moonflowers and jasmines

• twenty seven •

merrick and jihan were sitting on the balcony of their dorm. jihan sat with his knees hugged, while merrick spread his legs forward and placed his weight on his hands on the floor behind his back.

he gazed at jihan's chocolate-brown hair. it was simply amusing to merrick. not just jihan's soft hair, but also how within the course of a few weeks everything in his life changed. he went from pushing away everyone and everything to accepting his crush to move into his personal space, and that includes both literally and symbolically.

"jihan," he muttered, "thank you."

jihan looked back at him. "hmm?"

"for...for coming into my life," merrick divulged.

"this looks like a moment where the main characters kiss, doesn't it," jihan let out his intrusive thoughts.

merrick let out an unbelieving laugh. seriously, for once he tried to be serious and romantic, but jihan didn't let him immerse himself into that. merrick's melodramatic mood completely took a turn. "maybe," he joked.

jihan's eyes widened. "you've said it already," he said as he came closer. it was like a slow-mo edit, where jihan kept inching closer and closer to merrick's face. for jihan, it was the second kiss he was ever going to have, so he wanted to savour it. the first one was kind of anti-climatic. so he came closer with anticipation bubbling in his stomach for the kiss. his eyes were closed awaiting to feel merrick's lips. there was a dangerous gap of a few centimetres between their lips. just a slight forward moment was needed of merrick to close the remaining distance between them.

and...they didn't kiss. of course, merrick blocked it by covering his mouth with his palm. he knew that, this time if they kissed, he can't run away. he had to face whatever was about to come. if merrick was to kiss jihan, he would for sure channel all his feelings he had for that guy. but he wasn't sure on what terms jihan would kiss him. friends with benefits? situationship? someone to kiss and make out when he got bored? or whatever complicated dating structure there exists nowadays.

that would be kind of unfair for him. his feelings are taken advantage of. aishhh whatever theory he wanted to make up for his kiss all led to one thing - he wanted to confess his feelings and kiss jihan, as boyfriends.

jihan opened his eyes, feeling stupid for being so eager to be kissed. embarrassed, he went back to hugging his knees and pretending to observe the sunset sky.

merrick felt bad for crushing jihan's hopes, but the timing felt right. as always, thinking too much tortures him. and he hated having to deal with feelings and thoughts and anything introspective. "uhhhh i like you," he confessed. somehow, his voice became lower...like an alpha male?

jihan's face went "ohhh" with a nod like he was processing the information.

"we're boyfriends, then," he responded.

"huh?"

jihan frowned. "what huh? i like you too, and i want us to be boyfriends." he said it so matter of factly. more matter-of-factly than merrick. maybe merrick really rubbed off on jihan.

coming back, merrick asked him awkwardly, "do we kiss now?"

jihan leaned in, his lips meeting merrick's in a kiss. taking it as a yes, kissed him back, with equal vigour. jihan's hands worked differently, one controlling merrick's jaw while the other snaked around merrick's waist. with both their eyes closed, they felt the intensity of the kiss. all the unspoken emotions took over.

gasping for air, merrick broke the kiss. but jihan continued looking at him. his eyes, they were pleading. his hands were tugging at his shirt. merrick got the sign. he carried jihan bridal style and gently placed him on their bed. while merrick shut the balcony door, jihan was fiddling with his vest. he had removed his shirt, but merrick could see the indecisiveness in jihan. even he felt that way - that he wasn't really ready for it. also, he didn't have any condoms at his disposal. so he knew that *that* day had to wait.

merrick came over to him and placed his hand over jihan's. "it's alright, haney, we can take it slow," he assured him. and he, in a very cliche manner, brought their hands and placed it over his chest. "can you feel that?" he asked the brunette, referring to his pulsating heart. jihan nodded. merrick then leant forward, until both their foreheads made contact. in the silence, both felt the hot breath of each other and could hear the rhythm of their heartbeat. for merrick, this was enough. and he needed to let his boyfriend know the same. but his boy had other, devious plans.

jihan closed his eyes like he was inhaling drugs. the warmth of their proximity was making his hormones threaten a battle. he grabbed the shirt covering merrick's back and crumpled it in despair. "please, merrick. do something," he implored. the sensation was making him explode. "i...i feel li--"

merrick shut him up with a kiss. a very very long, and strong, one.

if that's what his boyfriend needed, then he was ready to serve. he was a chef in the making after all.

his boyfriend couldn't keep up, so he manoeuvred smooches from jihan's lips to his jaws to his neck and eventually to the top of his chest.

now, jihan was lying on bed with merrick hovering over him. merrick's one hand was snaked under jihan's neck for access and the other secured over jihan's thigh. jihan's hands were clasped onto the sides of merrick's black shirt, pulling him closer.

"move it's my turn," jihan quipped, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. and before he knew it, merrick dropped onto the bed with jihan grinding teasingly atop him.

jihan locked his boyfriend's hands in place as he unbuttoned merrick's shirt using his teeth. saliva glided over merrick's chest, with all the wet kisses jihan planted over him. and without any warning, jihan went for the collarbone, kissing it too hard. he sucked it like he was a famished vampire getting his long-awaited dose of blood.

merrick whimpered. who would've thought that lovemaking was painful yet pleasurable. and jihan loved it. with a smirk, he pressed onto merrick's crotch, stimulating him to moan even louder.

satisfied with his doing, jihan trialled his kisses in a straight line from merrick's throat to his chin and then to his lips.

after what felt like hours, both of them were wet. there was almost no spot in their unclothed skin which wasn't kissed. their lips were glossy and a pretty shade of pink, and their neck--there were more hues of pink, red and purple than their actual pale and caramel skin colour.

panting heavily, jihan plopped next to his boyfriend on the bed. "did you feel good?" he asked him earnestly. merrick smiled with a blush adding to the redness of his face. "awww," jihan pecked merrick's cheeks on either side.

jihan looked out the balcony door. the sky was navy blue, with the sun already set long ago. he yawned. "i'm feeling tired, i think i'm going to sleep he said.

"mhm," merrick agreed. merrick helped to settle the both of them beneath a blanket.

"hug me," jihan asked in an angelic voice. you couldn't tell that he was a demon just a while ago. wordlessly, merrick spooned him closer and kissed the nape of jihan's neck.

well, that was a lot for the first day of their relationship merrick thought as he closed his eyes.

and their rested the moonflower and the jasmine; their stems intertwined and their petals gazing against each other

~ the end ~