Jeno had been running through the corridors for a good twenty minutes now, looking for some "Lee Donghyuck". He didn't know what he looked like, but the picture he was given was pretty much all he needed to see in order to recognize the unknown boy. It was past midnight and he was missing in the common room. The light coming from his wand was bothering the moving portraits, men and women groaning as they covered their face ; he knew it, felt slightly sorry even. If only he had had the Marauder's map, it would have been much easier. But, as expected, the item was impossible to find. Lost, perhaps.

 

Where is he? He thought with a heavy sigh, his brows furrowed in annoyance. Why would he sneak out like that?  Now it was Jeno's fault for not noticing someone was missing, and he had to fix it. He could hear miss Mcgonagall's words in his brain : "If you don't find the boy, Gryffindor will lose a significant amount of points Mr. Lee." Great, really great. His house was already a mess, barely getting any points, and now they were about to lose the few they had won.

 

"Young boy, what are you doing, you need to sleep." A portrait mumbled, visibly annoyed too. "Is this an habit of Gryffindor's boys? Sneaking out in the middle of the night." 

 

He didn't need to say more for Jeno to stop in his track, turning around faster than ever. "You saw another boy ?" He asked, hope shining in his eyes. 

 

"Of course I did ! And he wasn't alone, he was with this beautiful boy from Slytherin, a prefect if I remember well ? Oh, they were being loud, it woke me up." Jeno rolled his eyes, a familiar face erupting in his thoughts. Of course it had to be him.

 

"Na Jaemin." He growled before turning his attention back to the painting. "Do you know where they went, perhaps?" His voice was much smoother, trying hard to conceal his anger. Na Jaemin was troublesome, really, he was everywhere and was always bothering everyone. Jeno had heard story about him that made him roll his eyes too many times ; this boy seemed to be a pain in the . He was glad he wasn't his friend.

 

"I think they went ouside, probably stargazing if you want my opinion. I would too, if I could. You know-" 

 

"Yeah, great, thank you very much, I need to go now." Jeno interrupted, speed walking next to the talkative portrait and making his way to the nearest exit. Donghyuck was going to die, Jeno was going to murder him. This way, he wouldn't sneak out with the most annoying Slytherin in the entire castle. Jeno couldn't believe his luck, having to see Jaemin's irritating face this late at night when all he wanted to do was jump in his bed and drift to sleep.

 

Once the black-haired boy was out, he regretted his decision. The wind was cold, which made sense considering the fact that they were in January. Thankfully, it did not snow, but it was still pretty cold. Jeno hated it, he liked better the hot summer of California, the hot but heavy weather of Vietnam during august. This, he hated. But he had to do it, he had to walk and find the duo before they would go anywhere else. If he were to miss them, Jeno would probably lose his mind, his sanity. He was not going to chase them around the castle in the middle of the night, he was not in the mood.

 

---

 

 

The Gryffindor boy kept walking, anxiously looking around, trying to find the two boys. He made his way near the lake, somewhere fairly popular for the students, and here they were. He could see them, standing near the water, giggling happily. The moon was shining on Jaemin's face, and for a moment Jeno thought he looked innocent, beautiful too. Shaking his head, he walked faster, his steps breaking branches, making quite a lot of noise in the silent night. They were bound to notice him, and Jeno didn't care the slightest.

Two heads turned his way, Donghyuck's eyes opening wide once he realized who was coming their way. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god Jaemin I'm ed." The Gryffindor prefect  could hear him say in a panicked voice, his hands coming to grab his head for a split moment. Yeah right, you should start panicking.

 

"It's not like he can say anything, you're with me after all, I'm a prefect as well." Jaemin announced, proud of himself, but ended up getting a look from his friend.

"It doesn't matter, you're the Slytherin prefect, you're not my prefect !" 

 

As they were bickering, Jeno finally arrived next to them, grabbing onto the other Gryffindor's arm. "You, you go to our common room and go to sleep. We will talk about it tomorrow morning so don't sleep in. We almost lost points because of your stupidity. Stop being so reckless, stop hanging out with such persons. He has a bad influence on you." 

 

Donghyuck didn't really feel like talking, actually, he simply nodded, almost running away from Jeno and the dark aura that was emitting all around him. Jeno was pissed, no, it was an understatement. Jeno was worst than pissed ; he was tired and mad, knew he still had to scold the boy the next morning. And on top of that, in front of him, was none other than Na Jaemin.

 

The Slytherin boy looked entertained, amused. He had this stupid smile plastered on his face, a smile that said : You hate me right? I know, I'm fine with it. I love bothering innocent people who only want to live their life.

 

Jeno was clearly losing his mind, his veins boiling with anger. He hated Na Jaemin, he was sure of it now. It was the first time he ever saw him this close, and even though he was indeed very attractive, the Gryffindor couldn't help but want to punch his face. Crazy what a random boy could make him feel.

 

"He didn't tell you we were going stargazing I presume ?" Asked the Slytherin in the nicest voice he could use. It only got on Jeno's nerves. 

 

"No, he didn't. You, as a prefect, should have told me you were going to take a Gryffindor student with you. That's irresponsible." Jeno managed to say though his anger, a stern look on his face, jaw clenched and eyes darker than usual.

 

Jaemin on the other side, seemed to enjoy this whole argument, his arms crossed on his chest. He was staring at Jeno, a very tiny smile lingering on his lips. He wasn't going to lie, he found Jeno very handsome, even hot, at the moment. 

 

"You're quite hot right now." It slipped out of Jaemin's mouth, which wasn't surprising when you knew how honest Slytherins could be. Jeno, on the other hand, was extremely shocked, at a loss for words. 

 

"E-excuse me?" The poor boy stuttered, his eyes wide with lack of understanding. He wanted to punch him so bad, it was driving him wild. It seemed that Jaemin was the only one who could make him feel this way, and it was a little scary.

 

"I think you heard me just well. You look hot when you're mad. It's a pity you like girls." Jaemin started, confidence radiating around him, creating an aura that could only belong to a Slytherin. "But, if I'm not wrong, you're single now, right? Didn't you girlfriend break up with you? You had a lot of girlfriends throughout the years, I'm impress-." 

 

"Shut. the. . up." Jeno cut him off, taking a few steps toward him. Jeno and Jaemin were around the same height, but in this moment, Jeno was incredibly intimidating, even for the brown-haired boy who honestly had to prevent himself from squealing. Deranged.

 

Laughing nervously, probably because he didn't want to be hit, Jaemin put his hands in front of him. "Calm down, I was only joking." Not really, but please don't hurt my face...

Jeno suddenly stopped, his eyes falling on Jaemin. He seemed to have lost his confidence, and it might have boosted Jeno's ego. There wasn't really a reason to be mad either anyways ; his girlfriend did break up with him. He didn't even love her, why was he overreacting?

 

"Yeah right." Jeno mumbled, his body relaxing. "Anyways, the next time you take Donghyuck with you to... watch the stars, tell me. It's a pain to have to come all the way here." He concluded, but as he was about to turn around, a hand grabbed his arm, stopping him before he could go away. 

 

"Don't you want to see the stars ? I mean... You're already here and you made my friend go. I don't want to watch them on my own. It's no fun." Jaemin explained, eyes barely on Jeno. He seemed shy, or maybe it was all an act ; which could totally be. Jaemin did take some drama classes.

 

Silence fell around them. Jeno didn't know what to answer, somehow being too nice to say no. It was true, because of him Jaemin was on his own. Finally, he sighed, giving up. "Fine." Jaemin's face immediately  lit up, and if it hadn't been Lee Jeno right in front of him, he would have probably jumped on him to give him a hug. 

 

The duality of Na Jaemin.

 

---

 

 

The both of them decided to sit down near the lake, eyes fixed on the sky as a comfortable silence fell around them. All anger and hatred was gone. Jaemin seemed relaxed, calm. He had lost his cockiness, his snarky remarks. It felt odd to Jeno, sometimes glancing at the younger. But Jeno didn't know something very important : Jaemin had had his eyes on the other prefect of a while now.

 

 

 

Jaemin was calmly sitting down in the bleacher of the stadium, watching a quidditch match. He couldn't believe he was there, that he had decided to follow his friends. 

Well, technically, he didn't follow, he was grabbed and forced to follow. And if he were to be honest, he was crazy annoyed because of it. Why did he need to be there? Watching a stupid Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. He already knew Gryffindor was going to win ; they had this player, Lee Jeno, prefect if he remembered well, and he was their lucky charm. If he played, they won. Even Jaemin knew that, even though he didn't know what the boy looked like.

He truly didn't, until Donghyuck pointed at one boy on a flying broom. Black hair, quite tall, quite handsome too. "It's Jeno !" His friend shouted with excitement but Jaemin was unable to answer anything.

"Nana ?" 

Jaemin hadn't realized, but he was staring. His cheeks warmed up ; he was caught. 

"Oh my god Na Jaemin ! Don't tell me you find Lee Jeno cute ?" Jaemin hurriedly shook his head, laughing slightly. 

"Don't be dumb Hyuck, I don't find people cute. I never do." 

"Yeah, right, you scared me for a moment." The red haired said with a laugh, pushing his friend's shoulder. "He isn't into boys anyways."

"Oh." Simply said the other, his eyes finding Jeno once again. Sounds like a challenge.

 

After that, Jaemin couldn't help but notice when the Gryffindor was around, he couldn't help but think about him from times to times, should he talk to him ? No, it was a bad idea. Hyuck was going to for that, too. Jaemin decided he should just date other boys and stare from afar.

 

Jeno couldn't help but think about all the things he had heard about Jaemin. Were they all true ? As his eyes fell on the other boy sitting right next to him, his face beautifully illuminated by the moonlight, he decided that maybe, he could give him a chance. He didn't seem that bad, especially with his mouth shut. But why did he hear all of these things, then ? Rumors could be made up, but not that many...

 

 

 

"Na Jaemin is dating another boy, again. He changes boyfriend every week I swear."  Jeno's best friend, Mark (another Gryffindor), said one day as they were studying in the library. 

"Who ?" Jeno muttered, his eyebrows furrowed. The name felt familiar, but he couldn't put a face on it.

"Na Jaemin. Slytherin's prefect. Light brown hair, big brown eyes, very pretty for a boy." Mark tried to describe, but Jeno didn't seem to see who he was talking about.

Right on cue, the figure of the said boy appeared in the library, his hands sunk into his pockets. He clearly didn't belong in a library, but it was whatever.

"Him !" Mark said a little too loud for Jeno's liking, getting everyone's attention. As a reflex, the prefect let his face fall in his hands. He hated attention, especially in these kind of moments. Letting his fingers move so he could see through them, he glanced rapidly at the said boy.

Wow, he was indeed very beautiful. Almost like a girl. That's what Jeno thought, but he soon shook his head, blushing a little. What was he thinking ? It was a boy. A boy.

Mark removed his friend's hands from his face, rolling his eyes. "Come on, no need to be shy, nobody heard what I said."

Mark was truly clueless sometimes, it helped Jeno a lot in this moment. At least he didn't think his friend was blushing because he did think that this Jaemin boy was cute.

 

[A few weeks later]

Jeno was laying on his bed, thinking. The other boys of the dorms were talking very loudly, one of them complaining.

"I swear he made me feel so safe and I thought he was in love with me I-I'm such an idiot. I can't believe I didn't listen to you guys. You knew Jaemin was a and I didn't want to believe you and look at me now. He played me, broke my heart, and he already is with someone else. I'm so stupid."

Jeno was listening closely. Jaemin ? Sounded familiar... Wait... Na Jaemin ? 

He sat up on his bed, eyes falling on the group of boys. They all turned their attention to him, the boy who was talking and visibly crying staring at him with a very small smile.

"You're so lucky Jeno, you like girls. You don't have to care about players like Na Jaemin. Stupid Slytherin." 

As an answer, the black-haired boy simply laughed, letting himself fall back in his bed. He was now busy staring at the ceiling.

So Jaemin was a ? Interesting. Clearly, his looks didn't made him look mean at all. He looked like an angel, his smile was bright and his laugh sounded like heaven. Jeno had realized that because ever since that day at the library, his eyes would wander to find Jaemin. He didn't know why he had developed a kind of obsession, but clearly, it was about to become hatred. 

This boy was a nightmare, he knew it. 

As weeks went by, he heard more and more stories about this boy. How nasty he could get, how rude and mean he was acting. How did he even manage to be prefect ? It was a mystery, but what was for sure was that Jeno didn't want anything to do with this Slytherin boy. And if he were to cross path with him, he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to hold back his anger. After all, this boy had hurt so many people, he deserved to hurt too.

 

"Jeno ?" Jaemin interrupted the memories of the other prefect.

 

Then, Jeno realized. He had been staring. All this time, he had been staring at Jaemin. Blushing hard, the boy turned his face toward the sky. Thank god it was dark, Jaemin probably couldn't see his red cheeks, could he ?

 

"Are you okay ?" Jaemin asked, worry painted on his face. Jeno, next to him, sighed heavily.

 

"Yes I am Jaemin, can we please watch these goddamn stars in silence, I don't feel like talking to you."

 

To say that Jaemin was taken aback was an understatement. He had his mouth opened in a "O" shape, as if he was going to talk. But no words were able to make their way through his throat. 

It took him a whole minute to recover, before he regained his composure. His very Slytherin composure. Glaring at Jeno, he turned to him completely.

 

"What the ? Do you have a problem with me ? 'Cause if you do you better tell me right now. I'm not here to deal with your mood swings." It was now Jeno's turn to be taken aback, his face turning to the side in order to make eye contact with Jaemin.

 

"You want to know what's my ing problem ? You're out there making everyone around you suffer, you make them cry and hurt, and you don't even bat an eyelash. You're not even a little sorry for all of these boys ? How did you even become prefect ? How can someone this useless and cruel be a prefect ? You're everything but a role model Na Jaemin. I hope that you are aware of how miserable you look. Did you lack of that much love during your childhood ? Do you really have to behave like this ? Like a child ? How can your parents even look at you, you are a disappointment." 

 

Jeno was out of breath, his eyes were dark and he felt so angry it was overwhelming. Jeno usually didn't care about other's business, it wasn't his place to say anything, but he had seen boys from his house cry over this damn boy. And here he was, playing innocent. Jeno's heart was beating so fast, it felt so different. 

 

Jaemin though, on the other hand, was completely still. He had broken the eye contact, and his eyes were staring at the grass. It was so dark outside, Jeno couldn't tell what expression he had on his face. He was scared to know, too. 

 

It wasn't Jeno, these words weren't Jeno. He never was mean, he could barely kill a bug, and here he was, being the meanest to a boy he barely knew.

 

"You say I'm a disappointment but what would you be then ? You're not a disappointment ? Did you hear yourself ? You don't know me and yet you feel so brave to say things you don't understand." Jaemin finally spoke, in a very low voice. "To say that-To say-."

 

"To say what ?" Jeno asked, trying to look at Jaemin's face. This attempt was a failure, he couldn't see a thing, and it made him worry (a little). "And for 's sake please look at me instead of hiding."

 

Slowly, Jaemin raised his head. And as a consequence, Jeno's heart stopped beating. Jaemin had an unreadable expression on his face, his eyes had lost their shine. He looked somewhere between sad and angry, but also empty.

 

"To say that I actually find you cute and that ever since your quidditch match in September." The Slytherin said loud enough for the other boy to hear him. "But you're just as bad as me. And I wouldn't date myself."

 

Jeno almost choked on his saliva, blushing even more before rolling his eyes. (Why was he even blushing, it clearly wasn't a situation where he should have been blushing. Weirdo.) "I'm not as bad as you, I'm just honest. That's how you look. Well, not look, because you look really cute and angelic and all so more like... That's how you make yourself look, how you behave. Because as I said you clearly look too good to be true and-"

 

"You find me cute?" Jaemin said and, oh god, Jeno wished he had stayed quiet instead of rambling.

"N-No, wait, that's not what I said." Jeno tried to save himself, his hands coming to his face, hiding himself. Idiot, you are an idiot Lee Jeno.

"But I clearly heard you say, I quote, 'You look really cute AND angelic'." And Jeno knew that if he were to look at the prefect he would see a -eating grin on his lips. 

"Good night Jaemin." The black-haired one got up, soon followed by the other one.

 

"Jeno do you really hate me that bad?"

 

The said boy had to stop for a moment, his eyes scanning the wide sky and the beautiful stars. 

 

"I don't think I hate you. I just got angry and I talked without thinking, I'm sorry Jaemin I shouldn't have said that." 

 

"I deserved it."

 

"No you don't. Nobody does."

 

"Jeno I didn't mean what I said either."

 

"I know."

 

He huffed. "How could you know."

 

"Jaemin stop behaving like this."

 

"Like what?"

 

"Like you're scared of people finding out that you're a nice guy."

 

Jaemin stopped breathing for a few seconds, his hands shaking very slightly. How did Jeno read him this easily? A chill ran down his spine.

 

"Jeno." Turning to Jaemin, he smiled for the first time this night and Jaemin almost melted right on the spot. "Would you go on a date with me ?"

 

Visibly panicked, Jeno shook his head, eyes wide opened. "Jaemin I'm not-I'm- I can't, I don't like boys ? I don't-"

 

"It's okay Jeno, I don't want you to come out or anything. Just, let's hang out together and get to know each other ?"

 

Nodding slowly, the Gryffindor smiled again, but this time shyly. "Okay, see you, then."

 

"Wait a second." the Slytherin prefect mumbled, getting closer to the other boy. "Don't hate me, but I'm just thankful, so you know..." Next thing Jeno knew, Jaemin's lips were on his burning cheek. "Thank you for being honest with me. Now I gotta go." 

 

Jaemin seemed as flustered as Jeno, making his way to the castle, his cheeks on fire. 

 

And here was Jeno, standing alone in the dark, questioning his entire life. Jaemin was such a flirt, the biggest flirt Jeno had ever met. He made the boy uncomfortable, his heart skipping beats.

 

"What am I doing? Oh my god-" He facepalmed, quite hard actually, groaning because it did hurt. "Go to sleep Jeno. You need sleep."

 

---

 

 

That night, Jeno and Jaemin kept thinking. Jaemin couldn't help but think about all the things the Gryffindor had said. And Jeno couldn't help but think about the way Jaemin's lips felt against his cheek. How would it feel to kiss-

 

"Oh my god-" Another facepalm. 

 

"Jeno please, just sleep you've been facepalming for the past ten minutes and it's 2 in the morning !" A boy in the room complained.

 

"Sorry. Goodnight." Jaemin was going to be the end of him.

 

"Jeno ? Oh my god is he dead ? I mean I wouldn't mind, he was supposed to scold me but like it would be troublesome if the prefect had died ? Right ?"

 

"Shut up Hyuck, he fell asleep super late yesterday. He's probably tired."

 

"But, Mark, he's always the first one up ! Wait... He stayed up late ?"

 

"Yeah he arrived at around 1:30. God knows what he was doing."

 

"Oh my god. Him and Jae-."

 

Jeno groaned, pushing his head a little further into his pillow. They were so loud, he felt like he was going to die. His head was pounding and he couldn't even open his eyes. "Can you guys shut up ?" He managed to croak, making everyone around his bed jump in surprise. Somehow, he felt hungover, which made no sense. How could you feel hungover without even drinking alcohol ? It was so irritating, and Jeno could feel himself becoming angry this early in the morning. His aura, just like yesterday, was kind of scary, and Donghyuck knew he had to act fast.

 

"Gotta go !" The red-haired boy quickly said before running out of the room because : 

1. Jeno was going to kill him and he was too young to die.
2. He had to find Jaemin and ask about whatever happened last night.

 

"Donghyuck come here you little-" Tried to say the black-haired boy as he sat up on his bed, his hair sticking in multiples directions. "I'm going to-" He claimed, getting on his feet, but soon realizing it wasn't a good idea. Whatever, he thought as he fell back on his bed, sitting on the edge with his head in his hands. "What are you guys doing here ? You're going to be late."

 

"But you-" Started Mark, visibly worried for his friend.

 

"I'll be fine Mark, leave already." They were being dramatic, it's not like he was going to die ; he was just tired.

 

Gradually, the Grynffindors left the dorm, getting downstairs to the common room and most likely exiting in order to go to their first class of the day. Finally on his own, Jeno raised his head. The light was too much, but he didn't have a choice ; he had to open his eyes and get ready. He was feeling weird, and as if he wasn't feeling awful enough already, he was hit with flashes of memories from the night before. "Oh no..." And there he was, feeling his heartbeat getting faster, the heat creeping on the back of his neck to his ears. 

 

"I really don't want to see him today. Oh god... I have to make sure I don't see him today." If he had known.

 

---

 

 Donghyuck had run all the way to the Slytherin common room, and was now standing right in front of a wall, which, he was sure of it, was the entrance. But the password...

 

"Oh I did not think this through." 

 

"Oh no you did not." A familiar voice behind him repeated, definitely mocking him.

 

"Stop it Jaemin it's not fun !" The Gryffindor whined while turning to his friend. Jaemin looked tired as well, he had bags under his eyes, his hair not even brushed correctly. Slowly, Donghyuck went near him, trying to fix it. A caring gesture, because the red-haired really liked his friend. He was the only one who knew who he truly was, how nice and sensitive he could be sometimes. Hyuck secretly hated everyone for despising the Slytherin ; they didn't know anything. He hoped the love he was giving him was enough to heal the wounds created through the years. "You look like a mess." He said as pictures of Jeno went through his mind. They both looked like mess today.

 

"A hot mess." Rectified the taller one with an arrogant smile, trying hard not to laugh.

 

"What did you do yesterday ? With Jeno ? The poor boy hardly woke up this morning." The more he thought about it, the weirder his thoughts were becoming. He shook his head lightly, trying to get rid of them.

 

"Do you really wanna know ?" Jaemin asked as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, which made the other boy pull a face. He genuinely did not want to imagine anything.

 

"Oh shut up Jaemin, I'm serious." 

 

 "We just talked, damn he was angry at me for taking you out this late. I don't understand him." Jaemin confessed, rolling his eyes in the most dramatic way possible. However, his mind was clouded with memories from the past night, and how Jeno (even though truly mad) was looking good-

 

"What ? You don't understand the fact that he's responsible ?" And that comment made the brown-haired boy huff, crossing his arms on his chest.

 

"I'm responsible- well, not as much as he is but I'm trying okay. It's not in my genes, what can I say." 

 

"Yeah yeah Jaemin, let's get going now before being late."

 

Donghyuck grabbed his friend's arm, dragging him in the long corridor to find their potion classroom. And as they were walking, the Slytherin boy couldn't help but wonder if he was going to see Jeno today. For sure he wasn't going to be there for their first class, or he would be late and... Oh. Now he had an idea. Smiling devilishly, he entered the room under the grim eye of their teacher. 

 

"Hyuck, go and sit next to Mark today." Jaemin told his friend his a bright smile on his lips ; oh, Donghyuck knew he had an idea. Probably something bad.

 

"Isn't it Jeno's seat though?"

 

"He isn't here, remember?"

 

"Oh right."

 

Mark, on the other side of the classroom, was eyeing them suspiciously with furrowed eyebrows. Soon, he noticed that the red-haired boy was coming his way and that's when he realized that something was wrong. Not Hyuck, of course not, the young boy seemed joyful and completely normal, as usual, but Jaemin... Jaemin had this look on his face and he couldn't help but wonder what he was planning. The boy could get quite evil sometimes, and Mark hoped it wasn't going to affect the class nor his surrounding. Besides, he really hoped that Jeno wasn't going to come for their first period, because if he did... He would most likely have to seat next to the devil himself.

 

The class started a few minutes later, and Jaemin had decided that it was alright for him to seat in the back, on his own. He had his books opened, his quill ready to use even though he knew he probably wasn't going to write much. He hoped, silently, scanning the room full of students. His eyes soon fell on the door, and that's when he decided to let his head fall on his hand, staring nonstop at the door.

 

"Na Jaemin, perhaps would you want to take a few notes ? Exams are getting closer, wouldn't it be a pity to fail ? Especially as a prefect. What kind of example would you be ?" Jaemin snapped out of his thoughts, glancing at the teacher who had just spoken. Instead of answering, the Slytherin decided to smile warmly. 

 

"Of course. It would be a shame to fai-"

 

"I'm so sorry I'm late I had some business to take care of yesterday night so I overslept." A well-known voice echoed in the classroom, breaking Jaemin's innocent speech. However, the boy couldn't complain, he was pretty damn happy to see that Jeno had decided to join them. His smile naturally grew wider, eyes falling on the raven-haired boy.

 

"It's all forgiven Mr. Lee, go and sit next to our Slytherin's prefect who seems to be struggling to stay focused on our lesson. May you help him with his attention span." 

 

Jaemin was terribly offended, his attention span wasn't that bad, he just happened to be very absent-minded at the moment. Deciding to not cause a scene, he kept on his pretty smile, even though his clenched jaw was giving his emotion away.

 

"Stop you're going to get wrinkles." Jeno declared as he sat on the bench, a very tiny smile on his lips. To say that he was hoping to ignore Jaemin for the entire day... This was a fail. The boy took his time to take out his stuff, ignoring the fact that the person sitting next to him was glaring at him. Because, obviously, Jaemin was annoyed at the fact that he was feeling fine enough to comment. It was his job, and there was no way the Gryffindor was taking it. Huffing, he attempted to put on his everyday facade, his confident aura coming back slowly. Jeno wanted to play? Oh, then they were going to play. 

 

Scooting closer to his classmate, Jaemin decided that he was going to be clingy. As a consequence, Jeno gave him a confused look, clearly not informed that the boy was starting a game he would most likely hate. Shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh, Jaemin was now staring at the boy.

 

"What are you doing? " Jeno asked in a murmur, his eyebrows knitted. The brown-haired boy listening carefully, nodded, faking reflection.

"You see, I was only wondering about our date-"

 

Oh Jaemin was not going to say that out loud, Jeno thought as he sent his elbow in his seatmate's side in a hurried panic. A few eyes fell on them, some people whispering things none of them could hear.

 

"Shut up idiot."

 

"Jaemin, Jeno, do you need any help ?" The teacher caught them once again, his eyes settled on the duo. A duo that seemed everything but innocent ; Jeno had red cheeks and Jaemin was holding his side in clear pain. Taking this as a chance, the Gryffindor's prefect got up, his arms falling on his sides. He seemed to think for a minute, before turning his attention to the Slytherin.

 

"Yes, actually, Jaemin- isn't- feeling- well." The boy stammered, grabbing the other student by his robe, forcing him to get up too. "I'm going to take him to the infirmary if you don't mind."

 

Nodding in agreement, their teacher showed them the door, indicating he was fine with them leaving the class. Muttering a Thank you as he forced the other boy to follow him out of the classroom, Jeno could feel Mark's and Donghyuck's stares on them. "What is going on?" The later asked, staring at the two prefects leaving in silence. 

 

 

---

 

 

"Where are we going and what are you doing ?" Jaemin whined and Jeno swore it was the very first time he heard the boy talk this way. He didn't know if he felt shocked or maybe he was disgusted, because he felt chills run through his entire body. (Or maybe you found it cute idiot, denial isn't good for you)

 

"We need to have a talk." He simply answered, not daring to look at the Slytherin. His steps got faster, going to the hospital wing even though it did not make any sense. 

 

"You know we can't go to the infirmary, because I'm feeling perfectly fine, right ?" Jaemin asked, letting the other drag him through corridors he didn't even recognize. Jeno hummed, aware that they had to find another place to talk. His mind wandered, thinking about different places that could let them have a talk in silence. He wanted to find one, but every time he thought about a place, his mind wandered again and he was reminded that Jaemin's hand was still in his and he could feel his heart thump ever harder to the point where he wondered if the other prefect was going to hear it. 

 

"Jeno." The brown-haired boy said as he stopped walking, forcing the other boy to stop as well. 

 

"Jaemin what are you doing we need to get going if we someone catches us-"

 

"Jeno." The Slytherin repeated with more insistence, staring at a very specific wall. He was frowning, confused. "I don't know many corridors because I have zero memory but I'm pretty sure there was never a room here ?" He explained, his available hand pointing at the wall on their right.

 

"What-" Jeno sighed but soon froze as his eyes fell on the very same spot Jaemin was staring at. "Oh-" It was his turn to be confused, tilting his head to the side. 

 

This sight was pretty hilarious from an external point of view; two boys, holding hands, staring at a wall as if they had seen a ghost (which wouldn't be unbelievable, Hogwarts did have a few ghosts here and there greeting students). Both of them frowning, looking more confused than ever. Thank god they were on their own and the hallway was empty. 

 

"Oh my god I know what this is !" Jaemin screamed out of the blue, his eyes wide with excitement. "I know ! Oh my god Jeno this is so funny ! I can't believe this !" The boy was so happy it took the Gryffindor aback, now staring at his classmate with confusion. 

 

"Jaemin ? Mind explaining ?" The Slytherin prefect was now laughing.

 

"It's the room of requirement." He finally told Jeno, wearing the widest smile on his lips. Realization hit Jeno but soon his mind was wondering about something completely different. First of all, how could Jaemin act this cute? He was supposed to be evil. Second... what was he so happy about?

 

"Why are you so happy? It's only the room of requirement." 

 

"Well..." The Slytherin started with a sly smile. "Funny it decided to appear to us two when we needed a place alone to talk. It's a sign, our ancestors, or this castle, want us to date Lee Jeno."  And, oh god, if Jaemin could have recorded Jeno's reaction, he would have. The boy widened his eyes, a light pink tainting his cheeks. "We should get in before it disappears." He concluded, entering the room and leaving a very flustered Jeno behind. A Jeno who was losing it ; how could a boy make him blush this much. Huffing and trying to cool down, the boy made his way toward the door, opening it and disappearing with it.

 

---

 

 

Jaemin entered first and, to be honest, he couldn't stop smiling. It really was funny that the room had decided to appear out of nowhere just for them. It turned into a small library, with tables and chairs but also big shelves full of books. He wondered if it was real, if these books truly existed. His fingertips brushed against the different covers, and it did feel real. A light "wow" escaped his mouth before he heard the door open, turning to find Jeno standing there, eyes full of surprise. Letting him get used to the sight, the younger decided to sit on the floor between two rows of shelves, grabbing a random book. Finally, he saw the boy sit next to him, a few centimeters apart. It made him laugh silently, not wanted to fluster him more. After all, maybe he was really straight, and maybe he was making him uncomfortable. The idea made Jaemin shiver ; it's not what he wanted to do. But even so... It was so much fun. Tomorrow, he would stop. If by tomorrow Jeno hadn't shown any kind of... attraction toward him, then he would stop and let him be.

 

"What did you want to tell me Jeno ?" Jaemin decided to talk first, glancing at the other boy as a tiny smile took place on his lips.

 

"I'm not sure." The Slytherin froze, his smile disappearing.

 

"Are you telling me you forced me out of our class and dragged me all the way here for nothing ?" His tone was now drastically different, cruelly severe. (oof mood swings) He felt himself getting mad, not knowing why. Well, he kind of knew, Jeno had the power to make him mad. Anyways, the boy decided to put the book he was holding on the floor, turning his face to look at the other prefect.

 

"Well I just wanted you to shut the up !" It seemed obvious for the Gryffindor, shrugging his shoulders.

 

"If it was only that then you could have just told me !"

 

"Come on Jaemin we both know you wouldn't have shut your mouth !"

 

"Oh, because you know me so well ? Dickhead."

 

The two of them kept arguing, their voices rising dangerously. Even though they were in the room of requirement, they were still in the castle and soon enough they would be heard. Jaemin was now on his knees, in front of Jeno, trying to make sure he was understanding what he was saying (even though there wasn't really anything to understand apart from the fact that the both of them were pissed). As for Jeno, he was this close (insert meme) to getting up and leaving. They were so loud, and didn't even look worried about it.

 

"Oh my god Jeno why are you such a baby and scared of what people can think about you."

 

"I don't know what you're talking about Jaemin but you can't just go around talking about dates with strangers, especially boys, you don't know what people will say, I swear you're so goddamn troublesome I don't even know-"

 

"Why won't you accept the fact that maybe you do like boys ?" Oh.

 

Silence. A very long silence that felt terrifying because of how loud they were being a few seconds before. It was weird, abnormal almost. Scary.

 

Oh Jaemin couldn't even look at Jeno, his ears were red and his was feeling so bad, so so bad. He was suddenly so quiet and he was feeling so guilty. It was not something he was used to feeling, it was uncomfortable. His face was red with embarrassment, not knowing what to say. He felt sorry, deeply sorry for talking without thinking. That's what he needed to say, he needed to say sorry. Deciding to be brave for once in his life, he stole a glance at Jeno and instantly regretted. The boy was looking right at him, but somehow seemed completely lost. 

 

"Jeno?" He tried to get his attention, tilting his head to the side, eyes betraying how unsure he was feeling. "I'm s-so sorry Jeno, I didn't mean to say that- I-"

 

" you Na Jaemin." 

 

"Well I wouldn't mind as you know you're very attractive and I do find you cute too, I already told you yesterday, but since I'm being quite a huge moron right now I don't think I would deserve-"

 

Jeno started laughing. Hiding his face in his hands, the raven-haired boy was laughing hard, his head thrown back against the shelf. Jaemin on the other hand was perplexed, but as he heard the other's laugh, a little smile made its way on his face, his eyes shining once again with amusement. Deep inside, Jaemin hoped he was the reason for this laugh, that he succeeded in lifting the mood. And yet, even though he could see and hear the prefect's laugh, he was still a tiny bit worried because he couldn't see his face. Still unsure of what to do, Jaemin scooted closer still on his knees. He lifted his arms, hands near Jeno's wrists, very hesitant. He should probably ask first, right ?

 

"Jeno ? Can I see your face ?" No answer, only his laugh faltering. Jaemin felt his heart ache for a moment, deciding that if the older wasn't going to show his face he was going to check for himself. Grabbing both of the other's wrists gently, he pulled them out of view only to discover Jeno's face. And oh no, he wished he hadn't. He felt like dying, on this exact moment, he felt his heart stop.

 

---

 

Jeno felt like hiding, he knew he looked awful. He felt tears running down his cheeks, but he also felt Jaemin's stare on him. However, this stare disappeared in a matter of seconds, and that's when Jeno knew he had to talk. "Jaemin it's not your fault." He tried to say, his throat hurting like hell. Even though he knew he had spoken loud enough, the Slytherin hadn't moved. Not a single centimeter, his eyes still on the wooden floor. "I'm just overwhelmed." He explained, sniffing loudly and making sure to stop crying or else it would be even harder to understand him. "Jaemin?" The raven-haired boy asked, now eyeing the other boy with worry. Soon, he got on his knees, right in front of him.

 

Jaemin could barely hear him. He didn't know this feeling creeping in the back of his throat, but he hated it. If he had to guess, then he would have said it was most likely a panic attack, but he wasn't sure. He had never had a panic attack, not once in his life. The feeling became even harder to ignore as he was listening to Jeno repeat his name. Everything started to hit him ; remembering the words of the Gryffindor from the night before. You're making everyone around you suffer. Thinking about it, Jaemin couldn't do anything but agree. He ended up hurting everyone around him, trying to protect himself from getting hurt. He even hurt Jeno. It felt terrible, tears were starting to build in his eyes and soon he could hardly see anything. The worst thing wasn't this though, it was the numbness of his heart. That, and the fact that he could barely breath. He was crying, shaking, almost missing the fact that Jeno was now trying to dry his tears, feeling his fingertips barely touching his skin. 

 

And Jeno was so worried, hearing Jaemin's laboured breathing, seeing his eyes glistering with tears that started to slide on his red cheeks. "Jaemin I swear you didn't do anything wrong-" He was trying really hard to keep his calm but was obviously failing. His hands were shaking and it was getting harder to collect all of Jaemin's tears. It was scary, because he knew he couldn't do anything. Because he knew Jaemin was probably remembering his words from last night ; words he didn't mean but still said. Jeno felt like running away, he did. But he was courageous right ? So he had to stay. He couldn't let the boy on his own. Jeno knew too well how scary it could be to be on your own when you were feeling down. Down... Depressed, crushed. 

 

The Gryffindor prefect decided to scoot even closer to the brown-haired boy, whispering his name even though he probably couldn't hear it. He hesitated, glancing at him, trying to maybe get his attention. Jaemin didn't move, and Jeno knew he was feeling the worst. Jeno decided that he needed to be the brave for once, sneaking his arm around the other's waist, pulling him closer. Jaemin probably hadn't realized, but he ended up letting his head fall on the other's shoulder.

 

They stayed like that for long minutes, Jeno trying to make sure Jaemin was calming down by whispering that "it was okay" and that "he didn't do anything wrong". He started by patting his back, but felt clearly awkward doing so. He ended up letting his hand travel until he was playing with the other's hair. He would never tell him, but their position was incredibly uncomfortable. Jeno didn't know how many minutes had passed, but at some point he realized that Jaemin had stopped shaking and that his breathing had become steady. "Jaemin ?" He broke the silence first, hoping the other would answer.

 

"Shut up, you can't tell what happened. To anyone. Never." The Slytherin answered almost immediately and Jeno had never felt more happy. Laughing a little, the latter hummed. He was still playing with the boy's hair, without even realizing it. Finally, Jaemin sat up, one of his hand coming to rub his eyes. They both looked like mess, and neither of them really wanted to get out of the room of requirement. 

 

"Oh I still haven't scold Donghyuck." Jeno remembered unexpectedly, his eyes wide opened. 

 

"Don't. He didn't do anything wrong." Mumbled Jaemin under his breath, his eyes scanning the fake library they were in. 

 

"Yeah right, it was all your fault, Na Jaemin." 

 

"Shut up." The Slytherin complained, turning to glance at Jeno. "Everything's always my fault." He couldn't help but pout, not very proud of himself.

 

"Yeah. Everything you're fault." Hearing his answer, Jaemin almost choked.

 

"Excuse me?" He didn't know why he was this offended, but he still was anyway.

 

"Forget it."

 

"Lee Jeno you can't tell me everything's my fault and not telling me what you're talking about." Jaemin whined, pushing the other's shoulder. "Come on. Don't be annoying. Or else we're going to fight again and I'm currently drained oh my god I'm so tired-"

 

"It's your fault because I fell for you and now I have to accept the fact that I like boys. Okay maybe I don't like guys and I only like you ? Is that possible ?" Jeno seemed nervous, because he started rambling under the eyes of a very interested Jaemin. Gryffindors were indeed courageous, because coming out like that and confessing was pretty damn hard even for someone like Jaemin. And god knows the boy was a huge flirt.

 

Talking about Jaemin, the boy had fallen silent. He couldn't say anything, staring at the other prefect with complete and utter shock. Well, maybe not shock, but definitely a little bit of surprise and maybe (maybe) he was feeling flattered. 

 

"Jeno ?" 

 

"Yes ?" And of course when his eyes landed on the brown-haired boy, he was wearing this -eating grin, his confidence probably boosted to the maximum. "Oh my god, forget what I just said." He told him as he got up, Jaemin getting up a few seconds later. "We need to go back, we still have a day of classes to attend." But Jaemin wasn't having any of it, instead, he grabbed the boy by his robe, stopping him before he could get any further away from him. Making his way in front of Jeno, the Slytherin offered the boy a huge smile.

 

"You still owe me a date."

 

"W-what-" The black-haired boy was interrupted by arms wrapping around his neck and a pair of lips falling on his left cheek. Jaemin didn't lose any time before hugging him tightly, hiding his head in the crook of Jeno's neck. 

 

"You heard me well. You owe me a date Lee Jeno." And before he could answer, the other prefect had abandoned him, almost running out of the room. The door closed slowly, and Jeno swore he had seen Jaemin blush ; or had he hallucinated? He hoped not. 

 

 

Jeno had stayed in the room of requirement for a few minutes after Jaemin had left. He was flustered, of course, but also exhausted. He didn't know if he was going to go to their next period... Maybe he would ? For Jaemin ? Yeah, that's right, he was going to go for Jaemin. He wanted to make sure the other prefect was doing fine, that he wasn't too shaken up because of what had happened. He remembered the way Jaemin was shaking, the way he was crying ; the way it broke his heart. To be honest, Jeno was lost. Many feelings were tightening his chest, his heart beating faster every time he thought about the brown-haired boy. It was new, different. He had always thought that he could only feel these type of things toward girls, but here he was... his head full of Jaemin's smile, Jaemin's scent, Jaemin's voice. It was overwhelming, really. That's why he had cried. Because it was a first ; the first time he fell for a boy, and the first time he fell that hard. Words from his fellow Gryffindors kept ringing in his ears : Jaemin is a player, Jaemin broke so many hearts... But the Jaemin Jeno knew was nothing like that. The Jaemin he knew was soft, with beautiful shining eyes. A perfect laugh and soft hands he liked to hold. Jaemin smelled like flowers and first love, he felt warm ; Jeno wanted to hold him again. Jaemin was also insecurities and remorse, it made Jeno sigh heavily. He needed to go now, he needed to think about something else... Like the date he and Jaemin were supposed to have.

 

Jeno ended up going through his day with a smile on his face. Of course his friends noticed his puffy eyes, just as they realized Jaemin looked the exact same. No one asked a question ; they knew they couldn't, that if they did it would have ended with harsh words. But they also knew that mysteries were tiring and that they were not going to watch everything from far away.

 

The end of the day came sooner than expected, and the black-haired boy soon made his way toward his common room. He had had Jaemin on his mind the entire day, and every time he had seen him he had given him a warm smile that didn't go unnoticed by Mark but also Donghyuck. Whipped. He thought to himself as he stopped in front of the painting that was waiting for him to give the right password. He was about to do it, until he heard footsteps behind him. Naturally, he turned his head to the source of the noise, and there, he discovered Mark and Donghyuck coming his way.

 

"You have some explaining to do." Mark announced first, almost glaring at his friend. The red-hair next to him nodded silently, agreeing even though he was only here because he had the bad habit of being extremely curious. "About Jaemin. What happened ?"

 

Jeno could feel his cheeks and ears warm up once again, visibly shy about the fact that they were in the middle of the corridor, talking about his very first boy crush. "Can't we talk about this somewhere else ?" He tried to convince the duo but Hyuck only huffed.

 

"If you can't talk about it openly then you don't deserve Nana."

 

"There's nothing going on I swear- Well maybe a little? We've been talking and maybe I find him cute that's all." Jeno stuttered a bit as he managed to explain what was going on, shrugging his shoulders as if it was nothing big. However, Mark's reaction made it something big. Huge, even. 

 

"Lee Jeno ? Gay ? For Na Jaemin ?" He started laughing hysterically, probably because he was nervous but also shocked. The two other Gryffindors only stared at him in disbelief, rolling their eyes.

 

"Yes, we know, hilarious and the new of the year." The raven-haired boy mumbled, annoyed by his behavior.

 

"No but seriously, you both looked like you had been crying..." Donghyuck seemed concerned, even after Jeno offered him a smile.

 

"Don't worry, Jaemin wasn't feeling well so we ended up going to the infirmary. I think I caught his symptoms." His explanation seemed to convince the two others, their mouths opened slightly. 

 

"Oh... Makes sense." Mark thought out loud, his eyes looking at the ceiling. "Well, now that we know, I guess we can get inside of our common room. There's still a little bit of time left before dinner."

 

The three of them agreed, giving the right password to the painting which opened to reveal their favorite place ; Gryffindor's common room. There was a fire place, a sofa and some chairs here and there. Tables to study, students talking lively. It felt like home, warm spreading inside of Jeno's chest. Slowly, he made his way to his dorm, and then to his bed. Once he sat down, a familiar black cat jumped on his lap, purring quietly. 

 

"Lightning." The boy whispered as a wide smile stretched his lips, his hands grabbing the animal very gently before hugging it affectionately. "You're my only love, you know that ?" Yes, Jeno loved his cat more than anything. Everyone had gotten used to it eventually. The sight was too cute to say anything anyway.

 

---

 

 Jeno had spent a long time on his bed, such a long time that he hadn't realized that everyone had left to eat. Mark and Hyuck seemed to have forgotten about him, because they hadn't notify him of the time and the fact that (maybe) he should eat a little. The dorm was silent, the common room too. It was this way for long minutes, his cat purring calmly and making the atmosphere even more comfy for the young boy. The black-haired boy felt so relaxed, his eyes closed and enjoying the silence that surrounded him. A few minutes later though, he heard footsteps coming from downstairs. Wow, it must be Mark realizing that he forgot about his best friend. The Gryffindor thought with a sigh, not bothering opening his eyes. The footsteps got slowly closer, until he felt his bed cave in and he could hear his cat going to cuddle whoever was sitting next to him ; even though he assumed it was Mark, because who could it be other than him right ?  

 

"I'm not hungry Mark, don't make Hyuck wait." The boy muttered before sighing once again. No answer. Jeno frowned, deciding that maybe, he should open his eyes. Sitting up, that's what he did, jumping in surprise when he recognized Jaemin sitting on the edge of his bed, quite close actually, and petting the black cat. 

 

"Your cat is adorable, I wish I had one too. I have a pygmy puff, and don't get me wrong, he's absolutely adorable, but cats are just so fluffy and cuddly and the big difference with pygmy puff is that cats are social animals..." The Slytherin cooed at the cat on his lap, not really aware of the fact that Jeno was staring at him. The thing was... Lightning, the cat, wasn't very social. He loved Jeno more than anything and would barely greet anyone but him. But now... He was on Jaemin's thighs, purring so loud the Gryffindor was surprised. 

 

"He seems to like you." Jeno admitted, absent-minded. His eyes kept going from Jaemin to his cat, wondering which one he liked more-

 

"Just like his owner." The boy choked on his saliva, coughing violently as his eyes traveled to the window near his bed. He couldn't face Jaemin, he knew too well his face was betraying his feelings. 

 

"Shut up." The boy mumbled under his breathe, unaware that Jaemin had pushed the cat off his lap. Instead, he decided that he wanted to be closer to the other prefect ; so that's what he did. He sat closer, on the side of Jeno, his legs now resting on the bed. 

 

"No need to be shy." He assured, enjoying the moment way too much. He pushed Jeno's shoulder with his own, tilting his face to try to see the other's red one. "Jeno ?" He asked, his lips stretched in a blinding smile. The other boy was silent, not daring to have any type of eye contact. "Jeno." Jaemin suddenly whined, pouting. And that's when Jeno decided that he should glance at the other ; bad idea, he blushed a darker shade of red, letting his head fall back against the wall (which was quite painful, if anyone wondered). Jaemin decided that it was his cue to let his own head fall on the other's shoulder, getting comfortable. 

 

"What do you want ?" Finally asked the Gryffindor in a little voice, glad that the younger wasn't trying to see his face anymore.

 

"You really need to learn how to talk to the boy you like Lee Jeno. You can't be aggressive just because you're nervous." 

 

Jeno listened to his words carefully, knowing that he was right. "Sorry." He couldn't do much more, it was his natural reaction. Deep inside, he hoped Jaemin wasn't hurt. It's not that he didn't like him, not at all, he was just new to this. He had faith in the Slytherin prefect ; he knew he would give him time, let him learn how it worked. It should be around the same as with a girl, right ? It couldn't be too different. "I'm going to get my together don't worry." He added with a little smile, his hand finding its way to Jaemin's light brown locks.

 

"You're doing fairly okay right now." Revealed the Slytherin with a new smile creeping on his lips ; a satisfied one. Not as in "Oh look at me I'm so much better than anyone else, I succeeded in having what I want", but as in "I'm happy. Right now, I have all I need in order to find happiness." It felt odd, especially for him. He may had dated a lot ever since his arrival to Hogwarts, but that was the very first time he felt this safe and contented. As for Jeno, he felt reassured ; if he wasn't doing that bad at his worst, then it could only be okay. For a split second he wondered if Jaemin was lying, but when he felt him curl to his side, he knew that the boy was being honest. 

 

"Jeno ?"

 

"Oh my god stop calling my name like that."

 

"Jeno. Jeno. Jeno. Jeno."

 

"Shut up Jaemin please."

 

"Make me."

 

"Later."

 

"La- What ?"

 

"Do you want to go see the stars tonight ?" Jaemin was silent, staring at Jeno with the most unreadable expression stuck on his face. Slowly, he sat on his knees, not breaking the eye contact for a single second.

 

"Our date ?" The brown-haired boy asked with hope in his eyes, blinking multiple times.

 

"Maybe?" Jeno started, seeming deep in thoughts. "Okay yes it is... 10pm in front of the Whomping Willow?"

 

"Oh- my- god-" The Slytherin declared. "Jeno !"

 

"Yes ?" No answer, simply a very cute boy jumping in his arms, hugging him so tight he could barely breathe. "Jaemin I can't breathe."

 

"I don't care." The hug only tightened and Jaemin nuzzled his head into Jeno's neck, their legs now entangled. "Thank you." The younger mumbled, making Jeno shiver ; he really didn't need to be this close, Jeno was going to lose it.

 

"It's all good." The Gryffindor finally gave in, circling his arms around the other's figure, bringing him possibly closer. He didn't know how he fell for Jaemin, he couldn't even describe the feeling that was making his heart beat this fast ; all he knew was that he didn't want to let go of the boy. That, even if he had to lose everything. He couldn't care less about what everyone was going to say. He was a Gryffindor after all, the prefect at that ; he had to show bravery. Courage. It was his job.

 

 

 

"Oh my god I'm too young to see such things someone cover my eyes."

 

"Hyuck you better run I still have to tell you a few things." And Jeno was off chasing the red-haired boy who had just entered the room, letting Jaemin on his own, whining. Whatever, he thought, I'm just going to go get ready for tonight.

 

 

 

"So, are you and Jaemin dating ?" Donghyuck asked with a sly smile on his face, raising his eyebrows at the Gryffindor prefect.

 

"You're so dead." 

 

Oops, he had to run fast now.

 

---

 

That night, Jeno decided that it was safe enough to go an hour early to get everything ready. He hoped Jaemin wasn't as nervous as he was, he hoped he would be right on time. Carefully, the Gryffindor had laid a blanket on the grass, as well as little pillows. They clearly weren't going to spend the night outside, but for the minutes or hours (if lucky) they were going to be sitting down, Jeno wanted the Slytherin to feel comfortable. And maybe, Jeno had planned to be comfortable as well, he wasn't sure though if he had gathered enough courage yet.

 

Once everything was set, the raven-haired boy couldn't help but start worrying. He never worried about dates ; usually he would buy flowers, wear something nice and pay some compliments. But with Jaemin, what was he supposed to do ? Jaemin had dated so many guys before, some of them probably much more skilled with their words ? And what if Jaemin didn't like him, in the end ? What if he was disappointed ? Jeno would understand, he wouldn't date himself either. Sitting down on the fluffy blanket, Jeno was surely getting more and more insecure, his hands shaking visibly. He hoped Jaemin wasn't going to see that, he truly did. 

 

"Oh-" A gasp interrupted his thoughts. He knew who it was, and Jeno had to gather his courage as he was getting up on both of his feet. 

 

"I hope you like it. I really tried my best to make it pretty but-" Jaemin was awfully clingy, awfully cuddly, he couldn't help himself everytime he saw Jeno. The moment he had seen the boy getting up, all he had wanted to do was run into his arms, and even though he did not run, the brown-haired boy made his way toward the Gryffindor before hugging him for the nth time that day. Jeno was starting to get used to it, or at least he knew he wasn't madly blushing. (Thank god)

 

"You're too cute Jeno, thank you so much." The Slytherin whispered before he stepped away, eyeing the blanket with excitement. He obviously wanted to sit, but looked as if he was waiting for the other boy to sit first.

 

"You can sit down you know." Jeno told him with a little laugh, smiling happily as his eyes turned into crescents and, oh god, Jaemin swore he would have rather looked at his smile than the actual moon.  

 

"No you sit down first." The latter assured with a tiny smile. 

 

Jeno couldn't believe this, either Jaemin was shy, or they were both really dumb. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed the boy's robe, forcing him to sit down at the same time as him. Giggling for a few seconds, the Slytherin must had noticed how stupid they were being. 

 

"We both need to get our together."

 

"I've got my together, you definitely don't."

 

"Touché." 

 

Not knowing what to do or to say, Jeno simply brought the other boy closer to him, his head turned toward the sky. They were so lucky, because the weather was this good despite the evident cold wind. It was still January, they couldn't expect warmer temperatures. But it didn't matter, what mattered was the fact that they were able to see the stars. And Jeno had to admit, he had tried to look at them for the longest time, but ended up being distracted and landed his eyes on Jaemin ; A much more beautiful sight if you'd asked. At first, the Slytherin was trying to hide the fact that he had spotted Jeno staring, acting innocent and oblivious... but it didn't last long. For your information, it's quite complicated to ignore a pair of eyes staring at you, even if it was incredibly dark, the moon was actually shining on them both. Huffing lightly, Jaemin blinked his eyes a few times, still looking up. 

 

"Jeno you're terribly obvious."

 

"It's not my fault if you're prettier than the stars." Where did he learn that? Jaemin thought as he struggled to hide his blushing ears and neck, his cheeks turning a bright shade of pink as well. 

 

"Did I fluster you?" Jeno asked in the most innocent voice, even though the smile on his face was everything but innocent. The little- "It's fun. I should do that more often." Huffing dramatically this time, the brown-haired boy turned his head toward the prefect. 

 

"Who says we're going to meet again. I could get bored." Of course he didn't mean it, but Jeno still felt a pang of worry in his heart.

 

"You're not going to get bored of me, right ?" He asked, initiating eye contact. That's when Jaemin realized that, maybe, Jeno was worried about himself not being enough. When he had had his first date with a boy, Jaemin had wondered too; was he good enough ? There were plenty of other boys, he could easily be replaced.

 

"You know I was joking, right ? I'm not going to replace you Jeno." 

 

"Oh." The boy sounded surprised, staring straight at the other prefect. He took his time to look at him; he never had before that. Jaemin was very pretty. Of course he already knew that, but now that he looked more closely, he was very very pretty. Pretty wide brown eyes, pretty long eyelashes, pretty (cute) nose, pretty (cute) full cheeks, pretty pink lips-

 

"Jeno please stop staring." Jaemin suddenly squealed, making Jeno laugh. 

 

"Oh come on it's not the first time."

 

"Well it's the first time you stare for that long." He explained, hiding his face in his hands, nervous. Wow, the tables had turned. Confident Jeno and shy Jaemin ; a sight.

 

Breathing in, the Slytherin prefect gave Jeno a look that could only be described as "I'm so not letting you be confident right now what am I doing I'm a Slytherin oh my god Jaemin get your together". First of all, he removed his own hands away from his face, and decided to move closer to the other boy (even though it was hardly possible). He could see that, now, Jeno was trying to avoid eye contact, but Jaemin knew how to get what he wanted, so of course, Jeno ended up looking back at him. "Jeno ?" He wished he hadn't, as the Slytherin was smiling, amused. 

 

Oh, that did not felt right, chills ran through Jeno's entire body, observing Jaemin with a hint of fear. "Y-yeah?"

 

"Was it love at first sight ?" Usually, this question wouldn't have bothered the prefect, but Jaemin was so close to him and he seemed so confident, he could feel his heart race to the point of wondering if he wasn't going to die right on the spot.

 

"M-mh ?" He pretended not to understand, his eyebrows knitted. But Jaemin wasn't stupid, so he made sure to bring his face closer to Jeno's, smiling widely.

 

"Pretty sure it is." 

 

"What if it is ? Are you going to tell me you don't like me? Because if you do I'm just going to go back to dating girls-"

 

Jaemin could have given him a proper answer made out of words, something like : "Please don't go back to liking girls because I do like you a lot and, that, ever since I saw you during this stupid quidditch match four months ago." Instead, he decided that kissing the boy was the best way possible to convey his feelings. Okay, he also chose to kiss him because he wanted him to shut up, but that would remain a secret.

 

Their first kiss was nothing wild; Jaemin was not trying to scare the Gryffindor away. Instead, he had just leaned toward the raven-haired boy, tilting his head to the side and pressing his lips on Jeno's rather quickly. Jaemin was confused, he was the one making a move but he also felt his heart do a back-flip (which had never happened before). "I must really like him..." He thought before pulling away, meeting the eyes of the Gryffindor and almost dying from shyness as he realized how close their faces still were. Then, it hit him.

 

"I'm really sorry I should have asked right ? I'm not the best when it comes to that." Jaemin explained while getting on his knees in front of Jeno (Which seemed to happen quite a lot, but well, sitting next to him while talking wasn't the easiest, especially if he wanted to hold eye contact). "I'm so sorry ?" 

 

At this very moment, Jaemin was the only one who seemed bothered and sorry. Jeno, on the other hand, had started smiling, watching as the other prefect was trying to explain himself even though he did not need to. Jaemin was so cute, adorable, the prefect could barely keep the eye contact the other was desperate to hold. Rather than that, Jeno couldn't help but stare at the boy's lips and be reminded of how soft they had felt on his.

 

"Jaemin ?" He asked, distracted.

 

"Yes ?"

 

"Can you shut up ?"

 

"W-why ?"

 

"Because I really want to kiss you again."

 

"O-oh." Jeno ended up yanking to poor (and confused) boy by his green tie, slamming their lips together once again in a more aggressive kiss. Jaemin could have sworn the boy that was kissing him was not the Gryffindor prefect because there was no way Jeno was being this confident and rough. There was also no way he had grabbed Jeno's face in order to deepen the kiss ; no way. That could not be their second kiss... and yet, it was. Everything was going well, they were both enjoying their moment together and Jaemin was glad they were sharing an actual kiss instead of small pecks because, if he were to be honest, he had wanted to kiss the quidditch player for a while now.

 

The only problem though, was that, as they both parted with racing heartbeats, they glanced in the exact same direction. They had heard it, the two boys had heard the same thing. A few meters away, they could see a figure appearing under the moonlight and that's when they knew they had to disappear, and fast.

 

"Don't tell me you didn't notify the caretaker about the fact that we had a date planned here." The Slytherin asked, still short of breath.

 

"Well- I kind of- forgot?"

 

"Oh we're ed." 

 

They both got up from the blanket, looking around for a way to escape. But, before going anywhere, Jeno knew he had to get rid of all of this. Quickly, he took his wand out and cast a vanishing spell on the blanket and the pillows. "Smart." He heard the other prefect say before grabbing his hand and running away in the direction of the castle, making sure to be as silent as possible as they saw the caretaker getting closer to their initial spot. They had to be fast, and go back to their common rooms before someone decided to check if anyone was missing. (Especially because, as prefects, they had to be some kind of role models).

 

Entering the castle, they knew that they had to split because of how far from one another their common rooms were.

 

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow ?" Jeno asked to a quite exhausted Jaemin.

 

"Yeah. And, also, if you act all straight and not interested tomorrow morning I'm going to punch you really hard."

 

"Why would I do that ? You're my boyfriend after all."

 

"Yes-. W-wait what ?"

 

"Well, I don't kiss people I don't date. You have no choice now, goodnight." The black-haired boy declared with the widest smile (a smile Jaemin had never seen), his eyes almost disappearing. The Slytherin had wanted to say something, but he didn't get the chance as Jeno made his way toward his common room. 

 

Oh Jaemin was going to go crazy ; because he really did like the boy and now they were dating. Jeno was going to drive him crazy, he knew it. 

 

Oh... and Donghyuck was so going to scream once informed of the news

 

Tomorrow was going to be a loud day. The start of something new.

Jaemin couldn't wait. Nor could Jeno.

 

---

 

 

“We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are.” 

 

---

 

 

 

Always.