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It started in a meadow.

The meadow was a few kilometers out of the city, towards the direction of the river Taehyung always swam in when he was younger. The same river where he once skipped along the rocks and stones without a care in the world. But now, the river and what lay beyond the rushing waters and drowned happiness was a mystery. Another foreign land that his father prohibited from crossing.

The meadow was calm, and Taehyung was always alone when he visited it. He took a spot under a tree, in the shade of its branches, and stared at the branches and out through them to the blue sky that covered his world.

Sometimes, when Taehyung left his horse at the other side of the meadow, he would run through the flowers with a smile on his face and a laugh escaping his throat as he went to the tree. His tree. The tree that always covered him.

Laying under that tree, Taehyung didn’t care about the wild flowers brushing against his face, or the dirt burying itself into Taehyung’s soft hair. He stayed quiet, with his lips planted in a firm line, and listened to the sound of the river not too far away. The river that always tempted him to come. To skip on the rocks and jump in the water. To discover what was beyond the calm and safety of the meadow.

Taehyung’s childhood went like that.

His father was always busy at work, muttering small goodbyes to his family before departing for the day. The maids instantly rushed to Taehyung’s side to prepare him for his tutor, and Taehyung never denied their help.

Like this, Taehyung learned to love his maids and the women who raised him. Their delicate hands always helped him into his silk gown, or brushed through his long hair, comforting him after they dealt with the tangles. The motherly love they all showed him, and the gentle caresses they gave him to help him fall asleep. Taehyung learned to fall asleep with a hand stroking his back and a soft tune flowing through his ears, warming him from the inside and bringing a smile to his face as he fell asleep every night.

Taehyung was convinced that these women would be the only ones who would ever love him.

It happened when he was young, and curious, and seeking out the true meaning of life that lay more behind just the confines of his bedroom walls. Listening to the hums of his maids and the sound of the chattering outside his doors made him feel confined to the little world he was in.

Maybe that was what led him to the meadow.

Taehyung was young, and dumb, and a man. His maids praised him for the knowledge he learned through the years, ushering him and his curiosity through the stories they told when he was younger. He was tall, well built, and thirsty for something more than the box he grew in.

He left before dawn, when the rose pink clouds hovered over the man as he hopped on his horse. His steady hands gripping onto the ropes as he felt the cold air nip at his lips, convincing him to lick them from the cold and the nerves.

Every morning he visited the meadow. He lay under the morning sunrise as the flowers tickled at his feet and brushed against his ears. He giggled as he pushed them away, being sensitive to every touch of the leaves and petals.

For months this went on, before one of his maids caught him rushing out of the house, an apple in hand. Taehyung froze on the spot, slowly bringing his hand out to the horse to give him the apple. The maid didn’t say a word as he did so, but a smile crept on her thin lips as Taehyung began stroking the horse, feeling the smooth hairs beneath his finger tips.

She was pregnant. Taehyung recognized the signs, but didn’t believe his own thoughts until her voice sounded from the entry way. He felt his heart stop as he looked at her, taking in the sight of the gorgeous woman before him.

That morning, he didn’t visit the meadow.

Or any of the mornings after.

Every morning Taehyung awoke before his father, before the other maids, and rushed to the kitchen to prepare a meal. The hot plate stung his hands as he carried it to the room of the woman who raised him, but he didn’t think about it.

For nine months, Taehyung didn’t visit the meadow. He brought hot meals every day, and made sure to tuck her in to bed as the stars reflected in her eyes. The other maids always said Taehyung’s eyes were that of his mother’s. But for twenty three years of his life, Taehyung never knew which one was his mother.

The next morning, Taehyung had a baby brother. His eyes were like his mother’s, dark and mysterious. Maybe that was why Taehyung named him Yeontan.

Taehyung cried as he held the smaller boy in his arms, letting his sobs and distraught fill the room as the baby cuddled into his chest. Later that afternoon, a cart came for the sleeping woman, covered in roses and tears. Taehyung never saw her eyes again.

-

It started in a meadow.

Months passed as Taehyung nurtured Yeontan, ignoring the pleas and wanting aids of the other maids. Yeontan was his. His Yeontan.

Taehyung screamed at his father one day. Tears spilling as his voice cracked from the pain his heart couldn’t endure. He felt his heart break as he heard the cries of Yeontan in the maid’s arms, the cries of a baby that still hadn’t seen his own father.
The maids stayed back when Taehyung fell to the ground, his hand over his cheek as his eyes let the tears fall in silence.

The next morning, Taehyung awoke to the cries of Yeontan. He rushed to his feet, half asleep as he took the infant into his arms and cradled him. The warmth of Taehyung and his love for the child radiated onto him, slowing the tears and hiccupping the cries.

A creak from outside of his door way brought his eyes to the hallway, landing on the delicate and small girl that stood there. Her gown hung untidy, her hair in knots as her eyes gazed to the two boys in the room.

She was younger than Taehyung. She took care of the baby when Taehyung had breakdowns, and then cheered up the boy when the other maids cleaned his tears. She often brought books from the market in the center of the city to Taehyung, leaving them on his bed without a word, thinking he never noticed.

Taehyung noticed the way her hands shook, and the way the tears fell down her cheeks as she closed the door to his father’s room behind her. She looked down as Taehyung noticed the marks on her neck and scratches on her thighs, as she walked slowly back to the maid’s rooms.

For the first time, Taehyung cried in his bed and didn’t feel the gentle touches of the maids. Didn’t feel the silk of his bed sheets brush against his teary eyes in a hopeful way to stop them from falling. He didn’t hear the sound of his own laughter as she made a joke, brushing her hair out of the way as she looked to him with a glint in her eyes.

And Taehyung knew she felt just the same.

-

He was there before Taehyung arrived, steering his horse to the tree it always rested at. Taehyung didn’t notice at first, until the scream of the man brought him to look to the meadow.

A scream echoed in Taehyung’s ears as he tied the horse to the tree, making sure he was under the shade. Taehyung licked his lips, raising an eyebrow as he saw the man shoot an arrow into the tree. Taehyung’s tree.

Taehyung practically tackled the older man into the flowers, screaming as he did so. The older man stilled, watching the man above him with wide eyes as Taehyung pinned his arms to the side of his body, feeling the flowers tickle his knuckles.
He had dark brown hair and chocolate eyes. His cheeks were emphasized as he smiled, sometimes showing his teeth when he smiled. He had small, cute ears, and chubby little fingers that Taehyung held with his own long and elegant fingers, pinning them into the dirt and crushed flowers.

Taehyung felt his breath taken away as he looked at the man, who now switched their positions and pinned the younger to the grass. The elder man didn’t ignore the way Taehyung’s cheeks flushed red as he got off of him, brushing off his own dark clothes as he grabbed his bow from the grass.

Taehyung found it funny that the first thought of this man was to check his bow. Or as the man said, his precious heart.
His name was Jimin. At first, Taehyung called him hyung, even if the man was of lower class than himself. Jimin let out a laugh, throwing his head back as he picked the petals from the flower between his fingers. He threw them to Taehyung’s face, telling the younger to just call him Jimin.

Jimin was an archer, just like his brother, and father. He had a mother who he adored, but never mentioned her around Taehyung. He received his first bow when he was twelve, having shot his first arrow into the pillow of his bed. His mother almost had a heart attack from the sight, and his brother taught him the art of archery.

The archer was almost of age soon, and wanted to be ready to join the king’s army as a royal archer. He said his brother died a year ago, fighting for the king. Fighting for what lay beyond the river Taehyung’s father told him to never cross.

Jimin stumbled into the meadow one day when he was drunk, having stole a half jug of wine from the market before running into the woods and gulping it down by himself. When he saw the meadow and the clear blue sky, he thought he was in heaven. He came back the next day to see that his heaven was real, and it was for him.

Until Taehyung came.

-

They met every morning, before the sunrise. Jimin was always the first arrive, and practiced archery as he shot the arrow into the tree. Their tree.

Taehyung brought a book every morning, sometimes rereading past ones. He brought extra apples for the two and the horse to munch on as Jimin dropped his bow, joining Taehyung in the grass as the two lay beside each other. Their shoulders brushed together as they ate their apples, looking to the sky as it faded from pink to blue.

As the sunset ended, so did their hunger, and their excitement to start their daily session. Jimin always hopped to his feet first, holding out his hands for Taehyung to grab as he pulled the taller man to his feet.

Every day they had this routine. Jimin continued to practice his shooting in the tree, finding his target easier as the days passed. The holes Jimin left behind always made Taehyung smile as he looked up from his book, before gazing down and finding where he left off.

The days went by, and Jimin grew silent as the day of his brother’s death approached. One day he left his bow on the ground and sat beside Taehyung, resting his head on the tree as he peered over Taehyung’s shoulder.

Taehyung began to read out loud, a smile on his lips as Jimin followed the man’s long finger, showing what he was reading. Jimin fell asleep that day, his cheek on Taehyung’s shoulder as a tear fell down his plump and full cheeks.

Jimin learned to read. Slowly, every morning, Taehyung listened to Jimin stumble over his words. They read books Taehyung has read thousands of times in the past, but listening to the sound of Jimin’s voice reading them made the story seem like new.
The first time Taehyung tried archery, he cut his finger and began to cry as it bled on his hand. Jimin rushed to his side, sinking with the younger boy to the ground as he held his hand. The elder shushed him as he wrapped a cloth around the finger, leaning into the grass with the younger boy as he stroked his golden brown hair.

But Taehyung got better, and his aim began to land on the tree, and not on the ground a few meters farther away. Every time he hit the tree, he jumped with joy, running to Jimin who sat at the foot of the other tree with a book in hand. Jimin always smiled, looking up at him with crinkled eyes and a loud, content laugh.

One day Taehyung came home to the maids smiling at him, giggling as they let him into his room. Taehyung felt like his cheeks would fall off from smiling so much as he looked at the wooden bow and arrows that lay on his silk bedsheets.

-

They were in the meadow when it happened.

Taehyung came earlier the next day, and practiced his shooting on the tree. He squinted one of his eyes, envisioning the target before him as he tried to adjust to how this new bow would work. He didn’t sense Jimin coming up behind him before he felt the elder’s fingers on his.

Jimin stood behind him, pressing up against the noble and shadowing his action, but holding onto his hands with his own. Jimin rest his chin on the shoulder, attempting to peer over the taller man to look at the tree in front of them.

The muttering in Taehyung’s ear guided him, and he trusted the small and soft hands as he let go of the string, watching the arrow shoot forth and mark another hole into the tree.

Taehyung was smiling harder than he ever had before as he turned around and held out the bow and arrow. Jimin looked at it in shock, his chocolate eyes widening as he looked up at Taehyung, not believing what was happening.

Before Taehyung could mutter a happy birthday, Jimin took the bow and arrow and threw it to the ground beside them. He wrapped his arms around Taehyung’s neck, leaning into the touch as he rested his cheek on Taehyung’s heart. The younger wrapped his arms around him, smiling as he nuzzled his nose into the dark hair of the other.

They ended up on the grass, in their usual spot where the wild flowers and grass were crushed by the weight of these two young men. Jimin let out a sigh of content, staring up at the sunrise as the smiles from before never left their lips.

It was there in the meadow that their shoulders brushed together, and that Jimin reached out to brush his fingers with Taehyung’s. They let their fingers wander around each other, before intertwining their hands together, and Jimin couldn’t keep himself from turning as red as the apple that lay not too far from them. They felt safe from the world, covered by the warmth and shade of their tree.

-

From then on, they held hands. Their fingers always met the other’s as they lay in the grass and stared at the sunrise. It seemed that Taehyung could never get enough of the colors across the sky that painted Jimin’s golden skin like a canvas. It was as if every time Taehyung looked at Jimin, he saw art.

As Taehyung was about to leave, on a chilly day that reminded him of the first time he came back to the meadow and met Jimin, the elder boy rest his hand on Taehyung’s shoulder. The noble man waited, watching as Jimin began crouching and picking at the flowers that surrounded him. The bouquet reminded Taehyung of the sunset, with the colors that spread across in yellows and purples and oranges. Taehyung accepted the bouquet as Jimin thanked him, bowing slightly as he smiled to the younger boy.

Taehyung came home to commotion from the kitchen, and he rushed in with a smile on his face as he hears the screaming of Yeontan, being held by a maid as he’s cradled in her arms. The sound of giggles and blubbers gets louder as Taehyung approaches, a smile on his face as he shined his pearly teeth to the baby.

Taehyung picks one of the yellow flower’s from the bouquet, and gives it to the maid, who gratefully smiles and bows her head. Taehyung does this for each of the maid’s, who all blush and bow to Taehyung for delivering the flowers.

A daisy remained in the pile, the only one left, as he tapped Yeontan’s nose with it, relishing in the sound of the baby’s giggles as he tried to grab the flower. The maids watched with love in their hearts and happiness as Taehyung tried to teach the baby to say ‘thank you Jimin.’

The noble took his breakfast, bowing as a thank you leaves his lips, before he looks down to the baby sitting on his lap.

Taehyung spent the rest of the day making sure his little brother had the best first birthday.

-

The days got colder as winter approached, but Taehyung didn’t mind the frost or morning dew of the flower petals as he laid in it, waiting for the other boy to arrive. He gazed at the sky, waiting for the warmth of his sun to envelope him and make him feel home again.

His sun came, giggling and running with a brown jug in his hands. His face was flushed pink from the cold of the winter, and he dropped the jug into Taehyung’s arms as he sat down, crossing his legs. Taehyung did the same as he sniffed the jug, smelling the strong scent of wine as Jimin smiles at him.

Taehyung spent the morning of his eighteenth birthday drinking from the jug of wine bought by Jimin, who had been saving money for this special occasion. Jimin cheered on as Taehyung took his first sip, before it turned into gulps, and then turned into drops as the two finished all of the red wine.

There in the meadow, the two giggled like there wasn’t a problem in the world. Taehyung smiled at the fact that now, the two could meet outside of the confinements of his house or the free breeze of the meadow. Jimin began to talk about all the places he wants to take Taehyung, such as the market, or the tea shop, or the bridge overlooking the water in the center of the city. Taehyung just smiled, listening to Jimin talk about each of these places with passion in his eyes, and the noble felt like he was already there.

The two agreed to meet at the tea room later in the afternoon, and to finally see more than just the wild flowers and drowned out sounds of the nearby river.

-

As Taehyung stepped foot outside of the confinements of his large house, he felt a breath of fresh air enter his lungs. He choked out a laugh, looking around as the maids that followed him out made sure his hair was tidy and his gown well kept. They straightened out his sleeves as a smile spread across the younger boy’s lips, soon infecting the women who surrounded him.
They didn’t argue when Taehyung refused to ride his horse, and waved him off as he ran down the steps of his house and looked to the road that bustled with life and people. Taehyung looked down the dirt road that led into grass, in the same direction of where the meadow lay, and shook his head. He rushed down the busy street, ignoring the glances of people who wandered the streets on a daily. The people who stole wine from the market and learned archery and didn’t have maids or a father who looked to his son that morning to see if he was worthy of being a noble man and meeting the people of the city.
People bowed as they watched the young man walk past, and Taehyung wasn’t used to being treated like so. He awkwardly giggled, and tried to ignore the stares and respect that radiated off the peasants and those of lower class than he.

If he was being honest with himself, Taehyung had no idea where he was going, but he let his feet do the thinking as he walked faster through the city, eager to find the tea room.

Taehyung walked straight into his tutor, who smiled as he bowed to the younger man. The noble man looked surprised, but smiled as he began to speak with the tutor that made him into the man he was today.

A man approached the two, and immediately bowed as he looked to Taehyung’s feet, clearly shy and afraid. Taehyung would normally laugh at the sight, but instead reached his hand out and put his long fingers to the chin of the man, who seemed to be his age. Passerbys looked shocked as Taehyung forced the man to look at him, and a smile spread across both of their faces.
The man had black hair and dark eyes, with a golden skin and a shining smile to compliment his face. He had dimples that showed in his smile, as he began to open up and look Taehyung in the eyes. They were the same height, and yet the man considered himself of lower class, just because of Taehyung’s robes.

His name was Namjoon. He held a book in his hand that he bought a few minutes ago, and a smile on his lips as he bowed once more as Taehyung praised him for becoming a tutor like his father. The noble brought up Yeontan, and asked of Namjoon to tutor him once he is of age. Something about the young man intrigued Taehyung, and he had trust in his father as well. Namjoon agreed, and smiled more before bowing as Taehyung excused himself.

As he made his way into the tea room, which Namjoon had explained the way to, he smiled. The scents of jasmine and oolong and other aromas filled his nose as he closed his eyes softly, his cheeks tugging upwards as the chatter of people and their gossip goes through one ear and out the other.

He spots Jimin in the back of the room, looking at his hands worriedly, his leg bouncing up and down as his robe bounced with it. As soon as Taehyung approached the table, Jimin’s leg stopped shaking, and his eyes looked to the man.

They spent the entire afternoon in the tea room. Taehyung ordered every tea possible, and they drank them down like they drank the wine that same morning. Jimin wiped his mouth on his hands as Taehyung grabbed a napkin, and wiped his own lips. He looked up from the corner of his eyes to the elder man, who stopped what he was doing and put his hands down, shying away as his cheeks turned red.

As they finished their plum tea, Taehyung reached for his napkin and watched as Jimin did the same. The two wiped their lips with the napkin, and began to laugh halfway through, not caring as the other customers watched them with both disgust and confusion.

The two men shoved yakwa into their mouths; the other customers no longer paid attention to the intriguing but loud duo. Taehyung looked up as he chewed on the sweet, to see Jimin’s cheeks stuffed and his face content. The sight made Taehyung heart swell up, and he couldn’t keep himself from smiling as well.

They made their way to the market, and spent the rest of the time, up until the sunset, looking at the ceramics and art that lay across the street. As they made their way to the end of the street, Taehyung’s eyes land on the jugs of wine that gives him immediate happiness.

As they lay in the meadow, watching the sunrise, Taehyung took a swig of the wine, smacking his lips in pleasure as he reached to the side and held out the drink to the other boy.

They were in the meadow.

Taehyung ignored as the jug of wine spilled and seeped into the flowers below them, tinting them as red as the blood that flows through Taehyung’s veins. Instead, he felt the warmth of Jimin as the elder’s hands rested on the noble’s cheek, holding onto him like he himself was a delicate flower. Taehyung tasted the red wine on Jimin’s tongue, and felt the soft cushion of his lips. The younger bent his elbows, wanting to give his aching arms a break as he laid on his back, not breaking away from the addicting kiss that Jimin offered him. He couldn’t tell if it was from the alcohol or the boy who hovered above him, but his heart began to beat faster than it had before.

-

Taehyung decided that day that the only thing better than the taste of the flower teas he occasionally drank with Jimin, was Jimin’s himself.

They met as often as possible. The two sat across each other, playing a game of chess one day, before going to a gallery and practicing their art skills. For Taehyung, it didn’t matter where he was. As long as he was with Jimin.

On a fairly sunny day, sometime in the middle of spring, Taehyung invited Jimin to see a sports game. The two rushed to the field as soon as Jimin said yes, giggling as they ran past Namjoon.

Namjoon knew about their affair, and always smiled every time they met up to talk. Through Namjoon, Taehyung met his first friend of his kind, and the only one his father would allow into their home and to meet with for dinner, Seokjin.

Seokjin was tall, and fairly muscular, and had a laugh that was more beautiful than the sound of bells waking you up in the morning. But he was kind, and caring, and he looked to Namjoon with such love in his eyes that Taehyung began to get lost in Namjoon’s eyes himself.

Taehyung’s father was more than pleased when he came home to see the eldest son of the Kim’s noble family sitting in his dining table, eating fruit with a satisfied smile on his face. Taehyung’s father bowed to Seokjin, as he was of higher class, before receding to his room and leaving the two boys to discuss what gift Seokjin wanted to get Namjoon for their anniversary. The maids overheard their discussions, but the topic of what the two boys were so intently talking about never left the walls of that room.

Taehyung sat with Seokjin in the bleachers, looking with a pout as he spots Jimin on the ground at the base of the seats. The uneasy feeling that swept across him was instantly replaced as Seokjin began talking to him, clearly realizing the situation at hand. Taehyung did his best to smile as the noble told him a story of the first time Namjoon tried sports, and how well that didn’t go.

The second the game was finished, the winning team cheering and running to the girls that idly stood at the side, waiting for them, Taehyung rushed down the bleachers and past Jimin. He knew the archer would follow him nonetheless, but smiled when he looked over his shoulder to see Jimin following him closely, a nervous look on his face.

Jimin rounded the corner into the alley, and was instantly pulled in by the collar. Taehyung let out a moan, smiling to himself as he clutched the elder’s robe, feeling their chests touch with Taehyung’s back to the wall. They kissed as if it were their last kiss, with Jimin resting his hands on the hips of the younger, holding onto them gently as to not wrinkle the expensive robe.
Jimin’s kiss was addicting, and his favorite taste. The smell of Jimin, and how he sometimes smelled like sweat or wine gave Taehyung a feeling of home. As Taehyung brushes his hand up, reaching to tangle his fingers into the dark strands of Jimin’s hair, he begins to softly moan at the feel of the soft texture being his to touch and his to love and his Jimin’s. Because his Jimin was a work of art: as gorgeous as a sunrise and as addicting as red wine.

-

It was in the meadow that they fell in love.

They met in the meadow for the sunset, this time agreeing that the heat of the impending summer was softer during the afternoon light. Jimin brought his book, and Taehyung brought crisp, red apples, that just waited to be bitten in to.

Jimin’s reading improved, and he now could read on his own, in his head. However, when together, Taehyung preferred that the boy read out loud. And so he did; Taehyung rest his head on Jimin’s thigh, looking up at the boy and the sky above him as he slowly began to snooze off. His eyelashes fluttered shut as he took steady breaths through his nose, listening to the sound of Jimin’s voice in the quiet of the meadow.

When he no longer heard the sound of the man above him, Taehyung wasn’t surprised to feel lips on his own. His heart leaped when he brought his hand up to hold Jimin’s cheek, as Jimin began to stroke the younger’s head, brushing his fingers through the other’s long strands.

It was in the meadow, at the time the sun hid away and slept until the morning, that they made love. As Taehyung shyly giggled, letting Jimin lead the two, with adoration and love filling his heart and eyes. The flowers that swayed beside them as Jimin intertwined his fingers with Taehyung, silencing the moan with his lips. The flowers began to tickle at their bare skin. The giggles that left Taehyung’s lips from the feel of the grass between his toes caused Jimin to pull away, still rocking his hips as the younger man below him let out a small moan, gripping to the flowers that lay at his hands.

It was in the meadow, as the colors of the painted sky spread across the naked and sweaty bodies of the two men, that Jimin chanted Taehyung’s name like a mantra as he released into him. Taehyung wrapped his arms around Jimin and held him close to his chest, letting the elder man listen to his quickening heartbeat as he whispered the three simple words that have been wanting to leave Taehyung’s mouth the second he heard the scream of the frustrated archer in the breeze of the meadow.
And Taehyung felt the warmth of the sun he held in his arms envelope him as he heard the man whisper those words back.

-

Taehyung’s father leaves for a few days, to settle negotiations with outside cities through money and a fight for wealth and power. It was something Taehyung was never interested in, but knew he had to learn someday.

Upon hearing the news of his father’s departure earlier that morning, Taehyung rose out of bed and ran into the arms of the maid, begging her to help him get dressed as quick as possible.

Taehyung rode his horse as fast as he could to the meadow, and spots Jimin under their tree, reading a book. The elder’s attention snaps up to the oncoming horse, and he screams in shock, before standing on his feet as the noble man threw his head back in laughter.

Jimin held onto the other as tightly as possible as they bounced on the horse; Taehyung decided to go slow on the way back home, knowing how afraid Jimin must be. But Taehyung had to say, he loved the idea of Jimin hugging him from behind as they rode around the city.

The maids welcomed the archer with open arms, smiling and bowing deeply, even though they were of higher respect for being in a noble household. Jimin, being the lover he is, hugged each of them and thanked them for raising Taehyung. The younger could’ve sworn he saw a few of the maids hold back tears.

They offered Jimin fruits and water, and thanked him for the flowers and other various gifts he got them, as they could now thank him in person. Jimin blushed the entire afternoon, waving off his good deeds as they hadn’t taken up his entire paycheck. But for Taehyung, Jimin would buy the world.

Jimin instantly squeals when he sees Yeontan, running to the infant as he began cooing at the baby, who was at first scared. The maid gave the archer the baby, who promised to be gentle. Jimin proved himself as the baby blubbered, excited at meeting a new person.

The elder continued to coo at the baby, saying how cute it was and how handsome he was going to be, just like his brother. Taehyung tried to keep his emotions intact as the maids looking between the two of them with endearment, but Taehyung failed and felt the flush travel across his face.

Jimin stayed the night, cuddling up in Taehyung’s chest as they lay on the sheets together. The noble felt the other’s breathing on his chest, and his slight snores in his ears, as he slowly drifted to sleep. Jimin stayed another night before the maids prepared him a big breakfast, and asked him to visit again.

-

It was in the meadow that Taehyung found himself panting out Jimin’s name, his long fingers tangled in the elder’s hair as he felt the sensation throughout his entire body. His legs shook as Jimin rested his hands on either of his golden, perfect thighs. Jimin swallowed the younger boy whole, feeding on his moans and pants like a savage animal.

Taehyung moaned out Jimin’s name as he finished, feeling the head of his lover bob beneath his fingertips. The younger felt like he was in his own heaven. Looking at the blue sky that stretched beyond the branches of their tree, not a cloud in sight. The slight breeze of the meadow tilted the flowers from side to side, giving a personal example of Jimin and his lips as he kissed up Taehyung’s bare chest, finding every spot as delicious as the last.

The noble dragged his fingers from the other’s hair to his cheek, holding it in his hands as he leans in and plants a soft kiss to Jimin’s plump lips. They were red and wet, and tasted salty and like Taehyung, but it made the butterflies in Taehyung’s stomach start fluttering again. They lay like that, basking in the summer sun as the noble panted into his lover’s mouth, still recovering from his high.

It was in the meadow, with their breaths on each other’s lips and their bare bodies covered with sweat and grass, that Jimin told Taehyung he was accepted into the army.

-

Seokjin came over for tea the next day; his father welcomed the noble man with a bow, before ushering the maids to prepare sweets and drinks for the two. The maids looked to Taehyung, who just hummed to himself. He was unable to eat. Nothing but the crisp red apple that reminded him of Jimin’s lips when he kissed him.

The tea grew cold before him, but Seokjin stayed quiet as he drank his tea. The maids felt the tension, and looked to Seokjin in despair as they eyed the untouched tea.

Taehyung looked at the table, taking in the table set and everything that was bought for Seokjin’s arrival. All bought from the village his father returned from a few weeks back, with news of an impending war between the nations.

Taehyung’s father came home and told the maids of this news first, but the word didn’t get to Taehyung until he overheard a couple talking about it as he picked some fresh, red apples at the market. At hearing this, he dropped the apple and ran towards the direction of home, ignoring the scream of the shop keeper’s ruined apple.

When he got home, he pounded on the door with tears in his eyes as his heart broke between every sob. He watched the door open to reveal the elder, who crouched down and held Taehyung in his arms as the noble man sobbed, gripping onto Jimin’s robe.

Staring at the red apple that sat on the dining table, Taehyung felt like he didn’t have a home anymore.

-

It was in the meadow that they said their goodbyes.

Jimin hugged his legs as Taehyung approached him, looking up only when the younger stopped in front of him and dropped to his knees. The archer did nothing as he watched the other man cry.

It was in the meadow that they kissed.

Taehyung didn’t resist as Jimin leaned in and kissed him, their tears mixing together at their lips as they tasted the salt on their tongues. Taehyung longed to kiss him forever; he longed to love Jimin forever.

It was in the meadow that Jimin walked away, leaving Taehyung to scream and rip the wild flowers from their stem. To let his anger flow and destroy even the most beautiful things, because the most beautiful thing in life was Jimin. And Taehyung let Jimin walk away; he let Jimin be ripped from the ground of Taehyung’s heart like the flowers that Taehyung gripped in his hands, turning his knuckles white and his vision blurry.

Jimin had come into his heart and planted every single one of his seeds in Taehyung’s mind. They grew the flowers together; they watered the soil and disciplined the sun to shine. The noble’s heart grew into a meadow of beautiful flowers of different colors. Into a calm breeze and quiet tone that hummed into the wind and into Taehyung’s ears; the sound of Jimin’s laugh and the way he stumbled over his words panted Taehyung’s name into his ears stayed in the breeze that swept his hair.

-

It was in the meadow that Taehyung first heard the news.

The noble man held up the bow and arrow that his lover used when they met, aiming it at the tree that grew more holes with every passing day. The holes that went into Taehyung’s heart every day, not knowing whether Jimin was going to come back and plant his seeds.

In the autumn leaves that fell beneath Taehyung’s feet, he thought of Jimin. On Jimin’s birthday, he bought a jug of wine and drank it by himself. He cried himself to sleep as the dead flowers around him tickled his body and wiped at his tears.
It was a few days later, when Taehyung was walking through the streets to meet with Namjoon in the tea room, that he saw the gates to the kingdom’s walls open.

Taehyung ran as fast as he could, feeling his tears fall as he watches the soldiers reunite with their families. The war was over, but the war with Taehyung’s heart wasn’t.

The noble ran through the crowd of cheering and screaming, bumping into the soldier’s as he looked around with panic in his eyes that spread to his heart. He felt a hiccup in his throat as he ran into the barricaded gate of the city’s walls, banging on it as it resonated a sound through the crowd.

Taehyung let the sobs escape his mouth, the tears from his eyes, and the plants from his heart. He ripped the flowers of his meadow and scattered it across the ground until the rain drowned them all and carried them to the nearby river. He let the flowers drown as he felt himself drown, his fists hurting and wet as he fell to his knees.

-

It was in the meadow that Taehyung drank the wine. He imagined how it would feel to press his lips against Jimin’s. To taste the red wine and its juicy, addicting flavor on the lips of his lover. How it would feel to drink in his beauty in the sunset that spread across the meadow. Their meadow.

Taehyung drank until he couldn’t feel, and then he drank more. He ripped at the wild flowers and tore the pages from his book. He threw the bow and arrows in the tree and he poured the wine on the indented spot in the flowers, below their tree. He watched the red wine taint their bodies like blood, soaking into where Jimin and Taehyung had grown their meadow.

He stumbled past the tree with the holes, and past arrows long forgotten that never made their target. He dropped the jug and heard the splashing as the wine spilled onto the grass. He listened to the sound of the river rushing, but he couldn’t hear well over the sound of his heart beating and his sobs stuttering.

Taehyung always swam in the river when he was younger, when he skipped rocks and stones and loved his life the way it was. When he looked up to his mothers with a smile on his face as they praised him for growing up so well.

As the man stood on a stone, looking to the river in front of him, that rushed cold water from the mountains ahead, he felt his last flower wilt.

The river and the meadow lay a few kilometers from the city Taehyung grew up in. The house that held the only women who ever showed him a mother’s love. The tea room where Taehyung realized he was in love with Jimin.

Standing at the river bank, with his home in the meadow and in his sun’s comforting arms, Taehyung let the warmth soak into him.

He ended in a river.