Author's note: yep, date time. Please enjoy~!

 

Daesung quickly glances down the moment they step inside.

The floor is dark, thousands of stars twinkling gently beneath their feet, all bright but of various shades of blue and yellow and white. There are streaks of pink and purple, oddly shaped nebulas peppered here and there, breaking out the darkness and the solitary dots. A comet passes by near the counter, running up its surface for a few seconds before moving to the floor again.

He has no idea what sort of enchantments are placed on the floor and walls here but every day the scenery changes to something different and it’s impossible to predict what it will be the following day. Daesung had been hoping they would catch the space one, because it’s his favourite. The bright lights beneath his shoes tell him that somehow he guessed right and make him fist pump in a gesture of happiness before he realizes exactly what he’s doing and tries to regain his composure.

Seunghyun smiles warmly at him, the corner of his lips tugging further up as the blush spreads across Daesung’s cheeks and the Hufflepuff clears his throat, grabbing at his sleeve and bringing him up to the counter. The witch who greets them is pleasant and polite, asking only a few quick questions before bringing them to a booth. They must have passed others on the way, surely, but between the bewitched walls and all the privacy charms it’s impossible to tell.

They sit down quickly and Daesung can’t stop his smile from blossoming again when he feels a slightly cold hand lying on top of his own on the table. His eyes rise up to find Seunghyun’s staring at him, crinkled at the corners, gaze filled with affection. No words are exchanged between them for a moment and then the man sitting across from him exhales, almost in disbelief that this is happening, before turning to look around their booth.

You can see the table and the seats – it would be a bit awkward if you couldn’t – but while you can feel the floor underneath your feet you can’t see it or the walls properly. It literally feels like you’re sitting in outer space. The unnatural silence is a bit unsettling at first but usually the chatter chases it away soon enough. Unless you’re there alone, Daesung supposes, eyes narrowing in happiness as he takes his time staring.

He doesn’t come here very often but he’s glad Seunghyun – who is still looking curiously at one of the walls – seems to like the place too, despite it probably not being as fancy as he’s used to. Daesung had warned him beforehand so neither of them are overdressed. Well, maybe the Slytherin is just a little bit, but these are by far the most casual robes he’s seen him in, not counting the glimpse of the ones in that casual photograph.

“Thank you for taking me here,” fingers squeeze around his own, making the smile on the apprentice’s face spread even wider. He’s not so nervous anymore that he has to look away though, so they both laugh softly before turning their attention to the menu. It changes every once in a while and it’s in Latin,  so more often than not Daesung doesn’t really understand what he’s ordering but he doesn’t mind trying new things.

He taps the menu with his wand vaguely, quickly praying that he isn’t accidentally ordering something spicy, before catching Seunghyun doing the same things. His eyes immediately zero in on the rich brown wand, his brows furrowing unconsciously. Why is it still bothering? He’s starting to irritate himself with this fixation. Vine does suit the man and the surprise should have faded a long time ago by now. There’s nothing wrong with the wand, he recognizes his master’s work which is as perfect as always, so why is-

Something flickers across his mind. It’s a hazy sort of memory, faded and distant. In the Great Hall, one morning, the term after Christmas during his… maybe second year? Youngbae and some of the older Hufflepuffs had sat down with the younger ones, comforting them and trying to cheer them up, get them in the mood for classes again. It was always difficult, returning from home. There had been some sort of ruckus over at the Slytherin side and most of them had looked over. Daesung had been too young to be aware of who anyone even was, so he hadn’t known it was Seunghyun glaring at someone on the opposite side of the table, clutching his wand-

His wand. He can’t recall the motifs or any details on the carving, not with how old the memory is and how distant to the scene he’d been, but the grip was bolder, stocky, and the wood was dark, entirely black. “You had a hawthorn wand,” the words slip out before he realizes it because his fixation makes sense now. It wasn’t the vine, it was the fact the man had a different wand before. A dark one, which is why his guesses had been all dark wood wands like ebony.

Seunghyun blinks, stunned at the abrupt change of subject before glancing at his wand still pressed against the words scribbled on the menu. “I… yes that was my previous one. How did you…?” he tilts his head and Daesung just shakes his head, a little embarrassed. “I just suddenly remembered seeing it once, in the Great Hall,” he considers asking about it, if it broke, but it’s a bit of a sensible subject. Wands generally are, you’re not even supposed to touch another person’s without permission unless it’s an emergency.

“It…,” the older man clears his throat but looks at him straight on with a small smile, squeezing his hand again. “It needed replacement after my fifth year, as it didn’t suit me very much afterwards,” there’s a subtle tense line to his shoulders that drops slightly once Daesung smiles reassuringly and doesn’t ask any more questions. He doesn’t need to, after all, he’s been studying woods for over a year. Hawthorn wands seek people going through conflict and struggle so if Seunghyun had grown past his issues it makes sense that he’d need a new one. The man will tell him about this when and if he wants to.

“Do you understand anything in the menu?” he hadn’t meant to put his boyfriend on the spot and so decides to give him an out. Purebloods are apparently tutored in Latin – rather than just being taught the spell incantations – when they’re growing up so they both lean in a little spent a few minutes going over the menu despite already having ordered their food, Daesung’s nose twitches at some of the descriptions, causing Seunghyun to let out a small, almost inaudible laugh every time. Some of them sound a bit too out there, maybe not having any idea what the words mean is for the best.

One of the perks of wizarding restaurants is that the service is very quick and they lean back into their respective seats when a chime sounds, both meals appearing in front of them afterwards. Seunghyun holds his hand for a moment longer, bringing it to his lips and kissing the back of it, teasing glint in his eyes making Daesung blush and laugh at the same time. Seemingly pleased by his reaction the Slytherin finally releases him as they turn to their food. The shyness is slowly going away the more time they spend together, especially since the confession, making them feel more at ease with each other. Enough to laugh and make jokes and not consider their words so carefully all the time.

Seunghyun is in the middle of telling him about what his cat had hid this time and where – she seems to have a mischievous spirit – when desserts arrive, interrupting him. His expression turns from soft to such a look of pure childish glee at the sight of ice cream that Daesung needs to cover his own mouth with a firm hand to stop himself from giggling out loud. He can’t help it, the man looks entirely too adorable, even more so than when he was playing with those kittens at the store weeks ago.

A light pink flush spreads across his ears and nose when he notices the muffled laughter. The Hufflepuff shakes his head, hand previously pressed against his mouth going to circle Seunghyun’s wrist as he smiles so wide his eyes almost disappear. “It’s good to see you happy. And who doesn’t like ice cream?” That seems to put the pureblood a little more at ease and he even offers to share his dessert. He doesn’t look as composed or put together as he usually is, not nearly as formal, which is a nice change.

It ends up being a bit of a mess, they almost get the sugary treats on both of their clothes, Daesung ends up being the one doing most of the sharing since Seunghyun apparently has an insatiable sweet tooth and it takes them a lot longer than necessary to get through the desserts since they keep lacing their fingers together and having to do anything one handed. They’re both laughing at the end, however, which makes all of the mess worth it. The privacy of the booth is a blessing, allowing them to relax with the knowledge no one is able to hear or see them.

The older man’s grin turns less childish, gradually growing softer as they finally finish everything. It dims down to a gentle smile as their hands are squeezed together again. “Daesung,” there’s a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes that hasn’t been present the entire day. The Hufflepuff smiles as he usually does, waiting patiently for him to continue, knowing he’s probably carefully considering his words again. “Daesung. May I… kiss you?”

His heart leaps to his throat, its beat sounding far too loud inside his own ears.  He swallows drily, trying not to seem too obvious about it, and smiles with a nod. Nervousness settles in his every limb, not the anxiety he felt before his very first kiss, something happier and giddier but still nervous.  He doesn’t feel any uncertainty over this, though, so in a split-second decision Daesung leans over. Seunghyun’s eyes widen momentarily before he exhales quickly and moves to meet him.

For some reason, he thought the pureblood’s lips would be chapped. They’re surprisingly smooth and soft beneath his, making him finally close his eyes. A shudder runs through him, the hairs at the back of his neck stand up as they part for barely a second before brushing their mouths together again. Something happy bubbles inside his chest until he’s smiling, until they’re both smiling into the kiss, his hand coming to rest on the older man’s cheek, thumb brushing over defined cheekbones.

Their foreheads lean against each other even as they separate and Daesung can’t stop his cheeks from reddening or his smile from widening, thinking that his parents or Seungri or even the Ministry of Magic himself could burst in right at that moment and he absolutely wouldn’t care, especially not when their eyes open and he sees the way Seunghyun’s are staring at him in wonder, gaze equals part tender and amazed.