#minghaoxreader

a short prompt/headcannon (´◡`)

-your brother vernon, has bought over his good looking best friend after almost a year, finally. you were starting to miss his angelic face, according to your thoughts-

Chapter 2: My Reality I jolted awake, barely registering the sweat dotted along my hairline. As my vision came into focus, I became acutely aware of the pain ricocheting up and down my spine from where I had spent the night on the concrete floor.

I found this old warehouse while trekking to Daegu, or what was left of it, before the night drew cold and I was forced to duck into its crumbling walls for shelter against the bitingly cold winds. It was meant to be autumn now, but with the high concentration of radiation in the atmosphere, the skies were gray and the weather was unforgiving. The warehouse itself was decrepit and falling apart, but still held together enough to be a reasonably comfortable place to sleep for the night.

I wrestled my boots on, grimacing at the dampness inside. After making a mental note to forage for socks when in Daegu, I hurriedly packed my meagre belongings away before shuffling to my feet. After one last quick check that I wasn’t forgetting anything, I stalked up to the grimy warehouse doors and pushed them open.

---

Outside, it was barely noon. Yet, the sky was overcast, a bleak breeze ruffling through the decimated trees that lined what was once a road. The tarmac, once immaculately painted and maintained, was now a cracked mess filled with dust and debris. I trekked cautiously, my eyes darting warily across the road for the slightest movement.

I pulled out a ratty scarf, securing it around my neck and face as a makeshift mask against the polluted air. For miles, it seemed as if the journey was panning out to be an uneventful one - the wind was quiet and the land still. For a brief moment, I allowed myself to wish that I were anywhere but here - perhaps somewhere safe and warm, amidst people who loved me. 

Just then, the tranquil silence was broken by the sound of aluminium against concrete. Alarmed, I darted away from the road I had been walking on, slamming my side into a charred tree for cover. My breathing quickened, and I reached frantically into my pocket for my small knife before shakily holding it up to my chest. I scanned the road and surrounding trees and buildings for movement, but everything seemed as still as before. Lowering my knife, I spared one more careful glance across the road before pocketing my weapon reluctantly. Must have been a raccoon, or something. Stop being so jumpy Zula.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself before slinking out of my hiding spot. I’d be damned if I let anything stand between me and my new pair of socks. Unless that anything means death by bandits, or rabid dogs or worse. At that, I felt myself shiver. Just focus on getting to Daegu. Once I get there, everything will be fine. 

“Hey!” A male voice called out lightly from across the tarmac. 

I jumped, whipping my head around to see where the voice had come from. My hand quickly found my hidden weapon, bringing the small knife out and brandishing it not-so-threateningly in front of me. 

“Who’s there! W-Who are you, show yourself!” I called out, cursing my shaky voice for betraying how intimidated I really was. “P-put your hands up!”

A flash of silver caught my eye, and two men emerged from around a large tree across the road from where I was standing, terrified. I could feel my heart pounding erratically inside my chest, and my eyes darted between the two men who were now holding their arms out carefully.

“Hey, hey. Calm down now, there’s no need for weapons.” One of the men cried out, before murmuring something I couldn’t catch under his breath. “We’re sorry for scaring you, okay? We just heard you mumbling to yourself about Daegu and w-we wanted to come along.” He explained, eyes glued nervously on the knife in my hands.

The other man nodded, black hair falling into his eyes as he did so. “We’ve been looking for ways to get into Daegu for a couple of days, but I think we’re lost. We saw you hiding out in that old warehouse a few miles back and decided to follow you. Sorry, that sounds weird now.” He offered gently, his voice barely a whisper. 

I frowned at that, slowly withdrawing my knife. “You creeps followed me? All the way here?” I questioned, staring accusingly at the two men. Their eyes followed my hand as I pocketed my knife, both men releasing a breath as I did so.

“Yes, and we didn’t mean to come off as creeps. We just thought it was weird you were travelling alone.” The silver-haired man murmured, lowering his hands and folding them across his chest. His cat-like eyes were focused on my face and I found myself unable to hold eye contact for long.

“So we followed you for a bit down this road, then we heard you talking to yourself about going to Daegu. In hindsight, maybe we should’ve introduced ourselves first.” The black-haired boy chuckled nervously, ruffling his hair. 

“Yeah, maybe you should have. Would have saved me from a heart attack. Anyway, I’m Zula, why are you guys trying to head into Daegu?” I retorted, pulling down my makeshift face mask.

“I’m Joshua,” said the black-haired boy, “and he’s Minghao.” Joshua gestured at the silver-haired boy, who put up a hand in greeting. “We got wind of a survivor’s camp in Daegu via an old radio we got to work a few weeks ago. We’ve just had a bit of trouble navigating.” Joshua admitted, his cheeks flushing pink with embarrassment. 

Minghao nodded at that, before heaving a sigh at the gravel between his boots. “The maps we had were not the most accurate, and we travelled in circles for days before ending up here.” He clicked his tongue in annoyance, and glanced briefly at Joshua before continuing, “We think Josh’s parents might be at the camp. So we’re really hoping you can help us, Zula.” Minghao’s eyes came to rest on my face, and I couldn’t help but avert my gaze again.

“S-sure. You guys can tag along, my directions seem pretty good if I got this far.” I jested lightly, and Joshua offered a small smile in return. “As long as you guys swear you’re not up to no good.” I finished sternly, placing a hand over my pocket where my knife was hidden.

Minghao scoffed before arguing: “C’mon Zula, if we wanted to do something we would have already. Be sensible.” I bristled at that and a look of disbelief came over my face. I saw Josh suppress a giggle as he craned his neck away from the conversation, pretending to be invested in the charred shrubbery nearby.

“I’m joking, I’m joking. Can we get a move on? Please?” Minghao chuckled, raising an eyebrow at my reaction. I grimaced before pulling the scarf around my neck to cover my nose, beckoning them over as I yanked out my map from my backpack.