“Well, I can confidently say that was a waste of our collective time.” 

Kibum laughed, and Minho glanced down the silver rope ladder to where he hopped off and onto the floor next to Analecia. “What, you don’t believe in the accuracy of astrology?” 

“Do you?” 

“Don’t you?” 

Minho huffed as he stepped down beside Kibum, glancing between them. “I just hope these charts don’t take too long to make.” 

“They shouldn't. My mom is pretty into it, which is how I know it’s complete bull,” Analecia said as she led them down the winding staircase. “Anyway, I already know I’m an Aquarius. Do you guys know yours yet?”

“We’re both Goat,” Minho said at the same time as Kibum said, “We’re the year of the Goat.” She stopped in her tracks, looking back at them in confusion. “It’s the Lunar calendar,” Kibum said, nudging her shoulder to make her continue walking. “Since we’re born in 1991 we’re the year of the Goat.” Minho nodded for emphasis even though Analecia wasn’t looking at him. “You’re 1992, right?” 

“Yeah.”

“So, you’re the year of the Monkey.” 

On their way down to the first floor, Kibum explained the order and meaning of the Sibijisin -- the twelve animals guardian deities that represented each year. Minho broke off from them with a pat on Kibum’s back and a wave goodbye as they passed by Classroom 1 on their way to Muggle Studies down the hall. He smiled as Kibum waved back and continued his description of the contest that originally determined the order of the animals. 

The din from inside Classroom 1 drew his attention away from Kibum as his voice grew quieter the farther he walked away, and Minho turned with a sigh and slipped inside, taking the closest empty desk. Other Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors filed in around him, and he breathed a sigh of relief when Gilbert arrived and took the seat beside him. 

“How was Ancient Runes?” 

“Really interesting, actually. Today we started learning about Elder Futhark, and -- “ 

They, along with the rest of the class, snapped to attention as the door slammed shut behind Professor Crowell. “Good morning, class.” 

“Good morning, Professor Crowell,” Minho and Gilbert murmured along with the rest of the class as she made her way to the front. 

“I hope you're all ready to put the studying you've been doing over the past few months to good use -- “ Minho's brow furrowed as he flipped through his notes. “ -- because today we're starting on our final project for this year...Which is Cross-Species Transfiguration.”

“,” several people behind him muttered. 

“Wait, final? Is she serious? It's only January...”

Gilbert glanced behind them as Minho slowly looked up at Crowell. “I’m telling you about the project now so you have ample time to prepare for the final in June. You’ll still be learning other theories and charms as the year progresses, but once a week your group will be meeting to discuss and plan your presentation and demonstration of the Cross-Species Transfiguration you agree on today.” 

, groups? Minho glanced around the room, lamenting the fact that they were taking this class with Gryffindor this year instead of Slytherin. It’d be so much easier to be in a group if Kibum were there with him. 

“Professor?” Damien asked, raising his hand when Crowell didn’t immediately acknowledge him. When she looked his way, he lowered his hand. “When are we ever going to use this in real life?”

One of her eyebrows quirked upward. “Is...this class not real life?” 

Minho bit his lips to keep from laughing as he looked behind Gilbert to find Damien red-faced. Gilbert snorted and Minho glanced over when he started to lean toward him. “Or is it just a fantasy?” Minho’s brow furrowed as he cocked his head to the side. 

“You’ll never know when certain skills will come in handy, Mr. Brent. I’d suggest being open and receptive to learning anything and everything the professors here at Hogwarts are teaching you.”

“You know…” Gilbert said once Crowell turned away from them. “Caught in a landslide...no escape from reality.” 

Oh god, Bohemian Rhapsody. Minho snorted then, which made Gilbert grin as he looked back up at Crowell. Minho glanced behind him again, accidentally meeting Damien’s eye. He averted his gaze quickly, but he could feel himself deflating under Damien’s glare. 

“You’ll be in groups of four, and your assignments are as follows. Abbott, Ainsworth, Averill, and Baggs. Beezley, Brent, Chaplin, and Choi…” Crowell continued to read off names, but the ringing in his ears kept him from hearing them. Even without turning around, Minho could sense Damien’s eyes on him. Honestly, it was just his luck to get stuck in a group project with the one guy at Hogwarts he couldn’t stand. Well, one of the three.

And, of course, he happened to accidentally piss him off today.

.

Gilbert patted his back as he stood, taking his books with him as he went across the classroom to where his group was clustering. He met Pandora Beezley’s gaze, a fellow Hufflepuff, hoping that she would pick up on the pleading in his eyes and sit beside him. She might have, as her steps seemed to quicken as she made her way over to his desk, but Damien slid into the seat beside him. 

“Well, this should be fun, huh?” Damien said, his voice quiet enough so just Minho heard him. 

Minho couldn’t bring himself to look up from the notes strewn across his desk once his gaze fell on them. Richard pulled the bench from the empty desk in front of Minho’s desk over, sitting across from Damien and letting Pandora sit opposite of Minho. “So,” Richard said, tapping his thumb on the desk. “What two species should we attempt to switch?” 

“Something small, like a rat and a kitten or something.” 

Damien scoffed. “Really? You want to change a kitten into a rat?” 

Minho flipped a page in his notes. ‘I think she meant the other way around.” Without looking, he knew Damien was bristling beside him. He cleared his throat. “I could be wrong, though…” 

“No, that’s how I meant it.”

“That’s not a bad idea, then!” Minho schooled his incredulous expression as quickly as possible. “I was thinking that we should split into pairs between us and do some research on each of the animals, and then combine what we know so we can create the proper spell. That’s what she’s expecting us to do, right?” 

Richard nodded. “Yeah, I think so.” 

Pandora grabbed one of Minho’s spare bits of parchment, and the quill he had out, jotting down notes. “So, should we study on our own time and just meet during the class or should we set aside a special time to meet every week?” 

“Just during class is fine, I think,” Minho said, turning his head to read Pandora’s notes. He didn’t exactly want to spend any more time than necessary with Damien if he could help it.

“Since when do you speak for the group?” 

Minho heaved a sigh and stood. “I’m gonna go get some books for us.” 

“There’s no need to be a jerk, man, it was just his opinion,” Richard whispered as Minho walked away, scanning the bookshelves for anything that looked helpful. 

There were Muggle encyclopedias and a couple of different zoology textbooks, and Minho grabbed all that he could carry. Pandora cleared a spot for him on the desk and he set them down there. “Are those...Muggle books?” Richard asked, frowning at the spines of the books as Minho sat back down beside Damien. 

“Yeah? We’re not studying the spells yet, right?” He glanced around the desk when his question was met with silence. “Should I go back and try again?” 

“No,” Damien said, scoffing. “I’ll look for books, you can put all of those back.” Reluctantly, Minho stood when Damien did, hefting the books back to where he found him. “I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised,” Minho started when Damien appeared beside him, inspecting the books as Minho slid one of the zoology textbooks back into its place. “You’re a Muggle...well, Muggleborn, so it only makes sense that you’d be drawn to their books. Honestly, I don’t know why Crowell has them in her classroom.”

“Maybe she thinks they’re useful.” 

“Nothing a Muggle has ever written or said can ever be useful to people like us. Or rather,” he looked over at Minho, sizing him up with a sweeping glance. “People like me.” 

Minho clenched his jaw as he put another book back in its place while Damien pulled out a magizoology book. He knew better by now than to argue with him. It would only make him feel worse about himself, which meant Damien would win. 

“Honestly, it's a shame that you couldn't go to a Muggle school. Can't you imagine how much better off you'd be?” He offered Minho a deceptively friendly smile before he started back to the desk to show the others his finds. 

Minho put the F encyclopedia back into its spot, tracing the embossed letters on the spine with the tip of his finger before he stood. 

Honestly, Damien was probably right -- he would be better off if he were a regular Muggle. His parents wouldn't treat him differently like they did now...the odds of him fitting in better were higher. It...it wasn't that he didn't feel like he didn't fit in now, because he knew he had his own little niche of friends -- mainly his dorm mates, Kibum, and Kibum's friends Slytherin. Oh, his team, too…

Yeah, he had found his place in the wizarding world, small as it was… So why did a few words from Damien unsettle him so badly?

He returned to his seat, grabbing the book from the top of the pile and flipping through it. As much as he tried to listen while the others chatted about their thoughts, his heart wasn't in it. He flipped through the pages of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, unsurprised that he wasn't finding anything remotely helpful for the assignment. 

Maybe he'd have to ask Crowell if he could borrow those books he had picked out…Minho blinked, imagining how that conversation would go. Okay, so maybe he'd bring Kibum with him for moral support.

“What do you think about that, Minho?” Pandora asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.

“Hm?”

“You weren't even paying attention?” Damien asked, and Minho could hear the sneer in his voice. 

He ignored him and looked up at Pandora, what was glaring at Damien in his stead. “I was saying that we should split up in our Houses so we'll research one animal and they'll research the other...How does that sound?”

Minho sat up, his expression brightening. “You two can research the rat,” Damien said before Minho could fully smile. 

“I don't care. Whichever.”

The bell rang, and Crowell dismissed them over the din of everyone returning to their seats. Minho was slow to put his things in his backpack, waiting until he was sure Damien was out of the classroom and on his way to History before he hurried out the door. He was only two steps out of the door before he heard Kibum’s cheery “Min-hooo!” Most of the tension in his shoulders and chest released when he spotted Kibum sitting on the stairs, waiting for him. He stood, pulling his books off of his lap as Minho hurried to meet him. 

“Damn, you look exhausted,” Kibum said, his smile waning ever so slightly as Minho stepped up beside him. “Good thing we’re on our way to History, huh? You can take a quick nap.” 

“Yeah…” 

He could feel Kibum’s gaze on him as he looked away and started up the steps. Kibum was soon on his heels, quietly following him to the third floor. They took their usual desk and just as Minho was starting to get situated, Kibum grabbed his backpack and set it on the floor between them. Minho let out a sigh, glancing down the row at Damien and Nick. Neither were paying them any mind. 

“Did something happen in class?” 

Minho shrugged, shaking his head. No need to worry Kibum with this. He had enough to deal with...besides, it was just a few words that were basically true anyway, so, there was no real point. Smiling, he looked over at Kibum, noting the concern etched into his brow. “I’m okay, really. You’re right, I’m probably just tired.” 

“Of course I’m ing right.” Binns materialized in front of the chalkboard, already writing the title of today’s lesson across the mostly-clean blackboard. “Go ahead and sleep. I’ll take notes for us.” 

Minho was about to refuse, but then Kibum scooted closer to him as he looked down to the podium as Binns began to speak. Slowly, he leaned over, resting his head on Kibum’s shoulder and closing his eyes as Binns monotone voice buzzed in his ears. He closed his eyes, but he didn't sleep. Instead, he focused on the sound of Kibum taking notes, the scratching of the quill tip against the parchment turning out to be moderately soothing. 

That and Kibum was humming a couple of measures of a song that Minho couldn’t place. Probably one of his new choir songs. 

“Which song is that?” he whispered loud enough so only Kibum could hear him.

“Hm?” He asked again, a little louder this time. “Oh, uh, it's Visum. We're performing it Saturday.”

“Well, you're voice sounds nice.”

Kibum stopped writing for a second, and there was a smile in his voice when he said, “I wasn't even singing.” He cleared his throat as he picked up taking notes, and he resumed humming a second later. Minho opened his eyes, following Kibum's progress across the page as he smiled. 

He never thought he'd lament the end of a History lesson. But this one, for whatever reason, he did. 

Minho followed Kibum out and into the hallway, trailing a bit behind him as he chatted with his dorm mates. “Oh, hey, Min…” Minho looked up, picking up his pace to catch up to Kibum. “What was that project Crowell was talking about yesterday?”

“Oh, uh, it was just a group project.” He lowered his eyes when everyone turned him, questions in their eyes. “I can't explain it very well, but it's not too bad, don't worry.” 

“Hm, okay…” Analecia turned to the left at the doorway of the Great Hall, the rest of the cluster of Slytherins following her, aside from Kibum.

Minho glanced over at him, offering him a small smile before he turned to the right and made his way over to the Hufflepuff table. To his surprise, Kibum followed him, taking the empty spot beside him. Instead of explaining why he came over to this side, he interjected his thoughts in Travis and Seb's conversation. What about, Minho wasn't sure. His focus was trained on Kibum's hand resting on his knee. 

He smiled to himself when Kibum gave his knee a tight squeeze before releasing it, and he grabbed a second sandwich. 

They parted at the door when the bell rang, Minho wishing Kibum good luck with Transfiguration before he started upstairs to Arithmancy. Class was over sooner than he would have liked -- since the origin of the Chinese numerology was interesting to learn about -- but the next class was Herbology with Slytherin, so…

Minho ran down the stairs, almost tripping a couple of times as he made his way to the garden. Kibum lingered outside the door of Greenhouse 3, stepping up on his tiptoes to see over other people's heads. When he saw Minho, he grinned, leaning against the side of the greenhouse while he waited for Minho to join him.

“Feeling better?” he asked softly as they filed into the greenhouse after the other students. 

“I am now.” Now that he was back with Kibum and in Herbology? Literally, nothing could go wrong.

Kibum started to smile, but quickly schooled his expression as they found their seats.

The lesson went by too quickly for Minho, even if they had to learn about the properties and uses for bubotuber pus. Next week, they'd actually have to extract it which...Minho smiled as he listened to Kibum rant about how gross that was going to be as they walked back into the castle. They stopped by the door leading downstairs and Kibum's voice trailed off as Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors passed by on their way to Potions. 

“We should go to class.”

“I suppose.” Minho took a step through the doorway before he looked back. “Anything I should know?”

“It's an easy lesson today, don't worry. What about Defense?”

“Uh…” Defense was his first class in the morning, which meant that his brain was still a bit foggy for the majority of that class. “The only thing I really remember is big spiders.”

Kibum shuddered, glancing up at the staircase leading upstairs. “Thanks for the warning. I'll save you a spot in Charms.”

“You're the best.”

“I am, aren't I.” Kibum gave Minho a smug smile and laughed when he rolled his eyes as he walked away.

Grinning now, Minho traipsed down the steps, following the din of the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs on their way to Potions. He slowed out of habit as he passed Slytherin’s entrance before he headed down the dark hallways toward the golden light of Slughorn's classroom. The other students were clustered around the shelves with all the cauldrons, and Minho soon joined them, only for Professor Slughorn to come in as Minho was reaching for his own. 

“No need for your cauldrons today, it'll just be a lecture.” 

Quiet groans filled the classroom, and Minho tipped his cauldron to peek inside before he slid it back into its place on the shelf. He smiled to himself, pulling out the note Kibum had left him and closing his fist around it before he started for his spot at the workbench. He didn’t bother to spare a glance at Damien, who had taken the stool on the opposite side of the table as him. Instead, he pulled out his book, some parchment, and his quill and ink and got himself situated to take notes. 

“We’re discussing antidotes today. Turn to page two hundred forty-four in Magical Drafts and Potions, and, uh, Ms. Paige, would you begin the reading?” 

Ashley hurriedly found her place, her bench squeaking against the floor as she stood to begin reading. Minho found his place quickly and checked to see if Slughorn was paying attention before he unfurled his fist and smoothed the note from Kibum out onto the table. Before he could even read it, Russ snatched it out of his hands, smirking when Minho reached for it.

“Hey!” 

“Shh,” Slughorn said without turning around, still listening to Ashley as she read on. 

“That’s mine!” Minho whispered hoarsely, his frown deepening when Russ passed it to Nick who then passed it to Damien. 

Damien held out the note, squinting at it. “This is just gibberish.” 

“No, it’s just written in Hangul, ,” Minho wanted to say. Instead, he clenched his jaw, sitting up a little straighter when Slughorn glanced over at their workstation. 

“Is this how you’re passing? Your friend...what’s his name…” he snapped his fingers a couple of times and looked over at Nick, who shrugged. “Whatever, he’s irrelevant. Is he helping you cheat?” 

“Wha...” 

“I mean if that’s the case…” The corners of his mouth lifted in the barest hint of a smile. “I could always tell Slughorn.” He slowly started to lift his hand, glancing Slughorn’s way. “I don’t think he’d really respond well to someone cheating.” 

Minho’s eyes widened, his shoulders sagging when Damien smiled fully. “I’m not cheating.” 

“What’s this then?” He asked, waving the note back and forth.

“None of your business.” Damien’s brow furrowed for a second before he smiled again and started to raise his hand. “We write notes to each other sometimes, okay?” 

Damien’s frown returned. “Love notes?” 

“What? No…” 

“You’re supposed to write those to girls, you idiot.” 

Someone cleared their throat, and Minho looked away from Damien for a second and met Slughorn’s stern gaze. “Mr. Brent, Mr. Choi, please see me after class.” 

“Yes, sir,” Minho said, lowering his eyes to his book, and avoiding Damien and the others for the rest of class. 

He hoped Kibum took careful notes in class because he would get absolutely nothing out of class today. 

He flipped through his textbook, skimming over the text as the period dragged on and on. Finally, the bell rang, but he and Damien stayed seated while the others scurried out of the classroom, no doubt happy that they weren’t the ones in trouble. Minho cleaned up his station, tucking everything back into his backpack while they waited for Slughorn to called them up to his desk. Once he did, Minho hefted his backpack and trailed behind Damien, standing beside him in front of the professor.

“What was so interesting that you two felt the need to discuss it during my class?” 

Minho cleared his throat, averting his eyes, while Damien straightened his stance. “I think Minho might be cheating, sir.” Minho almost choked on the breath he just took, his eyes blown wide as he looked over at Damien. “We found him with this note from his friend,” he said as he produced the note to Slughorn. “We can’t read it, of course, but it might explain why he’s doing so well.” 

What exactly was he implying? Just because Damien never really saw him study did not mean that he didn't. Obviously, he did. On top of that, Kibum would never help him cheat, even if that's what he wanted to do.

The professor glanced over the note before he looked up at Minho. “Have you been cheating?” 

“N-no, sir.” 

“What does this say, then?” 

His bottom lip trembled as he held out his hand for the note, flipping it around when Slughorn passed it to him. He couldn’t help but smile at what Kibum wrote, despite the situation. “It says, ‘Hey I forgot to say that you have a little bit of jam on your cheek from breakfast. Hopefully, you get that cleaned off between now and when you’ll read this.’”  Minho took a deep breath, handing it back to Slughorn when he held his hand out for it.  

He brushed his thumb over the text, most likely translating it for himself to see if he had been lying. Slughorn smiled as he folded the note up. “So, not cheating, then.” Minho shook his head. “Still, I don’t appreciate being talked over in my own class. Not only is it disrespectful to me, but it’s also disrespectful to your fellow classmates. Ten points from both Hufflepuff and Gryffindor." He held up his hand when Damien started to protest, silencing him. "Next time, it’ll be detention. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir,” they murmured together, though slightly out of sync.

Slughorn handed him Kibum’s note. “Now go, before you’re late for your next class.” 

Minho bowed slightly to Slughorn before he turned to follow Damien into the hallway. He trudged slowly behind him, sighing as he passed by Slytherin. Oh, right! Charms! With Kibum! Minho picked up his pace a little as Damien ducked into the stairwell. Once he reached the doorway, Damien came into view, grabbed his arm, and pulled him into the shadows. In his surprise, he stumbled and his head hit the wall, despite his backpack cushioning the impact. 

He reached back, gingerly touching his head as he pushed away from the wall. “What’s your problem?” 

“My problem?” Damien shoved him back, pressing his forearm against Minho’s collarbone to hold him in place. Minho’s wide eyes darted to this shaking fist right below his eye line before he met Damien’s gaze. A flurry of emotions flickered in Damien’s eyes, and his hold on Minho only tightened as Minho tried to shove him off. “You lost Gryffindor points. You made me look like an idiot back there with that...that queer .” 

He pushed Damien away from him, wincing when his head started to throb. “I didn’t do anything to you today...or ever.” 

He held his arms up when Damien started for him, cringing in preparation for a blow. Instead, Damien just pushed him back against the wall, his elbow digging into his sternum. He smiled, letting out a breathy laugh when Minho flinched. 

“What, don’t want your secret to getting out? I’ve seen the way you two act around each other. Everyone would probably believe me if I let it slip that you were a poof.” Minho wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but just from the way he said it, it didn’t sound good. “I’ll say that you forced yourself on me. That you were begging me to kiss you. The thing is: I'm pretty sure everyone would believe me. ” He gulped down the bile rising his throat at the thought. Damien pushed Minho further into the wall until he audibly winced, then shoved off of him when the second bell rang. “If you ing laugh at me again, that’s exactly what I’ll tell everyone.” 

Minho stayed in the shadows, watching Damien as he stalked up the stairs. He really needed to get to class, but he also wanted to have a good, long cry. Slowly, he started up the stairs, clenching his fists at his sides. Crying right now would be stupid; getting to class was more important. He trudged up to the third floor, his steps only quickening when he saw that there were some of the others lingering outside the Charms classroom. 

He slipped inside, finding Kibum easily in the sea of faces. Minho made his way over to him and dropped his backpack on the floor as he sat down on the bench. He knew...he knew without looking up at Kibum was watching him intently.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” 

A huffed sigh. He turned back toward the front of the class. “Okay.” 

Minho didn’t look up from his textbook as Flitwick was discussing the Banishing Charm. He did, however, flinch when Kibum’s hand found his own beneath their desk. He pulled his hand away, glancing behind them to make sure no one had noticed. They were in the clear it seemed, and he turned back to his book, doing his best to ignore Kibum’s gaze boring into him. 

The bell blessedly rang sooner than Minho was inspecting, and he was quick to pack up his things and leave with the others. He knew without turning around that Kibum was right behind him, especially when there was a gentle tug on his backpack, holding him back from following the others down the stairs. Tears stung his eyes as they slid shut before he looked up at the ceiling, trying to blink them away. 

“Okay, seriously. What's bothering you?”

“Nothing,” he said, his voice thick with uncried tears. Kibum let go of his backpack and came around to the front of him, worry etched into his brow. “I've just had a...ty day.”

“Let's go upstairs, yeah?” Sniffing, Minho glanced around to make sure they were alone before he started for the far stairwell. Neither said anything as they made their way up the four flights of stairs to their study closet. Kibum opened the door, letting Minho inside before he closed the door behind them. “What’s on your mind, buddy?” he asked as he lit several of the candles. 

Minho shrugged, slumping against the wall and sliding down until he was sitting. There wasn’t anything Kibum could do about Damien that wouldn’t get him into detention, and he didn’t want him to get in trouble. Besides, if he told him about everything that happened today...He took a deep breath, wincing when his chest ached. “It just hasn’t...hasn’t been my day, is all.” 

“Yeah, okay. Just so you know, we’re not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong.” 

A tear slipped down Minho’s cheek as he let out a watery chuckle. “I have a bit of a headache.”

Wordlessly, Kibum scooted over a little, patting his lap expectantly. After his concussion in second year, it sort of became their thing that whenever one of them had a headache, the other would massage their head for a while. Minho glanced at the door. If anyone saw them do that...assumptions would be made and rumors would be spread. 

But, they were alone right now. They were safe to be themselves.

He hated his reluctance to lay his head in Kibum’s lap as he had done so many times before, but it was there now, lingering in the back of his mind. Kibum’s hands were in his hair as soon as he settled, the tips of his fingers making light circles in his scalp. He did his best to avoid meeting Kibum’s gaze, trying instead to focus on the candlelight dancing with the shadows on the wall. But when Kibum’s thumb brushed away a tear from his cheek, he couldn’t help but look up into his warm brown eyes. 

Tender was the only way he could describe Kibum’s expression...well, tender with an underlying rage, if the glint in his eyes was anything to go by. A clipped sigh, and his eyes scanned Minho’s expression as he continued to massage his head. Along came another tear and another swipe of Kibum’s thumb, his touch even gentler than the last time. 

“What’s going on, Min?” 

Minho let out a shuddered sigh. “I don’t...I...I guess I don’t feel like I belong, sometimes…”

“Where? Here?” 

Here...in this moment...it was where he was supposed to be. With Kibum, he never had to worry about belonging anywhere because anywhere with him was the best place to be. Minho blinked, looking away from Kibum as he shoved the thought away. “H-hogwarts.” 

Kibum his teeth as he started to massage Minho’s head again. “Just point out the who made you think that and I’ll make sure he never says it again.”

“Kibum -- “

“No, listen, I’m not kidding. I’ll fight them right now. I don’t give a if McGonagall herself said that to you.” 

Minho closed his eyes as he chuckled. “Bummie, I don’t want you to get detention -- or worse, expelled -- for fighting the Headmistress.”

“So it was her?” Kibum made to get up, resettling when Minho started to laugh. Soon, his hands were back on Minho’s head and he was massaging it again. “But really though...if someone said that to you I will make sure it doesn’t happen again.” 

He looked back at Kibum. The steel hadn’t left his expression yet, but neither had the tenderness. He absolutely meant it. Honestly, just knowing that Kibum would fight someone for him was equally comforting and not. It was comforting in that he knew without a shadow of a doubt that Kibum would have his back in any situation -- not that that was a huge surprise or anything… But then it wasn’t, because what would happen to Kibum he and Damien ended up fighting? Damien was bigger than either of them, and obviously wasn’t afraid of using violence. 

If Kibum got hurt because of him...Minho knew that the guilt would eat at him for a long, long time.

No, it was best to keep this to himself, for now. He’d just do everything he could to make sure he wouldn’t get on Damien’s bad side...wait, did he even have a good side? His worst side, then.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” 

“Good.”