“Have you got your own crush now?” asked Baekhyun, after spotting me glancing at Sehun's counter yet again.

“I'm not sure,” I admitted, turning back to the readings of the carbon dioxide level. “I haven't had a crush in so long. I might have forgotten what it's like.”

“Well, there are a few ways to figure it out. Do you think about them a lot?"

Recently, it seemed like Oh Sehun was all I thought about. I nodded, embarrassed.

"Does your heart pound whenever you're near them?” he continued.

“My heart pounds whenever I'm near anyone.”

“Oh really?” Baekhyun suddenly stepped in real close. “This making you nervous?”

“Y-yes.” I breathed. “Please back away.”

He chuckled. “You're a shy one. It's so cute!” He didn't move away and even laced his arms around my neck.

“Baek-” I gulped, before realizing his arms weren't around me anymore. Instead, there were different arms around me and a feeling of weightlessness that accompanied smoky shadows tickling my skin.

Wait, where was I? There were trees and bushes, sunlight pouring down through the leaves. This obviously wasn't the biology room anymore.

“You were looking a little smothered there,” came a voice I recognized. “So I took the liberty of carrying you out.”

I turned and faced this speaker. “Jongin? But how-”

“School was cut off early for me today- something about a freak blizzard. I took the bus here and only teleported once today, so I was able to take us all the way out here.” he said, very proud of himself. “We're still on school grounds though. My power hasn't grown that much yet.”

We were in the woods surrounding the school then.

“What if someone saw you?” I asked.

“If they did, no one would believe them. I did a quick check before leaving, so we should be fine.”

We should be fine? That wasn't very reassuring.

“But Tao,”

“Yes?”

“Since we're here... there's something I've been meaning to tell you and I don't know if this is the right time or not, but I feel like it needs to be said before it's too late and it becomes pointless.” Jongin said this while looking down at his feet.

He was being shy?

This was a strange side of him. I didn't think it was possible for him to look so awkward and small. This nervousness was really refreshing. He seemed a lot more human than when we first met.

“Tao,” he whispered, clearing his throat to speak at a normal volume. “Tao, I... I think I really like you.”

Hmm?

You... Me...

Like?

I watched as he took my hands, holding them gently.

“I think you're fascinating and cool, and your innocence is actually really cute.”

Fascinating... Cool... Cute... Where was this all coming from?

“I know It's a bit sudden, but I want you to know before somebody else gets to you first."

He must think that Baekhyun was serious when he approached me. Was this the friend Chanyeol mentioned liked me, I wondered? I thought it could be anyone but Jongin.

"And I'd like it if you didn't avoid me so much.” he added, his features lighting up with a hopeful smile.

Was the birdsong getting to my brain, because I could've sworn he was leaning in to me. But that was impossible! How could Jongin possibly like me?

I was being kissed. It happened before I even thought to decide whether I wanted to pull away or kiss back.

The soft feeling of his lips brushing mine as they pulled away felt like a stain, as it never went away even after his warm breath couldn't reach me anymore. He breathed out in a genuine smile and looked around him.

The woods were frozen in time. There was no more birdsong and no more leaves rustling in the wind.

I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding and heard the noises of the woods come flooding back.

“Is it weird? For one man to like another?” Jongin asked me after a moment of silence passed between us.

I shook my head.

“Is it weird then, that it's... me?”

I nodded. Where were my words when I needed them?

I could see him looking disappointed and hurt, which wasn't fair because he had only been telling the truth. He shouldn't feel like any less of a person just because I didn't know what my heart was doing that day. “Ah-”

“Forget it. I can get over it, in time. Thanks for listening.”

He started to move away and I stopped him, holding onto the jacket he borrowed.

“I just- I don't... know.” I told him. “Let's just say that it's... been a while since I thought about dating.”

“Been a while?”

“Yeah. We moved around a lot when I was a kid and-”

Jongin suddenly teleported out of my grip to stand much closer- not three centimeters away! He leaned in and pulled me into another kiss, this one very different from the last.

He knew what he was doing. Was this the benefit of exploring your curiosity?

There was a rhythm to it and I fell into it naturally, even though everything was moving so fast. There was an excitement that kept me going, letting him press his tongue through my teeth and exploring what he found.

Hands found my waist and trailed over to the buttons of my uniform shirt, undoing the bottom ones so his skin came in contact with mine, and I shivered at the sudden heat going over goosebumps left by the wind.

The wind.

Sehun... He called me babe.

Baekhyun came really close to me today, though he had Chanyeol to aim for. I'm sure he was just joking.

And Jongin was kissing me, really kissing me.

Maybe I should stop using the cologne my mother gave me. Or maybe I should use more. This wasn't exactly unpleasant...

Jongin finally came to a stop, staying close with his hands on my sides as he panted to fix his breathing.

“Just thought... I'd leave something for you to consider it... you know?” He smiled up at me, slipping his hands out of my shirt slowly to take my jacket off his shoulders and put it around me. “Thanks for the jacket.” he whispered in my ear, a normal amount of warm airiness on my neck.

And he disappeared in a cloak of trailing shadows.

That was weird.

That was really weird.

Having to button up my shirt and smooth out these new wrinkles before wandering back to a classroom I had suddenly been lifted from was weird. Those light touches, the phantom stain his lips left behind: all of it was weird.

Who did I like, really? My heart wasn't to be trusted, so I focused instead on reason.

Baekhyun had somebody else, so he was automatically out. That left Jongin and Sehun. I knew now that Jongin already liked me, but Sehun had called me babe.

Babe.

Babe, babe, babe- what did he mean by that?

“Tao! What are you doing out here?” Yixing rushed up to me in the courtyard, pulling off his gardening gloves and smiling his bright, dimpled smile.

“Ditching class apparently.” I said, feeling self-conscious about my appearance. It wasn't obvious or anything, was it?

“Oh," Yixing nodded. "Well, do you want to see what me and Kris are working on?”

“Sure.”

He led me to the school's one small greenhouse where the gardening class was held. I'm sure this class only existed because the school made money off of anything grown that was sold at the end of the year, as there were very few students in that class. I was glad that the greenhouse was stuffy inside; it took away the chill that had built up during biology. Over in a corner stood a big boxed garden that flourished brighter and more abundant than the others. There wasn't a wilted bud in sight, and the flowers and even the fruits and vegetables were all beautiful. Kris was sitting there, replanting a small strawberry plant from a pot to the box.

“Tao, you okay?” asked Yixing, looking at me worriedly. "You look a little out of it."

I took a deep breath. “Yeah. I just got a big surprise today is all. These flowers are gorgeous.”

He beamed and ushered me closer. A wave of warm floral scents washed over me, mixing in with the gritty smell of soil.

“I can practice a lot with these plants when I'm here and no one suspects a thing. It's also easier because they are all already in nourishing environments.” he explained, touching a bud and making it bloom with oranges and reds. I wished I could name all these plants and flowers, but they seemed even more beautiful and exotic without names, giving them an air of mystery.

“Do you feel like you're improving?” I asked.

Yixing looked excited. “With the plants, yes. I'm doing much better!”

“But you need to practice more on healing people, right? I've been thinking about this, Yixing-”

“No.” he stopped me, his dimpled smile fading in an instant. “That wasn't safe last time. You shouldn't hurt yourself just so I could improve.”

“But what if we took precautions and worked at a slow pace-”

Kris stood up. “Precautions? What kind of precautions?”

“Kris!” Yixing hissed at him.

“Your power is the most important of all of ours, Lay.” he replied.

Lay? Must be a nickname or something, because I hadn't heard it before.

“That's exactly it. Your ability can save lives.” I added. “And if the cuts are small, everything is sterilized, and there's extra supplies in case things go wrong, then why shouldn't you get to practice?”

Yixing shook his head. “You shouldn't have to endure the pain.”

“But it's for such a great cause. And I can handle it; I know I can. Come on, I'm a willing volunteer.” Where else could he get such a perfect candidate to help him? I felt like I had been trained for this. I was strong, healthy, and I've endured plenty of physical pain in my life. Now I could put all this to use. “We could meet after school, if you want. I already brought everything needed.” I continued, waiting.

Yixing looked troubled, but he reluctantly agreed.

***

Author Note:

Is it weird that I just wrote a confession in my other fic as well?

What timing, huh?