wasting all this time pining for each other when we could’ve been together instead” minghao lets out a chuckle, watching you slowly drift off to slumber,, and finally leaving a kiss on your forehead,, hoping that,, you’d remember everything the next day
ahhhhhhhh
