Subtle Differences | Junhao oneshots

What if you forget

An hour to go before the public release of his brand new novel, and Minghao had never felt any more nervous than he was at that moment in time. A line of presumably journalist and enthusiastic customers were already waiting outside the store round the corner of the street he and his publishing company had rented specially for this release. He was more than pleased to see the numerous social media posts he had put onto the internet had garnered attention, more than he expected. Minghao could hear the buzz of excitement travelling through the glass windows as he walked around for the umpteenth time to check that everything was in place. 

"You okay? You've been pacing for a half hour now." Minghao jumped when Junhui crept up behind him. He let out a shaky breath. 

"I'm fine. It's just the nerves. I can't believe the past few months have finally led up to this." Minghao turned around and melted into the warmth of Junhui's reassuring hug. 

Junhui gave the younger another tight squeeze. "Your book is fantastic Hao. If anything, I'll still be your number one supporter, yeah?" 

"All right lovebirds, continue this at home. The release is starting soon Minghao." Another female voice said from beside them. When the two pulled away, they saw Ruth standing nearby, a big grin on her face. Ruth was Minghao's biggest help during the process of his writing, and coincidentally was the assistant to his publishing company's manager, Mr Clark. Minghao cleared his throat and stood up taller, smoothing invisible creases down the front of his shirt. Junhui quickly moved to the back of the store, allowing some space for the crowd to occupy. 

Minghao braced himself as the doors opened, and cameras started flashing. Soon enough, he was pulled in multiple directions to take photos, to conduct short interviews with journalists, and to introduce his novels to customers, who were mostly groups of teenage girls squealing over him more than the book itself. He didn't really mind, so long as he was making sales. His eyes scanned the crowd so he could see just how many people were enjoying his writing. His heart soared when he noticed shelves starting to empty, and some staff having to haul more copies from the storeroom in the back. 

However, his smile faltered when he noticed a man entering the building. He could recognise Mr Clark anywhere, what with the same pristine suit and permanent smile on his face. It was sad to say that his personality and ego didn't really match his appearance. "Minghao, your release is going wonderfully!" His loud voice boomed, halting the animated chatter in the air for a second. Ruth cringed as she saw her boss walking towards Minghao. She was hoping he wouldn't show up. 

Minghao tried his best to fake a smile as he shook Mr Clark's hand. "Hi, thank you for coming." He pressed down a grimace as Mr Clark let out a guffaw that one could probably hear from next door. "My next successful author is making his debut, of course I had to show up! Come, let's take a photo so everyone will know my company's helping publish the New York Times' bestselling book." Minghao felt himself getting yanked towards the front of the store, feeling extremely uncomfortable as he stood rigidly next to Mr Clark. 

While flashes of cameras blinded him, Minghao could feel a ghost of a hand hovering near his lower back. He moved ever so slightly to the side, only to have Mr Clark press even closer. Minghao almost gagged on the spot when the older man's hand landed on the curve of his ass, yet hidden from the cameras' view.

At the corner of the room, Junhui's jaw clenched as Mr Clark paraded Minghao around like he was some trophy on display. He resisted the urge to storm over and sock the disgusting man in the face. Minghao would probably refuse to hug him again for a year if Junhui did anything to ruin his event. Unfortunately, he was unable to control that urge when he noticed Mr Clark touching his boyfriend inappropriately. There was fury in his eyes as he made his way over to the front, grabbing Minghao's wrist.