Archive of Our Own

If there’s one thing that Taehyung absolutely loathes, it is to be indebted to someone. He has always thought of himself as an independent soul, wanting to exist without having to burden anyone else. So when he owes someone a favor, he would repay them in a heartbeat either with another gesture or with money if his wallet permits it. The last time he forgot he owed a so-called friend, that friend came running back asking him to help him cheat on an exam. Taehyung is a principled man so cognitive dissonance was inevitable, but a debt is a debt and he repaid him at the cost of his moral integrity. 

Thus, ever since then, Taehyung has always vowed to pay off what he owed. At least, so he thought. Being indebted to someone feels like a chain that continues to pull him down. 

Perhaps he’s being a tad bit dramatic but that is exactly how it feels like when the person he is indebted to is his brother. Seokjin collects IOUs like candy and cashes them in when he really, desperately needs them. He knows exactly how to utilize your best assets to his advantage. 

The debt Taehyung owes him? It was from the time Taehyung had broken one of his mom’s vases as a child (yes, as a child). Out of fear, he begged Seokjin to help him piece it back together with his magic because, at the time, Taehyung wasn’t enrolled yet and he definitely was not allowed to practice it. Seokjin did it for him and said a simple “you owe me” and, since then, he has been dangling it over his head like a shadow. It’s been eight years now and he’s finally ready to collect. You would think the man would mature over the years, but Seokjin was an absolute menace. 

“Hyung, I really can’t do this,” Taehyung whines, staring down at the bottle again.

Seokjin only offers him a look that provides him no relief. “It’s one class and Professor Trelawney barely recognizes any of us when she’s so busy obsessing over her crystal balls.” He shoves the case into Taehyung’s chest again. 

“It’s not my fault that your foolish judgment cost you one of your final year classes,” Taehyung hisses back. He usually doesn’t talk back to Seokjin out of respect for the age hierarchy, but, in this case, he really does have to fault him. Who in the world falls asleep halfway through picking his classes and ends up choosing the wrong class for their last year? 

His brother glances at the bottle again. “So are you going to do it? Or am I going to have to cash in another day?”

Taehyung has a strong feeling that, if he delays this any further, Seokjin may ask him for something even more treacherous and that is something he would rather not risk for the sake of his future. “Fine,” he bites out, flipping open the bottle cap and staring down at the dark liquid inside. The darkness is a reflection of Seokjin, he supposes. Taking a deep breath, he tips the bottle back and lets the potion flow down his throat and settle in his stomach. It absorbs and spreads all over his body as he feels his physical form shift. Taehyung is lucky they have the same height, because the sensation of his face deforming already feels too unpleasant. He can’t imagine what it would be like to grow or shrink into another person’s set of bones. However, his features transform inch by inch — his lips plumping up, nose spreading ever so slightly, his browner hair turning pitch black to match Seokjin’s, head elongating. The discomfort is obvious, but he is genuinely more terrified to see how he has turned into his brother — he’s, after all, not the best role model. Exhibit A: this experiment right here. 

“Perfect, handsome little devil you are,” Seokjin grins proudly, flinging pieces of fabric his way.

Taehyung barely manages to catch them with his fingers that have also changed slightly. They almost don’t feel like his hands but, at the same time, they do. It’s odd. He turns to the mirror next to him and finds himself an exact replica of his brother. “Merlin’s beard, I’ve aged quite a bit.”

“Oh, shut up, you,” he smacks the back of his head. “Hurry, change. Class is in fifteen minutes.”

Scrambling to get himself into his brother’s wardrobe, Taehyung loops his red and gold tie and throws on the maroon-lined robe with the Gryffindor crest sitting neatly on his chest. He feels like an imposter and he is about to be one when he enters that classroom as his brother. 

“And take off your glasses,” Seokjin huffs, plucking it from his face. “Off you go. Be magnificent and brilliant, not your usual humdrum self please.”

“Piss off,” he growls before leaving the room. His nerves are buzzing on end as he brushes past a few Gryffindors who greet him and he just ducks his head in response before eschewing them straight for the exit. He hurries down the stairs and quickly makes his way to the designated classroom. 

Perhaps now is a good time to provide additional context to the situation. Kim Seokjin, in what is possibly considered a moment of madness, signed up for divination in his seventh year despite his plan to not take the subject for his NEWTs. Unfortunately, all other classes have finished enrollment and are no longer taking students, which means that he is stuck in what he considers a black hole of knowledge. Seokjin isn’t a bad student by any means, but he considers divination the furthest thing from education. A monkey may perform better in this class through luck than any student who studied hard enough. There is only a certain amount of ridiculousness that he is willing to tolerate before it crosses the line of being utterly stupid. 

In comes Taehyung with his debt as well as a bottle of polyjuice potion Seokjin had an advanced student brew for him with what the kid owed him. The elder managed to survive through two weeks of classes before he finally threw in the towel and roped in his brother to do his dirty deed. If he has to endure another session of Professor Trelawney saying “look into the future” and “tell me what you see in the leaves,” he may actually give up wizardry forever. 

Taehyung agrees to take a few classes, mainly if the professor is planning on assessing them on their skills (“guessing skills,” Seokjin would add in annoyance). He stands in front of the doors to the divination classroom that sits atop the set of swirling stairs. Inhaling one last time, he pushes the doors open to find the class nearly completely empty aside from a smattering of students off to the side. His heartbeat slows down ever so slightly as he collects his mind. However, that effort is thrown right out the window when a boy from Gryffindor pats him on the back. “Jin, how’s it going? Ready for practice later?”

He freezes up almost instantly, thinking what would Seokjin do? “Y-yeah,” he stammers, “see you later.” His feet pull him away almost instinctively to avoid further conversation with the guy. Seokjin told him that he always sits on the second seat in the back row, close to the door where he can escape easily once the class is over. He takes a seat on the velvet chair, dropping his bag to the ground. He can practically hear his blood rushing through his veins in the sheer panic that fills him. His only prayer is that Seokjin isn’t familiar with anyone in the classroom so he doesn’t have to interact with them. However, given his reputation with the quidditch team, it may be inevitable. Glancing down again at the uniform, he feels out of place in the red — the bold color a stark difference from the bright, yellow hue of his own. 

Since he is a little early, he figures this is his chance to catch up and review his brother’s notes before the class begins. Unfortunately, he quickly learns that his brother is as bad at making evil plans as he is at taking notes. His book is filled with doodles and written conversations between two people—one handwriting is absolutely Seokjin’s (chicken scratches), but the other looks somewhat familiar. Taehyung just can’t pinpoint its owner. 

The class only consists of seventh-years but he doesn’t interact with them that much aside from Hoseok, who is his roommate, and occasionally Yoongi who is his best friend’s roommate. He doesn’t expect to recognize anyone in the classroom by name, so he’s almost terrified at the prospect of someone speaking to him and he has to actually—

“Jin, what a surprise.” The voice is familiar, too familiar. What he certainly doesn’t expect is for another person to sit down next to him when there are so many available seats across the room. His brother also most certainly did not tell him about any classmates that he should be aware of — not that Seokjin was ever going to fully prepare him to do this and Taehyung is most likely risking expulsion. The man would probably laugh if his brother were ever caught. 

The last thing he anticipated is for his brother’s best friend to flash his beautiful, adorable smile at him. His brother’s best friend who he’s been harboring deep feelings for since his first year. A seven-year-old crush on none other than Jeon Jeongguk. 

Taehyung swallows thickly, already beginning to feel the heat creep up his neck and coloring him the same shade as his tie. “H-hey,” he says, voice cracking.

Jeongguk just laughs, this wonderful tinkling sound like the angels playing a melody from the heavens. “You’re here on time,” he comments as if it’s a question.

“Um, yes.” When he thinks about it further, Taehyung doesn’t know how to exactly match his brother’s personality when the two are almost polar opposites. Seokjin is social and obnoxious, always in the spotlight; meanwhile, Taehyung prefers to keep himself in the background and subtly prove himself through the letters on his report card. “What’s up?” he adds lamely. He can almost guarantee that he will be caught before the hour is up.

“Not much,” Jeongguk gives him a quizzical look. Yeah, definitely getting caught. “Surprised to see you so ready for class though.” The boy’s gaze drops to the notebook flipped open in front of him.

Taehyung lets out a strangled chuckle. “Just reviewing.” Luckily for him, aside from another strange look, Jeongguk begins talking to him about the international quidditch match that happened yesterday because that is the only thing on the papers right now. He caught a glimpse of this morning’s Daily Prophet and saw the headline of “The English Flies to Big Win” above an image of the victorious team. Taehyung is almost grateful that Hoseok talked his ear off about the game before class this morning. His sports fanaticism allows him to actually keep up with the conversation to a certain extent, albeit with much less enthusiasm. 

As people file in, Taehyung is relieved from the conversation that he is struggling to maintain. His heart is already threatening to stop from having to blatantly lie to a man he actually knows. A full conversation with Jeongguk might actually cause it to explode. 

Tessomancy is on the books for today’s session. Professor Trelawney is launching into the beauty of tea reading and how you can see the future from tea and some soggy leaves at the bottom of a white cup. Taehyung and Jeongguk — well, Seokjin and Jeongguk — already traded cups, Taehyung staring down into the mess on the surface in absolute confusion. How is anyone supposed to decipher anything from this? The professor has already told a classmate that his grandmother might be in ill health, what if she predicts bad luck for Jeongguk? Does he want to be responsible for that? Certainly not. 

“You, child,” Professor Trelawney comes up to the two, wiggling her finger at Jeongguk. Taehyung wonders if she even knows any of their names. “What do you want to know? What is your biggest question right now?”

Jeongguk hums for a second before smiling, “Love?” He wiggles his eyebrows at Taehyung jokingly before slapping hands with another guy next to him who’s already snorting. He recognizes the guy from the quidditch team with his brother and Jeongguk, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at such childish behavior. Men.

“Ah, of course, life’s biggest wonder.” Professor Trelawney shakes her head as if she’s deliriously pleased. Then, she whips around to Taehyung, jerking her finger at the cup. “Take a look at his cup then! Tell me what you see.”

While Taehyung is somewhat interested in astrology, tea reading does seem like a boatload of mumbo jumbo. There’s some science in the moon and stars, but he can’t quite grasp how someone can predict the future from dead, wet plants. 

“Um, it looks like a circle,” he starts, looking at his textbook to maybe stretch what he’s seeing just a little bit. “There are also some swirls. That means his love life is going… well?”

Jeongguk laughs at that and the same guy from earlier is already burying his head on the table, shoulders shaking. “Nice one. Guess the tea leaves are a bit faulty, aren’t they?”

Professor Trelawney, of course, won’t let a comment like that slide. The leaves say everything after all. “Give me the cup!” she nearly screams, snatching it from Taehyung’s hands before he even responds. She practically sticks her nose in there, analyzing it from behind her magnifying glasses. “Ah, yes,” she softens, “you see there’s a sun here, but it’s shown to the right side of the cup. It means that great happiness is upon you but it’s still further into the future. Be patient and you will find it.” 

Taehyung wonders what would happen if she grabbed it in another direction, would that mean his great happiness is in the past? This whole thing is absolutely ridiculous. He can’t believe Seokjin is putting him through this.

However, he supposes there is some good that came out of this—especially when Jeongguk turns to him with a grin. “That’s reassuring, isn’t it?”

He ignores the rapid beating of his heart and nods. “Yes, it is.” 

The first time is always the worst, he supposes. The days begin to blur together as he attends his classes, spends time with Jimin and his other friends, and collects hours in the library to keep up with his advanced studies. Seokjin shows up to divination from time to time to avoid suspicion from arising, particularly from his friends slash classmates. Professor Trelawney doesn’t seem to have noticed the difference. There are only so many times Taehyung can actually keep up with Jeongguk talking about quidditch, he doesn’t really understand the appeal of the sport. 

What catches him off guard, however, is the one time Jeongguk says, “You know, sometimes you’re like a whole other person. Completely different. It’s so strange.” Taehyung’s mouth had dried, the response dying in his throat. However, his ‘best friend’ doesn’t push further and instead delivers another blow to his not so perfectly crafted plan. 

“Want to grab lunch?” Jeongguk asks as he’s slinging his backpack over his shoulder. He looks cool doing something so simple. Taehyung really is smitten. 

He licks his lips, “I have another class after this.” This isn’t a lie, he actually does.

“Wait, I thought you’re free after divination.”

At that, Taehyung seizes up. He didn’t think to check Seokjin’s class schedule. His plan was always to leave immediately after divination and appear at his next class so people are none the wiser to this elaborate scheme the two Kim siblings have conjured up. “Um, self studying.”

Jeongguk snorts, “Alright, sure.” He hooks an arm around his neck and begins dragging him to the Great Hall. Taehyung wants to cry. Not only will he be late to (or worse, absent from) class, he also spent half an hour sitting trapped in between Jeongguk and Seokjin’s other friends as they chatter about their terrible professors, quidditch, and (gasp) people they’re hooking up with.

Never in his life would he ever expect to learn about the things Seokjin has done. Blissful oblivion is a thing he will never again take for granted now that he knows his brother, his own flesh and blood, isn’t that innocent and has fooled around with a good number of people—some of the names sounding familiar even to his ears. Taehyung isn’t sure he’ll ever look at his brother the same, or look at him again for that matter. They aren’t children but there are some things better left unsaid amongst family. 

As if things can’t get any worse, they ask Jeongguk about his “recent lays” as well. You heard right, plural. Taehyung isn’t sure if his heart can handle more surprises today. He abruptly shoves himself back, stumbling as he pulls his legs out from underneath the table. The rest look at him in bewilderment, Jeongguk cocking a curious eyebrow, as he stammers an excuse about going to the bathroom. 

By the time he gets to the Fat Lady, he feels his heart rapidly beating in his chest from the speed at which he ran straight here. He slips in as someone else is coming out — the Fat Lady also loves him because he’s pretty nice to her (as in he claps when she sings) and she knows he is Seokjin’s brother. 

He finds Seokjin lying on his back, flipping through the Quidditch Times. When he bursts in, the elder looks at him straight in the face. “Wow, you know, I thought I lost my charm as I got older but you’re reminding me that I still look pretty darn good.”

“Can you please just go to your friends?” Taehyung exasperatedly sighs as he’s pulling the various Gryffindor pieces off him, letting them fall to his brother’s messy floor. “I’m already missing my class because they wouldn’t let me leave. Then I had to listen to them talk about your sex life! That is the last thing I want to know.”

“Alright, jeez,” Seokjin rolls his eyes then immediately widens them, looking straight past his brother. “Wait, Jeongguk?”

At that point, Taehyung is dressed down to nothing else but his underwear so you understand his squeal as he whirls around and attempts to cover himself with the Gryffindor robe he just dropped. When he sees that the door is still closed, he turns back around and throws the fabric onto Seokjin who is cackling wildly on the bed. He can feel the heat crawling and flaming his skin. “You foul toad!” he snaps as he’s wrangling himself back into his own uniform. 

“The look on your face, priceless,” his brother beams. “I almost wish I had a camera with me to commemorate that moment.” 

“You know what’s even more priceless? The fact that I told them I was going to the bathroom and have yet to return. They probably think you’ve pissed or shat your pants somewhere in the castle,” Taehyung says smugly back.

If there’s one thing to get Seokjin going, it would be the risk of damaging his squeaky clean image. He leaps off the bed, scowling at him, “You’re quite useless, younger brother. Where are they?”

“The Great Hall. Better watch your tongue, older brother,” he sneers right back, “Professor Trelawney has a quiz on divination in two weeks. A little bribe wouldn’t do you any harm if you want me to get you a good grade on that.”

“Demon, you are,” Seokjin growls, “I can’t believe we came out of the same womb.”

 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

At that point, the two already have a good rhythm going. Whenever Taehyung starts raising questions with his friends, Seokjin intervenes and takes over the class for a couple of days and appeases their concerns. Taehyung is doing his best to be his older brother, but it requires a lot of energy considering how ridiculously loud Seokjin can be. Plus, it’s not as if he can behave the same way around strangers. He barely knows most of their names, except for Jeongguk of course. Lord knows he can’t act for the life of him around Jeongguk. 

However, all of that aside, he does have to start studying for the divination quiz the professor is planning a week from now. His brother is supposed to take it but he begged and offered to pay for his next trip to Hogsmeade, so he can’t really argue with a good bargain like that—which is why he finds himself barely paying attention to the way he’s shoving bread into his mouth while burying himself in his textbook. Thankfully, astrology is his stronger suit—like he said, there is some science to this compared to tea reading. 

Hoseok is seated next to him, cackling like crazy over whatever Joshua, another Hufflepuff, is saying. Taehyung pays them no mind, instead focusing on the analysis of the Sun in Sagittarius, which explains a lot about Seokjin’s temper and brutal honesty. 

He barely registers the familiar voice going “Hey, Hoseok” before he hears his name. Perking up, he looks around to find Jeongguk standing tall behind him. His shadow casts across the table as he leans forward to peek at the book Taehyung is reading. “You’re so engrossed in that book you didn’t even hear me,” he says, the corner of his lips quirking up in an amused smile.

A blush tinges his cheeks. “Sorry, what did you say?”

“I asked if you were taking divination next year.”

Honestly, Taehyung is too flustered from this ambush. Jeongguk being so close to him and talking to him have his brain going into overdrive. “Um, no,” he quickly says, the words coming out automatically, “not really.”

“So you’re reading it for fun?” Oh no, now he’s sliding into the empty space next to Taehyung. Jeongguk props his head up on his palm, tilting to look at the younger with those eyes of his. Soft, brown eyes looking at him with such intensity that he feels his fingers tremble. “I don’t really get all of that,” he continues with a laugh, “it’s all gibberish to me. I’m just going to hope that I can bullshit my way through finals with Professor Trelawney.” 

Hoseok is distracted from his conversation then, facing them with curiosity. “Tae is really good at studying.”

“I know,” Jeongguk swiftly adds before claimping his mouth shut, choosing to look at Hoseok instead. 

“Especially in astrology though! He knows everything. He even predicted my future once,” Hoseok announces, his hands moving around animatedly. 

“It doesn’t predict your future, hyung,” Taehyung shakes his head before Hoseok can go off on a tangent, which is his tendency. “I keep telling you this. You failing that exam has nothing to do with the stars, it was obvious because you fell asleep instead of studying the night before. I kept trying to wake you up but you told me that you got it.”

His roommate just clicks his tongue, smile unfazed. “I failed that class because it was what the universe wanted, Tae. It’s all in the stars.”

Taehyung looks at him hopelessly, there’s no convincing him when he’s gone down the path. “Damn,” Jeongguk whistles, “do you think you can help me study? It would be good if I can get a grade boost. The professor doesn’t like me very much. I might’ve lied my way through some things and she definitely knew.”

That he definitely remembers, especially after Professor Trelawney just shook her head at him in disappointment, telling him to study harder. He hums unconsciously. On one hand, this is his chance to get on Jeongguk’s good side and show him his strengths. On another hand, Taehyung can barely string together three words to the elder, how can he possibly handle teaching him with lots of sentences? 

“Please,” Jeongguk begs again, “I’ll treat you to butterbeer or dinner. Whatever you want.” His doe eyes are blown wide, bottom lip stuck out in a pout. Taehyung’s heart lurches in his chest over how adorable he is. He doesn’t even know if his lungs will give out before this conversation is over. 

“Jeon, just ask the kid out already. Don’t come up with some lame excuse like studying,” Hoseok comments with a smirk. 

This time, it’s Jeongguk’s turn to get flustered. His mouth opening and closing repeatedly as he attempts to hit the older Hufflepuff. “It’s not like that,” he sputters, glancing briefly at Taehyung.

Taehyung feels his heart sink a little but he should’ve known better, he supposes. He shouldn’t get his hopes up. This is Jeon Jeongguk he’s talking about, he’s no ordinary man. “I’ll do it,” he interrupts their bickering, “I’ll help you study.”

“Really?” The look on Jeongguk’s face is enough to convince him that this will be worth it. His face lights up a million watts as he grins at Taehyung. “Your brother is doing pretty well in the class too. It’s kind of surprising. He would never teach me though, you know him.”

His roommate blinks at that. “Seokjin? Divination? Doing well? Are we talking about the same guy who I heard literally ate his tea leaves last week just so he wouldn’t have to read them?”

Taehyung is going to murder his brother. 

Jeongguk snorts, crossing his arms over his chest and settling them on top of the table. The fabric of his sweater stretches around his built arms and he can see the dips of his muscles. Look away, Taehyung, look away. “Guess he had a change of heart,” he starts. “Anyways, Tae, are you free tonight? I have class tomorrow and it would be good to get a head start. The quiz is next week.” 

Another voice slips into their conversation then and Taehyung feels a tug on his shoulder and the tickling of platinum blonde hair on his cheek. “Sorry, Jeon,” Jimin lilts, “Tae’s a busy man. He’s booked for the night.” He’s slipped into Taehyung’s other side, an arm wrapped around his body. “We have chess and cards to play.”

“You suck at chess and cards,” Hoseok deadpans, “you haven’t won once against him.”

“Shut up, hyung, I’m getting there,” Jimin snarls. 

Taehyung turns to his best friend, the apologetic look on his face already eliciting a glare from him. “I mean, we can always play chess another day,” he suggests, feeling slightly guilty because academics are more important. He does want to spend a little more time with Jeongguk, but he also wants to make sure his friends—if Jeongguk even counts as one—pass their classes. 

“You’re really going to ditch your best friend for this guy?” 

“I’m not ditching!” Taehyung argues, “I’m rescheduling.”

“Fine, whatever, but you’re getting me a new, nice sweater for Christmas. Never thought I’d see the day Taehyung embraces his gay awakening and abandons me for a man.”

Taehyung gasps, “Chim!”

His friend’s face splits into a huge smile. “I’m kidding. I’m going to give his ass a beating next game anyway so he can’t be crying over two things at once. I want him to weep because of me.”

“In your dreams, Park, I’ll get you,” Jeongguk teases right back. 

“No, what you need to get is the snitch, bitch. Eyes on the prize.”

That same night, Taehyung finds himself guiding Jeongguk towards the kitchen. The elder has never wandered to this area of the castle and finds himself fascinated as they stand before large barrels stacked against the wall. Taehyung does a few rhythmic taps that opens up one of the circles, a passageway into the Hufflepuff dorms. They crawl into the room and find themselves in a small, cozy space that one can define as home.

Unlike the Gryffindor common room, the Hufflepuff space brings him peace. The pale brick walls complement the mustard couches and the smattering of greenery hanging on the walls. The ferns almost seem like they’re waving as they pass, its tendrils swirling and leaves bristling in the quietude of the room. Unlike the massive, cemented fireplace in the Gryffindor room, the same piece for Hufflepuff is much smaller and more similar to one that you would find in a muggle house. 

When he notices that Jeongguk hasn’t moved from where they first came in, standing and staring at his surroundings, Taehyung smiles. There’s something so cute about his interest. “Jeongguk, let’s go.”

The man seems to pull out of his reverie and scurries over to him, looking somewhat embarrassed. “Sorry about that,” he whispers.

“You don’t have to whisper nor apologize,” Taehyung responds before opening up yet another barrel that will lead to the boys’ dormitory. 

Similar to the common area, the Hufflepuff rooms are blanketed in honey sheets and patchwork quilts in the color of bees. Circular windows surround the room to let moonlight bathe the space. Plants of all shapes and sizes can once again be found on the windows, floors, walls, and even swirling around some of the bed frames. 

There’s a table set up off to the side further away from the beds. Taehyung tried to clean up earlier before Jeongguk arrived but there’s only so much you can do when his roommates are an absolute mess. He puts away some of the books on the table, a collection of overdue library pieces from Hoseok himself. Said man is currently out, clearly not returning said books, and instead socializing in the Gryffindor common room, which means they at least have some privacy to study for the night. 

“Sorry, it’s a bit cluttered,” Taehyung says sheepishly as they settle on the chairs at the corner of the table, putting a safe but comfortable distance between them, which is exactly how he likes it. 

Jeongguk chuckles, waving his hand. “This place looks spotless compared to my own room,” he shakes his head. Taehyung understands because he can’t for the life of him get Seokjin to tidy up back at home and the two unfortunately share their space. “It’s a nice change from the Gryffindor rooms though, all that red and grey gets a bit dreary after a while.”

“You’ve never been in a Hufflepuff’s bedroom before?”

The other's lips twitch as if he’s humored by a joke Taehyung is not privy to. “No, not a Hufflepuff. Until today, that is.”

He waits to see if Jeongguk wants to explain his amusement but, when he receives no added comment, he chooses to look down at his textbook instead. “Right. Well, we can get started. I can go over whatever materials you don’t understand and hopefully you’ll be an astrology whiz by the end of the day.”

“It’s not an exact science. I just don’t understand how we’re supposed to know all of this,” Jeongguk sounds utterly despondent, woefully staring down at the images of constellations and the blocks of text underneath. 

“Do you have an assignment for it? Maybe I can help you there,” he offers. Of course, he already knows what the homework is but he would rather let the elder bring it up.

Jeongguk tugs out a piece of parchment the professor had distributed in class. “We’re supposed to create and decipher our birth chart, whatever that means.” 

“Ah, okay, can you give me your birthday and time of birth? Perhaps also the timezone difference if you weren’t born in London.” Jeongguk recites it back to him and Taehyung flips through his book to identify the correct signs. He scribbles it down as Jeongguk watches him with great interest, big eyes zoned in on the way his hand moves across the paper. 

“You have really pretty handwriting,” the other murmurs quietly, his voice almost inaudible as Taehyung’s heart rate begins to pick up. 

He ducks his head, hiding his blush in the shade of his curling locks. “Thanks,” he whispers, licking his lips as his heart feels strung tight. Something about Jeon Jeongguk—his presence alone—has his breath hitching in his throat and his shoulders tensing. 

When he’s finally done, he slides the parchment in the other boy’s direction and waits as he absorbs the lines. “This entire thing is my chart?” Jeongguk gestures to the names of the planes and the signs. 

“Yes, they define different parts of you — how you interact with your environment and how you are as a person.”

“Noted, so tell me then what does this Sun in Virgo mean?”

Taehyung leafs through the book until he finds the referenced page. “The Sun focuses on your character, your personal identity. This is usually the sign that people refer to when they’re talking about astrology and your birth date. Solar Virgos are known as perfectionists, you’re always trying to improve things you already know and you try to master them. You’re probably pretty proud of how you do things, most likely even consider your way as the best way. But, of course, these are all general assumptions based on one part of your chart — it is not a comprehensive look at you who you are.”

By the time he looks up from the book, he finds Jeongguk looking at him with such intensity. He tips his head down to avoid his gaze, glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose as he clears his throat, willing the beating in his chest to quiet. “You got all that from my birth date and place?”

Coughing, he finally looks up and readjusts his frames on his face. Jeongguk’s eyes are still on him, warm and welcoming. “W-well, there isn’t an exact science to this and even I don’t believe it entirely. However, you’re right, that’s the general interpretation from your one sign.”

“What about yours? Do yours.”

At this point, the boy’s eyes are positively glimmering in wonder. He has seen the way Jeongguk struggles with astrology in class, dismissing it as mere guessing rather than actual analysis. A small part of him blooms with pride at having been able to show him how much divination can actually offer. He swallows and changes to his page. “My Sun is in Capricorn. It says here that I can see my future and plan for it, which means that I know what to do to achieve my goals. Capricorns supposedly value more practical things and don’t take a lot of risks.”

Jeongguk hums thoughtfully, propping his chin up on his palm on the table. He tilts his head curiously and squints at the younger. “Interesting, I can see that from you. You look like a man who has your future all planned out.”

Taehyung pinks, fidgeting. “I wouldn’t say that, but it’s reassuring that I at least present myself that way. What is it that people say? Fake it ‘til you make it?”

The laugh that bubbles up Jeongguk’s throat is delightful. “That’s such a muggle phrase, I’m surprised you know it.”

“Seokjin learns too much from you, I suppose,” he shrugs with a smile tugging on the corners of his lips. “He won’t stop saying it at home whenever mother scolds him for his cooking.”

Jeongguk gives a small shudder. “I’ve tried it. It’s not pretty.” He takes a deep breath before turning to him. “Back to the topic of you though. Do you have a set goal in mind? You’re almost a seventh year so you have to have thought about it. Do you know what you want to do after your last year?”

Honestly, while others are frantically piecing together the paths to their future, Taehyung has considered his options pretty thoroughly. He hasn’t exactly decided but he knows that his grades will bring him to where he needs to be, wherever that may be. He’s leaning towards one of his options, but he knows that there are still other things to consider, namely his parents’ opinion. 

“I have some ideas but I’m not entirely sure yet.”

The elder nods as he leans back in his chair, spinning his feathered pen in his hand. It’s something only the cool kids do. Jeongguk is cool. “Are you going to become an auror? All the smart students become aurors and you have the grades for it. You’re a shoo-in to ace your NEWTs, might even score all O’s.” 

For the tenth time that day, Taehyung feels his face flush a shade of coral. “My grades are okay.”

“Please,” Jeongguk snorts, “I’ve heard the way professors talk about you. All they have are praises for the brightest wizard of this generation. I also heard from a little bird that you earned the highest scores in your OWLs too.”

“Seokjin talks too much,” he mutters. He hasn’t told anyone else that aside from his family. Even Jimin doesn’t know.

“And you don’t talk enough,” Jeongguk points out with a teasing grin. “You’ve always got interesting things to say when I visit you and your parents, but you’re not very talkative at school.”

The elder has been in their home multiple times, sometimes over Christmas and other times for weeks over the blistering summer months. Although Taehyung is usually around those days, Jeongguk spends most of his time with Seokjin, either going to quidditch games (whenever his brother saves enough money to buy tickets) or goofing around in their open backyard. The two aren’t exactly friends after all. Taehyung has always only been the best friend’s brother. 

This is why Taehyung is slightly confused by what he means by ‘interesting things to say.’ All he does around him is bicker with Seokjin, usually when his brother picks a fight with him. Taehyung barely offers two words to the other boy and the only thing he knows about his life outside of school is that he has a muggle father and a wizard mother. 

Sometimes, Taehyung does get dragged along on their adventures, particularly when he was younger. His mother refused to leave him at home alone so Seokjin was forced to take him to Diagon Alley when he and Jeongguk went themselves. One summer, he was unfortunately pulled into one of their trips. He separated from them to visit his favorite secondhand bookstore while the two explored Quality Quidditch Supplies (big surprise).

There was something so comforting about the sight of cracked bindings on ancient books on the shelves, the smell of worn parchment of the pages, and the smooth texture with each flip on his fingertips. It was relatively silent since the school year was still a couple of months away so Taehyung was able to enjoy the solitude of the shop as he browsed through the titles. He was so engrossed in the thick volume in his hand that he hadn’t noticed Jeongguk appear behind him, chin hovering slightly over his shoulder and face inches away from his. When he felt the warmth of his breath tickle his neck, Taehyung had jerked away in shock. He nearly dropped the book as he whirled around and took steps back away from him. “W-what are you doing here?”

Jeongguk had only smiled at him. “We were supposed to meet outside five minutes ago. What’s got you so interested?” He gestured to the book in his hand.

“Just a book, let’s go.” He was about to tuck the book back into the gap when Jeongguk plucked it from his hand, staring down at the cover page. 

“Why aren’t you getting it?”

The Kims aren’t poor by any means, they certainly still get by. However, Taehyung doesn’t like adding unnecessary burden on his parent’s pockets. They already do so much to give him allowance for the school year. The book itself was three galleons but it wasn’t as if it’s required reading for class. 

“I don’t really need it.”

The elder had blinked at him a few times before heading straight for the cashier and dropping three gold coins into the old man’s hand. 

Taehyung gasped, “Jeongguk!”

“It’s fine,” Jeongguk grinned, ruffling his hair. “Jin’s treating me to ice cream so this is a little something for you. Come on.”

“Let me pay you back.” He pouted, reaching for his wallet.

Jeongguk’s hand covered his in that moment, halting Taehyung’s movements. There’s a gentleness to his touch that had Taehyung looking up at him with sparkling eyes. “Think of it as a late birthday gift, okay? It’s no big. You looked like you really wanted it and I really wanted to get it for you. That’s it.” He was still unsure about this, his reluctance and guilt evident in the frown etched in the creases of his forehead. “So, ice cream?”

Once. Taehyung would only be caving this time. “Thank you, Jeongguk.” He had just laughed it off, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as he led him towards the dessert parlor. Taehyung felt the burn of his touch for the remainder of the day.

As his mind wanders back to present time, he finds Jeongguk still gazing at him. “Did you end up liking that book by the way? It was a muggle book right?” Taehyung’s head shifts to the side involuntarily in confusion. “The one I got you that summer from Diagon Alley.”

How did he—does Jeongguk read minds too? How is he thinking about the exact same moment he is? Breathe, Taehyung. Jeongguk definitely does not read minds. Mind readers don’t exist, right? 

“No, it was about a wizard who lived as a muggle voluntarily for a year,” Taehyung clarifies, flinging away such absurd thoughts.

“For a pure blood, you’re surprisingly interested in all this muggle stuff.”

Taehyung takes a deep breath, glancing out the window where the full moon is illuminating the sky amidst twinkling stars. “I think there’s such a big world beyond our own. Growing up, I’ve only seen what it’s like to be a wizard, how easy life can be with magic. Wizards are so quick to label muggles as inferior because they don’t have our powers. But if you look around and really look at them, they’ve achieved so much in their lifetimes. They’ve created their own magic — look at their innovation in science and technology. They created transportation, subways, cars, and planes without the same resources we had. It’s incredible.” He really does think the muggle world is impressive. Feeble creatures, wizards would call them. However, their resilience is evident in how far they’ve come. While magic does give wizards a head start, muggles are catching up rather quickly. When he turns to look at Jeongguk again, the boy is observing him with this strange look of endearment. He must’ve been rambling judging by the almost pitying simper on the other’s face. Taehyung can’t help the way his cheeks redden again. “Sorry, let’s get back to studying.”

“Don’t be sorry, I like hearing you talk,” Jeongguk murmurs softly. The younger can feel his throat dry because he’s at a loss for words. Having Jeongguk — the Jeon Jeongguk — be so concentrated on him has him shifting nervously in his seat. Fortunately, the elder frees him from the tension when he continues. “Seems like you know a lot about divination. We’re thinking of putting a study group together since a bunch of us are horrendous at it. Do you want to teach us? We’ll obviously repay you in some way.”

Taehyung as the center of attention before the seventh years? He can barely form coherent sentences around Jeongguk. Put him smack in the middle of strangers and expect him to teach? He may actually faint on the spot. “I’m not that good of a teacher. I know a little bit about astrology but the rest is pretty foreign to me.”

“Give yourself a little more credit. I used to think astrology was complete bollocks until you practically gave me a full breakdown of my personality.”

At that, Taehyung chuckles. “That was only a part of you, Jeongguk. It probably barely scratches the surface of how you function.” 

“It still says a lot.”

“Well, I’d be happy to help whenever I can,” he sighs.

Jeongguk seems appeased by that answer by the way his lips curl into a grin. “Are you coming to the quidditch game in two days? We’re up against Hufflepuff.”

“Oh, probably. I won’t hear the end of it from Hoseok if I’m not there.”

“Nice.” He nods and pauses, shining eyes flicking up to meet his. “Maybe you should root for me too. You know, instead of just Hoseok.”

Something about the softness in Jeongguk’s voice has his words lodged in his throat and he can hear the rhythmic beating of his heart accelerating as he tries to decipher the meaning behind his request. Is Jeongguk flirting with him? No, that isn’t possible. This is Jeongguk he’s talking about. The best seeker Hogwarts has had in a long time, known as the headmaster’s favorite student, and is probably the most popular guy on campus. Why would he flirt with a nobody like Taehyung? 

To save himself the misery of misjudging the other’s sentiment, Taehyung quickly adds, “Yes, you and my brother.”

“Me and your brother,” Jeongguk echoes, his tone tinged with an emotion that doesn’t quite ease Taehyung’s worries. “Right.” He clears his throat, “so Saturn in Aries?” 

 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

There’s always something about the atmosphere in anticipation of a game. Students are bustling down the hallway, hurrying to put away their books and bags to snatch up a good seat in the stands so they can get a good look at the players soon to be zooming around in their brooms. They can practically hear the wind rushing in their ears and the ecstatic cheers that erupt into the air as their respective players enter the pitch. Taehyung is squeezed in between two of his roommates, Joshua and Mark. The two are almost as rowdy as Hoseok, which can be difficult to believe considering his friend’s default volume. They’re decked out in yellow paint along with signs printed with Hoseok’s name on paper hearts. Unfortunately, Taehyung himself had fallen victim to their brushes and now has yellow paint streaks across his cheeks to complement the yellow scarf tossed loosely around his neck to keep him warm. 

The weather is not on their side today. Dark clouds hover above them, weighing heavy with water that threatens to rain on their parade. The gloomy temperature does nothing to quash people’s spirits though, including the players who look readier than ever to beat their opponent. Prior to entering the stands, Taehyung had stood with his friends to high five Hoseok before he entered the field. He had also caught a glimpse of Seokjin and Jeongguk dressed to the nines in their long, maroon robes. Jeongguk looks absolutely dashing, but then again, when does he not? His brother had merely tousled up his hair as he thanked him for the small “good luck” Taehyung offered, but his best friend had flashed him this brilliant grin that has his pulse quickening. 

Given the distance, the players become a blur of yellows and reds whipping through the chilly air. They sit steadily on their brooms, going after each other to score points. Hoseok, being a chaser, manages to get his hands on the quaffle a few times. However, Gryffindor moves just as fast, catching up to their scores pretty quickly. Taehyung knows how much time his roommate dedicates to the sport. Hufflepuff isn’t exactly known for its athletic prowess with the red and green houses standing out much more as strong competition, but Hoseok has always been determined to prove them wrong. 

Taehyung’s eyes follow him warily across the pitch, his concern only growing as the first strike of lightning flashes in the distance. The echo of thunder comes only seconds after that and soon it begins to pour. Many of those in the stands don’t seem to mind, continuing to holler and cheer for their teams, which includes Taehyung who now stands drenched in his place. His eyes scan the field to identify those he personally knows — Seokjin, Hoseok, and Jeongguk. His housemate seems to be holding steady in his position, focused entirely on the game. Jeongguk is most likely somewhere off in the distance chasing after that golden sphere and he can only hope that the man is staying safe. Those on the field are now grappling to maintain their position on their brooms and Taehyung finally spots Seokjin when he hears his loud yelp carry in the wind. 

What really shakes him is when he sees a bludger head straight for Seokjin. The man is at the top of his game and manages to beat it towards Hufflepuff to knock one of their players over. Taehyung breathes a sigh of relief, but that feeling is short-lived when a sudden gust of wind rips his brother off his balance and sends him flying off his broom. 

He isn’t entirely sure what happens next. His ears are deafened, sounds muffled in the throes of his worry, only his brother’s cry ringing constantly in his mind. Blood is rushing through him, an odd combination of warmth and cold from the goosebumps rising on his skin. His heart lurches to his chest when he spots Seokjin somewhere close to the ground and he doesn’t know what happens until the man is being carried off the field. “I-I’m going to go,” he stammers to his friends before shoving his way past the other students. He’s running through the halls, which may have docked his house points if the professors were around, but the paths are empty and he goes straight to the hospital wing. He’s stumbling over his feet, leaving a wet trail as his uniform drips and flails behind him. When he finally bursts through the doors, he finds his brother laid out on the bed as whines slip past his lips. 

“Hyung!” He falls to the chair next to the bed, a frown marring his face. “Is he okay? Is it bad?”

Madam Pomfrey is fixing up his ankle, which he apparently twisted in his fall. The woman is trying to shush the injured player as he continues to complain about how much it hurts. “Tae, it really hurts,” Seokjin whimpers again. 

With a roll of her eyes, Madam Pomfrey only clicks her tongue at him. “It’s not anything serious, Seokjin. This happens to you every other game, how are you still crying about this?”

”I have a low tolerance to pain, Madam!” Seokjin bites back then lays back down with his bottom lip sticking out petulantly. 

Taehyung finally exhales, his senses returning as he understands that his brother is fine. “You’ll be fine. I was really worried, it looked like a bad fall.”

”It was a bad fall,” Seokjin growls, feigning an exaggerated wince as Madam Pomfrey wraps tape around his ankle. “But she refuses to give me any magical assistance.” The matron only gives him a miserable look as if she’s had to see this scene (and hear his argument) too many times before. 

Taehyung ends up staying by his bedside and keeping him distracted as the woman continues her expert movements to assist him. Seokjin being Seokjin is easily diverted by another topic beyond his pain. The man is already back to his normal, insufferable self in no time. Taehyung almost regrets being worried about him when Jeongguk starts cooing and pinching his cheeks because he’s “such a good little brother.” When they hear rumbling down the halls, they figure that the game is finally over. A splash of red comes running through the doors just as Taehyung had done earlier.

Jeongguk runs over to the group with a look that is all too pleased. He’s already creating a puddle on the floor with the way his quidditch uniform dribbles rainwater on the pristine floor. Madam Pomfrey isn’t too happy about it, but she’ll deal with it later. The boy laughs when he sees that Seokjin is indisposed but fully awake. “Glad you’re okay, Jin.”

”I’m all better with Tae right here,” he gives firm pats on his brother’s head, which earns him an irritated scowl. “Who won?”

”We did, of course.” Jeongguk sticks his nose into the air with pride, fists on his waist in a power pose. “Once I heard your cry of pain, I quickly caught that snitch and ran here. We can celebrate later tonight when you can thank me for saving your bum.”

Seokjin shakes his head. “You little shit, you owe me for giving you the spotlight tonight.” At that, the other just chuckles. “Anyway, can you please take my brother and get him out of my hair? He’s still drenched and refuses to leave me alone to get changed.”

Of all the lies he can tell! Taehyung is about to snap back that that was certainly not the case when his brother was the one pleading for him to stay and keep him company. However, Jeongguk nodding has him biting back his tongue. He supposes he won’t miss the chance to spend a little more time with the elder. “Alright,” Jeongguk agrees, “I’ll get him all warm.”

The walk back to the Hufflepuff dorms feels almost painless. The two are an odd combination — Jeongguk standing out and greeting everyone passing by while Taehyung ducks his head in the hopes that he doesn’t run into anyone he knows. “You know,” Jeongguk starts, jerking the younger out of his own thoughts. “I’m kind of jealous you’re not even the slightest bit worried about me.”

Taehyung blinks at him in genuine curiosity. “Why would I be?”

Jeongguk throws his head back with a laugh that comes straight from his belly. “Wow, that really serves me right. You’re pretty cold huh, Taehyung?”

”N-no,” he flushes, floundering to reason with his words, “I just mean you’re perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. You know my brother — one thing goes wrong and he acts like the whole world is against him. I’m constantly worried someone’s going to smack him for being too annoying.”

Jeongguk barks out another laugh in amusement. “Fair enough,” he beams, “it’s cute how much you worry about him. I mean, Seokjin getting injured isn’t anything new anymore, he can be quite reckless. But you’re always rushing to his side to make sure he’s okay. It’s sweet.”

Taehyung feels the flame lick up his neck. Despite the chill that covers his body, his heart feels unexpectedly warm. When they reach the pathway down to the kitchens, he clears his throat a little. “Well, this is me. Thanks for walking me back. You should get changed and warm up too.”

”Okay, I’ll see you at the hall for dinner?” Jeongguk asks, traces of hopefulness in his tone.

Out of pure surprise, Taehyung can only nod. His entire vocabulary seems to have evaporated from his brain. He wasn’t expecting Jeongguk to ask him to meet him for dinner, but the idea is not unwelcome. Instead, when he finally snaps out of his own obsessive rumination, he calls out to Jeongguk who quickly turns to face him. “Good game!”

And that smile Jeongguk gives him has butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

It’s strange to think about how people create new routines, new habits over the course of time. Jeongguk has only ever existed in Taehyung’s periphery, within arm’s reach, but not close enough to grasp. In his mind, he has always been a sort of untouchable diamond — a precious jewel that he doesn’t dare approach. It’s hard to imagine that in a matter of months the two are seeing each other practically every other day. They have planned study sessions twice every week, in which Jeongguk manages to distract Taehyung from the topic at hand and ends up having him spill his heart and mind out. When the younger starts quizzing Jeongguk on the meaning of certain images in a crystal ball, he would merely ask Taehyung what his favorite dessert at Hogwarts is or “so how did you and Jimin become friends?”

If you can hear the crack of the whip hitting his ass, you’ll know how Taehyung is much too endeared by Jeongguk to tell him no. By the end of their conversations, the sun has long set over the horizon and Hoseok is tossing his pillow at them — well, mainly Jeongguk — for him to go back to his own room. With colored cheeks, Taehyung would lead Jeongguk back to the Hufflepuff entrance and tell him, “Goodnight, don’t get caught.” 

A ritual, he considers it. He can’t say he minds it all that much because he learns more about Jeongguk’s life and dreams, the things he’s passionate about. Plus, Taehyung really can’t complain when the Jeon Jeongguk is showering him with attention. It feels almost flattering that someone like Jeongguk is giving him the time of day. Still, he knows he can’t get his hopes up. The elder is kind and friendly to all, there’s a reason why he knows nearly every student on campus. His feelings will stay buried for as long as it means Jeongguk stays by his side. 

Of course, these interactions don’t go unnoticed by none other than his best friend who’s too shrewd for his own good. To be fair, it isn’t as if they’re secretive about it. There are times Jeongguk walks by the Hufflepuff table and shoots him a wink (one that usually strikes an arrow straight through his chest and has him wheezing for a good few seconds). This explains why Jimin is settled next to him with narrowed eyes. “So, you and Jeongguk—”

The spoon drops from his frail grip. “W-what about me and Jeongguk?” He clears his throat, ducking his head and pushing up his sliding glasses. 

“Are you two, you know...” Taehyung purses his lips and Jimin gasps. “You are, aren’t you? I should’ve known from the start. That sneaky bastard.” 

“Jimin! No, it’s not what you’re thinking.”

”What am I thinking?” He wiggles his eyebrows mockingly.

Taehyung blushes. “Whatever it is you’re thinking, it’s not it. We’re...just friends.” 

His friend actually snorts, rolling his eyes for good measure. He spoons the soup into his mouth and hums to himself. “If friendship is what you think he’s after, then you’re not as intelligent as I thought you were, Kim Taehyung.”

“There is nothing else he’s after,” he says, voice trembling in his own uncertainty. Jimin obviously catches it when he shoots him a look. “It’s Jeongguk we’re talking about, Chim. Let’s not fool ourselves.”

”What? Why do you say that?”

It’s Taehyung’s turn to press his lips unhappily at his friend. “You’re kidding, right? You’re talking about one of Gryffindor’s strongest players and a guy who’s a shoo-in to make it big in the future.”

”What makes you think you won’t be doing amazing things after school? People in Slytherin would slit my throat if they heard me say this, but, Kim Taehyung, you are one of the brightest wizards I know. You’re an incredible person and one of the most thoughtful people in this entire institution.”

Taehyung shakes his head. “You’re in Slytherin. I’m the only thoughtful person you know.” Hoseok calls out a “hey!” from across the table. “Aside from Hoseok.”

”Touché, but that’s beside the point. What I’m trying to say is that you don’t give yourself enough credit. Jeongguk would be lucky to have someone as wonderful as you crushing on his stupid ass.”

”He’s not stupid,” Taehyung argues, “he’s actually a very fast learner.” Jimin huffs in defeat, knowing his words aren’t going to get through the man. “Thanks, Chim,” he adds softly. 

He knows Jimin means well, but Taehyung grapples with the idea of being good enough at times. After all, he often lives in his brother’s shadow. Seokjin was the all-rounder sibling, excelling in academics and sports. Not to mention, his easygoing nature allowed him to fit into the popular circles in Gryffindor. When Taehyung had gotten Hufflepuff, a part of him had felt disheartened thinking that perhaps he wasn’t as worthy as his brother to join the house known for its bravery and for the numerous star pupils it produced. But another part of him was relieved at the thought of finally being detached from his brother. It was a chance for him to stop feeling so competitive with him, feeling as if he was always going to be two steps behind him. 

Thus, when someone brings up the possibility of a person as incredible as Jeongguk — a person who Taehyung has always admired from afar — returning his feelings, it sounds like a cosmic joke. The universe can’t possibly have dealt him such a lucky hand. And you know what they say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

Jimin wraps his arms around him and nuzzles into his neck. “You’re too pure for this world, Tae. Please never change.”

”Careful, your affection might result in point deductions from Slytherin for being so out of character.” His best friend just shakes his head again, flicking Taehyung’s forehead. 

He feels a nudge on his other side which leads Jimin to release his hold around him. Before he even turns to see who it is, he already knows it’s Jeongguk. He’s grown so attuned to his presence, the mere essence of him being near has his hairs standing alert. “Jeongguk,” he blurts out awkwardly. 

The man of the hour himself smiles at him, glance fleeting to Jimin with an indiscernible look for a moment, which the other snickers at. “Hey, you,” he brightens, “how about an extra study session tonight? I still don’t really understand the moon signs.”

Taehyung hesitates, confused. ”You answered all of my questions correctly last night, Jeongguk.”

”Repetition helps with memorization, Tae. Thought you were the smart one between the two of us.” He bumps their shoulders teasingly. The contact has Taehyung biting his tongue and flushing slightly. 

Jimin chimes in then with a devious smirk that Jeongguk seems to glower at. “Poor Jeongguk, didn’t you hear? Taehyung has been inducted to the Slug Club since his fifth year. They have dinner tonight.” 

The Slug Club is this supposedly exclusive group of students handpicked by Professor Slughorn to add to his trophy shelf, students he believes will advance far in life and provide him benefits such as free quidditch tickets and op-ed space in the Daily Prophet. Taehyung had been invited when the professor saw how well he performed in potions, succeeding in creating even the most complex brews. 

“It’s just a dinner the professor wants to have to mingle with some of us, but we all know what Professor Slughorn is like,” Taehyung shrugs. The old man’s reputation certainly precedes him. Even the other professors know what he’s up to, but he’s too damn good of a teacher for them to criticize him for such behavior. 

Jeongguk nods slowly. “Bummer. Maybe next time then.” 

Taehyung kicks the strong urge to cancel on the dinner just to tutor the elder. “Sorry,” he says sheepishly.

”Don’t be, I’ll see you later, yeah?” He slides out of his seat and, with one final firm squeeze of Taehyung's shoulder, walks away. 

“Tae, one day, I’ll teach you how to play hard to get,” Jimin proudly announces. Taehyung can only roll his eyes and sigh. 

By the time evening rolls around, Taehyung has switched out of his uniform for a beige sweater layered over a white shirt to keep him warm. He fidgets uncomfortably with a loose thread as the professor goes around the room and begins asking questions. This mismatched group doesn’t make for interesting small talk and Taehyung almost regrets joining. However, he reaffirms himself that this is the one thing he’ll do outside of his comfort zone: he’s never been good at speaking with people he doesn’t know, so this is his opportunity to break out of his own bubble. So far, it’s not looking too great.

Before the main course arrives, the front doors open to reveal a mystery guest which the professor clearly did not prepare for—neither did Taehyung. Jeongguk steps in dressed in a turtleneck that emphasizes the broadness of his shoulders and jeans expertly ripped to look fashionable. Jeongguk chuckles lightly when he sees Taehyung’s jaw drop.

“Ah, Jeongguk, my boy!” Professor Slughorn is positively glowing when he spots the newcomer. “I’m glad you can finally make it. Please join us. Taehyung, won’t you scoot over to make some space?” He nods numbly and scoots his chair off to the side as the professor levitates another next to him. “We’re just about to eat the main dish — you’ll all love this, steak and potatoes! The good kind too.”

Taehyung manages to squeak out a small “hi” when the other slides into the empty seat. “You didn’t tell me you were coming when we talked about it at lunch,” he whispers low enough to avoid prying ears. Jessica next to him is leaning too close to comfort, obviously curious. Everyone on campus knows the obsessive crush she has on him. Then again, who’s Taehyung to judge when he’s in the exact same predicament?

“I usually don’t come, Slughorn’s been trying to get me to attend one of these for a while. But, I heard a certain someone was going to be attending so I figured I could give him some company.” Jeongguk’s lips quirk up and his eyes twinkle mischievously. Taehyung resists the smile that threatens to stretch across his face. He can’t look too happy now.

Over ice cream, which really are just giant sundaes oozing with chocolate syrup, Professor Slughorn continues to make small talk, asking students how they’re doing in classes. Some obviously had very influential parents, one whose mother is presently the most powerful auror and another whose uncle runs the wizards relations division of Gringotts. Taehyung is there because of his academic achievement. “Top of his class in every class, this boy,” Professor Slughorn brags proudly as if he were his son. Jeongguk huffs a laugh under his breath and Taehyung nudges him subtly with a light glare.

“And how’s your uncle, Jeongguk?” The professor asks, his tone dipped in a different sort of excitement.

The boy next to him tenses up almost immediately, hand halting his spoon midair as he coughs. Taehyung chances a look his way only to find his eye practically twitching, mouth stiff as he says his next words. “He’s fine, Sir.”

”Splendid!” He claps. “In case anyone doesn’t know, Jeongguk—”

”Would you care for tea, Professor? I can prepare it for after dessert perhaps,” Jeongguk quickly interrupts, the man’s words quickly dying in his throat.

Professor Slughorn is not a dense man by any means. He catches the hint almost instantaneously and drops the question, instead turning to Taehyung to ask him how his brother is doing and his studies for the NEWTs.

Although still naturally curious about the evaded question and Jeongguk now off to the side preparing a pot of tea, he drags his eyes back to the professor who’s staring at him expectantly. “My brother is doing well, Sir, and I’ve been keeping up with my studies.”

”I do hope you have time for other forms of entertainment, Taehyung. Being young is not a time to be frivolous, but it is certainly an opportunity to enjoy your youth. Don’t let it go to waste.”

“Taehyung’s a very good teacher,” Jeongguk’s voice next to him has him jolting. He didn’t realize the man had returned to his spot and is now offering a gentle smile to the younger. “He’s helped me a lot with divination.”

Professor Slughorn delights in this piece of information. “Ah, what a kind soul you are to be helping your peers. I presumed you would have your plate filled to the brim already with your own responsibilities, but you continue to go beyond my expectations. Have you thought about your future career? You only have next year left but I doubt your options will be limited given your excellent academics.”

Taehyung’s hand shakes ever so slightly whenever the professor brings out his grades. Amongst the group, he is perhaps the least impressive. He has his scores but he certainly doesn’t have an extensive family network that can benefit his professor. That and also it draws too many eyes his way when everyone is so fixated on his response.

“I was actually thinking of working in the Muggle Liaison Office.” Taehyung clears his throat. He notices the not so imperceptible gasps around the room, including the professor whose eyes are blown up the size of saucers, filled with both curiosity and disappointment.

His enthusiasm has clearly dwindled as he shoots him an almost pitiful look. “Ah, an interesting choice. Why have you chosen that…path?”

”Well...” He licks his lips nervously. “I believe there’s a lot we can learn from a world beyond our own.”

There’s a noticeable awkward silence that blankets the room then. His opinion is clearly an unpopular one, what with wizards having been raised to think that they are the superior breed with their magic. Their capabilities are undoubtedly light years ahead of the muggles after all.

Professor Slughorn chooses then to slice through the thick tension. “Always the open mind, Taehyung. Thank you for sharing.” He doesn’t sound like he means it. 

The rest of the dinner goes by rather uneventfully, the conversation falling flat soon after as people are eager to leave for the night. The professor must’ve sensed it too as he waved them goodbye on their way out. The other students dispersed into their respective dorms, but Jeongguk is walking alongside Taehyung towards the kitchens, despite Taehyung’s insistence not to. 

“I’m surprised,” is what the elder starts with as he keeps his hands clasped behind him, his head tilted up as he stares at the dark hallway ceiling in thought. The halls are empty at this time of night, the only sound that carries in the air are the hoots of owls outside, tree leaves bristling in the wind, and their footfalls. “I knew you were somewhat interested in muggles, but your plan to actually work with them is news to me.” 

Taehyung shrugs. “It’s not a fully fleshed out plan, honestly. My parents are supportive, but they also think I should be aiming higher or doing something more prestigious. I considered the Department of International Magical Cooperation, but politics isn’t my strong nor favored suit.”

“I don’t think it’s anyone’s aside from money grubbers,” Jeongguk agrees, “but I think muggle liaison will suit you. A good mix of books and badassery.”

A snort escapes Taehyung then, his eyes glints goodnaturedly at the other. “Badassery?”

“Badassery,” he confirms. “I really do think it’s amazing whenever wizards want to get involved with muggles. Because, you’re right, there is so much we can learn from them. I know I’ve learned a lot from my father — he’s known as a software engineer in the muggle world.”

Taehyung tests out the title on his tongue quietly. Software engineer. “What’s that?”

Jeongguk hums for a moment. “Think of it as a mechanic for technology.” He nods, pleased. 

If he were being honest, he doesn’t quite understand the comparison but the look of pure bliss on Jeongguk’s face has him swallowing his question, instead choosing to go with a simple “fascinating.” 

His mind can’t help but wander back to the earlier conversation, the question on the tip of the professor’s tongue before Jeongguk interrupted him. It’s a missing piece of the puzzle that he’s slowly creating to understand Jeongguk and he is perhaps letting curiosity get the best of him, but he has to at least try, right? “Hey, Jeongguk, can I ask something?”

“Depends,” he teases, an easy smile splayed on his pink lips. 

Taehyung hesitates for a moment, wondering how to best phrase his question. “Professor Slughorn mentioned your uncle.” Similar to earlier, he notices the way Jeongguk freezes next to him. While his feet continue to move, his back is straight as a board. “Who is he?” 

The other responds without an answer. The two of them continue down the hallway in a heavy silence that results in guilt weighing heavily on Taehyung’s chest. Maybe he has stepped too far. They’ve only just become friends after all. 

“Sorry,” he quickly adds, “I didn’t mean to pry. You don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable.”

Jeongguk looks up at him with an expression of sincere apology. “Yeah, sorry, Tae. Maybe next time. I’ll leave you here, yeah? See you around.” Without waiting for a response as he usually does, the elder turns on his heel and leaves Taehyung in the dimly lit hallway. 

The remorse doesn’t leave him the day after. When he replays the conversation in his mind, he doesn’t know why he even asked that question. Jeongguk had clearly been uncomfortable by the professor’s inquiry, what made him think that he would share it with him? For the first time in months, Taehyung feels thousands of miles away from the man.

It doesn’t help that they have divination that day. Taehyung takes the potion after his first class, allowing that familiar transformation to take over his body. He puts away his glasses and uniform, and replaces it with his brother’s outfit. The first time he’s seeing Jeongguk after last night and he’s not even himself. Perhaps this is an opportunity for Taehyung to gauge his thoughts on it. 

“Morning,” Jeongguk yawns when he drops into the seat next to him, his head dropping onto the table and causing the crystal ball to rattle slightly in its frame. 

“Good morning,” Taehyung replies as Seokjin and does his best to hide his nerve ends shaking inside of him. “How was your night?”

The elder scratches his head and sighs. “Long.”

“How was, um, the dinner with Professor Slughorn?”

Jeongguk turns and peeks an eye open. Even when his head is unruly with sleep, the man still looks absolutely stunning as his face peeks out from between the wisps of long black hair. “How’d you know I went to Slughorn’s thing?”

Shit. It’s the first time Jeongguk has ever gone after all. “Taehyung told me.”

“Huh, that’s pretty fast.” He shrugs. “It was fine. The usual. Food was pretty good though, you should join sometime.” His brother had been invited too? How did he not know this?

“Perhaps.” Taehyung clears his throat. Luckily for him, the professor starts class soon after. While Jeongguk is nodding off, he finds himself mulling over the conversation. It doesn’t seem that he’s upset so perhaps Taehyung has a chance at recovering their relationship.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t get the opportunity to test that theory when the two are caught up with different obstacles throughout the week — Taehyung with upcoming exams and Jeongguk with quidditch. They’ve postponed their study sessions indefinitely until they’re both back on track with what they need to do. It is only then that Taehyung realizes how  behind he is in his advanced studies. He’s already picking up books for his seventh year classes in preparation, but he hasn’t even touched them since he started interacting with Jeongguk, which isn’t a bad thing. Focus, Taehyung, focus. He just needs to find a good balance—yeah, a balance. 

He figures the library is the best place for him to completely concentrate. Hoseok has a few people over for games which means he would be inevitably pulled in if he stayed. Most of the tables are filled with students weeping over their textbooks or sleeping on them, nothing in between. When he finally gets to the back, he hears frustrated groans. He’s grown so accustomed to the man’s voice that he instantly knows who it is. “Need some help?” He leans over to see Jeongguk’s slumped figure on the table.

The man jerks back in surprise, doe eyes blown wide. “Tae, hey. I’m struggling just a little bit,” he admits embarrassedly.

“Do you mind?” He gestures to the empty seat next to him and Jeongguk only nods. Taehyung starts perusing over the homework, which he has obviously helped Seokjin complete since his brother wouldn’t stop begging him for it — “Tae, you have to help me. I barely pay attention in class.” “Maybe you should start actually attending it first.” Taehyung begins instructing him how to find answers in the book and helping him formulate his responses. “A lot of it with Professor Trelawney is adding a smidgen of exaggeration. Mix some truth into it and make it convincing enough that she’ll accept your answer.”

“Have I ever told you that you are almost quite literally a life saver?” 

When Jeongguk finally finishes his homework, signing off his name and slipping the parchment into his bag, he stretches and reaches back to press his fingers down into his shoulders with a guttural moan. Taehyung won’t lie and say that the sounds he makes doesn’t affect him, his stomach bubbling with something familiar as he feels a stiffening between his legs. “Tired?” He asks instead with a cough. 

“A little, practice has been tough so I’ve been really sore.”

“You should get lots of rest,” he murmurs, “keep your body in good shape.”

Jeongguk swivels his entire body to face him then, a smile dancing on his lips as his eyes sparkle with mischief. “You think my body is in good shape?”

The blush that diffuses across his skin is almost immediate. Taehyung pretends to scowl at him, because, let’s be honest, everyone knows Jeongguk has a good body. The man has been injured shirtless in the hospital wing and the number of people that came to visit had Madam Pomfrey sealing the doors off entirely. “You know it is. You don’t need me to say it.”

“I like hearing you say it.” He grins charmingly, full set of perfectly pearly white teeth in blinding view.

“Well, you’ve heard it,” Taehyung stutters, looking away at his textbook. He hears Jeongguk’s light chuckle as he flips his notebook closed. Silence falls between them then and Taehyung is all too observant of Jeongguk’s slightest movements, the shift of his sweater across his desk, his creaking chair scraping back on the wooden floor. Taehyung wets his lips as he thinks back to their last conversation as Taehyung and Jeongguk. Now is his chance. “Hey, I want to apologize again for the other night. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Raising an eyebrow, Jeongguk offers a look of genuine confusion. “Huh? About what?”

“Asking about your uncle,” Taehyung enunciates slowly, carefully.

“Oh,” he says flatly, “that.” He stretches back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest and shrugs. “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t mind, it’s natural to be curious. I’m sure anyone else would’ve asked me the same thing if they cared enough to. I just don’t like talking about him” — pause — “or thinking about him at all, really.”

Taehyung nods. “Fair, I do have some cousins who also make me feel the same way.”

Jeongguk’s lips twitch. “Are you really curious though?”

“Curiosity is a part of human nature,” he deflects, “but I’m always interested in learning more about you.” He stops and pinks when he realizes. “And about other people, obviously.”

A laugh slips past the other’s lips. “Obviously,” he echoes. “Well, if you must know and I prefer you keep it to yourself. He’s the minister.”

Taehyung blanks. “What?”

“My uncle. The minister of magic.”

Taehyung can feel his jaw physically drop. “Your uncle is the—”

“Don’t make me repeat it,” he jokes. “But yes, he is. He’s on my mother’s side clearly, which is probably why most people won’t make the connection given the different last name. First Asian minister so it was a pretty big deal—still is, I guess.”

He recalls the announcement a couple of years back. It’s no surprise that Britain is a melting pot of nations, but it isn’t as if they’ve always been welcome to foreigners (read: non-white people). When Cho Kangdae was announced as the new minister of magic following a series of terrible scandals from the previous one, the wizarding world had been split on the decision. There were some that thought he wasn’t qualified enough despite being one of the longest-serving and most influential aurors at the time. Similar to Rufus Scrimgeour, the man had been Head of the Auror Office prior to his appointment. However, the majority of wizards did rejoice because he was the first Asian minister. He does rule with a sort of iron fist, but many think he has had to in order to avoid criticism from the rest of the ministry. Taehyung remembers looking up to him as a younger wizard, seeing someone who resembles him in such a high position of power in the British ministry. He had also graduated from Hogwarts, which Taehyung is attending. It was a revolutionary moment for plenty. 

“Sorry, I’m just—I’m really surprised because I never knew and I’ve known you for so long. I never made that connection,” Taehyung gapes. 

“Well, that’s fair because I don’t like it being made public. He’s powerful, I’m well aware of that. He’s the reason why Slughorn is interested in me in the first place.”

At that, Taehyung scoffs, which elicits a look of surprise from the other. “That’s not the only reason. He knows how much you’ve achieved on your own as well, Jeongguk. Look at how much you’ve done—Gryffindor’s best seeker, an excellent student, and you’re Dumbledore’s favorite, which already gives you bonus points. Even without knowing the bit about your uncle, I don’t think anyone was surprised to see you there.” 

Jeongguk doesn’t respond to him then, but his lips curl. Taehyung feels as if he’s just laid out his entire hand in front of him and is left hanging, which leads him to feel almost bashful. “You’re sweet,” Jeongguk murmurs.

The other can’t do anything but open and close his mouth like a fish seeking water. He decides to merely wave it off, positioning himself so he’s not looking at Jeongguk so he can’t see how red his face is. “Anyway, your uncle does not define you. Don’t ever think that way about yourself.”

“Thanks, Tae.”

He takes a deep breath, sniffling. “Don’t be late to our study session next week. I’m going to do my homework now.” He’s about to collect his things and find another spot when Jeongguk catches his sleeve, looking up at him hopefully. 

“Stay here, do it with me.”

“Aren’t you done?” He quirks a brow.

Jeongguk pulls out his textbook from his bag again. “I’ll wait. I can catch up on my reading.”

Taehyung squints at him suspiciously. “You do your readings?”

The man only snorts. “No, but I can pretend to.”

To keep his sanity in check, he just nods and hides his smile in his textbook. Taehyung can only hope he’ll stay by Jeongguk’s side long enough to keep his heart warm for the winter. 

 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Something between them shifts after that. Their study nights are spent with Jeongguk pressed up against Taehyung’s side, their arms brushing and knees bumping as they giggle over a moving doodle Jeongguk makes on his textbook. He’s always leaning too close for comfort, but Taehyung doesn’t mind it all that much as long as he can’t hear the hammering inside of him. Now that Taehyung has learned something new about Jeongguk, something more intimate, there’s a feeling of mutual trust between them. Jeongguk talks a lot more openly about his family when it’s just the two of them, telling him about growing up mostly in the muggle world. His mother works as a ministry official while his father continues his job in London as a software engineer (Jeongguk definitely knows that Taehyung does not understand the phrase when the elder clarifies that his father codes and Taehyung asks if he’s a spy). They met when they literally bumped into each other on the street, Jeongguk says his parents called it “love at first sight” and he honestly believes it.

“They’re in love, which is great,” Jeongguk says, twiddling with his pen. “My uncle,” he pauses, “he thinks differently though. He thought my mom should’ve married a fellow wizard to keep the pure bloodline going. Obviously, my mother could not care less what her brother thought and went with her gut. And then there I was — first half-blood of the Cho family. I’m thankful I took my father’s last name — god forbid I turn out like my uncle.” Jeongguk swallows thickly. The younger watches him cautiously, noting that the other looks as if he has more to say. The two are still seated on the table in the Hufflepuff room, his roommates gone for the night once again. “He doesn’t like me very much, my uncle. Always have been an elitist piece of shit.” He chuckles bitterly. “I think that’s partly why I always feel like I have to go the extra mile to prove myself, why I don’t want my mother to think she’s made the wrong decision by choosing my dad and having me — which, to be fair, is a pretty shitty thing to think about my mother. She’s a wonderful woman, bonkers at times, but otherwise has never once made me feel unwanted. It’s just that feeling sometimes that seeps in when my mind is too loud at night.”

Taehyung isn’t sure what comes over him but he reaches for Jeongguk’s hands, enclosing them in his own. His thumbs rub circles on the back of his hands, a repetitive motion that he hopes can calm the other before he intertwines their fingers. “I-I hope I’m not stepping out of line here. I obviously don’t know your parents personally, nor your uncle. But Jeongguk, you were raised with so much love — it shows in how considerate you are, how kind you are to others. A lot of us aren’t born special, I don’t think any of us are really. It’s what you do with your life that defines who you are. Half-blood, pure-blood. Those shouldn’t be the things that matter. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, you’ve done so much already, Jeongguk. I hope that one day, you can start living for yourself. Be selfish, think about yourself. Ultimately, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone—it’s only you that you need to convince to have the life you want.”

There’s a weight that has been lifted off his heart as the words leave his mouth. He means it, he genuinely means it when he thinks that Jeongguk has gone above and beyond in his lifetime and yet he still has so many years ahead of him. It breaks his heart to know how he feels about himself and his only hope is to be a pillar of support for the man. Taehyung didn’t think that he could admire and adore Jeongguk more than he did, but he’s constantly proven wrong.

Jeongguk doesn’t respond for a few seconds, his eyes focused solely on their connected hands. The man brings their hands up to his lips as he places a gentle kiss on the back of Taehyung’s hand before bringing it up to rest it against his forehead. Taehyung’s heart skips a beat. “I feel like I’m always saying this,” he starts, taking a deep breath with his eyes closed, “but thank you, Tae.” 

It’s strange to see how Jeongguk changes his behavior following their conversation. While they’ve always eaten in the Great Hall separately, Taehyung finds him sliding into the empty space next to him almost everyday, bringing his lunch with him. He easily engages the Hufflepuffs around him, being the social butterfly that he is, but Taehyung doesn’t know how to respond to Hoseok and Jimin’s questioning glances either. When they’re eating, Jeongguk would pick stuff off Taehyung’s plate that he knows the younger doesn’t like, grinning as he does so. Even when he’s only studying alone, the elder would join him in his free time, leaning his head onto Taehyung’s shoulder. 

“What the fuck is going on?” Jimin asks at some point. He wishes he has an answer but he’s not entirely sure either. 

On their weekend trips to Hogsmeade, Taehyung tends to stick close to his roommates or Jimin when it’s just the two of them. Jeongguk starts bringing Seokjin along to trail after Taehyung, which his brother doesn’t seem too pleased about. What really takes him by surprise is the one time they visit Three Broomsticks. Jeongguk quickly takes the one spot next to Taehyung which leaves his best friend bristling obviously. They’re chatting amongst themselves, catching up on school, when Taehyung feels a warmth around his hand on the bench. He stills and drops his gaze down to find Jeongguk holding his hand. His glance flicks back up to the other who’s now looking at him as if requesting permission. Taehyung only swallows thickly and tries to refocus on the conversation. Unbeknownst to his peers, the two remained hand in hand for the rest of their time there — though he has a strong feeling that Jimin has a clue. 

One time, Taehyung is going over the fascinating interpretations behind tarot cards (although this still feels like a guessing game, it’s a lot more fun than deciphering leftover tea). He’s flipping open the cards in the table in front of him, doing the three-card spread to weave a tale of Jeongguk’s past, present, and future. “Bear with me here, I might not be entirely accurate so we’ll just have to work with this,” Taehyung says, tongue peeking out from between his lips as he concentrates on the predictions before him.

Jeongguk only nods, agreeing with whatever the other is saying as he’s more humored by the changing expressions on his face.

“Interesting, so you actually have three major arcana cards here. It means that you are experiencing life-changing events that will have long-term effects,” the younger recites almost like a warning. “The first card you see here,” he points to the one on the left, “it’s Strength. In terms of your past, I’m assuming it means that you’ve persevered with your strong will and determination to overcome obstacles in your life. Even if you sense the fear, you’ve always pushed through.”

When Taehyung glances at Jeongguk to check his reaction, he finds the other just nodding along. He hums but doesn’t comment on it so he’s hoping that he’s right.

”And the next is—”

”Lovers.”

”Lovers,” Taehyung repeats, his heart nearly halting at the thought. He swallows thickly and avoids the other’s eyes as he looks at the book. “This is your present and currently reveals that you have beautiful connections with your loved ones—this can be friendship or family, as well as a significant other. Being vulnerable and honest about your thoughts help to create a bond with those you seek to be closer to.”

This time, he doesn’t have the courage to even look at the other boy. What are the chances that when things begin to develop between them, when all the signs are there—what are the chances that this can be about Taehyung? He gulps down the lump in his throat as Jeongguk points to the last one. “What’s this one?”

He’s both relieved and disappointed that the elder has avoided addressing it, ignoring how his lungs tighten. “This is the Moon. However, it came out as a reversed moon. Let me see here.” He drags his index finger down the page until he finds the section. “This is your future so this card predicts that you’ll be dealing with your fears and anxiety. Burying your feelings and pushing them aside may work in the short-term but you do need to deal with your emotions head on to avoid such negativity.”

Jeongguk leans down on the table, stretching out one arm as he lays his head sideways on it and peers up at the other. “Hmm, facing my feelings. Is that something you can do, Tae?”

”Feelings can be quite tricky,” he admits.

”So, if I’m honest with my feelings, do you think you can be too?”

He can practically hear the blood in his ears now, the subtle ba-dump, ba-dump as Jeongguk stares at him with such sincere eyes. The man sits upright now and rotates his body to face Taehyung properly. “I-I think so,” he stumbles over his words quietly.

“And if I tell you I like you,” he stops, gathering Taehyung’s hands in his, “as more than a friend, how would you respond?”

Taehyung’s breath hitches in his throat. This is it. He can feel the enthrallment coursing through him, every vein in his body electrified with fear and anticipation. This is the moment he’s been waiting, hoping, praying for. The words are on the tip of his tongue but his voice, he’s not sure why he’s so on edge that he can’t seem to sound them aloud.

“Obviously, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable but—”

”No!”

”No?” Jeongguk raises an eyebrow.

“I mean, yes. In response to your question, I would say yes, I like you too.” He abruptly bites his tongue, wondering why he’s so foolish that he’s just rambling like an idiot. “...as more than a friend,” he finishes lamely.

Jeongguk’s eyes widen, brown orbs glittering back at him with such sincere joy. Strong arms wrap around him in an instant as he is pulled into an embrace that leaves his face buried in the elder’s neck. He can smell the familiar scent of oak and aftershave and mint toothpaste—everything that indicates that this is Jeongguk and...Jeongguk reciprocates his feelings. There’s a delay in his comprehension of the moment. When it sinks in that this is Jeongguk, the man whom he has always treasured from afar, who is holding him, Taehyung can feel euphoria bloom in his chest, spreading warmth all throughout his body as he finally gathers the strength to return the gesture.

“Hey, Guk,” Taehyung whispers into his neck, his face completely flaming in the heat of the incident.

“Hmm?”

“Can you pinch me?” He grunts, tightening his grip around Jeongguk. The other man just laughs quietly, asking him why. “This feels like a dream.”

Jeongguk pulls back then and holds him at arm’s length. He searches Taehyung’s eyes, looking for something, anything that tells him he’s joking. But of course, he gives him a soft smile. “This isn’t a dream, Tae.”

“That sounds like something you in a dream would say.”

Jeongguk chuckles again, leaning forward and closing his eyes. He feels his soft lips pressing against his temple, a brief but sweet gesture that brings the younger back to reality. This isn’t a dream. Jeongguk is real. And Jeongguk likes him. When he pulls away, eyelids fluttering open slowly, he exhales and asks again with a twinkle in his eye. “Now do you believe me?”

Taehyung, lost for words, just dips his head in agreement. “I can’t believe this is real.”

“Why can’t you believe it?” He slips his fingers in between Taehyung’s, placing them on the table so he can admire it underneath the fluorescent glow of the room.

“I mean, it’s you, Jeongguk. Never in my life could I ever imagine that you would notice me, let alone be interested in me.”

He scoffs, brows furrowing. “That’s ridiculous. How can I not notice you? You’re so sweet and so smart, everything I could ever ask for and more.”

“That’s what I would say about you! You—have you seen yourself? You’re perfect.”

“You put me on a pedestal, Kim Taehyung, and that worries me sometimes.” Jeongguk’s lips curve up but there’s a melancholic hint to his expression that Taehyung can’t fathom why. He reaches up and brushes the younger’s bangs away from his face, letting his hand settle on his cheek. “I like you, Tae, so much more than you can ever imagine.”

Taehyung feels like he’s on Cloud Nine and he doesn’t think he’ll ever be ready to come down.

 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

There isn’t a drastic change in their dynamic and Taehyung appreciates that. Jeongguk still joins them for lunch and dinner at times, Taehyung still spends plenty of time with Jimin, and the two still have their study dates (can he officially call them that now?), albeit with a little more physical intimacy than usual. This doesn’t fly over his best friend’s head and he teases him relentlessly for it.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m absolutely thrilled for you,” Jimin smirks, “I just can’t wait for all the stories to come out of this.”

“What stories?” Taehyung whines. Although the two are practically soulmates, his best friend would never pass up the opportunity to make fun of him. 

It is then that Jeongguk chooses to sit next to him. “Hey,” he says, eyes softening at Taehyung. He leans forward and Taehyung thinks he accidentally put his leg in wrong and is trying to regain his balance so he swerves away from him, giving him room to move.

However, he realizes his mistake when Jeongguk halts his movement and Hoseok starts cackling maniacally from across the table. Jimin is snickering to himself before he doubles over, wheezing as he tries to control his laughter. Jeongguk—oh Merlin—Jeongguk was trying to kiss him, wasn’t he? Oh god. He’s done it now.

“Jeongguk—”

“It’s fine,” the other presses his lips together, cheeks tainted red in humiliation. He keeps his hands to himself and avoids touching Taehyung then, and Taehyung knows he’s suffering the grave consequence of his action. He pales even more when Jeongguk gets up, apologizes, and excuses himself to join the Gryffindors at their table for lunch.

Unfortunately, his pain doesn’t end there. Jeongguk doesn’t try anything with him again afterwards. Despite how close they sit, despite the numerous opportunities he had to try again, Jeongguk just...doesn’t. He would still hug him and hold his hand, but he never crosses the line beyond that. What if he’s discouraged Jeongguk entirely of kissing him? What if Jeongguk never tries to kiss him again?

“Did I mess it up, Chim?” He groans, letting his forehead drop to the table with a thud.

Jimin chokes mid-laugh. “Serves that guy right for actually catching the snitch last game.”

“Chim!” He scolds him in exasperation. This is no time for jokes. This is his love life on the line. Or what’s left of it at least.

“Okay, okay,” the grey-haired Slytherin holds his hands up in surrender, “why don’t you make the first move if you’re so concerned?”

Taehyung blushes, lips pursing defiantly. “I mean, I’ve never—like I’ve never, you know.”

“Kissed anyone?” He can only flush again and nod. “Hey, that is nothing to be embarrassed about,” he scolds his friend sternly, wiggling a piece of licorice at him, “Jeongguk would love to have your first kiss. I’ve seen how smitten he is with you. So just go for it, I’m sure he’ll appreciate you making the first move too.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he mutters. Now, he just really needs to gather the nerve to take matters into his own hands. It’s one thing to profess his hypothetical love, it’s another to initiate a kiss with Jeongguk. 

The next time it’s just the two of them in the courtyard, they’re talking and sharing chocolates Jeongguk had picked up from Honeydukes. The air is warm without being too intolerable. His mouth tastes sweet and he hadn’t eaten anything gross earlier. The elder also seems to be in a good mood. 

This is it. This is his opportunity. 

“Jeongguk,” he says softly, voice carrying in the wind.

As he surges forward, Jeongguk turns at the exact same time and Taehyung doesn’t realize how fast he’s moving until he knocks against the boy’s teeth with his own. They immediately groan, clutching their mouths in the stinging aftermath of their collision. Oh god, he’s really done it now. He is absolutely mortified, turning scarlet to the tips of his ears, as he fusses over Jeongguk. “O-oh, Guk, are you okay? I’m so sorry.”

“Damn, Tae,” Jeongguk winces jokingly, “you really know how to make a guy feel wanted.” 

He can hear his heart drop to the ground with a clunk. “I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—” God, he’s never been so horrified in his entire life. He practically attacked the man. He needs—he needs to get out of here. “I’ll—I’ll see you later, okay.” Taehyung is quick to leap to his feet, narrowly avoiding Jeongguk trying to catch his arm and ignoring his calls to “wait!” as he hastens to his escape.

Not one, but two failed kisses. He may have officially earned himself the title of the worst non-kisser in the world. How in the world is he going to look at Jeongguk after this?

The answer to that question is he doesn’t. He doesn’t have to look at Jeongguk. Whenever he sees Jeongguk round the corner, he quickly makes a detour to steer clear of him. When he walks into the Hall and finds Jeongguk already at the Hufflepuff table with Hoseok, he figures he can delay his lunch for another couple hours. And he knows that Jeongguk is asking about him because it’s been days, but how can he look at the man when he’s failed him, not once, but twice? Jimin chides him whenever he drags him away from Jeongguk’s path. “You can’t avoid your boyfriend forever, Tae,” he shakes his head.

At this point, he doesn’t even know if they’re still dating.

Having been so caught up in the whirlwind of everything, Taehyung realizes he hasn’t exactly been the best student so he decides to hole himself up in the library where no one can distract him. Unfortunately, one cannot escape one’s self. His mistake from the previous week still plagues his every thought, sinking deep into his bones and reminding him of how stupid he was. He currently has his forehead pressed against his textbook on the table, internally repenting for his sins. What has he ever done to deserve such embarrassment? What’s he going to do now? Jimin’s right, he can’t avoid Jeongguk forever—

“Seems like a hard-hitting read.”

Taehyung actually knocks his head into the book in his initial surprise as he struggles to pull himself up. He whirls around to find the Gryffindor smiling at him. He must look ridiculous with his forehead the color of a tomato from having it stuck to the pages and his hair disheveled since he can’t be bothered to brush it these days. “G-Guk,” he stammers.

“Hey, mind if I sit with you?”

Jeongguk doesn’t exactly wait for an answer before he sits himself down next to Taehyung anyway. Still, he responds with a weak, “No, go ahead.” He turns back to his book, fingers fiddling with the corners of his pages as he pretends to read it. All of the words are going straight through him, none of them sticking in his preoccupied brain. He’s too aware of Jeongguk next to him, his warmth is familiar. It reminds him again of the entire fiasco. He needs to leave. He needs some room to breathe. He’s pushing his chair back with the hope of getting his, pardon his French, shit together when he goes to grab a book. Jeongguk does seize his wrist this time. There’s a look of worry etched onto his expression that has Taehyung’s heart aching.

“Where are you going?” His voice is small. Nothing like the usually confident Jeongguk.

“Um, I’m going to get a book for potions,” he quickly comes up with an excuse.

Jeongguk slides out of his seat too. “I’ll come with you.”

“You don’t have to.”

He looks at him with those dark eyes, something akin to determination brewing in them. “I know, but I want to.”

Taehyung doesn’t think his heart can take it if he maintains eye contact when Jeongguk looks that serious. He can barely look at him when he’s smiling. The solemn look on his face may actually stop him from breathing altogether. He nods and begins walking down the shelves until he gets to the potions section. He doesn’t even know what he’s looking for and instead acts as if he’s scanning the titles for a specific one. When he finally decides on one, he plucks it out of the shelf, whirling around to tell Jeongguk he’s found it.

However, the elder has closed in on him, stepping closer until his back is pressed up against the shelf. Jeongguk’s hands cages him in, arms stretched out and hands planted firmly on the bookcase. Taehyung swallows, a question hanging on his tongue when Jeongguk ducks his head to whisper in his ear. “Is this okay?”

Those three words alone has shivers snaking down his spine, a pleasant and foreign tingling that has him stiffening. “Um, yes, but why are we—”

“Can I kiss you?”

Taehyung’s mouth dries immediately, throat parched as he struggles to comprehend the magnitude of the situation.

“It’s okay if not,” Jeongguk continues low in his ear. “You just need to tell me and I’ll back off.”

He doesn’t want that, not in the least. “No, I mean, yes. You can. It’s okay...to kiss me.”

The man’s shoulders seem to deflate slightly, relief flooding every inch of his being. It only takes him a second before he dives in and captures Taehyung’s lips with his. He can taste a tangy sweetness on Jeongguk’s lips, a pleasant flavor that reaches his tongue. Jeongguk’s hand slides down to cup the back of his neck and pull him forward. The two are of similar height, making it all too easy for Jeongguk to keep him in place as he slowly, tentatively moves his mouth against his.

Taehyung likes this. He enjoys kissing a lot. He enjoys kissing Jeongguk in particular. His lips are so soft and, when Taehyung peeks an eye open, the boy’s are closed and his lashes are brushing gently against his cheeks. There’s a carefulness in Jeongguk’s movements that has Taehyung feeling protected and safe. He wonders if Jeongguk is this cautious with everyone he kisses or if he’s doing it for Taehyung’s sake. Either way, he certainly appreciates it. He can hear his heart thundering, every pulse ringing loud and clear. It feels as if their heartbeats are synced.

Perhaps the romantic fairytales he read are closer to reality than fiction. He can almost hear birds singing in the background as Jeongguk kisses him deeper, a fervent urgency combined with slow passion. The man’s palm is warm against his neck and the other slides down to tug him closer — as if there was even any room left between them to begin with. 

When the time finally comes for air, they pull away slowly and, even then, Jeongguk keeps his hold on Taehyung. His hand still placed firmly on the back of his neck and the other that had fallen to his hip squeezing lightly. Jeongguk leans his forehead on Taehyung’s shoulder, his hot breath against the other’s skin causing shudders to run through him. “Are you okay?” Taehyung whispers, his own tone shaky as a result of what had just happened.

“Yeah, give me a minute.”

Taehyung decides that the silence is probably preferable as Jeongguk still breathes heavily against him. However, when Jeongguk still doesn’t move after a couple of minutes, Taehyung asks again. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Fine, just have to wait it out.”

“Wait what out?”

Jeongguk looks up at him then, an expression on his face that can only be described as pained with a hint of desperation. “You really don’t know what you do to me, do you?”

The situation still puzzles him. What does he mean, wait—oh. Oh. The realization settles deep in his gut seconds later and it bubbles up a strange feeling inside of him. “Um, r-right. Okay, I’ll wait.” He clears his throat.

His shoulders shake lightly with a chuckle. Jeongguk takes a deep breath, staring straight into Taehyung’s eyes once more, searching for something, before he straightens. “Let’s go. You need to study, right?”

“I was just reading ahead, it’s nothing urgent.”

The elder smiles meekly at him. “You’re so smart. Why did you ever choose to date me?” He slips his fingers through Taehyung’s quietly as he leads him back down the path to their table. 

“What are you talking about?” Taehyung frowns, “You’re you. Everyone wants to date you.”

“That’s not true. Have you seen yourself?” Jeongguk retorts, rolling his eyes. “I’ve seen the way Bogum from Slytherin looks at you. I don’t like it.”

Bogum? Taehyung barely interacts with him aside from the few times he joins him and Jimin. He honestly barely exists in his periphery so he doesn’t understand why he sticks out to Jeongguk. Bogum has said hi to him once or twice when Jeongguk was around but there was nothing beyond that. “He’s just a classmate.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he sulks, bottom lip sticking out childishly, “you guys seem close enough. You don’t seem to have any problem talking to him, but I feel like you always freeze up around me. Or you just don’t share a lot of things with me.”

Taehyung really wants to argue otherwise. He does share with Jeongguk, things that he’s only told Jimin or Hoseok about. Nevertheless, he can’t help that he’s not as chatty around him. It’s because, again, he’s Jeongguk. He’s always looking to impress him and he doesn’t want to risk embarrassing himself (Exhibit A and B: the two failed kissing attempts). “Well, that’s because you’re different. You’re...not just a friend.”

Jeongguk looks mildly surprised at that. It doesn’t take long before his mouth stretches into a grin and he leans forward to peck him on the lips. “Fair enough.” And Taehyung is blushing again for the hundredth time that evening.

Since then, Jeongguk feels much more comfortable with his public displays of affection. He never fails to hold his hand under the table, lean close enough that his breath tickles Taehyung’s neck. When he’s feeling particularly brave, he even goes in for a kiss on the cheek (and at times on the lips). In those moments, Taehyung’s hand instinctively touches where Jeongguk had left his lingering warmth. “See you later,” Jeongguk would whisper before getting whisked away by others.

In those moments, Jimin would also gag.

“You guys are sickeningly cute,” his best friend blanches, giving a full-body shudder for good measure. Taehyung ducks his head to hide his elated grin.

Because Jeongguk had brought up Bogum, Taehyung starts looking at the man a bit differently too. He joins them from time to time but, ever since Jeongguk started sitting with them, the man also makes an effort to integrate himself into the Hufflepuff table. The Hufflepuff table ends up spotted with a myriad of shades from the varying houses. Slytherins would most likely burn their table before they ever let other colors bleed into theirs.

“Don’t you have your own table to sit at?” Jeongguk sneered at him once, purposefully wrapping an arm around Taehyung’s shoulders while he’s studying.

Bogum had scowled at the move. “Could be asking you the same thing, Jeon.”

“Will you guys quit it?” Hoseok grumbles exasperatedly, “You’re radiating all this negative energy, it’s terrible for my mood.” Other Hufflepuffs around them seem to glance in agreement, but offer no additional input.

Taehyung feels the guilt nip at his skin. He is the reason the two of them are here, but it’s disappointing because he does like doing his reading in the company of his housemates. “Jeongguk, don’t you have class to prepare for? Bogum, I heard Jimin’s looking for you to go over the strategy for next week’s quidditch game.”

Both of them don’t seem to hear him, still glowering at each other in annoyance. He sighs and Hoseok offers a sympathetic look. He elbows Jeongguk lightly and his boyfriend turns to him, frown still imprinted on his forehead until he sees Taehyung, then the creases melt away into a soft smile. “Yes, baby?”

“Class?”

Jeongguk gets the hint then and nods. “Right, I’ll see you later. Bogum, get out of here too.”

“I don’t have class,” Bogum raises a challenging eyebrow.

“Bogum,” Taehyung exhales again.

The other man grits his teeth and nods. “Fine, let’s go, Jeon.”

Jeongguk turns to Taehyung one last time. With an arm still holding him close, he leans forward to swoop in for a kiss, his mouth moving slowly against his and his tongue swiping along his bottom lip. Taehyung lets out a small gasp which allows Jeongguk to slide his tongue in, stroking his boyfriend’s slightly before the younger finally places his palm flush against the other’s chest. They’re still in public after all and the last thing he needs is for Hoseok to mock him for it. He gently parts from him, breath seizing in his throat. “C-class,” he stutters again.

The elder seems proud at how frazzled Taehyung looks, lips swollen and gaze hazy. “See you later, baby.” He strokes his cheek one last time, throws a smug grin in Bogum’s direction, before sashaying out the door. Hoseok lets out a low whistle in the background.

This isn’t the first time Jeongguk’s gotten bolder in front of others. Sometimes they would sneak off down hidden corridors and dark hallways, places where even the ghosts don’t wander into and no paintings adorned the walls. Jeongguk would press Taehyung up against a surface, the younger’s complaints gone with all rational thought when their lips collide.

Taehyung barely registers what happens most of the time with the other speedily taking control of the situation. He has his hands cupping the other’s cheeks as he mouths him hungrily, a delicious sort of determination that has wanton desire pooling between his legs. He’s never felt such intense sensations before, never imagined that he would have Jeongguk leaving wet kisses along his jaw, nipping the sensitive skin of his neck. The only thing he can do in these situations is give into the temptation. After all, who can say no Jeon Jeongguk? 

His hands find purchase in Jeongguk's hair, tangling in the silky strands and tugging whenever Jeongguk touches a particularly erogenous part of him. And when he does, Jeongguk releases this gravelly moan to indicate his satisfaction.

Jeongguk’s leg would slide in between Taehyung’s and his groin would be pressed up against the tense thick thigh through the two layers of clothing. He can feel the muscle underneath stiffen every time Taehyung seeks some sort of release, unknowingly grinding down himself on his limb. “Gods, you drive me crazy,” Jeongguk groans in his ear, the hand in his hair tilting his head to grant him more access to his neck. 

It’s not as if they choose to do such provocative things in public places, even if Jeongguk may disagree on this. With exams for the semester coming up, his roommates have been cooped up in their shared space to cram as much as they can. Similarly, the last thing he wants is to risk Seokjin catching them in the act in Jeongguk’s shared room. He really does not need his brother knowing more than he needs to about his life. 

Unfortunately, their recklessness leads to grave mistakes—in this case, it comes in the form of Filch catching them in the act. Jeongguk is loosening up his boyfriend’s golden tie and leaving a trail of wet kisses down his neck, while Taehyung is so engrossed in the sensation, eyes closed, that he doesn’t hear the footsteps approaching them. It isn’t until he hears the dismayed yelp carry down the hall that he snaps out of it, whipping around to see the caretaker hurrying towards them to scold them. Jeongguk is laughing as he wraps his hand around Taehyung’s and tugs them away from the man and his evil little cat. 

It feels like a wake up call to the younger. He can’t risk his academic standing nor his reputation with his professors by getting found doing such illicit activities in every nook and cranny of the castle. These days, he finds himself placing a hand on Jeongguk’s mouth to stop him before he goes too far. This is obviously unwelcome to the elder who pouts in disappointment. 

The lack of physical contact seems to amplify Jeongguk’s restlessness, including towards his situation with Bogum. “Wait.” Jeongguk pauses in his tracks, “Are you studying in your room?” Taehyung has just informed him that he has agreed to help Bogum study for potions. 

“No, his. Hoseok is planning to have friends over and I figured we can focus better at his place.”

“Why don’t you go to the library then?” Jeongguk scowls, clearly displeased by the idea of his boyfriend in some other boy’s room. 

“Bogum says we probably can’t discuss things as much because we’ll have to be quiet.” Jeongguk mutters something along the lines of the bloody hell does he want space to make noise for anyway. “It’ll be fine, we’re only going to be studying,” Taehyung tries to reassure him, squeezing the other’s robed arm. 

Jeongguk sighs. “I trust you, Tae. It’s him I don’t trust. He’s a snake after all.”

“Be careful who you’re complimenting, Jeon,” Jimin grins as he slides in across from Taehyung. “We Slytherins take pride in our serpent friends.” 

Jeongguk only rolls his eyes, choosing to focus on his boyfriend. “Anyway, why don’t I join you guys? We can do it in my room instead—or in the library. I’m sure either will be fine.”

“But we’re studying potions,” Taehyung tries to argue.

“I am taking potions for NEWT and I can always use extra studying time with someone much smarter than me—which is you, not Bogum.”

As if he wants to intentionally add fuel to the fire, Jimin grins. “Bogum is smarter than you, Jeon. Better be careful.”

“Why are you still here again?”

“Don’t shoot the messenger for delivering the facts,” he shrugs.

Taehyung sighs exasperatedly, he wonders how the two have managed to coexist this long prior to this. However, it seems that his boyfriend (he’s honestly still getting used to calling him that without tripping over the word) is very determined to insert himself into a platonic study session. “Alright, fine. Let’s do the library. I’ll tell Bogum.”

The trio end up squeezed into a table in the back of the library. Expectedly, the two seventh years are glaring daggers at each other, barely sparing a glance at their textbooks that Taehyung has so courteously opened for them. Despite his attempts to get them to focus, it was futile as they bicker about everything and anything. Jeongguk has his rightful place next to Taehyung and Bogum was irritated that he had to sit across from him, and he makes it very clear by his snaps at Jeongguk. “Nobody invited you, Jeon. The least you could do is sit at the far end of the table.”

Jeongguk is about to scowl another response when the youngest of them finally huff, slamming his own book closed. “If neither of you are going to study, I’m leaving.” That manages to pause their fighting for a little bit, enough for Taehyung to cover a few chapters before the two are once again distracted. 

He decides to call it a night when he realizes that they’re basically wasting his time. Taehyung appreciates the chance to spend time with Jeongguk but he doesn’t like doing it under the guise of studying, especially when none of them get any done. Even when Taehyung tells them he’ll be returning to his dorm, they use it to argue some more on who will be walking him back. At this rate, he would rather go alone than listen to them chatter. Perhaps quidditch has made them too competitive. They’re really treating Taehyung like another object to fight over. 

“Will you guys stop?” He finally whirls around, catching them both off guard. “It’s late and you’re going to bother everyone else.”

Thankfully, that shuts them up. 

When they finally reach the kitchens, Jeongguk steps up to Taehyung and pulls him into his arms and plants a deep kiss on his lips. He almost instantly melts into his hands, body turning into putty as he closes his eyes. The elder is pushing his tongue in and Taehyung can only gasp, granting him access. It feels like hours before they part and, by the time they do, Taehyung is breathless, Bogum is furious, and Jeongguk is smirking. “Goodnight, Tae,” his boyfriend leaves him with a chaste kiss on his cheek before dragging the other boy away. 

“Um, goodnight” is all he can say in his daze as Jeongguk drags the grumbling man away into the distance.

 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

It’s too soon for Taehyung to get comfortable in the relationship. If he thinks the kiss is a hurdle, what he’ll be facing next is a gigantic brick wall. It’s not as if he’s never thought about it—of course, he has. From the countless times they’ve tucked themselves away into corners in Hogwarts, Jeongguk’s lips on his, his hands searing heat into every inch of his skin, he has continuously thought about when. When will it happen? How will it happen? Does he want it to happen?

The simple answer is that yes, he does want it to happen. When the time comes, he’s more than welcome to letting it happen. That moment comes sooner than expected when they find themselves alone once again in the Hufflepuff dorm. Hoseok had gone off to Hogsmeade with a few others and certainly won’t be back until much later, which means they have the room to themselves for a sufficient amount of time. 

The two are sitting on Taehyung’s bed, both of them cross-legged before this stack of comic books that Jeongguk has brought in. The titles and artwork are all unfamiliar to him, but then again Jeongguk did say that these are all products of the muggle world. 

“Brought you one of my favorite series. The Avengers. They’re like people but with powers.”

Taehyung pauses, “So like wizards.”

“Not necessarily magic, just...superhuman abilities.” 

“Oh, like what?”

“This guy can transform into a massive beast.” He points to the scrawny man with glasses then drags his finger to another guy with really long hair. “This guy is literally a god. Then this one is super strong with an even stronger shield. This one—hmm, he has an iron suit.” 

Taehyung tilts his head curiously. “Looks like a tin man.”

“I am almost offended but I’ll let that comment slide,” Jeongguk jests and the younger flushes in embarrassment. “Anyway, yeah so this comic follows all of them. And this series is so popular, there are so many movies made from it.”

Now, movies, he’s definitely heard of. They’re these moving pictures but really long moving pictures, not like the shifting photographs on the Daily Telegraph and in photo frames. It’s a form of entertainment for humans and he’s always wanted to see one but he’s rarely ever in the muggle world. 

“Maybe next time we’re both in London together, we can watch it together.” The thought of future plans with Jeongguk is heartwarming and he can’t help the bubbling thrill in his stomach. Jeongguk swallows and glances back at the pages, begins flipping through them as they read quietly side by side, shoulder to shoulder. Taehyung makes comments once in a while, asking questions about what’s happening. The concept of superheroes is new to him and he doesn’t have quite a good grasp on it. A lot of his questions end up making Jeongguk laugh, which is a delightful sound in and of itself.

“So why does he turn green when he grows bigger? Was that part of the potion he drank?” or “Getting bitten by spiders turns you into a half-spider, but only on the inside?” Taehyung thinks of these as genuine, technical questions. Jeongguk chuckles lightly, only reminding him that this is all fiction and it isn’t real.

They shift around on the bed to find a comfortable position to read in, flipping between lying on their backs and finally ending up on their bellies on the bed. Taehyung is giggling over a scene, completely unaware of the way Jeongguk watches him from the corner of his eye. The man is attentive to the younger’s reaction, how his eyes light up brilliantly like the glow of the moon shining through a cloudy evening. 

By the time they flip through the last page on the stack, Taehyung still has more questions.

“So are these people—superheroes—the bad guys?”

“What makes you say that?”

Taehyung lets his finger run across the pages, across the destroyed infrastructure and involuntarily flying cars. “They’re destroying all these things and people look scared.”

“Ah, well, that’s the price to pay to save the world, you know. There are aliens attacking, after all.”

“Seems like a high price to pay,” he mutters, still puzzled why they would let such destruction happen. “If the superheroes weren’t here, then the aliens wouldn’t come either.”

Stroking his chin, Jeongguk hums thoughtfully, “Fair point. See, this is why I like going over things with you. You notice everything.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” He blushes. 

The elder stares at him in awe the entire time, an arm sliding around his waist to tuck him closer so their bodies are flushed against each other. Jeongguk leans in close, Taehyung’s heart picks up. He can practically hear the thudding in his ears, feel the burn of his skin against the other man’s, Jeongguk’s breath fanning warmth against his cheeks. “Jeongguk—”

“Can I kiss you?”

Taehyung gulps down the bundle of nerves in his throat but nods. He lets his eyes slide shut as Jeongguk moves closer towards him, as his lips brush lightly over his. The softness is a complete opposite of the exploding fireworks in his stomach. He can’t help his instincts eagerly pushing himself harder against Jeongguk. There’s electricity crackling in the air as their mouths move against each other, tongues tangling and twisting. Jeongguk moves them without pulling away, his lips are still keenly chasing after Taehyung when they flip over with him on top. With Taehyung’s head on a pillow and Jeongguk’s arms on either side of him, he feels like a caged bird in the hands of a predator. But he doesn’t think he wants to be anywhere else as he relishes in the feeling of Jeongguk’s hands all over him. The man is loosening his tie, tossing it aside easily as his fingers begin deftly unbuttoning his shirt. 

His lips trace a trail of fire along his jaw, nibbling down to his neck where he laps at the skin hungrily. Taehyung allows little moans to escape him as he feels himself thicken in his pants. Jeongguk doesn’t waste a single second, his palm pressing up against the younger’s bare torso. With every touch, Taehyung feels his entire body burst into flames. He’s whimpering as Jeongguk begins kissing his way down his body. He pauses on his chest, gaze flicking up to make sure Taehyung is okay before his tongue darts out to tease the sensitive buds. He lets the muscle circle his nipple, teasing them, as his free hand toys with the second. His lips close in around the tip, sucking lightly, just enough to have Taehyung’s fingers tangling in his thick locks. 

There’s something so intimate in the way Jeongguk carefully maneuvers himself around Taehyung. He’s so bold in his movements, but at the same time, he never pushes him past his limits. Taehyung’s never played with his nipples before, never thought they could be such a pleasurable part of him. 

“J-Jeongguk,” he hiccups, “I’m—gods, I’m so—”

“I know, baby,” Jeongguk murmurs into his skin, “relax. Let me take care of you.” All of his muscles are strung tight, his entire body tense with anticipation. He doesn’t know how Jeongguk expects him to relax when his insides are twisting with such potent desire. 

Jeongguk continues his journey southwards until his face hovers over the fabric of the man’s pants. He quickly works the slacks off his legs, carelessly throwing it aside again. That’s a problem for later. His breath is hot against the thin material of Taehyung’s briefs. His cock is pressing up against the layer, practically begging to be freed. He’s almost embarrassed to see Jeongguk so close to such a private part of him, he never thought this was how the night was going to turn out — otherwise, he might’ve worn something better, newer. 

His hands unconsciously shift towards the bulge between his legs, attempting to cover it. However, Jeongguk growls, stopping his movements as his heart skips a beat, and uses his own hands to pry the younger’s hands away from his own body. “Tae, fuck. I wanna taste you so bad,” he nearly whines, nuzzling his nose against the hardened length beneath his briefs. 

Taehyung swallows back a whimper as he wills himself to calm down. He hasn’t touched himself in so long, has always had Jeongguk to wind him up, but never finish him. Now that he’s so close, his mouth ghosting over his cock, he doesn’t know how to respond. All he wants is for Jeongguk to touch him, devour him. 

The elder teases the hem of the shorts before impatience takes hold of him and he swiftly removes the last piece of material covering him. With Jeongguk fully dressed, Taehyung feels shy underneath his prying gaze. The man is staring down at him with such apparent hunger in his eyes, his hands smoothing along Taehyung’s smooth, tan thighs. “G-Guk, please.” 

“Please what?” His glance snaps up again, meeting the desperation clouding Taehyung’s irises. 

“I just—I need you,” Taehyung begs. He’s unable to find the exact words, too humiliated to even ask him for what he considers such a large request. 

Jeongguk licks his lips. “Use your words, Tae. I want to hear you say it.”

He wants to weep, his heart is wrung so tight. Breathless, he stuffs down his pride and lets the words leave his mouth. “C-can you please suck my cock?”

The groan that escapes Jeongguk’s lips is almost immediate. Such filthy words leaving his boyfriend’s innocent throat should be unlawful. “Don’t even have to ask twice, sweetheart,” Jeongguk says as his hand wraps around the length.

Its effect is instant, Taehyung bucking up slightly as he lets out an indecent cry. He feels both relief and need pulsating throughout his entire being. Jeongguk doesn’t take him in just yet. Instead, his tongue darts out and licks a clean stripe from his balls to the tip. The heat against the cool of his skin is a delicious contrast that has him whimpering for more. Jeongguk shows him some mercy then, most likely as greedy as he is at that point, and wraps his lips around the head. Saliva coats the bulbous tip as he laps it up hungrily. His tongue circles it, tasting the little droplet of precum that escapes. The flavor has him moaning against the length, the sound reverberating through Taehyung’s very core. 

He lets it pop out for a second, keeping his hand still around it. “You taste so fucking good, I can’t wait ‘til you cum down my throat,” Jeongguk breathes in, chest heaving with what little self control he has left. 

“J-Jeongguk, please.”

Of course, who is he to deny his boyfriend when’s prettily begging? He ducks his head again and, this time, takes the entire length into his mouth, as much as his throat will allow him. Taehyung feels his cock hit the back of his mouth, halting himself from lifting his hips off the bed to chase after more, more. The sounds that escape him serve to only spur Jeongguk on even more. He bobs his head up and down, his tongue sticking to the underside of his dick to stroke it every time he moves up. His hands fondle Taehyung’s balls, rubbing them slowly, as his other one reaches up to draw circles around his nipple. 

Taehyung is gradually losing his mind, all rational thought shoved to the back of his brain and all he can think of is how good Jeongguk’s mouth feels on him, how his hands move with such graceful expertise to stimulate every inch of him. His fingers are twisting in the other’s silky strands as his eyes squeeze shut and he struggles to control himself when everything is so sensitive. It’s been so long, too long. Everything feels too good. It’s almost as if these giant waves of pleasure are crashing over him, pulling him under into this abyss of desire. 

“B-baby,” Taehyung whines and Jeongguk moans around his length again at the petname. “I don’t know if—I can’t hold it in—hnng, I’m so close.”

With that in mind, Jeongguk lets his cock slip out of his mouth with a pop, the length bouncing against his stomach. Taehyung absolutely wants to cry. He’s so aroused, every fibre of his body is awake and alert, waiting for Jeongguk to finish what he started. His stomach flips when Jeongguk practically tears away his shirt, scrambling to get his clothes off so he’s equally as naked as Taehyung. 

Unlike Taehyung’s longer and slightly thinner cock, Jeongguk’s is standing tall and thick. The length is throbbing, the angry veins running along it pulsing. The younger can feel himself salivating, itching for a taste of it. His gaze runs along the defined lines of Jeongguk’s body, from his pecs to his abs. He’s built like a god and Taehyung is a mere mortal to worship him. However, Jeongguk seems to have other plans when he rustles around his backpack for something and finally pulls out a small tube. “I want to finger you, is that okay?” 

Taehyung squeezes his thighs together and nods. 

Jeongguk wets his lips again before returning to the bed. He leans down to press a soft kiss onto the corner of Taehyung’s mouth, his hand reaching up to stroke away his bangs from his face. Taehyung is still catching his breath and feels his dick twitch needily again. Luckily for him, Jeongguk doesn’t waste time before he squeezes a generous amount of sticky substance into his hand and crawls down again. “Legs up, babe,” Jeongguk grunts, rubbing the lube between his fingers. When it’s sufficiently warm, he gently places it against Taehyung’s puckered hole. “I probably should’ve asked first but have you ever fingered yourself?” He asks, quirking a curious eyebrow. 

“N-no, I haven’t,” he blushes.

Jeongguk bites back a groan. Taehyung is a full on virgin and he’s going to be the first person to ever squeeze anything into this tight little hole of his. The younger looks at him quizzically when Jeongguk has to take a deep breath to calm his racing heart. Slowly, carefully. “Okay, it might hurt a little at first so bear with me here. Tell me if it gets too much and I’ll stop.” Taehyung nods obediently. 

He slowly pushes a finger in, hears the sharp intake of breath from above him. Taehyung closes his eyes as he feels the tight ring of muscle resist the intrusion. Jeongguk goes slow at first, sliding it in and out until Taehyung gets used to the feeling and starts to understand the pleasure that comes from the action. When he’s prepared enough, Jeongguk begins easing a second finger in, listening attentively to the pained whimpers from his boyfriend. 

“Is this okay? Should I pull it out?”

But Taehyung can feel the pleasure coiling inside of him, seizing his body. Jeongguk nods and slides his body up while his fingers continue to work inside the younger. The digits are slipping in and out easily and Taehyung’s fingers scrape against Jeongguk’s chest as he holds him close. “M-more.” 

Fuck. Jeongguk tentatively pushes another finger in until he has three buried inside the younger. Taehyung is curling up into his chest at the burn and the elder gives him time to adjust to the stretch. “You’re doing so good, baby. Feel so tight, doesn’t it?”

“I-I don’t even know how you’re going to fit inside me,” Taehyung absentmindedly whines. 

Jeongguk chokes at that, eyes blowing up as his fingers freeze. “Y-you want me to—I mean, do you—”

The younger blushes at that, doesn’t realize that he had voiced it aloud. “I mean, if you want to, but no pressure, I’m just—I really like you and—”

With a groan, Jeongguk leans his forehead against Taehyung’s as he heaves out a deep sigh. “You’ll be the death of me, Kim Taehyung.” 

“W-what? Why?” 

He looks up at him, eyes shadowed by what looks like pain. “You never fail to surprise me.” He smiles. “Of course, I would love to fuck you, Taehyung.”

The younger’s breath hitches in his throat. 

Jeongguk doesn’t say another word after that, instead choosing to keep his mouth occupied with kissing Taehyung. He swallows up the little sounds that the other makes as his fingers push inside of him, stroking his walls until Taehyung is writhing against him. Every gasp, every whine, Taehyung feels heat pool in his belly and spread throughout his body. “Baby, I don’t think I can wait any longer. Do you think you’re ready?”

Sniffling, Taehyung nods. “Y-yes, I think I am.”

The other searches his eyes, brows furrowing. “I need you to be really sure, Tae. And it’s okay if you’re not, I can finish you off a million other ways. However, if you do want to, then I can certainly do it.”

“No, I do. I do want to,” he quickly interjects, cheeks flushing even redder beyond the heat. 

“Alright,” Jeongguk whispers and places one last chaste kiss against his lips before standing up. The younger observes quietly as Jeongguk grabs this small packet. He looks curiously at the object. “Condom,” he clarifies. 

“Is that a muggle thing?”

“Yes, it’s a safety thing,” Jeongguk’s lips quirk up. “So I cum inside it and keep you clean. It’s usually to prevent pregnancy but we don’t really have a risk of that, do we?” 

It’s a weird feeling. On one hand, he does want to be safe and he definitely appreciates Jeongguk’s thoughtfulness. But on the other, the part of him that’s brimming with lust, it’s screaming for him to cum inside him, paint his insides white and mark him. He wants to feel the result of Jeongguk’s pleasure in him, on him. 

As if his boyfriend can hear his thoughts, Jeongguk huffs a laugh and kisses him quickly. “One day,” he promises. Taehyung blushes. 

With that, Jeongguk climbs on top of him again, his clean hand stroking the other's hair as he leans down to cover his mouth once again. Taehyung is so distracted by the man's plush lips and only realizes their situation when he feels a different sort of prodding against his bottom, something bigger. It takes a while and a lot of reassurance and comforting from Jeongguk's side before he even slips the head of his cock in past the ring. He swallows the small cry that leaves Taehyung's throat.

"It's going to be tight, baby," Jeongguk mutters against his lips. "Stay with me, yeah? Tell me if it gets too much and I'll stop."

Taehyung wordlessly nods, eyes slammed shut as he wills away the pain that burns down there. His boyfriend eases himself into him slowly, squeezing the thick length in inch by inch. He's careful enough that Taehyung manages to adjust to the size as it enters him. His fingers are digging into Jeongguk's arm. Sweat beads the man's forehead as he strains to keep himself above him without shoving all the way into him like he wants to. The temptation is there but Taehyung is new to this and the pain would be unbearable if he isn't careful.

"Gods, Tae, you feel so tight, squeezing around my cock so well," Jeongguk practically wheezes as if his lungs are struggling to keep up. "Hnng, feel so fucking warm and good. Perfect little hole for me."

His mouth dries at Jeongguk's filthy words. Those phrases provoke a guttural reaction inside of him that has him gasping.

Jeongguk's eyes widen momentarily. "Sorry, is that okay—"

"Yeah, k-keep going," Taehyung mutters. The last thing he wants to tell Jeongguk is how much he actually likes it.

"Good." He grins knowingly. "I'm going to move now," he says before sliding out and then back in. He repeats the motion over and over again, each time sparking a fire that engulfs Taehyung's senses. The friction is delicious and Taehyung loves the way Jeongguk is still so considerate of him, moving slow enough to be careful but also with a pace that has him moaning like crazy. "Fuck, you're so tight, so warm. Feel so good around my cock, want to keep myself inside you all the time," he grumbles into his neck. A sheen layer of sweat coats both their skins as Jeongguk continues to fuck into him, muttering dirty words under his breath that has Taehyung crying out.

There's something about the way Jeongguk's biceps flex with every movement, how his thighs clench as he thrusts up into Taehyung. His length fills him up incredibly well. He feels so full, but so terribly hungry at the same time. He craves more of Jeongguk's touch, his warmth. Jeongguk captures Taehyung's lips again, moans carrying from his throat into the other's mouth. "You're so tight, Taehyung. So fucking tight. Can't believe you were a virgin. All those times," he pants, "all those times we made out in the hallways, I just wanted to fuck you so bad. I wanted to strip you down, fill you up, and cum inside you, let everyone know you're mine. Didn't care if there were people around, just wanna mark you so nobody else can touch you."

Taehyung shudders with his confession. There's this primal instinct Jeongguk is radiating and the younger can't complain. He likes feeling a little smaller with him, feeling protected as if he’s given up all of his control. His cock feels needy now from being untouched. He wants to cum so badly, chasing after his peak that he can practically taste it. It's not only the feeling of Jeongguk inside him, but it's the sound of skin against skin echoing across the empty room, all the small grunts Jeongguk keeps uttering in his ear, the creaking of his wooden bed as Jeongguk pushes his hips forward with such force. All of those things amplify into this buildup of pleasure threatening to burst inside of him.

"G-Guk, please. I can't—I don't know if I can last much longer. My c-cock hurts," he whines.

"Yeah, baby? You want me to touch it? Want me to jerk you off while I pound you?" Jeongguk taunts him and all he can do is nod desperately, pleading for him to do something—anything—to relieve him. He reaches his slicked up hand and wraps it around Taehyung's cock, stroking it gently as he continues to fuck up into him.

The moans spilling from his lips are an indication that Taehyung isn't the only one affected by all this. He grunts as he tucks his face into Taehyung's neck, breathing warm and hard against his skin. "Fuck, I'm going to cum, Tae." Jeongguk whines, teeth sinking into his skin to stop himself from moaning too loud.

"M-me too, g-gonna cum. Guk, oh god, please please please," he sobs, fingers scratching down the man's back. It feels like there's a vice grip around his heart, pumping out blood at incredible speed, as his lungs fight to control the air coming inside him. He's so close, feels his cock pulsating in the other's hand. "Jeongguk, please, oh god, I'm coming. I'm coming."

With a gasp, Taehyung feels his length spurt white streaks that paint his stomach. His chest rises and falls as he fights to breathe through his orgasm, his behind feeling so sensitive with the man's dick buried deep inside him. His mind is still reeling when Jeongguk seems to follow suit soon after, giving no warning as he spills into the rubber, his hips stuttering at the force of his climax. He groans deep and low from his throat as he milks his own cock, sliding in and out until he gets the last drop out. The younger observes and appreciates Jeongguk's exerted but pleased expression as he slumps down onto the bed.

They lie there for a few minutes with Jeongguk's cock still inside him. Taehyung brings his hand up to stroke through Jeongguk's hair, letting his fingers slip through the black locks. Taehyung has never felt such intense pleasure and absolute peace at the same time. It feels as if the world has found equilibrium and there's nothing that can tip the perfect balance that exists in that moment. The younger hums as Jeongguk waits to regain his composure.

When he hears mumbling, he shifts a little to turn to look at him. "What did you say?"

Jeongguk breathes out from his nose and tilts to face him. "I said, let's do that again." Taehyung laughs at that.  

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 

There are some things in life that mark you. Certain milestones that you’ll carry on to your future and reflect upon. His first time, despite what others have said, is one of the big moments in his life. He knows it’s not for everyone. But for Taehyung who’s watched Jeongguk from afar for so long, it feels like he’s reached another peak in his life. He feels his heart flutter at the memory. He can still feel the lingering burn of Jeongguk’s kisses and hands all over him. It’s a thought that makes him blush and has his head dropping onto a table to hide it from the rest of his friends.

“Why do you look like that?” Hoseok says through a mouthful of potatoes, wiggling his spoon suspiciously at the younger. 

“Nothing, it’s just really hot today,” he reasons and presses his palms against his cheeks, then the back of his hands to cool himself off. Of course, he hasn’t told Hoseok what happened. The last thing he needs is for his roommate to retch and make faces whenever the two are in the same room. When he caught Taehyung being… intimate with himself once, Hoseok had brought it up and pretended to cover his eyes anytime he’s around Taehyung. The man isn’t exactly discreet. 

Jimin, on the other hand, is nudging his side, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively because he a hundred percent knows. He’s the first person he told after all—if Jimin heard from anyone else, it would have been the end of him. 

Contrary to Taehyung, Jeongguk looks absolutely unaffected. While he melts into a puddle of mush when he spots him from across the Hall, the other, blending in amongst the Gryffindors, is cool and composed. He feels almost embarrassed that he’s the only one so influenced by the entire event. Well, it’s not as if it’s Jeongguk’s first time. He’s had plenty of experience. This time with him is, perhaps, like any other. 

The thought is almost disheartening, but expected.

It’s not as if anything’s changed between them, even if that feels like the bigger issue at hand. When they study, Jeongguk still leans close to him, pressing kisses behind his ear and whispering what he wishes he could be doing instead. His words have shivers running down his spine. It feels… normal—like he shouldn’t be expecting any different. 

He also has more pressing matters at hand, priorities that should take precedence over his concern of Jeongguk’s feelings and actions. Settled in Professor McGonagall’s office, Taehyung glances down at his list of questions. While professors don’t usually do individual career or academic counseling past a student’s fifth year, she makes an exception for Taehyung due to her soft spot for him given that he continues to work extra hard and outperform plenty of his classmates. He looks stressed over his selection of subjects for the NEWTs, emitting waves of worry that reaches the professor. 

She smiles, eyes and lips crinkling in the corners. “Well, I wouldn’t fret too much, Taehyung. You’re doing incredibly well right now and I have no doubt that you will do just fine on your NEWTs. You’ll get the grades to apply for whatever career you wish to pursue.”

“Thanks, Professor,” he breathes. He must’ve been in there for at least half an hour, so he greatly appreciates that she has the patience to deal with all of his concerns. He knows that he may be conflating the issue at hand as he stresses about Jeongguk, but it’s still reassuring to speak with her. 

As he’s gathering his bag, the professor speaks up again after a moment of hesitance. “I’ve also noticed that you’ve been spending time with Jeongguk lately. I hear you have been assisting him with his studies.”

“Um, yes. Only for a few hours a week.”

She looks at him almost sympathetically. “You have such a kind soul, Taehyung. Make sure you have enough time for yourself too. You can’t go around being a hero and saving everyone.”

Taehyung chuckles, shooing away her thoughts and pinking. “That’s not it at all. I enjoy being able to teach. It also helps me revise my materials.”

“Perhaps you should consider being a professor then.”

He laughs again. “Thank you, Professor. I need to go to my next class now, but this has been an extremely helpful conversation.”

“Of course.” She nods and waves her wand to open the door for him. “I’ll see you in class, Taehyung.”

Bowing, he turns to make his exit only to bump straight into what feels like a wall. He rubs his nose and readjusts his glasses, looking up to stare into the eyes of none other than Jeongguk. “H-hi,” he blushes.

“Hey, you,” Jeongguk greets him with a smile that seems a little too tense.

Taehyung's chest tightens at the sight and he tilts his head, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he clears his throat, “Just need to submit an assignment to the professor. Catch you later.” With that, he walks straight into the room, the door swinging shut behind him. 

He doesn’t know exactly what happens afterwards, maybe it’s just him overthinking the coincidental circumstances, but he feels that Jeongguk is a bit more distant. His time at the Hufflepuff table diminishes and it doesn’t go unnoticed by Hoseok who flags his absence. Taehyung shrugs it off, Jeongguk has his friends after all, but he also stomps down on the poisonous assumptions in his mind. His time in the divination classroom is of no help. Seokjin wouldn’t know a single thing about their relationship and, judging by Jeongguk’s casual conversation with his “brother,” it seems that this isn’t something they discuss. He ends up learning more about professional quidditch teams and palmistry than Jeongguk’s feelings towards him. They still study together, but most of the time, he cuts it short and is a lot less distracted. The younger rather misses their aimless conversations, but understands that perhaps Jeongguk needs to actually focus on his studies. The NEWTs are important, he definitely knows that himself. 

It’s just—he’s just a little lonely.

“Sounds like Jeongguk,” Bogum says, tossing a fry into his mouth.

Jimin glares at him from across the table and he shoots the same look right back. The younger of the two rubs Taehyung’s back in the hopes of easing his heart. “I’m sure he’s just got a lot going on. He’s a senior and captain of the quidditch team. It takes up a lot of his time.”

He’s definitely well aware of that. Perhaps he has become a little too selfish towards Jeongguk, wanting to monopolize his time. 

“What do you mean it sounds like him?” His voice is small, hesitantly voicing a question he’s been too afraid to consider. 

“Bogum—” Jimin tries to interject.

The other man pays him no mind. “I heard he sleeps around and he doesn’t exactly sleep with the same person twice.” 

“Jeongguk is a good guy,” his friend reassures him, but the frown on his face gives away his doubts about his own words. “He likes you a lot, Tae. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

“You’re right,” Taehyung breathes in. He knows the kind of man Jeongguk is. He’s just busy. He wouldn't say all those sweet things, wouldn't remind him how much he likes him over and over, wouldn't just be with him to leave him. 

Right?

Although Jimin’s encouragement appeases some of his worries, it’s a different story when even a tiny seed of doubt has been planted. It doesn’t need much watering or nurturing. Doubt grows organically, even in the most treacherous of terrains. Perhaps even more so. 

Taehyung finds himself ruminating on Bogum’s words and Jeongguk’s strange movements more and more. He identifies a correlation between the two, aware that Jeongguk has lost a couple of friends whom he’s rumored to have been intimate with. But, again, those are just hearsay. He can’t trust everything everyone says, especially not people who seek more conflict than resolution. 

He’s on his way back to the dorms after an excruciating potions class when he hears familiar voices. The halls are relatively empty as most students are already in their next class, Taehyung has taken the time to walk as slowly as possible. When the sounds get louder, he can’t help his curiosity and follow it to find his brother around the corner. Looking a little further, he sees Jeongguk standing in front of him. Are they fighting? Maybe it’s just a quidditch thing. 

“I’m not fucking kidding, Jeongguk,” Seokjin snaps. This shocks Taehyung because he’s never heard him use that tone with his best friend. 

The other man has his arms cross over his chest. “It’s none of your fucking business, Jin.”

“He’s my brother,” he throws right back. “When I start hearing shit from even my friends, you know that I have to confirm. I’m your best friend, I know you well.” His heart drops. They’re talking about him. 

“Maybe not well enough,” Jeongguk retorts. 

“I know the shit you’ve done. Taehyung may idolize you as this wonderful, perfect guy, but I’ve known you since you were in diapers and I’ve seen the kind of shit you pull. Don’t think I don’t know about Melissa from fourth year or Haru last year.” 

He’s heard people talk. Melissa on Jeongguk’s arm (he remembers being slightly disappointed at the time) only to have her leaving the Great Hall crying and her friends spitting in Jeongguk’s face a couple of months later. Haru was a junior who looked up starry-eyed at the elder before he ended up leaving Hogwarts altogether, transferring to another school in the United States. Taehyung didn’t want to believe them, but hearing the names slip past Seokjin’s lips, he can’t help the disbelief that gnaws at his heart. 

With an aggravated sigh, he growls, “Again, none of your business.”

“If you start involving Taehyung, then you bet your damn ass I’m making it my business.”

“Merlin, fine. Fine. I’m not serious about Tae, okay? Never was. We were just flirting while he was teaching me, alright? He’s cute and all, but he’s not really my type. You don’t have to be concerned.”

“That just makes me want to punch you even more,” Seokjin snarls, hand catching Jeongguk’s collar to tug him forward. “You better back the fuck off, Jeongguk. We may have known each other forever, but I won’t hesitate to hurt you if you do anything to him.”

“Sounds fine to me,” he spits right back. Jeongguk stalks off while Seokjin grunts in annoyance before moving in the opposite direction, missing Taehyung who’s pressed up against the wall a couple of feet away from him.

There’s a ringing in his ear that he can’t escape. His heart is thundering in his ears, squeezing and tightening with every choked breath he takes. That niggling doubt that has wormed its way into his mind has multiplied into full-blown paranoia. Could it really be true? Has Jeongguk been lying to him all this time? 

All those nights spent together in the comfort of his room, hunched over textbooks and sharing secret smiles. The days Jeongguk would squeeze his huge frame into the Hufflepuff table to tease Taehyung for his pickiness on his food or for forgetting to eat altogether. And then there are the nights when Hoseok would be gone and the two of them are pressed up to each other, talking about everything and anything—Jeongguk’s future and family, Taehyung’s interest in muggles. He can’t possibly believe that Jeongguk did all that to lead up to that single incident. That one time he completely ravaged Taehyung, took all of his feelings and the entirety of his soul and locked it away in his vault where he keeps all these broken hearts. 

Jeongguk is the puppeteer that had him pirouetting to his song. It wasn’t him. That wasn’t Jeongguk. That isn’t him. It can’t be him. 

The Jeongguk he knows is kind and considerate. He loves his parents and would defend them to the end of time. He’s a man who has faced pressures his entire life for being different from the rest of his family. He has invested his time and energy to accomplish so much. It’s not possible that all of this is a lie. 

Right?

Maybe the Jeongguk he knows has never been Jeongguk. Maybe the Jeongguk he knew was a figment of his projections. Maybe Taehyung never knew Jeongguk at all. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 

It’s still difficult for him to grasp the situation. Everything that had transpired seemed so fictitious, so dramatic. Too exaggerated for a life that had been as monotonous as his. It feels as if he’s been flung into an entirely different universe, one in which he’s experiencing his first heartbreak. One in which, for the first time, Taehyung isn’t certain of his decisions and the answers he’s found. 

Processing the newfound information isn’t easy. There’s too much gossip, news he’s only heard through the grapevine. However, he can’t deny the words that left Jeongguk’s lips. 

I’m not serious about Tae, okay? Never was.

He’s cute and all, but he’s not really my type. 

The words ring like a clear wake up call in his brain, waking him up from this dream that he has indulged in for far too long. 

“Tae, hey.” 

He is yanked out of his misery only to be thrown into an even harsher reality. Jeongguk stands before him, a massive grin stretched across his pretty lips. Lips he once craved to kiss, to touch. Now, he can’t help the itch that he can’t scratch. That nagging feeling that he’s done something so right with someone so wrong. 

“Hi,” he says feebly.

Jeongguk seems to pause as he approaches the younger, brows furrowing slightly before he drops down next to him. He leans in closer for what seems to be a kiss. Taehyung instinctively jerks away, surprising both of them. Jeongguk manages to land one on his cheek but looks even more confused by the avoidance. 

“Are you alright?” His arm curves around his body on top of his chair. 

Another itch. Taehyung is itching to escape. He’s never been put in this situation and he’s never been good at dealing with uncertainty. He still hears Jeongguk’s harsh words echoing in his ears, like flames licking up his skin and torching what remains of his bones. He’s turned the sentences over and over in his mind, pulling them apart and piecing them back together, to get some semblance of understanding. No matter how much he mulls over it, there just doesn’t seem to be a way for him to misunderstand what he heard. 

“Fine.” Taehyung clears his throat. “We should start. I’m a bit tired so I might sleep early tonight.”

The elder doesn’t look mollified by his answer. “Right. We can also reschedule if you want. Honestly, I think I’m pretty good with the tutoring at this point. I should be good with self-studying.”

He can hear the thunk of his heart hitting the floor. This is it, isn’t it? The point where they part ways. This is where Jeongguk leaves his lovers. A part of him wants to ask him if this is the end of their path together, the closing of their chapter in the grand scheme of Jeongguk’s book of life. However, a part of him—one that resounds much louder inside of him—is too fearful of his answer. Terrified that Jeongguk would confirm all of his doubts and suspicions. He would confirm that he never knew this man at all. A man he’s grown to love with his entire being.

In order to save what is left of his heart and dignity, Taehyung chooses the latter. With a fleeting smile, he nods. “That sounds good. Let me know if you need my help again.”

“Yeah,” Jeongguk coughs, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes, beautiful dark pools that Taehyung has let himself fall into time and time again, are searching his own. He isn’t quite sure himself what the other is looking for, but he doesn’t manage to maintain eye contact which leaves him dizzy with need again. “Also, I’ll be focusing a lot on my NEWTs so I may not have as much time as I usually do. Whatever free time I have, I’ll definitely try to spend it with you.” He takes Taehyung’s hand in his, engulfing him in his heat. There’s such sincerity in his eyes that the younger wishes he could believe. However, the clouds of doubt have cast a shadow over the oceans of his feelings, echoing louder than the words of reassurance he tells himself. He’s being tugged under, anchored to the depths of his despair and disappointment, and he can’t seem to escape. 

However, the only thing he can respond with is “thank you.” And he means it. Whatever time he has left with the man, even if false and filled with pretense, he will cherish. 

True to his word, the semester seems to pass by in a blur afterwards. Taehyung is caught up with assignments and Jeongguk barely has any time to spare as he spends most of his time cooped up in the library or his room, sticking his nose in textbooks he hasn’t even opened before. Seokjin manages to pass his divination class even with the level of spite he held towards it, telling Taehyung that he doesn’t need to attend his classes anymore in the last few weeks. He hasn’t asked his brother about the conversation, doesn’t think he wants to if it angers him that much. He wonders if his decision to pull him from their plan had anything to do with what he said to Jeongguk.

On graduation day, the students flock to the quad to send off the seventh years before they leave the castle on the enchanted boats—the ones that had carried them the first time they arrived at Hogwarts. Dumbledore had given his final speech in the Great Hall and there is a flurry of activity as students flood the halls. The seventh years are spread out in their graduation gowns, a more elaborate attire than their usual robes. 

Taehyung, well, he stands off to the side with Jimin by his side. He knows Jimin is antsy to meet up with the Slytherin seventh years, particularly those who had been with him on the quidditch team. But being the good friend that he is, he doesn’t want to leave Taehyung on his own. “Are you going to talk to him?” Jimin’s voice whispers in his ear.

He jumps slightly, heart lodging in his throat at the thought of interacting with Jeongguk. He hasn’t spoken to him since that night aside from a few passing hellos in the hallways between classes. It’s hard to say what they are now, but Taehyung can safely assume that they are no longer together. “I don’t know,” he gulps, “I don’t want to ruin his big day.”

Jimin presses his lips together stubbornly, giving his friend a nudge. “Don’t you want to know what he has to say before he leaves? Once he’s gone, you won’t be able to see him for a long time. Auror training is three years and you won’t see him so easily if not at school.”

He knows Jimin is right. This is his last chance. One last opportunity to get answers for all the questions he has formulated his own responses to. He wants to hear them straight from Jeongguk’s mouth so he can properly let go and move on. If Jeongguk had never loved him the same way he did, then he wants to know. He wants to confirm it so he can keep going with his life. Love isn’t the end all be all, but he’s only eighteen. This is as close as he gets to feeling a love that comes once in a lifetime with another. And Jeongguk—Jeongguk has been that person for nearly seven years. 

“I’ll speak to him,” he nods, making his resolve.

“Alright, cool,” Jimin beams, “I’m proud of you, Tae. Gonna go over to the Slytherins to see off some of my friends so I’ll catch you later?”

Taehyung agrees and squeezes through the throngs of students to find one specific individual. He thought it would be a feat, but he should’ve known better. His instincts have been so tuned in to his presence that he’s instantly drawn to a corner of the quad where a group of students gather, the rowdiest of the bunch. Jeongguk, of course, stands in the middle laughing with his classmates. 

As if he senses the younger’s eyes on him, Jeongguk looks up from the crowd, his hair falling across his eyes in that devilishly beautiful way it does. He smiles at him from afar, a brilliant expression that seems to light up the world around him. Even now, seeing him still sends stars shooting across his universe. Jeongguk excuses himself from his friends and meets Taehyung in the middle, his legs carrying him faster than Taehyung anticipated. 

“Hi,” Jeongguk brightens. 

“Congratulations,” he offers a genuine smile right back.

“Thank you,” he murmurs, hand reaching out to hold Taehyung’s. “It wouldn’t have been possible without you. I owe you a lifetime.”

At that, he blushes and ducks his head. “Don’t be ridiculous. I didn’t do anything you couldn’t do yourself.”

He feels fingers underneath his chin, tipping it up so he’s looking directly in the eyes of this wonderfully complex man. Taehyung’s heart aches just looking at him. There are so many words stuck in his throat, so many hanging on the tip of his tongue. 

“Give yourself more credit, Tae. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me this year.” Jeongguk chuckles then his tongue darts out to wet his lips. His shoulders seem tenser as he straightens and clears his throat. “Listen, Tae, I wanted to—”

A commotion towards the inner walls has his phrase dying in his throat. Everyone whipping around to see what the commotion is about. Taehyung also frowns as he scans the crowd for the source of all this ruckus. When he spots it, he feels his body freeze, heart sinking. He absentmindedly turns around to face Jeongguk who looks as pale as him. His lips are parted, his hand dropped to his sides. “Fuck,” he curses under his breath.

“Jeongguk,” a student comes up to them and Jeongguk turns with a glare. The kid looks terrified as he delivers his message. “Dumbledore wants to see you in his office.”

Jeongguk’s lips curl into an irritated sneer. The messenger scurries off before the elder can bite his head off. Taehyung is about to say words to comfort him but he’s already storming off, the students clearing a path for him like the Red Sea. He disappears into the crowd and Taehyung is left there with his breath caught in his chest. He clutches his chest as if it helps to ease the pain, inhaling deeply, shakily. 

The whispers begin soon after. Of course, they do. How can anyone ignore the minister’s sudden appearance at Hogwarts? On graduation day no less. Speculations run wild across the student body, everyone chattering about how Jeongguk knows the minister personally. Worse, people begin to share rumors about the man being his uncle. Taehyung feels the pang that hits his heart and wishes everyone would stop. This is the last thing Jeongguk wants. They’re his peers, they should know this. 

“Tae! Tae, Merlin’s beard,” Jimin comes up to him, shoving past other people in his way. “Did you hear? The minister is here and I've just heard Yoongi say he’s Jeongguk’s uncle. They’re all in Dumbledore’s office right now. What do you think that’s about? Also, did you know about this?”

“It's really not my place,” Taehyung winces. This is the last thing he wants to discuss, especially when he knows how uncomfortable the topic is for Jeongguk. He’s hidden the fact for so long with only a handful of professors and close friends aware. For it to escape on his last day, that’s just heartbreaking. 

They wait in excruciating silence. Jimin seems to understand and instead stands in solidarity with his best friend, hissing at everyone who tries to ask Taehyung anything about this. All he wants to know is if Jeongguk is okay. He taps his foot impatiently, teeth chewing his bottom lip in pure worry. 

“He’ll be fine, Tae.” Jimin squeezes his shoulder. Taehyung shoots him a grateful look. 

When they finally come out, students that had pressed their ears against the door quickly disperse. The headmaster gives them scalding looks before announcing that the rest of the ceremony should commence. Seventh years should be going to the boathouse for the last ritual. He sees Jeongguk step out of the room looking absolutely stricken. The minister, whose presence is a lot more prominent with his long coat and top hat, stands behind him, a hand on the boy’s shoulder. Taehyung’s steps falter as he moves closer to them. It is as if a barricade has formed around them, preventing him from reaching Jeongguk whose hands are balled into fists, knuckles white from how hard he’s gripping. Cho Kangdae looks terrifying in the papers, but he exudes an even stronger aura in person. He stands tall, inches above his nephew. His back is straight as a rod, his cane tapping the ground in a perfect rhythm as he walks. There’s a deafening silence as the minister apparates out of the Hogwarts grounds without another word. 

There seems to be a common agreement amongst the students to eschew approaching the seventh year who is still standing stiffly off to the side. They try to resume chatter, chancing curious glances at him, however the air is thick and nobody makes a move towards him. 

Taehyung—he doesn’t hesitate and approaches the elder much to everyone’s dismay. “Jeongguk.” He touches his arm gently, but Jeongguk jerks away in surprise. His eyes that had looked so dead as if all the light had been sucked out of the world slowly softened. There’s a fear in them that is foreign to him. There’s something so heartbreaking about the sight. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” he coughs, eyes skipping over the faces around him. There’s a lot of incredulity and amazement going around in murmurs. His lips twist unpleasantly as he lets out an annoyed sigh. “Fine.”

This isn’t the time. But, maybe if he can distract Jeongguk too. “Listen, about what you were saying earlier—”

“Sorry, Tae,” he interrupts, swallowing thickly and offering a pained look. “This just isn’t the best time for it. We can talk about it next time, yeah?” 

Taehyung wants to say that he doesn’t think there will be a next time. They’ll both have their own lives, thousands of miles apart. Jeongguk will be training for years to become an auror, probably becoming the best of his generation and Taehyung will be completing his studies and caught up in the NEWTs as well as enjoying his last year with his friends at Hogwarts. They don’t have time. Except for now.

However, he knows that his selfishness has grown with Jeongguk. He feels as if he’s been too greedy with him, wanting more and more of his time. This time, he can’t be that man. Jeongguk isn’t in a place to have this conversation, especially with everyone’s eyes on him. So he does the only thing he can do.

“Okay, Jeongguk. Congratulations again, you did it.” 

Jeongguk smiles weakly, gratefully at him. “Thanks, Tae.”

 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

It’s unfortunate to think of the end of his first love. There are so many things left unsaid between them, so many words that hung on the tip of their tongue but never escaped their lips. In the summer, he finds himself thinking about Jeongguk’s last words a lot—or what should’ve been his last words. What did he want to say? Would it have changed things between them? Would Taehyung find his closure? Or would he still be with him?

Their last meeting, in the humid Kim house in August, was rather tragic, he likes to think. His parents held a going away party for Seokjin and Jeongguk as the two would be off to train as aurors for the next three years. While they have some time off, they’ll be mostly caught up at the ministry to prepare for their careers. The program is intended to be rigorous, comprised of aptitude tests and advanced magical combat. While his mother fussed over Seokjin’s appearance, urging him to change before the guests arrived, Taehyung landed on the first floor to the sight of Jeongguk staring at their family pictures. 

“You’re here.” The words left his mouth before he could think about them. 

Jeongguk had whirled around, brows jumping in surprise. “Taehyung,” he said his name as he had a million times before with that sweet lilt of fondness. Taehyung’s heart pinched at the thought. 

The man was dressed in a suit. It’s a black two piece that would be excruciating for their home, especially given the lack of airflow. Jeongguk being Jeongguk, he looked perfectly composed. His longer hair had been trimmed down and gelled back to frame his face, a much neater look compared to the wilder waves he had as a student. He looked grown up, ready for the real world. He looked good.

“Aren’t you hot in the blazer?” He made an attempt at small talk, unsure of what he should say in this moment.

Jeongguk chuckled, lifting the fabric between his fingers. “It’s not too bad. I made sure to pick my lightest one.”

He hummed, “It looks good.”

“Think so?” The man gave him that boyish grin, the one that had charmed him for so many years. 

“Are you ready? To go to training, I mean.”

Jeongguk shrugged, taking a deep breath then sighing. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Hogwarts lets us practice in a confined space and this training program feels like an extension of that.”

“Fair enough,” Taehyung murmured. 

“I forget how many family pictures you guys take,” he redirected the conversation, gesturing to the wall of framed photographs before him. A lot of them had been taken in large gatherings but there were a few that his mother had made them take in professional studios. Of course, there were more than a handful with Jeongguk in them—memories from the summers in Diagon Alley and their home, Seokjin and him in their robes at Hogwarts. There are ones from their earlier years with his brother and Jeongguk in the middle of the frame and Taehyung tucked away in the corner.

It’s been a while since he had his breath first taken away by Jeon Jeongguk. But, even when he sees him now, it always feels like the first time.

“Hey, so,” Jeongguk started, turning and coughing to face him. He looks almost… shy? “About graduation—what I was going to tell you that day.”

“Right.” He gulped, heart skipping a beat. 

“I know we won’t see each other much after this. We barely get breaks from training, which is going to suck.” He chuckled. “But, you know, whenever I get the time, I know you’ll still be in school, but I was wondering—”

“Tae,” another voice interrupted and they turned to find Seokjin adjusting his tie at the bottom of the stairs. He stared at the two of them almost calculatingly, gaze darting between them. “Mom wants you upstairs to help her pick her dress,” he continued. 

Tension crackled through the air. He thought Seokjin and Jeongguk had resolved their issues considering the boy was here for a combined celebration, but he supposed it was too soon. He pressed his lips together, eyes flicking to Jeongguk who had his lips pursed. “Okay,” he said. “We’ll talk later,” he said to the man, though it was more of a question. 

“It’s alright, forget about it,” Jeongguk told him, “I’ll see you both outside.”

And Jeongguk never brought it up again. The party had gone by rather uneventfully, his mother drunk on wine and his brother weeping over losing his “youngest and favorite brother” to which Taehyung replied, “I’m your only brother.” Jeongguk mingled with others throughout the night but he never once turned Taehyung’s way. 

His last year at Hogwarts is both loud and lonely. With his friends around him to keep him distracted and his studies occupying most of his days, he is only left with his thoughts in the dead of night. Hoseok being gone has left a huge hole in his space that can’t be filled by their new roommate. Oftentimes, he would have Hoseok who talks his ear off about quidditch to keep his mind off things. Now, he’s left in the echo of his mind. Thoughts and memories that pervade his every minute, every inch of his brain until it consumes him. Between worrying about his future career and NEWTs, Taehyung still lets thoughts of Jeongguk slip between the cracks, seeping into the empty spaces where he could fit. 

Graduation includes his announcement as top of his class and there was no question that the muggle liaison office would accept him. They even considered him overqualified for the role, but anything to get more hands on deck. Jimin is crying, which is the first time he has ever seen the man cry in the entirety of their friendship. He has however been on the receiving end of Taehyung’s late cries and complaints about his lost love. Jimin would only stroke his head and tell him that “this is just another phase of life, you’ll get over him once you find another cutie with a booty.” 

His mother throws yet another party, which pretty much confirms his suspicions that she uses her kids as an excuse to have everyone gather. Seokjin manages to get a weekend off and spends the weekend cooing that Taehyung is all grown up now despite their one-year gap. 

Jeongguk, as expected, doesn’t show. 

He has learned not to question it, especially around his brother who tenses whenever Taehyung brings up the man. He has no qualms answering his mother’s inquiry about the other, but he never reveals more than he should to his brother. 

They go years without proper interaction. Taehyung’s work doesn’t include a certain schedule so he gets called in whenever there’s an emergency. He enjoys working with muggles and wizards, even if it pulls him away from his mother’s iconic roast beef. Adjusting to the muggle world takes a while, the difference quite jarring compared to his usual wizardry. It takes them hours to travel across distances whereas it would only take wizards minutes. Taehyung mainly works in the security aspect, making sure that muggles remain unaware of a world beyond their own, which includes organizing memory modifications for accidents and any public relations needed. 

Though, most of the time, the job is really just paperwork. Lots and lots of paperwork. 

He doesn’t think much about Jeongguk during those years, like a dusty memory buried in a box in the back of his mind. Jimin himself is caught up with auror training and briefly mentions having seen them, Seokjin and Jeongguk, on the grounds a couple of times. Taehyung always clutches those letters a little harder, crinkling the paper beneath his fingertips. He resists the temptation to ask how Jeongguk is doing, if he seems like he’s eating well, and whether he looks happy. He knows his best friend will only tell him to stop torturing himself and that he’ll introduce him to his other peers. 

It feels like a relief to be so busy with his work. He doesn’t have as much passion as he thought he would have about being there, but then again—it is just a job. The parts he does enjoy is learning more about the muggle world. He has jumped on the tube, tried muggle devices like laptops and cell phones (they are peculiarly efficient!), and experienced what Jeongguk introduced to him as films for the first time.

It happens by pure coincidence. Taehyung is walking along the streets of London late at night after an incident at South Kensington (an underage wizard using magic in the presence of a muggle, which is more common than you think). The concrete sidewalk glistens with rainwater as thunder resounds above him. Despite his umbrella, he still finds his shoulder soaked. He is aware that he can apparate home, but he had felt the sudden urge to bide his time and opt for a longer route. 

The weather isn’t optimal but there has always been something so calming about the rain. The pattering of raindrops on the streets, people tucked away in the comfort of their own homes leaving the streets bare of any living creatures, the world dark if not for the illumination of flickering lamps and light filtering from storefronts. He finds shelter underneath a closed shop with the rain coming down harder. Perhaps he should transport from here after all. 

Past all those thoughts, something urges him to look up and he finds himself staring at a muggle theater across the street. It’s a small establishment, nothing flashy, but the sign above, almost blurry in the movement of the downpour, states a familiar name. He crosses the empty roads and slips through the front doors. “Um, one please,” he says, uncertain of what to say. 

The man up front looks bored, but tells him the amount to pay. He grabs a few coins from his pocket and drops it into the other’s hand. “First door on your left,” he points lazily before going back to his computer screen, clicking away at what looks to be a game.

He thanks him and goes over to the side. Inside, he walks through a dark hallway which leads to a sizable room with rows of benches lined up facing a giant screen. There is only a couple above him and they already seem too distracted to be paying attention to the movie. “Always aim for the last row in the top third,” Jeongguk’s voice reminds him. He squeezes himself into a seat further away from them but with enough height to be looking at the screen directly. 

It doesn’t take long before the film starts rolling. The lights flicker off and he’s left with the glowing wall before him. The characters appear according to their scenes, some familiar to the comics he was introduced to. There is the red-headed spy, the billionaire tin can, the man with the starry shield called Captain, and so on. He watches in fascination as the characters come to life, saying their lines according to script. He mouths some of them, recalling from the books he had purchased to read the stories again. It’s not like he has Jeongguk to lend him the comics anymore. 

He chuckles at the hilarious one-liners, gasps when the archer is hypnotized. Each scene is more entertaining than the previous and he finds himself engrossed in the artistry. He wonders how muggles have created these moving pictures without actually destroying these landscapes. When the green beast begins flinging around the villainous god, Taehyung bursts into laughter, but at the same time, he feels his heart throb in his chest. He remembers laughing at this scene with Jeongguk, the man’s wide grin painted on his face as he relishes in Taehyung’s joy. He remembers the delight sparkling in his eyes, how the corners crinkle when he smiles. He ruminates over his feelings until he doesn’t have any memories left to remember. 

Taehyung leaves before the movie is over.

It is years before their paths intersect again. Taehyung is three years into his job at the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, quickly promoted in his second year since he worked at the pace of two or three of their employees combined. They have him train the new recruits and manage most of the activities instead of doing it himself. Taehyung quickly makes a name for himself and, for the first time in his life, he really does feel capable. He has always known he’s textbook smart but to be able to practice magic well in the real world has encouraged him to step up. He feels as if he’s leaving his own footprint in the world instead of always trying to fill his brother’s. 

Perhaps time has done him justice. Although his anxiousness is far from gone, there’s a newfound sense of assurance in his movements, in the way he commands his own division within the department. He is well aware that many of his colleagues have some doubts about his leadership, but he’s doing his best and, for now, that’s all he can do. There will always be those who will pass judgment and Taehyung is slowly learning that perhaps he should listen to his own wise words. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone.

The next time he encounters Jeongguk, it’s by happenstance. It’s a Friday night and, lo and behold, Taehyung is stuck in his office buried in other people’s paperwork — namely those he has to fix himself. His teammates are going to get an earful come Monday morning. Fortunately, or unfortunately, he receives a pressing notice from his secretary who comes running in, breathless with her hands on her knees. “T-the tower—magic—muggle—need help.”

“Lisa, breathe. I can’t hear you.”

Lisa stands and huffs. “Sir, urgent situation that requires your immediate attention at Tower Bridge. Aurors involved.” An expletive slips past his lips, which has her eyes widening because her boss never curses. It’s one thing to deal with a cocky wizard performing magic before muggles, it’s another altogether to get magical law enforcement involved with muggles.

Jumping to his feet, he quickly snatches the jacket from the hook and throws it on. “Address.”

Taehyung doesn’t handle these situations personally anymore, having an armada of recruits who are trained to manage such events. But, when it involves a much larger concern for the ministry, he has to get his hands dirty as well. When they arrive at the bridge, he hurries over to the group off to the side. Muggles are still brushing past him, thinking nothing of the brief touch as if it were the wind. The group of wizards are invisible to humans and Taehyung arrives at the scene with Lisa close behind. “Kim Taehyung, muggle liaison. This is my right hand, Lisa,” he announces.

There are two others before him, their ministry badges attached to their coats. Aurors aren’t typically involved with these cases either, though it seems there is a much larger issue at hand. “Lieutenant Davis with District 1.” Then he nods his head to his right and Taehyung’s breath is knocked right out of his chest. “Jeon Jeongguk, works under me.” 

It has been far too long since he’s seen the man and he — well, he looks good as he always does. Jeongguk dons the auror uniform with pride, broad shoulders filling out the fabric impeccably. He stands tall next to the man and, if Taehyung didn’t know any better, he has a more prominent presence compared to his commanding officer. His hair has grown out a little, but it still frames his face in such a way that defines his strong jaw. From the corner of his eye, he can see Lisa’s jaw drop and he nudges her quietly while also insisting the stilling of his heart. 

Even the years do not take away the effect Jeongguk has on him. 

With the lieutenant around, Taehyung has to maintain some semblance of professionalism, which certainly does not include gawking at his subordinate. He forces his eyes to focus on the scene. “What happened?”

The lieutenant shifts aside to reveal two more individuals. One is a muggle with eyes blown wide, their body curled up as they rock back and forth on the concrete ground. The other is a corpse splayed out next to him, a wand tossed carelessly to the side. Dead wizard. That explains the aurors. 

Taehyung admits that seeing these lifeless bodies do not get easier. The first time he encountered one, he spent ten minutes throwing up into a nearby bush until his own boss pulled him back to the scene. Then he spent another five minutes puking before passing out completely. Now that he’s had more experience with them, all he can do is swallow thickly and send a silent prayer up to the gods. 

“This is the only witness, it seems. The area had been cleared out prior but this guy managed to make it in. He’s a stuttering mess, didn’t get much out of him. We’ll be taking the body back to headquarters but you guys can sprinkle your little fairy dust on this one and we’ll be on our way. We’re supposed to convene at the ministry to discuss the report.”

His jaw ticks with the comment. He knows that the ministry looks down on their office, thinking that it’s useless to be interacting with muggles. It’s ridiculous to think so when the integrity of the wizarding world is so dependent on its secrecy. 

“Sir,” Jeongguk interrupts, “perhaps we should let the muggle liaisons salvage this situation. If they did not show up in time, things could be much worse.” 

“I suppose,” Lieutenant Dickbag—sorry, Davis—grunts. “We’ll meet you back at the ministry. An hour should be enough right?”

Taehyung nods as his eyes fleet to Jeongguk for a brief second. There’s something indiscernible swirling in them, an intensity that has the younger shivering. He kicks away such thoughts and drags his gaze away to the poor man before him. “We need to see what he knows first,” Taehyung announces and crouches down to the man’s level as the other three apparate out of the area. “Sir,” Taehyung says gently, “can you hear me?”

The man jerks up and Taehyung can feel the fear pulsing out of him. “N-no, please. Don’t hurt me. I won’t tell anyone. I-I’ll go.”

“We won’t hurt you, we just want to know what happened,” he coaxes again, ensuring that there’s enough space between them. Lisa watches the two attentively while also keeping an eye out for any returning villainous characters. “Please, Sir, we want to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.” 

“I don’t know! It was just this hooded figure. They came and went. I don’t know what happened! Please, just let me go.”

The lieutenant may be right in this case. This man is in no state to be providing a statement and he doubts his memory will be intact to identify the perpetrator. “What should we do, boss man?” Lisa bends over and the muggle scrambles further back at the sight of her. 

“We might just need to wipe him and place him in a location where it wouldn’t startle him when he awakes.”

“A bottle of beer usually does the trick,” Lisa notes. 

Alcohol seems to be a common excuse for memory wipes. He hopes it works for this man as well. “Check his belongings first to make sure we don’t affect him in any way when he reasons his own memory loss.”

Lisa sulks a little and he knows that she hates this part of the job, being careful and considerate of muggles. She’s not a bad person, no one is, but it does require a certain level of empathy to make sure wizards do no harm to the muggle world. She approaches him slowly and coos him to calm down as she searches his pockets. Phone, wallet, receipts, and—“Sobriety token.” 

“We’ll find another way then. Can you take away his memory?”

“You’re the stronger wizard here. Considering how out of it he is, it may be best for you to do it.”

Taehyung nods in agreement and pulls out his wand as he comes closer to the man. With a slow obliviate, he removes the strand of memory from the man’s mind. They quickly gather the man and place him in a somewhat empty alley on his side on a park bench. Lisa quickly fusses with his appearance to make it seem as if he’s overworked and has fallen asleep in the park. With that done, he nods at Lisa. “You should go home. I can handle the meeting at the ministry.”

“I can go with you, I don’t mind.”

Smiling softly at her, he shakes his head. “It’s a Friday night, I’m sure you have much more thrilling things to do.”

“I could say the same about you, Mr. Hot Stuff,” Lisa grins cheekily.

Taehyung flushes at that. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You and Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome earlier seemed to share a look there. Want to tell me what that’s about?” She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively, elbow digging into his stomach.

That has him sputtering. “This is completely unprofessional.”

“Please,” she rolls her eyes, “you’re one to talk when you’re making googly eyes at him. I hope he’s at the meeting.”

He hopes so too but he’s not about to tell her that. With reddened cheeks, he shoos her away. “Have a good weekend, Lisa.”

She only giggles, knowing full well that she’s gotten a bullseye with her guesses. “You too, boss man. Don’t let Lieutenant Dingbat get you down.”

And this is why she is his right hand woman. 

When he arrives at the ministry, he is summoned directly to the minister’s office. If they have to bring this up to the minister, it may be more serious than he initially thought. He raps lightly on the door before he is granted entry. The room is spacious as expected for a man who sits at the highest level of the ministry. Shelves are decorated in gold details with walls of books tucked neatly into them. The man himself sits towards the back of the room with large windows behind him to face the busy floors beneath him. When he opens the door timidly, the three turn their attention to him. “Apologies for the interruption,” he clears his throat and stands straight. 

“Come in,” Cho Kangdae gestures, pulling up another seat for him. “Lieutenant Davis was just recounting the events of the night.”

Unlike the obnoxious undertones in his voice from earlier, the lieutenant has shrunken a little. “Yeah, so, um, like I said, we caught it on the hex indicator — weird activity going on in the area. When we showed up, we did a spell to hide them from the muggle world. The wizard was dead but Taehyung there from the muggle liaison office cleaned up the other mess.”

Taehyung bites back his retort that the muggle was not the other mess . 

“Right, and what reason do you have to believe that this is dark magic?”

“A wizard was killed, Minister. We’ve seen a few others across the UK, we’re still figuring out a motive but it might be the same person.” 

The minister hums thoughtfully, before continuing. “How long before the body was found?”

“We’re not sure, Minister. Jeongguk here identified it through the lines we’re tracking but didn’t notify the rest of us until much later.” There’s a level of spite in his voice that has Taehyung frowning. Lieutenant Davis doesn’t seem like a very good boss. 

Jeongguk pales slightly and coughs. “I didn’t think it would be anything major. Once I realized how critical it was, I immediately notified Lieutenant Dou—Davis. Lieutenant Davis.”

The slip doesn’t go unnoticed by the group, the lieutenant shooting Jeongguk a warning look. Perhaps it’s not only Taehyung who has given the man a nickname. “Doesn’t bloody matter, you should’ve come to me first,” the lieutenant growls. 

“What matters is the current situation at hand,” Taehyung interjects and the man looks none too pleased about his behavior. He turns instead to the minister whose eyes hold piqued interest towards him now. “My team will monitor the muggle a bit longer. We put a tracking spell on him to ensure that the memory removal was successful. If there are traces of remembrance, we’ll investigate immediately.” 

The minister nods, satisfied by his next steps. When he chances a glance Jeongguk’s way, the elder is shooting him a small look of relief to which he chooses to respond by biting back his small smile. Unbeknownst to them, the minister caught the little gesture and cocks an eyebrow curiously. 

“Well, since we have that decided, I’ll expect a report in the coming week. Report to me immediately if any developments arise in your investigation.” The three nod but the minister quickly adds, “Kim. Need two quick minutes with you. The rest of you are dismissed.”

Taehyung’s heart lurches in his chest, unsure of what the minister needs with him. He doesn’t miss the wary look the other shoots him from across the room before his lieutenant shuffles him out. 

“Kim Taehyung, correct?”

Clearing his throat, he swiftly straightens his back. “Yes, Sir.”

The minister stands from his seat and ventures around his office, seeming to search for a particular item as he scans his shelves. With a wave of his wand, he pulls out a file from the top that lands safely in his hands. He flips it open and begins skimming it, every second that ticks by has Taehyung leaning more to the edge of his seat. “Ah, yes. I’ve heard of you. Top of your year at Hogwarts, yet you chose to be a liaison for muggles instead of investing your talents as an auror or ministry official. Fascinating. It does seem that you’ve risen up the ranks rather quickly, an interesting case for someone known to be so quiet.” With every word, he can feel his blood running cold. Is that a file on him? Why would the minister have a file on him? Perhaps it’s a matter of everyone working at the ministry, but it wouldn’t make sense to keep it in his personal office. Before Taehyung can say another word, the man adds one final remark. “Pureblood .”

He doesn’t like that. Not in the least. Given his penchant for a strictly wizard bloodline, he perhaps cares to note such things. The statement does not sit right with him though. 

“Tell me,” Cho Kangdae continues as he lets the folder drop on his desk. He takes a seat again, hands folded before him on the table as he stares at Taehyung. The occupation has visibly exhausted the man, age crinkling the corners of his eyes and lips while his hands, mature with years of experience, seem frail. Despite all this, he still has an undeniable presence that commands respect from those around him. Including Taehyung who waits expectantly for his next words. “What is your involvement with Jeon Jeongguk?” 

Keep it short and simple, Taehyung. Don’t give him more than needed. “He attended Hogwarts the same time I did, Sir. He is also a close friend of my brother’s.”

The minister seems to narrow his eyes at that. “And that’s all?” He leans back in his seat with cold, calculating eyes still glued on him as if he knows he’s withholding information.

Taehyung swallows, “Is there something specific you would like to know, Sir?”

“As you are aware by now, Jeongguk is my nephew and, because he is my blood, I have his best interests at heart.” Do you? Taehyung wants to bite back. “Of course, I have ears almost everywhere, which concerns me when I hear of his... romantic entanglements.”

Thump. His heart falls to his feet but he presses his lips together in an effort to remain quiet. Don’t give him what he wants. He just wants a reaction.

“Of course, I have no qualms about his preferences. I reckon you understand that we are in the twenty-first century or however the muggles choose to define their world. However, for him to be involved with a pureblood, it’s quite fascinating considering his stance on it. His father is, after all, a muggle.” 

The spite in his voice, the judgment laced into every word, makes him tense. “Is there a point you’re trying to make, Sir?” 

“While I do understand the need to explore a world beyond our own, there’s a certain level of prestige expected to be attached to a man of his standing. And you, well, I certainly won’t speak ill of anyone – I’m not quite sure you’re suitable for that role.”

His knuckles are white at that point, his nails digging into his palm as he clenches his jaw. His entire life, he had felt as if he wasn’t enough, as if he was always trailing behind others in his success and identity. Even with Jeongguk, he hadn’t missed the whispers of others wondering why Jeongguk had decided on someone like him, why Jeongguk hadn’t dropped him like he had the rest. He’s had years of relatives pinching his cheeks and asking why he’s so quiet and obedient when his brother shines so bright. 

At this point, he knows he’s paved a path for himself that he can take pride in. He does not need an outsider telling him what he does or doesn’t deserve. 

In spite of his feelings, Taehyung bites his tongue on a retort. The last thing he wants is for the minister to retaliate on Jeongguk. That man has been through enough already, he’s not about to be the one to worsen his circumstances. 

It really is no surprise how Jeongguk loathes his uncle. He may be a respectable minister to the public, but he’s a nosy, obnoxious little bugger behind closed doors. “Well, if you do have ears everywhere, Sir, then you would know that I have not been in contact with Jeongguk for the past few years. Regardless, I am aware that you are his uncle, but it is certainly not your place to be determining what is or is not suitable for him.” He grits his teeth. “Sir. ”

The minister’s eyes widen a fraction, a reaction only noticeable if you were looking close enough. A true politician, he considers him. With a lax smile, he drums his fingers on the desk thoughtfully. “Well, I appreciate your candor.”

“If that’s all, I’ll be taking my leave then. Have a wonderful weekend, Minister. I’ll have a report delivered to your desk by the end of next week.” 

With no response, Taehyung jumps to his feet, turns on his heels, and marches right out the room. When the doors slam shut behind him, the adrenaline is slowly seeping out of his body, leaving him with unsteady knees and a shaking heart. Before he can grasp the wall for support, fingers are wrapping around his bicep. Familiar hands. Hands he’s loved for so long. He looks up to find Jeongguk staring at him warily. “Tae.” Even his voice is dripping with concern. How utterly smitten Taehyung is for this man. “What happened? What did he say?”

As much as he would appreciate sharing his sentiments with the elder, he knows that he can’t create a bigger rift between them than what already exists. The worry that ruins his pretty face is a clear indication that there is still some animosity between them. Taehyung isn’t about to add fuel to the fire by noting how Jeongguk’s uncle feels comfortable enough to speak on behalf of him. Propping himself up, he shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Tae.” Jeongguk frowns, looking far from appeased.

“I’m fine, Guk. A big boy now, I can fight my own battles.” At that, the other seems to pale even more. “I’m kidding.” He chuckles. “I’m really okay. You don’t need to fret.”

The other still looks far from convinced, but reluctantly releases his hold around Taehyung’s arm when he realizes how long he’s been attached to him. Jeongguk is fidgeting, which is uncharacteristic of him. There seems to be words that he’s holding back, but Taehyung is a patient man, he can wait a little longer. 

“Are you, um, doing anything after this?” Jeongguk finally starts. “I’m, well, I was wondering if you wanted to grab dinner with me. I’m starving, haven’t really eaten today with everything going on and I know a good place nearby. Fantastic beers and food. Great atmosphere too, a small place just around the corner.” It’s amusing to see Jeongguk struggle with his words. Taehyung has always been that person when it comes to the two of them. Seeing the roles reversed is oddly satisfying. He scratches the back of his ear as his cheeks pink in the dim lighting of the hallway. 

The building is deserted for the most part, aside from a few staff members such as them who are working overtime on a Friday evening. The two are alone in the hall and Jeongguk’s words may echo louder than necessary. Taehyung’s only hope is that his uncle isn’t listening in on this conversation. Or, even if he is, there’s something gratifying about throwing this back at the minister’s face.

If the department head catches a whiff of his tone with the minister, he might as well be fired. He doubts the minister will raise this conversation with him, which keeps him in the safe zone for now. 

Jeongguk looks dejected by Taehyung’s lack of response as he’s lost in his thoughts, so he quickly relieves the poor man of his misery. “I don’t have plans after this. One question though.”

He glances up hopefully, glimmering midnight orbs shining behind his dark locks. 

“Your treat?”

Jeongguk laughs. “That, I can definitely do.”

The walk there is relatively silent and Taehyung is thankful for that, he’s not even sure he can say two words without tripping over his tongue. Despite his suave act earlier, there’s a thrumming in his veins that he can’t ignore. It has been years since they’ve interacted with just the two of them and Taehyung can’t say for sure that all of his feelings for Jeongguk are gone—or have dwindled in the least. 

Within minutes, they arrive at their destination. The establishment looks rather old, its name carved out in rusted golden letters. The windows are a little grimy and there are some cracks in the panes. If Taehyung were alone, he may not have dared step foot in such a place. Fortunately, Jeongguk is with him and he’s clearly the braver and more knowledgeable of the two as he swings the front door open to the bustling pub. 

“This place has the best burgers, I’m telling you,” Jeongguk beams. The space itself is small, but it’s homey in a way that all the patrons seem to be regulars. “Hey, Mac,” he greets the guy behind the bar who waves right back at him. 

They end up in two seats at the bar counter towards the back, sitting almost shoulder to shoulder in the cramped space. Taehyung tries to ignore their knees bumping, squeezing his legs close enough together to avoid physical contact. They are served what Jeongguk calls the “house specials” which really is just this greasy sandwich with a side of fries. The meal is delicious, if not for the fact that he’s most likely risking a heart attack from the amount of oil that drips onto the paper. The meat is juicy, lettuce crisp, and cheese adding that perfect savory tang. Taehyung doesn’t realize the sounds he’s making until he catches Jeongguk chuckling at him and he quickly blushes. 

The conversation flows pretty easily between them, like old acquaintances learning the mere basics about each other’s lives. It’s catalyzed by the glasses of beers they share, filling Taehyung with a warmth that has his headspace in a state to interact without feeling too nervous. Jeongguk looks at ease too as he nurses his drink and tells him about the non-confidential, hilarious cases he has had to investigate including the Mystery of the Missing Mountain Lion (you don’t want to know where they find it). Taehyung mentions all his boring paperwork but also how much he’s learned about the muggle world since joining the department.

“You seem like you’re doing well,” Jeongguk points out. 

“It’s a job.” He shrugs. “And I’ve been enjoying the learning curve. Being on the field is a lot different than classrooms. Though, I’m not out much now that I’m mainly delegating assignments.”

The elder lets out a low whistle. “Look at you, doing big things in the world. Always knew you’d do well.”

Taehyung’s chest tightens at the thought. The man’s confidence in him has always been reassuring, but to know that he’s done those expectations justice has him feeling another round of pride. However, he then glances down at Jeongguk’s plate, which is virtually untouched. “I thought you said you were starving, but you haven’t taken more than two bites from your meal.”

His gaze drops to his food, eyebrows jumping as if he’s surprised by his own lack of appetite. “I was hungry coming here but I think my nerves won.” Jeongguk sighs, shaking his head as if disappointed in himself.

“Nerves?”

“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you, Tae. Sue me if I’m a little nervous,” Jeongguk jokes, nudging Taehyung’s shoulder with his own.

“Why would you be nervous? It’s just little old me.” Taehyung chuckles. “I feel like I was always the one with a twisted tongue around you.”

He scoffs. “That was years ago, Tae. You’re… you look all grown up with your suit. Look older too.”

“I don’t know whether to take that as a compliment or be offended that you think I’ve aged that quickly.”

Jeongguk laughs, a tinkling, delightful sound. “Compliment. You were adorable before, but now you look—refined. More mature. It suits you well.”

“The word you’re looking for is handsome,” Taehyung teases right back. He’s not sure how he’s acting so bold. Perhaps the alcohol in his system is lending a helping hand. 

“Handsome, yes,” Jeongguk confirms softly. 

A comfortable silence falls in the air. It feels as if the two are in their own little bubble, holed up away from the rest of the pub filled with chatters. 

“You’ve always been handsome though. Beautiful,” Jeongguk emphasizes quietly, an unmistakable fondness in his tone.

“You think so?” Taehyung’s heart skips a beat. He can’t help but shrink slightly at the look the man is giving him. His intense gaze trailing flames up his skin. 

“I’ve always thought so.”

Taehyung giggles. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were flirting with me, Mr. Jeon.”

“Depends, is it working?” 

The smile that stretches across Taehyung’s lips is blinding.

By the time they’ve licked their plates clean, they’ve also chugged a few more beers. They’re still catching up, reminiscing on old times in the Hogwarts halls while sharing some of their more recent adventures. Taehyung admits that filling out forms for wizard mistakes isn’t the best day job but Jeongguk looks fascinated nonetheless. 

After a while, they fall into this lull in conversation. Taehyung wipes his hands and finishes the last of his beer. Jeongguk seems deep in thought, thumb slowly rubbing the handle of his glass. Then he looks up and Taehyung is taken aback by the soft look in his eyes, one that looks almost too sad. “Missed you, Tae,” he whispers.

Taehyung’s breath hitches in his throat. He feels his eyes water and blinks back the tears. “Missed you too,” he sighs quietly. 

As if emboldened by the liquor and Taehyung’s voice, Jeongguk reaches up to stroke his face. The pads of his fingers are gentle against his cheek and Taehyung finds himself nuzzling into the touch, finding comfort in his warmth. “Still think about you a lot, you know,” he breathes.

“Hm, what do you think about?” 

“Just you – how great things were at Hogwarts, kind of miss it. Being an adult is tiring, having a job is tiring.”

Chuckling, Taehyung raises his glass. “Cheers to that.”

“Though, there are maybe other things I miss at Hogwarts. You, for one.” Jeongguk pauses and the other is expecting him to continue. “That’s it. I missed you.” 

That pulls another snort from him. “Flatterer.”

Jeongguk seems to pay the comment no mind, his eyes too focused on the way Taehyung’s lips curl around his laugh. His voice dips as he leans closer. His heart seizes at the proximity and he can feel Jeongguk’s breath on his neck. “How good things were with you. Being able to touch you and kiss you all over the castle, sneaking away into hidden corners just so I can have a taste of you.”

Heat pools in his stomach and Taehyung licks his lips unconsciously, gaze flicking to meet the other’s. He finds the man watching him and they’re probably thinking of the same thing. 

Jeongguk’s hand settles on his thigh, moving upwards as he leans closer. “Thinking about your whimpers, how good the sound of you crying out my name was.” His lips find the back of his ear, leaving warm kisses that have his eyes fluttering shut. A shiver snakes up his spine as Jeongguk shifts his hand further, the softness of his lips still clinging onto his skin. “How delicious the squeeze of your ass was around my cock, or the taste of yours on my tongue. Missed all of that, baby. Fuck, being around you always gets me so riled up. I want to touch you so bad.”

His breath hitches in his throat. Taehyung gulps and turns to him. “What’s stopping you?”

The elder freezes, eyes flicking up to look at him. Properly, this time. His gaze is hazy as he tilts his body closer until their arms are pressed flush against each other. He leans forward until Taehyung can feel his breath ghost his lips, until he can feel those familiar lips press against his. 

It’s as if he’s in Hogwarts again, sneaking kisses down empty hallways and in the darkness of Taehyung’s room. Jeongguk moves in the same way he did then, his arm sliding around him to tug him closer to his side, his other hand flattening on his thigh as his mouth continues to move against his. Perhaps it’s the alcohol or maybe it’s the coziness of the pub—or it could also be the years gone between them, but Taehyung feels himself sinking into his hold more and more, losing himself in the deliciously familiar scent of Jeongguk and the warmth of his touch. 

Everything is like muscle memory to him. Drifting closer to Jeongguk, letting his hand fall on top of the other’s. Jeongguk licks eagerly at his lips, which has Taehyung groaning into his mouth. He hears him growl in response, tugging him closer and nipping his bottom lip as he pulls away slightly. His eyes are clouded by lust as he inhales shakily. “Not here,” Jeongguk mutters, glancing quickly at the prying gazes around him. “My place isn’t too far.”

Taehyung can only nod, watching as Jeongguk tosses a few bills onto the counter and leads him out the door. 

The elder licks his lips. “We’re gonna apparate there. Hold on.” When Taehyung touches his arm, they’re immediately transported into a dimly lit apartment. Aside from a lamp that shines a light on the dark living room, most of the space is blanketed in the dead of night. 

Jeongguk wastes no time and turns Taehyung to pin him up against the wall. He has an arm above his head and his hand pressed to the small of Taehyung’s back. He’s keeping him trapped and pulling him closer as their lips collide in an electrifying kiss. Jeongguk has begun mouthing at his neck, sucking lightly, enough to paint purples and blues onto his bare skin. His tongue laps at the spots to cool them as he shrugs off his coat and lets it fall to the floor. Taehyung does the same for his and it pools around his feet. Jeongguk hurriedly begins to unbutton the other’s shirt, pulling it off and throwing it to join the other pieces of abandoned clothing on the floor.

“Bedroom,” he rasps while he works to undo his own top. Jeongguk grabs his hand, squeezing tight as he pulls him to the bedroom and turns on his bedside lamp. They fall together with Jeongguk on top of the younger. “God, you’re so fucking pretty. Can’t believe it’s been so long since I last touched you,” he mutters, running his hand through the longer strands of Taehyung’s hair and tugging lightly. He begins kissing him again, slowly journeying down until he reaches his chest. 

Something comes over Taehyung then. He presses a palm against the man’s chest, stopping his movements. Jeongguk cocks an eyebrow at him. “I-I want to do it.” He clears his throat. “To suck your dick, I mean.”

Jeongguk tenses above him, seeming conflicted with the request. His lips pinch together before he nods, flipping them over so Taehyung lies on top of him. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Jeongguk murmurs, “I’m more than happy to pleasure you, prefer it actually.” 

“I want to,” Taehyung breathes out as he works his way down. He kisses every inch of Jeongguk’s skin softly, lips burning through every inch of his skin before he reaches his slacks. Jeongguk’s hands fly to get rid of them but the other man stops him, setting his hands aside. “Let me take care of you,” he says before unbuckling his belt and pulling it off. He then proceeds to take his pants off, Jeongguk’s body lifting eagerly off his mattress. 

Taehyung licks his lips at Jeongguk’s thick cock straining against his briefs, the tip peeking out slightly from how hard he is. The sight is tantalizing and Taehyung lowers himself until he’s facing the bulge directly. His mouth finds his balls through the cotton as his hand reaches up to massage them. Jeongguk lets out a groan because there’s something so fucking sexy about Taehyung sucking on his clothed cock. His saliva wets the fabric and Jeongguk can feel it pressing against his length. Taehyung, encouraged by the small grunts leaving the other’s lips, zealously tongues the length through the material, tracing every inch of it until Jeongguk squirms. 

“Tae, fuck, please,” Jeongguk huffs. “I’m so fucking hard. It’s been a while.”

Eager to please, Taehyung carefully pulls off the material and flings it aside. He’s forgotten how impressive Jeongguk is. His fingers circle the girth as he strokes upwards, thumb sliding over the wet slit. Jeongguk grits his teeth above him and groans. 

“Y-your mouth, Tae. Hnng, I want it,” he grunts again. “I want your mouth on my cock. Please.”

So polite, he notes in amusement before nodding. However, he doesn’t want to give in so easily. He lowers himself further down his thighs. These thick, meaty thighs that Taehyung has always adored. He kisses up the limbs, muscles underneath stiffening with his touch. Jeongguk wiggles more, trying to get Taehyung to his target faster. 

“Patience,” he whispers, breath hot against the man’s skin. He nips at the skin, kisses certain spots which have Jeongguk shuddering. When he finally makes it to the tip, he slowly swirls his tongue around it. Although he’s slightly worried that this is his first time doing it, a part of him is encouraged by Jeongguk’s visceral response to his actions. 

The elder has an arm draped over his eyes as his lips part with wanton need. An arm is splayed across his abs that rise and fall with Taehyung’s touch. He finally relieves him of his suffering when his mouth sinks down on the length a little at a time. He sucks in the tip at first, tongue swirling around and digging into the slit. Jeongguk lets out a little whine and Taehyung takes in more of his cock, feeling the head press against the inside of his cheek. He bobs his head, swallowing deeper as Jeongguk’s cock reaches further in. He’s drooling all over the man, saliva coating the length, easing his movements, but Jeongguk doesn’t seem to mind in the least. 

“Fuck, that’s so sloppy, so hot,” he moans above him, his back arching off the bed, which accidentally bumps deeper inside Taehyung’s throat. Luckily for him, he only coughs a little and ignores the watering of his eyes as he settles back down. “You suck dick like a champ, Tae, so fucking filthy,” Jeongguk whines. 

Taehyung lets it slide from his mouth. His gaze snaps up to meet Jeongguk’s, his eyes filled with such intense, sharp lust that Jeongguk’s breath catches in his lungs. “It tastes good,” he grins, that boyish charm shining through, complemented by his innocence. With his hand still wrapped around his wet cock, stroking it slowly, the sight nearly breaks the man's restraint. 

“Tae,” he groans, “you can’t say shit like that.”

Taehyung blinks. “Oh, sorry.”

“No, no,” he lets out another pained sound, “I just mean that it’s really fucking hot and I don’t know if I’m gonna last long.”

Taehyung’s teeth catch his bottom lip. “I can’t help it, it’s the first time I’m doing this but I’m really enjoying it.”

Jeongguk thinks his heart may actually stop if he keeps saying things like that.

Still, the younger wastes no time and ducks his head again to engulf the entirety of his length into his mouth. He closes his eyes and lets his mouth do the work as his ears seek out the cute, little noises that Jeongguk makes. Taehyung loves how affected the man is by his ministrations, never thought that he could pleasure him in such a way. He sticks the shaft deeper into his mouth until his nose is buried at the base. Remembering what Jeongguk did last time, he uses one of his hands to stroke his balls and the other to stroke what he can’t take in as he moves up and down with his mouth and tongue. His lips are encased tight around the circumference, dragging along the sensitive length until Jeongguk is panting above him. 

It doesn’t take long before Jeongguk is wrapping his fingers around Taehyung’s wrist to stop his movements. “I’m going to cum if we keep going. I want—fuck, I need to be inside you. Let me fuck you.”

Taehyung releases his cock again, keeping his hands wrapped around it, as he clears his throat. “Um, I want to try something else.” Jeongguk raises a curious eyebrow as he props himself up on his elbows, watching Taehyung. His gaze scans the man from his gorgeous face, lips glistening with spit, to his tanned chest and soft belly, and to his legs where he kneels between his own. “Do you have, um, that thing? That liquid thing?”

“Lube, yeah. Shit, yeah,” he snaps out of his daze to clumsily reach for his bedside drawer, yanking it open and pulling out a bottle. “Do you—fuck, I mean, do you want me to help? I can—”

“I’m going to, um, try myself,” Taehyung says shyly as he reaches for the bottle. He uncaps it and drizzles a generous amount on his fingers. He rubs it like Jeongguk had done before and feels the stickiness coat his digits. The liquid is cool on his fingertips but it quickly warms up and he reaches behind him, touching his hole which puckers up immediately. Biting his lip, he sucks in a deep breath as he eases one finger in. He squeezes his eyes shut at the slight burn as the digit stretches him open. A whimper slips out as he manages to bury it all the way in. The feeling is uncomfortable at first, but he begins to slide in and out, his cock bobbing against his stomach as he hears the squelching of the liquid. 

He pushes in another finger and gasps at the feeling. However, the more he moves them, the more the pleasure builds up. He’s groaning as he finds himself sinking down on his hand instead, slowly riding the digits as Jeongguk watches him with rapt attention. His eyes are blown wide, throat moving as he swallows. Taehyung’s ass tightens unconsciously when he sees the elder’s length twitch, precum leaking from the tip. 

“Ride your fingers, baby,” Jeongguk growls as he licks his lips. 

With a small whine, Taehyung begins rocking back on his own fingers, breathing labored in his chest as he feels his cock strain even harder at the movement. It feels so good, too good. To be watched by Jeongguk on top of that only proves to intensify the desire brewing in the pit of his stomach. He forces himself to keep his eyes open, maintaining eye contact with the elder who’s observing him so intently. His eyes seem to follow as Taehyung grinds his ass down against his fingers. With continuous whimpers, he squeezes another finger in and another until he’s a moaning mess on top of the bed. He can almost feel his hand cramping up but the feeling is too good for him to stop. He can’t believe it took him this long to try this himself. God, everything feels incredible. The stroking of his digits inside. Every time he pulls his fingers apart, he stretches his ass open further. The movement is followed by gasps on his end as he endures the torturous pleasure that overcomes him. 

“I can’t wait anymore, Tae,” Jeongguk licks his lips and surges forward to tug him closer. His fingers escape his now loosened hole and land unceremoniously on his chest. An apology is on the tip of his lips but the man doesn’t seem to care as he positions Taehyung on top of him. “Can you ride me? So you can control the pace too.”

Taehyung has never ridden anyone before, let alone have sex with anyone other than the man before him. He’s slightly worried as he climbs on top of him, straddling his hips and leaning down when Jeongguk wraps a hand around the back of his neck. Their mouths crash together, lips molding as if they are made for each other. He can feel the man’s muscles flex beneath his skin as he kisses him deeper and harder. 

He’s always enjoyed kissing Jeongguk. There’s no other taste or feeling like it in the world. Jeongguk alternates between sucking on his bottom lip and sliding his tongue in to twist with Taehyung’s. Meanwhile, his hand is maneuvering his cock towards Taehyung’s hole. “Do you want me to put on a condom?”

“Um, I d-don’t know. Do we have to?”

Jeongguk groans. “I mean, I’m clean. I’ve gotten checked since the last time.”

“I don’t really know what it means but I haven’t—I haven’t been with anyone else since you.”

A fleeting look crosses Jeongguk’s eyes, too brief for Taehyung to decipher. His throat moves as he swallows. “Alright. We’ll clean you up after. I really want to cum inside you, wanna fuck you open and spill all my cum in you.” 

Taehyung imagines it in his mind, imagines Jeongguk finishing inside of him and the warmth of his cum filling him up. He imagines feeling so full, stuffed with Jeongguk’s cum. It’s almost as if Jeongguk is marking him as his and only his. He can practically imagine the load of cum dribbling down his thighs, his hole too loose to keep it in. 

“I want that, I want that too,” Taehyung breathes out. 

“Fuck, okay,” he pants, hand settling on Taehyung’s hips to guide him down as he slowly sinks down on the length. The ache is no longer foreign to him. Despite the pain, he knows the gratification to come. When Jeongguk is fully buried inside him, Taehyung’s breath hitches in his throat. His lungs seize as he relishes in the burn of the stretch. He slowly begins moving himself up and down, Jeongguk’s length stroking his insides. It takes him a few minutes to get used to it and, throughout that entire period, the elder is kissing him slowly, sensually, comforting him and telling him to take his time. It’s almost reassuring to have Jeongguk so sweet when the man is also gripping the sheets desperately. 

When he finally adjusts to the man’s size, Taehyung begins moving faster. He’s grinding his ass down on the length, feeling it fill him up to the hilt. He bounces slowly and finds a rhythm that has both of them moaning and grunting eagerly. The slick sounds of sex soon bounce around the four walls of the room—the smacking of skin when Taehyung sinks down and the squelching of the liquid inside him as Jeongguk slides into his wet heat. 

Taehyung takes his time, enjoying being so full of Jeongguk that he can’t think straight. However, the man seems to have a little less patience when he begins lifting his hips on the bed, fucking up into Taehyung. His thrusts are timed to match when Taehyung drops down, which only serves to amplify how good it feels inside of him. He tries to keep his eyes open to watch the ravishing look on the other’s face, but it’s difficult when he has to stop himself from experiencing too much. Jeongguk is more experienced, he can probably last a lot longer than Taehyung who’s never been with anyone else. 

“Lean back. Hands on my legs and keep bouncing your ass,” Jeongguk instructs him and Taehyung does as he’s told. Somehow this position seems to do even more wonders for Jeongguk. He’s already groaning and throwing his head back as Taehyung begins riding him harder and faster. His hands propped up, fingertips sensing how his thighs clench underneath him. Everything feels incredible. The flicker in his stomach has been fueled by Jeongguk thrusting up with his large hands on Taehyung’s slim hips, holding him as he pounds him from below. Choked sobs leave his lips as he loses himself in the delirious ecstasy. “Just like that, baby. Feel that, feel my cock fucking you. You’re so goddamn tight, squeezing my cock so well. God, I could cum just looking at you like this. Look at your pretty cock leaking for me like that. You like this, don’t you? Like being so full with dick,” Jeongguk goads him further.

The younger whimpers as the pleasure builds up too fast, too hard. He’s numb on the inside but at the same time he feels every single thing. The sweat rolling down his neck, Jeongguk’s fingers digging into his flesh, his thighs slapping down against Jeongguk’s, his cock throbbing and hitting his stomach with every thrust. The delicious contrast between the cool of his room and the heat radiating from his body. Everything is simultaneously too much and too little.

“Jeongguk, Jeongguk,” he cries out, “I don’t think—I’m not sure if I can hold on. Please let me cum. God, please let me.”

“Beg me some more, sweetheart,” Jeongguk encourages him. 

“Jeongguk, please. I need—I need to cum so bad. It hurts. My cock, I just want to cum,” he babbles further. He pleads some more, words incoherent and he doesn’t remember half of the things he says. All he can think about is his shaft dripping with precum and needing to be relieved. 

Jeongguk’s fingers wrap around the base of his cock and he lets out a pathetic whine. “Who can make you feel like this, baby? Whose cock can make you cry and feel so fucking good?”

“You, yours. Jeongguk, only you, please,” he weeps further. His cock is so sensitive and Jeongguk is now moving his hands up and down the length, stroking it quickly. His wrist flicks rapidly as Taehyung sobs harder, desperately needing his release. All the while Jeongguk hasn’t once stopped thrusting up into him, his cock sparking flames that envelop him, overwhelming him with need. 

“Cum, baby, cum with me,” Jeongguk utters as he finds his release. Upon feeling the first spurt of warmth inside of him, Taehyung instantly spills all over Jeongguk’s hand. White strings between their stomachs, dripping down his hand as Taehyung climbs to his climax. Jeongguk doesn’t stop stroking his cock, milking it for every last drop of cum until he’s dry and aching. He can feel Jeongguk’s cum paint his insides, coating every inch of the tunnel with slick that has begun seeping out as the man continues to move his cock. Jeongguk shudders on the bed as he releases the last of his orgasm inside of him. 

Taehyung feels his knees and body weaken, slumping forward and heaving on top of him. Jeongguk only laughs delightfully, his clean hand going up to gently stroke Taehyung’s hair. The feeling is familiar, he remembers doing the same to the other. He’s still catching his breath but there’s a sense of contentment flowing through him as he lays on top of the elder, head on his chest, listening to his heart beating. The subtle thumps are comforting for some reason. The rhythm gently leading him to fall asleep.

“Tae.” Jeongguk nudges him awake at some point. He drowsily turns to face him, peeking an eye open. “Let me clean you up, baby,” he murmurs, turning him so he’s facing up. A warm, damp towel presses against his stomach, spreading across his chest and legs. He distinctly remembers Jeongguk lifting up his legs, the soft material going around his mounds.

When he feels the absence of the towel, he pries his eyes open. “Gukie, are you okay?” 

Jeongguk looks up from where he’s looking, cheeks flushing a shade of coral. “Yeah, sorry,” he clears his throat and goes back to his duties. Taehyung drifts between the real and dream world for the majority of that time and, if he were completely awake, he might’ve been embarrassed that Jeongguk is wiping such an intimate part of him. When he wakes up in the morning, he would appreciate how thoughtful the other was. Sleeping in his and Jeongguk’s cum doesn’t seem like a particularly ideal situation. 

When he slides in next to Taehyung, he tugs him close with an arm underneath his neck as he tucks Taehyung’s face into his chest. He swears he feels Jeongguk press a kiss to his temple, but he’s too busy seeking solace in his warmth. For now, he finds sleep in the comfort of Jeongguk’s hold too tempting to resist. 

When he feels his eyelids flutter open the following day, he rubs away the crustiness from the corners of his eyes and keeps one eye closed in case the sun blinds him through the windows. Fortunately, the curtains are still pulled all the way through, bathing the room in enough darkness that his vision is spared. His hand lands on the sheets next to him, the fabric cool in the absence of another body. 

Disappointment weighs heavy in the pit of his stomach as memories from the previous nights, the intimate activities evidenced by the soreness in his behind, come to mind. Sighing, he glances around the room to make himself look presentable only to recall that he had left his clothes strewn across the entryway in their haste. One day, Kim Taehyung, your recklessness will be the end of you. 

However, he does find a set of t-shirt and sweats folded neatly on the bedside table. He quickly slips into them, the material hanging loosely on every inch of him. Jeongguk is built differently after all, his shoulders much broader, his thighs thicker. Something in his belly stirs. Perhaps now is not a good time to be thinking about Jeongguk’s body parts again. He shakes those thoughts away and begins flattening out the sheets. He is still a gentleman after all. 

His mind is running on limited sleep and too many distractions, namely those that involve said owner of the house who seems to have gone missing. A part of him is disheartened that he didn’t wake up to the man, his absence a not-so-pleasant reminder of how they separated back then as well. Still, he swallows his pride as he blearily makes his way out of the bedroom and into the main living space.

But, the sight before him has him stopping in his tracks, lips parting in a surprised gasp. 

Jeongguk stands before his stove, shirtless from waist up. As he turns, Taehyung can see the definition in his muscles. His biceps seem bigger than they were at Hogwarts, more toned. He didn’t notice all these details last night, not when he had been too focused licking every inch of him instead. He blushes at the image. 

The man’s eyes light up when he sees him. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” he replies, his voice still gravelly with the remnants of slumber.

“Are you hungry?”

His mouth almost says no, but his stomach grumbles demandingly at the enticing aroma of whatever Jeongguk is cooking. Pinking, he shrugs. “Just a little.”

“Alright, I’m almost done. Make yourself comfortable.” He gestures to the bar stools before his kitchen island. Taehyung takes his seat and waits patiently as Jeongguk pulls plates and utensils for their breakfast. “How’d you sleep?”

Jeongguk’s back is turned towards him as he asks this. If it wasn’t, he would’ve seen the man gnawing his lips in worry. Instead, Taehyung coughs awkwardly. “Fine, thank you. How about yourself?”

“Good,” he starts then stops, “great, actually.”

Taehyung presses his lips together and nods, unsure of how to respond. Thankfully, he doesn’t need to think any harder when Jeongguk places the scrumptious breakfast before him. The elder slides into the seat next to him with an equally filling plate to match. “Dig in, hope this is alright. I don’t cook for myself that often actually so I don’t have much in the fridge. If you prefer something else, we can maybe go out and get breakfast. There’s a good—”

He places a hand on Jeongguk's arm before the man can spiral any further. With a gentle smile, he reassures him. “This is fantastic, thank you for making breakfast.”

Jeongguk clamps his mouth shut, tinging slightly pink at the flurry of his words. The two eat silently for a while, savoring the crispness of the bacon and the sweetness of the perfectly cooked egg yolk. When Taehyung stands, Jeongguk catches his sleeve, causing the loose shirt to slip from his shoulders. Jeongguk is momentarily deterred by that tempting sliver of skin before he clears his throat. “Where are you going?” There’s a hint of wary laced into his tone, one that has Taehyung feeling slightly amused. 

“I was just going to wash the dishes,” Taehyung says.

“Right,” he nods and hesitantly pulls his hand away, staring down at it as if he is perplexed by his own movement. “You’re a guest. I can do them later.”

“I don’t want to leave a mess, so I’ll wash them now,” he reasons. 

“Do you have plans? Are you in a hurry to go anywhere?” Jeongguk’s voice sounds tinted with curiosity and concern as if he’s not quite ready for the other to leave just yet. 

Taehyung holds back a grin. “No, no hurry. I really just don’t like leaving a mess, Guk.” He moves around the counter and begins scrubbing away at his own plate as well as the pan Jeongguk used. As he’s rinsing the dishes, he feels strong arms wrap around his torso and a chin tucked on his shoulder. Chuckling, he asks, “Can I help you, Sir?” 

“No,” he murmurs, lips finding Taehyung’s skin similar to what he did last night. “Kind of like seeing you in my kitchen. Be careful, I could get used to this.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Jeon Jeongguk,” he teases and Jeongguk seems to freeze at that. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to assume—”

Another round of laughter escapes Taehyung’s lips. It’s almost endearing to see the man so careful, tiptoeing around his interaction with him. He’s always been the bundle of nerves so it’s almost refreshing to see how at ease he feels around Jeongguk. Sure, he had been somewhat skittish the night before. But Jeongguk has always made him feel relaxed — it’s no surprise that he’s done so again now. 

“Calm down, Guk, I was kidding.” He turns around after he washes his hands, body remaining trapped between Jeongguk’s arms. He slides his hands up the man’s arms and settles on his shoulders. “But, I do think we should talk.”

“Talk,” Jeongguk repeats. His throat moves as he swallows. Backing away, he nods in agreement. “Yeah, let’s talk. Do you want to shower first or anything?”

“Are you saying I smell bad?”

“No! I just—”

Taehyung giggles again, “Never thought you were so easy to tease.”

Jeongguk pouts childishly at the comment. “Never thought you could be so mean.”

“Alright, fine. I’ll shower and then we can talk.” 

Jeongguk hands him a fresh towel and notes down where everything is in his bathroom. When he finishes, he stands there lurking as Taehyung puts his towel on the vanity. He cocks an eyebrow at the other man who is still staring curiously at him. “Are you planning to stay in here while I shower or…?”

“Shit, no sorry, I was just—I mean, I’m just going to go. Yeah, I’ll see you outside,” Jeongguk flails, clumsily stumbling over his own feet as he attempts to leave the bathroom. 

Taehyung’s lips quirk up. This man never fails to captivate him with his charm. 

The shower is a good idea. It gives him some time to formulate his thoughts, thinking back to the times he spent crying, learning, and maturing. When the two ended on such uncertain terms, Taehyung had been left in a turmoil. He’s had years to process their conversation—or lack thereof. He’s grown more comfortable with his own skin, feeling a lot more confident in his own journey. Despite that, there has always been that nagging feeling in the back of his mind. It constantly reminds him that there are still things that he doesn’t understand, things he still can’t justify to this day. Now, the man before him is one who can provide him all those answers. A closure to what had happened between them. 

Steam seeps out into the hallway when he opens the bathroom door. He strolls out to find Jeongguk sitting with a frown on his face on the couch, deep in thought. Hearing Taehyung’s footsteps, he looks up and the stress in his face appears to melt away as he smiles up at him. “Good bath?”

“You’ve got excellent water pressure,” he nods.

Jeongguk laughs. “Nice to know my shower head pick is worth it.”

“Are you good to talk now?”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course. Come sit.” He pats the empty spot next to him, scooting further to give him more space. 

Taehyung sinks down and there’s enough distance between them to make it cozy without being too separated. 

The elder gulps the lump in his throat. “Um, can I preface this conversation by saying something real quick?” That makes him curious so he only nods. “I just want to say sorry about how last night happened. By that, I mean I wish we took things slower. I’m—I didn’t want to be the first time seeing you to be about, you know, sex.” He blushes as he says it and Taehyung bites back a smile over how cute he is. “I wanted to ask you out properly and perhaps after a few dates, I would invite you over and then we would—you know—”

“Sex?” Taehyung stops himself from laughing given how flustered the other already is.

Jeongguk chokes a little and nods, tears pricking his eyes. “Yes, um, that.” 

“I appreciate the thought, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy last night.” 

“Me either,” he abruptly adds, reddening again at his eagerness. “I enjoyed last night too.” 

The corners of his lips turn up. “That’s good to know.” He takes a deep breath for his next words. “But I think, before we can do anything—before we can move forward, I was hoping you could give me some answers.”

“Anything.”

“At Hogwarts, before you graduated, we obviously were… intimate in some ways. After we—” he pauses, then smiles “—you know, I felt as if you were trying your hardest to distance yourself from me. We still had our study sessions, but then it felt as if you were never in my sight. I barely saw you and—at the time, I didn’t really know what to think. I still don’t. I figured that you were perhaps bored of me.” The thought does not scald him as it once did, but it does still leave a bitter aftertaste on his tongue. A thought that makes him question if he’s truly done something to drive the other away. 

“Heavens, no,” Jeongguk winces, rotating his body completely to face him as he takes a deep breath. “It’s not that I wasn’t… interested. It’s the complete opposite. I mean, yes, I did get busy with the NEWTs but—” he hesitates, “—alright, I do owe you an explanation. Do you remember that day I ran into you outside McGonagall’s office?” Taehyung recalls bumping into him but never thought the interaction to be that memorable. “Um, I overheard you two talking and how she pointed out that you’re helping me study. I figured I was taking up too much of your time and I don’t want professors thinking that you’re slacking off to help me and risking your own future.” He sighs. “I don’t want to be a burden to you, Tae. You’re so independent and intelligent and beautiful. I just—I want to be someone you can rely on. I relied on you so much to help me. I couldn’t—I didn’t want to be the person dragging you down.” 

“Guk,” Taehyung says softly, his hand seeking Jeongguk’s. The other’s hands feels cold as if the worry that plagues him has chills running through him. His fingers squeeze them lightly in the hopes of comforting him. “You could never be that person. If anything, I was worried I was doing that to you. You were already so incredible, doing all these great things, but it felt like I was monopolizing your time so I figured you wanted some of that time back.”

“God, Tae, I would never think that way. You’re one of the most selfless people I know, it was nice to see you wanting to spend time with me. It sucked not seeing you that much, by the way, in my final year.”

Taehyung huffs a laugh, relief coursing through him now that his first question has been resolved. However, his next one is perhaps the one that has baffled him the most. “What about that conversation with Seokjin-hyung?” Jeongguk tilts his head curiously. “Admittedly, I’ve heard rumors about you. I’m ashamed to say that I even let them get to me. Everything from before that conversation, they were really just rumors and I didn’t want to believe them, but—what you said then—that really hurt, Guk.”

“Conversation?” He frowns. 

Taehyung squirms. It’s been some time so it’s not surprising that the man doesn’t remember. “You probably didn’t see me, but I overheard you telling my brother that you weren’t serious about me and that I’m not your type. What changed between then and now?” The words still taste vile in his mouth. It’s a sour memory that has tainted his perspective of Jeongguk. It's a memory he wishes he didn't hold on to for as long as he did.  

It dawns on Jeongguk then and despair paints itself on his face. “Oh, fuck. Tae, that—I was an asshole. Honestly, there’s no other way to explain it. Seokjin kept attacking me for my past and all those people, I was young and stupid—granted, it probably was the year before. But I was just so—I wanted him to leave me alone about you because you, you were — are — different. That’s probably cliché of me to say but it’s true. Everything felt right with you and I wanted to be with you every single moment of every day. That was new to me. Of course, I already knew you as Seokjin’s little brother, but I never really got to know you until that year. It was as if everything fell into place, like you were the one person I never knew I wanted until I actually had you.”

He takes a deep breath. “That’s all to say that I have no excuse for the shit I said. It wasn’t true. I was falling hard for you, but when Seokjin brought up all those things, I just kept thinking to myself that maybe I wasn’t prepared for it. Prepared for you and all the good you had to offer.” 

“You’re always so hard on yourself, Jeongguk.” Taehyung places a warm palm on the other’s cheek, thumb rubbing his skin thoughtfully. Jeongguk seems to preen to the touch, humming and nudging his face closer. “I was so in love with you then. Some may call it childish to believe in such a grand love when I was so young, but it really did feel like we had a connection that only came around once.”

Jeongguk’s lips twitch. “When you’re younger, every feeling is a first and, most of the time, those firsts can feel like lasts.”

“We were kids,” Taehyung grumbles.

The elder looks at him with such kind eyes, like pools of warmth Taehyung wants to leap into. “You don’t know how many times I wanted to reach out to you over the years. Jin stopped talking about you—for good reason—but it still hurt not knowing how you were doing all these years. All I get is hearsay from others, namely dragging it out of Jimin since I was training him.”

That, Taehyung didn’t know. His best friend might’ve been attempting to avoid more complications and, for that, he’s thankful. Still, he wishes he knew about Jeongguk too. “Why didn’t you ever reach out?” His voice is small, almost inaudible as his heart thunders on.

With that, Jeongguk sighs and leans back, keeping Taehyung’s hand in his. “When my uncle came for graduation, I didn’t—I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t know what he wanted and I went in blindly to Dumbledore’s office. He was scolding the headmaster for my misdemeanors. I didn’t think much of it, figured it was just another show of power. But when he turned to me—” he stops, breath catching in his throat, “—he knew about you.” 

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been up to, Jeongguk. Wasting time with another boy. Was his name Kim Taehyung? Hard to believe you have time to be thinking about romances when your grades are less than stellar. Don’t look so surprised, you’re my only nephew. Of course I keep tabs on you. Don’t ruin our family legacy for an inconsequential relationship.” 

The words are harsh, as expected of the minister. What is surprising is how his phrases are troubled with emotion, which is uncharacteristic of the naturally stoic man. It certainly explains why the minister has a file on Taehyung in his office, an oddly personal relic in the professional space. He most likely has vetted him, perused over his entire background until no stone was left unturned. The idea makes his stomach churn. It’s uncomfortable knowing that someone as powerful as him has his hands on Taehyung’s entire life story. 

The other man continues, voice trembling slightly at the thought of his uncle. “I didn’t like that in the least. Knowing how my uncle works, he probably already looked into you. I knew he would still be watching my every move but I didn’t want him to monitor you the same way. That wasn’t right. It isn’t fair to you. So, I kept my distance. I mainly talked to Jin because I didn’t know if he planted anyone in the auror’s office to spy on me, which is not unlikely.” 

Taehyung breathes out. “I’m so sorry, Guk.”

“I needed to bide my time. Needed to make a name for myself as an auror first before I could even consider going back to you. And I did — so many times. I’ve been so tempted to send an owl or find an excuse to go to the muggle liaison office just to see you, to see if you were doing okay. Luckily, fate granted me that opportunity yesterday—albeit under much bleaker circumstances.”

Taehyung inhales deeply, processing the newfound information slowly in his mind. The weight in his heart he’s carried for so long has suddenly been lifted with the answers to questions that have been left unsaid for far too long. While there’s a huge wave of relief that overcomes him, a larger part of their conversation brings him unbelievable joy. Having his fears removed and suspicions cleared are critical to his understanding of Jeongguk, one that confirms his trust in Jeongguk is not unfounded. 

Before he can say a word, Jeongguk is already continuing. This time with both his hands wrapped around the other’s. “And you deserve so much, Tae. More than what I gave you all those years ago and certainly more than last night. I can offer you more, Tae. I promise you. I’ll be a good man to you, a good friend, a good partner. I’ll cherish you and take care of you, listen to you talk about muggles and astrology, let you teach me about the ways of the world.” He brings Taehyung’s hands to his lips, kissing the back as he looks up at the younger with glimmering eyes. “I love you, Kim Taehyung.” 

His breath catches in his throat and he tastes the saltiness of his tears before he even realizes he’s crying. Jeongguk looks alarmed, mouth opening and closing in an attempt to find the words to say. “S-sorry,” he hiccups as a laugh slips past his lips. “I’m not sure why I’m crying. I am happy, just to be clear.” 

His amusement catches on and Jeongguk chuckles, tugging him close and wrapping his arms around him. He breathes in his scent, absorbing the familiar warmth of the younger. “God, I’m so fucking ecstatic right now, you have no idea. It’s been far too long, Tae. Please be mine.”

“Only took us a few years, but I’m all yours.” Taehyung grins right back. “I love you, Jeongguk.”

A smile blooms across Jeongguk's face as he leans down and captures the other’s lips in a kiss. This one is different. They were urgent last night, fervently chasing each other’s touch after time had kept them apart. Knowing that they have miles to go ahead of them, Jeongguk moves languidly, hand drifting to cup the other’s face as he brushes away his tears. Taehyung’s fingers curl around the his shirt, tugging him closer as if he can’t bear to be more than a couple of inches apart. They kiss slowly, sweetly. They kiss without the pressure of the past but with hope for their future. 

They kiss knowing well that they have found their way back to each other. 

 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

A man of his word, Jeongguk does court the other properly. In fact, the moment they pull apart that morning, he immediately suggests going to a nearby museum, noting that Taehyung might enjoy the art (he was right). They go on their first date, Jeongguk’s fingers intertwined between his as they peruse the beautiful paintings spread across the floor. They stay huddled together, shoulder to shoulder as they share a cup of hot chocolate to hide from the chilly wind outside. 

They go on their second and third and fourth date until Taehyung stops keeping track. Jeongguk takes him to a muggle amusement park, walks down Diagon Alley with him, and even goes to watch a movie with him. Taehyung tells Jeongguk that he didn’t finish watching the first Avengers and, when the man asks why, he can only shrug. “It reminded me too much of you.” Jeongguk kisses him before he announces that it will be movie night and they have to complete it. The first rolled into the second installment which leaves Taehyung absolutely distraught and has him sobbing in the theatre. Jeongguk has him watch the sequels on his television so Taehyung will know that all will be well (spoiler: all is not well since Infinity War is next). 

Of course, the two still have to address the elephant in the room. 

“I don’t know if your brother will approve of me,” Jeongguk sighs when the two are sitting across from each other at Taehyung’s apartment, eating takeout because neither of them are particularly strong chefs. 

“He’s still your best friend, Guk.”

The boy resembles a kicked puppy, pouting as he huffs. “Not after the things I said. We still talk from time to time, but certainly not about you.”

“My brother knows I’m an adult and I can make my own decisions,” Taehyung tries to comfort him. 

“Well, Jin is a protective brother, which is a really good thing. If I were in his spot, I’d give me the boot too so this will take a lot of convincing on my end.”

“If you can convince me to fool around with you in a public movie theater, I’m sure you can convince him.”

Jeongguk chokes. “Tae!”

Despite how swimmingly things are going between them, their jobs take on more hours as the killings keep happening. As the lieutenant mentioned, the attack is part of a string of criminal activity that is happening across the UK. Wizards are warned and put on high alert, but the minister reassures them that it has nothing to do with the Dark Lord nor any organized entity. They’re seeing sloppy kills across London and surrounding countries, bodies left strewn in the streets that are detected on hex indicators. After a while, the pattern becomes evident — this murderer, now commonly known as the Wizard Killer to the public, is coming after ministry officials. All of the bodies they found have their ministry tags somewhere visible and they don’t seem to be targeting any specific department, which makes it all the more concerning. The muggle liaison’s office also gets pulled into these cases more and more because the attacker doesn’t even care about keeping muggles away from the scene, leaving many traumatized and wailing. Because it’s such a high profile case, Taehyung has to be more hands-on and involved in the cleanup jobs. 

Aside from the situation at hand, Taehyung has forgotten how much he enjoys being on the field and actually interacting with the muggle world. It also becomes an opportunity for him to mentor younger wizards who are fresh out of school and joining the team. When he’s not looking, Jeongguk is staring at him proudly. 

In spite of their increasingly fast response times, the minister is not pleased with the lack of progress. Wizards everywhere, particularly ministry officials, are fearful and recruiting is down. Whenever the aurors and muggle liaison’s office are brought together, they get an earful from Cho Kangdae who is close to firing every single one of them if they do not give him good news soon. 

Right before the two leave the room, the minister slips in one last comment. “Perhaps if you spent more time doing your job and less unnecessary romantic pursuits, this person would be caught by now.” The jab has Jeongguk gritting his teeth. The last thing he wants to do is talk back to his uncle and create more issues for his family, but the urge grows stronger each day. 

When they’re settled in bed that night with Taehyung cozied up next to him, Jeongguk sighs frustratedly, fingers running through his hair as he tugs gently. “He’s still the minister and I can’t just — to tell you the truth, I’m terrified. I don’t want him to retaliate, don’t want him to take it out on my parents even more. And now, you. I’m sorry I got you involved with him.”

“Don’t ever apologize for that,” he frowns, “you’ve done your parents proud, Jeongguk. You nor they do not need his approval for anything. I’m here for the long-run and I am proud to stand by your side.”

And Jeongguk shows him how much he appreciates him that night. 

It’s not until an early report comes in that they manage to actually catch a whiff of the Wizard Killer. When Jeongguk and Taehyung arrive at the scene, the lieutenant is already investigating the victim. “The body is still warm,” the lieutenant notes gruffly. He presses his fingers against the man’s neck and curses. “He’s still alive. We have to get him help. I feel a pulse.”

Taehyung hurries over to quickly apply a potion he has on hand to help partially close his wounds and ease the pain, but it’s not enough to save him. It appears that the killer didn’t conduct the spell properly, perhaps they were interrupted, leaving their victim alive. Lisa arrives shortly after them and winces at the sight of the injured man. “Lisa, take this man to St. Mungo’s. They’ll know what to do. Quickly now,” Taehyung instructs and she immediately nods, disappearing with the man. 

While Jeongguk and the lieutenant scan the area, he immediately goes to work on the muggle. He evaluates the woman’s shock and questions her for information. Unfortunately, like the other muggles, she is too shaken to provide any coherent thoughts. However, what she says next makes his blood run cold. “I-it was a hooded figure. H-he was right t-there. I don’t know where they went, but they were right there .” 

There’s a tremor in his fingers as he checks on the person. The killer could still be here, lurking far enough away to watch them. He wills himself to be steady so he can remove the muggle’s memories, but he mentally chides himself when he can’t get a hold of his heart. “Stay here,” Lieutenant Davis instructs, wand at the ready, “I’ll secure the area. Jeongguk, make sure the muggle whisperer is safe.” It’s a nickname that he no longer takes offense in and he’s assuaged by his boyfriend’s presence. 

Somehow, he manages to gather enough courage to perform the spell. A turn of his wrist has the muggle sleeping soundly in his arms, nightmares replaced with dreams. He breathes a sigh of relief and slumps on the ground with dirt layering his slacks. “Good job, Tae.” Jeongguk squeezes his shoulder. Taehyung can only nod. 

Taehyung gets to his feet, preparing to move the muggle to another place. But his body halts when they hear footsteps behind them. “Two ministry officials,” the intruder begins. The two whirl around to see someone cast in the shadows, a cloak draped on their shoulders and a hood over their head to hide their face. There’s an outline of a wand in the person’s hand and Taehyung freezes in his spot. “What a delicious turn of events,” the man continues, “perhaps I should’ve done this sooner. Waited around my kill. Two birds, one stone.” 

Taehyung slides himself between the man and the muggle, shielding him from sight. Jeongguk stands steady next to him, his stance defensive with his wand in front of him. 

“You self-righteous, smug bastards. You think you’re saving the world, but you’re all selfish, vile creatures who care about nothing but yourselves,” the man snarls as he throws his fist into the air, his wand visible in his hand.  

Jeongguk licks his lips, sweat beading his forehead as he enunciates slowly. “We can end this well, my friend. Don’t do anything to worsen the situation.”

“Friend?” The man scoffs, a bitter laugh escaping him. “A friend, he says. I have no such thing. You know what I did have? A wife. A lovely wife who loved me for who I am. Who didn’t care about prestige or fortune. She was my moon and stars. And now she’s gone.”

They stay quiet. This man is clearly in no state of mind for compromise or negotiation. Any sudden movements may trigger a terrible chain reaction, one that may actually lead to a fatal blow to any of them. Taehyung holds his breath as Jeongguk readies himself to perform a disarming spell. He can see the slight tremble in the other’s hand and he’s worried he may hurt himself in the process. 

“You two look like a pair of lovers, clutching onto each other like that.” The comment has both of them tensing further. He doesn’t realize his fingers are gripping Jeongguk’s left arm that doesn’t hold his wand. “Imagine what it feels like to have your lover torn away from your arm. A lover who trusted you to do right by them. A lover who promised to protect you in spite of your differences. I had that! She trusted me to keep her safe. And I failed!

The killer pauses for a second before speaking up again. “Well, that’s what I thought for years.” The change in his demeanor is sobering and Taehyung only holds on tighter to Jeongguk. “Until I realized it wasn’t my fault. The ministry said that she was a traitor, that she leaked wizarding secrets to the muggles. But I knew better. They wanted a scapegoat, an easy way out of finding the actual perpetrator.” 

From a distance, the two can see the lieutenant approaching, wand out as he cautiously approaches them. The man brings his fingers to his lips to tell them to keep quiet. It feels as if everything is frozen in time. Taehyung squeezes Jeongguk’s arm as the elder stiffens slightly. There’s a weight in the air as the man continues his monologue, but Taehyung can barely process his words, his heart is strung tight anticipating the ambush. He can practically hear his blood rushing in his ears as the world around him is deafened. 

“I was one of you a long time ago. I thought the ministry brought justice to those who deserved it, thought that you did right by wizards who followed the rules and served the greater good. Obviously, I was wrong.” The man continues, shaking his head in disappointment and raising his wand. Jeongguk grips his wand tighter, a spell waiting to leave his lips. 

However, when the lieutenant accidentally steps on a branch in the dark, everything goes still. Several things happen at once. Jeongguk pushes Taehyung behind him, sparks shooting from the end of his wand to disarm the man. The attacker whirls around to the source of the noise as he calls out an offensive spell. The lieutenant also fires back at the same time. Taehyung doesn’t realize what happens until he looks over the Jeongguk's shoulder to find both wizards down. A gasp leaves his lips when he sees the lieutenant bloody in the distance and he quickly hurries over, barely catching the way Jeongguk yells, “Taehyung, no!” 

Cursing under his breath, Jeongguk moves to arrest the wizard whose wand has been flung far away from him. He binds his hands together behind his back and brings him to his feet. Meanwhile, Taehyung, with shaking hands, is dabbing potion into the lieutenant’s wounds. Each gash is wider than the last. “W-we have to get you to the hospital. I can’t — this isn’t enough to treat you,” he hiccups. The liquid is enough to remedy the bleeding, but not enough to completely heal him. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” the man in Jeongguk’s hand suddenly sobs. Both Taehyung and the lieutenant turn to him in surprise. “I-I just want my wife back. Nobody listens to me. I can’t get her back.” 

“We’ll talk about this later,” Jeongguk growls, jerking the man in his hand. “Let’s get the lieutenant to the hospital first. I’ll catch up with you after, Tae. I’ll bring this one to the ministry to be held.” 

With that, Taehyung assists Jeongguk’s boss to St. Mungo’s. Healers move fast to take the man away into a separate room to help him recover. They tell Taehyung to leave and that they’ll take care of everything. Although reluctant, he does as he’s told but promises that he’ll return to check on him. 

As it turns out, the lieutenant may as well be invincible. The attack should’ve killed him, but the gods have blessed him with a fate so fortunate that he survived and is expected to miraculously recover within weeks. A week after the incident, Taehyung had gone back to St. Mungo’s to visit the man. Of course, with Jeongguk in tow. 

He set a bouquet of flowers on the man’s nightstand, to which he just grunted at. “You saved us, Lieutenant. We wouldn’t be here without you, so thank you,” Taehyung murmured.

“It’s all part of the job,” he calmly said, but Jeongguk swore he had seen a dusting of pink on his cheeks. His boyfriend really can charm the pants off anybody. 

After a thorough investigation and questioning, they confirm that the killer is a vengeful wizard whose wife was wrongly prosecuted for leaking wizard secrets to the muggle world a couple of years ago. The ministry had been forced to remove all her memories, including those of her husband. Years of marriage disappear into thin air as she returns to normal life. The ministry never attempted to get in touch with the wizard again, never responded to his hundreds of letters seeking justice. He himself had tried to reach his wife but he was no more than a stranger to her. It was tragic really, even Taehyung felt a pang in his heart at the thought. If it had been Jeongguk, if Jeongguk had completely forgotten him, he can’t bear to think how he could just move on with his life. The man took it into his own hands and did everything he could to get the ministry’s attention, but it was to no avail. Until now. Unfortunately, even his most violent efforts proved fruitless. The minister issues a statement the same day, assuring the public that they can rest easy, that the ministry has solved the mystery and that proper punishment will be delivered. 

What surprises all of them, though, is when the public catches wind of the reasoning behind his actions. There’s a small outcry for the ministry to be held accountable, to fix what it has done. In turn, the minister promises to open up the case again to investigate. Still, they should’ve known better than to expect justice from a man who only cares about his image among the elite — and what the elite want is for the man to be penalized for his crimes. Thus, Cho Kangdae is shipping the man off to Azkaban for the Dementors to deal with. 

To that, Taehyung frowns and argues. “Sir, with all due respect, this man is clearly distressed from the lack of acknowledgement. The ministry should provide him with counseling before he serves his time or in conjunction with it.”

Only Taehyung and Jeongguk are submitting their informal recount since the lieutenant is still down for the count. They stand before the minister as he reviews their briefs. Perhaps if the man is here, he may scold Taehyung for insubordination. While he isn’t, he’ll take his chances. 

“The ministry shall not waste our resources on criminals.” The minister barely spares him a glance.

“Sir,” Jeongguk starts this time, clearing his throat. “Like Taehyung said, this man is still a wizard. He’s one of us. He became a criminal because he was wronged and, of course, he should be held accountable for it. But, he should also be provided support so history does not repeat itself.” 

The man does look up this time, cocking a brow at his tone. Sighing, he flips the file closed and looks up at them as he leans back in his seat. “Your emotional decision-making is not conducive to enforcing strict wizarding regulations. How would the ministry appear if we do not punish those that have done wrong? Are we letting crooks run amok now? I’ve always known you to be weak-hearted, but clearly, even then, my expectations were too high.” 

His comment has Taehyung’s mouth drying. The nerve of this man. This is his nephew. This is someone who cares about wizards and this is how the minister responds. When he was younger and naive, Taehyung truly looked up to the man as a role model. He thought that he one day could achieve the same level of success. 

Clearly, his triumphs come at a cost. 

He is about to open his mouth and defend Jeongguk, his heart ramming against his ribs, when the other steps in before him. Standing tall, he puffs out his chest and says, “Maybe this is where you’re wrong, Minister . A little bit of empathy can go a long way and perhaps it’ll do you some good to listen to those more capable of it than you are. You may think emotions weaken you, but only those brave enough to accept them can be the strongest. If that’s everything, we’ll be taking our leave. You’ll find a report on your desk by Tuesday morning. Have a good evening.”

He then spins around and, with his hand wrapped around Taehyung’s, tugs the younger out the door before he can utter another word. He walks and walks and walks down the hall until there’s nowhere else to go. It is only then that the fear that had been suppressed within him kicks in. His knees wobble, threatening to give out, but Taehyung is laughing and propping him up. He’ll most likely get an earful later, maybe eventually at the dinner table when they come together to eat as a family, but it feels damn good to finally stand up to that man. 

The other boy is grinning from ear to ear, tilting his head curiously. “Where did that come from?”

“Years and years of frustration.” He shakes his head.

Taehyung’s lips twitch at his answer as he leans closer, pressing his forehead against Jeongguk’s. “I’m proud of you, Guk. You said all the right words. You stood up for what is right.”

Jeongguk only huffs a chuckle. “Yeah, let’s find me a seat because I think I might actually drop if I keep standing. Standing up to the minister is not for the weak-hearted.”

The quip has Taehyung laughing. “Always misery in the agony.”

 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

A season has come and gone. A love that bloomed in the spring quickly burned even brighter throughout the summer months. With the Wizard Killer captured, Taehyung and Jeongguk are able to actually leave the ministry on time during the weekdays to go on even more outings. The elder takes him on a two-hour car ride to a beach in Kent where they watch the blue waters and white cliffs with sand between their toes. They visit more museums, ones with old paintings and beautifully crafted statues, and find that Taehyung has a penchant for the arts. They do lots of picnics at various parks across the city, sneak into a West End show that leaves Taehyung in awe, and—when the summer rain pours—they are found cuddled up indoors with a homecooked meal (they’re slowly learning), finishing the rest of the Marvel movies. 

The drop in temperature signals that autumn has finally arrived in London. This season comes with its showers and rows of sunset colored trees lining the sidewalks. Leaves crunch underneath Jeongguk’s boots as he pays the florist for the bouquet in his hand. With a quick thanks, he’s walking down the street and taking one last deep breath before turning into an alley and transporting himself for his big appointment of the day. His knuckles rap against the wooden door and Mrs. Kim welcomes him with a big smile and an even bigger hug. He hands her the arrangement with a flourish. She giggles, “You didn’t have to. Come in, come in. It was such a surprise to hear from you asking to have a meal together. You know you’re always welcome here.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Kim, always happy to see you and your family,” he smiles, his gaze fleeting past the entrance and across the room where Taehyung stands next to his brother. The grin he shoots him has Cupid written all over it, his charming nature sending tingles down the younger’s spine. Taehyung smiles right back. 

He feels his heart skip a beat. Although they’ve spent virtually every day together since they reunited, the feeling that overwhelms him when he sees him is like the first time all over again. Jeongguk’s hair has grown out again but Taehyung can see that parts of the sides are shaved off, giving him this rugged look that has his stomach flipping. 

The two are in what many call the honeymoon phase. Still, that's not to say that their relationship is smooth sailing from the get go. Both of them are hard-headed, much to Jeongguk’s surprise. He’s always known himself to be stubborn but Taehyung puts his foot down on things he knows to be right. When they argue, they bicker about the small things. Jeongguk knows never to let anything escalate. He usually gives the other some space before he comes crawling back before they sleep. They promise to never go to sleep angry, Taehyung says it helps to avoid miscommunication. 

Taehyung feels like he’s falling in love all over again whenever he’s with Jeongguk, learning more about Jeongguk that only adds to the growing list of things that he adores about him. This isn’t Jeongguk’s first rodeo, but it’s the only one he’s invested so much time and effort into. His boyfriend is worth it after all. He keeps his word, ensuring that Taehyung feels loved every single second of every day. Jeongguk introduces to him the world, including the magic of cell phones. 

While owls can be romantic, texts are a lot more convenient. 

They do video calls when one or both of them are traveling for work. The first time Taehyung tried it, he nearly dropped the device because it’s shocking how he could so clearly see Jeongguk on the screen. Jeongguk shows him how to send emojis and Taehyung floods his phone with hearts. 

Plus, he gets the added bonus of Jeongguk sending "selfies" (another new term he learns from muggles!) which means his photo album is filled with lots and lots of pictures to keep them close. 

In spite of all the great things that have happened, Jeongguk has been reluctant to visit the Kim family as Taehyung’s boyfriend. Even if the Kims are kind to him as Seokjin’s friend, there’s no saying how they would respond to his dating their son. Taehyung insists that he’s worried for no reason, but perhaps he speaks too soon when Seokjin squints at the two of them. His gaze darts between them suspiciously as if gauging their dynamic. 

His mother hurries off to the kitchen to finish preparing their lunch and shoos the man towards his friends. Jeongguk drifts towards them. “Jeon,” Seokjin greets him curtly, eyes still narrowed.

“Jin,” Jeongguk says right back. The youngest of them looks between them, sensing that there’s still some tension in the air. However, Jeongguk makes the first move and steps up next to Taehyung, his hand wrapping around the other’s. 

Taehyung can only blush. The bold move has him glancing warily at his brother who he knows can be overprotective. He’s about to explain the situation, opening his mouth to tell his brother that everything’s okay — more than okay, in fact — when Seokjin only rolls his eyes and walks past them. “About damn time,” he huffs. “Come on, let’s help mom get the dining table ready.” 

Even if Taehyung is relieved, Jeongguk understands that there’s an underlying threat in Seokjin’s words. Break his heart and I’ll break your neck. He’ll take any approval from his best friend at this point, even if it is conditional. 

His boyfriend peeks at him from the corner of his eyes when Seokjin is out of earshot, a deep breath leaving his lips as his shoulders sag in relief. “That turned out well,” Taehyung notes. 

“One down, two to go.” Jeongguk inhales shakily before exhaling. 

“Trust me, Seokjin is probably the worst of it. If he’s okay with it, my parents will be too.”

Jeongguk chuckles. “Well, I hope so. Either way, I’m not letting you go again,” he squeezes his hand, “twice was more than enough.”

“Hmm, never, Jeongguk?” He teases. 

“Trust me, Tae, I have the ring ready, so you best be prepared.” 

His heart skips a beat. He’s so glad to be home. 

 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

(One day, when the three are comfortable enough to spend time together again, Seokjin mocks his best friend for being a “simp,” an American term he learns from the Internet which Jeongguk has introduced him to. 

To that, Jeongguk says, “Technically, this is your fault.” The brothers turn to him with questioning glances. “If you didn’t make Taehyung dress up as you and take your divination class, this never would’ve happened.”

Jeongguk laughs. Taehyung gapes. Seokjin — well, he remains unbothered.)