Work Text:
Minghao looked out of the window at the dark gray sky. He watched the rain pouring down the windows, making puddles on the sidewalk. He shifted uncomfortably in his formal attire. There were guests coming over, so he had to look his best. "But why on such an ugly day," the boy wondered aloud. He wasn't in the mood to put on a happy face. Heck, he never wanted to socialize, but today he especially didn't want to. The weather matched his mood perfectly. He knew he had no choice in the matter, as his aunt and uncle had been kind enough to take him in. As far as they were concerned, they had done their part, and it was his turn to do his.
Minghao took one last look in the mirror, and opened the door. He was met by his aunt.
"Sweetie, are you ready?"
"Yes," he answered solemnly.
"Come on, smile. The guests will be here any minute," she chirped. Sure enough, the doorbell rang.
"Come downstairs and help me greet the guests. Your uncle is already there." He followed the woman down the spiral staircase and stepped into the polished wooden floor. He walked over to the front door and pulled the heavy thing open, revealing two smiling strangers. Great.
"Hello, you must be Minghao. Aren't you adorable," said the woman brightly. Minghao simply smiled and nodded at all of the "compliments". They were just formalities. He let them in, but as he was stepping aside, something caught his eye, or rather, someone. They held each others' gazes for a moment before looking away.
Minghao could have sworn his heart stopped beating for a second. He quickly turned around to see who had shaken him up so badly.
It was a boy, probably around his age. He had pale skin, pale hair, and dark clothes. He was breathtaking.
"Come on, it's time to have dinner", Minghao's uncle said, interrupting his thoughts and pushing him towards the table.
All throughout the dinner, he watched the mysterious boy, and the boy watched him. He was too timid to ask for the boy's name, so he contented himself with simply exchanging looks over the table. The boy was quite intriguing, so Minghao was sad when it was time for the guests to go. He was the only person he had met that even seemed remotely interesting. At this point, Minghao decided that it was time to ask for his name, should he see him again.
"Um...what's your name?" he asked awkwardly.
"My...name? It's...Jun," The boy replied quietly. His voice was soft and sweet. Minghao longed to hear it again, but ignored the feeling.
"Ah, okay, I'm Minghao, in case you didn't catch it at the table," he said finally. Jun nodded and left with the other two guests. As soon as the door closed, Minghao let out a long, drawn-out sigh. Just then, he was faced with his aunt.
"Honey, who were you talking to just now?" Minghao blinked in surprise.
"The boy, Jun. Didn't you see him?" The woman looked at him strangely. Now Minghao was thoroughly confused.
"Well, I only know of one 'Jun'," said his uncle as he walked into the room.
"That's the name of the spirit of the past."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~fin~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~