Even the shop seems to be worried about him.

For the first time since he’s started studying and working there, absolutely nothing is missing. In fact, he’s pretty much finding the few things he needs within seconds of starting to search for them and everything stays where he puts it. Daesung sort of feels the need to say his thanks but even knowing about the gigantic quantity of magic around he stills feels a bit… silly… thanking a building.

It’s impossible for him to get any sort of studying done with how turbulent his mind is so the apprentice sets out to organize and clean things instead. Despite a lot of wands being stored in the front quite a few are shoved into the shelves of the back room too, especially those with rarer or more unusual combinations since finding a match for them proves to be difficult at the best of times.

He stands up on the stool, reaching high and into every shelf, first cleaning everything as thoroughly and meticulously as he can, then rearranging the boxes by wood, core, properties, all while trying to guess what type of person the owner of them will be by the knowledge he has. Most of the stairs are at the front but one of them is shoved into a corner of the room – dust fills the air once his hands pry it open so he can climb and clean the highest shelves, the ones that are barely ever touched.

The place has never been so clean and organized once Daesung is done with it. It will probably be a mess tomorrow despite all his hard work but that doesn’t really matter. Every once in a while the jingle signaling a new customer reaches his ears and he sits down on the bench, listening. Most of them seem to be genuine but every once in a while his master’s voice gets very sharp and quiet, there’s a spike of magic in the air and the bell rings again. Probably people bold enough to come ask about him.

The Hufflepuff takes a deep breath and rises up after the fourth time, brushing both hands down his robes and looking around the room. There’s nothing else to do so he moves to his master’s office, carrying the cleaning supplies with him. His steps falter near the workbench at the sight of the empty, stacked parchment just resting there. Daesung knows he should write someone but doesn’t feel like he can right now, not until he gets his mind under control somewhat.

There’s very little he dares touch in the office, half of it is personal and half is organized by some system his master made up that he can’t decipher. In the end he decides to just reorganize the old books by subject and author before moving to the crates of supplies. The cores Daesung doesn’t touch since he doesn’t know how to handle them yet, but the woods are easy enough to sort out. He’s in the middle of trying to remember if blackthorn comes before or after black walnut when the sound of hurried footsteps distracts him.

“Daesung!”

There are no windows in this part of the shop, the lightning comes from spelled candles and it makes the figure standing in the doorway hard to distinguish. He squints, tilting his head, but it only takes the set line of those shoulders and a flash of high cheek bones for recognition to set in. “Seunghyun!” Scrambling to his feet, Daesung walks over to the door, thoughtlessly leaving the crate open. His hands gently shove the man into the back room so the light of the high window can wash over them, allowing him to see his face properly.

“… Seunghyun?” his eyes widen as his fingers reach for his boyfriend’s face, brushing it gently before his palms slide up to cradle the Slytherin’s cheeks. Honestly, he looks terrible, pale and tired and ruffled, not like his usually composed self – absurdly, it’s his hair that looks the most out of place, unruly like that, did he forget to spell it in place?

“Daesung,” he doesn’t get to ask any questions before Seunghyun practically exhales his name with such concern and tenderness that it makes his heart ache. Slightly cold fingers curl into the back of his neck, thumbs brush against the line of his jaw and the Hufflepuff doesn’t care what a silly picture they must make clutching at each other like this. Belatedly, he remembers he looks like a sleep deprived mess too and the thought makes him attempt a reassuring smile.

“I’m alright. Are you okay? Aren’t you meant to be working right now?”

“My business at Gringotts is finished for the time being and I… won’t be going back to the Ministry today,” the older man does get afternoons off, sometimes, but even then he tends to go back to the manor to take care of family business. Daesung knows today’s break is most likely because of him and he stays still, letting dark eyes roam over his face again in concern. “Are you… certain you’re feeling well, Daesung?”

“… depends on what you mean by ‘well’, I guess,” truthfully, the article doesn’t bother him anymore although he stills wishes wizards had libel laws so he could make them stop. What’s making him anxious is the fear that he’ll be hounded whenever he’s out like what happened in front of the shop. It’s ridiculous really, Seunghyun is a Ministry employee, not a celebrity, but apparently being a pureblood is enough for him to be treated like one. “What are we going to do?”

Seunghyun’s mouth opens… and then promptly closes. His brows furrow deeply, his lips pressing into a thin line and his eyes growing dark. It’s a look Daesung hasn’t seen in his face in quite a while since they’ve been getting close enough, comfortable enough, that the older man doesn’t usually feel the need to measure his words so carefully anymore. Something flickers in his gaze, unsure, and the sight of it makes him worried.

“… Daesung,” the tone is low, raw and so pained that it completely throws him off. He steps back a little, unconsciously, hands dropping down to his boyfriend’s shoulders as they stare at each other. “Daesung,” Seunghyun starts once more, slow and faltering, like he had in their first outings together in what seems like forever ago. “if you… if you do not wish… to deal with-“ he cuts himself off, lips pressing together again.

There’s very little the Hufflepuff can do but stare at him, tilting his head and trying to make sense of his words. Whatever the other man wants to say, it’s quite obviously upsetting and difficult for him. The tension in his face speaks volumes about his feelings, he’s probably blaming himself for this entire thing which is absurd – it’s the press’ fault if anyone’s. So, it’s a difficult subject that has to do with this entire thing, out of concern for him… oh. Oh.

Daesung’s eyes widen in realization when the thought suddenly clicks. In any other occasion he’d be incredibly happy at the fact they had grown close enough for him to accurately guess his boyfriend’s state of mind and his thoughts, but at that moment he’s a bit stunned. His fingers slide down from the Slytherin’s shoulders to the front of his robes and clutch at it as he promptly decides that no, he’s having none of that.

“Seunghyun, I’m not breaking up with you because of this,” he can’t quite keep the disbelief from showing in his voice. Honestly, yes, Daesung can see where this came from – if they’re not dating it’s unlikely the press will keep stalking him – and yes, he’s feeling a bit anxious about the entire thing but this doesn’t seem like a good solution. A spark of stubbornness rears its head as he straightens out his shoulders a little, the same spark that made him work hard in school and stick to the difficult path he wanted to follow despite his many insecurities.

“I do not wish to subject you to such-“

“You’re not subjecting me to anything!” his answer is a bit too snappish. The apprentice takes a moment to breathe deeply, moving his arms over and around Seunghyun’s shoulders and bringing them together into a close hug, feeling him immediately relax in his hold as a shaky exhale hits the skin of his neck. “I don’t like this but it’s not your fault. And unless you want to, we’re not breaking up because of them, that’s just letting them win,” he feels the lips pressed into his neck curling into a smile. “Trust me to decide this for myself, okay?”

Seunghyun nods, curling his own arms around Daesung, pulling them even closer together. Neither of them say anything for what could be two or five or ten minutes, the clock ticks and tocks up high in the shelves somewhere but they don’t pay it any mind. Eventually they lean back and away to stare at each other – his boyfriend’s face is still pale and tired but there’s a small smile on his lips, his left dimple is showing and he’s never been happier or more relieved to see it making an appearance.

Tugging on his wrist, the apprentice leads them both to sit on the workbench. It’s not ideal, actually it’s more than a little uncomfortable, but there’s only one bench. He doesn’t want to drag the office’s chair in there and conjuring one is risky so it’ll have to do. Seunghyun doesn’t complain, merely waits until the younger man finishes wiggling and making himself comfortable before moving closer so that their tights are pressed together and curls an arm around his waist.

Daesung hums, pressing a kiss into his boyfriend’s clothed shoulder before leaning his head on it. The door to the back room is closed and he doubts his master would let people snoop around. Even if she herself shows up he’s not really embarrassed anymore. He feels Seunghyun’s lips brush against the crown of his head, making him smile for the first time since yesterday. “So… what are we going to do?”

“You have probably guessed Seungri has kept the news under wraps for the last few months. Jiyong and I have both exerted our considerable influence to help him accomplish that. However…”

“The cat is out of the bag now.”

“Father and mother are both furious about it. I believe they are meeting with the editor-in-chief as of this moment, demanding an apology be printed to you tomorrow for those lies.”

“Seunghyun, I don’t really care what they say about me. It’s not-“

“Daesung, please,” there it is again, the pain underneath the words, and he decides to concede the point. This is a sort of political and social game, something Daesung has little experience in, something he’s not very good at yet but will probably have to be soon. As much as he’s usually willing to let Seunghyun handle these things, it’s not something he wants him to have to shoulder on his own.

“They’re not going to stop, are they?”

“It is… unlikely.”

Sighing, Daesung nuzzles the older man’s shoulder, moving both arms to circle his waist, lacing his fingers together around his boyfriend’s hip as the hand in his own hip squeeze reassuringly. Despite the difficult situation he can’t help but blush a little at their position. Something giddy dances around in his chest, making him have to clear his throat twice before he can speak again. “Any ideas?”

“Presenting a united front would be the best course of action. I realize it is not something you have had to deal with until now for which I am grateful, but rest assured Daesung, you will not go through it alone,” there’s none of that pain and distress in his tone now, just strength and determination. He smiles against his shoulder despite himself. Honestly, Daesung doesn’t know if he wants to swat or kiss the man whenever he talks like that.

There’s a cheeky remark at the tip of his tongue but it’s interrupted by another, more pressing thought as he raises his head from its resting place. “Wait, Seunghyun, are they going to follow me home?”