Title: His Night Lover (1/2)
Pairing: XiuHan (Xiumin/Luhan)
Rating: PG.
Genre: romance, angst, fairytale
Length/Word Count: two-shots/2055w
Note: My first ever fic! This is written for those who love XiuHan like I do.



There’s this small part on Earth that lives a village of people. The villagers here lead a relatively happier life than people in the city who slogged their entire life for monetary returns which in turn, sacrificed their happiness. They may not have the most advanced technology, they may not have material wealth, they may not lead a luxurious life with splendid food for each meal, but they lead a more fulfilling life than an average person struggling to survive in the city. Given the small parameters of the entire island these people live in, everyone in the village knows everyone else. They are a bunch of lovely and friendly people. Then again, any rumours or exclusive news would also be spread throughout the entire village in just thirty minutes.

In this small island, lives a man called Xiumin. He’s better known as the Prince of buns because he sells the most delicious buns in this village. That’s also the reason why he’s the only seller in this industry. Well, nobody can beat his secret recipe. His stall is set up near the circumference of the sea. Xiumin has always loved the smell of the salty sea.

Xiumin grew up to be a quiet man. He learns to listen to people instead of blabbering. He always finds it a pleasure to listen to people pouring their hearts out to him, or to be simply entertained by how they exaggerate stories to capture his attention and get some reaction out of this reserved guy.

“You don’t believe me, do you? I’m not lying about this! We really saw a mermaid last night!” His good friend, Chen, exclaimed. Xiumin just nodded with a small laugh as he pushed the plate of buns towards Chen, encouraging him to eat it. The latter grabbed one of the steamy hot buns and took a huge bite.

“You’ve got to believe me this time. I saw it with my own eyes! The mermaid was just right there!” He pointed to the front. “It was just a few metres in front of your stall! Baekhyun saw it too.” He tried to convince the older man.

“Chen, remind me how are mermaids important in our lives?”

“Well… It’s not that it’s important…” Chen scratched the back of his neck, feeling embarrassed. “Come on! Don’t be a wet blanket! Aren’t you amused about mermaids? Not at all?” Xiumin shook his head as he poured Chinese tea into the two small cups and offered his friend one.

“You’re such a boring poop!” Chen lamented which made Xiumin laughed. His shoulders deflated and then begin to try to get his interest again, “But legend has it that if a mermaid appears, a man would be lured to death!”

“Legend,” Xiumin repeated.

“Legend.” Chen confirmed. Feeling defeated, he grabbed another bun before leaving.

That night, was like every other night. Xiumin closes his stall around midnight when the fishermen finished his last set of buns and returned home (the fishermen are always his last batch of customers). He hummed softly as he cleaned the dishes and keep the tables and chairs. He heard a soft voice humming to a tune. And he knew the voice doesn’t belong to him. The voice was melodic, and the tune was calming, just like the night. He looked around, and there wasn’t anybody. But he noticed there were more stars that night than usual. They crystallised the entire sky as they shimmered. It was a beautiful sight, oddly weird however. He turned back to cleaning but before he could, he spotted a figure from a distance. Someone was lying by the seaside.

Who could it be? He thought to himself. He remembered what Chen told him in the afternoon about the mermaid but he quickly shook his head off the thought as he approach the body. As he got nearer, the humming voice stopped and he could hear heavy breathing. It took a while for Xiumin to be adjusted to the darkness, did he realise a wet man was lying on the shore, seemingly in pain. He gasped upon the scene. What should he do? He was flustered. He gently tapped the man's shoulder but the man has already passed out. Looking around to make sure no one's watching, he took off his slightly tattered shirt and wore it over the man and carried him back home.

Xiumin carefully laid the man on his only bed in his small house made of wood. The man was breaking into cold sweats and he was shivering. Despite seeing the sick man in his horrible state, Xiumin noticed his beautiful features - his long eye lashes, small lips and soft hair. Even with his pale face, Xiumin felt he was beautiful. The older man gently wiped the sweat away from his forehead and the man's facial expression softened.

It was about an hour or so later did the man regain his conscious. His eyes searched the room as he tried to sit up. Where was he? He didn't know. Right then, Xiumin walked in a