And here's the very first one shot for you guys! It wasn't supposed to be over 12k but oh well...

Some of you have seen this coming in 'I am NOT [scared of anything]' so here we go!

My sister mostly wrote the kiss scenes because I'm still hella bad at that!

Um, I guess warning for ? But they're not actually gonna do anything besides making out!

 

Jisung let out a sigh as he looked out of the window of the Hogwarts Express, absent-mindedly playing with the Quidditch captain’s badge he had received via owl this summer.

“You okay?” Hyunjin questioned. He was sitting across from Jisung with Seungmin by his side. Next to Jisung was his and Seungmin’s fellow Ravenclaw Renjun, who also gave him a curious look after Hyunjin’s question.

“Oh, yeah. I’m fine!” Jisung told him. “Just thought about how we’re going to kick Slytherin’s this year,” he quickly added with a grin on his face.

Hyunjin laughed. “In case you forgot, Slytherin also got a new captain this year. Don’t be too sure of yourself,” he teased.

Jisung only chuckled. He figured that this season would be interesting with both of them as Quidditch captains of their respective teams.

“There won’t be any distractions this year, so I’ll do a lot better than last year, rest assured,” Jisung told him.

Seungmin frowned, looking a little concerned at the remark. “Are you okay, though? Like... after your break-up with Eunseo?”

Jisung tried not to make a face at the word break-up. Instead he shrugged with practiced nonchalance.

“It wasn’t like it was a surprise. It was mutual. She’s working at the ministry now and I’m still a student. Besides, we’ve been more like friends over the last few weeks of our relationship anyway. I’m fine,” he said.

He mostly meant it, too. He had seen their break-up coming, if he was honest, and he knew it was for the best. That didn’t mean it didn’t also a little.

“Wait, you two broke up?” Renjun questioned in surprise.

Jisung looked at him and smiled faintly. It wasn’t exactly his favorite subject to talk about.

“We did... about a month ago,” he informed the older.

“Sorry to hear that,” he replied but Jisung only shrugged again.

“It’s okay, I’ve kept myself... busy this summer...” he mumbled, unable to hold back the smallest of grins at the memory. “Anyway, I think I saw the snack lady a while ago. I’m gonna go find her. Do you guys want anything?” he switched subjects.

“Some chocolate would be nice, to be honest,” Hyunjin mumbled.

Seungmin got up as well. “I’ll come with you. Knowing Hyunjin some chocolate means lots of chocolate. You won’t be able to carry all of that,” he explained. The older just nodded and the two of them left the compartment together.

“Are you really okay?” Seungmin questioned after a few seconds of silence. Jisung looked at his best friend to find him looking back at him with the same concerned expression he had just regarded him with back in the compartment.

“Is that why you came along?” Seungmin raised his eyebrow, silently urging him to answer the question. “I’m really okay. It’s just that this whole thing with Eunseo made me think that I can’t seem to...” he trailed off and then shook his head. “Never mind, it’s stupid.”

Seungmin reached out for his arm, causing him to stop walking.

“What is it?” he questioned.

Jisung sighed and leaned against the wall. “I think I just want to have what you and Hyunjin have. Like, you two were literally made for each other... meanwhile, I can’t seem to find true love at all,” he finally explained. He really appreciated the fact that Seungmin didn’t laugh at him for it. Instead, the younger patted his arm.

“Well, maybe you and Eunseo didn’t work out, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t find anyone at all. Just give it some time. It’s a new school year. Who knows what will happen?”

Jisung sighed again and nodded. “Yeah... or maybe it’s just time to be single for a while. That worked out just fine before Eunseo and I got together,” he said. “Let’s just get those snacks, shall we?”

~

They bumped into Jeongin on the way back from the snack lady. The younger looked glad to see them. “You guys don’t happen to have a seat left in your compartment, do you?” he asked almost desperately.

“We do, actually. Why?” Jisung questioned.

“I’m sitting with those really weird seventh years I don’t even know, and I just really want to leave... and my little brother abandoned me. He’s been on this train for just about 5 minutes and he’s already made a ton of friends,” Jeongin explained.

“Come with us, then,” Seungmin said with a grin.

Jeongin beamed and all too happily followed the two older boys back to their compartment.

Renjun and Hyunjin were laughing about something when they returned. “Ah, there you guys are,” Hyunjin stated. His eyes landed on Jeongin and he smiled at the younger. “Hi, Jeongin. Are you joining us?”

Jeongin nodded and sat down next to Seungmin who had reclaimed the seat next to his boyfriend, while Jisung flopped onto the seat next to Renjun near the window.

“We brought lots of chocolate frogs,” he exclaimed with a grin and held one out to him. Renjun smiled at him and gratefully took the chocolate frog.

~

Several hours later, the train arrived in Hogsmeade.

“Oh, are we here already?” Jeongin exclaimed excitedly. He jumped to his feet and hurried out of the compartment, not paying much attention to his surroundings and therefore not seeing the Slytherin that was currently passing by.

“Ouch!” Jeongin whined after he stumbled to the floor.

The Slytherin he had bumped into turned out to be Sunwoo from Hyunjin’s year.

“I-I’m so sorry! This happens all the time. Are you okay? D-did I hurt you?” Sunwoo stammered and held out a gloved hand to help him up.

“Oh no, it was my fault! I didn’t watch where I was going,” Jeongin replied as the older pulled him to his feet.

“No, it’s my–”

“Jeongin! Is this creep bothering you?” a new voice appeared behind Sunwoo, startling them. It belonged to Lucas Wong, the new Hufflepuff Quidditch team captain. He glared down at Sunwoo, who ducked his head and quickly escaped the train.

“H-hi Lucas,” Jeongin stuttered.

Lucas gave him a small smile in return before shooting a wary look in the direction Sunwoo had just disappeared in. “You should really be careful around this dude. I’ve heard creepy things about him,” he told Jeongin just as the others followed the younger out of the compartment.

“You shouldn’t believe every stupid rumor you hear, Lucas,” Hyunjin snapped, defending his friend.

The Hufflepuff captain looked at him. “Well, knowing you he’ll be part of your Quidditch line up, so I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of him and all become best friends,” he said sarcastically.

“Okay, enough of this!” Seungmin interfered sternly. “Come on, Jeongin.”

They left the train and joined the rest of the students on the platform. Hyunjin was still grumbling about Lucas and Jisung was talking to Changbin and Felix, whom he had met among the crowd.

~

After the sorting – Jeongin’s brother was also sorted into Hufflepuff – and the feast, the students went to their dorms, chatting or just immediately going to bed.

The Ravenclaw sixth years were just lazing around on their beds, talking about their summers. They even got a new addition to their dorm. His name was Bae Jinyoung. He was quiet and reserved but seemed like a nice guy.

“So, where did you go to school before?” Go Sangyeol asked.

Jinyoung looked surprised at suddenly being addressed and closed the book he was reading. “I went to school in Japan, but my family has a higher opinion of Hogwarts, so they figured I should transfer here,” he explained.

“Oh, I went there as well! Maybe we’ve seen each other before but didn’t realize!” Seungmin chuckled.

Jinyoung smiled and nodded shyly.

“Yo, willkommen Bruder,” Yangyang suddenly exclaimed. The new guy looked confused.

“That’s Yangyang, don’t mind him. He randomly breaks into German sometimes,” Jisung said.

Yangyang just laughed before properly welcoming the other boy.

“By the way, Jisung, congrats on becoming captain,” Renjun spoke up.

Jisung gave him a smile. “Thanks, do you wanna try out for my team?” he questioned. “I might give you an advantage,” he added with a wink.

Renjun chuckled somewhat awkwardly.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I at flying and you want your team to win this year, don’t you?” Jisung did indeed want to win, especially after last year’s failure. “Don’t worry, though. I’ll cheer you on from the sidelines,” Renjun told him with a smirk.

The six of them chatted for a little while longer before eventually going to sleep.

~

The first week of school passed by very quickly, with everyone getting adjusted to being back.

Jisung was already stressed out and ready for another summer vacation by the time the second week started. He sighed and let himself fall into a seat across from Seungmin at the lunch table. The younger was talking to his boyfriend about something, but Jisung’s sigh caught their attention.

“What’s wrong?” Seungmin questioned.

Jisung waved off. “This whole Quidditch thing is harder than it looks. I have no idea when to even hold the try outs...”

“Hyunjin just told me the same thing. You guys just need to find a way to organize things. And you should definitely try to help each other out as well... you’re both new to this, so it might help,” the Seungmin advised them.

Jisung and Hyunjin exchanged a look.

“Maybe he’s right,” Hyunjin said.

Jisung nodded, before his mind went somewhere else and his eyes suddenly widened in realization.

“, I forgot my Charms book!” he suddenly exclaimed.

“Jisung, Charms class starts in five minutes!” Seungmin stated in disbelief as the older jumped to his feet.

“I know! I’ll meet you there!” Jisung sprinted back to the dorms to get his Charms book because he knew that Professor Flitwick wouldn’t appreciate it if he came unprepared. He burst through the door, hurrying over to his suitcase.

“You’re in quite the hurry, aren’t you?” someone spoke up, startling Jisung. He looked over to the bed next to his where Renjun was currently packing his bookbag.

“I forgot my Charms book... what are you doing here? And... why the sudden change in appearance?” he pointed out.

Renjun had apparently decided to dye his hair blonde. It was a huge change after he’d had brown hair for so long, but Jisung couldn’t say that it looked bad.

Quite the opposite actually.

“I had a free period and I just... felt like it,” Renjun said with a small blush spreading on his cheeks as reached up to fumble with a streak of his hair.

“It looks really good on you...”

“Thanks...”

“Oh, ! Charms!” Jisung exclaimed, remembering the hurry he was in and grabbing his book.

“Wait, I’ll come with you” Renjun said.

The two of them sprinted to class, barely making it on time. Seungmin had saved Jisung a seat and greeted him with a raised eyebrow.

“Shut up, I made it on time!”

“I didn’t say anything.”

~

By the end of the second week, Jisung decided to relieve some of his stress by spending some quality time with Felix and Eric. The three of them decided on going to Hogsmeade.

It took a long time for Jisung to convince Felix not to bring Changbin along but in the end he had managed to pry him away from his beloved for the afternoon.

“So, what did you two do all summer long?” Felix asked, taking a sip of butterbeer.

Eric and Jisung exchanged a short look, before chuckling slightly. “We spent lots of time together, actually. Played video games and everything. Mostly muggle stuff,” Jisung told Felix.

“Me too, I missed my TV so much it’s ridiculous. And I mean, I had to find some way to pass the time without Changbin,” Felix said.

“Is that why you’re attached by the hip now?” Jisung asked laughing, effectively making Felix pout.

“We would be if you’d let him come along,” he accused his friend who only chuckled.

“I just wanted to spend some time with my bros, no boyfriends allowed,” he explained.

Eric huffed at his words. “Not that I have one,” he mumbled bitterly.

Felix furrowed his eyebrows, clearly not up-to-date on his friend’s love life.

“What about Juyeon? You two got along pretty well during that weird camping trip, didn’t you?” he questioned.

Eric sighed dejectedly. “I thought so, too. Like, I’ve been into him since forever and when he kissed me in that tent I thought, damn maybe this is going somewhere. But then, when we got back to the castle, he acted like nothing ever happened and when I confronted him about it...” he trailed off with another huff. “He even told me he was straight! But he kissed me!”

“Sounds like an to me! He can’t just play with your feelings like that,” Felix exclaimed.

Eric just shrugged. “He’s hot, though...” he mumbled and the three of them just laughed.

“What about you, Jisung? Now that you’re back on the market...” Felix questioned but Jisung waved off.

“I’ll just stay single for the time being. Relationships just don’t work out for me.” He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness as he said that. Eric patted his thigh comfortingly.

“Something tells me that that’s gonna change real soon,” the youngest smirked.

Jisung raised one of his eyebrows at him, smirking back. “Why, are you applying for the position?” he joked, making Eric laugh.

“As fun as last summer was, no,” Eric replied, grinning, “but I can feel it in my gut. Just trust me...”

~

Jisung figured that with his newly acquired status as Quidditch captain, he could just use the prefects’ bathroom to wash up in peace, but he simply couldn’t be bothered to go all the way there, so he kept using the regular Ravenclaw washroom.

He stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist before checking himself out in the mirror. Suddenly, the washroom door opened, and someone stepped inside. Jisung whirled around in surprise, only to find Renjun standing there with his shower supplies clutched to his chest.

“Oh... I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were in here,” the older apologized. It usually wasn’t a big deal, seeing as the sixth years were used to sharing their washroom. But for some reason there was a shift in the atmosphere. Jisung just waved off, trying to ignore the way his cheeks heated up.

“It’s okay, I was just leaving,” he said, feeling somehow embarrassed.

Renjun chuckled and all too slowly let his eyes scan Jisung’s body, a smirk spreading across his face.

“Like this?”

Jisung looked down at his own body, realizing that he wasn’t wearing anything, apart from his towel. He blushed even harder, looking around for the clothes he had brought with him. “Uh, no... I-I’m just gonna get dressed first. Don’t let me bother you,” he stammered, still flustered by the situation even though he never had been before.

This certainly wasn’t the first time one of his dormmates had seen him in this state of undress.

Renjun was still smirking as he headed for one of the shower stalls. “You don’t bother me at all,” he said, already in the process of removing his clothes.

Jisung spluttered and quickly turned around to get dressed before all but storming out of the bathroom.

Outside, he had to lean against the door for a second to calm his racing heart.

Why did he get all worked up by this encounter?

He had been using the same washroom as Renjun for six years now!

“Um, Jisung?”

Jisung snapped out of his confusing thoughts to see Bae Jinyoung standing there. “Sorry, but you’re kind of blocking the door...” he pointed out awkwardly. Jisung stepped aside, mumbling an apology. “You’re wearing your robes backwards,” Jinyoung said, pointing at him.

The younger looked down at his body again, laughing nervously. Wow, he was really out of it this morning.

“I’m kind of in a hurry,” he muttered awkwardly.

Jinyoung furrowed his brows, taking a closer look at Jisung’s face.

“Are you okay? Your face looks kind of red,” he questioned.

Jisung covered his face with his hands. “I’m okay... I just took a hot shower,” he said, causing Jinyoung to shrug and finally enter the washroom.

“See you in class...”

Jisung let out a sigh of relief and fixed his robes before heading to the Great Hall for breakfast, still extremely flustered. He joined Seungmin and Hyunjin who were currently feeding each other. Jisung made a face at their newlywed-behavior but chose not to make a comment.

“Jisung, are you okay? You look red as !” Seungmin pointed out once he’d managed to take his eyes off Hyunjin for a second, though his arm still remained around the older’s shoulders.

“I’m fine!” Jisung replied.

Hyunjin chuckled somewhat knowingly, but the couple luckily decided to drop it. They finished breakfast and headed to their first class of the day, Transfigurations, which the Ravenclaws shared with the Slytherins.

Jisung couldn’t get that bathroom encounter out of his head the whole way to the classroom and he was sure that he was blushing again, but he stayed quiet. Of course, Seungmin sat with Hyunjin, so Jisung sat at the desk behind theirs alone. At least, until someone flung themselves into the seat next to his.

“Your tie is a mess.”

Jisung froze at the sound of Renjun’s soft, melodic voice. Before he could even register what the older had said, he already reached out to fix it. “I guess someone was in a hurry to get dressed this morning,” Renjun commented with a soft chuckle as he undid Jisung’s Ravenclaw tie in order to redo it properly.

“U-um, yeah... I-I didn’t want to be late for breakfast... you know how these vultures are with bacon...” the younger stammered.

Renjun just smiled, before focusing on the tie. Jisung couldn’t help but feel a little dizzy at their proximity.

Why was he so affected by Renjun all of a sudden? And why on earth did Renjun smell so good?

“There you go,” Renjun said, leaning back and admiring his handiwork with a pretty smile adorning his slim face.

“Th-thanks...” Jisung replied.

Needless to say, Jisung had a hard time focusing on class.

~

Over the course of the next few days, Jisung couldn’t help but feel exposed whenever he ran into Renjun. He still didn’t know why it suddenly flustered him so much to think about the fact that the older had seen him half , when it clearly hadn’t been the first time.

He thought he could see Renjun check him out from time to time, but he figured that that must just be his imagination.

“Why do I feel so around him?” he mumbled to himself on the way back to the dorms one evening.

Seungmin, who was with him, made a surprised noise at his words. “What did you say?” he asked.

Jisung’s eyes widened slightly and he waved off. “Nothing! I was just... thinking out loud,” he said. Seungmin gave him a weird look but shrugged it off.

~

Jisung decided to hold his Quidditch try outs this Friday, excited to finally build his very own team.

Since most of his teammates from last year had graduated, he was only left with their Seeker, Kang Yaebin, who had proven to be outstanding and therefore kept her spot on the team.

In the end, he figured, he had found some pretty promising players. He actually felt confident to win this season, which was why he went back to the castle in high spirits.

Maybe it was time to finally use the prefects’ bathroom as some sort of reward. Besides, his muscles felt a little tense from being outside all day. A nice, relaxing bubble bath seemed just about right.

He quickly gathered his bathroom stuff and made his way to the fifth floor, kind of excited to just have some time to himself and relax.

When he entered the prefects’ bathroom, he didn’t expect someone to already be in there – especially not the one person that hadn’t left his mind all week.

Renjun was happily blowing bubbles in the tub, his cheerful expression not fading one bit when he saw Jisung standing there.

“Oh, hey,” he greeted him. “Somehow we keep meeting in bathrooms,” he pointed out.

Jisung thought back to their last bathroom encounter. However, this time he couldn’t help but smirk. Maybe it was because this time, he wasn’t the one that was mostly undressed.

“You know, I could report you to a prefect for being here,” he teased.

Renjun smirked and leaned back against the edge of the bathtub and Jisung silently thanked the higher powers for the huge amount of bubbles that shielded his view from the his body.

“Or you could stop being so tense and join me,” Renjun suggested.

Jisung couldn’t say he had expected that answer. Had Renjun always been this confident?

“I-I don’t think that’s such a good idea...” he mumbled.

The older grinned. “I could also just... leave,” he said, seemingly about to get up.

Jisung quickly turned around. “No! I-um... stay! I’ll... come back later!” he exclaimed, mentally slapping himself for panicking so hard.

He heard Renjun chuckle and then the ripple of the water when he (hopefully) sat back down.

“You can look again, I’m decent!” Renjun’s voice sounded teasing and Jisung wished he could just will that stupid blush off his face.

“You being in that tub doesn’t make you decent!” he argued but turned around nonetheless.

Renjun had resumed his sitting position, that stupid smirk still playing on his lips. Jisung just silently asked himself why he hadn’t fled the bathroom yet. Maybe he was secretly enjoying this. It was like the new hair color had unveiled a somewhat new side to Renjun. And he couldn’t say he hated it.

“So, are you joining me or not?” Renjun asked again, making Jisung blush once more.

“M-maybe another time. I-I think I should really just... go,” he stammered.

Renjun shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Jisung his heel and finally exited the bathroom, his cheeks beet-red.

~

Jisung had a huge crush.

There was no other explanation for it.

He constantly found himself looking at Renjun and when the older wasn’t around he kept thinking about him. Their two previous bathroom encounters made him blush on several occasions, causing his friends to about having indecent thoughts.

It didn’t help that Renjun always looked at him with a somewhat knowing expression, like he was aware of the effect he seemed to have on Jisung.

When he didn’t have class, he tried to distract himself with Quidditch, but it wasn’t easy when he had Renjun sitting next to him in about half of his classes.

The universe seemed to be amused by Jisung’s little infatuation (read: ginormous crush) because the following week in Transfigurations Professor McGonagall announced that she would like for them to work on an essay in pairs.

And of course, he just had to say yes to Renjun’s question to pair up together.

“I’m sorry about asking you to pair up... you’re just really good at this stuff...” Renjun admitted quietly.

He almost seemed shy which was something Jisung hadn’t seen from him in weeks.

It was cute, so Jisung couldn’t really help but smile.

“It’s alright. I’ll help you if you like,” he replied. “Do you want to meet up at the library after class? Or do you want to do this in the common room?” Jisung questioned.

“I think the common room is fine. The librarian scares me,” Renjun admitted, causing both of them to laugh.

“Alright... the common room it is,” Jisung agreed.

~

Jisung ran into Jeongin on his way to his next class. The younger looked slightly distressed.

“Hey, Jeongin, how’s it going?” the older asked.

Jeongin sighed. “Apart from the fact that fifth year is kicking my , it’s going really great,” he replied, sounding defeated.

Jisung chuckled and patted his friend’s shoulder. “It’s going to be okay! If you need any help, you know we’re all here,” he assured him.

“Thanks, I have to get to Transfigurations now. If you could just murder me, that would be great,” Jeongin said. Jisung knew how bad the younger was at that subject.

“I’ll try to find you a good tutor, promise,” Jisung told the younger, making his face light up the slightest bit.

“That would be great! Thank you, Jisung!” he exclaimed before hurriedly taking off.

~

Several hours later, Jisung and Renjun met in the Ravenclaw common room to discuss their project.

However, they weren’t working very efficiently anymore, as they kept stealing subtle glances at each other. Jisung found Renjun really distracting for some reason.

Maybe it was the fact that they were sitting very close together, causing their knees to brush. Or the fact that Renjun smelled like the woods after it rained and a mixture of cinnamon and chocolate that reminded Jisung of Christmas.

There was something about Renjun that just made Jisung want to look at him longer.

He was so distracted and drawn in by the boy’s scent and soft features, his golden hair and his pink lips, that he didn’t even realize he was staring.

Renjun, however, seemed to have noticed his gaze and looked over to Jisung, subconsciously biting his lower lip.

They couldn’t take their eyes off each other.

Jisung slowly moved closer to Renjun, whose hand sneaked its way over to one of his thighs. The tension in the air was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

Jisung moved closer and closer to him, until their faces were only inches apart. He let his eyes fall shut as he felt Renjun’s warm breath on his skin, his scent clouding his senses. Jisung’s heart was racing.

Their lips were almost touching just as Seungmin entered the common room.

“Hey guys, how’s the project going?” the youngest questioned, seemingly oblivious to what he had almost walked in on.

Jisung cleared his throat, as he scooted a few inches away from Renjun, trying to calm his racing heart.

“We were uh... making some progress,” Renjun stammered, looking about as flustered as Jisung felt.

Seungmin smiled. “That’s good! Hyunjin and I are almost done. He wanted to practice Quidditch a little bit. I’m about to go join him. Do you guys want to come along?”

Jisung briefly looked at Renjun, before addressing his best friend. “I actually feel a little tired. Maybe another time,” he declined.

Seungmin made a noise of acknowledgement before heading to the dorm to grab a jacket.

“Renjun, would it be okay if we finished this tomorrow?” Jisung questioned.

The older nodded. “Sure, that’s fine by me. Get some rest...” he replied.

Jisung got up hurriedly, almost tripping over his feet. “See you later,” he said quietly before heading towards the dorms as well, barely catching Renjun’s “later.”

He passed Seungmin on the way upstairs, who only grinned at him, apparently giddy to spend more time with Hyunjin.

Jisung entered the empty dorm room and let himself fall on his bed with a heavy sigh.

He had just almost kissed Renjun!

Or had he just dreamt that?

How had he suddenly developed a crush on one of his closest friends?

Was he even ready for another – possibly serious – relationship?

What if he and Renjun started dating and it wouldn’t work out?

He would hate to make things awkward between them.

He sighed again. This whole thing was beyond confusing.

One thing was for sure, though... if he didn’t want to risk his friendship with Renjun, this couldn’t happen again.

~

“Look who it is! I barely recognize you anymore since you seem to spend most of your time with Renjun,” Seungmin greeted him the next morning at the breakfast table.

Jisung froze, while Hyunjin – who had apparently become a regular at the Ravenclaw table – perked up.

Had Seungmin seen them yesterday after all?

“Oh, Renjun, huh?” Hyunjin commented.

Jisung blushed. “Shut up...” he muttered.

Unfortunately, Renjun was only sitting a few seats away and seemed to feel addressed, as he was now coming over. He made quick eye contact with Jisung, smirking before greeting his best friend.

If you asked Jisung what they were talking about, he’d have to take a wild guess, since he was zoning out completely.

He knew he probably shouldn’t stare at Renjun so openly, especially since he wanted to get this crush out of his head before it escalated. But for some reason, Renjun looked extra good this morning and Jisung couldn’t take his eyes off him.

Not even when he went back to his original seat.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought the Ravenclaw back to reality. When Jisung looked at his friends, he was met with their smirking faces.

“What?” he questioned. Hyunjin threw a quick glance in Renjun’s direction.

“Did I just witness you staring at my best friend like you want to do Merlin-knows-what to him?” he teased, effectively causing Jisung to blush furiously.

“I-I don’t want to do anything! I don’t know what you’re thinking, but Renjun and I are just friends!”

“Fine, if you say so. But if you ever figure that you’re more than friends I have to warn you! I want you to be happy and if you like Renjun, you should go for it. But I’ve seen guys walk all over his feelings and break his heart. If you mistreat him in any kind of way, I don’t care that you’re my friend and I don’t care that your Seungmin’s best friend – I will end you!” Hyunjin preached.

He seemed serious enough about it. Jisung knew how important Hyunjin’s friends were to him, especially Renjun, his childhood friend.

“Don’t worry. I seem to at relationships anyway, so it’s probably best for me to stay single and not date my friends!” Jisung assured him.

Seungmin frowned. “You don’t at relationships. It’s not your fault that you and Eunseo broke up!” he told him.

Jisung shrugged.

“It’s not just her. It’s all my past relationships. I just can’t seem to figure myself out... besides, I always seem to end up with popular people. I don’t know if I can handle all the gossiping again. Nobody seemed to think I was right for Eunseo, so why would this be any different?”

He exhaled before getting up. “On top of that, I’m not into Renjun anyway... and now, I gotta get to class,” he said before leaving his friends behind before they could say anything else.

He had a free period now and he was sure that the two of them knew that, but he didn’t care at the moment. He decided to go grab his broomstick and de-stress down at the Quidditch field.

Quick footsteps were approaching him, but he didn’t turn around and just began making his way upstairs.

“Jisung,” Renjun called out to him as he caught up with the younger.

He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at his friend, who wore a worried expression on his face.

“Are you okay? You left so quickly...” he questioned.

Jisung couldn’t deny the fact that he was touched by Renjun’s concern, but he didn’t want to be obvious again.

“I’m fine... I just felt like practicing a little bit before classes start...” he explained himself.

The older seemed relieved to hear that Jisung was okay. Jisung found himself staring at him again and against his better reason, he decided to open his mouth to ask: “Do you want to tag along?”

Renjun looked surprised at the sudden question. “Uh... sure, I mean as long as you’re not asking me to fly because I’m really bad at that,” he emphasized.

Jisung chuckled. “I wouldn’t dream of it...”

~

Jisung practiced for a little while, with Renjun watching him from the spectator’s area. He couldn’t help but feel the need to impress, even though the older had seen him play several times in the past.

Practicing alone as a Keeper meant enchanting the Quaffle, so it played itself, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t still fun.

About twenty minutes into his training, he flew over to where Renjun was sitting.

“Aren’t you bored?” he questioned, smoothly landing on one of the benches.

Renjun shook his head. “Believe me, I’m very entertained,” he assured the younger. “Go on, captain. You have a season to win,” he added with a teasing grin.

Jisung chuckled and got back on his broomstick, continuing to practice for a little bit longer. He felt like he was playing better than usual, and he didn’t know if it was because he wanted Renjun to be impressed or if the older just turned out to be his lucky charm.

Eventually, he figured that it was time to get back to the castle. He flew back over to Renjun.

“I’m going to lock the Quaffle back up and meet you down at the changing rooms, okay?” he asked, earning himself a nod from the blonde.

He landed and put the Quaffle into the box with the other Quidditch balls which he then proceeded to lock up in the cabinet inside the changing rooms.

He startled when he saw Renjun leaning against the lockers, his arms loosely crossed over his chest.

“Oh, hey. I thought you were waiting outside,” Jisung said.

“Yeah, I know, but I figured I might as well come in,” Renjun answered casually. Jisung chuckled and turned to lock up the Quidditch balls before pocketing the key.

When he faced Renjun again he thought back to this morning at breakfast, how he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off him.

It was ridiculous how he even managed to look this amazing in the crappy dim lighting of the locker room.

“You’re gorgeous...” he muttered under his breath.

“W-what?”

Jisung’s eyes widened. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud but Renjun's blush made it worth it somehow. And it was true.

Jisung couldn’t take his eyes off him, feeling drawn in and attracted to him like a magnet.

Before he could stop himself, Jisung walked over to the lockers, where Renjun was standing, backed him against the locker wall and trapped him there.

There was something about Renjun that just put Jisung in some kind of zone where he couldn’t think straight anymore. He lost all sense of time or reason; all he could think about was how gorgeous Renjun looked, how he wanted to be close to him, to touch him, to kiss him.

Renjun seemed surprised by Jisung's sudden actions but didn’t look uncomfortable in the slightest, his cheeks still a bit flushed. He didn’t move away either, he just placed his hands on Jisung’s chest before letting them wander up to his shoulders. The two of them stared into each other’s eyes for a bit, their faces only inches apart.

The younger let his hands slide downwards to hold onto Renjun’s hips before Renjun placed his hands on Jisung’s cheeks, cupping his face and admiring his features.

Jisung leaned in closer, his lips now almost touching Renjun’s. He closed his eyes and took in his nice scent as he felt Renjun's warm breath against his skin.

“Do it,” Renjun said softly, almost like a whisper, his lips brushing against Jisung’s.

Jisung didn’t resist any longer and finally pressed his lips onto Renjun’s. His hands, that were still resting on Renjun’s hips, pulled the older closer as his lips moved against his, slowly and gently.

It felt good and it felt right, but Jisung still couldn’t shake the fear that getting involved with Renjun might ruin everything they had. He felt like as soon as he took things too far with him, everything would change and fall apart. The way it always did.

Jisung suddenly pulled away from Renjun, his eyebrows furrowed.

Renjun gave him a confused look.

“I'm sorry, I-I can’t...” Jisung mumbled, avoiding the Renjun's eyes and taking a few steps backwards. “I... have to go to class,” he added and quickly scrambled out of the locker room, feeling guilty for leaving Renjun behind like this again.

~

Renjun leaned back against the lockers trying to catch his breath, as Jisung quickly stormed out of the room.

He ran a hand through his hair and sank down to the floor with a sigh.

Had he done something wrong?

But Jisung had been the one to initiate the kiss.

Why was it so hard to get this guy to notice how much Renjun liked him?

And what had he meant by “I can’t”?

He had been crushing on Jisung for over a year now and now that he had finally started to gather the confidence to make a move on him, it had turned into this ridiculous push and pull game.

Maybe he should just confess his feelings like a normal human being, but he didn’t think he could do that...

It was time to step up his game. And there was only one person that Renjun could ask for help with this matter.

~

“Eric!” Renjun exclaimed when he saw the younger come into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom about 20 minutes later.

Eric looked confused about being addressed so randomly, but he still came over to sit with Renjun anyway.

“What’s up?” he questioned.

“I need your help...” Renjun said, looking around to find Jisung sitting on the other side of the classroom with Seungmin. “There’s this guy I like, and I don’t really know how to tell him... so I’d rather... show him. You’ve been trying to get with Juyeon in the most creative ways, so I was hoping that you could help me,” he explained quickly.

Eric chuckled. “You do know that most of my tries to get with Juyeon were fruitless, right?” he told Renjun, who waved off.

“That’s because he’s in denial about being a big gay! It’s different with J – um, that guy...” he said.

“In that case... you really need to show this guy what he’s missing out on. Use the opportunity to show off how hot you are. If you succeed the only thing on his mind will be you and the rest is easy...”

“What’s the rest?” Renjun questioned.

“Find a reason to be alone with him. And then make a move. If he likes you back, he won’t be able to resist you... unless he’s Juyeon who can’t seem to be able to make up his goddamn mind...” Eric trailed off, sounding slightly bitter.

Well, Jisung was kind of behaving like Juyeon a little bit, considering he’d kissed him and then just left him behind in the locker rooms.

“I just hope this’ll work...” Renjun mumbled. “Anyway, thank you, Eric. I’m sure Juyeon will realize his feelings eventually,” he added, patting the younger’s shoulder comfortingly.

He tried to pay attention in class, but his mind kept trying to think about ways to seduce Jisung. He blushed at the thought.

Would he really be able to pull this off?

What if Jisung didn’t actually like him like that and he’d just end up making a fool out of himself?

But if Jisung didn’t like him, why did he get so flustered around him all the time?

Renjun thought back to their bathroom-run-ins, their almost-kiss yesterday and their actual kiss just an hour ago.

He had felt Jisung stare at him at breakfast this morning and he had noticed that he was behaving differently around him.

If he wasn’t imagining things, all these signs would mean that Jisung liked him.

That he had finally somewhat noticed him after Renjun’s endless months of silent crushing.

One might think that he’d get over Jisung at some point, but no matter how many boyfriends and summer romances he’d had, his heart would only flutter when he looked at Jisung.

If the younger did indeed like him back, it was time to finally get him...

~

Jisung had tried to get his feelings in check all day. He knew he probably shouldn’t have run out on Renjun, but this had all been just a little too much for him. He couldn’t fall for his friend! Not when there was such a high risk of failure.

Renjun was too important to him.

Still, he figured he should apologize for making a move on him and play it off as a heat of the moment situation. He just hoped that Renjun would understand. Their friendship was already at risk after today.

At dinner, Jisung couldn’t find Renjun anywhere, so he ate quickly and then looked for him in the common room. He also wasn’t there, so he decided to postpone his apology to tomorrow and go upstairs.

He found himself hoping that Renjun was already there, but he was disappointed.

The next day was Saturday, so there were no classes. When Jisung woke up the first thing he did was to look over to the bed next to his.

Renjun wasn’t there.

In fact, his bed seemed like nobody had slept in it all night. He was beginning to grow worried.

Maybe Renjun was mad at him now...

The other boys in his dorm room were all still asleep, which was weird, considering Jisung usually had lots of trouble getting up in the morning.

Everyone was here, except for Renjun.

Jisung climbed out of bed, determined to go look for him, but he had barely made it to the common room when Renjun came through the entrance, wearing gray sweatpants and a dark blue sweater.

Jisung let out a sigh of relief, glad that he was unharmed.

Renjun spotted him and gave him a small smile.

“What are you doing up already?” he questioned.

Jisung shrugged. “I don’t know... I just kind of woke up early. Where have you been all night?” he asked.

Renjun scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “I was just... taking a walk near the woods and lost track of time,” Renjun said.

Jisung furrowed his brows. “So, you stayed out all night?”

“It happens sometimes. I like being out at night, especially when it gets colder,” Renjun explained himself with a shrug.

Jisung wasn’t sure if he could entirely believe Renjun, but he wasn’t here to question him.

“Listen, I actually wanted to apologize for yesterday. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything,” he finally said.

Renjun smiled. “It’s all good, I wasn’t uncomfortable.”

“Good, I was hoping you’d say that,” he responded, grinning.

Renjun chuckled. “Yeah, no worries. Anyway, I’ll go get some sleep now. Are you heading down to the Great Hall already?” he switched subjects.

Jisung shook his head and began making his way upstairs to the dorm with him.

“I think I’ll try to sleep some more, too. Maybe I just really needed to get this apology off my chest,” he said, feeling the tiredness wash over him again.

“As I said, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for,” the older assured Jisung again. They reached the dorm room, where the others were still asleep.

Jisung was just climbing into his bed, when he caught a motion from beside him. Renjun had just casually pulled his hoodie over his head and was now getting into his own bed.

Jisung tried not to stare, but there was just that something about Renjun again that made him unable to take his eyes off him yet again.

“I swear you’re doing that on purpose...” he mumbled.

Renjun stopped his movements to look at him. “Did you say something?” he asked.

Jisung shook his head. “Nothing, at all, uh... sleep well.”

Renjun chuckled. “You, too, Jisungie.”

Needless to say, it took Jisung forever to fall back asleep.

~

Renjun had felt kind of confirmed when he’d felt Jisung’s eyes on him again.

Maybe Eric's advice would really work. He decided to keep it up for now, hoping to get a rise out of Jisung eventually. On top of that, he had started to be slightly touchier with him whenever they talked. It was subtle, but he hoped Jisung would pick up on it anyway.

Today, they had Herbology class together and Renjun conveniently ended up next to Jisung at the long table in the middle of the greenhouse.

Professor Sprout was talking about some kind of venomous plant they’d be working with over the next few weeks, but the Renjun barely paid attention.

Instead, he kept stealing glances at Jisung.

The younger seemed to notice and gave him a questioning look.

“Is it hot in here?” Renjun questioned, whispering in order for Professor Sprout not to hear him.

“A little bit,” Jisung agreed.

Renjun bit his lip, contemplating whether he should really go through with this.

What if he would just embarrass himself?

What if he would seem too desperate?

Eric’s voice sounded in his head, repeating the advice he’d given him in class the other day.

Use the opportunity to show off how hot you are.

Maybe he was taking it a little too literally, but he was running out of ideas, considering Jisung hadn’t made a move on him upon seeing him run around without a shirt in their dorm.

At least not yet.

He slid off his cloak, revealing the white button-up shirt he was wearing underneath. He loosened his tie and ed one of the top buttons before running a hand through his blonde hair.

Jisung awkwardly cleared his throat. “U-uh... better?” he asked.

Renjun smirked when he caught the faint blush on the younger’s cheeks. “A little...”

“Renjun! Jisung! Would you mind paying attention? These plants aren’t exactly dancing daffodils and I’d rather not have anyone die in my class. Too much paper work...” Professor Sprout complained.

Renjun didn’t even try focusing on what she was saying about those venomous plants. He still felt too triumphant about finally getting a reaction from Jisung.

“Ugh, why did I not drop Herbology as soon as I had the chance?” Jisung mumbled.

“Sorry for distracting you,” Renjun apologized with a slight chuckle.

The younger blushed again. “W-what?”

“We got called out because I was talking to you...” Renjun clarified, grinning at Jisung’s flustered expression.

“Oh... yeah, right... it’s okay.”

“For the love of Merlin! If you two want to have a chat, please have it outside! Detention for both of you!” Professor Sprout snapped suddenly.

Renjun made a face. He probably should have known better than to keep talking to Jisung but getting detention with him also wasn’t the worst predicament.

“Sorry...” he whispered again.

“It’s okay,” Jisung replied with an encouraging little smile that may or may not have made Renjun’s heart flutter.

~

Cleaning the greenhouse certainly wasn’t the worst punishment they could have gotten, but it still kind of annoyed Jisung.

At least, he wasn’t alone, even if Renjun’s presence made him extremely nervous for several reasons.

It goes without saying, that trying to get rid of his crush had turned out to be fruitless.

Renjun sas acting so casual around him, yet all Jisung could think about was that kiss in the locker room. He really shouldn’t have run off.

‘No, wait, what am I thinking! I can’t fall for my friend’, he mentally scolded himself.

Despite that, he knew that he was already in too deep. He liked Renjun. But that didn’t mean he’d have to act upon it.

They were cleaning pots and swiping soil off the floor, because – of course – they weren’t allowed to use magic, so by now Jisung had rid himself off his cloak. He rolled up his sleeves and wiped some sweat off his forehead.

Why was it so damn warm in the greenhouse?

“That’s a really nice tattoo you got there...” Renjun pointed out.

Jisung hadn’t noticed the older coming closer. He held out his inner forearm, where a wolf paw tattoo sat. It was the size of a real paw and Jisung liked it quite a lot.

“Thanks,” he replied.

“May I?” Renjun asked, gesturing at his arm. Jisung nodded and Renjun gently reached for his arm, inspecting the tattoo closer.

Jisung tried not to shudder when the older’s hands grazed over his bare skin.

“When did you get it?” Renjun asked, looking up from his arm.

“Last June when I was in LA with Seungmin. He wanted to do something crazy and I’ve wanted a tattoo for a long time... it wasn’t easy to hide it from my family, though,” he said with a slight chuckle.

Renjun smiled a little. “Why a paw?” he questioned.

Maybe it was because they were standing so close together, but Renjun’s voice was really quiet like it was only meant for Jisung. The younger looked at his own arm.

“W-well... wolf paw tattoos usually symbolize being guided along the right path or moving forward. I guess it just felt right...” he explained.

“It’s really nice...” Renjun repeated and let his fingers trace the outlines of Jisung’s tattoo.

The older’s touch gave Jisung goosebumps. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me ...” Jisung said quietly.

The two of them looked into each other’s eyes for a few moments, causing Renjun to smile a bit.

Why did his smile have to be so gorgeous?

Was it just Jisung’s mind or did Renjun’s lips look extra soft today...?

The older seemed to notice Jisung staring at his lips and stepped even closer to him, their faces only inches apart from each other. The younger felt his heart beat pick up just from being so close to Renjun. He couldn’t stop his feelings from taking over his rationality and finally connected their lips.

Renjun immediately responded to his kiss and put his arms around Jisung’s neck, pulling him closer while Jisung let his hands wander to Renjun’s hips.

It didn’t take long for their kiss to get more heated when Jisung backed him up against the table in the middle of the greenhouse.

He then lifted the older up onto the table before stepping between his legs and continued to kiss him, his hands still on his hips. Renjun seemed surprised but definitely not opposed as he let his hands play with Jisung’s hair.

Why did he have to be such a good kisser and why did he have to make Jisung so crazy every time they got close?

Why did it feel so right?

Jisung mentally scolded himself. He had crossed the friendship-line once again even though that was exactly what he had told himself not to do.

Renjun was too important to him to mess things up.

Yes, he liked him but what if they wouldn't work out and everything became awkward between them?

Jisung suddenly pulled away from Renjun and took a step back. The older gave him a confused look.

“I’m sorry, I-I can’t...” Jisung said, breathless but set on avoiding Renjun's eyes.

Renjun’s confused expression turned into an angry one.

“Oh my god, make up your mind! Do you want me or not?” Renjun snapped, sounding frustrated, as he angrily ran a hand through his hair.

Why did he have to look so hot when he did that?

“I’m sorry...” Jisung apologized. His heart was still rapidly beating inside his chest.

“Sorry for playing with my feelings and leading me on all the time?”

“I just... I don’t want to ruin things between us. I like you, but I’m scared...” he admitted.

Renjun furrowed his brows, still looking pissed. Jisung could kind of understand him. He must feel played.

“Scared of what?” the older questioned.

Jisung sighed. “I don’t know... of hurting you? Or of one of us realizing that we don’t fit together after all? It wouldn’t be the first time...”

Renjun slid off the table, leaning against it instead, while crossing his arms over his chest.

“Besides, you’re so popular because you’re friends with Hyunjin and I’m not unpopular either and everyone’s going to know about us and I’m so sick of being in the public eye like some kind of celebrity when all I want is some peace and quiet!” Jisung spoke everything that had been on his mind ever since he’d come to the realization that he might like Renjun as more than a friend.

Renjun huffed. “So, you’re not even going to try?”

Jisung looked at him. He thought he could see hurt underneath the angry surface and he questioned himself.

Did he really not want to try? Even after what had just happened between them? When he clearly knew that Renjun felt something for him too?

“Part of me wants to say no... but despite everything I don’t think I can stay away from you. I just don’t know if I can handle the rumors again. People thought I wasn’t good enough for Eunseo... what would make them think I’m good enough for you?”

Renjun stepped closer, his features significantly softer compared to two minutes ago.

“Listen, if you want to give this a go, we don’t have to tell anyone about it,” he suggested.

Jisung gave him a questioning look. “Like... dating secretly?” he asked.

Renjun smiled a little bit, a faint blush spreading on his cheeks. “Maybe... if you want. I just know that I’ve liked you for way too long... and if you like me too, I don’t want to just let it slip away...”

Jisung’s eyes widened. “Wait, that crush you had last year...” he trailed off.

Renjun chuckled, his arms wrapping themselves around the younger’s neck again. “Yeah, that was you. I figured you might catch on eventually, but I guess it took me taking my clothes off for you to finally notice me,” he said jokingly.

Jisung blushed. “I-I mean... I did notice you before... I just...”

“Didn’t realize until I took my clothes off?” Renjun offered.

“Oh, shut up,” Jisung said shyly. Renjun laughed his gorgeous, melodious laugh.

“So, what do you say? Will you be my secret boyfriend?” he asked.

Jisung answered by leaning in for another kiss.

~

Just about an hour later, the two students had returned to the dorm and already couldn’t keep their hands to themselves.

Luckily, their dormmates seemed to be somewhere else, so they had some alone time, but they still decided to draw the curtains on Renjun’s bed to give them at least a little bit of privacy in case someone did come in.

Jisung leaned his back against the wall, the older sitting in his lap as they kissed. Renjun’s arms were wrapped around Jisung’s neck, as usual, while Jisung’s hands rested on Renjun’s hips, keeping him close. The younger’s lips eventually trailed away from Renjun’s and moved on to his neck instead, careful not to leave any marks.

Suddenly, the door opened, causing them to burst apart and trying to look as casual as possible. The curtains on Renjun’s bed were still drawn so they had been shielded from whoever had just walked in. Yet, it probably wasn’t the best idea to test their luck.

Renjun pulled the curtain to the side and found Seungmin standing next to his own bed, looking for something in his drawer.

He looked over to where the two other Ravenclaws were sitting. “Oh, hey guys. I didn’t realize you two were in here,” he greeted them.

“Yeah... we were just talking about our project and . It was a bit too crowded downstairs,” Jisung lied.

Seungmin made a noise of acknowledgement.

“How was detention?” he questioned.

They shrugged. “Could have been a lot worse,” Renjun said casually.

Jisung had to bite back a chuckle. “Professor Sprout is always so quick to give detention...” Seungmin mumbled bitterly.

Jisung remembered that she had also given him detention before, which however, had ultimately led to him and Hyunjin getting a lot closer, so that was that.

“Anyway, I have to go,” Seungmin announced. “I’m meeting up with Hyunjin at the library.”

Speaking of the devil, Jisung thought amusedly. Those two were practically sticking together like glue lately.

“Have fun with the project,” Seungmin added before leaving the dorm again.

Renjun let out a relieved sigh and fell back into his pillows. “That was close, holy ...” he mumbled.

Jisung chuckled and lay down next to him. “Are you really okay with keeping this from our friends?” he questioned while reaching for Renjun’s hand and lacing their fingers together, causing the older to blush.

“I trust our friends, but things seem to always seep through here somehow... and if you want to stay out of the public eye it’s best if we don't tell anybody...”

Jisung felt bad about lying to his friends, but he really wanted this thing with Renjun to work.

They could still tell people later when things weren't quite so new anymore.

He didn’t get much more of a chance to overthink, because next thing he knew his boyfriend – that word sounded ridiculously good in his head – was hovering over him with a smirk on his face.

“Now, I believe we were in the middle of something...”

~

The following weekend many students headed to Hogsmeade, mainly to stack up their candy stock.

“Do you think it would be too obvious if we went to Hogsmeade together?” Renjun suddenly spoke up.

Jisung looked up from the book he was reading and smirked. “Are you asking me out on a date?” he asked, causing the older to blush a bit.

“Yeah, kind of,” he replied with a smile.

“I feel like as long as we don’t act obvious, we could go together,” Jisung answered his boyfriend’s previous question.

Renjun's smile brightened up and Jisung would have given a lot to kiss him, but they were in the middle of the common room. He’d just have to do that later.

“Let’s ditch this stupid homework and go,” Jisung told him, getting up from the blue couch.

Renjun chuckled. “You’re really not wasting any time, huh?”

The younger just winked at him. They went upstairs to the dorm to put on their warm clothes before heading to Hogsmeade.

They decided to quickly go to the Hog’s Head Inn since it was kind of cold outside.

Jisung still didn’t like the Three Broomsticks, besides, the Hog’s Head was less crowded.

As usual, the shaggy bartender only greeted them with a nod as they went to find a table. It didn’t take very long since the only other guest was a man reading a newspaper.

The guy came over to take their orders – butterbeer for both of them – and left again without saying much.

“So, I don’t think I ever asked you about your summer,” Renjun stated. “On the train you said you kept yourself busy.”

Jisung bit his lip, not really sure if he should tell his boyfriend about it. But he figured that honesty was the key here. He wouldn’t want it to surface in another way and cause trouble later on.

“Yeah... I hung out with Eric a lot. We were both trying to get over our failed relationships, so we figured we could try... together,” Jisung said.

Renjun raised his eyebrows, realization dawning on his face.

“Oh. You and Eric, huh.”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t serious or anything. I guess we were just each other’s rebound and he’s still in love with Juyeon, so... he’s not a threat or anything,” the younger explained himself.

To his surprise, Renjun chuckled.

“What?” Jisung questioned.

The older looked at him and Jisung couldn’t help but get a little lost in his eyes. They sparkled and – he wasn’t sure if it was the lighting or not – he thought he could see some kind of violet shimmer in his eyes.

“Nothing, I just think it’s cute that you’re explaining yourself.”

“Well, I didn’t want you to think there’s something going on between us, because there isn’t,” Jisung said.

“I know,” Renjun replied, reaching for Jisung’s hand across the table, causing the younger to smile. “Did it help, though?” he suddenly asked.

Jisung made a questioning noise.

“The rebound thing... are you over her?” Renjun’s words were spoken carefully, almost like he was scared to hear the answer.

“I’m here with you, aren’t I?” Jisung replied, lacing his fingers with Renjun’s across the table.

“And I’m not a rebound?” the older questioned, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“No, you’re...” Jisung trailed off, blushing at the thought of almost saying something cheesy.

Renjun grinned, luckily not pressing the younger to continue his sentence. Their butterbeers arrived, causing them to let go of each other’s hands.

“Anyway, what did you do during summer? You went to Hawaii, right?”

The older nodded. “It was boring, though. I barely went to the beach because it was crowded as hell and I just spent the whole time lazing around at the hotel,” Renjun said.

“No beach boys this year?” Jisung teased.

Renjun rolled his eyes playfully. “I was more preoccupied with trying to figure out a way to woo you,” he admitted.

Something told Jisung that the older was only half-joking. He felt his cheeks heat up a little.

“H-how long have you uh...” he trailed off sheepishly.

“How long have I liked you?” Renjun finished the question for him. He thought about it for a few moments. “I don’t even remember. Since some time last year, I think...” he answered.

“And you kept it to yourself the whole time?”

“Well, I couldn’t exactly make a move on you while you were in a relationship,” Renjun pointed out.

“Fair enough...”

They nursed their butterbeers for a while, neither of them saying anything. Jisung, however, could feel his boyfriend’s eyes on him. When he looked up, he found the older staring back at him with a dreamy expression.

“What?“ he questioned with a shy grin.

“Nothing... I’m just... happy to be here with you, I guess,” Renjun admitted.

Jisung blushed again. He still couldn’t quite wrap his head around the fact that he and Renjun were an actual thing now, but he couldn’t say he minded.

Quite the opposite, actually. He felt giddy and warm when he was with the older. He wouldn't have thought that he would feel like this again anytime soon.

“I’m happy, too...” Jisung replied finally.

After finishing their butterbeers, they talked for a while longer before asking for the check.

The shaggy bartender came over and set the bill down in front of Jisung, who paid it without thinking twice. When he looked at Renjun again he noticed how flustered he seemed; his cheeks flushed crimson.

“What?” Jisung questioned.

Renjun just shook his head and waved off with a mumbled “just thought of something...” Jisung wanted to ask him about it but Renjun didn’t seem like he wanted to elaborate.

They got up and left the Hog’s Head Inn. Jisung had to refrain from taking the older’s hand as they made their way back to the more crowded part of Hogsmeade. He had to be satisfied with their hands occasionally brushing together as they walked close to each other.

“What do you want to do now?” Renjun asked.

“How about we head to Honeydukes and then go back?” Jisung suggested.

Renjun nodded and so they made their way to Honeydukes while making light conversation.

“When’s your first Quidditch game?” Renjun questioned.

“Next week, actually. We’re playing against Gryffindor. Felix made the team again, so I’m kind of excited about it but also nervous. Rocky’s put together a pretty good team this year,” Jisung explained.

“So did you, captain. I’m sure you’ll win,” the older said encouragingly. Jisung chuckled, letting their hands brush together purposefully.

“I trust you’ll be there,” he said, sounding hopeful.

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

They maintained eye-contact for a few seconds and once again Jisung had to try his hardest not to kiss him.

“Hey, you guys!” a familiar voice suddenly called out to them as they reached Honeyduke’s.

Jisung startled and looked in the direction of the voice. Seungmin and Hyunjin had just left the store and were now walking up to them, their fingers laced together.

Hyunjun smirked at them. “Are you two on a date?” he asked teasingly.

“We’re just hanging out,” Renjun replied, his cheeks slightly flushed.

“You seem to be attached by the hip these days,” Seungmin pointed out, though it didn’t sound accusing or even teasing.

Jisung shrugged and put an arm around Renjun in what he hoped was a friendly way.

“What can I say. We’re just enjoying the single life... together,” he said.

“Well, then we don’t want to keep you. Have fun, you two,” Seungmin answered and dragged Hyunjin along with him.

Renjun looked after them until he was sure they were out of earshot. “You think they caught on?” he asked.

Jisung shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he replied. “But... I have to ask again. Are you really alright with this? I mean we’re kind of lying to our best friends...”

Renjun seemed to consider that for a second. “Well, if it’s what it takes for us to be together, I’m more than okay with it,” he finally answered.

“But you’re going to tell me once it starts bothering you, okay? I really want this to work out...” the younger said.

Renjun nodded. “So do I.”

Jisung smiled faintly, taking Renjun’s hand, despite himself and mumbling: “You know, if we weren’t in public, I’d kiss you...” before gently dragging him along to the candy store.

~

Eventually, the two of them headed back to the castle. Most of the Ravenclaws had returned to the dorm as well, so they decided to head to the Room of Requirements for some more privacy (mainly because Jisung really wanted to kiss Renjun without the fear of getting caught).

“By the way...” Jisung spoke up, when he finally managed to keep his hands to himself long enough.

Renjun sent him a questioning look and Jisung found himself taking in his boyfriend’s disheveled look and his reddened, kiss-swollen lips. He had to resist kissing him again – at least long enough to utter his question.

“Why were you so flustered earlier when we paid the check?”

He didn’t know why he remembered it so clearly or why he cared about it, but the fact that Renjun was getting flustered all over again made it worth asking. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and sat up properly.

“It’s just something my friend said once...” he trailed off.

Jisung’s interest was piqued. What exactly could that friend have said that had caused the older to blush like this. He raised an eyebrow.

Renjun hid his face in his hands. “I can’t say it. You’re going to think I’m weird,” he mumbled, his voice sounding muffled.

Jisung laughed and put a hand on the older’s thigh.

“Babe, I’ve known you for six years. I already think you’re weird and I still like you,” he joked.

Renjun looked at him from between his fingers, seemingly attempting a glare. To Jisung he still looked cute, though. Eventually, the older Ravenclaw sighed.

“Fine... one of my friends once said this stupid thing about the one paying the bill being the one who... you know...” he trailed off giving Jisung a pointed look.

Jisung needed a few seconds to catch on. Once he did, his cheeks heated up as well.

“Oh...” he said.

“It’s dumb and I’m not implying anything here, but I couldn’t help but be reminded of what he said...” Renjun admitted. Jisung’s face was still hot but he couldn’t help but chuckle. Renjun looked confused. “What?” he asked.

“You’re cute,” Jisung told him and leaned in for a soft kiss before smiling at the older.

He still felt unsure about where this entire secret-relationship-thing was going to go but right now he just felt really happy to be with Renjun. He lifted his hand to put it on Renjun’s cheek, admiring his gorgeous features as Renjun closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, smiling.

~

A few days later, the first Quidditch game of the season took place. Jisung was nervous and excited at once, but he’d spotted his boyfriend in the crowd of Ravenclaws right at the beginning of the game.

Renjun gave him an encouraging smile and a thumbs up which gave him both confidence and strength.

He trusted his team, mainly because he had hand-picked the members himself. The Gryffindors were worthy opponents, but Jisung felt more confident about playing against them than he had last year.

He briefly thought about Eunseo, but shook her image from his mind, looking in Renjun’s direction again.

The first few minutes of the game were uneventful with both him and Felix holding every Quaffle thrown their way.

The respective Seekers Kang Yaebin from his house and Kang Chanhee from Gryffindor made their rounds around the Quidditch field, looking out for the Snitch.

Mark Lee, Hogwarts’ new head boy and a new addition to the Gryffindor team rushed towards him the Quaffle in his hand and a determined expression on his face.

Jisung missed the shot by a hair; the crowd of red and gold erupted in cheers and Seungmin announced the first 10 points for Gryffindor.

He made a face and dared to look in Renjun’s direction again.

The older smiled at him once more. Jisung smiled back and focused back on the game.

Bong Jaehyun, a Chaser on the Ravenclaw team scored a few minutes later, followed by one more goal courtesy of Yangyang.

The game sped up after that.

Gryffindor scored a few times but Ravenclaw always managed to follow up.

Jisung was on edge.

His eyes were following the Quaffle as good as possible. He got ready to face off Na Jaemin who was currently in possession of the Quaffle.

It was 70-80 for Gryffindor right now. Just as Jaemin threw the ball – Jisung barely caught it – the whistle to signal the end of the game sounded through the air.

“Kang Yaebin caught the snitch! Ravenclaw wins!” Seungmin announced, excitement laced in his voice.

Jisung’s teammates all gathered around Yaebin and he joined them. Somewhere along the lines, they all landed in some kind of group hug.

A few Ravenclaws ran onto the field to congratulate the players. Renjun was among them and, throwing caution to the wind, tackled Jisung in a hug.

“I knew you’d win,” he said into his ear.

Jisung laughed and tightly wrapped his arms around his boyfriend.

“Seems like I’ve found my lucky charm...” he pointed out.

Renjun pulled out of the hug, his cheeks slightly flushed. They didn’t have much more time to talk because Jisung was pulled in several hugs and his back was patted by dozens of hands.

~

For the remainder of the evening, Jisung couldn’t find more than a minute to talk to his boyfriend because the Ravenclaws were busy celebrating their first win.

Seungmin had invited Hyunjin to their common room and the older came over to pat Jisung’s shoulder to congratulate him.

“Don’t get too used to it, though,” he warned playfully.

Jisung grinned. “I’m confident about taking on your team, Hwang.”

He was excited about playing against Slytherin since those games always tended to be exciting.

Seungmin appeared at Hyunjin’s side – which wasn’t very surprising since the two of them were practically glued together these days.

“I’ve been meaning to ask...” the youngest trailed off. “I saw you and Renjun together earlier. How’s it going with your little... infatuation...?” Seungmin smirked and wagged his eyebrows.

Jisung’s eyes widened slightly and he was probably blushing. “Uh... that’s been resolved,” he answered.

Technically, it wasn’t a complete lie, but he wasn’t going to tell Seungmin and Hyunjin “resolved” meant that he was secretly dating Renjun.

Especially not in a public place like this.

“Aw, too bad. I was lowkey rooting for you two,” Hyunjin said with a pout.

Jisung shrugged. “I guess we’re just... better off as friends,” he answered.

Now, that one was a lie. He felt bad about it, but he still didn’t think telling them was a good idea. Especially not, without talking to Renjun about it beforehand.

“I guess it can’t be helped then. But just so you know, you’d look amazing together,” Seungmin said.

Jisung refrained from replying with an “I know” and instead just smiled, secretly thankful when Hyunjin dragged the youngest away with an excuse directed at Jisung.

~

After several hours, the party fizzled out and Jisung felt exhausted as he got ready for bed.

He was still happy about his team’s win over Gryffindor, but his exhaustion had definitely caught up with him.

When he got back to the Ravenclaw dorms, Renjun was already fast asleep. Jisung tried not to smile too big at the older’s angelic, peaceful sleeping face.

He thought back to what Hyunjin had said at the party. He’d been rooting for them.

In that case, he’d be happy if he found out about them one day, right?

He got into bed, tuning out the soft chatter of his dormmates and soon drifted off to sleep.

~

The next morning, Jisung was woken up by the feeling of lips brushing against his cheek.

He groaned sleepily, and his eyes fluttered open.

Renjun’s blonde mop came into his vision and Jisung reached out pull the older onto his mattress and into his embrace. He just assumed that they were on their own in the dorm which was why he didn’t hold himself back from cuddling his boyfriend.

Renjun giggled, seemingly unopposed to morning cuddles.

“I didn’t get a proper chance to congratulate you yesterday,” Renjun mumbled into the crook of Jisung’s neck.

“Well, you have enough time to do that now, don’t you,” the younger replied, his voice still laced with sleep.

Renjun laughed and looked up at him from where he was practically smushed into Jisung’s chest.

“What exactly did you have in mind?” he asked. Jisung made a humming noise, pretending to think.

“I think cuddles will do for now,” he answered. Renjun seemed satisfied with that answer and got more comfortable in Jisung’s arms.

And Jisung? He could really get used to this.

Sure, anyone could walk in at any time but right now neither of them found it in themselves to care.

Jisung was about to doze off once more when Renjun spoke up again: “Can you give me flying lessons?”

The question was so random that Jisung opened his eyes to look at his boyfriend.

He had to be kidding.

“I thought you hated flying,” he pointed out.

Renjun shrugged. “I still want to try it. You’re passionate about it and I feel like if anyone could teach me it would be you,” he explained.

Jisung couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride at those words. Renjun lifted his head to properly look at the younger.

“Besides...” he started, “maybe I just want to see you in your Quidditch uniform, captain.”

There was a playful glint in his eyes but Jisung couldn’t help but get flustered.

“Uh, sure if you really want to try...” he stammered. Renjun pecked his cheek in thanks before they resumed quietly cuddling for a while longer before heading to breakfast.

~

Since today was Saturday, Jisung and Renjun decided to start the first flying lesson right after breakfast.

Renjun seemed nervous but determined to get on a broomstick, but Jisung vowed to protect him at all cost.

“Okay, now get on...” he said once they’d made it out onto the field with their respective broomsticks (Renjun’s was borrowed, but it would do the trick just fine).

Renjun looked a little unsure of himself but did as he was told. “Great and now carefully push yourself off the ground,” Jisung continued.

“Maybe I shouldn’t try that yet. You know, like with surfing. Isn’t the first lesson always on land? We should go for that as well,” Renjun argued.

Jisung chuckled and stepped closer, putting a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “We don’t have to do this if you changed your mind, babe,” he pointed out, but Renjun shook his head.

“No, I want to!”

He pushed himself off the floor, but he seemed to have done it with a little too much vigor because he shot up into the air, wildly flying around, screaming in panic.

Jisung got onto his own broomstick and tried to catch up with him. “Try to balance yourself out!” he shouted over the blowing wind, scared that Renjun might fall and hurt himself.

For a moment it seemed as though the older hadn’t heard him but after a while he managed to slow down and stop flailing around in the air. Jisung caught up with him and guided him back down to the ground.

“Are you okay?” Jisung asked with a slight chuckle when Renjun clutched onto his arm, shooting the abandoned broomstick a vicious glare.

“I’m fine. I think I should just stay on the ground, though,” he replied.

Jisung laughed and gave his boyfriend a hug. “Maybe that’s for the best,” he agreed.

“But at least I got to see you in your uniform, so I got something out of it,” Renjun mumbled.

Jisung laughed again. “You’re quite something, Huang Renjun...” he said with a small sigh.

The older pulled back with a grin and picked up the broomstick. “Let’s put this cursed thing away and do something more fun.”

“Something more fun” ended up being the two of them making out in the locker rooms for a solid 30 minutes before the Hufflepuff team showed up for practice.

Jisung couldn’t help but ask himself how they hadn’t gotten caught yet with how obvious they were being, but at the same time he was glad. He liked having Renjun to himself without judging eyes watching their every move.

This was different; thrilling... it was good.

And maybe it was just what Jisung needed.