"Keep staring any longer and he'll burst into flames." Jinhwan, his fellow Gryffindor, as he plopped down on the bench next to Jiwon, who was discreetly gazing at the most perfect specimen in the entire school. 

Kim Hanbin. Slytherin prefect and owner of Jiwon's heart. He was so cute it made Jiwon die on the inside. He just wanted to squish those fluffy cheeks and maybe kiss that plush mouth every day for hours on end. Nobody had to know that though.  

" off," Jiwon replied half-heartedly, sighing when Hanbin threw his head back in laughter, nose scrunching up cutely as his lips stretched in a heart-shaped smile. "God, he's so pretty." 

"And you're so whipped." His other friend, a Ravenclaw who kept sitting at the Gryffindor table (and ignoring the slightly defensive looks from the red house because, honestly, they needed to get over their reluctance to diversify), Donghyuk piped up unhelpfully. He had been watching Jiwon watch Hanbin for almost fifteen minutes and it was kind of getting boring, though the love-sick eyes and dreamy expression kept him entertained the first week. Now, it was a little... much. 

"Just ask him out already," Jinhwan groaned, shoveling sausages and eggs onto his plate while apple juice magically filled his cup. He bit off half a link and added, looking like a chipmunk with his left cheek full, "It's been, like, almost three months since you started pining." 

Jiwon sputtered. "I am not pini – I'm just admiring him!" He huffed and rubbed his nose while avoiding his friends' pitying stares. He sent another glance towards Hanbin and jumped when their eyes met, Hanbin smiling brightly and waving at him. He waved back weakly and stared down at the table, ignoring Jinhwan's suggestive whistling and Donghyuk's hooting. 

"I'm going to class," he stood up quickly and gathered his things, looking at Hanbin one last time before exiting the Great Hall with Jinhwan trailing after him. He cursed whoever assigned them the same first class, now he wouldn't be able to escape the elder's teasing. 

Jinhwan swung an arm over his shoulder as they walked up the stairs to the potions class – which the Gryffindors were sharing with the Slytherins. Great. 

They barely managed to avoid being late and sat down near the back corner of the class, blissfully ignoring Snape's familiar glaring. "I'm serious, Jiwon," Jinhwan murmured softly, "It may not be as bad as you think if you ask him out." 

Jiwon scoffed, "He could reject me and then I would die from heartbreak, coming back to haunt you as a vengeful ghost since it was your idea." 

"You're so dramatic." 

Before Jiwon could shoot back that he most definitely got it from him, his childhood friend, the professor cleared his throat pointedly. "Anything you gentlemen would like to share with the class?" He drawled, making the word gentlemen sound like a curse. 

Jiwon smiled winningly at him, "Nope." Jinhwan snickered quietly into his hand and Snape sneered. 

"Then pay attention. Or perhaps you would like to fail the class." Jiwon almost snorted. Potions was his second-best class, much to everyone's surprise. Failing his , he just wanted to embarrass a Gryffindor in front of his class. 

"I'll try my best," he drawled back, shooting a lazy salute at the professor. After his attention was off the two Gryffindors and back to teaching, Jiwon glanced at Hanbin on the other side of the room, diligently taking notes. 

As if he sensed a longing look aimed at him, Hanbin paused and looked around. Faster than Jiwon could pretend he wasn't staring creepily, Hanbin's eyes shot to his right away. He mouthed "Good job" at him and Jiwon could feel his soul ascend in bliss as Hanbin went back to being the good student he was. 

Jinhwan nudged him, "Hanbin liking you back? It's more likely than you think." Jiwon groaned. He should never have introduced the pureblood to memes. 

But, hey, he had a good point. "I'll woo him first," Jiwon decided out loud and Jinhwan cheered, earning the duo a Saturday night detention scrubbing the potion classes' cauldrons. 

The giggle Hanbin gave at their antics made it worth all the back pain. 

1.  

Jiwon ran a hand through his hair nervously and straightened out his robes, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles. "You got this!" Donghyuk encouraged him from behind. They were in the courtyard, sitting on the bench while watching Hanbin and his friends, fellow Slytherins Chanwoo and Junhoe, sitting against the tree in the middle of the area. Jinhwan, in a genuine and rare apologetic show, gave Jiwon some of the most vibrant dahlias he had ever seen, saying they were Hanbin's favorite flower.  

How he knew that was a mystery, though Jiwon learned not to underestimate his tiny friend. But here he was, sweating while making his way towards the napping trio as Donghyuk pushed him from behind. Jiwon, in a moment of horrible cliché, stepped on a leaf, and the crunch startled the Slytherins. Hanbin's eyes shot open and he looked surprised, mirroring the confusion of the other two. 

He trailed his gaze from Jiwon's nervous face to the beautiful flowers clutched in his grip and tilted his head. "Hi...?" He asked curiously. 

Jiwon cleared his throat after Donghyuk pinched his side. "Hey," he started off loudly. "I have flowers." He could practically feel Jinhwan, who had been hovering discreetly by the bench, wincing in disappointment.  

Donghyuk gave a soft, "Oh my god," filled with second-hand embarrassment. 

"I can see that," Hanbin replied, thankfully seeming amused now that he was more awake. Chanwoo coughed quietly to hide his laugh and Junhoe, oddly enough, seemed to be staring intensely at Donghyuk, who winked at him. All flying under Jiwon's tunnel-vision towards Hanbin, of course. 

"Um," he started, awkwardly holding them out and Hanbin stood up, brushing the grass off his pants. "They're for you." The smaller male stepped closer and gently pried the flowers out of Jiwon's tense and sweaty grip. 

He brushed his fingers over the soft petals and brought the bouquet to his nose to breathe in the sweet scent. Hanbin sent an ever sweeter, in Jiwon's completely biased opinion, smile to the nervous Gryffindor and said happily, "Thank you, Jiwon. They're absolutely gorgeous." 

Jiwon was star struck by the beauty of Hanbin. Not as gorgeous as you, he thought dazedly. Unfortunately, his brain shut down and he said it out loud, causing Hanbin to flush bright red and Donghyuk to groan loudly, smashing his head against Jiwon's back. 

"Oh, um," the prefect squeaked out. Chanwoo finally burst out laughing, dying down into a wheeze as he leaned against the tree with an arm swung across his stomach. Junhoe's lips twitched up in a grin, thoroughly amused as he watched Jiwon realize what he did and, subsequently, flush as red as a tomato. 

"Anyways, bye, I hope you like them!" Jiwon forced out before turning around and fleeing, dragging Donghyuk behind him by the wrist.  

He fled into the castle with Jinhwan right behind them and ducked into an alcove of the hallway. He finally released his grip on his friend and buried his face in his hands. "I can never look him in the face again," he said loudly. 

"It wasn't even that bad," Donghyuk protested, rubbing his sore wrist. Jinhwan sighed, but still patted Jiwon's head soothingly. 

"Never," Jiwon emphasized strongly.  

Jinhwan hit his arm, ignoring Jiwon's yelp of pain as he dragged the taller male to the window and pointed outside. "Look, you idiot," he said and Jiwon reluctantly peeked outside. 

His breath caught as he saw Hanbin walking back to the castle with his friends, a pink flush on his cheeks and smiling bashfully as his friends . He was cradling the flowers like they were precious to him. 

"Oh." Jiwon said, feeling a grin creep up on his face. Hanbin liked it! 

He perked up with a flourish and turned to his friends, a manic gleam in his eyes. "I'm going to give him more!" 

Jinhwan and Donghyuk exchanged long-suffering looks. 

2. 

"How do you even know milk chocolate is his favorite?" Jiwon asked incredulously as he set down five handfuls of the most expensive chocolate Honeydukes' had in their arsenal. Being a fairly well-off muggle family had its perks, when converting muggle money to galleons.  

"I have my sources," Jinhwan replied cryptically as he added a bloodpop into the pile for payment. Donghyuk had disappeared as soon as they entered Hogsmeade with a cheerful whistle and told the duo to have fun without him. Jiwon pouted, his friend had been doing that a lot lately, always ditching them to go off somewhere else. 

The cashier rung up his purchases and winked at him as he waved his wand and the chocolates were wrapped in a neat and classic present box. "For whoever you're charming," the employee teased and Jiwon coughed, thanking him as he gathered the sweets up and left the store, Jinhwan popping his well-earned er into his mouth. 

"Oh, look, there's Hanbin," Jinhwan spoke up and Jiwon jumped, hiding the box behind his back as he whipped his head around in panic. 

"Where?!" He quietly yelled, eyes darting around quickly. 

Jinhwan watched him lazy amusement, "Entering The Three Broomsticks." And sure enough, Jiwon spotted the fluffy head of his crush entering the building and felt his feet move towards them without his permission. 

"Now's a good of time as any," he said to himself, forcing his body to enter before he bolted. He looked around the crowded pub and spotted three green robes, with a blue one with them for some reason. He marched over to the table with Jinhwan trailing behind him and waved as they came upon the quartet. 

Donghyuk looked guilty as Jiwon shot a betrayed look at him and shrugged. Jiwon decided he would confront the sneaky Ravenclaw at a later time as Hanbin smiled up at him, effectively stunning him for seven seconds.  

"Hi, Jiwon," he greeted, patting the empty seat beside him. "Sit!" 

Jiwon sat down on command, never looking away from Hanbin's face. Wow, they were sitting so close and, wow, had Hanbin's eyes always been so deep and beautiful? "Fancy running into you guys here," Hanbin continued on, only the softest pink staining his face at Jiwon's unwavering gaze. 

Jiwon nodded dumbly. Hanbin had such a nice and pretty voice. Did he have Veela blood or was he just blessed with beauty? "Uh, yeah," he finally managed. Jinhwan snorted into his butterbeer – when had they ordered drinks? Was it between the time they sat down or while he was lost in Hanbin's eyes? 

"What were you guys doing?" Chanwoo finally spoke up, watching Jiwon amusedly.  

Jiwon never even wavered from Hanbin's as he replied absentmindedly, "I bought milk chocolate from Honeydukes and a bloodpop for Jinan."  

Hanbin's eyes lit up and turned into the same shade of the chocolate he loved so much. "Oh! That's my favorite kind!" 

"I know," Jiwon responded, before backtracking when he realized how completely stalkerish it sounded. "I mean, I heard from a friend that you really liked it!" He hastily brought out the box from behind his back, thank god because his arm had seriously been cramping up, and placed it in front of the love of his life, the most beautiful boy, please-have-my-children, etc. 

"I got some for you," he finished off, ignoring Jinhwan mockingly mouthing "some" and watching for Hanbin's reaction. 

"You shouldn't have," Hanbin exclaimed, even as he picked it up reverently, the fresh and high-quality smell couldn't be hidden beneath the fabric shielding it from the world. "They're so expensive." 

Jiwon shrugged nonchalantly. When his parents found out, from Jinhwan of course, damn them being close family friends, they gave him permission to splurge on Hanbin. Apparently, Jinhwan telling them Jiwon was literally lovesick had been the deciding factor for not scolding him and encouraging him instead. He both loved and hated his oldest friend. 

The duo ignored Chanwoo muttering, "Damn, give me a sugar daddy any day."  

"Well, thank you," Hanbin finally said, looking up with twinkling eyes like stars were embedded in them. Jiwon gave him a dumb smile. 

"Anything for you," the embarrassingly cheesy sentence left his mouth before he could stop it, but Hanbin only seemed more delighted. 

Donghyuk choked on his drink and Junhoe patted his back gently. "Anyways," he said after his coughing fit, "it's time for us to go back," he directed his words to Junhoe, though Jiwon didn't notice, "I'll see you later?" Junhoe grinned and nodded before the two Gryffindors and one Ravenclaw left for the castle again. 

"Another successful wooing gift!" Jiwon crowed, pumping his fist in the air. Donghyuk shook his head fondly. 

Jinhwan groaned, "Please don't call it that." 

"Onto the next one!" 

Donghyuk whispered under his breath, "If anyone can hear me up there, please let it be the last one." 

3. 

"I can't believe you actually bought it," Jinhwan deadpanned, looking at his dumb friend holding a music box carefully between his hands as they walked to the Slytherin commons with Donghyuk leading them. 

"Hanbin loves music," Jiwon defended vicariously, barely paying attention to Donghyuk somehow knowing the passcode and swinging open the painting.  

He disappeared inside the tunnel and the duo waited, Jinhwan bored and Jiwon nervous.  

Suddenly, a familiar voice shouted down the hallway. "KIM JIWON!" Said boy startled, staring in panic as his quidditch captain marched down the hallway in all her fury, reaching them in record time and glaring. "You haven't been to the past four meetings and we have a game tomorrow!"  

Jiwon winced. In his pursuit for Hanbin's affections, he had completely forgotten about it. He quickly made up a lie that would soothe her ire. "I've still been practicing," he said, acting offended. She simmered down, looking at him contemplatively.  

"I better see that in the game tomorrow," she loomed threatening, even though Jiwon was a head and a half taller than her, "or else." Jiwon gulped and nodded. She left with a swish of her robes and he left out a relieved sigh. 

Donghyuk coughed and the two jumped, turning around to see him with Hanbin. "How much of that did you hear?" Jiwon asked weakly. 

Hanbin laughed warmly, "Enough." He stepped down, Jiwon automatically moving to help him by lending his arm. It was a bit awkward, since he still had the gift clutched in his hands, but feeling Hanbin's soft hand gripping his arm was definitely worth it. 

"Donghyuk said you had something for me?" Hanbin inquired hesitantly. 

"I heard you really like music." 

"Ah, yes," Hanbin replied teasingly, "from your 'friend'?" Jiwon gave a sheepish grin. 

"I got you a music box." Jiwon handed the intricately crafted box to Hanbin. His wallet was much lighter than before, because it was one of the priciest boxes on the market, but the joy on Hanbin's face took the weight off his shoulders. 

"Is this a muggle music box?" Hanbin, a pureblood fascinated with muggle devices, gasped out. 

Jiwon reached over and gently placed the key to the music box over Hanbin's head, designed as a necklace so that he would never lose it. "Do you see this hole in the front of the box?" He asked and Hanbin nodded, smoothing a hand over it. 

"You take this," he lifted the key and inserted it into the lock hole, turning it a few times and releasing it as the top popped open and soft, classical music poured out. "And violà."  

Hanbin listened with wide eyes and, as the song ended, he looked up at Jiwon with tears in his eyes. "Thank you," he said whole-heartedly, "I love it more than anything." 

So much love bloomed in Jiwon's heart and, in a moment of bravery, he asked Hanbin, "Would you be able to love me more?" 

Everything went silent, even the two eavesdroppers behind the painting, at Jiwon's bold question. Hanbin was unsurprised, giving a bright smile to Jiwon. He stepped forward and leaned in to place a soft kiss on Jiwon's cheek. 

"Yes," he replied, watching in fond amusement as Jiwon gently touched his cheek reverently. "I would." 

Jinhwan and Donghyuk burst into whoops as Junhoe and Chanwoo stumbled out of hiding and danced around in happiness. 

"Finally!" Jinhwan cheered. 

The new couple ignored them all as they gazed into each other's eyes. "I know it's a match between Slytherin and Gryffindor," Jiwon began, "but would you..." He trailed off and Hanbin laughed. 

"I'll be rooting for you," he said, clasping their free hands together as he held the music box tightly in the other. "You're my boyfriend, after all." 

Jiwon didn't think he would ever hear better words.