#hao fluff

He was working in Italy, getting valuable skills from the masters. You were still stuck in your hometown, going to the same university everyone else in your family had gone to, trapped in the same system. You wanted to get out, prove yourself, do something meaningful with your life. But did you even have the talent to? Were you even worth it?

On nights where your thoughts just wouldn’t leave you alone, you grabbed a handful of Hao’s letters and walked up the hill back to the spot where you used to watch the sunrise with him. You missed him more than anything. Without his presence, you felt lost. There was no one to ground you, no one to reassure you, no one to believe in your flimsy dreams.

You hadn’t received a new letter in a while, and you were starting to wonder if it was a post issue, or if Hao was too busy to write. You hoped you would get one soon. It was the start of Winter already, and a breeze blew past you, causing a chill to run up your spine. You hugged Hao’s old jacket closer on your body. It must be even colder in Italy…

You slid one of the old letters out from its envelope. You were always careful to keep everything intact. From the colourful wax seals to the elegantly written address, to the coarse texture of the fancy paper, everything about it was precious to you. Hao was always meticulous, and his presence could be felt from every detail of the card.

Tiánxīn, how are things back at home? Lonely. 

How is your writing? Did you finish the last 3 chapters you were struggling to write? I finished the final draft last Saturday. Are you proud of me?

I’m doing well here, although I never stop missing you. At least one feeling is mutual. 

It’s the beginning of Spring as I write this, and the flowers are starting to bloom. Every pink bud reminds me of you. How are you always so romantic, Zhang Hao?

I taught some kids how to hold a violin properly the other day— one of them almost dropped it. I swear my life flashed before my eyes. If they had broken it, I could’ve gotten kicked out. They don’t know that they’re handling a piece of wood worth thousands of dollars. As much as it scared me in the moment, spending time with the kids cheered me up. Childhood innocence is an endearing thing, don’t you think? It is. Is it bad that I wished you had gotten kicked out just so I could see you sooner? I want you to tell me everything about Italy with your own voice.

I’m starting to find beauty in things that used to annoy me. It’s a strange feeling, but I think I could get used to it. The flowers used to only make me sneeze, but now they’re a gentle reminder of who I’m living every day for. Children used to get on my nerves, but now I can only think of your baby pictures. I keep working hard every day hoping that I’ll get a break to come visit soon. I’ve been saving up for tickets. Hopefully before Winter, I’ll be back in your arms. It’s Winter now… I miss your arms around me.

Ever yours,

Hao

You could only sigh and blink back the tears that had formed on your waterline. Why did he make you miss him so much? You sniffed, from the emotions and from the cold. It was getting even later in the night, and while you didn’t want to leave your special spot, you also needed sleep.

When you got back to your cheap apartment, you sprayed some of Hao’s perfume on your pillow and changed into pyjamas. It was funny how much time went into hunting for the exact fragrance he wore; but you had been thankful for it every single day since you bought it. Any way you could to bring traces of him back to your home was worth it. You fell asleep hugging the pillow tightly and hoping that he would grace you in your dreams. 

A soft puff of air hit your nose making you scrunch it up. It woke you out of your slumber, but not enough to open your eyes yet. You were in a confused bleary state trying to figure out where it came from. You definitely didn’t leave the fan on in the middle of Winter, so why…?

“Tiánxīn, wake up.” 

You blinked your eyes open slowly, furrowing your eyebrows as the view came into focus. Light from the morning sun shone through the window, cascading down until it hit the side of a face. Hao’s face.

“Am I still dreaming?” You whispered. A lump formed in your throat at the thought that you were— you must be. How could he be right in front of you? He was still far away in Italy.

He shook his head, a smile splayed on his lips. He moved closer, his weight dipping down on the bed. You could only stare, memorising everything about him. His eyelashes fluttered as his gaze dropped to your hand and he reached to hold it. His hands were warm and the skin of his palm was soft, although his fingertips were roughened by calluses after years of playing strings. He cupped your cheek with his other hand, brushing his thumb against your skin.

“I missed you. I’m sorry it took so long for me to come visit.” He frowned slightly as he saw tears start to build in your eyes. You squeezed his hand, as if still deciphering whether he was actually real. It had truly been years since he had first gone for his apprenticeship and then got accepted full time to make violins and teach. Although you had communicated through letters, it could never compare to being with him like this. 

“It’s okay.” You tried to steady your voice, force the lump in your throat down, blink back the tears. But you couldn’t with him right there.

“Don’t cry.” He wiped your tears carefully, his touch soft as always.

“Kiss me. Please?” 

And he obliged. He would always do anything within his power to see you happy. If you told him one day to fly to the moon and bring you back a piece of it, he was sure he would find a way, just to see you smile. The feeling of kissing him again was indescribable. You’d forgotten how it felt to be kissed by his soft lips, how they melded with yours like a dream. As if you two were meant to be.

You knew you always were. Your love story, although it sometimes felt tragic, was like something out of a fairytale. You would never forget the lengths Hao went just to get your attention. How ambitious, determined, and caring he was. He was your constant motivation to keep striving to be better. 

It was hard to live for your dream while being so far apart from him. Part of you knew that he would have to go back. Maybe in a month, maybe in only a week. Maybe sooner than that. Your heart would break once again saying goodbye to him.

But, for now, as he kissed you in the morning sunlight on your bed, you felt your heart healing from his touch. The long years away from him were a small price to pay for moments as precious as these. 

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you pushed them open and gasped upon entering a huge balcony. the door closed behind you with a heavy clank and you let out a shaky breath. 

it’s about time you leave this horrendous party. 

when you were about to find the exit, something in the garden caught your eye. you leaned against the marble railing and a soft sigh left your lips.

by a fountain stood two lovers. 

moonlight was their mask to hide under. perhaps they wished to have a moment for themselves… perhaps they just met. 

assuming by them being busy with kissing, you wouldn’t bet the latter. 

you didn’t want to observe them; however, you couldn’t help but feel jealousy pulling the strings of your heart. two young lovers. that’s what you should be. and not an object for bargaining for old men.

“they have no curtesy, huh?”

you turned around and saw a young man, his brown eyes scanning the couple as well. you just nodded, hesitant to even utter a word. was it another man who just wanted to steal your heart - or more so, your family heritage?

“well, apparently so do i. my apologies. the name is zhang hao” he chuckled low and sent you a warm smile. 

you carefully examined his features. looking at him now - despite just the faint glow of the moonlight outside - you realized he might be your age. his brown hair were falling on his forehead, and the black tuxedo he wore highlighted his slim figure. 

“y/n of l/n” you hummed and bowed politely. will there be a remark? ‘oh, those l/n?’ ‘ah, i could swear i saw this face before’

he just reached his hand out to greet you. you mirrored his movement and were taken aback when once grabbing your hand gently, he leaned down to place a feather-light kiss atop of it. 

with a chivalrous smirk he pulled away and opened his hand. 

in it was your other black satin glove. 

“i saw what happened. i’m sorry. i actually seen all the men approach you, i could see how uncomfortable you were” he said apologetically with a soft look in his eye. 

“why didn’t you save a damsel in distress then?” you asked teasingly, reaching out to grab your belonging.

but zhanghao once again captured your hand gently. his own hand was calloused yet tender and warm. pleasant to hold.

“my apologies, i was busy” he scoffed and carefully put the glove on your hand. not breaking eye contact, he kept slowly pulling it up.

“with? flirting with other young ladies?” you kept testing him. 

“didn’t have the time” he huffed and finally matched the height of your other glove. he smoothed it out with his hand, at a leisurely pace tracing back down to your hand “see, i was the one playing the violin inside”

your mouth slightly fell agape. now that was worth admiring. 

a playful smirk danced on his lips. he subtly let go of your hand, letting it rest on the marble railing. 

“trust me, y/n, i would have intervened if i could” zhanghao said and stepped closer to you, leaning as well. your shoulders were merely brushing.

you glanced at him while he stared at the couple in the garden. they were chatting, holding hands.

“a simple ‘thank you’ would be fine but i do appreciate your awe” he teased, not even looking at you. 

you scoffed, rolling your eyes.

he was… different. not scared to be playful, his first words weren’t about money or marriage. he was confident and straightforward, a refreshing trait to observe.

“thank you. have you tried the macarons?” you asked, instantly regretting those words. you didn’t want to seem desperate or anything but you really wished to converse with him a little more.

“i did, actually. my friend baked them, and i must admit the strawberry ones are–”

“mind blowing! i know, right?” you gasped and you two exchanged looks. zhanghao grinned and your heart just skipped a beat.

he broke the eye contact after a while (you could swear you saw a tint of blush on his cheeks) and cleared his throat. 

“so, um, zhanghao…” you started suddenly, a rush of confidence running through your love-starved body “do you also play the violin exclusively?”

you pretended not to notice how he shuffled closer to you. and he decided to not think about the way you looked at him with hope sparkling in his eyes. 

“depends if there’s food included” he answered and couldn’t help but crack a smile, his serious facade crumbling.

sharing a laugh, he knew he’s going to have a very important person to play for in his schedule soon.

masterlist <3