- March 18, 2010 -

Spring was officially at Hogwarts. The grass, aside from a few patches of snow in the shadows of the Forbidden Forest, had returned lush as ever. The sky was still overcast and usually drizzling, like it was today. Kibum and Minho had long since finished cataloging the different parts of the Venomous Tentacula, and now they were sitting quietly, shoulders pressed together while Kibum watched the raindrops race down the panes of glass surrounding then.

Do you want to go study with the others after this? Minho scrawled on the parchment they were taking notes on during class. Did he? Not really. Not right away at least. He waited until Minho glanced up before he shook his head. What then?

Kibum held his hand out for the quill, and once Minho passed it to him, he wrote What about a walk?

Minho's eyebrows shot up, and he looked up, an ill-suppressed grin brightening his features. Apparently, that was a yes. Even though it was barely raining, it still meant that the other students wouldn't linger outside, which would give them a bit more freedom.

The bell couldn't ring soon enough. Each moment dragged by until the gloriously harsh sound sliced through Sprout's quiet comments to Rhesa about the Venomous Tentacula. The others rushed to put gather their notes and textbooks so they could head back inside to the warmth of the castle. Kibum, however, plopped his chin on his palm as he leaned on the table, watching Minho slowly shove their things into his backpack.

"Where do you wanna head to?" Minho asked him after his bag was zipped up.

Kibum shrugged. "Wherever. It doesn't matter." Minho slipped his backpack over his shoulders, and Kibum followed him out, squeezing past the third years who were filing inside.

It was still raining--or rather, misting--as they strolled down the lawn. Specks of blue primroses dotted the lawn, drawing Kibum's eye. He smiled as he surveyed them, his gaze darting up to Minho, who met it with a smile. He had always felt a little foolish for keeping the primrose Minho had given him all those years ago. But, after Minho revealed a few months back that that had been what sparked his realization, his Minho-related keepsake-hoarding ways had finally been of real use to him.

Minho glanced over their shoulders as they started down the hill toward the willow. They must have been alone and out of sight of the Great Hall windows, because Minho grabbed his hand, swinging it lightly between them.

It was still nice outside, despite the rain, but then his being with Minho probably had something to do with that.

Kibum brought their joined hands up, kissing the back of Minho's before they had ducked into the cover of Merlin's Beard. His eyebrows shot up in pleased surprise, and as soon as the trees covered them, Minho pulled him into a kiss that left Kibum a little breathless.

"Is everything okay?" he asked as they parted.

"Right now?" Everything was perfect; what did he mean?

"You just seemed upset at breakfast, that's all."

"Oh." That. Kibum rolled his eyes, starting to walk along the stream leading to the docks from the Black Lake. "Yeah, someone spilled the cream all over the tray in the common room and then left it for me to clean up." He shrugged halfheartedly, sighing. "I know it's dumb, but yeah."

"I'll be sure not to do that when we live together."

Kibum's eyes blew wide and he almost slipped on the slick fallen leaves as he looked up at Minho. "What?"

"You know, in the future? After we finish school and I get out of the military."

"Right." Kibum's eyes never left his profile, a small smile growing. "Do you often think about what our life will be like?" Minho worried his bottom lip, suppressing a smile. "Do you?"

Minho nodded, glancing his way. "Is that weird?"

"I think it's cute." Kibum's eyes dropped to the forest floor as he sidestepped a fern. "What sort of things do you picture for us?"

"Like, the normal stuff, I guess."

Grinning, Kibum stopped walking and pulled Minho to a stop. He looked back at him, a bashful smile shining in his eyes. "But what, though?"

Minho averted his eyes, tugging Kibum along. The sound of the gurgling stream grew louder as they drew nearer to the lake. "I don't know where we'll live, but...We'd live in a quiet neighborhood with other witches and wizards and I'd have a garden and greenhouse so I can grow potions ingredients for you. You know, the ones that are really hard to find."

Kibum nodded, humming, unable and unwilling to take his eyes off of Minho's profile.

"We'd get a dog or two, since you're allergic to cats, and then when...when we get married…" He cleared his throat, casting the quickest of glances Kibum's way before he continued. "We'd adopt some wizarding kids that need a good home."

Huh...kids...he had never really thought about it. The thought terrified him, he couldn't deny that, but he was technically still a kid himself. Maybe it wouldn't when he got older.

He hoped it didn't.

"You'll probably be some famous alchemist--"

"Stop…"

Minho smiled, looking over at him after Kibum had playfully shoved him with his elbow. "That's not even that big of a stretch, Bum."

"Well, what about you, then? What will you do?" Kibum asked as they turned at the rocky shoreline, walking alongside the lake now. It had stopped raining, now.

"I'm not really sure, to be honest."

"Something athletic, I bet. Or you'd be a healer. We could work together!" Minho's brow furrowed as he hummed in question. "Like if I were an alchemist or potioneer, I could make elixirs and potions and we could develop remedies together!"

Minho, smiling now, stared at the Durmstrang ship ahead of them. "Aren't you worried that we'd get sick of each other after spending so much time together?"

"Are you sick of me now?" He snorted, shaking his head. "Well, I'm sick of you, so--Min, I'm kidding," he interjected with a laugh when Minho's attention whipped toward him. "Besides, I think it's natural to get irritated with each other sometimes but I don't think I could ever get sick of being with you."

"Me neither. I like you too much for that." Minho stopped walking, glancing back at the castle and Merlin's beard. "We should probably head back."

"Yeah?"

As if in answer to Kibum's question, the misty drizzle shifted to a hard rain. Still holding hands, they ran back down the way they came, but now the cover of trees did little to keep them dry. They found refuge under the awning of the docks below the castle, both stopping to stare out at the rain as it fell.

"I guess," Minho said after clearing his throat, Kibum looking over at him at the sound. "If you think about it, it doesn't really matter what we end up doing in the future."

"No?"

He shook his head, searching Kibum's expression with a half-smile. "We'll be together, so anything that ends up happening will already be perfect."

"You think so?" Kibum asked, his smile growing as Minho's gaze dipped to his lips.

"I know so," he said, just before he leaned in for a kiss.