Cherry Blossom Ending

"Welcome to another year with the student council at B— Academy." Junmyeon opened the meeting with a friendly smile, gazing around at the numerous faces, eyes all trained on him in rapt attention — okay, who am I trying to fool?

He looked around the room. First of all, Yifan, the student council president, wasn't even there. In fact, he'd entered his inner office from the moment he first stepped into the school and no one expected him to leave it until the day ended. And repeat.

Lu Han, the athletic representative, was looking at himself in a pocket mirror. He was obsessed with the colour of his hair and monitored it constantly — not that it's going to change colour overnight — he took his personal appearance very seriously and avoided anything that could possibly cause him to raise a sweat, his only exception of course being soccer, where he was joined by Minseok, sitting next to him. Minseok was officially the third year representative but everyone knew he was the school mascot, the boy that everyone didn't so much want to date as take home and hug and feed cakes to forever (with a fan club and a cheering squad to match). Minseok was eating a steamed bun as usual, to the great chagrin of Kyungsoo, the student council secretary, chief hall monitor and bona fide intelligence officer, who noted something down in his book before shooting daggers at Yixing. The student council secretary, who was carrying a tea cup and an ornate porcelain tea pot, skirted around Kyungsoo's glare to set a cup firmly down in front of Baekhyun, the second year representative and head of yearbook who was so used to Yixing's tea gospel that he drank it down without complaint before making a big deal of choking at the taste and pretending to convulse on the floor. Sehun, the first year representative and yearbook photographer snapped photos of the editor while Amber, the social representative, jumped off from where she was perched on the chair and went to tickle the boy. She was wearing llama pajamas instead of the school uniform. Junmyeon shook his head — I'm sure Kyungsoo has a dossier on her already. Chanyeol had his headphones on and wasn't even pretending to pay attention to anything, scribbling notes into his phone, left hand tapping the table in an arrhythmic beat. Just because you're the social media representative, band leader and resident song-writer, doesn't give you a free pass on student council duties like actually listening — Junmyeon scrolled past with a sigh. It was useless anyway.

Junmyeon glanced down at the roster and then up again at the room. "Jongin isn't here again?"

"He's travelling somewhere exotic as usual," Amber threw over one shoulder between tickle attacks; Baekhyun used the breathing space to slither out of the way and towards the shelter of Kyungsoo, who promptly swapped seats with Sehun, the latter having no choice in the matter.

Junmyeon sighed at the elusive social responsibility representative before continuing. No one listened of course, besides Kyungsoo, who was taking the official minutes as well as the unofficial ones. "And I'm volunteering —" he cast his head around the whole room, eyes landing on Lu Han who was in the midst of pulling out different dye swatches — "Lu Han for the welcoming committee."

Before any protest could be made, he closed the meeting. "And thus concludes today's student council meeting session."

"Yes, Prince," Lu Han said sarcastically, tugging at one of his blond locks in an effort to be able to check the colour against the swatches, before Minseok nudged his ankle in a failed attempt to be discreet. Kyungsoo's glare was almost audible from across the room. Junmyeon closed his MacBook Air with a sanctimonious snap. And then sighed. I really don't like that nickname.

"Please give my regards to Yifan," Yixing said, gathering his iPad and moleskins together. On his way out of the room, he paused, one foot hovering in the doorway. Junmyeon winced slightly. "If he's not feeling well I could bring him some ginseng tea," Yixing suggested with a smile.

Lu Han rolled his eyes but only muttered "king" under his breath before darting a glance at Kyungsoo who was pretending not to hear him.

"I'm sure that won't be necessary," Junmyeon smiled and, if it was a bit strained, Kyungsoo didn't comment, only glancing darkly at Minseok.

Junmyeon bade everyone a warm but firm goodbye before going into the inner office. Silence at last.

"Yifan?" The reclusive student council president was sitting at his desk, the blinds canted shut. He looked up from the screen, lines of text reflected in the lenses of his glasses.

"Yes?" His fingers twitched in the air above the keyboard.

"Everything is running smoothly, Yixing reported a fully balanced budget as usual and Lu Han volunteered to head the transfer student welcoming committee."

"Are there any transfer students?" He could tell that the cool blond president's attention was elsewhere, eyes flicking away.

"None as of yet," Junmyeon said.

"Ahhhh...." Yifan's voice trailed away into a sigh. He sounded almost ... disappointed.

Junmyeon shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Is there anything else you need?" Like maybe for you to leave your office once in a while and actually interact with the world?

But he had already lost Yifan who was turning back to his iMac, fingers dancing over the keyboard. He smiled at the monitor.

Junmyeon closed the door silently behind him.

"There will be a new student arriving tomorrow."

The principal ended the short meeting with the announcement. Junmyeon nodded as the rest of the staff trickled out, the soft thumps of paper coffee cups hitting the bottom of the recycling bin punctuating the session.

"I'll alert Lu Han, the head of this year's student welcoming committee." He was getting up to leave when the principal cleared , catching his attention.

"Is there any likelihood that we will be graced with the attendance of the student council president at the next meeting?" Her eyes were sharp, but spoke the words as if by rote. Because I've heard the exact same question since I became Vice President of the student council.

"I'm afraid that he's still indisposed." Junmyeon smiled pleasantly, but the muscle in his cheek twitched slightly.

"I see." The tone of her voice was entirely unsurprised, her heels clacking against the parquet as she exited the room.

I joined the student council because I wanted to be part of a team. And it is a team. Except for the president. But he's a good guy. No one can say otherwise.

Junmyeon was sorting through committee notes on his iPad when he heard a commotion in the hallway. Is the cheerleading squad having a surprise practice?

He could detect Lu Han's voice, and Chanyeol's laughter and was that Amber? What is everyone doing in this hallway when there isn't a student council meeting? But there was someone else.

Interest piqued, he got up with the pretext of consulting a book on the shelf, and peered out into the hallway. Lu Han, Chanyeol, Amber and ...it must be the transfer student. What was his name again? He looked more closely but the tall boy's face was already out of view and all he saw was a tall, dynamic body, arms waving and slender wrists catching the light, silky raven-black hair. The four students caroused past, their laughter echoing off the sparkling windowpanes, Amber in llama pajamas as usual — no need to mark her down for improper uniform because Kyungsoo will know already, he noted mentally — and for the first time, Junmyeon felt a little ... lonely. But it was easy enough to chalk it up to a tension headache brought on by Chanyeol's excessive volume.

He heard a lot about the new transfer student over the next couple weeks - his name was Huang Zitao, he was the next wushu master, he was scared of horror films and liked cake. Talk about contradictions.

"How was touring the new student?" Minseok asked at the next student council meeting - in the middle of a debate over whether it would be necessary to expand the second floor girls' washroom or merely confiscate the boys' washroom for use as a powder room.

Lu Han grinned. "I like him," he said, checking the shade of his hair in a small pocket mirror — Anna Sui Junmyeon noticed while handing out expense reports for the possible construction —"he knows a lot about hair dye, unlike the prince here," he flicked his eyes in Junmyeon's direction, and the vice president only sighed, resigned. "And he's gone platinum in the past, he even showed me pictures." Minseok was suitably impressed. Everyone knew that he secretly wanted to dye his hair pink, everyone except him that was.

"You should try dying your hair blond," Yixing turned to Kyungsoo, who was skimming through a new report. The reply was such a fiery gaze of scorn that Yixing scurried off to get some rosehip tea — perfect for mid-meeting refreshment — and even Lu Han looked back at the report in front of him. The meeting ended with minimal fuss, though Kyungsoo did suggest that dyed hair be banned, which Minseok quickly refuted with a small pout.

For some reason, Junmyeon didn't go out of his way to check in with the new transfer student, like he normally did with new students entering the school mid-year. It's only because Lu Han is the head of the welcoming committee now and I'm far too busy anyway — the lie sat feebly on his tongue. He thought about laughter and the sound of happiness for a moment, but his phone dinged, another email message from Kyungsoo about Amber's newest clothing infraction. Then the reports and memos and thinly-veiled complaints from the student suggestion box swirled up to bury him again under their weight.

So Junmyeon spent the next few weeks going to meetings, looking through files, and consulting with Yifan, who took as little notice of the situation as usual. The voices swept by outside the door; Yixing kept offering tea which he kept declining less and less patiently, and the papers piled higher and the vice president of the student council was slowly buried beneath.

"You don't seem to be in peak condition," Kyungsoo finally said, after he'd once again sent Yixing running for tea, chamomile this time to soothe the nerves (the nerves, of course, being Yixing's). Junmyeon froze for a moment, the memo slipping out of his hand to silently settle on the floor. Even Minseok looked up. Kyungsoo making a personal comment was tantamount to the pope declaring his intention to change the holy Sabbath to Fridays.

"I'm perfectly well, thank you," Junmyeon said, and if no one believed him, at least they didn't say anything. Yixing came back with the tea, which everyone except Minseok managed to avoid drinking, and that was that.

They were debating a new issue that had been recently brought forward by the student representatives - whether to replace the dying cherry tree outside the student council office with a new cherry tree, or to switch it to another species, perhaps oak.

"I think oak trees are better for climbing," Baekhyun said, and then giggled at some private thought which no one bothered to inquire about except Amber, who nodded excitedly and was opening to agree when she noticed Kyungsoo's violent expression and refrained. He wrote something in his book anyway, causing her to pout, the effect too cute in her llama pajamas.

"Ash trees are good for making guitars," Chanyeol pointed out, emerging from his headphones for a brief minute. Kyungsoo looked up from writing in his book to glare at him scornfully.

"We want a tree that will stay there, not a tree to harvest," Junmyeon quickly pointed out, before it came to blows.

"Apple trees have delicious fruit," Minseok piped up. He was wearing an apple-print hoodie over his uniform, probably a gift from his fanclub — Kyungsoo will have written him up for it already Junmyeon noted to himself — and looked altogether too much like a revoltingly-cute five year old.

"I vote for keeping it as a cherry tree," Lu Han said. His almost-platinum hair was in curls today and he looked like an overgrown edition of little Lord Fauntleroy.

"Would anyone like some peach tea?" Yixing interjected. Everyone was suddenly too busy with their notes to hear him, so Minseok was the unlucky recipent.

"Cherry blossoms for the prince," Sehun pointed out, his expression as bored as usual, but everyone somehow agreed and that was that. Junmyeon was glad about the quick resolution, but the way it had seemed to be such an accepted fact, not merely something used by lesser beings like Baekhyun and Lu Han to torment him, worked itself into his brain where he turned it over and over again in his thoughts, finally bringing it up at the next student council meeting.

"Why does everyone consider me the prince?" Junmyeon had always been mildly confused by the nickname; all he ever did as the student council vice president was dull paperwork, and several days of mulling it over had not proved to be in the least enlightening. It's not like Minseok, who is obviously a mascot. He glanced over at said boy who was nibbling a steamed bun to the enraptured delight of the first year co-editors, and nodded to himself.

"Well Yifan is the king of course, you know, the moody absent ruler," Baekhyun giggled. The sound was too high-pitched as usual. Junmyeon winced, a fact which no one except Kyungsoo noticed.

"But it looks like Zitao is shaping up to be the princess." Sehun, perpetually blank-faced, actually grinned. Everyone pretended not to be shocked.

"Zitao?" It was an honest question so Junmyeon felt a little attacked when everyone gave him the look.

"Seriously?" Amber elbowed him. "The new transfer student is all the rage this year. How deep into the sand have you managed to dig your head?" She was wearing yet another set of llama pyjamas, this time with a full two-piece detachable plushie head. Kyungsoo had marked her down twice as soon as she had come in the door. How has she not accumulated enough demerits to be suspended yet? Another mystery of life.
"Yes," Chanyeol piped up. "He's the darling of the female student population, not that they want to date him or anything, it's more like they've taken him into their deepest, darkest secrets." He pretended to play a mysterious ode on an air violin, but the effect was more amusing than atmospheric.

"Hey, if you're the prince and he's the princess, doesn't that make you guys a thing?" Baekhyun snickered. The snickering was, quite frankly, worse than the giggles. This time Kyungsoo himself winced, and made a note in his book.

Junmyeon frowned, the uncharacteristic expression pulling the skin on his face. Why does Baekhyun always make it hard to be pleasant?

Sehun brandished his camera like a weapon. "I want a photo for the school paper." Is that a grin on his face?

"Go away, I have things to do." Junmyeon shooed everyone out of the student council office and sat down at his iMac, but instead of looking at the principal's latest memo, he found himself perusing the student records. Zitao's kind of cute.

Yixing tiptoed in with tea, peppermint today, and Junmyeon took the cup without thinking. Yixing was so surprised that he dropped the full teapot on the ground with a wet thump.

Considering the fact that the president of the student council was, for all intents and purposes, entirely missing in action ninety-nine percent of the time, Junmyeon thought he was reasonable in proposing that a new role be incorporated into the structure of the council, an executive assistant of sorts.

"So that concludes the proposal," he said, letting his screen go dark as he glanced around at the other members of the student council. Lu Han's hair was an even lighter shade of blond now, almost platinum but not quite, and Minseok was looking at the strands speculatively before a paper plane clipped his cheek on the way to hitting the distracted blond in the chest.

"I second the motion," Lu Han said hurriedly, eying Kyungsoo warily, but the secretary was busy daring Yixing to offer him darjeeling. Yixing quite sensibly backed off, setting the cup in front of Minseok instead, and carried the motion forward, Kyungsoo's glare hard on his heels.

Everyone knew how much Junmyeon actually had sitting on his shoulders.

The notices were posted on the school website the next day and dispatched via the official school council sns accounts, Junmyeon quite hopeful that there would be several candidates to choose from, because, after all, Minseok is the student representative.

He didn't expect Zitao to be the only one to apply.

This wasn't entirely true; there was a flurry of internet and hallway buzz after the announcement, with members of Minseok's official fan club vying to prove themselves worthy in front of the fan club chair, a very sceptical third year. But as soon as Zitao sent in his application, everything stopped. Junmyeon thought about asking Kyungsoo but decided to save his favours.

He considered asking Lu Han to interview Zitao as he was already a familiar face, but decided it was time to stop being a coward.

It wasn't nervous sweat he was mopping off his forehead as he called the boy into the meeting room. I'm merely perspiring slightly due to this unusual January heat. It was minus twenty degrees Celcius.

And if his hand trembled slightly as he shook the taller boy's hand, it was easy to blame it on Yixing's tea of the day. It had absolutely nothing to do with Zitao's mushy grin as he looked around the room, at the chairs, the desk, the vice president of the student council. What am I interviewing him for again?

He looked at the boy in front of him. Raven black hair, delicate piercings his ears, sleepy almond-shaped eyes. He was tall and lean; it must have been the wushu that kept him so slender yet finely muscled — there was something in Junmyeon's throat and he couldn't breathe properly ...

Junmyeon cleared his throat and opened and closed the grey cover of his iPad until he had gathered together the strings of his concentration and proceeded to move on with the interview, thankful that Zitao seemed too interested in the fabric pattern of the drapes to notice any untoward awkardness. What is wrong with me?

"What makes you think you'll be a good fit for the role of assistant, Zitao?" He glanced up from the questions he had — luckily — prepared ahead of time, to see the transfer student paying such close attention to him that he was startled, a slow blush spreading across his cheeks. Stop that at once! But of course his body paid him as little attention as Chanyeol did during student council meetings, his heartbeat pattering away in his chest like the song-writer's fingers on the desk, his ears humming like the faint noise leak from headphones.

"I don't have a lot of experience," Zitao admitted, his left hand playing nervously with the fabric of his sweater, long fingers trailing through the fabric — Junmyeon tore his eyes away and nodded awkwardly while staring at the screen in his lap. "I have a really good work ethic though and good grades and I'm a quick learner so I think that will make up for any shortcomings," Zitao concluded. He was watching Junmyeon so earnestly, his large eyes fringed with black eyelashes beseeching, that when the vice president opened his mouth to ask the next question he choked.

"Are you okay?" Zitao stood up immediately to fetch a glass of water from the filter in the corner and Junmyeon thanked god and the universe and everything for the fact that he was sitting in a chair with an iPad on his lap because —

Zitao returned with the glass of water which he managed to drink without spilling it, despite slightly trembling fingers. Please let this be over.

"Okay!" He collected together enough of his shattered poise to wrap everything up.

"Okay?" Zitao looked confused and more nervous than ever.

"You have the position," Junmyeon said, managing to smile. He felt like his cheeks were on fire.

"Oh," Zitao seemed to need to take a moment to process the abrupt acceptance, "Oh! Really? Thank you so much! I'm so excited and you won't regret choosing me at all!" He jumped up to give a startled — and slightly terrified — Junmyeon a hug before bouncing out of the room.

Junmyeon promptly collapsed in relief.

He scolded himself severely over the rest of the day — you're a respectable third year student and a responsible member of the student council, no strange mood-swings around younger students. By the next day, when Zitao came in, he was able to be calm and polite and unflustered. And if the new assistant looked a little sad and taken aback by his change in demeanour, Junmyeon didn't notice, being too busy attending to business. The tall raven-haired boy whispered to him confidentially at the end of the day, after they'd finished going through the student records to cross-check birthdates, "I really like having so many friends but it's nice to have a break once in a while, like being here." He looked a little tired, there were shadows under his eyes, and Junmyeon almost felt a bit sorry for him.

Almost.

But after the millionth time that Baekhyun had asked him where his "princess" was, after the umpteenth Lu Han had told him that "the prince's neglect of the princess" was the reason Zitao had puffy eyes from lack of sleep — and honestly how is his personal lack of sleep in any way related to me?. He tried to convince himself of this while secretly fretting over the assistant by giving him less and less work to do and telling him to take frequent hot chocolate breaks — Junmyeon wasn't sorry for Zitao at all. Being a "prince" is bad enough but now that there's a "princess" — and he's a boy for goodness' sake! Now that they were working together, and understandably spending a lot of time in each other's company, the teasing about being "the prince and princess" of the school was getting to be a real drag.

And not that I've noticed his long eyelashes at all. Or his toned arms. Or the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles and his face just folds up into a happy grin ... Junmyeon let his face fall onto what he thought was his desk but was actually a cup of Earl Grey tea that Yixing had just slipped under his nose. Yixing didn't stop apologizing for ten minutes straight but Junmyeon only mopped his face with an errant handkerchief Minseok had left behind (which was pink and had flowers embroidered around the edges and was probably an official gift from his fanclub), before restarting his report. For the tenth time.

Zitao was always really helpful and cheerful and even if he did tend to pout and sulk and try to make things go his way, he was still ridiculously sweet the way he'd sometimes randomly clap his hands in childish excitement at some new kind of treat — or the poutine Chanyeol made him try in the cafeteria — and Junmyeon would smile. Nonsense. I don't think that at all. He's just a nice person to work with. Zitao was also a master of dodging Yixing's tea, it only took one gummy smile and a polite refusal and he was free of all tea-related harassment.

Anyway, Zitao seemed even more interested in Yifan, always volunteering to take him coffee or run the occasional — i.e. rare — document. Junmyeon tried not to let it bother him. It's none of my business.

But each time Zitao walked by his desk with a cup of coffee or a book or another of a myriad things the president seemed to need all of a sudden, Junmyeon felt his heart sink a little closer to the floor, along with his gaze -- so that he missed the longing glances being trailed in his direction.

"Aww, is the prince sad because the princess is too busy these days to sit and look pretty in his vicinity?" Baekhyun giggled, ignoring Kyungsoo's venemous glare. The yearbook head was as criminally annoying as usual, in fact, Junmyeon was seriously considering a new series of bylaws banning anyone with last name Byun, first name Baekhyun from even so much as breathing within a fifty metre radius of him. That would put him safely out by the chemistry lab. Perfect. He could synthesize aspirin until the spring ball. I know Kyungsoo will agree with me on this one.

The spring ball.

Their school had the unfortunate custom of always holding a spring ball as the last major social event before graduation, the latter a somewhat more solemn affair after everyone knew just how badly they had failed their exams. The spring ball, conversely, was a joyful time of dreams, denial, and excessive merriment before sitting exams the next week.

At least, it was a joyful affair for the student body. The student council, on the other hand, had to face the daunting task of arranging the whole affair. Junmyeon would never be able to look at a catering menu the same way twice. I never knew there were so many types of tea I had no interest in trying.

Yifan of course, participated in name only, going so far as to having his signature replicated in the form of a rubber stamp. The only silver lining was that now Zitao didn't have the excuse of running errands to visit the president; he spent much more time around Junmyeon, but this wasn't such good idea after all.

"Do you like pink napkins or green napkins more?" Zitao asked earnestly, holding out two fabric swatches as though the choice between them was as grave as a judge considering a verdict innocent or guilty. Junmyeon found his eyes drawn more to his assistant's smooth forearms, revealed because he had previously pushed up the sleeves of his sweater and shirt in the warmth of spring ball preparations. The preparations were well underway, student council members and class representative volunteered (more like sacrificed) by their respective class bodies — scurrying around frantically with lists and smartphones, and Yifan's rubber school president stamp being generously applied to everything in its vicinity. The vice president, catching himself, quickly waved in the general direction of Zitao's hands and busied himself with a headcount of the student council. He didn't notice the assistant's disappointed expression or the looks he trailed over his shoulder as he went back to his desk.

Yifan was in his office of course, from which he had not apparently emerged since 8:00 AM that morning. Yixing was browsing the tea selection, that will keep him safely occupied for now, and Minseok was nibbling cakes as he cross-checked the student list for food allergies and violent preferences. Junmyeon nodded happily and continued with the mental attendance. Lu Han, who had finally surpassed platinum and was headed into the dangerous territory of Jack Frost, was conversing with Baekhyun in a corner. A shiver ran down Junmyeon's spine as he perked his ears.

"Now for the crowning ceremony," Baekhyun was saying and — that's what I forgot! the crowning of the prince and princess of spring — Junmyeon winced at the eardrum-piercing sound of Baekhyun's giggles. And he didn't lift a finger as Kyungsoo stood up from whatever he'd been doing at his MacBook and descended upon the yearbook head, picking him up by the scruff of his neck and depositing him outside the student council offices. A silence fell over the room, and Lu Han scurried back to where he'd been organizing receipts for Yixing.

Junmyeon thought about all the other years where he'd been elected prince by unanimous vote, except for the student council who always refrained from voting for reasons he suspected had something to do with Kyungsoo. He shivered and looked over one shoulder, half expecting to see the student council secretary scribbling something in his notebook but it was only a flapping swatch of black fabric black? — and groaned, burying his head in his arms for a brief moment. I hope Yixing doesn't pick this time to look up and feel obligated to offer me tea.

"Are you okay?" Zitao was standing beside the desk, a fan of colour swatches fanned out in one hand. Junmyeon allowed himself to feel strangely warm? before slapping a quick smile onto his face and looking up at the assistant.

"I'm perfectly fine," he said pleasantly, and was confused at the disappointed expression on the taller boy's face, who only looked down at his hands so full of colours before somehow fumbling and managing to drop them all on the ground.

Junmyeon bent to help on instinct, good upbringing and all, but so did Zitao; his forehead collided with the younger's chin and they both jerked back in pain, Zitao and Junmyeon seeing stars while trying not to think about the sounds the black-haired boy was making.

"Are you okay?" His turn to ask now, and Zitao nodded, eyes streaming, as he fled the room.

"What did you do to my panda bear?" Amber stomped over, the feet of her one-piece llama pajamas muffled against the carpet.

"Nothing!" Junmyeon protested his innocence, glancing over at Kyungsoo who only raised one eyebrow and wrote something else in his book. Sometimes I wonder if you're even my friend at all.

He forgot to worry about the crowning ceremony, the election of the prince, and definitely the princess selection -- which had only ever resulted in his having to kiss a random girl on the cheek.

His mistake.

It had literally been a day from hell. Not because everything had gone wrong, but because everything had gone right and there was nothing for him to do. Everything was done and he'd been shooed out of the student council offices by an all-together too sassy Baekhyun and Sehun, the former having giggled uncontrollably at him, and the latter having stared at him with a face so aggressively blank that he felt his emotions being drained away into the void.

"Go sit under the cherry blossoms and let the students admire the prince being let out of his dungeons for once," Lu Han smirked and Baekhyun backed him up with such annoying giggles that Junmyeon finally decided he really did need to leave. He didn't take Lu Han's advice of course, wandering idly around, noting that everything really had been done and taken care of. The ballroom decorated and ready, and various volunteers putting the finishing touches on pictures and seating arrangements and the voting box — Joonmyun quickly diverted his path from that depressing scene and found himself in the library, browsing through the German literature section. Nothing like a little Rainer Maria Rilke to provide some thoughtful distraction, he was thinking when he saw a shock of raven hair and froze, the book slipping between his fingers to land with a soft thump on the carpet.

Zitao was sleeping at a table, silky hair being gently ruffled by the breeze from the open window as the soft sound of his breathing underpinned the faint birdsong from the tree outside. Junmyeon somehow found himself drifting closer, his feet suddenly developing a mind of their own as he quietly drew near, holding his breath so as not to wake the sleeping boy. Dust floated in the air, a corona of golden flecks spiraling through the sunlight. Just then, an errant cherry blossom petal drifted in on a warm current of air, the delicate pink thing landing noiselessly on Zitao's cheek, tickling his long feathery eyelashes. Junmyeon stopped breathing. But the boy didn't wake, only twitched his elegant nose slightly, his breath catching for a moment in his dreams; and all of a sudden Junmyeon, for the first time in his life, was excruciatingly jealous of an inanimate object because it could touch Zitao's silky cheek and he couldn't.

Why can't I? he dared to ask himself, and receiving no satisfactory reply, dared to draw closer, hand outstretched towards the pale petal and —

There was a commotion of feet outside the door, first years probably, judging by the utter chaos that seemed to be approaching like an express train roaring into a station; and Junmyeon reflexively snatched his hand back into his pocket and hurried out of the room.

He didn't see Zitao lifting his head. He didn't see him open his eyes in a kind of sleepy bewilderment that quickly turned to sadness as he saw the altogether too slender form of the the vice president hurrying out the door.

By the time Junmyeon had managed to calm his racing heartbeat and torrent of confusing emotions, hiding away in the third floor corridor outside the archives, it was time to prepare himself to resume his vice presidential (seeing as the actual president was obviously not going to be fullfilling them) duties. After changing into his Italian-tailored suit in the student council washroom and fixing his hair, he straightened his tie and headed for the ballroom.

"...so thank you to all the volunteers and student council members and of course to our excellent caterers, and I hope everyone enjoys B— Academy's spring ball." Junmyeon stepped down from the podium to warm applause and Chanyeol cued the chamber music.

There were hors-d'œvres and pastries laid out in tiers on small tables scattered around the periphery, as well as circulating on the arms of monochrome-attired waiters. The beginning of the annual event was always chatty and cheerful with the occasional dancing, but no one really got into the groove until after the votes were counted and the official first waltz was led by the newly crowned "prince" and "princess". Junmyeon tried not to groan at the thought as he wandered among the tables and students in small groupings like an obstacle course, nodding here and there, stopping to say hello to the principal. He tried to avoid the terrifying sound of Baekhyun giggling from ten metres back and turned abruptly only to run into a strangely familiar figure —

"Junmyeon?" It was Zitao; Junmyeon thought he'd gathered himself together but apparently not as he immediately flushed, fingers tingling as he guiltily tucked them away in his pockets. He took a step back, heel tangling in a table cloth and would have fallen flat on his back and taken the table cloth and an entire table's worth of dainties with him were it not for Zitao's fast wushu reflexes —

Junmyeon opened his eyes from having screwed them shut in anticipation of a hard landing, only to find himself in the assistant's arms, half-dipped as though for a dramatic kiss scene in a romance film. His mind was blank as he looked up at Zitao's concerned expression, cute little lines furrowing his brow, and that was where the announcement found them.

"The votes have been counted and the coronation is in order!" Amber's aggresively cheerful voice boomed over the speakers. Junmyeon tried to stand on his own in a quick panicked scramble, Zitao laughing at his flailing attempts before effortlessly standing him on his two feet. I don't think that's cute. I don't think you're cute at all, Junmyeon told himself as he purposefully didn't notice the taller boy's cute smile or crinkled eyes.

Amber was wearing llama-dressed-in-a-tuxedo pajamas and the effect, which should have been terrible, was actually frighteningly cute; the third years especially were having trouble restraining themselves from storming the podium. Zitao actually clapped his hands in delight.

"And now, for the third time running, may I present Prince Junmyeon!" Junmyeon groaned under his breath but proceeded towards the stage; at least he would be able to escape Zitao's frighteningly desirable presence. He shook his head to clear it of frustrating thoughts and put on his student council vice president smile, smiling as he inclined his head for the silver coronet.

Amber opened the next slip of paper and smirked; Junmyeon wondered who he was going to be paired up with this year — last year had been the popular first year Soojung who had actually known how to dance, so that the first waltz had almost been nice. He crossed his fingers and waited for his doom.

"In a surprising yet obvious result, may I present, for the first time, and in fact, a revolutionary choice that may lead the way for a new era in B— Academy's history, this year's princess by a landslide vote of 100%, is our new transfer student darling Zitao!" Junmyeon froze and the entire student population cheered.

His mind was blank as he watched the blushing assistant make his way up to the stage, fanning his face cutely and pausing to wave at the students who all cheered and giggled — that was Baekhyun — before finally leaning down, long fingers splayed on trouser-covered knees as Amber placed the rose-gold tiara on his head. Even the principal smiled at the pretty picture, pink filigree hovering on raven-black hair. Zitao turned to smile at Junmyeon, who somehow managed to smile back even though his thoughts were still an incoherent mess of why are you so pretty? and what is wrong with me?

Chanyeol led the band in playing the first waltz, the Blue Danube, and Junmyeon stumbled off the stage, Zitao leading him by the hand. He was about to instinctually jerk his hand away when he realized I'm allowed to do this and he let his fingers melt into the taller boy's hand, fingers curling softly around soft skin and slight calluses from poles and nunchucks. His eyelids almost dropped at the sensation.

There was some confusion when they turned toward each other in the middle of the dance floor, where do I put my arms? but since Junmyeon was shorter it worked better for him to place his hand on Zitao's shoulder while Zitao rested a warm hand gently against the small of Junmyeon's back; he almost collapsed at the sensation, tiny fingers of current running up and down his back and along his limbs.

They danced then; Zitao was an excellent dancer and Junmyeon, who was so used to leading, always being terrified of stumbling or tripping or making a fool of himself in front of the entire student body, finally let himself be led. Thoughts twirling idly through his head, he floated on the music, fingers wrapped around Zitao's longer ones. I wish this moment would never end. He didn't even stop himself from thinking it, just basked in the warmth of its glow.

And then the song came to an end, and his dream-like trance along with it. Zitao gave him a final spin and they stopped, hearts beating and cheeks flushed from the exertion. And maybe something else. There was a silence, and Junmyeon remembered the other part of the coronation.

The kiss. I don't even know — He looked up at Zitao and the boy was slightly puzzled, looking around with a confused expression — of course he doesn't know — and Junmyeon was almost...disappointed.

And then someone tapped the side of a glass with a spoon and soon everyone was cheering them on: "Kiss, Kiss, Kiss —" Even the bubbling laughter ringing out in the corner which was obviously Baekhyun couldn't spoil the moment.

Chanyeol cued the orchestra and a soft spring tune filled the room; Junmyeon rose to his tiptoes to reach Zitao's cheek, mouth centimetres away from the taller boy's face when Zitao turned suddenly, and instead of a dainty peck on the cheek, lip met lip and Junmyeon's heart exploded.

Zitao's lips were soft, too soft, and Junmyeon moaned quietly, opening his mouth; a soft warm tongue slid between parted lips, his eyes flying open in surprise only to close again as Zitao explored the slightly bumpy texture of the roof of his mouth; his knees were trembling slightly at this point so it was with relief that he felt a warm arm reach around his back to hold him, his arms creeping up to rest lightly on the younger boy's shoulders. It was with a sigh of regret that Zitao drew away, pink tongue running around slightly puffy lips before disappearing back into a mouth that Junmyeon was altogether too fascinated with. He blinked, and tried to focus on the room.

Everyone was cheering — Junmyeon let Zitao lead him off by the hand to a chair because he felt like he needed to sit down for a while — but one glance at the younger boy's radiant smile and he knew that everything was going to be okay.

Later on, the music deafening and the sky through the windows dark and scattered with tiny stars, they snuck out onto the fourth floor balcony, the cool night breeze sending curious tendrils of air through Junmyeon's hair though his hand was warm in Zitao's as he pulled the taller boy towards the balcony railing.

"I...really like you," Zitao confessed, suddenly shy in the silence, face flushed and eyes determined.

"I know that now," Junmyeon said, and he didn't feel the slightest compunction about letting himself realize it, the warmth filling his heart with a golden glow. I never knew how good it feels, to be loved like this. "I really like you too."

And now that he knew what he wanted, and was definitely allowed to get, Junmyeon wasn't shy at all about standing on tiptoes, hands supported on Zitao's shoulder as he lifted his mouth to meet the other's. The sweet shock of soft skin was only more potent the second time around as he opened his mouth to drink his future happiness in.

Zitao's arm wrapped around his back, one of Junmyeon's hands reaching higher still so he could work his fingers through the taller boy's silky raven hair, his tongue in Zitao's mouth delicately dancing its way around pearly teeth, and the thought trickled into his head between quickened heartbeats I wish we could do this forever.

Just then of course, as luck would have it, he was alerted to the sound of someone else also enjoying the privacy of the starry night.

Zitao pulled away, noticing the change in Junmyeon's posture, and looked at him worriedly before Junmyeon laughed quietly and, finger to his lips, directed his gaze to the roof where it was possible to see one student council secretary and one tuxedo-wearing-llama, hood pushed back as their mouths engaged in something quite a bit more friendly than Kyungsoo frowning at Amber and marking her down in his book and Amber pretending not to care, a half-smile hovering in the corner of .

Zitao turned back to Junmyeon with such raised eyebrows that he absolutely had to taste them with his mouth — if he was maybe a little giddy at actually being able to touch and hold, Zitao certainly wasn't complaining — and whether they wandered back to the ballroom after that or stayed outside just a little longer to bask in each other's long longed-for company, only the moon and the stars and the pink-blossoming cherry tree served witness.

After such an exciting coronation and first dance, no one was even surprised when Jongin returned from his months-long travels to crash the party with a trained tiger in tow. "You're so boring," Lu Han scoffed, flipping his white-blond hair, and Chanyeol didn't even bother to take off his headphones; they were deep into his personal mixes and the dance floor was just beginning to heat up.

Yixing left his teapot long enough to reveal his rare but killer dance moves; Baekhyun stopped giggling long enough to be spotted necking Sehun in the corner, Minseok ate pastries to the delight of his adoring fan club and the rest of the student population, and after Kyungsoo left to confiscate Jongin's trained tiger for being "against school rules concerning the size of permitted house pets", his notebook was discovered under a table where he had somehow lost it. The notes inside were not meant for public revelation but needless to say, certain mysteries involving him and Amber were finally revealed, such as the fact that they were childhood friends as well as being formally engaged to be married at the wishes of their parents, a fact which neither of them had expressed any disagreement with.

And if, when Baekhyun brought it up at the next meeting to the great shock and delight of the entire student council, only to be physically removed from the school by a certain exceedingly unhappy and slightly embarrassed Kyungsoo, the vice president might have smiled privately at a certain executive assistant, no one noticed.

The revelations didn't end there, however, only pausing for a moment while everyone, plebian student and student council royalty alike, sat the end of term exams with equal distaste. Jongin tried, but failed to sneak away to the Himalayas when Kyungsoo confiscated his passport; and Amber managed to reach a record total of 936 clothing infractions while suffering from nothing worse than extended detention periods, spent in the company of a certain chief hall monitor.

And after the gruelling exams were finally over — "perfect timing," Chanyeol was heard to mumble under his breath between drum beats — a certain new student Kim Jongdae, hacker code name CHEN, transferred into the school and emerged from the inner student council offices with a pale but shyly smiling student council president Yifan in tow. With that, all mysteries were finally revealed.

"And I thought Yifan was actually secretly planning world domination," Baekhyun complained to anyone who would listen as the council was discussing the new computer security representative Jongdae's plan to reorganize the school network system. Yifan, who had assumed all the presidential responsibilities that had previously been delegated to a very over-working vice president, merely looked over the rims of his glasses at him and Baekhyun didn't even dare giggle at the new and strangely intimidating present-and-very-accounted-for version of the reclusive president, hiding behind a very happy, very pink-haired Minseok. The school mascot had finally — with some help from Lu Han of course — unleashed his inner wild child and simultaneously succumbed to the wonder that was Hello Kitty, to the great excitement of Yixing who now plied him constantly with pink hibiscus tea he was unable to refuse as the thoughtful treasurer had promptly acquired a Hello Kitty porcelain tea service.

Junmyeon, of course, was happier than he could ever have imagined; instead of being buried under mountains of student council-related paperwork, he had discovered more pleasant ways of passing the time ...

Junmyeon:

Zitao, can you meet me under the cherry tree after class?

Zitao:

I'll be waiting.