Green Heart 1/3

[dokssuri]

Title: Green Heart
Pairing: Jaejoong/Junsu
Summary: Junsu needs to control all four elements to graduate as a mage, but the finals are coming up and he still hasn’t found his fire. The popular student and fire specialist he’s secretly had a crush on for almost a year suddenly approaches him.



This story is for: alivedaily, junnie92 and wrtchdexistence
Request: Any pairing with Junsu, JaeSu.

Jaejoong and his friends like to hang out by the fountain between classes. Boa and Heechul often gossip, heads close together and faces veiled by their long hair, while Yunho sits at the edge of the basin and cracks jokes that make Jaejoong laugh.

Sometimes Yunho shows off a new dance move. This usually causes waves that soak everyone within a five meter radius, except Jaejoong, who evaporates the water before it hits his skin. Heechul then yells at Yunho for ruining his hair as Boa summons a warm summer breeze to dry their clothes.

Junsu likes to sit against his tree during those times, reading or doing homework. The tree stands in a corner of the courtyard between the other student projects, far enough from the central walkways to give him some privacy, but not too close to the shade of the walls. From here, he has a perfect view of the fountain.

Sitting on the ground he can feel the grass between his fingers, the cool earth beneath it and the tree trunk, sturdy and full of life, supporting his back. Those comforting sensations he's aware of almost unconsciously, but Jaejoong's presence is different.

Everyone can see that Jaejoong is an exceptionally gifted student, even without a demonstration. You can tell by his hair, which is multiple deep shades of red, so beautiful you can't stop staring once you see it. Sunlight seems to set the color on fire. Boa's purple, Yunho's blue and even Heechul's sparkling gold dull in comparison.

This is something everyone can see, but Junsu thinks he is the only one who thinks of Jaejoong as a sun. He needs to catch a glimpse of him at least once every day to feel as happy as his tree does when its leaves reach out into a clear blue sky.

During their first year at the Academy, everyone quickly established their position in the social order. Boa, Yunho and Heechul would be special, everyone else would be normal, and no one would notice Junsu. Junsu doesn't particularly mind. He likes the quiet.

This system stayed in place for two years, until Jaejoong joined them. It has barely been a year since then, but no one knows him as the transfer student anymore. It's like he's always been here, leader of the special group. Nothing else has changed.

Two weeks after Jaejoong's arrival, a rumour spread through the country that the son of the King's personal mage had joined the Academy. Although it was supposed to be a secret, no one doubted that this had to be Jaejoong, who'd suddenly entered the most prestigious school in the country during his final year of training, with no explanation.

It is very important in the Academy who your parents are. For example, Yunho's father saved the capital during the great flood twenty years ago, so Yunho is treated like a hero here. If Jaejoong's talent wasn't enough reason for his popularity, there would still be the fact that everyone believes he is practically royalty.

Some people Junsu shares classes with have even asked him who his parents are. Junsu refuses to answer this question, which has never helped his position in the social order. But he was happy, despite everything else that happened, if he could just sit here and watch Jaejoong. Now even that had been taken away from him.

This morning he went to the courtyard early, before classes started, hopeful that maybe, maybe Jaejoong would be there already. But of course he isn't. He probably hasn't even woken up yet, with no compulsory classes and only the practical final exams to prepare for.

Junsu sits down against his tree anyway. They'll find him no matter where he waits. They'll know he's left his room and search for his presence.

When the footsteps approach, he hears them first. He starts sensing them with his fingertips only when they move from stone to grass. But he doesn't look up until a shadow falls over him.

"It's time," the fire master says.

Junsu gets up and follows him, through the hallway and down the stairs, under stone arches, through small wooden doors and finally the big iron ones of the cellar, or dungeon as some students call it.

The cage is there exactly as he left it yesterday. The master locks him in, and Junsu already starts to feel hungry, cold and alone, even though the man is still in the room with him.

"Focus," he says, "remember everything we've taught you and keep trying. As soon as you pass this test, you'll never have to come back here again." He sounds apologetic, which only makes it worse, because he still leaves, and Junsu is alone.

The day is long when you spend it in the dark. Junsu does as he's asked, he's always been an obedient student, but all his efforts to break free are futile and only wear him out.

The master is not pleased when he finally comes back, but it is more disappointment and frustration than anger. "Same time tomorrow," is all he says.

Junsu knows that dinner will be over by now, the cafeteria quiet and empty, so he rushes to the courtyard instead. More than anything he wants to feel the last rays of the setting sun against his skin - not Jaejoong, Jaejoong is probably in the dorms already, the other sun.

Without the voices of other students, the constant splashing of water in the fountain is the only sound out here. Junsu walks around an impressive rock formation created by a second year earth specialist and easily finds his way to his tree, despite the dim light.

He freezes when he sees someone is standing next to it, right in the spot where he likes to sit. The person isn't looking at him, staring at the centre of the courtyard instead. But Junsu doesn't need more than a shaded profile to recognise Jaejoong.

His breath catches in his throat. His natural instinct is to slip back into the shadows and watch from a distance, but the tree betrays him by rustling its leaves in reaction to his shock and excitement.

Jaejoong looks up, turns and sees him. First he looks surprised, then he smiles. He smiles...at him.

"Hello," he says.

Junsu is still frozen. He can count the times Jaejoong has spoken to him on his fingers, and every time was about something related to a class or other practical matters.

Jaejoong steps forward, coming closer. "I'm...I'm sorry if getting so close to the tree means I'm invading your personal space, but I couldn't find you anywhere else, so I thought maybe if I waited here..."

Junsu wants to tell him that he can come up to the tree as often as he wants, even though it would mean he might never breathe again. But he needs air to talk.

"Junsu?"

His name, from Jaejoong's lips. He needs to say something now, or Jaejoong will think he is crazy. He gathers courage and straightens his back.

"Yes...sorry. Hello?"

Jaejoong smiles again, then frowns. "Is something wrong?"

Junsu is thirsty and hungry, but he doesn't think Jaejoong would be interested in that. He needs to keep the conversation going though. "Why?" he asks.

"Why don't you come to the courtyard anymore?" Jaejoong asks him. "This is the third day I haven't seen you at all. I was worried that maybe you were ill, or even that you'd left the Academy. I'm so glad you're here now."

Jaejoong has noticed, even worried about him. Junsu's knees go weak.

"Are you okay?" Jaejoong asks. "I didn't see you at breakfast either, or lunch or dinner, and no one else knew where you'd gone. The students in the rooms next to yours only knew that you weren't inside."

"I had special training," Junsu says, incredulous that Jaejoong was even worried enough to ask around.

"Did you eat anything?"

"That's why I'm here," Junsu says. He reaches up and one of the branches bends down low enough that he can pluck an apple from it. He doesn't think it's attractive to eat right in front of Jaejoong, but he's so hungry. Luckily the crunching sound when he takes a bite is somewhat drowned out by the rush of the fountain in the background.

Jaejoong watches him. "What do they taste like?" he asks. "I've always wondered."

Junsu reaches up again, his apple still at his mouth, and plucks another one. He holds it out for Jaejoong.

"I couldn't," Jaejoong says. "They're yours."

Junsu swallows a bite and says: "I grew a fruit tree especially so everyone could eat from it. But no one ever does. I don't know what they're afraid of, but it's safe and it tastes fine, I promise."

Jaejoong accepts the apple, carefully, as if he's afraid it might break if he drops it. "It's too beautiful," he says. "It doesn't look like it's meant to be eaten. You know, they're not afraid of the taste, they're afraid they'll offend you if they take one."

"Oh," Junsu says. He looks at the half eaten apple in his hand. The outside is multiple shades of red, not nearly as beautiful as Jaejoong's hair, but you can't just make a tree do whatever you want, only guide it in a certain direction. He never knew the other students thought about his apples like this. Maybe he should have put down a sign saying it is okay to eat them.

"I didn't know," he says. "I always thought it was sad no one took any and they just went to waste, but I never knew it was because they're too beautiful."

Jaejoong looks at him. "Those apples are like you," he says.

"What?" Junsu is confused. That doesn't make any sense. He'd been inspired by Jaejoong for this project. His own hair is green.

"Never mind," Jaejoong says, and suddenly their conversation feels a little awkward again. Jaejoong takes a small bite from his apple. Then he moans and it's not exaggerated. "It's really good!" he says.

Junsu feels proud of himself for the first time in a long while. "I'm glad you like it," he says. He finishes his own apple and plucks another one while he watches Jaejoong enjoy his.

"It's late. We should probably go to the dorms," Jaejoong says.

Junsu nods. He feels exhausted.

They walk together, around the fountain and through the open doors into the hall.

"Will I see you here again tomorrow?" Jaejoong asks. "Or in class?"

Junsu shakes his head. "Not during the day. My special training isn't over yet."

"Oh," Jaejoong says. "What kind of training is it? Could I help? I mean if it's...if it's fire, that's my specialty, so..." He tries to word it so carefully, but it's not enough to stop the painful tightening of Junsu's chest.

"You can't help," he says. "This is my room." He goes inside and closes the door behind him. That was rude, he should have said goodbye. But he doesn't want Jaejoong to see him cry.

The details of this special training are secret, but of course everyone knows that he doesn't have fire yet. The masters try to be subtle about it, but it's so painfully obvious when he's the first third year student in a hundred years who doesn't have at least some control over all four elements.

Everyone knows he needs to learn fire too to graduate as a mage, and if he doesn't, it will be a huge blow to the school's reputation. He doesn't understand why Jaejoong is so kind to him while he should be looking down on him or laughing.

A different fire master picks him up the next day. Junsu doubts a change in master will do anything. He has passed all the theoretical exams and he's seen all the demonstrations. They've taught him everything they know. The rest should come from him.

But the Academy is desperate. Junsu is surprised they've even waited this long to move on to more rigorous training methods. This master also locks him up and tells him he has a day to get out by himself.

The cage is just big enough for him to stand up in or lie on his back in only one direction. His arms fit through the gaps between the bars almost up to his elbows.

The bars themselves aren't very thick, but even if he had a regular earth specialty strong enough to move metal, using it in this situation would be cheating and it would get him nowhere.

The front of the cage is wood, hard and long dead. The first day there had been some life in the planks still, and Junsu had, almost unconsciously, grown a little branch from them with two small leaves that made him feel a bit less lonely. But he wasn't supposed to befriend the door, he was supposed to destroy it, so it had been changed the second day.

The floor is stone, as are the pillars and walls. In one corner of the otherwise empty room, on the wall by the metal door, is a torch. It burns steady red and yellow all day long, giving an example and mocking him. It provides little light compared to the sun, either one of them.

There is a system of ropes and pulleys and weights attached to the front of the cage. Junsu knows which rope he should burn for a weight to drop to pull it open. He's been staring at it for three days. It is a full arm's length away from the bars, out of reach for someone who can't even heat up his hands, let alone shoot flames from them.

The alternative is burning the door itself. The masters don't care which method he uses, as long as it involves heat and fire. Junsu fails at everything he tries. The last thing he's done is attempt to push his arm through the bars far enough to grab the rope, even though he doesn't know what to do should he succeed. He'd still need to burn it. But at least it feels like he's doing something.

He is trying this again when the door to the room is suddenly pushed open. It's hard to keep track of time down here, but he knows it can't have been more than a few minutes since the master left.

Jaejoong's head appears, followed by the rest of him. As soon as he sees Junsu he runs towards the cage, not even bothering to close the door behind him.

"Why are you down here? What is this?" Jaejoong grabs two of the bars. His face is shocked and angry. Junsu feels the metal heat up against his skin. He pulls his arm back.

"What are you doing here?" he whispers. "Does the master know?"

"No," Jaejoong says, "I followed you here and hid until he'd left. Why are you in a cage?"

"I told you. It's training," Junsu says. "I need to break out with fire. This is where I've been the past few days. But I don't think you're supposed to know."

Jaejoong looks horrified. "Is this a regular teaching method here? I've never..."

"Not regular," Junsu says. He looks away and adds: "You know that I'm a special case."

"That's no reason to just lock you up like this!" Jaejoong shouts. Junsu wants to tell him he should probably keep his voice down. He knows the masters are monitoring him somehow, they have to know if he's cheating or not. But Jaejoong is too angry. "Do they at least feed you?"

"No," Junsu says. "I need to really want to get out, to see the sun and eat something. And this way I don't need toilet breaks."

The bars in Jaejoong's hands are starting to glow red. He could probably bend them in a different shape if he moved. Junsu steps a bit further back from the edge of the cage. The air is starting to heat up too and it becomes harder to breathe. "Jaejoong?" he says quietly.

Jaejoong quickly pulls his hands back and everything cools down immediately. "Sorry...I didn't mean to...sorry."

"What are you doing here!?" The master's deep voice resonates off the walls. He sounds angry.

Jaejoong turns around.

"...Jaejoong?" When he recognises his favourite student, the master turns to Junsu instead.

"Did you call a fire specialist? I'm very disappointed in you, Junsu. We're doing everything we can to help you get better, and instead of putting some effort in yourself, you try to cheat us?"

"I didn't... I didn't...," Junsu has to fight back tears. He's always done what his teachers ask of him, always. He's never once cheated. That the master would think...

"He didn't call me," Jaejoong says, "I came here on my own initiative, because I was curious."

It's clear that the master only half believes him. "Well, you're not supposed to be here," he says, "go back to your own training, quickly."

Jaejoong shoots him an apologetic look before he follows the master into the hallway. The door closes behind them, and Junsu feels even more alone than before.

That evening Jaejoong is waiting for him in the same spot by his apple tree. He's brought a bottle of milk and a sandwich from the cafeteria. "You can't survive on apples alone," he says, and holds them out to him.

Junsu accepts the food, still surprised that Jaejoong has even taken the time to come here. He has no idea how long he's had to wait. Jaejoong smiles at him and Junsu's heart flutters.

"Why are you helping me?" he asks.

"Eat first," Jaejoong says. They both sit down on the grass and Junsu attacks his sandwich.

Jaejoong is looking at him. He's not only beautiful and talented but also kind. Junsu still can't believe he is here, with him, and not with his friends. What has he done to deserve this?

An apple falls to the ground and lands right in front of Jaejoong. It makes him jump. Junsu laughs.

"You did that on purpose," Jaejoong says.

Junsu only shrugs. His mouth is full.

"I'm sorry for getting you into trouble," Jaejoong says. He picks the apple up and turns it in his hands.

Junsu shrugs again. The master didn't yell at him a second time, he was only disappointed, as usual.

"The way they're treating you is wrong," Jaejoong continues, very serious. "Locking you up all day like that is too harsh to be called training. You have to tell them that you won't do it anymore."

"I have to do it," Junsu says. "I can't give up. I have to try everything I can." Jaejoong must understand how important it is to graduate and not be a disgrace to the Academy, or his parents, or anyone.

Jaejoong sighs. "Do you want me to help you?"

Yes, please, spend more time with me, Junsu wants to say. "How?" he asks.

"I don't know, but there has to be a better way."

"Fire comes naturally to you, I don't know if-"

"Please, let me try to help you."

The intense look in Jaejoong's eyes takes Junsu's breath away. "What do I do?" he asks.

Jaejoong thinks for a moment. "Not tonight. You're tired and too afraid to fail. You won't produce a flame like that. Instead... tell me about what comes naturally to you."

Junsu finishes the milk too and puts the bottle down. "Earth," he says, "but I'm not...a regular earth specialist...I'm different." He knows there are rumours about him. He's not sure how much Jaejoong knows.

Jaejoong nods. "I've seen your projects." He looks up at the tree. "I know you don't move rocks and dirt around. But I couldn't find anything about it in our textbooks."

"We don't learn about this kind of earth control," Junsu says, surprised that Jaejoong did research on him. "Because it's rare and...not very useful, I think. I just...feel plants grow, and I can speed it up and push it in a certain direction. It doesn't help me build anything or protect cities."

"That's so cool!" Jaejoong says. "I bet there are lots of uses for that. You'll be a popular mage, especially if it's a rare ability. And I bet you can do more with it. I didn't know half the things I can do now before I came here. Did they let you focus on your specialty too?"

Junsu frowns. "Why would they do that? I could already do this when I came here, I needed to learn regular earth control, and water, air and fire...I still don't have fire."

Jaejoong looks shocked. "But it's your specialty. You could probably do amazing things with it. Did no one help you perfect it?"

"Even if they thought that would be useful, there's no master for it," Junsu says. "This tree is just a side project, for fun, because no one knew how to grade it." He shrugs.

"That's ridiculous. I thought this was supposed to be the best academy in the country," Jaejoong says.

Junsu wonders why Jaejoong cares so much about what happens to him, but he's afraid to ask.

"I don't mind," he says. "Basic earth control is not hard for me. I like water dancing too, and trying to control air can be frustrating, but it makes me really happy when it almost does what I want. And those things always seemed useful to me."

There is a short silence between them. "You don't like fire?" Jaejoong asks. He sounds hurt.

"No!" Junsu says quickly, "I don't mind fire."

Jaejoong is giving him a suspicious look, and he knows he can't deny it any further without lying. He doesn't want to lie to Jaejoong. "I just don't like...destroying things."

"Oh," Jaejoong says. "But fire doesn't just destroy things. And mages who work as fire specialists help control fires more often than they create them."

"I know," Junsu says. "And...I love the sun! The sun is fire, all the plants need it. I need it."

"Really?" Jaejoong sounds relieved. He opens his right hand and a small flame appears, floating in the air just above his skin. The flames move slowly, lazily at first, but they speed up as if they're fanned by a gush of wind and burn more brightly.

Junsu watches, fascinated by both the flames and the concentration on Jaejoong's face. The small fire gradually changes into a little ball of bright yellow, almost white light, so strong that half the courtyard is lit up by it. Junsu's tree casts a sharp black shadow against the wall.

Before he knows what he's doing, Junsu is reaching for the ball of light. It's so pretty he wants to touch it.

Jaejoong grabs his wrist with his free hand. "Careful," he says. "It's very hot."

Junsu is frozen, all his attention on the sensation of Jaejoong's fingers on his skin.

Jaejoong quickly lets go when he notices. "Sorry," he says, "but fire is dangerous, and if you can't bring it out yet, maybe you're not shielded from it either."

Junsu wants to tell him he didn't mind that touch at all, but instead he says: "I am. I've tried holding my hand in a flame before and my skin didn't burn."

"You must have it in you somewhere then," Jaejoong says. He sounds hopeful. He closes his hand and the concentrated fire disappears.

There are spots in front of Junsu's eyes from the bright light. "That was beautiful," he says, still in awe.

NEXT