He glanced at the clock above his head once again, tapping his fingers anxiously after seeing only a couple of minutes had passed. He should have arrived with the results already. Kris couldn't take the uncertainty any more. Tao really needed to past this exam, and they had been working hard the whole week. If he didn't do well, he would be assigned to someone else, and Kris would never let that happen. He groaned. How had it come to this? He had never expected to feel anything for the Panda, let alone this overwhelming feelings that seemed to have taken over his whole life. He had known he wasn't attracted to girls years ago, so it wasn't exactly a surprise when he felt attracted to Tao's body. What had surprised him was it being more than that. Sure, he was hot, but he hadn't fallen for his body. He was both strong and sweet, the only person with enough personality to dare to challenge him in a long time. And he cared. He cared about his team, about his friends. He even cared about Kris, despite him being a jerk to him most of the time. And Kris did hate himself for that. He just wanted to spend time with Tao, see him. Provoke some kind of feelings in him. Make him think about Kris. But apparently he was stupid enough to believe the only way he could do that was making him mad. God, how could he be so stupid? 

Finally, Tao burst into the library, holding some papers and grinning madly. Kris took a moment to take him in. He was honestly perfect. His face was a work of art, sharp and hard, but at the same time harmonious and gorgeous. His eyes shined, sincere and soft. And his body... No, Kris refused to think about it in a public place. He approached, still grinning, and practically shouted: 

"I did it, Kris! I passed," he looked at him in the eyes, and Kris felt something inside him twist. He smiled and, with the steadiest voice he could manage, he scoffed: 

"Well, it was expected. Because of me, of course." Tao gave him a bored look and rolled his eyes, but after glancing at his test, he smiled once again. 

"Thanks. I guess it was because of you, after all," he raised his eyes and smiled warmly. Kris had never seen something so glorious. He was so cute it made him want to cry. In that precise moment, he swore to himself that he would do anything in his power to keep that smile always there. He was done being a jerk. He used to like making him mad because his frown and pout were extremely adorable, but his smile was a million times better, if that was even possible. He had never seen him smile that way, and Kris could already feel himself becoming addicted to it, needing it desperately. He looked away, blushing slightly, but immediately looked back at Tao, not wanting to miss that smile. It was still there, and a soft, happy melody left his lips, as he stared at his test with glinting eyes. Kris had never wanted anything more than to kiss him, right there right then. He cleared his throat. 

"Sit down, we still have a lot of work to do." Tao nodded and sat beside him. He wished it was that easy. He couldn't take his mind away from his smile. 

Kris seemed completely unable to focus. No matter how hard he tried, his mind always wandered back to Tao's smile. . He was so gone.

"You have fallen again, haven't you, Wu?"

He slowly turned around, facing his best friend. The rest of the team was still practicing, and Kris felt a pang of anxiousness in his stomach. 

"What? What are you talking about?" Lay smirked as he gestured quietly to the other side of the field. 

"Zitao." 

Kris felt his whole face heat up, as his heart hammered against his ribs. 

"Wha-" he swallowed and tried to breathe "What do you mean?"

Lay smiled warmly at him, "I think he likes you too."

He felt as if air had been knocked out of him, and was pretty sure his face looked impossibly red. That was happening way too often. He threw his best friend the basketball he was holding and strode towards the rest of the team, Lay's quiet laughter behind him. 

Kris let the now cold water hit his face. Lay's words had gotten him thinking. He was the only person who knew about him being gay, although he suspected his friends were aware. What he couldn't understand was how the rest of the school wasn't. He was pretty obvious. Or at least he thought so. He needed to think, he needed peace, he needed Tao. He was absolutely sure about that. But he was also pretty sure that Tao would never pay attention to him. In the beginning, he could barely stand being near Kris, although his sour faces towards him had gotten a lot less usual lately. Despite the change in their relationship, it was still hard for them to talk about anything other than studying and their territorial rivalry. Moreover, he didn't even know if the Panda was attracted to guys or what. With a dramatic sight, he turned the shower off. It was pretty late, and everyone had left long ago. He wrapped a towel around his waist and started to dry his hair off with another, looking for his clothes. That's when he saw him. Standing a few feet away, staring at him wide eyed. Kris stopped on his tracks, feeling suddenly self-conscious. 

"It's late. What are you doing here?"

Tao looked away, blushing hard. He looked so freaking adorable.

"I... forgot something," he mumbled. Kris couldn't help but to roll his eyes, "Hey, you shouldn't be here either." Now he had annoyed him. Great. And he wasn't even trying. 

Then, several footsteps echoed in the locker room. They both looked around, until Kris heard not-so-quiet whispers. 

"Do you think Kris is still here?"

"I hope so, I didn't see him leave with the others."

"Maybe he is in the showers."

Then they screeched. Oh no. Not these girls. Not now. Not when Tao was around. Kris felt panic flood over him and he did the only thing he could do. He grabbed Tao's arm and got them in the janitor's locker. It was barely big enough for them to fit, and Tao ended up trapped between the wall and Kris's body. 

"What the are you doing? Let me go!" Tao tried to free himself from his grip. Kris covered his mouth with one of his hands, while he asked him to be quiet with the other. Considering he was still wearing just a towel, in a reduced space with the guy he liked and with his hand over his mouth, it had been a terrible idea. He was suddenly completely aware of every single one of his cells. He felt Tao's breaths against his hand, looked at him in the eye. He was so screwed. After a few minutes, maybe longer than necessary, he dropped his hand.

"Where is Kris? Do you see him over there?"

"No, no one around here. He probably left with the others."

"Oh, no! I really wanted to see him."

They heard the girls leave, disappointed, and Kris let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Then he was being pushed out of the locker by a very angry looking Tao. Nice. 

"What the hell was that for?" he shouted. 

Kris laid on the floor, shocked, but after a couple of seconds he gained enough composure to get up without making a fool of himself. He averted his eyes from where he had been staring at Tao, and mumbled, feeling even more idiotic than usual. 

"Sorry. I panicked."

"And that's why you almost asphyxiated me inside a locker!?"

"I didn't want those girls to find me," he lowered his gaze, trying desperately to drop the subject. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Popularity. It must be horrible to have all those girls pursuing you." 

"It is. They are completely crazy," he could hear the whine in his tone. That was pathetic. 

"Well, that's the life of the school's superstar, isn't it?" Tao mocked him, "Having so many girls to choose from can't be easy, but breaking their hearts must be fun." Now his tone was empty, and bitter. 

Kris looked at him confusedly. What had he done to make Tao think about him that way? He looked at the ceiling without enthusiasm. 

"I'm not interested in none of those girls," he mumbled. 

Tao looked at him surprised. 

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't know you had a girlfriend. Well, I should have guessed it... After all, it's none of my business." Then he ignored Kris and started taking his stuff out of his locker. 

Kris was shocked. This couldn't be happening to him. The boy he liked now thought he was dating someone else. Worse than that, he thought he was dating a woman. He had to do something, but what? He was trying to come up with a way to explain it to him when he noticed Tao was about to leave. 

"I don't," he blurted. Tao turned around confusedly. 

"What?"

"I don't... Have... a girlfriend..."

"Oh. I see?" He was obviously surprised. And confused. After all, Kris didn't owe him any explanation. 

With a nod, Tao left the room, leaving a half dressed Kris standing there and wondering when had his life come to this. 

Once again Kris found himself thinking about Tao. He stopped pretending to read and stared openly at the space between shelves where he would soon appear. He could only expect Tao to let their weird conversation from the evening before go, but he knew he wasn't so lucky.  His suspicions where confirmed when he burst into their space, looking anxious and troubled, but not exactly angry. That was quite an improvement. But Kris was ashamed. And kind of nervous. He avoided looking at him as he sat down on his usual spot.

That was an awkward class. Kris could feel Tao's eyes on him, and as much as he liked them, his stare was making him anxious. From the corner of his eye, he could see the Panda having a hard time concentrating, opening and closing his mouth several times, as if he wanted ask him something. Finally, just when Kris was beginning to think that he had let the incident go, he didn't seem to be able to hold himself anymore.

"Why did you tell me you didn't have a girlfriend?" 

Wow. He hadn't actually expected him to be so bold. Fine. He had this sort of mental speech prepared, just in case. But then again, just as he was about to tell him this beautifully complicated lie he had come up with, all the words he had wanted to say the night before came back to him. He bit his lower lip to prevent them from coming out. So, he did what he usually did in these situations. Close himself up. He was truly an idiot.

"Didn't you tell me it was none of your business?"  He finally looked up and smiled after seeing Tao's unamused look. He was unfairly adorable. Then, he felt something stir inside him. What if the Panda was dating someone? He swallowed nervously. 

"Does the ninja have a girlfriend, then?" he inquired with the most casual tone he could manage.

Tao raised his head violently, staring at him, but soon averting his eyes, and stuttering a quiet "No."

Kris couldn't help but to let out a relieved laughter. Their sunny table seemed suddenly lighter, brighter. 

"Shut up, you don't have a girlfriend either," was Tao's offended response. 

"True, but I had a-" Wait. What the hell was he saying? He closed his mouth and looked away, breaking eye contact.

"You had a what?" The boy looked surprised.  

Kris slowly looked back at him, blushing slightly. 

"You shouldn't demand explanations from your superiors, Panda." Only after seeing his eyes widen he noticed what he had said. .

"The lesson is over," he stood up and begun to leave the place, mentally scolding himself. Soon he felt Tao's quick footsteps behind him.

"Hey! Why did you call me like that?" He asked confusedly.

Kris stopped walking, making him bump into his back. 

"It's nothing special. You just remind me of one." Tao laughed lightly, making him turn around and sending an electrical current through his body. 

"I like it," he was smiling.

Kris actually thought he couldn't take it any longer. This was the first time he heard him laugh, and it was too much. He felt as if his chest was going to explode, his eyes were wide open and he could barely feel his hands.

Then the smile was gone and he was able to breathe again. Tao swallowed, looking away.

"Hey, Kris. Tomorrow is the race, so we won't be having the class, right?"

He had totally forgotten about the race. 10 kilometers. Thousands of participants. One winner. Okay, actually it was just a charity school event, where students would run across a field on the outside of the city, close to the mountains. It was kind of a big deal, even among those who weren't into running, and everyone wanted to be there. Every few kilometers, there would be a resting place, with water, first aids kits, and guarding teachers. His mind had been busy lately, and he hadn't even remembered it, but now that he knew Tao was running, he had to go.

"Yes, sure," he smirked, "But you should know that I have won the race every year since I came into the school. So don't get your hopes up."

Tao rolled his eyes, mocking him, "Then I guess anyone can win it. It must be pretty easy."

"I don't think so. Your tiny body wouldn't even make it halfway." Two could play that game.

"Are you kidding me!? You are lighter than me, and barely a couple of centimeters taller!" 

"Enough to beat you," he smiled mockingly.

Tao was glaring, "Let's bet something, if you are so confident. If I win," he paused and narrowed his eyes at him, making Kris suppress a fond smile, "You won't shout at me in class anymore! If you win..."

"If I win, you will wear panda ears to school for a week." Color left Tao's face, and he opened and closed his mouth soundlessly.

"It think it'll be against the dress code," he stuttered.

Kris chuckled in response, "Fine. Just buy me an ice cream or something like that." 

Tao narrowed his eyes at him, still blushing slightly, turned around and walked back to the library. But Kris wanted to believe that the small smile he had spotted on his face as he turned around had actually been there.

After a small struggle to get rid of the squealing girls, or, as Lay liked to call them, "the plague", Kris finally spotted his friends. Well, actually, he spotted Tao, surrounded by Kai, Sehun and Kyungsoo. He couldn't help but to frown. The guys were really close to him, but nowadays he was kind of jealous of their relationship with Tao. They got to spend a lot of time with him, seeing as they were classmates, but also because they sat with the wushu team at lunchtime. The rest of the basketball team used to sit together, but now most of his friends had gotten closer to the other team as well, and took turns to sit with them. Kris was the only one who hadn't been invited to join them, and he felt a little bit rejected. Lay had told him straight out that he was an idiot. They hadn't asked because every time they even talked about it he looked as if he was going to murder someone. If he wanted to sit with them so much he should have just asked to. 

"Stop staring, Wu. It's creepy," Lay smiled next to him, making him jump slightly.

"Shut up." Now he was blushing hard. In public. Great.

The scene was... quite hilarious. His friends stood at the starting point, wearing ridiculous tracksuits, and shooting defying glances at each other. Tao locked eyes with him and he smiled confidently in return, feeling stupidly warm when the boy set his mouth into a line and looked away. 

The race started, and not long after Kris was way ahead of him. He actually liked running. It made him feel calm, and free. He did it every morning, when no one had woken up yet and the streets were peaceful. Now he wasn't even trying that hard. Soon he reached the 3 km stop, almost leading the race. He waited for more than twenty minutes, earning suspicious glances from several students, but there was still no sign of Tao. That was boring. Yeah, sure, the landscape was beautiful and he was doing something he liked, but without him it was just another race. And it didn't have any emotion if he won by so much. Besides that, he wasn't even interested in the prize, it was just that he was an extremely competitive person. That and the fact that he kept on thinking about how endearing Tao would look when he lost. 

Just when he was about to reach the 7 km stop, he felt his phone vibrate. The screen lit up with Lay's name, so he picked up.

"Where are you?" was his greeting.

"Around the 6th km, why? And what about you?"

"Just got to the 3 km stop," Kris rolled his eyes. His friend was probably listening to music, feeling the wind on his face, admiring the scenery. Feeling the moment, as he called it, "But that's not important. Look, Tao just came in. He was a couple of kilometers away, but he saw that a girl had fallen and hurt herself, and her friend couldn't help her, so he carried her back to the stop to get first aids," he was quiet for a couple of moments, "Just thought you should know."

"I'll call you back."

Kris just stood there with his phone on his hand, wondering what he should do. If he won like that, it wouldn't be fair. Tao was helping someone who needed it. He stomped down on the surge of jealousy that rose after knowing that this girl got to touch Tao. It was stupid, and selfish. He ended up deciding to wait for him. It was the least he could do. He sat at the edge of the marked road and watched the students run past him. Then he realized it would be the first time he lost. It wouldn't matter, as long as he lost with Tao.