NCT Imagines (Requests Open!)

The Prince Who Paints (Renjun)

You gulped and averted your gaze.  Seconds slowed to minutes as you walked past him, and your breath hitched in your throat as his pace slowed for a moment.  You could smell his scent- vanilla with an afterthought of his cologne.  

Huang Renjun.  Your childhood friend.  Your penpal.  Your prince.  Growing up, you'd met Renjun at a playground, and after becoming closer friends, you were invited to hangout at his house for playdates.  That's when you learned his secret.  Renjun was set to be the next successor to the country, making him a literal prince.  But after your family relocated to a different city in middle school, you had to say goodbye to your best friend.  The two of you promised to keep in touch, but it only lasted a few years.  Eventually, both of you grew busy.  You were taking advanced high school classes while Renjun was learning the fundamentals of the nation.

But you least expected to cross paths with him at university.  He was as handsome as ever- soft, brown tresses, sharp features, and a lingering gaze that drove the girls on campus mad.  His visuals were certainly princely.  What scared you the most, though, was that after all those years, he finally reached out.  On the afternoon of your first day of university, you'd received an email from him.  He wrote as if the two of you had never stopped talking- like the four year break you'd taken was only natural.  Renjun was curious what you were up to, and you wondered if he knew you both attended NCT University.

Honestly speaking, you'd changed a lot since he last saw you in elementary school.  You were taller with your hair cut in a harsh bob.  Your eyes were now bordered by thick lashes, and your cheeks had hollowed out after losing your baby fat.  You'd never considered yourself pretty- especially after seeing the multitude of beautiful girls at NCT.  But you did think your glow up had hit you hard.  There was no way Renjun would be able to recognize you.  You weren't the pipsqueak he knew in elementary.

Your lips parted as you took a seat in the art room.  Canvases were set up with palettes and paints.  The professor briefly explained that today, you'd be painting your future- whether it was a doctor's white coat or a big house overlooking the sea.  You got to work, scraping at the canvas with your palette knife.  Each stroke was perfectly placed, and it wasn't long until you created the smooth surface of a lake.  Standing in the background was a large house adorned with string lights and a garden of colors.  Butterflies danced amongst the flowers, the fragrances of jasmine, lavender, and rose mixing in the spring air.  This was the place you and Renjun had imagined as kids- a lake house the two of you could come home to after a long day of work.  Back then, you were just friends.  And perhaps you still were.  But you couldn't imagine Renjun leaving you behind to love someone else.  The thought hurt so much, your palette knife scraped a harsh line across the canvas.

At the end of class, the professor made everyone come up and present their paintings, finished or not.  You placed your finished piece on the easel at the front of the room, trying to ignore the piercing gaze trained on you.

You faked an explanation, saying something along the lines of "I've always wanted to live in a pretty house."  You definitely didn't include the part about wanting to stay there with Renjun.

But when it was the prince's turn to present, he set down an almost identical-looking canvas.  The lake house, the string lights, the dock that jutted into the misty water- it was all there exactly like they'd imagined it as kids.  Your eyes drifted down to the yellow paint splattered over his clothes.

"Did you... copy each other's work?" the professor asked carefully.  "I mean, your styles are so very different, but you and Y/N have essentially the same painting."

A corner of Renjun's pink lips curled upwards in a smile.  His eyes were focused on yours- his brown orbs drew you in, and you couldn't stop staring.  His lips parted to speak, but you were too dazed to catch the words falling from them.  

"He knew this whole time," you thought. 

After class, Renjun pulled you aside in an empty corridor, and you tried to keep your knees from trembling.  His voice had deepened since you'd last heard him.  Why were you getting so emotional all of a sudden?  Why were tears pooling in your eyes?

You didn't have time to react before you felt warmth envelope you.  Vanilla and his cologne mixed with your faint cocoa perfume.  The scent was intoxicating.  His hands gripped your waist tightly as if he never meant to let go.

"I've missed you," he mumbled into your neck.  The vibrations sent tingles down your spine, and you forced yourself to pull away from his embrace.  Renjun raised a concerned eyebrow when he saw the tears finally spilling.

"Y/N-"

"I missed you, too.  You've grown a lot," you blubbered.  

Renjun smiled, pulling you in again.  He knew words wouldn't work on you.  With his index finger, he tilted your chin upwards, bringing his face closer.  His breath fanned your lips as he slowly asked for permission.  Even though you were nervous, something about this felt right.  Your lips collided, and you could sense Renjun's longing in the way he kissed you.  The gentle kisses morphed into desperate ones, but he continued to hold your face tenderly in his palms.  

"Not a day went by that I didn't think of you," he smiled.  "I'm sorry it took me so long to find you again and confess.  If I had done it a long time ago, we could have-"

You shushed him with a peck.  "I'm glad you remembered the lake house.  We'll build it together one day, right?"

Renjun wrapped an arm around your shoulder.  "Of course.  Even if I weren't set to be king, you'd still be my queen."

---

A/N: Who else is getting absolute butterflies from this Renjun prince AU? Thank you to Dreamzen00 for requesting and creating the amazing art for this imagine! Check out her watercolor paintings on her IG @itzarafa. LOVE YOUUUUUU <3 

Question of the imagine: I have two questions for you this time! 1. What kind of painting would you make with Renjun?  2. What future house would you want to live in?  I think I'd love to paint scenery, especially something with the beautiful fall colors!  And if I had a dream house, I'd want it to be warm and cozy!!