history calls us
jinshi x male reader
note: cut sleeve and leftover peach are both ways to refer to gay people back in ancient china, zhong yi are the clothes put on top of underwear before hanfu, read more here!, petnames (r calls jinshi dear), ive been studying stuff to make it more accurate so correct me if i'm wrong :p tw: implied homophobia, sensual language in some parts, mentions of sex
…sun✰ i'm probably gonna do a pt2 after i start s2 bc there's sm i wanna write abt in this piece... but idk if i should do it all in one ykwim
history would call them best friends
jinshi and y/n were connected at the hip. every single day, they were together, bodies pressed. every single day, they sat together at jinshi’s desk as jinshi worked on his stack of (ever growing) paperwork and y/n read up on his reports, his eyes closing from a lack of sleep. y/n’s hair poked the exposed skin of jinshi’s neck, a shiver going up jinshi’s spine as the sharp edges of the split ends scratched at him.
“your hair is itchy! it makes it hard to focus.” jinshi whined, y/n looking up from his report to look up at jinshi’s face. his long hair was tied into a bun at the top of his hair, strands of his hair peaking out the cause of jinshi’s complaints.
“let me remind you, my dear, who washed my hair last night. it’s no one’s fault but your own.” y/n calmly replied, jinshi’s face bursting in a pink blush as he huffed.
a prodigy member of the board of rites and overseer of the inner court, best friends since birth. when they were 6 years old, they would walk around the palace together, eyes sparkling as they whispered between each other. when they were 15, they would sit alone outside where the scribes trained, jinshi accompanying y/n while he was studying for the civil service exam. every waking moment, they were together. when they were in their beds alone, they thought about the other, eyes failing to close as their minds were plagued with noise without the other nearby.
the nobles in the palace would chatter about them, speaking words of how lovely, fine men they would grow up to be. how one day, they would both marry wonderful and gorgeous ladies. funny, how the nobles would say that seemed to miss jinshi’s messed up hair and y/n’s pink lips, red littering jinshi’s exposed collarbone, his hanfu pulled back to expose the zhong yi below it.
jinshi’s right hand slid off his desk, fingers wrapping around y/n’s left hand. they were hidden under the table, their eyes the only thing giving away their happiness. “i’ll be done with my work in a few minutes. you?” jinshi asked, putting down his brush onto the tray. y/n yawned, turning over and put his head on jinshi’s lap.
“i’ve been done for half an hour.” he replied, eyes trailing jinshi’s lips. his hand reached up towards jinshi’s chin, fingers rubbing the skin. “i’ll be waiting.” jinshi pressed a quick kiss to y/n’s fingers, hurriedly rushing through his paperwork with the promise of getting to spend time with his best friend.
history would call them roommates
after every day of hard and arduous labor, jinshi would return to his humble house, shoes kicked off in the front room. suiren would wait to take off his overcoat, and gaoshun would follow behind him, asking if he really did finish all his paperwork or did he just stuff it in the corners of his desk (which is what normally happened). jinshi barely paid any mind to them, walking hurriedly to the corner of his house where his bedroom was located, pulling off his outer robes and throwing them onto the floor to be left in only his zhong yi (which made suiren lose her mind, but she would live, while jinshi wouldn't). he hung by the door for a second, taking in a deep breath through his nose. he was finally home.
jinshi would always open the door with a slam, startling his roommate laying in his own underwear on the bed while reading or doing some other activity. he looked so carefree in the moment, but jinshi could see the deep bags that rested in his eyes from the many days of mental labor and inadequate sleep.
“jinshi, one day when we’re old, you’ll scare me to death.” y/n smiled weakly, putting down whatever he was indulging in to open his arms towards jinshi with a joyous expression. jinshi flopped down onto the bed, his face rubbing into the crook of y/n’s neck with a pleased sigh leaving his lips. this is where he belonged, in his roommate’s arms.
by definition, he knew they weren’t really roommates. roommates didn’t share beds, they weren’t waiting for the other to return from work every night like a pet or lover. jinshi and y/n were everything they weren’t supposed to be, attached at the hip for the world to see, spinning truths into lies as people gossiped and gossiped away.
“those two noble boys, don’t they live together?” “maybe they’re cut sleeved.” “it’s a shame, two fine young men living like this, it is time for them to grow up.” “jinshi-sama has surely given the leftover peach to his best friend.”
even though these rumors had validity, the nobles who gossiped spun the publicly known framework and decided to tell lies that would jeopardize the emperor’s rule. jinshi knew he was ruining his reputation by living his life this way, blowing his cover by loving someone. he knew all these things, but he couldn’t stop. he was just a child; why should he have to throw his heart away for the world when it should be saved for the person he loves?
jinshi allowed y/n to pet his hair, who was now taking down the tie that held it up upon his head which had jinshi relaxing slowly under his touch. his breaths became slower as he looked up, eyes bright like a doe’s. “they’re working you way too much, aren’t they my dear?” y/n asked, his hand cupping the side of jinshi’s face, the man nodding exaggeratingly. cooing in response to jinshi, y/n pressed a kiss to the man’s face. “just stay with me tonight, hm? maybe we should find a way to get you a day off.” jinshi only contently sighed in response, his mind adrift as he relaxed with his roommate, the world aligning itself with the stars.
jinshi knew all of those attributions history would give to them were not true
jinshi knew they were lovers. jinshi knew that they were always more than best friends, never just one thing, always changing. jinshi knew that best friends didn’t see all he saw of y/n, all the sides, the emotions. only lovers were lucky to see happiness spreading through each other’s faces, sadness hanging in the crevices, tears that hung to the edge of eyelashes, and soft gasps escaping in the night.
he remembered every time y/n’s hand would slip into his, his soft palms and rough calluses clashing against jinshi’s own, his eyes holding the world in them. y/n would always look like he held the world in his eyes, the irises shining against the sun so brightly jinshi looked towards them during sunrise instead of the horizon. jinshi remembered every time their lips would touch, y/n’s jaw opening slightly so their lips were lopsided, allowing him to feel the texture of jinshi’s picked at and torn apart lips. y/n allowed soft puffs of air to escape him during this time, jinshi’s hands gripping at the fabric of his lover’s robes ever so tightly. his tongue poked out of his lips occasionally, grazing the other side of the world as y/n took him in.
best friends weren’t lucky enough to revere each other in this way, holding their torsos close together as their legs intertwined under thin sheets, pajamas half off as they tried to close their eyes, breaths mingling together. jinshi, however, got to see the light of his life like this every day, falling asleep and waking up together, holding one and other through thick and thin, through arguments and calm.
y/n could always warm jinshi’s heart, making his eyes light up with joy as he pressed his lips to jinshi’s face, calling him sweet names and things that only he got to hear. the world didn’t see y/n like he did, and y/n saw him in ways the world didn’t. jinshi had to be the luckiest man, and even the thoughts of what history would say hundreds of year from now couldn’t take that happiness away from him.
history calls us everything, but i’m the only one who knows you’re mine
extra!
jinshi never woke up on his side of the bed. his pillow was always empty, and his body seemed to think that y/n’s personal space was his own. this never annoyed y/n, however, as it meant jinshi was tucked safely into his arms, practically melting into him as he smiled deep asleep. y/n’s eyes drooped sleepily, the morning sunlight seeping through the slats of the windows. jinshi’s purple hair was a frizzy mess, spreading across y/n’s chest. his breaths were deep and slow, signifying his restful state. his irises glimmered as he looked at jinshi’s sleeping body, content filling his chest.
y/n pressed a soft kiss to his face, his hands sneaking down to rub jinshi’s stomach, the toned skin poking out from the fabric of his zhong yi. jinshi let out a soft sigh, his body curling into y/n’s even more. y/n could feel the man shifting, back arching like a cat as he turned around to meet his lover’s gaze (even though his eyes weren’t open). “good morning, dear.” y/n whispered, jinshi whining softly as a greeting. the response was so normal, but y/n still smiled brightly.
the morning was trying to wake up the world, starting the new day, but y/n was happy to stay here with his slowly waking lover, his heart beating loudly to remind him of his love. love. god he loved this man.
1636 words i love jinshi sm... the brainrot is returning
