#spring.

You were pulled out of your daze when a stray cherry blossom petal found it’s way into the warm, lazy classroom. Riding the spring wind for a small while before settling itself onto your long forgotten textbook. The moment it landed, the sharp familiar noise of the recess bell rang throughout the school and suddenly chairs scraping across the tiled floor cut through the sleepy silence.

Girls bunched up into groups, starting to gossip about who’s dating who and boys started to race towards the cafeteria. You blow the pink petal off of your history textbook, then proceed to attempt to stuff it into your already crowded desk.

"Yo Y/N, here’s the banana milk I owe you from the other day.” You didn’t need to look up to know who it was. 

“Great, Donghyuck, it’s only been a week and a half since I gave you the answers to Mr Lee’s homework.” 

The boy grinned sheepishly to your remark as you successfully squeeze the thick book into the small space.

“Look, in my defense, I was busy.” He replied, plopping himself on top of your creaky desk.

“With what? Finding a date to the spring festival?”

Ah, the spring festival. It was the festival all art students looked forward to the most. It was a festival for all the students talented in art to proudly show off their work. Artists would set up little areas where they would happily talk of their pieces to anyone interested. Musicians would be busking, whether it be with their friends or by themselves and dancers would be dancing to their heart’s content with a crowd of people cheering them on. All of this would happen under the beautiful shower of the school’s multiple cherry blossom trees. 

The main event everyone would attend though, was the musical that would play on the outside stage during the afternoon. Mr Kim Dongyoung, the teacher in charge of the musical, was notorious for being picky with the students he would let on stage and it was considered a honor if you were picked to be take part in the musical. 

You didn’t need a date per say, but rumor has it that if you and your special someone share a sweet kiss under the oldest cherry blossom tree, you’d be happy together forever.

You thought that it was a bunch of baloney.

Forever Together? How cheesy. You’d rather it that you and your significant other stuck together due to affection for each other, not due to some old tree. It shocked you to learn how many people believe in that stupid rumor. 

Your friend, Lee Donghyuck, being one of those believers. 

But of course, he’s never admitted it to your face.

“No? Come on y/n, you know I don’t believe in that! Plus, I’m in the musical this year, I don’t have time for such childish things!”

Your eyebrows raised in doubt.

“Huh. Then I guess the person I saw trying to hit on one of our underclassmen this morning wasn’t you then?”

Donghyuck’s eyes broke contact and flew away from your own as he tried to come up with a reasonable explanation as to why he had attempted to get a girl’s number this morning. His eyes met with one of the many girls who was gossiping with her friends for a hot second. She then immediately ducked back to her friends and giggles were heard soon after.

Producing sandwiches out of your bag, you watched all of this with humor sparkling in your eyes, you had to bite the inside of your mouth to prevent yourself from bursting into obnoxious laughter. 

“You know Hyuck, you could always go with Mark if everything goes wrong.” You were hit with one of his famous ‘shut up or i’ll stab you with this pencil’ glares as soon as you said that. A string of giggles attempted to leave your mouth before one of the ham sandwiches you had packed was forcefully shoved onto your face.

“I hate you, y/n. Our friendship is officially over.”

“Great. Hey Jeno! You’re promoted to my best friend now! Hyuck doesn’t love me anymore.” You yelled across the room.

Jeno, who had just returned from the cafeteria with Jaemin at his side let out a hearty laugh.

“Thank god! I’ve been meaning to get rid of Jaemin for a while now!”

“Remember to finish your essay before the end of the week. Class dismissed.”

The usual high pitched noises of chairs being pushed back and chatter from your classmates started as soon as ‘class dismissed’ was heard. The sun was still high up in the sky but it had fallen from where it had been during noon and the temperature was slowing dropping along with it.

Pushing your own chair back, you lifted your arms up in a stretch before letting out a cat-like yawn. Falling back onto the hard, wooden desk, you waved lazily back at your table mate as she bid you goodbye for the day. Closing your eyes, you found yourself relaxing at the sound of cicadas calling to each other outside. The sunlight coming through the window dyed you and your desk a warm yellow. Suddenly, the urge to take a nap came over you.

“You remind me of a big, lazy cat sometimes.” 

Groaning, you moved you head so that you were facing your stupid friend. He was sitting in the chair in front of you, sucking on a lollipop as he met your eyes.

“Hyuck, don’t you have rehearsals today? You told me that you were going to have them everyday until the festival.”

Acting like he was offended, Donghyuck said, “I thought that my best friend would be lonely without me so I thought that I’d check up on you before going.”

You smiled into your arm. Donghyuck had a sharp tongue and you were used to him insulting you every second sentence without actually meaning it. But it always made your day whenever he openly shows that he cares. 

“I’m heading to the art room in a few, so no, I won’t be.” You said, the soft smile you had eariler being replaced with a teasing grin. 

“You’ve been going there since our first year! Aren’t you tired?” 

“Not at all.” Standing up, you swung your bag across your shoulder and ruffle Donghyuck’s golden locks before heading towards the classroom door.

Before stepping out, you said, “Also, I thought that we established that I’m now Jeno’s best friend?”

“Fine then, we don’t love Lee Donghyuk anymore then.” Your friend huffed out in annoyance to himself. 

“Just kidding! Love you, Hyuck!” You shouted with a smile before making your way to the art room.

As Donghyuck had stated, the art room has been the place you go to everyday after school. You loved drawing. People had asked you why you didn’t just join the art club instead of going to an empty classroom. Simple. You loved the quietness of the empty classroom. You loved getting caught up in your own thoughts without having anyone interrupt you. Most of all, you loved his company.

Just thinking about the boy put a bounce in your step.

The boy who started showing up to the same classroom a week after you had. The boy who would just sit there in silence while you both worked on your own paintings. The boy who would only leave after you did. The boy who would give you the warmest smile whenever your eyes met.

That boy was Huang Renjun. 

You only got to know his name during the autumn of your first year. When it was pouring and you found that you left your umbrella at home. Desperate to get home before your parents start ranting about how late you returned, you were ready to run all the way home. Until Renjun offered to share his umbrella. He had flashed a shy smile and you agreed without second thought. 

From that day on, the two of you would walk home together. You’d draw in silence, comfortable with each other’s company, then make small talk on the way home. 

You still couldn’t believe he was real. It was as if the spring wind had blew him into that classroom that year and he could disappear with the cherry blossom petals at anytime.

Maybe because it was spring. Maybe it was because you wanted to fall in love before graduating high school. But recently you found yourself growing more and more fond of the art room boy.

Peeking through the windows, your eyes immediately flew to the doe eyed student. He was already sitting in front of his own canvas, paintbrush in hand. Yet another smile climbed onto your face as a frown came onto his. He obviously wasn’t pleased with his painting so far. It was an adorable sight.

You knocked twice on the door to notify him of your presence. Renjun looked up from his canvas and his eyes lit up the moment he saw you. The previous pout he had sported now replaced with a smile that could rival the sun itself. Nodding as a greeting, you pull an easel out and start dying the white, blank canvas with bright, lively colors.

The sun had began to retire from standing in the sky, casting the school in orange hues. You took one look out the window, then decided that you’d stop for the day. Standing up to give your brushes a wash, you catch the attention of Renjun, who grinned to himself before also starting to pack his things away. It was always like this, one of you would deem it a good time to finish for the day and the other would follow.

You finished packing before Renjun did and leaned against the doorway, watching the dark haired boy stash his brushes back into his bag. Why Renjun didn’t have dates everyday after school was a mystery to you. Especially when he had a face carved by god himself. Shouldn’t the girls be all over him? Also, his lips looked really soft, you’d have to remind yourself to ask him what lip balm he used later on.

“Come on, stop spacing out. Let’s go home.” A gentle voice woke you from another one of your dazes. 

“Ah, right.” Embarrassed that you were caught daydreaming, you scramble to follow Renjun out the door, tripping a little in the process. 

Falling in step beside Renjun, you can’t help but notice how much he’s grown since you two first walked side by side together. He’s a least grown half a head taller. 

“Say, y/n, are you going to be participating in the spring festival?” He asked, the small breeze ruffling his brown locks. You noted that they looked super soft and would have to ask him about the conditioner he uses later on.

“Yeah, I do so every year. Not in the musical though. I can’t sing to save myself and Mr. Kim never chooses me for backdrop design.” Renjun hummed in response, kicking a stray pebble on the side walk. 

“I don’t see you around though? Do you participate or?” You’ve never seen Renjun under the pink trees exhibiting his work. You know he’s a talented artist. You’ve sneaked enough peeks at his work to know. 

“I get chosen to do the backdrop design every year. Everyone says that Mr. Kim has a soft spot for me.” He lets out a soft chuckle. “But this year, I turned down his offer.” 

“What? Why?”

He shrugged. “I wanted to exhibit my work like everyone else this year.”

“I can finally see your paintings without looking suspicious.” You mutter victoriously to yourself.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

 “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”

“Y/n, could you put some emotions into your acting?” 

Thursday night, and you were at Donghyucks house, helping him rehearse one last time before the big day tomorrow. He had bugged you for ages before you caved in and shuffled to his house in your pajamas. And as if you weren’t already done with him, he then tells you to climb the tree up to his room because he couldn’t be bothered going down to open the door for you. 

“Hyuck, I’m not an actress and I’m not going to be going on stage tomorrow.” Running your hand through your hair in annoyance. Doing so reminded you that you forgot to ask Renjun about his conditioner. “Also, why Romeo and Juliet? It’s Shakespeare's most overrated piece.”

Tutting was heard from where Donghyuck was curled up on his bed. “We made changes so that it wouldn’t be a tragedy. A happy ending to the classic would make the spring season ten folds better”

You picked a stray leaf out of your hair. “Doesn’t make it any better in my opinion.”

A familiar ping signaled an arrival of a message. A smirk climbed onto your face as you realized it was from your friend’s phone. 

“Date?”

“I wish. It’s from Mark.” Donghyuck sighed, unlocking his phone. 

“Oooooh, you’re going with him then?” Rising from Hyuck’s creaky chair, you launch yourself onto the bed, clambering to sit beside your best friend. 

“No, he’s just coming to watch the musical. He might stay for a while afterwards though. And he’s bringing his university friends.” Donghyuck said as the messages came in. 

“I hope he brings some hotties.”

“Are you planning on cheating on your boyfriend or what?” Your eyebrows flew towards your hairline at his question. Boyfriend? Who? 

“Since when have I had a boyfriend?”

“Uh, the dude you walk home with?” Donghyuck mentioned as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “What was he called? Huang Renjun? Jeno and Jaemin’s friend?”

“Woah, hold up. First of all, he’s not my boyfriend, he probably doesn’t even like me that way. Secondly, Jeno and Jaemin know him? Thirdly, how do you know that we walk home together?” You had no idea that Renjun was friends with Jeno and Jaemin. Those two were loud and rowdy, different from the quiet boy you saw after school. You couldn’t imagine the three of them together.

Totally ignoring your questions, the third rowdy boy you’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting, sits up on his bed and says,

“So you like him?”

Suddenly, the room felt a few degrees hotter. Even though the windows were open and it wasn’t summer yet. You must have a fever. 

“No?”

“Liar! Your face is bright red!” Donghyuck starts cackling, hands over his stomach. “So if he asked you out, you would turn him down?”

“No?” You repeated the same word from earlier. This time in a much smaller volume. Except your ass of a friend hears anyways.

“Y/n finally has a crush! I thought this day would never come! In spring too! What a perfect season to fall in love!” You felt as though Hyuck might as well be exclaiming this to the whole school. Your face and ears was burning from embarrassment and you wanted to bury yourself in a hole.  

“I’m going home. Practice your lines by yourself.” 

“No, I’m sorry y/n, I love you please help me.”

The love you had for Renjun was completely platonic. 

Right?

You couldn’t sleep at all last night.

After returning from Donghyuck’s, all that was going through your mind was the quiet, sweet boy from the art room. Did you really like him like that? Or were you just overthinking. And, did he like you?

It drove you mad. Romance novels didn’t have anything on this situation. Romcom movies didn’t either! . 

So you woke up this morning with a huge bed head from rolling around and obvious dark eye circles. Halfway to school, you also realized that you forgot to bring your paintings with you. So you had to run back to get them. You must’ve looked like a mess when you arrived because Donghyuck winced the moment he saw you. But it only took a light slap from him to bring you back to the hostile being you were when you were with your dumb friend.

You had successfully told yourself that your love for Renjun was platonic.

The sky was a bright blue with just enough cloud cover so that you could enjoy your day without the sun shining into your eyes. The spring breeze scattered pink petals across the school lawn and on top of the excited chatter from students and teachers. You couldn’t ask for better weather.

Blowing a strand of hair away from your face, you stood back to admire your little station. You had chosen a spot next to the walkway this year. All of your proud works surrounded a wooden stool on which you would sit on. You had been lucky enough to secure a place next to the trunk of a cherry blossom tree. This meant that the pastel petals would shower down onto your station whenever a breeze blew through. 

You took a sip of water from your water bottle and glanced at your wristwatch, pleased to see that there was still a while before the gates opened to guests. Stretching, you scanned the area around you. Jeno and Jaemin were warming up in the open piece of grass behind the tree you were situated at while a poor first and second year, Jisung and Chenle, got their speaker ready for them. Donghyuck was probably running over his lines with the female lead behind the stage. You could imagine how nervous he was at this very second.

Across the walkway from you, was where Renjun had set up his station. Right under the old tree that was rumored to keep you and your special someone together. You giggled to yourself before jogging over and tapping the chinese boy’s shoulder.

“Hey.”

Renjun’s head snapped back to face you in shock. “Y/n! You scared me!”

You sent him an apologetic smile. Turning to look at the tree, you mentioned,

“You’re going to have a fun time watching couples make out today huh.”

“Is this the- Oh no- I chose the wrong tree.” Renjun’s hand came up to his forehead in regret. “Now I have to deal with couples shoving their tongues down the other’s throat. All day.”

Putting a hand on his shoulder in mock sympathy, you shook your head. “Look on the bright side. At least this is a nice tree.”

The festival was almost over. 

The musical was a huge hit with the multiple couples that came. Even though you were still convinced that Romeo and Juliet was overrated, you were extremely proud of Donghyuck. He executed the role of Romeo perfectly and his singing nearly brought you to tears. Though he was the one who burst into tears when he stumbled off stage after the show. Jaemin and Jeno’s dancing attracted many female fans. Some of them were ready to drag them under the old cherry blossom tree.

You and Renjun’s stations were well received by the comers. You even sold a few of your pieces! You had met Renjun’s eyes at one point during the festival and burst into laughter at the look on his face. He looked super uncomfortable stuck between two couples kissing.  

It was dusk and the bright blue sky had turned purple. The sun was sinking lower into the horizon, stars popping up one by one after it. Lanterns were starting to light up and even though the festival was coming to a close, it was just as lively as it was at the beginning. This was the time where students who had participated get to enjoy themselves.

Packing your last painting away, you pat yourself on the back for a successful last spring festival of your high school career. Setting the packed bag onto your wobbly stool, you turn to face the warm, spring-like boy who was waving to his last visitor. Skipping your way over, you plopped yourself on the patch of grass next to his stool, leaning on the tree trunk. 

“How was your first and last festival running a station?” You asked with a bright smile adoring your face.

“Very, interesting.” He replied, a sweet smile on his own face. Abandoning his own stool, he fell down next to you on the grass. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many kissing couples in my entire life.”

Your shoulder was touching his. You’ve never really noticed how much wider his shoulders were compared to yours. Renjun rips open a coke flavored lollipop and pops it into his mouth. Then he pulls another one out of his bag and offers it to you, to which you politely decline.

The two of you sat under the blooming tree for a while, making small talk here and there while watching people come and go busily. Occasionally blocking each other’s eyes when a couple came sauntering up to the tree the two of you were under.

“I’m going to have to wash my eyes after today.” You had hissed, peeking between the boy’s slim fingers. “Why aren’t they leaving. Go make out at home dammit.” You’ve never really noticed how soft Renjun’s palm is. You’ll have to ask him about the hand cream he uses later on. 

As the moon slowly rose up to take the sun’s shift, the pretty purple sky made way for the darker hues it brought. The students started yawning and the guests started bidding their goodbyes. Neither you nor Renjun moved from your spots, wanting to bathe in each other’s company for a while longer. 

“Say, y/n, do you believe in the rumor surrounding this tree?” The boy next to you suddenly piped, turning to face you. 

“Absolutely not.” You replied, certainty in your voice. “Why would an old tree have magical abilities? And how unsure do you have to feel about your relationship to actually kiss under this tree?”

You notice that Renjun started to fiddle with the lollipop stick, the candy on it long finished. Then he shuffled so that he was sitting cross legged, facing you. 

“See, I’m probably one of those people who believe it because I’m unsure.”

Your heart dropped. Oh, he was in a relationship. That explains why he didn’t have girls all over him like Jeno and Jaemin had. But why did you feel disappointed? Surely it was because he had kept his girlfriend a secret from you.

“Oh, you have a girlfriend?” You didn’t mean for it to come out in the malicious way it did.

“Ah, no, I’m unsure about our relationship.” 

Your eyes widened and you sat up from how you were leaning on the tree trunk. “Us?”

“Yeah, what are we? I would like to refer to us as friends but,” Renjun’s eyes darted to the lollipop stick in his hands. “My heart wants to refer us as a couple.”

Your heart fluttered. Heck, it wasn’t just fluttering, it was about to take off into the sky. Why was it acting like that?

“I didn’t set up under the wrong tree. I wanted to have enough courage to kiss you under the tree. I wanted us to be together forever. But it’s the end of the day and I still have yet to do it.” His voice was becoming smaller and smaller with each word, his face starting resemble a tomato by the end of his sentence. 

Without thinking, you lifted his head and pressed your lips to his. You weren’t sure how to kiss properly but the way you had done it seemed right. Pulling away, you realized that his lips tasted faintly of the sugary treat he eaten earlier. Breaking into the familiar smile that you’ve grown so fond of, Renjun pulled you back into another sweet, sugary kiss.

You didn’t believe in the stupid rumor of the old cherry blossom tree in the school grounds, but this once, you were willing to think that it was real.

You were woken from your nap when a stray cherry blossom petal found it’s way into the warm, lazy classroom. Riding the spring wind for a small while before settling itself onto your cheek. Brushing the pink piece of flower away, you sat up in your seat and stretched before gazing out the window. 

Spring had come early this year. Cherry blossoms were blooming much earlier than it had last year. Grey clouds were parting for the blue skies quicker than it had last year. 

Arrival of the pink blooming trees were a reminder that you and Renjun’s one year anniversary was coming up. 

Donghyuck had interrogated Renjun thoroughly when he found out you two were actually dating while Jeno and Jaemin both laughed at Renjun’s flustered answers. It had been smooth sailing ever since. The small disagreements you two had weren’t nearly enough to break you and the boy up.

Tearing your eyes away from the window, you rested your head on the palm of your hand, facing the rowdy boys next to you. The four of them had gotten along quite well for the past year as well. Renjun currently had Jeno and Jaemin in headlocks while Hyuck was edging your boyfriend on.

Letting out a content sigh, you looked down at your art piece you were about to submit as your graduation piece.