Tastebuds (Specifically Yours)

- seven

Seokmin screamed. "Ha! Wonwoo, you owe me $20!" Mingyu looked sideways at Wonwoo, who was blushing furiously, (Mingyu fucking melted) and asked, "Did you guys bet on whether or not we were soulmates?" Seokmin was trying so hard to contain his giggles, and Wonwoo looked like he wanted the earth to swallow him whole. Neither of those things were a success. "He said, and I quote," Seokmin began, imitating Wonwoo's baritone voice very badly, "'There is no way that enormous puppy of a human is my soulmate', to which, I responded, 'Bet'. And we did." Seokmin had that shit-eating grin on his face, and Wonwoo curled into Mingyu's side self-consciously and muttered, "I'm sorry, Gyu." Mingyu wrapped his arms around Wonwoo's shoulders and kissed his forehead before sending a glare to Seokmin. "You're gonna die at my hands." he mouthed, and Seokmin immediately turned and exited the library. Mingyu already had such a strong need to protect Wonwoo, and he'd be damned if he felt that he'd done something wrong because of a bet.

"Wonwoo," Mingyu said softly, lifting Wonwoo's chin to look at him. He kissed his forehead once more, (he knew that calmed Wonwoo down) and moved to kiss both his cheeks, (Wonwoo had such full cheeks, but such sharp features, and Mingyu wanted to know how) he pecked the tip of his nose, (even his nose was perfect to Mingyu. What the hell.) Lastly, Mingyu left a sweet kiss on Wonwoo's lips. Wonwoo tasted like everything good he had made Mingyu taste over the years, and Mingyu couldn't help but think that he tasted like home. He pulled away and saw Wonwoo smiling gently at him. "So, you think I'm a puppy, huh?" Mingyu teased. The tension left Wonwoo's muscles at that, and he knew he had nothing to worry about. His soulmate would never be upset with him over something so trivial. Mingyu was smiling so widely at him, and Wonwoo replied, "Yeah, I think you resemble a puppy. Both in your looks and your personality," Wonwoo's smile faltered a bit. "I'm sorry that we made a bet on something serious. At the time, it sounded completely outrageous that someone like you would be my soulmate." Mingyu was very confused by that statement. "Someone like me?" he questioned. "You know. You're so-" Wonwoo waved his hands in Mingyu's general direction. "And I'm so-" he gestured vaguely towards himself. Oh, no. Ohh, no, no, no. Mingyu could not have this. No way was the most incredible person on the planet going to feel self-conscious on his watch. Nuh-uh.

Mingyu turned Wonwoo's chair so he was completely facing him, and took both his hands in his own. "Wonwoo, I can tell you with full confidence that I have no idea what I did to deserve you. There was probably a bet involved; I don't know. But I can tell you that I know you- the most wonderful, intelligent, stunning person on this earth- deserve the world. And if I am your idea of 'the world', then I will do my best to be what you deserve." Mingyu never wanted to forget the way Wonwoo looked at him in that moment. Love, trust, and pure affection bloomed in his irises, and Mingyu could only hope that his own expression was reflecting the warmth he was feeling. The sudden taste of tangerines bursted on Mingyu's tongue- something Wonwoo loved, and he knew it was true.

"The final taste of your soulmate before they become a permanent part of you will be an explosion of color, flavor, and unforgettable emotions that will connect you to them for all of eternity."

That was how to books described it. It wasn't quite as grand, but Mingyu knew that he would never forget how he felt in this moment. Wonwoo slid his hands up Mingyu's arms to rest on his shoulders. "Kim Mingyu," he whispered, leaning to bump their noses together, making their smiles widen impossibly further. "I am absolutely enraptured by you." Wonwoo kissed him slowly, and Mingyu felt his heart pound in his chest, it's rhythm syncing with Wonwoo's the way all the children's books say it does. Mingyu pulled him closer, and he couldn't think of anything he'd rather do than spend his entire life with the taste of tangerines on his lips, and Wonwoo right before his eyes.

~