Author's note: sorry for the delay! Updates may be sporadic for a few days but I'll try to keep them daily. 

Well, on the bright side, he’s not feeling as anxious as he did the first time.

The only other presence in his apartment is D-Lite, hooting at him reassuringly as his hands comb over his hair for the tenth time in five minutes. Youngbae had wanted to be there again but Daesung managed to talk him into staying home and rest before he passed out on his feet. It took several letters to convince his friend that he would be alright since he’s alone – Seungri is at his parent’s and he’s not entirely sure what Jiyong is doing. He also wrote to his own parents earlier, of course, promising to go over to their house tomorrow to spend Christmas Day with them.

Unlike the other event this one is actually a proper ball so Daesung made sure to thank his mum repeatedly for teaching him ballroom dancing when he was younger.  Merlin must have taken pity on him because that is exactly the sort of dancing necessary at these things and pureblood society doesn’t actually have any weird archaic dancing rituals or anything which is a huge relief.  

A short, firm knocking sounds at his door. Daesung takes just one more second to make sure his hair and robes look alright before rushing to it, patting D-Lite on the head as he goes. Seunghyun is, of course, waiting patiently on the other side, smile crossing his face as soon as their eyes meet. It’s not like it’s the first time the Hufflepuff has seen him dressed formally or anything but his breath still catches a little in his throat, making him wonder if that will keep happening regardless of much time passes.

“Good evening, Daesung.”

“Hello, Seunghyun.”

They quickly make their way downstairs to the fireplace in the ground floor, reaching for the pot standing beside it. Daesung bites down on his lip, briefly considering asking to side-apparate instead but he doesn’t feel like walking to the apparition point. And he doesn’t feel like he has the right to ask either, since he hasn’t even explained about his fear of this particular brand of magic and his splinching accident yet. Seunghyun has been considerate enough not to pressure him for an explanation and just take the Floo instead.

The trip is fairly uneventful – he remembers to use the cleaning charms this time – but the Atrium is absolutely packed with people to the point where it’s difficult to get through. Witches and wizards try to make their way to and from various places, accidentally bumping and elbowing each other. Daesung tries to wiggle this way through, thankful that he’s not claustrophobic. The crowd gets a little easier to navigate once people recognize Seunghyun and someone actually comes to usher them to the ballroom.

This time he manages to stop his jaw from dropping but just barely. The entire room is white, both the walls and the floor seem to be made of ice, polished enough to reflect their image. Ice sculptures display several types of food on top of the tables resting at the corners; icicles in the shapes of various magical creatures hang from the ceiling as sparkling snow drifts gently down, disappearing before it can touch any of the guests. There’s a gigantic tree in the middle of the dance floor decorated with twinkling lights and actual pixies and fairies – all in all it’s the most grandiose and ostentatious thing he’s ever seen.

A gentle hand at his back snaps him back to the present. Daesung belatedly remembers to smile as they slowly descend the stairs. A couple of people look their way curiously and he tries not to flush too much at remembering that their robes match today. They’re made of the same material, something like heavy, rich velvet with delicate flowery patterns throughout, his own a simple black and Seunghyun’s a wine red.

He hadn’t been entirely sure about this but the Slytherin assured him he had no intention of hiding their relationship and this is making a public statement. If this was the muggle world, Daesung would probably have been a bit concerned about the both of them being men but this is the wizarding world and uality is not really an issue, so he’s worried about the blood purity issue instead.

Taking a deep breath, he steels himself, taking a second to share a reassuring smile with Seunghyun – and how difficult it is to tear his gaze away when those eyes are looking at him like that, breathless and soft and proud – before turning to bow at the first couple to approach them and greeting them properly as he lets himself be introduced. His manners weren’t bad the last time around and he’s much less nervous now so everything goes a bit smoother.

A few people seem to remember him from the small gathering after the speech on All Hallows’ Eve and approach him a bit more casually, itching to engage him in a discussion about Quidditch again, something he’s more than willing to oblige. With all the glitz and glamour and old traditions sometimes it’s difficult to remember that they’re people, deep down, and quite a lot of them seem to be fierce fans of the wizarding sport.

Seunghyun isn’t as big a fan of it as he is and so keeps mostly quiet, seemingly perfectly happy to let him do all of the talking. It’s only when the last of the acquaintances moves on to go converse with someone else that he feels the hand at his back suddenly clutch his robes, making him turn his head to look at the Slytherin – and blink, surprised. Daesung has seen him shy and awkward, unsure and even apprehensive but nothing like this yet: his face is masked in cold politeness; his jaw is set like he’s clenching it; his eyes stare somewhere to their right, fierce and dark.

The apprentice reluctantly follows his gaze to a couple slowly making their way towards them. There’s nothing in particular that stands out about them, other than the woman being particularly tall – in any other crowd their robes and regal posture would mark them as being of a higher status but in here they sort of blend in. The man’s clutching a cane in his left hand and the look in his eyes when they settle on Daesung is so openly hostile the younger man flinches back slightly in reflex, feeling the hand at the small of his back slide and curl around his waist afterwards.

Every step they take makes his heart beat louder, makes him wish strongly that something would interrupt them. Nothing does, however, and he takes an inaudible breath as they’re introduced before bowing and greeting them in the most appropriate way, enunciating each word carefully and firmly, making sure to commit their names to memory. When he straightens himself up the older man is still staring at him, eyes narrowed and moving over his figure slowly. Daesung is absurdly sure, at that moment, that he’s looking for something he can point to and make a snide comment about, his clothes or his manners, just something to humiliate him for.

Not finding anything, their gazes lock again. His boyfriend’s has always been deep, intense, but this man’s is sharper and colder than his master’s athame. And yet, the Hufflepuff holds it unflinchingly, not willing to look down or away or expose any sort of weakness, completely determined to not embarrass Seunghyun or cause him any problems. They remain staring at each other even when the Slytherin – tone polite but clipped and distant – and the woman exchange pleasantries, more for the sake of formality than anything else.

Finally, finally, something interrupts them. A loud voice calls from somewhere, asking people to please move towards the dance floor as the ball proper is about to begin. The couple stares at them coldly for a moment longer before departing; Daesung doesn’t let his eyes leave them, only letting his shoulders drop when they’re completely out of sight. The hand at his hip squeezes lightly, thumb brushing back and forth soothingly as their footsteps take them to a few meters away from the hugely decorated tree.

“My apologies, Daesung,” Seunghyun’s breath ghosts across his forehead as they turn and face each other, arms sneaking behind the other’s back and hands clasped together, waiting for the music to start. He sounds angry for the first time that Daesung has heard him, which is a bit of a shock, but his tone turns immediately gentler afterwards. “I did not wish for this evening to be uncomfortable for you.”

“That wasn’t your fault, Seunghyun.”

Neither of them have the time to elaborate before the first dance of the night is beginning. He knew that there were bound to be people that would dislike him for being muggleborn and some of those were going to be hostile. He also knew that it wasn’t Seunghyun’s fault and that, had he flinched or backed down earlier, the pureblood would not have blamed him for it. But he refuses to be intimidated by that man or feel inferior in any way.

His disgruntled thoughts are interrupted once every couple stars moving and soon enough he’s completely distracted by dancing – or, rather, by the fact that they keep stumbling awkwardly. Daesung blinks and turns to look down at their feet before glancing at the taller man’s face. His limbs seem incredibly stiff, jerky, almost mechanical in their movements, almost like they’re made out of wood. “Seunghyun?”

It’s the Slytherin’s turn to blink before looking down at him slightly, apologetic and awkward smile forming on his face, prompting his boyfriend to raise an eyebrow. Oh. So apparently he’s not particularly good at this dancing thing. Daesung chuckles, surprising him, and stepping closer, knuckles brushing against Seunghyun’s back as he offers a reassuring smile. Slowly, surely, the other man relaxes by degrees, letting himself be lead a little around the other dancers.

“Dancing’s no good if you’re that tense, Seunghyun.”

“I’m not sure stress is the main culprit here, Daesung. I… admit I’ve never been particularly good at this.”

“Uhm,” the answer’s more of a thoughtful sound than anything. Their bodies sway slowly together, gentler and smoother than their initial movements. His gaze flickers to steep brows, a strong jaw, the line of his nose, sharp cheekbones, defined lips, before finally settling on deep eyes already staring back at him. His breath hitches at the gorgeous sight and the Hufflepuff wonders again if that will ever stop happening.

The music fades away to the background even as they keep moving, along with the crystal clear floor and the tree, the over-the-top decorations and the pixies and all the other people around them. Even the other couple could have bumped into them and they wouldn’t have noticed, staring at each other in silence.  He’s beautiful, Daesung thinks, and briefly wishes they were somewhere else where he could kiss him. Still, he wants to offer reassurance, to make some of the tension still lingering in Seunghyun’s frame and shoulders to disappear, so he smiles as bright and happy as he can up at him.

“I’m happy to be here with you, Seunghyun. Thank you for inviting me.”