#however the other prompts look v ~tasty~ too

[where-the-kissing-never-stops]

Never thought that it would end like this

Here it is! My piece for @merwainefest day 7: free day.

Here on ao3 for those on there!

On the training ground, Gwaine gets distracted as Merlin walks past.

Gwaine was feeling rather stupid. He had been too distracted during training to focus properly on the blows Leon was raining down upon him, and now had a nasty gash on his arm that needed looking into. Now, he was sat at the side of the training field as the others kept at it. But, the reason for his distraction was the one tending to the open slice on his forearm.

Merlin.

It wasn’t Gwaine’s fault that Merlin’s arse was the meaning of ‘perky’, and the way his hair caught in the sunlight was too hard for Gwaine to miss. So when Merlin had walked past the training field and bent over at the crucial moment, Gwaine’s eyes went over Leon’s shoulder instead of focusing on the sword that caught Gwaine completely off guard, and blood running down his arm.

Leon hadn’t stopped apologising, even though that’s the whole point of training, Gwaine had told him. But Leon was Leon, and wouldn’t stop fretting until Merlin had come over and told Gwaine to follow him, heading over to a nearby tent, which inside had a basket of bandages and other medicinal items that he stocked for the training ground every morning for these exact moments. Fortunately, Gwaine walked off the field neck-and-neck with Merlin, so he wouldn’t be ‘distracted’ again.

Gwaine felt guilty. It wasn’t right to ogle when Merlin wasn’t aware, and Gwaine knew it. Maybe he’ll say something. Just maybe.

Merlin pulled the basket and asked Gwaine to sit, which he did. Gwaine rested his injured arm on his lap and stared at Merlin’s hand. The young man was working with such dexterity and Gwaine could only watch patiently. His arm hurt, that was true, but he could wait a little longer to watch Merlin at work.

Gwaine thought he heard Merlin mention something, but shrugged and ‘hmm’d in response. He was still watching Merlin at work, collecting bottles, bandages and something resembling a spoon?

“Gwaine?” Merlin was smiling when Gwaine looked at him, and that almost did the knight in. Merlin’s toothy grin was his weakness, and in this close proximity to it? That smile was a lethal weapon. It could bring anyone to their knees.

He snapped back into the world, and nodded, “Yes?” He responded, not meeting Merlin’s eyes.

“Can you hold this for me?” Merlin held a jar of a sticky, amber-coloured liquid. It had a faint scent.

“Is that honey?” Gwaine asked, and went to dip his fingers in it to taste it.

Merlin’s smile widened as he withdrew the honey jar. “It’s not to eat,” he said softly with a small laugh, “but yes, it’s honey.”

Gwaine felt his cheeks heat up, as he did when he heard Merlin laugh, but hoped Merlin was too occupied with the jar or the cut or something else to notice. He held his hand out to take the jar, from Merlin, and as he did his fingers brushed Merlin’s. It was an innocent gesture, until he heard Merlin cough awkwardly. Gwaine looked up. Merlin’s face was also flushed.

“Merlin.”

The pair looked at each other. Gwaine swam in Merlin’s blue eyes for what felt like eternity and felt himself leaning forwards.

Merlin couldn’t take his eyes off the knight, but snapped out of the daze, shook his head, and looked away.

Gwaine leaned backwards. It was now or never.

“Merlin, has anyone ever told you…” Now or never, Gwaine, “…how blue your eyes are?” Merlin looked at him incredulously. “They’re more blue than the sky.”

“Um, thanks?” Merlin spoke quietly, spooning honey out of the jar and smearing it on Gwaine’s arm. “Honey is good to clean the wound, that’s good advice for you.”

Merlin kept talking, listing the medicinal properties of honey and other common plants and herbs, but Gwaine wasn’t really listening. He felt like he might explode. He was staring at Merlin’s lips.  Gorgeous and lovely and inviting and kissable-

Gwaine leaned forward and kissed Merlin mid-word. It was a peck, nothing more, nothing less. Gwaine noticed Merlin had stopped moving and was staring right at Gwaine.

“What…?”

Gwaine breathed a very nervous laugh. Since when did Gwaine get nervous? “I was going to lose my mind if I didn’t do that.”

A pause. Neither of them moved, spoke, breathed.

“Was that ok?”

At first, Gwaine wasn’t sure if Merlin would respond at all. Merlin opened and closed his mouth, then finally said. “That was nice.”

Nice? “Nice?”

“Yes,” Merlin continued, “It was unexpected, but it was nice.” They looked at each other for a few more seconds before Merlin spoke again. “I really need to finish dressing this.”

“Yes, of course,” Gwaine held out the honey towards Merlin, but his sweaty palm wasn’t helping, so he held it balanced on his leg. His heart was racing. That was not a reaction he could have predicted. What would he do now? Merlin said it was ‘nice’, which was about as useful as a one-legged man in an arse-kicking contest.

“Gwaine,” Merlin spoke as he took a bandage and started wrapping up Gwaine’s arm. “Is this how you truly feel?”

“Yes, Merlin, for a while now.” Gwaine paused, wondering how to say exactly how he felt. “You have no idea how hard it is seeing you every day around the castle with your perfect arse and gorgeous eyes and soft hands-”

“I think I do, Gwaine,” was Merlin’s response, and before Gwaine could even form a confused frown, Merlin’s lips were on his.

This kiss was longer, deeper, yet still soft, and full of desire and longing and wanting, from Gwaine and mirrored by Merlin. It was over far too soon for Gwaine’s liking and he was left wanting more.

Merlin pulled away and held a finger to Gwaine’s lips to stop him from protesting.

“Before you say anything, we can continue this later,” Merlin started with a smile on his lips, “but you need to get back out there or people might talk.”

“Oh, let them talk.” Gwaine swatted away Merlin’s hand and took Merlin’s chin with his good hand and kissed him deeply. Merlin, however, could only laugh and pull away.

“I would love for this to continue, but not now, Gwaine.” The knight pulled his best puppy dog eyes, but Merlin did not fall for it. Accepting defeat, Gwaine dropped his head and stood up. Merlin tidied the place and stood up, faced Gwaine and expressed, “You have no idea how happy I am that this happened, Gwaine, and I can’t wait for it to continue.” Gwaine couldn’t believe it either, and the fact that he was speechless made it much more apparent. He couldn’t remember a time he had been more lost for words.

“Now get out there, and show them all that your arm hasn’t fallen off. And, please put Arthur on his arse at least once.”

Gwaine beamed a huge grin across his face. “After you, my dear.” Gwaine bowed as Merlin laughed and walked past. Now was his chance.

Gwaine smacked Merlin’s backside as he left the tent.

Merlin looked back, rubbing his behind.

“Oi!”

#merwaine #mergwaine #merlin #merlin bbc #sir gwaine #merwaine fest #merwaine fest 2023 #merwainefest2023 #i hope you enjoy this!!! #i discovered merwaine fest far too late so this is my one entry in on time #however the other prompts look v ~tasty~ too #so might write some now but post later? would that be ok @ mods #or do i need to write them asap be included in this fest #anyway #merci #where_the_kissing_never_stops #wtkns #op #my works

[btsmosphere]

When You Know | KSJ x MYG

~summary: Seokjin and Yoongi aren’t just neighbours. They are enemies. Well, either that or they were destined to be in each other’s arms, but Yoongi can’t see that happening (nor can his cat). Let their friends try all they want, but they’d have to weather storms together and stand back to back in battle before Yoongi would look twice at Jin... Jin x Yoongi ~word count: 3.3k ~enemies to lovers, soulmate au (you have the name of your enemy AND your soulmate tattooed, without knowing which is which), neighbour au, crack, humour, fluff, angst if you squint? Rating: pg13 Warnings: swearing, that’s it :) ~a/n: welcome to my first mxm fic! This is for a special occasion as it is the wonderful @eternalseokjin​‘s birthday!! To celebrate Dean’s birthday over at @thebtswritersclub​ we were sent a bingo card and a challenge to include everything on it in one fic. Our regular mxr content will resume soon, but this has been super fun to write, even if the outcome is -ahem- quite chaotic. So, enjoy, but don’t ask me what’s going on here. I don’t know, and the characters certainly don’t either...

At the end of the fic, I will include what was on my bingo square, in case anyone wants to know, and some basics about d&d for those who (like me a few weeks ago) know nothing about it, but I promise you don’t need to know this to read the fic!

“You’re not serious.”

“I am totally serious.”

Namjoon’s straight-faced response matched Yoongi’s exactly, leaving the two in a sort of staring contest. Seeing no change in the other, Namjoon cracked first, slumping back into the sofa with a sigh.

“Yoongi, come on. It’s not that big of a deal-“

“Why would I want to do it?” Yoongi grumbled.

“it’s just a bit of fun-“

“Then go and do it with Seokjin. I’m sure you’ll have a great time playing wizards, or whatever the fuck-“

“That’s the entire point!” Namjoon threw his hands up in frustration, “we will all be playing, you and Jin included, and we will have a great time.”

Yoongi wasn’t sure if he had ever been threatened with having fun before. Staring back at his friend, his expression remained guarded. Eventually, he sucked at his teeth, turning his eyes away from the younger man.

“Fine,” he bit out.

“Thank you,” Namjoon huffed, pushing on his knees to stand up, “we’ll start at 5 on Sunday, but I’ll get here earlier. Jin will bring food to make up for the trouble.”

Following Joon out to see him off, Yoongi’s brows furrowed.

“Wait- what trouble? And what do you mean you’ll get here-“

“You’ll be hosting. Okay, bye!”

The door was shut in his face before he could protest any further. Cursing Namjoon for knowing him so damn well, Yoongi stomped to the kitchen and soon began scrubbing the teacups to within an inch of their life.

He’d heard of dungeons and dragons before. Well, vaguely. It hadn’t occurred to him before to pay attention to Namjoon whenever he spoke about it, because surprisingly enough, he hadn’t expected his friend to suddenly whip it out as a method of forcing him and Seokjin – his mortal enemy – to bond.

The whole mortal enemy thing wasn’t even an exaggeration.

What else were you supposed to think when the new neighbour, whose name happens to be printed on your wrist, tries to turn your cat over to the authorities on their first day after it launched a ‘targeted attack’ on their pet sugar gliders.

Yoongi was yet to meet the mysterious V that graced his other wrist, but he knew for sure that Kim Seokjin was his enemy. He could not be soulmates with someone who thinks it’s okay to leave a pair of sugar gliders by an open window and not expect a cat to see them as a tasty meal.

When they had learned each other’s names, and of course connected them with their tattoos, an icy silence fell between the neighbours.

Every now and then, Yoongi would get a reminder of the fact his mortal enemy lived next door. Like this morning, when Seokjin’s wheely bin had blown over and spilled rubbish onto his lawn.

Yes, that man’s evil knew no limits.

And if Yoongi would have to endure his friends’ attempts at reconciling the two of them, in his own house, then he was sure of one thing. He was not going to eat Seokjin’s cooking. It was probably awful, anyway.

That Sunday, at precisely five minutes to five, Namjoon arrived. Yoongi’s eyes widened in alarm at the bulging folder held under his arm. He really had come prepared. Yoongi had barely spent twenty minutes scribbling down some things about his character. Well, except when he had to read all about the different class choices… and then when he needed to select the perfect traits… and picking his spells was quite tough too…

“Are you excited?” Namjoon grinned as he set his stuff down, but then he faltered, “…I did tell you Jin would bring food, didn’t I?”

“Can’t remember,” Yoongi muttered.

He slouched over to the sofa while Namjoon shrugged, grabbing a bite from the nearest bowl of snacks. The table was littered with them, and Yoongi would never admit just how early he had got up that morning to start cooking.

Jungkook turned up next, and of course the brat would instantly wolf down the tub of popcorn rather than the bites Yoongi had been slaving over.

Seokjin’s was the last knock on the door, and a timid one at that. Although it may have had something to do with the food his arms were laden with.

As Yoongi opened the door (Namjoon had shoved him towards it before anyone else had the chance to respond), he couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit guilty. It seemed his neighbour had worked just as hard as him on preparing it all.

But still, more of a grimace than a smile showed on his face.

“This way,” he spoke through gritted teeth.

His guilt was short-lived, irritation setting back in as Seokjin invited himself into the kitchen to put down his things. Jungkook bounded after him almost instantly, the pair’s loud greeting audible from the next room.

Turning away bitterly, Yoongi sat in the empty seat between Namjoon and Taehyung, determined to keep his distance from Seokjin.

In time, however, he came to regret this decision, if only because it put Seokjin in full view of the eyes Yoongi so desperately wanted to roll when he announced he wanted to attempt to charm his way to free dinner at the first inn they got to. His reason? His stupid elf claimed to be ‘worldwide handsome’.

The infuriating smirk on his face as he declared this (and then proceeded to pass his roll, because of course) left Yoongi with little doubt this arrogance was nothing but a projection.

After introducing themselves, Yoongi slumping back in his chair the whole time, he let the others take the lead as they set off to find monsters, or something. A pointed look from Namjoon prompted him to pay more attention.

In fairness, he had been a bit creeped out when Taehyung announced he had named his character ‘V’, but he tried his best to listen to the adventure as Namjoon described it. And so they went along, the supply of snacks steadily dwindling as they made their way through some ruins.

The scene was quite vivid, until-

“That’s cat food, Jungkook!”

“Urgh, gross,” Jimin groaned as Jin pried the bowl away from the sheepish-faced younger.

If it had been anyone else, Yoongi would have returned the fond-but-exasperated look they were all well practised in, given the nature of their younger friends. As it was, he ducked his head, scribbling nonsense on his notepad.

It would be a lie if Yoongi said he wasn’t quite proud of himself for solving a riddle to get them into the final room, and getting the final hit on the hellhound inside. And maybe, just maybe, he was a little excited for their next game.

Shutting the door at long last, Yoongi paused for a moment.

Screw Namjoon and his good ideas.

Clearing away the dishes, Yoongi couldn’t help a glance out the window to watch as Seokjin let himself in to his own place, his own stack of plates in his arms. Not that he would ever admit it, Yoongi hadn’t been able to resist just one bite…

Well, it turned into a lot more than that. Maybe Seokjin was a good cook after all.

But that was just one redeeming quality. Best not get ahead of himself.

Yoongi was in trouble.

It had only been a couple more weeks, but he knew that much. As they sat around his table, he caught himself laughing along to Jin’s jokes. And look, he was already calling him Jin! No, he had to stick to Seokjin, the evil neighbour, his enemy.

If he got fond, he would only be sorry later when Jin – Seokjin – did something to remind Yoongi of what a terrible person he was.

Shame all of this seemed to slip his mind the moment Jin came around again.

“The slope is steep, with rocks falling where you move your feet. You can still hear the song, though, and you are certain it’s coming from inside the dark opening you can see at the bottom of the path.”

“No. Absolutely not,” Yoongi was the first to speak.

“Are you kidding? We just spent like an hour trekking over here specifically because of that music,” Taehyung was next to chip in, jabbing his finger into the table.

“It wasn’t an hour,” Yoongi rolled his eyes, “Joon told us it was hour, it was what? One minute?”

A high pitched giggle from Jin was overtaken next by Jimin.

“No, I can feel the weariness in my bones! It won’t be complete until we hear the song!”

“We’ve been hearing it all this time! Aren’t you guys sick of it by now?” Jin retorted.

“No! Joon specifically said it’s the most beautiful music we’ve ever heard,” Tae insisted.

“I don’t give a shit if there’s a chorus of angels in there, my dexterity is not gonna let me get down that cliff,” Yoongi folded his arms to punctuate his argument.

“Ugh, fine, well I want to go down with V,” Jimin said.

The two factions that had emerged looked expectantly towards Namjoon.

“Okay, so V and Christian want to go down and Genie and Suga want to stay here. Anyone else?”

“Yeah, I’ll go down,” Kook shrugged.

All heads turned now to Hobi. Unease written all over his features, he glanced between the two groups.

“Come one, don’t be boring, hyung!” Jimin elbowed him.

“Yeah, come with us!” Kook bounced in his seat as Taehyung switched on the puppy eyes with a string of ‘pleeeease’s.

Cracking under the force of the youngers’ begging, Hoseok laughed and agreed.

Folding his arms, Yoongi leant back in his chair, more than ready to be a bystander to whatever the hell the others were about to get themselves into.

The others of course had an irritating success rate, somehow making it down the cliff without plummeting to their deaths. Not that Yoongi would ever wish death upon his own party members. Of course not.

It would have been funny, though.

Anyway, despite his aversion to following them, Yoongi admittedly was a little curious about the mysterious music they had followed here.

“Stepping inside the cave, the party hears the music louder than ever, ringing in their ears as it bounces off the rocks, making its source unclear. However, it doesn’t offend your ears. The cave extends further into the cliff, and you follow the sound further in. But as you take a step, a great groaning drowns out the music. Behind you, the mouth of the cave shifts, everything around you going black.

“Those of you at the top of the cliff stumble back from the edge as they see the path crumble away into the sea from the shaking of the earth.”

Namjoon sniggered softly at the silence that followed.

Staring at him with comically large eyes, Hobi and Tae looked terrified. As Yoongi watched, Tae slowly turned his head, a smirk turning the edges of his mouth underneath puppy eyes.

“Come rescue us?” he asked sheepishly.

Before Yoongi could respond, Jin was cutting him off.

“Well, that was a fun detour! Where was it we were heading again, Yoongi?”

Yoongi had been preparing to be mad at Seokjin, but his glare dissolved quickly into a snort.

“Yeah, that demon up the road needs seeing to,” he agreed, creating instant uproar from the others.

“You can’t leave us!”

“Justin’s scared of the dark!”

“Traitors!”

However, Jin’s squeaky laugh as he revelled in the others’ pain was all Yoongi could hear. Then Jin leaned closer.

It was all Yoongi could do not jump from his seat when Seokjin’s voice spoke in his ear.

“Shall we leave them?” he was barely containing his mirth.

Feeling rather like he was plotting a prank in the back of the classroom, Yoongi grinned and agreed with a nod. He didn’t quite trust his voice to function as Jin’s breath tickled his cheek.

“We’re leaving!” Jin declared, sitting back in his chair, satisfied.

Before any more chaos could erupt, Namjoon continued with a smirk.

“Okay, so Suga and Genie carry on their previous path, away from their friends and the cliff…”

This was officially getting out of hand.

First of all, Yoongi couldn’t believe how eagerly he was anticipating the weekend, when Seokjin and the others would come around.

Particularly worrying, however, was the way Yoongi had to restrain himself from going to see Jin before Sunday rolled around. It was as if that writing on his wrist was staring at him. The more he tried to look away, the later he would find himself sat up at night, glancing between his wrists and what was written there.

Surely, if Kim Seokjin was his enemy, he wouldn’t be dying to ask how he makes his ramen taste so good. Or how his day was, or any trivial thing, just to be able to have Jin’s eyes on him and his voice in his ears.

Second of all, he had no idea how their campaign had devolved into such utter chaos.

Since the party split, the others made friends with the sirens they found in the cave, and ended up at a drinking party with some demons while Yoongi and Jin were nearly killed by one some miles away on the surface. The demons had apparently taken a particular shining to V, as a tiefling, which resulted in the group they abandoned somehow siding with the very demons they were trying to kill at the start.

Last Sunday had seen Yoongi and Jin going out of their way to find random things to beat to death in the forest, trying to get as many points as possible to face off against four members and goodness knows how many demons.

Yes, this had got rather out of hand.

Two old foes stand face to face on a precipice. Around them, fire blazes. This battle has ravaged the very land they stand upon, whipped the air into a frenzy.

Admittedly, they can barely remember what started this feud. Rumour has it these two great powers were friends, once. If that was so, it was a long time ago.

V stands, battle-worn, waiting for his adversary to make a move.

Suga looks at the body of his fallen companion.

“I’ve only got one spell slot left.”

“Use it,” a whisper returned.

“Aren’t you dead?! Stop talking to each other!” Jimin exclaimed, finger pointing accusingly towards Jin.

“Okay,” Yoongi cut in before they could start arguing, “if this hits, I can take him down. But there’s a fat chance of that, with his AC…“

Trepidation filled him as he looked across the table to Taehyung, a small but unmistakeably victorious smile already on his lips.

A dry chuckle came from one side.

“It’s been a good run,” Jin clapped him on the shoulder.

“Are you accepting defeat?” Joon prompted.

“No…” a hand ran down Yoongi’s face, “I’ll give it a go…”

“There’s no way! If you succeed…” Jin laughed, “if you succeed, I’ll kiss you.”

A quiet round of laughter went around the others, too focussed on the dice in Yoongi’s hand to pay it any mind. But Yoongi could no longer concentrate on that. What did Jin just say?

He couldn’t mean that.

There was no way he would kiss Yoongi. Was there?

All he could hear was the slow drumming of his heart rushing in his ears. The breath caught in his throat as he reminded himself to raise his hand, dice cupped inside.

It wasn’t just the defeat of V he hoped for as it rolled off his fingers, dropping onto the tabletop.

The faces flipped over, every eye trained on it. Around the table, there was no sound. Even Jungkook had stopped munching his popcorn, mouth hanging open.

Round, round, round…

Yoongi caught a glimpse of 20, the magic number, right within reach.

A small thud, the dice settling. A number glared up at him.

3.

All the air left his lungs, deflating as he stared at the number. For a second, the table remained silent as everyone came to terms with the roll, the only sound the tapping of his cat’s paws-

Wait.

When Yoongi turned to find his cat leaping onto the table, it was already to late to grab her as she dashed across the surface. As she went, her paws caught a bowl of snacks, Joon’s notepaper, the dice. Hobi exclaimed with shock, several yells going up as everyone snatched their own stuff out of her way. Jungkook had dived after the snacks.

“Hey!” Yoongi shooed her as he stood up, watching her dart out into the hall.

“Oh my god…”

The small mutter from Jimin caught his attention. Looking around, Yoongi found him staring at the table and followed his gaze to the crime scene. In the centre of which, the dice still lay.

But now, a different number was displayed.

Yoongi’s jaw dropped. It was 20.

“That’s not fair!” Taehyung cried.

“Shush Tae, Jin has to do what he promised,” Hoseok teased, nudging a very red-eared Jin.

“Yah! Hey, I-I, that’s-” Jin spluttered, mouth seemingly fixed open as his cheeks warmed, growing defensive.

As Yoongi watched, Jin only stuttered more under the teasing cries erupting from the other boys as they egged him on with an array of ‘go on’s and ‘you said you would!’

“I-I-“ his eyes flickered over to Yoongi’s.

And despite the jeering and laughter in the background, neither of them looked away. Jin’s lips remained parted, ears pink with embarrassment, protests lodged in his throat.

Yoongi stepped forwards and kissed him.

The distance between them closed in the blink of an eye, Yoongi’s hand flying to Jin’s jaw as he pulled him in, turning his back to the gasps and cheers of their friends.

But they didn’t hear it. Not when their lips were pressed together like this, lighting fireworks in Yoongi’s stomach until he felt like sparks might fly out of his fingertips, the ones he was trailing down Jin’s neck, the ones pulling at the small of his back to bring him closer.

The others had gone quiet.

By the time he groggily pulled away, Yoongi seemed to have forgotten what the world looked like. Were his feet even on the ground?

In what was probably a mirror image of his own face, Jin stared back at him, eyes wide and those perfect lips round with shock. Jin’s fingers trembled as he brought them to his mouth.

“Holy fuck.”

“U-uh, guys,” a small voice from behind them did little to snap them from their trance.

“That was-“ Yoongi breathed, words escaping him.

“It’s you, you idiot!” a grin broke onto Jin’s face.

A laugh left Yoongi’s throat, taking him by surprise.

“It- really?”

“Did you not feel that too?”

Eyes still not leaving the beautiful man in front of him, Yoongi realised. Jin was completely right. Everyone had always told him how it would feel, when he kissed his soulmate. Like butterflies, or a flame, or like the world turned golden.

But through all the different feelings people described, there was one common thread. When you know, you know.

“You’re my soulmate.”

It wasn’t something he had to question, the words leaving him as easily as air.

“You’re my soulmate!”

And then he was wrapped up in Jin’s arms, his lips captured once again, euphoric feeling surging through his body once more.

“Come on, guys…” Namjoon’s groans were completely ignored.

Taehyung was still a bit put out that V had been slain at the last hurdle, but it hardly seemed fitting to be angry about it anymore, what with his two friends falling in love in front of him.

Everyone left together after the revelation, and pretty swiftly at that, deciding to leave them to it. And for once, Jin wouldn’t be leaving with them, even if he would only be one house away.

Smile never once leaving his face, Jin turned to Yoongi after shutting the door.

“So, what are we going to do about my sugar gliders?”

Thanks everyone for reading!! Reblog if you liked it xx

Taglist: @aianloveseven​ @preciouschimine​ @kb-bangtanenthusiast​

Okay, for anyone interested, my bingo card contained: dungeons & dragons, neighbours, enemies to lovers, namjoon, yoonjin, cats, fluff, music, soulmates And here are some dnd basics for those who want them: you have a dungeon master or dm (Namjoon here) who tells a story. The others play as a character and choose what they want to do in the given situation. There are scores that dictate how good your character is at certain traits, and you roll the dice to see whether you succeed in your choices. That’s really all you need to know for the purposes of this fic, but you can ask me any questions too!

Lastly, I have to give another HUGE happy birthday to the amazing writer and friend and person @eternalseokjin​!! I hope you have the best day, you really deserve it! I’m so glad to have met you and of course played dnd together in the net! Lots of love xx

#thebtswritersclub #btscreatorscorner #purplearmynet #yoonjin #min yoongi imagine #kim seokjin imagine #yoongi x jin #jin x yoongi #yoongi imagines #yoongi imagine #jin imagines #jin imagine #yoongi fluff #yoongi crack #jin crack #yoonjin crack #bts dnd #yoonjin imagine #seokjin scenario #suga scenario

[ghostking-wenning]

Radishes, Chapter 5

It took me way longer to edit and finish this than I thought! But I think I’m finally happy with it. Let me know what you think!

2600 words, rated G, NingXian, modern au, rom-com, zoo date!, etc. 

⭑⭑⭑

Qionglin woke bright and early Saturday morning. He liked to sleep in a little on days off, but the moment his eyes opened today, he was buzzing with excitement. The only thing on his mind was his date with Wuxian. They weren’t set to meet for several more hours, however, so Qionglin busied himself making breakfast. The ritual of cooking was relaxing. Washing vegetables, whisking eggs, slicing bread -- it was like meditation. With a serene expression, he sat at the table and dug in. It was a simple meal, but it was fresh and delicious. There was something special about making food with ingredients he’d grown himself.

He washed up, slowly and thoroughly, and put everything away. He puttered around his small house, an in-law style apartment a little ways away from the main farmhouse. Several of these little houses dotted the property; his grandfather had built them for his children, and this one had been left to Qing and Qionglin when their parents passed. It had stood empty for a long time, until Qionglin was grown. Qing stayed here when she visited for the holidays, but she would probably never return to the farm permanently, so effectively, Qionglin had the whole place to himself. It was small, quiet, and cozy. It was home.

Eventually, though the hours had dragged by, it was time to go. Qionglin changed his clothes multiple times before deciding on a pair of trendy-looking joggers he’d never actually worn -- they were too nice to do farm work in -- and a t-shirt with a little ghost on it. Both were gifts from Qing. I should get her to take me shopping soon… He topped the outfit off with a plain green jacket and checked himself out in the mirror. This’ll do.

He texted Wuxian as he walked to the car. “On my way! :)”

An hour or so later, he arrived at the cafe where Wuxian asked to meet. He perched on a garden wall and tried to calm his fluttering heart, but his efforts were in vain. Wuxian strolled up, hands in his pockets, smiling brightly. Today he wore dark grey trousers, and a crisp white v-neck under his usual leather jacket -- far simpler than the outfit he’d worn on stage the night before, but he still looked amazing. Qionglin hopped to his feet, already grinning wide.

“Hey!” He said cheerfully, vaguely pleased with himself for not stuttering.

“Hey, yourself,” Wuxian replied, slinging an arm around Qionglin’s shoulders. Qionglin still wasn’t used to being touched so casually and so much; a faint blush crept up his cheeks. “I like your shirt,” he went on, tapping the ghost printed on Qionglin’s chest. His fingernails were painted a deep red that caught the sunlight and glittered.

“Oh, thanks… I wish I could pull off nail polish like that. It looks really n-nice on you.” He wasn’t used to praise, either, but he’d been raised to always return a compliment.

“Why couldn’t you?” Wuxian asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Um, well, I don’t think it would suit me that well… plus I’d just mess them up right away doing farm work.” Qionglin reasoned.

“I guess that makes sense,” Wuxian said, shrugging one shoulder. “Shall we?”

He steered them into the cafe. The interior was sleek and modern-looking, all polished steel and gleaming white countertops. Qionglin was distantly reminded of a high-end electronics shop, or perhaps an art gallery.

Wuxian leaned down and whispered conspiratorially. “This place is pretentious as hell, but their coffee is out of this world.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Qionglin murmured back. “I’ve never really tried coffee, so I wouldn’t know the difference, heh.”

“Never? Like really never?” Wuxian asked, dumbfounded.

“Nah, my family is all tea-drinkers. We never had it around, and I’ve never really bothered.” He shrugged. “... Is that weird?”

“Nah, not really. I kinda live off coffee, though. There’s probably more caffeine than blood in my veins.” Wuxian quipped. “I think I’m the weird one in this case.”

Qionglin snickered a little. He was a little weird, but it was part of why Qionglin liked him. “S-so what should I get?” He asked, looking at the menu hanging above the counter. “I don’t know what any of these words mean…” He’d heard of things like lattes and mochas, but what the hell was a macchiato? Or a ristretto? I didn’t realize I’d need a vocabulary lesson for a coffee date, he thought wryly.

“Hmm,” Wuxian tapped the side of his nose. “Do you trust me?” He asked, repeating his question from last night.

Qionglin paused then nodded. “... mn.” He blushed again, remembering their conversation, remembering his misunderstanding. But I understand now. It’s okay now. He reminded himself to stay present. “I- I’ll get us a table.”

There was an empty table in the window, with a vase of little pink and white flowers. Qionglin plunked down and waited patiently for Wuxian. He waltzed over a few minutes later, placing a glass mug in front of Qionglin.

“Careful, it’s hot,” he warned, kind of pointlessly. Steam curled off the surface of the coffee.

“You don’t say,” Qionglin teased, earning a surprised snort from Wuxian.

“Fair enough,” he admitted. “So how have you been in the … 13 hours since we last met?”

“Honestly? Nervous.” Qionglin said, fiddling with a wooden stirring stick.

“Yeah? Me, too.” Wuxian agreed.

Qionglin looked up sharply at him. “Y-you? Really? Why?”

“Well, you see, I have a date with a really cute guy today.” He smirked, eyes twinkling.

Qionglin’s heart did a backflip in his chest. “I- I… um…” He floundered for a moment before falling quiet, staring into his cup. There was a layer of fluffy milk foam on top, with a dusting of cinnamon. It smelled nice; toasty, rich and a little citrusy. He took a careful sip. It was slightly sweet, slightly bitter, and really quite tasty.

“What do you think?” Wuxian asked. He’d been watching intently.

“It’s good!” Qionglin began. “I didn’t really know what to expect, but I like it. It’s sweet, but not too sweet, it’s a little bitter, kind of citrusy and chocolaty. The cinnamon is a nice touch, too. It really brings it together.”

“Wow,” he said, looking mildly impressed. “That’s a much more thought-out answer than I expected. You sound like a professional food critic or something. You must really know your stuff, huh?”

“Ah, n-not really… I just watch a lot of cooking shows.” Qionglin demurred.

Wuxian raised an eyebrow but didn’t press the matter. “Wanna try mine?” He slid his cup across the table. His was dark and clear and it smelled strong and heady.

Qionglin tasted it and made a face, his eyes narrowed and his nose scrunched up. It was so harsh! Without any milk or sugar, the coffee was sour and bitter, and so strong it made Qionglin cough a little. He pushed the cup back across the table.

Wuxian tried not to laugh at his expression. “Oh, well,” he said, barely suppressing a giggle. “More for me.” He took a long drink and set his cup down with a clack and a satisfied sigh.

Qionglin sipped his own drink, grateful for the sweetness washing away the acidic tang in his mouth. They made idle chatter over their drinks, and when they were done, headed to Qionglin’s car.

“It’s nothing fancy, but it gets me around,” he said, somewhat apologetically.

Wuxian plopped into the passenger’s seat and said “No worries, I don’t even have a car.”

The drive to the zoo was short, Wuxian navigating and singing along to the radio. He reached over and casually rested his hand on Qionglin’s thigh, just above the knee. It took all his concentration not to swerve into the wrong lane. When he collected himself, he placed a hand on top of Wuxian’s and steered with the other. He felt his cheeks burning and his head felt like it was full of cotton.

They arrived soon after, bought their tickets and stood before a map, debating where to begin. They started with the African Safari section. Wuxian was a pace or two ahead of Qionglin. Qionglin took a breath and reached for Wuxian’s hand. Wuxian looked back and smiled wide. He tugged Qionglin a little closer, their shoulders bumping occasionally as they walked.

In a wide, grassy field, zebras, gazelles, and a couple of giraffes wandered about, grazing and playing.

“Did you know that a group of zebras is called a dazzle?” Qionglin asked.

“Really?” Wuxian asked, watching a baby zebra drink from a pool of water. “That’s kinda cute.”

“Yeah!” Qionglin agreed. “When they all stand together, their stripes make an optical illusion that confuses predators- thus, a dazzle.”

“Neat!” Wuxian chimed, still watching the zebra. Qionglin wasn’t sure he was listening, but he was used to that. They continued through the exhibit, snapping photos of the animals and chatting. Finally they reached the lions’ enclosure. A few lionesses were stretched lazily out on the large rocks, sunning and grooming each other. In the middle of them all lay a huge male lion with a thick mane, dozing peacefully.

“That guy knows what’s up,” Wuxian said, gesturing to the king lion.

“No kidding,” Qionglin nodded. “He just gets to loaf around surrounded by his girlfriends all day.”

“Do you know any cool stuff about lions?” Wuxian asked, looking sideways at Qionglin.

Qionglin blinked. “Wh-what?”

“Like, a group of lions is called a pride, right?” Wuxian prompted.

Oh… he was listening? Qionglin brightened. “Yeah! Um, let me think…” He pondered for a moment. “Oh! D-did you know that big cats can’t purr like house cats?”

“Really? That’s a bummer, I bet it would sound pretty cool.”

“Mm. The trade off is that little cats can’t roar. Can you imagine?” Qionglin grinned, imagining one of his farm cats roaring a tiny roar.

Wuxian squeezed his hand lightly, smiling fondly. “Well, did you know…” he leaned in to speak softly into Qionglin’s ear. “... that your smile is really cute?”

Eloquent as ever, Qionglin made a faint squeaking noise. He panicked and said, “... Did you know that the roaring sound effect used for lions in movies is actually a recording of a tiger? Lions don’t sound like that.” Shut up, dork!

But Wuxian just kept smiling at him, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and he led the way to the next exhibit. They walked in surprisingly comfortable silence for a while, until they came upon a life-size bronze statue of a tiger. Wuxian trotted over to it and climbed onto its back.

“Take a picture!” He called out, striking a pose. Qionglin grabbed his phone and took a few shots. “Your turn now!” Wuxian insisted, waving Qionglin over as he climbed off the tiger.

Qionglin froze. “Wha-- me? But-- um…” He cleared his throat. “I... don’t really know what to do in pictures, I always look weird.” He recalled the time his grandmother had gotten angry with him for “ruining” their family new year’s photo when he was younger. When he looked at the picture himself, he couldn’t really tell what he’d done wrong; he thought he looked the same as ever. That couldn’t have been the problem… could it?

Wuxian placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back into the present. “Well, you’re in luck,” he declared. “I happen to be an excellent photographer. I can help you with that, no problem.” Gently he steered Qionglin to the tiger.

With a resigned sigh, Qionglin swung a leg over the statue and sat, awaiting further instruction. Wuxian nudged and shifted and repositioned him, turning his shoulders this way and that, adjusting his posture until he was satisfied. He lifted Qionglin’s chin, his fingers lingering on his jawline for a breathtaking moment.

He let go and stepped back, raising his phone. “Okay, smile,” he instructed.

It was hard not to smile, looking at Wuxian. Qionglin offered a sheepish grin and an awkward wave. Wuxian snapped a few pictures, moving around the tiger, crouching and leaning to get different angles. He looked through the shots as he walked back to the tiger, a small smile curling his lips.

“Here,” he said, showing Qionglin the screen. “You look great, see?”

On the screen, Qionglin was surprised to see that he actually looked happy. Maybe even a little nice.

“Oh… wow.” He said softly. “You are good at that.”

Wuxian chided him. “Give yourself some credit! Can’t take a good picture of a bad model, after all.”

He switched to the front camera and leaned against the tiger to take some pictures together. Feeling a little bold, Qionglin wrapped an arm around Wuxian’s waist, pulling him closer and smiling wider. Wuxian laughed, delighted and pressed against him, their cheeks brushing together. He winked into the camera and snapped about a dozen photos. They pulled a few funny faces, held up peace signs and finger hearts.

“Okay, one more,” Wuxian said. They posed, smiling, both a little flushed from laughter and proximity. Wuxian counted down, and at the last second, he turned his face and planted a kiss on Qionglin’s cheek. He perfectly captured Qionglin’s stunned expression, eyes wide, lips parted in a gasp.

Qionglin turned to stare at him owlishly. No words came, no thoughts formed beyond “!!!” Wuxian had a mischievous, self-satisfied look in his eye, smiling coyly.

A tiny voice in the back of Qionglin’s mind whispered actions speak louder than words. On impulse, Qionglin closed his eyes, leaned in and kissed Wuxian right on the lips. It was clumsy and awkward, their noses bumping together. But Wuxian leaned into it and took the lead, cupping Qionglin’s cheek in one hand, the other bracing against the tiger statue. His lips were soft and warm, they tasted faintly of cherry lip balm. Qionglin could smell his cologne, subtle and spicy.

They parted finally and Wuxian pressed their foreheads together. “I’ve been thinking about doing that all day,” he admitted with a quiet chuckle, his voice soft and low, his breath tickling Qionglin’s face.

Qionglin swallowed heavily. “M-me too…” he whispered, only just realizing it himself. Wuxian pecked him on the nose and pulled away, sliding a hand down Qionglin’s arm and grasping his hand. Qionglin slid off the back of the statue and sidled up closer to Wuxian as they continued on. He felt tipsy now, his face hot, his heart skipping, butterflies in his stomach-- but he was walking on air. Is that what I’ve been missing out on all this time? He sighed contentedly and laced his fingers through Wuxian’s.

A while later, Wuxian asked, “So, obviously you’re an animal lover, but what’s your favorite?”

“Hmm,” Qionglin considered for a moment. “I like almost every animal, actually. B-but if I had to pick, it’d probably be cats. I’ve always liked them, and they’ve always liked me. I dunno why, though… Anyway, what about you?”

Wuxian didn’t even have to think about it. “Rabbits, hands down,” he said. “They’re just too cute. And so soft! I wish I could have one, but I don’t think there’s enough room in my apartment.” He pouted a little.

“We have rabbits on the farm!” Qionglin said, a little too loudly. He cleared his throat and adjusted his volume. “M-my cousin raises them for wool, and as pets. Maybe… you’d like to come see them sometime?” He ventured.

Wuxian’s eyes lit up. “Can I really?” He asked, excitement plain on his face.

“S-sure! I could show you around too, and you could see what farm life is like. You could meet the rabbits, and the chickens, and we could h-harvest something and I could make dinner. Food tastes better when you pick it yourself. If-- if you want, that is.” Qionglin fidgeted with the zipper of his jacket, and looked hopefully up at Wuxian.

“Yeah,” he said, his expression soft and affectionate now. “I’d love to.”

#my writing #my art #ningxian #wei wuxian #wen ning #modern au #farmer's market au #first date #first kiss #mdzs fic #mai luobo!