#toomywriting

You shook your head gently at his unspoken question before addressing the rest of the boys. “I’m just gonna head to bed. I’ll see ya when I see ya. Be safe.”

Jongho waved, Yeosang and San nodded at you emphatically, Wooyoung rolled his eyes “You worry too much, Y/N,” and Hongjoong and Yunho wished you a good night’s sleep.

Seonghwa kept a hold of your hand as you got up and walked you to the double doors of the massive dining room. “Do you want me to walk you up, my love?” 

You pushed his shoulder lightly. “No, you haven’t even finished dinner. Besides, I know you guys are hitting the South Bay tonight. Don’t think you can get anything past me, and I want you to go in as prepared as you can. I alsoo know you won’t discuss the details in front of me.”

He pressed his lips to your wrist, his eyes alight with mischief and danger. “My beautiful wife. You really do worry too much. We will be fine.”

You just looked at him and bit your lip, as your mind drew up all kinds of scenarios in which you lost him. He knew you well enough after 2 years of marriage though and pulled you out of your spiral before it could get too drastic.

“Hey, don’t do that.” He lifted your chin up for you to meet his eyes. “The job tonight is child’s play; we could do it blindfolded. And, you know that I will always always do everything in my power to come back home to you.” 

 At the absolute certainty in his voice, the knot in your chest released a little. You put your head against his chest. “Wake me up when you’re back.”

“Y/N..” His pout really was too adorable.

You looked up at him seriously. “I’m serious. I need to know you’re safe, as soon as possible.”

He sighed. “Alright, alright. You know I can never say no to you. Torture me, sure. Make me disturb your rest when you look like an angel, I’d love to.”

You chuckled at his antics and pushed him back to the table.

“Be safe. I love you.”

“Goodnight, baby!”

You smiled to yourself as you walked up the three flights of stairs and across the landing to your wing of the house. 

As you entered your room, something felt off. You looked around, trying to convince your overactive mind that you were imagining the negative energy. You made to take a step towards your bathroom, when your eyes strayed back to the curtain fluttering in the wind. You never left the window open. Before you could scream, you felt a hand wrap around your mouth. 

“Let’s keep this simple. You come with us quietly. And we let you live. You make a sound. You die a slow death when we get to where we need to go. Got it?”

You froze, and fear coursed through your body. Keep your head. Stay calm. Before you were a mafia boss’s wife, you were a mafia boss’s daughter. You were trained for situations like these. 

You struggled to the right. As expected, the assailant’s grip tightened. He clearly had not expected a fight and was trying to adjust his footing to manage. But you had managed your goal. You grabbed the nail file from the dresser you had stumbled into and jammed it backwards, hoping it would hit his eye. From his sudden release, it had. Falling forward, you rushed toward where the panic button was on the other side of the room. You were almost there when a hand grabbed you around the ankle and pulled you down. Your head slammed down on the floor. Your lip felt warm where you had bit it on impact. As you began to be dragged backwards, you used the momentum to twist around and kick your other foot in his face. You noticed a scar across his eye. The one second it took to break the hold was all you needed. You crawled forward that last inch and pressed the button. 

The immediacy left you. Help was on the way. Seonghwa would be here soon. In the meantime, there was nothing around you to use as a weapon, and this guy had a foot and a half on you. He was already up before you could form a game plan. He grabbed you around the throat and slammed you back into the wall. 

“You’re gonna pay for that, you little bitch.” At least he wasn’t going to kidnap you immediately. That gave the guys a chance to get to your room in time. You tried to hold on as black spots danced around your vision.

No sooner had the thought crossed your mind when you distantly heard the door slam open and a cacophony of voices. 

The pressure around your throat released. You sank down to the ground, trying to recover and remain alert enough to help in the fight. Hands immediately grabbed you and started to carry you across your room back to the door. The heat of a body in front of you and behind you. You gulped the air down. 

“Y/N, Y/N, can you breathe? Are you ok?”

Yunho set you down at the threshold of the door but kept his arms around you until Wooyoung stepped back to keep a hold of you. Yeosang rushed past the both of you, yelling back that he was getting the first aid kit.

As your vision cleared, you finally took in the state of the fight. San and Jongho were checking all the entrances and exits, presumably for other attackers. Hongjoong was simultaneously piling up all the attacker’s weapons and yelling at someone on the phone. Mingi and Yunho, being the tallest, were trying their best to hold Seonghwa back. He was moving so fast, he looked like a blur. The intruder wasn’t even moving anymore, and his face was already just a smear of red. 

A shaky breath left you. The danger was over. You needed Seonghwa now. 

Jongho joined you and Wooyoung. Your knees gave out beneath you. They shared a look of alarm, but they understood immediately. You were strong enough for the fight, but now that the fight was done, you needed just one thing. San saw you collapse and rushed over to you.

“Ya, hyung!” You don’t know who called to him, but he didn’t listen. 

You had never seen Seonghwa in such a rage. On the few occasions where the guys had let you witness some of the action, he took on the role of taunting the target, toying with them until he got what he needed or beating up the victims almost lazily. Now he was focused and lethal. He moved with such precision; it was almost beautiful. You didn’t think he would ever stop. 

At this point, Hongjoong was also trying to restrain Seonghwa . “Y/N needs you!”

He slowed down at the mention of your name but didn’t stop.

Your voice was just a broken whisper. “Seonghwa.”

He stilled. It took one second. And then he was rushing towards you. His hands cradled your face. The look on his face was one you would never forget. 

He said nothing; his eyes anguished.

“We need to treat her injuries, hyung.”

He closed his eyes briefly before they opened again, and he nodded. His hands slipped down to hold you up, and Yeosang led the way to the next room. You sat down on the couch, but Seonghwa’s hold never loosened. All you could do was look at each other while Yeosang prepared some gauze. 

You watched him with gratitude. You were alive. You had not laid your eyes on him for the last time. He was here. You were here. You had time, hopefully a whole lifetime together- it had not been cut short tonight. The aches and pains suddenly left you, and you almost let loose as hysterical giggle at how happy you were. 

As joyful as you were, it quickly gave way to concern as you took in the look in his eyes. Eyes that swirled with pain and guilt. Sighing, you recognized immediately what was eating at him.

“Seonghwa, I’m fine.”

Anger blazed in them now. “You are not fine.”

“It’s just a few bruises. I’m okay.”

He turned to Yeosang, who quickly jumped into a status report. “From what I could see so far, she has superficial bruises on her throat, ankle, and wrists. The bleeding on her face is just from her lip but has already stopped bleeding. If I’m right, then he probably grabbed you, you fell, and that’s how you busted your lip. If that’s true, I wanna make sure you don’t have a concussion from hitting your head when that happened. Otherwise, some painkillers, a lot of rest, and she will be fine, hyung.”

The thunderous expression on his face did not waver, however. 

You sighed and looked back at Yeosang and lifted your eyebrows. He took the hint and left. You could hear whispers commence outside and were touched at the guys’ concern for you, but it would have to wait. Seonghwa had opened his mouth angrily to protest, but you turned in his arms before he could.

“Thank you for saving me.” A few tears slipped out as you recalled how close it had been. His fury morphed into worry, and he wiped your tears as he held you gently.

“I know you’re concerned about me-”

“That doesn’t even begin to cover it.” His voice was full of angst.

Your hands came up to either side of his face.

“I promise you- I am okay. This is nothing compared to how bad it could have been- what he promised to do. I know it hurts you when I’m hurt. I’m sorry.” You pressed your forehead against his.

“You have nothing to apologize for, Y/N. It’s me who should be apologizing. I promised you the day I married you that I would never ever let anything hurt you. I.. I can’t even begin to start apologizing for that- I can’t live with myself. I couldn’t if something happened to you-”

“Sh, sh. Nothing happened to me. You got to me in time. You protected me. You can’t control everything. You did your best. I feel safest with you. Now, please stop this and just hold me.” Something in his eyes gave a little. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve had kind of a tiring night.”

He chuckled weakly at your attempt at levity. “I’m all yours. Anything you need. Forever.”

You smiled enthusiastically. 

“After you get patched up and take some pain meds.” 

You huffed at him but stuck your pinky out. “Deal.” 

Everyone outside was probably eavesdropping, because no sooner had he said that the guys started filing in, crying out in concern and settling around you and Seonghwa.

You smiled at everyone, rolled your eyes against Seonghwa’s indignation and hovering behavior when WooSan barely jostled you, and nestled against him anyways. Your ear to his heart.

“I figured out a way for you to live with yourself by the way.” 

His hands stroked through your hair. “Oh? What’s that?”

A mean little smile to copy his. “Revenge.”

You set the pie down on the cooling rack and stared at it sadly for a beat. Before you could wallow and throw in the towel, the bubbling noises from the stove alerted you to the stew you were still in the process of cooking. 

You huffed and stirred the spoon as you watched the stew like a hawk. You were not going to sit down or take your eyes from this for a second lest it burn too. Half of your planned meal had already failed, you’d be damned if this half was unsuccessful, too. 

It’s true that cooking was not your forte, but you had just been wanting to do something nice for your boyfriend for once. He showered you with such love and tender care all the time that your heart could burst. And you were so happy with him- you just wanted to give him a fraction of the happiness he gave to you. 

The heat was starting to get to you. You could feel that your face was flushed and probably bright red from the combined heat of the open flame on the stove and the still-running oven. Your hair was starting to stick to your neck uncomfortably, but a quick glance to your wrist confirmed that you didn’t have your usual hair tie on you. And there was no chance you were leaving the food unsupervised for even a second again, so you resolved to just stand there miserably and hope the sacrifice was enough to make the meal you were cooking turn out at least edible. 

It had been five minutes of watching the veggies slowly soften and cook and stirring so often that your arm was starting to cramp, when you were suddenly startled by arms around your waist. 

You jumped and half turned to see that San was home early. “You scared the shit out of me!” You smiled and half heartedly swatted his arm that was around your stomach . 

His chuckle reverberated against your back. “Sorry, baby. I did try to call to you a few times but..”

“Oh, I probably couldn’t hear you because the exhaust was on.” You gestured up at the hood of the stove which was noisily blasting air. 

“Yeah, speaking of. What are you doing?”

You turned in his arms but just enough so that you could still side eye the pot. He came to stand beside you at the stove instead of behind you. 

You looked up at him, wide eyes earnest. “I was just trying to do something nice for you, San.”

He dimpled at you. “That’s sweet, my love.” Then, he paused, properly taking in your expression and general run-down demeanor . “But, why do you look like you’re about to cry?”

Your pout slipped into a full grimace as tears sprung to your eyes. You wailed, “I BURNED THE PIE! And I burned my finger. And I don’t even know if this is going to be good, but I spent FOUR hours making this, and I’m hot and my feet hurt, and now I can’t remember if I missed a step in the recipe.”

He chuckled, pressing a kiss against the burn on your index finger. “Y/N, baby. It’s okay. I’m sure it’s great, even the burned pie. I’m going to eat all of it regardless and enjoy it.”

“No!” Your voice came out as a sob. His startled eyes looked up at yours from where he was still gently placing kisses on your burned finger. “I can’t make you eat something that’s a carcinogen! I’m throwing the pie. And, if this tastes like shit too, I’m going to- omg what if it’s poisonous? What if it makes you sick? I can’t do that to you.” You fretted and wrung your hands. 

He stepped closer and brushed a piece of hair off your sweaty forehead before grabbing your hands and squeezing them comfortingly. “What’s really going on baby?” His eyes darted between yours, looking for an answer. “It’s okay. It’s not a big deal- we can always order out.”

You sighed and pressed your head against his chest. Your voice was small as you answered. “I just wanted to do something special for you.” His hands rubbed up and down your back sweetly. “Because you are the best, San, and I just wanted to do something for you for once because you always do the most for me and everyone else in your life and I love you so much and I’m so happy but what if I don’t make you as happy as you make me?”

He pulled back urgently to look you straight in the eyes. “Whoa whoa whoa. Let’s correct that right now.”

You sniffled as you looked at him, the hard look in his eyes. “Y/n. You make me so so happy. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life, and that’s all because of you. You don’t need to do anything to make me happy. You just need to breathe and live,” you smiled at him tremulously and he let out a breath and continued, “and let me be close to you and maybe let me kiss you and take care of you and share your time,” you giggled, “but even that’s being a little greedy.”

His thumb brushed at the corner of your eyes where the tears hadn’t dried yet. “I’m serious. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and that was before we even started dating. You are special. You talking or even smiling at me is special to me; there is absolutely no need to do all this.” He gestured at the mess that was strewn about the kitchen. 

You pushed yourself back into his arms, the tension seeping out of your shoulders. “I love you, San. Thank you for saying all of that. I’m relieved.”

He massaged your shoulders as he pulled you back in, relieved to see you smile for the first time since he stepped in the kitchen. “I love you, too, Y/n. I’ll remind you 3000 times if I have to.” 

You smiled and pressed a kiss against his chest. You lingered in his embrace for a moment more, really savoring it, before you pulled back. “But I still have to finish this.”

He smiled, “Okay, then let me help.”

And help he did. With the addition of San’s hands in the kitchen, the work seemed easier and was done quicker and better. He even helped with the heat. He managed to open the windows that were always jammed shut, though it did take all of his muscle strength. While he kept watch over the pot on the stove, he redirected you to keep you away from the flame, so you started on the dishes. 

You were almost done when he startled you again. His gentle hands lifted the hair off your shoulders before carefully gathering it into a ponytail that he secured with the elastic on his wrist. One he started wearing when he started dating you so that you would always have one near if you needed it. You were rinsing the last pan as he tied your hair and you placed it in the drying rack, wanting to turn to him. But, he didn’t let you move. Instead, one arm came down to cage you against the counter while the other held your pony to the side. His lips pressed to your neck. You gasped. He placed another kiss, a millimeter lower. “San.”

“Yes, baby?” He murmured against your skin before continuing to press kisses down. 

You lost your train of thought as his lips met the junction of your neck and shoulder and marked a new path. His fingers were cold as he moved your bra strap down so that his lips could continue charting their path. You shivered against him, a moan threatening to break loose. 

“San.”

“Mhm.” His hand that had been holding your pony to the side let go and came down to wrap around you and pull you flush against him. You dug your fingers into his forearm. His lips didn't move away from your skin for even a second.

You were so lost in the sensation that it was with great effort, you managed to say, “the food.”

“It was done cooking a few minutes ago.” His lips continued pressing kisses against your skin, and now your head was spinning, but not from the heat of the kitchen, but from the heat of his touch. “And it tasted delicious.”

You relaxed against him, the fight leaving you. He placed another lingering kiss before turning you in his arms. You blinked up at him. 

His eyes were on your lips. “If it’s alright with you, though, I think I’d rather eat later.”

You swallowed as his finger gently traced the outline of your lips. His eyes flickered up and you realized belatedly that he was expecting an answer. Fuck the food, you thought, you wanted to see where next his lips would make their journey across your skin. You had barely just nodded before his lips crashed down on yours. You kissed him back just as enthusiastically. He lifted you up into his arms and out of the kitchen. 

Noticing the sour look on your face, your friend and fellow Ravenclaw housemate, Hongjoong waved his fork in front of your face. “Earth to Y/N.”

You wrinkled your nose at him. “Whaaaaat?”

“Have you seen the time? We have class in 5 minutes, and – did you seriously not eat anything, again?”

You blinked down at your where your plate should be. Instead, you saw your Potions text, riddled with notes in the margins and covered in pink highlights. To the side sat your plate of food, untouched.

“Ah, shit.”

 Hongjoong began to open his mouth to lecture you before you cut him off, “Just save it- as if you haven’t forgotten to eat because you also got caught up in some project at the table!”

He quickly closed his mouth and gave you a stern smile instead. “At least I don’t do it every day. From tomorrow onwards, if you don’t eat, I will force feed you, I swear.”

You stuck your tongue out at him and finally pulled your sandwich towards you. Still, you only managed a few bites before it was time to go.

You sighed as you walked down the stairs. You were really not looking forward to – before you could even finish the thought, you were attacked from behind. Gasping, you almost lost your balance down the last step, but the perpetrators steadied you. You shot a look of annoyance over both your shoulders at the two banes of your existence.

“Aw, noona. What’s got you sighing like that?” San asked.

“Or should we ask- whoooo?” Wooyoung wagged his eyebrows at you.

You huffed as you pushed them both off. “As if. Try to kill me again, and I’ll hex you so bad you won’t be able to sit your exams, I mean it.”

“Oh, noona. Please hex me. PLEASE. I really don’t wannaa take these fucking N.E.W.T.s.” Mingi added.

You pushed ahead of the three Gryffindor idiots, hiding your smile. “Why do I even bother?”

A low chuckle reached your ears. “I ask myself the same question every day, Y/N.”

Your heart skipped a beat, but you managed to keep your features cool as you turned your head up to Seonghwa who was holding the door to the classroom open for you and the guys. You managed to say hello and thank him before the blush could really bloom on your cheeks and across your nose.

Hongjoong wagged his eyebrows at the look on your face as he took his usual spot next to you at the worktable. He was the only one who knew of your crush on the Slytherin.

It had all started in 6th year. Up until then, Potions had always been taught to you with the Hufflepuffs. As such, you, and Hongjoong for that matter, had never had this class with the Gryffindors or the Slytherins. However, at the N.E.W.T. level, there were barely enough students to fill a single classroom. This is when you first came across Seonghwa in a classroom setting. Even though you were friends with his “band of pirates” as they liked to call themselves, you had never seen or interacted with Seonghwa outside of the group. Here in class, San and Wooyoung were paired up at a workstation, as they had been their whole Hogwarts career, and the same was true for you and Hongjoong. Though Mingi and Seonghwa were from Gyrffindor and Slytherin, respectively, they had never been partners before 6th year. Even though they had always been friends, House always came first. Even you had always paired with Hongjoong, even though you were both close with Yunho who was a Hufflepuff who you had shared Potions with for 5 years.

“I’m telling you, Y/N. We gotta glamour your face or something, you’re as red as a tomato.”

You looked at Joong in horror as your hands came up to cover your cheeks. “Is it really?”

It was at that moment that Seonghwa reached his table and took his seat in front of you two. “Everything alright?” He looked between the two of you.

“Yes, of course!” You laughed awkwardly as you hit Hongjoong on the arm. It sounded a bit too high even to your ears.

Seonghwa’s smile was stiff on his face as he nodded and took his seat, just as your professor started the class.

“Alright class. New orders from above. Today, we are going to be striving towards inter-house unity!”

As the class gave each other unsure looks, the false cheery smile slipped off Professor Nott’s face. “I know it’s annoying guys, but please find a partner from a House that is not yours. And before any of you try to be sneaky- yes, I’m looking at you Mingi- if you already have a partner from a different house, then find a new one! We’re going to be working on the Shrinking Solution today, and you all know that needs two hands for the chopping and stirring that needs to happen at the same time.” The class groaned. “Do not kill me; it was not my idea,” he held up his hands. “Why the Headmaster decides at the very last minute of your academic career to shake things up; I’ll never understand,” he muttered under his breath, not quite successfully.

You stood from your spot with your bookbag, unsure of where to turn. But, before you could even take a breath, Mingi came around your corner of the table, jostling you, and wrapped his arms around Hongjoong. “Dibs!” The Ravenclaw was quick to shrug out of it and yell and start wagging a finger at him, but Mingi just stuck his tongue out at San and Wooyoung across the aisle who were throwing their arms up in the air and giving him the finger.

In the chaos, Y/N didn’t see Seongwa scowl at Mingi as she steadied her balance yet again.

You chuckled and started to make you way over to the Gryffindors you were most comfortable with, before San and Wooyoung quickly and efficiently swapped partners with the Slytherin boys that always sat in front of them, Changbin and Leeknow.

You frowned and quickly let your eyes dart around the whole classroom. Everyone was paired up, except for Seonghwa. He sat calmly at his spot, twirling a quill between his long fingers, almost as if he was waiting for you.

He sensed your gaze and looked up at your from under his long lashes.

“Wanna be my mine?”

Even though you were quick to surmise the true meaning of his not-so-innocuous question, you couldn’t help your eyes from widening as your heart heard a different meaning.

“S-sure, I’ll be your partner.” You took Mingi’s vacated seat quickly and avoided his gaze.

As the class settled, Professor Nott started his brief lecture on the potion. Your knee bounced under the table. You were so aware of every line of Seonghwa’s body, just inches from yours. Did you and Hongjoong sit this close, also? You had truly never noticed. The space between you and the Slytherin felt so heavy with static. Were you moving too much? You stopped shaking your leg, but that lasted two seconds, before your fingers started drumming against the desk.

Seonghwa suddenly leaned forward from his slouched position to place his forearms on the table next to where yours were. His fingers covered the movement of yours.

Your breath caught in your throat, but you kept your eyes on the board, as you felt him lean his head towards yours.

“If you’re so nervous about this potion, Y/N, don’t worry, I’m the top of this class. I’ve got you.” His whisper was a tickle against your ear.

Was it just you being delusional or did all his words have double meanings? You smirked back even as your heat raced in your chest at both his proximity and his teasing words.

You met his eyes briefly to retort back. “Actually, you’ll find that your tied for that position, with me. So, maybe it is I that will be carrying you.”

He smiled back, and your eyes caught in a moment that lasted what seemed like forever, before it was broken by the sound of scraping chairs.

You both blinked before also standing to start your potion. Pink dusted both student’s cheeks, unbeknownst to the other.

“Oh also, class! I know you know this but be careful when you’re chopping the cowbane. Even the juice on your knife is very poisonous blah blah, get to it!” You smiled at Professor T’s cavalier attitude, even though you knew he cared very deeply for his students and educating every generation of students he could be available to.

You and Seonghwa quickly settled into an efficient routine. It was almost like you could read each other’s minds; without even speaking, you both divvied up the tasks in a way that made sense to you. He had already chopped the shrivelfigs and added their juice to the cauldron, while you intuitively prepared the next steps by mincing the daisy root and preparing the hairy caterpillars as he heated the cauldron gently.

You were surprised, as you had never had such chemistry with another Potions partner before. You always had a hard time doing group projects, because you thought you could just do better on your own and were often irritated at having to go at someone else’s slower pace. You and Hongjoong had always worked well together, with the minor bumps caused by his temper tantrums and your passive aggressiveness, but you had thought that he was the best a partner could ever be. As you watched Seonghwa vigorously stir the potion, a step you always hated because your arm always got tired, you realized you couldn’t have been more wrong. You both naturally gravitated towards the different aspects of the potion that you favored and preferred. It was honestly euphoric to be working together like this, and the academic in you was singing with joy.  

You were working on juicing the leeches when the heat of the room started getting to you. The many fires under the cauldrons made it so that the dungeons were sweltering. Somewhere in the room, Wooyoung started screaming that he had accidentally added rose petals instead of daisy root, and the whole class groaned because any first year knows that combining rose to blood from anything made for the most disgusting smell. The fumes started to make you dizzy, and you were suddenly regretting only eating two bites of a sandwich.

Seonghwa paused in his shaking of the rat spleen you had just handed over, barely a tremble to your hand. “Are you okay, Y/N?”

You blinked at him, surprised. “Yes..?”

His eyes looked into yours deeply. You were not used to someone noticing when things were barely off with you. This little bit of dizziness was nothing.

“If you’re sure.” He didn’t look too convinced as he turned to stir the cauldron clockwise.

As you started working on the cowbane, these thoughts took another turn. Not only was he the best partner you had ever had, but he was also so caring and asked after your wellbeing! Your crush reared its big head before you could stifle it down.

You were carefully slicing the second piece of cowbane to render more liquid- the first had not yielded enough for the potion. All of a sudden, the dizziness came back in full force and your vision swam before your eyes. The knife missed its mark and instead imbedded in your thumb. You blinked and swayed.

“Y/N!”

A hand wrapped around your left wrist, while another took the knife out of your right hand.

“Sorry, Seonghwa.” You had ruined the potion. He had stopped stirring because of you.

Along with the dizziness came a new feeling. Your body felt so floaty. Everything was too bright and too loud.

A voice swam in from far away.

“I think the knife had some juice on it, Professor, and she cut herself pretty deep. I’ve been holding pressure, but…”

“No, you did the exact right thing, Seonghwa. Don’t worry; she’ll be okay. We just need to get her to Madame Patil in the hospital wing, and the antivenom will fix her right up.”

There was the sound of a bomb exploding.

“I’ll go take care of San’s potion- he clearly added the rat spleen incorrectly, seeing as it misfired. Are you ok to take Y/N up by yourself?”

“Yes, sir.”

Then, an arm wrapped around your waist to pull you up from your chair. His other arm took yours over his shoulder as he began to take you out of the classroom.

“Seonghwaaa.”

“Y/n, just hang on, ok? We’re going to the Hospital Wing.” He looked down at you.

“You’re too tall.”

He looked down at you, confused, but did not stop his hurried rush across the corridor to the stairs. “Excuse me?”

“My arm hurts at this angle.” Why were words coming out so readily right now? Was it the cowbane?

He brought you both to a standstill. “Um, yea, it’s one of the effects of cowbane poisoning. Sorry, I didn’t realize it was uncomfortable.” You could barely feel alarm that there was no filter between your brain and your mouth through the haziness that was descending over your whole body.

He looked unsurely up the stairs and back at you twice before his face set in determination.

“Ok, Y/N, I’m going to have to carry you.”

“No!” You stepped back shakily. You were definitely too heavy. This was going to be so embarrassing. But, also, it would feel so good probably. To be in his strong Chaser arms. Oh my god. Wait, he could hear everything. This is so embarrassing.

He smiled privately to himself before pulling you closer. “I hate to do this without your consent, but technically, you are not sound of mind and actively have a poison in your system, and Professor told me to get you there as fast as possible, so-”

And with that, he swung you up in your arms, like you weighed nothing and started off up the stairs.

The sudden change of position set your stomach rolling and the dizziness came back with doubled force. You whimpered and burrowed your head further into his neck, forgetting to fight him for manhandling you.

“I don’t feel so good.”

Seonghwa glanced worriedly down at your face which was turning an unhealthy-looking shade of green. “We’re almost there, love. Just hang on. I’m getting you there.”

You whimpered and tried to focus on breathing in and out slowly. Still, even though you were feeling so sick, the comfort and exhilaration of being so close to Seonghwa was not lost on you. If you threw up on Seonghwa right now, you were gonna kill yourself.

“Please don’t. I’d miss you too much.”

“Ugh, please stop reading my mind,” you managed to say between clenched teeth.

He chuckled quietly before depositing you softly onto a bed. Oh, a bed? Was it his bed? What was he going to do? What did you want him to do? Before your brain could come up with incriminating ideas to answer that question, a soft voice interrupted you.

“Oh, thank Salazar she’s conscious.”

“Um, Ms. Y/N, you are in the Hospital Wing.” There was a laughing lilt to her voice before it turned serious. “Mr. Seonghwa told me of the situation that happened in the Potions class, and I have just administered the antidote. It takes effect in 15 minutes, so just try hang on a little bit longer as it clears out the poison in your system. I also administered an anti-emetic, so just breathe in and out so you don’t throw up the antidote, or we’ll have to start all over and you will just feel worse as the cowbane spreads further. Just these 15 minutes, Y/N, and after that you should start to feel better within the hour. I’ll go whip up a hydration potion, also, because your basic diagnostic charm did not look good, young lady.”

You finally blinked open your eyes to see the high ceiling above you. Madame Patil was not wrong in taking extra measures to make sure you didn’t throw up. You felt like a ragdoll thrown at sea. The nausea was overwhelming, and the panic that it was causing wasn’t helping either. Before you could start hyperventilating in full, a hand grabbed yours.

You turned your head to where Seonghwa sat in the chair next to your bed.

“Sh, just focus on me.” He inhaled exaggeratedly and raised his eyebrows at you to follow.

You clamped down your jaw harder and mimicked him. It helped a fraction. Then, the next breath came easier. As did the next.

You don’t know how much time passed, but looking at him helped you hold on and focus even when your whole body was thrown in turmoil. Staring into his eyes and seeing him stare back just as hard at your own anchored you and healed you in more than one way.

You didn’t even realize 15 minutes had passed and that the nausea had stopped until Healer Patil bustled back into the room, a pale pink potion in her hands.

“You did so well, Y/N,” she soothed quietly. At the nurturing tone and the knowledge that you could finally relax a little now, your eyes welled up.

“There, there- none of that. The worst has passed. Now, drink this.”

You wrinkled your nose and glanced at Seonghwa in dread. Rehydrating potions tasted so bad. When will the horrors end?

He shook his head at you sternly. “Hurry up, Y/N.”

“Ugh.” You downed the whole glass, and Healer Patil leaned you back softly onto the headboard.

“All done. Now, you just rest. I’m writing you a pass for classes tomorrow as well.”

“Oh, but-”

She looked down at you sternly. “No buts. I know it’s exam season, Y/N, but if you want to write those exams to the best of your ability, then you need to take care of your body as well as your mind. That means eating well, sleeping enough, and resting when you need to. Your body has just undergone a major ordeal even if it was healed so quickly, so give it the time it needs to recuperate.”

“Okay, okay. I promise I’m not that bad at taking care of myself!”

“Do you think my diagnostics lied to me? You haven’t eaten well in the past week and a half from the looks of it and are severely dehydrated! The poison wouldn’t have worked so fast if you weren’t already so compromised!”

At that, you had nothing to say. The older Ravenclaw nodded and sniffed as she walked away.

That left you alone with Seonghwa. As the haziness of your mind started to clear, the events of the past hour came back to you.

You snuck a glance at him. He looked the most worried you had ever seen him. Even more than when Yeosang had been upset- this sent any of the pirates into a spiral. More than when Jongho had to take a break from Quidditch because of a knee injury. More than any occasion before.

You looked back down at your hands. It was surprising to see the cut that had started this whole fiasco. Though it wasn’t that deep of a gash, it was pretty long, almost the whole length of your thumb. You winced as you prodded at it.

“Oh, here. Let me heal that for you.”

You looked up, surprised. “Oh, that’s okay. It’s not necessary.”

“Yes, it is.” He frowned at you. You were scared at his expression. He had never looked at you like that before. Just what exactly had you said in your state of delirium? What if he hated you now?

Before you could suggest that Healer Patil could do it, he took your hand gently in his and pulled it towards him. He softly muttered the incantation as he waved his wand over the cut, and the cooling rush of his magic tingled all the way up your arm. It was so intimate.

The heady feeling of happiness rushing through your chest at the feel of his magic coming up against yours halted in its tracks. What if he hated you now? His whole demeanor was so off. You had to clear the air.

“Listen, Seonghwa. I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for noticing what happened immediately and getting me here so quickly and helping me… And, also, I wanted to say I’m sorry.” You were glaring at where your hands were twisting the sheets, so you missed his look of surprise. “I feel bad that you had to take care of me and that I took time out of your learning time, especially when we know that the Shrinking Solution is probably gonna be tested on the N.E.W.T.s, and I – I , whatever I said, I’m sorry. If you could just tell me what I said that offended you, I promise I probably didn’t mean it. Or if I did, then I can just explain-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” His hands covered both of your own.

You looked up at him, your lip between your teeth.

“Who said I’m mad? I’m not. I promise.”

“But you- you looked so serious just now.”

“Well, yea! Of course, I am.” He ran his hands through his hair agitatedly. “But not because I’m mad that I had to take care of you or leave class because of you or any dumb reason you just came up with right now.” He smiled at you.

You laughed weakly. “O-oh.”

He looked up at the ceiling and muttered under his breath, “Fuck it.”

His hand came up to wrap around your own again. “Y/N, I was worried. Just now. That’s why I looked so serious. And who wouldn’t be when you hear that the girl you’re in love with pushes herself so hard that she is physically unwell? That a Healer who was trained for years had to spell that out so clearly for you?”

Where the poison couldn’t finish the job, his words just had- your heart was stopped. But that was surely impossible, because you could feel the telltale burn of blood across your cheeks. Could a girl still blush if her heart was stopped? You dropped your gaze to your hands again.

He chuckled quietly at the look on your face and leaned impossibly closer still.

“But, you don’t have to worry. I won’t look so serious again, because I figured out a solution to my problem.”

“What’s that?” Why was your voice so shaky?

“Since you won’t do it yourself, I’m just going to have to take care of you.”

You looked at his eyes, his impossibly soft brown eyes. And you saw reflected in them for the first time the same feelings you had harbored for him in your own the past two years.  

You teared up at the sudden revelation, the tenderness with which he spoke, and the utterly gentle care you had received from him. And you just knew- this was it. This was it for the rest of your life. He smiled back at you just as brightly as you both were quiet in the reverence of such a moment shared between two souls.

The sudden bang of a door could be heard, not from the entry to the wing but from the Healer’s private office. It signaled that she had stepped out. Seonghwa tilted his head and then smirked mischievously at you before quickly climbing into the bed with you.

“Hey!” You laughed as you poked him in the side.

“Don’t act like this isn’t sooo comfortable for your poor healing-from-a-poison body right now.”

“Mm, I can’t deny that.” Now that you were not nauseous or dizzy or delirious anymore, your body felt like it had been hit by a truck. You sighed against his chest and his arms squeezed around you tighter, only this time you could properly enjoy it.

The silence was peaceful.

“Now, I know I’m in your bed, Y/N, but please try to keep your thoughts a little innocent for now. You’re sick, you know. When you feel better, we can revisit all those things you wanted me to do to you in a bed, ok?”

You giggled as you looked over at Yeosang now as he fumbled with a piece of cotton candy. You had just gotten out of the line for it, and he was already cutely trying to feed you some as you both looked around to decide what ride to hit next. 

As you meandered through the park, the sky turned into the most serene pink as the sun sunk deeper beneath the horizon. It matched the cotton candy the two of you were eating. Yeosang leaned forward with a piece in his hand now, and you smiled at him before opening your mouth to take the sweet. He leaned even closer, and as your lips clamped down on the rather large piece, he quickly pressed a kiss to your nose. You crinkled your eyes at him, and he just raised his eyebrows back at you. If he was trying to sneak kisses by distracting you with large pieces of candy, you were blessed. As the overwhelming rush of love for him came over you, you got an idea. 

“I know what ride we should hit next!”

He finished off the last of the cotton candy. “Oh yea? Which one, baby?”

You shook your head at him and smiled sweetly. “It’s a surprise!” And with that, you grabbed his now free hand and dragged him behind you towards the opposite side of the park.

You were walking for a few minutes, before..“Yeosanggg.”

“Yes, baby?”

“My feet hurt.”

He pouted at you. “Aw. Do my baby’s feet hurt?”

You nodded back at him pitifully. 

He looked forwards and backwards to see that there were only a few stragglers around before crouching down a little and patting your thigh. “All right, my love. Hop on!”

You giggled before obliging, and he swung you up easily like you weighed nothing and set off. As you leaned your chin against his shoulder, you reminisced. There was a time that being this close to someone, let alone letting them carry you would have riddled you with anxiety, sent your skin crawling and your stomach dropping and your heart racing- the whole nine yards and more. You had always struggled with your body and accepting it for all that it was and all that it wasn’t, and look how far you had come! What seemed impossible at one time in your life was now barely even a second thought. And you had Yeosang to thank for it. He had opened your heart in more ways than you could have fathomed, shown the most tender love and care for every single aspect of you that he got to experience, and had worshipped each and every insecurity right out of your brain. You almost teared up now thinking about your journey together, and before you could really become too emotional, you pressed a kiss against the side of the neck. 

He smiled and leaned his head away to try to catch your eye. “What was that for, sweets?”

You pressed another kiss against his neck, and he laughed as your hair tickled. “Just cause.”

“Mhm. Just cause?”

“Yep, just cause.” As he turned and the ride you had wanted to go on was in sight, you realized you hadn’t even told him where to go. Your heart warmed again at how he knew you so well- well enough to read your mind. “Just cause I love you,” you finished. 

He put you down gently and turned to cup your cheeks. “I love you, too.”

You shook your head at him, amazed. “How did you know I wanted to go on this one?”

He looped his arm through yours and pulled you forward as the line of people moved ahead. “I know because I am a genius boyfriend.”

You laughed as you looped around the metal chains with him. It was nice how short the line was. You could catch the end of the sunset on the ride, which had been your goal. “That you are.”

He wrinkled his nose at you for agreeing off the bat and not teasing him back. “I’m just kidding. But, I do remember you mentioning once that you had always wanted to go on this ride at sunset because of how romantic it was. With someone you loved.” His ears turned pink as he shrugged, suddenly shy. “I just thought-

“You thought right. This is exactly where I wanted to be right now. With you.”

He smiled and pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“How did you even remember that? I don’t even remember ever telling anyone that besides my sister.”

He wrapped his arm around your shoulder as you faced the front now, almost to the end of the line. “It was years ago. Probably still in trainee days, and ages before we liked each other.”

You poked his side, “I doubt that. I liked you for a long time.”

“Not longer than I did.”

“You wanna have this fight again? Right now?”

He laughed and pushed you through the turnstile gate by the small of your back. “No. Right now, I want to make one of my beautiful girlfriend’s dreams come true.” He gestured 2 at the ride attendants and they let you come forward to be the last people to board the boat. 

The water lapped up against the sides as you hopped in, holding tightly to Yeosang before he quickly followed. He took a seat next to you and was quick to wrap both of his arms around you. You leaned your head against his chest and sighed, the most content you had ever felt. 

The ride was a canoe tour that lasted 10 minutes. But, that’s not what made it special or romantic. The ride took you past miniature castles and landscapes from famous love stories. And the driver of the boat, he narrated each love story you passed with the most gentle, soothing voice. It was a very cute ride, but it was best enjoyed at sunset when all the fairy lights twinkled on and reflected off the water. Families usually chose this time to feed their kids, as well, so there was less of a rush on the ride and just couples like you and Yeosang. No kids fighting their siblings, no moms fighting with the dads to watch their kids, no obnoxious teenagers gossiping, nothing but peace and quiet and water trickling and fairy lights twinkling and Yeosang’s arms around you. 

As you passed each mini home and the story of that fictional couple ended, the boat driver said, “And they lived happily ever after.” And right after the driver said that, Yeosang whispered into your ear, “And so will we.” You don’t know if you could squeeze him any harder if you tried. 

After maybe the best ten minutes of your life, the ride ended. As the boat approached the dock, you turned your head up to see the last of the pink sky disappear. Then, you turned in Yeosang’s arm to face him. The pink of the sky deepened into a deep purple as night approached, and the lights reflected off his eyes even more brilliantly. You leaned forward and pressed your lips to his. He smiled and retuned the kiss, only stopping when the boat nudged against the dock, signaling the end. He pushed your hair behind your ear, then smiled and got up. He jumped onto the dock before leaning back and reaching his hand out to you.

Your boyfriend Hongjoong had been going through a lot at work recently. He was so overworked that the stress of his life was bleeding into your every thought. It had been weeks since you had seen him, and even though you knew he barely had time to take care of himself, you couldn’t help but give in to the worry and pose a slight inconvenience onto his schedule by coming here tonight. You were just going to drop off food for him and make sure he got some rest, that was it! You wouldn’t distract him from his work and would leave as soon as you could make sure he was doing okay.

You carefully set the bags of food you were carrying on the floor outside of the door that marked your destination. You hoped to at least make it in the room without him noticing, and the odds were good because he was always so immersed in his work that he became dangerously oblivious to his surroundings.

You turned the knob slowly in your hands then pushed the door open, inch by inch. Coast was clear. He hadn’t so much as twitched, let alone turn around from his desk to see that someone was entering his studio.

You smiled at the sight of him. Being in the same room with the love of your life again put your soul at peace.

You tiptoed towards him, and before he could see your reflection mirrored in the dark window behind his monitors, you covered his eyes with your hands.

He jumped a little before laughing and covering your hands with his own. “Ya, who is it?”

You bent your head down to place a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll give you one guess.”

He laughed and turned his chair so that he was facing you. “Hm, Seonghwa?”

“Seonghwa better hope he hasn’t been kissing you like that, or I will need to have some words with him.” You finally took your hands away and crossed them over your chest in mock annoyance.

He laughed before leaning forward and wrapping his arms around your waist, his head resting on your chest. “Hi, baby.” He sounded so exhausted.

You wrapped one of your own around his shoulder while the other came up to card through his pretty blue hair. “Hi, my love.”

He sighed deeply and squeezed you tighter. “Everything is better when you’re here.”

Your heart squeezed up at how forthcoming he was being out of nowhere. Hongjoong loved deeply and showed it well, too, but he always got a little shy when he had to say something serious. He must have been really worn down if the first thing he was saying to you was this.

“I missed you. I just wanted to make sure you were doing ok. I wasn’t planning to interrupt you for long-”

He leaned back so quickly, you got startled. “No, don’t leave.”

“Joongie, it’s already 1 in the morning. I know you still have a lot to finish tonight, and I know you have to be up early, too. I will not come in the way of your already limited sleep. I just came by to get some food in you and to see you for a minute, I swear.”

He pouted at you before he turned to the computer to see the time. He blinked, surprised. “How is it already that late? Wait, how are you here?”

You twirled a piece of your hair and looked at the wall behind him, trying to think of a way to change the subject.

His hand caught the one in your hair, immediately recognizing your tell. “Y/N.”

Caught, you smiled at him sheepishly. “Ah, I took the bus.”

“The bus?! How many times have I told you not to take public transportation by yourself at night? You know it’s dangerous.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

“Don’t you ‘yeah yeah’ me. I’m serious. Did you see the news from literally two days ago? A woman was stab-”

Before he could really get going, you leaned forward and kissed him, partly to shut him up and partly because it had been too long, and you missed him too much.  

He responded immediately, and barring the first, it was the best kiss you two had ever shared. You held his face softly, and he pulled you down onto his lap.

You laughed at his antics and gave him another peck before leaning back to really look at him. Your thumb brushed at the dark circles beneath his eyes.

“How are you doing, love?”

“I’m okay. Just tired. I’m much better now that you’re here.”

You smiled at him. “I missed you.”

He kissed your forehead. “Not as much as I missed you.”

“Hm, I don’t know about that. I definitely missed you more,” you teased back.

He tugged on your hair. “Not possible.” You rolled your eyes in jest before he added, “In fact, I can prove it to you.”

You smirked at him, bemused. “Oh yeah, how’s that?”

He grinned mischievously and moved the chair to face the desk again. He started clicking away on his keyboard, minimizing the track he was working on before pulling up another MP3 file. You looked at him confused before he finally pressed the space bar and soft music started to fill the room. “You inspired this one,” he whispered. Out of the speakers crooned his beautiful voice, singing the most gentle and lovely lyrics you had ever heard. The next three minutes were the most profound of your life, as Hongjoong professed his love through the beautiful piece of music he had written for you, and you stared at him in awe.

As the song drew to a close, your unshed tears finally overflowed, and a look of nervousness flitted across his face. “Y/N, what’s wrong? Is it bad? Did you not like it?”

You laughed wetly before throwing yourself into his arms, your head tucked under his chin.

“That was the most beautiful song I have ever heard. In my whole life. I can’t even explain to you- like that’s obviously your best work, but beyond that- it’s.. it’s art.”

He rubbed your back. “I don’t know about all that, butt I’m glad you like it. I was a little nervous because I’ve never made anything like it before.”

You pulled back to look at him again. “Did it take a while? It must have been hard.”

He cocked his head at you with a soft smile playing at his lips. “Not at all. It was the easiest song I’ve ever done.”

You smiled back at him, and the moment could have stretched into forever, when you suddenly remembered your purpose for the visit. You gasped, sitting up straight in his lap. “Have you eaten today?”

It was his turn to be sheepish. “Kind of. Like hours ago.”

You frowned at him and went to retrieve the food you had left in the hallway. He closed his eyes at the smell of his favorite meal wafting through the room as you began to unpack. “Ah, you are too good to me, Y/N, I swear.”

“Just shut up and eat.” “Yes, ma’am.” Seeing him laugh was the most sweet privilege of your life.

You both ate in peace, the time spent quietly catching up on the past few weeks interspersed with lapses of comfortable silence. When you were done eating, your heart sank for having to leave him again. You were suddenly so sad at the thought that as you gathered your belongings, you didn’t notice Hongjoong doing the same and turning off all his devices.

When you turned to him, trying to keep your expression in check, you were surprised to see him packed up and ready to go, a beanie covering up his blue hair.

“Where are you going? I thought you still had work to finish.”

He grabbed the string of your bag off from your shoulder and put it on his instead. “I am taking my girlfriend home. I know I’m a pretty terrible boyfriend because I never get to see you, but I will definitely not let you go home alone at this time of night!”

You smiled at him, “You’re not a terrible boyfriend, Hongjoong, the exact opposite of that, yes. But honestly, there’s no need.”

He just rolled his eyes at you and pushed you gently towards the door.

You resisted, your back against his chest. “What about work? I don’t wanna get chewed out by your manager again for ‘being a distraction.’”

He wrapped his arms around your waist and lifted you into the hallway, “Hey!”, before turning and locking the room. “It’s nothing that can’t wait till tomorrow, I promise.”

“If you’re sure.” You worried your lip.

“I’m sure. Let’s go home and get some sleep, darling.”

You sighed in relief at the thought. You hadn’t been sleeping well either without HongJoong there to hold you through the night. And honestly, sleep was more important for your boyfriend than a track that was probably three comebacks down the line.

You had barely managed to slip into some halfway place between consciousness and unconsciousness when raised voices could be heard from the common room, five flights below you. The sudden unexpectedness of people talking so loud at 1 in the morning set your heart racing, but you tried to ignore it. This became impossible however when the sounds of footsteps started echoing down the stairs and doors opening up and down the tower woke you up completely.

Your friend Hongjoong grumbled some gibberish and turned over one of the four empty beds in your dorm. You were lucky enough to only have two roommates this semester, making only three girls to the dorm that could house five, but one of them had snuck into the Hufflepuff dorms to stay with her boyfriend like she usually did and the other had gone home for the weekend due to some family emergency.

You didn’t mind him crashing because Hongjoong was the ideal roommate. He was usually in the library all night, and whenever he was actually in the room, he was mostly organized and quiet. It wasn’t allowed of course, so the rule breaking aspect of the whole situation did stress you out sometimes, but honestly, Hongjoong was smart enough to not be caught, and by extension, he was smart enough to not get you caught either. Hell, he had even managed to counteract the charm that made the stairs turn into a slide whenever a boy tried to climb them. It still made you laugh when you thought about the reason why he had been pushed to break a thousand-year-old enchantment like it was child’s play. Usually, he had his best friend Seonghwa from Slytherin give him a broom ride up to Gryffindor Tower to crash with San and Wooyoung Seonghwa and Jongho absolutely refused to put up with Hongjoong’s manic hours and general chaos, and Yeosang, Mingi, and Yunho in Hufflepuff always felt a little bit too far out of the way to your friend. But, Gryffindor had beat Slytherin in Quidditch two weeks ago, and ever since then, Seonghwa had refused to take Hongjoong up, lest he suffer more of San and Wooyoung’s bullying. You had the whole room to yourself most of the time, so you were quick to oblige your best friend. Catching a glimpse of Seonghwa on the few occasions he would bring Hongjoong up before he broke the charm that impeded his entry into the Tower was also the highlight of your life.

Hongjoong barely slept, but when he did, it was like the dead. You tossed him a worried glance as the voices outside got louder, before quickly rushing to the door and peeping your head out. You looked about in bewilderment as everyone from the girls’ tower seemed to be leaving their rooms.

“What’s going on?” Nobody seemed to have an answer, “I have no idea,” “Can’t be anything good this time of night,” “I hope we’re not in danger? Quick, let’s run through some defensive spells just to be on our toes-” You turned to the left to see the prefect was making her way back up the stairs against the throng of traffic moving down. “Everyone, please make their way to the common room! No running, please. Stay calm. I’m just making sure we didn’t miss anybody; please continue to the common room. Professor Flitwick will be here in a few minutes to explain what’s going on!”

Your heart started to pound again, as you rushed back into your room. Why would she tell everyone to stay calm unless there was a very real reason to panic? You threw Hongjoong’s discarded niffler plush at his head as you rushed to put on some shoes. He gasped, sitting up. “What was that for?” He was glaring at you, pushing hair out of her eyes.

“Get up; we have to go, right now.” His eyes fully opened at the restrained tension in your voice. He turned to the door to see the rest of your Housemates rushing past and quickly got up. “I assume the situation at hand is not us getting in trouble for breaking some antiquated patriarchal rules,” he smiled at you weakly, trying to ease the tension.

“No,” you responded wryly. “I really don’t think they’d evacuate all the Ravenclaw girls to give them a lecture about you and I breaking one teeny tiny rule. That everyone breaks anyways!” You had joined the throng going down the stairs as you finished your sentence, sounding almost hysterical. Hongjoong just linked his elbow through yours, as his eyes flashed with worry but also to keep a hold of you in the crowd. It wasn’t just the girls that had been rushed out of bed, you saw, as you ducked under the archway into the common room, only to see it full of boys. Everyone was lining up by year, and you saw Hongjoong nod to his roommates (Snore #1 and Snore #2 you called them in your head) who had been looking worried at not having been able to account for him. Just at that moment, the door to the Tower opened. A hush descended over the crowd.

“Ah, hello students, I apologize for the interruption this evening, or should I say morning?” Weak chuckles answered his question. Usually, you were all a very inquisitive bunch, but everyone could sense that something was significantly amiss, and that this was a time to listen, not ask. His squeaky voice and short stature should have logically done nothing to put your mind at ease a bit, but it did. The presence of an adult and a very talented wizard at that, a professor who was supposed to and did protect his students, calmed your heart down a little.

“Don’t be alarmed, but please be cautious and take what I am about to say seriously. We have reason to believe that Sirius Black entered the castle tonight. He attempted to break into Gryffindor Tower but was unsuccessful. Nobody was hurt, but he remains at large. We have Aurors and Professors alike investigating the Castle, floor by floor. We are also relocating all students to the Great Hall for the time being. Myself, and a few Aurors waiting outside, will escort you through there now. I implore you to remain calm and quiet. Please arrange yourselves with years below you at the center of the crowd and line, alright? You are safe with us, but wands out.”

You looked at Hongjoong, panic full blown on your face. You were both in Year 7, so it fell to you to take up the periphery of Ravenclaw House as you made your way to the Great Hall. He nodded at you in reassurance but kept his grip on your hand tight.

As everyone arranged themselves to make an exit from the Tower, you gave into your anxiety. “I’m really worried about the guys, Joong. What if something happened to them? What if they’re not okay?”

“Relax, Y/N. Flitwick just said that nobody was hurt. I’m sure they’re fine.”

“What if they didn’t evacuate everyone? What if they missed someone?”

“You saw the measures they’re taking. They wouldn’t have missed anyone. Don’t worry.”

You bit your lip. “What about the Slytherins? You know the undue prejudice they deal with. You know it. Just two years ago, they told them to go BACK to their House which is in the dungeons when there was a troll. A living, breathing troll! In. the. dungeons.”

Hongjoong’s features softened on his face, finally understanding where your unusual irrationality was stemming from when you were usually the calm and collected one out of the group. He squeezed your shoulder. “Seonghwa will be fine, Y/N.”

“What- why, I mean-” you spluttered. The panic was blurring your logic and your normal tendency to be secretive or aloof, especially about your feelings. How did Hongjoong know about you and Seonghwa? Or was the better question how much he knew about you and Seonghwa? You had both harbored feelings for each other for a long time but had only just confessed and become a couple. It was still so new, but the friendship wasn’t. And because you didn’t want to jeopardize your friendships with the group, you had been keeping it a secret until you both felt more comfortable to share and that you were on stable ground.

“You know he can take care of himself. He’s gonna be fine. I bet you Trelawney’s hat that he’s already in the Great Hall, practicing that little charm he invented to make his moss grow faster.”

Your breath came easier at the imagery. “You sure?”

“Positive.” He gave you another reassuring pat on the back as you both turned to face forward as Flitwick called for the Tower doors to be opened.

You took in a deep breath to prepare yourself to protect yourself, your friends, and the younger kids of your House as you stepped out into the castle. It was eerily quiet and immensely dark. The only sound that could be heard was the breathing of several dozens of students and the scuffling of shoes on stone. Even the portraits were quiet as you made your way through the castle. You held your body rigidly, looking for danger at every corner, in every sound.

When you finally reached the Great Hall, all the energy sagged out of your body, and you felt so drained that you couldn’t even carry the squashy purple sleeping bags Madame Pomfrey was handing out. Hongjoong grabbed both of yours and started to steer you further into the room. You didn’t even notice because you were counting everyone who was in the room. It made you feel safer, especially when you saw that there had to be at least three dozen Aurors guarding the students and room alone, along with most of the Professors, not to mention the rest of the upper years who also had if not a vast then adequate knowledge of magic.

“Noona!”

Your attention suddenly came back to your immediate surrounding as you were suddenly hugged. You gasped and lightly laughed at the head of red hair that was currently grabbing you.

“Hey, Wooyoung. You ok?” Your gaze landed past his shoulder you were patting to see the rest of your friends gathered, looking worried but otherwise unhurt. You barely had time to let your eyes scan over Seonghwa who was lingering at the back of the half circle you all had formed under the window. Because you couldn’t see him properly or disentangle yourself, you asked, “Everyone ok?” Yunho nodded at your question as Wooyoung not only refused to let go of you, but also dragged San and Yeosang into the hug, too. It was doing wonders for your nerves, so you couldn’t complain.

“Yeah, we’re all okay.”

“We were worried because your House took the longest to get down here. We were first obviously, but we were hoping it was just taking that long because your Tower is the farthest from here,” Mingi added.

“And not because something bad happened to you!” San wailed. His head was nestled firmly into the crook of your neck, despite being a whole head taller than you.

Hongjoong took his chance to swat him off of you. “Ya, what would happen to us? Between me and Y/N, we have at least half the library memorized and the whole curriculum down pat, especially Defense against the Dark Arts.”

Jongho clenched his fists in his hand menacingly, “Well, we could have come for you if you weren’t gonna show in the next ten minutes.”

Hongjoong cooed at him, “Really? Aw, my baby. You’re my favorite.”

Jongho started him dead in the face, “Just for noona. Not you. Have your duel with a mass murder. I think you’d do great, you know, with your Hogwarts level education. Maybe we should let the Aurors go home because Hongjoong Hyung read some books in the library!”

You laughed as everyone started bickering, feeling even more tension release from your chest at being together with everyone. As you did, you made eye contact with Seonghwa. His eyes were smoldering. He pushed off from where he was leaning against the wall behind Mingi and Yunho to come stand next to you. His eyes stayed on the squabble that was starting to brew between Hongjoong San and Jongho, as Wooyoung stirred the pot gleefully. His fingers brushed against yours. A pinky to yours.

“Are you alright?” His voice was a deep whisper, strife with the worry.

You looked down at your toes, pale blue nail polish peeking out from your bunny slippers. “Yes, are you?”

He turned to look at you. He looked at you, so earnestly it brought tears to your eyes. It stirred everything in your heart. It seemed as if he was asking questions with his eyes and trying to pick out the answers from yours. So many emotions flitted across his face that you could barely keep up. Worry, despair, fear, hurt, care, relief, affection, maybe even love. The loud sounds of the room lowered to a din as blood rushed to your head, roaring in your ears and flooding your cheeks. His hand raised, seeming to come up to almost brush against your cheek before he dropped it again as a Sonorous enhanced voice started echoing around the room. The chatter of hundreds of students immediately dropped to a hush.

Professor Dumbledore stood near the doors of the Great Hall which were now barred and warded. “Good evening to all! We find ourselves in a situation strife with high energies and excitement. Trust that you are in safe hands and that we will soon make the whole of the Castle just so, as well! I know the adrenaline must be pumping through your bodies right now at the hasty retreat and thought of a break in to the castle. You must also be wanting to check on the welfare of your friends. For that, we will allow another half hour of free time before its lights out and to bed with all of you! No need to segregate by House or gender, but please behave appropriately! The professors will be patrolling through the Hall until dawn when we will release you back to your dormitories and the Aurors will be guarding the doors from inside and out! I thank you for your cooperation! It’ll be points and detention if you fail to adhere to these rules and impede everyone’s safety in any way!”

“I wonder if the old bat even knows what the word expulsion means,” Hongjoong mused.

You turned to him, aghast. He knew better than to voice such opinions in such a public place! “Ya!”

He shrugged. “You know we’re all thinking it.”

Jongho nodded, “Yeah, if someone opened the doors to the castle tonight to let Black in, or left the room right now to go coordinate with him, they’d just get points off? Please.”

You scrunched your nose. It wasn’t the first time you had all discussed the hypocrisy, inadequacy, and flat-out discrimination that the people in authority had displayed on many occasions, but it seemed more out of place to add that kind of commentary to an already tension-fraught situation and such a long night. As if Seonghwa could read your mind, he replied, “Let’s just talk about it later, guys. Now’s hardly the time, let alone the place.”

Everyone nodded and turned to start setting up their sleeping mats. You watched them go about in a daze, still overwhelmed from all that had happened and all the many conversations flowing around you right now. You didn’t even notice that Seonghwa had left your side; you only noticed when he came back to it.

“Hey, Y/N. What’s wrong?”

You shook your head, noticing everyone else had already sat down on their mats and started playing a game of Exploding Snap. They were so engrossed in their game; they noticed nothing else.

Seonghwa leaned his head down so he could be at eye level with you. His eyebrows were raised, waiting for your answer. You smiled weakly at him. “Oh, nothing…wow, the guys set everything up so fast, I don’t even know where my sleeping bag went.” You made to push past him when he caught your arm lightly with his hand.

He indicated with his head at the end of the row where two empty sleeping bags could be seen just beyond Yeosang was sitting. “Relax, I already put yours out.”

You blushed at the thought of lying down next to him. And the fact that his hand was on you right now. You felt hot all over. Could he feel it?

“Thank you! You didn’t have to. I don’t know where my head is at, honestly.”

His hand on your forearm slipped down to hold your hand. Your heart spluttered in your chest. “It’s okay. It’s been a stressful night.” His brown eyes bore deep into yours, knowing everything that you were feeling but not saying.

You nodded, the feeling of danger and the worry for everyone’s wellbeing rushed back to you. You looked up at him, tears in your eyes. “Yea, it was really scary.”

His finger brushed at the single tear trapped in your eyelashes. “I know. But we’re here. We’re okay. You’re safe.”

Whatever little control you had been struggling to maintain over your stress was lost. Your feelings burst through, and your tears started to fall in earnest. “I was just so scared,” you blubbered. “That something had happened to you. Any of you, but, you down in the dungeons- You were so far away from me- I .. I couldn’t get to you-”

He pulled you into his arms quickly and tucked your head against his shoulder. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to me, ok? Just for your sake. And I wouldn’t let anything happen to you either. I will always protect you. And I will always come for you. You’re safe with me, ok? Don’t be afraid anymore.”

You just nodded and cried against his chest, hoping no one would notice. “You know why Dumbledore threatened points and detention for disobedience?”

You pulled back to look him in the face, both his hands and yours coming up to wipe your tears. “No, why?”

He smirked at you. “It’s because I already tried breaking the rules tonight.”

You gasped in horror. “What did you do?”

He shrugged, smirk still on his lips. “I said I would come for you, didn’t I? I wasn’t lying. I did actually try to come to you. Twice. The first time I just snuck away from the common room right before we were to be escorted out by Snape. I tried to run up to the Tower, but an Auror caught me and took me back to Slytherin before I barely made it 20 yards. Then, I went back to my room to grab my broom and fly to you, but that damn Mrs. Norris blocked me when I tried to escape and started mewing up a racket. So, Snape just kept me at his flank and forced me here.” He smiled at you sheepishly now. “Sorry.”

You stared at him in shock. How could he say sorry? “Don’t you ever ever put yourself in danger for me, Hwa. Please. I mean it.”

His eyes hardened, but his tone was still soft. “Don’t ask that of me, Y/N.” He put his forehead against yours, his arms tightening around your waist. “Please don’t ask me for promises I can’t keep. I will never let harm come to you if I can prevent it. I will never stand by and let you be in danger if I could take you out of it. I will always come for you,” he whispered.

You sighed, sinking further into his embrace. You really couldn’t sway him when he set his mind or heart on something, and honestly, you felt the same. It would be hypocritical of you to ask him for this. “Ok, ok. But, please don’t let me worry then. Promise me you will always be careful. I don’t want to see you hurt either.”

You could hear the smile in his voice as he answered. “Yes, ma’am. Whatever you want.”

“Ya, you two are really pushing old Dumbley’s rule on appropriate behavior.”

You jumped apart to see all the guys looking at you, with expressions varying from deadpan (Hongjoong and Yeosang) to too smiley (Jongho, Yunho, and Mingi) to borderline maniacal smiley (San and Wooyoung).

“You better knock it off before we all in trouble, hyung. Or worse- separated!” Mingi turned in horror to Yunho, as if they weren’t both in Hufflepuff and roommates for the past six years.

“NO! I wanna sleep with Hongjoong Hyung. We haven’t had a sleepover in ages.” San pouted.

“And why do you think that is?”

“Don’t punish me for Wooyoungie’s behavior!”

“Hey, you know you love it.” Wooyoung proceeded to drape himself all over the Ravenclaw, and you started laughing as yet another squabble broke out as he attempted to push the Gryffindor off. How WooSan still had energy in the middle of the night to harass Joong, you would never know. You turned to Seonghwa, the laughter still on your lips, to see him looking at you with a more open expression than he had all night.

“There’s that smile.” His thumb was at the corner of your lip. “I was worried when I didn’t see it.”

You smiled at him even more fully. If he had the presence of mind to flirt with you right now, then surely you weren’t in that much danger. And even if you were, he was here to storm it together with you. You let out a big breath as the last of the tension left your body. “I’m sorry,” you intertwined your fingers with his and he pulled you to where your sleeping mats were. “Won’t happen again.”

And it wouldn’t. You had faced real danger tonight. For the first time, but perhaps not for the last. You knew there were Dark Wizards and that the world was a cruel place, but you would never let your fear paralyze you again. You had strong people at your side to carry you through it, like Honjoong and Seonghwa had tonight, and you could draw strength from theirs, just like you were doing right now from their company and comfort and overzealous hugs.

Seonghwa smiled at you. You felt like he could read your mind, but in reality, he just saw the look of fear melt off your face to be replaced with one of confidence and determination. He couldn’t help himself; he leaned in and placed a sweet kiss on your lips. You kissed him back in earnest, the relief surging through your body almost making you euphoric. Everyone you loved was safe, and there were people you could count on in times of danger. As Seonghwa’s hand twisted in your hair, obnoxious coughing and whistles broke your reverie. You broke apart in surprise to turn to the guys.

Nobody looked particularly surprised, but they had just seen two of their best friends almost make out in front of them for the first time. They deserved an explanation, or an announcement at least. Seonghwa squeezed his hand in yours, and even though you had no idea what to say, you opened your mouth to start somewhere, when Wooyoung interrupted you.

“Save it; we already know.”

You shut your mouth again and looked at them all, head cocked to the side in confusion. “You.. already know?”

At this, San laughed. “Please, do you think we’re stupid?”

Seonghwa sighed, mockingly, “Well-”

“Hey!” “Please! You two have been so obviously in love with each other for years, it was sickening,” Mingi said.

“I thought it was sweet!” Yeosang was your favorite, and here was the reason.

“You know what’s not sweet? Having to hear both of your best friends pining over each other nonstop. For years. I haven’t caught a break since basically the day we were sorted!”

You blushed and peeked a glance at Seonghwa who you were surprised to see was acting shy and raising his fist towards Hongjoong in tiny. You two hadn’t had that conversation yet where you shared when you had started liking the other, partly because you were embarrassed to share the true longevity of your crush. You could barely believe Hwa liked you back- you couldn’t even imagine that he had liked you as long as you had liked him! It warmed your heart though that it had been the same for the both of you.

“No, but seriously,” Jongho piped up, eyes not straying from the game he was still playing with Yunho. “You guys are so obvious. We were just waiting for it to happen.”

“Yeah, we had a bet going and everything,” Yunho added.

“Oh, speaking of, can you tell us your first official day as a couple? I’ve got 10 Galleons riding on this,” Yeosang said.

“You what?”

“Wow, only 10?”

You and Seonghwa turned to each other, mock outraged over two totally separate things. You pursed your lips at him, and he raised his brow before you both burst into laughter. You two had been worrying about how to break the news for seemingly nothing. It wasn’t awkward and the dynamic hadn’t changed one bit with everyone knowing.

You both seeed to have the same realization at the same time. The contentment in his eyes mirrored your own. He wrapped his arm around your shoulder, and you leaned into him, more at peace than you had felt in a long time. It was ironic because there was a literal mass murderer likely still on the loose in the very building you and all your loved ones were in, but you felt more secure in yourself and your relationships than you ever had.

It was at that moment that the lights went out and the professors started herding people to their makeshift beds. You joined everyone else and laid yourself down into your sleeping bag. You were so exhausted that you didn’t even have the energy to be embarrassed at the heat of Seonghwa’s body laying right next to you. His hand found yours, and you smiled, staring at the stars of the Scottish Highlands reflected in the ceiling of the Great Hall above you.

Hongjoong was already face down in his bed on your other side. You were just about to lose the fight with sleep when he whispered your name.

You opened your eyes and turned to him. “What?”

He smiled lightly at you. “I just wanted to say I’m really happy for you. For both of you. Congrats.”

You pressed your lips together and pouted at him. “Thanks Joongie.”

He smiled back and shifted to his side before adding in a louder whisper that could carry across to both of you. “And you better not hurt each other. I expect you to take care of each other and be in love and happy together forever, ok?”

Seonghwa chuckled lightly, “Yes, Dad.”

“Ok, ok. That’s all I had to say,” the rest of the guys were giggling when he added in a harsher tone, “Goodnight, everyone!”

All the boys sleepily wished the same. Ten minutes later when everyone’s breaths had evened out in slumber, your thoughts were still rattling around in your head. Joong thought you would last forever, and your boyfriend hadn’t refuted it or been embarrassed. Did he feel as deeply for you as you did him? Not to mention the thought of Hwa’s husky chuckle was still sending shivers down your spine, before they transformed into lightning bolts as he suddenly wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you to his chest.

Your heartbeat spluttered before you could ask him in a choked whisper, “Ya, what are you doing?”

His eyes stayed closed, and he replied calmly. “Getting some sleep. You should, too.”

You could feel the blush emanating from your face and warming the scant space between you. You stared at the line of this throat, inches from your nose, wondering if you should be embarrassed or give into the comfort of his arms. Even though you two had never done anything like this, you couldn’t deny that it felt so right. It felt like home. Your brain wanted to react uncomfortably just because it was something new, but your heart was already calm, and the rest of your body was following as you melted into his heavenly embrace.

His arm at your back rubbed up and down twice before stilling around your waist as his other hand came to cradle your head. “There, just relax, my love. I’m right here, and you’re safe with me.”

You hummed blissfully against his heart. “Thanks, you too, Hwa.” Your words came out jumbled as sleep finally crashed over you.

“Sleep well, Y/N.”

The boutique owner herself had come to help zip you up into this gown as she had been noticing your mounting frustration all morning. As you turned around to hopefully see what you had been envisioning, some perfect version of yourself, your heart broke when you looked… the same. The same as you always did. You had hoped trying wedding gowns on would somehow erase years of hatred towards your body and make you see yourself as beautiful. Instead, your eyes flitted maniacally around your figure, noting all the imperfections and the unique ways in which all the dresses emphasized them.

The frustration finally hit its peak. You immediately burst into tears. If you couldn’t be beautiful on the one day you were supposed to be, and trying on a hundred dresses couldn’t achieve the look so far, then there must not be any dress that could make you beautiful. How could you marry Seonghwa? He deserved perfection. You deserved perfection. Everything felt wrong.

The two stylists shared a panicked glance but before they could figure out what to do, Wooyoung flipped the curtain aside and ran in. San and Yunho had to grapple with it, as they were the next to rush in after hearing your sobs. You weren’t sure, but in the kerfuffle, it sounded like Mingi accidentally elbowed Jongho. Yeosang and Hongjoong were the last to come in, though their eyes still held the same panic and worry.

You turned to them and started crying harder. Wooyoung wrapped his arms around you and started patting your head. You just gave in to the feeling. The boys had been so reassuring the whole appointment.

At first, you had thought they wouldn’t be interested in accompanying you. When you asked Hongjoong if he could impart some fashion advice, he had excitedly taken over the whole wedding dress aspect of the planning. He had tirelessly researched dress styles, colors, and fabrics, and had been presenting you with options for weeks. He was the one to book the appointment for today as well. But when Wooyoung heard that his hyung would be part of this “touching and girlhood experience” as he liked to put it, he had invited himself. Yunho would have to drive, so he was the next natural addition, before Yeosang had quietly asked you after dinner one night if he could join also. San and Mingi had a fight about who could take the last spot in the car, since naturally cars should only be driven at full capacity, never mind the leg room. When that fight had ended in tears, Jongho had come up with the solution to borrow a KQ vehicle that could seat everyone and not leave any member of Ateez behind, save the one who perhaps had the most to do with the whole reason for the excursion. That fact that he sneakily added himself to the group when he had firmly put himself on the decor aspect of planning after lamenting for weeks that he wanted nothing to do with clothes didn’t fool anyone.

As you reflected on all the combined enthusiasm from the people who loved you most in the world, you felt yourself becoming even more inconsolable. If there was no perfect dress for you, then why bother with any of it?

Mingi led you gently by hand to the couch outside dressing room in the lobby of the boutique. San sat you down and leaned on your shoulder, while Yeosang put his arms around you and his head on top of yours. Yunho rushed to find water, and Jongho sat himself down by your feet and started to pat your knee. They all tried to comfort you, but your blabbering only made things worse.

“Noona, don’t cry...” Yeosang’s voice was small.

“Come on, keep your chin up,” Yunho said, as he forced a straw towards you.

“Hey, it’s okay. We’ll find the dress! This store sucks anyways.” San got a glare from both Hongjoong and the storekeeper at that.

“Yea, you look so pretty in everything. It’s not going to be harder to find a dress than it already has been!” Sweet Mingi.

“If you cry, I’m gonna start crying. And we really don’t want that to happen.”

“Ya, shut up Wooyoung.” Jongho was inching towards his hyung with his fist clenched.

“I’m serious! I can’t stand Y/N crying as it is.”

“Can you fucking keep it together! It’s not about you, idiot.” Hongjoong looked menacing as he hissed under his breath.

“I swear I will start crying.”

You laughed through your sobs. Finding the humor in their collective attempt at making you feel better, you could finally draw a breath. And with it, you told them all your thoughts. How you wanted everything to be perfect for the wedding. Because your life was perfect now. But this dress was not perfect. And that threw into bright light how you were not perfect. And how you were failing to see any reason to continue with any of it- if you couldn’t be perfect.

They all stared at you with varying looks, ranging from discomfort to abject horror. Had you said too much? As you started to overthink, you missed Hongjoong whispering to Yunho, “Call him. He needs to be here. Right. Now.”

In the meantime, you had pulled yourself out of your spiral. You had said too much. Now you needed to backtrack and be normal again. And to do that and to truly convince the others, you had to keep going with the appointment, but not let it get to you this time. Fake it till you make it was a saying for a reason.

The stylist gave you a skeptical look as you suddenly brushed your tears away, started smiling, and asked for the next gown. You brushed away the boys’ who still wanted to feed you, or talk to you, or cry with you, gathered up your skirts and marched back into the dressing room.

You were just gritting yourself to bear the disappointment of the new dress you were being laced into when you heard the bell above the shop entrance ring.

Since Hongjoong had booked out the entire store for your appointment, you were a little curious and were thus paying attention when the boys started whispering “hyung.”

Panic settled in your chest. If Seonghwa was here... He couldn’t-

“Y/N, I’m here.” There were footsteps approaching your room.

He couldn’t be, and he was. You felt all your resolve crumble.

“Hey, get out of here! This is bad luck. You can’t see me.” Your voice was shaky as you called out to him.

“Y/N, please. Please let me in.”

“No, you can’t be here.” Your sentence ended in a sob. You couldn’t help it.

There was a rustling of the curtain. Your eyes flew up to the mirror to watch him walk in, backwards?

He reached back with his hands blindly. “Y/N, see? I’m walking in backwards. I can’t see you. Now, can you please come over here, and let me talk to you?”

You walked towards him, too, and turned so that you would be back-to-back. Every step closer to him released the tension that was holding you prisoner. When you touched, you breathed a deep sigh of relief. You felt him do the same.

“The guys called me.” His voice was a whisper. “They told me you were the most upset they had ever seen you. And what you said. I ran over here as fast as I could.”

“I’m sorry.” You could barely get the words out.

His hands grabbed yours. “Stop. Don’t apologize.”

“I just- I just, I feel-“

“I know. Hongjoong told me word for word what you said. And I want to tell you, that it’s all bullshit.”

You laughed a little at how scary his voice sounded. He squeezed your hands tighter at the sound.

“I’m not saying how you’re feeling is bullshit. I validate your feelings. I know how hard it is to look at yourself in the mirror sometimes. I know how hard it is to want to look different. I get it; you know I do.” You nodded against his back. There had been many times where you both had picked each other up during hard times. You could never forget any of it.

“But, the rest of it? About being perfect? That is bullshit. Y/N, there is no such thing as perfect in this world, ok? Nothing. But you, you are perfect to me. You are everything to me. The person that you are- that’s someone I’ve waited for and wished for a long time. And you are beautiful. Endlessly. In anything you wear, however you look. I know you are beautiful in all these gowns without even seeing you in them. You just need to find one that you like. It doesn’t have to look any certain way or make you look any certain way, ok?”

You nodded softly.

“All the added pressure of perfection and the frustration of trying dress after dress, when I know you hate shopping and trying on clothes just made it all a lot worse today, right?”

You were pleasantly surprised at how succinctly he summed up your feelings that even you couldn’t name.

“Wow, yea..”

“So, let’s try again another day. Put an end to this gross experience for now, and for next time, we can come in a bit more prepared emotionally to find the perfect dress. Because it exists. And when you’re in a better headspace, you will see that too. And feel beautiful and see yourself the way the whole world sees you.” His voice dipped into a whisper. “The way I see you.”

The last bit of something released in your chest, and in its place, there was light. “Are your eyes closed?”

He fumbled his words a bit as he responded. You got the feeling that you had interrupted his spiel a little. “Um, ah- no. I…”

“Close them, please.”

“Y/N, what-?”

“Are they closed?”

He had barely finished saying the word yes when you turned and walked around to face him to throw your arms around him.

His breath came out in a little “oof” with how fiercely you threw yourself into his arms, but he was quick to wrap them around you just as tightly.

His cheek came down to the top of your head as he just held you.

“I love you, Hwa.”

“I love you, too.”

“I’m sorry I freaked out.”

“It’s understandable. And there’s no reason for apologizing.”

“Thanks for coming all the way and helping me through it.”

“Anything for you, my love.”

You took one last deep breath and smiled.

“You better not be peeking.”

“Ok, Ms. I-will-call-this-wedding-off-if-I-can’t-find-a-dress.”

“Hey!” You pulled back to see his lips twitching with a smirk. It matched your own.

“Sorry, baby. Too soon?”

“YEAH, IT’S FUCKING TOO SOON, HYUNG. ARE YOU CRAZY?” It almost took you a second to place the inhumane screech as Wooyoung’s. Surprised, you both turned to the curtain separating you from the rest of the world.

The sheer shock of it all had Seonghwa’s opening his eyes inadvertently. He was turning back to you when you quickly threw your hands over his eyes.

“NO PEEKING!”

He laughed deeply, then tilted his head back to place a kiss on your palm.       

“Be good now. I gotta go take care of the little one- it’s his turn.”

You laughed softly to yourself and watched the curtain flap down as he walked out. Another deep breath. Before, you could leave and end this horrid appointment, you snuck one more glance at the mirror. And what you saw, was what you had known was there this whole time. Beauty.

It was in your gown. It was in the way the curves and lines of your body pushed at the fabric. It was in the way the it clung to you in some places and draped down you in others. It was in the way your eyes lit up now when you looked at yourself. More importantly, it was in the way Wooyoung was crying outside at having seen you cry. It was in the way that San and Yeosang held you when you were upset. It was in the way that Jongho gave you skinship for comfort when he hated it. It was in the way Yunho found something to nourish you. It was in the way Mingi was quick to reassure you. It was in Hongjoong calling your fiancé. But, mostly, it was in Seonghwa. It was in the relationship you had built together. And it was in the life you were going to have together.

Seonghwa had told you that the door was left unlocked for you to just walk in, but seeing the chaos that was happening across the living space suddenly made sense as to why that was. The living space that was the center of everyone’s rooms was in complete disarray. There were discarded clothes absolutely everywhere- a tie over the back of the couch, buttons strewn across the counter where someone had clearly been unsuccessful at sewing one onto a wrinkled shirt, coats and their hangers over the backs of chairs, and even socks of a dubious patten over the tv. Before your eyes could even adjust to all the mess (Seonghwa was going to have a fit), your ears were assaulted by the sounds of the guys yelling.

“Ya, Kim Hongjoon, did you take my silver rings?” Wooyoung’s screeching always took a minute to adjust to.

“DID YOU JUST TALK DOWN TO HYUNG?” San piped back.

“Oh, shit. He did just talk down to hyung.” Honestly, Yeosang was so soft spoken, you barely heard him add shit to the pot.

“Oh my fucking god, Wooyoung, talk down to me one more time, I swear I’ll leave you here.”

“You can’t do that! Manager hyung likes me the best- I can’t miss his wedding!”

“If you’re not ready in five minutes, hyung, you will have to.” Jongho’s voice was the only relaxed one you could pick out of the bunch.

“Has anyone seen my cufflinks?” You smiled, Yunho and his cufflinks- he had been talking about how excited he was to finally use them for ages.

“Mingi, for the last time, you are not wearing those cheap plastic princess earrings to a formal event.” The voice you had been wanting to hear from all day spoke.

“Aw, but I want to look pretty.”

You had been following the voices to one of the bedrooms where everyone was crowded, finishing up getting ready.

“And you do,” came the huffed response of your boyfriend.

“Same,” you answered at the same time.

Seonghwa looked up from where he was standing in front of the mirror, struggling with his tie to make eye contact with you through the mirror. His eyes widened before he whirled around, the flimsy knot he had managed falling apart immediately.

A small smile played at your lips but before you could greet anybody, let alone your boyfriend, the rest of the guys swarmed you.

“NOONA! SO PRETTY!” San was the first to hug you.

“Yeah, way prettier than Mingi, for sure.” Yeosang smirked at you.

“I can’t deny that.” Mingi’s pout was going to kill you, for sure.

“Ah, hi Y/N. You look so gorgeous!” Hongjoong greeted you while being quick to sweep to your side and push San and Wooyoung off from crushing your dress.

“I don’t think we can let you go to the wedding, Noona,” Yunho teased. “The bride will hate you.”

“Yea, for outshining her,” Mingi added.

You blushed and could only manage to say, “Stop it, you guys,” before Wooyoung interrupted everyone.

“Noona, tell Hongjoong hyung to give me back my rings.”

“Ignore him, Y/N. Only you and I clearly understand fashion, and I will not be sacrificing my look for his. Finders keepers!”

“Ignore all of them actually, noona,” Jongho added.

You laughed along with them. “Aw, stop fighting! You guys all look so cute! I love your little bowties!”

“It is fun to be matching, isn’t it?” San added with such vehemence, but when you looked at him, he was staring at Seonghwa intensely.

You looked at Seonghwa who was hanging back from the group, a faintly stunned expression on his face. When he noticed your gaze on him, he shook his head slightly, before turning to reply to San and shaking his tie at him.

“It’s not my fault you can all manage to tie a damn bowtie on yourselves but can’t do me!”

San pouted back at him, while everyone else muttered “Eh,” “Ah, well,” and “It’s the angle, hyung!”

“I can do you.” You said it quietly, but everyone turned to look at you.

At the blush starting to stain Seonghwa’s cheeks, you realized what you had said came out wrong.

“I MEAN, I can do it ON YOU! I mean, the bowtie, of course.”

You did not like the shit-eating grin on Hongjoong’s, Jongho’s, or Wooyoung’s face one bit. Yoesong looking pleasantly flustered only made you more flustered.

You continued babbling, “You said do me, so I said I could, but I MEANT THE TIE OBVIOUSLY.”

“Sure, sure, noona. We know what you meant,” Yunho said.

Everyone started shuffling out of the room. San patted you on the shoulder as he brushed by you, “Have at it, noona. Do him.”

"Yea, do him REAL GOOD." You were going to strangle Wooyoung one day.

You turned to smack him as he danced out of your reach, shutting the door behind him.

You turned back to Seonghwa, face burning. You both waited a beat before you could hear loud laughter from outside and cat calls.

Seonghwa grabbed your hand and pulled you closer to him and into the room. “Ignore them,” he rolled his eyes.

You smiled back at him, when you suddenly realized that you were finally alone with your boyfriend in his room. Wearing this dress. Your nerves came fluttering back and settled in the pit of your stomach. You bit your lip and made to smooth your palms down the front of your dress again, before Seonghwa caught them in both of his and smiled at you softly and knowingly.

“You are so beautiful.” His voice was just a whisper across your cheek before his lips followed and pressed there. Your blush came back in full force, and you looked deeply into his beautiful brown eyes, seeing the absolute honesty and adoration there, quieting all your insecurities.

“Thank you. You look incredibly handsome if I do say so myself,” you cheesed back, poking his side.

“Thank you, baby. I’d believe you if it wasn’t for this damn tie. I’ve watched like 10 YouTube videos, trying to get it right.”

You slipped the silk from his grasp. “Leave it to me.” You had tied one too many a tie for your father, so it was like second nature to you.

Except, suddenly it wasn’t. You stepped even closer to Seonghwa in order to do his bowtie. The tension between your bodies felt electric and made it hard for you to focus. He was also too tall, as you had left your heels out at the entrance of the apartment. You struggled and reached up on your toes to get the silk around his neck, but it was impossible to do anything further without your legs cramping and your arms getting tired. Thus, you tugged the tie down as you went back to the balls of your feet, trying to get him to wordlessly accommodate himself to your level. He let out a surprised breath of air at the delicate manhandling, and at the shift in posture, his hands came up to hold your waist. Your eyes met his for a moment, and the intensity in his gaze had you warming up everywhere. You quickly dropped your gaze down to the tie you were supposed to be tying. Your fingers deftly turned the silk this way and that, but they suddenly slipped when Seonghwa’s thumbs began to rub at your skin gently through the thin material. You could feel his smirk more than you could see it, and he was definitely enjoying all the deep colors your face was probably turning right now.

Without looking back up at his eyes, you said under your breath, “You better behave.” Your finger slipped over the knot again.

His head bent to place a kiss behind your ear. Your breath hitched and you lost hold of the tie altogether. “Or what?”

“I.. will-” His lips were teasing a slow path across your jaw. Your hands were on his lapel. Where did that damn tie go?

“You will..?” He whispered in between kisses.

“I swear, Seonghwa, I’ll..”

His lips finished his path and hovered above yours. “You’ll still do me?”

You exhaled harshly and pushed at his chest. He leaned back, eyes alight with mischief. Your heart stuttered at the sight of his smile though; it was so sweet, that even though he was teasing you, you wanted to keep letting him- just to keep that smile on his face.

You huffed in mock annoyance. When had your hands rested on his shoulders and his arms wrapped around you, puling you flush against him?

You decided to fight fire with fire. “Only if you’re a good boy.” You raised one brow at him, pleased to see his smirk freeze in shock and his eyes widen.

The shock only lasted a second before he was hurriedly lowering his lips to yours. Banging on the door interrupted you both before they could meet.

“NOOOOOONA!” Wooyoung sang falsetto through the door, before his screech ended in a surprised “oof.” Jongho’s laugh could be heard retreating from the door after having successfully landed a punch on the former.

“I don’t wanna walk in on you doing him, Y/N, but we’re leaving now. I sincerely hope you guys are finished.”

You groaned. This joke was never going to die. Then your eyes widened at what he said. The tie still wasn’t done. You quickly pulled out of Seonghwa’s grasp, ignoring him making his boba eyes at you doing so, and leaned down to find the tie where it had fallen from your hands.

“Don’t just stand there, Hwa! And do not make that face at me. Help me find it!”

He sighed and crouched down, quickly finding it, before grasping you by the arm and pulling you both up.

“Here, do it fast.” He pushed the silk into your hands.

You glared at him suspiciously, wondering if there was a double entendre in his words or the guys were just driving you crazy, and he laughed, caught. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I won’t distract you anymore! See.” And with that, he closed his eyes and stood perfectly still.

You smiled at his antics and made quick work of the bowtie. When you finished, you stepped back, but he remained still and hunched down.

You smirked before reaching forward and placing the quickest peck on his lips. Two could play at the teasing game. His eyes flew open but before he could really catch you and give you a proper kiss, the door slammed open.

“AHH, MY EYES!”

“Mingi, we weren’t even doing anything!” The irritation in Seonghwa’s voice was clear.

“I see you did him, noona. Good job.” San peeked over Mingi’s shoulder, appraising the tie.

“Oh, she did him good?”

“Looks like it.”

“Damn, I didn’t even do me as good.”

“Same, I wish she did me, too.”

You smacked everyone upside the head as you walked out of the room, Seonghwa following right behind, glaring daggers with his eyes.