Author's note: .... yep, got nothing again. Please enjoy~!

“What happened to your hair?”

Normally this is where he’d cheekily reply ‘hello to you too’ but instead his hand reflexively reaches up, nervously threading through his new bangs. Jiyong had tried to convince him to make it entirely white but burst out laughing at the terrified look on Daesung’s face, vowing to convince him to do it later. The end result is simple and low key in comparison, his hair is much shorter than it was; his bangs are messy, shoved to the front and a much lighter shade than his natural tone.

“Jiyong.”

“Ah,” Seungri’s brows shoot up but he doesn’t say anything else, as if that answer explained everything. It probably does, Daesung thinks, making sure he has everything and patting D-lite – whose first reaction to his friends is always to cheerfully hoot and hop up and down at them – a couple of times on the head, gently, before moving towards the door.  They have a couple of hours before the press party which they’re looking forward to spend shopping for something appropriate to wear.

There’s a fireplace shoved into a corner in near the front door of the building but they walk out instead, making their way to the apparition point. Normally Daesung prefers to avoid that at all costs, the splinching incident fresh on his memory still, but Floo is too messy and dirty as a way of transportation for today and Seungri always offers to take him through side-apparition which isn’t so bad.

His fingers clutch at his friend’s arm before they reach the point, his breathing quickening with rising anxiety.  There’s a loud heartbeat banging in his head and it takes Seungri shaking his shoulder slightly, looking at him in concern, lips tugged down slightly, to snap him out of it. He isn’t entirely convinced by Daesung’s reassurances that he’ll be okay but doesn’t complain when the grip on his arm tightens even further as they disappear from the Alley with a loud crack.

It gets easier to breathe once they arrive safely, greeted by the quaint little cottages and shops forming neat little rows. The air is crisp with the promise of coming snow, even though it should be over a month before the temperature drops to that point this year. Hogsmeade brings back pleasant memories and Seungri’s shoulders drop a little once he sees Daesung seems to be feeling better, looking less sickly and anxious. In a split-second decision he’s dragging them further into the sizable crowd under the guise of being eager to start their shopping but really, he thinks a distraction is in order.

The village has more shops than the Alley and they take their time exploring them, despite going through this every time they end up attending one of the former Gryffindor’s party things. It’s always interesting to Daesung, seeing the differences and similarities between wizarding and muggle fashion, and how the former has been taking some tips from the latter thanks to muggleborns and a larger familiarity with the muggle world. Except for the pointy hats, he doesn’t think even avant-garde fashion would be able to salvage those.

Seungri stands on the tip of his toes behind him to be able to look better, pressing the robes to the apprentice’s shoulders, narrowing his eyes and seemingly judging how it looks. Black and a strong shade of pink, it actually fits him fairly well and the mirror coos at them, making all sorts of comments about his shoulders and hair and how fashionable and handsome he seems but Daesung isn’t convinced, muttering something about everyone trying to turn him into some walking billboard for fashion lately.

In the end he ends up carrying grey robes with both dark and white accents as they hurry back to the apparition point but the grin Seungri sends his way makes him think he’s going to end up with the pink robes at some point in the future. He’s thankful these parties don’t happen that often or his wallet would spend the rest of its days resenting him, what with being seen twice in the same outfit being a faux pas – Daesung doesn’t really mind all that much, trying on clothes is fun, but the complaining gives him something to focus on when the world fades away with another loud crack and his lungs refuse to breathe.

They don’t bother going back to the Alley and just walk into Seungri’s apartment, laughing and teasing each other as they get ready and Daesung learns a few new spells, not for keeping the robes tidy this time but for styling his hair. He has to admit it’s a lot handier than struggling with gel or numerous combs and even if his new haircut makes them unnecessary they may come in handy sometime. His thoughts shift to Seunhyung’s perfectly styled hair momentarily, wondering if he uses them, before returning to Seungri’s running and breathless explanation of who’s going to be there and why anyone would care.

The first time he attended one of these events Daesung had been so nervous he’d been barely able to stop stuttering long enough to get two words out. It had been a pretty bad performance so he couldn’t really understand why Seungri didn’t seem to regret it, nevermind why he kept inviting him to come afterwards. Now, however, he feels much more at ease, running both hands down his robes before stepping inside with a smile, feeling his friend immediately turn on the charm as soon as someone looks at them.

Daesung recognizes a few people, waving casually and engaging them with cheery laughs and appropriate small talk, flushing at compliments and offering some of his own. His younger self wouldn’t have thought so, still struggling with his own shyness, but it’s kind of fun moving through the crowd, meeting new people and seeing old faces, the atmosphere spurring everyone into a good and excited mood. The conversations don’t usually last all that long, some even just long enough to be polite, but he always takes the time to have a more personal chat in the corner with some of his former housemates.

Seungri finds him again at some point, slinging an arm around his shoulder and pulling him close, presenting a glass of something in front of his face – dark blue with green lights shifting in a brilliant spiral, almost like fireworks in slow motion. It’s pretty and sort of intriguing but Daesung shakes his head and pushes it away, flushing a little. His memories are fuzzy but he’s fairly certain the last time this happened he ended up in the middle of the floor dancing with that sort of confidence one can only find in drunkenness and he’s not really keen on repeating the experience, not with this many journalists around. Not that he’s a very important person and not that his master would care, but it’d be embarrassing anyway.

“So they walk in, first thing in the morning, and the statues are trying to shove each other off the fountain!” Seungri isn’t drunk but it’s clear that he’s had a few drinks already, cheeks slightly flushed and mischievous glint in his eyes more pronounced than usual. Daesung shakes his head, laughing along with the small crowd gathered around his friend, listening intently at the funny, harmless story that he probably shouldn’t know about anyway. The charm is as effective as it usually is at drawing people in and he finds himself getting all too immersed into small stories and anecdotes when that deep, rich voice startles him out of it, here of all places. “… Daesung?”

His head turns so quickly he can almost hear his neck crack, hairs at the back of it standing up again. There’s no mistaking that voice, even with the sounds of laughter ringing all around them, and his gaze quickly lands on Seunghyun. The man looks honestly surprised to see him, eyes wider than usual and staring, the line of his shoulder betraying his brief lack of composure. Daesung tries to smile encouragingly but it feels a bit awkward, seeing him like this. Neither of them are saying anything so he wastes only a couple of seconds to take him in before speaking himself, “hello Seunghyun.”

That seems to snap him out of it, his face shifts into an elated smile, a dimple showing up fully in his right cheek as he steps up to him, maybe a little closer than what is probably appropriate. The welcoming handshake turns into something else as Daesung feels long, slightly cold fingers wrapping around his wrist gently and laughs, a bit giddy. “This is why you said you were busy?” his head nods seemingly on its own as he struggles to tear his gaze away from that smile. Seunghyun opens his mouth for a second before closing it, shaking his head and staring at him, gaze lingering on his now reddening cheeks, his robes, his hair.

“Looks good on him, doesn’t it?” it’s Daesung’s turn to be snapped out of his trance as he steps back to a more appropriate distance, sneaking his wrist out of the pleasant grip and turning his head, surprised at seeing Jiyong’s proud and victorious face peering up at him. The vague memories that had been bugging him since that visit to the shop click suddenly. They know each other. They know each other, the apprentice thinks, and immediately feels the need to smack himself. Of course they do, they’re both purebloods and probably grew up at least knowing of each other – and now that he’s trying hard to remember, they had been seen talking more than once but he hadn’t paid any attention at the time, having no reason to do so.

Seunghyun rolls his eyes fondly, a corner of his mouth turning into a smirk. “Of course you had something to do with this,” Jiyong immediately mirrors his expression and the conversation turns into slight ribbing, teasing comments being exchanged with familiarity. They seem to know each other quite well, seem comfortable around one another, and Daesung feels a little bit like he’s intruding but Jiyong’s reassuring smiles in his direction make him stay put. The taller man says shakes his head again with a final remark before turning to him, voice a lot gentler and eyes soft. “It does suit you very well.”

He’s spared the embarrassment of having to find a suitable answer by Seungri hooking an arm around his shoulders again, alerting him to the fact the crowd previously keeping them company has mostly dispersed, moving on from the funny little stories to go mingle with whoever catches their eye. “Daesung, what are- oh, it’s you,” his cheery voice cuts into a flat tone as soon as his eyes land on Jiyong whose left eyebrow rises in mock affront. “What do you mean it’s me? What’s with the tone?” the tension in the air lasts for merely a second before the both of them descend into whiny, petty bickering and Daesung doesn’t know whether to shake his head or sigh fondly.

Seunghyun, it seems, is in the same position, moving to stand beside him. Their shoulders brush, just briefly, but it’s enough to make the hairs at the back of his neck stand up once more. “I never imagined I would find you here,” it’s a soft murmur, almost low enough not to be heard.  It doesn’t sound condescending but Daesung chances a look at his face to check anyway. His features seem a bit softer than usual, eyes slightly unfocused as if he’s thinking, maybe considering something. There’s no trace of haughtiness in the lines of his face, however, so the answer is just as soft. “Seungri invites me sometimes. It’s fun.”

He’s not expecting that intense gaze to suddenly focus, shifting to him, and is momentarily paralyzed as it does so. His lungs stop working or maybe his nose has grown numb but he can’t breathe for a few moments, desperately wishing he had accepted that drink earlier, if only to have something to curl his fingers around. Those small lips move slowly, almost hesitantly, and Daesung finds himself mesmerized by them before the moment is abruptly interrupted by a loud voice. “Right, Daesung?”

His head snaps briskly to the side for the second time that night, finding two sets of eyes staring at him expectantly. Squirming a little and flushing, he searches for something to say, having absolutely no idea what they had been talking about previously. “… sure,” it’s not his best effort and the guilt must show on his face because Seungri groans, planting both hands on his hips and staring at him. “You weren’t even listening, were you?” Jiyong immediately starts laughing and his inattentiveness is promptly forgotten in favour of another round of arguing. Daesung is, irrationally, almost scared of looking at the man standing next to him but Seunghyun’s eyes are staring calmly at the bickering pair in front of them, seemingly amused.

“In your last letter…. you said you may find some time to see me soon…?”