#ateez hogwarts au

[lilacmingi]

NIFFLER NABBING

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: Slytherin!Mingi x Hufflepuff!fem reader

Word count: 5,861

Note: Reminder that this is an imagine from my Wattpad from 2023 so there will not be extra parts or continuations

Mingi pushed his food around on his plate, eyes fixed on the peas that rolled across the saucer and into his mashed potatoes.

"Mingi?" You inquired softly, tapping your index finger on the table to gain his attention.

He blinked a few times, looking up at you with those heart-melting sparkly brown eyes of his.

"Hm?" He hummed.

"What's got you so distracted? You've barely touched your steak. It's your favorite."

"I was just thinking."

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

He hummed, nodding his head.

"Then, what's weighing on your mind?"

"What if I end up as an evil wizard?" He questioned worriedly. "Most of the bad wizards are from Slytherin."

Your expression softened and settled into a gentle smile as you let out a chortle. "Mingi, you don't have anything to worry about."

"That's easy for you to say. You're in one of the nicest houses in Hogwarts."

"Your house doesn't define you, you know. For instance, you. You're so friendly and kind to everyone you meet. Slytherins aren't always mean."

He blinked a few times, his eyes shimmering as he took in every word you said.

"You know, I've come across some awfully mean Hufflepuffs."

His eyes became wide at this.

"Really?"

"Mhm." You nodded. "Some meaner than any Slytherin I've met."

"Ah." His brows raised. "That makes me feel better."

"Good." You gave a nod of finality before finishing your meal.

You waited patiently for Mingi to eat, sipping on the remainder of your drink until he was done.

"Ah." You sighed contently as the both of you left the dining hall. "Nothing like a good meal to end the day."

"Yeah." Mingi agreed.

Your gaze moved to the windows of the school seeing the evening sky outside. Classes were over for the day and this was usually when students would go to their respective dormitories and hang out in the common room or spend time in the study hall, but you wanted to do something with Mingi. You thought back to what he had said just a few minutes ago at dinner about being a Slytherin. Though your words seemed to bring some comfort and relief to him, you felt he needed something else to cheer him up.

"Hey, I know something we could do." You spoke up as an idea popped into your head.

There was one thing that was 100% guaranteed to cheer Mingi up.

"What?"

"We could stop by Hagrid's hut to see what new creatures he's taking care of."

Mingi's eyes lit up, glimmering with excitement as he nodded vigorously. "Let's go!"

With his confirmation, the two of you took off across the quad and exited the area, waking together across the school grounds. Hagrid's hut was just a small, dark lump in the distance as he lived quite a ways away from the castle.

"You remember those things we learned about in our care of magical creatures class? Ah. What are they called?" You murmured. "Oh! Mooncalves. Do you think Hagrid will be caring for any of those?"

"I hope so. The pictures in our textbooks look so cute. I'd love to see one in person." Mingi gushed.

You approached the small hut, giving a knock on the weathered wood of the front door, watching as plumes of smoke escaped the chimney meaning Hagrid was home.

The door swung open moments later revealing the jovial half-giant, but before he could even greet you, his dog, Fang, came running by his feet, jumping up to greet you and Mingi.

"Fang!" You cooed, scratching the massive dog's ears, his droopy face looking too cute.

"Hey kiddos." Hagrid greeted once Fang had calmed down. "What brings you here?"

"It's the end of the day and Mingi and I wanted to see if you had any new creatures you were taking care of." You told him, rocking back and forth on your heels in anticipation.

A small grin pulled at Hagrid's features.

"I just got a new little fella yesterday, actually. Would you like to see him?"

"Yes, please!" You and Mingi both piped up, speaking at the same time.

Hagrid gave a hearty chuckle before stepping aside. "Well, come on in, then."

The two of you entered his cozy hut, both looking around trying to find this so-called "little fella."

"You two are excited, aren't ya?"

You and Mingi nodded vigorously, earning a chuckle from him.

"Alright." He sighed out, rummaging in a corner where a basket sat. Hagrid pulled a cloth off the top of the weaved container and reached inside. "Well, here he is."

When he turned around he was cradling a small creature in his arms, which was curled in on itself slightly.

Both you and Mingi let out gasps in response.

"A niffler." Mingi squeaked.

"That it is." Hagrid nodded. "You don't have any jewelry on, do you?"

"No sir." You shook your head along with Mingi.

"Good. This guy goes crazy for that stuff."

"Yes, we know. He's so adorable though, you can't help but wanna give him shiny stuff." You cooed.

"It's very tempting, but as soon as he sees something shiny he goes mad and won't stop until he has whatever eye-catching object grabbed his attention. And catching one of these is no easy task. Newt Scamander, the author of yer textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, had a niffler along with many other creatures and one of these guys got out. Ended up in a jewelry store stuffing his pouch with gold and silver."

Your eyes widened along with Mingi's.

"Really?"

Hagrid nodded.

"What happened?" Mingi inquired. "Did he catch the niffler?"

"He did, but it was difficult."

Your gaze moved to the creature still tucked in Hagrid's arms. He noticed your eyes lingering on the niffler, prompting him to hold the little guy out to you.

"Would you like to hold him?"

You nodded eagerly, gingerly taking the creature, cradling him in your arms. Mingi leaned over your shoulder to watch, slowly bringing his hand up to run along the niffler's tummy. He stretched out in your arms in response to Mingi's affectionate actions making you chuckle.

"He likes that." You commented.

"You can brush him if you'd like." Hagrid spoke up.

Mingi nodded eagerly as Hagrid handed him a small oval brush. He began running the bristled object along the niffler's tummy until he rolled over in your arms, allowing Mingi to brush along his back, his eyelids slowly drooping.

"He's closing his eyes." You whispered. "I think he's about to fall asleep."

Mingi's endearing giggles reached your ears, the sound making your heart do flips. He's the biggest softie you'd ever met and everything he does makes you melt. His sweet personality was a big contrast from his deep voice and six foot tall stature. On the outside he (sometimes) looks intimidating but he's really just a big softie who loves to give hugs and gets scared easily.

The both of you moved over to sit on the couch in Hagrid's quaint and cozy hut, Mingi continuing to brush the fuzzy niffler that was slowly starting to doze off in your arms. The atmosphere was pleasant as you watched the little creature's eyes slide shut, the sound of the cracking fire filling the air.

"Can I offer you two somethin' to drink? I can put a pot of tea on." Hagrid offered.

You and Mingi shared a glance before nodding.

He got to work placing a kettle of water over the fire to boil while you continued watching the niffler in your arms. Being close with Hagrid had its perks, one being moments like these where you could spend your free time caring for any creatures that he happened to have.

Mingi's eyes glimmered with unadulterated joy, a toothy grin plastered on his face while gingerly stroking the niffler's back with the brush.

Hagrid poured you both a cup of steaming hot tea, placing them on the wooden table by the couch. When the warm beverages were served, Mingi stopped what he was doing and took a sip of the tea while you did your best to reach for your cup without waking the snoozing niffler curled up in your lap.

You thanked the kind half-giant for the beverage before giving it a taste, offering him a thumbs up in response.

You and Mingi stayed long enough to finish your tea and chat with Hagrid about how your other classes were going as well as learning more about nifflers, finding out things about them that your textbooks didn't cover.

Hagrid glanced out the small window of his hut, noting how low the sun was hanging in the sky.

"You two best be getting off. Don't want to get in trouble."

You stood up, reluctantly handing the niffler off to Hagrid.

"Is it okay if we come back to see him again?" Mingi asked, glistening eyes darting down to the creature who had started to stir.

"Of course. You're both welcome back whenever. You know that."

"Yes sir." You nodded with a grin.

The both of you waved goodbye to Hagrid while leaving his small home and started your brief journey back to the school, not realizing how dark it had gotten outside.

"I want to take him with us." You pouted, making grabby hands towards the hut as you walked away from it.

"Me too." Mingi clutched his chest. "I've never seen a real niffler before. I didn't realize they were so cute."

"They're irresistible." You gushed. "I want one as a pet."

Your Slytherin friend chuckled in response. "Do you think you could handle caring for one?"

"Maybe. Though that story Hagrid told us about Newt Scamander makes me a bit skeptical. They must be really drawn to shiny things. I'd have to keep it on a leash or something." You spoke your thoughts aloud. "Maybe I just like being around them for a little while."

"Me too." Mingi agreed. "I don't think I could take care of one. Imagine how difficult it would be to keep one from going after anything shiny it laid eyes on."

You pictured it for a moment, imagining utter chaos.

"Yeah. Being a niffler mom might not be for me." You laughed.

Once back inside the school, you and Mingi went your separate ways, waving goodbye to each other while heading off in the direction of your respective dormitories. Leaving Mingi was always difficult for you because you enjoyed his company and wanted to spend as much time around him as possible.

One thing you hated about being in separate houses was not being able to live in the same dorms. Yes, boys and girls were separated but at the very least, you both could hang out together in the common room and prolong your time together.

Mingi made his way to the Grand Staircase, descending the seemingly endless stairs that led to the dungeon where the Slytherin dormitories were located. His mind was clouded with thoughts of you, as usual. You had been friends for years yet every time he was around you his heart raced like crazy. He was so in love with you it was almost embarrassing. What's even more embarrassing is how he still hadn't confessed yet. With how long the both of you have known each other, one would assume he already confessed, but he was too afraid of rejection, or worse, making things awkward between the both of you and ruining your friendship.

If only there was a way he could ease into confessing, maybe test the waters a bit and see if you might be interested in him the way he was with you.

Mingi's hands were clammy as he held the small velvet box between his palms. He spent so long choosing this piece for you and hoped you would like it. As soon as his eyes landed on the item he knew he had to get it for you, clearly imagining how nice you would look wearing it.

He took a series of deep breaths, letting them out slowly in a futile attempt to calm his nerves as he approached the place where you stood, not noticing his presence.

"Hi." He announced himself by greeting you, hiding the box behind his back.

"Hi." You flashed that heart-melting smile of yours that he loved so much.

"You look pretty." Saying the compliment aloud made Mingi's cheeks flush. "Did you do something different to your hair?"

"I styled it a little, but I hardly did anything. How'd you notice?"

I notice everything. Is what he wanted to say, but he just shrugged.

"So, why'd you want to meet here?"

"I wanted to give you something."

Your face lit up at his statement, clearly not expecting the gesture.

"What is it?" You inquired.

Mingi revealed the velvet box he had concealed behind his back and held it out for you. He noticed the way your eyes became wide at the sight, carefully taking the box from his hands to open it up.

You gasped upon seeing the necklace displayed inside.

He stood nervously as you removed the jewelry, examining the silver chain that had a single pendant hanging at the end; your favorite stone encased in silver.

"Mingi." You gaped. "This is beautiful."

The design of the piece was simple, which you loved, silently vowing to wear it all the time.

"You like it?" He asked quietly.

"I love it. What's the occasion?"

He shrugged. "Just because."

That was a lie. Getting you the necklace was just one way he could attempt to convey just how much you meant to him without actually confessing.

"Would you like me to put it on you?" He asked with pink cheeks.

"Yes please."

You allowed him to take the necklace while you turned around and let him clasp it around your neck. Your hand reached up to gently touch the pendant hanging perfectly between your collarbones, your heart leaping in response.

Just because, huh? You thought, holding back a smile.

No one buys their best friend jewelry just because. You knew there had to be another reason behind it and you hoped your suspicions were correct.

"Thank you."

"Yeah." His eyes were cast upon the ground, unable to meet your gaze. "You're welcome."

Your fingers unconsciously fiddled with the pendant.

"It's very beautiful."

"So, you like it?"

"I love it." You smiled.

Those three words were enough to fill Mingi with a feeling of adoration, his heart beating with joy. Seeing your reaction to the necklace gave him a small glimmer of hope that maybe you did like him the way he liked you.

It was nearly impossible to stay away from the lovable niffler you and Mingi met a few days prior. As soon as you had time to slip away, the both of you took off to Hagrid's hut once again, hoping to see the magical creature that captured your hearts.

"Oh. I should take this off." You paused, reaching up to unclasp the necklace Mingi had given you. "Don't want the little guy to snatch it."

"Smart." Mingi nodded, watching as you slipped it into your pocket.

You hadn't taken the necklace off not once since Mingi had gifted it to you. The piece of jewelry meant the world to you and you had no intentions on losing it or having it taken by a magical creature, so it was best to pocket it for the duration of your visit at Hagrid's.

Mingi gave a few knocks to the large wooden door, his eyes gleaming with anticipation as it creaked open.

"Hey you two. Didn't expect you back so soon."

"We couldn't stay away." You responded.

"Yeah we wanted to see the niffler again, if you don't mind." Mingi added, looking up at the half-giant with hopeful eyes.

"'Course you can." He bellowed cheerfully, stepping aside so the both of you could enter his cozy home.

The niffler was up and skittering about the hut this time instead of being curled up in his basket. Fang, who was lying peacefully by the fireplace, sat upright when the creature skittered past his paws, startling him a bit.

"He's got what I believe muggles call zoomies." Hagrid said with a hearty chuckle.

You squeaked gleefully as the creature scurried over to you and Mingi.

"I think he remembers us." You chuckled, leaning down to pick him up.

Mingi reached over and started to lightly scratch the top of the niffler's head before going down his back, the creature letting out small chitters of approval.

"You wanna hold him?"

Mingi nodded vigorously, gently taking the niffler from your arms and cradling him in his own, gazing fondly at him. His fingers came up to give the little guy some belly scratches which he seemed to really enjoy, for a few moments anyway. He didn't stay still for long before he was squirming in the Slytherin's arms, trying his best to wiggle his way out. Mingi got the message and placed the creature on the ground allowing him to run about to his heart's content.

"He's got a lot of energy today."

"He does." Hagrid chuckled. "Excited little thing, he is."

You and Mingi watched him in amusement and adoration as he skittered about.

"Would you like to feed him?" Hagrid asked, making the both of you look up at him.

"Yes please." Mingi nodded.

Hagrid stood up from his seat and went rummaging through some of his belongings before pulling out a bucket.

"You'll have to do some work, if you don't mind gettin' yer hands dirty."

You and your friend shared a look before you put forth a question.

"What do we have to do?"

"Nifflers are herbivores so this fella only eats grass and weeds. I haven't had the chance to gather any food for him so if you're both willing to do that you can feed him."

"Of course we are." You agreed straight away, Mingi nodding in agreement.

"Great." He handed the bucket over to you, making sure the niffler didn't run out while you and Mingi stepped outside.

"Here." Your friend pointed to a cluster of grass near an old wheelbarrow.

Wrenching the blades from the ground, you tossed them into the bucket you had been given and began to slowly fill it up. The two of you made your way around Hagrid's property yanking handfuls of grass up out of the earth. Eventually, the bucket was nearly full to the top.

"Should we stop?" Mingi questioned. "He's a small creature and this is probably plenty of food."

"You're right."

Hagrid was impressed with the work you two had done, bringing you back over to the couch so you could feed the magical creature.

Mingi held some grass in his hand, the niffler crawling over to him right away to start chowing down. His little hands held onto the blades of grass while he ate, making him look oh-so-adorable.

You decided to join in and pulled a handful of grass from the bucket, holding it out for the niffler who scurried across the small space between you and Mingi on the couch to eat the grass you had presented to him.

Your palm was emptied in no time and you found yourself reaching back into the bucket for more grass.

"Oh. Did I ever tell you two about that one time I raised blast-ended skrewts?"

Mingi turned to share a look with you before you both shook your heads.

"I don't recommend it. They're very ill tempered when they get to two months."

"What are they?" Mingi inquired.

"They're a mix between a manticore and a fire crab. The look like a giant faceless scorpion mixed with a crab."

"Scary." Mingi shivered.

Your brows raised. "That sounds dangerous."

"It was. Bought 'em from an illegal breeder."

"Makes sense." You muttered in amusement.

Hagrid was always getting himself into some sort of trouble and caring for incredibly dangerous creatures that he probably shouldn't have contact with.

"Let me show you a picture." He got up and started skimming through a pile of books before pulling one out of the stack and flipping through the pages. "Ah. Here we are."

"No thanks." Mingi declined, covering his eyes.

You peered at the drawing in the book, your face scrunching in response. Mingi made the mistake of peeking through his fingers and catching a glimpse of the image.

"Ah!" He squeaked. "That's terrifying. Who would want those?"

"Me, of course!" Hagrid gave a hearty belly laugh.

After another fun-filled visit at Hagrid's hut you headed back to the castle to spend the rest of the evening.

"I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow." You waved goodbye to Mingi while parting ways.

Once you were out of sight, Mingi decided to wander the halls with no particular destination in mind. He merely felt the need to take a walk, maybe think about some things that had been weighing on his mind.

During his stroll, he noticed a familiar-looking lump sitting amongst some sculptures and set of armor lining the hallways. He had been down that hall hundreds of times throughout his years attending Hogwarts and whatever was on the floor wasn't supposed to be there. He took a few steps towards the lump until he was able to make out what it was.

The niffler.

"Oh. What are you doing here?" He asked, unsure of how the creature had followed the both of you all the way back to the school. "How did you get h-" His question was cut off when he saw something silver gleaming in the niffler's hand.

"Hey. That's Y/n's necklace!" Mingi gasped, wondering how the little guy managed to snag it without either of you noticing. "Give that to me."

The niffler took off as soon as Mingi attempted to advance towards him.

"No." The Slytherin groaned, taking off down the halls towards him.

Mingi kept his eyes on the magical creature as he skittered down the corridors, rounding corners and leaping onto pedestals housing sculptures that Mingi had to catch and keep from toppling over after the little guy jumped off them.

This is the worst. He though to himself miserably.

Despite how much he was struggling, that necklace was far too important. There's no way Mingi would let the niffler have it, at least not without a fight.

Finally, after what felt like ages, he came to a halt, sitting near one of the large arched windows.

Finally. Mingi thought, his chest heaving up and down while he attempted to catch his breath. It was a miracle he didn't get caught by any professors running down the halls or he would've been in big trouble.

Choosing to take a different approach, Mingi decided to advance towards the creature with the utmost caution, sneaking up behind him while he stared at your necklace in his tiny hands. Just before he could slip it into his pouch, Mingi grabbed a hold of it, thinking he had managed to get the precious item from the creature, until he felt a tug on the opposite end.

You reached up to mindlessly fiddle with the pendant Mingi had given you, freezing when you didn't feel it around your neck.

Before you could fully begin to panic you remembered you had put the necklace in your pocket before going to Hagrid's place. However, when you reached into your pocket, you didn't feel the necklace. You heart dropped to your feet.

"Oh no."

Slipping out of the Hufflepuff dormitory, you made your way down the halls in the direction you had come earlier, hoping to find the silver necklace lying on the stone floors of the hallway. It meant so much to you and the fact that you lost it made your heart shatter. The necklace could have slipped out of your pocket at Hagrid's or in the grass on the walk back to the school. The only possible solution was to retrace your steps.

You went down the corridors, keeping your eyes glued to the floor as you scanned the area. As time passed and your necklace didn't show up, a feeling of hopelessness slowly started taking over. At that point, you started thinking that maybe you should just tell Mingi what happened and be honest. Then, maybe the both of you could look outside on the school grounds tomorrow. Changing directions, you started making your way to the Slytherin dorms, hoping you'd run into Mingi along the way.

Your search came to an abrupt halt when you spotted the man you were looking for playing tug of war with a niffler. You could barely question how the creature had gotten all the way to the school when you spotted a familiar silver chain gleaming in the lantern lights. Your necklace.

"Mingi?"

"Y/n!" He jerked his head towards you, eyes wide like a deer in the headlights. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. He took your necklace. I don't know how."

Giving one final tug, the niffler released the jewelry and Mingi fell on his bottom, letting out a grunt when he hit the floor.

Mingi let out a huff, clutching the piece of jewelry in his hands.

You scrambled to grab the niffler before he could scurry off, holding him closely. His tiny clawed hands reached towards your necklace in Mingi's hand as he squirmed in your hold, trying to reach the jewelry.

The Slytherin pushed himself up off the ground and pocketed your necklace for temporary safe keeping.

"We need to return him to Hagrid before he causes any more trouble." You told Mingi.

He took a glance at a large clock on the wall.

"It's a couple hours until curfew. We've got time."

With that, you and Mingi set off towards Hagrid's hut for the second time that day. It was 8:00 PM and the sky was a deep blue color that was so dark it was almost black. Once outside the quad and away from the torches that provided light, Mingi pulled out his wand.

"Lumos."

The tip of his wand lit up, allowing you two to see where you were going as you hiked across the grass. The niffler had calmed down at bit after the necklace was put away, but still squirmed every so often, clearly wanting to be put down.

"Sorry buddy." You apologized. "I can't set you down until you're back home."

"I'm sorry he got a hold of your necklace."

"You have no need to apologize. It was no one's fault. I'm just trying to figure out how he got it. Maybe it fell out of my pocket or was about to fall out and he spotted it and that's what led him to follow us."

"That seems plausible." Mingi nodded.

You gave a few knocks to Hagrid's door as Mingi extinguished the light on his wand, the door creaking open just a few seconds later.

"Niffler delivery." You joked, forcing a laugh.

"I've been wondering where he wandered off to." Hagrid responded. "Been lookin' everywhere for him."

"He followed us back to the school. I think he might've seen the necklace I had in my pocket because he had it earlier."

"Oh, yes." He responded, taking the creature from you. "One glance at something shiny and these little fellas will go after it."

"He's stronger than he looks." Mingi commented. "I spent nearly five minutes playing tug of war with him over that necklace."

The half-giant chuckled at the image.

"That they are." He nodded. "Well, thank you for bringing him back."

"Of course. We couldn't have him roaming the school all night." You chuckled.

"I feel like you two need a reward or somethin'."

Before either of you could deny, he reached into a wooden bowl on his round dining table, holding out two dragon scales.

"Here ya go. Genuine dragon scales."

Both your's and Mingi's brows raised as you each took a shiny scale.

"Woah." You gaped. "Thank you."

"It's the least I can do to show my appreciation."

"So cool." Mingi murmured in awe.

"You two best be heading back so you don't miss curfew."

Thanking Hagrid again for the incredibly special gift, you parted ways, waving goodbye as you started back towards the castle. Holding your wands out, you and Mingi illuminated the ends of them, using the light to guide you back to the school.

"We've had an eventful evening, haven't we? You more so than me. After all, you're the one who chased the niffler and pried the necklace away from him."

"I wasn't kidding when I said he's stronger than he looks."

"I believe you." You chuckled. "It seemed like he had quite the grip on that necklace."

"You have no idea."

You passed by the study hall, catching sight of a few students hitting the books before curfew. The halls were mostly empty, not many people were roaming around at this hour as most students preferred to hang out in the common room of their dormitories.

"Thank you for getting the necklace back." You spoke up, wondering how long he had been chasing the niffler before he was able to catch him and successfully pry the chain from him.

"Oh. That reminds me." Mingi paused, pulling the precious piece of jewelry out of his pocket. "Here you go."

A soft smile graced your lips at the sight of it and you moved your hair to the side, turning around.

"Could you put it on me?"

Mingi stepped forward and clasped the necklace just as he did when he had first gifted it to you. You thanked him, turning around to gaze up at him while your fingers unconsciously toyed with the pendant.

The light from the flickering torches on the wall danced across Mingi's sharp features and illuminated his cheekbones. For a moment, all you could do was stare, entranced by his hypnotizing features.

"Can I tell you something?" He inquired softly, cutting through the silence hanging in the air.

You hummed, prompting him to continue.

"There's a reason I gave you that necklace."

As much as you wanted to smile because you were right, you held back and stayed silent, waiting for him to go on.

"The truth is, I like you, Y/n." Mingi bravely stepped forward, feeling nervous as ever. "I was too afraid to confess and to be honest, I didn't even know what I would say. So I decided to buy you something nice in hopes that the message would get across without me having to confess."

This time you couldn't hold back your smile.

"I knew there had to be a reason." You grinned. "I just didn't want to get my hopes up about any possibilities."

"Possibilities of what?" Mingi pressed.

"That you like me."

In the blink of an eye, Mingi grabbed your face with both his hands and closed the gap between your faces, pressing his lips against yours.

Fireworks exploded in your stomach upon contact, your eyelids fluttering closed in response. You'd always imagined what it would feel like to kiss Mingi and feel his pretty, plush lips against yours. Now, you can happily say it feels like a dream come true—because it is.

Your palms slid up his chest, slowly finding their way to his lengthy hair, tangling your fingers in the strands. Mingi sighed softly at the feeling, his head tilting for better access while he slotted your mouths closer together.

His cheeks burned and were more than likely sporting a deep pink color, but he didn't care. He was finally kissing you and that's all that mattered to him. He had imagined this so many times and none of the fake scenarios came close to the real thing.

He stepped forward, backing you against the wall while his arms caged you in, his lips moving at a more rapid pace. Your closed eyelids fluttered at the feeling of his plush lips encasing your bottom one, sending you into a foggy daze. It was as if he was letting himself go completely, putting in all of the emotions he had been holding back into the kiss: desperation, passion, longing.

You were vaguely concerned that a teacher would catch you two, the worry being pushed to the back of your mind as soon as it surfaced.

Your fingers pulled away from his hair and relocated to his green and white tie, using it to tug him closer to you. Mingi let out a small noise at your bold action, his heart rate speeding up in response. He was already very close to you, his body pressed flush against yours, but it wasn't enough. His hands, which were previously anchored on the wall on either side of you, had moved to your waist, squeezing it tightly as if to ground himself. Your fingers curled around the collar of his school robes, tightening your grip every time he kneaded your hips. It was all so overwhelming, the way he kissed you with such longing paired with the feeling of his hands sent you into a daze.

Just when you thought you couldn't take it anymore, Mingi parted ways and rested his forehead against yours, his eyes still closed as he tried to process what had just happened. Both of you huffed and panted, trying to catch your breaths that had been taken by the passionate make-out session.

Your hands came up to cup Mingi's cheeks, holding his face between your palms, soaking up the moment. When he finally pulled back and opened his eyes he felt like he had just been punched in the gut. You stared up at him with glossy half-lidded eyes and puffy lips; your appearance reflecting just how the kiss had affected you.

"You're so pretty." He blurted, too caught up in the moment to consider the words coming from his mouth.

You gave him a drunken smile, letting out a giggle or two, your thumb running across his swollen lips which had became puffier due to the kiss.

"So are you."

He held back a grin, turning his gaze to the stone floor. Though his mind was still reeling from the events that occurred just moments ago, he was still able to ask one question that was begging to be asked.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes, of course I will." You grinned from ear to ear, pulling him into a hug.

Mingi felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders as he rested his head on top of yours, his arms giving you a light squeeze to make sure this wasn't all a dream.

"I don't want to leave." You admitted, your voice muffled from being buried in his chest.

"Me either." You could hear the pout in his voice. "We don't want to miss curfew though."

The both of you reluctantly parted ways, saying your goodbyes.

"See you tomorrow at breakfast." You told Mingi.

He nodded with a small smile. "See you tomorrow... girlfriend."

Hongjoong ⟡ Seonghwa ⟡ Yunho ⟡ Yeosang ⟡ San ⟡ Wooyoung ⟡ Jongho

Masterlist ᝰ — enjoyed this imagine? reblogs & comments are very much appreciated!

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

🏷 @h3arteyes4mingi @weird-bookworm @poppy2007 @parkjennykim @evidive @mxlly143 @lizzymizzy-blogg @minhanbyeol @dinossaurz @laylasbunbunny

#mingi x reader #song mingi x reader #mingi x you #song mingi x you #mingi x y/n #song mingi x y/n #ateez hogwarts au #ateez imagines #ateez oneshot #ateez scenarios #kpop imagines #kpop oneshots #kpop scenarios

[softsan]

ateez hogwarts houses (aesthetic)

| Masterlist |

Hongjoong

ravenclaw

half-blood

head boy

potion wiz, top of the class

ridiculously talented at conjuring spells 

wears the finest robes and paints his nails with muggle nail polish

smuggles food to feed the thestrals

fave subject: potions

Seonghwa

hufflepuff

pure-blood

head boy

the definition of sweet and kind

always willing to show new students around 

goes on dates to madam puddifoot's tea shop

is an animagus and can transform into a cat

fave subject: transfiguration

Yunho

gryffindor

half-blood

quidditch captain

super easygoing and always late to class

likes to playfully tease the first years

endless supply of honeydukes’ candies

likes visiting the grounds to see hagrid’s salamanders

fave subject: care for magical creatures

San

gryffindor

pure-blood

quidditch chaser

warm and good intentioned 

bashful when students chant his name during quidditch practice 

falls asleep during classes, especially in history of magic 

has friendly rivalry with slytherin’s quidditch chaser wooyoung

fave subject: defence against the dark arts

Yeosang

hufflepuff

muggle-born

prefect

notoriously bad at quidditch

studies and volunteers at the library

students come to him for tutoring and swoon over his good looks

undisclosed to him but he has his own secret fanclub

fave subject: charms

Wooyoung

slytherin

pure-blood

quidditch beater

master at jinxes and naturally skilled dueller 

daring prankster, gets along well with the poltergeist peeves

sneaks into the library’s restricted section for kicks

has a friendly rivalry with gryffindor’s quidditch chaser san

fave subject: divination

Mingi

slytherin

half-blood

prefect

charming and and known for his light-hearted humor

has a bag of tricks from zonko's joke shop

effortlessly memorizes the encyclopedia of toadstools

almost died in the forbidden forest while looking for herbs

fave subject: herbology

Jongho

ravenclaw

muggle-born

lead singer in the frog choir

comes off as cold and disinterested 

sweet and sentimental on the inside

loves wandering the castle to find the perfect place to stargaze

declines the efforts of others trying to recruit him on the quidditch team

fave subject: astronomy

#ateez imagines #ateez reactions #ateez x reader #ateez #ateez fluff #ateez angst #ateez fanfiction #ateez fanfic #ateez au #ateez scenarios #ateez hogwarts au #kpop #kpop imagines #kpop fluff #kpop fanfiction #kpop reactions #kpop moodboards #ateez moodboards

[aclowntiny]

🏰 Ateez as Hogwarts Students🪄

Who wouldn’t want to go to Hogwarts with these boys? 😁 can’t wait to write some AUs for them too!

Hongjoong

☆ “Ah,” the Sorting Hat hums as it’s set atop Hongjoong’s head, “the mind of an artist. Don’t see this one too often. Creative, determined, you like to do what you want.” With a chuckle, the hat’s folds opened again, this time with a shout of “Ravenclaw!” Hongjoong is proud, hoping he could represent the house known for creatives and intellectuals who push boundaries.

☆ Proudest “blood traitor” Pure-Blood family this side of Hogwarts, that’s the Kims, especially Hongjoong 😌

☆ Like, the only student at Hogwarts who has an actual knack for Divination, like he actually sees things and they actually make sense. No one believes Hongjoong until something actually comes true. He even asks for his own crystal ball from his parents for Christmas and customizes a really pretty base for it. He’s also really skilled at Transfiguration, all the really flowing magic just cones to him even though there’s a precision to that one. Hongjoong can roll with it all!

☆ He doesn’t hate any of his classes, but History of Magic is the least interesting one for sure.

☆ Hongjoong joins the Ravenclaw Quidditch team as a Chaser, a position where he can lead and guide the team…and also try to pull as many distracting trick shots as he can! Gets really creative with how he spins the ball.

☆ He cannot wait to see what his Patronus looks like, secretly hoping to either get something adorable or really beautiful. He gets his wish and then some as wings burst out, a phoenix flying from his wand. It is quite rare for someone to have a magical creature for a Patronus, but chalk that up to Hongjoong’s spirit! He absolutely adores his Patronus, the sight of it perched on his shoulder, and his heart swells. His memories literally created magic.

Seonghwa

☆ He kind of wants Gryffindor, but has been told he'd make a good Hufflepuff, so ultimately Seonghwa leaves it up to the hat's decision. "Leaving it up to me, huh?" The Sorting Hat chuckles. "You're kind. You care for and value others...and their opinions apparently! You're a Hufflepuff!" Huh, so that was that.

☆ Having Muggle parents, he was quite surprised to develop powers, but a quick visit from his future teachers cleared things up…sort of! He can’t get over how amazing Diagon Alley is, dragging his parents into every shop he can.

☆ Absolutely ENAMORED with Care of Magical Creatures, like oh my gosh little tree guys! Funny cats! A REAL HIPPOGRIFF??? Seonghwa can’t get enough of the fantastic animals. He’s also a natural at Herbology, basically you can always trust him to keep things alive! Both of those classes simultaneously relax and excite him.

☆ Flying? Up that high? No thank you!

☆ Due to his fear of heights, Seonghwa doesn’t join Hufflepuff’s Quidditch team, but is the loudest, proudest supporter out there! You’ll always find him in the stands, especially since he has friends in every house.

☆ Seonghwa wonders what animal he'll get: maybe a cute cat or a big, strong tiger? A lovely mare? Sort of! A large pegasus is what ends up soaring from the tip of his wand, spreading its gorgeous wings and snuffling at its partner, bringing a wide-eyed look of eye and smile to him as he reaches his hands out to the white winged horse.

Yunho

☆ He’s outgoing, so maybe Gryffindor? That’s what Yunho thinks as he does some pre-hat self-reflection. The hat, however, takes a different approach. “Hm, kind, loving, loyal, yes, very loyal…” “Thanks!” Yunho exclaims, surprised the hat seems so nice. This isn’t so bad! “This one goes to Hufflepuff!” Yunho is surprised, but it makes sense given what the hat said. Happiness shouldn’t be too hard to find in Hogwarts’s kindest house!

☆ Yunho’s family is Pure-Blooded, but they raise their children with great sympathy for those without magic.

☆ Due to his interest in the world outside of wizarding, Yunho signs up for the Muggle Studies elective and loves it. They use electricity? Like lightning trapped in metal and that’s how telephones work? It’s almost more amazing how people go without magic than just waving a wand and making things move on their own! He also enjoys Charms, just quick little spells he can let go on the fly for fun.

☆ Doesn’t really hate any particular classes, but he got emotionally attached to the mandrake he raised in Herbology and got sad when it died.

☆ One of Hufflepuff’s Chasers. Loves the feeling of the wind in his hair and being able to fly victory loops when he scores and wins!

☆ Yunho is so excited when it’s his turn to try a Patronus, practically bouncing on his heels and hoping he gets a cool one as he remembers so many wonderful and exciting moments of his life so far. With quite a burst, a golden retriever leaps out and stands up on him, almost bowling him over!

Yeosang

☆ "You're an interesting one, aren't you?" "Er, thank you...sir?" Yeosang glanced upward at the mass of fabric atop his head. "You're trying not to laugh right now," the hat exposes him, "and yet a thousand ideas are coming to your head. Best express a few of those. Ravenclaw!" Yeosang wasn't sure what he was expecting, sure he thought he could make Gryffindor and some of his friends teased him about being a shoo-in for Slytherin, but something about being in a quiet, intelligent house didn't bother him either. He could be more than happy about that!

☆ A Half-Blood born to a Muggle and a wizard, Yeosang has a foot in both worlds. Magic is no great surprise to him, though, being raised around all his wizarding family and the rest sworn to secrecy! His Muggle cousins are so jealous he gets powers!

☆ Enjoys Astronomy because it’s really relaxing to look at the stars and draw beautiful charts. The idea that they might reveal secrets is amazing to Yeosang too. He jokes about taking Muggle Studies just for the bit, but ends up in Ancient Runes with Hongjoong. It’s a hard class but at least they can write secret code notes to each other!

☆ He’s not a huge fan of Potions because the mistakes tend to get messy! Wishes he could take it with Wooyoung every year.

☆ Ravenclaw’s Seeker, Yeosang has a knack for focusing in on one thing and even when his eyes wander, having them land on the golden snitch!

☆ Frankly, Yeosang isn’t sure what he’s expecting, like will the animal look like him? Represent his memories somehow? Just be whatever it happens to be? Despite having no specific expectations, he still can’t contain his awe and surprise when a glowing lioness slides out of his wand, fierce but caring and capable, and leans to peer at him with soft eyes.

San

☆ He’s not sure if he’s more of a Slytherin or a Gryffindor honestly, but the assumption in his mind is that he’s one of the two. “Slytherin or Gryffindor, huh?” The Sorting Hat asks. “Well, I just thought of those as the houses that take action, and-” “You’re a doer, huh?” The hat replies. “Big heart, too. I’ll say…Gryffindor!” The hat seemed to agree with San and listen to him, so he’s happy to join the house of lions!

☆ San is a Half-Blood, his parents being a Half-Blood and a Muggleborn, so he has plenty of wizarding experience along with his sister, but there’s something special about the memories they make with their Muggle grandparents!

☆ This boy loves to fly! He’s pretty sad it’s only an official regular class in First Year because an hour of flying is the best decompress after a bunch of lessons. He also really loves Care of Magical Creatures, trying to apply what he knows from caring for the cat he brings to Hogwarts as if it’ll help him remember what nifflers eat!

☆ History of Magic bores him, but at least it’s a good excuse to goof off and play with his friends in- all while keeping his head up as much as possible, of course.

☆ One of Gryffindor’s Chasers. Addicted to the rush of flying, just being able to soar around after the balls. Also loves having that opportunity to contribute to a team, it makes his heart warm!

☆ Everyone says it’s going to be a cat, and San just laughs, saying he wouldn’t mind at all. Well, luckily for his Patronus San is good-natured, for it slinks out of his wand as a Siamese cat that looks suspiciously familiar… perhaps Patronuses really are made from the things people love most.

Mingi

☆ Mingi wants to be in Ravenclaw, even though the house’s reputation for great minds is a bit daunting. “So, it’s Ravenclaw you want?” The Sorting Hat asks him. “Well, if I’m being honest,” Mingi replies, “yes. I- I think I can do it!” “Of course you can. You’ve a good mind on you,” the hat tells him, “Ravenclaw it is!” So proud to be in his dream house, Mingi swears to prove himself worthy of it.

☆ As a Muggleborn, he gets thrust into the wizarding world very quickly, but he makes friends the moment they set foot in Diagon Alley, so that’s where he learns about things like his school’s houses and sports. Mingi feels so lucky to get to experience it all and that the other kids he meets are so nice!

☆ Absolute Arithmancy whiz! Everyone’s whining about how hard it is and here’s Mingi with his great grades like it’s nothing, even though he’s forgotten his inkwell a few times. Everyone thinks he’s not going to be good at Potions but he surprises them with that too. Never has any big blowups and really likes making different brews once he gets the hang of it!

☆ Defense Against the Dark Arts makes him nervous because he didn’t realize how dangerous the wizarding world could be! Could those things really be out there to get him or his friends? He can only hope he remembers all he learns.

☆ Prefers watching Quidditch to playing, but he hand-makes a banner to wave in the stands that is the most precious mood booster to the team!

☆ Mingi isn’t sure what he’s going to get, jokes ranging from a powerful lion despite him being in Ravenclaw to a little leaping bunny. As his will is focused through his hand and wand, though, joy turning into light, it takes the shape of a snowy owl. Wise, fierce-looking, and yet…it tumbles over and bursts into what looks like a smile at the sight of its caster and Mingi can’t help smiling back!

Wooyoung

☆ The Sorting Hat speaks almost the second it’s placed on Wooyoung’s head. “Oh, Merlin! This one’s a Gryffindor if I’ve ever seen one!” Grinning, Wooyoung is off the stool in no time, proud to get the house he wanted so definitively.

☆ He’s a Half-Blood, both of his parents wizards just descended from mixed lines, plenty of Muggleborn and Half-Blood genes contributing. He used to joke that his family needed to be careful or else they’d end up with a bunch of squibs, but he couldn’t care less about blood- they’re his family.

☆ This boy LOVES Charms- any class he can use to screw with his friends is a great one for Wooyoung! He’s also an absolute star at Potions AKA his friends’ savior when they need help. He just legitimately loves it, though, so working on even the homework for it is often fun for him!

☆ Cannot STAND History of Magic, it’s just blah blah blah…but at least he can kick San under the bench and see what random stuff he can levitate without Binns noticing (it’s a lot).

☆ Another of Gryffindor’s Chasers, Wooyoung is known for taking (and often landing) really daring shots! May even want to try out for captain later on.

☆ Jokes about his Patronus looking like a lion because he’s that proud to be a Gryffindor, but as he remembers good times with friends and family and a fox leaps from his wand with a sly tilt of its head, Wooyoung can’t help but feel like he got the perfect partner.

Jongho

☆ "You're good at something once you put your mind to it." Jongho's mouth fell open into a little 'o' of surprise, not expecting a compliment from the Sorting Hat of all people...well, beings? "Convincing, too, very convincing. You can take charge when you need to." Jongho nodded along with the hat's words right up to the moment it called out "Slytherin!" He was a bit surprised being so brave and active, but he sort of had the feeling it'd be either Gryffindor or Slytherin.

☆ A Pure-Blood wizard, Jongho doesn’t let the pressure of that get to him- to him they’re all witches and wizards, it’s their skills and application that depend, and he intends to use and grow his!

☆ One of his favorite subjects is Flying because it helps him practice for Quidditch, one of his greatest areas of desire to achieve! He also adores Muggle Studies, the class where he learns about Muggle sports like soccer and subsequently tries to find Muggleborns to play with him.

☆ Considers dropping Divination because it’s such a ridiculous class, but keeps it just because it ends up being some of the most fun bonding time with friends. And ok, fine, once something may have been accurate and the curiosity has eaten him up since.

☆ One of Slytherin’s Beaters, and boy is he good at it! Such a strong arm makes for some spectacular Bludger shots. A big part of why the other teams are worried about playing Slytherin.

☆ Is determined to cast a corporeal Patronus, focusing with all his might on his best memory. It definitely pays off, he thinks, as a massive light fills the space in front of him, coalescing into the form of a big grizzly bear ready to firmly protect him.

#ateez #ateez imagines #ateez reactions #ateez x reader #ateez scenarios #hongjoong #seonghwa #yunho #yeosang #san #mingi #wooyoung #jongho #ateez hogwarts au #hogwarts au

[sorryimananti-romantic]

Naurrr stop you got me giddy about Ateez!Hogwarts now 😭 How would you sort them? Like, not how Atiny usually do, but using Hogwarts values and such

ahh this is gonna be a challenge (disclaimer- it's really my own personal categorisation):

Hongjoong: Warm Slytherin/Warm Ravenclaw

While he could easily be a hufflepuff as well, i feel like his qualities are more inclined to warm slytherin in the sense that he feels like a born leader, he's confident about what he's good at and really, he is the captain of ateez even behind the scenes in so many ways. plus he's so charming 🤌 and he flaunts it.

i think he fits warm ravenclaw as well. he's not afraid to stand out, he's unique, and he's creative. he knows what he's doing and he's confident in that.

Seonghwa: Neutral Gryffindor

in hwa's case, i think his strongest or most attractive qualities are that he's passionate. and when he's passionate about something, he's so brave. you could put him in ravenclaw and he could fit there as a neutral, or you could call him a hufflepuff because initially that's the vibe he gives. but for me, i think his neutral gryffindor qualities stand out the most.

Yunho: Neutral Hufflepuff

sure, yunho has the bravery of a gryffindor or shows his slytherin side occasionally, but really, he's a neutral hufflepuff. he's a rock to so many people and that's what his strongest quality might be. he can be fun but responsible at the same time, and he knows what he is doing. i think nothing else fits our golden retriver more than neutral hufflepuff hehe

Yeosang: Warm Ravenclaw/Warm Hufflepuff

let's be real- he's smart. he's creative, and he likes living in his head. he's also not afraid to voice questions and be curious, which makes him a warm ravenclaw. however, he's also really friendly and so so kind. he's all of warm hufflepuff as well, but i think warm ravenclaw fits him better.

San: Cool Hufflepuff

this was an easy one- like seonghwa, he could be a neutral gryffindor as well, but i think his work dedication, honesty, determination and undying loyalty are his stronger qualities which makes him a cool hufflepuff through and through. he's got really strong morals which is such an appreciable quality and a lot might place him in neutral gryffindor for that.

Mingi: Neutral/Cool Ravenclaw

i'm kind of conflicted if he's cool or neutral. though cool ravenclaw might seem offputting at first, being cynical to a certain degree is not bad bc people really can't be trusted in this era (i sound like a boomer but it is what it is) and lowering your expectations of people helps with less disappointment. understanding that that is just how humans are... that could be who mingi is. accepting. i won't say he's condescending but he's all the good qualities of a cool ravenclaw def, which is so cool.

and then he could be a neutral ravenclaw too. i think 'accepting' is why im inclining to him being a neutral. he's really a mix of those two, i can't place him in one 😭

Wooyoung: Gryffindor.

i really don't need to say more-- when i read the warm, neutral and cool of gryffindor, i was like that's it. we've got wooyoung. he's easily got all the qualities a gryffindor can possess, and if that wasn't the case i might have searched for his slytherin qualities but really, he's a gryffindor through and through.

Jongho: Neutral Slytherin

i really don't think there's another category that could encapsulate his qualities perfectly other than neutral slytherin. there might be one of his qualities in gryffindor or hufflepuff, but neutral slytherin takes the cake. he's caring and clever. he's so resilient. and really, ateez needed a neutral slytherin as their maknae (on top!)

again, this is what i personally think! if you have other opinions about any members, i'd be happy to hear them :D

#this was so fun #i think i really stand by my categorisation #and if anyone changes my mind kudos to them #💌 #ateez #ateez au #ateez hogwarts au #hogwart houses #ateez headcanons #yumi.asks

[naesarangyunho]

Late Night Confessions- Kim Hongjoong (Harry Potter au)

[Kim Hongjoong x Non-Binary Reader]

[I don't own these images credits to the original owners]

Slightly Mature

Synopsis: Y/n finds Hongjoong pulling yet another all nighter in the prefect room.

Contains: Harry Potter/Hogwarts!AU, non-binary reader, head boy!Hongjoong, Ravenclaw!Hongjoong, Quidditch captain!Hongjoong, prefect!reader, making out, cursing, love confessions, fluff

[Word count: 1.6k]

Y/n would lose their head if it wasn't screwed on, as was demonstrated by the fact that they had left their satchel in the prefect room and had somehow gone the whole afternoon and evening without realising that. It had only hit them as they were falling asleep and realised they hadn't done their astrology homework.

It was way past curfew and they thanked their prefect privileges as they made their way from their dorm and down the silent stone corridors to the prefect room.

They had expected the room to be empty this late at night but they should have known better. They nearly jumped out of their skin when as they were closing the heavy wooden door behind themselves they saw a pair of dark brown eyes staring straight at them.

"Merlin's left- Hongjoong, you scared the crap out of me!"

"Likewise. What are you doing here so late?" The head boy asked from where he sat at a poorly lit table, books and parchment spread out before him.

"I could ask you the same thing!" They retorted, clutching their chest.

"Touché," He replied, pushing his glasses up from where they were sliding down the bridge of his nose.

He stared at them a moment longer before directing his gaze back to his parchment, twirling his quill between his fingers as read over his work.

Y/n spotted their bag on an armchair near the fireplace and paced over to grab it and made it halfway to the door before remembering that Hongjoong was still sitting there by himself.

They dawdled over, satchel slung over their shoulder and dropped into the seat across from Hongjoong and tried to peek over at what he was writing. His handwriting was a little untidier than usual. Their gaze drifted up to his eyes which were still trained on his work. He had bags forming under them and his eyelids were drooping. He was very clearly exhausted. Y/n had seen him like this way too often and hated it. Hongjoong had a horrible tendency to overwork himself.

"When was the last time you slept properly?" Yn questioned softly.

He looked up from his work, brows scrunching up as he thought, "Uh… I don't know. Like… Monday?"

"Hongjoong, it's Friday. That's not healthy."

He huffed and put his quill down, "You always say that."

They frowned and leaned forward, "Yes, because it's true. What are you even working on?"

"History assignment."

Y/n groaned, "Joong, that's not due for another month."

He took his glasses off and rubbed at his tired eyes, "I know. It's just that I'm worried that with the upcoming Quidditch match-"

"You're at the top of the class already, Joong. You score higher in everything than the rest of Ravenclaw and that's saying something."

They reached forward to gently place a hand over one of his without even thinking. His heart skipped a beat and he looked down at their hands.

"You don't have to worry so much. I hate seeing you like this, Joong."

It was not the first time that the other prefect had found him like this and it was far from the first time they had said something along those lines.

Hongjoong looked up at them again with a slightly exasperated expression, "Why do you always say that? What does it matter that I act like this?"

"It matters because I care about you, Hongjoong."

Hongjoong averted his gaze, the grain of the wooden surface of the table suddenly very fascinating. He didn't need the other prefect's words to further fuel his delusional thoughts. The thoughts that maybe- just maybe- his feelings weren't unrequited.

Y/n took a steadying breath before gently but firmly squeezing the head boy's hand, "Hongjoong, I'm serious. I really care about you."

Hongjoong brought his gaze back to the other prefect with a slight grimace, "Don't say things like that."

Y/n frowned, "What do you mean?"

Hongjoong pulled his hand from their grip, "Stop saying things like that. You only make this more difficult for me."

Y/n leaned forward further to look at him and he leaned back in his seat.

"Make what more difficult?" Was Y/n annoying him or somehow offending him? That was the last thing they wanted to do.

Hongjoong huffed- he was exhausted and didn't have the energy for this back and forth, "My stupid crush on you."

The room fell completely silent, only the faint sound of their breathing heard as Hongjoong's words hung in the air.

Y/n sat back again. They couldn't believe their ears, giving Hongjoong a wide-eyed, dumbfounded look. Hongjoong groaned and pushed a hand through his dark hair.

"For a Ravenclaw, I'm so fucking stupid."

Y/n stopped lagging and reached forward to grab one of his hands, "You're not stupid, Joong."

He eyed their hands apprehensively for a second before shifting his gaze back to theirs again but remained silent, not sure what to say now that he'd confessed aloud. How do you follow that up?

He was adorable when he was all flustered like this, Y/n thought with a small smile.

"Joong," They murmured, leaning forward over the table a little.

"Yeah?" He was holding his breath, the suspense as he awaited some kind of response from the other was killing him.

"Come a little closer, I want to tell you a secret."

Hongjoong frowned but did as he was asked and leaned forward. The moment he was closer to them, they leaned in as if they were really going to whisper some sort of secret to him but at the last minute they gently held the head boy's chin between their thumb and forefinger and ever so softly pressed their lips to his.

Hongjoong froze, fingers gripping the edge of the table. Y/n carefully let go of Hongjoong's face and leaned back, giving him a slightly nervous look as he only stared at them. Did they cross a line?

They didn't get the opportunity to ponder that further because Hongjoong reached forward and pulled them back in by the back of their neck and kissed them again. Y/n melted into the kiss, steadying themselves with one arm on the desk as they cupped Hongjoong's face with their other hand and returned the kiss.

The table between them got in the way too much for Hongjoong's liking after a while and he broke the kiss to walk around the table, grab Y/n's hips and lift them onto the table before connecting their lips again. Y/n sighed into the kiss, fingers weaving into Hongjoong's messy dark hair. Hongjoong was suddenly a lot more awake as he stood between the other prefect's legs and held them closer to him by the waist. For someone who'd seemingly been in very few relationships, Hongjoong was an amazing kisser and Y/n couldn't help but part their lips for him when they felt his tongue along their bottom lip.

Nor could they help the way their head instantly fell to the side to allow Hongjoong room to work as his mouth found their neck and his hands gripped their waist. Y/n reached an arm back to support themselves and in the process knocked over Hongjoong's inkwell. Hongjoong had successfully kissed them stupid and so they only became aware of it when they felt the ink run into their hand.

"Joong," They murmured, slightly out of breath and Hongjoong lifted his head.

"Yeah?" He breathed.

"Your work."

He frowned, "What?"

Y/n lifted an ink-smeared hand.

"Oh, crap." He cursed, untangling himself from them and pulling his wand from his back pocket.

Y/n hopped off the table, holding their wet hand away from their clothes and assessed the damage to the table and Hongjoong's work as they tried to calm their breathing and racing pulse.

Hongjoong sighed in relief as he saw that the ink hadn't spilt onto his parchment. He casually waved his wand and the mess cleaned itself up. He reached for Y/n's hand and did the same and they watched as the ink slowly faded into nothing.

"That's hot."

Hongjoong snorted, "What? Me cleaning your hand?"

Y/n shook their head, "No. The way you so effortlessly perform magic. You didn't even speak when you cast that spell."

"It was just a cleaning spell. Not that tough."

They reached out with their now clean hand and rested it on his neck, "Joong, I've seen you perform complicated transfiguration spells in class without even opening your mouth."

He looked away with a small pink tint to his cheeks, "It's nothing."

They cupped his face in their hands, "No, very few people have that talent. You don't give yourself enough credit."

"I guess."

Y/n kissed him softly, "You're an incredibly talented and powerful wizard so can you maybe worry about your history assignment some other time and get some sleep?"

He watched them silently for a moment before sighing, "Okay."

Y/n offered him a smile before grabbing his hand and tugging him toward the door and he had just enough time to magic his things into his bag before he was dragged out the door toward the prefect dorms.

They were both too tired to fully discuss the change in their relationship but Hongjoong kissed Y/n goodnight with a promise to talk in the morning and Y/n went to sleep with a smile and a fluttering heart.

Just as their eyes finally fell shut they snapped right back open and they groaned- they'd left their bag in the prefect room.

A/N: Do I have an exam on Monday? Yes. Should I be studying? Also yes. What am I doing? Writing ateez fanfiction instead like any normal person would.

#harry potter au #kpop #kpop fanfic #y/n #ateez #kim hongjoong #kim hongjoong fanfic #kim hongjoong fluff #kpop hogwarts au #Ateez hogwarts au #ateez fluff #Hongjoong is best boy #But he needs some sleep fr

[beautifulchris]

muggleborn

pairing: lee minho x gn!reader

wc: 3,7k

featuring: bang chan, seo changbin, han jisung, lee felix, ateez’s seonghwa, the boyz’s changmin

summary: minho likes to go to the prefect’s bathroom to relax but oh! you're here as well

genres: hogwarts!au, kinda strangers to lovers!au?, slytherin!minho, hufflepuff!reader, fluff

warnings: it’s fem implied because in the universe, there’s one guy prefect and one girl prefect; other than that i used gender neutral pronouns

notes: thank you for reading and liking my work, it means a lot ♥ moodboard made by me, pictures found on the internet. reposting works from my old blog

order of writing: chan - jisung - minho - hyunjin - jeongin - seungmin - changbin - felix

networks: @kflixnet @k-labels @straykidsland

tag list: @badwithten @raethethey send ask/dm/comment to be added!

On a cold sunday in november, you were so exhausted from all the homework you had this week, you decided you needed a long, hot bath to decompress. Well, more like Seonghwa, your best friend, helped you finish your homework early and forced you to rest because he could see you needed some. You obviously went to the prefect bathroom because it was rarely used and very comfortable.

You opened the door after giving the password and soon realized someone was already taking a bath. Since nothing forbade several people to use the bathroom at the same time, you approached and saw Minho, eyes closed, humming a song you probably heard somewhere before. He seemed somewhat peaceful.

Minho was either feared, admired or loved. You didn’t know much about him so you were just curious. How could he be so cold yet afraid others would discover his secret? A secret you knew about since third year, the only time you talked to him, actually.

You had lost one of your most precious quills you owned and went to see Myrtle Warren in the girl’s bathroom on the first floor to ask for her help. You became friends with Myrtle in first year, when you entered the bathroom for the first time. At the time you didn’t know it was abandoned and ran into her. You’ve always called her by her name (not Moaning Myrtle) and been nice to her so anytime you would need help, she would accept without much complaint.

When you entered the bathroom, you first heard “I can’t tell them I’m muggleborn!” then saw two boys facing each other by the chipped sinks. You could see one’s back then a head popped up from the side and looked at you.

“Hi!” he said, waving his hand.

The other one turned around, glared at you and almost ran to the door. You saw the look in his eyes, he was scared. When he was next to you, your mouth moved on its own while you were still processing what was happening.

“Being a muggleborn doesn’t make you any different from the rest of the students. It’s almost incredible that you were born into a magicless family. Imagine how special that makes you. I promise you’re not worth less and if anyone dares to say otherwise, I’ll jinx them.”

You surprised yourself by your words, but maybe it was the Hufflepuff in you that couldn’t stand seeing him down like that. His heart warmed up and he smiled —you couldn’t see that— and he left without a word. Your gaze drifted to the door and you stayed like that until the one that greeted you came to you.

“Hey, I’m Chan.” You recognized him as the keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

“Y/N,” you smiled softly.

“Thank you for your words. I think it got to him.”

“With pleasure. It’s the same for you by the way. I hope you’re not feeling self-conscious about it.”

He looked at you dumbfounded. “How—”

“Just a guess,” you answered, “and your reaction proves I’m right.”

Chan smiled, showing his dimples, then made a more serious face. “Can I ask what you’re doing here?”

“I came to find Myrtle, I got robbed.”

“Oh shoot! I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s alright, Myrtle or I will find it. What were you doing here?”

He scratched the back of his neck. He was in the girl’s bathroom after all and he knew it. “Um. We needed a quiet place to talk and this one was the closest.”

For the little story, Myrtle found the quill, a second year had stolen it. He gave it back when you came to him with Myrtle giving him death glares from behind you.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

You hesitated between taking your bath with him or leaving him be and coming back later. You didn’t really know him and you didn’t know if it was the right place to start a friendship so you decided it was best to go. When you stepped back, your eyes still on him, you stumbled on one of the sinks, swearing under your breath. He opened his eyes wide in your direction and stopped humming abruptly.

“Y/N??” Oh, he knew your name.

“Um, sorry, I’m going to leave, I’ll come back later.”

“Or you can join me? Maybe, if it’s not too weird?”

You froze. Was Minho really asking you to take a bath with him when it was literally the first time this year that you exchanged a word? Wow. Bold. Maybe he just saw the perfect opportunity to get to know you better and was internally praying you would say yes.

You did and joined him, seating not too far to hear what he would say but not too close either to insert boundaries. Because, yeah, you wanted to know more about him too but not scare him off. People labeled him as cold but at that moment, he was far from that. He kept smiling shyly and it was a nice sight.

You didn’t leave that bath until the water was cold and you had wrinkled fingers, meaning you stayed in there for about three hours, talking and playing in the water. You just had that connection with him and almost regretted you haven’t started talking to him before.

What you didn’t know was that Minho had a crush on you since the time you talked in the girl’s bathroom, three years ago. Your words really got to him and even if he never shared his secret information with anyone but his closest friends, he had this feeling that if anyone would come at him for it, you’d be by his side. In a way, the idea comforted him.

The next day, even after your efforts to rest, you were tired.

“I had so much trouble sleeping last night,” you sighed as you sat at the Hufflepuff table next to Seonghwa.

“Even after all my efforts to make you rest?” 

“It could be because someone was thinking about you,” proposed Changmin, your other friend, mindlessly playing with his marmalade toast. Both were Hufflepuffs.

“Who the hell could think of me at 3 am?”

A large group of people heard your sentence, including the ‘someone’ in particular, who was about to sit at his table, bowing his head in embarrassment.

Changbin, who saw and heard it all, laughed. “What, you’re the one preventing them from a good sleep? Man, I didn’t know you were so mean.”

“Shut up Binnie, like you can probably realize, I didn’t sleep much either.”

“When do you plan on telling them?” he asked as he gave Minho the tea-pot.

“When the time is right. Which is not now, we just started talking.”

“That’s a start, I wish you good luck.”

Minho sighed. “Thank you.”

Since that day, you would talk to him from time to time, getting to know each other better because obviously, three hours weren’t enough.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

Weeks passed and a morning after the christmas holidays, you found a note on the backboard about the apparition lessons. You were thrilled by the news. In the Great Hall, you heard some students of your year already talking about it. You sat next to your best friend, who was already seated at the Hufflepuff table.

“Hi Seong. Can’t wait to take the apparition lessons,” you excitedly said as you poured cereals in the bowl in front of you.

“Hey, me too.” He gave you the milk and you thanked him.

“Bet you’ll apparate a mile south,” laughed Changmin, resting on his elbows in front of you.

You smirked. “Bet you’ll apparate under the rain.”

“You children.” Seonghwa’s remark only made Changmin and you giggle.

A week after you signed up for the lessons and paid the required 12 galleons, they finally started. It wasn’t as easy as you could think but you were determined in succeeding.

The first week, the ministry employee that came to give the lessons basically spent the entire hour talking about the dangers of apparating without a flawless concentration. Like leaving an eyebrow, a piece of cloth or even a leg behind.

The next week, the first tries were made. You all needed to try and apparate into a hoop by focusing your mind on the hoop and then spin around with the intention of appearing in the hoop. No one perfectly succeeded.

Weeks passed and the keeper of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, Seungkwan, disappeared in front of you. Turned out he apparated in the Quidditch pitch.

“He probably thought too much about Quidditch,” Seonghwa had told you. 

If only Seungkwan was the only one to disappear. Juyeon, beater of the same team and Changmin’s close friend, ended up in the school grounds under the rain and Wooseok, from Gryffindor, was found a mile south.

Remembering your talk with Changmin a month before, you went to him after the lesson.

“Does that mean we can predict the future? Sounds scary,” he gasped dramatically.

“Idiot, it could happen to anyone. Sicheng apparated at the entrance of the forbidden forest last year.”

“How do you know?”

You shrugged. “Seonghwa told me. He’s a fan.” Sicheng was one of the chasers of your house’s Quidditch team.

The first person to succeed was you. You were astonished to say the least while your friends, on the other hand, weren’t even surprised. They always said you were the best of your year and this accomplishment was just proving it once more. A guy in the back made a displeasing comment about you but you didn’t hear. The next day during breakfast, however, you were obliged to see the same guy’s head inflating after drinking his tea. One of his prefects counter-spelled him and went back to eat like it was nothing.

Next week, Gryffindor Chanwoo apparated between the forbidden forest and the lake, although he was the last one to apparate anywhere else but into the hoop.

The following weeks, Seonghwa, Minho and Seungkwan succeeded, followed by Juyeon, Wooseok, Changmin and a few others.

“It was about time,” the latter had sighed.

The last few weeks, everyone managed to reach their goal without losing any members. Finally, all those you cared about had their license to apparate, including Minho, and you were proud of them —and yourself.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

Life was somehow good to Minho because you too had feelings for him. The day you realized that, you were in your fourth year, at the library on your own, working on some transfiguration homework. A 6th year slytherin with books under his arm passed by you, calling you a ‘nerd’ with a disgusted face. It wasn’t an insult for you anymore, you were just doing your homework and listening in class, the rest was easy but only because you were passionate about it.

Seeing he was ignored didn’t please him but before he could add anything, his books turned into birds and flew away from an open window. The noise made you look up at the guy in disbelief while he was running out of the library and after his books, screaming, under the disapproving look of the librarian.

Behind a shelf, there was a boy who put his wand back in his pocket and returned to his homework as if nothing happened. You knew it was the boy you gave a speech to the year before and from this day, you were thankful for the countless times he got your back when you basically said you had his. Thinking your crush on him had no place to be, you tried to repress it, but his somehow protective behavior made it grow bigger. And here you were, befriending him two years later.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

It was april, you were close friends with Minho by now and spent time with him everyday. Today, you were seated on a bench with Minho’s cat, Pepper, on his lap because yeah, he had a beautiful Russian cat with green eyes. You were almost giving more attention to Pepper than Minho but, he could totally get that, his cat was what he valued most in the school.

“I don’t really like your friend,” he sighed and for a moment, you were confused.

“Which one?”

“Your best friend.” You didn’t get why he was all mysterious all of a sudden.

“The only reason I see you could hate him for, and that’s pure jealousy, is his height.”

“Wait— you’re saying I’m small?” He looked at you in disbelief.

“You’re the one saying it, not me.” You smiled so brightly his heart skipped a beat. Maybe he didn't have to be scared of him.

Later that day, Seonghwa and you were in your common room, doing your homework together.

“So, how’s it going with Minho?” he asked as he was closing a book about potions he borrowed at the library.

“What do you mean?”

“I guess none of you confessed yet,” he whispered, then cleared his throat. “Are you going to confess?”

You didn’t even bother asking him how he found out. “You’re not my best friend for nothing, uh. Am I that obvious?”

“It’s sickening. I wish one of you would do something about it soon.”

“Thanks for your opinion Seong, it’s much appreciated but—”

“Oh please, don’t start with your ‘but he doesn’t like me’ bullshit, he DOES. Listen to me. He’s as obvious as you, if not more, so please, do something about it or I swear I will.”

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

The next day in history, you were seated next to Seonghwa, like 100% of your classes. Minho was behind you with Dahyun, the Slytherin prefect with him. The class was often a bit boring because the professor would often talk way more than necessary. Today, you knew the subject already so you let yourself relax a bit and take less notes.

“Hey, I was wondering,” said Seonghwa out of nowhere, “what’s your favorite flower?”

“I think it would be Parrot’s beak. It’s from the Canary Islands and pretty rare,” you replied after a moment of reflection. “Why?”

“Oh, just like that.” He winked and gave his attention back to the professor.

“What’s yours?”

“Oak-leaved geranium.” His eyes never left the blackboard and you hummed in response, going back to listening as well.

At the end of class, Minho was the first one to run out. He took a secret passage behind a tapestry which led him to stairs. He followed some fourth years and when he saw a Gryffindor getting his hair colored in red and standing on end, he just knew who was behind it. He soon enough saw Jisung and his partner-in-crime laughing their asses off, that was until they saw him.

As prefect, he was in the obligation to take points from Jisung (only, because his friend was in Slytherin and he couldn’t afford to take points from his own house). Since he was impressed by the fact Jisung put a transfiguration spell in a hair-rising potion, he decided fifteen points would suffice instead of twenty.

“By the way, I need to ask you something.”

“Just after taking points from me? That’s bold.” Jisung crossed his arms.

“It wouldn’t have happened if you respected the rules, you know.”

Getting out of arguments, he surrendered. “What can I do for you?”

“I need you to find Felix.”

Jisung pushed the older one in the closest empty room then took the Marauder’s Map (for more info read Jisung’s au) out of his inside pocket (he made it himself). He recited the formula and looked at it closely.

“Felix’s outside by the lake. I’m not surprised, are you?”

“I must admit I’m not. Thanks.”

Without waiting a second more, he ran to Felix, who was playing with a plimpy he befriended. The creature fled as soon as it saw Minho running its way.

“Minho? Are you okay?”

He held a hand up while catching his breath. “I’m alright. I need you to put something in the Hufflepuff common room.”

“What, exactly?”

Minho looked around him, took a stone that was at the edge of the lake and gave it to him. “This.”

Felix examined the stone. “…This?”

“Yeah, somewhere Y/N could see it, please.”

He nodded. “Consider it done.”

“Thanks. By the way, do you know what oak-leaved geranium means in the flower language?”

“I believe Seungmin once mentioned it meant true friendship, why?”

Minho didn’t realize at first that he was smiling widely. “Just like that. Thank you so much.”

He then went to the library, needing one last thing: a picture of a parrot’s beak. Once he looked in every flower book in the herbology segment, he asked the librarian, who eyed him scornfully.

“Parrot’s beak isn’t magical. You’ll find what you need in the muggle area. Be quiet now.”

He mouthed a ‘thanks’ and walked to the said area to find what he was looking for.

When he found it, he went to the dungeons to hide behind a huge statue, used Orchideous to make a bouquet of parrot’s beak out of his wand, added a note and waited. Felix soon entered with the stone in his hand. Minho knew he would stay by it until you would find it. A few students entered the Hufflepuff common room, then you came in with your best friend. Minho approached discreetly and used a switching spell to switch the bouquet with the stone. Then, he left before anyone could see him.

You were about to sit on the couch when a beautiful bouquet of parrot’s beak appeared out of nowhere. You beamed and took them in your hands.

Seonghwa looked at them too. “There’s a note.”

“What does it say?”

Seonghwa took it and started reading. “To Y/N, the most kind, smart and stunning person on earth. From a MB.”

You smelled the flowers and smiled joyfully. Seonghwa was smiling too, almost amused.

“How did they know it was my favorite flower?”

“We talked about it twenty minutes ago, Y/N. Someone must have heard it.”

“Is it you?” you enquired.

“I’m sorry but it wasn’t me. I didn’t know what they looked like. They’re really beautiful, by the way.”

Felix watched the entire scene and was pleased Minho made you happy. He couldn’t wait to tell him about your reaction.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

Seated on the couch with your bouquet in one hand and the note in the other, you were thinking. “MB…”

“Is that initials?” asked Seonghwa.

“Or Miami Beach.”

“Really, Changmin?” Seonghwa face palmed.

 He shrugged. “Just giving options.”

After a while, you sat up straight. “Oh my god.”

“What?” Both the boys asked, confused.

“Muggleborn,” you whispered.

“Makes sense,” approved Seonghwa.

Changmin was looking at his friends. “Does it, though?”

Thing is, you knew a lot of muggleborns (and were too oblivious to think about Minho).

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

The next day, Felix went to Minho before breakfast. “Y/N was beaming. Never saw a smile that bright and eyes so sparkly.”

Minho’s smile was wide. “Thank you so much, Felix. Do they know who did it?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t do eavesdropping,” he said, giving his friend a subjective look.

“I don’t do that either!”

“Sure. How’d you know Parrot’s beak was Y/N’s favorite flower then?” Minho’s cheeks burned and he refused to look the younger in the eyes.

Later, you found Minho at the library and spent time with him.

“So, I heard you received a bouquet,” he said as casually as he could. For a brief moment, he thought you were going to ask him if it was him and got scared.

“Yes, the flowers were really beautiful. I put them in a vase on my nightstand.”

You were beaming and Minho, seeing you this happy, almost revealed himself. 

“I wonder who sent them though. I mean, these flowers aren’t that known, even in the muggle world.”

His lips were burning to tell you but he was scared the feelings weren’t mutual.

“Minho? Why do you look sad all of a sudden? Did I say something wrong? Is this about the,” you stopped to get closer to him and whisper, “muggles?”

He couldn’t believe you were worried about him. “Oh, no, no, don’t worry! I— um, was wondering if, I don’t know, you had an idea on who sent it?”

“Actually, I do have an idea.”

Minho gulped. “You— you do?”

“Yes. The person’s obviously in history class with me. And they’re seated close to me. Plus, they’re muggleborn, from what I learned from the note. So I narrowed it down to two people. First Dahyun, which, I think, has zero reason to send me flowers as we never really had any conversation. Also she glares at me from time to time. Doesn’t add up.”

The boy was sweating. The more you talked, the more he regretted his question. What if you rejected him?

“The other person, on the other hand, we’ve talked more and I highkey want it to be him.” You looked him in the eye with such intensity he choked on air.

“Who’s that?” he risked.

A smirk was spreading on your face. “Vernon. He’s cute.”

His face dropped and you couldn’t help but laugh. Teasing him was funny.

“I’m kidding, it’s you.”

At this moment, Minho was still confused but happy. If he understood what was going on correctly, you knew it was him who sent you the flowers and you wanted it to be him??? He absolutely didn’t see it coming.

“So… you… like me?”

You smiled at him fondly. “I do.”

His heart was pounding, he was ready to kiss you. You felt like he was thinking about Seonghwa so you tried to reassure him as much as you could.

“Seonghwa is my best friend, nothing more. I can assure you.”

“Oh, I know,” he said, a satisfied smile on his face. “I like you too.”

“I was hoping you would say that.”

“Can I kiss you now?” You bit your lip, the question was really attractive.

Without answering, you got closer to Minho and pressed your lips to his.

“How dare you make out in the library? OUT! IMMEDIATELY,” shouted the librarian from behind. You both moved back from shock and ran out, hand in hand, a big smile on your faces.

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed, please let me know <3 and here's the masterlist!

#kflixnet #k-labels #straykidsland #kpop #skz #stray kids #lee minho #stray kids writing #hogwarts au #stray kids minho #stray kids lee know #lee minho fluff #lee minho x reader #lee minho x gender neutral reader #stray kids changbin #stray kids jisung #ateez seonghwa #twice dahyun #the boyz changmin #the boyz q #stray kids minho hogwarts au #seo changbin #han jisung #ikon chanwoo #the boyz juyeon #seventeen seungkwan #pentagon wooseok #bang chan #stray kids chan #stray kids imagines

[cvpitvno]

SAFE AND SOUND ￫ MASTERLIST

￫ pairing : seonghwa x reader

￫ themes/au : hogwarts au, dark themes

￫ series warnings : angst, smut, dark themes, death, murder, violence, unhealthy family dynamics, takes place before lightning era and hogwart’s legacy (subject to change / additions)

￫ update schedule : weekly, monday

chapter one : the serpents hold (1.2k)

#𖤐 — safe and sound. #hogwarts au #ateez x reader #ateez imagine #ateez fanfic #ateez fanfiction #ateez series #seonghwa x reader #seonghwa fanfic #seonghwa imagine #seonghwa fanfiction #seonghwa series

[cultofdionysusnet]

ೄྀ࿐ ˊˎ- Ficrec Week 12: Hogwarts AU

ATEEZ

Astral Flame by @flowerboykun

The Match. by @daybreakx

The Death Eater. // PT2 by @daybreakx (M)

Of Quidditch and Potions. by @daybreakx

The Champion. by @daybreakx

Loyalty by @daybreakx

cast a spell on me by @yunkiwii

Catch Me If You Can by @kpophogwartsaus

Stray Kidz

-

Tomorrow X Together

-

Others

Tales from the Tablespoon Universe (NCT Ensemble on AO3) by @/taeyongseo on AO3 (M)

Mellifluous (NCT Dream on Wattpad) by @/markscult on Wattpad

Conjured Love (Kim Doyoung of NCT on Wattpad) by @/drunk_on_hwa on Wattpad or @kpop-stories-21 on Tumblr (M)

#cultofdionysusnet #ೄྀ࿐ ˊˎ- Fanfiction Recommendations #CoDN Week 12 #Hogwarts AU #hogwarts au #hogwarts #ateez #stray kids #txt

[toruro]

— ✧ the letter

i hope one word, one letter, will laugh and cry with you (the letter / ateez)

pairing. xu minghao x reader

description. in which you’re jun's little sister and have been pining for a man so close yet so out of reach for ages. now, years later, when you see minghao all grown up, famous, and still making your heart flutter, you're not so sure what to do about your not-so-little crush.

genres. slowburn, fluff, angst, childhood f2l

tags. idol!au, alcohol consumption & underage drinking, lots of arguments, Lots of pent up emotions oops, miscommunication, sorta hot headed reader, minghao is minghao and that is a warning enough

fic playlist.

w/c. 26k

a/n. the smut has been moved to a separate post which can be found here! i had so so so much fun writing this! huge thanks to @gyuswhore bc em literally helped me through every step of the way & sat through me planning & switching around the events of the story a bajillion times, and thank u to @honeyhypen who read over this for me ^-^

ENVELOPE

To: Xu Minghao

“Why are you in my room?” Jun huffs, turning around to look up at you as you stand by his door. In front of him is a massive, yet unfinished LEGO replica of Hogwarts. You frown, glancing at his friend who lays on his bed with a phone up to his face.

He’s Jun’s new friend, and you’ve heard your brother talk about him but this is your first time really seeing Minghao in the flesh. Shaggy hair hangs loose over his dark eyes as he peeks over his phone and glances at Jun, as if to silently ask who you are.

“Dad says dinner is ready,” you tell him, feeling a little timid under the gaze of the new boy. He’s only two years older than you, but the only interaction you get with high schoolers is your brother, so you’re feeling shy. He’s a very nice looking boy, you think to yourself, but try hard not to stare as Minghao uncrosses his legs and sits up on your brother's bed.

Jun’s eyes soften when he notices you standing awkwardly, standing up and pointing at you as he says your name. “My sister—two years younger,” he explains.

“One point five, actually,” you correct him with a roll of your eyes, feeling more comfortable now that Jun is initiating something. Your brother laughs at you and ruffles your hair while Minghao stands up behind him.

“Ya-da, ya-da. You’re still two grades below, so it doesn’t really make a difference. Anyways, this is Minghao,” he says, pointing at his friend behind him who throws you a small smile and wave.

“I know,” you blurt out before you even have a chance to think, heat flushing to your face after you realize what you said and see Minghao give you a funny look. “I-I mean because Jun talks about you a lot,” you clarify, clearing your throat. “Y’know, he doesn’t have a lot of friends so when—”

Jun clamps a hand over your mouth and gently drags you out of the room as Minghao follows behind closely with silent laughter. “That’s enough from you. Watch it, or I’m never letting you talk to my friends again.”

“Friends? I think you mean friend,” you retort, looking back at Minghao who watches the two of you amusedly. “Are you sure you want to be friends with someone so mean to his sist—”

Jun flicks your forehead and you push his chest. “Shut up already! If you scare away all my friends, all I’ll have left is you, and you’ll just have to put up with me all day!”

“You’re right about that,” you say with a heavy sigh as you all make your way to the dinner table where your father has set out a meal for the three of you. Putting your hands up in defeat as you sit down at your spot at the middle end of the table, you glance at Minghao who takes a seat with Jun sitting between the two of you. “I guess I’ll back off for now.”

Jun scoffs. “You better.” The three of you laugh together.

Yiren rummages through your closet, and you frown deeply. “Hey! You better clean that up,” you warn, rolling off of your bed and onto the floor, lazily standing up.

���I’m helping you pick out a nice outfit! You said Minghao is coming ri—” You scramble to your feet to slap a hand over Yiren’s mouth, eyes wide.

“Shut up! My brother’s room is right there—he might hear you!”

Yiren rolls her eyes, nudging your hand off her mouth with a huff. “Oh my god, don’t tell me you haven’t told him yet.”

“What?” you narrow your eyes at her, grabbing one of your bras that she threw onto the ground and stuffing it back into your closet. “You thought I was going to tell Jun that I have a crush on his best friend?” you half whisper, half yell.

“Uh, why wouldn’t you? You’re seriously missing out on your chance to have him help you get with Minghao.”

You scoff, looking down at all the clothes strewn across the floor. “Have you met my brother? He would flip if I even mentioned being with a guy, let alone that guy being two years older and his friend.”

“You don’t know that,” Yiren retorts, throwing herself onto your bed leaving you to clean up the mess she made.

“Yes I do. This is how I can tell you don’t have any brothers …”

“Well if you never make a move on Minghao, how are you ever going to get him? You gotta start somewhere, and maybe your brother is the first nut you gotta crack to get there.”

“If you haven’t noticed, I haven’t exactly planned on making any moves,” you mumble, reaching down to pick up a cute pink jacket you haven’t seen in a while.

“Uh, why not?” Yiren piques, sitting upright on your mattress.

“Excuse me, have you looked at Minghao?” you groan, slumping against your wall with the jacket in your hands. “He’s so … cool, and popular, and handsome,” you gush, and Yiren makes a disgusted face.

“Uh, no, sorry I don’t fawn over your future husband, so I don’t really look at Minghao but—”

“And he’s going to be a senior! Why would a senior ever go for—” you look down and gesture at yourself, “—me.”

“You’re seriously downgrading yourself—you know you’re a catch.”

“Yeah, not for someone like him,” you snort, flopping down onto your bed next to her. “It’s whatever, it’s a stupid crush anyways.”

“Yeah,” Yiren says flatly. “You’ve only been crushing on him for like three years—hey! Don’t hit me!”

“Then stop saying this stuff,” you groan, throwing a pillow onto her head.

“Okay fine, I’ll stop. So are you going to wear that?” she asks, pointing at the jacket you left at the foot of your bed.

“Yeah, I think I will. It’s cute right?”

“Mhm … bet Minghao will totally like it and—”

“Yiren, shut up,” you giggle, pushing her again as you roll off the bed. “Okay, so the pink jacket and these jeans?” you ask, picking one pair off the ground and holding it up for her to see.

“Mm, no,” she says while shaking her head, standing up to join you as she looks at all of the clothes she threw across the floor. “Let’s see …” she hums to herself.

“Yiren,” you say with a laugh, “I think you’re putting more thought into this than me.”

“Well I can’t just let my best friend be single and lonely for the rest of her life! If all you do is sit around and listen to Radiohead, you’re going to end up being sixty-five and alone in some cottage in the woods.”

“Hey! That actually seems pretty peaceful,” you try to object, but Yiren narrows her eyes in your direction.

“Okay well,” she drawls out, putting her hands on your shoulders so you’re right in front of her, “Imagine being sixty-five and living in a cute cottage in the woods with Minghao. Sounds better, doesn’t it?” You can’t help the giddy grin that makes its way onto your face when Yiren says that, and she punches your shoulder lightly when she notices. “See, you do want that! So just listen to me, okay?”

“Okay, okay, fine! Just tell me which jeans to wear.”

She looks down, picking through the denim before pulling out a light blue one with little flowers embroidered on the pockets. “Look, this is cute. It’ll match with the jacket.”

You nod along, not questioning her because as far as you know, Yiren’s fashionable instinct stretches much further than yours and whatever she says about this must be true. As you change from your pajamas  into your new, curated outfit, Yiren sits back on the bed and grins widely.

“Looks perfect on you. Minghao will love it.”

“You think?” you pique, looking at her with bright, beaming eyes.

She winks at you and you jump up and down on the balls of your feet at the excitement. “I want at least 25% of whatever you get from your wedding gifts. You both will owe me big time.”

“I’ll believe it when it happens … Anyways, you ready to go? Let’s wait downstairs and get some pop while we wait for Minghao to come,” you suggest, Yiren agreeing with a nod as she bounces behind you. Jun, it seems, is still in his room waiting for his friend, so you stick your head through his door. “We’re going down to snack a little. Wanna come?”

Your brother shrugs, pushing himself off his swiveling chair to join you. “You know if we still have those cupcakes? The ones you made last week?”

“I think we have a few left. Why? You liked them?” you exclaim happily, turning around to face Jun as the three of you settle in the kitchen. You reach for a box you kept on the island, popping off the lid to show him.

Jun grins and pulls one out and you offer one to Yiren who stands beside you. “‘course I like them,” he says with his mouth stuffed with cake and cream.

Yiren, shooting a look of disgust his way, says, “Ew! Please don’t chew and talk, that’s gross.” Jun rolls his eyes at her as Yiren stuffs her own face with the cupcake, sighing as she digs in.

“Whatever,” Jun grumbles after swallowing it down. “They taste really good, you should make them more.”

Yiren nods, tapping your shoulder, “Agreed. Send me the recipe too,” voice muffled as she continues to munch down on the cupcake.

“Didn’t you just tell me not to eat with my mouth full?” Jun mutters, crossing his hands over his chest. You laugh at the banter and suddenly you hear the doorbell ring, ears perking up. “That’s probably Minghao—I’ll get the door.”

As your brother makes his way down to the foyer, you turn to look at Yiren. “I would give you the recipe but I don’t want to be the reason your house burns down. Seriously, remember the last time you tried baking and—”

“Oh my god, is the recipe what you’re thinking about right now? Minghao is just about to come—offer him a cupcake! Show him your amazing baking skills and show him what a good housewife you can be!”

You give your best friend a look of bewilderment. “What the hell Yiren,” you groan, slapping your hand on your face, trying to hold back your chuckles. “Okay, I’ll give it to him but only because I want him to be impressed. Not because I want to submit myself to misogyny for the sake of a man.”

“Okay fine but—look!” she exclaims in a hushed whisper. “He’s here!” You immediately straighten your back and smile when Jun walks back into the kitchen with Minghao. He’s wearing some loose jeans and a black hoodie, his hair longer than before.

He says your name when he sees you, throwing up a wave and a smile. Minghao then glances at Yiren with a blank stare, pursing his lips together. Yiren chuckles nervously and clicks her tongue while pointing at herself. “Yiren.”

“Ah. Hi Yiren,” he says politely.

“You guys want some pop?” Jun offers when he opens up the fridge. Yiren, Minghao, and you nod happily and respectively call out your choices.

“Sprite!”

“Cola!”

“Cola!”

Jun juts his lip out in a pout when he turns back to the three of you. “I wanted Cola too, but there’s only two left.” You’re about to furrow your brows and tell him that it’s okay, you don’t really want any, but Minghao speaks up before you.

“She can have the Cola, I don’t mind,” he says casually, grabbing one can from Jun and handing it to you with soft eyes. “Here.”

“Are you sure? I don’t really care for the difference between Sprite and Cola and—”

Minghao chuckles and shakes his head, and you think you might just pass out when your palm brushes against his knuckles when he eases the cold can into your hand. “Seriously, it’s fine,” he tells you. You glance at Jun and Yiren who are busy opening their own cans, turning your attention back to Minghao.

“Thank you … Uh, do you want a cupcake? I made some a while ago and we still have some left,” you offer, holding up the box to him.

“It’s the last one. Are you sure?”

“How the tables have turned,” you laugh, and Minghao cracks a bright smile at that and holy crap, if you weren’t so busy trying to keep your composure, you’d be freaking out over how handsome he looks when he smiles. “‘course you can have it. I’ve had plenty of them,” you admit sheepishly as he reaches for the cupcake and brings up to his mouth.

“Holy shit. I don’t blame you for eating a lot—if I had these in my house they’d be gone in like an hour.”

“Right!” Yiren agrees, and you can’t help but chew on your bottom lip when you smile from the praise.

“Guess this is just a sign for you to make more, huh,” Jun says, walking to stand next to you to lean on your shoulder.

“Uh-uh! You gotta reimburse me somehow,” you protest, looking up at your brother with a firm expression.

“Please make more, they’re really good. I’ll buy you boba if you make more,” Minghao chimes, and it’s safe to say you don’t expect it from the way you cough on your own saliva. Yiren laughs at your reaction, and Jun only looks at you weirdly when you nod in agreement.

“Oh, so you’ll make cupcakes when he asks but not for your dear older brother?”

You roll your eyes, saying, “He offered to buy me boba! You know I can’t turn that down.”

Jun huffs in faux irritation, digging his hand into his pocket to fish out his keys. “Ya-da, ya-da. Anyways, would anyone other than my super fake, mean, evil sister like to go to karaoke now?” he asks playfully. All it takes is one glare and pulling on his hair for a few seconds to have him shouting out apologies as the four of you make your way to the car garage.

The ride to the karaoke place is short with Jun in the front and Minghao sitting in the passenger seat next to him. You and Yiren pile into the back, and the three of you scroll through your phones to decide what songs to sing later while Jun drives.

“I get to sing Creep, right?” you ask excitedly, bouncing up and down in your seat.

“How’d I know you were going to bring up Radiohead,” Jun mutters, pressing his head back into the head rest when he stops at a red light, while Minghao turns in his seat to look back at you with wide eyes.

“You like Radiohead?” he asks with a small smile.

The corners of your lips are lifted and your face brightens when you nod vigorously. “Yeah I do!”

“I think ‘like’ would be an understatement. I’m like 99% sure Thom Yorke lives in her skin or something because what she has for Radiohead is a lot more than just ‘like,’” Yiren says.

“No way, I love Radiohead,” Minghao tells you. Holy shit. So Minghao is attractive and nice and smart and pretty much perfect at everything and he enjoys Radiohead? You might go insane.

“Really?” Your eyes are wide with your jaw hanging open, leaning forward in your seat.

You hear Jun groan from the driver’s seat, and both you and Minghao shoot him a dirty look. “I forgot both of you are obsessed with Radiohead. Seriously, could either of you get more emo?”

“If you weren’t driving right now, I’d strangle you,” Minghao says bluntly before looking back at you. “Anyways, what’s your favorite song?”

“Junnie, please, can you put on Creep now? You know I’ve been waiting forever,” you plead, holding your hand out to the microphone that’s in your brother’s hand. The room is dark and lit up with red and blue LEDs across the border, making the room glow purple.

“But I want to sing another round of Taylor Swift!” he protests, pointing at the big screen in front of you while clutching the microphone close to his chest. You scoff, poking his side. “You know I’m not ticklish, so that doesn’t work.”

“You’re not ticklish? How?” Yiren exclaims, looking at Jun with wide eyes.

You turn to squint at her. “He’s weird. I thought we already established this.”

“Hey!” Jun whines. “See this is why you won’t be getting to sing Creep tonight.”

“Jun!” you cry out, and you’re about to pull out a string of complaints and curses, but then Minghao is stepping in, pointing at you.

“Put on Creep. She’s been asking for a while and I want to sing it too,” he says. Jun is quiet for a moment before sighing and handing you the microphone which leads you to puffing up your chest and smiling proudly.

“Thanks,” you chirp gleefully, as Minghao holds his own microphone up to his lips.

When he smiles at you, it’s kind and sincere in such a way that it has your heart swelling under your pretty pink jacket. Minghao coolly points at Yiren who sits by the control tablet. “Creep. Hit it.”

The air inside your house is warm as you skip down the hall and down the stairs. When the bell rang the first time, you thought it was just some package but when you hear it ring twice, you think otherwise.

When you peek through the little peep-hole, you jump up and down on the balls of your feet, a mix of excitement and nerves pools at your stomach. You open the door and Minghao shuffles in front of you at the doorstep. You haven’t seen him in a few weeks, and his hair looks shorter. “Did you cut your hair?” you ask the seventeen year old as you move to the side so he can step in.

“Yeah, it was getting in my eyes too much,” he tells you with a nod, a small puff of vapor coming from his lips. It’s cold, and you hear him inhale a breath of relief when you close the door behind him. “Thought the door was never gonna open. I was freezing my ass off,” he says, unwinding the brown scarf from his neck.

“‘m sorry,” you reply sheepishly as he takes off his shoes, following you through the foyer. “Jun didn’t tell me you were coming so I was in my room. He’s still out with my dad, but he’ll be back soon.”

“That’s fine.” Minghao shrugs off his puffer jacket, placing it on the coat rack while you make your way to the kitchen.

“Do you want a drink? It’s cold outside, so I can make some hot chocolate. Jun got the nice kind from the cafe down the street.”

“That’d be great, thanks,” he says, sitting down at one of the stools in front of the kitchen island as you take out some milk and hot chocolate powder. It’s silent, and you chew your lip while thinking about how this is the first time in a really long time that you and Minghao have been alone together.

Nearing the end of his twelfth year in high school and just like the first time you met him, he’s as enticing as ever. Dancing competitions with Jun, left and right, smart and respectful with the teachers, popular among the students—you're lucky you get to talk to someone as cool as him, even if it is only on the account that you’re his best friend’s little sister.

“How’s high school?” he asks casually as you boil some milk over the stove.

“It’s alright … English is still hard as ever,” you admit, dropping the powder into the frothing milk.

Minghao chuckles softly when you turn around to face him, and a small smile makes its way onto your lips. “Yeah, it was never my strong suit either. You still friends with … what’s her name? Sorry, I’m not good with names—the girl who lost her voice at karaoke when she came with us?”

“Yiren?” you giggle softly, recalling the memory. “Yeah. Still friends, still as loud as ever,” you say with a sigh, mixing the milk as it turns light brown. “How are things with you? Jun’s been telling me the dance practices you guys have is pretty intense. He always looks like he could eat a horse when he comes home.”

“That’s good to hear, and yeah, it’s all going good. It is pretty tiring, but it’s a lot of fun,” Minghao replies, stretching his arms behind his back as you pour out the hot chocolate into two mugs, bringing it over. “Thanks,” he murmurs, grabbing from your hand sitting down at your regular spot, one extra chair seated between the two of you as always.

Arm’s length, you think for a moment, before shaking yourself of the thought. “I’m sure the practice is paying off though—seems like Jun is always talking about some new kinda competition or something.”

“Mhm,” Minghao hums, taking a sip of the hot cacao. “This is really good, thank you,” he says with a soft smile, and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t feel some sort of giddiness erupt in your stomach. “I think … I think we can really take it somewhere—our dancing.”

It’s a sparing thought that Minghao and Jun’s dreams are far beyond yours, and you have a bit of a difficult time trying to understand what he means by somewhere and if that somewhere includes you or not.

“You’re going to Korea?” your eyebrows furrow as you glance between Jun and your parents.

“Nothing’s finalized yet—” your mother says, but when Jun’s eyes flicker between you and the ground, you already know that this is set in stone.

“Yes it is.” Your voice is small when the words come out. “You—” you take a deep breath, “—you’re going.”

“Not now, of course,” your dad says, patting your back as he stands up, your mother following suit. “Talk for a few minutes, yeah?” he says as both your parents walk out. When your whole family walked into your room ten minutes earlier to tell you they had big news, you weren’t sure what you were expecting, but it certainly was not this.

And now you’re sitting with your brother on one end of your bed while you’re curled up against your pillows on the other, unable to meet his gaze.

“When are you going?” you ask quietly, finally breaking the silence.

“August.”

“That’s in a month and a half,” your shoulders deflate as you say it. “How long?”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry.” You bury your face in your hands in hopes that it’ll muffle your cries. It doesn’t.

Jun scoots over to you quickly when he sees your shoulders shake, one arm going around your back to pull you close to his body, but you still can’t bring yourself to look at him. “How are you going to do it?” you blubber as your brother pats your back. “You can’t just go to a whole different country alone and—”

“I won’t be alone. Minghao is coming with me,” Jun tells you quickly. Now that brings your head up. You don’t care that your nose is snotty and that your hair is all over the place and that your face burns, you just need to see the look on Jun’s face to see that he isn’t messing with you.

The way his own eyes are glossy gives you your answer. “Y-you both got accepted into tha-that company?”

Jun nods. “We applied together.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were applying? I-I would’ve understood. You could have given me more time to process this and—” You look down at your hands, “Fuck,” you mutter to yourself, not finding the words in your throat.

“We didn’t even know if we would get accepted. Me and Minghao promised each other that we’d only follow through with it if both of us got in and we didn’t think that there’d be a high chance of that because it’s so competitive … I only told Mom and Dad because until we got the acceptances, I really didn’t think it was going to actually happen.” You gulp at his words, trying to let it all sink in.

“I think … I think I just need to go on a walk. Take a breather, y’know,” you mutter under your breath as you stand up. Just as you're about to walk away, you stop yourself, looking back at Jun who stares down at his hands. You don’t think twice before wrapping your arms around his shoulders and hugging him tightly. “I’m really proud of you,” you say quietly before rushing out of your room and down the stairs.

You shove your feet into some slippers in the foyer, rushing out onto the street soon after. You aren’t sure what you’re doing or where you’re headed, but you continue to trudge along the sidewalk until you’re walking down the main road.

The summer air is hot and stuffy, and you wonder if you feel so suffocated because of the sun’s onslaught or because of thoughts that run through your head. It’s surrounding you, breathing it in, it fills your lungs, courses through your veins, rushes to your brain—you don’t know what it is, but it’s uncomfortable and has you dizzy and your vision foggy.

You lean against a thick lamppost next to you, hands on your knees as you knit your eyebrows together as sweat beads down your forehead. What the fuck, you think as you breathe in through your nose.

You hear your own name bounce around in your head, and the sound only grows louder and louder until you’re muttering under your breath, telling yourself to shut the fuck up, shut the fuck up, shut the fuck up. And there are tears in your eyes but you furiously wipe them away because while you don’t mind crying, you do mind crying if you don’t know why.

And fuck, there’s that voice again, your name echoing over and over again until it’s growing lowder and ringing in your ears. You think you might start crying again until the voice sounds familiar and you’re whipping your head up and standing straight when you see a car pull up to the curb next to you.

“Fuck my life,” you mumble to yourself when you see Minghao in the driver’s seat of the car. He rolls down the window and god, he looks so pretty with his hair back and upper body fit into a loose yellow shirt.

“Hey, what are you doing?” he asks you, brows pinched into a concerned expression as he looks at you, face flushed and sheen from sweat.

“I—” You’re about to smile at him and let the giddiness of having your crush talk to you take over, but then the words get caught in your throat when you remember the whole reason you’re out here. “—I’m just going on a walk.”

“In this heat?” He raises a brow at you. “Where to? Let me give you a ride. You don’t look too well.”

“Nowhere really,” you say with a shrug. “Actually, I might just head back home,” you rush out, turning on your heel to walk in the other direction so Minghao can’t pry any further, but he stops you.

“Wait, wait, wait,” he calls out, and you don’t have the willpower to ignore him. “Let me drive you home then. Seriously, you don’t look well—like you look like you’re ‘bout to pass out and shit—so just get in the car, please?” He says the last part with some sort of beggary etched onto his face and you just can’t deny him. Not now, not ever.

Pulling the door open, your limbs feel heavy as you climb into the car, air much cooler and fresher than outside. Leaning your head against the headrest, you let your eyes flutter shut as Minghao starts the car.

“Are you seriously okay? You look—”

“Sick, I know. I look sick,” your grumble, eyes still shut. You wonder if you should tell him Jun just told you everything.

“I’m sorry,” and you can tell from the way his voice doesn’t waver that he means it.

“Jun told me about Korea.”

“Oh.” Yeah, very big oh. “Just now?” You nod. “Is that why you were out here?” You nod again, finally opening your eyes.

“Hey, this isn’t the way to my house.”

Minghao keeps his eyes on the road. “C’mon, let’s get some pop,” he says, ignoring your statement and driving into the parking lot of a convenience store. He unbuckles his seatbelt and hops out his end, not saying a word, and you figure that you have no other choice but to follow.

Any other situation and you’d be grinning about spending some time alone with Minghao, but after hearing Jun tell you that he’s going to be traveling hundreds of miles and flying over borders within the next two months has your stomach churning in a way you don’t like.

You don’t know if you want to spend all the hours of the day with Jun and Minghao, or if you want to crawl up in your bed and pretend they don’t exist so it’ll hurt less when they’re gone. You feel stupid for thinking like this—you know it’s going to hurt either way.

You’re lost in your own thoughts as you walk into the store after Minghao, only snapped back into the present when he says something to you. “Hey, those are your jeans that you wore when we first did karaoke right?’

You blink once and then twice before looking down at your pants. They were those same jeans. “Yeah, how’d you know?” you ask him incredulously, and Minghao chuckles as he reaches into the cooler and pulls out a pink popsicle.

“I remember the flowers and how they matched your pink jacket. It was cute,” he says casually, and you hope he doesn’t catch onto the way your fingers twiddle together nervously and you avert your gaze. “Anyways, you like Cola right?” he clarifies when reaching into the drink fridge near the cooler. You nod shyly, thanking him quietly when he hands you a can.

As you make your way to the cash register, you fish around in your pockets for a few moments hoping you’ll dig up a dollar bill or something but then Minghao’s hand is on your wrist and he shakes his head with a smile.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll cover it.” He turns back so quickly you don’t have time to protest because he’s already sticking his card into the machine, throwing the cashier a thumbs up and walking out the store without a word.

“I could’ve paid for myself, y’know,” you grumble, following behind Minghao, watching to see where he’s headed. You think he’s going to get back into his car, but instead he plops down on the street curb, sitting on the ground. You just look at him for a few moments, contemplating what to do for a few moments before joining his side.

“Yeah, but I wanted to pay for it.”

The sun is bright and it beads down on you relentlessly, but you don’t complain. You both sit in silence as you both tend to your snacks—Minghao tries to lap up his popsicle quickly now that you’re out in the heat and you try to drink as much of your Cola as you can before it grows lukewarm. The air grows thick between you.

You can’t find the right words to say. You suppose there aren’t any right words or any wrong words, and that you can say just about anything right now and it wouldn’t matter.

Glancing at Minghao who takes a lick of his pink popsicle, you feel that uneasy feeling swarm inside of your chest.

You could kiss him right now. You could press your mouth against his sticky lips and lap at the sugar against his tongue. You could hold his face and run your fingers through his hair and cradle the nape of his neck. You could do anything right now and it wouldn’t matter.

Minghao, after all, was leaving.

But you’re scared and Minghao is mature and his dreams are big and he’s brave.

Your eyes linger on his plush lips for no longer than a second before you shamefully look down at the Cola in your hands, suddenly feeling sick to your stomach.

“You’ll remember this place, right? Like—if you get big and famous and stuff, you two won’t forget, right?” you resort to asking. You say ‘this place,’ but really, you mean ‘me.’ You don’t want to be forgotten.

Minghao watches you with his eyes clouded with something you can’t really make out. “Of course we won’t. We’ll remember forever.” Absentmindedly, you trace figure-eights into the top of your can of pop, and Minghao catches the motion.

Using his own finger, he traces the figure of the number eight over the cement of the curb. “See. Like infinity, y’know?”

You purse your lips together and nod, your mind going dizzy. “Can we … can we go?” you mumble softly, gripping the can in your hand. “I think the heat kinda got to me.” It’s not entirely a lie.

Minghao doesn’t question you, polishing off his popsicle and tossing it into the trash before unlocking the door so you can take the silent ride home.

Jun and Minghao flew out two months ago. You went with your family and Minghao’s family to bid goodbyes. It’s not like you wouldn’t see them again—give or take a few months and Jun would be back at home, but he’d have to leave again. And again. And again.

It’s sad, you think, as you slump against Yiren on some random person’s couch. You miss them so much, but when you think about Jun and Minghao, all you can see is the hard work they’ve put into going where they’re headed.

You feel selfish as you bring a cup up to your lips. You feel pathetic and lame and if you weren’t already drunk, you’d be wallowing in self pity as well. The alcohol tastes just as bitter as your feelings, and while you wince when you gulp it down, you don’t hesitate to let some more run down your throat.

Yiren watches you worriedly when you clutch her arm and shut your eyes tight. “I miss them,” you whisper, and she doesn’t know if you’re talking to her or to yourself. She strokes your hair and coos to you about taking you to lie down somewhere.

Your head spins as she helps you stand, letting the cup fall to the ground, not bothering to pick it up. Yiren pulls you into an empty bedroom and sits you on the bed. “Drink this,” she instructs, handing you a bottle of water.

“Yiren, I miss them,” you repeat yourself.

“I know, I know you do. Do you want to go home? I’ll drive you and—”

“No, you go have fun. I just need to sit down for a sec,” you tell her, letting your back fall onto the mattress. Yiren gives you a warning look, but you shoo her off. “Trust me, I’ll be fine. I’ll call you if I need anything.” She looks like she wants to protest, but you both know you’re on a one track mind right now.

“Please don’t do anything stupid,” Yiren begs as she walks away and closes the door behind her. You’re still dizzy, but not nearly as bad as before. Sitting up, you glance around the room. It’s simple—probably a guest room in whoever’s house this is. Also probably why the door was unlocked in the first place.

You feel you might pass out until your eyes land on an open notebook on a table in the corner of the room. You don’t think twice before standing up and ripping a sheet out, scrambling for a pen.

DEAR MINGHAO

I’m drunk right now. I miss you and I miss Jun. I hope when you guys come back again, we can go to that karaoke place again and sing to Radiohead. I’ve expanded my taste you know—my favorite song is Fake Plastic Trees now, and I even got a record player just so I could play the vinyl for it. Sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.

When you come back, we should really go there again. Yiren’s been getting really tired of me singing Creep every time, so I need a new duo partner. And she’s leaving too, so there’s that.

I really want to kiss you right now, but you’re in Korea.

I miss Jun a lot too. I think I hate you for it. He’s my brother but somehow you get to see him more and talk to him more and be with him more. Sometimes I call him and it’s for less than five minutes and I hear your voice in the background and I don’t know if I want to listen to you speak forever or strangle you so you can never talk again. I get that Jun is busy, and that you’re busy, but you guys get to be busy together.

Yiren told me she’s probably going to go to college out of the country next year. I’m going to miss her like hell. I think I already miss her, and so I drag her to karaoke with me so she won’t ever forget about me and Radiohead and how garbage I am at singing Creep.

Jun says he’s going to come visit home in two months, and that you might come along. I didn’t know home was a place you only visit, but I guess being an idol changes you. I probably sound super bitter right now. I’m not. Maybe I’m upset that you guys are gone, but I really am happy for you.Jun is happy, and you’re happy, and I’m so happy you have each other.

It’s hard to focus on your exam—halfway through your degree and you still get the jitters every time you step into the testing hall. It’s probably the nerves. And the caffeine. And the fact that you’ll be seeing your brother and Minghao in three hours.

It’s mainly the third that has your leg bouncing up and down on the balls of your feet as you jot down your answers. The exam takes longer than you’d like to finish, but as soon as you’ve finished the final question, you’re bolting out of the large room and toward the parking lot.

Connecting your phone to your car, you call Jun as you back out of the parking spot. “Hey, you guys at the airport?” you ask when you hear him pick up.

“Yeah, we’re just getting out right now but there’s kind of a crowd so it might take a while to just get to the car.”

“I forgot you guys are, like, famous,” you mutter jokingly. “Where’re you headed first? Minghao’s place first?”

“Yeah probably. He’s gonna see his parents and stuff first and then I’ll go to Mom and Dad’s house, so you can just come there.”

“Okay … we’re still good for our dinner plans, right?”

“Yeah, actually I was wondering if Minghao could tag along,” Jun says, and you can hear some muffled shouting from the other side.

“Oh okay, yeah su—”

“Hey, look, there’s a lot of people here and I can’t hear much so just text me your response and I’ll get to you in a second,” Jun tells you quickly as the shouting grows louder. He hangs up soon after and you sigh heavily as you start driving to your parents house.

The ride is quiet but you’re happy to be met with gleeful parents when you get to their place. You’re all a bit spirited at the prospect of Jun coming home, so when you hear the old ringing of the door bell, you’re bolting to the door and swinging it open, jumping into his arms.

“What happened to ‘hi,’ ‘hello,’ ‘how are you?’” Jun teases as he hugs you close, awkwardly trying to shuffle into the house. You poke your tongue out at him when you finally unwind your arms from around him.

“Hi. Hello. How are you? You seem obnoxious, as always,” you shoot back, and Jun only grins, pinching your cheek tightly.

“Oh how I missed my little insane sister,” he says before moving onto your parents, enveloping them in hugs as you all begin to settle down in the living room. The four of you spend a few hours catching up with Jun before he excuses himself to freshen up so he can get ready for your plans for the evening.

When he comes back all ready, you’re pulling out your keys from your purse and waving bye to your parents, promising them you’ll stop by the next morning as you and your brother make your way to the door.

“See you later!” Jun calls out before closing the front door behind him and following you to your car. Minghao’s house is close by, no more than a five minute drive, and it’s quiet as you take the familiar roads through the town to get there.

“Should we go in?” you ask when you park in Minghao’s driveway. “You haven’t seen his parents in a while, have you?”

“Oh yeah, you’re right. C’mon, let’s go.” You both slip out of the car and make your way to the front door. Minghao’s mother opens the door and you spend a few minutes exchanging greetings and catching up before Minghao is stepping out, clad in some black jeans and a grey hoodie.

He smiles when he sees you, pulling you into a hug, giving you a chance to feel the slightly damp hair against your cheek and the woody smell that always reminds you of him. “Hey, how’s it been?” he asks when he pulls away.

“I-I’m good,” you say shyly.

“Let’s talk more in the car, yeah?” Jun suggests, turning back to Minghao’s parents to give them a hug before you all wave your goodbyes and get into your car.

“Where’re we headed?” Jun asks, as you back out of the driveway. Jun sits in the passenger seat while Minghao slips into the back.

“It’s this new place—opened just a few months ago so I doubt you’d have gone there yet,” you tell him as you start driving.

“Is it the place next to the cafe?” Minghao asks you, and you nod excitedly.

“Yeah … how’d you know?”

“My mom told me about it, and said I should try it out. I guess now’s my chance, huh.”

“Yeah! It’s really good, I hope you both like it,” you say, reaching over to the AUX controls to flick on one of your playlists. “Okay guys … are you ready?” you warn, watching Minghao’s eyes brighten through the mirror.

“Oh my god, don’t tell me you guys are going to sign Creep again—” Jun starts to groan, but you reach over and press a finger over his lips to shut him up.

“Quiet,” Minghao hisses to his friend, scooting forward in his seat so you’re in his view, placing his hands under your headrest. His fingers brush against the back of your neck and you’re scared you might crash the car from the way his touch makes you shiver. Fuck, more than half a damn decade and you still can’t fight it off. “Turn it up,” he instructs from behind, and you can only grin as you reach over and pump up the volume.

The deep rumble of snare and guitar echoes through the car as the song starts and you already feel your heart begin to swell in your chest. So when the first lines of, ‘when you were here before,’ leave your lips, you aren’t sure if you feel your heart mending itself, or if it’s salt being poured on the wound.

Because from behind you is Minghao’s voice, so deep and velvety and angelic it has you almost in a trance. He’s been good at singing, always, but now his voice sounds … mature, and developed and … and you love it.

You think back to the first time you sang Creep with him, and the lyrics already have you reminiscing when you both sing, ‘couldn’t look you in the eye,’ because goddammit you still struggle to look at Minghao for too long because you’re scared you’ll get lost.

And when it gets to the part before the bass is blaring in your ears, Minghao and you are singing, ‘I wish I was special, you’re so fuckin’ special,’ at the top of your lungs and you can’t help but let the irony sink in.

Now you’re pretty sure when Thom wrote Creep, he didn’t mean it to be about your love life, especially not the non-existent one between you and your brother’s best friend, but Thom is speaking to you right now, and you wonder if Minghao can hear the way you’re singing from your heart. How you’re singing for him.

When the song comes to an end, Minghao’s fingers brush over the nape of your neck one last time before he retreats back into his seat. You try to not mull on the feeling any longer, shaking your head of all of those thoughts when you near the restaurant.

“Here it is!” you chirp, parking the car on the curb. The three of you shuffle out of the car casually, making your way to the entrance.

“Looks nice,” Minghao comments as he opens the door for you and Jun. Your brother hops in merrily and you and Minghao both share a soft smile as you go inside too, your body nearly jerking when you feel his hand on the small of your back as he follows behind you.

His touch is warm and gentle and—fuck, does he know what he’s doing to you right now?

You’re more relieved than anything when he finally lets his arm drop, the three of you making your way to the table you booked. You were scared that if Minghao stayed close any longer, he’d be able to feel your heart beating through your chest.

You guys sit down at the table, Jun next to you while Minghao settles across the two of you. “So how’s your classes going?” he asks you as you look through the menu. “Jun said you had an exam today, right?”

“Yeah, it was my final one,” you tell him with a sigh of relief. “It was stressful preparing for it but it went better than I thought.”

“Good to hear,” Minghao says as a waiter comes along to pick up on your orders. After he leaves, Jun turns to you.

“What’s Yiren up to?” Jun asks you curiously. “Haven’t seen that girl in ages.”

“She’s, uh, she’s good,” you reply. “I haven’t seen her in a while either … she went off to college in Korea, remember?”

Minghao chuckles, “Seems like everyone’s going there, huh? Maybe you should pull up too.”

You scrunch up your face and shake your head while you take a sip of water. “I think I like this place too much to leave. Plus, who’s going to take care of our old folks if I leave too?” you tease, nudging your brother in the side.

“Mom and Dad can take care of themselves just fine,” Jun shrugs, ruffling your hair as the waiter brings along some food.

“Looks good,” Minghao says, holding up some chopsticks as you all look down at the sizzling dishes in front of you.

“It is! See?” you say pointedly, looking up at Jun. “Imagine I moved to Korea—I wouldn’t be able to eat this.” Your brother only rolls his eyes and Minghao and you laugh together while you dig in.

As you work through your meal and catch each other up on your lives, Minghao eventually leans back in his seat and sighs heavily. “I’m really craving something sweet right now.”

“I’d say we should pick up some pastries from the cafe next door but they closed two hours ago,” you say sadly.

“Oh shit, I forgot about that place. They made the best chocolate buns ever,” Jun mutters to himself, polishing off his plate.

“Let’s go to the cafe tomorrow evening, yeah?” Minghao suggests as he takes a sip of water. At the suggestion, you chew at your lip.

“Uh, I don’t think I can go then,” you say, hoping they won’t pry any further.

Of course, your brother doesn’t allow you a second of peace. “Why not? Your last exam was today, right?”

“Yeah, but I have stuff to do,” you reply nonchalantly. Jun scoffs and tugs your ear, causing you to whine. “What was that for?!”

“You didn’t clear your schedule out for me? I thought you missed me! You know I have to leave in like a week,” he complains, and you and Minghao share an amused look as you nudge Jun on the side.

“Relax, you can have me in the morning and afternoon and everything … I just have to go somewhere for the evening.”

“You’re being really ominous about this, you know,” Jun retorts, crossing his arms over his chest. “Where’re you going?”

You chew on your tongue, contemplating if this is the right moment to bring it up, or if you should even tell Jun and Minghao this at all. “I just have to see someone.”

“Oh my god, shut up,” Jun groans. “You’re literally asking me to pry. Tell me who—a boyfriend?” You chuckle nervously, eyes flickering between Minghao and your brother, shaking your head.

“No—not a boyfriend,” you say dryly, scoffing at the irony. “Remember Renjun? I told you about him when I was in freshman year.”

“Vaguely. Remind me who he is again?”

“He’s just a guy, and he has some of my stuff I need to pick up.” Both Minghao and Jun cock an eyebrow at you after that. “What?” you huff, leaning back in your seat.

“An ex?” Minghao asks and your face burns.

“I—yeah,” you say casually. “An ex.”

Jun frowns deeply. “I didn’t know you and Renjun ever dated. I didn’t even know you ever had a boyfriend,” he says, voice evidently upset that he was left out of this.

“It wasn’t that serious,” you pat his shoulder as to soften the blow. “Plus it happened when you were on tour—we hardly talked then.”

“Still! You could’ve told me!” You bite back a, ‘But could I really?’ because this isn’t the time or place for that.

“It’s whatever. I just need to pick up some stuff I left at his place and—”

“So it ended pretty recently then?” Minghao piques, and your eyebrows furrow, slightly annoyed by both of their belated interest in your love life.

“What, no! It’s been months and—wait, I don’t see how that’s any of your guys’ business,” you huff and Minghao backs off a little, but Jun still stays curiously leaning in.

“Whatever. You’ll be available to come with us to the lake on Friday though, right?” Jun asks, pulling out his phone and holding it up to your face to show you a picture of a lake house. “I booked a place to stay the night and all.”

“Of course I’m going to come—I’ve been looking forward to it!”

“Good,” Jun says gruffly, still somewhat glaring at you.

You give him a funny look. “What?”

“I’m still mad you never told me—you’re supposed to tell me this stuff! How else am I supposed to know that you’re doing fine on your own and actually growing up.”

“Oh my god, Jun, I’m an adult! Did you think I would never have boyfriends?”

“No! At least not without telling me!”

You chuckle and Minghao follows in suit, enjoying the little sibling bicker. “Okay fine. I’m sure I’ll be telling you every detail of my love life when it gets resurrected.”

Minghao snorts at your use of words, and you revel in the way the sound makes you feel. Fuck it, it’s been more than half a decade and you still get butterflies—you can’t fight away the feeling, so you might as well wallow in it.

You wonder what Jun would think about this—your love life being pulled and shaken by his own best friend. Oh well, some secrets are best kept hidden anyways.

“Here’s your stuff,” Renjun says softly, handing you a paper bag that’s stuffed with a wide array of your belongings.

“Thank you. Is my pink jacket in there? I’ve been looking for it for a while and I didn’t know if I left it at yours,” you ask timidly, holding the paper bag close to your chest.

He scratches the back of his head as he steps back, nodding. “Uh, yeah I think it’s at the bottom.” You peer down at the contents of your back, and give a half smile when you see the pink cloth peeking out from underneath.

“Thanks for taking care of my stuff. I know you’ve basically moved out and all.”

“No worries. Do you, uh, need a ride home or anything? It’s pretty cold.”

You purse your lips at the offer, but shake your head. “It’s fine …” There’s an awkward silence and you quickly wonder if you should say anything more. Renjun looks awfully … apologetic right now and you feel there’s some more you can say. “How’s your new place? Have you seen it?”

“Yeah, I flew up there a few weeks back to get some of my main stuff shipped. A nice apartment, way bigger than whatever I had here,” he says with an awkward chuckle. You appreciate the effort.

Nodding, you tighten your grip on the bag. “That’s good to hear. I hope it all goes well with you. I … I think I’ll be taking my leave now. My brother’s back in town so …”

“Oh yeah, I heard from Jianing. Hope you’re having a good time—I know you haven’t seen him in ages.”

“Thank you. Anyways, I’m gonna get going now. Thanks again,” you say as you step back, throwing out a small wave.

A half-hearted, “See you,” leaves Renjun’s lips as you turn on your heel and start walking back to the bus station. There’s no promise of seeing Renjun later, or ever again, and something cold sinks in your stomach at the thought.

The thought that this all could’ve been avoided if Renjun hadn’t gotten that stupid job offer hundreds of miles away. If he didn’t decide to pack his bags and fly away just like Jun, like Yiren, like Minghao. Renjun was leaving, just like everyone else.

You clutch the paper bag close to your chest as you make your way to the bus stop, one hand fumbling in the pocket of your jacket as you search for your wallet and within seconds you’re a frantic mess. “Shit,” you mutter under your breath. “Shit, shit, shit!” you cry out when you drop your bag and pat frantically over your pockets to try and feel for your wallet.

Your digging into every crook of the coat and there’s a growing feeling of dread that washes over you once you realize that you lost your fucking wallet. Hands clenched at your side, you feel hot tears well up in your lash line as you stare down at the ground, letting in the shitty events of today sink in.

You don’t even know why you’re crying now. It’s hardly even cries, really, you’re downright sobbing as you plop down on the curb of the empty street, fumbling with your phone as you pull up Jun’s contact. Pressing the phone to your ear, you shut your eyes tight in an attempt to calm down your breath, but when you hear the line go dead you cry even harder, realizing that Jun is probably napping right now.

“Fuck my life,” you complain to yourself, letting your head hang low as you scroll through your phone. You aren’t even sure what compels you to click on him but before you know it you’re on speaker as you hear the buzzing of the phone as you wait for Minghao to pick up.

One ring. Maybe he’s busy.

Two rings. He might be looking for his phone.

Three rings. He probably won’t pick up.

Four rings, and you’re about to hang up but then it stops. “Minghao?”

Minghao’s voice is cool and calm when he says your name. “Do you—”

“I need your help,” you say so quietly you aren’t sure if he’ll be able to hear it. And then Minghao hears it: your soft pants and shaky breath and something about the sound has him squeezing his phone tightly.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m—” No, I feel like shit and I’m freezing my ass off and it’s so cold and I need you to help me. “Can you pick me up? I lost my wallet which has my bus card. I’m sorry, I know it’s a little late and you’re probably busy but—”

“Send me your location.”

Minghao is pulling up in his black car within twenty minutes and by then you’ve had enough time to wipe the tears from your face and piece together yourself to look presentable. Rolling down the windows as you wave over to his car, you hear the doors click and you’re roughly yanking on the door and throwing your stuff and yourself in.

Minghao raises a brow at your ruckus, asking once again, “Are you okay?” When you only sigh heavily, buckling yourself up, you hope Minghao will just leave it alone. You’d rather not talk about the stupid breakdown you just had in front of your childhood crush.

Minghao clearly doesn’t get the message, so when he starts the engine again, he murmurs, “Have you been crying?” You purse your lips together tightly as if the question itself as the tears bubbling up to the surface once again. “Did meeting with Renjun not go well?” You’re surprised he remembers his name—Minghao was never great with names. “Can you say something? I’m worried.”

“Sorry,” you say softly, letting your shoulder drop down, and from the corner of your vision you see Minghao watching you carefully. “I-I just got overwhelmed. And it was cold. Really cold. And then—” You take a shaky breath. “—and I lost my fucking wallet on top of it and it’s all so shitty and—”

His hand is on your shoulder and you hardly realize that Minghao has pulled over and parked so he can turn to face you. You’re crying again and you don’t even know how this fucking happened, all you know is that there’s so much going on in your head and Minghao is right there, he’s so close but then again, he’s so far.

“Hey, hey calm down for a sec’,” he says calmly, gripping your arm firmly. “Breathe slowly, and tell me what happened.”

You inhale sharply through your nose and scrunch your face up as you bury your head in your hands. In your right mind, you wouldn’t even think about telling Minghao about what’s on your mind but it’s been a really terrible past hour and you can’t control yourself.

“Renjun’s leaving. Didn’t want to do long distance and so he’s gone and—fuck, I don’t even blame him but why’d he have to leave,” you ramble, tears streaming down your flushed cheeks as Minghao pats your back gently.

“Did he say something to you when you met with him?” he asked, tone laced with concern. “I’m sorry, I’m just—are you o—okay please don’t cry.”

You don’t know why, but Minghao telling you to cry only makes the tears fall faster. “And Yiren—” you hiccup, “Yiren left too, I haven’t seen her in months and Jun a-a-and you—you’ve all been gone.” You don’t realize when Minghao grabs both your shoulders and forces you to face him completely.

“Slow down, please. No one’s left you, we’re all going to be here for you, you know that. Did Renjun say something which made you think like this?” he asks, the grip on your shaking shoulders growing tighter as you desperately try to steady yourself.

“N-no, but you’re not here. I hardly ever get to see my own brother and Yiren and you and Renjun and everything is so shitty I just—” you cry out and suddenly you stumble forward in the seat and before you know it Minghao’s arms are around you.

It’s not like you haven’t hugged him before but this is the first time you’re blubbering into his shoulder about your feelings, and if you weren’t so sad, you’d be fucking appalled. His warm hand is on your back, rubbing up and down slowly until you’ve finally found the conscience to actually breathe and realize just what’s going on.

Slowly, you pull away from Minghao’s hold, furiously wiping away at your face to dry yourself, looking down at your lap bashfully. “I am so sorry, what the fuck, I-I don’t know what came over me,” you blurt out when Minghao drops his hands from your shoulder. You miss the warmth, but you’re quite very embarrassed with yourself and don’t have the will to chase after his touch.

“Please don’t apologize,” Minghao replies softly, watching you with wide eyes. “That … was a lot and—”

“I’m sorry, look, I was just having a shitty day and it all piled up and you just—I don’t know I guess, let’s just pretend this never happened,” you beg with him. Minghao’s face looks like he wants to say more, but you really can’t tell with the way his eyes are clouded.

“Are you sure? You know you can talk to me.”

You gulp at the irony. No, you really can’t. You can’t tell Minghao anything, really, because even after crying and sobbing and wailing in his car he still looks at you with so much care and it has these stupid fucking butterflies erupting in your stomach like you’re fifiteen with a massive crush on your brother’s best friend.

“Can you just please drive me to my place?” you ask, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “I think I just really need to sleep.”

You can tell Minghao still has questions, but you don’t seem too willing to answer them so he doesn’t say anything when he nods and turns back to the road. The ride is silent, and when he finally parks he pats your shoulder.

You look out the window and furrow your eyebrows. “This isn’t my apartment complex …” you tell him, confused as you see a convenience store in front of you. The same one.

“C’mon, I know you love pop,” he says casually, unbuckling his seatbelt leaving you with no other choice to follow behind him. There’s an odd sense of deja vu that envelopes over you, shoving your pockets into your jacket shyly.

“Remember the last time we were here?” Minghao asks with a chuckle as you guys walk into the store.

“Don’t remind me,” you murmur. “That was a shitty day.”

Minghao gives you a nervous smile as he pulls out a can from the fridge and hands it to you, grabbing his own bottle as well. “Yeah, but Cola made it better, right?”

“I guess it did. Cola always makes things better,” you admit. “Hey, fuck you,” you say jokingly when Minghao pulls out his wallet. “You should’ve taken me here another time when I actually had my wallet—I need to pay you back for that day!” you whine with a pout. “Now I’m in debt to you twice! You’ve bought me two Colas!”

Minghao rolls his eyes playfully as he pays for the drinks. “Yeah well things are different now, and I’m pretty sure my wallet doesn’t care about the cost of two Colas.”

“Is Mr. Big and Famous too good for my money now?” you huff when you step back outside, opening your Cola. “I will pay you back, no matter how stupidly rich you get.”

“I’ll have to hold you to that,” Minghao laughs as you slip back into his car. The air is lighter as he drives you back to your place for real this time, and the lingering feeling of pop on your tongue is sweet and fun.

“Thank you for the ride. And the Cola,” you add when he’s in front of your building.

“You remember what I said?”

You nod as you step out of the car, picking up your brown bag. “Thank you so much for this. I’m sorry again.”

“Stop apologizing. Is there … is there anything else I can do? You want another Cola perhaps?”

“Very funny, but I don’t think I want to be jumping off the walls tonight …” you answer, closing the door but still peering through the open window. You think for a second as you chew your lip, nodding when you come up with something. “But do me a favor … don’t tell Jun.”

Jun takes you out to the lake house he booked three mornings after you met with Renjun and sobbed to Minghao in his car. It’s a refreshing turn of events, if you’re being honest, and you’re eager to sink into a relaxing weekend after a stressful exam season.

Your brother drives the three hours on the way with the promise of you driving on the way home hung over your head. When you reach the house—a medium sized cabin perched right by the lake and surrounded by trees and mountains—you’re greeted with the sight of Minghao sitting in his car and scrolling on his phone.

As you and Jun pile out of the car and grab your bags, Minghao comes out too, walking toward you with his hands stuffed in his pockets. “Thought you guys would never come. If you were gonna be late you should’ve just given me the keys to this place,” he says with a huff.

“Don’t blame me,” Jun shrugs, locking the car after you’ve both taken out your stuff, walking up to the cabin’s entrance. “She’s the one who wanted to stop and buy some pop.”

“Don’t act like you didn’t want it either,” you retort, reaching into your tote bag to hand Minghao a can of Cola. “Here,” you offer with a smile which he returns gleefully.

“Okay actually, totally valid reason,” Minghao says, flicking open the can before taking a sip.

“Hey! Don’t be on her side,” Jun whines as he opens up the cabin. Minghao and you chuckle together, your heart warming at the sound as you three start to load your things into the house. Minghao doesn’t say anything about that night when he picked you up, and for that much you’re grateful. This much, you can manage.

By the time you all have settled your things into your respective rooms it’s noon and the sun pummels down with admirable strength. As you stick your head out of your room, you catch Jun making his way down the hallway toward the bathroom.

“You going for a swim?” you ask, gesturing down to your swimsuit that you’ve already eagerly put on.

“Nah, I’m gonna go later. I need to take a call right now,” he says with a sigh and you nod, about to retreat back to your room before Minghao walks out of his own room.

“I’ll go if you’re going,” Minghao tells you casually, and you don’t waste a second to nod. “Give me five so I can get changed and then we can go out.”

You jump down the hall excitedly after he closes the door behind him, making your way to the backyard porch which leads into a deck over the lake. As you place your towel on one of the chairs outside, you hear the sliding door open.

Minghao walks out shirtless, lower half only covered with his swim trunks as he runs a hand through his shaggy hair, shaking his head lightly as he makes his way towards you, placing his towel next to yours. “Thanks for waiting … shit, it’s hot as hell,” he murmurs, and you’re thankful that you’re facing away from him right now—you aren’t sure you’d be able to handle the proximity and the sight of his bare upper body.

“Yeah,” you agree, finally straightening your back and putting some distance between the two of you when you start walking towards the edge of the deck. “The water’s so clear,” you think out loud, looking down at the blue lake in front of you.

“It’s really pretty … you want a picture?” Minghao suggests, walking up behind you.

“I would, but I left my phone inside.”

“Let’s just take it on my phone,” he says casually, holding up his phone in front of you, waving at you to step back a little so he can take a picture. “A candid one would look pretty with this view—like you’re looking out at the lake and stuff,” he begins to say, placing a smooth hand on your shoulder so he can manually turn you around so that you’re facing away from him.

When he lets his hand drop, it brushes over the curve of your hip and you have to bite down on your lip to stop the pathetic whimper that threatens to escape your lips. Luckily, Minghao can’t see the pained expression that makes its way onto your face as he steps back holding up his phone.

“Okay ready …” he calls out from further behind. “Three … two … one!” You hear a faint tapping sound as you still, letting Minghao take the pictures as you wait patiently. It takes a few moments, and you’re about to ask him how much longer he’s going to go at it before you hear the sound of something being dropped, and then a few rattling thuds.

“Minghao, what—” you begin to question as you slowly turn on your heel but by then it’s too late. “WHAT THE F—”

Your scream is cut off short when Minghao runs forward and lunges at you, one arm wrapping itself around your waist as he jumps into the water, bringing you down with him. The cool water of the lake hits your body and the wind gets punched out of your lungs as you feel your limbs entangle with his. Instinctevely, your arms tighten around one of his as your eyes press closed tightly as you feel your warm body start to level with the temperature around you.

And so even as your legs kick around for a few panicked moments, you begin to feel oddly at peace when your head finally reaches the surface of the water, Minghao’s hand still steady over your hips as you gasp for air.

“You’re a bitch for that,” you say, a few choked giggles escaping your lips as you do. Minghao finally unwinds his arm from yours, and while you miss the contact, his body is still dangerously close to yours, and you figure that that is already more than you can manage.

Minghao smiles gleefully, pushing his face so close that it’s right up in front of you. “Mm maybe, but it was really funny. Got it on video too.”

“What?!” you screech, swimming backward so quickly that you hit  your head on the wooden platform of the deck. “Crap!” you exclaim, hand immediately flying up to press against the throbbing crown of your head. Minghao’s eyes widen with concern as he wades his way towards you, tall enough to still have his feet touch the lake bottom unlike you.

“Shit, I’m sorry, are you okay?” he asks worriedly, his own hand coming up to feel the back of your head. His eyes are big and brown as he looks down at you, and for this moment, you forget about the dull ache and bask in the way the sun hits his skin so perfectly he glows.

“I’m fine!” you squeak quickly, letting your hand drop so you can tread in the water lightly, slowly moving a safe distance away from the deck.

“A-are you sure?” he probes, making his way to you, and you have a moment to admire him from afar—the way his hair is matted against his forehead and water drops gather at his lashes, making his eyes look prettier than ever.

You chuckle at the way his lips are pursed together apologetically, and you splash some water at him to lighten the mood. “Yes, Minghao, I’m great. I hardly hit myself.” Minghao’s face looks uneasy, and you laugh again.

It takes a few more minutes of you trying to convince him that you’re totally fine before he finally lets it go. Eventually, you find yourself on a big inflated duck-shaped floaty, laying down with your face up and eyes closed. You lose track of time, enjoying the white noise of Minghao splashing around in the water around you, drifting off into a hazy state until you hear a loud yell and feel yourself being flipped over and off your floaty.

“Jun!” you whine, rubbing your eyes as you furiously push hair off your face when you resurface, glaring at both Jun and Minghao laugh side by side. “You guys have to stop doing this to me,” you groan, eyes finally adjusting to its normal state.

“What are you talking about?” Jun asks innocently as you make your way over to the two of them, not bothering to turn your duck floatie back up right. “It was just an accident I fell on you—hey!” he yells out when you lunge at him. Minghao steps back quickly as you and Jun waddle and fight in the water, splashing water at each other while you try and get your revenge.

“Okay! Okay! I’m sorry,” Jun admits with a pout. “You didn’t do this to Minghao after he dunked you in the water,” he complains as you release him.

You narrow your eyes. “How do you know about that?”

“He sent me the video.”

“Minghao!” you exclaim, turning to the boy who is now treading around a meter in front of you. He only shrugs and grins cheekily.

“It was really funny,” Jun tells you with a laugh. “I might just post it on my story.”

“Oh my god, don’t you dare.”

Jun only shakes his head and starts slowly swimming further into the lake. “Don’t worry—I wouldn’t do that. Minghao can’t have any dating rumors, now can he?”

You chew on your lip, not responding. Minghao doesn’t say anything either, only chuckling along with your brother as he follows after him. You aren’t sure what to say to that, and the comment leaves some uneasy feeling hanging in your stomach.

Fuck, maybe you did hit your head hard.

You three spend a good few hours out in the lake until it’s evening. It’s a slow day and you start to realize just how much you missed spending time with your brother and Minghao like this—it isn’t often they get the opportunity to do things like this, so you’re grateful that they decided to share some of their few days of peace with you.

The second day is even hotter than the first, and you wake from your sleep early in the morning when the sky is still blooming with purple and orange hues. Crawling out from your bed, you make your way downstairs. If it was just you and your brother, you wouldn’t be so mindful about keeping your noise levels down because god knows that Jun can sleep through just about anything, but, Minghao is with you guys now, and you’d hate to sour his experience even just a little by accidentally waking him up for being too loud.

So you can imagine your surprise when you walk into the kitchen to see Minghao already leaning against the counter as he scrolls through his phone. He hasn’t noticed you and you contemplate leaving it like that for a few moments.

He’s wearing a tight fit, black, sleeveless top that shows off the curve of his shoulders and lets the sparkle of his silver chain glint under the morning light. Minghao is attractive—you and the millions of people in his comments know that—and you feel an odd sense of pride well up in your stomach that you’re one of the few people who get to see him like this.

With his hair messy and brushing over his eyes, legs crossed over each other as he presses his body weight against the kitchen island, bare skin glowing from the natural light, he’s beautiful.

Your face heats up when you realize you’ve just been staring at him, so you quickly clear your throat. “Good morning,” you chirp, walking into the kitchen so he can finally see you.

Minghao looks up from his phone, tucking it into the pocket of his sweatpants to greet you with a smile. “Hey, I didn’t know you were up. How’s your head doing?” he asks shyly, walking over to casually run his hand over that same spot on the crown of your head.

It’s an oddly intimate gesture, and if you didn’t know any better, your heart might have given out from the way he was touching you. Still, you know he’s just checking to see if it’s swollen, but your heart flutters anyways.

“I-it’s fine,” you reply, opening the fridge to pull out some orange juice as his hand drops. “I didn’t know you were an early riser. Jun always sleeps in whenever he gets the chance.”

“Yeah, well that’s why he’s paged as a literal cat by everyone,” Minghao says with a chuckle as you place a jug on the counter. “Do you want some tea? I’m just boiling the water now so I can add some more if you want.”

“Sure, that’ll be nice.” You pour yourself some orange juice. “Do you want to eat something? I brought some cupcakes to have for breakfast,” you offer, reaching into one of the bags you didn’t unpack to pull out a box.

“Are they those cupcakes?”

“Yup—the one and only!” you exclaim, opening the lid to show him. Minghao grins, pulling two out.

“God, I missed these. Y’know, Jun actually gave your recipe to Mingyu too, but he just doesn’t make them the same,” Minghao tells you, and your eyes light up.

“Really? Poor Mingyu,” you say with a sigh.

“If you ever end up visiting us in Korea, you should really make some,” Minghao suggests as he goes to take care of the boiling water, dropping some tea leaves into it before moving the water into a pot. Then, pulling out two small cups and plates, he says, “Me and Jun have told the others about how good you make them, but they really need to try them.”

“I’d love to,” you say with a grin, giddy with the way Minghao is boosting your ego. As he pours out the tea into two mugs, you put the cupcakes on the small plates, looking out to the glass sliding door which leads to the porch by the lake. “You want to eat outside? The sky looks really beautiful now, and the weather looks like it’s nice too.”

Minghao nods, holding up the two mugs while you grab the plates and follow him outside and onto the little shaded porch where you sit by two of the chairs and the small, knee level coffee table. The sky is still deep in its changing colors, and you pull out your phone to take some pictures.

“Can you take some pictures of me? For my WeVerse and Instagram and stuff?” he asks when you’re done, holding out his phone in your direction.

“Yeah, of course.” Leaning back after you grab his phone, you position yourself as Minghao poses. “Lean back a little more so the background can—yeah, perfect …” You take a few photos, and Minghao nods happily when you show him.

“Can you take some more candid ones?”

“Sure, let’s switch spots. I think it’ll look nicer if it looks like you’re looking out to the lake from here,” you suggest, getting up from your seat. Minghao complies without protest and you spend a few more minutes taking some pictures before finally handing him the phone. “You like them?”

“Hell yeah I do,” he says, looking through his phone. “You’re great at this,” he compliments sincerely.

“I’m used to taking the kinda pictures you guys like now … Jun has trained me well,” you joke, sitting back in the seat and reaching for your own cup of tea. It’s quiet for a few moments as you both relax and watch the sky grow brighter by the minute.

Jun wakes up an hour later, trudging out his room with groggy eyes as you poke fun of him. The morning is slow for a short while after that before Minghao is reminding you all that you need to start heading back home. The two of them are leaving for Korea in two days, after all, and that leaves them with only today and tomorrow to completely bask in themselves and the rest of their family, so you pack your things and end your stay at the cabin before the clock hits noon.

That night, after you drive yourself and Jun home and you retreat to the comfort of your apartment, you flop down onto your couch and pull out your phone. You’re met with a few notifications from WeVerse and Instagram, casually scrolling through the apps when your eyes catch a few familiar pictures.

It’s on Instagram and you recognize the bright orange of the rising sky that sits behind Minghao who is smiling into the camera. The next picture is a candid one of him looking at the lake while he drinks some tea, and the third is a picture of the cupcake you made.

You grin at the picture—the rest of the world won’t know it, but you definitely do—it’s a little piece of you that Minghao is sharing with the world. Though, you aren’t sure if he put as much thought into it as you are right now.

Brushing it off as Minghao just wanting to share a pretty picture of a nice looking cupcake, you purse your lips together only for them to be parted when you read his caption.

i’m a weirdo

Scrolling through the comments, you come across people saying, many among the following:

ur not a weirdo >:c fellow radiohead fanatic i see is the8 a certified creep? o: i didn’t know minghao liked radiohead … another reason to stan!

As you ignore the increased palpitating of your heart at the idea that Minghao quoted a line from, in your opinion, “your guys’ song.” you sit and think for a moment about what to do. You consider just liking the post and scrolling past it before a funny thought crosses your mind, and so you start typing into the comments.

i wonder who took these pics lol

No one’s going to see it. Minghao is definitely not going to see it, but you giggle to yourself anyways. You’re about to put your phone down when you get a notification of a reply to your comment. Curious, you open it up, and see that it’s just a random person.

imagine it’s his gf

You laugh to yourself. You wish.

The last day or two with Jun goes as they always do when he’s here—slow, but all that you need. He spends his time at your parents house and you stop by for lunch and dinner the day after you both return from the lake house.

The afternoon, you both went down to the cafe and stocked up on chocolate buns—Jun’s request—and spent the rest of your time until evening going over your plans for the rest of the summer. You enjoy this part, always. Not Jun leaving—of course not—but spending these tame moments with him.

It makes you wonder what things would have been like if he never left. Maybe he’d move out for university someplace else, but you’d get to see him more, probably. Get to hang out with him every weekend, instead of every two months.

You shake yourself off the thought as you drive to your parents house. Having Jun around more often would be nice, but there isn’t any point in dreaming about the impossible.

As you pull up to the driveway and park your car, you notice Minghao standing out by the front door with his suitcase and a bag. “Hey, looking for Jun?”

“Well, yeah. Of course I wanna say bye to you both before you go … is the van here yet?”

“Nah, it’s still taking some time but Jun is on the other side of the house to see if the car is gonna come from that side,” he explains.

“I’m gonna miss you guys … you know when you’re both going to come next?” you ask, voice softer than you anticipated.

“I really don’t know—I’m sorry. You know how things are.”

“Yeah,” you mumble, shoulders deflating as you look down at the ground..

“I know—it’s not … it's not easy for Jun, either, I can tell. It isn’t easy for any of us to leave.” When Minghao finishes speaking you only nod, and as your eyes meet,you feel like there’s something he wants to say. “Hey,” he murmurs quietly.

A heavy hand is placed on your shoulder, and you feel you might as well sink to the ground and let the earth swallow you up. “If you’re going to talk about—”

“Hear me out, yeah?” Minghao cuts you off, and when you open your mouth in protest, he continues. “Don’t …” he inhales deeply before saying, “Don’t take what I’m about to say the wrong way, okay?”

You cross your arms over your chest. “That really depends on what you’re going to say.”

“Okay, just … just listen. Jun, and me, and Yiren, and Renjun—” God, why is he bringing this up? “—we aren’t trying to hurt you.”

“Of course I know that.” Your eyebrows knit together and Minghao sighs at your reaction, letting his hand fall from your shoulder. You miss the touch, but your mind is a little too preoccupied with trying to decipher Minghao’s words to dwell on it.

“I’m just saying … you shouldn’t try to depend on anyone.” You open your mouth and then close it, trying to figure out how the hell he expects you to respond to this.

“What d’you mean?”

“Well I mean,” he huffs before continuing, shoving his hands in his pockets, “you obviously have been … upset about people leaving you and you can’t expect everyone to stick around forever.”

“If you’re talking about Renjun, he was my boyfriend. I think it’s okay for me to expect someone who I’m dating to ‘stick around,’ even though it might not be forever.”

“I guess, but it’s not just Renjun, right? Jun … Yiren … me …” he voice trails off.

“I basically spent my whole middle and high school years around you and Yiren, and Jun is literally my brother. Do you think me wanting the people I quite literally grew up around to be here for me is being ‘dependant?’”

“I don’t know what to tell you. I mean we were all going to grow up eventually? Look, don’t take this the wrong way and—”

“Excuse me?” you blurt out harshly, taking a step back, scoffing before you continue. “I wouldn’t be taking this the wrong way if you obviously didn’t mean it the wrong way. You basically just said I’m not independent.”

Minghao frowns at your reaction before responding, “I didn’t say that. I just said you shouldn’t depend on anyone.”

“Which implies that I am depending on people unnecessarily!”

Minghao adjusts his backpack straps as he says, “I mean you did cry for quite a while about how people are leaving you. I just don’t want you to get more hurt by being dependent on others.”

“Thanks for the concern,” you shoot sarcastically, “but I’m not dependent on anyone. I was upset that night because all the people closest to me have moved away and if you ask any normal person, I’m pretty sure they’d agree that that’s a valid reason to cry a little. So sorry if that was too much for you.” You say the last part with disgust laced on your tongue, and you watch Minghao’s face grow increasingly sour as you go on.

“Okay, now you’re just twisting my words,” Minghao huffs, glancing around to make sure that no one is close by.

“What the hell Minghao,” you scoff, clenching your fists at your side. You don’t want to be the person to jump down his throat, but you can’t help but feel like you’re being talked down to. “Why—why are you acting like I’m still a little kid. I’m more than Jun’s little sister, you do know that right?”

“Oh my god, seriously?” Minghao retorts, eyebrows rising in a mix of disbelief and irritation. “You think that’s what this is about? For fuck’s sake I’m just looking out for you.”

“Exactly!” you exclaim, pointing an accusing finger at him. “There’s no reason for that! Like I said, I’m not some little girl anymore and I’ve been looking out for myself for years. You just happened to catch me in a moment where I let myself be sad about it which, again, is a totally valid thing to be sad about.”

“I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Well congratulations! You were unsuccessful,” you mumble out, feeling an ugly knot build up in your throat. “I trusted you,” you say softly, and Minghao looks at you with eyes so apologetic you almost think about forgiving him. “That night after I saw Renjun—I-I trusted you,” you add more harshly this time. “And I cried to you even though we haven’t properly spoken in fuck knows how long and you take all that and make me out to seem like some sort of defenseless kid—”

“Can you stop—you’re putting words into my mouth. I never said you were defenseless or not independent or anything like that—I don’t even know why you think I would think of you like that because you know that’s not true.”

“Minghao, I don’t know if you’ve realized but it’s been years since we've talked properly. Just because—” You take a deep breath before continuing your bitter words. “—just because you get to live your stupidly amazing life with my brother by your side doesn’t mean that you know me and that I know you, because clearly we don’t know each other at all!”

“I’m sorry?” he says exasperatedly. “Sorry I care about you or whatever, even though things have changed.”

You scowl, and in your right mind you wouldn’t let your next words slip out of your mouth. “Well don’t. I’ve been fine without your sympathy so far, I’m pretty sure I can go on a bit longer.”

Minghao is about to respond, you can tell from the way his hands fiddle at his sides, but then there’s a buzzing and you reach into your pocket to pull out your phone. “Hey Jun,” you say, answering the call without meeting Minghao’s gaze. “… Yeah, he’s with me, we’re just waiting for the car … okay I’ll tell him.”

Tucking the device back into your pocket, you look at Minghao. “Jun is asking for you on the other side of the house. You should go,” you say flatly and you can tell from the look on his face that he wants to say more, but holds back.

Grabbing his suitcase, he tears his eyes from you and doesn’t look back after saying, “See you,” walking away and around the corner of the street. There’s that similar chill that takes over your body when Minghao says the same words Renjun said just a few nights before, and you silently wonder if this is history repeating itself.

“So,” Yiren says as she plops down onto your couch, kicking her feet up onto your coffee table. “How’d meeting with Renjun go? He give you your shit back?”

“Why wouldn’t he?” you grumble as you walk over and nudge her legs to get her to put them down. “And you can’t just flop down and sit! Put your suitcase away so it’s not in the middle of the room,” you order, trying to be stern as Yiren sticks her tongue out at you.

“So bossy—your best friend is visiting your cute little abode and you can’t help her out with her stuff?” Yiren juts out her bottom lip into a pout as you sit next to her and wrap your arms around her waist, sinking into the couch. “Okay what’s going on. You’re being extra snappish …” she asks a bit more seriously, pulling away from your hold to get a better look at you. “Was it Renjun? Did he say something before he left?”

“No!” you say quickly, looking away bashfully, leaning back against the arm rest. You fucking wish you were in this sour mood because of Renjun because you could manage that. Renjun is gone, and it would hurt but you’d get over it.

You aren’t sure how long it’ll take to get over Minghao, if you ever do at all.

“Are you lying to me? You know I can tell when you’re not telling the truth.”

“I am telling the truth.” Just not all of it, you think to yourself.

Yiren sighs loudly, sitting up straight and facing you completely. “You are so bad at this. C’mon tell me—what’d he say? Or was it not Renjun—Jun? Which Jun was it? Did you and Jun fight?”

“I—”

“Like that one time two years ago and you didn’t talk to each other until he came back a month later and—”

You cringe at the memory, slapping a hand over her mouth. “Yiren don’t bring that up. I hated that.”

“Okay sorry,” she says sheepishly. “But seriously—what was it? Renjun? Jun? Which one? Or wait—Min—oh my gosh, don’t tell me it was Minghao!” When you take more than a second to respond, Yiren gasps. “Oh god, it was Minghao.”

She stands up quickly, looking down at your figure on the couch. Before you can say anything, she turns on her heel and walks towards your kitchen. “Hey, where are you going!” you call out to her, sitting upright.

Yiren doesn’t respond, only reaching into the fridge and pulling out two cans of pop. Walking back, she sits down in front of you and hands you a Cola, opening her own Sprite herself. “C’mon, you need to tell me about this. The pop is just here for emotional support.”

You narrow your eyes at her. You thought you were dealing with the effects of your argument with Minghao perfectly fine, but as you look down at the cold can in front of you, an uneasy feeling bubbles up in your stomach. Taking a deep breath, you set the can down on your coffee table, leaving it unopened.

Yiren gapes at you with wide eyes. “You’re not going to have it?” Neck hanging low, you shake your head, and you hear her gasp quietly. “Oh my gosh, you just turned down a Cola,” she mutters, grabbing a pillow and pushing it in your direction. “Okay now you need to tell me what’s going on.” She pauses, shuffling closer, adding softly, “It’s okay, you can cry.”

And just like that, the dam breaks and stray tears fall from your lashes as you clutch the pillow close to your chest, blubbering your mind away to your best friend.

“I don’t even get it—I thought I was over him?” you question aloud. “Like when I was with Renjun I was happy and I didn’t think about Minghao because Renjun was great and he was so nice but he just—” you choke back a sob and Yiren pats your back.

“But he left,” she murmurs softly and you want to cry harder because Yiren left too, but then you remind yourself of what Minghao said. Taking a deep breath, your wipe your face of your tears and although your lips still quiver, you start to speak.

“It’s okay,” you mutter, because it isn't like you haven’t cried over this before. “I just—I guess I haven’t really tried hard enough.”

“Tried to … what exactly?”

You huff, throwing your back onto the couch as you look up at the ceiling. “You know: get over him.”

Yiren chuckles a little, and even through your sniffles, you laugh with her. “What are you saying—you gonna fuck around now?”

“Maybe not fuck around,” you say, crossing your legs. “More like … have some fun.”

“So basically fuck around.”

“Yiren!”

“Oh c’mon—you need me to set you up with someone? My sister knows a lot of—”

You nudge her playfully. “What happened to ‘Ms. I Want Half of the Proceeds from your Wedding with Minghao?’”

“First of all,” Yiren waves a finger at you pointedly, “I only asked for 25%, but if you two can come back from this, I will be asking for at least 50% because I have been rooting for you two since day one.”

“Aren’t you the one who’s trying to set me up with other guys?”

“That’s only because you come first to me. Your relationship with Minghao—”

“The nonexistent one,” you correct and Yiren glares at you.

“Okay fine. Your nonexistent relationship with Minghao comes second. I want to see you happy. If you get to be happy with Minghao that’s just an added plus because, you know, 50% of all the gifts and—”

“You’re getting 25% max.”

“Don’t worry. There’s still time for plenty of negotiation and—”

“Yiren!”

You don’t live up to Yiren’s expectations—in her words, she wanted you to have a hot girl summer, but you couldn’t be bothered to go through with it. Well, sort of.

The next two months go along as your summers usually do. You take up a job near your apartment, working through the morning and afternoon, spending your evenings at home or occasionally out with Jianing.

Jianing doesn’t know much about anything when it comes to your (nonexistent) relationship with Minghao, and you figure she doesn’t need to. When you need a distraction, all it takes is a quick message asking her to accompany you for whatever endeavors you have going on for the night and she’s on board.

It’s a slow summer, but you don’t really mind. Not burdened with the stress of your classes and with Jun and Minghao gone for the next two months for their own performances and promotions, you have time to focus on yourself.

Occasional parties, indulging in hobbies, daily walks in the mornings, late nights of binge watching TV shows, outings with Jianing—it’s all a part of a simple routine that you’ve curated to do one thing, and one thing only: relax.

It’s only near the end of the summer, around three weeks before your classes are set to resume, that Jun calls you to let you know he’s coming home with Minghao. He seems pretty casual about it, and you’re reminded about how Minghao probably didn’t mention anything about your argument to your brother, which you’re thankful for.

It’s a passing thought that you’ll have to figure out how you want to act when you finally face him again. Whatever. That’s a problem for another time. Right now, you relax.

That problem for another time seems to have become a problem for now. Jun came home two days ago and things were alright—no run-ins to Minghao and you spend time with your brother like you usually do whenever he returns: with bickering and meals.

It’s only on the third day that things become a little … a little iffy. Your brother texts you in the evening to get ready quickly because he’s stopping by with Minghao for dinner at his place, and it’s all happening so quickly that you don’t have time to come up with an excuse.

So here you are, throwing on your sacred pink jacket because it’s the first thing in your vision, some old jeans, and waiting outside your apartment building much less enthusiastically than you’d like. It’s only a matter of minutes before your phone buzzes with a text from Jun letting you know he’s here and you see Minghao’s car pulling up in front of you.

Making your way to the back door where you usually sit with the two of them, you furrow your brows seeing Jun sitting in your usual spot.

“Sit in the front,” Jun orders when you go to open the back door, “I wanna lay down.” You shrug, making your way to the passenger seat as Jun settles into the back, resting his head on the window while kicking his legs up onto the other two seats.

“Hi,” you say quietly to Minghao who nods and speaks his own quick greeting, averting his attention to the wheel in front of him without much more than that.

“Please,” he huffs, watching Jun through the rear view mirror, “don’t put your shoes on the seats. I just had the car cleaned.” Jun clicks his tongue and kicks his shoes off, continuing to lay back in the seat as Minghao starts the car. The ride is silent as he drives toward the restaurant, both you and Jun on your phones while Minghao has his eyes trained on the road.

Once he parks in front of the place, you watch from the corner of your vision to see Minghao unbuckling his seatbelt before your brother speaks up.

“You guys can wait here, I’m gonna grab the food,” Jun says, slipping in his shoes and making his way to the restaurant, leaving you and Minghao in thickening silence. His hands are resting on his thighs and you press your head on the window, looking out as you try to focus on anything but this.

“Uh,” Minghao clears his throat, and you silently brace yourself for what he might say. “Nice jacket.”

Oh.

Glancing down at what you’re wearing, you twiddle with the hem of the familiar pink jacket. You wonder if this is Minghao’s way of holding out a figurative olive branch, and then you think harder about if you’re willing to accept it. “Thanks,” you reply, matting a hand over your hair before turning your attention to Jun who’s walking towards your car now.

Slipping into the back seat, he shakes the plastic bag in the air as he buckles himself in. “Takeout secured. Let’s go back to your place now,” Jun says, tapping on Minghao’s shoulder from behind. There’s an odd tension in the air, and you don’t doubt that Jun feels it, although he keeps his mouth shut about it.

No one says a word until Minghao is parking in his driveway and unlocking the front door. You follow behind the two of them, Jun grabbing the food as you enter Minghao’s house.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” Jun asks, putting the takeout bag on the coffee table of the living room as you all begin to settle down.

You shrug off your coat as you say, “Uh, I have to go back to my place and go out for the afternoon and evening with Jianing. Me and her have this little monthly date day thing, and we’re going to the city.”

“Wha-a-a-t,” Jun drawls out, a frown etched onto his face. You narrow your eyes at him, shrugging.

“What? It’s not like you’re leaving right after tomorrow.”

“Yeah, but I’m not here for long. I wanted to do something tomorrow, since I might be doing stuff after that!” Jun whines, pointing at Minghao. “We might be going to this cool store and take some pictures and stuff.”

You huff, slightly annoyed as you flop down on a couch. “Okay well can’t you do that tomorrow then? I already have plans.”

Jun pouts, and if he wasn’t so on your nerves right now, you would poke some fun at him. “Why-y-y? You knew I was coming this week!”

“Well it’s not like I can clear my schedule for you. If you wanted to do something you should’ve told me earlier!”

“I let you know last week I was coming down!”

“Jun,” you say with a half laugh, noticing the way Minghao’s eyes have been flickering back and forth between you two through the whole conversation, “one week is not enough time to change some plans. I’ve been meeting with Jianing consistently at this time of month for over a year!”

“But still—”

“It’s not like if I showed up to Korea whenever the time’s convenient for me, you’d drop everything you’re doing to spend time with me!” you exclaim.

Jun’s fists ball at his side before he says, “That’s because my job is important and—”

“The stuff I do in my life might not seem important to you but it is very much important to me. Sorry I’ve made commitments to other people before I even knew you were coming, but I don’t know why you’d expect me to drop all my plans just for you. It’s not even like we aren’t going to see each other afterwards too.”

“Well I’d only hope that’s the case—I only ever see you once every few months so sorry for wanting to take some of your time.”

“Guys—” Minghao starts to say, standing between the two of you but when both you and Jun glare at him, he steps back.

“Do you think your time is worth more than mine or something?” you scoff at Jun, ignoring Minghao.

“You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I’m sorry, what exactly did you mean it like then?” you hiss.

Jun sucks in a breath between clenched teeth and runs a hand through his hair. “You know what I meant. Things are just—they’re different. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Right yeah. I won’t understand because I don’t have all these girls throwing themselves at me, making me think I’m entitled to everyone’s damn time.” Maybe you crossed a line with that one, but you’re too angry to care now. Hot tears well up in your lash line, threatening to fall any moment now.

“You were the one who was being a brat when you found out I was going to go to Korea in the first place!” Jun exclaims. “Fucking hell, why are you making such a big deal out of me wanting to spend some time with you now?”

Your face screws up into some kind of ugly frown at the words, and you clench your fists as your side. “A brat?” you repeat. “A brat? Is that seriously what you think of me?

“Well you did make a pretty damn big scene about me leaving, so yeah, maybe I do feel entitled to some of your time seeing that you were the one who was desperate for it in the first place.”

“Desperate? Are you kidding me—desperate? I was sixteen and you dumped the fact that you were moving away in like less than two months on me —of course I was upset but desperate? Well fuck you too I guess.” You punctuate the last word by turning on your heel, grabbing your coat off and marching past Minghao and over to the door.

You don’t hear Jun say anything after you do, and for that you are grateful because you don’t think you’ll be able to handle hearing his voice again. Walking out the foyer past the door, you stomp your way to your car, forcefully yanking the driver’s seat open and plopping yourself down with a heavy thud.

Without a word, you press your forehead against the steering and scream a loud and painful, “FUCK!” You can’t even remember a damn thing you or Jun said but all that throttles in your head is the word brat and you feel you might just pull the steering wheel off your stupid car and tear just about everything else apart too.

The prospect is pretty tempting, actually, and in your red, you continue to hit your head, albeit gently, against the wheel as you mutter incoherent curses to yourself. The thud of your skull against the smooth letter rings in your ears until it becomes all that you can hear, so loud that it almost drowns out the knocking sound that comes from outside.

“Holy shit!” you gasp, when you see Minghao from the corner of your vision, standing outside your car with his lips pressed into the thin line. Rolling down your windows, you grimace. “You fucking scared me so bad. Please never creep up on me like that again.”

He narrows his eyes at you. “Don’t fucking storm out like that again then,” Minghao says, and your eyes widen slightly when you hear his voice. It’s harder, firmer, more serious than you’ve ever heard before.

“What are you—”

“You can’t drive when it’s night and you’re sobbing—”

“I am not sobbing,” you fruitlessly choke out, wiping some tears off your cheek as you straighten your back and glare at him.

“Look I get you’re mad at Jun and all but can you please calm down and talk to me so—”

You let out a humorless laugh as you begin to roll your windows back up. “Don’t even get me started on you.”

Minghao clicks his tongue as he sticks a hand into your window to stop it from going up any further, looking sideways for a second before turning back to you. “Okay well I don’t want you to drive yourself home like this. It’s not safe.”

“I am not staying here tonight.”

“Then let me drive you home,” Minghao suggests and you open up to object but no words come out. “You agree? C’mon, step out.” You let out nothing more than a huff as you open the door, slipping out quickly and shuffling to the other side where you sit with your arms crossed over your chest, bottom lip jutting out into a pout.

Minghao has already taken your spot, hands on the same steering wheel that you were planning on smashing with your head just minutes ago. He’s quiet for a few moments as he backs out of the driveway and starts driving down the street, the car echoing nothing but your soft sniffles that haven’t seemed to stop.

When Minghao opens his mouth again, you’re bracing yourself for a round of chiding, but all that comes out is a one-word question. “Pop?” He takes your silence as a confirmation, and soon enough Minghao is pulling up to that same convenience store. “Do you want me to get it for you?” he asks after he’s parked in front of the convenience store.

You purse your lips together, finally letting yourself turn to look at him. You really want to be mad at him but when you catch the way his fingers are shoved into his pockets, teeth gnawing at his bottom lip as he awaits your answer, you start to realize that Minghao might be just as apprehensive about this as you are.

“It’s fine,” you mutter, unbuckling your seatbelt so you can get out, Minghao following you quickly.

You’re the first to walk in this time, grabbing a Cola for yourself before looking at Minghao with a raised brow. When he nods, you toss him another can and he makes his way to the cash register. He’s about to pull out his wallet when you’re brushing past him and getting there first, holding up your card to the machine proudly.

“Just because I don’t want to be in any more debt to you,” you murmur, handing Minghao a can after you’ve paid for them both. You lead the way, walking out of the door and slotting yourself into the passenger seat of your car and Minghao gets into the seat next to you, turning on the engine.

You’re still quiet when he starts driving towards your apartment building, and you think that this is the perfect chance for you to drown in the silence. Maybe if you pretend you’re alone, you’ll be able to forget about all the thoughts running through your mind.

Pressing your eyes shut, you slump down into your seat and just as you’re about to let your mind drift into the silence, you hear a familiar rattle of the snare and guitar bridge and your eyes snap open, staring at Minghao directly. He faces forward, eyes trained on the road as he pulls closer to the curb in front of your complex, sighing deeply when the car starts to slow down.

“What are you trying to do Minghao?” you finally say weakly, burying your face in your hands. “You—you’re playing Creep and you took me to get Cola and all you were supposed to do was take me home so—”

“Can I not try to make you feel better? I don’t want you to be upset, so I’m sorry if I’m trying to do the things I know you enjoy,” Minghao responds with a heavy breath, parking in front of your building just like that night he did when he picked you up from the bus stop after you met with Renjun.

The deep strumming of guitar and vibrations of the bass bounce off the walls of your car, and you slip into your seat as the words of the song sink in.‘What the hell am I doing here?’ Glancing up at Minghao, your vision grows blurry. “Minghao …” your voice is quiet and strained when you call for him, and in that moment, you know.

All those years ago when you wanted to kiss him and hold him and pull him close, but you didn’t because you were scared. When you wanted to let your tongues collide and tug at his hair, but you didn’t because you had so much to lose.

You still have so much to lose, but you’re not scared anymore.

And it seems Minghao isn’t either.

Tonight, you get to taste the lingering drops of Cola on his tongue. You get to feel his arms fumbling over the armrest, slipping around your waist and yanking you onto his lap. You get to hold his neck and let your fingers sit in his hair. You get to indulge.

Minghao’s mouth is hot against yours, tongue lapping at your bottom lip when you take a sacred moment to breathe on top of him before your eyes are fluttering back shut and your lips mold into one once again. He hugs you so close you don’t know how you can still breathe, don’t know how your bones don’t melt into each other in this burning moment.

Your lips work fervently to slide against each other in a wet, calculated mess that has you whimpering into Minghao’s mouth when one of his hands cups your jaw. His thumb is soft against your cheekbone when he tilts your head to the side so that your noses brush against either and his lips delve deeper into the caverns of your mouth.

You don’t know how long you two go at it, fingers grappling at whatever skin you can, Minghao’s hand brushing under your shirt and stroking the plush of your hips. And when you feel like you can’t breathe anymore because your heart is so full, you pull away, letting the thin string of saliva connect your shiny lips.

Your brain is foggy and you and Minghao simply sit in the comfortable silence. Well, almost comfortable silence.

You shouldn’t try to depend on anyone.

“W-wait,” you stutter when Minghao leans forward in hopes to catch your lips in another fleeting kiss. “Oh my god,” you mutter to yourself, pushing his shoulders back against the seat as you try to shuffle off his lap.

Minghao holds your waist tightly, but you break free of the grasp. “What are you doi—hey, wait a sec!”

“You said you’re trying to make me feel better but you just did exactly the opposite,” you scoff, slipping on your coat as you push the car door open.

“What are you talking abo—” You cut him off by slamming the door, and Minghao quickly grabs your keys and follows after you. “Slow down.”

You whip around to face him, tears streaming down your face for what feels nth time tonight. “Look, you left like two months ago spewing all this stuff about how I should be independent but the second you come back you act like you’re trying so hard to make me feel better and stuff and then—” You take a deep breath, “—then we makeout and you—fuck I don’t know, I don’t know what you expect from me! Do you just expect me to forget about this and not get upset when you leave again?” you choke out. “Just keep my keys and drive yourself back to your place. I’ll pick up my car later,” you mutter.

“Can you stop doing this? It’s just like what happened last time, and I don’t want to have to leave if you’re—if we’re not okay.”

“What ‘we?’ Weren’t you the one who told me to not expect anyone to stay? I’m not going to do this ‘we’ and ‘us’ thing with someone who is just going to leave all over again. I’m not going to expect you to stay.”

“Look, I just don’t want this to be hanging over your head when I’m gone.”

Ironic, you think to yourself. You want to tell Minghao that he’s been hanging over your head ever since you met him all those years ago, but you bite back the words.

“Minghao,” you say, your voice strained and tired, “I’m already exhausted and my brain isn’t working so can you please just give me my space.”

And if Minghao is one thing, it’s not pushy, and you know that this is all it takes to get him to back off. Though, you don’t miss the way his face falls as he steps back quietly.

“See you,” he mutters through gritted teeth as he turns on his heel, and you can’t tell if you’re relieved or bothered by the way he leaves so silently.

You don’t see Minghao or Jun after that night. They’rewere  supposed to leave for Korea in the next four days, and so you spend those four days lodged up in your apartment, not leaving unless absolutely necessary—you’re scared that you might run into one of them, as pathetic as that sounds.

Jun doesn’t text you and you don’t text him. It’s a bit abnormal, you two communicate at least once every two days, if not more. It’s a bit of an unspoken rule, but now that you’re both hot-headed and very much not in the right mind, you figure some rules are meant to be broken.

It’s two days after Jun and Minghao were scheduled to leave, the only confirmation that you got that they actually did leave being the group picture at the airport your father sent to the family group chat.

Jianing comes to your apartment when you finally call her over, quickly picking up on your sullen state.

“I don’t get it,” she says with a shrug after you explain to her everything that happened between you and Jun and Minghao.

“Well yeah, I guess you don’t, but this has been going on for a while,” you reply begrudgingly, sinking into your couch as she stares at you blankly from your armchair.

“Just—I dunno—talk to them?”

You give her a funny look. “How?” you groan, throwing your head back. “They won’t be back for like a month at least, and I don’t want to call them.”

“I forget they’re famous sometimes” Jianing mutters, rolling her eyes, and you laugh at the comment.

“You and me both,” you say, straightening your back.

“But still, I don’t get it. I mean just visit them?” she suggests casually.

“I can’t just fly up to Korea unannounced!” you exclaim, bewildered.

Jianing rolls her eyes at you and you frown. “Why not? I mean you just said this might go on for a while if you don’t talk to them so I don’t get it. Just go see them.”

YOURS TRULY

you: chan i need ur help [8:13 AM] chan: this is ur first time texting me in three months [8:15 AM] chan: so i am going to assume this is pretty important [8:15 AM] you: i’m at incheon airport [8:16 AM] chan: what [8:17 AM] you: what [8:17 AM] chan: jun didn’t say anything about u coming??! [8:19 AM] you: DON’T TELL HIM [8:19 AM] chan: what … [8:20 AM] you: i’m surprising him [8:20 AM] chan: ????? [8:21 AM] chan: who knows [8:21 AM] you: um you do [8:21 AM] chan: thank u [8:22 AM] chan: so what do u need [8:22 AM] you: can u pick me up [8:23 AM] chan: i don’t have a choice do i [8:24 AM] you: nope :3 [8:24 AM]

When black SUV stops in front of you by the curb at the airport, you smile brightly, waving at the driver as the windows begin to roll down. You’re about to chirp a quick, “Hi Chan!” but the words get caught in your throat when you see who’s driving.

“Jeonghan?” you ask confusedly. He waves at you from the front seat, and Chan sticks his head in from the back to look at you through the window.

“I’m sorry!” he exclaims, opening the door to help you pull in your suitcase and get situated into the back seat. “Look, I tried to leave without anyone noticing but they saw me so I told them I was going to the gym, but he said he wanted to come and —” Chan glares at the man in the passenger seat, “— I don’t even know why since he hasn’t gone to the gym in ages—”

“Watch it Chan!” Jeonghan calls out from the front as the cat starts to move, pulling an eye roll out of the boy sitting next to you.

“Whatever. Basically, I had no choice but to bring him along and tell them I was actually picking you up.”

“You guys didn’t tell Jun, did you?” you ask worriedly.

“I—no,” Jeonghan says. “And even if we tried, he won’t be awake for another hour or whatever. That’s besides the point anyways—Chan is terrible at lying.”

“You caught me off guard! I wasn’t expecting to see anyone this morning, so I didn’t have any excuses prepared …” Chan huffs, sinking into his seat as you glance back and forth between them nervously.

“Thank you for trying anyways,” you say sincerely, adjusting in your seat. “I know this was all really sudden but I didn’t plan anything out and I kinda ended up here before I could even process anything,” you add.

“Hey, Minghao was telling us about these really good cupcakes you make—if you have time, can you bake them for us?” Chan asks, out of the blue.

You give him a funny look and then smile. “Sure, if I have the time. I’d like to—they told me Mingyu tries to make them for you guys.”

“Yeah! That would—”

“Thank you, but I’m going to assume that you are here for a reason other than making us your infamous cupcakes,” Jeonghan says, merging onto the freeway.

“As much as I’d love for that to be why I’m here, you’re right,” you mutter, resting your head against the headrest.

“Is everything alright?” Jeonghan asks.

As you’re about to respond, Chan chimes in. “This is about Jun, isn’t it?”

“Ai—Channie, don’t jump to conclusions,” Jeonghan reprimands but Chan shakes his head, holding his hand up as he turns to you with wide eyes.

“No, no, I’m not assuming anything. I’m right, aren’t I?” Partly. Chan continues. “Well it’s just—I can kinda tell. He’s being a little snappier. Jeonghan wouldn’t know but—“

Jeonghan gives Chan a warning look through the rear view mirror. “What do you mean I wouldn’t know?”

“Hannie, just listen to me. So me and Soonyoung and Minghao and Jun have been practicing at night right—for that next performance—and you know that Jun has a bit of a temper, especially in the night, but I don’t know—it’s just been different recently.”

You stifle a scoff when Chan mentions Jun having a short temper, looking out the window hoping no one heard. Jun does have a bit of a fiery streak, but the truth is that you’re just as sporadic as him.

Fire meets fire. Huh, wonder what that makes. More fire, probably. That’s what got you here, isn’t it? Unfortunately.

“Has, uh,” you pause wondering if you should ask this, but curiosity does kill the cat, after all. “Has Minghao seemed … off?”

Jeonghan narrows his eyes at you. “What’s Minghao got to do with this? Did something happen with him too?” Curse that emotionally intelligent man.

Chan eyes flicker between the ground and you. “It’s hard to tell when Minghao is upset. He seems normal even when he’s upset so I can’t really tell … why though?”

“Just—just a lot of stuff. I think I need to see them both. Separately.”

Jeonghan nods, pursing his lips together before responding, “Do you need our help?”

Jeonghan takes you to his apartment first so you have a moment to drop your suitcase off somewhere, and you get to say hi to Seungkwan who you’re pretty sure didn’t even recognize you in his drowsy state.

“Where’re we going?” you ask when you get back outside of the building heading towards the car.

“C’mon, let’s walk,” Chan says, pulling you away from the car.

“Jun’s apartment building is just down the street here,” Jeonghan explains. “He should be sleeping right now, so just wake him up.”

“Are you kidding me? He might kill me!” you complain with a frown.

Chan huffs, “Well you did come here unannounced and without a plan, so you don’t have much of a choice anyways.”

You chew on your lip as you fruitlessly try to come up with an answer, sighing in defeat when you come up with nothing.

“Exactly,” Jeonghan concludes, stopping in front of a building that’s built similar to his. “Anyways, his suite number is 345 on the third floor. You should know the code to his apartment right?”

You nod, but then shake your head. “I know it, but I think I’ll just knock until he wakes up. He might actually kill me if someone shows up inside his home unannounced.”

Chan laughs at that when the two of you lead you to the elevator of this new building. “That, he might.”

“So encouraging,” you mutter, sticking your tongue out at them as the elevator door opens. “Anyways, thank you for helping me, really. I’ll make cupcakes if I make it out of this alive,” you promise while you step in.

“You better!” Jeonghan calls out as the doors slide shut and the elevator begins to take you up.

It’s now, when you’re alone, that it all begins to sink in. You’re in Korea. You’re about to see Jun. You might die—okay maybe you’re being a little dramatic, but you aren’t sure what to do with yourself so your mind is jumping towards the worst possible scenario as you reach the third floor and make your way to his apartment.

You stand in front of room 345 for a few moments once you arrive, not even sure if you’ll manage to go through with this. What the fuck are you even going to say?

(Un?)fortunately, you have a tendency to not think before you act, and before you have a second of thought your knuckles are rapping against the door. It’s silent for a moment and you wonder if you should go again.

Taking a deep breath, you continue knocking on the door at a steady rate before you hear soft footsteps growing louder in volume until they stop at the door. You hold your breath and let your hand fall, fisting it at your sides in anticipation.

When you see the door crack open, a wave of relief washes over you. But when you see Jun’s blank face as he looks down on you, a new sense of uneasiness takes over.

“What are you doing in my apartment?” Ah, how nostalgic.

“So cold. You aren’t going to let me in?”

Jun rolls his eyes, and you grow more anxious because you can’t tell if he’s being playful or not. He steps to the side though, and you quickly slip through the door so he can close and lock it behind you.

“What are you doing here?” he reiterates and you feel your tongue go dry.

“Uh, Chan told me that you’re being—well—how do I put this?” you mutter to yourself, rocking back and forth on your feet.

“Difficult?” Jun guesses, bitterness laced in the word and you cringe at the tone.

“I guess.”

“I don’t think you came all the way to Korea just because Chan told you I was being difficult.”

“I, uh, I talked to Jianing about it when she visited and … I guess I felt I should come see you.”

“So if Jianing didn’t talk to you about this, then you just wouldn’t have talked about it?” Jun asks harshly and you glare at him.

“Well it’s not like you would’ve come talk to me about it either,” you retort, and Jun goes quiet at them. “And Jianing didn’t make this decision for me, by the way, I made it all by myself.”

“Okay well you’re here now. What is it?” An uncomfortable silence sits between you two. “If you only came here to just stand there and stare off into space then—”

“Jun, please shut your mouth for like one minute,” you mutter, pinching the bridge of your nose. “I-I wanted to apologize. That night I … I was on edge.” Jun watches you intently as you finally meet his gaze. “There was a lot running through my mind and I was just—just fucking annoyed at everything and I took everything you said the worst way.”

A feeling of worry climbs up your throat—you and Jun don’t often apologize, at least not like this. Apologies usually come in the form of figurative olive trees—you buy him a LEGO set, he buys you a gift card to your favorite cafe, or something among that. Then again, this isn’t your usual argument with Jun, and maybe sometimes resorting to more traditional methods are most effective.

Jun sighs softly, not looking at you, and you grow worried that he’s even more angry than you anticipated. You brace yourself for his next possible words. “I … I did say some mean stuff too. I’m sorry—I just—I have a shitty temper. You know that. Chan probably told you that too.” Jun is silent for a second before continuing. “Is … is everything okay?”

The question isn’t quite what you’re expecting and you press your lips together tightly because you want to cry. You want to let the tears stream down your cheeks and tell Jun that you have no idea but also the perfect idea of what you’re doing and it’s all jumbled up mess in your head.

“I guess—I mean, I hate fighting with you,” you admit. “But, that’s why I came here and we didn’t say goodbye the last time and I know that was partly my fault but also I missed you.”

“But are you okay?”

“Jun—”

“Because I know you’re stubborn—it really is annoying sometimes but I’m not one to complain,” he adds with a huff, “and I know you’re a little weird—”

You both laugh and you point a finger at him, “Watch it—you and me both.”

“Whatever,” he says lightly before turning to a more serious tone. “But I never thought we’d fight again like that one time two years ago and—”

“Why does everyone keep bringing that up!? Yiren said that too,” you sigh.

“To make a point. Which, by the way, is me going back to asking you if everything’s okay. I just … I know that you’re a little crazy but I never thought that you’d fly over here for something that we could probably sort out over the phone. Not that I’m not glad to see you here, I mean, I am, I’m just … worried.”

“I kissed Minghao,” you blurt out, immediately slapping a hand over your mouth after you do.

“What?!” Jun’s eyes go wide for a moment before he relaxes a little. “Is that what’s been up with you?”

“What do you mean ‘up with me?’”

“Moody. Cranky. Like you’re in high school again.”

You cross your arms over your chest. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” You chew on your lip as you try to read Jun’s expression. He doesn’t seem mad nor happy nor confused, and you’re running out of emotions to label him under.

“I knew you liked him in high school, you know. Thin walls, plus Yiren is loud as hell.”

“Ugh, I always told her to keep it down! She didn’t believe me!”

“Doesn’t matter now. What you or him do isn’t much of my business anyways,” Jun mutters, awkwardly stuffing his hands in the pockets of his hoodies. “I mean I guess it is, if it makes you all upset and not okay like this,” he continues.

You can tell he’s encouraging you to explain more, and you press your eyes together trying to figure what and what not you should say. “Has Minghao … has he seemed different?”

“I mean not really, but also it’s hard to tell with him because—” Your whole finger droops and Jun quickly places a hand on your shoulder. “Hey, what is this about? Did something happen? You know you can tell me.”

“It’s a lot,” you confess. “I don’t know, I-I came here to talk to the both of you but I haven’t even thought about what to say to him. I kind of booked my tickets last night.”

“Last night?!”Jun exclaims. “Are you stupid or what?”

“Maybe I am!” you murmur, slapping your palm against your forehead. Jun looks down at your pained expression and frowns.

“You’re not going to tell me what happened, are you?”

“What happened to, ‘I don’t care what you guys do it isn’t my business?’”

“Well it is my business if you’re upset! I’m the only person who’s allowed to be a bitch to you.”

“Well ditto to you too!” You follow with a sigh. “I think I just need to talk to him.”

“He’s at the gym right now. Do you want to get coffee instead?”

“Hogging me all to yourself? I know you missed me but don’t you think this is a little unfair—I’d like to at least say hi to the others first. Or maybe have some time to sleep. I kind of got here at like seven in the morning.”

“Be grateful! I’m actually looking out for you, because they’ll literally hound you, plus I want to make up for not spending time with you last time I visited.”

You grin at the words, rolling your eyes playfully. “Fine. But you’re paying.”

“When do I not pay for you?”

“Loads of times!”

“That’s because you insist on paying for yourself.”

“Irrelevant!” you exclaim triumphantly, waving a fist in the air before Jun locks his arm around your neck and traps you in a headlock. Good times.

“We have afternoon practice, then recording in the studio in the evening, but we should be done by like eight,” Jun explains, taking a picture of the coffee in front of him.

“Must you take a picture of everything?” you sigh, taking a sip of your own drink. Jun rolls his eyes, flicking your knee from under the table.

“I am a celebrity. I kinda need to keep records of everything I do.”

“Okay well I’m your sister and I kinda need you to help me talk to Minghao.”

“Just like—I dunno—find him and talk to him. Can’t be that hard.”

“You—ugh, you’re just like Jianing,” you groan. “No help!”

“Okay fine, fine. What do you want me to do? Corner him? Lock him into a closet and keep him there so you can talk to him? Force him to—”

“Junnie what the hell,” you mutter, slapping a hand to your forehead. “I think I’m just going to have to ask Jeonghan and Chan for help again because—”

“Okay no. I’ll help. What do you need me to do?”

“Have you been listening to me? Tell me when and where I can talk to him!”

“Well I already suggested the closet but you turned that down so—”

“Jun.”

“We can try the meeting room? He’s there a lot and it’s usually empty in the evenings. He responds to emails and shit there, I don’t know, so you won’t be interrupting much.”

“You sure it’ll work?”

Jun cocks an eyebrow up. “You don’t trust me?” You kick him under the table and he winces. “Okay yes, yes, it’ll work so would you stop kicking—hey! I said stop kicking!”

“We have afternoon practice, then recording in the studio in the evening, but we should be done by like eight,” Jun explains, taking a picture of the coffee in front of him.

“Must you take a picture of everything?” you sigh, taking a sip of your own drink. Jun rolls his eyes, flicking your knee from under the table.

“I am a celebrity. I kinda need to keep records of everything I do.”

“Okay well I’m your sister and I kinda need you to help me talk to Minghao.”

“Just like—I dunno—find him and talk to him. Can’t be that hard.”

“You—ugh, you’re just like Jianing,” you groan. “No help!”

“Okay fine, fine. What do you want me to do? Corner him? Lock him into a closet and keep him there so you can talk to him? Force him to—”

“Junnie what the hell,” you mutter, slapping a hand to your forehead. “I think I’m just going to have to ask Jeonghan and Chan for help again because—”

“Okay no. I’ll help. What do you need me to do?”

“Have you been listening to me? Tell me when and where I can talk to him!”

“Well I already suggested the closet but you turned that down so—”

“Jun.”

“We can try the meeting room? He’s there a lot and it’s usually empty in the evenings. He responds to emails and shit there, I don’t know, so you won’t be interrupting much.”

“You sure it’ll work?”

Jun cocks an eyebrow up. “You don’t trust me?” You kick him under the table and he winces. “Okay yes, yes, it’ll work so would you stop kicking—hey! I said stop kicking!”

You twiddle your thumbs nervously behind your back as you wait in the elevator with Jeonghan. Jun had to take care of something with one of the other members, so he sent you off with the older boy to take you to the meeting room.

“He’ll be there, don’t worry,” Jeonghan tells you as he pats your shoulder lightly. “I just checked his location and I’m positive he’s there right now.”

“Thanks,” you say with a sigh, shifting your weight from leg to leg, “but I’m more worried about what I’m going to say. I think you already know but I planned like zero percent of this.”

“It’s becoming increasingly evident, unfortunately,” Jeonghan admits when the elevator dings and the door opens onto a floor full of rooms. “You’ll figure it out, I’m sure, seeing as you’re just like Jun.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jeonghan chuckles and leads you to a door a few steps down the hallway, pointing to it. “Don’t worry about it. He’ll be in there. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be down on floor three making some ramen,” he says cheerily, waving at you before retreating to elevatory before you have even a moment to protest.

So now you’re left with nothing but yourself and yet another door. This time, instead of knocking your life away, your hand is pressed against the knob as you debate whether or not you should turn it or not.

Once again, your body acts without your mind and you’re quietly opening the door and poking your head through the crack. Inside is Minghao with headphones over his ears, sitting at the end of a long table with his head crooked down as he scrolls through his lap top.

He doesn’t hear you, but you aren’t sure if it’s for the better or the worse. In some ways, you still have a chance to run, but in others, you’ll have to call out to him if you want him to notice you. Gulping, you realize that you’ve been too scared for too long and so you clear your throat.

“Minghao,” you call out.

It only takes a second for his eyes to shoot up, hands flying to his headphones to take them off as he takes in the sight of you in front of him. You’re at opposite ends of the room right now, and you nervously shut the door behind you as you finally meet his gaze.

“What are you doing here?”

“I—” You inhale sharply. “—I don’t know. I just think we both needed to talk.”

You can see him visibly gulp as he stands up, and looks away as if trying to figure out what he should do with himself.

“Shit,” he mutters under his breath, dread washing over you.

“I’m sorry,” you blurt out, face burning. “I know I just showed up like this without warning and I know that’s not fair so if you don’t want to talk you know I totally get it and—” you start to blabber so fast you hardly notice him walking over and down the length of the table, “—I just really wanted to see you and talk to you but I couldn’t do it over the phone because—”

“Slow down,” Minghao says firmly, now standing in front of you as he gazes down with wide eyes. “Is everything okay? When did you come here—wait, did you come here just to talk to me?”

“Well yeah. And Jun.”

“Are you okay?” Minghao asks softly. “This doesn’t seem like you.”

You wince at the familiar words but shake it off. “I know, I just had so much to say and I’m sorry because you were right, and when you said you didn’t want this hanging over my head I was angry and I thought I could ignore this and ignore you but I was wrong and just really needed to sort things out. And the night you picked me up after Renjun and all—I know you told me to not depend anyone or anything—and I know I’m not listening to you right now and I don’t want you to be disappointed but—”

“Stop,” Minghao says, holding a hand up. “Disappointed? I—please don’t think that. The stuff I said that night was …” he sighs before continuing. “You were so upset that night because you didn’t have us around and I felt so bad but also, there wasn’t anything I could do about that.”

“I …” your eyebrows knit together as you try to find the right words. “… I know that. I didn’t mean to make it feel like you had to change anything, or that it was your fault.”

“I know and—”

“Wait, please hear me out. I don’t want to ever make you think that I blame you or Jun for leaving—I-I’m so happy for you guys you don’t understand. I was just … I was bitter,” you admit. “And I was jealous of you because you get to be around my own brother more than me and … I guess I was also jealous of Jun because he gets to be around you so often too.”

You finish your confession by burying your face in your hands, face heating up as you can only imagine the look on his face. He says your name softly, and you peek up at him through the gap between your fingers.

“Hey, no, I get it. I mean, I guess I don’t exactly understand how you’re feeling but I don’t blame you either.”

“I wrote you a letter,” you blurt out, a hand digging into your pocket as it toys around with the folded paper inside. Minghao raises a brow, and you pull it out and hold it in front of him. “Right after you guys left,” you explain as he takes the paper from your hand, carefully unfolding it. “Don’t open it now! That’s … embarrassing. Just read it when I’m not here or something because I might just die out of humiliation.”

When Minghao chuckles, you feel some of the tension in your shoulders dissolve. “Noted,” he murmurs, tucking it into the pocket of his sweats before turning his attention back to you with a more serious expression which has your stomach tying up in knots.

“You know how my job is. I can’t promise how often I’ll be home and when I’ll be able to make time and I know that people leaving hurt you so much and … I guess I just didn’t want to give you hope that I would be able to give you a ‘normal’ relationship, because I can’t, even though I want to. I think when I told you all that, I just—fuck—I hoped that you’d be able to focus on someone better for you.”

You want to cry and tell him that you don’t want someone ‘better,’ but choose to save those words for a different time. “T-then why’d you kiss me that night?” you ask quietly.

“I—” Minghao pauses, looking down as he searches for what he’s about to say. “I only have so much self control.”

You chew on your lip, debating if you should frown or grin at his statement. “So you—you wanted to kiss me?” Minghao responds in a heartbeat.

“Of course I did,” and then he clears his throat, “I wanted to for a while. I still do.”

Chuckling nervously, you start to say, “I don’t kn—”

The air is successfully sucked from your lungs when Minghao slides his hand around your neck, angling your jaw up with his gentle thumb. You think you might just go dizzy from the way he’s touching you until his warm mouth presses against yours, and this is the moment you feel every last muscle in your body let go.

He kisses you softer than the first time, his tongue running against your bottom lip for only a moment before you let your hand grip at his torso instinctively. “Sorry,” Minghao murmurs sheepishly when he breaks away. “Told you. Only so much self control.”

“I-I won’t complain,” you admit quickly, and though you let your hand drop to your side, Minghao keeps his where it is: cradling your cheek. He’s quiet for a moment before whispering again, and the words make your face burn and your heart fly around in circles.

“Can I kiss you again?”

link to smut!

“You have everything? Your tickets?” you ask as you lean against the doorframe. You’re both standing outside your parents house right now, waiting for Jun to finish his last bit of packing (why he was so insistent on you two coming quickly when even he wasn’t ready is still a mystery to you) so you can call over the van to take them to the airport.

Minghao shrugs at you, pulling out his wallet to look through the pockets to double check. As he’s shuffling through them, a familiar piece of paper sticks out and grabs your attention. “You keep my letter in your wallet?”

Minghao nods, seemingly unbothered by your surprise. “Yeah. Where else would I keep it?”

“Well, I don’t know but—”

“It’s a cute letter!” Minghao reasons. “And I like having it with me. Like a little good luck charm.”

You press a kiss to his cheek when he says that, but continue to say, “I don’t get what’s so cute about me getting drunk and writing to you.”

“Okay that part, I don’t like. Seriously. Underage drinking is not cool,” Minghao mutters. “But the rest of the letter is pretty nice I guess,” he teases, tucking his wallet back into his pocket.

“Pretty nice?” you scoff, trying to snatch the wallet back from him to grab your letter. He swipes it away too quickly though, and you’re left pawing at his chest to try and get it back. “You don’t deserve that letter! I put my heart and soul into it!”

“Heart and soul? I think you mean you poured five shots of vodka into it.” You frown deeply, and Minghao relaxes his shoulders. “Okay I’m sorry—you know I love the letter.”

“Do I?” you huff stubbornly, looking at the ground.

Minghao traces a hand down your face and tilts your chin upwards. “C’mon look at me,” he murmurs, and you begrudgingly meet his gaze. “I love the letter.” He pecks you on the lips. “Do you believe me now?”

“You might have to kiss me one more time for that.”

Minghao grins and presses his lips on yours again, a little harder this time. “Good now?”

“Yes—you got lucky.”

“Okay good … but just for extra measures, I have something that might sweeten the deal,” Minghao tells you, pulling a folded paper out of his pocket and handing it to you. Carefully, you take it and unravel it, glancing over the words.

There’s a lot—like a lot—and Minghao’s face flushes as you skim over the paragraphs he wrote, slapping a hand over the paper. “Okay don’t read it in front of me!” he whines, and you beam because history has a tendency to repeat itself.

“Fine, fine,” you sigh, looking down at it one more time when your eyes catch a little note at the bottom.

Pursing your lips, you glance up and find Minghao watching you with wide eyes and a bright smile, and you can’t help but fling yourself into his arms. Your heart swells when you feel him wrap his hands around you rightly pulling him close as the words cast their imprint into your mind.

You’re happy. So, so, so happy.

Yours truly, Xu Minghao (weirdo)

P.S. I love you.

a/n. okay wow i can't believe this is done ... genuinely put so much into this fic i hope u all enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it! i definitely might be writing more about these two bc i loved them so much😭 i had like 2 more ideas for a smut in mind but decided not to add them but if you'd be interested in reading them, i might post them as a oneshot/bonus, so lmk what you're interested in! please reblog if u did, and let me know ur thoughts—it would mean a lot to me :3

tags. @synthetickitsune @ixayjun @leejihoonownsmyheart @dahliatopia @gyuswhore @hoeforcheol @5xiang @hajimelvr @miriamxsworld @blinkjunhui @lixiel0ver @josefines-things @mimisxs @ming-h0e @kawennote09 @bbyjjunie @junhui-recs @ichorjeon (strikethrough could not be tagged)

#xu minghao #xu minghao x reader #minghao #minghao drabbles #minghao x reader #minghao imagines #the8 #the8 x reader #the8 imagines #minghao scenarios #minghao x you #xu minghao fluff #minghao fluff #seventeen #seventeen fanfic #seventeen imagines #svt #svt fanfic #svt fluff #svt angst #seventeen fluff #seventeen angst #minghao angst #kpop fanfic #the letter #📝 writing

[dalivanmagritte]

FIC REC : CHOI SAN (SAN)

in the quiet places (fav, FLUFFY FLUFF, smut)

kill them with kindness (angstish, fluff, TENSIONS)

it's sweatpants season! oh my! (smut)

knots (smut, masseur!au)

limitless (smut, fluff, angst, knight!au, royal!au)

heists and celebration x wooyoung (smut, thiefs!au)

chicken noodle soup (fluff)

a lesser man (smut, fighter!au, boxer!au)

kalla (smut, BDSM)

i see red (smut)

warrior (smut, historical!au, shifter!au, werewolf!au, royal!au)

his princess (smut, badboy!au)

howling to your moon (smut)

let me protect you (smut, angst, victorian era!au)

better lat than never (smut, husband!au)

give a little pow pow on he baby maker (smut)

slow it down x wooyoung (smut, mafia!au, boxer!au)

crazy form x wooyoung (smut)

demon cat boy (smut, catboy!au)

imp!san (smut, imp!au)

hollow's eve (smut, demon!au)

vaya con dios (smut, religious!au, photographer!au)

*739 (smut, sex worker!au)

inexperienced (smut)

kinkuary day 1 (smut, royal!au)

pussy slapping (smut)

the big bad wolf (smut, fluff, angstish, hybrid!au)

catch me if you can (fluff, hogwarts!au)

the champion (fluff, angstish, hogwarts!au)

from the shadows (fluff, hogwarts!au)

darling, his darling (smut, angstish, royal!au)

at your mercy (smut)

descend to depravity x seonghwa (smut, demon!au)

twisted (smut, stalker!au)

after all, you're my wife (smut, mafia!au)

stay focused (smut, office!au, university!au)

an imprisoned nighttale (pirate ateez, kidnapping!au, angst)

i hate how bad i want you part.2 (smut, CEO!au)

be my americano (smut)

workout (smut)

san as your boyfriend (fluff, smut)

incubus: coming of age (incubus!san, smut)

#ateez #san #choi san #san smut #san fluff #san angst #san fic rec #san fanfic #san x reader #san x oc #san imagines #san oneshot #san scenarios #ateez san

[sanccharine]

10 | spiralling...

hogwarts au

pairing: hufflepuff!tzuyu x slytherin!reader genre: fluff, slice of life word count: 2.1k

warnings: swearing, mentions of injuries

summary: whether on the field or during class, you never shied away from trouble. and in your sixth year, trouble seemed to follow you like a shadow, though you couldn’t complain. especially when that series of misfortunes led you to the transfiguration prodigy, chou tzuyu. includes: ateez’s san and wooyoung, red velvet's yeri, txt's yeonjun, viviz's sinb

status: ongoing a/n: i feel like i make slytherin!reader unnecessarily angsty, like babygorl (non-gendered) life isn’t that serious, go stream crazy form and relax ! also thanks to @eternallyghosting for the moral support (and stopping me from throwing my laptop at the wall)

masterlist | chapter 9 | chapter 11

You’ve been avoiding Chou Tzuyu. 

Much like how she’s been avoiding you. 

Well… you didn’t know how accurate the second statement was. Of course, you would have to address her at some point to come to that conclusion. 

After Tzuyu had run away from you, the first thing you did was head to practice. But the ground where you agreed upon was devoid of people. Gulping, you made your way to class, ignoring both your crushing guilt and your restless arm. 

While you were grateful Tzuyu, or Kang Yeosang for that matter, were nowhere to be found. You still had to face your friends. 

Wooyoung and San were seated at the very back, very uncharacteristic of the latter, but you guessed the situation asked for it. Both Yeonjun and Yeri were there with them, engrossed in what was probably a retelling of the morning. The second pair was very clearly showing their backs to the professor. Fortunately for them, the teacher seemed not to care one bit because, for one, Wooyoung wasn’t even taking this subject. 

As you sneaked your way in, the professor rolled his eyes at you before turning back to drone on about the class. Avoiding questioning eyes, you made it to the back of the class just as Wooyoung noticed you. Taking a spot at the empty table to his left, you held your breath as four pairs of eyes turned to you. 

In an instant, Wooyoung pressed himself to your side and took your left arm. “You didn’t say anything did you?” He pushed up your sleeve up to the elbow. “Did Madam Yun give you the healing potion—ugly green in colour?” He turned your arm around. “Did she give you anything else? It doesn’t seem to have worked, hmm.”

Even if you wanted to, you didn’t have the strength to yank your hand from Wooyoung's care. But you didn’t. 

Knowing him, he expected answers so you obliged with a groan. “No, I didn’t say anything. Yes, I had the potion. No, she didn’t give anything else. This is just a side effect, it will be gone by the end of the day probably.” 

You avoided his eyes when Wooyoung tilted his head in question, unconvinced. 

San opened his mouth, no doubt about to ask how you were doing, after all, he was the last to see you at the clinic. But Yeri beat him to it. 

“Eunbi is pissed, you know,” Yeri confessed, having been at the practice you missed. 

“Does she know?” you asked, as you tried to gently pry your hand from Wooyoung’s grip. 

“No, but it won’t be long before she finds out,” Yeri said. She seemed detached, but you noticed. Underneath her table, she crossed and uncrossed her legs, shifting almost as much as the gears in her head. 

“She won’t be happy,” Yeonjun said as San nodded. 

“Woo and Sangie did their best, but I don’t think it’ll do much—”

You interrupted San, finally yanking your hand from Wooyoung. “That’s right!” you almost yelled but caught yourself just at the right moment. “What were you and Yeosang thinking? Lying to Lee? What if she wasn’t in the mood to play along with you?” 

“We were thinking that you, of all people, didn’t deserve to get expelled for punching that asshole." Wooyoung rolled his eyes and moved to your hand again, straightening out your sleeve. 

“I doubt Yeosang thought that—”

“He’s not as cold as he looks, you know,” Wooyoung cut you off as he moved to button your shirt, undeterred by the blood stains. “Just a stickler for rules, otherwise, he’s basically harmless.” 

“It’s true,” Yeonjun piped in. “He’s actually very cute.” 

Both you and Yeri threw Yeonjun a questioning glare, not really understanding how that statement was relevant to this conversation but went with it anyway. 

“Regardless, if it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be sitting here,” that much you could agree on. Wooyoung had moved to your tie and fixed it up as well. “Besides, with both of Lee’s star pupils having your back, there was no way she would’ve expelled you.” 

That was the type of faulty thinking you never entertained in all your years at Hogwarts. 

“Tzuyu definitely wouldn’t have let it happen,” Wooyoung barely got out the words, almost as if it was an internal thought that had made it to his lips without his decision. 

If that was true, then why did she turn tail the second she was alone with you?

You couldn’t help but frown at the thought. 

Wooyoung finally pulled away from you when Yeri spoke up again. “So how do we handle Eunbi?” 

Happy that it doesn’t directly involve him, Wooyoung relaxed in his seat and bared his dimples at the rest of you. 

Handle Eunbi? There was no such thing. What she says goes, and most of the time, you trusted her decision without question. 

“Well, if she knows, it's her decision to bench me—”

“There's no way she’s benching you!” San said, appalled but cringed when he realised how loud his voice had come out. 

“There’s no point stressing about that,” Yeonjun added, nonchalantly. “She simply can’t afford to bench you—”

“And since Lee is on your side, it's all up to Eunbi,” Yeri concluded. “She won’t bench you.” 

But that was never your worry. 

Frowning, you hid your trembling arm underneath the table as you turned your attention to the class. However, not before catching Yeri’s grimace.

When you exited the class later, you attempted to apologise to the professor on behalf of your friends. Unsurprisingly, you received an irate get out! from him. 

The rest of the day passed you in a blur, you just followed your friends around. And when it came to the classes you shared with Tzuyu, you decided to skip them for the day. Instead, you grabbed your broom from your dorm and headed straight for Jeongyeon’s tunnel. The time through the one that connects under and out the other side of the Ravenclaw tower. If you stayed close to the water, even stray students who skipped class like you should miss you. 

Within just seconds in the air, you knew something was wrong. Before you could nosedive into the lake, you brought yourself back down. While you didn’t crash face-first into the dirt, you did stumble off your broom. Not a promising sign when you have a game in less than a week. 

Ignoring the way your left arm was shaking, you gripped your broom in your right and walked back to where you were. Once again, you mounted your broom and lifted off. This time around, you were stable, floating in the air but in place—classic first-year challenge. Although, it was normal to feel some sense of movement when seated on a broom—you were flying after all—it wasn’t supposed to be as obvious as it was. 

Almost like a bee, you buzzed in place, twitching forwards and backwards from time to time much like your arm does. And when you tighten your grip on the broom, you just tip forward, ready to be thrown off the broom again. This shouldn’t be a problem, as a Beater you didn’t need both hands on the broom. So when you lifted your left arm away, not only did the broom straighten but also stopped acting up. 

Flight came easy to you. But you couldn’t rejoice just yet. 

Making circles above the lake was no difficult task, it was as if you were never injured in the first place. 

The problem lay where you lost complete control of your left arm from the elbow down. 

It was just thrashing around to your side, completely useless. And in the moments where you did gain some semblance of control, your muscle pulled, shooting jabbing pain up your arm and forcing you to stop flying before you could take a dip in freezing cold water. There was absolutely no way you'd be able to hold a bat, let alone aim or deflect a Bludger. 

And when you switched arms, hoping to use your right as the batting hand, you might as well be possessed with how you jumped across the air on your broom. 

As the sun began its descent down the sky, you decided it was time to return to your common room. You could fix this problem, you had to, you had a week to so… well, less than.

That night, you skipped dinner as well. 

Unfortunately for you, Eunbi decided to do the same. 

As you rose from the couch, your excuse was already on your lips. “Listen, you have to understand—”

Eunbi gestured for you to stay seated, as she made her way right to your side. “Give me your arm.” 

Following orders, you pulled up your sleeve and raised it. 

“It looks fine,” then she pressed on your palm, and your hand shot out of her grasp. “Never mind.” 

This is the first night all over again. 

The creases formed by Eunbi’s frown seemed deeper under the dim lights, ageing her much older than she was. 

You wanted to ask her questions. How did she find out about your arm so quickly? Did she hear about your fight? How much of it did she hear was accurate? Who had told her? Did she know about Lee’s interference? Or about Wooyoung and Yeosang’s? Well, really Tzuyu's. What did she think about Hyukwoo? What did she think about you? Your actions? What happens now?

Every question running through your mind was another second Eunbi stayed silent.

“Did you skip your classes today?” 

Now that was the last question you thought she’d ask. And who snitched on you?

“Yes,” you said with a blank expression. 

“Did you practice?” she asked, for a second, her eyes flitting to the lake. 

“Yes,” you nodded. “But just flying” 

“How did your arm affect you then?” she asked, catching your eyes again.

“It wasn’t… It wasn't great.” 

“Okay,” Eunbi nodded to herself. “We’ll have to use the same method from second year.” 

“But it’s not just weak, I have no control—”

“Well, it’s our best shot. And Madam Yun says it should go away—”

“You spoke to Madam Yun about this? When did you get the time—?”

“That doesn’t matter,” Eunbi shrugged as she folded her arms, physically defending herself even when her words were dismissive. “I want you to practice whenever you can and always with someone. Preferably with Yeri, of course."

Eunbi paused to consider something.

"Did you try to fly handless?"

Now, why didn't you think of that?

"No, I didn't."

It wouldn't be hard for you, not really. But in a game, especially with your role, accuracy was vital. Automatically, as one hand swings the bat, the other will find its place on the broom. You simply couldn't afford to steer handless.

Eunbi seemed to come to the same conclusion.

"That's not a problem," she nodded. "Whether you want to fly or bat with that hand is your choice but whatever you choose, focus on consistency, not strength.” 

 Although she didn’t explicitly say the words, it was clear she believed your hand wouldn’t be cooperating in time for the game. Perhaps, she was right. 

“Don’t get all mopey about it,” Eunbi said, gently smacking your right shoulder. “If anything goes south, we can figure it out on the spot.”

When you just stared at your hand, Eunbi grabbed your chin and forced you to look at her. 

“Just practice and keep me updated daily, alright?” Eunbi ordered. “We’re not losing the game, trust me.” 

You nodded, believing her. 

“Now that’s over with,” Eunbi sighed, and folded her arms again. “I heard you soiled my Transfiguration textbook.”

Shit.

You don’t even know where it was. 

Last you remembered, you’d thrown it to the ground before you charged at Hyukwoo. Or was it at Madam Yun’s after you'd been dropped there by San? 

Eunbi scoffed with a roll of her eyes. “I’ll get you another textbook but don't expect a free pass this time. We'll annotate it together and I'm testing how well you've studied so far. "

Yeah, that was deserved.

"We can figure that out sometime after the game, and try not to destroy it this time.” 

With another pat on your shoulder, Eunbi headed for the dorms. 

“I’m sorry,” you turned around in your seat and called out. "Really!" 

“Whatever,” Eunbi threw a hand in the air, clearly too tired to care about this. 

“Hold on, are you going to sleep? Now? Did you have dinner?” 

“I had a bread roll—”

“Are you serious right now—?”

“Tell me what to do when you’re not being all sad and shit. You go eat dinner,” Eunbi said in a flippant manner as she took the stairs. 

“Eunbi!” 

“Goodnight, Y/N,” and with that she disappeared.

any feedback is much appreciated.

a/n: literally nothing happens in this chapter im sorry. also if you all are sick of reading the same fucking day for like the last four chapters, you don't understand HOW SICK i am of writing this stupid day. like slytherin!reader stop fucking crying waah waah waah i dont want to hear it !!

taglist: @someone-who-likes-broccoli @tatliegilim

send an ask to be added !

#mishaps gone right #mala's collection #sanccharine #tzuyu x reader #twice x reader #twice fluff #tzuyu fluff #jype twice #twice imagines #tzuyu imagines

[lilacmingi]

STARGAZING

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: Hufflepuff!Seonghwa x Gryffindor!fem reader

Word count: 5,246

Note: Reminder that this is an imagine from my Wattpad from 2022 so there will not be extra parts or continuations

Seonghwa could hear the whispers from the students around him, he was aware of all the eyes lingering on him as he walked down the halls of Hogwarts. This had been going on for quite some time and it was something he'd like to say he got used to, but he didn't. Every comment made under the breaths of students hurt him, their words sticking with him for days on end.

"He's so scary."

"Is he really a Hufflepuff?"

"Maybe the sorting hat got it wrong."

The sorting hat never gets it wrong. Seonghwa knew that. He knew he was in the right house, he just didn't look the part. Or maybe he didn't look the way people thought Hufflepuffs should look.

He knew he looked intimidating, maybe even scary, but he wasn't. In fact, he was the complete opposite, but no one would know that because no one has ever bothered to approach or get to know him.

He stepped into his last and favorite class, astronomy. It was the one thing he looked forward to every Wednesday. The class took place in the evening just as the sun set, a time when the stars first start to come out. All the students around him seemed to disappear when he was in astronomy. Their comments and stares didn't matter in the slightest. It was just him and the stars.

You scurried into your astronomy class, sliding into your seat just a couple minutes before the bell sounded, indicating the start of class. You heaved a sigh of relief. The walk to the astronomy tower is incredibly long and though you were always prompt, tonight you were worried you wouldn't make it in time.

"Alright class, last time we convened I mentioned that our next class would be a bit different. Do you all remember that?" Professor Sinistra spoke.

A few students nodded in response.

"Good. Tonight, we're studying Jupiter moons and you'll be partnering up with another student to study them. Do try and pair up with someone from another house. I want you all to get to know your classmates."

You watched as people got up from their seats and began to pair off with their chosen partners. It all happened so quickly, you could hardly process it.

Your gaze moved around the vast classroom in search for a partner or your own. Your eyes drifted to the corner of the room where a lone Hufflepuff sat at his desk with a forlorn expression, his eyes cast down on the table. You were quick to notice how everyone seemed to be avoiding him and that didn't sit right with you at all. You hated when people got excluded or alienated for seemingly no reason at all. It made you sick.

Grabbing your things, you approached the boy, standing in front of his table.

"Hi." You greeted.

His eyes became slightly wider as he gazed up at you, clearly not expecting anyone to approach him.

"Hi." He responded quietly, his voice soft and timid.

"I noticed you didn't have a partner yet."

"Yeah."

"Would you like to be partners with me?"

His round eyes stared up at you for a few drawn out moments before he nodded.

"Great." You smiled softly, taking a seat beside him. "I'm Y/n."

"Seonghwa." He responded.

"Alright, everyone seems to be partnered up. That's good. Let's begin." Professor Sinistra announced. "If you'll get your telescopes out and follow me to the roof, we'll start analyzing."

You and your partner grabbed your things and trailed behind the large group of students as they made their way outside.

Sinistra instructed everyone to get out their telescopes and observe the stars, directing the group on which direction to look.

"Way over to the right at that cluster of stars." She pointed.

Holding your telescope to your eye you peered at the galaxy above, looking for any constellations.

"What does everyone see? Anything that look familiar? Perhaps a constellation you've seen in your textbooks?" Sinistra inquired. "Something you learned during first year perhaps?"

"Centaurus." Seonghwa answered.

"Well done, Mr. Park. I've got to keep you all on your toes."

He only gave a faint smile before peering back through his telescope. Your gaze lingered on him for a few moments before you got back to work, your mind more focused on Seonghwa. He seemed shy, that much was obvious. However, you're almost certain he's only that way because of the way others treat him. Now that you think about it, you'd seen him in the halls before in passing and he was always alone. Never had you seen him walking with friends. It was always just him by himself. You think you may have also seen him in astronomy from past years, but you can't be sure.

"Can you not see it?" A voice broke through your thoughts.

Blinking yourself back to reality, you turned to see Seonghwa looking at you expectantly.

"See what?"

"Jupiter."

"Oh. I... zoned out." You murmured. "Sorry."

"It's right there." Seonghwa moved over to you, pointing up at the sky. "The bright one."

"I see it. Thanks."

He only nodded, quietly moving back to look through his own telescope.

"It's quite beautiful, isn't it?" Professor marveled. "The planet stands out from the other stars. It's quite intriguing."

She continued to speak, explaining the planet's position in the sky and listing off a few facts about it before directing the class to migrate back inside, urging everyone to sit with their partners.

Once back in the classroom, you and Seonghwa sat together at his table, an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air between you.

"So, have you been taking astronomy for a few years or is this your first time?" You asked in an attempt to make conversation.

"I've been taking it since first year."

"Me too. I couldn't remember if I had this class with you before or not."

"I tend to keep to myself."

Before you could pry any further, Professor Sinistra spoke up, getting the class' attention.

She opened up a large chart, charming it so that it would float mid-air for everyone to see.

"This is Jupiter, the planet you all just observed outside. This year you'll all be learning about the planet along with its moons and its environment. Does anyone know how many moons Jupiter has?"

"37?" A student guessed.

"That was a good try, but no. It's much more than that."

"50?" Another surmised.

"Not quite."

You raised your hand until you were called on.

"Yes, Miss L/n?"

"80, right?"

"That's correct. Well done." She gave you a small congratulatory nod before addressing the students. "That's a lot of moons, isn't it? Does anyone know how many have been named?"

A silence settled over the class for a moment as Professor Sinistra observed the group, waiting for someone to answer.

Slowly, Seonghwa lifted his hand up.

"Mr. Park? Any guesses?"

"57."

"That's right. You and Miss L/n know your stuff. Good job."

The both of you turned to look each other with small, bashful smiles before avoiding eye contact.

The rest of class was spent listing the names of Jupiter's moons as well as discussing the planet's inhabitable and stormy environment. Seonghwa was quiet, not saying a word as he wrote down notes on his parchment.

Your conversation with him earlier had been abruptly cut short and you wanted to pick up on it, maybe get to know him more, but that would have to wait until later.

As soon as class ended, you turned to speak to Seonghwa, but he was already out of his seat and heading towards the door. You opened your mouth to speak, but it was too late, he had already walked out of the classroom. Your shoulders slumped as you collected your things and walked out the door. On your way back to the Gryffindor dormitory you looked for Seonghwa, hoping to spot him while he was on his way back to his dorm, but you had no luck. Maybe you'd get a chance to talk with him another time.

The next morning at breakfast, you spotted Seonghwa sitting at the Hufflepuff dining table, an empty seat on either side of him and one in front of him. You frowned at the sight, noticing how the other students avoided sitting near him. You despise when people alienate others for no reason, making them feel unwanted and isolated.

Your knee bounced anxiously as you weighed your options, wondering if you should go over and sit with him or not. If you didn't join him, you fear you'd regret it later and it would eat away at you. Plus, you were wanting to talk with him a bit more. Now could be your chance.

Before you could back out or change your mind, you stood up from your seat and made your way over to the Hufflepuff table, making yourself comfortable in the chair across from Seonghwa.

"Hi."

His round eyes gazed at you in surprise.

"H-Hi." He stuttered out, caught off guard by your sudden appearance.

"Is this seat taken?" You asked, noticing the students around him beginning to whisper.

He shook his head.

"Good."

"Why are you over here?" He inquired.

"It looked like you could use some company."

"You don't have to be over here if you don't want to."

"I want to." You responded, adamant on staying.

Seonghwa, who could see that you had no plans on leaving, merely gave a nod going back to eating his breakfast. He didn't know why you chose to sit with him, especially since you had no reason to. Did you want something from him? Maybe it was out of pity. Were you aware of the way others treated him?

"One of my favorite things about Hogwarts is the food. It's nothing like I've ever had before." You commented.

"Yeah. It's good." He responded with a small nod of agreement.

Having a conversation with the timid Hufflepuff proved to be tougher than you originally thought. It was obvious he wasn't used to having someone try and converse with him before. Despite the challenge, you were willing to keep trying.

From then on, you made it a habit to sit with him for every meal. Some of your housemates questioned why you suddenly started hanging out with the "scary" Hufflepuff, but you never gave an answer. It wasn't really their business anyway.

Progress was slow, but Seonghwa did start to open up a bit more during astronomy class. Wether that was because he had to assist in group work or because he felt more comfortable around you, you weren't sure. You hoped it was the latter.

You were seated beside Seonghwa in astronomy class looking over a star chart when you broke the silence.

"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend." You offered, keeping your voice low so as not to disturb the other students.

"Don't you have friends to go with?"

"A couple, but I'm not really close with them."

"And you're close with me?"

The question came off a bit harsh, catching you by surprise. Seonghwa seemed to realize as he hurriedly looked away, muttering an almost silent apology under his breath.

"Well, no but I thought you might like to tag along." You responded.

He wanted to ask why him, but your offer was nice and he's never been invited out by any students before.

"Okay."

Seonghwa couldn't help but feel a little giddy at the fact that he had plans for the weekend. The closer it got to Saturday, the more excited he became. When the day finally arrived, he found himself standing in front of his small closet in his dorm, wondering what he should wear. He didn't know why he was so concerned about his attire, it's not like this was a date.

Date?

Why would that word even cross his mind?

He didn't know you. You're just partners in astronomy class, that's all. Yes, you spend time together in the dining hall, but you don't know much about each other. The both of you are just... acquaintances.

"Thanks for agreeing to tag along." You thanked Seonghwa as the both of you waited for the train to arrive.

"Thanks for inviting me."

"You're not used to this, are you?" You asked after a beat of silence.

He shook his head.

"That's okay. I won't pry, but you should have fun today."

The massive locomotive rolled to a stop on the tracks, allowing all of the Hogwarts students waiting outside to get on. The both of you went into one of the roomettes on the train, making yourselves comfortable on the cushioned benches inside. He kept to himself, turning his attention to the view outside the window as the train slowly rolled into motion. Something told you this ride would be extremely quiet if you didn't make an attempt to fill the silence in the roomette.

"You took astronomy in past years, right?" You inquired, unsure of how to start a conversation.

He nodded.

"Were you there when that Slytherin stuck his face in front of Professor Sinistra's telescope and scared the daylights out of her?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of Seonghwa's lips as he huffed out a chortle through his nose.

"Yeah. That was pretty good. I did kind of feel bad for her, though."

"Me too."

"How about when that Gryffindor made the Uranus joke?" He asked.

You let out a stifled laugh. "Yeah. It was so lame."

"But funny." He added.

"Definitely."

A couple minutes later, the snack cart came by making you light up with excitement. The kind lady pushing the trolley asked if either of you wanted anything to which you immediately responded with a few of your favorite treats. You noticed Seonghwa ask for a couple small boxes of cauldron cakes.

Thanks to your conversation starter (and some yummy treats from the snack trolley) the ride to Hogsmeade was enjoyable and flew by. Before you knew it, the train was pulling into the station, slowly rolling to a stop, the brakes squeaking in response. You and Seonghwa stepped off the train and headed into town, the familiar smell of tea, sweets, and baked goods lingering in the air.

"Where would you like to go first?" You asked Seonghwa.

"You're the one who invited me. Why don't you choose?"

"Well, I kind of wanted to stop at Gladrags Wizardwear. My parents sent me a little spending money in my last letter and I've been itching to use some of it."

With a nod from Seonghwa, the two of you headed towards the shop.

Upon stepping into the shop, your eyes scanned the clothing racks scattered throughout the store, your gaze stopping on some sweaters that were on display.

You started perusing the cozy garments, pulling one out to hold it up to you to get a vague understanding of how it would fit before placing it back onto the rack.

Seonghwa had followed you over to the sweaters, standing awkwardly as you sifted through them. He knew he couldn't stand there the entire time. You told him he should have fun today, maybe he should loosen up and enjoy this trip.

His eyes moved about the shop, spotting a section that piqued his interest before heading over, leaving you to your sweaters.

"This looks warm." You murmured to yourself, feeling the thickly-knit fabric. It was getting cooler outside and you needed some warmer clothes, the ones you had back at the Gryffindor dorms didn't do the job. Moving about the store, you spotted the sock section, each one having a different wacky pattern on them. Gladrags Wizardwear is known for their quirky socks, so naturally you grabbed a pair, making sure not to get the pair that screams when they need to be washed.

After choosing a few different long-sleeved shirts and a pair of socks you found Seonghwa picking through a stack of pants humming softly to the music playing inside the store. He hadn't noticed you yet, so you took a moment to watch him, listening to his quiet humming, your heart fluttering slightly with adoration. He was actually quite cute, especially like this.

"Find anything?" You inquired, announcing your presence.

His humming immediately ceased as his head snapped up in surprise.

"Oh. Just a cardigan and a pair of pants."

"Would you like to look some more or are you ready to check out?"

"I think I'm done."

With that, the both of you went to check out. You set your items on the counter while Seonghwa did the same.

"You can ring all of his up together." He told the cashier.

Your eyes went wide as you turned to him with your mouth agape. He spared you a passing glance before reaching into his wallet for some coins to pay for the items. Your mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as you struggled to form words, speechless at Seonghwa's incredibly kind and gentlemanly gesture.

"Could you bag our things separately, please?" He politely requested as the cashier dropped your items in a paper bag.

He said nothing more as he handed the money over, retrieving your bags in silence before the two of you headed out.

As soon as you were outside you spoke up.

"You didn't have to do that. I told you I had money."

"I know." He answered quietly, keeping his eyes focused ahead of him.

You realized you were possibly coming off as ungrateful, but the truth is you were surprised, not expecting a gesture like that.

"Thank you." You murmured shyly. "That was really nice of you."

He only gave a short nod as you proceeded down the streets of Hogsmeade. When passing by shops, you surveyed the items on display, wondering where to go next. There were other clothing stores to shop at, but you were pretty satisfied with what you had.

"Ah. I need more parchment. Is it okay if we stop and get some?" He asked.

"Sure. We can go anywhere you'd like."

The both of you made a brief stop at Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop where Seonghwa purchased some more parchment for school before you took to the streets once again heading to your next destination. It was at that moment you realized you were incredibly hungry. Admittedly, you hadn't eaten a proper breakfast and the snacks on the train hadn't done much to keep your satiated, especially with all the walking around you've done.

"I'm hungry." You announced. "Are you?"

Seonghwa nodded, placing his free hand on his stomach.

"We can go to The Leaky Cauldron and eat, maybe grab a butterbeer? My treat."

The Hufflepuff seemed caught off guard by your offer.

"It's the least I can do after you paid for all my clothes." You added.

It seemed he was about to turn down your offer to pay, so you hurriedly spoke up again before he could.

"Please let me do this for you."

After a few moments he finally relented, nodding his head in agreement.

The Leaky Cauldron was a cozy little pub, dimly lit by candles on chandeliers that dangled from the ceiling, old paintings hung on the rough walls of the establishment.

You and Seonghwa were seated at the end of one of the long tables inside after placing your orders. The low murmur of patrons inside filled the air, the mixed conversations accompanied by the clanking of glasses and chorused laughter. The atmosphere inside was jovial and easygoing, one thing that made the pub so popular, it was the perfect hangout spot.

"So, why did you decide to take astronomy?" You asked.

"I've always enjoyed stargazing and I was curious to know more about them."

You hummed, nodding your head as you listened.

"I guess I was born to like astronomy because my name means star."

"Really?"

He nodded.

"That's so beautiful."

He pressed his lips together, glancing down with pink cheeks.

"My name backwards is hwaseong, which means Mars, so yeah... like I said, born to like astronomy."

Seonghwa felt shy under your wondrous gaze, quickly turning the question on you to save him from getting flustered any more than he already was.

"What about you?"

"Oh. I've always enjoyed searching for constellations. I find it interesting how there are these clusters of bright lights in the sky that connect to make shapes. Like the Little Dipper and Big Dipper, I find it fascinating how the stars are just made like that, naturally in a perfect shape. Also, isn't it crazy how there's all that space up there? There are billions of stars and undiscovered planets."

Seonghwa felt his heart soar as you spoke about the vast and endless space. Hearing you speak so passionately about something he enjoyed made him feel a rush of adoration for you.

Your butterbeer arrived a few moments later, the both of you lightly clinking your glasses before taking a sip.

"I haven't had butterbeer in so long." Seonghwa commented.

"Really?"

He nodded. "My parents brought me here when I first enrolled at Hogwarts, then I stopped by a couple times when our house went to Hogsmeade for the weekend, but I've never had someone to enjoy it with, besides my family, of course."

"You didn't come here with your housemates?"

"I did, but I always sat alone."

Your expression fell, your heart feeling a little heavy upon hearing that. You weren't going to force him to open up, but hearing his confession further confirmed your suspicions about him being treated like an outcast.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have said that." He apologized quietly. "We're supposed to be having fun today."

"No, don't be sorry. We're still having fun." You glanced over, noticing a waitress approaching your table with two plates, a smile forming on your face. "Our food's here."

Seonghwa's face lit up as your dishes were placed in front of you.

After a delicious meal you kept your word and paid for everything, thankfully Seonghwa allowed you to do so. The rest of the day was spent shopping around Hogsmeade. Seonghwa seemed to loosen up a bit after your stop at The Leaky Cauldron, the walls he's built up seeming to fall down, even just a little. You felt like you'd gotten a glimpse of the real him.

Monday rolled around and you were sat in the study hall reading through your astronomy book, your tired eyes scanning over the same paragraph repeatedly, unable to comprehend most of it. A sigh of exasperation pushed past your lips, your head dropping into your hands. The homework in astronomy was always quite arduous, but it was never this bad. It was causing you so much mental strain you felt like you were about to cry or give up completely, maybe both.

About that time, Seonghwa was walking past, pausing when he spotted you in the study hall hunched over an open book with your head in your hands. The corners of his mouth twitched downward slightly, his chest feeling a little heavy seeing you distressed.

Should he check on you?

You've been good to approach him and you've been nothing but kind to him since the day you met, maybe he should return the favor.

A tap on your shoulder pulled you from your almost mental (and emotional) breakdown. Slowly, you lifted your head to find Seonghwa looking down at you with round, worried eyes. To say you were surprised was an understatement. This was the first time he approached you.

"Are you okay?" He whispered.

"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine." You waved him off.

"You don't look fine."

Your form deflated, shoulders slumping in defeat.

"For the first time in a long time, I'm struggling with astronomy." You admitted.

"Do you... need help?"

Seonghwa noticed Madam Pince glancing in his direction and took a seat beside you so as not to cause a distraction.

You were about to decline his offer when he sat down, your words dying on your tongue.

He gestured to your open astronomy book, waiting for an answer. You just nodded.

Leaning over, his eyes scanned the pages to see what it was you were trying to understand. Having him close to you had your cheeks heating up, however you did your best to take your mind off it and focus on the task at hand.

"Ah." Seonghwa nodded. "This basically means..."

He proceeded to explain the words on the page in a much simpler way, making everything abundantly clearer.

You huffed out a soft chuckle. "I can't believe I couldn't understand that."

"You're probably exhausted. If you look at something for a long time it can sometimes get harder to understand. How long have you been in here?"

"A couple hours."

"This work isn't due for another week, why don't you take a break? You can always come back to it later. Why don't we..." He trailed off, realizing what he was about to say.

Don't be a coward, Seonghwa.

"Why don't we go for a walk?"

Your face lit up at his offer. "That sounds good. I might actually need that."

After gathering your book, you and Seonghwa left the study hall and started making your way down the partially empty corridors of the school, the torches on the walls casting flickering shadows along the bricks.

The both of you walked in silence for a couple minutes before you spoke up.

"It might sound crazy, but it feels like my mind is already clearer."

"If you step away from something for a while and come back later, you tend to see things you didn't before. A word search for example, you stare at it for so long you can't find any words, so you take a break and come back later and suddenly you spot one of the words you were having so much trouble with."

"Yeah." You nodded. "That's a good way to describe it."

Your joint footsteps echoed softly as you both proceeded down the corridor going in no particular direction. The majority of your walk was silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable, in fact it was actually rather peaceful.

It was when Seonghwa started veering off towards one of the large windows in the school that your attention was grabbed.

You wordlessly followed him over, leaning against the wall while he took a seat on the windowsill.

"No one has treated me the way you have." He admitted suddenly, staring out the window.

"How so?"

"People avoid me, if you haven't noticed already. They're intimidated by me because I look mean, I guess."

"You don't look mean." You frowned.

It was true, he didn't. There were times when you saw him focusing hard in astronomy class and he did look intimidating, but mean? Never.

"A bunch of other people seem to think so. They call me scary. Some even think I should have been sorted into Slytherin. They say the sorting hat was wrong."

"The sorting hat is never wrong." You responded almost sternly.

"I know."

"And not all Slytherins are mean, don't they know that?"

"Apparently not." He chuckled bitterly.

You let out a sigh, placing your hand on top of his.

"Listen to me Seonghwa, you have me now and I will always be here for you. I don't know if you consider us friends, but I do and friends are there for each other."

He gave you a gentle smile, shifting his hand to where it rested on yours instead, his fingers curling around your palm, the gesture bringing heat to your cheeks.

"I want to be more than friends."

That's what he wanted to say, but he couldn't.

Luckily, he didn't have to.

"I like you."

The confession slipped from your mouth before you could stop it, your eyes going wide at your own words. Seonghwa seemed just as shocked as you, his wide eyes and bewildered expression showing exactly how he felt.

"I'm sorry." You blurted. "I-I didn't mean to say that out loud. That was completely unintentional."

Seonghwa's mind scrambled to come up with a response. You like him? You like him?

He may not have shown it, but he liked you too—a lot. When you first met he was a bit skeptical of you, but after spending more and more time around you, he found himself feeling differently. Instead of being wary, he welcomed you. His heart skipped a beat when you approaching him during every meal, coming to sit with him at his house table.

You liking him was hard to wrap his mind around, but he felt the exact same way about you.

Your hand let go of his, pulling him from his jumbled thoughts.

"This is so embarrassing." You murmured, humiliated by your slip up, the lack of response from Seonghwa making you feel even worse.

You were prepared to leave when Seonghwa's hand reached out, his slim fingers encircling your wrist.

"I like you too."

His voice was so soft, almost wavering.

"You don't have to say that."

"I do. I know I haven't opened up completely to you, but knowing that you like me even though I'm mostly closed off and don't always initiate a conversation means more than you know. You're the first person to willingly approach me and stick by my side. No one has ever tried to be my friend, granted, I haven't tried to be anyone's friend either. I've been so used to being avoided I assumed no one wanted to befriend me, let alone date me."

You grabbed his face, making him look at you.

"You're worthy of being loved. And I want to get to know the real you, the Seonghwa I saw at Hogsmeade."

He blinked a couple times, his eyes becoming glossy as your words tugged at his heartstrings. You're too sweet, too compassionate, too pretty, too perfect.

He wanted to kiss you so bad.

His hand hooked around the back of your neck, tugging you to him as his lips made contact with yours, all of this happening within a matter of seconds. Your eyelids fluttered closed, fingers moving to his dark hair as you relished in the feeling of his pliant, soft lips moving slowly and passionately against yours. His fingertips rubbed the nape of your neck sending a shiver down your spine. Your reaction made him chuckle softly, his laughter vibrating against your mouth. Seonghwa was quick to deepen the kiss, his head tilting to slot your mouth s closer together as his free hand slid around your waist, pulling you flush against him, standing between his legs.

You were grateful that the students lingering in the hallway had left, or else you'd be the center of attention.

His kisses quickly became heated, fingers squeezing at your waist, running up and down your sides as blissful sighs escaped the both of you.

You parted ways after some time, gazing at each other with half-lidded eyes, huffing out short breaths, reeling after that mind-blowing kiss. Seonghwa's thumb ran over your bottom lip languidly as his tongue darted out to wet his own.

"So, what now?" You asked.

"We should start planning to go on a date soon."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Stargazing."

It was impossible to hold back the grin spreading across your face.

"Let's do it."

Hongjoong ⟡ Yunho ⟡ Yeosang ⟡ San ⟡ Mingi ⟡ Wooyoung ⟡ Jongho

Masterlist ᝰ — enjoyed this imagine? reblogs & comments are very much appreciated!

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

🏷 @h3arteyes4mingi @weird-bookworm @poppy2007 @parkjennykim @evidive @mxlly143 @lizzymizzy-blogg @minhanbyeol @dinossaurz @laylasbunbunny [tag list closed. check availability on my pinned post]

#seonghwa x reader #seonghwa x you #seonghwa x y/n #park seonghwa x reader #park seonghwa x y/n #seonghwa imagines #seonghwa oneshot #ateez imagines #ateez oneshot #ateez hogwarts au #kpop imagines #kpop oneshots

[softsan]

ATEEZ HOGWARTS AU

MASTERLIST | MOODBOARD | Y/N’S NAMES

» 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐒 & 𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 - Kim Hongjoong Coming soon ; Angst, Suggestive, Hogwarts AU

» 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 & 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 - Park Seonghwa Coming soon ; Angst, Suggestive, Hogwarts AU

» 𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐘 & 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐒 - Jeong Yunho Coming soon ; Angst, Suggestive, Hogwarts AU

» 𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐋𝐃𝐑𝐎𝐍 & 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐒 - Kang Yeosang Coming soon ; Angst, Suggestive, Hogwarts AU

» 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 & 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 - Choi San Coming soon ; Angst, Suggestive, Hogwarts AU

» 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐘𝐉𝐔𝐈𝐂𝐄 & 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 - Song Mingi  Coming soon ; Angst, Suggestive, Hogwarts AU

» 𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 & 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 - Jung Wooyoung Coming soon ; Angst, Suggestive, Hogwarts AU

» 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇 & 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐒 - Choi Jongho Coming soon ; Angst, Suggestive, Hogwarts AU

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. © vyutas 2018-2023

#ateez imagines #ateez fanfic #ateez hogwarts au #ateez #ateez scenarios

[aclowntiny]

The way I’d run over as soon as that pirate!ateez pt 2 comes out 👀

Ok so you know how I just said I have a draft where y/n fucks 👀

(But in all seriousness GFHSCDGSCV THANK YOUUUUUU I hope you'll be running here soon 😉 would you like to be tagged in my pirate AU works then? I'd be happy to!!! 💕)

#ateez #ateez imagines #ateez reactions #ateez x reader #ateez scenarios #ask #heart-brew-love #pirate au #tbh I'm obsessed with it so it's definitely not dying anytime soon lmao #pirate soulmate & hogwarts aus are all my kryptonites omg

[kittykat-25]

Golden Hour- Part 5

Pairings: Park Seonghwa x OC! Katherine

Genre: Hogwarts AU, strangers to lovers(?), shy girl x popular boy

Summary: Park Seonghwa, the light of the Hufflepuff Common room, the Golden boy if you will. Popular, kind, handsome beyond belief. 1/8th of the rowdiest friend group to grace Hogwarts walls. And then there was Katherine, quiet, shy, a fly on the wall. Never seen or heard by anyone except Seonghwa. What happened when the popular golden boy falls for the quiet mouse of the school.

After Hongjoong’s declaration in the corridor everyone has been avoiding Katherine like the plague, afraid of retaliation from Ateez. People averting their eyes from her as her and Seonghwa walked down the halls, Hwa paying no attention his focus fully on the girl beside him. He was leading her to the classroom in a deserted hall that the frequented often unbothered by other students. “I don’t see why we couldn’t go to the library?” She asked looking up at Seonghwa, who chuckled. “Apparently Joong is avoiding it, makes no sense to me, he practically lived there before.” That was another thing to get used to, how effortlessly smart these eight men were, Joong leading their class currently, Yeo leading his as well with the others not far behind. “Maybe he didn’t return a book.” Katherine said smirking, Seonghwa moved his arm from her hand to around her shoulders, pulling her closer. “He would never, his books are his treasures.” He whispered into her ear. Another thing to get used too, how touchy Seonghwa was with her, not that she minded but it was an adjustment. Though they didn’t have a label it was the closest thing to a relationship Katherine had been in and she spent almost every minute with Seonghwa and Ateez.

They turned down a dark corridor and Katherine instinctively stepped closer to Hwa, he chuckled; “afraid of the dark Kat?” He asked, she swatted at his arm, “not afraid just not comfortable in.” She replied quietly. Seonghwa tightened his arm around her, “I got you.” And Katherine knew he did, she felt safer around him than anyone she had met. As they neared the door she could hear laughter coming from within a smile gracing her face at her friends voices. Seonghwa looked down at her as her smile blossomed, he heart constricting in his chest at how much he cared for her. He pulled her to a stop right outside the classroom door, a hand on her waist and one cupping her face. She looked up at him, cocking her head slightly, further pressing her face into his hand. “What are you thinking about in there?” She asked reaching up to brush a stray lock out of his eyes. His gaze on her softened, eyes full of adoration, “how I managed six years without you, and now I can barely handle an hour.” He replied. “you didn’t know any better.” She retorted, a slight cockiness in her voice. Seonghwa laughed, pulling her closer to him. “Feeling bold today?” He asked, watching her focus shift from his eyes to his lips then back up slowly. “You make me bold.” She breathed out. He smiled before leaning closer, he was a hair away when he stopped, “May I?” He asked as his gaze traveled down to her mouth. “Please.” She sighed, hands fisted in his sweater.

He started to pull her closer when the door swung open and Wooyoung, San and Yunho stumbled out. Katherine jumped back away from him, completely out of his reach. Seonghwa turned and looked at the boys whose wide eyes flickered between the two older students. Wooyoung got this sinister smile on his face, before Seonghwa or Kat could say anything he turned and dashed back into the room, Seonghwa hot on his heels. “THEY WERE KISSING” he yelled into the classroom, the other four boys looking up at him. “Jung Wooyoung!” Katherine yelled as she entered the classroom had everyone stopping in their tracks. “Wow KittyKat I didn’t know you could get that loud.” Hongjoong said with a smile. Wooyoung was hiding behind Mingi, she marched towards the two boys. Mingi trying to hold in his laughter, as Katherine was so small she looked more like an angry kitten than anything. “Alright Kitten, calm down.” Yeo called from her side, she whipped her head towards him, “you all are insufferable.” She said with a sigh as she plopped down onto one of the cushions on the ground. Yunho patted her head affectionately, “you get used to them eventually.” Katherine looked up at him laughing, “I don’t think that’s possible.” Leaning back against the wall with Hongjoong beside her he reached out and grabbed her hand, a quill and ink beside him, “don’t move.” He stated as his laid her hand on the ground and started drawing a symbol. Seonghwa across the room smiled, his best friend and girl perfectly happy in their bubble, chatting as he doodled on her.

As Hongjoong finished he blew on it before setting her hand back in her lap, “now your official.” Katherine looked down at her hand and amongst the flowers and stars he had drawn what looked to be a capital A with a slash through it. “A for Ateez?” Katherine questioned, Hongjoong nodded, “A part of the family now KittyKat. You’re stuck with us. Well technically you’ve been stuck with us since you found out about Yunho. We’re just stating it to you now. Ya know for pleasantries.” Seonghwa whistled as he walked towards them, “some of your best work Joong.” He grabbed Katherine hands gently running his hand over the artwork before sitting down and pulling her closer to him. “Can we make ground rules for pda so I don’t get sick?” Jongho suggested from the other side of Hongjoong. Seonghwa chuckled “of course, what are your terms?” Jongho gave him a pointed look, “if I have to see you kiss her you can’t get mad at me for throwing up.” Katherine looked up at Jongho, her face bright red, “deal but if we’re alone and you walk into it you can’t do what Wooyoung just did.” She replied, voice steady. Seonghwa grip tighten around her replying, “yeah what my girl said.” His voice laced with pride. Jongho nodded and leaned back against the wall, continuing his book.

The rest of the time was peaceful, everyone chatting or working on studies. Seonghwa hands never leaving Katherine unless he was forced to move. Pouting when Katherine called it a night, going to meet Dani in the library. Walking her to the door Katherine felt bold, more so when it was just the two of them. “So you called me your girl.” She asked, watching a blush creep up Hwa’s face. “I uh I did. I’m sorry I didn’t ask before, it just slipped out.” He stammered, Katherine chuckled at how nervous he was, over her of all people. “It’s alright. I just need to clarify so I can tell Dani an actual answer when she ask if we’re official yet.” Katherine responded before turning and walking a few feet down the corridor, she turned back, arm stretched behind her. Seonghwa walked forward, hands wrapping around her waist, “so you’ll be my girlfriend?” He asked, eyes full of hope. “Of course.” Katherine replied, a blush creeping onto her face as well. He walked her to the library, kissing her hand before letting her go, a massive smile on his face as he turned and walked back towards his friends, Katherine walking into the library. Neither of them paying attention to Vivian seething in the shadows.

One Week Later

Hongjoong was walking through the courtyard when he heard quiet sobs coming from the oak tree. He walked over towards it, “hello? Are you alright?” He asked cautiously, not sure who he would encounter. “Jj-joong?” The voice called back, stuttering as a cry left them. Hongjoong’s blood ran cold as he walked around the tree and found Katherine sitting down, a quill and parchment in front of her, tears silently falling down her face. He moved the items and knelt in front of Katherine, his eyes full of rage at whoever made her cry. “Who?” Hongjoong ground out, “wha-?” Katherine started. Hongjoong’s eyes flared, “who am I hexing for making you cry? Who did this?” His voice full of venom. Katherine started laughing, “Joongie.” He stared at her, “Katherine I swear.” She grabbed his arm to stabilize herself almost falling over from laughing so hard. “I’m okay, I got so frustrated writing this stupid essay I punched the ground and hit the root of the tree.” She wheezed. Hongjoong looked down and sure enough he hand was red and swollen, angry cuts on her knuckles. “I’m gonna hex you for being so stupid.” He said with a smile, “let’s get you to madam Pomfry.” He helped her up, grabbing her bag as well. “Thank you Hongjoong.” She said quietly, he turned to her with a quizzical look on his face. “I’ve never had friends that are ready to fight for me. So thank you.” She said with a smile. Hongjoong wrapped his arm around her, “anytime Kitty Kat.” He played it off cool but he couldn’t wait to tell Hwa. As they walked towards the hospital wing they caught Seonghwa as he came out of his history of magic class. His face lighting up with he saw her, then immediately falling as he noticed her hand cradled in Hongjoong’s. “What happened?” He asked his brows furrowed, Hongjoong laughed, “killer here tried to take out something much older than her and lost.” Seonghwa raised an eyebrow and looked at Kat, “I got mad and punched a tree.” She answered begrudgingly, elbowing Hongjoong in the ribs. Seonghwa laughed, “we need to find an outlet for your frustrations darling.” He wrapped his arm around her, Joong letting her boyfriend take over and the three of them walked towards the healer.

“Is it your muggle studies essay that’s giving you problems?” Seonghwa asked, as madam Pomfry looked at her hand, Katherine nodded through a wince. “Alright honey, you should be fine, do try to be more careful.” She said as she patted her leg and walked away. “Good as new.” Seonghwa said as he kissed the top of your hand. Just then the infirmary doors flew open and the other six boys came barrelling in. “What happened?! Are you okay Kat?! Who did it?!” A million questions were being thrown at her from the six men. “How did you even know?” Hongjoong asked from Katherine’s other side. “Angel saw you guys walking in here, she was worried.” San answered. “We came as quick as San could get us.” Yeosang answered looking between the three of them. “So what happened? Did someone hurt you?” Wooyoung asked, fist clenched at his side. “Wooyoung-“ Hwa began but the other boys started speaking again, throwing out game plans for attack and who they think did it. Katherine gripped Seonghwa’s hand tighter. Looking up at him with pleading eyes, “Can you all be quiet so Katherine can speak.” He asked firmly. All talking halted, the boys focused on her. “No one attacked me, I very stupidly punched the ground and hit a tree root. But I’m okay so please don’t go around hexing people.” She said quickly, hoping the boys wouldn’t laugh or tease her too much. “Oh well are you okay now?” Jongho asked, no hint of cockiness in his voice, just genuine concern. “I’m okay, but thank you all for rushing here.” She answered. Kat leaned into Seonghwa’s body as he traced lines up and down her back as she continued, “I’m also starving and very tired.” Yeosang looked at his watch, “dinner is about to start, if you’re up for it?” Everyone nodded and Seonghwa helped Katherine gather her things before setting off for the dining hall, an amused Madam Pomfry watching them go. As they exited the infirmary, a dark haired girl walks up to them, San immediately smiling as she got closer, “Angel, this is Kat. Katherine this is Angel.” The girl, Angel; waved, “so everything is okay?” She asked, “yeah just lost a fight with a tree.” Katherine responded smiling. Angel laughed, turning back to say something to San, her eyes lighting up when they met him. San every the attentive man immediately halted his chat with Wooyoung to include Angel back into the subject. Katherine locked eyes with Hwa and raised an eyebrow, he subtly shook his head, “don’t ask.” He mouthed as he lead her away from the group towards the dining hall.

Katherine was sitting in the library floor, head in her hands trying to not rip her hair out. She was a good student, focused during class, made good marks. She grew up around muggles. So why was this essay so difficult for her. She groaned and laid her head on the chair she was leaning against. Not so much the chair as her boyfriend’s legs, he head landing in his lap, he brushed the hairs out of her face and smiled down at her. “Still having trouble with the essay?” Hwa asked quietly, Katherine nodded her head “yeah but I know Stella took this class and did well so I’ll just ask her for help.” Hongjoong head snapped up at that response. “You don’t need her to help.” He spat, not even wanting to say her name. “I’ll help you.” Katherine chuckled, “no offense Joong but Stella is the smartest person I know. I’ll just asked her.” Hongjoong narrowed his eyes, “excuse me.” Then cut his eyes towards Seonghwa. “Are you going to correct her?” Hwa chucked, “no.” He retorted; leaning back waiting to watch his friend lose it. “Considering I finished higher in that class than Stella-“ he stated, Katherine’s eyes widened looked past him as the girl appeared behind her friend. “Hi Stella!” She said cheerfully. “Hi Kat, Seonghwa!” Stella said walked towards them, her eyes cut to Hongjoong’s back. Hongjoong felt his ears turn pink hearing her voice, “still bitter that I’m number one this year Prince boy?” Stella said looking down at Hongjoong. “And why would I be bitter sweetheart? We all know who will end up on top.” Hongjoong snapped back, not bothering to look up from his work. Stella rolled her eyes at him, looking back up at Seonghwa and Katherine, the girl staring at the blank parchment and her boyfriend staring helplessly at her. The way Seonghwa started at Katherine made Stella heart twinge. He looked at her like she was the sun and moon and hung every star in the sky and she truly hoped Katherine felt that way about him too. She walked around the table and took the seat on the floor next to Katherine “alright so tell me about this essay.” She asked, snapping the girl outbid her spiral trace. As Katherine started explaining it, Hongjoong could feel everything about Stella presence. “I’m sure we can get it done before it’s die, don’t stress.” Stella encouraged Kat. Hongjoong scoffed, “have fun, I’m going to the common room.” He said dryly as he packed his bag, “Joong?” Seonghwa called after him as he made his way out of the library, Hongjoong didn’t even look back as he made a beeline for the entrance. Seonghwa looked at Katherine then after where he friend went. When Katherine saw his internal conflict she called out, “go check on him, I’ll be here for the foreseeable future.” Seonghwa ran back over to her, kissing her on the head and grabbing his back before jogging after Hongjoong. Kat could feel the blush creeping up her neck into her cheeks as Stella smiled. “I’ve never seen Seonghwa so smitten.” She said gently elbowing Katherine. “I’m sorry about Hongjoong, he’s usually not like that.” She explaining to the Ravenclaw. “I’m pretty sure I bring out the worst in him, so I should be the one apologizing.” Stella replied, “but enough about the dumb boys, let’s get your essay started.” Katherine nodded along and pushed her worries aside as she turned to her work.

A/N: HIHIHI I hope you are enjoying this!! The goal is to start writing Hongjoong’s fic along side this one but we shall see how that goes!! I am going to post the synopsis of each members story so y’all can start getting excited for those🫶🏻

TAGLIST🥰

@sundaybossanova @vampzity @skzline @sanslovesblog @scarfac3 @mingisbbokari @edenesth @amuromio @chngbnwf @vic0921

#ateez #friends to lovers #park seonghwa #hogwarts oc #wooyoung #mingi #angst #choi san #jongho #yunho #yeosang #hongjoong

[naesarangyunho]

Patronus- Jeong Yunho (Harry Potter AU)

[I don't own these images credits to the original owners]

SFW

Synopsis: Just a cute little piece of domestic Yunho and y/n but with magic. I've wanted to do a Harry Potter AU for so long so I decided why not write one with soft Yunho.

Contains: fluff, husband! Yunho, father! Yunho, Harry Potter terminology, Yunho is a professional Quidditch player because I say so

[Word Count: 2k]

Y/N had been slaving away in the kitchen for most of the morning, preparing a large meal.

Her in-laws were visiting for Sunday lunch and she wanted everything to be perfect.

Her feet ached from standing for so long and even though she knew that she could cut the time it took for her to cook and bake in half with the use of her wand, she was determined to avoid using magic. She'd always firmly believed that food should be made by hand and with love.

As she finally placed the two pies she'd been working on (one of her signature apple crumbles as well as a beautiful blackberry pie) in the oven she felt arms snake around her waist.

She was pulled back into her husband's chest and felt him kiss her neck. She chuckled and turned around in his hold to wrap her arms around his neck.

"What's up? Are you missing me?"

He nodded, "You've been busy all morning. You know you don't have to go through so much effort, my love. My parents love you and would probably be satisfied with meat, rice and that amazing kimchi you always make."

"I know; they've said so before but I still want everything to be perfect. It's not often that they come to visit us in England."

He cupped her face in one of his hands and pecked her lips, "I love you."

She smiled and pecked his lips, "And I love you."

He grinned and pulled her tight against him, leaning in to kiss her properly. She sighed happily against his mouth as she returned the kiss.

They kissed slowly and softly, just enjoying the embrace of their lover and the faint music that Y/n had playing softly in the kitchen to keep her motivated as she cooked.

He ended the kiss all too soon and kissed her nose and then her cheek as he began to slowly rock them to and fro in time with the music.

She rested her head on his shoulder and let herself be swayed, listening to him hum softly to the music.

Their warm, loving bubble was pierced by loud, high-pitched cries.

Yunho and Y/n both sighed heavily at the sound.

"Looks like someone still doesn't like naps," Y/n muttered.

"I think she just gets lonely," Yunho chuckled.

He gave his wife a quick kiss, "You finish up in here, I'll go and take care of Haneul."

"Thank you." Y/n gave him a grateful smile. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, too busy attending to their eighteen-month-old daughter who was still unable to sleep through the night. Usually, she and Yunho took turns to go and check on her but he'd been dead asleep last night and she hadn't had the heart to wake him. Being a professional Quidditch player was taxing sometimes, and he was always exhausted after matches.

Yunho left her to finish up in the kitchen and disappeared down the hall to their daughter's nursery.

It wasn't long before she heard the wails of her baby be replaced with giggles. She smiled to herself; Yunho had always been so good with kids.

She wondered what he'd done this time to get her to stop crying. Last time he'd Accio-ed a chocolate frog into the nursery and set it loose. Not ideal but Haneul had found it very amusing.

She set a timer for the pies and took off her flour-dusted apron before making her way to her husband and daughter.

She'd expected him to be doing something silly like making her toys float around the room like he often did but instead she was greeted by the sight of him sitting on the carpet with Haneul in his lap as his Patronus lit up the room.

She gasped softly as she watched the golden retriever bound through the air, tail wagging and mouth open with silent barks, casting a white-blue glow over the room.

It was beautiful and something she hadn't seen in a long time.

Haneul was mesmerised by the imagery and her little mouth was open and curved into a big smile.

Yunho was smiling too, looking between his Patronus and his daughter's face to watch her reaction.

She'd never seen his Patronus so strong and stunning. It had always been something he struggled with back in the day in school, earning him subpar grades in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

It had never been a case of struggling to find a happy memory; he just had too many and could never really settle on one to focus on specifically. He would flip through his happy memories as if turning the pages in a photo album as he cast his Patronus and the constant changes in thought as he struggled to focus on one specific memory would cause the Patronus to flicker in and out of existence or have it fighting to stay lit up.

She wondered what had changed. Had he been practising or something?

He spotted her standing in the doorway and blushed. His Patronus faltered and then dissipated as he lost focus and looked at his wife.

Haneul let out a squeak of confusion at the sudden disappearance of the doggy she wanted to play with and she looked up at her dad.

He kissed her hair, lifted her and rested her on his hip as he walked over to his wife.

"Hey,"

"Hey," She responded with a soft smile, "That was beautiful, Yu."

"I… Thank you." He scratched the back of his neck with his free hand, the tips of his ears red.

"And then? Why are you so coy all of a sudden?"

"Nothing. I suppose it's just been a long time since I cast a Patronus or since you'd seen it." He responded, bouncing Haneul gently on his hip.

"Why would you be shy about it though, darling?"

"I don't know… Your Patronus has always been so vibrant and unique, mine has never really been able to compete."

"Yunho."

"Yeah?"

"I'm not sure if you saw what I just saw but that was the most beautiful Patronus you have ever cast. You would have passed with honours in DADA with that creation."

"You think?"

"Yes, I do. And what do you mean yours could never compare to mine? Honey, my Patronus is a salamander, you know that. I think everyone would much prefer your puppy over mine."

She accompanied the last part with a chuckle and reached out to stroke his cheek.

He smiled softly at her, "But fire-dwelling salamander patronuses are so rare and beautiful."

She waved off his comment.

"I'm curious though, what's changed? You'd always struggled to keep your Patronus alight, but now it's brighter than half those nitwits we went to school with."

"I mean I haven't cast it since it happened but I found a new memory to focus on a few years ago."

"It must be a really beautiful one for your Patronus to manifest like that. Can I ask what you think of?"

His cheeks flushed slightly and his gaze softened as he looked at her. He always looked at her with such love and had ever since before they started dating in fifth year. It never failed to make her heart flutter.

"Our wedding night."

Her heart melted, "Which part?"

"Well, the whole thing I suppose. How beautiful you looked in that wedding gown and how I definitely didn't cry when I heard you say 'I do'. But also afterwards."

Her cheeks flushed. A certain someone had been conceived that night.

They both looked down at Haneul who was looking up at her parents with big doe eyes and her mouth hanging open.

Yunho looked up at Y/N again with a warm grin, "She is one of the best things to happen to us and I'm glad that we decided to have her."

She felt herself tear up, "Have I ever told you how much I love you, you big dummy?"

He gave her a cheeky grin and kissed her, "I don't know, maybe you should tell me again."

She rolled her eyes and gave him a quick peck, "Maybe later when your parents leave and a certain someone is asleep I'll show you."

"Oh?"

She ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Sweetheart, you've never told me what you think of when you cast your Patronus."

"Oh," It was her turn to blush, "Remember our first date to Hogsmeade?"

He grinned at the memories, "Yeah, we wreaked havoc in Zonko's before heading to The Three Broomsticks. How could I forget?"

"Well, I think of that. It was the first time you said 'I love you.'"

His grin widened as the memories came flooding back, "Yes! I remember. It was winter and your nose and cheeks were pink from the cold. You had taken a sip of your warm butterbeer and some of the foam stayed behind on your upper lip. You looked so adorable I couldn't stop the words from falling from my mouth."

She still got butterflies so many years later, "Our first kiss also took place that day. "

"Yup. I had to help you clean that foam up somehow.", He chuckled.

She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Their nostalgia was cut short when Haneul decided she wasn't getting enough attention anymore and started crying again.

"Oh no, don't cry, princess." Yunho moved her to let her head rest on his shoulder and rocked her in his arms. She was getting bigger every day but she still looked so small in Yunho's arms.

"Do you want mummy to show you pretty lights like daddy did?"

Haneul probably had no clue what he meant but the soft voice of her dad calmed her a little and she looked up at him through her wet lashes.

Y/N rolled her eyes, "Drama queen."

But she took her wand out from her back pocket nevertheless.

"Expecto Patronum!" She said softly but firmly. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to yell the spell out like your life depends on it, usually just being firm and having a strong intent works. Unless you're planning on visiting Azkaban anytime soon- yelling might be necessary there. Dementors don't discriminate.

No sooner had she spoken the words, a salamander appeared in the air in a brilliant blue glow.

It swam through the air and twirled as it did so, mock flames rising from it's skin. It was a pretty delightful sight. Haneul and Yunho thought so too, watching it with identical smiles and bright eyes. They looked so alike.

Haneul giggled and pulled Yunho's wand from his hoodie pocket. He took it from her just before she could stick it in her mouth. There were already a few teeth marks on the almond wood handle and his friends and teammates in his Quidditch team teased him every time they saw it.

He moved to hold her on his hip with one arm and held out his wand and conjured up his Patronus with firm words and a swish of his wand.

Haneul clapped her hands together in pure joy as Yunho's Patronus bounced through the air, silently barking as it chased Y/Ns.

Y/N couldn't help the laugh that escaped her as she watched her salamander scramble to get away from the big paws of the golden retriever.

Eventually, she started giggling so much that she lost focus and her Patronus faded away.

He stopped paying attention to his Patronus too, too busy lovingly gazing at his wife.

He wrapped his free arm around his wife, pulling her against his chest. He held both his girls in his arms and pressed kisses to each of their foreheads.

His little family would never lack in happy memories and he would make sure of it.

#kpop #y/n #kpop fanfic #jeong yunho #ateez #ateez x reader #ateez fluff #ateez fic #ateez yunho #harry potter #harry potter au #kpop hogwarts au #yunho fluff #dad yunho #husband yunho