- October 2, 2005 -

A long sigh was followed by the scrape of a turned page. Minho blinked slowly, the text in A History of Magic blurring until he blinked again. He glanced over at Kibum, who had started humming to the cadence of the spell they had learned in Transfiguration today.

What was it?

Kibum hummed it again, and Minho squinted as he tried to remember which one it was, but it was to no avail.

Oh well, it was almost time for bed anyways.

A smile disrupted his yawn when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kibum practicing the new wand movements. He stretched his legs out of their crossed position, his toes pressing against the opposite wall of their study closet. Soon, he relaxed and his legs rested across Kibum’s shins. Minho glanced over to see if he was bothering him, but Kibum didn’t seem to pay him any mind.

No, he was too focused on jotting down notes.

Minho rested his head on the wall, staring into the warm yellow glow of the myriad candles posted around the closet.

It was no real shock that this closet was his favorite place in the entire castle. Tranquil and secluded, as only he and Kibum knew about it. Inside, it always smelled faintly of old parchment and Grandma’s baking, even if she hadn’t baked them anything for a while. He felt at peace here, like he was free to be himself, without judgment.

Another long sigh, from him; another page turned, from Kibum.

Minho closed A History of Magic and hugged it to his chest, his eyes closing as he rested his chin on the top. Kibum was humming again, not to a spell this time, but to a song that Minho didn’t recognize. He felt himself start to drift off, and he shook his head to wake up a little. 

Kibum’s song ended abruptly. “Want to stop for the night?”

“I’m good whenever, but take your time.”

He could feel Kibum’s eyes on him, but he couldn’t be bothered to look up. “Five more minutes?”

“Mm.”

His humming resumed, and another page was turned.

Minho smiled.