The spring storm that started yesterday after Herbology had yet to ease up. The sound of its pitter-patter on the walls of the castle and the window they were studying by, the quiet chatter of Kibum, Analecia, and Marvin, and the scritching of everyone’s quills were almost enough to lull Minho to sleep. He would have, too, given that his head was planted firmly in his crossed arms, but Kibum kept him awake by asking him the occasional question.

He didn’t want to fall asleep. Not really. It would mean that he would probably have that dream again where he got replaced by a first year in the tournament for his poor performance. Minho sighed, the edges of Kibum’s notes fluttering in the wake of it. He wasn’t doing bad and he knew it, but for whatever reason, his slumbering brain disagreed.

Minho’s eyes opened a little wider when the bell ripped through the air. He sat up, watching Kibum and Aaron put their stuff away while the others didn’t move. It was time for their Alchemy and Advanced Flying lessons, which none of the others took. They said their goodbyes, and Minho rubbed his bleary eyes as he walked between Kibum and Aaron as they left the library.

“Oh, Minho! There you are!” someone called out as they passed the Great Hall.

Minho turned, his eyes widening as they landed on Harry Potter. ing finally. “Can you tell Hooch for me?” he asked Aaron, who nodded and continued.

“Good luck, Min,” Kibum said, his relief evident in his tone.

Minho grinned at him and watched him head a few paces away before he jogged over to Harry. “It’s so good to see you! I was beginning to think I wasn’t gonna be able to compete anymore.”

Harry chuckled. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Almost…” he paused to calculate the time between today and the Yule Ball, which was when he last saw him. He’d been dating Kibum for -- “Three months?” Wow, time really flew, didn’t it…

“Yeah.” Harry grinned and nodded to the double doors. They fell into step together and crossed the threshold, heading to the secret passageway. “You’ll understand why we were delayed when you hear what the task is.”

Oh, . That didn’t bode well.

Harry opened the door beneath the stairs, stepping back so Minho could enter first. "You want to hear something funny?"

Minho glanced back at him as the door closed, his gaze following him as he moved further into the room. "Sure?"

"My wife has been bringing our kids to the tasks and James, my eldest, has really taken a liking to you."

Minho's eyebrows arched as he started to grin. "Really?"

Harry nodded, smiling himself as he started for the rickety ladder. "He's been using Albus as a dragon and flying on his little broomstick around him."

"I hope he didn't jump on him."

"Oh, he tried." Minho smacked his forehead with his palm, which drew a laugh out of Harry. "No one was hurt, don't worry."

"Oh good."

Harry helped him up onto the seventh floor and he smoothed the tapestry over the secret passage. "I've been cleaning up confetti from that button for months now," he said, chuckling as they walked along the hall toward McGonagall’s office. “Scottish Fold!” The gargoyle turned, revealing the staircase, and they started up the stairs.

Turner, Madam Maxine, Fleur, and Krum were already there, so Minho hurried to take the seat next to Turner. Miloni, Nakova, and McGonnagal arrived a few moments later and once she was seated across from the Champions, her attention turned to Krum. He met her gaze with a nod and stepped up, leaning against the edge of her desk.

“This third task will be the last, unless the events result in a tie, which is quite rare,” he said, his voice harsh in the otherwise quiet room. Harry looked as though he wanted to add something, but Krum continued. “This task tests you on your wit. The three of you will be going on a scavenger hunt--” Oh, that won’t be so bad. “-- In the Black Lake.”

Well...that certainly complicated things.

“You will all receive a list of clues to items that will be hidden in the lake. Each item is given a varied number of points, and the one who collects the most points within the allotted hour will be the winner of the task. You’ll be allowed your wands and someone on the sidelines to collect the items you find.” Kibum, for him. Obviously. Krum glanced down at McGonagall. “Am I forgetting anything?”

“Only the date of the task, which is April the tenth.”

Miloni raised her hand and Krum nodded to her. “When do we receive the list?”

“In a few moments,” McGonagall answered for him. She nodded, sitting back in her chair. McGonagall glanced between him and Turner. “Do you two have any questions?”

Minho shook his head while Turner said, “No, I don’t think so.”

McGonagall nodded once, shuffling through some of the leaves of parchment on her desk before she found what she was looking for. Three forest green-wax sealed envelopes. She leaned across the desk and Minho stood, grabbing them and passing one to Miloni and Turner before he sat, staring at his own. “You may go now. Do your research on the items listed and magical methods prolonging your time underwater and you’ll be just fine.”

Minho stood again, leading the other two out of McGonagall’s office. Once the gargoyle stopped spinning and they stepped out onto the seventh floor, he looked over at them to find them both inspecting their envelopes. Should they open it together? Would that be too weird?

Miloni answered his unasked question by tearing into hers, followed by Turner cracking the seal and peaking inside. Hands shaking slightly, Minho did the same.

Inside was a single sheet of parchment, long, thin, and deceptively weathered. Thin, loopy letters in short, staggered lines were scrawled on the front and back. He blinked, staring at the green script. Maybe when he came down from his anxiety over the meeting he’d be able to actually read it. Or, Kibum...just being with him would help. Was Alchemy over, now?

After a glance at the other two, Minho darted away, heading for the stairs instead of the secret passageway. He was breathless by the time he reached the basement, a stitch clawing at his side. He held it as he lumbered past Hufflepuff and made his way around the corner to Slytherin.

He whipped out his wand, tapping the right brick with a hasty bezoar and swept inside. A few younger students were lounging around the common room, none of them paying him much mind as he made his way across the room and toward the dorms. It wasn’t like it would be much of a surprise to see him in there, and vice versa for Kibum in Hufflepuff.

Minho smiled at the thought and cracked open the door to Kibum’s room. He slipped his robe and shoes off before he flopped onto Kibum’s bed, pulling out the parchment with the clues on it. He cracked his knuckles, heaved a sigh, and held it up to read it again.

Far away from my lonely hold, my fire is extinguished by waters cold - 25 points

Strong and sturdy, usually dirty; with me, one’s glory they can brew - 15 points 

Though I am easily lost, the haze, once cleared, restores the mind - 10 points

Good and bad, you’ll find in me, so try your luck and you will see - 10 points 

Though my presence may be unexpected, if you take me up, I’ll get you safely home - 10 points

A dark, stormy night I once foretold, or was that the cloud within my hold? - 15 points

Though I am broken, I can still be used to warm a day, I won’t refuse - 10 points 

The world turns red without my Queen, my heart is broken without her seen - 20 points 

In colours proud --

"Min?" Minho looked up, his eyebrows raising as he smiled at Kibum. "What are you doing in here?"

"Waiting for you, of course," he said just before Aaron filed in behind him, still dripping from the storm.

"Oh hey, Minho!"

"Hey," he murmured, following Kibum's progress into the room rather than Aaron's. He stopped by his bed, setting his Alchemy books on the nightstand before he sat on the edge of the bed. Minho passed him the parchment before he looked over at Aaron. "How was class?"

"Still raining." His voice was muffled by him taking off his sweater. Minho averted his eyes, avoiding looking at Aaron's bare chest as he started working on his sopping trousers. "But otherwise, not bad! Hooch taught us some maneuvers for flying in the rain. Too bad you couldn't be there, really." Minho nodded, watching out of the corner of his eyes until Aaron pulled on jeans and a dry sweater. "Will you need your broom for the next task?"

Minho smirked. "Doesn’t look like it."

"Sorry, mate."

The parchment came back into his line of sight, and Minho returned his attention to Kibum. "What are they for?" he asked in Korean.

Minho explained the basics of the task quickly, and he kept speaking in Korean after Aaron left the room. "I'm choosing you, if that wasn't obvious," he said after he told him that they got to have a partner.

"Good. I'd have broken up with you if you didn't." Minho snorted and Kibum sniffed a laugh before he leaned over, cupping his cheek and guiding him into a quick kiss. "I don't have to swim, do I?" he asked, once he had pulled far enough back to speak, though his lips did not necessarily leave Minho's.

"Nope," Minho whispered, smiling before he kissed him again.

* * * * * * * * * 

The lanterns in the library dimmed. Kibum looked up from his book at the sudden depletion of light, glancing around. The others in their study group had long since gone back to their common rooms, but from the sounds of it, the only remaining people in the library were himself and Minho. Madam Pince was probably prowling around, too, waiting for them to head to their dormitories for the night. But he wasn’t quite ready yet.

Minho turned the page of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi with a wide yawn, smacking his lips sleepily as he kept reading. Kibum couldn’t help but smile as his gaze lingered on his boyfriend for a few seconds, but he soon shook his head and returned to his reading about the Bubble-Head Charm.

To perform the Bubble-Head Charm, one must simply hold their wand on one side of their head, like so... 

Kibum glanced down at the picture beneath the text, watching as the wand tip curled up and around the head of the subject, and once it was lowered, a large, fishbowl-like bubble was wrapped around her head. It distorted her features, making her eyes appear larger than life until the bubble shifted and the same thing could then be said about her lips. Then her ears.

Kibum looked back up at the text above the picture.

...and say Recaeli {rey-KAY-lee}, and the bubble will appear. If one is using it to submerge oneself in water for long periods, the bubble will naturally pop when one resurfaces.

“Babe,” Kibum said, holding the book out for Minho to see. Minho hummed in question as he leaned closer, their heads almost knocking together as he read the text. “It could work, right?”

“We’ll have to try it. But,” he set his textbook atop Kibum’s library book, pointing at the entry for gillyweed. “This could work, too.” Kibum scoffed, his eyes darting to meet Minho’s when he felt the weight of his gaze. “What?”

“Of course you’d think of a plant.”

"Shut the up," Minho said with a slow smile as he turned back to the textbook. “I’m sure I can ask Sprout for some.”

“We should test both, to see which one you like better.”

Minho nodded and reached for the sage green ribbon to bookmark the place in his textbook while Kibum jotted down the page number and title of the book Extraordinary Solutions For Everyday Problems. “Will tomorrow work for you?”

“For?” Kibum chuckled and was about to answer, but Minho shook his head, his eyes firmly closed. “Uh, I’ll try to remember to ask Sprout tomorrow.”

Kibum slid off his bench, picking up the book to put it back where Madam Pince found it a few hours ago. “If not her then I’m sure Slughorn has some.”

“Oh, true.”

Once they passed the library threshold, Kibum glanced around the darkened corridors. No one was around, not even the silvery ghosts or the ever-watchful Mrs. Norris. Kibum took Minho’s hand, smiling as he immediately interlocked their fingers. “We’ll have to work on figuring out the clues, too.” Minho nodded mutely. “I have a few ideas for a few of them, but we still have a little while to figure them all out.”

“I think the ones with the higher points will be the hardest to find.”

“I agree, but I’m sure you’ll do great.”

Minho stopped on the step below Kibum on the stairs, smiling up at him. “You’re just saying that because you have to.” Kibum shrugged and Minho’s smile grew as he went up on his tiptoes, kissing him. Too quickly for Kibum’s liking, if he was being honest. As Minho turned away, Kibum's grip tightened and Minho looked back up at him. “What?”

“What do you think?”

“I think we’ll get caught if we stay out much longer.”

“So?”

The lantern light twinkled in Minho’s dark eyes as he searched Kibum’s expression. “Do you really want Filch to find us?”

“So what if I do?”

Minho grinned, tugging on his hand and leading him further down the stairs. Once they reached the basement, he turned sharply to the left, guiding Kibum into the shadows of the stairwell and kissing him as soon as his back touched the wall. Kibum leaned into his embrace, his arms wrapping tightly around him.

Would being held, being kissed by Minho ever not feel like coming home? In all the long years they had left together, hopefully that feeling would remain. Maybe someday it would feel like too much of a good thing, but for now? He reveled in his contentment whenever he was in Minho's arms. His smiles came easier, his heart was freer when he was near…

Yeah, he really hoped that would never go away.

The lights had all but winked out by the time they reluctantly parted ways at the corner. A few of the seventh years were still awake, lounging by the fire, homework strewn around them while they chatted over cups of tea. Once Kibum made himself a cup, he sat beside Analecia and heaved a heavy sigh.

"Is he stressed about the task?"

"If he is...he probably isn't at the moment."

Her eyebrow quirked up and Kibum hid his smile behind a sip of his still too-hot tea. "You're such a good friend," she said through ill-suppressed mirth.

"I do try."

"What's so funny?" Callum asked a few seconds later when the pair of them burst into giggles.

Nighttime melted into the morning, and Kibum returned to the common room when he woke, wholly unsurprised to find Minho already there, reaching for the cup of coffee he had made for him. Analecia and Gil sat on the couch across from them as Kibum plopped down beside Minho, kissing his cheek before he took his coffee from him. "How'd you sleep?"

Minho shrugged. "Stayed up late figuring out some of these," he said, reaching into his back jeans pocket and pulling out his sheet of parchment. Kibum unfolded it, shaking it out as he took a few sips of his coffee.

"I know you can't say anything, but -- " Analecia said and Minho shifted so his arm could sling over Kibum's shoulders as he read while the others talked.

For the first couple, there were no notes, but about halfway down, Minho had written and circled Remembrall? to the side of Though I am easily lost, the haze, once cleared, restores the mind. A couple of the others had guesses penned around them, but none of them were circled. Kibum’s gaze drifted sleepily over them, the word dragon? catching his eye. He said it out loud in disbelief, quiet enough that he thought the others might not hear him, but Gil stopped talking immediately.

“You have to go up against a dragon again, mate?”

Analecia sputtered and Kibum looked up from the parchment. “What?”

“No, no,” Minho said, placating Gil with a wave of his hand. “It’s...uh…” He looked over at Kibum for help.

“A dragon wouldn’t make sense for this one.”

“Then why..?”

Kibum looked back down at the parchment. Far away from my lonely hold, my fire is extinguished by waters cold. Dragon did make sense as the answer, but why would it be underwater? Unless it were a sea serpent, but even then it wasn’t likely. When Kibum looked back up, he found the other three watching him intently. He folded up the parchment with a shrug. “I don’t know. It’s too early for this .”

Minho’s laughter brightened the room, and Kibum’s small smile slipped to a grin as he looked over at him.

They had to shift away from each other when the others started to wake up, and once everyone had finished their morning coffee, Kibum and Minho trailed behind them as they made their way to the Great Hall. “Are you going to ask Sprout for some gillyweed? Or will you be able to find it in the lake?”

Minho scoffed, his brow furrowing. “It’s found in the Mediterranean, Bum.”

“So that’s a no, then.” Minho snorted and Kibum smirked, glancing over at him.

They stopped just inside the doorway, other students filing around them as they eagerly went to join their houses for breakfast. “If she doesn’t have any, we can just use the Bubble-head Charm you found.”

“Sounds good. Wait -- “ he said when Minho started to walk away, presumably toward the dais. “Where will we practice?”

“Uh…” Minho squinted, his eyes darting back and forth in thought. “Oh! What about that swimming pool we found downstairs?”

Kibum’s eyebrows shot up. “I completely forgot about that. Okay.” Minho made it a few steps away before Kibum called out to him. “Are you coming over after you talk to her?”

“Yeah!” he said over his shoulder, and Kibum finally turned to head over to Slytherin.

Minho rejoined them a few moments later, and when Kibum met his eye, he shook his head. Kibum nodded, returning to his cereal. Bubble-head Charm, it is.

They both ate light, leaving before everyone else and heading back downstairs. "." Kibum stopped at the corner, patting his pockets.

"What?"

"I think I left the list in the common room."

"Oh...I gotta go get changed anyway. Go look for it and I'll meet you there." Nodding, Kibum presented his cheek and was met with a quick kiss before Minho darted down the hall toward Hufflepuff.

The list was indeed where they had been sitting, tucked between the back and the cushion. Kibum grabbed it and moved to tuck it into his back pocket. "Wait." Instead, he hurried back to his room, rummaging through his nightstand drawer for his wand. "Impervius," he said, tapping one side of the parchment and then doing the same for the other side.

Just in case.

He folded it back up and slipped it into his pocket before he made his way back into the common room. The wall was just reforming as Minho was walking into the room. “Ready?”

Nodding, Kibum fell into step beside him, and they went back out to the darkened corridor, both lighting their wands as they started down the narrow, winding hallway past the Potion’s classroom where a strip of golden light seeped out of the crack below the door. The dusty portraits lining the forgotten corridor berated them for the light of their wands, but neither of them paid them any mind as they followed the sound of distant running water.

“Just a little further, I think,” Minho said as Kibum stopped in his tracks.

“No, I think we’re here.” His voice echoed to him on his left and Kibum let go of Minho’s hand and stepped through the stone threshold. Light from torches burst on either side of him, then again and again and until the room was filled with warm light. Before them laid a pool cut into the rockface with tendrils of steam slithering over the surface. Minho toed off his shoes and pulled off his sweater and jeans, revealing the swimming trunks he had bought when they originally found this pool. “Those still fit?”

Minho laughed as he dipped his toe in the water. “They did not, but I charmed them so they would.” Kibum snorted and sat down at the edge of the waterline as Minho slipped in. “I’m gonna do a lap or two first. Hold on.”

It was hard for Kibum to focus on deciphering the written clues, given how distracting Minho was being. Oh, he wasn’t doing anything besides swimming around, but Kibum’s gaze kept drifting over to wherever he was, lingering on him until he dunked below the surface again with each new attempt of the Bubble-head Charm. A distinct pop sounded to his left -- Minho had resurfaced again -- and Kibum immediately looked up, a slow smile growing as he met Minho’s twinkling eyes.

“What?”

“How’s it going?” he asked, a flirty mischievousness coloring his voice.

Kibum, huffing, pointedly looked back at the list of clues. “Not bad.” Which was to say he had made no progress at all. “Getting the hang of the spell?”

“I think so.” The flirtiness was still there, but Kibum repressed his smile. “Some water slipped in during the last dive, so I may need mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, though.”

Kibum scoffed loudly, finally meeting Minho’s eyes. He shook his head in disbelief at Minho’s -eating grin. “If you want me to kiss you, you can just say that, you know.”

“Okay.”

Kibum blinked. Minho’s grin widened. “Is that what you want?”

“What?” Shaking his head again, Kibum smoothed the parchment and stared at the clues again, though he didn’t retain any of it. Not while Minho’s gaze was still on him. “Bum. Bummie. Kibum. Babe.”

“Merlin’s beard -- “ Kibum said, laughing. He set the clues aside and moved over to where Minho was watching him expectantly, crouching before him. “You’re so annoying, you know that, right?” Minho nodded eagerly before Kibum leaned in for a quick kiss. “Better?”

Minho opened his eyes, searching Kibum’s expression. “Almost.”

“Almost?” Kibum started to ask, but before he could get the word out, Minho was kissing him again.

* * * * * * * * * *

The progress made on figuring out the clues was a lot slower than Minho would have liked. Some were obvious, namely the Remembrall, the King of Hearts, the chocolate frog, and the Quidditch banner; some he had a fairly confident guess, like a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Jelly Beans, the Quaffle, and a cauldron; but the rest? No ing clue.

He sighed heavily, setting the list of clues aside and looking out across the lawn. The stormy weather came and went as March turned into April. Today, ten days before the task, the sky was clear and bright and birds chirped merrily overhead, flitting away towards the Black Lake where the stands for the third trial were being constructed. Minho watched the busy Ministry workers mill about on the scaffolding with long planks of wood hovering in the air behind them. Kibum's head shifted in his lap, and Minho tore his gaze away from the water to look at him.

He was watching him, a slight smile brightening his features before he his teeth and looked back at the book he was attempting to read.

"What?" Minho asked, his fingers lightly carding through Kibum's hair.

"Nothing," Kibum said, his disinterested tone belied by the twinkle in his eyes. Minho, squinting, slipped his finger below Kibum's chin to get him to look up at him again, and when he tried to shake Minho off, Minho grabbed his chin lightly with his thumb and forefinger, making him meet his eyes.

"Am I irritating you?" he asked with a playful smile. "Is that why you made that sound? Are you finally sick of me?"

"Obviously, but it's only because you're ruining my life."

"How so?"

Kibum's face colored slightly and he pulled his chin out of Minho's grip. Minho let him. "You're just too cute, okay?" Minho started to chuckle and Kibum smacked his thigh lightly. "Here I am trying to study for N.E.W.T.s and you have the audacity to be so cute that all I can think about is kissing you. And it's not just right now. It's a constant, all the time th-- "

Whatever tangent Kibum was about to go on was cut short by Minho leaning over to kiss him. Just to shut him up, of course. No other reason. Minho smiled when Kibum's hand slid from his cheek to his neck, his finger twirling the hair at his nape.

"I'm sorry I'm so distracting," Minho whispered once they broke the kiss.

He smiled when Kibum huffed. "No, you're not."

“Maybe I am, you don’t know.”

The sound of a door at the castle swinging open drew them apart. Just in time, too, since the footsteps were heading their way. "Oh," Kibum said, sounding relieved as he sat up. "It's only Gil."

Minho turned, watching his friend advance with a questioning raise of his eyebrows. "Mr. Potter is looking for you."

"Okay."

"Say hi to Mom for me!" Kibum called after him as he started back for the castle.

"I will!" He jogged toward the castle, accidentally outstripping Gil which in turn made him have to hang back in the doorway, waiting for him to reach him. "Where are they?"

Gil let out a huff of a laugh. He was a little winded, it seemed. "I'll take you."

Other students milled about the halls and the stairs that Minho followed Gil up. The moving staircase that a bunch of them stepped on groaned under their collective weight, even when they spread out a bit. Romilda Vane, Mrs. Kim, and the other Champions were waiting for them on the fifth floor in the Music classroom -- a place he had personally never been, but Kibum had a few times for Frog Choir. Turner was sitting comfortably behind the drum set, absently twirling one of the drumsticks between his fingers. Miloni sat behind one of the music stands, flipping through the sheet music until Minho thanked Gil and closed the door.

All attention shifted to Romilda, now, as if here pumpkin orange robes didn’t already garner enough on their own. She grinned broadly, surveying them all as Mrs. Kim screwed on the lens of her camera. “Let’s get started. Go on, get comfortable.”

Right, as if any of them could do that when being questioned by the press… Minho took the seat beside Miloni and Turner came over to sit on her other side while Romilda pulled over the piano bench, the notepad and Quick Quotes Quill hovering in the air behind her, already scribbling furiously.

“Are you feeling apprehensive about the next task, given that it’s going to be the last one?”

“Uh…”

“Not necessarily,” Miloni said after a second of hesitation, her voice thoughtful.

Romilda’s eyebrows quirked with interest. “Oh?”

She shook her head and Turner joined in. “After a dragon and that course, I don’t think anything else could ever compare.”

Romilda’s melodic laugh filled the room. “That’s probably very true, however, I imagine there is still an element of danger to be expected.”

Minho cleared his throat. “Well, yeah. We...we’re relying on our wit, this time.” Both Miloni and Turner glanced his way. “It’ll require some clever spellwork and intense concentration to succeed, in my opinion.”

Romilda’s gaze darted from him to the other two. “Is that true?”

Turner nodded and Miloni said, “It is. And, we do get to choose a person to help us.”

“Oh?” Romilda asked, and Minho immediately looked behind her, meeting Mrs. Kim’s gaze. “Can you tell us who it is for each of you? Assuming of course that you’ve already chosen, that is.”

“I have.” Minho leaned back, looking over Miloni’s head to Turner. “Celeste, my little sister.”

No Roselyn? Did something happen?

Miloni looked away from him, her brow furrowed in obvious concern. “Genadi, my boyfriend, for me.”

“Uh,” Minho gulped as all eyes him. “My b...best friend. Kibum.”

Romilda’s eyes lingered on him for a second longer before her smile widened and she looked back at the other two. The Quick Quotes Quill scratched something out before it continued. “Beyond your chosen partners, are there any other sort of clues you can give as to the nature of the task?”

Minho snorted, glancing at the other two, who looked as amused as he was. Funny she should phrase it like that. “No, I can’t think of any.”

When the others agreed, the interview concluded and the photoshoot began, though they didn’t stay in the Music classroom. Instead, they followed Mrs. Kim down the corridor to the clock tower, which fittingly overlooked the lake. She took many, many shots, some solo, some together, until the sun dipped below the tips of the trees of the Forbidden Forest. When she eventually dismissed them, Minho grabbed the two lenses she had discarded and followed her back to the Music classroom.

He plopped down on the piano bench, watching her put her camera away before he passed her the lenses. “Thanks, Minho.”

“No problem.”

“Can you deliver something to Kibum for me?”

He sat up a little straighter, his eyebrows arching. “Of course!”

“It’s his application to the, uh…” she squinted, looking down at the manila envelope she was pulling out of her back. “The Fashion Institute of Technology.” She handed it to him, shaking her head with a quiet laugh. “Sorry, it’s been a long day.”

“Don’t worry about it. What took them so long?”

She sighed, a lock of her hair fluttering from her breath. “My guess is because he’s overseas. The woman on the phone said that the incoming wizards have a bit more paperwork to fill out and -- “ She shrugged, looking over her shoulder at him. “He just fell through the cracks a bit.”

Nodding, Minho hugged the envelope to himself. “Do you think he’ll get in?”

“If I had to guess, yes. I feel like the administration for the Institute will want as many wizards as they can, now that it’s open to people like us.” Minho’s shoulders slumped ever so slightly, but she still caught it. She offered him a small smile as she sat beside him on the piano bench. “I’ll miss him, too.”

“I just wish I didn’t have to go so far away, you know?”

“Me too. For both of your sakes.” Minho gulped, starting to look away until Mrs. Kim’s soft gaze snatched his attention. “But you know what? I think you’ll be okay. Both of you will. You’re planning on seeing him again after you’re discharged, aren’t you?”

“Well, yeah.”

“See?" She patted his shoulder. "You’ve got nothing to worry about, hon. Long-distance isn’t easy, but the two of you -- I assume -- already have a solid foundation. You won’t be able to stand being apart for too long. You’ll probably naturally find your way back to each other’s side.”

Minho nodded, letting out a huff of a sigh. "Kibum says hi, by the way."

She chuckled. "He can come say hi himself tomorrow. I'm here until the task is over."

"I'll let him know," Minho said, laughing.

He left with her a few moments later, the manila envelope tucked under his arm as they split off -- Mrs. Kim heading down the Grand Staircase and Minho heading up to the seventh floor. Even if Kibum wasn't there, he knew that would be where he filled out the application, so might as well drop it off now instead of later.

The door to the study closet, however, was already etched into the wall. Grinning, Minho let himself inside and closed the door behind him.

"How'd it go?" Kibum asked, looking up from his rolls of notes. His attention shifted from Minho to the envelope in his hand as he drew nearer.

Minho gave him a quick kiss in greeting before he passed him the envelope. "Mom said that was your college application."

"Oh!" He took it, holding it before him, his eyes sparkling in the candlelight.

"Well," Minho said, his voice smiling despite his growing anxiety. He couldn't help himself, after seeing Kibum so excited. "Open it up!"

* * * * * * * * * *

The large yellow envelope was thick and crisp. Kibum’s hands shook a little as he opened it, pulling out the thick stack of papers. It looked very official and very Muggle-like. So much so that he just stared blankly at the first page for a few long seconds. He was getting in over his head, wasn’t he? Just from wanting to pursue this. Maybe he should hold back. Choose a safer option.

Minho leaned against him, his chin resting on his shoulder as he looked over the first page of the application. “Do you want me to get a pen?”

“Yeah.” Minho lifted his chin and moved away, Kibum already missing the welcome warmth of him being close to him. “You’re gonna have to help me, babe. This looks confusing.”

Minho’s chuckle filled the small room. “Of course.”

He started to set aside the envelope when something inside slid around. Curious, Kibum peeked inside, finding a square of parchment. Brow furrowed, he tipped the envelope, letting it fall into his open hand so he could read it.

Minseok figured what to do so he could come for Minho’s graduation

A mingled thrum of excitement and happiness coursed through him as he stuffed the note from his mother into his robe pocket. Merlin, that was such a relief. He knew Minseok would come through for Minho.

“Found one!” Minho said, smiling as he patted the floor beside him. “Let’s do it over here. A flat surface would be easier to fill all that out on.”

“I suppose,” Kibum said, groaning dramatically as he slid forward, lying beside Minho. He rested his head on Minho’s shoulder as he plopped the daunting stack of papers down before them, lifting it only when Minho handed him his pen.

It took a few hours to fill as much of the form out as they could without Mom’s help. They even took a break for dinner and came back up so that Kibum could finish the essay portion after they had given O’Neely the recommendation form to fill out. Kibum laid on the floor, pen poised to write as he watched Minho pace back and forth, deep in thought over what he should talk about for his essay topic. His hand already ached from writing out what he hoped to gain and bring to the world of fashion, and even then he wasn’t sure if it was any good. It was just this one last essay and they could head downstairs for the night.

Maybe if the common room was deserted, they could cuddle for a bit by the fire...that’d sure be nice.

“Any ideas?”

Minho shook his head despondently, his brow furrowed as he glanced his way. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be, it’s okay.”

Kibum rested his chin on his hand, his gaze trailing after Minho as he started to pace again. The flickering candlelight gleamed in his hair and on the slope of his neck until he turned, allowing it to highlight his face. Kibum watched, mesmerized. The question posed was What do you value most? in a way that Kibum felt was personal. But, what was there to tell? They knew he was a wizard, given that there was an entire form for that -- the Americans must not have as strict secrecy laws as the British -- so he could get into that, but --

“Min,” he said with a quiet laugh. “You’re gonna wear a hole through the floor if you don’t stop.”

“Sorry. Is it distracting you?”

“A bit.” Minho let out a long sigh, reluctantly making his way over to sit beside Kibum. “Try to work on the clues for a bit while I finish this up.”

“But I want to help you…”

Kibum smiled up at him, wishing he had the gumption to sit up and kiss his cute pout away. “You being here is help enough, don’t worry.” Minho reached over him, digging in his discarded robe pocket for the folded list of clues. He sidled up beside Kibum, and now that he was on his level, Kibum reached out with his free hand, cupping Minho’s jaw and guiding him into a kiss.

No matter how many times they kissed, Kibum knew he would never get tired of it. As distracting as it always was, it brought him peace of mind, for the moment. His swirling, disjointed thoughts all focused on Minho and Minho alone, even after they parted. He would have preferred to toss the essay and the clues aside, so they could savor this quiet moment… Instead, he forced himself to turn away, focusing once more on the blank sheet of paper before him. Minho, however, relaxed beside him, his head resting on his shoulder as he looked over the clues. Kibum pressed a kiss into his hair, smiling when Minho hummed happily, and took up his pen again.

What to write?

Minho scribbled yet another guess onto his parchment, Kibum glancing over at the movement. His gaze lingered on his hands before it slowly traveled up his arm to his shoulder, his neck, the curve of his ear, and finally to his profile. Would it be weird to write about Minho? Probably would be if he named him, but...who else in the world was more knowledgeable than he was about him?

He tore his gaze away, back to the paper. If he didn’t like it, he could always erase it, right? The spell to do that was simple enough. They learned it ages ago. Kibum picked up his pen, twirling it between his fingers before he set it to the page.

All my life, I have thought that love was this grand, elusive thing. A remnant of the gods’ grace bestowed on the humans before they left us to our own devices. A rare gift. One not easily found in modern society. Not true love, anyway. The love peddled and dealt out by those who had never actually felt it.

I have never been so happy to be wrong.

Love is infinite, in its way. Given freely, easily, willingly. Love finds you when you least expect it. It picks you up when you’ve fallen, holds you close, and keeps you warm as the storms of life wage angry around you. It is passionate about things that matter little to you, is kind to you when you least deserve it. Love is humble, patient, overflowing.

I know I may seem too young to some to have experienced as great a love as I am describing, but I have. And I am experiencing it. Because love is constant when the world is not. It is gentle, warm, and bright when the wide world around you is harsh, cold, and oh so dark. You can rely on it, even when you feel like you are undeserving of its warmth. Even when the world crashes, it will hold your hand, dry your tears, and make you believe in a better tomorrow.

To love is to hope, to dream, to heal, and to be.

Personally, I hope everyone can find a love like mine. His smile can light up the darkest night, his laughter is a song I memorized long ago. He knows me as I do him. He’s carried me out of the shadows of my own mind without a single complaint. He gives and he gives and he gives of himself, somehow without ever coming up short. It is because of him that I value love as much as I do; it is because of him that I am so well-acquainted with the healing force of love. He makes me want to be the best person I can be, just so I can be worthy of all that he has to offer.

Kibum dropped his pen, massaging his hand as it rolled across the final page of his application. It had come to him all at once, it was hard for his hand to keep up with his stream of consciousness. Minho looked up, eyebrows arched as Kibum hurried to cover the essay with the stack of the previous papers. “What’d you think of?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Hey,” Minho said, his voice colored with laughter. “Come on, you’ve gotta tell me.”

Kibum sat up, stuffing the completed application back into the envelope. “It was you, alright?” Kibum didn’t need to turn around to know that Minho was sitting up in interest. “No, you can’t read it. It’s embarrassing.”

Minho’s hand rested on Kibum’s waist, starting him blushing as Minho scooted over until he was pressed up behind him, reaching around to peek inside the envelope. His voice was low, rumbling slightly in his chest; Kibum’s mouth dried as his breath tickled his ear. “If it’s so embarrassing, then why are you sending it to strangers?”

“Because.”

“That’s a very helpful answer, thank you.” Kibum smiled, turning to him, their noses brushing together as Minho did the same. “I’m just teasing, Bummie. I don’t have to know if you don’t want to say.”

He both did and he didn’t. The prospect of actually saying “I love you” to Minho, despite what he had just written, despite everything they had experienced together, despite knowing that Minho would immediately say it back...it was terrifying, and he wasn’t quite sure why. As much as he felt it, he wasn’t ready to speak it. Not yet.

Instead, he shifted, his gaze dropping from Minho’s eyes to his lips, which was all the answer Minho needed for him to gather Kibum up in his arms and kiss him as if it was their first time all over again.

Maybe he didn't have to say it yet. And maybe they didn’t have to go downstairs to enjoy some peace and quiet by the fire. It was more than warm enough up here.

Bright sunshine greeted them the next day as they left the castle, heading down the muddy path to Hogsmeade. A few of the others accompanied them, though they were grouped before and behind them. Regardless, they couldn’t hold hands like they wanted to, so Kibum just held his envelope with both hands, listening to Minho talk about the magical fungus he had just found growing on the side of the tree of the Forbidden Forest.

It was cute how animated he could get when talking about plants. Is this how Minho felt when he would go on about potions? Heart fit to burst and unable to get rid of his effortless smile?

He had to make himself look away from Minho as they reached the village, both sidestepping the puddles from the days-long storm as they made their way to the Three Broomsticks. Mom was upstairs, Rosmerta informed them, in Room 5, and she had already been down for her breakfast. So, Kibum led the way up the stairs, knocking a few times before letting himself inside.

“Mom, it’s us…” His voice trailed off as they stepped inside, his attention shifting to the myriad pictures from the Champion’s latest photoshoot that were strung up around the room as well as laying on nearly every surface.

“Woah…” Minho breathed beside him as he let the door close.

Mom looked up from the notes she was making, unperturbed to find them there. “Be careful not to step on any, please." Minho reached out, holding onto Kibum’s arm as he started to step in the gaps between the pictures to help him maintain his balance. She glanced down at the envelope in Kibum’s arms. “Finished already?”

“Well, I have a few questions, actually.”

She made some room at her desk, passing off her parchment pad and the few photographs in her hand to Minho so that Kibum could set out his application. She helped him fill in the few blanks he had, and she glanced through the rest of the application, stopping when she reached the essay questions. Kibum went still beside her, staring at her when she reached the one he wrote about Minho. Her eyes darted back and forth over the text, a smile slowly appearing when she reached the end.

“Did you let him read this?” she asked quietly.

Kibum shook his head, and Minho, who had evidently overheard, asked loudly, “What? You let her read it?”

“Yeah? She’s allowed to?”

“But it’s about me!”

“Boys, please.” She shook her head, laughing as she straightened the application before stuffing it back inside the envelope. “I’ll send this off right away, and I’ll let you know where you stand as soon as I hear back from them. In the meantime,” she said, standing and stepping around the pictures to slip the envelope in her bag. “I could use your help picking out some pictures for the article. Kibum -- “ He looked up from one of the group pictures still on the desk. “Pick out your favorite of Minho’s.”

His face flushed scarlet, much to her and Minho’s amusement. “Mom…”

“What?” she asked, her tone belying her innocence. “Minho, pick out a good one of Miloni. I’ll take Turner and we can decide together on two group pictures.”

“Why…” Kibum got distracted, looking around at the flood of pictures staring back at him. “Why do you take so many if you need so few?”

“Insurance. There’s bound to be at least a few usable ones out of so many.”

Both Mom and Minho found one of Miloni and Turner as well as two group ones before Kibum could decide on one of just Minho. There were just too many to choose from, and they were all good, which made it a tad too difficult for him. Mom sent Minho downstairs with some money to buy them lunch, and Kibum still hadn’t decided on which one he wanted for Minho. He had, however, narrowed it down to two.

The first was Minho looking up at the sun over his shoulder. The sunlight glimmered in his eyes, probably too brightly at that moment, as he turned to smile for Mom as she took the picture. The second showed him stepping into the pose that Mom had probably directed him to, his serious expression shifting to a boyish grin as he looked past the camera. He loved them both, but for different reasons, and because of that, he was unable to decide.

“Kibum,” Mom said, drawing his attention away from the pictures. “I’ll let you keep the other one.”

Oh...He glanced between them again, then made his way over to where the other pictures were set on her desk. The other individual pictures matched the style of the first one, so with great reluctance, he set it down beside them and pocketed the other. Just in time for Minho to come upstairs with their food. Mom conjured up a table and some cushions for them, Kibum settling beside him while she took the opposite side. After the first couple of bites, she cleared , garnering their attention.

“If you want, I can take a few pictures of you two after graduation so you can take it with you.”

“Why would we need that?” Kibum had been about to ask, but then realization dawned. The last day of school would probably be the last time they saw each other for quite a while, regardless of whether he got into the Institute or not. He deliberately set down his fork, gulping as he glanced Minho’s way, who was staring blankly at a point past Mom’s head. “That...would probably be nice…”

“Yeah,” Minho added quietly.

It was such a strange thought -- that they were going to be separated for so long. He didn’t like it in the slightest, although it would have been weird if he did… It weighed heavily on his mind as they left the Three Broomsticks. Ordinarily, they would have perused the shops, stocking up on school supplies that they were running low on or stopping at Honeydukes or Madam Puddifoot’s for a treat. Today, however, they wordlessly made their way back down the winding, muddy path to the castle. They maintained their silence the whole way back, as there were too many passersby for comfortable conversation, even in a language that they wouldn’t have understood.

Minho followed him downstairs and into Slytherin, no one paying much attention to them as they passed through the crowded common room. The seventh year’s dorm was empty, and Minho closed the door behind him before he slumped against it.

“What are we gonna do, Bummie?”

Kibum shook his head, turning to face him as he sat on the lid of his trunk. “I don’t know.” Minho pushed away from the door, and Kibum scooted over a bit, making room on his trunk for Minho to sit beside him. “How long is your military service gonna be, again?”

“Almost two years, I think.” He pressed his face into his hands, sighing heavily as Kibum started to rub his back. “And then I’d have to save up to move to wherever you are. New York, probably. Which will be way too long to be apart from you.”

Kibum nodded, despite himself. At least Minho didn’t see. His hand settled around Minho’s waist and his chin on his shoulder. They sighed a second apart. “We’ll figure it out, right?”

Minho looked his way, searching his gaze. “I hope so.”

“It won’t be the end of the world.” Even if it will feel like it.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“We’ll still have our notebooks...and we can talk on the phone...when do you leave?”

Minho shrugged. “Dad hasn’t told me yet. Probably early July, at the latest.”

“We have some time to work out...a plan,” he said quietly, as if three months was more than enough time to prepare to say goodbye. Indefinitely.

His blood ran cold at the thought. Would any amount of time dedicated to preparing to say goodbye to Minho be enough? They had the rest of the school year and graduation to factor in. The time between now and Minho’s departure would pass like nothing. Honestly, if he thought about it much longer, he would probably start crying. So, instead, he cleared his throat and patted Minho’s side.

“Let’s worry about it later, okay?”

Minho nodded, shifting so that he could easily embrace Kibum, which he willingly obliged. He closed his eyes, pressing as tightly against Minho as he could manage, so much so that he could feel the faint beat of Minho’s heart matching the tempo of his own.

They'd be okay.

Right?

* * * * * * * * * *

The arrival of the final task crept nearer and nearer, and Minho continued to weed out the possible answers for the clues. The loopy scripted loomed behind his eyes as he slept, or appeared in the notes he attempted to take for classes. He could barely concentrate on much else, aside from when Kibum distracted him with a kiss.

Or several.

He sat at his spot at dinner the night before, muttering the clues he had long since memorized under his breath. It wasn't quite as stressful as facing a dragon -- the premise of the task sounded more like an extended swim than anything else. But in the moments that he wasn't studying the clues or practicing the Bubble-head Charm, he sat, either alone or with Kibum, in the Laciospecto to watch what it looked like beneath the surface of the lake. To see how the mermaids and grindylows interacted with humans and each other, but even that seemed unimportant.

"You've gotta eat something, mate," Eli said, just loud enough to catch his attention.

"Not before you swim, you're don't." A slip of the tongue, to be sure, but then everyone would have to be idiots not to notice the giant sets of scaffolding set up in the Black Lake.

Travis his teeth and Seb shook his head, leaning across the table at him. "Yeah, but that's not for hours."

Nodding weakly, Minho attempted to lift his fork, but his stomach lurched and he replaced the fork before the tines had even left the tabletop. Thoughts flooded his mind. Thoughts that he was completely wrong in his guesses. That he'd completely forget how to do the Bubble-head Charm. That he'd fail come morning and disgrace the whole school.

Gulping, Minho pushed away from the table, jostling Gil and Marvin on either side of him before he got up and strode out of the Great Hall. He hurried down the stairs and into the empty Hufflepuff common room. He changed into his swimming trunks and grabbed his wand before he ran back out into the corridor, his bare footsteps echoing loudly as he rushed down the darkened hall.

His wand tip lit itself with a thought of Lumos, and once he had reached the secret room that held the pool he had been practicing in. He discarded his shirt before he jumped in, hastily casting the Bubble-head Charm as he dipped below the surface.

His breathing took a few seconds below the surface to calm. The warmth of the water surrounding him soothed him, and he kicked off from the rocky crag, lighting the tip of his wand again as he searched the depths of the pool. Kibum had tossed a handful of Knuts into the water a few weeks ago for Minho to practice finding. His eyes darted back and forth, searching for a glimmer of bronze in the inky black crevices.

He was able to find two more before he resurfaced, tossing his wet hair back and starting when he glimpsed a figure watching him at the edge of the pool. Kibum, of course. His rapid heartbeat started to settle at the sight of him, and he pulled his wand out of the water as he swam over to where he crouched at the edge.

"Hey," Kibum said, drying his lips with a swipe of his thumb before he leaned in to kiss him. Minho drifted closer still to the edge, until the rocky edges jabbed at his stomach, and held onto Kibum's sweater as Kibum's thumb started to Minho's neck. "Are you okay?"

Kibum had barely pulled away to ask that. His nose still brushed against Minho's, whose eyes stayed closed in anticipation for their next kiss. "Better now," he said, his voice cracking around the words.

Smiling, Kibum kissed him again, and again, and again. The tension he had been carrying for days melted away, forgotten now under the spell of Kibum's lingering kisses. It didn't return until much later, when they were making their way back to the Slytherin common room, each step leading them away from the pool reminding him of his upcoming task.

"Do you have the list?" Kibum asked, wand poised to open the common room.

. "No."

At the sound of distant footsteps, Kibum released his hand, and they walked alongside each other as they headed for Hufflepuff instead.

They parted at the edge of the tunnel, Minho heading to his room to retrieve the list and change into his pajamas and Kibum heading up to the loft where they would hopefully be alone. It was dark once he slipped behind the bookcase, save for a radiating light beneath the stairs.

"Kibum?" Minho whispered.

"Yeah, come back here."

Minho ducked so he didn't hit his head as he crawled beneath the stairs and he sat beside Kibum, joining him in looking around.

It had been years since he had been down here. If he remembered right, he had shown Kibum beneath the stairs during their second Christmas holiday together. Kibum had found his parents' initials then...maybe he was looking for them now.

"How many of these couples do you think lasted?" Kibum asked, his voice quiet in Minho's ear.

"No idea."

Kibum raised his wand, searching the underbelly of the stairs for -- "There!" He pointed his wand tip at a bare spot and Minho scooted forward, grabbing his own wand out of the pocket of his pajamas. "What should we write?"

Minho hummed in thought, scratching his neck. His fingers caught on the cord of the necklace he has made all those years ago. He felt for the stone pendant, brushing his thumb over the crude engraving. "Scribo."

He moved quickly, deliberately. The heart was a little hard to get right, but the characters fit neatly in the small space. He lowered his wand with a smile, glancing over at Kibum, whose eyes were gleaming in the wand light as he stared up at the inscription.

민♡키

Kibum smiled, tearing his eyes away from it and meeting Minho's gaze. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but whatever it was, he decided against it. Instead, he fisted his hand and Minho's t-shirt and pulled him into a kiss that Minho couldn't help but melt into when Kibum deepened it.

They broke apart instantly when the steps creaked above them, Kibum immediately extinguishing his wand as they listened to the footfalls. The door to the loft opened and closed, and Minho slumped against the wall, relieved that they hadn't been caught. Kibum shifted beside him, and from the sounds of it, scooted forward to slip out from under the stairs.

"Come on, Min…"

Minho felt for the edge of the stairs so he wouldn't hit his head as he stood and followed Kibum up the stairs. A bunch of the seventh years were upstairs, working on the homework Flitwick assigned them, based on which textbooks they had in common. Eli and Rhesa were cuddled up together on one of the far cushions, neither acknowledging Minho or Kibum when they came in. It took Travis, Seb, and Marvin a few minutes before they noticed that they had settled on two of the oversized cushions behind them, given how wrapped up in their non-verbal spell review they were.

No Gil, which meant he was probably somewhere with Analecia.

Minho got out his crumpled list, smoothing it between him and Kibum. "Okay, which ones are you sure about?"

He pointed to the starred ones. "But even then, I could be totally off."

"Hmm…"

Kibum scanned the list, flipping it over. "There's only three you're unsure of?" He nodded. "That's not bad at all, Min! I doubt the other two are completely sure either."

"True, but -- "

"Still, let's try to figure them out."

They were able to figure out one more -- Kibum's confidence in the Snitch being the answer to Small and flighty, so tread lightly when you try to find me eased Minho's uncertainty -- before the warmth of the loft lulled Kibum to sleep. The others found their way downstairs until all that was left was him and Kibum. After a while of staring at the parchment, Minho set it aside and rolled over on his side so he could watch Kibum for a bit.

The golden light of the lanterns softened the sharp lines of Kibum's profile. It gleamed in his hair, cast shadows from his eyelashes, and gently caressed his lips. He knew he should wake him up, that they should sleep in their own beds to avoid suspicion, but the thought of waking him up when he looked so peaceful as well as leaving his side was abhorrent. So, instead, Minho rolled over, reaching for the nearest blanket and covered them both.

The lights dimmed soon after he settled, stealing his view of Kibum, save for the light of the silvery moon. No matter. He found Kibum's outstretched hand beneath the blanket, holding it until he drifted off himself.

He woke with a start.

It was morning. The harsh light of day was streaming in from the balcony. There was a crowd gathered outside, their chatter carrying into the loft through the open door. Someone shook him, and Minho turned, looking up at Kibum and Gil, both of whose eyes were blown wide.

"Wh -- "

"You've gotta go get changed! It's starting soon!" Gil said as Kibum pulled him to his feet.

He changed in a flurry of clothes and triple-checked to make sure he had his wand and the list of clues before he ran back out to meet Kibum and Gil, clad now in his waterproof Champion gear. He pulled on his left tennis shoe before he hurried for the door, Kibum and Gil following close behind him.

"Why'd you let me sleep?" he asked as they reached the ground floor, his tone more exasperated than he intended.

"Sorry!" Kibum said, panting from the exertion. "You were just so cute, I -- Gil, stop laughing!"

Minho chuckled himself, though he didn't slow so the others could keep up. Instead, he ran as fast as his legs would allow down to where the other Champions were waiting by the shore with their chosen partners. Gil split off from Kibum then, letting him rejoin Minho as he made his way to the stands.

The seating within the scaffoldings set about a dozen meters into the lake was filled to the brim. There were five in all, and a makeshift boardwalk leading to and connecting all of them. The top two-thirds held the crowds, all of whom were turned to watch them take to their places. The one in the center held the judges, who were also watching them, while the others had a neat pile of towels set to the side.

Minho gulped, staring at them all before Professor Crowell cleared .

"All here now?" Crowell asked with a stern look at Minho and Kibum. She was met with silence. "Good. Let's go."

* * * * *

Kibum patted the small of Minho's back, prompting him to follow the others down the thin boardwalk. When they reached the first platform, Kibum glanced at the crest painted on the floorboards. Shimmery gold filigree surrounded a shield with an ornate calligraphed B with a pair of crossed wands set above it. After a firm Stay put from Crowell, he and Minho and Miloni and Genadi stepped down onto the boardwalk connecting the next platform.

The Durmstrang crest was painted on the floorboards of that one -- in the center, a golden double-headed eagle with its wings splayed and topped with a banner that he could only assume said Durmstrang Institute, given that it was written in what looked like Russian. They left Miloni and Genadi there and he and Minho kept on, moving past the judges' platform and to the one on the other side. The Hogwarts crest was painted there too, the lion, the snake, the badger, and the eagle watching them step onto the platform almost proudly.

"Remember," Crowell said with a sharp, almost bird-like nod to Kibum. "Red sparks from you if he needs medical attention."

"Yes, Professor."

Nodding again, she continued onto the final platform where Madam Pomfrey greeted her. Kibum shivered as the lake-chilled breeze swept around them, and he looked back at Minho as he toed off his sneakers. McGonagall was speaking, her voice booming out over the water as she explained the task to the onlookers. But Kibum didn’t listen.

“How are you doing?”

Minho shook his head, bending to pick up his shoes and set them next to the stack of plushy towels. “I’m not really sure yet.”

“I’m sorry I let you oversleep.”

Minho smiled, meeting his eye as he took his wand out of his pocket. “Champions!” McGonagall said, cutting off whatever response Minho would have made. “Take to the water, please!”

He took the list of clues out of his pocket, passing it to Kibum, who followed him over to the edge. He winced when Minho’s bare foot touched the water, and Minho’s grimaced and hissed as he sank into it. Already shivering, he kept watching Kibum as he crouched before him, surreptitiously placing a hand over his. “Partners! Be sure you know which item goes with which clue! If you don’t, the item will not be counted.”

“You’ve got this,” Minho said through chattering teeth, giving Kibum a confident nod, as if he was the one with the hard job.

“So do you.” Minho smiled weakly, and Kibum wished with everything in him that he could have given him a kiss for luck.

Something flashed in Kibum’s vision, and he looked up, his mouth popping open slightly. In the middle of the lake, hovering just above the water were three oversized images of the scaffolding and the champions within. Were they going to be able to see what happened to each of them in real-time? He scanned the three images, finding him and Minho staring back out of the furthest to the right.

“Bum.” He glanced back at Minho, meeting his mischievous gaze.

But whatever he was going to say was obliterated by the cannon fire above them. Minho’s expression shifted immediately -- Kibum’s determined Champion was back. He whipped his wand out, effortlessly performed the Bubble-head Charm, and dipped below the surface. Kibum’s gaze flew to his screen and clutched the list, every muscle taut as he sat poised and ready to run as he waited for Minho’s first return.

“Excuse me,” someone said, startling Kibum enough to almost fall into the water himself. He looked back up, finding a tall, dark man in a navy Muggle suit standing behind him. He smiled with faux congeniality. “May I get your name?”

“Why?”

His smile grew, and Kibum was reminded of a crocodile. “Just in case.”

“Kibum. Kim Kibum.”

“For?” Kibum frowned in silent question, every part of him wanting to ask him why the he was bothering him right now. “Which Champion are you with?”

“Choi Minho. What is this about?”

“Thank you, Mr. Kim. We’ll possibly be in touch soon.” And with that, he strode off the platform and onto the boardwalk, leaving Kibum to stare at him incredulously until he dipped out of sight behind the judges.

* * * * *

“Recaeli!” Minho said, swishing his wand around his head as the cannon fire died in the air and slipping immediately underwater. Frightfully cold, murky water surrounded him. Dim sunlight glimmered in shifting ribbons above him, and long strips of algae waved in the currents below. A glance over to where the other Champions were showed him uninhabited water.

Right. One hour. That’s all the time he had. He had to get going and fast.

His grip on his wand tightened and he started swimming further into the dark depths of the lake, gripping his wand as tight as he could. The clues and his guesses at what they meant flooded his mind, jumbling unhelpfully by the time he reached the algae.

Still no sign of the other two. His brow furrowed as he looked up, a single bubble catching his eye. It followed his movements and dodged his finger when he reached out to touch it. Must be what’s projecting the image in the air... Minho looked away, feeling slightly self-conscious as he moved some algae aside to swim through the underwater forest.

Nothing.

There was nothing but fish and muck floating in the water. Maybe the items would be further down? Hidden in the slime-covered rocks and on the lake floor? Worrying his bottom lip, he dived again, lighting his wand tip as the light of day diminished.

A shadow passed over him as he reached the lake floor, but whatever it was was gone by the time he looked up. The light from his wand barely helped, given how dark and dingy everything was down in the algae forest. He squinted, feeling the rocks for literally anything that didn’t feel like a rock. As he was starting to lose hope, his fingertips brushed against something, slightly porous and a whole lot less slime-covered. Frowning now, he dug it out of the rocks and pulled it up to his eye level.

A cauldron. Just like the one he bought in Diagon Alley seven years ago. It was too far out into the lake to be the product of an angry Potions student taking out their frustration on their cauldron. This had to be deliberate.

Minho pushed up from the floor, swimming up, up, up until his bubble popped as he reached the surface, his arm aching from swimming with an increasingly heavy cauldron in one hand. Treading water, he scanned the surface, finding himself a whole lot closer to the screens than he expected. He turned back around, a flash of red sparks from Turner’s scaffolding drawing his attention. Panic tightened in his chest as he raised his wand and performed the Bubble-head Charm again, diving below the surface again and swimming back to Kibum.

It took him much longer than he would have liked to reach him. He leaned, exhausted, against the floorboards as he heaved the cauldron up, sloshing lake water all over Kibum as he reached out to grab his arm. “Oh, sorry, babe,” he said breathlessly.

“Don’t even worry about it. Which clue -- “

“Strong...and sturdy...I think…” He said, pausing to catch his breath between words.

Kibum’s grip tightened on him as he scanned the clue list. “Strong and sturdy, usually dirty; with me, one’s glory they can brew. Makes sense,” he said, looking back at Minho. “Fifteen points! Good job!”

“It’s not much,” he said with a tired smile.

“Yeah, but it’s a start.” He let go of Minho’s arm, his dimpled smile instilling a little bit more energy in him. “See you soon.”

Nodding, Minho pushed off and dived below the surface again.

He really needed to be quicker, to find better items with higher points if he wanted to make any sort of progress. But where to look? Nothing stood out to him in the murky green water, aside from the wavering strips of algae. Sighing heavily enough that it sort of fogged up the bubble enveloping his head, Minho swam back toward it. He held his wand aloft, his eyes darting this way and that as he surveyed the forest for any sort of danger.

His eyes widened and he stopped swimming for a second when he heard the faint, sing-songy voice of a child. For a split second, he thought he might be trapped in one of those ty horror movies Minseok liked so much, but the algae forest shifted to reveal a village of sorts. Grass-like algae-covered nearly every surface of the village, swaying in the water as if there were a breeze. Merpeople swam all around, young and old and everyone in between, their fishlike eyes falling on him as he burst out of the algae forest.

Minho froze, eyes wide and unblinking as he surveyed them all.

There was a tinkling sound, small and nearly suffocated by the surrounding water, and Minho tore his gaze away from the gathering crowd to where one of the mermaid young was playing with a teacup. Minho cautiously propelled himself forward, tucking his wand away and showing the older merpeople his hands. I mean no harm, please realize that... The young merperson met Minho’s eyes through the bubble encapsulating his head and shrank back enough for the teacup -- which had been perched upside down on its head -- to fall off. It scrambled to catch it before it hit the lake floor, clutching it to its heaving chest as it stared at Minho.

Minho braced himself, sitting cross-legged before it on the rocky floor. He pointed at himself, then to the cup, which had a large chip on the rim of it. “May I have it?” he asked, his voice resounding off the bubble and ringing in his ears.

“Why do you want it?” the child asked in English, its voice slow and wispy.

“I think I need it. For a competition...like, a game?”

It looked Minho over, unfurling its tail from its protective position around it, and pointed to his wand tucked into his waistband. “I will exchange it.”

Minho covered his wand protectively. “Not this, I need this. What if I promise to return with something else?”

“Will it be better?”

He nodded emphatically, though he had no idea what the he could give the child that would be better than a wand. Regardless, it tentatively handed Minho the teacup, its green hair billowing around its face as it shifted toward him. Minho bowed, and after a second’s hesitation, pushed up from the floor and swam as fast as he could toward the surface, keeping an eye out for the legs of the scaffolding so he wouldn’t breach the surface so far away this time.

A few moments later, he returned to Kibum, setting the teacup beside his knee. “Are you okay? What did the merperson want?”

“Could you not hear?” Kibum shook his head, and Minho let out a tired chuckle. “To exchange it for something.” But what? He scanned the platform as Kibum read through the clues again, his gaze landing on his shoes. “Which one is it?” he asked, scooting away from Kibum to grab one of them.

“Hmm...Though I am broken -- “

“I can still be used to warm a cold day, I won’t refuse,” Minho finished for him.

“Sounds good?” He nodded, picking up his left shoe, and returning to the water with a swish of his wand around his head.

He rushed back toward the forest, finding the child treading water at the edge of it. Minho brought around the shoe, and the gills on its neck flared as its eyes widened ever so slightly. “You remembered?” it asked, the eerie, sing-song voice sending chills down his spine.

“Of course!”

“Many thanks, human.”

Minho nodded, unsure what to do as long as its wide eyes were on him. It took several prolonged seconds before it turned away and Minho was able to speed off toward his next item. Wherever the that was. As soon as he was clear of the algae forest, he decided it was time to steer as clear of it as he could. There could be more items hidden within its depths, but for now, he had no wish to interact with merpeople again.

The bubble above his head let out a resounding gong, startling Minho enough to stop swimming and look up at it. Where it was translucent before, it was now a royal blue, standing out in the murky green light surrounding him. A certain amount of time must have passed, and with his luck, there were probably only five minutes left.

Picking up speed, he swam closer to the coastline, swimming between the scaffolding legs and searching the shadows for a glimmer of literally anything. He reached Miloni’s when he spotted something. A flash of white caught his wand light. He whipped around, as he had been about to swim away, and swam down, down, down. It was a playing card. The king of hearts. The words of the clue flashed in his mind as he swam back toward where Kibum was.

The world turns red without my queen, my heart is broken without her seen.

He murmured that under his breath until he resurfaced, startling Kibum. “The world turns red…” he said as he slapped the card on the floorboard and rested his forehead on his aching arm.

“Oh, that one’s twenty points!”

“What am I up to now?”

“Thirty-five.”

Minho grimaced, raising his head to meet Kibum’s eye. “That’s all?”

“I’d say that’s pretty good, Min. You’re probably about twenty minutes in.”

Oh. So he wasn’t doing as bad as he thought. Good.

He pushed away from the platform, watching Kibum for a second as he picked up the card and started for the judges’ table. Minho dipped back below the surface, scanning the open water.

Where to next?

The wavy strips of algae caught his eye once again, but he shook his head and swam in the opposite direction. Toward the castle, he thought, the blue bubble following him into the inky shadows of the rocks beneath the castle. There had to be something hidden down there, right?

He lit his wand again as the shadows closed in around him, his eyes scanning everywhere he could see for a sign of anything that could possibly --

Something moved in the shadows. Something huge. Minho immediately extinguished his wand when a giant eye turned toward him, swimming back toward the light. His panicked breaths fogged up the inside of his bubble, so he couldn't see where exactly he was going. All he knew is that he was getting as far away from whatever that was.

But it's eye was still on him. He could sense the weight of its scrutiny. His heartbeat pounded in his ears as he swam, not caring where he was going, as long as he --

A russet tentacle-looking thing shot past him, sending a jolt through Minho. Another joined it, then another, until he was surrounded by tentacles furling and unfurling around him. His hands shook as he fumbled with his wand, his mind racing as he tried to think of something, anything that he could do.

The giant squid that inhabited the lake was supposedly semi-domesticated. Perhaps it was a pet of one of the former Hogwarts Headmasters, but really, Minho had no idea how or why it came to be in the Black Lake. Only that it was. He’d seen it in the distance, occasionally, in the Laciospecto, but never up close and personal like this. He revolved slowly, his eyes meeting its. As its beak snapped, he gulped.

The bubble above his head gonged once more, shifting from blue to an emerald green.

What was he even supposed to do? There was no escaping this...The squid was bigger and faster than he could ever dream of being...there was no running, no hiding…

Wait --

Its beak snapped open again, revealing a flash of yellow and black. Was that..? Quidditch banners was the answer to the clue In colours proud and standard old, our waving makes the victor bold. Could it be...helping him? Despite himself, he laughed, the sound of which was unnaturally strained. Dare he? He glanced away from the squid, who had made no move to grab him, and up at the pulsing green bubble. He didn’t have much time left, and if he wanted to find more clues, he’d have to get away from this thing eventually.

Merlin’s ing beard, what am I doing? he thought to himself as he tentatively swam forward. Every muscle tightened as he drew nearer and nearer. His hands trembled violently as he reached its beak, which opened again. The Hufflepuff banner was caught on one of the sharp points within. Minho nook several long, heavy breaths, staring at the banner and the edges of the beak that could probably chop his arm clean off if it wanted to.

The sooner you do this, the sooner you could leave.

No matter how many times he repeated that to himself, he knew he wouldn’t be able to make himself move. Not without a surge of bravery that didn’t feel like it was coming.

What must Kibum and the others be feeling right now? Would they be watching his screen? Would they be able to take their eyes away.

Kibum is probably terrified...

That thought alone bolstered him enough to surge forward, bracing himself on the beak as he worked to free the banner. He’d have to apologize to Kibum later, and he could do so as soon as this was in his hands and he was swimming away. Seeing Kibum was always a relief, but after this, it’d take every ounce of willpower he had not to cling to him and kiss him like his life depended on it as soon as he was back in the safety of his presence. The last of the strings snapped and Minho pushed as hard as he could away from the squid, swimming as fast as he could up and away.

To the surface.

To Kibum.

A resounding cheer traveled to him across the lake as he finally reached the surface. He was so, so far away from the scaffolding, but he was also away from the squid. He glanced over at the screens, finding that Miloni had just surfaced as well while Turner was still underwater. Scanning the scaffolding, he found his and took a deep breath before he performed the Bubble-head Charm again and dove below once more.

The squid was thankfully nowhere to be seen. Probably back in the shadows of the cave it had been lurking in when Minho found it. No matter, now. He swam as fast as he could toward Kibum, surfacing again only when he reached his scaffolding.

Kibum latched onto him immediately, pulling him halfway out of the water and into a tight hug. He said nothing, just clung to him. Minho’s throat tightened as he let the banner drop wetly behind him. “Bum, I have to go…” Instead of releasing him immediately, he simply clung to him tighter. Just for a second. “I’m sorry.”

Kibum shook his head, finally releasing him. “Are you -- “ his voice cracked around the words, and Minho, who figured that Kibum was asking if he were alright, nodded. “Okay.”

Minho tapped the list as he sank back into the water. “In colours proud -- “

“I know.”

“Recaeli!”

The bubble turned a bright yellow with an echoing gong as soon as Minho’s head dipped below the water. He glared at before he swam back toward the castle, regretting how long it had taken him to face the giant squid. Not that he could have forced himself to go any faster...but still. He swam past the opening to the river leading into the docks within the castle, heading instead to the other side where the opening for the Laciospecto was. There was bound to be something over here, right? The other two were too far away to come over, so maybe…

He swam up to the yawning opening, peering into the empty, lantern-lit Laciospecto. It was strange to see it from this side, but --

Something glimmered to his left, the wavering light catching his eye. He found it immediately, blinking slowly in surprise. A lone lit candle? Underwater? He looked around before he swam over to it, plucking it from its perch on an algae-covered rock.

Without another thought, he pushed off the rock and rushed back past the Laciospecto. There wasn’t much time left. Less than fifteen minutes. His time might as well be up, for all the good it would do… He shook his head, refusing to get frustrated until after this was over. It would only cloud his mind and that wouldn’t be --

Something else gleamed in the light close to the surface. Something small and golden. Minho’s eyes widened as he followed it’s path into the algae forest. The Snitch. That was one of the answers, he was sure. Worth a few points too, if he remembered right. Too bad he could only do one item at a time.

Clenching his jaw, Minho picked up his pace, swimming faster toward the scaffolding where Kibum was waiting. “I don’t know which one this goes to,” he said as soon as he passed the magically lit candle to him.

“It’s okay, I do. Get going.”

Nodding, Minho submerged himself again and darted toward where he last saw the Snitch. Memories of his Seeker days flooded his mind as he reached the forest, which wasn’t exactly helpful. He tried to ignore them as he weaved through the waving stripes of algae, his eyes darting all around as he searched in vain.

Below.

A streak of gold.

Minho dived on instinct, making chase of the elusive ball, dodging the rocks of the lake floor. It was in sight, now, just a few meters ahead of him. He lifted his wand, the Summoning Charm on the tip of his tongue as something bit down on his shoulder. He cried out in surprise, the sound ringing in his ears as he moved to beat whatever it was off of him. But another, a slimy grindylow latched onto his arm, a small cloud of red surrounding his arm as it bit into him.

He growled in frustration as more swarmed around him at the scent of his blood. He lifted his wand hand again, only for another to scrabble at it, its tiny claws cutting deep ribbons into his hand. “Relashio!” he yelled, swishing his wand at those closest to him. They shot away from him, and he performed the Revulsion Jinx again and again until there were none left around them, even if they kept coming back. He swam forward again, throwing jinxes over his shoulder every few seconds to keep the grindylows at bay.

Where was it...where…

The glint of gold caught his eye again as it shot up toward the surface, and Minho followed, propelling himself with a push off the lake floor. He raised his wand again. “Accio Snitch!”

It shot back toward him and into his waiting hand. Only as he closed his fist around it did the sting of the grindylows’ attack register in his mind. His wounds throbbed as he swam back to his scaffolding, and he grabbed Kibum’s hand before he could lift his wand to send off red sparks. “But -- “

Minho shook his head, passing Kibum the Snitch. “Later. Recaeli.”

He was only in the water for a few seconds when the bubble turned red, followed by the loudest gong yet. It was followed by McGonagall, with her voice emanating from the bubble, to calmly say, “Time’s up.”

Minho’s shoulders slumped as he turned to resurface. He’d failed, he just knew it. There was no what he would have collected enough points to beat the other two. Absolutely no way. He wasted too much time…

Kibum was still at the judges’ table by the time he reached the scaffolding. Minho tossed his wand onto the floorboards before he strained to heave himself out of the water. His arms were shaking too much from the non-stop swimming and the grindylow attack. Honestly, he’d be surprised if he’d be able to walk after all this.

“Wait, wait!” Minho looked up, grimacing in another attempt to pull himself up. Kibum was running across the boardwalk, his arms stretched out to help him stay balanced. “Let me help you.”

Even with Kibum’s help, it took a considerable effort to pull himself onto the platform. As soon as he was out of the water, though, Kibum wrapped him in a large towel before he started to dry his hair. “Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes wide with worry as Minho’s met his. Minho’s teeth were chattering too much for him to speak, so he simply nodded. “Pomfrey and Crowell are with the other two right now, I’m sure they’ll be over here soon.”

Minho nodded again, gulping as his focus shifted to Kibum’s lips. Honestly, at this point, he didn’t really care if they were still on the screen or not. He just wanted Kibum’s comfort, and at the moment, he didn’t really care who knew it. When his lips started to curve upward into a smile, Minho looked up, meeting his gaze again. “Wait until we’re not being watched by the whole school, okay?”

He let out a drawn-out sigh. “Fine.”

Pomfrey reached them first, Kibum standing aside so she could tend to Minho. Not only did she heal his wounds, but she also eased some of the ache in his muscles, enough for him to be able to stand when McGonagall’s voice rang out across the lake. “We have the results!”

Minho’s arm slung over Kibum’s shoulder for support, and Kibum immediately slipped his arm around his waist, holding him close.

“For the third task, our winner is Turner Bellamy -- “ A chorus of cheers, undoubtedly from the Beauxbatons students, sounded in the distance. “ -- With one hundred and ten points. Miloni Abel is in second -- “ A ringing started in his ears, his legs almost giving way. After all that, he lost. It was worthless. He might as well not have even bothered.

Kibum patted his side, and Minho glanced over at him to find him nodding toward the judges’ table. There would be time to spiral into an emotional breakdown later when he was in the safety of Kibum’s arms. He shook his head, refocusing.

“ -- And, because of this three-way tie, we’ll be having a fourth task as a tie-breaker.”

.

Okay.

Maybe there was still hope that he could win this after all.

* * * * * * * * * *

“So, Champions, we’ll be contacting you soon with the details of the final task of the Triwizard Tournament. For now, you can all head back to the castle.”

Minho’s hand squeezed Kibum’s shoulder tightly, making him look his way. “Where do you want to go, Min?”

“With you?” His eyebrows raised as his voice slurred tiredly. “Anywhere.”

Kibum snorted, looking him over before he started them slowly down the boardwalk. Pomfrey had gotten rid of the evidence of the grindylows’ attack, but Kibum couldn’t quite push away the image of Minho streaked in blood. As hard as it was to watch Minho go through all of that alone, he couldn’t help but be grateful that he had been able to help him during the task, even if it was just a little bit.

“Wait!” Romilda called after them as they reached the lawn. “Let’s get some photos of all of you.”

Minho and Miloni congratulated Turner between flashes from Mom’s camera. She even wanted a few pictures with the Champions’ chosen assistants. Minho lifted his arm with a wince and Kibum slotted right back into his place by his side. She only asked a few brief questions as an exit interview, probably sensing how tired everyone was, before she sent them on their way.

“I’m still...so cold…” Minho muttered to Kibum as the three pairs started back to the castle, no doubt intending him to be the only one who heard him. But, in his exhaustion, he forgot to say it in Korean, so the others heard him.

“Me too,” Turner said quietly.

Kibum rubbed a little warmth into Minho’s side. “Have you guys been up to the Prefect’s bathroom? It’s really spacious and a warm bath would probably do us all good.” Oh, wait, would that be weird for the other two?

Before he could say anything more, Genadi sighed and Turner looked up, his expression slightly brighter. “That sounds good. Yes.”

“Oh...okay...Follow me, then.”

Genadi followed Miloni back to their ship instead of joining them on their way back to the castle, and Celeste said goodbye before she headed back to the Beauxbatons' carriages. The walk up to the fifth floor was hindered by how slow both Minho and Turner were walking. Not that Kibum could blame either of them, of course, but he did end up going before them to fill up the bath so it would be ready by the time they showed up.

Minho and Turner appeared in the doorway together, Turner’s mouth hanging slightly open as he took in the splendor of the room. Kibum glanced around, noticing the gleaming marble surfaces and the golden light of the glittering chandelier anew. He’d been allowed to use this bathroom since the start of fifth year so he had grown quite accustomed to the beauty of the Prefects' bathroom.

“Go ahead and hop in,” Kibum said, gesturing to the still-filling pool-sized tub. “It’ll probably really help.”

He busied himself with grabbing towels while the other two undressed, and he waited until he heard two splashes before he turned back around. Minho had slumped until the bubbles were grazing his chin and the bottom of his ears, and Turner, a little further away, had done the same.

“Congratulations again, Turner,” Minho said sluggishly. Merlin, he could only imagine how tired he was.

“Thanks…” There was a long and awkward pause, in which Kibum cleared his throat twice before Turner spoke again. “I just wish Roselyn could have been here...”

Kibum’s brow furrowed as he glanced at the back of Minho’s head and then beyond to where Turner was sitting. Minho did mention something about him choosing his little sister, who Kibum had met last year during the Potion’s competition. “Did something happen?”

It took a minute for Turner to respond. Kibum moved closer, sitting off to the side close to Minho, both of them watching Turner as he said, “She...she’s pregnant. And...and since I’m contractually obliged to finish the Tournament, she took the fall. She was sent back home.”

Oh .

“I’m sorry, man,” Minho said quietly.

Kibum glanced his way. Not that they had done anything more than kissing yet, but he and Minho were lucky that they’d never have to personally deal with something like this. Though, he couldn’t wonder which would be worse: discovering you had gotten pregnant at school or being forcibly outed at school. Neither were great and his heart went out to Roselyn -- she must be terrified….

Turner shrugged despondently, sending a ripple through the bubbles. “I wish I would have been able to shoulder some of it. I hate that she is going through it alone right now.”

“You’ll be home soon,” Kibum said, and the conversation soon shifted to their different experiences in the lake.

Kibum dried both of their swimsuits while they talked so that they bore no evidence of ever being in the lake so it wouldn’t be uncomfortable to put them back on when they were done with their bath. As soon as they pulled themselves out of the bath, Kibum hurried to drain the water while they dried off and got dressed again. Kibum waited for a while, his back turned for the sake of maintaining their privacy, eventually glancing over at Minho as he slowly pulled on his shirt.

He was probably really sore...they should probably head downstairs so he could rest in his bed rather than in their nest of blankets and sweaters upstairs. It’d be more comfortable that way.

Turner left them at the doorway, heading back the way they came, no doubt heading back to the carriages to get some rest himself. Kibum was about to ask Minho if he wanted to head to his room when Minho grabbed his hand and led him toward the side staircase. Well, if Minho wanted to go up to the study closet right now, who was he to argue with that?

Once they were inside, Kibum lit a few of the candles while Minho curled up in one of the blankets, letting out a heavy sigh. Kibum moved to sit, and Minho held his blanket open, wrapping Kibum up beside him. He leaned on Kibum, his head resting on Kibum’s shoulder as he started to his side. “That was crazy…”

The image of Minho facing the giant squid and the grindylow attack flashed in his mind’s eye, and he held Minho a little tighter. “How are you doing?”

“Tired.”

Kibum smiled, his eyes closing for a second as he kissed Minho’s hair. “Just one more task to go.” Minho nodded, and Kibum kissed the top of his head again. “Promise me you won’t beat yourself up for coming in third for this task.” He didn’t respond immediately, so Kibum pressed on. “Turner had to face the grindylows too but neither of the others dealt with the squid. So -- “

“I should have been faster.”

“If you had made one wrong move, who knows what would have happened. I’m just glad you made it back safe and sound. That’s all that really matters, in the end.”

Minho’s embrace tightened. “I guess.”

Kibum scoffed loudly. “You guess?” Minho let out a tired chuckle. “Don’t even pretend that winning is more important than coming back to me in one piece.”

He his teeth and shook his head as Minho pulled away to look at him, his eyes half-lidded as if he were struggling to keep them open. They slid closed as Kibum lifted his hand to cup Minho’s jaw, brushing his thumb back and forth. He leaned in for a lingering kiss, Minho’s exhaustion showing as he barely kissed him back.

“Go ahead and sleep, babe. I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

But Minho’s head was already resting on his shoulder again, a soft snore drifting his way. In his sleep, Minho nuzzled closer to him and Kibum just held him a little tighter, wishing that he’d never have to let him go.

* * *

A/N: if anyone is interested, I made a Shawol-only discord! I'm assuming if you're reading this, that you're a Shawol, so if you want to join, here's the link! (also, I have a secret channel in there specifically for this fic if you want to yell at me about this fic just let me know and I'll give you the role to let you see it)