Kyungsoo realizes everytime he's close to you, time goes into limbo.


One minute he's greeting you with palpitating happiness and the other he's reluctantly saying goodbye.

And right now with his lips pressing softly on yours, he wishes time will stop and freeze in the moment.


Because kissing you is all tender and loveliness, the feeling so full it's bursting from his heart and every sense in him suddenly heightens to focus on you and you only.

The look of your rosy blush, the smell of minty shampoo in your hair, the gentle touch of milky skin, the delicious tasting of your honey lips and the soft sigh that escapes from your mouth when he withdraws.

And he wants to do it again and again.


But when he gazes at you, your eyes tell confusion and he hesitates.


___________


Your breath hitch when Kyungsoo kisses you.


Plump lips touching then softly pressing, all tender and warm as you feel your heart surge and oxygen depleting by the second. Time slows and when he pulls away, you gasp at the stolen breaths and silently hopes he'll do it again.


But the same moment you think that, ugly rationale rears it's head and you remember he's Soo Jin.


Why?

You didn't get to ask it because Kyungsoo is suddenly backing off and mumbling restlessly.


"G-Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow."




It's just a goodnight kiss, you think as you lay on your pillow that night.


But you are doing a bad job at both trying to sleep and convincing yourself, feeling deeply bothered by the emotions you are feeling for your girlfriend. And maybe she is too?

Hugging your pillow tighter, you find yourself thinking about Kyungsoo's smile, the smell of vanilla when he closes in, tender lips and the sweet taro from the milk tea he drank and his soothing warm tone when he says goodnight.




__________________



Kyungsoo has trouble focusing on his earth shifting class the next day.


The image of you slightly breathless, milky skin tinged with the most beautiful shade of pink after he kisses you keeps creeping back into his mind, leaving him with a stupid smile as he accidentally smashes through two classrooms.

He spends the next few hours cleaning through the rubble and thinking whether he should go earlier to wait for you outside the school gate or arrive on time so it wouldn't seem so obvious.


__________________


When you finish your psionic training with Dr Song, Chanyeol is waiting outside the stadium for you.


"Are you going for dinner? It'll give you a treat!"

You groan inwardly and wonders what it'd take for the wild-haired boy to stop making these advances.


"No thanks, Kyungsoo will be picking me up, we'll decide then." You give him a straight smile.

"Right..." The giant nods diligently and you thought for a second that had worked. "I'll go with you guys then!"



Seems like it's not.

____________________


"He's not taking it." You whisper as Kyungsoo once again holds your hand.

It may be the experience from yesterday, but the gesture is getting quite natural.


"What do you think we should do?" He answers, low breath feeling slightly ticklish at your ear. You feel a horrible blush heating up your cheeks.


"I-- I really don't know." You mutter.



Chanyeol is heading for the same bubble tea shop, barking out a merry, "I'll get your drink for you!"

You cast a glance at Kyungsoo, who is shrugging with a tiny smile playing on his lips.


"At least I'll get a free drink." You shrug back.

"Well..." He leans closer to you so that the warmth of his breath flutters against your cheek. "Do you trust me?"


All your other senses suddenly shut down and you can only feel the loud thumping in your heart and the hotness on your face.

You nod after a beat.


"Ok." He mirrors your action.

You let out a breath you didn't know you've been holding.



Chanyeol is running back with two cups of bubble tea.

He hands one over to you.


"Green tea, 30% sugar. As you like it." He beams. You got to admit, he's got a good memory. "Oh, Kyungsoo sshii, they are out of taro, so I didn't get you yours. Anything else you wanna get?"

"Ah... It's ok." Kyungsoo sweeps his hand lightly and swings towards you.

"Can I?" He closes the distance between your faces, mouth hovering near the straw you are currently on.


Your heart does a triple beat as you hum through your nose, hoping the surprise doesn't sound too obvious.

You offer the drink to him as he takes the same straw into his mouth and drinks, looking as if it's something the two of you always do.



At the corner of your eye, you notice Chanyeol staring at the act of indirect kissing. Somehow this makes you think of the actual kiss yesterday evening and you can't help but flush hot again.

"So, do you wanna go back already?" Kyungsoo asks, not a hint of guile in his tone.


"Yeah." You chirp, sounding a pitch higher than normal.



That evening back at your dorm, he didn't kiss you, but the same electrifying feeling is coursing through your veins as he wishes you goodnight.

_________________


Chanyeol doesn't turn up at the stadium the next day.

You walk home with Kyungsoo alone. There's no one to prove to, but the two of you journey back, still hand-in-hand.

_________________

On the fourth day, the hand holding comes as a reflex.

You start to memorize the crevices under his eye when he smiles, and he is enraptured by the little breathy sound you make at the end of each laugh.


Opposites start to complement. And the transition from day to night becomes dazzling with each other.

That night, the two of you says goodbye with a chaste kiss on your forehead.

_________________


"Hey, since I don't have any pennies on me right now, I'll offer this for your thoughts."

Amber raises a can of Coke in front of you and you jump a little, day-dreaming suddenly halted.


Sighing, you push her arm away.

"Thanks, but no thanks." You mumble as the two of you continue ambling down the hallway.

"Yah, if this is about me spending more time with Kris and not with you, I apologize ok..." Amber begins remorsefully.


"What? No, don't be silly." You ruffle her hair fondly. "I'm happy for you, I was just thinking about the battle with Tao."

You are lying because the image swimming in your mind just now is someone with doe-eyes, a heart-shaped smile and tender lips.


"That? Well, you've been stepping up practices with Dr Song isn't it? I'm sure the intensive training will prepare you well enough for it." She squeezes your shoulder encouragingly.

_____________




"_________ sshii." Dr Song's sharp voice hurtles you back to reality.


Dang, why can't you just get that boy out of your head? You silently curse yourself.

This is the second time you drifted off during practice today.


"As much as I understand young people have active night activities, I'll like to see some adequate concentration in class." She throws an icy glare at you as you slide a little further into your seat.


Today's practice is Power Negation and Memory Manipulation.

Dr Song and you are seated across each other at a long conference table, bright light from the afternoon sun filtering through the glass windows and dancing off the sanitary white surface.

White.

Your trailing thoughts are yanked back as soon as Dr Song speaks again.


"Now we are going into Memory manipulation."

You recognize the first tell-tale signs of a consciousness breech and brace yourself, shoulders tensing and forehead furrowed in concentration.


The first day of school.

Dr Lee is screening you.


I heard you are a Power Negator?

Show me.


You are so nervous your palms are sweating.

It's this or you'll have to go back to living with your dad.

Dr Lee is tapping his fingers on the white table.


Like a staccato.

Dr-rup. Dr-rup. Dr-rup.



You passed. You forcefully remind yourself and delivers a Psionic blast.

She didn't flinch.

But she starts grabbing at another leaf of memory.



The werewolf.

What are you doing?!



Your breathing pikes as you realize which memory she is plying.


Stop!

Mom!



There's a dull thud as your fingers clamp on the edge of the table.


There's blood...

Too much blood.

The werewolf whirls and snarls at you.


You scream.



Your body is starting to tremble and cold sweat is breaking out at the nape of your neck.

Please. Please. Please.


Now, _________ sshii.

You hear Dr Song's distant voice echoing in your consciousness.


Balance. Balance.

You are trying not to scream in your head.



Flipping through your subconscious, you desperately claw at one positive emotion.

Any one.



And one comes to mind.


The first and most vivid one.










"_________ sshii."


You are gasping so hard that your entire body is heaving.



"_________ sshii."

You finally heard her the second time.


Gulping down a lump, you open your eyes, not even realizing you've closed them in the first place.


"You are Augmentating." She states, lips in a straight line but you can see the subtle hook at the edge.

"W-What?" You heard her alright this time, but you just have to make sure.


"I said, you are finally augmentating. Congratulations." The lecturer finally allows her lips to curve into an uneven smile.

"I--" You start with a stammer.


"I wasn't expecting that, not only did you dodge the memory manipulation, you Self-augmentated, so the energy in the retaliation attack was different. Different, in a good way. You have to work on your deliverance though. It's not centered and focused enough. But I think that's all we'll have today. You are exhausted."

Dr Song pushes the chair and stands, a slight shakiness to her movements indicating her drained energy as well.


She's right.

Augmentation is more powerful.


You delight silently at the newly retrieved power, only to gape when Dr Song next say the words.


"And ________ sshii, congratulations on falling in love."


With that, she makes her way out, leaving you blinking disbelievingly.





In.  Love?