SM Academy

It was Ten's first kiss.

"Did that guy and I just..?" Ten asked Jaehyun with eyes pleading the other not to say yes, unconsciously pointing at his trembling lips. His eyes were on the verge of crying and his whole body went cold as he and Jaehyun made their way back to the cafeteria. Jaehyun had small cuts on his left cheek and bruises all over his chest and arms. He was clutching on his left arm with his right hand, trying to check if his bones were dislocated or broken or hopefully, fine. 

Out of being preoccupied by pain and random thoughts, the younger was not able to process Ten's question in his mind.

"Ya! Jaehyun, are you listening?" Ten growled in frustration. "I asked you if Taeyong and I actually kis-" Both of them halted and looked at each other at the mention (almost) of the word which Ten had been clumsily avoiding to say or hear ever since they walked out of the rooftop. Ten's eyes grew wide as he saw Jaehyun nodded his head in response, biting his lower lip in the process. That's when realization hit Chittaphon. His wole body felt numb as he stared away into nothingness. He almost looked like someone who went bankrupt or who has been dumped. His eyes were empty, his mouth ajar, and his skin turned oddly pale. He had stayed like that for a while, Jaehyun serving as an spectator of his completely devastated hyung who has always been a cheerful one. He just let out a sigh, completely aware that there was nothing he could do about it other than to try his best to bring back some of Ten's soul which was slowly escaping its tiny Thai body for a vessel.

"Hyung..." Jaehyun started but he was still processing his thoughts and constructing his sentences in his head. He cleared his throat before continuing. Ten looked up at him completely emotionless and it made Jaehyun almost step back from the older. "You did not actually... you know... kissed."

Ten's eyes closed and lips pouted in despair as he heard the word kissed.

"Your lips just touched. Thats it." he scratched his head. Ten did not look convinced at all. "For a very brief moment." Jaehyun added, hoping the time frame of the incident would lighten up his hyung.

Earlier, while the two were still at the rooftop with the delinquents squad, Taeyong quickly moved away from Ten after realizing that when he was dragged by the Thai together with him to ground, his lips landed accurately on the other's lips. The two looked at each other in complete shock while the audience, Jaehyun and Taeyong's sidekicks, did not know how to react as they were as surprised as the two. Taeyong struggled  to get to his feet, brushing off some dirt particles clinging on his pants, before running away from the scene as if he had accidentally killed someone. His strides echoed through the air as he was hurriedly followed by Hansol and Haechan. Ten was left lying down on the ground, his fingertips tracing the outline of his lips, still unsure of what was the soft yet sweet sensation he felt just moments ago. Luckily, Jaehyun was still able to properly move his body after such horrible beating he received from the three troublemakers. He helped Ten get up and they started marching towards the exit down to the stairs.

Ten has never been in love his whole life, to a person at least. If there's one thing that makes Ten feel butterflies in his stomach, rise of heat on his cheeks, and a tingly feeling down his spine - it's dancing. Whenever Ten dances, he feels alive and carefree, he feels found yet lost into the beat and rhythm of music, he's in a world only he knows of. Not until that moment... the soft, warm, peculiar feeling against his lips. It made him feel weird things all over his body. His heart was racing, his palms sweating, and he lost all sense of his surroundings.

He's never been one to be easily shaken but knowing who he was sharing a kiss with - his first kiss to top it all - made it more complicated. Ten may seem immature and playful all the times but he's just like every one of his peers, he's a growing young man who has dreams and fantasies. In the numerous times he had dreamt about his first kiss, none of them were like this - not with the annoying delinquent Lee Taeyong. All he dreamt about sharing his first kiss with, unknown to everyone else, is Doyoung's brother, Kim GongMyung.

"OH MY GOD!" was all Doyoung could utter after seeing Ten and Jaehyun walking towards him on the corridors. He rushed towards his two friends, going straight to cup Jaehyun's face with his hands. Ten turned to his best friend with a puzzled look. Doyoung tilted Jaehyun's face in all directions, eyes wide as he carefully examined the younger's wounds and bruises.

A smile slowly formed on Jaehyun's face as he stared at his hyung playing doctor (or mother) in front of him.

"What happened to you Jaehyunie? Who did this to you? Oh my god! Where have you been?" Doyoung let of go of Jaehyun's face and stared at the latter's dirt-filled uniform, noticing few red marks on Jaehyun's neck as well.

Ten exaggeratedly cleared his throat, almost to Doyoung's ears. "Hi Kim Dong Young. I'm Chittaphon Leechaiyakul, your best friend, remember? Yes, I'm here, I exist, ever noticed me?" he said sarcastically.

Doyoung regained his senses, and made face at his best friend. "Stop being overdramatic and tell me what happened to you two. NOW."

The three quickly went back to the cafeteria and Jaehyun explained everything that happened. He went to the rooftop to clear his mind and to breathe some fresh air, assuming there was no one there. However, once he got there, he bumped into the three delinquents who were smoking and chatting together on one corner of the broad rooftop. Taeyong's eyes instantly locked on him and before he knew it, the three were dragging him to where they were and started beating him, accusing him of murdering Mina. He tried to fight but despite his good height and built, he's still no superman. Three against one is never fair. That was when Ten arrived. He told Doyoung everything that happened next after that, carefully narrating the part the Thai dreaded the most. He avoided the word "kissed" by replacing it with "lips touched." Ten had been very quiet all throughout which made the other two uncomfortable. Doyoung knew that Ten was very troubled. He knows his best friend's extreme emotions and now, he's not angry nor sad, Doyoung knew what Ten was feeling - frustration.

"Let's cut classes." Doyoung suddenly announced. Ten, who was looking distantly, turned to him.

"Are you serious?" Jae asked hesitantly, afraid that he already knew the answer just by judging the older's face.

"Of course. I have a plan."

"I'm in." Jaehyun and Doyoung quickly turned to Ten who spoke for the first time ever since they sat down at the cafeteria.

"Good. But first, we need to get Kun."

SM Academy Clinic

Ten, Doyoung, and Kun watched quietly as the school nurse put bandages on Jaehyun's wounds. Doyoung suddenly felt an urge to exchange bodies with the nurse as she carefully put betadine on one of Jae's abrasions on his rib area. Jae was sitting on the chair in front of the nurse's desk while the three took the unoccupied seats adjacent to the wall on the other side, facing the nurse's desk. Further into the clinic were beds but they were all vacant and closed down by a thick light green curtain like the ones commonly seen at hospitals. The nurse, Tiffany Hwang, an America-born Korean, had her best smile when the friends entered the clinic. She has a long and wavy brown-dyed hair and very fair skin. She looks like a student despite her actual age and her slim body and nice curves outlined her seemingly very fit spotless white nurses' uniform. She had been the school nurse for several years already and she has always been the top recepient of chocolates and gifts during Valentine's day at the school. She quickly attended only to Jaehyun's injuries as Ten insisted that he was totally fine.

"You only got some scrapes and bruises on your torso and few on your left cheek and lower lip, other than that, you're all fine. No broken bones as well, lucky you. The last time that Lee Taeyong sent someone to this clinic the student had to get his jaw fixed." The nurse said while throwing short, sneaky glances at Kun who was sitting in between the two best friends. The Chinese felt like shrinking in his seat.

Jaehyun looked at his friends worriedly as the nurse went back to her seat and started doing the report on his case. Doyoung was tapping his knees, signalling Jae to act like he hurt his leg and can't walk properly. 

"Uhmm... excuse me. Are you sure that nothing's wrong with my leg? You see, it's quite too painful."

The three were shocked at how Jaehyun acted so well. He massaged his legs as Tiffany came to check on it again, wincing in pain whenever she puts pressure on it. Tiffany rounded a few tests and observed Jae's leg, confused at how unparallel his reactions to what her examination results showed.

"Are you sure it's painful to walk?" she said sweetly though her face looked unsympathetic. Jaehyun nodded. "But you don't even have a sprain nor a dislocation." Tiffany scratched her head briefly then she eyed her patient suspiciously.

Doyoung noticed the doubt on the nurse. He began elbowing Kun, the latter almost jumping from his seat. They talked about this earlier - Doyoung's plan on how they would successfully cut classes: Jaehyun and Ten reporting the beating to their respective teachers, then Doyoung and Kun accompanying them to the clinic. Nurse Tiffany is head over heels on Kun. Winwin had told Doyoung about it before. There was an instance wherein Winwin accompanied Kun to the clinic and Tiffany almost did not let the two go out, making up excuses like Kun should stay and rest in one of the beds and that she gets lonely being alone most of the time in the small, cold, boring room. Winwin emphasized in his narratives how the nurse looked at Kun like a tiger to its prey. Doyoung knew that they could get excuse letters to accompany Jaehyun back home if Kun goes together with them.

Kun swallowed hard at Doyoung's obvious cue. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily, trying to gain confidence. He never really wanted to get any closer to the nurse because she's actually creeping the hell out of him. She winks and calls him whenever he passes through the clinic, making him avoid being near the sick people's area.

He stood up and walked towards Jaehyun. Tiffany was quick to notice and she instantly turned to spark a conversation with the handsome Chinese student.

"Hello Kun, feeling ill? You know I'm always here to take care of you." Ten and Doyoung almost felt like vomiting at the flirtatious tone fo Tiffany's voice. She began marching beside Kun who was faking out a sympathetic massage on Jae's back.

"Of course, I know you're always ready to take care of me." Kun tried, making his voice sound deeper and manly, and he was hit by instant success. Tiffany's face turned red and her smile was reaching her ears.

"What are you feeling? Just tell me. Do you have colds? fever? anything?" she said with much enthusiasm.

"Don't worry, I'm totally fine nurse Tiffany." Kun chuckled.

"Is that so?" the nurse pouted cutely. "Okay then, I'll just finish the report on your friends so you can get back to your classes immediately."

The four friends' eyes widened in surprise as Tiffany quickly ended her conversation with Kun, brisk walking back to her seat and started writing on her report that Jaehyun and Ten are fine and can manage to go back to class.

The Chinese eyed his friends and started panicking. Doyoung was too shocked that his plan did not work, Ten was too rattled earlier to even contribute an idea, and Jaehyun was too tired to think as well.

Kun closed his eyes for a brief moment and inhaled deeply.

"Tiffany-noona," he caught the attention of the woman. She stopped writing and looked up at him. He gulped twice before speaking again. "You seem so busy lately, I noticed."

Kun glided over to the other side of the desk and peeked over at what Tiffany was writing. The nurse was clearly taken aback by the sudden movement of the Chinese and she eyed him nervously as he stared earnestly at the medical report.

Tiffany opened to ask Kun about what was he trying to do but she was cut off by the sudden feeling of an arm wrapping around her shoulders. Kun leaned forward to face the nurse with a pout on his face. "Noona, you see, Jaehyun and Ten are dear friends of mine and they were badly hurt. Isn't it good for them to just go home for now and rest? Look at them, they seem so tired and wasted." Kun pointed at his friends who instantly tried to look gloomy and exhausted.

The nurse looked at the friends confusedly as she tried to concentrate on keeping herself rational over things despite the explosion of testosterones behind her which she can barely handle.

She looked at Kun who was giving her a discreet aegyo face. Tiffany bit her lip. Her eyes were wandering from each corner of the room. She knew that the two guys' injuries were not enough for them to be excused from classes but in that moment, her crush over Kun was effortlessly clouding her judgments.

"Okay, fine. Jaehyun and Ten would be excused from class." Tiffany managed to say with her trembling lips.

It was actually a victory for Doyoung already despite the fact that the way he planned it, all of them would be out of school so early; however, if Jae and Ten could get some rest, then it's fine with him.

He was clapping in satisfaction in his mind when Kun suddenly spoke.

"But Tiffany noona, they need friends to come home together with them. Jae can barely walk and Ten just had his first kiss and is suffering from severe trauma. You can't let them go on their own." the four seated people in the clinic were all shocked at Kun's insistence. Ten wanted to slap him for mentioning his first kiss out loud.

Tiffany's face stiffened and she heaved a huge sigh. She stood up, throwing off the arm of Kun around her, and faced the Chinese guy with one raised eyebrow. "No! They are clearly fine but I only let them go because... because..." her voice turned from strict to soft instantly. "...because you were so cute when you begged earlier." she was trying to be stern but her cheeks were blushing at the close proximity of Kun. She quickly sat back down. "I'll finish this report and then you may go back to your class. I have lots of things to do today so you should go as soon as possible." Tiffany sa