#ANYWAYS. and then the ‘my turn’ i actually YELLED yes PLEASE XU MINGHAO THE MAN YOU ARE AHAIAJEJDJEJJE

[viastro]

lowkey | xu minghao

ミ★ synopsis: in which you’ve been pining after your fellow dance member, xu minghao, and he helps teach you the choreo one night.

ミ★ genre: mainly just humor, some fluff, y/n is a dummy, minghao is a softy

ミ★ warnings: none!

ミ★ word count: 3,648

ミ★ pairings: minghao x female reader

ミ★ notes: hi!! it’s been awhile uhh, i think i’ll be writing a lot more since i’m quite literally self quarantined. don’t hold me to that tho cause i’m a shithead when it comes to writing 🙈

You know, you weren’t that big of a fan of dancing when you were a child. The first day your mom brought you to your ballet class, you started crying because they wouldn’t give you the big, pink, fluffy tutu. As soon as the class ended you told your parents you were never dancing again, but look at you now. You’re 21 and you are still, in fact, dancing. To make it even better, you’re dancing different genres and are also now part of the dance team at Seoul University.

While you’ve obviously grown to have a love for the art, your parents still like to tease you and copy the way you used to cry about not wanting to go to dance. The most popular quotes they mock you with are, “Wahh! You can’t make me go to ballet! I’m not even the Sugar Plum fairy, this isn’t fair!” as well as the very special, “I’m not a dancer, for I, am The Rock.” (You had a The Rock obsession, so what?) Even then, you let them have their fun because you were truly a nightmare to get into the studio as a child. The three of you made the conscious decision to only j​oke about it together and to ​never ​bring it up to your dance team.

NEVER.

Especially since the guy you’ve been pining over for a good year is part of the dance team. In fact, he’s one of the aces of the team. There’s four of them: Soonyoung, Chan, Junhui, and last but definitely ​not the man of your dreams, ​Xu Minghao. The Uni students like to refer to them as the Four Aces, A4 for short. They’re practically Gods at the University, all the freshmen have a crush on them whether they want to admit it or not. Whenever the big showcase comes up the four of them are a subunit and have their own choreo. It’s pretty epic.

You’re rather close to Soonyoung and Chan since they help you out after practice is over so you can touch up on choreo. Soonyoung’s usually the one you go to to ask for help considering he’s the one who comes up with the choreographies half the time.

“Okay but y/n, make sure to make that move sharper. It shouldn’t be that soft, it has to be aggressive. Yeah, like that!” Soonyoung tells you with a big smile once you correct it. You grin, pushing your bangs off your sweaty forehead. You glance over at the clock to see that it’s 12 am already.

“Let’s continue on Monday, Soonyoung. It’s already really late.” You tell him and he looks up at the clock, shock now displayed over his features. “Holy shit. I didn’t even realize it’s already midnight.” He mutters, making his way over to his bag to pack up his stuff.

“Time flies when you’re with a cool gal like me.” You joke.

Soonyoung looks up and stares at you, no emotion on his face. The room is in pure silence.

“You are hilarious.” Soonyoung says blankly after a beat and you throw your sweat towel at him. He lets out a giggle, dodging said sweat towel. You chug the last of the water in your bottle, before tossing it into your bag. You throw your gym bag over your shoulder and pick up the sweat towel you threw at Soonyoung.

“You’re lucky this bitch didn’t land on your face. It would’ve been a tragedy.” You tell him with a smile, going in for a high five.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you later y/n!” You wave bye and head out the door.

“UghhhHHHH!” You screech into your pillow, kicking the bed with your feet at the same time. Seungcheol stares at you as you have a mental breakdown from the chair by your bedroom window. You lift your head up to suck in some more air before slamming your face back down into the pillow to scream some more.

“Y/N... please... I just wanted some ramen.” Seungcheol begs from the chair, flipping himself so that his head is hanging from the end of the seat where your ass is supposed to be. You lift your head up, shooting him the scariest death glare you can muster. He squeaks, closing his eyes and turning away.

“Haha.... Just kidding... go ahead...”

You turn over in bed, now staring at your ceiling. You recall the previous events of your day that has led up to this exact moment of internal self ​LOATHING​.

earlier...

“Soonyoung, can you come look at this?” You call from the floor of the dance studio, he turns and jogs on over you after telling Jun and Minghao to wait a minute. Minghao stares at you and you glance down at the IPad right away. ​Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god.

“What’s up?” Soonyoung asks as he plops down beside you, back against the mirrors. You show him the competition list, and he lets out a sigh. “God.” He mutters, turning off the IPad and pushing it to the side.

“Guys, we’re competing against Mayhem.” Soonyoung announces to the group and almost everyone groans. Well, pretty much everyone except Wheein. She ends up choking on her water mid-sip and leaves the studio in a coughing fit.

“Literally why. I swear, they have something against us. Not even kidding, they literally wanna eat our ASS!” Jun yells and Minghao pats him on the back. You put your head into your hands, closing your eyes as you realize how much harder Soonyoung and Chan are gonna push the group to make sure we get another win.

So basically Mayhem are your biggest competitor, but they have a vengeance against your group specifically. You’re not sure whether it was because of the time you accidentally walked in on one of their lead dancers using the restroom because she didn’t lock the door, or the time Chan ate the last chocolate donut in the rehearsal room. Either way, they’ve made it their ultimate life goal to beat you guys in every competition.

Too bad they haven’t been able to do that.

“As long as we work harder, it’ll all work out in the end. Everyone, get in formations.” Soonyoung announces, clapping his hands. Everyone makes their way to the middle of the dance studio, but you sit there and pout.

“Y/N, c’mere.” Chan calls over, shooting you one of his dazzling smiles and making a grabby hand towards you. You sigh, unable to say no to one of the cutest men alive.

Guess I'll die.

“Y/N, hit that move harder! Good!” Soonyoung yells as he watches you practice in the mirror. You feel your cheeks get warm after he calls you out in front of the rest of the team.

In fact, you were so embarrassed by the constructive criticism that when it was time to change the formation you accidentally tripped over Minghao’s foot, aka the foot of the guy you’ve had a crush on for the past two years haha !

This causes you to fall forward, about to plummet your face into the hardwood floor, only for Minghao to quickly step forward and wrap his arm around your waist, spinning you around, basically saving you from a lot of physical pain. It was, indeed, one of the biggest cliches you’ve ever been through in your 21 years of living, but did that stop your heart from beating out of your chest when you were looking into Minghao’s eyes? No. :D.

“Are you okay?” He asks breathlessly and you try to find your voice so that you can answer and not look like a buffoon. Alas, you cannot escape from who you truly are. ​A buffoon. ​You end up squeaking out a “yes.” and twirl yourself out of his grasp, only to trip over your own two feet so he reaches out and steadies you once again.

“Welcome back.” Minghao jokes at the fact that you’re in his grasp once again and you squeak once more, jumping away from him.

It’s only then that you realize the rest of the team is just gawking at you two. Well, except the rest of the A4. Their facial expressions range between a look of surprise and mischief. Minghao begins to take notice of the silence in the room and ends up coughing into his arm to break it. Everyone starts acting normal to avoid getting on Minghao’s bad side.

“Well.. let’s run it from the top shall we?” Chan says as he casts a smirk in your direction. You stick your tongue out at him and he chuckles, heading over to restart the song. You glance up into the mirror and notice Minghao’s eyes on you, and he gives you a sly grin.

Oh good god.

present

“So.. what you’re telling me is that you not only embarrassed yourself in front of your dance team, but also in front of the guy you’ve been pining after for the past what, year?” Seungcheol asks. You nod your head slowly, and he has half the mind to giggle slightly.

“Motherfucker why are you LAUGHING at my MISFORTUNE!!” You yell, throwing your pillow at his face. Seungcheol dodges the pillow while laughing at your outburst.

Frowning you mutter in tiny font, “It’s actually been two years.”

“I have an idea.” You glance up at Seungcheol with a slight hopeful expression on your face.

“What if... you just talk to him?!” You are now frowning at Seungcheol.

“Are you crazy? After our four years of friendship you think ​I’m​ going to talk to the person I’m secretly in love with?! Absolutely insane, love. That would never work anyways, I’ll just admire him from a distance like I usually do.” You explain, sitting up in bed.

Seungcheol stares at you for a moment. Your eyebrows are furrowed as you pout down at your folded hands. Your hair is a mess from slamming your head down onto your pillow for at least ten minutes. You may have passed out for a minute due to that but that’s a secret we’ll never tell. He cocks his head to the side, now thinking about how dumb you are. What you apparently don’t know is that Seungcheol is close friends with A4. He’s heard Minghao complain about how shy he is towards you, and how he just wants “to hold her hand sometimes, maybe even a hug and kiss on the forehead. Perhaps even... a kiss on the lips.”

But I’ll just let her suffer. ​Seungcheol thinks to himself.

“Whatever you say y/n. I’m gonna start making some ramen ​myself​ now since you seem to not wanna get out of bed. Came over for us to have a ramen bonding study session only for it to end up with you being stubborn and threatening to murder me with a hanger. I hate it here. This is Seungcheolphobic.” Seungcheol complains under his breath as he gets up and steps out of your bedroom. You glare at his back, laying back down so that you’re once again staring up at your white ceiling. You grab your white pillow beside you and hold it up, imagining that it’s Minghao.

“​Hi. M​y name’s Minghao, I have nice black hair with pretty brown eyes and a beautiful smile. Not only am I tall, lean and fashionable, but I’m also a multi-talented man. I like to volunteer at the animal shelter for funsies and I have a part time job at a dance studio teaching little kids how to dance. Fuck YOU Minghao. Perfect ass bitch. Literally being my dream man I HATE it here.” You mutter to yourself as you glare at your pillow you’re holding above you.

You scoff, throwing the pillow onto the floor and turning over in bed, now staring out the window. The scent of ramen goes through your nose and you find your tummy beginning to rumble. You hear a new sizzle as you assume Seungcheol is making you both eggs. You sigh, getting up from bed.

“Wallow in self pity later. Have fun with your bestie now.”

“Y/N!” You glance up from your phone to see Chan standing in front of you with a knowing smile that has you feeling a bit nervous. “What...”

“So the incident that happened on Monday-”

“Oh hell no! We aren’t talking about this.” You shut him down real quick, standing up to walk to the other side of the practice room. Chan giggles and reaches out to grab your arm, stopping you from running away to safety.

“Channie! I don’t wanna talk about it please!” You whine and he laughs even more, patting your shoulder to calm you down.

“Alright, alright. I just wanted to let you know that Soonyoung and I have to go to a seminar tonight so we won’t be able to help you later with the choreo.” He tells you regretfully and you raise an eyebrow, heartbeat quickening a bit.

“Then why are you here? Who’s gonna teach me-”

“Chan?” You pause as you hear that familiar voice.

Oh... my god....

“Hi Minghao, I’m just letting Y/N know that you’ll be helping her out tonight since Soonnie and I are busy.” Chan says, and flashes you a sly smile. You almost reach out and choke him but he pulls away.

“Have fun y/n!” He sings and walks out the door, leaving you and... ​him ​alone. You glance up at Minghao as he sets down his bag, taking his hat off along with it. Your eyes widen once he looks over at you and you glance down.

“How often do you do these late night practices with Soonyoung and Chan?” He asks, taking off his windbreaker as well and you feel yourself ​break out into a sweat.

“Um, every week. Soonyoung started helping me once he walked in at like 2 am only to find me practicing for our first showcase in freshman year. It’s been our thing since then, Chan joined in on our late night practices when he was a freshman as well.” You explain, putting your hair up into a low ponytail. He nods with a satisfied look on his face, heading over to plug his phone into the aux.

“What are you struggling on? Is it the part before the change in formation?” Minghao asks and you almost throw yourself off a cliff once the vision of Minghao holding you from last week pops into your mind. He turns to look at you once he notices how you’ve become silent, “I just thought because of what happened on Monday that you were struggling with that-”

“No, no I totally understand why. By the way, I’m so sorry for uh.. falling... on you...” You mutter quietly and he shakes his head, waving his hand as if to say, no biggie!

“But yeah, that one is kind of hard because the formation change is one that we don’t do often, ya know?” You answer and he nods. “Yeah I totally get that, don’t worry.” He responds and you find yourself staring at his black hair, which now covers his eyes a bit.

He’s the only guy who can make a mullet look good, you think to yourself. He glances up at you and gestures for you to go to the middle of the dance floor, to which you comply.

“Alright, so let me play the part right before the formation changes so that I can see you do it. Then we can work on what I see you struggling on and fix it.” You nod. It didn’t hit you until now that the guy you’ve been pining over is going to watch you dance by yourself, analyzing your every move to see what mistake you’d make. Now that it’s hit you, you think you’re gonna shit yourself.

Minghao gives you a thumbs up in the mirror and starts the music. Once you notice the part coming you glance up in the mirror, feeling your stage persona take over and the nerves ease away. Minghao watches you turn from the shy, timid person he knows, to a confident and talented woman as you dance. The change has him in awe as he watches you wink in the mirror when you hit a move nicely. He sees you fumble a bit shortly after before catching yourself, continuing to perform as if it never occurred. He pauses the music once you go to your spot in the formation, and you catch your breath.

“You’re really fantastic at what you do, I could see your stage presence come out and it was really uh, attractive, ​to see. I noticed the technicality error, and it’s really small so don’t worry. I’ll just run through it with you.” Minghao explains and you nod, feeling your face heat up when he compliments you. What you don’t notice is that Minghao’s full on blushing right now from his slip up, but he turns away before you can take notice of it.

“So you need to watch your footing here, because you fumbled a bit during this part,” Minghao performs the specific move where your feet cross over before going into a spin. His movements are similar to water, usually so soft and gentle but later become sharp, similar to an ocean wave crashing onto the shore.

“Try that.” He tells you after he specifies what made you slip up and you nod. Getting into position, you redo what he did and he smiles, clapping his hands.

“Nice! Okay now,” He does the small body roll and you bite the inside of your cheek, cursing to yourself. You stare at his face, noticing the small furrow to his brow as he puffs up his chest for the next move. Minghao glances up into your eyes as he does this and pauses. Warmth floods your face as he seemingly stops teaching you. ​She’s so pretty, Minghao thinks to himself as he watches you for a moment. He runs a hand through his hair, breaking the eye contact as he glances down at the shiny wood floor.

“Is there something on my face?” He mutters and you break out of your spell, shaking your head profusely.

“No! No, sorry I just...” You panic, fingers fumbling together as you try and come up with a response that doesn’t mention how handsome he is and how much you wanna run your fingers through his hair.

“You just what?” Minghao asks, cocking his head to the side as he watches you internally freak the fuck out.

“I just... I really think you’re an amazing dancer and you’re really handsome but it’s so much more than that. You’re so passionate and good at what you do, but I’m really intimidated by you and I’ve been crushingonyouforyears so being in a room alone with you is really nerve-wracking.” You quickly explain. He freezes, staring at you with wide eyes. You also quite literally pause.

CUT THE CAMERAS...

DEADASS!!! Did I DEADASS JUST CONFESS IN A FIT OF NERVOUSNESS!!

“I... am so sorry. I’m going to go. You don’t have to like me back, I’m so sorry!” You apologize profusely, tears threatening to spill out of your eyes as you start to back up towards your bag. He reaches out and gently takes a hold of your wrist, pulling you to him in a hug. You freeze in his embrace, and he nuzzles his head into your neck.

“Don’t go. I like you too, y/n.” He mutters quietly.

And this. This is when you start sobbing.

You fall to your knees, covering your face with your hands as you ugly sob right in front of the guy who you no longer have to pine after. He’s staring at you helplessly as you cry into your hands about the fact that you thought your crush was hopeless for years, and how you never expected this to happen.

“I-I’m so sorry. I’ve been really e-emotionally unstable, ​hiccup, r​ecently for no reason. This is like, the best day of my, ​hiccup, l​ife.” You explain through your tears and Minghao lets out one of his cute little giggles that sends you over the edge once again. You let out a loud sob and he giggles again, pulling you to him in a hug and rubbing small circles on your back.

“That’s okay, we can keep it a secret from everyone that you sobbed after I confessed to you.” He tells you soothingly and you hit his arm softly, making him chuckle at you.

“How are you so calm right now?” You complain, pulling back ​regretfully f​ rom the hug and looking up at him with tear tracks running down your face, along with a bit of snot. ​How cute, h​e thinks to himself. He reaches over to his bag from the floor and grabs his towel, wiping away your snot and tears.

“I’m quite literally shitting bricks right now from happiness, but I’m just not showing it because I didn’t want to overwhelm you.” Minghao explains and you bite the inside of your cheek. You glance back up at him and he gives you a small smile, reaching up and patting your head.

“You wanna get back to the choreo?” He asks you and you shrug, wiping your cheek with the back of your hand. Crying made you tired.

“Can we just hug for a bit more?” You ask and he smiles, pulling you back into his warm embrace. You sigh contentedly, nuzzling your head into his shoulder. You both stay like that for a while, letting the recent events settle into your thrumming hearts.

“Does this mean we’re... boyfriend and girlfriend...” (👉👈) Minghao asks shyly, breaking the comfortable silence. Giggling, you reply, “I believe so Minghao.”

He squeezes you even tighter, nuzzling his head further into the crook of your neck.

“Good.”

[junhaoclub]

they’re like ocean waves | 01

pairing: junhao  genre: action + mild angst, pirates!au  warnings: swords, knives, cannons, violence  a/n: this has been in the works for months and this is all i have to show for it (rip me), but here’s me breaking it all up into 3 chapters anyway! this is my xmas gift to you all. i really hope you like this and please don’t ask me what my search history looks like now *runs and hides*  words: 2395  summary: junhui’s a pirate who hid his “famous” treasure and now everyone is desperate to find it before anyone else can. especially minghao, a bad bitch pirate who takes what he wants and isn’t afraid of anything (except for maybe love). junhui makes it his goal to help minghao when he realizes just how out of his depth the younger boy is.

— chapters: 01 | 02 | 03 

The water is cold and stretches for as far as the eye can see. The ocean is vast and blue, calm on this day.

Minghao stands at the helm, hands firm on the steering wheel as he gazes over his crew. After that raid he led in the Great Eastern Sea some years ago, he never thought his crew would grow to include Koreans. But there's no mistaking the men before him.

Seokmin is manning the masts, a handkerchief wrapped tight around his head, shielding his dark hair from the fiery rays of the sun as he makes sure their new white sails are being set up correctly. Sweat runs down Mingyu's arms as he lifts barrels of gunpowder down into the cargo hold and Minghao can't help but stare at the slightly older man. Seokmin and Mingyu are older than Minghao, but they've never faltered in showing their respects to him. They owe Minghao their lives and enjoy working under his rule, making sure that his strict code is enforced throughout all of Minghao's fleet which Minghao appreciates, considering how many men work for him.

Seungkwan and Hansol are bickering at the bow and Minghao rolls his eyes, debating whether or not to break up their argument. He decides against it when Chan pushes in between them and forces them back to work, the teen laden down with heavy coils of rope Minghao is surprised he can carry. Seungkwan pushes at Hansol's arm and follows after Chan, leaving Hansol to look after them, an offended look on his face. Minghao is still partially confused over whether Hansol is actually Korean or not due to his European features, but he doesn't voice it because race and ethnicity have never been important things to Minghao.

Appearances don't make up a person's worth in his opinion, it's their actions and willingness to improve that really matter to him.

Minghao watches as his small crew works to keep the ship steady and flowing easily across the bright waters. They're in the South China Sea at the moment (Chan had made a big show of his maps and markings, proclaiming their location in an excited voice once they'd passed the borders) and the water is calm.

Too calm.

Minghao doesn't know why he's so bothered by the relaxed lull of the sea around them. He's in a hurry to find what he's been searching for for years. After meeting with the captain of his northern fleet, Yixing, a month ago, Minghao had been given the last puzzle piece of the information he needed. Now he and his most trustworthy men are on their way to find the treasure.

He should be relieved about their lack of run-ins with the Qing Imperial Navy and other enemy pirates, but he just can't shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen. It's like an itch he can't scratch and it's been bothering him ever since they set sail for the island.

Still, Minghao continues to watch over his crew, laughing to himself when Seokmin wipes his brow then flicks his sweat at Seungkwan. Seungkwan's squeals are loud and overdramatic, but the man himself has always been dramatic so it's really nothing new. Chan flicks his fingers at Seungkwan's arm and darts away when Seungkwan turns to face him, a look of irritation deforming his features. Hansol is next to strike, slapping Seungkwan's ass before he runs past Minghao and up towards the poop deck.

Minghao ignores them again, instead focusing on Seokmin folding up their old red sails and putting them away in an inconspicuous box. It'd been Minghao's idea to change their sails. Waving the red sails of the Red Flags would most definitely draw unwanted attention to their average-looking ship and though Minghao is itching for any kind of action, he also doesn't want to put the lives of his crew at unnecessary risk. Better to pretend they're a neutral ship in unfamiliar waters instead of entering with guns blazing.

Seokmin finishes putting the sails away, nodding at Mingyu when the tanned man comes forward to pick up the box. They exchange a few words that Minghao can't quite make out over the roar of the sea, humming of the ship and snapping of the new sails against the wind, but there's no mistaking the matching grins that spread across their faces once Mingyu turns to head below deck and deposit the box into their stores. Minghao's grip is as firm as ever on the steering wheel of the ship, but there's a blurb of something coming up on the horizon and Minghao's already turning to port side where Chan is scampering up the ratlines to get high enough on the masts to use his telescope.

"Captain!"

Chan is waving his hands around, pointing at the blurb that's getting closer by the second and Minghao doesn't know whether to be alarmed by the black sails or not.

"Captain! Incoming ship!" Chan yells again, this time gaining the attention of everyone on board.

Mingyu rushes up onto the main deck, a little breathless and immediately spots the ship. Minghao frowns at the approaching black sails but makes no move to alter their course. They have nothing to worry about, not when Minghao has both his swords, his guns and a couple of knives up his sleeve.

He can easily handle whatever's heading their way.

At least, he hopes he can.

The ship continues to approach, curving subtly to the side so that it'll end up on Minghao's ship's port side. Minghao squints against the sun and tries to pinpoint any moving bodies on the ship, but so far, he can't make out much. Mingyu is suddenly at Minghao's elbow, worry and nerves radiating off him like body heat, but Minghao is used to this kind of behavior whenever they happen across something unknown. It's why Mingyu is his first mate, after all, something that has made Mingyu a bit of a laughing stock since first mates aren’t meant for pirates.

“Captain, they’re requesting to come aboard,” Chan says from his perch, telescope permanently attached to his eye.

Minghao nods. “Let them aboard.”

“Captain, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Mingyu murmurs beside him.

“Don’t worry. We’re pretending to be a neutral ship, remember? Just let me talk,” Minghao mutters, stepping forward until he’s able to look at all of his crew members. “No one speaks unless I give the signal. Got it?”

“Yes, Captain!” They all respond, eyes glued to the oncoming ship.

Minghao gulps when he catches sight of the black sails coming closer. They stick out, especially when the ship drops it’s anchor and comes to a stop beside their own white sails.

Black and white.

Yin and Yang.

Minghao steps down onto the main deck with Mingyu hot on his heels, making sure Chan has come down from the rat rails before Seokmin and Mingyu rush forward to catch the wide plank the ship beside them is sliding forward. There aren’t that many men on the other ship, seven in total and only three of them walk across the plank to board Minghao’s ship.

A built man with large, doe eyes far too big for his face and equally large ears takes the rear of their tiny party, doing his best to look standoffish. Beside him is a slimmer man who radiates calm, a strange curl to his mouth that Minghao isn’t sure if he likes or not yet. In the forefront though, that’s where all of Minghao’s attention is being diverted to.

Because in the front, leading the three is the most beautiful man Minghao has ever seen. His skin is a gorgeous hue of brown, making him look like honey. His hair a stark white-ish color that Minghao has never seen before. Tall and thin, but not thin like Minghao, Minghao who’s grown accustomed to their sea rations and one meal a day rule. His brows are straight and lie heavy over his eyes.

And his eyes.

Minghao feels lost in them. There’s a sparkle in them that he can see from where he stands and the man smirks at him, knowingly, as if he can read Minghao’s mind.

Or maybe Minghao’s gaping mouth is a big clue enough.

Minghao feels his mouth clamp together with a sharp snap, eyes screwing up in distaste at his own response. Even Mingyu is a little entranced by the man in front, but Minghao doesn’t let that reassure him. Mingyu is his first mate and all, but he isn’t the smartest when it comes to other people if Minghao’s being totally and completely honest.

Hansol steps up to welcome them, stunned when the man in front nods at the slimmer one on his left and the slim man asks Hansol something in a language Minghao doesn’t recognize. Hansol answers back after his eyes have returned to their normal size and it isn’t in Minghao’s imagination when Seungkwan steps forward to shadow Hansol.

Hansol then shakes his head and points at Minghao, his pleading gaze drawing Minghao closer with Mingyu only a step behind him. Hansol says something else and the slim man says something to the man in front, in Korean this time before the man in front steps forward and holds his hand out to Minghao.

“Captain Wen Junhui of the Black Flags. Jisoo here says you’re Captain Xu Minghao of the Red Flags. But I don’t see any Red Flags. Either way, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” the beautiful man says.

Minghao startles when he realizes that he spoke in Mandarin and that he knows who Minghao is. Hansol blinks innocently at him and Minghao scowls before shaking Junhui’s hand.

The sharp sound of swords being drawn are all that he registers when Junhui tugs him forward so that they stand pressed chest-to-chest. Minghao gulps at the proximity but doesn’t let any other emotions apart from irritation flicker across his face.

“Let go,” Minghao spits out through his teeth, a glare leveled at Junhui, his irritation only building when he realizes he has to look up to meet his gaze.

Junhui laughs and steps back, hand still holding onto Minghao’s. “No need for the weapons. Tell your men to stand down.”

Minghao looks between their joined hands and the sparkle in Junhui’s eyes before he sighs and barks over his shoulder, “Stand down.”

Chan is the last to put his sword away, his gaze wary as he watches the three newcomers. Minghao can’t say that he blames them when Junhui still won’t let go of his hand, even after Minghao tries to shake him off. Junhui merely gives him a smile that could outshine the sun and Minghao feels something strange curl in his chest.

“So, you know who I am. I know who are you. The question is, what is the Captain of the Red Flags doing all the way out here?” Junhui murmurs.

Minghao feels his face twist with anger now, but he stomps it down and forces himself to remain civil. “I could ask the Captain of the Black Flags the same thing.”

Junhui only smiles. “Oh, you know. The usual.”

“Same here,” Minghao murmurs in response, still trying in vain to make Junhui let go of his hand.

And then a thought strikes him, his most brilliant plan to date if you ask him.

Minghao takes a deep breath and looks up through his lashes at Junhui, drawing his other hand forward to let it rest over their joined hands. Junhui’s eyes widen at the sudden change, but he says nothing as Minghao takes a step forward.

“Since we both seem to be doing something we shouldn’t, why don’t we do it together?” Minghao asks, fluttering his lashes for good measure.

It’s demeaning to be flirting in front of his crew, Minghao is all too aware of that, no matter how willingly forced it is, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Minghao thinks he might have Junhui anyway if the drop in the volume of his voice is any indication, plus fluttering his lashes is Minghao’s best trick.

“And if we did, what would I get out of this? Wouldn’t you rather submit to me now instead, aye, pretty one?” Junhui mutters.

It takes everything in Minghao not to draw his hand back, curl it into a fist and launch it into Junhui’s face right now. Granted, Minghao’s smile does come out forced now, but he’s saved from answering when Chan’s voice bursts their bubble.

“Captain! The Imperial Navy!”

Minghao jumps into action then, pushing Junhui away with all his might. “Go, you idiot! Go!”

Junhui stumbles back, being caught by the built man on his right who tugs him backward on the plank onto their own ship. Seokmin kicks the plank off their main deck once the three are safely off it and Hansol lifts the anchor while Mingyu unfurls the rest of their sails. Minghao runs back to the steering wheel, eyes glued to the three ships quickly approaching them, relieved when the black sails begin to move as well.

Minghao can see Junhui at the steering wheel of his ship now too, his white hair sticking out like a sore thumb and it isn’t in Minghao’s imagination when Junhui meets his gaze and winks.

What theー Minghao begins to think until the thought is interrupted by the loud sound of cannons firing.

Chan is waving frantically at him, hands pointing in the direction they need to take and Minghao spins the wheel, relieved when the sails catch on the wind and they begin to speed along. Seungkwan is pulling Hansol along the main deck, trying to check what direction everyone is going and it’s only when Mingyu and Seokmin run into the cargo hold does Minghao realize they’re readying their own cannons to fire back.

Minghao glances a look back and finds that Junhui’s ship is still anchored where they left them and he frowns, visibly put off.

Idiot, Minghao thinks before Junhui’s cannons fire off and Minghao realizes the Black Flags Captain is giving them an easy escape route by bringing all the attention of the Qing Imperial Navy upon them instead.

Minghao focuses on getting his crew safely out of harm’s way then, forcing himself more than once not to look back again.

a/n: if you can guess who minghao's character is based off, then kudos to you, you've gained +54 points in my book

thank you so much to everyone reading! happy holidays!