Hello everyone! Sorry, I'm so late. This one shot took quite a while to finish...but I am finally back with the promised Seungjin!!! The first one got so much love and I really can't thank you guys enough!

Now, I have to give a little warning. There's a spicy make-out scene in this. No , though, just to be absolutely clear! I'm just warning y'all in case it makes anyone uncomfortable...

also tw // ual harassment towards the end

I also have to give props to my sister once again for coming up with the idea for this and for taking over the writing (mostly for the kiss scenes cause I'm really awful at that lol). I hope you guys will like it!

 

Most people would say that Hwang Hyunjin had everything he needed.

He was handsome; his Quidditch skills were outstanding, making him the best Chaser of his age and on top of that he was popular.

Now, Hyunjin agreed with those people. But not for the same reasons. Looks and popularity had never been important to him, though he had made good use of both those traits before. Everything Hyunjin really needed, as cheesy as it sounded, was just to be with his boyfriend Kim Seungmin.

The two of them had been dating for almost two months now and Hyunjin had never been happier in his life.

Right now, he was on his way to the Great Hall to meet Seungmin for breakfast. He had spent lots of time at the Ravenclaw table lately, except for the times when Seungmin decided to join him at the Slytherin table.

He spotted Seungmin sitting on the far end of the Ravenclaw table along with his best friend Jisung and his girlfriend Eunseo. He grinned and walked over to join them, sitting down next to his boyfriend and kissing him on the cheek.

"Hi," he greeted him softly. Seungmin smiled.

"Hey."

"Wow, it's like we're not even here," Jisung spoke up, effectively ripping Hyunjin and Seungmin out of their own little world.

"What, do you want a kiss too, Jisung?" Hyunjin teased with a sly smirk.

Jisung scoffed and shifted his attention back to Eunseo.

"We were just talking about the new student that arrived here this morning," Seungmin informed his boyfriend.

"New student? It's already February, why would he transfer here now?" Hyunjin questioned. Seungmin shrugged and reached for the grape juice across the table.

"I don't know, but I could ask him since he's in our year and apparently got sorted into Ravenclaw," the younger told him.

Hyunjin raised his eyebrow at that. "Is that so?"

"Do I smell jealousy?" Eunseo spoke up.

The Slytherin fake-glared at her. "No? I'm just surprised, is all..." he explained.

"Besides," Seungmin said, "he has nothing to be jealous of." The Ravenclaw rose from his seat. "I gotta go, guys. I have to get some studying done in my free period," he told his friends.

Hyunjin pouted. "I just got here and you're already leaving?"

Seungmin leaned down to give him a kiss on the lips, making the pout go away instantly. "I'll see you later," he mumbled loud enough for only Hyunjin to hear, before heading out of the Great Hall.

Hyunjin stared after him until he couldn't see him anymore, earning himself another scoff from Jisung.

"Whipped."

~

Seungmin had just gotten cozy in the library with his Charms book when he noticed a student walking around, looking sort of lost. Being the nice guy, he was, he got up and approached him.

"Hi, can I help you?" he questioned.

The kid smiled. "Yes, I'm new here and I'm actually I'm looking for Achievements in Charming. It's about Charms..." So, that was the new guy.

"Oh, that's in shelf B7," Seungmin told him, pointing in the general direction of said shelf.

"Thanks! Um, are you a fifth-year too?" the new kid asked.

Seungmin nodded. "I am. I'm also a Ravenclaw, like you. We'll be sharing a dorm," he replied. "I guess I should introduce myself, my name is Kim Seungmin."

"I'm Go Sangyeol," the new student replied, extending his hand for Seungmin to shake.

"You know what, why don't you go get your book and we'll study for Charms together? We have this test coming up next week and I was just about to get some studying done before second period," the prefect offered. Sangyeol smiled and nodded, taking off to get his book while Seungmin walked back over to his table.

~

"You're procrastinating..." Seungmin pointed out the same evening when he had to pry Hyunjin's curious hands off him yet again. Slytherin would also have a Charms test in the same week as Ravenclaw, so Seungmin had offered to help his boyfriend with studying.

Hyunjin was known to be quite bad at Charms; it just didn't interest him, so he'd do anything to escape from studying, even if it was with Seungmin.

Especially if it was with Seungmin.

The Slytherin smirked. "I just think that I'd much rather kiss you than study some boring spells," he muttered, leaning in closer to Seungmin's ear, causing the younger to shudder.

Even after several weeks of dating, Seungmin still got flustered around the Slytherin sometimes. And Hyunjin still found it endearing.

"I'll just study next week," the older said.

He could tell Seungmin was about ready to give in and call it a day, when he realized: "The test is next week! It'll be too late!"

"I know... I'll manage somehow, okay?" Hyunjin replied. "For now, I just want to spend some time with you." Seungmin glanced at his books, seeming to contemplate whether he should leave the studying be for now.

He sighed. "Okay, fine..." he finally gave in.

Hyunjin grinned, satisfied that he got his will in the end.

They packed away their books and decided to head up to the Ravenclaw common room. It was something they did sometimes, hanging out together at each other's common rooms, when it was late and barely anyone would hang around there anyways. Hyunjin reached for Seungmin's hand somewhere along the way, always admiring the way it just fit so perfectly in his.

Seungmin answered the question at the Ravenclaw dorm's doorknob and led Hyunjin inside the empty common room. The two of them flopped onto one of the blue couches and Hyunjin proceeded to rest his head on the younger's shoulder, closing his eyes in content.

He liked spending time with Seungmin here. He loved how the moon shone through the high windows and how the fireplace crackled softly. Compared to the Slytherin common room, it seemed less elegant, but rather sophisticated.

In short, it was comfortable as .

"I like your common room," Hyunjin mumbled, feeling kind of sleepy all of a sudden.

Seungmin chuckled. "I like it too...although it'd be better if you were here all the time," the younger replied.

Hyunjin cuddled up to him more. "I'm not smart like you. I can't be a Ravenclaw," the Slytherin said, missing the way Seungmin frowned at his words.

He just decided to take the younger's silence as a form of agreement.

~

Eventually, after a few more comfortably silent hours of cuddling, Hyunjin had to sneak back to his own common room. Seungmin would have preferred to spend more time with his boyfriend, but he was reasonable enough to let the older go, knowing they had classes the following day. Staying up all night wasn't wise. So, he sent Hyunjin off with a kiss and headed up to his dorms.

Jisung stirred awake when Seungmin entered the room. He sat up in his bed, checking his alarm clock on the bedside table. "Did you study until now?" he questioned; his voice hoarse with sleep.

"No, I was with Hyunjin," the slightly younger Ravenclaw replied with a smile on his face as he let himself fall onto his bed. "Sorry for waking you," he added as an apology.

Jisung waved off. "It's fine. My mom-friend side sleeps better when I know you're going to bed anyway," he joked, causing Seungmin to snort. Jisung was many things, but not a mom-friend. "So, have you spoken to the new kid yet?" Jisung whispered, looking in the general direction of the new bed that had been added to the dorm sometime today.

"Yeah, I helped him study for the test next week..." Seungmin replied, in the same volume, hoping not to wake up any of the other fifth years. "He seems nice."

Jisung made a noise of approval. "I hope so, it'd to have someone in here whom we'd not get along with," he stated. Seungmin nodded, though, Jisung probably couldn't see him in the dark anyway.

"Anyway, I'm going back to sleep," the other said after a while of sleepy silence.

"I should do the same," Seungmin agreed, shifting in his bed to get more comfortable. "Good night, Jisung," he mumbled, but his friend had already fallen back asleep. The younger chuckled to himself and rolled onto his other side and not too long after, he was out like a light.

~

Seungmin was the first one to wake up the next morning. At least, that's what he thought until he went downstairs to the common room and found Sangyeol sitting in one of the blue armchairs, reading a book.

"Morning," Seungmin greeted him.

Sangyeol looked up and gave him a little smile. "Good morning," he answered. Seungmin sat down across from him, since he didn't quite feel like going to the Great Hall for breakfast yet. Since it was really early in the morning, Hyunjin was probably still sleeping anyway, so he wouldn't get to see him there.

"Have you been here long?" the prefect asked. Sangyeol looked out the window, realizing that the sun had gone up.

"Yeah, I think I've been here since around 4am. I couldn't sleep. It's always like that when I'm somewhere new..." he replied.

Seungmin tilted his head to the side. "Do you transfer schools often?"

Sangyeol shook his head. "No, not really... but my family moves around a lot, so I always have trouble sleeping in a new environment. But it's okay, I just study," he explained, holding up the Charms book Seungmin had pointed out to him in the library yesterday.

"Yeah, I do that too," the other said.

"I don't mind studying as much as others do," Sangyeol told him.

"I get that... my friends hate it, but it's actually not that bad..." Seungmin agreed.

The new student smiled at him, shutting his book. "Do you want to study together after class?" he questioned, stretching in his armchair.

"Sure, I'd like that," the other replied. They sat in silence for a while after that, as Sangyeol focused on his studies again and Seungmin half dozed off. More students began to wake up, but most of them didn't stay in the common room for long and went straight to the Great Hall.

Eventually, Seungmin figured that he could go to eat breakfast before he full-on fell asleep again. Sangyeol decided to join him since he didn't really know his way around the castle yet.

Hyunjin was already waiting for him at the Slytherin table, greeting him with a big smile and a wave, both of which Seungmin returned. He turned to Sangyeol.

"I'll introduce you to my boyfriend, if you want," he said. Sangyeol looked into the direction of the Slytherin table.

"Sure," he agreed with a shrug. Seungmin beamed and led the way over to where Hyunjin sat.

The Slytherin tilted his head at the unfamiliar face. "Who's your friend?" he questioned after Seungmin had kissed him on the cheek and flopped down in the seat next to him. Sangyeol had taken the seat across from Seungmin, eyeing Hyunjin wordlessly.

"This is Sangyeol, the new student from my house. Sangyeol, this is my boyfriend Hyunjin," the prefect introduced the two. They exchanged awkward greetings before Hyunjin's attention was fully back on Seungmin.

"I was wondering if you wanted to do something after class today," the Slytherin asked, reaching for the pumpkin juice to pour some for his boyfriend. Seungmin gave him a sheepish look.

"Actually, Sangyeol and I were going to study for that Charms test later..." he admitted. Hyunjin's face fell a little.

"Oh... well, I could join you?" he offered.

Seungmin smiled at him and intertwined their hands. "Sure, why not."

A little while later Minho, Changbin and Felix joined them at their table, also introducing themselves to the new student. Sangyeol seemed to get along with them pretty well, which was only good, considering most of them were in his year.

Only Hyunjin seemed a little quiet, which didn't go unnoticed by Seungmin who turned to whisper to him. "You okay?"

Hyunjin looked at him and nodded. "Just a little tired, is all. We stayed up pretty late last night," he reminded the younger, who chuckled and rested his head on his shoulder.

"So, Sangyeol... do you play Quidditch?" Minho questioned while buttering a croissant.

Sangyeol shook his head. "I'm not into sports. My family is bigger on academics than athletics, to be honest. Do you all play?" he returned the question.

"Felix, Minho and Hyunjin do. And my best friend Jisung is our team's Keeper," Seungmin explained. "I'm horrible at Quidditch, but I sometimes narrate the games."

"You're not horrible," Hyunjin spoke up.

Seungmin laughed. "Have you seen me on a broomstick? I appreciate the lie, though."

They kept informing Sangyeol about the way things went in Hogwarts, which teachers better not to cross and which ghosts to avoid.

Once they finished breakfast they all headed to their respective classes. Hyunjin took off first because he had Muggle Studies on the other side of the castle and was already a bit late. The Ravenclaws had History of Magic with the Gryffindors, so Felix bid his goodbyes to Changbin before joining Seungmin who was going to show Sangyeol the way. Jisung also caught up with them along the way.

~

As it turned out, Sangyeol sure didn't study for nothing. Seungmin was used to being almost the only one participating in Professor Binns' dull classes, so Sangyeol raising his hand at every single question the ghost asked, came as a bit of a surprise to him.

"Damn, looks like we got two super nerds around now..." Felix commented with a chuckle, though his eyes looked droopy, like he was going to fall asleep at any given minute. Seungmin pouted at both being called a super nerd and the fact that Sangyeol seemed to know literally everything.

He wasn't only good at History of Magic, though. He also stood out in all the other classes they had throughout the day. The teachers seemed positively surprised about not having to ask Seungmin to give an answer when nobody else would.

Meanwhile, Seungmin wasn't sure if he liked that the teachers were giving him a break.

~

After lunch Hyunjin met up with Seungmin and the new kid before heading to the library with them. He wasn't eager to study, but he was willing to do it if it meant that he could be close to Seungmin. He knew he wouldn't have much of a chance to see him all day since he had Quidditch practice tonight, so he was going to milk the opportunity.

"So, what's the Charms professor like anyway?" Sangyeol questioned once they'd found a table to study at.

"Well, he's usually pretty chill. He's also the head of our house, so you might have already met him," Seungmin answered. Sangyeol's eyes lit up in realization.

"Oh, the tiny one? He seemed nice," he exclaimed.

Hyunjin snorted. "Not if you're bad at Charms..." he muttered.

"That won't be a problem for me, then. I love Charms," Sangyeol replied with a smile that looked somewhat triumphant to Hyunjin. Maybe it was just his imagination, though.

"Hey, why don't you tell us something about yourself, Sangyeol," Seungmin suggested suddenly. Hyunjin wasn't actually that keen to learn anything about the guy for some reason.

The other Ravenclaw thought about what to say for a while before he gave an answer: "I'm originally from America and went to school there. My parents moved a lot while I stayed there. Every time I came home for the holidays, I had to make new friends, but it would only last over one summer. Then I'd go back to school and they'd go on with their muggle lives."

"Are you Muggle born as well?" Seungmin asked in excitement.

Sangyeol grinned. "Yeah, I am. My Dad's a doctor and my Mom's a cop. They're pretty logical people, so they had a hard time understanding that their only son is a wizard," he told the other. "They got used to it by now, though."

"Mine were shocked too, but they handled it pretty nicely," Seungmin replied. "My Dad only asked me what in the world I expected to learn at a school for wizards. He even called it 'Abracadabra nonsense'."

Hyunjin furrowed his brows as Seungmin cracked up. He and Sangyeol shared a laugh for a few minutes.

"Um... what?" Hyunjin asked eventually. Seungmin looked at him, his eyes still sparkling with amusement.

"It's a Muggle thing, you wouldn't get it," he said, patting the older's arm.

Ouch.

The Slytherin couldn't deny the fact that this comment did hurt a little.

Why would he not get it? Was it because he didn't understand Muggles, apparently? Or was he just downright too dense to get it?

He decided to say nothing about it, though.

"Didn't you guys come here to study..." he muttered instead, effectively cutting the Ravenclaws' bonding time short and making them remember the upcoming Charms test.

~

The test came around quickly. Seungmin had spent lots of time with Sangyeol to prepare for it and help him catch up as good as possible. He was anxiously waiting for the results, even though, Hyunjin kept trying to assure him that he'd end up being the best of their year anyway.

A week later, the Ravenclaw's sat in Charms class, waiting for their test results. Professor Flitwick stood on his stack of books like he usually did, waiting to get everyone's attention. Seungmin fidgeted nervously, enough for Jisung, who sat next to him, to take both his hands and hold them still.

"I'm really happy with the results for this test, as expected of my house!" Professor Flitwick began, a proud expression on his face. "Now, before you get your tests back, I'm going to announce the student who did best," he said, clapping excitedly.

Someone behind Jisung muttered: "It's gonna be Seungmin anyway, why does he always have to make it such a show."

Jisung turned around and gave the girl a glare. Seungmin wasn't sure who it was, and he also didn't care. He was too focused on Professor Flitwick's words.

"I'm really happy and positively surprised to say that our new student Go Sangyeol was the only one who got a full score on this test! Closely followed by Kim Seungmin," the Charms professor announced. Everyone in the room seemed to freeze in shock – except Sangyeol who smiled proudly.

"What the ..." Seungmin heard Jisung mutter in disbelief. He wasn't sure how he felt about all this.

Sure, Sangyeol was a nice guy and he'd noticed that he seemed to be pretty good at what he was doing. But all this time, Seungmin had thought that he was helping Sangyeol when in reality the other knew what he was doing all along.

It wasn't that Seungmin had to be first place all the time; he'd just gotten used to it. Maybe it did hurt his pride just a tiny bit, considering how it put everyone in a state of shock. But, hey, at least he'd lost his first place to Sangyeol and not just anybody else, right?

Right?

"Are you alright? You kinda look like you're about to implode," Jisung pointed out. Seungmin finally snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the slightly older Ravenclaw.

"I'm fine. It's just a grade," he told his best friend, who raised an eyebrow at him, like he didn't quite believe what he said.

He had all the reasons not to believe him, since it had been a complete and utter lie. This wasn't just a grade to Seungmin! Perfect grades were his thing and while Sangyeol was a friend, he wouldn't just let him take his number one spot!

He was not going to let this happen again!

The rest of Charms passed by quickly and Seungmin was one of the first ones out of the classroom. Jisung had stayed behind to ask Professor Flitwick a question about his test, so he was alone when Sangyeol caught up with him.

"Hey, I hope you're not mad at me. From what I understand you're usually the one who ranks first on every test," he said sheepishly. Seungmin shrugged and put on a grin.

"As long as you don't get too used to it," he retorted.

Sangyeol laughed. "Bring it!"

They both chuckled, walking to their next class. Seungmin figured that he had to put in a lot of extra library time if he wanted to beat his new friend.

They rounded the corner in order to get to Transfiguration, when Seungmin saw Hyunjin come from the opposite side. The Slytherin smiled when he saw the younger and approached him, pecking him on the lips.

"How was your test?" he questioned. Seungmin gave Sangyeol a side look.

"Ranked second. You have Charms now, right?" he asked.

Hyunjin looked surprised. "I do... did you say second?" he asked. Seungmin just shrugged. He didn't want to talk about this in the hallways.

"I have to get to Transfigurations now. I hope your results will turn out well," he told the older.

Hyunjin waved off. "They probably won't. I'll see you at lunch, okay?" he said, giving Seungmin another short but sweet kiss. The Ravenclaw nodded to answer his question and they parted ways.

"You two are cute together," Sangyeol told him as they continued making their way to class. Seungmin's face broke out into an involuntary smile, which always happened, whenever somebody pointed out how good he and Hyunjin looked together. "How long have you been dating?" the other Ravenclaw asked.

"Two months," Seungmin replied, thinking back to what had to be the best Christmas of his life.

Sangyeol gave him a thoughtful hum as a reply. "Really, I could have sworn it was longer..." he said. Seungmin looked at him.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

The other Ravenclaw shrugged. "Just that you two seem so... close. I would have guessed that you've been together for a year minimum."

Seungmin chuckled. "Oh no... I only transferred here in the middle of my fourth year and was only focused on my studies and Hyunjin... well, let's just say that he didn't really stick with one person for long," he explained. "I actually didn't even really notice him until my friend Jeongin introduced us last December," he added, smiling fondly at the memory.

"So, Hyunjin used to date around a lot? Doesn't that kind of put a strain on your trust in him?" Sangyeol questioned. Seungmin shook his head without even thinking.

"He's never done anything that would make me doubt him. And he won't. He may have dated around, but he's not a cheater," he told him.

"Okay, I don't know him well, so it's not my place to spew doubts," Sangyeol answered with a shrug.

~

With a heavy sigh, Hyunjin let himself fall into the seat next to Seungmin's at lunch, letting his head rest on the younger's shoulder. "What's wrong?" he questioned.

"I got a D in Charms and I have an Astronomy exam in two weeks that will probably go equally as well..." the Slytherin answered.

Seungmin patted his hair comfortingly. "You'll be fine. I could help you study, and you always have Minho when you're really struggling with Astronomy," he reassured him.

Hyunjin sat up straight again and sighed once more. "Thanks, but I know myself. Even if you study with me, I'll just end up distracting you," he said dejectedly. "You said you ranked second today, right?" he questioned after a short pause.

Seungmin nodded and looked at Sangyeol who sat a little further down the table. "But that's not because of you. Sangyeol's just better at Charms than I would have thought. It won't happen again," he told Hyunjin determinedly.

The Slytherin raised his eyebrows. If he recalled correctly Sangyeol had relied on Seungmin during the study sessions they'd had together.

Somehow, Hyunjin didn't believe that he'd gotten the number one spot because of Seungmin's help. He chose not to say anything to his boyfriend, not wanting him to think that he was getting between him and his friends.

He decided that he didn't like Sangyeol.

Something about him just made Hyunjin feel... queasy.

He'd find out soon enough, what his deal was.

~

Over the course of the next few days Sangyeol proved that he, too, intended to keep his newly acquired number one spot. It made Seungmin want to try even harder, which seemed to amuse Sangyeol and the two of them simply turned it into a friendly competition – one that Seungmin always seemed to lose.

He spent more time in the library than ever, paid more attention in class and cut his free time short in order to beat Sangyeol in the upcoming Potions exam. Hyunjin sometimes kept him company in the library, occasionally studying his own stuff as well. The younger was grateful that his boyfriend seemed to understand how serious he was about this and he refrained from distracting him.

One evening, though, when he was studying in the library Hyunjin approached his table, dressed in his Quidditch uniform. Seungmin tilted his head. Usually, Hyunjin liked to change out of his robes as quickly as possible after training.

On top of that, the older looked slightly pissed.

"Hey. How was training?" Seungmin questioned.

Hyunjin huffed. "Training? Today was the friendly game against Hufflepuff, you know, the one you promised to be at three weeks ago..." he told his boyfriend whose eyes widened.

He remembered promising to come to the game, knowing that Hyunjin always felt more confident knowing Seungmin was there.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry... I completely forgot it was today!" he apologized, rising from his seat to face Hyunjin properly. The older crossed his arms over his chest when Seungmin tried to reach for his hands. "I'm really sorry, okay? I should have been there..." the Ravenclaw tried again.

Hyunjin nodded in agreement, not looking at him.

Seungmin took a step towards him. "Did you win?" he questioned carefully.

Hyunjin shook his head and the younger's heart sank. He knew that it was only a friendly game and it didn't matter whether they won or lost, but he had never missed a single game ever since he and Hyunjin had started dating.

"My lucky charm wasn't there, so I played like I'd never seen a Quaffle before," Hyunjin said.

"What can I do to make it up to you?" Seungmin asked desperately. He really hadn't intended to miss his boyfriend's game and he felt absolutely horrible about it. Hyunjin had never been this pissed at him before. He wanted nothing more than to see him smile again.

"You could stop studying for today and cheer me up," Hyunjin suggested. Seungmin looked at the books that were sprawled out on his table. He still had a lot he wanted to do before the library closed for the day. Hyunjin huffed when he followed the younger's gaze, ready to leave.

"Wait! Let me pack my stuff and then we can do whatever you like," Seungmin said. As much as he wanted to beat Sangyeol, his grades meant nothing if Hyunjin was mad at him. He quickly put away the books and packed his bag before carefully reaching for the older's hand, relieved when he didn't pull it away.

~

"I'm sorry about missing your game..." Seungmin apologized for the millionth time that evening when he and Hyunjin sat on a comfortable couch inside a replica of the Ravenclaw's room at home in the Room of Requirements.

Hyunjin had long since stopped being mad at him and was now resting with his head in the younger's lap, while Seungmin ran a hand through his hair like he was a kitten.

"It's okay... I know how important your grades are to you. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's not your fault we lost," Hyunjin replied.

Seungmin smiled down at him. "I won't miss another game, though. I promise," he assured his boyfriend who just chuckled.

"You'd better not," he fake-threatened.

Seungmin chuckled, still running his hand through Hyunjin's hair before leaning down to give him a quick kiss. He was going to pull his head back up right after but to the younger's surprise, Hyunjin stopped him by quickly capturing his boyfriend's face in his hands, pulling him back down for another kiss, which lasted a bit longer this time.

The Slytherin smiled in satisfaction before sitting up next to Seungmin. That's when he softly grabbed his hips, pulling his body closer and kissing him again, slowly and lovingly. Both of them closed their eyes as they enjoyed each other's presence and scent. Their lips slowly moved against each other in sync before the Ravenclaw gently broke the kiss, causing Hyunjin to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

To the Slytherin's surprise, Seungmin suddenly got up from the couch just to sit down again on Hyunjin's lap this time, facing him. Instead of saying anything, Hyunjin just smirked and reconnected their lips.

The younger couldn't explain what he was doing or where his sudden boldness had come from, but he felt his cheeks burn in excitement. He couldn't help himself whenever he was around Hyunjin. He felt safe and comfortable in a way he had never felt around anyone else before. It was like he was a different person, like he could do anything.

Seungmin felt Hyunjin's hands travel up from his hips to his lower back pulling him more into the kiss as Seungmin's arms rested around Hyunjin's neck, his hands playing with the older's soft hair. He felt the familiar butterflies in his stomach that he felt whenever Hyunjin touched him.

The Ravenclaw's breath stopped as he felt Hyunjin's lips trail away from his own, leaving soft and small kisses over Seungmin's right cheek all the way back to his ear, sending a shiver down his spine, before he stopped, shooting him a short look as if to ask for permission to continue.

As a response, Seungmin just blushed and closed his eyes, not moving away from his boyfriend, so the older smirked and decided to continue his trail of gentle kisses on the younger's skin. He gradually moved from his ears down to his neck as his boyfriend blushed even more and pulled him closer, completely closing any space left between them.

Seungmin's whole face felt hot as Hyunjin started to gently on the soft skin on the younger's neck, probably leaving small marks.

"Hyunjin..." Seungmin breathed out before he could stop himself and let his head fall back to grant him more access. Now it was Hyunjin's turn to blush as he pulled away.

"We might wanna stop there... sorry, I got a little carried away..." the older whispered, letting out a small chuckle as Seungmin covered his face in embarrassment.

~

"Go Sangyeol has reached the highest score for the exam!" Professor Slughorn announced a few days later when the class got their results back.

Seungmin deflated in his seat. He'd cut the studying a little shorter to spend more time with Hyunjin, but he'd still given his all for this exam. According to Professor Slughorn, he was missing one damn point for a complete score. Still an O, but not a perfect one.

At least, Sangyeol didn't gloat about it. This way it was at least a little easier for Seungmin to accept his defeat – for now, at least. He was still determined to get his number one spot back.

~

"Don't you think they kind of look good together?"
"Yeah but isn't Seungmin with Hyunjin?"
"For now, but you can just feel the tension between him and Sangyeol! That 'friendly rivalry' thing – believe me, it's gonna turn into something more eventually!"
"I mean, Sangyeol is a better match for him than Hyunjin... he's so smart..."

Hyunjin had enough of the whispering he heard wherever he went.

When had people suddenly started shipping his boyfriend with Sangyeol?

Granted, they did spend much time together, studying and stuff like that, but there was nothing going on between them as far as Hyunjin was concerned.

He wouldn't admit it, if anyone asked, but the things he heard in the hallways kind of really hurt. They made him feel insecure.

Seungmin was practically obsessed with beating Sangyeol, meanwhile Hyunjin was struggling to keep his grades average. He was beginning to feel bad about himself. People liked how Seungmin and Sangyeol looked together, so what if Seungmin was going to start seeing it too?

What if average-student Hyunjin wasn't good enough for model-student Seungmin anymore?

Maybe that was why the Ravenclaw spent all his time in the library; because he was impressed with how smart Sangyeol was.

What if he studied this hard to live up to the new guy's standards?

Hyunjin was currently making his way to the Great Hall where he found Changbin sitting at the Slytherin table. He sat down across from him and rested his elbow on the table with a gloomy expression. Changbin furrowed his brows at his friends' unusual behavior.

"What's up with you?" he questioned. Hyunjin just shrugged. "Hyunjin!" Changbin drilled. The younger Slytherin sighed.

"Do you think Sangyeol and Seungmin look good together?" he questioned.

Changbin looked downright confused at the question. "Um... what?"

Hyunjin waved off, not wanting to go into detail about the whole situation. He scooped some food onto his plate, only to pick around in it with his fork, since he had kind of lost his appetite. He felt Changbin watching him, but he didn't want to look up and explain himself.

Deep down, he knew he was being ridiculous. Seungmin loved him, and he loved Seungmin. But maybe Seungmin would end up being attracted to Sangyeol. And maybe the attraction might turn into more and then he might fall out of love with Hyunjin and leave him!

"Okay, enough of this! Tell me what's going on with you," Changbin said in a serious tone.

Hyunjin put his fork down and finally looked at his friend. "I just got another bad grade. It's really nothing," he lied and rose from his seat.

"Aren't you eating?" the older questioned.

Hyunjin half-smiled, though there was no emotion behind it. "Not hungry," he muttered.

Changbin jumped up from his seat, following his friend, who was starting to make his way out. "Hyunjin!" he called out to him, but the younger ignored him. He just wanted to get back to the common room and hide away in his dorm until he felt better.

Unfortunately, the universe didn't seem to be on his side today. He reached the entrance hall when he ran into the person he'd wanted to see least. Sangyeol smirked at him.

"Hey, Hyunbin," he greeted the Slytherin.

"It's Hyunjin," the older corrected him, though he got a feeling that Sangyeol had done it on purpose.

"Right... hey, I'm sure you've heard about Seungmin coming in second again," he said with such obvious fake concern that Hyunjin had to ball his hands into fists. "I feel like you might be the cause for that this time. He didn't study as much as he could have because he had to spend time with you," Sangyeol continued.

Had to?

"What are you saying?" the Slytherin questioned just as Changbin finally caught up with him, which didn't seem to bother Sangyeol at all.

"I'm saying that if you're not careful, you might end up being the cause for Seungmin's grades to... slip even further in the future," he answered Hyunjin's question. Changbin looked confused at the conversation he'd just walked into but chose not to say anything. "Besides, don't you think you two are too different? You're a jock... Seungmin's the complete opposite. I mean, there's only so much you two can talk about, right?" he asked.

Hyunjin's nails dug into his palms with how hard he was clenching his fists. He couldn't even say that he was angry. He just realized that the things Sangyeol said, as mean as they were, were all true.

"I'm just trying to look out for you, here, Hyunbin. I feel like you'd be better off dating someone who's more like you. Like Changbin here for example," Sangyeol continued, pointing at the Changbin, whose brows furrowed even more.

"Pardon?"

The Ravenclaw ignored him. "He'd fit you much better than Seungmin does. And I fit Seungmin better than you do."

That one hurt the most. He should be beating the out of this guy, who just dared to come here and judge his relationship, trying to get with his boyfriend, but it wasn't just him who thought this way. Many people slowly but surely started to think that he didn't fit Seungmin anymore.

It was just a matter of time until Seungmin would see it too.

"Okay, hold up, that's enough!" Changbin suddenly spoke up. He'd watched the conversation with caution, ready to jump in when needed. Since Hyunjin wasn't about to defend himself any time soon, he figured that he had to do it. "You're all talk and no game, new kid," he said to Sangyeol, who smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're all muscle and no brains," he retorted.

Changbin ignored the comment, instead stepping closer to Sangyeol and getting in his face. "Like you would actually dare to go after Seungmin when my boy Hyunjin here could you up with just his little finger!"

Hyunjin had to hand it to Sangyeol for not backing away. Changbin might be short but he was intimidating as hell when he wanted to be. Instead, the younger looked him straight in the eye with a smug expression.

"Oh, Changbin... I don't even have to go after him. Seungmin will realize eventually that he's better off with someone who's more than just a jock!" He spat the last word, looking past Changbin at Hyunjin.

Hyunjin reacted just in time, holding Changbin back by his arms before he could punch Sangyeol in the face.

"Hyunjin, come on!" the older exclaimed as he struggled against his friend's grip. "This isn't the time to be a good boy!" Hyunjin had to admit that he was tempted to let Changbin go and punch the smug grin off Sangyeol's face. But Changbin was still a prefect and Hyunjin was not going to let him get himself into trouble fighting his battles.

"Are you really gonna give up Seungmin because of this little ?" the older questioned as he stopped struggling. Hyunjin lowered his head, letting go of his friend once he made sure that he wasn't going to attack Sangyeol anymore.

"Just leave him be... he's right."

With that he left, heading to the Slytherin common room without looking back.

(Changbin was torn between punching the guy in the face, after all and going after his friend. Luckily for Sangyeol, he chose the latter.)

~

Hyunjin was not going to cry in public because of Go Sangyeol! He was better than that!

He rushed inside the common room, ignoring Changbin calling out to him as he stormed up the stairs to his dormitories. He knew that the older could easily follow him up here, but he just settled on hoping that he wouldn't.

"Hey, you good?" Hyunjin's friend Sunwoo questioned. He had forgotten that the other liked to spend most of his free time in here since he wasn't the most popular around here. So much for being alone.

Hyunjin sat down on his bed with a sigh. "I just realized that I'm not good enough for my boyfriend and it seems like everyone else can see it, too..." he said, leaning his head against the headboard of his bed and staring at the green curtains that hung around his bed.

"You do know that that's not true, right?" Sunwoo replied, sounding kind of unsure of what to do with this situation. Hyunjin knew Sunwoo wasn't used to people talking to him about their problems. "I mean, I don't know Seungmin that well, but from what I can see the guy's head over heels for you... if that helps," he told Hyunjin. He appreciated his friend trying to help him, but he couldn't forget Sangyeol's words.

Seungmin will realize eventually, that he's better off with someone who's more than just a jock!

He had to do something now, if he didn't want to lose Seungmin. He sat up straight again. "I'm going to the library!" he exclaimed.

Sunwoo looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "Um, what?" Hyunjin rose from his bed, a determined expression settling on his face.

"If Seungmin wants a smart guy then I'm going to study my off until I get good grades!" he decided.

"Hyunjin, you shouldn't change yourself to live up to other people's expectations. It doesn't get you anywhere! Take it from someone who knows what he's talking about," Sunwoo advised him, his face unreadable. Hyunjin knew what Sunwoo was referring to but this situation was different. He wanted to change for Seungmin!

"It'll be fine. Studying's never hurt anyone, right? Now, if you'll excuse me," he said before storming out of the room.

~

"Hey, um, about Hyunjin's friend Changbin..." Sangyeol trailed off one afternoon about a week later when he and Seungmin were hanging out in the common room, doing their History of Magic homework. He looked up when the other Ravenclaw spoke up.

"What about him?" he asked.

"I don't think he likes me very much..." Sangyeol said, looking at his parchment.

Seungmin frowned. Changbin was usually a friendly person, so he couldn't imagine him having some kind of problem with Sangyeol for no reason. "What makes you say that?"

The older shrugged. "He lowkey snapped at me for not being athletic..."

"Changbin? No, I don't think he meant it in a bad way. He might come off as intimidating in the beginning, but he's very nice. Hyunjin wouldn't be friends with him if he weren't," Seungmin defended the Slytherin.

Sangyeol fidgeted uncomfortably. "I didn't want to say this, because I don't want to come between you and your boyfriend but... Hyunjin was there as well. He didn't really stop Changbin from being mean to me..."

The younger's frown deepened. He couldn't imagine Changbin and Hyunjin ganging up on Sangyeol to make him feel bad about being on the studious side.

"I'm sure you misunderstood..." he said.

Sangyeol shrugged. "Maybe I did... or maybe I did something to offend them. I was scared that Changbin would hit me any second. You know, most jocks tend to solve problems with violence. I was a punching bag before so I'm just being careful..."

"I'll talk to them if you want," Seungmin offered, though still unable to wrap his head around the fact that Changbin, a prefect, would threaten Sangyeol in any kind of way.

Sangyeol waved off, a reassuring smile spreading on his face. "No, like I said, I don't want to come between you and your friends! I probably just overreacted..."

Seungmin looked at him for a few more seconds, contemplating whether he should drop the topic. Sangyeol picked his homework back up, seemingly not ready to continue talking about this.

"Okay..." Seungmin mumbled, also trying to focus back on History of Magic.

His mind kept trailing back to what Sangyeol had told him, though. If he was honest, he had gotten the feeling that Hyunjin wasn't really fond of Sangyeol, but to think that he would actually bully him along with Changbin, was hard to believe.

Maybe he should talk to Hyunjin about it after all.

~

"Hyunjin, what are you up to?" Jinwoo questioned when he saw the younger on his way to practically storm into the library like a man on a mission. He'd spent every last free minute there over the past week, working his off to get his grades up.

"I'm gonna go study," Hyunjin replied.

Jinwoo furrowed his brows. "Hey, are you alright? You seem off," he questioned.

Hyunjin pouted. "Is me studying harder such a weird concept?"

Jinwoo shook his head. "Of course not, that's not what I meant. You just seem kind of different. Is everything okay between you and–"

"Everything's just fine between us," Hyunjin interrupted the older who just raised an eyebrow in return.

"Um... okay," Jinwoo said, turning around to leave Hyunjin alone. The younger felt bad for snapping at his friend. He hadn't been spending as much time with him lately as he usually would have and he didn't want Jinwoo to think that he was distancing himself from him because he didn't like him anymore.

"Wait, I'm sorry..." he called after him.

The Hufflepuff turned back.

"Are you going to tell me why you're in such a bad mood?" he questioned, sounding genuinely concerned.

Hyunjin sighed and nodded. Since it wasn't wise to be talking in the library with the y librarian insisting on absolute silence, they sat down on the floor next to the entrance.

"So, you've heard about this new guy, right? He's in Seungmin's house..." Hyunjin started. Jinwoo thought about it for a few seconds and then nodded.

"Yeah, I've heard about him. He's the new top of his class, right?"

Hyunjin nodded bitterly. "He kicked Seungmin off his number one spot and now he's obsessed with beating him. The weirdest part is that they're friends," he explained.

"And now you're jealous?" Jinwoo asked, trying to grasp the exact problem.

"I wish it were that easy..." Hyunjin mumbled, lowering his head to look at his own knees.

Jinwoo patted his arm comfortingly. "What is it? You can tell me," he encouraged the younger.

"It's just that... everyone thinks that Sangyeol is such a good match for him, you know? That little rat has everyone wrapped around his finger, including Seungmin. And then he just comes to me and says..." Hyunjin trailed off; the memory of Sangyeol's sharp words making him flinch.

"Says what?" Jinwoo asked curiously.

"Everything that I should have seen a long time ago..." Hyunjin replied. He was still staring at his own knees.

"That's not very informative..." the Hufflepuff pointed out, making his friend sigh.

"He basically told me that I'm just a stupid jock and that Seungmin deserves someone who's more on his level," the younger finally said. He looked at Jinwoo only to see him staring back at him with a disbelieving expression.

"And you let him talk to you like that?" he finally exclaimed after he seemed to get over his initial surprise.

Hyunjin shrugged. "It's not like it wasn't the truth. I'm a horrible student and I can't do anything besides Quidditch!" he explained.

"Hey, that's bull! First of all, Seungmin loves you for who you are. Second, you're not dumb only because you don't have the best grades, school doesn't define you! And third, if this weasel's after your boyfriend you should tell him to back the off!"

Hyunjin couldn't help but smile at the older's encouraging words. "Thanks, Jinwoo. But I don't think that he'll back off just like that. They're in the same house, they share a dorm. He has plenty of opportunities to get closer to him."

"So, you're bringing your grades up to impress someone who already adores you?" Jinwoo questioned.

"I can at least try..." Hyunjin said, shrugging once again.

"Sure, you can. There's nothing wrong with studying. I just think that before you change who you are, you should talk about everything with Seungmin," the Hufflepuff advised before getting up from the floor. "I have to go now... I hope you'll work everything out," he added. Hyunjin also got up, choosing not to answer.

Jinwoo gave him a quick hug before he left. Hyunjin looked at the door to the library. He knew that bringing his grades up would take time and effort (especially when it came to Charms), but he was more than willing to do it if it meant that Seungmin would stay with him.

~

Seungmin and Sangyeol were currently on their way to the library to get some more studying done before going to bed.

The younger hadn't seen very much of Hyunjin over the past week, making it near impossible to talk to him about the incident with Sangyeol. He was a little worried about him, to say the least. He was aware that Hyunjin had started putting in some work for his studies, but he preferred to do it alone. Seungmin wasn't entirely sure why, but he had a somehow bad feeling.

"When are you finally going to give up trying to beat me?" Sangyeol currently asked with a smirk on his face.

Seungmin chuckled. "Once I've succeeded," he answered.

The older put an arm around his shoulders as they entered the library. "I have to say your determination is quite cute."

Seungmin rolled his eyes playfully. He was used to being called cute, but usually it came from Hyunjin.

"Please, you just want me to stop trying because you're scared," he retorted, swiftly shrugging Sangyeol's arm off his shoulders. Sangyeol just grinned at him.

~

Hyunjin was studying in the far back of the library when he noticed Seungmin and Sangyeol make their way to a table not too far from his own. He was about to get up to at least greet his boyfriend, even though seeing Sangyeol made him angry all over again, when he overheard a piece of their conversation.

"You're so adorable. Why can't we just accept that we're both really good students and you could let me take you out sometime?" Sangyeol said in a way too flirty tone. Hyunjin balled his fists – he guy seemed to have that effect on him.

"Sangyeol, I have a boyfriend and you know that!" Seungmin declined.

Sangyeol, that little rat, grabbed Seungmin's wrist and backed him against a bookshelf, causing the younger to let out a surprised yelp. Hyunjin was on his feet in a millisecond when he realized what Sangyeol was about to do. He strode over to where the two Ravenclaw's stood and grabbed the younger by the collar before he could press his disgusting lips onto Seungmin's.

It was like he was on autopilot when he took a swing and punched Sangyeol square in the face, letting out all the piled-up anger and frustration he felt because of the Ravenclaw. Seungmin actually squeaked when his boyfriend's fist connected with Sangyeol's jaw, sending him tumbling to the floor.

"Get out of here before I completely lose my temper!" Hyunjin threatened Sangyeol, watching in satisfaction when he scrambled up and stormed out of the library, not without shooting him a glare, though.

Of course, the commotion had also alarmed the librarian who now kicked him and Seungmin out as well.

Once they'd left the library, Hyunjin spun around to face his boyfriend, his anger had still not completely subsided.

"How could you let this happen? Are you really that easy?" he snapped at him.

Seungmin looked surprised for about a second before his expression turned angry as well. "He was just playing around! Nothing even happened! You didn't have to outright hit him!" he yelled back.

"Excuse me, are you getting mad at me right now? That guy has been trying to come between us ever since he set foot in this school and just now he tried to ing kiss you!" Hyunjin retorted in disbelief, his tone just as loud as Seungmin's.

The Ravenclaw rolled his eyes.

"You're overreacting! You didn't like Sangyeol from the very beginning, which is why you and Changbin ganged up on him and made him feel bad about not being athletic! I doubted him when he told me that you two were the type of jocks to solve things with fists rather than words! But after what just happened, I guess he was right after all."

Hyunjin took a surprised step back at his words. That manipulative snake had really twisted the entire situation and fed Seungmin a load of bull to make Hyunjin look like a brainless bully?

He wanted to explain himself and tell Seungmin what really went down, but for some reason, he couldn't open his mouth to muster an answer. It was just too much that Seungmin actually believed a guy he had known for less than a month more than he trusted his boyfriend.

So, instead of saying anything, he watched as Seungmin turned around and walked away, probably going after Sangyeol.

Hyunjin sure wasn't going to run after him.

~

"I'm so sorry about all of this," Seungmin apologized to Sangyeol for what had to be the millionth time. The older chuckled and absent-mindedly touched his lip as they left the hospital wing.

Luckily, Hyunjin hadn't broken the Ravenclaw's nose or anything like that and Madame Pomfrey was able to fix the slight damage in no time.

"You should stop apologizing. It's not your fault that I was right about him all along," Sangyeol replied.

Seungmin was mad at Hyunjin, but something about the other's words just didn't sit right with him. For now, he didn't want to think about it, though.

"Let's get back to the common room and play some wizard's chess, shall we?" Sangyeol suggested, earning himself a nod of agreement from Seungmin.

Seungmin still couldn't believe what had just happened. He had never had a real fight with Hyunjin. Usually, their disagreements didn't last very long, and they were over simple things. This, though... this had been a full-on argument. Seungmin didn't like the way he felt after just leaving Hyunjin standing there.

The two of them went back to the common room where Jisung was sitting in front of the fireplace, reading. He looked up at them when they came in.

"Hey, you guys," he mumbled. Sangyeol gave him a little wave before dragging Seungmin over to the window where a little chess table was standing around.

Seungmin didn't miss Jisung's frown though.

~

Hyunjin avoided Seungmin's eyes the next day in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He didn't want to see him being all friendly with Sangyeol. Someone flopped down in the seat next to his and for some reason Hyunjin immediately knew that it was Jisung. He dared to peek to his side, to confirm his suspicion.

"What's going on between you and Seungmin? You're usually all over each other," the younger questioned.

Hyunjin rested his elbows on the desk. "Why don't you ask him and Sangyeol... you can join the club of smart guys against dumb, brainless jocks like me," he answered. It didn't sound snappy, just resigned, but it got Jisung to raise his eyebrows anyway.

"In case you forgot, headass, I'm a 'jock' too!" Jisung reminded him.

Hyunjin sighed. "I know... sorry..." he apologized. He should really stop taking his sour mood out on his friends. "Seungmin and I had a fight..."

Jisung's eyes widened almost comically. "You two never fight!" he exclaimed, luckily not loud enough for Seungmin to hear.

"Well, it might have been the last one. He clearly doesn't think much of me right now. Sangyeol has s his way into his brain. It's just a matter of time before he breaks up with me," Hyunjin replied, sounding resigned.

Jisung looked over at Sangyeol. "I don't like him and I don't like the way he looks at Seungmin," he stated.

"That makes two of us," Hyunjin agreed.

Jisung focused his eyes back on the Slytherin. "But are you really just going to let him steal your man?"

"It's not like I have much of a choice. I punched him in the face and Seungmin ran after him," Hyunjin recounted.

"What the hell did I miss, oh my god," Jisung complained.

~

Classes had been hard to endure after seeing Hyunjin and not being able to talk to him. Seungmin didn't like the atmosphere between them, but he was also still mad at him.

He had expected Hyunjin to apologize to Sangyeol for punching him, however, it didn't look like that was going to happen any time soon.

After dinner, Seungmin made his way to the Ravenclaw tower, feeling somehow exhausted, though he hadn't even done anything out of the ordinary. He reached his empty dorm, immediately changing into his pajamas. As he buttoned up his sleep shirt, he contemplated whether he should wash up or not, since he was really tired. He decided against it.

Somebody came into the room just as he'd finished getting dressed for the night. It turned out to be Sangyeol. The younger gave him an absent-minded smile and proceeded to search for his glasses in his nightstand drawer. Sangyeol cleared his throat. Seungmin turned around at the sound. He jumped when he found the other Ravenclaw standing right in front of him.

"There's something I've been wanting to do for quite a while now," he almost whispered.

Before Seungmin could even ask him what he was talking about, Sangyeol pushed him, causing him to fall backwards on his own bed. Confused, Seungmin tried to get back up but before he knew it Sangyeol had already climbed over him and pinned his wrists to the bed, preventing him from sitting back up or pushing him off.

Seungmin struggled uncomfortably, trying to free himself from the boy's lowkey painful grip but Sangyeol quickly leaned down on him, pressing his lips onto Seungmin forcefully. Seungmin frowned in disgust and confusion as he felt the older Ravenclaw "kiss" him sloppily. Just what had gotten into Sangyeol?

The younger continued to struggle out of his grip, eventually managing to push Sangyeol away and disconnect their lips.

"What the hell are you doing!" Seungmin exclaimed, in an exasperated tone. With his wrists pinned to the bed, he didn't manage to fully push Sangyeol off, he was too shocked to do so anyway, even if he could. Thankfully, the older sat up – still not bothering to get off him, though – and smirked at him.

"I was just trying to distract you from your thoughts about Hyunjin," he said matter-of -factly. "You don't need him anyway. You've seen what he's like. Besides, I've already talked him out of this anyways," Sangyeol added with a smug expression.

Seungmin frowned. "Okay, only because I'm mad at Hyunjin, doesn't mean I want to date you!"

Seungmin was beyond confused by this whole situation. What exactly did Sangyeol mean by 'talked him out of this'? Had he planned this all along? Seungmin suddenly felt horrible. Hyunjin had been telling the truth; it finally dawned on him.

He had been played.

Before anyone could say anything else the door opened and Jisung came in, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw the scene before him. Seungmin realized that this probably looked very wrong, so he finally pushed Sangyeol off him completely and scrambled to his feet, wiping his mouth in order to try getting the lingering taste of Sangyeol off his lips.

"I swear this isn't what it looks like!" he tried to explain himself.

Jisung just crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not the one you should be telling this," the slightly older Ravenclaw told him. There was a certain disappointment in his expression that made Seungmin feel even worse about himself than he already did.

"You're right..." he mumbled.

Jisung looked at Sangyeol, his eyes glinting dangerously. "You and I are going to have a little talk, come on!"

Ignoring the other's protests, Jisung dragged Sangyeol out of the dorm room to Merlin knows where to have a talk with him. Right now, Seungmin couldn't be bothered with thinking about what that could possibly mean. There was only one thought on his mind.

He had to find Hyunjin.

~

"I'm sure everything will be alright between you two," Changbin assured Hyunjin, who was lying on the couch sideways, his head resting in the older's lap.

"I don't know, man... I've tried everything, and he still went after Sangyeol. Maybe it's better this way. I don't think I can do this anymore," Hyunjin answered miserably.

Changbin patted his arm comfortingly. "You don't mean that. Seungmin will realize that this Sangyeol dude is a rat."

"Yeah, but what's going to happen until then? What if he starts dating him? I don't want to be his second choice. I'm nobody's second choice," Hyunjin argued stubbornly. He sat up, running a hand through his raven hair. Changbin opened his mouth to answer, when a commotion near the portrait hole gained their attention.

"What the–"

A student came running into the common room, stopping right in front of them. He was out of breath, almost wheezing as he rested his hands on his knees, trying to calm down.

"Seungmin?" Changbin questioned, once the two Slytherins had gotten a proper look on the fifth year.

Hyunjin was speechless. What in the name of Merlin was Seungmin doing here this late at night, in his pajamas no less?

"I'm going to let you two talk!" the older Slytherin exclaimed. Hyunjin shot him a pleading look, as if to say 'don't leave me here', but Changbin just winked at him before he disappeared to his dorm.

Hyunjin rose from the couch, crossing his arms over his chest. Seungmin seemed to have regained enough of his breath to finally stand up straight again. He looked up at the slightly taller male, like he was searching for his words.

"What, did I do something dumb again?" Hyunjin questioned. It sounded harsh, but he just couldn't imagine why his boyfriend, if he could even still call him that, would come here after he'd treated him like the school's number one bully.

"No, I–"

"Whatever, I don't know why you're here, but I'm done," Hyunjin interrupted him and turned away, ready to disappear to bed.

"What do you mean?" Seungmin asked, sounding alarmed. He reached for Hyunjin's arm and made him face him again.

"I mean this, us! I'm sick of trying to be perfect for you when all you see is that guy and his grades!" Hyunjin almost yelled, yanking his arm free. He became painfully aware of the lurking Slytherins that seemed to enjoy the show a whole lot. He shot each of them a glare, making them scatter and continue minding their own business.

"It seems to me, that you care more about him than you care about me. I get it, though. You like smart guys. So, I'll step down," he said to Seungmin, a little quieter now. He should go now. If he went to his dorm right now, he wouldn't cry in front of the younger. But Seungmin held him back again.

"Hold the up!" Seungmin cursed. "This isn't just something you can decide by yourself without letting me say anything!"

Hyunjin slumped his shoulders. Why did he have to make it harder than it already was?

"You don't have to say anything. I don't need your confirmation!"

"Let me talk, would you!? I didn't know that you felt left out, though I do realize now that I didn't really treat you the best. I don't need you to be perfect for me. You're already the most perfect human being I've ever met!" Seungmin said.

Hyunjin shook his head. "No, I'm not..." the older muttered.

"Yes, you are. You have the kindest heart and you're cool and sweet and an amazing Quidditch player... and you're handsome..." A blush spread on the Ravenclaw's cheeks at the last part and under different circumstances, Hyunjin would have about it.

"Just because I'm handsome doesn't mean I'm perfect..." he argued instead. "Someone like Sangyeol would suit you way better than a dense jock like me. The whole school thinks so."

It still hurt him to say this, but he felt like it was true. Everyone loved Sangyeol's and Seungmin's dynamic. He had heard it multiple times, indirectly, of course, since nobody had the guts to say it to Hyunjin's face.

"Since when do you care what the school thinks? I don't want that guy, Hyunjin. I want you! Besides, you're not dense only because you're not a straight-O student! I would never reduce you to your grades!" Seungmin explained, sounding sort of desperate at the older's resigned tone.

"Well, Sangyeol said-"

"My god, I don't ing care what Sangyeol said! That guy's a snake – no offense..." Seungmin said, looking around to see if any of the Slytherins had taken the snake thing to heart. By now they were alone, though. Hyunjin was surprised by the younger's statement, even though he 100% agreed.

"What happened?" he asked.

"That's what I've been trying to explain... I really thought Sangyeol was just trying to be my friend in a new place. And if I'm completely honest with you, I didn't hate having to fight to be the best. I liked having a competition with someone... but you were right. He tried to come between us and I let him mess with my head, making me think that you were a bad person, when you're really not..."

Hyunjin was speechless, so Seungmin continued: "I didn't mean what I said to you. I know that you're not violent and that you don't automatically resort to violence instead of talking things out..." The younger looked down at the floor, seeming like he had something else to say. Hyunjin hesitated for a second before reaching for Seungmin's hand.

"What made you change your mind about him?"

It took the Ravenclaw a while to look at him again and muster an answer. "He showed his true intentions. And, I'm so sorry I let this happen..." Seungmin apologized. He looked close to tears and that alone made all the anger Hyunjin might have left for him vanish instantly. "He practically pounced on me and he... he kissed me..." the younger admitted.

Hyunjin's jaw tightened, but he didn't let go of Seungmin's hand. Sangyeol had dared to lay a hand on him when he'd already gotten a taste of the Slytherin's fist?!

"I'm sorry, Hyunjin... I should have known better after you warned me, but I was an idiot and I understand if you don't want to see me anymore. I just felt like I had to tell you the truth and apologize and–"

The older didn't let him finish and just pulled him into a hug, comfortingly running his hand through Seungmin's soft hair. He still wanted to kill Sangyeol, but for now, he was just glad to know that his boyfriend hadn't chosen the rat over him.

"I'm sorry for my behavior as well, though... I shouldn't have punched Sangyeol, even though I'd love to do just that right now. I've just never felt so insecure about anything before... my grades are the only thing I'm not confident about and I let myself think that I needed good grades to impress you," Hyunjin apologized.

Seungmin pulled out of their hug and grabbed both of the older's arms. "There's nothing you have to apologize for! I don't need you to be good at school to impress me. I already love everything about you."

Still holding the older's arms, Seungmin gently pulled his boyfriend closer and connected their lips. Hyunjin immediately responded to the kiss, slowly moving his lips against Seungmin's and pulling him closer to his body. The younger didn't realize how much he had actually missed this until he felt his boyfriend's arms wrapped around his waist. He then instinctively slid his hands up Hyunjin's chest and put them on the Slytherin's cheeks. Both of them smiled into the kiss, happy to feel each other like this again.

"Besides, you punching that guy was kinda hot..." he added after they pulled back, making Hyunjin laugh. He hugged the younger again, smiling at the way Seungmin practically buried his face into the crook of his neck.

"I love you..." he muttered, slightly tightening his grip around Seungmin, whose hands clutched into the back of Hyunjin's robes.

"I love you, too..." he answered, his voice sounding muffled. They stayed like this for a long time, not quite willing to let each other go.

Eventually, though, Seungmin pulled out of their hug, mumbling something about having to go back. Hyunjin knew he was right, but that didn't mean he wanted to let him go.

"Stay here with me," he whined, pulling Seungmin over to the couch by his hands.

"I don't want you to spend the night in the same room as that rat..." Hyunjin added. That seemed to convince Seungmin. The two of them got cuddly and comfortable on the couch, falling asleep in no time.

~

"So, what exactly did you and Sangyeol talk about yesterday?" Seungmin asked Jisung the next morning at breakfast. Jisung was sitting with them at the Slytherin table, shooting over a glance to his own table at the mention of Sangyeol's name.

"I just told him that if he ever harassed my best friend again, I'd transform his private parts into jello," he replied with a shrug. The other two fifth years laughed. That sounded like a very Jisung thing to say. "It's time for him to understand that us Quidditch players aren't idiots. I can work my spells just fine and I told him that if he wants to test me, he should try and see where it gets him," Jisung added.

Hyunjin grinned. "Thanks, Jisung," Seungmin said and side-hugged his friend.

"Anything for you two," the other Ravenclaw replied with a smirk, before addressing Hyunjin. "And you, if something like this ever happens again, I want you to stand up for your man! Not just anyone is good enough for Seungmin. Only you," he told the older who nodded, too stunned by the statement to say anything.

Jisung clapped in delight and got up. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to walk my girlfriend to Quidditch practice," he said, taking off to meet Eunseo outside the Great Hall.

Seungmin chuckled. "He's weird..." he commented.

Hyunjin reached for his hand. "Yeah, but he's also right..."

Seungmin looked at him, smiling. He was certain that he'd never let anyone else come between them. He had learned his lesson. This time, he had come too close to losing what he dared to call the love of his life – at least in his head for now – and he was never going to risk that ever again.

"That's true..."