Tastebuds (Ours)

- three

Minghao thought about Junhui the entire ride home, and he wouldn't say that he drove "safe". It was difficult not to think about Junhui when the artificial tang of oranges invaded his mouth the moment he left the party.

Minghao fumbled with his keys, and showed his student I.D. to the plump, bald man sitting at the security desk at the front of his dorm. He didn't care that he was coming home past curfew, he just needed to be home. He stumbled into his room, and hurriedly took off his shoes before typing a message to Junhui:

Me: i'm home :) have u left the party yet?

Before Minghao had time to get his clothes off, Junhui replied:

Junhui: good ^^ yes, i'm home, but i sorta wish i wasn't lol

Minghao frowned at his phone, and wondered why Junhui wouldn't want to be home. Did he have a bad home life? Did he still live with his parents? Did they bea-

Junhui: minghao, i can feel you thinking from here omg. it was just gonna be a bad pickup line abt how i wish i was with you lmao.

The air exited Minghao's lungs as soon as he read the message. His ears reddened, and he laughed to himself.

Me: oh thank god. i really didn't want to be your knight in shining armor without a proper date first.

As soon as Mingao pressed "send", he felt his stomach swoop with something he couldn't put a name to.

Excitement? Possibly, but not the kind of excitement he felt before a vacation when he was little.

Anxiety? Again, very possible, but talking to Junhui felt easy. He wasn't as nervous as he normally was talking to someone new.

Minghao came to the conclusion that it was just the thrill of talking to someone like Junhui, who ate his orange candies, and asked confusing questions to determine if someone was worth his time or not.

It fascinated Minghao, but not in the way that other things fascinated him.

He was fascinated by the stars, the sheer size of the universe, how humans had learned to harness the energy from the Earth to bring artificial light to this world.

Minghao had a different kind of fascination with Junhui.

Minghao could imagine waking next to Junhui and seeing the rain rolling down the window reflecting off his cheeks. He could see them sitting across from one another, sipping hot drinks, their fingers intertwined over a table, and the light glinting off their matching rings. He could imagine Junhui lying beneath him, bare and vulnerable for him, with nothing but trust and love covering his features.

He could see his future in Junhui's eyes, and it was all so profoundly real that it left Minghao breathless. He had to do something, anything, to get this weight off his chest.

So, he did.

Me: would u be opposed to meeting me for lunch tmrw? my treat :)

Junhui: well, of course! but only if you let me pay next time ;)

~

They continued like that until September when the new school year began.

Even when they both became too overwhelmed with school work to breathe, they still found time for each other. Monday and Wednesday evening were spent at Junhui's dorm, and were dubbed "Math and Takeout Days" where they would, obviously, do math and order takeout.