His fingers run down the sides of the suit’s jacket.

It occurs to him, while gazing at his own reflection, that he hasn’t worried about how he looks in a while. Part of it is the fact Jiyong still insists on taking care of his appearance whenever possible but most of his relaxed attitude is, he thinks, the result of habituation. At first going to places where formal wear was required wasn’t something he did regularly, it was only natural for him to become nervous.

But lately he’s been surrounded by so many important people during so long that he’s eased into it. Not entirely, not yet, but Daesung doesn’t feel terrified or even more than a little anxious about those sort of social and official functions anymore and whenever he’s feeling a little out of his depth Seunghyun is there at his back to cover for him.

The thought brings a smile to his face just as a knocking comes at his door. D-Lite hoots and huffs from his perch so he walks over quickly, patting him on the head and promising to be careful before going to answer. Seunghyun stands there when he opens the door, of course, hands clasped behind his back, dressed in a sharp suit, hair perfectly spelled in place and full dimples on display.

One of his hands move between them once they’re done greeting each other. His vine wand swishes twice and blue starts shoot out of it, blossoming into flowers and then dispersing like smoke. Daesung laughs with delight at his little trick and the slightly childish, slightly innocent expression in his boyfriend’s face.  After walking out and closing the door behind him, he steps closer, raising his hands to the man’s face.

For a moment he just breathes, taking him in, thumbs brushing against high cheek bones. It seems like it’s been so long since he’s seen him look anything but tired and weary that the sight of his smile makes an excited sort of giddiness spread through him. In an impulsive sort of gesture he brings his hands to the Slytherin’s shoulders, leaning up a little to press their lips together.

It’s short and chaste and sweet, both of them grinning once they pull away. Dark eyes settle on him, lingering over his every feature – slightly cold fingers follow Seunghyun’s gaze tenderly, tracing over Daesung’s nose and cheeks and jaw, trailing down the suit’s lines hugging his shoulders, the lapels of his jacket. It’s the first time the Slytherin has seen him in a suit and the way his breathing hitches slightly lets him know the sight is appreciated.

“You look stunning, Daesung,” but the words help. He feels the smile overtake his face, bright and bubbly more than polite as Seunghyun steals another quick kiss, chuckling under his breath. As adorable as he looks with his glasses – and really, only he could possible pull off those huge, thick frames – his eyes look so sharp and wonderfully intense without anything obstructing them. A noise of appreciation escapes Daesung before he’s laughing and lacing their arms together.

“So do you, Seunghyun. Ready for our date?”

“Of course.”

They’ve somehow managed to keep the exact location of his residence a secret and he’s not willing to give it up, quite obviously, so they make their way down to the fireplace downstairs. The thought that it’s their six months anniversary comes unbridled to him, again, on the way there, and he just can’t keep himself from smiling. Not that he’d want to, of course, his mood hasn’t been this good in over a month.

The Leaky Cauldron falls silent once they Floo in and this time Daesung remembered to apply the charms beforehand so that his skin, hair and clothes don’t all get covered in ash and powder. Whispering breaks out in the wake of their entrance, a few people scurrying here and there and it takes astonishingly few moments before someone is clamoring for their attention, but not even the invasive questions or the light flashes can make him upset today.

Seunghyun politely declines answering any questions – and outright ignores the ones about being dressed like a muggle – as they walk, almost triumphantly, to the muggle exit of the pub and take a few steps outside. The temptation to keep following them is clearly strong but not a lot of them attempt to do so. After all it’s not easy for a single wizard to step outside without grabbing attention and a bunch of them would surely cause a ruckus. It wouldn’t be long until the police would get involved and such a brazen disregard for the statute of secrecy would not be taken kindly.

It was in fact for that very reason that Seunghyun had suggested they go to a muggle restaurant for this particular date. Few wizards or witches would attempt to follow them and those that did risk it would most likely end up lost. Well, it was that and the curiosity, most of his experience with the muggle world came from Daesung’s parents’ house and was, therefore, limited. The Hufflepuff had readily agreed, of course, but took a side-trip to Gringotts with his boyfriend one day during their lunch break. Mostly, he had just wanted to know how to set up a muggle bank account and a credit card for Seunghyun since for all intents and purposes he didn’t exist in the muggle world and had none of the required documents.

But it turned out the Ministry had a division set up precisely for that sort of thing. Most wizards didn’t take advantage of that service because, well, why would they?  It was used mainly to fake credentials whenever ones were needed but they were more than willing to oblige the couple, for a fee. Daesung had been happy with this arrangement, as it meant things went a lot quicker than he was expecting them to – and it took him nearly two hours to stop laughing at the look on Seunghyun’s face once he reassured him that yes, that little plastic card allowed him to buy things and no, they didn’t have to go around with a lot of cash on hand and certainly not heavy metal coins.

By the end he was almost convinced the Slytherin seemed determined to bring credit cards to the wizarding world. His thoughts are interrupted by a cab pulling over. They get in and make themselves comfortable, leaving the few last persistent wizards behind. The driver is pleasant enough and they speak a little, with Seunghyun feeling comfortable enough at this point to participate every once in a while. Traffic in London is as bad as ever, making him glance at his wristwatch frequently but Daesung had counted on this and insisted they leave early so they get to the restaurant only a few minutes late to their reservation.

It’s still a bit disconcerting for Seunghyun that inanimate muggle objects stay, well, inanimate, he can tell but at least the pureblood doesn’t expect them to actually move anymore. The restaurant has a wide open floor, most of it is decorated in black and white and everything has a sleek, modern feel to it. Their table is right next to one of the glass walls, allowing them a clear view of the dark night sky, lovely despite the lack of visible stars.

The waiter is exceedingly polite, waiting for them as they order. If there is anything Seunghyun took like a fish to water it was muggle drinks, vintage wines in particular, and he takes his time perusing the available list. Daesung doesn’t usually drink anything stronger than butterbeer but this time he’s making an exception. It’s a celebration after all and he doesn’t plan on getting plastered.

They lace their fingers together on top of the table and Seunghyun’s thumb keeps brushing the back of his hand as they make small talk and smile at each other. The apprentice finally got his own athame – a beautiful set, in fact, that came in the most beautifully decorated wooden box he’s even seen. His master’s work, of course, he recognized it on sight and hadn’t stopped thanking her with a huge smile the entire week. His boyfriend is incredibly enthusiastic at the news, his congratulations genuine and heartfelt.

Dinner arrives after a while and they both thank the waiter before straightening up. Seunghyun’s face scrunches for a second and Daesung watches as the man tries to discretely move his wand from the pocket of his dress pants to his jacket’s inner pocket. Someone on another table notices and stares at them – after all, it’s just a piece of wood and who carries that around? – and the Hufflepuff uses his napkin to disguise the laughter threatening to burst out of him.

To his credit Seunghyun looks both innocent and completely unperturbed by the staring – they’re not in the company of Ministry officials or the pureblood elite, nobody knows them here so he can afford to be less composed than usual, to be a bit more cheeky and at ease. The corner of his mouth curl up, his gaze softening as the younger man keeps stifling his giggling with only mild success. “… are you still curious about it?”

Daesung is valiantly staring at the food so it takes him a couple of seconds to register the question. Blinkingly, he looks up at his boyfriend’s softening features. Oh, right, the wand thing. Well, not as curious as he had once been but he’d be lying if he said no. “A little,” the admission comes easily enough. “But Seunghyun, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Long fingers curl around the wine glass as Seunghyun takes a sizeable drink from it before answering. “You may say I was a… rebellious child for a few years,” this admission is sheepish and a little shy, causing both dimples to show up on his cheeks. “I did not wish to embarrass my family and yet, at the same time, I refused to accept the responsibilities placed upon my shoulders.”

Ah. Thus the conflicted nature. Daesung has little doubt that Seunghyun loves his parents dearly; it shows in his words and his actions despite politeness and ceremony being necessary even between them. At first glance it may seem a little bit like coldness but it isn’t, really, he had learned they show their affections in other, less obvious ways. That one singular memory flashes across his mind, the tension in the Great Hall, the scowls and dark looks in the face of both Slytherins – in Seunghyun’s face.

“I… acted out in a way unbefitting of my station. Teenager rebellion, mother called it,” pale fingers twitch on the table before tapping in slight agitation. Daesung smiles at him, covering the hand on the table with his own and squeezing it reassuringly. “Thank you for telling me,” somehow that doesn’t feel like enough, so he presses on. “Whatever you thought my reaction would be, Seunghyun, it’s not… I’m just proud of you. No one is perfect and you got through it.”

Dark eyes flicker shut for just a second before fluttering open again, settling on him, something like love and gratitude swimming in their depths, stealing his breath a little. The hand underneath his turns over to squeeze back before interweaving their fingers together. Daesung lets the silence hang between them for a moment before exhaling slowly as the curve to his lips turns into more of a grin.

“Besides, I think you grew up into a good and very handsome man, if I say so myself. I’m sure Lady Choi would agree.”

It’s Seunghyun turn to grin, left dimple long and deep as one of his brows rises sharply. “Lady Choi, Daesung? Mother isn’t present. Are you trying to gain her favour?” Their hands release each other as they pick up their cutlery and finally  start on the momentarily forgotten, fancily arranged – and actually quite good! – food on their decorated plates.

“… maybe.”