When he was young, his mother used to tell him stories about the lonely island that could be seen from their small town, “Up the hill, with the most beautiful view, embraced by the magical forest whose trees come to you in times of trouble,” She whispered while tucking him in, his sleepy mind trying to catch every word.

The room turns dark as she turns the lamp on his nightstand off, “There’s a huge castle, its bricks the colour of recently baked cookies with pointed roofs that try to copy the cold winter sky,” Her eyes squinted to see the ripples forming in the glass of water she left in case her son woke up in the middle of the summer night, “And inside… The magical creatures guide the gifted ones by nurturing their hearts with kind love and by providing their minds with wisdom beyond their age.”

The gifted ones… People who have the ability to influence, control and manipulate certain elements of nature. Dangerous if not taught, saviours if trained. Everyone knows the stories, the legends and myths, some are scared of them, others idolise them. Though, the one thing everyone agrees on is the importance of informing the people on the island if they find or meet one. That’s the reason why he had to leave home at the age of twelve and start his new life with a bunch of kids he’d never seen before.

The island was different than what he had imagined in his many dreams. The trees went back to dancing along to the melody of the night after greeting them with their branches, the flowers shined like boreal lights, some mischievous bushes were secretly following them and the ground lighted up with every step he took, leaving a tint of cerulean blue behind. By looking around and noticing how the others’ footsteps flicker in different colours, he guessed that the one he was leaving is his and only his. Junmyeon couldn’t help but dote on its iridescence.

“Pretty,” The boy walking next to him commented.

Taken aback by the sudden compliment, he stuttered, “W-What?”

“Your colour,” His finger pointed to the ground but his eyes were on him, “Is really pretty”

My…? He forced his lips to stay as they were and not turn into a smile, he’s also noticed?

“Thanks.” His eyes found their escape as they looked down to figure out what the stranger’s glow was. He almost gasped, were those diamonds? “Woah, yours too… They look like—” As he looked at him again, he noticed that same gleam in his eyes, “Like stars.”

The stranger’s grin was just as blinding and it eased his pain away, a hurt he didn’t even know he was feeling -probably because he was starting to miss his mom- vanished as soon as he saw that friendly gesture.

“My name’s Yixing.”

“I’m Junmyeon.”

They kept walking, afraid they might lose the others, but closer, much closer. Fairies flew around their group, checking on them as guardian angels, their wings similar to a humming bird’s, their bodies as bright as the sun. Junmyeon kept walking and climbing, he should’ve felt tired but he didn’t, he saw girls and boys taking breaks or panting, walking slower, he wondered if there was something wrong with him.

Why wrong? What if there’s something right with you?

A delicate voice buzzed in his ear, then he saw a fairy right in front of him. She had short, spiky hair, pointy ears, her head was proudly holding a luminous simple crown, her size was the same as his little finger’s, Junmyeon was mesmerised. Then, she spoke again, though her lips didn’t move and he realised he could hear her in his mind, Or someone?

Her big, round eyes looked to his left and then she disappeared while giggling.

Did she know something Junmyeon didn’t? Oh, right… What’s Yixing’s power?

Though before he could ask, the deer that was escorting them stopped in its tracks and seven beings appeared before them. They looked like fairies, but were way bigger, taller too, almost doubling Junmyeon’s size, and their bodies represented distinct aspects; earth, air, water, fire, light, darkness. He could tell thanks to their demeanour, one was made up of rocks, other of winds, raindrops, flames, pure white, pitch black but the last one? He didn’t know, she was covered in flowers and vines, her body was green… Nature itself? Could there be someone that powerful?

They were told to make a line in front of the magical creatures who represented their gift. Without a second thought and being the obedient kid that he was, Junmyeon walked towards the lady whose name was Aqua and waited for the rest to do the same. She had really warm eyes and her smile made him remember his mom. The rest slowly followed his actions, followed him, and the fairies shared a knowing look. He didn’t notice, being too busy trying to find his only friend.

Yixing hadn’t moved, he was still standing behind them, Junmyeon didn’t understand why he wasn’t picking a fairy. He doesn’t know what his power is?The boy with water powers thought and his heart anxiously clenched inside his chest. If he couldn’t be trained… If they couldn’t teach him how to control his gift, what were they going to do with him? To him?

Thankfully and for his peace of mind, the girl who introduced herself as Sanatio reached out and offered her hand for Yixing to take. The latter trotted towards her with a smile on his face for no apparent reason and the moment he touched her hand, petals started spiralling around his body. Everyone looked at him with curious eyes, the other fairies had at least ten users with them, but Yixing was the only one under her care. Junmyeon felt happy, he belonged with them. Everything was fine.

They parted ways according to their powers, the fairies showed them around the castle and finally left them in their respective dorms. Junmyeon’s room was a single, he didn’t know why, he was only told that he belonged there and was the one worthy of that room. No one argued, no one refused, every water user agreed since they all saw something in Junmyeon, so he took it and made himself comfortable. Before falling asleep, he made a mental note to ask Yixing what exactly his ability was.

~*~

Seven years later, leaves are clothed in different shades of orange and brown, their branches follow the breeze’s rhythm, trees create the unique harmony of autumn as their roots get accustomed to the newly softened mud. It gives the air a tincture of earthiness that reminds him of the exotic plants he had to take care of during his first-year at the School of Magical Beings. His first task was successful, the plants grew beautifully, so was his second one… and third, fourth, fifth, and sixth assignment.

Junmyeon became the perfect and flawless water user in everyone’s eyes; always meeting the expectations and surpassing them, scoring the highest grades, making the most difficult tasks look like a piece of cake. He was so good he managed to even the river’s current and sea waves with ease at his third try. That’s when everyone realised what they had seen in him, a true potential that only he could tame and master with hard work and perseverance.

Now, during his seventh year, his task changed to looking after the school’s structure as fire users grew stronger by each passing day. Junmyeon had volunteered when he saw how reluctant his classmates were, he knew they would rather go to the field down the hill to train near the ocean than getting burned repeatedly. When they had asked why he’d do that, Junmyeon had simply smiled and told them, “someone has to help.” Which is… partially true. He just couldn’t tell them the other reasons, that’d be way too embarrassing.

“You should hurry up,” A voice reminds him and by turning around, he sees one of his friends sitting on a bench with a book covering his face.

“Sehun? What’re you doing here?”

The other male doesn’t look away from the textbook as he raises his arm to point to the road, “Cleaning duty.” Junmyeon’s eyes follow the direction of his finger until he sees small tornadoes swirling here and there, picking up reddish leaves and then coming together to create another pile, “Autumn fairies are obsessed with them, I don’t get it.”

“Well… When else could you see red leaves?”

Greyish eyes finally look up at him, Junmyeon tries hard not to smile by seeing the glint of realisation in them, “You’re gonna be late, smartass.”

“You’re not going to help me?”

“Why should I? Just run to class.” The other boy replies and has every intention to go back to reading.

Junmyeon really, really despises running. He hates arriving to class all sweaty and sticky, so he tries again, “Don’t be mean, I need a lift… Literally”

Sehun’s fingers slightly twitch around the book, Junmyeon can see the whirlwinds vanishing from the corner of his eye. “Those are leaves, Junmyeon.”

“So?”

“You’re a person, what if the air cuts your skin? What if I lose focus and drop you?” He nervously chews on his lower lip and his nails scratch the cover of the book, “Do you really trust me that much?”

“Of course!” The older student says with a proud grin. “You’ve never given me a reason not to.”

After sighing and rolling his eyes, Sehun stands up and walks towards him. His stoic face hides how happy those words had made him and he runs a hand through his hair to cover his embarrassment, “Bring your arms closer to your sides and don’t move.”

“Yessir!”

Junmyeon follows his words and sticks his arms to his body. Smiling innocently, he waits for Sehun to continue. The latter purses his lips and frowns slightly, idiot, he thinks while raising his arm, the palm of his hand facing Junmyeon. No matter how hard he tries, the air bender can’t stop himself from feeling happy whenever the other congratulates him for his hard work, can’t stop the glee Junmyeon’s actions or sweet words bring, “Ready?”

The guy with brownish hair nods, Sehun takes a deep breath before curling and uncurling his fingers. The water user can feel the wind starting to surround him, the breeze gently caressing his skin, afraid to get too close to him, timid, it reminds him of Sehun. Sehun who’s warm and caring, who’s always silently taking care of others without asking anything in return.

Junmyeon begins to rise from the ground thanks to the delicate, docile winds surrounding him, it has him thinking back four years ago when he saw Sehun quietly minding his own business and meditating on top of an airball. He had suddenly opened his eyes and turned his head to a side to look at a tree, or rather, a small baby bird learning how to fly. The older student keeps his head up as Sehun concentrates on taking him to the Fire Training Field, still distracting his mind from the height with memories. The way his eyes widened in concern when the little animal struggled to fly, how he surreptitiously puckered his lips and whistled its way to help him up, the small satisfied smile he had when he saw it flapping its wings and flying away. At that moment, Junmyeon knew there was so much more to Sehun than what the others believed.

His feet touch the ground, he arrives safe and sound right before class starts and he makes a mental note to thank his friend properly later. The fire users wave his way with excited smiles on their faces. Junmyeon greets back and goes to sit next to the water fountain in the middle of the field to get ready. Crossing his legs, he closes his eyes and concentrates on feeling its stream, on letting the turquoise-blue embrace his heart and make the connection that comes naturally after so many years of training.

Suddenly, his surroundings heat up and his body feels warmer which means the fire students have begun with their training. Junmyeon slowly opens his eyes and looks after them, keeping his concentration intact and not allowing anything to distract him.

Fire fairies flutter around them, teaching them, providing useful advice. Some decide to make Junmyeon company by sitting on his shoulder, only to fly around him seconds later after realising they were burning his clothes. He doesn’t mind, no matter how many times that’s happened already, he still finds them adorable.

Class goes by as usual, Feuer shows them new techniques and postures for the first hour. Junmyeon makes sure to put out the flames that reach the school’s buildings and to stub out the ones that get too close to the forest. No tree is going to get harmed, there won’t be any fires happening, not on his watch. Then she tells them to continue practising, thanks Junmyeon, and disappears in a burst of orange ashes. That’s when he focuses even harder, self-study time is usually when they awaken their inner spirits, which can be pretty lethal if not controlled.

The older student admires them, he’s lost count of how many times he’s seen flames surrounding their bodies as their guides present themselves. He’s a little envious; no matter how hard he trains his mind, how many times he attempts to meet his, whenever he’s close to opening the door, he loses his calmness and his tranquillity crumbles down. That’s also why he decided to stay and help the fire users, to look for some sort of discipline and clues as to how they could open the door, more like kick it down, while he struggled to even grab the handle.   

Junmyeon feels the water getting impatient, the small waterfalls are wavy instead of constant and it trembles, increasing the number of rivulets. He wonders what’s wrong until he sees his friend, Chanyeol, falling onto his knees and grabbing his chest. The fairies hurry to ask the students to step back and keep them safe as Junmyeon stands up and runs the pads of his fingers through the cold water. The other boy keeps struggling, Junmyeon watches with apprehensive eyes how he bends down further, his forehead touching his lap while groaning loudly.

A couple of pixies stay next to him and whisper either soothing or encouraging words. Junmyeon’s heart skips a beat as the water starts sliding off the borders, Chanyeol’s about to awaken his inner spirit. Fierce fire could be seen sneaking its way out of his back, first in small sparkles, then they get thicker and aim higher. A smouldering blaze breaks out and Chanyeol cries out.

He keeps screaming until the two huge wings finish to develop, his body trembling. Junmyeon builds a wall of water in front of him so as to protect himself from the scorching flames but he soon worries about the rest of the students and the living flora. Chanyeol doesn’t seem to be able to control the fire emanating from his body nor does he seem to know what to do. The fire bender rises from the ground as the blazing feathers take over. He’s terrified and helpless, Junmyeon can tell by the look in his eyes.

“Junmyeon,” He reads his panicky lips. Junmyeon immediately creates a water bubble around his hands and sends the rest Chanyeol’s way. He feels the water boil the moment it touches the flames, Junmyeon flinches.

He has to maintain the connection though, therefore whatever the water feels, he’ll feel it too. It hurts, badly, but Chanyeol feeling guilty for hurting others and destroying the school hurts more, so there’s only one option and Junmyeon will fulfil it thoroughly, “Chanyeol, please try to regain control, close your eyes and imagine the fire fading away.” His voice comes out muffled, his grimacing face brings his friend back to reality.

The boy with brownish hair contains the wings, the palm of his hands scalding, his skin suffering from the steaming liquid. It wasn’t turquoise anymore, but rather a dirty, harmful blue, “You can do it, Yeol, c’mon,” His lower lip is trapped between his teeth as pain stings his sensitive fingers. The layers of flesh absorb the heat, the tissue is damaged and his cells are being destroyed by the heat, but Chanyeol’s still striving, he has to endure it. After a few agonizing minutes, Chanyeol finally manages to make his wings disappear, everyone claps but Junmyeon only sighs in relief. The taller student falls to the ground once more and Junmyeon looks at his palms, they’re a furious, bright red and he’s sure if he tries to touch something, he’ll lose his composure. There’s also some sort of liquid leaking from his skin that’s floating inside the globule of water.

Junmyeon takes a deep breath and faces the fire fairies, their eyes are shining out of thankfulness and some are already working on escorting the rest of the students inside the school, the class is clearly over. You don’t see a damn Phoenix every day.

“Junmyeon!” Chanyeol’s in front of him in a couple of seconds, the other is quite surprised, he should be tired, not shaking with energy. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did something bad happen? Does it hurt somewhere? Did I― YOUR HANDS!” Before he could reply any of those questions, Chanyeol grabs him by the back of his knees and carries him, “YOUR HANDS, JUNMYEON, YOUR HANDS!”

~*~

Yixing stares at the pot in front of him with determined eyes, he’s holding a book with one hand and the other is facing the almost dead flower. “Please cooperate, all I want is to help you to be healthy and alive.” He whispers with a slight pout. His assignment is to bring a rotting plant back to life, Sanatio gave him that task three weeks ago and he still can’t pull it off. There’s no such thing as giving up in his vocabulary though, so he’s still working hard.

Focus, Yixing, focus. He reminds himself and blocks his surroundings out. The runes he had been reading run through his head as he whispers to himself and moves his fingers towards the barely recognisable flower. His brows furrow in concentration when Chanyeol bursts into the room, “YIXING!” Said guy drops the book and almost falls out of his chair.

“CHANYEOL!” He replies sarcastically while picking it up but the moment he looks Chanyeol’s way, he lets go of the notebook again.

Junmyeon’s seriously considering drowning Chanyeol tomorrow when they have class again. There he is, holding him in his arms, almost cradling him, right in front of Yixing. The boy who makes him feel weird, Yixing, who makes his heart act strange, Yixing, who makes his world tremble with his cute dimples, Yixing. Yixing who’s looking at them with wide eyes and is that a frown? “JUNMYEON’S DYING.”

“What?” Yixing asks, still unfazed by the situation. Junmyeon comes often to his office so he assumed it’d be another small wound, nothing to worry about.

“What?!” The smallest repeats, “I’m not, I just hurt my hands.”

“Your hands?” Yixing pulls himself together and finishes rearranging his desk before walking towards them. That should be treated as soon as possible, a water user losing his/her hands would be like a singer losing his/her voice.

“HIS HANDS!” 

“Chanyeol, calm down, I’m fine.”

“Yes, Chanyeol, calm down he’s—” When he looks at Junmyeon’s palms, his face turns into a worried one, “Not fine but—”

“NOT FINE?!”

“But,” Yixing emphasises and reaches his arms out, “He will be. I’ll take care of him, I do it all the time.” 

I take care of him all the time?

Junmyeon tries hard not to blush by thinking that, looks up at his friend and adds, “Besides, you need to talk to Feuer.”

Finally, that seems to convince Chanyeol. He carefully leaves the smaller student in Yixing’s arms. “Alright, okay, I’ll go, see you at lunchtime. Again, I’m so sorry.” Junmyeon smiles and tells him there’s no need to apologise for the umpteenth time. Chanyeol waves goodbye before leaving the nurse’s office. Yixing sighs, looks at Junmyeon and says firmly, “Let’s see those hands.”

“Y-Yeah. Uh… Y-Yixing? My feet aren’t hurt, Chanyeol was just being, well… Chanyeol. I can walk.” He admits and would’ve probably played with his fingers if it wasn’t for the water covering his hands.

“I know,” He puts him down on the border of one of the stretchers, pulls a chair and sits in front of him, “But I wanted to carry you too.”

Don’t blush, don’t blush, do NOT blush.

“Anyway, same as usual?” Yixing asks with a teasing smile, Junmyeon chuckles shyly.

 “K-Kinda? My hands are a little bit more… Damaged.” He admits while showing them to him again and explaining what had happened.

“Do you have a high pain tolerance or something?” Yixing delicately takes his tiny hands and examines them, “You should be crying or screaming in pain, Junmyeon.” The only thing he could see in those dark eyes of him is concern and that makes his heart skip a beat.

“I… Should?” The other tilts his head, Yixing nods.

“You feel nothing?”

“Honestly? It’s uncomfortable. I don’t really like fire, I hate when my palms feel warm so it’s driving me a bit upset.”

“You don’t like fire yet you volunteered to help fire users and get burned almost daily,” Yixing comments while chuckling. Junmyeon makes the water disappear when Yixing offers him both of his hands. The former puts them on top of his, their palms brushing faintly, “Are you a masochist?”

The smaller guy visibly relaxes when Yixing’s healing aura replaces the water bubble and envelops their arms. “I don’t like pain, I… I don’t like getting hurt by flames either. I would obviously rather be with the others down at the beach but then I wouldn’t be able to see yo—T-The fire users unlock their inner spirit! I-I wouldn’t be able to see the fire users unlock their inner spirit.” He quickly corrects himself.

Yixing raises an eyebrow, “See the fire users unlock their inner spirit?”

“Y-Yeah!”

“Oh, really? How come?”

“Uh… It’s… V-Very amusing? Yup, Chanyeol’s Phoenix was amazing.”

The slightly younger student hums and keeps the eye-contact while mending his wounds, “Even for someone who doesn’t like fire?”

Crap.

“Yes… Even for someone who doesn’t like fire.” Junmyeon whispers the last part and looks away, fearing his secret had been discovered.

“Mnh,” Yixing simply hums and his dimples make their appearance as he smiles at him, his fingers gently squeezing Junmyeon’s. The latter looks down and notices how their fingers are locked.

He’s holding my hand.

We are holding hands.

Don’t freak out, Junmyeon, damn it.

But why? All the other times Yixing had healed him, he’d never done that. The first time he came to his office, Yixing had only surrounded his hands with his colour. The second time, he had let his fingers daintily caress his skin, the third time, he asked Junmyeon to put his hands on top of Yixing’s. A new ‘healing method’, according to the nurse.

“Yixing?”

“Mnh?”

“Is… Is this a new healing method?”

“Nope”

Junmyeon blinks.

“Umn… Are my hands healed already?”

“Yup”

The boy with brownish hair can’t fight the blush that spreads across his cheeks and can’t stop himself from squeezing back out of nervousness either. Why…

He tries again, “Y-You do know we’re holding hands… Right?”

“I know,” Yixing giggles by seeing Junmyeon’s flustered face and plays with their hands for a couple of seconds, “Psh, what a cutie.”

Wh…at.

Before Junmyeon could say something, Yixing stands up and walks towards a cabinet, “I really don’t understand how you could stand that so naturally. Your skin didn’t swell and blisters were about to form,” He rummages a bit while talking. Once he finds what he was looking for, the healer gets back to the water user with that teasing smile of his, “Are you hiding something from me, Junmyeon?”

“Well, if you don’t understand and you’re the nurse here, I doubt I could find an answer to that.” That makes Yixing laugh, a contagious sound that has Junmyeon grinning, “Aren’t you the one hiding something from me, Yixing?”

“Oops, busted,” The other one shrugs with a mischievous beam.

“It was pretty obvious, silly. What is it?” The guy with black hair brings his hand from behind his back and smirks, “A er?”

Yixing nods, “For being a good boy.” Junmyeon puffs his cheeks at him while grabbing its stick and putting it inside his mouth. The nurse cackles, “Cherry, your favourite.”

“T-Twank you.”

“Yow welcome,” The smaller student chuckles at his friendly teasing, “We’re done here. If you need anything else, you know where to find me.”

Junmyeon nods and gets off the bed. On his way out, he couldn’t help but notice the poor flower on the pot. Curious as he is, he wants to ask Yixing what’s the problem, but the healer’s words change his train of thought dramatically when he says, “Not that I don’t like seeing you every day, but I rather do it without you hurting yourself.”

“I… I-I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Glad to hear that~,” The younger singsongs. Junmyeon closes the door and rests against it for a bit. Cupping his flushed cheeks, he sighs to try to calm his racing heart. See? There it goes again, him feeling dizzy, his heart skipping, his cheeks a bright red.

Are friends supposed to make you feel that way?

~*~

Lunch is always served at noon in the Dining Hall for older students. It’s a grand space to say the least, with a high translucent ceiling with the shape of a globe and a neat, dark-brown wooden floor. Since it’s the afternoon, the sun takes care of lighting the room and giving it a natural atmosphere, the autumn clouds make sure it’s not too bright. The food is displayed in two huge mahogany tables on both sides of the Dining Hall; the one on the right is full of fruits, vegetables and drinks, the one on the left has carbohydrates, proteins, and desserts. In the middle, there’s a pile of dirt.

Right before lunch, the tiny incarnadine seed lying there stretches out and provides twenty round tables with five chairs each. Their design that of a rustic house, which gives the room a cosy setting. Brownies, the miniature people who love doing household chores, prepare the food and arrange it nicely for their beloved students, who always leave sticky notes to thank them for their service. Why? They’re well-mannered kids… And well, no one wants brownies to turn into bogles.

“You’re blushing,” Sehun comments while picking blackberries, raspberries, and dewberries from different cauldrons. “Did something happen with Yixing?” Junmyeon turns to look at him, looking like a deer in headlights. The air bender smirks and offers him the tong he was using.

“I― What― No,” He replies while grabbing the utensil and deciding upon slices of apricot and slides of mandarins.

“You are blushing and by that reaction I’m pretty sure something did happen with Yixing.” Sehun uses his gift to leave their bowls floating next to them so they could grab another plate.

Junmyeon’s eyes search for cherry tomatoes, lettuce, and grated carrots, “Nothing… Nothing really happened…” Sehun chooses smashed sweet potatoes, gives him the “yeah, right” look and heads for the other table, “O-Okay, we held hands?” He admits, trotting lightly to catch up with his friend.

“Are you asking me?” The younger bothers him, humming as he considers what he’s going to eat. He settles for fried chicken, it’s what suits best.

“We did hold hands, but I don’t get why,” Junmyeon nods his head when Sehun raises a chicken leg, he lets it drop on top of his salad, “My hands were healed and boom, he held them, locked fingers and all.”

“Oooh, I wonder why he’d do that,” Sehun says sarcastically as they make their way to an empty table and sit across from each other.

“Don’t be like thaaat!” He whines while playing with a tomato.

The younger male chuckles at Junmyeon’s oblivious self, “You’re a smartass, you’ll find out eventually.”

“C’mon Hunnie, tell meee,” The water user tries again. Sehun shakes his head, that’s not something he should be telling, “Sehuu—”

“Junmyeon!” A familiar voice shouts. Seconds later, Chanyeol’s sitting next to him, his plate forgotten on top of the table, “Are you okay? What did Yixing say? How’re you feeling?” His hands cup his small face and moves it from side to side to check him up.

“I’m finw, Chanyow, weally,” He shows him his hands and smiles, “See?”

Chanyeol does, but Sehun’s eyes are on a completely different thing. What he sees is Yixing walking into the room, grabbing some food and stopping dead in his tracks when he spots them. Sehun follows his eyes and finds Chanyeol playing with Junmyeon’s fingers. He sighs, these idiots.

When he notices Yixing – stomping – walking towards them, he secretly moves his fingers below the table to push Chanyeol’s chair back and then all the way to his left, his food included. The tallest of them all blinks confused when he notices he’s sitting next to Sehun and not Junmyeon anymore. The latter also seems puzzled.

“Hey, guys, what’s up?” The healer greets while taking his seat next to Junmyeon.

“Chanyeol being an idiot, nothing new.”

“Hey! I was just making sure Junmyeon was okay when you―”

“Eat your food,” Sehun grabs a fork and stuffs his mouth with grilled bananas, “There you go, mnh, yummy~”

Yixing chuckles, it warms Junmyeon’s heart. The fire user tries to speak with his mouth full, “Sefu—”

“Aaw, you want more?” The youngest of them raises the fork again, this time he adds a piece of steak, “Alright, here comes the Choo Choo train~” Chanyeol gives in and eats with puffed cheeks. Yixing laughs even harder. Junmyeon doesn’t know if it’s just him, but he feels the room cheerier, brighter.

It’s always been like that, whenever Yixing smiles or laughs, the world seems to grin back.

Then again, does everyone else feel that way or… Is it just him?

~*~

Yixing finishes his nurse duties at around six p.m. Still no progress with his flower, but it’s okay, he’ll manage. With his nose stuck in his book, he makes his way towards his dorm. The healer is mesmerised by all the information he’s receiving; how magical flora is different from common flowers, how some have venomous petals, how certain roots can be used to bring peace of mind but there’s no specific answer to his problem. Life isn’t that easy, Yixing doesn’t mind, he just has to push forward.

The cold breeze makes him look up.

Uh… Where is he?

He puts his book inside his bag and looks around. Nope, no idea. His nails scratch his nape as he thinks on how to go back to the dorms. Should he look for fairies? Pixies? It’s already dark and he really doesn’t want to cross paths with goblins or worse… kaches. Yixing shivers but quickly stops himself, what if they can smell his fear?

After calming himself down, Yixing decides to ask for help, there’s nothing else to do. His eyes close, his hands are brought together in front of his chest, as if he’s cradling the air. His mind pictures a round crystal the colour of an amethyst and when he opens his eyes, his spirit guide is sitting in his palms.

“Hi~, I got lost, could you please help me find my way?”

The pocket-sized bunny stares at him for a long while, tilts its head, one of its ears twitch and then it hops off his hands. The lilac rabbit jumps to the left, Yixing follows him. It seems like they’re going in circles, going left and right, turning around here and there but Yixing trusts his inner spirit with every fibre in his body.

The tiny animal stops next to a tall tree, turns to look at Yixing, looks forward again and disappears in a violet fog. Yixing stands where his guide was but he doesn’t understand why it took him there. What’s in front of him isn’t a building, it’s a sort of prairie. What Yixing sees is a pond surrounded by dancing autumn trees. The one dancing next to him eyes him curiously, Yixing explains what had happened, the tree lets him be.

Why is he here though? Did his spirit guide make a mistake? But that’s not possible, if it took him here it’s for a reason…

Yixing’s eyes go wide by spotting one of his closest friends in front of the water body. He quickly hides behind a boreal bush when said guy stands still and faces his way.

Junmyeon?

A half- Junmyeon?!

Junmyeon inhales deeply, filling his lungs with fresh air as he raises both of his hands on top of his head, the water behind him doing the same. When his palms meet, the liquid forms a perfectly round bubble, which comes in front of him when he lowers his arms. He opens his eyes and smiles at the playful water to then bow respectfully, “Thank you for helping me again.” The crystalline water jumps up and down slowly, as if it were nodding.

Breathe, he stretches his left leg out and steadies himself with the other one. His right leg forms a 90° angle, the liquid spirals around it, travelling upwards to meet his straight arms. Yixing thinks he looks like some sort of warrior. Especially when he brings his hands up and the water flies in said direction, like a rocket, only to come down in the blink of an eye as Junmyeon changes his position. Now he’s resting his weight on his left thigh.

Inhale, he goes further down, his palm on top of his toes, the right arm stretched out, both of his arms forming a 180° angle. Count twenty, change, he straightens his left leg, bends the right one slightly and creates an extended triangle with his limbs, hands keeping their places. Yixing’s attentive eyes watch the liquid running in circles, like a halo on Junmyeon’s right hand.

To say that he’s impressed is an understatement. Being able to do such complicated poses with barely sweating and keeping the water moving in harmony must require a high level of concentration. Yixing’s jaw drops when he sees Junmyeon perform a standing split, the water gets upright as well. He counts twenty, then does the same but with the other leg.

After stretching the possible pain away, the water user does a handstand. The liquid surrounds his body to prevent him from losing his perfect posture. Slowly, very slowly, his right hand leaves the ground, his legs spread and he gathers more water from the pond. Yixing realises it’s to help him keep his balance. Smart.

Yixing comes to the conclusion that he’s warming up. For what though?

Junmyeon keeps stretching for about ten more minutes. Yixing gets tired of crouching down so he sits with his legs crossed and rests on the trunk of the tree. The bush scoots to a side to keep covering him, Yixing pats its leaves as a  thank you.

Two brown eyes watch with amusement how nixies start to pop their heads out of the pond when the water user starts to leap across the grass. His legs are completely extended, toes pointed and the longer he holds it, the more the nixies get out of the water. Yixing’s completely mesmerised by his moves and it astounds him how flawless Junmyeon’s bond with his power is. It’s as if they’re one, a perfect match.

Water goes along with harmony, graciousness and flexibility, strong yet smooth and fragile-looking. It’s all about rhythm, fluency, and balance, things Junmyeon doesn’t lack but rather exceed. He’s insightful, compassionate, and like the sea, which rounds up the rivers, he brings and keeps people together. His behaviour screams water, he washes away the negativity, pacifies the flooding poisonous thoughts, brings awareness of how a small action can have bigger consequences, like the ripples in a lake. So small at first, then larger and larger.

It also shouldn’t be a surprise that he gets along so well with water creatures. Undines thrive on love, loyalty, and amicability, so does Junmyeon. Water nymphs are blindingly gorgeous creatures who seduce you and capture your thoughts and mind without realising it, same as Junmyeon. Water fairies? The most adorable, pure-intended, and humble magical beings you could meet, Yixing lets out a long sigh, like Junmyeon.

The nixies are now sitting on top of the water, observing the student with admiration. Their eyes are shining and they looked enamoured, Yixing wonders if that’s also the face he’s making. His leg goes up, and a stream goes down from his pointed toe. Yixing, being the son of a ballet teacher, recognises it as a first arabesque. He stays still, looking like a sculpture instead of a human, for about thirty seconds. The second follows soon after, a creek falling from his index finger, the nixies go wild with “oohs” and “aahs”, Yixing’s breath hitches. The third one has Yixing wa