A/N: prompt where Chen and kai both have crushed on each other and Chen keeps missing kai on purpose while they're training and kai notices and confronts him! (hope I did this prompt justice, I'm sorry if I forgot or changed/ added a few things! also naming this chapter after the masterpiece that is exo's tempo album... thought it'd be suiting bc like "don't mess up my tempo" but jongdae keeps missing so they're not on like the same wavelength... tempo..... don't slow it down for me lol get it... was it a stretch... I just had to ok ill shut up now sorry) 

Jongdae’s favorite time of the year was when it was warm enough to go outside the base without freezing his off. Their base was spacious, with a large span of forest shrouding it hidden, and an expansive meadow not far away either. There were hidden gems that Jongdae loved to go explore and find when the temperature was warm enough for a light breeze to feel cooling, and the trees all finally turned a refreshing green. It especially gave him a sense of freedom, where he could let his shackles off his powers and tone them a little.

It always seemed better training with someone else, however.

Jongdae let his hand rest on the rough bark of a large tree. He closed his eye and took in a deep breath, taking in the smell of the floral scent around him and the sound of birds and cicadas chirping. It transported his mind to somewhere else, to a spot in the back of his mind, to which only he had the key to.

“Catch you in a bad time?” Came a low, calm, slightly humorous voice from behind Jongdae.

He whirled around, breath catching when he took in Jongin’s face.

“God, Jongin, don’t scare me like that!” He whined, lightly smacking Jongin’s arm. The other grinned and feigned being hurt, clutching at the arm that Jongdae had hit, scrunching up his eyes and loudly shouting.

“I’ve been wounded!” Jongin feigned, peeking open one eye to look at Jongdae’s reaction. Jongdae merely rolled his eyes and started walking deeper into the forest, with Jongin following close behind like a baby duck with its mother.

“Don’t joke about stuff like that,” Jongdae grumbled, hitting a little twig to his right with a small chord of electricity that instantly shocked the branch into a small, charred, form.

“It’s just a joke,” Jongin teased Jongdae, locking his arm with the other’s in a playful manner, despite the action making his heart race several beats faster. Jongin tried to will the feelings away, but his hand just itched to trail down Jongdae’s arm so he could grasp the other’s hand. It wasn’t like that, though, Jongin knew. Jongdae didn’t like him like that.

The blond was also unusually quiet. Normally, Jongdae was one of the first ones up in the base, and consequently the one to jump on each of the member’s beds in attempts to wake them up. The Jongdae that Jongin knew was always upbeat and cheeky, sly but funny. So it made Jongin uneasy to see Jongdae like this, all hushed and quiet.

“Wanna train?” Jongin said suddenly, taking his arm away and putting his fists up mockingly.

The corner of Jongdae’s mouth twitched and he shrugged. “Sure.”

And just like that, Jongin grinned and disappeared with a sound that resembled a soft sigh.

Jongdae whipped his head around, eyes preening for any sight of the dark- haired boy while his ears strained to pick up any slight sound of his arrival.

A twig snapped somewhere to his left and Jongdae instantly ducked, just barely missing Jongin’s arm that kept sweeping over him. Jongdae rolled on the ground and twisted his body enough that he could grab Jongin’s leg just in time, shoving the other away with a little shock that traveled throughout his body- barely enough to stunt Jongin’s movements by the slightest fraction.

Jongin stumbled back and teleported again just before his body hit the ground, reappearing behind Jongdae, lunging for the other as he rolled away and off the ground just in time. Jongdae grabbed the back of Jongin’s collar, pulling and sending him careening into a tree.

The dark haired boy hit the tree with a grunt, shaking his head and turning to the side seconds before a bolt of lightning hit the spot he was at before, instantly charring the bark into a blackened crater.

Jongin ran around Jongdae in a semi- circle, ducking and dodging whenever he saw the strands of electricity leave Jongdae’s fingertips, although he wasn’t sure if he was just getting faster or if the other was simply more laid back than usual, because it seemed almost… too easy to avoid being hit.

Jongin found shelter behind another tree and disappeared with a slight whoosh . This time, he was quicker on the reappearance, returning right behind Jongdae, who shuddered when he felt the heavy breath of the other on the back of his neck. Using the other’s moment of distraction to his advantage, Jongin twisted one arm behind Jongdae and used his other forearm to pin Jongdae against the ground, the other man grunting in slight pain when he realized he couldn’t get up with Jongin’s entire body on top of him.

Thoughts that were not training related flashed through Jongdae’s mind, and he felt a heat rise on his face that had nothing to do with the fact that he was sweating. Jongdae forced himself to grab onto the hand that had pinned his arm behind his back, sending just enough electricity to force Jongin to let go. Jongdae seized his small opening of escape and kicked with enough power to be able to wrestle Jongin off of him. The two rolled over and switched positions, with Jongin’s wrists in both of Jongdae’s hands and body in between his two knees.

For a split second, Jongdae wasn’t quite sure what to do. If it were any other member, he probably would’ve roughened them up a little more, given them a couple more shocks just to toughen them up. It was training anyways, it wasn’t as if Jongin was the red force and he was actually trying to kill him.

But Jongin was special to Jongdae.

The blond immediately got off and looked away, dusting off his hands and breathing hard from all their actions.

“Ok, I think that’s enough for today,” he said breathlessly, making it a point not to look at Jongin. What had gotten into him recently? Jongdae didn’t know if it was the fact that Jongin had asked to switch rooms with Sehun (god knew how he did that, since Sehun was one of the most stubborn members in the group) so that they were now living by each other and thus saw on another more often than not, or if it was simply the warmer weather making him more jittery all around. Whatever it was, it didn’t help that Jongdae had been nursing his small attraction to the younger man for quite some time now, although had never acted on it in fear that it would disrupt the group dynamic. No, better to keep it as just that. A small attraction. Jongin was a handsome man, after all, it was natural, right?

“That’s it?” Jongin cocked his head and sat up from the dirt, leaning back on his arms in a relaxed way. Jongdae tried not to look at him with his hair disheveled, legs slightly spread and jacket slightly showing the edge of his collarbone. “Dae, you’ve barely worked up a sweat,” Jongin laughed slightly.

Jongdae turned around and stuttered, looking for his words.

“I- I’m just tired, ok? And you need to work on you reappearances because they’re way too slow and you’re way too disoriented each time!” Jongdae chastised, much to Jongin’s surprise.

Ok. Now Jongin felt uneasy. He stood up and approached the other. He stood up and approached the other.

“Hey, what’s the matter? It’s just practice, it’s not like I’m really going to go all out on you,” Jongin chuckled, trying to smile and force Jongdae to look him in the eye.

Jongdae fidgeted and leaned back against the bark of the tree he had charred earlier, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt. Jongin stepped closer to the other again, eyebrows furrowed with worry as he tried to place a hand on Jongdae’s forehead.

“Are you sick or something? Do you not feel well?” Jongin asked, concerned, as Jongdae just brushed away his hand.

“I”m fine, I just- I’m serious, Jongin. You need to get stronger.” Jongdae forced his voice to stay even, despite the fact that his breathing was shaky at best.

Jongin furrowed his eyebrows.

“I’m the one that’s playing around? You’re the one that keeps missing me on purpose! How am I supposed to train with you if you can’t even take me seriously?” Jongin snapped, smacking the tree with one hand and caging Jongdae in from that side with his arm.

Jongdae gasped in slight shock and looked up at Jongin, whose dark eyes swam with emotions. Jongdae bit his lip and knit his eyebrows together as the words just bubbled out of him like a simmering stew.

“Because I’m worried about you, ok! I don’t want to keep training with you if I’m just worried about hurting you. I don’t want to hurt you, Jongin. Ever . I want to keep you safe but at the same time I know I can’t, so I need you to get stronger for me. Because I can’t sleep at night knowing there’s a possibility of you being in danger and unable to protect yourself. I can’t do it. You can’t do that to me. You can’t,” Jongdae whispered the last part, hitting Jongin’s chest limply with his fist and grabbing the material of his shirt. Jongdae’s heart thudded in his chest and he looked up at Jongin, almost fearful of what the other had to say.

Jongin’s lips were slightly apart and his face was unreadable.

“Say something you idiot,” Jongdae muttered, keeping his eyes downcast again.

“What are you trying to say, exactly?” Jongin said cautiously and Jongdae’s heat skipped another beat.

“I like you ok? I like you,” Jongdae said in a frustrated voice. He had never felt so small, so tiny and all he wanted to do was melt into a puddle in front of Jongin.

Everything seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time as Jongdae felt cold fingers tip his chin up. Jongin closed his eyes and leaned forward, and it was all Jongdae could do not to burst into a ball of fire when he felt plush lips placed on his own. Jongdae swore he could feel tingles everywhere Jongin’s lips touched and he barely registered the fact that his back was completely against the tree and he was now totally trapped between Jongin’s arms because this was heaven .

Jongin pulled away with a breathless gasp, staring deep into Jongdae’s eyes as if it were some corny scene from a romance novel. The intense stare made Jongdae fidget with embarrassment, and he ended up burrowing his head into Jongin’s chest, the other laughing and wrapping his arms around the smaller man, nestling his nose into Jongdae’ soft hair.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you to say that.”