"Waaah—waaah—"
Shen Yannan didn't even glance at the child wailing on the ground nearby. He marched on his short legs straight toward Lu Zisheng.
"Fighting is wrong," he said, squatting down to brush the dust off Lu Zisheng’s knees.
"But he was saying bad things about you," Lu Zisheng muttered, squatting down as well. The scrape on his knee began to bead with blood again.
"Don't squat, you're bleeding," Shen Yannan pulled him up. "If he says bad things about me, you should tell me and let *me* fight him."
Lu Zisheng pouted. "No."
"Why not?" Shen Yannan took Lu Zisheng’s hand and started leading him toward the infirmary.
"Just because."
"Fine. Then don't cry or scream when it hurts later."
"I won't."
***
"There are too many people at the slide. I don't want to go," Shen Yannan said, tugging at the hem of Lu Zisheng’s shirt.
"Then what do you want to play?"
Shen Yannan looked around. Only the two swings in the corner were unoccupied. "Come push me on the swings."
"Okay."
"You sit, I'll push," Lu Zisheng said, shaking out his small arms. "I'm stronger than you."
Shen Yannan sat down without argument. "Will you always push me on the swings like this in the future?"
"If you need me to, of course I will." Lu Zisheng stood to the side once the swing was in full motion. "Why ask that all of a sudden?"
"I saw Qiangbao and Xiao Xia fighting this afternoon. They used to be as close as we are..." Shen Yannan whispered.
"Who says? We're way closer than they are," Lu Zisheng said, patting his chest. "Even if we fight, I'll still push you on the swings."
"It's a promise."
"Yeah, it's a promise."
***
The class was lined up at the hospital under their teacher's supervision, waiting for their physical examination reports.
"Are you nervous?" Standing at the very back of the line, Lu Zisheng leaned in and whispered into Shen Yannan’s ear. "We’re about to find out our second genders."
Shen Yannan shot him a look. "Are *you* nervous?"
"I already know my results, so why would I be?" Lu Zisheng shrugged. "Too bad I forgot to ask my mom to check yours ahead of time, too."
The reports were handed out quickly. Just as Lu Zisheng finished speaking, Shen Yannan stepped into the doctor's office.
"I knew I’d be an Alpha. What about you?" Lu Zisheng’s voice rang in his ear again a moment later.
"Omega," Shen Yannan said, giving Lu Zisheng a light shove. "Stay back. Proper distance must be maintained between Alphas and Omegas."
"You're an Omega?" Lu Zisheng blinked, then grinned, slinging an arm around Shen Yannan’s shoulder. "It’s fine. You’ve got me. Whether you’re an A or an O, I’ll protect you."
Shen Yannan pressed a hand to his forehead. Was this guy even listening to him?
He glanced at the report in Lu Zisheng’s hand; the word "Alpha" was printed clearly in one of the columns.
He tucked his own report away.
Fine. If he was an Omega, he was an Omega.
***
Lu Zisheng’s lip twitched as he looked at their desks, which were overflowing with love letters and gifts.
"This year's May 20th is insane..."
"More like crazier than usual. It’s rare for you to still be single in your senior year. If they don't confess now, they’ll never get another chance," Shen Yannan said as he set down his bag. With a stoic expression, he began picking out the flowers from his drawer one by one and placing them on the desk. He then stacked the remaining letters and gifts into neat piles, planning to throw them away when no one was looking after school.
"I’ve already said that the person I date has to be at least as pretty an Omega as you. Why won't they give up?" Lu Zisheng sighed, mimicking Shen Yannan’s actions to clear his own desk.
There was a small vase on the teacher’s podium. Shen Yannan stuffed all the flowers from the desks into it. Lu Zisheng had bought that vase back in their freshman year; knowing Shen Yannan couldn't bear to throw away so many flowers every year, he’d suggested keeping them there for everyone to enjoy.
"I hope the breaks and after-school time today will be peaceful."
***
When Shen Yannan was called away by a "fierce-looking" junior, he knew his fears had come true.
The younger student was actually the type that Omegas found very attractive. He would likely become the school’s next "Prince Charming" once Lu Zisheng graduated.
But even so...
Shen Yannan gave a regretful smile, showing no sign of panic at being cornered. "I'm sorry, I—"
"Shen Yannan!" Lu Zisheng’s voice boomed like a sudden clap of thunder, exploding through the crowd of onlookers.
"I already like someone," Shen Yannan said, his smile unchanging. "Please excuse me, I need to go home."
He walked up to Lu Zisheng and muttered, "Why did you yell so loud? You scared me."
"I thought you were in trouble. I almost rushed over to punch him." Lu Zisheng looked Shen Yannan up and down, only relaxing once he saw he was fine.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Fighting is wrong. Besides, it was just a confession," Shen Yannan said nonchalantly. "That junior was actually pretty handsome."
"You agreed to go out with him?!" Lu Zisheng grabbed Shen Yannan’s arm anxiously. "He’s not nearly as handsome as me!"
"I didn't." Shen Yannan pulled his hand away with a click of his tongue, rubbing his wrist. "Gentle, please."
"Then why didn't you agree?"
Shen Yannan rolled his eyes, his expression suggesting he thought Lu Zisheng was missing a few brain cells.
"Because... he couldn't give me the flowers I wanted."
As soon as they stepped out of the school gates, Lu Zisheng performed a literal magic trick, producing a bouquet of flowers from nowhere. In the center was a cluster of Linaria, surrounded by twelve pink roses.
Shen Yannan was momentarily stunned into silence. "You..."
"I was going to wait until we got home to surprise you, but I couldn't wait any longer." The tips of Lu Zisheng’s ears turned a rare shade of crimson. "The school doesn't allow 'early dating,' but I was afraid if I waited any longer, someone would snatch you away."
*I’ve waited for this person for so many years. Why should I let anyone else get there first?*
"Well, it seems we were thinking the same thing."
"What?"
Shen Yannan pulled a transparent box from his bag. Inside was a small pot containing a cluster of Linaria.
"Once you accept it, you have to take good care of it. If it dies..." Shen Yannan thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a good threat, so he just trailed off.
"I will." Fortunately, Lu Zisheng was cradling the small box like a treasure, not noticing the unfinished sentence.
*The person I like really acts like an idiot sometimes.*
Shen Yannan sighed, but then his lips curled upward as he tightened his grip on the hand holding his.
*Happy 520, my idiot boyfriend.*
