Green Heart 3/3

[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.



"You need to stop this." Jaejoong's voice is very firm. Junsu is shocked he can get away with speaking to their masters like that. The fire masters stay quiet. One of them crosses his arms and none of them look happy, but they don't get angry.

Junsu touches Jaejoong's arm. "I'm fine," he whispers. "I can continue with the training for a little while."

"No," Jaejoong says out loud. "This training is cruel and unnecessary." He addresses the masters again. "His gift is very special. You should let him focus on his specialty. And if he never creates fire, what does that matter? Who came up with the rule that a mage needs to control every single element? Us specialists don't do much with the other ones after we leave school anyway."

It's still silent on the masters' side. Junsu half hides behind Jaejoong's back. Despite his discomfort, he is grateful that Jaejoong is sticking up for him. He wouldn't have dared to say something like this himself.

"Junsu's gift is indeed...interesting," one of the masters finally says. Another hums.

"Yet to be hired as a mage, at least some degree of fire control is usually required, however unrelated the job. Making plants grow faster is nice, but is it useful enough to replace fire?"

"I'm sure he can do more than you think," Jaejoong says. "He can make plants grow in a certain way and faster, but he can also sense other living things around him, through the ground, and I've seen him make branches move on their own. If you just let him practice and experiment-"

"Junsu, what do you say?" a master interrupts.

"I..." Junsu isn't sure. Part of him keeps repeating that if he doesn't learn fire, he is not complete somehow. But that's only what the Academy has taught them. He's never really fit in with the others here anyway. Maybe he is, simply, a special case.

Jaejoong is saying that with or without fire, he can still be a really strong mage. He wants to believe that.

"I'd like to focus on my specialty," he says quietly.

"Very well," the master says. "I trust Jaejoong's judgement. We will give you time to show us what you can do, impress us, and we'll talk to the other masters about letting you graduate without fire. I won't promise anything. This is all very unusual."

Junsu quietly lets out a sigh of...relief? It's like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, a burden he didn't even know he was carrying. He feels a bit dazed as Jaejoong leads him out of the room by his hand...Jaejoong is holding his hand.

"We did it!" Jaejoong says, smiling widely. He lets go, and Junsu instantly misses the warmth of his palm and the firm grip of his fingers. A memory of the combination lingers on his skin.

"Did we?" he asks. What just happened? Is there really a possibility that he doesn't need fire to graduate? If...if he manages to impress the fire master with something that's so different from their own specialty. "Didn't I give up too soon?"

Jaejoong shakes his head. "Don't think that. Three years isn't soon. And hey, you don't have to give up completely if you don't want to. I only wanted to take the pressure away, just like your father."

"Oh," Junsu says, somehow that is a bit disappointing.

"I did mean everything I said!" Jaejoong says, reading his expression. "I don't think you need fire. You're good enough without. But don't think of it as giving up, think of it as discovering who you really are, changing from the path others chose for you to one that actually suits you. But we can talk later. You must be hungry, come on."

Actually, Junsu longs more for the light of the sun outside than anything else, but he knows that his body needs sustenance and he lets Jaejoong lead him to the cafeteria.

They eat together. It's not time for lunch yet and there is almost no one else, but the few students that do pass by definitely notice them. Having him all to himself for almost two days, Junsu has forgotten how popular Jaejoong really is. A couple of girls point and stare for a while and Junsu knows that in a few hours, the entire school will know that Jaejoong had lunch with the weird kid with the green hair.

"What's wrong?" Jaejoong asks.

Junsu looks up from his plate. "What?"

Jaejoong gives him a curious look but then lets it go. "Are you full? I can't wait to see you get started on your new training."

Junsu isn't sure he can do anything with Jaejoong looking at him, but Jaejoong sounded so excited that he just nods and follows him to the courtyard.

Jaejoong is talking about how he should ask the earth masters for help. They might not know the details, but at least their element seems the most closely related to his. Junsu is only half listening. He becomes more and more aware of other students staring at them.

They can think whatever they want, he doesn't mind, not really, but imagining what this situation looks like through their eyes makes him realise that he's not actually sure what to think of it himself.

They're together because Jaejoong offered to help him find his fire, because Jaejoong is a fire specialist and it's normal at the Academy for specialists to help other students out.

But the fire training is over, and Jaejoong is still here. Have they become friends? Junsu does feel comfortable around him now. How did this happen?

He belatedly realises that Jaejoong has stopped talking and is looking at him again. He stops too.

"Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" Jaejoong asks carefully.

Junsu hesitates for a moment, but the need for clarity wins over the fear of an answer he won't like.

"Why did you look for me?" he asks. "We didn't really speak before...why did you look for me when I disappeared for a few days?"

Jaejoong looks at him like he's asked a stupid, really obvious question.

After what feels like a really long time he says: "Because I was worried about you."

"Oh," Junsu says. "But why?" Jaejoong can't possibly keep track of what all the others students are doing and worry about them when something happens. He still thinks this is a valid question, even if Jaejoong keeps giving him that look.

"I thought that was obvious," Jaejoong says. "I thought..."

"Because I was the only one in our year without fire?" Junsu suspects this is it. He just needs it confirmed, so he doesn't imagine anything else.

"That's not it," Jaejoong says. "You really don't know...then what is the reason you got so desperate when you tried to free me from the cage?" He gives Junsu a hopeful questioning look.

Junsu doesn't think it's fair to answer a question with a question. But before he can come up with an answer, Yunho, Boa and Heechul appear from around a corner. Jaejoong is suddenly surrounded by his friends and the moment is gone.

"There you are!" Yunho says. "We were getting worried you'd never come back."

Jaejoong is with Yunho again, where he belongs. Junsu's glimmer of hope disappears in the shadow of that thought.

Boa is looking at him. "Hello," she says. "I don't think we've ever talked, but we took history together, right?"

"Yes." Junsu is surprised she remembers. It's probably because of his hair. "Hi."

Jaejoong, somehow, doesn't even seem excited to see his friends. "I thought you'd be outside," he says.

Heechul makes a face. "Have you not noticed it's raining? Ugh, tiny drops are so hard to control. This lazy puddle here would have been able to create a dry spot, but he didn't feel like it." He glares at Yunho.

"Oh," Jaejoong looks at the row of windows that line the hallway. Water is streaming down against the backdrop of a grey sky. The sound of rain is blocked by the stone walls, but it's clearly a heavy downfall. Jaejoong shivers.

Of course, Junsu realises, Jaejoong doesn't like rain. It's in his nature.

He'd been looking forward to feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin himself, but rain is just as good. Even after escaping a flooded cellar, he'd love to feel the drops his hit face and sense that the plants around him are drinking. It's refreshing.

They really are very different, him and Jaejoong, and somehow that makes him sad.

Heechul stops glaring at Yunho and shifts his attention to Junsu. "Aren't you going to introduce us?" he asks Jaejoong with a barely contained smirk.

"Don't be mean," Jaejoong says, "you know Junsu, you've gone to the same school longer than I have."

"I know Junsu," Heechul says, "although it's more from hearing you talk about him than shared classes. I was just wondering about your new relationship to him? You've ditched us two days in a row, so...boyfriend? It's got to be at least boyfriend or I'll be disappointed."

Junsu feels his cheeks heat up. He glances at Yunho. He shouldn't be imagining Jaejoong as his boyfriend. Heechul is just teasing.

"Shut up," Jaejoong says. He glances at Junsu and shakes his head at Heechul, like a warning.

"What?" Heechul says with a raised eyebrow. "You haven't confessed yet? What is wrong with you? I thought you'd finally decided to make a move seeing how you freaked out when he disappeared."

Junsu holds his breath, as if a single movement could disturb this dream and pull him back to reality. Did he hear that right?

Jaejoong glares and opens his hand to threaten Heechul with a ball of flames. "I told you to shut up."

"Careful," Boa warns, but she sounds amused.

"Bring it on," Heechul says, loosening his shoulders. "I've been wanting to practice my attack anyway." He lifts both his hands and ignites the air around them with a burst of heat and light. His flames seem to mock Jaejoong's with their intensity, but Junsu knows Jaejoong can do much better if he really tries.

"Not here," Jaejoong says. He takes a step back and glances at Junsu. "We'll do it properly in the fire hall later, where there's no chance of accidentally burning something or someone."

"Boring," Heechul says. "Since when do you worry about that? And there's no one but us here anyway, no weak first years without the protection. Come on, you started it." His flames grow stronger. Junsu can feel the heat of them on his skin. He's suddenly worried he doesn't have the protection after all. Jaejoong's flames didn't leave a mark yesterday, but they did hurt.

Jaejoong slowly moves to the right, so he's standing between Junsu and Heechul. "Don't," he says again, but he doesn't extinguish his own fire.

Junsu hears Yunho sigh and say: "Boa?"

Boa turns him and they communicate something with just a look. Suddenly one of the windows flies open, the latch breaking from the force behind it. A burst of wind pushes against the flames and makes them go wild for a moment.

Almost immediately afterwards, it's raining inside, horizontally, through the open window. The water drops down to the floor only above Jaejoong and Heechul. Yunho controls it with seemingly effortless movements of his hands.

Heechul's flames disappear and he waves his arms to keep the water away, cursing. Jaejoong doesn't stop it, but the drops hiss and turn into steam when they make contact with his skin. He glares at Yunho.

"Seriously," Yunho says, "you two need to stop being so hotheaded all the time. I want to hear what Jae has been up to."

"I just helped Junsu with his training," Jaejoong says. "You should ask him if he wants to talk about it...where are you going?"

Junsu tried to quietly slip away, but Jaejoong noticed immediately.

"You need to catch up with your friends," Junsu says. "I'll just go on alone."

"Wait for me. We were talking about something," Jaejoong says. There is a pleading tone in his voice. He almost looks hurt.

"It's okay," Junsu says. "I actually want to go outside for a bit, to feel the rain."

"Oh." Jaejoong looks so sad, Junsu almost changes his mind, but he really needs some time alone to process what Heechul just revealed. He waves awkwardly and walks down the hallway, speeding up after he's turned a corner.

Soon, there are quick footsteps behind him. He wants to ignore them, but they've already reached him. He turns around and is actually disappointed that it's not Jaejoong who's followed him.

"Sorry," Boa says. "I'll let you enjoy the rain, but I just wanted to say one small thing."

Junsu waits.

"Jaejoong watched you from a distance for so long that I thought nothing would ever happen," she says. "We did tell him we saw you looking at him too, but he didn't believe us. I'm glad you're finally together."

Junsu lowers his head. They noticed, even if Jaejoong didn't, his friends noticed him staring. He only focused on Jaejoong himself. But Boa is wrong about this. They're not together, are they...are they?

"I just want to warn you," Boa says. "Don't worry about it too much, but Jae does have a sort of fan club here. I bet you've seen them follow him around. They might be jealous. Don't mind what they might say, just...try not to provoke them too much."

Junsu knows what she means. There are a few girls who surround Jaejoong like bodyguards. He doesn't show much interest in them, but they've decided that if they can't have him, no one can. Junsu understands them to a certain level, being a fan himself, but he's always thought they're taking their obsession too far. They've crossed the line between watching from a distance and intruding personal space. He's always tried to ignore their existence.

"I won't," he says. Until very recently, he didn't think Jaejoong's fan club had any reason to be jealous of him.

Junsu is still at his tree when the sun has gone down. The moon is bright and illuminates the entire courtyard. It feels so good to be outside that he can't get himself to get up and go to his room. The rain has stopped and the grass is almost dry, especially under the canopy of leaves.

He hasn't seen Jaejoong since they parted in the hallway. No one showed up at the fountain this afternoon and he didn't feel like mingling with the other students in the cafeteria, so he had apples for dinner.

He's tried to connect with his tree and the grass and figure out what more there is to his gift, if there is anything. He doesn't know where to start, what to try. He's not sure there actually is more he can do with it, but simply being here makes him happy. It is so much better than the cage.

He had a feeling Jaejoong would come to finish their conversation from before, even though it's late, but he is still surprised when he senses familiar footsteps on the grass. Jaejoong pauses when he sees him. He hesitates, then sits down next to him, within the borders of his personal space, uninvited. Junsu doesn't mind.

They just sit there in silence for a while. A gentle breeze plays with the leaves of Junsu's tree and a few drops of water fall down every now and then. They don't evaporate when they hit Jaejoong. He seems distracted.

"It wasn't supposed to be like that," he finally says. "I was going to...I thought you already knew how I felt, but I realised you didn't, so I was going to ask you properly. But Heechul can never keep his mouth shut."

Junsu feels the grass between his fingers. It's fresh and strong after the rain, a calm reassurance that helps him keep his voice steady. "I thought...," he starts, but he lowers his eyes and doesn't finish, because he knows how stupid it is to believe every rumour you hear.

"What?" Jaejoong asks, sliding a little closer on the grass.

Junsu looks up and says it anyway. It will keep bothering him if he doesn't. "I thought you were with Yunho."

Jaejoong frowns. "Why?"

"You're not?"

"Everyone knows water and fire don't go together," Jaejoong says with a smile.

"Everyone knows that is just a myth." Junsu has even heard that differences can be good for a relationship.

"It's still true for us," Jaejoong says, very serious now. "We're good friends, but nothing more."

Junsu stares at the grass for a while. He wants to jump up and shout at the stars how happy he is, but Jaejoong might think he is crazy.

"What were you going to do?" he finally asks.

"What do you mean?"

Junsu dares to look up again and meet Jaejoong's eyes. "How were you going to ask me properly?"

"Oh." Jaejoong looks away and clears his throat. "Just...just this."

He takes a deep breath, lifts his right hand and creates a small floating flame. When he moves closer again, until their shoulders are almost touching, the flame expands and burns brighter, faster. Junsu almost gets dizzy from watching it move, and he feels the heat of it.

"This," Jaejoong says, "is what my heart does when I get close to you." He looks at him. "I really, really like you. Will you be my boyfriend?"

Junsu feels his own heart speed up. He wishes his response could be better than just a simple word. He wants to do something beautiful for Jaejoong too, like grow him a flower right now, but there is only grass around them.

"Yes. I would love to," he says, hoping it is enough.

Jaejoong bites his lip trying to contain his smile. It doesn't work. He leans in and pecks Junsu's cheek. It's modest and quick, but Junsu's enhanced senses pick up every detail, from the softness and warmth of Jaejoong's lips to the scent of him, so close. The feeling lingers, tingling.

His face heats up and his heart is definitely beating faster than normal. He imagines that this is what fire would feel like, if he actually had it in him.

The masters have given him a time limit. But the end of this week Junsu needs to show them everything he can do, and they'll decide if it will be enough to graduate.

He isn't sure he can do this. He's not sure how much the masters expect of him, but, he reminds himself, this is probably a million times easier than impressing them with fire.

Jaejoong is very supportive. He asks questions and comes up with suggestions, but doesn't pressure him like the masters would. His presence boosts Junsu's confidence. He now has his own beautiful sun following him around, looking back at him, and just the thought fills him with happiness.

Jaejoong can't be with him all the time. He still has his own finals to prepare for. He's especially struggling with air control and blames Junsu, claiming his mind is always filled with him and it's distracting. Boa laughs at this and tells him if he stopped whining about it that would already help a lot.

Jaejoong is meditating today, and Junsu is outside by his tree. He's discovered that he can not only make the branches bend towards him, but also change their shape, though it requires a lot more effort.

He's caught up in trying to arrange a few apples in a perfectly straight line, because it seems like the kind of thing the masters would be impressed by, when he notices there is a girl staring it him, standing just a few meters away.

She realises he's noticed her and her expression darkens.

"Why do you keep hanging around Jaejoong lately?" she demands. "Are you the reason he suddenly disappeared and he didn't even come out to eat? What did you do to him?"

Junsu feels he should probably ignore her, but it's hard. Yes, he is the reason Jaejoong disappeared, but Jaejoong was with him because he wanted to. Jaejoong wanted to...Jaejoong likes him. He was so happy thinking about this a moment ago. It hurts that people would think he's somehow forced him.

"I didn't do anything to him. But what is it to you?"

"You have no right!" she hisses. "You haven't been watching him, taking care of him since the day he arrived here."

"I have every right," Junsu says, "the same as you." He honestly feels bad for her, because he knows how she feels. But back when he was only watching Jaejoong from a distance, he never would have acted this petty. He doesn't mean to provoke her, but the words leave his mouth before he can stop them: "It's not my fault that he chose me."

She gives him the most deadly glare. Junsu imagines he can see flames in her eyes. If she'd been a fire specialist, she might have accidentally burned down the bench behind her. She storms off, disappearing between the student projects on the grass, but Junsu doesn't think she'll let it go this easily.

"What are you looking at?" Jaejoong's voice sounds.

Junsu spins around to see him smiling at him, standing on the other side of the apple tree, and his heart does a little jump.

He thinks about keeping this to himself, but he knows Jaejoong would want to know.

"Boa warned me about your fan club," he says. "She was right."

Jaejoong's smile falls and he looks past Junsu. "Did someone bother you?"

Junsu shakes his head. "Not really. She left without doing anything."

Just as he says that, he feels a tremor in the earth. The piles of stone in the courtyard shake, and Junsu feels that she hasn't left, she's hiding. Earth specialist then.

"What was that?" Jaejoong asks, looking around. He can't sense her like he can.

Junsu has a bad feeling. "Get back, she might-" He takes a step closer to Jaejoong, and almost walks into a flying rock. It lands with a dull thud on the grass, but lifts op again and floats in front of him.

It's about the size of a big apple. It could kill him, but she wouldn't... Junsu tries to use his earth control to push it back down, but the true earth specialist is stronger.

The rock cracks and separates into a cloud of small stones. Those wouldn't kill him if they didn't hit him too hard, but they would definitely hurt.

Jaejoong realises what's happening at the same time he does, and instead of combining his power with Junsu's and using his earth control, he does the most stupid thing anyone could do in this situation, which is run around the cloud of stones and stand in front of him.

He wasn't the target, but the rocks were already flying.

"Stop!" Junsu shouts. Some of the small rocks slow down and fall on the grass, but more have already hit Jaejoong's arms, which he's raised to protect is face.

Junsu hears a startled gasp from somewhere to the right and senses quick footsteps running away, but all his attention is on Jaejoong.

Jaejoong has dropped to his knees. He groans and curls up over his arms. Junsu follows him down and worriedly touches his shoulder. "Are you okay? Let me see."

Jaejoong's face is a grimace of pain as he turns around and lets Junsu take his wrists. There are red spots and scrapes scattered over his lower arms, some bleeding. Some of the stones have hit shoulders and stomach, but those were protected by a layer of clothing. Junsu imagines there will still be bruises as well.

Jaejoong's skin is so hot, instinctively using fire as a defence. Junsu is afraid it will sting the wounds, but he presses his hands to Jaejoong's skin to at least cool it down a little.

He bites his lip and looks up to read Jaejoong's expression. Jaejoong is smiling at him. "I'm fine, nothing feels broken. I'm glad you're okay."

Now that Junsu has confirmed that Jaejoong isn't dying, he gets angry. "You idiot! Never step between two earth specialists in a fight, unless you can make a strong water wall or at least a whirlwind for protection."

"She was going to hurt you," Jaejoong says with a frown.

"I was trying to stop her!" Junsu says. "You can't just...jump in like that!"

"I didn't know you could get so angry," Jaejoong says. He sounds awed. "I thought you were..." his voice trails off.

"You thought I was what? An easy victim for bullies, weak and defenceless?"

"I was just going to say shy," Jaejoong says, but the look in his eyes tells Junsu differently.

Of course he would think that. Junsu sighs. "I'm only shy around you. And I'm often alone because I choose to be."

"Junsu..." Jaejoong says.

Junsu ignores him. "I prefer it to hollow conversations, boasting about how amazing my parents and skills are, which, maybe, is because my parents are a secret and my skills aren't that amazing, but I don't mind."

"Junsu," Jaejoong says again.

"No, listen to me," Junsu says. "I can stand up for myself, and I never want you do something stupid like this again."

"I won't, I promise," Jaejoong says, "just tell me what you are doing right now. It's a bit weird."

"What do you mean?" Junsu snaps. He is still mad at him.

Jaejoong looks over his shoulder and reaches out to something behind him, a wall of green. It's behind Jaejoong too, and to the sides.

"Is this grass? It's so big." He laughs. "It's giant grass."

A circle of grass around them has grown over a meter in length during the past few seconds. It's laced together and formed a protective cocoon that's not completely closed yet, but will be soon. The sunlight weakens to a soft green glow as more grass covers the gap above their heads.

Jaejoong lights a small fire and they can clearly see the sheets of leaves woven together surrounding them.

"I...I didn't know I could do that," Junsu says.

"It must have been an instinctive reaction, for protection," Jaejoong says. He looks at him with a look of admiration. "That's so cool."

Junsu looks at Jaejoong's arms again. "Are you okay?"

Jaejoong inspect one of his arms in the light of the fire of his other hand. He furrows his eyebrows. "It was worse than this a moment ago."

Junsu looks too. There is still some blood on Jaejoong's skin, but the cuts it came from have healed. He can't really see the colour of the bruises in the orange glow of the fire, but they seem less red.

Jaejoong looks at him, eyes wide. "Did you do that?"

"I...I don't know," Junsu says.

"Have you healed people before?" Jaejoong asks. His expression and voice are pure awe.

"I don't know," Junsu says again. "...before...when you touched me with fire, I thought it burned, but after I grabbed my hand, it was gone."

Jaejoong's lips form a soft smile. "I keep saying you are amazing," he says. "I think it's time you start believing me." He lifts a hand to Junsu's face and touches his cheek.

Junsu looks at his boyfriend, beautiful dark red hair, passionate eyes and adoring smile. He feels his skin heat up under Jaejoong's fingers.

Jaejoong leans forward and kisses him.

The fire goes out and it's suddenly dark in their small grass dome. Junsu can hear the muffled voices of other students outside, asking if they should call a master, but he closes his eyes, pushes the sounds to the background and focuses solely on Jaejoong's mouth on his.

Jaejoong's hands move to his back and pull him into his lap. Junsu wraps his arms around Jaejoong's neck and tentatively slides a hand into his hair. It's soft and warm, everything about Jaejoong is always warm, or hot, his tongue included. Junsu parts his lips to let it in.

His own body starts to heat up, something is burning inside him. Jaejoong makes a small sound in the back of his throat, grips him tighter, and a wave of heat washes over Junsu.

Jaejoong slowly pulls back and looks at him. He moves both of his hands to cup Junsu's cheeks.

Junsu doesn't want to open his eyes and accept that the kiss is over.

"Are you okay?" Jaejoong asks.

Okay? Why would he not be? He is more than okay, just a bit hot, which shouldn't be surprising when the really attractive boy you've had a crush on for a year calls you amazing and kisses you.

"Can you get us out of...this?" Jaejoong asks. He looks around. "I love it, it's great for privacy, but I think you need some fresh air."

Junsu places a hand on the ground, connected to the grass, and the leaves let go of each other, pull back. Their cocoon opens like a flower. Sunlight streams in and momentarily blinds him. Then he sees that they're surrounded by students and a few masters are just arriving.

"What is all this commotion?" they demand. "You probably have classes and training to attend to."

The other students start walking away, reluctantly. A fire master turns to Jaejoong and Junsu, who are still sitting on the ground, surrounded by long strands of grass.

"I appreciate that you're helping Junsu with his training," he says to Jaejoong, "but try not to make a scene. Rumours are already spreading of an unusual specialist at the Academy, and I would like to know more about what we're dealing with before the King hears of it and demands an explanation.

Powerful mages can be dangerous just as much as they can be useful to the country. The King would probably demand to know what is going on, and then he would consult his father. Junsu wonders if he should be worried. He doesn't think his father will be mad at him for being different. If it is true that he can heal people, won't he be proud?

The masters walk away and Jaejoong gives his arm a reassuring squeeze. Junsu's head feels a bit light, but heavy at the same time. He rests it against Jaejoong's shoulder. Jaejoong's fingers brush over his face. They feel cool. That's new. "I think you have a fever," he says quietly.

Junsu frowns. "I was fine before."

"I don't think it's a normal fever."

Junsu tries to lift his head, but it's too hot to move, everything is so hot. He closes his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"It's hard to control fire at first, when you're not used to it yet," Jaejoong says. "I had fevers a lot when I was a child."

"Fire?" Junsu says. His heart skips a beat.

Jaejoong places a hand on his chest. Junsu can hear the smile in his voice. "Calm down, you're making it worse."

Junsu pushes up and away from Jaejoong's body. He looks down at his hands, presses one against his cheek. It's so hot it stings. He gasps and looks at Jaejoong.

Jaejoong is smiling widely and nods. "Do you want to try to make a flame?" he asks.

Junsu is still in disbelief.

"Come on," Jaejoong says, "I know just the place." He takes Junsu's hand and pulls him to his feet. Junsu feels his skin cool down a bit. Jaejoong is controlling the heat. He leads him inside, through doors and down the stairs to the cellar.

The cage is still there, with a new wooden door. Maybe the masters have restored it for Junsu to try again in case his own specialty doesn't suffice.

"Try it," Jaejoong says. "I know how frustrated you were when you had to give up. It will feel good."

Junsu tentatively puts his hand against the wood. He's not locked inside this time, and Jaejoong is right here with him so there is no need to escape, but he doesn't think fear and loneliness would have helped him create a fire anyway.

He thinks about their kiss, about the look in Jaejoong's eyes and the touch of his skin, the softness of his lips.

The sudden burst of light surprises him. He takes a step back and almost falls over. Jaejoong steadies him.

They watch together as the wood is consumed by bright green flames. Junsu is filled with a combination of pride and relief.

"It's beautiful," Jaejoong says quietly. He turns his head to look at him. "You're beautiful."

"What do you want to do after you graduate?" Jaejoong asks. "I've always wanted to be a firefighter. But I think you can definitely become your father's successor with your abilities."

They're lying on the grass under the tree. Jaejoong reaches up. Junsu notices and lowers a branch so Jaejoong can pick an apple without moving.

"I don't want to worry about jobs yet," he says as Jaejoong takes a bite. "We have to graduate first."

Jaejoong turns his head and pouts, his lips are shiny with juice. "You're going to beat my score. Your water control is definitely better, and now you have fire too."

"Let's bet on it," Junsu says with a grin.

"What happens if I lose?" Jaejoong asks.

Junsu doesn't have to think long. "You must promise to make me a little sun whenever I'm sad."

Jaejoong smiles. "That takes a lot of concentration, but okay. What if I win?"

"I'll show you to palace."

"That's not fair," Jaejoong says. "You said you were going to show me the palace anyway."

Junsu suspects Jaejoong would also make him a little sun whenever he asked anyway, but he still adds: "If you win, I'm going to add my secret places to the tour. Places where no one ever bothers you, not even the servants. There is a window in a tower from which you can see the most beautiful sunset, and a shed in the gardens overgrown with plants that's covered in flowers during the summer."

"Deal," Jaejoong says. He rolls over to close the distance between them and they seal it with a kiss.

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