Summer rain pelted the window as the train pulled into Macclesfield station. Yawning, Minho rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked up at the incoming passengers. He grinned sleepily when he spotted Aaron and scooted over to make room for him and his luggage. Geum-nan fluttered her wings when Aaron set his owl’s cage beside her.

It was a tiny little thing, only about half the size of Geum-nan. By the way it was puffing up its chest feathers, Minho thought the poor little guy might be feeling a bit threatened next to his Great Horned Owl.

“What’s its name?”

“Dooku.” Minho snorted, looking back up at Aaron. “Like Count Dooku?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen Star Wars.” He laughed aloud and glanced back at the little owl. “That’s amazing.” 

“Thanks.” 

“So,” Minho stretched his arms before him as he yawned again. “How was your summer?”

The train started moving again, the heavy train drowning out the sounds of the other passengers as Aaron told him about the fun things he and his sisters did while his parents were at work. He ran out of stories as they were pulling out of Milton Keynes station. “So, what about you? What’d you do?”

“Well…”

* * * * *

“Hey...hey...hey…”

Each word was punctuated by Minseok incessantly poking Minho in the side. Slowly, Minho stirred and opened his eyes. Bright sunlight gleamed through the airplane windows as their plane taxied to the terminal. He lowered his head, glancing outside to see the Yellow Sea on the edges of the airport. 

A jumble of nerves and excitement thrummed through him. Korea...he was actually back in Korea.

A sharp pain seared his elbow and he turned back around to see Minseok grinning. “Just had to make sure you’re awake.”

“I’m obviously awake, dumba -- “

He punched Minho’s thigh and nodded to the seats ahead of them, where their parents were sitting. Minho’s mouth snapped shut and Minseok snorted. The seatbelt lights turned off and Minseok popped his off and leaned forward while Minho fumbled with his buckle. He rested his chin on the back of Mom’s seat. “Are they here?” 

“I’m just turning on my phone now,” Mom said to Minseok. 

Minho yawned and stretched his legs out before he grabbed his backpack from under Dad’s seat. Once it was in his lap, he hugged it and leaned forward, pressing his face into the space between Mom and Dad’s seats. Even squinting, he could barely read the texts between Mom and...Aunt Jiwoo.

Oh! “Is Sooyoung here, too?” 

Mom nodded. “Everyone is. They’re planning to take us to lunch once we get off the plane.”

Minho sat up, craning his neck to see over the seats. They were fairly close to the front of the plane -- only a couple of rows behind the first class seating. Once first class started to clear out, the line moved, well, slowly, as everyone had to get their carry-on luggage from the overhead bins before they left. Minho’s legs were aching by the time they made it off the plane and into the terminal. 

“Let’s all go to the bathroom before we head to baggage claim,” Mom said.

Dad nodded in agreement, and Minho and Minseok trailed after him when Mom split off to find the ladies’ room. The line, thankfully, wasn’t too long, and they were soon finished and on their way to baggage claim, which was basically at the opposite end of the airport. Minho stood between Mom and Dad as they waited for the luggage to appear. He crossed his arms when Dad did, starting when the buzzer went off and the luggage rode out on the conveyor belt. 

“There you are!” They all looked over to see Uncle Hyeonwoo grinning as he made his way over to them. Aunt Jisoo, Soojin, and Sooyoung were a couple of steps behind him, smiling as well. He greeted Dad with a hug and then Minho, ruffling his hair when he stepped away. “We missed you when you didn’t come for Christmas last year.”

“Two years ago, honey,” Aunt Jisoo interjected.

“Has it really been that long?”

“Yeah, I was, uh, stuck at school.” Minho glanced over at Dad when he stepped away to get Mom’s suitcase off of the conveyor belt. 

“What kind of school keeps their students over Christmas break?”

“It’s, um, it’s a boarding school?” 

Mom cleared and smiled at Aunt Jisoo. “So, where are you taking us to lunch?”

“Seogyeong!” Uncle Hyeonwoo said, grabbing the suitcase Dad passed to him before he went back for another. “Thought you all would want some actual Korean food as soon as possible.” 

“That sounds perfect, thank you. Is that all of it, dear?” she asked Dad when he came back with another suitcase. 

“There’s just one more, but Minho and I can follow you all to the car when it comes out.” 

“We’re parked just outside.” 

Dad nodded and Mom and Minseok followed the other Chois outside. Minho blinked sleepily as they went back to watching the luggage float past them. “I want to make one thing very clear.” Minho’s eyes widened as he looked up Dad, surprised to hear him speaking English. “Your mother and I expect you to be on your very best behavior while we’re here. Don’t talk about your school and don’t even think about bringing up your magic.”

“What if someone asks me about it?” Minho asked, his voice quiet. “School, I mean.”

“Just change the subject as quick as you can.” Minho nodded. “Can you do that?” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Good.” He stepped forward, grabbing Minseok’s suitcase from the conveyor belt. “Let’s head to the car.” Gulping, Minho followed him to the automatic doors, pressing his hand to his heart with a sigh.

The ride to Seogyeong was blessedly short-lived, as Minho, Minseok, Sooyoung, and Soojin were all squished into the back seat of the minivan to make room for their parents. They all piled out of the car and followed Uncle Hyeonwoo inside. When they eventually got to their table, Minho sat between Mom and Sooyoung. 

“Who are you texting?” Minho whispered when Sooyoung slipped her phone out of her pocket and held it under the table for, like, the sixth time. 

She glanced over at him with a smile as she responded to whoever it was. “Just my friend Miyoung. She’s with her family in Jeju right now.” 

Minho’s eyes lit up. “I haven’t been there in so long.”

“Good thing Aunt Boyoung is planning her wedding there, huh?”  Minho’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Oh, you didn’t know?” He shook his head and she smiled when he started grinning. “How’s school been? Still having fun with your friend...Kibum, right?”

“Yeah! Yeah, we...he’s doing good.” He frowned, picking up some rice and setting it back down. “Actually…” his voice trailed off when Sooyoung got another text. She glanced down the table at her parents and flipped it open to read it, smiling softly at the screen. “Still Miyoung?”

“Hm?” She texted her friend back quickly and went to close her phone. “Yeah, she just sent me a picture.”

“Is she having fun?” 

Sooyoung glanced down the table again before she flipped her phone open between them. He leaned in a little to see her better. She was winking as she smiled for the camera, probably because of the sunlight. The wind off the sea behind her was blowing her wavy hair all over the place. He couldn’t really tell -- because of the glare from the sun and how small the screen was -- but it looked like she was having fun. And, judging by Sooyoung’s smile, she was happy for her.

“She’s really pretty,” he said when she flipped her phone closed and tucked it back into her shorts pocket. 

“Isn’t she? She’ll be back in a few days.” Her phone buzzed again and she started to pull it out, but then someone across the table cleared their throat. Both Minho and Sooyoung turned to find Aunt Jisoo shaking her head at them before she went back to the adult conversation. “I’m not supposed to have my phone out at the table,” Sooyoung said, rolling her eyes. 

If he had a cell phone, he could text Kibum anytime he wanted to...provided he also had a cell phone. That would be nice, not having to wait for their owls to fly back and forth...and back and forth whenever they wanted to talk during the summer. Minseok already had a phone, but Mom and Dad said he would have to wait until he was sixteen to get one. 

“What’s up with you?” Sooyoung asked, and Minho glanced over at her as she took a huge bite out of the baechu ssam she just finished putting together. “You sighed.” 

“I’m fine. Just thinking.” Mom said that they’d be in Korea for a month and a half, which he truly was excited about, but he couldn’t help but worry about Kibum. Hopefully Jonghyun was helping him stay distracted…

Sooyoung passed him a baechu ssam with a slightly mischievous grin. “There isn’t raw garlic in there, right?”

“Just try it.” Slowly, Minho took a bite, only to relax a second later when there was nothing amiss. “See, I would never hurt you.” He stuffed the rest of it into his mouth and bit down, freezing when the heat of a very potent garlic clove filled his mouth. He covered his mouth as he chewed, and Sooyoung just laughed when he reached for his water. 

The days that followed were relatively dull. As much as he wanted to take the time to visit Jinki and Taemin in the week before the wedding, they had both moved with their families out of Guwol-dong. Taemin lived in Seoul now and Jinki in Gwangmyeong, and their mothers said that they wouldn’t be free until after the wedding. 

Which was fine...Minho was just bored. 

While Dad and Uncle Hyeonwoo and Minseok were off at the country club that Uncle Hyeonwoo was a member of, Minho was stuck at the Choi house, usually left to his own devices, as Mom and Aunt Jisoo and Aunt Boyoung and her bridesmaids had taken over the place with wedding decorations. He thought he was in for a fun afternoon when Miyoung showed up to hang out with Sooyoung, but after a brief introduction, Sooyoung took her upstairs and closed the door behind them. 

Sighing, Minho flopped down in the armchair in the living room, his legs hanging over one side and his head resting on the other. He pulled Minseok’s Nintendo DS out of his back pocket and started playing Zelda. It only seemed like five minutes passed before the battery ran low, but when he glanced at the clock in the kitchen on his way back upstairs, he saw that a little over an hour had passed. 

The way their parents had set it up, Minho and Minseok were in Sooyoung’s room for the duration of their visit, and Sooyoung was rooming with Soojin to make room. He yawned, stretching a little before slipped the DS into his back pocket and opened the door to Sooyoung’s room. 

To his surprise, Sooyoung was all but sitting in Miyoung’s lap, their faces far too close together to have just been talking. At the sound of the door creaking open, they jumped apart, cheeks flushed and eyes wider than Minho’s as he stood in the doorway. 

“Uh...I can come back?” 

Sooyoung and Miyoung glanced at each other, a silent conversation flashing between their shared gaze. Minho was about to close the door and run away before Sooyoung cleared and brushed her hair behind her ear. “Come in, close the door, too.” Minho immediately did, but only took a couple of steps inside. 

“I can, uh, explain…” Sooyoung said at the same time Miyoung said, “You won’t tell anyone, right?” 

“I won’t.” Minho hesitantly met their eyes, gulping when he saw that they both were close to tears. “I swear I won’t.” Miyoung slumped against the wall in relief, and Sooyoung took her hand, holding it tightly in her lap. Slowly, Minho made his way over to his bed -- for the time being -- and sat down while both girls turned to face him. “I’m sorry for interrupting…” 

“Don’t be,” Sooyoung said at the same time that Miyoung scoffed. “We were supposed to be getting ready for tomorrow anyway.”

“Oh? Are you going, too?”

Miyoung shook her head. “No, I’m just helping Soo pick out an outfit and paint her nails since she at it.”

Sooyoung snorted, her expression softening as she turned to her girlfriend. “You say that like it’s a crime.”

“Just be thankful I’m not making you wear fake nails.” They shared another look -- an inside joke, maybe? Sooyoung laughed out loud and let go of Miyoung’s hand as she fell back onto her bed. Miyoung grinned at Minho, who could only give her a confused smile, and scooted across the bed. The bottles of nail polish clinked together as Miyoung grabbed them from off the floor. “Which color do you want, Soo?” 

“Well, which dress am I wearing?”

“Babe, you literally only have one dress. Both of these will go with it.”

Minho slipped the DS out of his pocket and fumbled with plugging in the charger. “Minho, which do you think?” His eyebrows raised, and he slipped off the bed and scooted across the floor to where they were. The choices were a shimmery teal and a pale peach, and he pointed at the teal one. 

“Good eye,” Miyoung said with a smile as she started to shake the bottle. Sooyoung draped a blanket over both of their laps and held her right hand out between them as Miyoung unscrewed the bottle.

“So, how long have you two...been you two?” Minho asked after Miyoung had finished the second nail. 

“Uh, a little over a year, I think? Yeah,” she added when Miyoung nodded. “You’re the first person to find out, so…”

“I really won’t say anything.”

“I believe you, don’t worry.” Sooyoung replaced her right hand with her left and blew on the finished nails as Miyoung started on her other hand. “We’ve just been keeping...us a secret for so long, it’s so weird that someone else knows, now.” 

Minho nodded, glancing from Sooyoung to where Miyoung was applying the nail polish. “Did you two meet at school?” 

“Mhm. Best friends ever since Miyoung moved here.”

“I lived in America before coming here,” Miyoung said as she grabbed Sooyoung’s right hand again, checking for any mistakes. 

“Oh…” 

Sooyoung glanced over at him and he quickly averted his eyes. “Yeah, I had a crush on her for such a long time, I was so surprised that she had one on me, too. But not too surprised, because, like, I’m amazing.” She laughed when Miyoung stopped painting her nails for a second and gave her an exasperated look. “She’ll deny it but she agrees with me.” 

“Fortunately for you, I do.” Sooyoung leaned forward, leaving a quick kiss on Miyoung’s forehead, which made Miyoung miss Sooyoung’s nail entirely and painted a long teal stripe down her finger instead. She clicked her tongue as she shook her head. “Look what you made me do,” she muttered as her face turned a bright red. “Minho, can you pass me the nail polish remover and the cotton swabs?”

“Uh...yeah.” He leaned across the floor, grabbing what she needed and handing them both to Miyoung, who started fixing her mistake. 

They were just...so relaxed with each other. Naturally at ease and teasing. Sooyoung made a comment that Minho didn’t quite catch that made Miyoung laugh and mess up again. Minho found himself smiling as he watched them. If...if two girls could be together, that meant two guys could be together, too, right?  

Kibum instantly came to mind, and Minho tried to shove the thought away. 

Of course Kibum was his first thought, he was his closest and dearest friend. It only made sense. It didn’t mean anything, though...did it? Despite his vigilance to keep Kibum from his mind, he slipped back in, his dimples cutely indenting his cheeks as his smile grew. No...no, he was just really fond of Kibum. Him thinking his best friend was cute didn’t mean he had a crush on him. It just meant...what did it mean? 

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Oh god...oh ... 

“Minho?...Minho?” He blinked, gulping as he looked back up at Sooyoung and Miyoung, who were watching him with concerned expressions. “Are you okay? You just got really pale.”

“Uh, yeah,” he glanced at the closed door. “Is...is it okay…”

“What?” Sooyoung asked after Minho’s voice trailed off and Miyoung lightly slapped her arm. 

“If, like...is it okay...for a guy to, um, like another guy like you two do?” 

Sooyoung’s eyebrows shot up and Miyoung screwed the nail polish bottle cap back on. “Of course it is!”

“Is there a guy you like?” Sooyoung asked. Minho gulped again and looked down at his hands that he was wringing in his lap. “You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to.” 

“I’m not really sure. How, um, did you guys know?” 

“It was, little things, you know?” Miyoung nodded and Sooyoung continued. “She was the best part of my day for so long, I couldn’t wait to go to school just to see her, even though we couldn’t hang out that much -- “

“We don’t really have a lot of shared classes.”

“Right. We would come up with any excuse we could think of to hang out together...”

“And, like, really little things...like thinking about her smile for a long time after seeing her, or the way she laughs…”

“Just, not to be too sappy, but just thinking about her makes me smile.” Miyoung looked away from Minho for a second to smile at Sooyoung. “I don’t know if all this is very helpful, and your experience could be different!” 

“Yeah, I don’t know.” Except, he did. Everything they said rang true in terms of how he felt about Kibum. . He cleared his throat and shrugged. “Maybe.” 

“Well,” Sooyoung took the blanket off of her and Miyoung’s laps, folding it up. “If you do figure it out, you can always talk to us. Me, technically, but us since I’ll probably tell her.”

“Okay.” 

“I know it seems scary now, Minho,” Miyoung said, patting his still-wringing hands. “But you’ll be fine. We’ll be here for you if you need us.”

He gave them both a small smile. “Thanks.” The door cracked open, startling all three of them. Minseok walked in, surprised to see a full bedroom. “Oh, you guys are home?” Minho askes, wincing when his voice cracked. 

“No, we’re all still learning how to play golf at the club.” Minho rolled his eyes and stood when Minseok motioned for him to follow him. “Come on, Dad wants us to bring in the groceries and stuff from the car.” 

He paused at the door, looking back at Sooyoung and Miyoung, who both smiled at him as he closed the door as he walked outside. 

On the day before the wedding, the house was buzzing with activity, everyone running around and cleaning everything and packing their bags. They took several cars to the port in Wando -- Aunt Jisoo taking Minho, Minseok, Sooyoung, and Soojin, as well as about half of the luggage -- and they unpacked while Dad and Uncle Hyeonwoo went inside the terminal to sort out their tickets for the ferry ride to Jeju. It started raining as soon as the ferry departed, so they had to stay inside for the duration of the trip to the island. 

Fortunately for Aunt Boyoung, since it was an outdoor wedding, the weather cleared by the next day. Minho felt a little dorky in his oversized navy suit and his yellow polka-dotted bow tie, but Sooyoung said he looked cute, which made him feel a little better, if only marginally. They took several pictures on her phone at the reception, and she sent them all to Miyoung. 

The reception dragged on an on, long after the sun had dipped below the horizon. Minseok was dancing with Mom and Sooyoung was off in search of more punch and possibly cake, leaving Minho by himself at the kids’ table at the edge of the reception area. He was leaning on the table, his chin propped up on his crossed arms as he watched the crowd dwindle. 

His vision blurred as he blinked, and for a second, he thought he spotted Kibum at one of the far tables. Blinking again, he started to sit up but then saw that it was only one of his other cousins. With a heavy sigh, he slumped back down, his bottom lip jutting out the slightest bit. Sixty-one more days...

“Are you that bored?” 

His eyes flicked up to meet Sooyoung’s as she sat across from him, setting a fresh glass of the mango punch in front of him. “No, just tired.” He sat up and tipped the glass toward him to take a couple of quick sips. “And I want to go home.” 

“Me too.” Sooyoung took a long draught of her punch, swishing it around in before she swallowed. “I wonder if I’ll ever get one of these…” 

Minho was about to ask what she meant, but then he followed her gaze to the ongoing -- albeit, waning -- celebration. Aunt Boyoung and her new husband were still dancing with their families, happy without a care in the world. The turnout had been huge, with their family and friends all coming to join in celebrating their new union. 

He had never heard of a gay wedding, not in Korea… Judging by the way the adults talked about it when they thought the kids weren’t listening, it would be quite a while before that something like that would be accepted. 

Sooyoung shook her head and shrugged when Minho sat up. “It’s not a big deal, I guess, but it would be nice.” 

“If you do, can I come?” 

She smiled, swirling her punch around in her glass. “Sure.” 

The ferry trip and drive back to Incheon was uneventful, except for Minseok and Soojin trying to out-sing each other while they listened to the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack on repeat. Once they returned, so began their other visits. Dad borrowed Uncle Hyeonwoo’s minivan and they packed up for a day trip to Gwangmyeong to visit his mother. Upon arrival, however, they discovered that she was a little under the weather and not up to visiting everyone at once. 

Already resigned to sitting outside and waiting for Dad and Mom to finish their visit with Grandma, Minho and Minseok were surprised when Mom came back outside. “Mrs. Lee will be here in a few minutes to pick you up. Jinki was planning on going bowling with some of his friends and she said you guys could go along.” 

Both Minho and Minseok were sitting on the curb, almost vibrating with excitement. The Lee’s familiar beige sedan pulled up and Jinki hopped out of the car, grinning at both of them. “Long time no see!” Minho leaped up and bounded over to him, knocking the air out of him with a tight hug. “How’re you guys?”

“Good!” Minho said and clambered into the car as Jinki slipped back into the passenger side of the front seat. 

“‘Sup, bro,” Minseok said, fist bumping Jinki before he buckled in. “Thanks for saving us from our boredom, Mrs. Lee.” 

“Always happy to help,” she said, her voice colored with amusement. 

“So, who all’s gonna be there?” Minho asked, bouncing excitedly in his seat until Minseok speared him with a glare.

“Uh, Changmin, Kyuhyun, and the other Minseok.”

Minseok laughed. “Kim?”

Jinki snorted and nodded, turning around to look at him. “Lunch before or after?” Jinki’s mom asked, drawing his attention back to her.

“After.” 

Minseok started asking Jinki questions about their old classmates, which Minho didn’t find interesting in the slightest, so he sat back in his seat and watched the city pass them by. The drive to the bowling alley didn’t take too long, and the other guys were hanging around outside waiting for them to show up.

They all piled out of the car, Mrs. Lee a few steps behind them as they jogged over to meet the other boys. Minho trailed behind Minseok and Jinki, unsure how to really interact with the older guys. It had been quite a while since he had seen them, and they all seemed so grown up now. He followed behind when they all started to head inside the bowling alley and jumped when Jinki slung his arm over his shoulder. 

“How’ve you been, Min?” 

“Not bad.” He filled Jinki in on what he could about school, which wasn’t much, as they followed the others inside. Minseok handed him a pair of shoes in his size before he ran after the others over to where their lane where Kyuhyun was getting them set up on the screen. Jinki and Minho stopped by the rack of balls, and Minho grabbed a forest green ball with a ten on it. 

“Hurry, hurry!” The other Minseok yelled, and Jinki and Minho ran over to the far end of the alley to where they all were waiting. 

“Jinki, you’re first!” 

“Let me get my shoes on first, dammit.” 

“Which Min is which?” Changmin asked as Jinki hurriedly put on his shoes. Minho glanced up at the screen and laughed when he saw the first slot said Jin for Jinki, and the next four said Min, and the last one said Kyu for Kyuhyun.

“Whichever order you guys want to go. It’s up to you.” 

Jinki leaped up from his seat and when he grabbed his ball from the terminal, he pretended like it was way heavier than it was. Minho laughed when he set it down on the ground and pushed it gently down the alley, only for it to go into the gutter. Changmin ended up being the only one who took the game seriously, as everyone else followed Jinki’s lead to see who could come up with the stupidest way to bowl their ball. 

If there were an award given to them today for “The Most Ridiculous Throw”, it would have gone to Jinki. He had set it down on the line and pretended to kick it like he would a football. He only tapped it with his toe, pushing it forward, but he ended up slipping and falling halfway into the gutter. It took them forever to go over and help Jinki get up, from how much they all were laughing. 

Mom and Dad arrived right at the tail end of the game, pulling them away from their friends. They made their goodbyes as quick as possible, both Minho and Minseok promising Jinki that they would write to him when they got home. 

An opportunity to go to Seoul to visit Taemin didn’t come for several more days. Mrs. Lee called Mom to arrange the surprise visit and the next day she and Minho set out to Seoul. Taemin’s mom wanted it to be a surprise because it happened to be Taemin’s thirteenth birthday party. Afterward, Mom and Mrs. Lee agreed, Minho would stay for a day or two, because who could be sure when they would be back in Korea. 

The drive wasn’t too long, especially since he and Mom were listening to their favorite music. The rain that came about midway through dampened his spirits, though it could have been the combination of the drizzle and the sad song playing over the speakers. He was excited to see Taemin, really! It’s just...He couldn’t wait to get back to...to school. 

Nervous energy coursed through him, and he knew he wouldn’t be at ease until he was back on the train to Hogwarts. Minho had been careful not to talk about school at all, which only seemed to be making it worse. 

His sigh fogged up the window, and he wiped it away with the heel of his palm. Forty-four more days. That wasn’t too long…

Minho roused himself when Mom parked the car along the curb. “We’re here?” 

“Sure are.” 

He unbuckled and waited on the sidewalk for her to come around, then followed her down the stairs to the Lee household. He hooked his thumbs around his backpack straps when she knocked and glanced at the window when someone moved to answer the door. Mom and Mrs. Lee greeted each other warmly, and Minho followed them inside, closing the door before he toed off his shoes. 

“Taemin will be home soon. He and his friend are just at his dance class. You can go up and wait in his room if you’d like. Third door on the left.”

“Thank you,” Minho said with a slight bow before he turned and hurried up the stairs. 

He smiled when he stepped inside. It was messy, just like he was expecting. Good to know that Taemin hadn’t changed since he had been away. Minho plopped down on the unmade bed, glancing about the darkened room before he reached across to the nightstand and grabbed Taemin’s DS. Oh, Pokémon Dash! It had been a while since he had had the chance to play that. It only took a couple of minutes of playing for him to get the hang of it again, and he didn’t hear the door open downstairs over his mimicking Pikachu’s voice. 

“Hey!” 

Minho jumped at the sounds of Taemin’s voice, almost dropping the DS onto the floor. He turned, meeting Taemin’s wide eyes. “Surprise?” 

“Oh my gosh!” Taemin dropped his duffle bag on the floor and weaved through the clutter on the floor to get to his bed. “Mom said you wouldn’t be able to come and you’re here! Are you coming to my birthday party?” 

“That’s the plan.” Taemin grinned, a nervous little giggle escaping as he folded his hands together in his lap, muttering oh my gosh to himself again. Minho stood and went over to the door to turn on the light. “So, what do you want to do?” 

“Uh…”

They ended up going downstairs to play Taemin’s new Fifa game, only to get yelled at by Mrs. Lee for being too rowdy and to be tossed into the backyard. After a few minutes of playing with his puppy, Adam, Taemin ran back inside to get his leash and ask his mom if they could go across the street to Yongsan Park. He bounded back outside, his mom’s old cellphone in one hand and Adam’s leash in the other. 

Taemin told Minho all about school and the dance classes he had been taking on their walk to the park. He wasn’t paying very close attention to the road, so Minho grabbed his hand and guided him to where they needed to go, watching to make sure that neither he nor Adam strayed too close to the busy street. 

Against Mrs. Lee’s hopes, they did not tire themselves out at the park, or on the way home. If anything, the little excursion made them even more hyper. Doing the dishes after dinner helped calm them, somewhat. Taemin ran upstairs to shower at his mom’s request, and Minho stayed downstairs, playing more Fifa after he changed into his pajamas. 

“Don’t stay up too late,” Mrs. Lee told them when Taemin came back down to the living room. 

“Okay, Mom!” They sat on the couch with frozen smiles as they watched her go back to her room. Once the door was closed, Taemin whipped around to face him. “Wanna watch One Piece?” 

Minho’s eyes widened. “Ooo…” Taemin stretched across the couch, his foot kicking Minho’s knee as he reached for the remote. “Just like, one or two episodes, right? We don’t want to get in trouble.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” 

Minho woke to the smell of doenjang soup simmering on the stovetop. He lifted his head to see that he and Taemin had fallen asleep on the couch, a huge blanket that they didn’t get last night covering both of them. Taemin stirred when a spoon clattered in the kitchen, slowly sitting up to get a bearing of his surroundings. 

They ate a hearty breakfast while they watched another episode of One Piece, but couldn’t start another because the first of Taemin’s birthday guests were dropped off. Minho didn’t catch his name, as he was soon followed by another, and another...the only kid Minho remembered from school was Jongin, who was Taemin’s closest friend back in Incheon -- other than himself, of course. 

The party was fun, because what’s not fun about stuffing yourself full of cake and sushi -- Taemin’s favorite -- and running around the house in the most intense game of hide and seek that Minho had ever played. He was sad to see the other boys go but happy that the house was quiet again. With Mrs. Lee permission this time, Taemin and Minho stayed up all night again, watching more One Piece until they couldn’t keep their eyes open. 

Mom arrived around noon to take Minho back to Incheon, so he and Taemin reluctantly said their goodbyes with the promise of texting each other as soon as they got cellphones. 

The rest of their time in Korea came and went, most of which Minho spent with Sooyoung -- and Miyoung, when she was there. When it came time to leave, Sooyoung hugged him tightly, whispering “If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here, okay?” before she let him go. He nodded, giving her a slight smile before he turned and followed his family to the security checkpoint. 

Despite the fact that he slept the majority of the way back home to England, he was still exhausted by the time they pulled into their driveway at 10 Prism Lane. Minho trudged around to the back of the car, taking his suitcase when Dad handed it to him and followed Mom to the front door. He blinked sleepily, looking down at the bottom stair and frowning when Ember wasn't there waiting for him.
 
“Don’t worry, hon,” Mom said, carding her fingers through his messy hair. “We’ll pick her up from Ms. Livingston tomorrow.”

He nodded mutely and dragged himself up the stairs to his room. The night’s air chilled the room, and Minho shivered, squinting at the window he had left open. His eyes widened when he saw all the letters, a few on the windowsill but most in a pile on the floor below. Minho dropped his suitcase and backpack before he went over to the window and hunkered down, picking each one up and stacking them. 

They were all unmarked, save for the date written in the top right corner and the one from Hogwarts, but Minho didn’t need anyone to tell him who they were from. 

“Hey, Mom?” he yelled from his doorway, looking down at his armful of letters. “Can I call Kibum?”

“What for?” she called from downstairs.

“To let him know we made it back.”

“It’s too late tonight, honey. When you wake up, you can.”

Minho heaved a heavy sigh. “Okay. Good night!” 

He closed the door with his foot before he heard her response. Minho flopped down on his bed, spreading all of Kibum’s letters out before him and grabbing the first one, according to the dates. Good, Jonghyun had arrived shortly after they had left for Korea. He’d be a very good distraction for Kibum during...well, everything. 

At first, it sounded as though his summer was going well, but then it sounded like the frequency of Grandma's doctor's appointments started to get to him. Even though it was only his writing, Minho sensed the shift in Kibum’s mood. He pressed his hand over his heart as he read...and read...and read. His earlier exhaustion returned in full force as he did, and it wasn’t long before he was nodding off, his head hitting the bed and crinkling the letters. Soon, he gave up, and made himself as comfortable as possible on top of the letters, sleep easily claiming him.

* * * * *

“Okay, but,” Aaron said, bracing himself as the train stopped at King’s Cross. “Imagine what playing hide and seek at Hogwarts would be like…”

“Oh my god.” 

“Right?” 

Minho gathered up his luggage and Geum-nan, huddling close to Aaron while the Muggle adults bustled around them in their hurry to deboard the train. They stuck close together as they navigated their way to Platform 9 ¾, and Minho nodded for Aaron to go through the wall first. Once he was through, Minho took a running start and cringed at the sensation. He schooled his features and shielded his eyes from the sun as he walked through the crowd lingering by the wall. 

“He should be here by now…” Minho scanned the platform, freezing when he spotted him. 

“There he is,” Aaron said, nodding to Kibum who had started waving him over. “You were looking for Kibum, right?”

That had been one aspect to his summer that he had kept to himself -- his maybe, possibly, probably crush on Kibum that he was doing his very best to ignore at the moment. Still, seeing him now, even from a distance...all the pent-up nervous energy he had been collecting over the summer seemed to dissipate. 

“Yeah, I was.” He smiled as he looked over at Aaron. “I’ll catch you later.” Minho refocused on Kibum, who grinned when he saw that Minho was coming his way.

It was all Minho could do not to run to meet him.

* * * * * * * * * * 

A warm breeze swept through the platform as Kibum set his trunk down in the pile of luggage. He clicked his tongue at Meg when he hooted, smiling as he put his cage with the others. The other students were milling about the platform, most of them waiting with their family for the Hogwarts Express to arrive. He was alone, however, since Grandma had another doctor’s appointment to go to. 

Kibum looked around with a heavy sigh. When would Minho arrive? Soon, probably.

Hopefully.

The faint strumming of a guitar down by the vendors caught Kibum’s attention. It looked like it was just one of the students passing the time. His thoughts trailed to the many afternoons this summer that he hung out it Jonghyun’s room, waiting for him to finish practicing his guitar. 

* * * * * 

“You’re starting to sound really good,” Kibum said as he made kissy faces at Roo, who laid curled up on his chest.

Jonghyun stopped, his pick scraping against the strings. “Starting to?” Kibum chuckled, scratching Roo behind the ears when she tried to get up. “I’ve been playing too long to just be starting to sound good.” 

“I was just kidding. You should totally try out for Weird Sisters.” 

“Yeah, maybe for their reunion tour.” Both snorted, and Jonghyun continued to play. The band had broken up back in 2001, and there had been many rumors floating around since then of the probability of a reunion in the near future. But, apparently they had some sort of falling out, so the odds of that ever happening were slimmer than nil. 

“Did I tell you about my band? Nebulus Stardust?”

“You might have mentioned it. A lot.” 

Jonghyun gave him a sheepish grin over his shoulder. “Sorry.”

“No, don’t worry about it. Is it still going well?”

“Yeah!” Jonghyun set his guitar against his bed and turned toward Kibum. He patted the bed for Roo to come to him, only to be ignored. “Pierre is getting more comfortable with singing, so now it’s not just Philippe and me.”

“You three all play the guitar, right? I thought you had a drummer, too.”

He nodded as he patted the bed harder and grinned when Roo reluctantly made her way over to him. “Turner. But he doesn’t like singing, so…he’s your age, and then Pierre and Philippe are a year older than me.”

Kibum slipped his joined hands together behind his head, smiling when Roo’s tail smacked against his leg as Jonghyun started cooing at her. “You guys still getting along well? Any big fights yet?” Light pink bloomed across Jonghyun’s cheek and he shrugged, pointedly avoiding Kibum’s gaze. “Oh?” He lightly kicked Jonghyun’s thigh, his smile turning into a grin. “What is it?” 

“It’s nothing.” Kibum snorted and kicked Jonghyun’s leg again. “Me and...I just get distracted sometimes.” 

He sat up slowly, reading Jonghyun’s expression. “You have a crush on someone, don’t you?” Jonghyun's eyes met his briefly before flicking back down to Roo again. “You do! Who?”

“It’s...not a crush anymore.” Kibum’s eyebrows rose. “We’re seeing each other now.” He cleared his throat. “It’s...it's Pierre.”

Kibum blinked. Twice. “Oh.” 

“Sodam! Boys!” Mrs. Kim called from downstairs, and both Kibum and Jonghyun jumped at the sound of her voice. “Lunch is ready!”

“Okay, Mom!” Jonghyun fidgeted with Roo for a couple of seconds longer before he set her down on the floor. They sat still as she skittered out into the hall. “You won’t say anything, right?” Jonghyun whispered. 

“Of course not,” Kibum said immediately. He looked past Jonghyun when Sodam walked past the ajar door on her way downstairs. “Don’t worry.” 

Jonghyun let out a huff of a sigh as he finally met Kibum’s eyes. “Thanks.” 

When Jonghyun wasn’t practicing his guitar -- he was very diligent about keeping up with it -- their moms and Grandma employed them to do yard work. The gnomes were back and worse than Kibum had ever seen this year. His arms were sore for almost a week after they flung all of them into the field behind their houses. It was only a matter of time before the gnomes made their way back to their gardens, but Kibum and Jonghyun enjoyed the reprieve while they could. 

In the meantime, Grandma asked them to maintain her greenhouse while she went to her many, many doctor’s appointments. Weeding was still the worst job, but, like Minho, Jonghyun had a way of making things Kibum hated doing seem fun. 

One afternoon, right after breakfast, their moms sent them to London with money, and they got to experience Diagon Alley without adult supervision for the first time. They came to an unspoken agreement once they walked through the wall of Leaky Cauldron that Fortescue’s shop was their first stop, Kibum's coupon in hand. Kibum got his usual of the Spiced Peaches and Cream and Jonghyun got his Dark Chocolate Chili in a chocolate dipped waffle cone. 

“You usually get Rainbow Sherbert.” 

“And?” Jonghyun shrugged and hid his smile behind his ice cream. “So what? I can change my mind.”

“I’m aware.” 

They walked along the lane, glancing inside the windows of the shops they didn’t need to bother with today. “They sell this at Hogsmeade,” Kibum said, holding out his cone out to Jonghyun for a second. “It’s the one Minho and I would always get.” 

Jonghyun smirked. “You guys would share a cone?” 

Kibum looked away when he felt his cheeks heat up, wiping the sweet cream from his mouth. “It was usually a bowl.” 

“Uh-huh.”

“Shut up.” 

Much to Kibum’s chagrin, Jonghyun laughed, but he thankfully didn’t bring it up for the rest of the day. When they finished their ice cream and washed up, Kibum bought the new Book of Spells for Charms and The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection for Dark Arts while Jonghyun perused the novels in the back of Flourish and Blotts.

Luckily, their moms said they didn’t have to be home until dinner time, and it was only noon, so they had loads of time to kill. Their eyes met when they passed by the Magical Menagerie, and they instantly turned around and went inside. They spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the cats and the cute little rats inside. The owner of the shop even let them help with the feeding of all the animals.

On the days that he wasn’t with Jonghyun, Kibum spent most of his time with Grandma, usually holding her yarn for her while she knitted and listening to her stories. Mom usually found herself preoccupied, either with work or communications with the Muggle doctors. Sometimes, he would accompany them to London, much like he had when he first got back for the summer. 

Waiting around in doctor’s offices and waiting rooms was a dull affair, and it was during those days that Kibum missed Minho the most. 

Oh, he missed him all the time, for sure, but Minho always knew how to turn something boring into something pretty fun. Kibum glanced around the waiting room, spotting the assortment of kids’ toys and books. If Minho were here, he’d probably be moving the blocks around on that toy, or reading one of the kids’ books in the silliest voice he could muster, just to cheer him up. 

Luckily for him, those days spent at the doctor’s office were few and far between. Jonghyun was free most days, and Grandma and Mom seemed to understand that Kibum needed more space this summer, so they didn’t push him to spend time with them if he wasn’t feeling up to it. 

One afternoon, Kibum expressed an interest in learning a couple of chords on the guitar, and Jonghyun excitedly ran back over to his house to get his guitar. It was harder than he imagined it would be, but Jonghyun was patient with him. When his fingers were done for the day -- were they supposed to be that sore after playing? Ridiculous -- he passed the guitar back to Jonghyun. 

“Here, listen to this. It’s a new song Pierre and I are working on together.” He strummed two chords, then stopped. “I’m still learning the tune.” He played another chord before he stopped again. “And the words aren’t finalized yet so I can’t si -- “

“Just play the ing song, Jjong.”

He scrunched his nose before he went back to focusing on his guitar, playing the song for a minute or two. It was nice...beautiful, even. He hummed along to it, and Kibum was smiling when the song was over. 

“That’s not the full thing, but -- “

“It was good! I can’t wait to hear it when it’s finished.” Jonghyun grinned at him as he set his guitar against Kibum’s bed. “So, speaking of…”

“Hmm?”

“You...and Pierre…” Jonghyun cleared his throat and looked down at his lap. “How long have you two been...dating?” 

“Since February.” Kibum’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “It was the day after Valentine’s Day, and uh, we stayed later than the others to practice some more.” He shifted in his seat, avoiding Kibum’s curious gaze. “He asked me how my Valentine’s Day went and I was like ‘Yeah, you know, not great.’ And then he was like ‘Well, that’s a surprise.’ And...and when I asked him what he meant by that he said that a cute and sweet guy like me shouldn’t have a ty Valentine’s Day.”

“Oh my god.”

Jonghyun chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. Then he, um, our hands touched when he handed back my copy of the music we were working on and his hand lingered. He’s got the prettiest hazel eyes, just, like, for the record.” Kibum laughed and Jonghyun smiled. “He kissed my cheek before we headed back to our houses for the night, and the next day after practice, he kissed me for real, and, uh, we’ve been dating ever since.” 

“I need to meet this guy.”

Jonghyun fell back onto the bed, heaving a sigh. “I’d like that.” 

Sunlight gleamed through the window, casting golden rays across the floor and the walls. Kibum swung his legs back and forth as he glanced about the room. Nutmeg was preening, enjoying the warmth of the sun. He looked over at Kibum for a second before he went back to his grooming. Maybe he should send Minho another letter tonight. He had sent several a week, but two weeks into the break Minho stopped replying. Hopefully he was enjoying his time in Korea. 

Kibum’s gaze flicked over to the polaroids he had up on the wall. He couldn’t see them very clearly, as they were across the room, but he could definitely make out Minho’s dorky smile in most of them. 

“What’s it like?”

“What?”

“Kissing.” Jonghyun sat up beside him, his eyes wide as he met Kibum’s. “Sorry, forget I asked.”

“No, no, it’s okay.” He rubbed his palms on his jeans. “I just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all. Um…” he squinted, humming in thought. “Well, I guess it depends.” He stared at the wall for a minute, before shaking his head. “I could...show you? I guess? It wouldn’t mean anything, obviously -- “

“Right, yeah, no.” 

“But if you don’t mind…we could…” Jonghyun pointed back and forth between them. 

He was curious. Very curious. Almost too curious, now. Kibum gulped as he fought the urge to look back over at the polaroids on the wall. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

Kibum turned toward Jonghyun, swinging his legs up on the bed and crossing them. “Okay. What should I do?” 

Jonghyun mirrored him, tapping his thumb on his knee. “You can just sit there.” His eyes involuntarily widened when Jonghyun leaned a little closer. “You can close your eyes if you want to, too,” he added with a chuckle. 

Nodding, Kibum closed his eyes, squeezing them shut when Jonghyun’s hand cupped his cheek. A second later, his lips pressed lightly against Kibum’s, just for the span of a breath. His eyes fluttered open when Jonghyun pulled away and dropped his hand from Kibum’s cheek. 

He could almost feel the heat radiating from his face. Not that he could see his own face, of course, but he was sure it was the same color as Jonghyun’s. “So?”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Jonghyun snorted loudly before he laughed, and Kibum couldn’t help but giggle at his reaction.

The boys quieted when a soft knock sounded on the other side of Kibum’s bedroom door, both subconsciously scooting away from each other on the bed. “Kibum?”

“Yeah, Mom?”

“Minho is on the phone for you.”

Kibum sat up, grinning at Jonghyun before he bounded off the bed and after Mom. After a second of thought, he ran back to his doorway. “I’ll be just a minute,” he said to Jonghyun.

Jonghyun smiled. “Take your time.”

He took the stairs two at a time, almost tripping twice on his way down to the phone in the kitchen. The receiver was set on the counter, waiting for him to pick it up. Kibum slid to a stop into the counter and picked up the phone. “Hey.”

“Hey!” Minho said, his voice delightfully perky. “How are you?”

“Good, good.” I missed you, he stopped himself from saying. “Did you just get back home?”

“Last night we did. I would have called you then, but Mom said no.” Ah, cute. Kibum glanced over his shoulder, making sure that Grandma or Mom weren’t hovering nearby. “I just now woke up. How are you?”

Kibum laughed. “You already asked me that.” 

“Oh, yeah...Have you had fun with Jonghyun?” 

“Uh,” his face warmed again, the receiver suddenly very cool against his skin. He glanced back up the stairs. “We’ve been helping our moms around the house and we went to Diagon Alley, but, um, not...not much else.”

“Oh, that reminds me.” Minho turned away from the phone, but Kibum could still hear him yelling. “Mom! When are we going to Diagon Alley?” A pause, and then his voice returned to normal as he spoke to Kibum again. “I’ll be getting my stuff sometime this week.”

“Mm-kay.”

“So,” Minho’s voice softened, and Kibum pressed the receiver closer to his ear. “Are you really doing okay?”

Kibum let out a long sigh, looking behind him at Grandma’s closed bedroom door. “As well as I can be, I guess.”

“Has...has her health improved at all?”

Kibum clenched his jaw, averting his eyes as if Minho were standing in front of him. “No. But she’s not really getting any worse either, you know?” 

“That’s good, at least.” 

“Yeah.” He pressed his hand to his chest, closing his eyes for a second. “I can’t wait to get back to school.”

“Me too. Only...nineteen days to go.”

Kibum opened his eyes, smiling. “Have you been keeping track this whole time?” 

“...Maybe.” 

His smile grew then froze when Jonghyun strolled into the kitchen. “Don’t mind me,” he said, opening the ice box and grabbing an orange. 

“Is that Jjong?” 

“Mmhm.”

“Hi, Jonghyun!” he yelled, and Kibum pulled the receiver away from his ear.

“Minho says ‘Hi’.”

Jonghyun set the partially-peeled orange on the counter before he walked over to where Kibum was, leaning in to listen to Minho. “What’s up, Min?”

“Nothing much.” 

Kibum smiled as he listened to them talk, his gaze falling to Jonghyun’s lips before he blinked and looked away. All at once, he felt the need to blurt out the fact that he and Jonghyun had kissed. But no, it was barely a kiss...and it wasn’t like Minho needed to know.

Right?

Although…what would it be like to kiss Minho? His eyes widened. Logically, it would probably quite similar to how it was with Jonghyun, but...but for whatever reason, his heart fluttered at the thought. 

Jonghyun tapped his shoulder, mouthing You okay? Kibum nodded and took the receiver back so just he could speak with Minho. “Hey, so Mom needs us to weed again -- “ Jonghyun’s brow furrowed and Kibum shook his head. 

“Aww, you hate that.”

“Yeah. So, anyways, we’ve got to go.”

“Oh. Okay. I’ll see you soon.” 

Kibum smiled, mistakenly making eye contact with Jonghyun, who was giving him quite the smug smile. “Bye, Min.” 

“Bye, Bummie,” he said way too cutely. 

Kibum rolled his eyes as he hung up the phone. “What?” he asked without looking up at Jonghyun. 

“Why’d you lie to him?”

“It wasn’t really a lie. Mom said we had to weed more today.” He knew his face was flushed again, but he could feel Jonghyun’s amused expression as he watched him walk to the back door. “Just hurry up and eat your orange so we can finish up.”

Jonghyun’s laughter followed him out to the greenhouse.

* * * * * 

The guitarist stopped playing, and Kibum snapped out of his reverie. He shook his head, looking around the platform again. There was a nearly steady stream of students and the occasional set of parents coming through the wall. Kibum crossed his arms, watching the faces for a glimpse of Minho. 

It only took a couple of minutes, but soon he -- and Aaron -- appeared in the crowd. Kibum stood up on his tiptoes, waving Minho over and grinning when he started toward him. He stopped midway, holding up his duffle bag and Geum-nan’s cage before he nodded over to the pile of luggage. Kibum followed his lead, meeting him over by the other end of the train.

“Hey,” he was about to say when Minho hurried over to him, but the word was knocked out of him when Minho wrapped him in a tight hug. “Can’t breathe,” he said after a minute.

Minho only hugged him tighter. “I missed you, too.” 

Kibum rubbed his back before he pulled away. “We should probably head in, huh? We want to get a good seat.” 

“True, true.” He gave him a bright smile, and Kibum’s heart did that stupid fluttery thing again. “Which car should we pick?”

“Uh,” Kibum dragged his gaze away and to the cherry-red train. “Five.”

* * * * * * * * * *

“Anything from the trolley?”

Minho looked away from Kibum for a second and at the Trolley Witch. He shook his head as Kibum turned around to say, “No, thank you.” She moved along, and Kibum turned back around, his smile reappearing. “So, you didn’t do anything else fun after you got back?”

“Unless you call shopping for textbooks fun.”

“It can be.” Kibum scratched his leg, his fingers brushing against Minho’s knee for a second. “Oh! Did I tell you about the Kneazle Jjong and I saw?” 

Minho’s brow furrowed and he shook his head, and Kibum launched into his story, which then turned into another story about his latest trip to Diagon Alley. He had heard that one already, but he didn’t mind hearing it again. Not at all. He leaned back against the wall and stretched his legs out on the bench as he listened to Kibum talk, his gaze flicking down to Kibum’s hand when he started fiddling with Minho’s shoelaces. 

The train ride to Hogwarts was shorter than Minho would have liked. Soon, they were loaded onto the horseless carriages, rumbling down the lane to the castle. 

Twilight was setting in, framing the castle in blue and lavender clouds and the twinkling stars high above it. Hogwarts was lit with torches, awaiting the arrival of the students. Minho closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of the fresh country air. 

It was good to be back.

Everyone, except the group of nervous first years, was eager for dinner to be served so they could eat quickly and get their room and bunk set up to their liking. Once they ate their fill and were dismissed, Minho and Kibum parted ways at the corner in the basement, both equally ready for a good night’s sleep after all the excitement of the day. 

It turned out that -- aside from Astronomy, Divination, and History of Magic -- Herbology and Charms were their only shared classes of the year. Which was fine, really, but they both would have preferred to have more. 

They fell easily back into their routine: having an after breakfast chat before rushing to their first class, taking turns napping during History, studying together after dinner concluded, and hurrying back to their dorms before lights out. 

It was nice. Familiar. Comfortable, sort of like Kibum’s shoulder that Minho was attempting to doze off on. Professor Binns seemed to have forgotten that he taught this exact same lesson on the goblin rebellion just the day before. Minho nodded off again, turning slightly to make himself as comfortable as possible as he leaned against Kibum, only…

“Mr. Choi,” said the stern voice of the Headmistress. Minho instantly sat up, eyes wide as he looked up at her from his seat. “Please at least attempt to pay attention.” He blinked at her before he glanced over at Kibum, finding him equally as surprised as he was. “Mr. Kim, if you’d follow me for a moment.” Minho rubbed his eye, watching Kibum follow after the Headmistress. Analecia caught his eye, frowning quizzically, to which Minho could only respond with a shrug. 

Well, he was certainly awake now, but there was no way he could focus on whatever Binns was blathering on about. He folded his hands together over his open textbook, tapping his thumbs together as he tried not to look towards the closed door. 

Seemingly an eternity later, the bell rang, and Minho shot up from his seat, not even bothering to wait to be dismissed by Binns. He searched the empty corridor, finding Kibum sitting on the top step of the staircase. 

“Oh, he’s finally done, huh?” Kibum asked, his tone subdued, as Minho sat beside him on the stair.

“What’d she want?” 

Kibum shook his head, his chin quivering as he turned his face away from the students hurrying past. Minho scooted a little closer to him, leaning slightly against him. He waited until the stream of students ebbed before he turned back to watch Kibum. “Grandma...she, um…” he sniffed, shaking his head again. “She wants me to come and say goodbye.”

A chill ran down Minho’s spine. It couldn’t be, not yet...it was too soon. Kibum sniffed again, and Minho pulled him into a tight hug, resting his head against Kibum’s when he tucked his face into Minho’s neck. He rubbed Kibum’s back when his fists gripped Minho’s lapels. “Write to me as often as you need to, okay?” Kibum nodded against his neck. “And don’t worry, I’ll take lots and lots of notes so you won't be behind.”

“You’d better.” He took several deep breaths before he started to lean away. Even though Kibum avoided his gaze, Minho could still see his red-rimmed eyes, watery with uncried tears. “I’ve gotta go. Mom’s waiting.” Minho stood, extending his hand to help Kibum up off the step. He took it, squeezing it as he stood, and then once more before he let go.

Minho watched him trudge down the stairs, fighting the urge to run after him and hug him again. Hold him here. Keep him from the imminent pain. He gulped, sinking to the ground when Kibum disappeared from view.

“…”