#now or never | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

heartkyeom · 2 years

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now or never pt. 1

xu minghao x fem!reader

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 (finale)

word count: 7k

synopsis: when you make a chance encounter with your ex, you end up saying that you're engaged to your estranged neighbor xu minghao. when you find out your ex is coming to your friend's wedding, you've only got a month to become a convincing couple.

warnings: (almost) strangers to lovers, fake marriage, shitty ex!joshua, scenes with enclosed spaces (only in this part), angst, a tiny bit of fluff.

notes: hi omg! my first series!!! i repurposed this first part from something I was writing for another fandom forever ago and it inspired me to make it into a series! hope you enjoy it!! tag list: @venusdaisies @mangogyu @idyllic-ghost

You didn’t want to admit that you were having a terrible day, but it was getting ridiculous at this point.

You managed to almost miss the train, get stuck on said train for an hour, and break a heel the moment you arrived at work. Luckily, you had a pair of tennis shoes on standby at your desk, but that pair of heels happened to be one of your favorites. You silently mourned your shoes and questioned your will to live throughout the day, praying that your luck would turn around.

However, that wouldn’t happen.

When you were sure the day couldn’t get any worse, you somehow lost your train card on the way home. Of course, you didn’t notice until you stepped into the station. You internally cursed yourself for fucking things up once again today, but you had to focus. You didn’t want to give up any more money for a new card, so you begrudgingly made the 40 minute walk back to your apartment.

Naturally, you weren’t expecting any more obstacles. You wanted the universe to spare you so badly and your body was spent from all the mishaps you handled throughout the day. You felt as if your body was floating as you walked into the apartment building, closing your eyes the moment you stepped onto the elevator. The ride to the 5th floor wasn’t nearly long enough, and the chime signaling your destination jolted you awake. You were almost at your apartment door when you heard a voice call your name.

“Y/N? Is that you?” The man’s voice called out excitedly, convinced that he knew you despite your back being turned.

You slowly turned around, your eyes widening at the sight of the man in front of you. It was your ex-boyfriend, looking almost exactly the same as when you two dated. With the exception of a different hair color, his presence brought you back to the tumultuous points of their relationship.

“Joshua! Hi! Yeah, it’s me,” You clutched your tote bag tightly out of instinct. Of course you see your ex when you looked and felt like shit.

He still looked like the human embodiment of a golden retriever and now he had sandy blonde hair to match. It was actually unfair that he looked so well adjusted, so normal after all this time. He was just so happy and it lit a fire in the pit of your stomach.

You watched his eyes scan your body up and down, taking in the sight before him. “It’s crazy, I haven’t seen you since everything happened.”

“Yeah, since you cheated on me,” you responded with a sly grin. There was no reason to pretend with each other, especially since things ended so abruptly. You had spent too much time crying over him to not enjoy this moment.

“Yep,” Joshua replied quietly, clearly not prepared to be confronted with his past behaviors.

“So I assume you’re still with her, then?” you asked.

“Yes, we actually moved into the building a few months ago,” Joshua softly smiled, seemingly trying to cut the tension between you two.

“That’s great,” You mustered the smallest bit of compassion for him, trying not to let your resentment rise to the surface. His new girlfriend was pretty enough, and it didn’t surprise you that Joshua had moved on to someone who eerily looked like you. If you had learned anything from that disaster of a relationship, it was that he definitely had a type.

“How have things been for you?” Joshua asked, giving you almost no time to make a plan to respond.

Would you tell Joshua the truth about your life? How you had been single ever since the breakup and hadn’t been able to quit your dead end job? Absolutely not.

Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted your neighbor Minghao. You didn’t want to resort to anything crazy, but the situation required it. If you were going to lie, you would have to go all in.

“I’m with Minghao,” you said it loud enough to catch the man’s attention. He stopped next to you, the confusion evident on his face.

“What?” Minghao took out his headphones, staring at you as if you had two heads.

“We’ve been together for a few years, actually,” you looked at him with a mix of desperation and kindness, silently hoping Minghao would play along for a few minutes.

He seemed to catch on pretty quickly, leaning on your shoulder and smiling fondly at you. Despite the minimal amount of contact you had with Minghao in the past, he was quick on his feet.

“That’s great! Are you getting married?” Joshua pointed to Minghao’s silver band on his ring finger. He smirked at you, clearly interested in how you would dig yourself out of this.

“Yes, we are,” you smiled and squeezed Minghao’s hand softly. He put on a small smile, but his eyes were dark with anger. You figured he would be upset, but you didn’t have many options. You were honestly shocked that you were still relaxed at all.

“Congrats! Y/N, why aren’t you wearing a ring then?” Joshua inquired. You silently resented Joshua with every passing second. You knew he was just curious, but it was almost too much now.

Before you could respond, Minghao interjected. “She cut her finger pretty badly, so she hasn’t worn it for a little bit. So clumsy, I can’t leave her alone for a second.” Minghao had grabbed your hand, intertwining your fingers together. He started laughing, looking back at Joshua who matched his energy.

You were lost for words at the moment, but ultimately thankful that Minghao knew how to keep up appearances. There were too many things about the interaction that made you question it, but you didn’t have time to think about it. That exhaustion was starting to catch up with you again.

“We should go, but it was good to see you,” You replied carefully, trying not to reveal the extent of your tiredness.

“No worries! See you around,” Joshua waved and began to walk away, a cue for you to grab Minghao’s hand and start running towards your apartment. You didn’t hear any objections from him as you unlocked the door, likely not to raise suspicion around Joshua.

As soon as you locked the door behind you two, Minghao pulled his hand out of your grasp.

“Do you mind telling me what just happened?” Minghao was so confused that it was almost to the point of anger.

“That was my ex. I had to make something up,” You didn’t have the heart to look at him, so you focused on taking your shoes off instead.

“Okay, but why am I involved? You could have just asked someone else who actually knows you,” Minghao replied with an unsatisfied tone.

“You started to go along with it! Plus I just really needed a way out.” You pointed your bag in his direction, quickly placing it down in frustration. None of your friends would have done it anyway, not to impress someone that broke your heart in the first place.

“I had no choice, you looked at me like you were gonna shit yourself,” Minghao stood decidedly at the front door, refusing to step into your space more than he had to. You thought it was slightly immature, but he had already done more than enough for you today.

“I just needed you to help me out. That’s all.”

“Well, it sounds like this isn’t gonna end anytime soon, so what’s in it for me?”

“Anything you want,” you noticed Minghao’s smirk and continued, “within reason. I’m not a millionaire.”

“Honestly, rent money would be nice. It’s the only reasonable reward for getting involved in all of this,” Minghao was stoic throughout his reply, his mood not letting up at all.

You cursed under your breath. It made sense since rent definitely wasn’t cheap, but it didn’t mean you were jumping to commit to it.

“Remember when I said I wasn't rich 20 seconds ago?”

“Yes, but I’m not doing this for free. So you can pay me or else you don’t have a fiancé,” Minghao turned to open the door and your desperation kicked in.

“Fine, okay. I’ll give you rent money,” You sighed deeply. Minghao turned to face you once again, content with his demands.

“You really must be desperate, huh?” Mingaho beamed.

“Shut up,” you rolled your eyes.

“I’m helping you out, so I’d be nice if I were you,” Minghao leaned against the doorframe, his smug demeanor coming off strong even from far away.

“He cheated on me, so I think there's a bit of incentive to do well.”

“Shit. I’m sorry, you don’t deserve that,” Minghao fixed his posture at your statement.

“Thanks. I shouldn’t be this petty, but he is truly the worst,” you admitted. After you initially broke up with Joshua, you learned that he had been cheating for months. You hated that you didn’t find out sooner, but you couldn’t have known. You didn’t want to think the worst of someone you loved.

“Well, I’m happy to be as petty as you need,” Minghao responded with a softer expression. You almost felt that his words were sincere, but you wouldn’t delude yourself into thinking it was anything serious.

“I guess I should give you my num-” you began.

“I don’t need it,” Minghao interjected. He was being a bit elusive, but you weren’t in the mood to talk him down about it.

You sighed deeply. “How am I supposed to talk to you, then?”

“Just come to my door. My apartment is 524, I’m right down the hall.” Minghao unlocked the door to leave, and you didn’t feel the need to stop him.

“Whatever. I guess I’ll see you around then.”

“Bye,” Minghao closed the door behind you, leaving you with your own thoughts. You didn’t like the idea of being alone, not when you just put yourself in such an impossible situation.

You needed to talk to someone before it got too late.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I’m so fucking stupid,” You felt the tears stream down your cheeks, quickly closing your eyes to stop any chances of blurry vision.

“You’re not stupid,” your friend Chan reassured you, gently stroking your hair. You both laid haphazardly on his bed, full from pizza that you brought from your place. You allowed him to cover you in a blanket in an effort to relax but to no avail.

“I am. I told Joshua that I’m getting married to Minghao, but we barely know each other and I was just so tired I didn’t know what else to do,” you babbled until you couldn’t speak anymore, your tears covering up anything else you wanted to say.

You got a bit too drunk and decided to call Chan after wallowing in your own sadness for a few hours. You were always an emotional drunk, leaving Chan to make sure you didn’t cry yourself to sleep.

However, once he saw how devastated you looked, he couldn’t be angry. Chan also lived in your apartment building, a coincidence that quickly turned into an inside joke between the two of you. It came in handy when you needed comfort from each other, tonight in particular.

“You just did what you thought was best at the moment.”

You scoffed. “I’m in a fake relationship with a guy who doesn’t know anything about me. I wouldn’t say that’s the best thing.”

“You don’t have to figure everything out right now. This literally happened today on top of an already bad day. Give yourself some grace,” Chan’s comforting words seemed to melt into your skin, alleviating your anxieties of making the wrong decision.

“You’re right,” you sighed, “but I just don’t know when I’m gonna talk to him again.”

“I’d give it a few days,” Chan offered.

“Ok, that means I’ve got the whole weekend to think then.” Since it was a Friday, you could plot exactly how you would approach Minghao over the next few days.

“You’re gonna think too much, I already know it,” Chan giggled.

“Oh god, you really know me too well,” you sat up and grinned at him. It shouldn’t be too complicated, but you didn’t know what to expect with him at all.

“That’s my job.” Chan smiled in reply and you sat in silence for a moment. Chan swiped a stray tear from your cheek, instinctively grabbing your hands soon afterwards. “You’ll be fine. Plus I’ll be coaching you, so you’re not going through this alone.”

“Yeah,” you looked down before meeting Chan’s eyes again. “You’re not gonna let me fuck this up, right?”

“Of course not. We’ve gotta make sure you two are actually convincing as a couple, but that’s something we can figure out later. For now, I just need to make sure you’re not gonna cry yourself to death,” Chan replied sweetly, but his tone was halfway serious.

You smiled weakly. “I’m good, I swear.” Chan’s eyes lingered for a moment, but he chose not to press the issue. You didn’t know if that was for your own good, but you figured it was best not to question it.

In the lapse of conversation, you decided to check your phone. Your notifications were filled with the usual Instagram and Twitter interactions, a few spare work emails you hadn’t seen during the day, and texts from your friends.

However, your eyes landed on one notification: a reminder for your friend’s wedding. Your heart nearly stopped. You clicked on the email to find a digital version of the invitation that you received in the mail months ago.

You remembered putting it on your refrigerator alongside other photos and postcards of events coming and going, and you visually acknowledged it every day. It couldn't be coming up too soon, right? You scanned the invitation once again, and the date stood out.

The wedding was only a month away.

How did you possibly forget your friends’ wedding? You wanted to blame work, and that was a fair response. You had been focused on your job more than usual, but this shouldn’t have slipped your mind.

“Wait, Mingyu’s wedding is really in a month?” you asked nervously.

“Yeah, I’ve been doing groomsman stuff for a while now. Did you forget?” Chan responded uncritically.

“Yeah, I’ve just been so fucked up with work lately and it went completely over my head. I don’t have a date or anything,” you answered without thinking.

Chan gave you a knowing look. “Yes, you do.”

“Fuck, we really do have to be a couple,” you sighed loudly. Minghao was no longer someone you could ignore, he was an active and important part of your life if only for a short period of time.

“Now you really need to talk to him.”

“I might as well do it tomorrow and stop dragging it out.”

“Maybe that’s true, the sooner the better,” Chan cleared his throat before continuing, “and I think Joshua’s girlfriend is going to the wedding.”

“What? How do you know?” you asked frantically.

“Let’s just say I did some quick guest list snooping and I saw her name. I can only assume that means Joshua is going too,” Chan tried to break the news gently but it was no use.You were frustrated that there was no way to escape Joshua, even when you were supporting your friends.

You had to go, you had to face the past with your unwilling future partner next to you.

Yet, it didn’t make the thought of going any easier. You loved Mingyu, but you also cursed the fact that your friend group was so small.

“I’m so fucking tired of people knowing each other in this city,” you finally stood up from the bed, channeling your drunken energy into picking up stray clothes off the floor. Chan cautiously watched you shove clothes into the hamper.

“I don’t want to see him, I don’t want them to get in the way of me being at my friend’s wedding. I’m not supposed to be this fucking upset over someone who didn’t even love me!” you exclaimed. Chan could only watch you, not wanting to interrupt.

You didn’t want to feel defeated, not by someone who had been out of your life for years. You were better than that, you had done the work to heal the wounds from that relationship and move on. It just didn’t make any sense.

“Was that everything you needed to say?” Chan asked.

You nodded with a defeated expression. You didn’t want any more anger to bubble up, and it had already taken too much of your energy.

“Well, clearly I’m not going home tonight,” Chan resigned. You made your way back to the bed once again, hugging Chan’s side.

You couldn’t be alone tonight and thankfully Chan recognized that.

Saturday morning crept by, and it was already noon by the time you decided to get up. Chan left a few hours prior, citing an errand he needed to run. He also talked you up with some encouraging words about the Minghao encounter, but the thought of it still loomed over the rest of your day. It calmed a few of your anxieties, but a pep talk could only do so much.

After eating and trying to come down from your slight hangover, you made yourself get ready to go to his apartment. You didn’t know what would happen. Would Minghao still be at home? Would you look like an idiot knocking on his door with no reply? You wouldn’t know until you got out of your own head and just left your apartment.

You approached 524, making a mental note to keep connecting it to Minghao. If you didn’t remind yourself, you would probably forget the moment you stepped away from the door. You mentally prepared yourself one last time, taking a deep breath before knocking.

“Coming,” you immediately heard Minghao’s muffled reply. It was quiet for a moment before you heard footsteps approaching the door.

The door opened to a very comfortable looking Minghao. It was a much different image of him than you were familiar with, his style had a sort of ease that you could only dream of pulling off. Thus, him in an oversized hoodie and sweatpants definitely betrayed your fantasy of him. He leaned against the door frame, eyeing you for a moment before speaking.

“Hi. Any reason why you woke me up?”

“We need to talk,” You immediately regretted the way you responded, sounding a bit too angsty.

Minghao chuckled. “It sounds like I’m getting punished.”

”Not exactly, but I feel like you won’t like it.”

“Just tell me. I won’t bite,” Minghao stated, his expression unchanging. You didn’t really believe that, especially since he could give people hell if it was necessary. Well, at least from what you remember Chan telling you.

“You’re my date to a wedding. It’s in a month, but we need to prepare for it,” You decided to be direct with him instead of just asking. It wasn’t optional, he needed to accept.

“So we’re actually getting to know each other?”

“Yeah. Joshua is going, so I want us to actually be prepared.”

“Right, so you won’t look clueless like last time.” Minghao raised his eyebrows.

“I just think it’d be fucked up if I went to a wedding and my fiancé can’t tell someone a single thing about me. That shouldn’t be weird of me to want that,” you deflect.

“And I actually need your number. This isn’t a joke, we need to be in contact,” you moved your concentration to opening your phone contacts to a new page, impatiently handing Minghao your phone.

Minghao grabbed the phone from your grasp. “Whatever. Just don’t text me anything dumb.” He entered his name and number quickly before handing the phone back.

“But you are the dumb thing I’m texting,” You grinned widely as you took your phone.

“Okay, anything else before I shut the door in your face?” Minghao retreated back into his apartment.

“Just that you’re doing me a massive favor and I’m extremely grateful for you,” you smiled again, the words rolling off your tongue far too easily.

“You’re an idiot,” Minghao promptly slammed the front door shut.

You sighed as you made your way back into your own apartment. Well, at least you had Minghao’s phone number. You could only hope that he didn’t delete it two minutes later.

——

The weekend passed far too quickly for your liking, and you were back in your cubicle before you knew it. The only difference was that now you couldn’t stop thinking about Minghao. The image of his black hair, the way his eyes creased when he smiled widely, every little detail of his face permeated your typical thoughts.

It was pathetic, you knew it was. You were equally anxious and eager to see him again, secretly wanting to understand why he acted the way he did. You wanted to organize the way that you approached this “getting to know you” thing, but Chan insisted on leading both of you in mediated sessions.

You told Chan that he didn’t have to go this far, but it was no use. Chan would be thorough with his plans no matter what, but you wanted to meet Minghao on your own before all of the fanfare started.

You just needed an excuse to see him again. You decided to text him on your lunch break during a particularly slow Tuesday.

you

hi! what’s up

fake fiance

who is this

you

of course you didn’t save my number …

fake fiance

I'm kidding. I did or else you would’ve killed me

what do you want

you

I need you to propose to me

fake fiance

…okay

you

well I’m not gonna let you keep wearing that plain ring if I don’t have a ring

fake fiance

don’t judge my taste

you

we should do it tonight

fake fiance

you didn't respond to what i said but ok

do you want me to make you dinner?

you

yes I can just come to your apartment

fake fiance

okay

any preferences

you

something good

fake fiance

well obviously

come over at 9 pm

You glanced at his texts again, your mind going blank. How was tonight even supposed to go? It’s not like you had much to go off of, especially since you hadn’t spent time with Minghao in years. You were acquaintances in college, both connected through Chan. You each had your separate friend groups, but Chan always kept him in your orbit somehow.

You didn’t even remember what happened to make the two of you stop talking. It was just enough to stop interacting with each other altogether.

Your friends didn’t understand why you wouldn’t just communicate like real adults, but it soon became futile to convince you two to interact. There was just some level of passive aggressiveness that evolved into resentment over time.

Thus, it didn’t make things any better when you found out Minghao lived in your apartment building. You mostly never saw each other, but that currently wasn’t the case.

You pondered what Minghao would possibly do, but nothing emerged. When you still couldn’t settle your daydreaming on the commute home, you figured you needed someone to talk you down.

“If you were gonna fake propose to someone over dinner, how would you do it?”

“Just say you’re talking about Minghao.”

“Soonyoung, I need help, ok? This isn’t just some random guy, it’s my fake fiancé,” you cradled your phone in the crook of your shoulder.

“Well, Minghao probably wouldn’t even care. Isn’t this supposed to only last a month anyway?”

You stopped in your tracks. “We haven’t talked about it.”

“Maybe you should do that,” Soonyoung replied.

“And he would care. He’s way too observant,” you pouted, making your friend sigh in frustration.

“Look, you need to relax. Minghao likes something simple and meaningful, so obviously he’s gonna treat you right.” Soonyoung responded calmly. He was right, Minghao probably wouldn’t fuck you over, even if he wasn’t your biggest fan. Considering that he knew Minghao far more than you did, you weren’t really in the business of ignoring his advice.

“You’re right. I’m not gonna be weird about it.”

“Exactly. He even told me he was looking forward to tonight!” Soonyoung answered excitedly, but you didn’t want it to go to your head.

“Did he? That’s good at least.”

“He did. Now go get ready, I don’t wanna hear you say you didn’t have enough time to prep.”

“Thank you, love you, bye,” you hung up after hearing Soonyoung’s goodbye. You glanced at your phone once again to check the time. It was only 7, but you decided not to procrastinate and actually get dressed early.

It would take you ages to figure out what you wanted to wear. As you examined your closet, you slightly regretted not asking Soonyoung for outfit advice before hanging up. You always had too many clothes to choose from, so you needed at least an hour just to decide on your outfit.

Eventually, you settled on a simple black dress. It was slightly out of your comfort zone for a date, but this was your proposal after all. Once you put it on, you admire yourself in the mirror for a moment. You hadn’t dressed up in a while, much less for a romantic encounter.

Sure, the night would mean nothing in the long run, but nothing would stop you from making sure you looked good during it.

Unsurprisingly, you were out of the apartment and knocking on his door at 8:59. When he opened the door, Minghao seemed shocked that you were right on time.

You noticed the way Minghao eyed your figure for a moment, a slight blush spread on his cheeks from the sight of you. It did give you a little satisfaction.

“Hi, um-,” Minghao started, but silence overtook him once again.

“If you wanted to stare, you could’ve just said that,” you replied, turning up the charm in Minghao’s moment of weakness.

“I’m not staring,” Minghao looked down at the floor before quickly glancing up again. You stepped past Minghao into the apartment, taking in your new surroundings for a moment.

For the record, you thought Minghao looked good too, but you were just better at hiding it. He was dressed in a black suit, a bit plain but it fits well for the circumstances. His black hair was styled neatly, a few strands left out framing the sides of his face. You actually noticed it was around mullet length, making him look even edgier than you originally thought. You decide that it suits him.

He looked a bit like a model, one of those who you’d buy magazines just to see his ads and put them up on your wall. It made your heart tense, but that certainly didn’t mean anything.

He locked the door behind you and walked closer to you, anticipating your initial reaction. His apartment was surprisingly cosmopolitan, the walls adorned with art pieces that look gallery ready. You noticed small trinkets placed around framed photos, it all seemed so intentional that it took your breath away.

“It doesn’t look half bad in here,” you downplayed your reaction. Minghao laughed at your observation as your gaze finally met him again.

He put his hand over his chest in mock defense. “I’m sure your apartment looks much worse,” he replied with a smirk. “You should be lucky I even agreed to this. I was just gonna give you the ring and call it a day.”

“But where’s the fun in that?” you responded, sitting down at the dining table. You looked at him expectantly, noticing how he stayed concentrated in the kitchen.

“I guess you’re right. I made ramen, but it’s a bit more fancy. Do you want wine too?” he held up a bottle and you nodded, prompting him to fix your plates.

“I’m expecting a lot from you,” you teased.

He sighed loudly. “Of course you are,” he replied with a small lilt in his voice. He carefully brought over the plates of food, placing a dish in front of you before setting down his own.

A bit fancy was an understatement. You were sure he wasn’t a cook, Soonyoung would have at least told you that. Yet, the presentation looked far more professional than you were expecting. It seemed more like the five star ramen places you saw on TV which made you decide that yes, Minghao probably did care about aesthetics more than you realized.

He shuffled back to get the wine bottle on the counter, placing it on the side of the table. You looked amused at the sight of him scurrying around and watched him sit down across from you.

“Please eat, so I can know if you hate it,” he mentally prepared himself for any response you might give. You lifted your chopsticks, pulled up a mound of noodles and took a surprisingly large bite. You immediately nodded in approval.

“It’s really good, actually,” you said between your bite.

He could have cried at that moment. “Oh thank god,” he took a similar sized bite himself and sat back in his chair.

“Have some class, oh my god,” you joke, pouring yourself a glass of wine. He tried not to laugh as you took a sip.

“This is my apartment, let me look stupid.”

He heard the shutter of a phone camera and looked up. You took photos of him while giggling, looking back down at your phone to edit something that he clearly wasn't allowed to see.

“If you send that to anyone, I’m gonna kill you,” he rolled his eyes at your antics.

“I’m just setting it on my phone screen so I can have one of those weird candid boyfriend photos of you.”

“Oh, that’s actually kinda cute.”

“You also look stupid so that helps.”

“Guess I need to ask Chan for some bad college pictures of you,” he smiled.

“Shut up,” You took more bites of your ramen, stuffing your cheeks to deflect the attention off of you.

You sat in silence for a bit, finishing your food without making eye contact. It was definitely awkward, but when was it not? You never had comfortable experiences with Minghao, not even in college. The jokes could only take you so far.

You finally decided to break the silence between the two of you. “So where's this ring?” you announced, placing your hands on the table.

“Right,” he frantically looked around for a moment before meeting your glance, “I’ll go get it.”

He looked nervous. Why was he nervous? It’s not like this was serious or anything.

He came back to the table, looking at you expectantly. “Can you stand up, please?”

You wordlessly stood up, waiting for him to make the dreaded move.

He got down on one knee and you suddenly remembered the gravity of the situation.

“Y/N, we’ve barely known each other for years now and this entire situation is wild to me. It’s my fault because I don’t love you or even halfway like who you are-“

“You’re not convincing me at all,” you chuckled.

He sighed. “But apparently I’m the only person who would ever do this for you. So, will you fake marry me?” He opened the box to reveal a simple diamond ring with a silver band. It wasn’t anything flashy, but it was good enough for this situation.

You eyed the ring for a moment before replying. “I’m paying you, so obviously yes,” you stated plainly.

“Okay then,” he pressed his mouth into a line and stood up again. You weren't sure what you expected, but you weren't exactly surprised.

He took your hand, trying not to notice the way it slightly tensed up from his touch. This was the most physical contact you’ve ever had, at least since before your conversation with Joshua.

He carefully placed the ring on your finger and watched you examine it. “This is pretty good for someone who doesn’t like me,” you added playfully.

“Trust me, I didn’t spend money on that. It was a gift to one of my friends. They gave it to me after hearing about all this.” He decided to clear the dining table, collecting the used plates and utensils as he replied.

You walked towards the kitchen, observing him balance the dishes in his hands with no intention to help. “I was certain that you had something worse just for me.”

“I didn’t, but I knew you would want something like that,” he spoke a bit louder over the running water, washing the plates without looking up.

“I’ve been going too easy on you if you’re so confident about me,” you retorted.

He laughed and set the plates down in the sink. He turned off the faucet and faced you. “Go ahead, then.”

“What?”

He closed the distance between you and lowered his voice. “Don’t play dumb with me. If you wanna degrade me so badly, then do it.”

You stood your ground, your face stone cold despite his persistence. He saw the cracks in your facade though.

“You’re annoying,” you started, your voice barely above a whisper.

“Keep going.” He stared at you, silently prodding you on.

“I hate that Chan ever introduced us because you’re insufferable,” your words were laced with venom, but he couldn’t help himself from smiling.

“And why am I insufferable, brat?” You felt his breath on your ear, his aura seemed to shut down most of your senses. It didn't make sense that he had this much of an effect on you.

“Because you’re uptight, controlling, and a perfectionist,” your voice faltered, your eyes closing for a moment.

“Anything else?” he asked. His question was only met with silence, and your eyes searched for any sign of a reprieve.

“That’s what I thought.” he kissed your cheek lightly before retreating back to the sink.

You let out a shaky breath, barely audible over the running water. You didn’t expect Minghao to get you so riled up.

“Can I go home now?” He heard the question and looked at you, clearly still flustered.

“Yeah. You can let yourself out.” He didn't ignore the way your shoulders were tensed up, and your face was painted with disdain. Your wide eyes were noticeably duller than usual. He wondered for a moment if he went too far with the teasing, if the kiss on the cheek crossed a line that you weren’t ready for.

“Great,” you muttered, slamming the door as you left the apartment.

Once you got home, you decided that the night definitely could have gone worse.

Honestly, you were just relieved that Minghao gave you a good ring.

You expected the rest of the week to continue without any contact from Minghao. He didn’t text much anyways, but it made sense considering the way Tuesday night went.

Wednesday was nothing special, and the monotony of the workday took up any brain space you might have had. You thought about texting Minghao but decided against bothering him.

However, you spotted Minghao leaving your apartment at the same time on Thursday, blissfully unaware of your presence.

Minghao looked up at you with a quick glance. Your eyes shot nervously towards him, leaving you with an urge to walk away before you could regret it.

He caught your arm before you could get away. “Can we talk please?”

“About what?” you sighed and faced him halfheartedly.

“Don’t do this, you know what I’m talking about,” he tried to search your eyes for any kind of response.

“It just caught me off guard. That’s it,” you started walking again, forcing him to keep up with you. He stepped in front of you to block your path.

“Ok, I barely even know you and I know that’s a lie.” he gave you a pointed look. You only furrowed your brows and stepped around him.

“I said it’s nothing, why are you trying to push this?” you focused your eyes on the elevator ahead of you, pressing the downstairs button.

“Because I know you’re lying to me,” he insisted. The elevator doors opened and you stepped inside.

“I thought you said you don’t know me?” you retorted, visibly amused at his feeble attempts to defend himself. The doors began to close, but he stuck his arm out before it could fully shut.

The doors lurched open again, and Minghao stood next to you. “True, but at least from our interactions you don’t seem like the type to lie to someone, especially someone you don’t like.”

The hum of the elevator filled the brief silence. “I don’t owe you anything. Fake married or not,” you kept your eyes trained ahead of you, waiting expectantly for the doors to open.

The elevator suddenly came to a halt, the jolt shocking both of you. Minghao pressed the floor buttons hoping for any movement, but to no avail. You were definitely stuck.

“You can’t be fucking serious,” you chuckled to yourself before sitting on the ground.

He exhaled and proceeded to call the emergency line. He figured that you were too angry to do it, and someone needed to let emergency services know what happened as soon as possible. After a muffled yet brief conversation with the fire department, he had a clear answer.

“They said it’ll be two hours before they can get us,” he turned and sat on the opposite side of the car, adjusting his posture so that he wasn’t completely slumped against the wall.

“Of course. It’s not like I had shit to do today or anything,” you replied with an irritated tone. He watched you run your fingers through your hair, sensing the stress in your movements.

He was obviously worried too, but he needed to be somewhat relaxed to deal with this. It was the only way you’d both make it out of here without killing each other.

“God, this is not what I needed right now,” he sighed to himself and closed his eyes, trying to block out the fluorescent lighting of the ceiling panels.

“It wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t follow me in here,” you replied under your breath.

“Maybe not, but maybe you can actually talk about what happened the other night,” you opened your eyes and looked at Minghao.

“You know what, fine. I didn’t expect you to fucking kiss me and I felt overwhelmed, is that what you want to hear?” you stood up, your voice growing louder.

“It is, actually! I could’ve appreciated you saying anything at all,” he exclaimed.

“But you did it anyway because you knew you could get a rise out of me!”

“Maybe I did, but remember the part where I asked you if you had anything else to say? If you were that mad at me in that moment or afterward, you could have said something but you didn’t. You walked out of my apartment,” he ranted.

“I was flustered! What else was I supposed to do?”

“Just talk to me,” he finally decided to stand up to face you, “I can’t read your mind, you know.”

You couldn’t respond. Your face was wracked with guilt, your previously confident demeanor was now deflated. You knew that he was right and you definitely needed to set clear boundaries if this was going to work.

“If you can’t even tell me about a kiss on the cheek, how are we supposed to be convincing people that we’re getting married?” his voice softened.

Minghao looked you in the eyes and it threw you off for a moment. You didn’t expect Minghao to look so vulnerable, especially since he always seemed so sure of himself.

“You’re right,” you put your hands on your cheeks before looking at him. “I can definitely do better. Can you at least ask me before you try to kiss me, though? So we won’t make each other uncomfortable again?”

He simply nodded and processed your response. You both stood there silently for a moment, and you contemplated holding his hand.

You wanted him to comfort you somehow, even though you were the one apologizing. It didn’t make sense, but the entire situation didn’t make sense either.

“That’s fine. I just don’t want you to feel scared to talk to me,” he admitted.

“Same. I’m not that scary, am I?” you smirked.

“You are kinda scary, brat.”

“Is that our thing now? The nickname thing?” You sat back down, deciding to take off your shoes. You figured it would take way longer than expected for someone to come get you, so you might as well get comfortable.

“It can be. What’s my name then?” He followed your lead, sitting down carefully next to you. You tried not to notice the lack of distance between you, but his cologne hits your nose and it feels like a bit too much to bear.

“I have to think about it. What about Hao?”

“That’s normal. That’s what anyone would call me. Make it special,” he challenged.

“Is idiot good enough?” You suggest. He squinted his eyes, taking a moment to judge if it was suitable enough.

“Not special, but it’s around the same level as brat, so I’m not completely against it,” he decided.

“Works for me,” you sigh. You realize just how hot it is in the elevator once you stop talking. It was probably hotter while you were yelling at each other, but now you could really feel it as you were sitting still.

“Can we agree to nap until something happens?” You look at him and he nods solemnly.

You close your eyes and try to accept the rollercoaster of events that just happened. You were angry with Minghao, and you mutually set some boundaries. You made up and now you have nicknames for each other, albeit they don’t actually have any real meaning.

It was a lot of progress for one elevator ride.

You still knew virtually nothing about him but this was fine, right?

Couples did things like this in days or weeks, so maybe this was just a way of making up for lost time.

There was practically no time for you to really know him, but you had to make it happen. If today was any indication of how the next month might go, you were already bracing yourself.

It would make your life a little bit more interesting, you knew that for sure.

#screams i'm excited for this #xu minghao #minghao fluff #minghao scenarios #the8 x reader #the8 imagines #minghao imagines #seventeen x reader #seventeen imagines #svt imagines #svt x reader #the8 #heartkyeom #now or never

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weirdmarioenemies · 9 months

Text

Name: Now or Never!

Game: Splatoon Series et al

Hi :3 Mod Cat Flopter here. I was too busy sleeping in a sunbeam to post until now, but I’m here with an oddball.

Now or Never! is an iconic song by the band Squid Squad, one of the first popular rock bands in the Splatoon world! Now or Never plays in the last minute of a Turf War in all three Splatoon games, as well as at other times in other forms.

The first hint of Now or Never! that world saw was at E3 2014, a weird boogie that helped show off Splatoon (for the Wii U console!!)

The Beta version of Now or Never! is unavailable in a clean quality. Most of the footage has ink flying everywhere! However, one intrepid fan recreated the sound on youtube :3

The original track goes for even more of a hard rock sound than the final Now or Never! This song REALLY tells you to Ink or Sink down the rankings, and Splattack the enemy to win! However, it doesn't quite sound like a Squid Squad song to me, with a lack of their trademark vocalist and the synthesizers Splatoon is known for. Overall, I like the finished Now or Never! betta, but the changes have me Kracken Up!

The finished Now or Never! by Squid Squad, which debuted in Splatoon 1, is such an iconic piece of Splatoon that it's hard to imagine the game without it.

The track is high energy and establishes lots and lots and lots of Splatoon's sound, from the rock influences, to the synths, to the inklish vocals and the energy! To quote a cool video, it's loud, bold, and Booyah! (please imagine a guitar riff!) I'm just a little guy and I don't know music theory so please watch this video instead https://youtu.be/38h8eudzy7k

it's only 11 Now or Never!s long, it's a good use of your time.

Squid Squad is soooo creative for soming up with this song all on their own :3

Next is the Squid Sisters’ splatfest cover of Now or Never!

With more of a Jpop feel, the Squid Sisters change up the sound immensely, going for MORE synths and a BUBBLEGUM feel! It’s so cool. I bet the original creators of Now or Never! Were so happy when they heard this cover by a famous band!!

The next iteration is a slightly altered live performance by the Squid SIsters from 2016!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxkKUbNnXKE&t=326s

The song is modified to be extended in this version, although i have to say- too much of a good thing :c. The new sections that aren’t just a loop of the original song are interesting evolutions, but they’re sadly a small part of the performance.

Next up is an era shift! The Splatoon 2 Global Testfire (2017) had its own version of Now or Never! This came with a shift in bands and an overall higher push for Splatoon marketing within other Nintendo games, such as Super Smash Brothers Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe! Its so cool that Squid Squad let Wet Floor cover their original song, and I'm excited to tell you about it!

With an obvious and notable shift in vocals, the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire Now or Never! also brings a shift in energy from the Squid Squad version, slowing the song down and bridging the gap between the Squid Squad and Wet Floor versions of the song. It adds even more synths to the composition, pushing it towards a western poppy feel over the rock and jpop versions of Splatoon 1.

And here’s the finished version!

It pulls back on the synths to pre-splatoon 1 levels and boosts the crowd section, adding in a ska feel. The classic guitar and drum kit are even more prominent here than in the Squid Squad version, which has both benefits and drawbacks. For one, the Splatoon sound is a fusion of both rock and synths, so scaling it back to more conventional instruments for the genre it’s aiming for is to the game’s detriment. On the other, my cat flopther (father cat flopter) has made me a big fan of classic rock all my life, so I can’t be too mad at moving Now or Never! In that direction.

On the other hand, Off the Hook’s version of Now or Never is…

Oh. Oh no.

It’s the same issue I have with the other version of Now or Never! In Splatoon 2, but it’s also I think a bad song for Off the Hook. Sorry to fans of lesbianism everywhere, but this just doesn’t sound like an Off the Hook song to me, and although the bubblegummy synth composition works for a Japanese pop band like the Squid SIsters, it doesn’t quite vibe for an American hip-hop, as well as pulling back on Splatoon’s unique sound. The brassy sound at the very beginning is cool, though, and the homage to Marina's inspriation is nice!

Although I’ve been speaking in timeline order up to now, I have to admit something.

I skipped two (2!) Now or Never!s. Actually, I skipped one Bouyant Bougie and I’m going to talk about Ebb and Flow as well in this section.

Being a story mode song, Buoyant Boogie appeared before the Splatfest exclusive Off the Hook Now or Never! on day 1.

Buoyant Boogie is a Now or Never!; it samples the Squid Sisters’ Now or Never! and even includes backwards vocals from Callie, hinting at her story mode fate, which is cool. :3 The song additionally only lasts one minute before looping. Also, Turquoise October ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

In Octo Expansion, the final battle is a Turf War on the NILS statue. For two minutes, Fly Octo Fly plays, then at one minute remaining, it transitions into Ebb and Flow. At the time, many people called this a Now or Never!

However, Ebb and Flow is NOT a Now or Never!. It’s an Ebb and Flow. Although it’s cool symbolically, it’s its own song and Off the Hook doesn’t need to be bound by tradition!! THEY GET TO MAKE THEIR OWN COOL MUSIC OK!!

sorry none of these videos are available btw

Okay so next is the first not a Splatoon game Now or Never!, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017)’s Now or Never!

This song plays on the Urchin Underpass battle stage when one minute is left in the match. Interestingly, this is the only Now or Never that is shorter than a minute- The Final Lap jingle takes up four seconds, so the song itself is sped up to accommodate. It’s modeled after Squid Squad’s Now or Never, which is fitting for a Splatoon 1 exclusive stage!

In fact, it feels like a lot of appearances of Now or Never! are almost identical to Squid Squad’s Now or Never!. Here are the rest of them:

Tetris 99 (2019)’s Splatoon Theme’s “10 players left” music

Wait, that’s it?

Yeah! Surprisingly, Now or Never! Is usually remixed. Even though Squid Squad’s iconic and original cover of the song is the most popular, most appearances pay tribute to them instead of keeping their sound 100% the same. Take Super Smash Brothers Ultimate’s Now or Never for example. It’s worse than the original! I’m not even going to pretend to link to it! It’s bad!

The Splattack cover, though, is fresh and new! A jazzy, big band vibe that samples Now or Never! in the same jazzy style. Although it’s far from my favorite Now or Never! it’s something new, something that I’d be excited to see in a Splatoon game. Perhaps an Ink Theory cover? Regardless, it’s an interesting evolution of this Strange Splatoon Entity.

Meanwhile, the The Super Smash Brothers Ultimate remix of Now or Never! itself is……….

….

…

bad.

it’s so bad

Sorry, Spikey, do I have to talk about this?

“Yes, Sorry Mod Cat Flopter! You said you wanted to talk about all versions of Now or Never!”

Ok, fine :(

I will continue not even pretending to link this. It’s so bad. zero tension. only nominally a Now or Never!. An infinite Now or Never! would be a good thing, you would think.

Next is the Taiko no Tatsujin Switch Splatoon 2 Medley. A compilation of two original Wet Floor songs (Rip Entry and Turf Master) and their Now or Never! cover. It starts about a minute into the song, not a minute from the end, strangely enough! It’s the middle song of the three!

Off the Hook Live! at Polymanga 2018 This is one of the BEST versions of this song. Take a listen for yourself: https://youtu.be/-i9GTp3Mp30

With the Squid Sisters and live band members here, they use ACTUAL INSTRUMENTS along with the synths, the Splatoon style that I love so much. With a fresh new intro to the song and lots of extensions that continue to ramp up tension, this version of the Squid Sisters’ classic is the height of this song in my opinion!! it’s sooooooo gooooood!! The record scratches in the beginning to lead into the song itself, the electric guitar, the DRUMS!! that kick in at around thirty seconds in. Pearl dabs. THIS is how you extend Now or Never! to four minutes.

Okay, now the SPLATOON 2 FINAL FEST CHAOS VS ORDER NOW OR NEVER!

A second collaboration between Off the Hook and the Squid Sisters, this Now or Never! takes after the Off the Hook cover of the Squid Sisters’ cover of the Squid Squad cover, with both bands providing vocals. With the Squid Sisters here, this version of Off the Hook’s cover is… less bad. Not as good as the other way around, but still better than before. I like it when squids sing :)

Fast-forward three years to Splatoon 3! The third game in the series had, fittingly, three versions of Now or Never! At launch.

First of all, the Deep Cut cover. This chaotic cultural fusion combines the Brazilian, Middle-Eastern, Indian, and classic Japanese influences of the three members of Deep Cut! I’m only one of those things, so I will not comment on how well they pulled this off! All I know is that I really like this song, and that Shiver and Frye are lesbians as fuck. The same guy from before has a video on this one too! I’ll link that instead of posting a not available image. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ebqBmL53UQ

Now! Wham!

Flashback to when I posted about the Infinite Now Or Never in Smash Ultimate!

This one IS an infinite Now or Never! The Tableturf 3 turns remaining theme is a modified infinite Now or Never! In the Tableturf sound style, with Onward! cutting in multiple times through the song. If Now or Never! represents the Turf Warring denizens of the Surface, and Onward! represents the octarian army, this tune is perfect for the Splatlands, where both live in Harmony (tee hee! Get it? :3) and have for generations. Pretty cool if you ask me!

Last but certainly not least, but certainly not last-

C-Side’s Now or Never!

While writing this post (this has taken a long time!) New information came to light! Beika, the lead of C-Side, has claimed to be the first creator of Now or Never! THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!!!! And it makes perfect sense! C-Side’s Now or Never! Is pure rock, a decision that sets it apart from other Splatoon music, which always involve synths!! This perfectly reflects the change in setting from the trendy high tech big city to the grungy desert! It’s SO GOOD!! Not the best Now or Never! (I do prefer Splatoon’s unique style!) But it’s hard to beat the original! But it’s also easy to beat the original! I love you C Side!!!!

Okay, this has been Mod Cat Flopter, Logging Off! :3 see you next week!!

p.s. ichiya is a stupid bastard

#mod cat flopter #splatoon #mario entities #now or never

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