“Jeon Jungkook if you don’t get your ass down here in twenty seconds I will personally drag your corpse along the Quidditch field,” you bellowed into the stairwell leading up to the fifth-year boy’s dormitory.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Jungkook huffed as he ran down the stairways, broom and gloves in hand. “God, do you have to make so much noise in the morning?”
“Do you have to be twenty minutes late for everything, including official matches?” you scolded the maknae again, grabbing the back of his Quidditch robes and promptly dragging him with you out of the Slytherin dormitory.
“It’s not my fault Yoongi chose this particular night to weight the pros and cons of finally asking Taehyung out,” Jungkook rolled his eyes, peeling your hand off his robes and walking quickly to match his pace. Luckily for you two, the Quidditch pit was practically a staircase away from the Dungeons area of the castle where your Slytherin dormitory was. The rest of your team was busy with last-minute uniform checks: retying boot laces, strapping on gloves, and rubbing broom handles or Beater bats for luck, when you two finally showed up.
“Sorry for the delay everyone, had to wake up our ‘Golden Seeker’ again,” you rolled your eyes, cuffing Jungkook in the back of the head again for good measure.
“We wouldn’t have started without you captain,” Seulgi, one of your best Chasers, grinned and tossed you your Keeper gloves. The rest of the team nodded in unison and you felt a swell of pride for yourself at the response.
For a Muggleborn Slytherin, it wasn’t quite easy clawing your way to attain the position of ‘Captain’ in your house’s Quidditch team. It took five long years, in fact. Of course, times had changed and people were more accepting now. If you came to Hogwarts fifty years ago, you wouldn’t have even been given the Common Room password. Still, it took a lot of work for you to reach the position you’re in, a typically Slytherin feat that eventually earned the respect of not only your teammates, but your entire House as well.
“Alright, who’s ready to wipe some smiles off Gryffindor faces?” you smirked. Or rather, one Gryffindor specifically.
“We do!” your team cheered.
“That’s the spirit!” you yelled, raising your broom in the air. The other’s cheered again and followed suit as well. Nothing like some good old House rivalry to motivate people. Suddenly, the sound of slow-clapping made you turn around.
The very sight of his smirk made you want to shove a Quaffle in his face. The sight of your seven-year, and counting, Gryffindor nemesis: Kim Seokjin.
“What are you doing here?” you practically hissed at him.
“Nothing much,” Seokjin shrugged his annoyingly broad shoulders. “I just followed the scent of treachery and lake water and ended up here.”
“Spying on other team’s secrets, huh? That’s low, even for you Kim Seokjin,” you raised an eyebrow. “Now run along back to your team, we’ll crush all of you in the match eventually so just be patient.”
“We’ll see about that,” Seokjin turned away and stalked off, but not before giving Jungkook a playful noogie. Despite your rivalry with Seokjin, most of your friends, namely Yoongi and Jungkook, were best friends with him. It was a bit of a weird relationship but as long as everyone accepted your rivalry, everything was fine.
That didn’t mean you weren’t going to totally whoop his ass later in Quidditch.
…
“You got the strategy down, right?” you asked, hovering by the goalposts beside Jungkook.
“Catch the snitch as fast as I can, dodge all the Bludgers, leave no room for mercy,” he said, ticking the entire list off.
“Good boy,” you grinned, giving your gloves one finally tug before gripping your broom handle while Madam Hooch strolled over to the center of the field.
“Everyone make some noise for the third Quidditch game of the season. Gryffindor versus Slytherin!” Taehyung yelled and the crowd went wild. The Quidditch commentator always went to the Ravenclaw Kim Taehyung every year and it was easy to see why. Other than his perpetually-excited attitude, Taehyung’s witty comments knew how to keep the audience engaged.
“You said it Taehyung,” another commentator’s voice echoed through the stadium. Your mouth fell open as you and Jungkook both glanced at each other.
“Min Yoongi?!”
“I guess Taehyung finally managed to persuade,” Jungkook laughed. “Hyung actually isn’t that bad.”
“Madame Hooch is heading to the center with the Quaffle,” Yoongi continued. He didn’t have the exact same level of energy as Taehyung did, but his voice and tone was as engaging as any sports announcer. However, you didn’t allow yourself to dwell on it too much and instead focused on the game.
People usually think that the first team who gets their hands on the Quaffle controls the entire game. Of course, that was a load of baloney. It shouldn’t matter whose side it was on. If one of your Slytherin Chasers caught the Quaffle, they better get a proper score in. If a Gryffindor Chaser got it, well, you’ll be ready for them.
“And the Gryffindor Chaser, and all-around Handsome Guy, has the Quaffle,” Taehyung yelled. You grit your teeth and flew up to guard the middle ring.
“Beaters! In position!” you yelled, raising up two fingers in a V-sign. Your Beaters obeyed and flew forward, one on each side of the court guarding the path to the goalposts. Meanwhile, Jungkook zipped off in search of the Golden Snitch.
“The game is officially on,” Yoongi continued commentating. “Team Captain Y/n L/n of the Slytherin team definitely has a strategy on hand based on the position of her teammates.”
“But Kim Seokjin definitely is dodging past all those Bludgers,” Taehyung pointed out. It was true. From your position near the goalposts, you could see how much Kim Seokjin’s flying has improved as he ducked and weaved through the Bludgers batted directly at him as well as the other Slytherin Chasers trying to grab the Quaffle from him.
‘We have our own strategy though,’ you smirked as Seokjin flew nearer to the goalposts. He raised the Quaffle as he took the shot. You feigned left, therefore making Seokjin aim right, when Seulgi flew past and used her broom to swat the Quaffle right into your hands. You gripped the ball tightly before throwing it almost halfway across the entire field to where another one of your Chasers waited.
“And an awesome pass from Slytherin Chaser Seulgi to Keeper Y/n,” Taehyung commentated. “I didn’t know if that was allowed but Madame Hooch hasn’t blown her whistle yet so I guess it is.”
“Nice work!” you yelled after Seulgi as she darted past to guard the next Chaser. Then you smirked in Kim Seokjin’s direction.
“It’s not over yet, Y/n,” he shook his head.
“It will be soon,” you smiled with fake innocence.
It actually was over quickly, almost as quickly as it began. Jungkook caught the Golden Snitch in just ten minutes, breaking his previous record of fifteen minutes and thirty seconds, allowing the Slytherins to win with a marginal difference of points from the Gryffindor team. You tried to muster up a smug grin at Seokjin when it was time for both teams to shake hands at the end of the game, but seeing the sad, pained expression on his face made your stomach twist slightly. You were personally familiar with that look, having seen it several times reflected back at you on bathroom mirrors when you needed a quiet space to yell and cry with frustration whenever your previous team captain made you an understudy again.
You quickly pushed those thoughts out of your head however once you joined your cheering teammates in the locker room.
“ANOTHER RECORD BREAKER FOR THE MAKNAE!” Seulgi cheered, leading the applause for Jungkook who grinned and pumped his arms in the air at the praise.
“Don’t forget the Team Captain of course,” he grinned, pulling you over beside him. “Her flawless strategy got us through the first few minutes.”
“None of it would have worked out completely if you hadn’t caught the Snitch on time,” you waved off the praise. “Maybe next time allow them to fight for a bit before catching it,” you winked.
“Oh, by the way, Professor Slughorn’s planning a celebration party,” one of your Chasers, a small, petite girl named Yeri piped up. “He’s been doing the preparations all day.”
“So, he knew we were going to win?” you quirked a brow.
“Pretty much it seems,” Seulgi shrugged.
“I am his favorite student,” Jungkook grinned. You rolled your eyes at him. But it was true, Slughorn did give him a vial of Felix Felicis once after Jungkook aced one of his Potions tests.
“Alright, you guys worked hard so you all deserved to rest and to party,” you smiled proudly at all your team members. “Sneak some shots of Firewhiskey if you want to but don’t get caught. We all showed everyone wrong by proving that we don’t have to cheat to win.” It was a style, of course, that your previous captain preferred. When you got the position of Team Captain of course, those ‘styles’ had to go.
“Until the next game, everyone,” you playfully saluted. “Go Slytherins!”
“Go Slytherins!” they cheered in response before splitting off in groups or pairs to pack away their gear or change out of their robes. You and Jungkook were probably the first to pack up your things and leave.
“Yeri told me Professor Slughorn’s allowing everyone invited to bring a plus one along,” Jungkook said. “The more the merrier apparently.”
“Hmm… I guess I’ll drag Yoongi’s ass out of his bed then,” you chuckled. “He does deserve some kind of regard for being a pretty good announcer earlier.”
“And Taehyung finally had the guts to ask him to co-announce with him,” Jungkook sighed happily. “Maybe I should bring him as my plus one.”
“Ooh good idea,” you nodded, turning the corner to where the Slytherin Common Room was. “Maybe tonight’s the night for them to get together,” you squealed.
“Maybe it will. Maybe it will.”
…
“You do know this is a party, you can wear regular clothes,” you sighed as soon as you saw Yoongi walk into the Common Room area from his dormitories dressed in his usual black and green Slytherin robes.
“I feel uncomfortable without them,” Yoongi pouted. You rolled your eyes at him. Every pureblood kid you knew pretty much felt naked without robes or a cloak. It’s a wonder the number of deaths from heatstroke hasn’t risen yet.
“Just wear some pants and a sweater or something. You’ll feel covered enough,” you said, pushing a groaning Yoongi back into his room before he could complain any further. A few minutes later, your best friend emerged wearing what appeared to be black slacks but made from some kind of silky material along with a dark green button-up shirt. You raised an eyebrow at the similar choice in color but Yoongi gave you a look that basically screamed ‘I have nothing else to wear.’
“Fine, let’s get going,” you gave in and headed out the Common Room with Yoongi following behind. Jungkook had already gone ahead while you were busy getting ready along with everyone else in your team.
Professor Slughorn’s party was held in one of the towers that was farther away from the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor dormitories so they wouldn’t be disturbed by the noise. Well, Slughorn’s parties weren’t necessarily noisy either. Most of the time, people just came to have dinner, make conversation, and maybe drink some of Ogden’s Oak-Barrel Mead if Slughorn offered some, which was pretty much all the time. Of course, the whole alcohol thing was kept secret from other Professors and Prefects.
You never quite enjoyed those parties, even though they were famous among your housemates, since people made it seem like sort of a coming-of-age rite or a status symbol that you knew your bloodline wouldn’t allow you into. After becoming the Team Captain you received an invitation to the infamous Slughorn party. Of course, you accepted out of politeness but the constant social interaction burned you out soon after. After the game with Gryffindor, you wanted nothing more than to take a relaxing shower, put on a face mask, and fall asleep right after. But part of you was looking forward to at least having Yoongi around to talk to if you didn’t feel like talking to anyone else and drinking some of that Oak-Barrel Mead.
“So, how long are we staying here?” Yoongi sighed as soon as the two of you reached the door.
“No later than two hours,” you raised an eyebrow at your best friend who grinned in approval.
“Sounds like a plan.” Yoongi stepped forward to open the door.
“CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!”
The sound of six Gryffindors, basically the equivalent of a dozen yelling people, washed over you and Yoongi like a giant wave. Instead of the usual sight of Slytherins chatting over drinks and food in different areas of the room, the two of you found what appeared to be some sort of Beer Pong but Quidditch version game being played in the middle of the room. One of the Gryffindor Chasers you faced off with earlier was busy chugging down a glass of beer while the others cheered him on.
“What the fuck is going on?” you exclaimed out loud.
“An invasion apparently,” Yoongi muttered, clearly starting to shrink off to the side. You couldn’t blame the guy. The whole thing felt like an Introvert’s Plague.
“Yoongi-hyung! Noona! You’re here!”
You jumped slightly in surprise when you felt a heavily-muscled arm sling around your shoulder followed by Jungkook’s head popping up beside you.
“Geez, are you drunk already?” Yoongi frowned.
“Nah,” Jungkook shook his head. “The Gryffindors brought some beer but they’re making sure only the ones who are legal can have some. Of course you can still get a beer or two if you ask nicely.
“Yeah, but what the hell? Why are they here?” you hissed.
“Professor Slughorn invited the Quidditch team apparently,” Jungkook shrugged. “He thought they played well so they deserved to de-stress in the party.
“Now I’m the one who’s stressed,” you rolled your eyes. And just when you thought the night couldn’t get any worse, the Worst Part of the Night came in the form of pastel clothes and sixty centimeter-long shoulders.
“Well, someone managed to drag Yoongi out of bed on a Saturday night,” the Worst Part of the Night spoke. You clenched your jaw and turned around to face him.
“Kim Seokjin.”
“Fancy seeing you here gorgeous,” he winked.
“Get a room,” Yoongi groaned and was about to head off, presumably to get a drink, when none other than Kim Taehyung, the guy your best friend’s been crushing on since forever, popped up. You raised an eyebrow at his purple, silk pajamas which apparently Taehyung deemed as party wear.
“Seokjin-hyung! You said you were getting me strawberry juice,” he pouted. Instantly, Seokjin’s previously smug demeanor melted.
“Shh..! Can’t you see I’m trying to intimidate someone,” he hissed at Taehyung.
“It was working quite well,” you said, allowing yourself to freely pour some sarcasm into your words.
“I-I didn’t know you were coming,” Yoongi stammered as he looked at Taehyung.
“Yeah, Seokjin-hyung invited me,” he grinned.
“Now I really need something to drink,” Yoongi shook his head and hurried off in search of the drinks table.
“Y-yoongi!” you called after him before huffing exasperatedly as soon as you realized that he probably wasn’t going to come back soon.
“Ooh, you should follow him,” Jungkook suggested to Taehyung. “Maybe he’ll help you find some strawberry juice.”
“Good idea!” Taehyung nodded and took off after Yoongi.
“You know, you make a very Slytherin,” Seokjin grinned proudly at Jungkook.
“Great, now he’s not coming back anytime soon,” you sighed, leaning over to find Taehyung and Yoongi already talking.
“Don’t be so grouchy, you have us here,” Seokjin grinned.
“As if I want to be in a noisy room with all these people,” you scowled. “And why do all of you look so happy. Our team won by a landslide. Shouldn’t you be having one of your team meetings by the campfire and making promises about improving on your next game.”
“You watch way too much sports anime Y/n-noona,” Jungkook giggled.
“Shut up Jungkook.”
“Well, unlike you, we know how to take our defeats gracefully,” Seokjin boasted.
“Tell that to your piss-drunk teammates,” you pointed behind your shoulder where you could no doubt hear one, or two, Gryffindors falling over a table. “If that’s what you do every night no wonder you barely made any points.”
At this point, the smug, even playful, smirk on Seokjin’s face disappeared as he glared down at you. For instant, he even looked quite scary. But, you held your composure. You were used to these kinds of intimidation after all.
“I bet that’s how we all look like to you,” he said, talking lowly as if he was making a threat. “Boisterous, loud, small-brained. Always relying on personality and charm to make up for a lack of everything else. No wonder you always look down on us.”
You clenched your fist, not batting an eye as he stared you down. What he said was true of course, but only partly. It was true you did have a bit of hatred for Gryffindors, but that only came from your own envy towards them. Despite how loud and annoying they were, they always seemed like one big family whenever you watched them eating together in the Great Hall. Pure-bloods, half-bloods, muggle-borns, all of them were welcomed into that big, glorious Gryffindor family. While in your house, you were practically the alienated one. Considering your House and bloodline, you should be the last person to listen to stereotypes. You knew, of course, that there were Gryffindors who weren’t so loud and annoying, that they weren’t all that bad. But seeing their Gryffindor family would often make you feel lonelier than ever.
Of course, that wasn’t something you were going to ever say to Kim Seokjin.
Instead, you pasted a smirk on your face. “Well, judging by the game today, I have even more reason to.”
You never liked hurting people this much. Of course, with Kim Seokjin, the two of you always just bickered or argued or plotted against sending the other to detention but there wasn’t any real hurt involved. And now, you’re the one who drew first blood.
You didn’t want to see the look on his face as soon as you said those words. Seokjin stayed silent as you side-stepped him and walked away to grab a drink for yourself as well.
…
“Well, judging by the game today, I have even more reason to.”
“Bitch,” Seokjin muttered under his breath, swirling his Firewhiskey slightly in his glass before drinking the rest of it straight down. Right now, the burning sensation of the alcohol as well as his pink sweater were the only things keeping him warm against the cold night air on the balcony outside. That, and your words that numbed him to the bone the moment you said them.
He never thought you actually hated him. Sure you two had a rivalry that lasted seven years long, but all of it was made up of bickering, arguing, the occasional prank, and looking for ways to one-up each other. Seokjin would even go so far as to say that there were rules involved. He could make fun of you for your awful singing voice, but no way was he going to call you a Mudblood. That was low. You had your own boundaries as well and for the longest time, things were alright.
But then, for some reason, the argument you just had now had turned ugly. Seokjin always knew you hated Gryffindors, but seeing that look on your face as you watched the rest of his team caused something in him to snap. He just had to bring it up. And you just had to confirm all of it in the lowest way possible.
Maybe you really did hate him. Maybe it was a pent-up rage that you’ve kept all these years.
Just when Seokjin thought that maybe he had a chance with you.
“Hyung!”
“W-what?!” Seokjin jumped in surprise at the sound of Taehyung’s shout of panic. He turned around to find his friend slash plus-one for the party standing behind him, breathless as if he had run a marathon. “W-what’s wrong?” he asked.
“Hyung asked me out,” Taehyung gasped.
“Hyung? You mean Yoongi?!” Seokjin exclaimed. “H-how? I thought it was going to take two lifetimes for that to happen.”
“Me too!” Taehyung groaned. “He caught me completely off-guard.”
“But did you say yes?”
“Of course I said yes!”
“Then great!” Seokjin spread his arms out for a celebratory hug which Taehyung rudely didn’t accept.
“But what am I supposed to do? I’ve never been on a date before,” he pouted. “What if I mess up and Yoongi-hyung decides that he doesn’t like that me and he doesn’t want to see me anymore?”
“Look, even if you do mess up, there’s no way Yoongi wouldn’t want to see you again,” Seokjin sighed, holding onto Taehyung’s shoulders to calm him down just a bit. “The date is going to go well. Just be your fun little self.”
“Do you really think so hyung?” Taehyung asked, biting his lip with concern. “I mean, I really don’t want to blow this.”
“You’ll be fine, just fine,” Seokjin patted his head. “If it’s any help, I’m pretty sure Yoongi is just as stressed and worried about this as you are.”
…
“Is he alive?”
“Right now, I’m not so sure. He could be alive or dead.”
“Haha, Schrodinger’s Yoongi. Get it?”
“High-five to that!”
“Would you two please cut it out? I’m in a crisis right here!” Yoongi yelled, finally deciding to sit up while you and Jungkook were caught in mid high-five.
“I guess he is alive,” you shrugged. Yoongi glared at you.
“Relax, hyung,” Jungkook slid into the couch beside him. “So you asked Taehyung out, the person you’ve had a crush on since forever, while you were slightly intoxicated and moved by the spur of the moment. It’s no big deal.”
“And he said ‘yes’ too while clearly smiling,” you added, sitting on the other side of Yoongi. “That’s a good sign.”
“But what if I screw up?” he groaned. “What if he thinks I’m way too boring, which I am, and decides that we shouldn’t see each other once and for all?”
“No way, you’re the most exciting hyung ever!” Jungkook put an arm around his shoulder. “You always give us ice cream.”
“And you’re really cute when you pout,” you added. “Just don’t get too nervous and enjoy yourself with Taehyung. You’ve always wanted this, right?”
“Yeah,” Yoongi sucked in a breath and nodded. “Yeah, it is! I’m going to take Taehyung out on that date tomorrow and he’s going to love it!”
“That’s the spirit!” Jungkook cheered as Yoongi stood up.
“Now if you two will excuse me, I better get a good night’s rest to prepare for our… date,” he said the last part a bit uncertainly before turning around and accidentally walking straight into a wall.
“Oooh,” you winced.
“D-don’t worry! Still got this!” Yoongi raised a thumbs-up, the other hand pressed against his forehead, before walking away again and bumping into a few morer people.
“One of us needs to watch over him,” you sighed.
“Rock-paper-scissors?” Jungkook suggested, holding up his hand.
“Rock-paper-scissors,” you agreed, holding up yours.
“Rock-paper-scissors!” you two chanted. Jungkook held up scissors while you held up paper.
“Hah! Good luck babysitting hyung tomorrow!” Jungkook grinned, flashing the scissors annoyingly close to your face.
“Whatever,” you huffed and crossed your arms, completely looking forward to a whole Sunday wasted on babysitting your best friend’s date.
…
“Okay, you got everything ready? Pocket money? Mental list of conversation topics?” Seokjin checked. Taehyung nodded as he inhaled deep breaths to calm him down. The two of them have been working on Taehyung’s outfit since morning. Based on the five ties he was wearing around his neck when he selected his first outfit, Taehyung was pretty dang nervous. Luckily, Seokjin was there to help smooth things out and choose something simple, but still uniquely Taehyung enough to wear. Which meant he was wearing his glow-in-the-dark necktie.
“Yeah, I’m ready,” Taehyung nodded, looking like a boxer getting ready for his match.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Seokjin cheered and thumped him on the back. “Now get out there and show Yoongi the best date ever!”
“Yeah!” Taehyung yelled and marched right out of the Gryffindor Common Room.
“Man, kids really do grow up quickly,” Seokjin sighed, smiling to himself. With Taehyung gone, the Gryffindor Common Room’s noise level decreased by almost a fraction. When Seokjin was still a first year and not quite out of his introvert shell, he always kept to himself in the dormitory area. Now, he was beyond used to the noise even when he was trying to concentrate on homework.
But now, not even the Gryffindor noise could distract Seokjin from worrying about TaeGi’s date. He knew just how much Taehyung crushed on Yoongi and for how long. And try as much as he could, Seokjin’s maternal instincts could not stop tingling.
“Come on, he’s going to be fine,” he shook his head and dipped his quill into an inkwell in an effort to start writing his Potions essay. But after writing just one word, ‘The’, Seokjin dropped his quill, grabbed his coat, and headed out of the Common Room.
Once he reached the main entrance of the castle, Seokjin ducked behind one of the staircases once he found Yoongi and Taehyung meeting up in front. The two exchanged greetings and from where he was, Seokjin could spot the obvious blush on Yoongi’s face.
“Aish, these two are too cute,” Seokjin whispered to himself while clenching his fist to avoid squealing out loud. After what seemed like ten centuries, the two finally decided to head out to Hogsmeade. But just as he was about to sneak after them, a very familiar girl dressed in the same hoodie she always wears on Sundays scampered out from behind the bushes after the couple.
“Seems like someone had the same idea,” Seokjin muttered, hardly able to keep the smile from spreading on his face as he watched you sneak after them, pulling the hood over your face down, presumably to avoid being seen. Seokjin stepped out from behind his hiding place in the castle and started walking after you as you stalked TaeGi.
You ducked into an alley beside one of the buildings as soon as the couple entered Hogsmeade village. This time, Seokjin kept an eye on both Taehyung and Yoongi as they appeared to discuss where they were going to grab lunch. Judging by the smiling expression on both their faces, Seokjin could tell neither of them were nervous and finally entered that state of relaxation. Seokjin found himself relieved as well and turned his attention to other matters, namely a girl hiding behind one of the trash cans in the alley. You were so focused on the couple that he didn’t even need to try hard to sneak up on you. Still, Seokjin took his time walking behind you, leaning close, and whispering.
“Boo.”
…
“Fuck!” you yelped in surprise, whipping around to come face to face with none other than Kim Seokjin grinning down at you.
“If you really want to sneak after you best friend’s date you might want to wear something that you don’t wear every Sunday,” he greeted. His face was close to yours, real close. Despite how many times you called him ugly, you never inwardly agreed with that. If you were to be really, really honest with yourself, and maybe slightly intoxicated, you’d probably say he’s one of the handsomest guys in Hogwarts.
“What the fuck are you doing here following me around?” you grumbled and pushed him away. Partly so you could stand up, partly so he wouldn’t see the faint blush growing on your face. Seokjin looked as calm and casual as usual. ‘Did he forget all about our argument last night?’ you wondered.
“I guess I had the same idea you did,” Seokjin leaned against the wall behind him and gestured at TaeGi with his head. You raised an eyebrow.
“Here for Taehyung, huh?”
“And you’re keeping an eye on Yoongi,” Seokjin added. You turned around and found the couple entering the Three Broomsticks.
“Seems like they finally chose a place to stay,” you said, getting ready to follow them when Seokjin took hold of your hoodie, pulling you back.
“Yoongi and Taehyung would spot you immediately once you enter,” he said. “Do you really have to wear the same hoodie every weekend?”
“Sorry for not having a sixty meter-square closet,” you huffed at Seokjin and gestured at his bright blue sweater and his faded pink hair. “As if you wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb either.”
“Someone seems to want me to come,” Seokjin winked. You felt your face heat up even further. God damn Kim Seokjin and his flirting.
“It’s obvious that two heads are better than one, as if you would understand,” you shot back.
“I accept that sorry excuse of an invitation,” Seokjin pulled out his wand. “As long as you agree to a costume change.” And before you could say anything else, he transfigured your favorite black hoodie into a bright red coat that almost reached your knees. With another wave of his wand, a pair of shades appeared on your face. And just when you thought he was all done, Seokjin reached over and undid your ponytail, allowing your hair to fall down to your face.
“There, now you’re almost unrecognizable,” he grinned.
“I guess its your turn now,” you pulled out your own wand. Trustingly, Seokjin stepped closer as you waved your wand and exchanged his sweater and jeans for a black hoodie with matching sweatpants. You also transformed the color of Seokjin’s hair into an inky black, partly to disguise him more and partly to make him look a little less gorgeous. But as soon as you saw the finished product, the only thing you could think was ‘Oh shit, he’s still hot.’
“Great, you transformed me into Jungkook,” Seokjin huffed as he looked down at his clothes.
“Now no one will recognize you,” you shrugged. “Come on, they won’t notice us now,” you said, walking ahead with Seokjin close behind you. Even with your new disguises, you still decided to proceed cautiously into the Three Broomsticks. Taehyung and Yoongi were seated at a table far away from the entrance, right near the kitchen area, so you and Seokjin decided to sit at the table farthest from them, partly concealed by the counter where Madame Rosmerta worked.
“Seems like they’re still okay,” Seokjin said, leaning over his shoulder to spy on TaeGi.
“If you keep looking around like that they’ll see you,” you hissed and hit him on the head with the menu.
“You seem to be the sneaky expert,” Seokjin said, lowering his voice.
“You seem to be the exact opposite,” you raised an eyebrow, suppressing a smile on your face as you two returned to the bickering you were so familiar with. The only thing that felt weird about the whole thing was the fact that the two of you were sharing a table in the Three Broomsticks, just like the couple you were stalking.
“So, do you think that they’ll get together by the end of the day?” you asked, leaning back in your seat.
“Oh yeah, definitely,” Seokjin nodded. “It was all just a matter of time.”
“You know, I feel like it was mostly the alcohol talking last night,” you snickered, remembering the way Yoongi practically yelled ‘Go out with me!’ while he and Taehyung were talking. “Yoongi’s feelings are real of course, but the alcohol definitely made him ask Taehyung out.”
“Hmmm… was the alcohol talking in your case last night?” Seokjin asked, making your stomach drop as he raised an eyebrow at you. “But then again, you weren’t drinking yet.”
“I-I didn’t….” you felt your mouth open and close as you searched for a way to explain everything. Finally, you sighed and decided to own up to the truth. As much as Kim Seokjin was your rival, you didn’t want to leave him with that thought that you hated all Gryffindors for a stupid reason. That would lower you to the level of all those other upper-class Slytherins who judged and bullied you for your blood status all those years ago.
‘Slytherins are proud, but they also know when to swallow that pride,’ you reminded yourself.
“I don’t hate Gryffindors,” you said. You paused for a while before finally deciding to go all in anyway. “I’m… kind of jealous of you guys, to be honest.”
“Really?” Seokjin looked at you with an expression of incredulity and confusion. “That’s one big plot twist.”
“Shut up and listen before you get all smug,” you snapped at him. “I’m just jealous because you guys are so much more accepting and more of a family than my own House was back then. You know, being a Muggle-born witch and everything—” you paused, realizing you were oversharing and looked away. “As if you would understand,” you added hurriedly.
“Of course,” Seokjin sighed dramatically. “How could I, a child from an elite pureblood Slytherin family, ever understand the problem of being alienated due to being sorted into Gryffindor?” He smiled, hiding a trace of bitterness. “We’re both riding the same broomstick, sweetie.”
“Uh, way to put that image in my head,” you wrinkled your nose and pretended to have a full-body cringe. Seokjin threw his head back and laughed.
“Hey, I am quite the rider,” he protested. “Even you could see that.”
“Fine,” you rolled your eyes but found yourself grinning nonetheless. “You managed decently.”
“Such high praise,” Seokjin shook his head and clutched his chest. “I’ll never take it for granted. How about a comment on my passing skills?”
“Don’t push it Kim Seokjin.” Normally, you’d rather sit through five hours of a History of Magic class than give your arch-nemesis another compliment. But today, somehow, you were feeling quite generous. Something between you had changed, but what exactly?
‘He did get better at Quidditch,’ you found yourself thinking as you watched Seokjin look over his chair to spy on TaeGi again. You always prided yourself with the ability to read other Quidditch players and Kim Seokjin was no exception. He wasn’t the ‘naturally gifted’ type like you knew Jungkook was, but Seokjin would work himself to the bone more than anyone else. It was only in his fifth year that he became a regular player rather than just a benchwarmer. Just like you.
The more you thought about it, you two weren’t so different after all.
But that still didn’t explain those moments when you felt your heart accelerate ever so slightly when you heard his voice behind you, greeting you every morning with at least one snide comment. Or those moments when you maybe, once or twice, cheered while watching Seokjin score in a Quidditch game. Or why you kept building up your great big wall of sarcasm and mean comments when it came to interacting with him in any way.
“Y/n…. Y/n!!”
“Huh?” you blinked twice, snapping out of your thoughts when Seokjin snapped a finger in your face.
“Come on, you gotta see this,” he grabbed your wrist and pulling you closer to him. For a few seconds, you really thought he was pulling you close to him. But then, he pointed his finger across the room to where Taehyung and Yoongi were sharing what appeared to be an awkward first kiss.
“Mission: complete!” Seokjin grinned from ear to ear like a child on Christmas. “Oh my god, is this what motherhood feels like?”
“You’re making this weirder than it is,” you wrinkled your nose at him but smiled at your best friend nonetheless. “Fucking finally though. After what, like four years of pining?”
“Our work here is done,” Seokjin sighed with a satisfied smile on his face.
“…Yeah,” you nodded slowly. Of course. Taehyung and Yoongi had already kissed, meaning they were pretty much officially together, meaning nothing else could go wrong on their date unless a blizzard came in. Leaving already would also minimize your chances of being found by Taehyung and Yoongi.
So why did you still feel unsatisfied.
“Finally, I should get started on my Potions essay,” Seokjin said, standing up.
“Wait!” your hand shot out and grabbed the sleeve of his sweater. Heat flared up in your face when you realized you probably looked like a fucking shoujo manga heroine right now. Seokjin looked at you, confusion apparent on his face, while you composed yourself a bit more. “I-I’m kind of hungry. Want to… get a celebratory lunch or something?”
A curious look passed over Seokjin’s face, something that seemed to be a cross between confusion and… was it fondness? But all of that was quickly replaced when his lips curved up in a smile.
“Sure, I know a place.”
…
“The Love Tunnel?” you read the name of the café aloud with a clear grimace on your face. “I didn’t even think they had these things here.”
“The couple who owns it met in a carnival,” Seokjin explained, walking forward to enter the place when he noticed you hadn’t moved. “What?” he asked, going back for you.
“Isn’t this a couple’s place?” you frowned again.
“Y-yeah,” Seokjin stammered. “But don’t get the wrong idea. This place has good food, trust me.” And with that, he grabbed onto your hand and tugged you in before you could ask any other questions.
“Yeah, it definitely is a couple’s place,” you said, staring at all the heart-shaped decorations and the lace and frills on the table. Seokjin was completely aware that everyone seated at the tables were couples, but that didn’t quite stop him from pulling a chair out for you like the gentleman he was. After all, he really expected that your ‘mission’, or whatever it was, was going to end a few minutes. Until you tugged on his sleeve and suggested lunch.
And Seokjin, being the whipped boy that he was for you, found himself believing that there could be something between you two.
‘It’s never going to work, you know that,’ he reminded himself as he watched you pore over the menu on the table. But at least he knows now that you don’t exactly hate him, nor did you hate other Gryffindors.
“What are you ordering here?” you asked, looking up at him.
“Ooh, good question,” Seokjin grinned brightly at the subject of food and tapped on something under the ‘Desserts’ section.
“Apple pie for lunch?” you looked at him incredulously before breaking out into a grin. “I like how you think.”
“Pie is the ultimate food,” Seokjin nodded sagely.
“You have your entire food pyramid there!” you exclaimed. “Fruits, crust, buttery goodness, and whipped cream if you want some dairy.”
“So, you like pie too?” Seokjin laughed at your exclamation. He couldn’t have put the words together better himself. “Maybe we can be friends after all.” ‘Or more,’ he added as an afterthought.
“It’s a start,” you shrugged, the side of your mouth turning up in a slight grin. The two of you immediately ordered your apple pie, along with seconds, and proceeded to polish slice after slice. There was, of course, a touch of bickering here and there, very bad imitations of food critics judging a pie, and shared laughter. He didn’t care that you said his laugh sounded like a windshield wiper a week ago and you groaned with annoyance but chuckled anyway at his terrible puns.
And that’s when Seokjin realized this feeling he had all the time whenever he was around you: unguardedness. The only reason why he pinpointed this feeling as such was because of how guarded he felt in front of a lot of people. When he was with his parents, Seokjin feigned obedience and disappointment towards being placed in Gryffindor. When he was with his teammates, Seokjin laughed at his own mistakes despite the fact that they sent him spiraling into anxiety. When he was with his schoolmates, Seokjin held up this ‘social butterfly’ image even though all he wanted to do most of the time was to hang out with his small group of friends.
Sure, he often teased you and tried to get you into trouble, but talking to you just made Seokjin feel like Seokjin. He wasn’t trying to please anyone or cover anything up. And he liked that you put up a fight when you argued back.
And right now, Seokjin liked how real you felt, and because of that, he felt real too.
…
“Would you rather fly into the Whomping Willow or fight the Giant Squid?”
“Whomping Willow, definitely,” Seokjin answered. After spending a good amount of time eating apple pie in The Tunnel of Love, you pulled Seokjin over to the nearest ice cream stand, using the ‘Apple pie goes with ice cream’ excuse. Other than the fact that he found it adorable, Seokjin saw the logic behind it and agreed to get some ice cream too.
“Me too,” you nodded. You were holding your ice cream cone with one hand while your other hand dangled freely in between you two. Seokjin resisted the urge to hold on to that hand. “You still have a shot at escaping if you fly into it. With the squid you could just be pulled underwater until you drown.”
“I don’t think I have much of a shot when it comes to flying away from the willow though,” Seokjin pouted slightly.
“Nah, you’re a decent flier.”
“Is that another compliment I hear?” Seokjin grinned and nudged you. He didn’t know what it was, but right now, compliments seemed to be coming out of you quite easily.
“Didn’t you just here the word ‘decent?’” you rolled your eyes at him before taking a bite out of your ice cream cone. Seokjin grimaced slightly at the bright green color of the flavor you ordered.
“How can you stand that?” he shook his head in disapproval. “Do Slytherins just have a thing for green things?”
“Hey. You can judge me all you want but judging my favorite ice cream is just stepping over the line,” you shook your finger in warning.
“Sorry, I should know my boundaries,” Seokjin held his hands up in apology.
“And while we’re on the subject, what is it with you and the color pink?” you pointed at the strawberry-flavored ice cream in his hands.
“It goes with my gorgeous complexion,” Seokjin winked.
“Just go ahead and throw yourself in the lake, why don’t you?”
“I do have a serious question though,” Seokjin said. The two of you had been playing ‘Q & A’ while walking back to the castle from Hogsmeade after the entire TaeGi spying mission ended. Seokjin couldn’t tell if it was just him, but the two of you were walking pretty slowly. Maybe it was just him subconsciously not wanting your day to end.
“If it’s about me liking mint-chocolate chip ice cream I swear to God—”
“No, not that,” Seokjin snickered. “I’m pretty curious about this, actually. What got you into Quidditch?” he finally asked. “I mean, the only time you must have known about it was when you came into Hogwarts and there’s no way you would work for years to get into the team and become captain if you didn’t love Quidditch so much.”
“You know,” you flashed a sideways smile at him. “You’re the first person who really asked me that.”
“You can be honest,” Seokjin shrugged. “You know, fellow Quidditch player to Quidditch player.”
“I learned about the sport through this book I bought in ‘Flourish and Blotts’ when I first went to Diagon Alley,” you said. “It had a flying broom on the cover so I was pretty interested of course.”
“Was that ‘Quidditch Through the Ages?’” Seokjin pointed at you when you smiled and nodded. “I love that book! I must have read it twenty times!” he exclaimed.
“That pretty much started it all for me,” you continued. “In my first Flying Class, Madame Hooch told me I had a really good instinct for flying. And being on the broom, it just felt so…”
“It felt like you were constantly on the edge of the world,” Seokjin finished. A glint flashed in your eyes as you nodded in agreement.
“I begged Madame Hooch to help me train for tryouts. I even begged Yoongi to help out,” you chuckled slightly. “He complained about growing muscles from tossing the Quaffle so many times.”
“So that’s why he was always tired at night,” Seokjin laughed. “I teased him so much during that time.”
“But he helped me a lot though,” you sighed. “It didn’t erase the fact that I was an understudy for two more years. They even kept me in the team as a joke until they got desperate enough to finally let me in.”
“It’s messed up,” Seokjin shook his head. “If that were me I would have swatted all of them with my broom!”
“You’re right!” you exclaimed, clearly playing along with his joke. “Maybe you could have made me Headmistress of Hogwarts while you’re at it.”
“Or Minister of Magic,” Seokjin added.
“Where were you when I needed you,” you sighed.
“You’re the last person who’d ever need somebody,” Seokjin said seriously. “I mean, you’re captain of the Slytherin team!”
“And I fought tooth and nail to get it.” Seokjin couldn’t help but stare at the proud smile on your face. It brought him back to that day when saw you standing in the middle of the Quidditch field with the entire team behind you. Your Quidditch robes seemed to dance around you as your hair whipped against your face, not quite blocking that proud smile on your face.
Seokjin thought you looked like you could conquer the world if you wanted to.
Of course, not everyone saw you that way.
“Mudblood Slytherin!”
You stopped dead in your tracks at the all-too familiar name that Seokjin heard around you. He whipped around to find a group of Ravenclaw seventh-years he recognized from his Astronomy class. For Ravenclaws, they seemed to be very narrow-minded.
“Man, I don’t think she can hear us,” one of them snickered, nudging another with his elbow.
“Nah, she can hear us pretty well, don’t you Mudblood?!” another yelled.
“Come on,” Seokjin whispered, placing a hand on your back to urge you forward so you could get away as quickly as possible. Your hands were clenched dangerously at your sides. “They’re just stupid and ignorant,” he muttered.
“I know that…” you hissed. “But it doesn’t hurt less when you know people are saying these things.”
“She’s running away!” one of the Ravenclaw boys yelled.
“Hey!”
Seokjin turned to find that one of the boys had chased after you and was now gripping you by the wrist. The shock and disgust was apparent in your eyes as you looked at the boy.
“There’s no way your previous team captain would have made you the next captain,” he hissed. “He said that you must have slept—”
SLAP
Seokjin stared at his hand in awe after he struck the blow on the Ravenclaw boy’s face. He didn’t even remember considering whether or not to hit him. All Seokjin remembered was white-hot anger flashing for two seconds after listening to the bully talk.
“Seokjin!” you exclaimed in shock. When he looked at you, he found your mouth hanging open in surprise. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“You’re going to pay!” the Ravenclaw boy growled, swinging his arm back to deliver a punch when you caught his fist with one hand like some overpowered character from one of the anime’s Seokjin always found Jungkook watching. Needless to say, he couldn’t stop himself from saying ‘Damn’ under his breath. He continued to watch wide-eyed as you pushed your bully’s entire body away with what seemed to be just a flick of your wrist.
“The previous team captain didn’t choose me, there’s no way he would,” you grinned smugly. “The team chose me, and for reasons I’m willing to show you right now.” You stepped forward and shoved the Ravenclaw hard enough so that he fell over. He stood up shakily and Seokjin knew he wasn’t going to take his chances.
“Mudblood bitch,” the Ravenclaw boy hissed before turning around and rejoining his friends as they walked away.
“Well, I guess you’re not ‘Keeper of the Year’ for no reason,” Seokjin grinned. You smiled, but only slightly. Seokjin could tell you were still bothered by what happened just now. “Maybe we should pay Taehyung to prank him later,” he added, to lighten the mood a bit more. The corner of your mouth quirked up but you still didn’t say anything. It was only when you two reached the castle where you chose to sit down on the front steps, much to Seokjin’s surprise, before you finally talked.
“The funny thing about all the struggle I had to go through is that it made we want to play Quidditch even more. I know it’s such a ‘Slytherin thing’ but, I can’t help but want to prove people wrong.”
“Trust me, I know how that feels,” Seokjin grinned, sitting down next to you. You didn’t seem to mind how close your shoulders were.
“Yeah.” You placed your elbows on your knees and rested your chin on your palms. “You really trained harder than everyone else. I remember walking past the Quidditch field and seeing you practicing passes with a Quaffle. You looked really stupid but, also really admirable in a way.”
“Admirable?” Seokjin felt himself blush at the compliment.
“But still stupid!” you said hurriedly. Seokjin felt himself smile at the faint pinkness of your cheeks. “I guess it’s my turn now to ask: Why do you like Quidditch so much?”
“Hmm, my answer isn’t quite as long as yours,” Seokjin cocked his head. “But it’s a bit complicated. See, I almost quit the team in my fifth year.”
“Really?” you raised your eyebrows in surprise. “What made you come back?”
Seokjin looked down at his hands. He was perfectly aware that his answer could may as well change everything between the two of you. And like the stupidly brave Gryffindor he was, Seokjin decide to take his chance.
“You did.”
“Me?” you looked even more surprised now than you were just earlier.
“Let’s just say there was a Gryffindor spying too the day you decided to quit the team,” Seokjin smiled up at you. Realization dawned on your face.
“You were there?”
“I think about it almost every day,” Seokjin confessed.
There was a Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw match that day and Seokjin’s team had lost miserably. Even though no one said it, he could tell that the blame circled around him and his weak passes and attempts at making a goal. Seokjin had stayed behind in the locker room as everyone else, leaving only when he finalized his decision to quit the team. And that’s when he stumbled upon a Slytherin meet in the middle of the Quidditch field.
Seokjin couldn’t help his habit of instantly pinpointing you within a crowd of people.
“We are not going to cheat again,” you yelled at the team captain. “Because of the things you do, we don’t even deserve to stand on this field.”
“It’s the reason why we’re still on this field, Y/n,” your captain yelled back. “We’re Slytherins, what did they expect?”
“What makes you think you’re a Slytherin if you can’t even be proud of your own team’s skills?” The entire Quidditch field practically fell silent at the sound of your words. “Slytherins use any means to achieve their ends, but if we cheat our way through anything, we’re not even trying to win the game.” You slung your broom over your shoulder. “Quitting the team is better than joining a cheating rat like you.”
“Fine,” your Captain shrugged. “If anyone agrees with Y/n’s method, feel free to join her as she’s kicked out of the team.”
Nobody moved a muscle for what seemed like an eternity, except for Seokjin who still watched everything through his fingers, as if the scene unfolding before him was a horror movie. “Stupid girl!” he exclaimed under his breath.
But then, Jungkook walked over to stand behind you. He was still an understudy then because of his blood status and Yoongi had often tore himself apart in frustration at the foolishness of the Slytherin team.
“Two Mudbloods!” your team captain grinned. “Perf—” And then the rest of his words caught in his throat when his entire team, even the official players, walked over to stand behind you. You were just as surprised as your Captain back then, but then that proud smile grew on your face.
That day, Kim Seokjin discovered a true leader, a girl who embodied every Slytherin trait in the best way possible. And because of that, he found his place in Quidditch again.
And he found his eyes searching you more often. Even now, while the two of you were seated in front of the steps to the Hogwarts castle, not because you two were forced to but because you wanted to, Seokjin found his eyes searching your face. Your forehead creased slightly as you frowned, not in anger or frustration, but in confusion. Hesitantly, Seokjin brought his hand up and let it rest on your forearm. You didn’t flinch or move away.
“What’s happening between us?” you asked.
“I think I can answer that,” Seokjin swallowed. “But I don’t know if you’ll quite like the answer.” You looked up at him and opened your mouth to say something when Seokjin leaned in to kiss you.
Your lips tasted just like apple pie and mint ice cream which, at the moment, didn’t entirely bother Seokjin. He felt you hesitate slightly before relaxing a bit more and reaching a hand up to touch his face. Seokjin had always dreamed about kissing you ever since he saw that proud smile on your lips that fateful day, and it definitely didn’t disappoint.
And then you pulled away.
“W-what are we doing?!” you stood up quickly in a panic. “A-aren’t you supposed to hate me or something?”
“For what?” Seokjin looked up at you with wide eyes, feeling the panic settle in him as well. “I’ve never hated you.”
“Do you… like me?” you asked slowly. Seokjin swallowed again.
“I have for the past two years,” he answered, drawing in a shaky breath before asking “Do you?”
“I…” you bit your lip nervously. “I don’t know…” You stepped backwards.
“Y/n—”
“I have to go,” you turned around quickly and ran up the stairs, leaving Seokjin behind. He gazed after you, feeling his legs beginning to shake as he sank down, feeling all of the pain that his stupidly brave actions brought him to.
…
It was only when you were running down the hallway in the Dungeons that you realized you were practically out of breath and ready to collapse. Kim Seokjin confessed to you and kissed you on the steps of the castle. And you kissed him back.
“What was I thinking?” you groaned, sinking down to the floor with your back against the wall. Unfortunately, squeezing your eyes shut was too reminiscent of all the sensations you felt earlier while kissing Seokjin. The feeling of his skin underneath your fingertips, the softness of his lips, the faintest taste of strawberry ice cream. The feeling of being so warm and far, far away from a world that seemed to snap at your heels whenever you tried to do anything.
And at the same time, you felt so vulnerable. It was that vulnerability that caused you to pull away from him. If you learned anything from being a Muggle-born Slytherin and an aspiring Quidditch player, it was that you couldn’t show vulnerability. You would cry inside the Quidditch changing rooms whenever that feeling of unfairness became too much, biting on your robes so that no one would hear you sobbing.
But there was definitely a difference between that feeling of vulnerability and the one you felt when you kissed Seokjin. There was that feeling of safeness underneath that vulnerability and trust that your mistakes wouldn’t be held against you.
“What was I thinking?” you found yourself repeating again, this time for an entirely different reason.
…
The next few weeks felt like a cat-and-mouse game: the mouse being your will to talk to Seokjin and the cat being your will not to talk to him. At the same time, it felt like Seokjin was avoiding his usual places to hang out, choosing instead to study with Namjoon in the library or hole up in his Common Room.
“I really feel like he’s avoiding me,” you groaned, sinking down to rest your chin on the table.
“Well, you did kind of deny his affections,” Yoongi shrugged as he poured some soy sauce into his bowl of noodles. Taehyung sat beside him sprinkling extra sugar on his already sugary cereal until Yoongi flashed him a warning look. You smiled to yourself at their interaction, wondering just how two completely opposite people could somehow be content and perfect for each other. Not that you could relate in any way.
“Not helping,” Taehyung scolded him. “And Seokjin-hyung wouldn’t try to run away from you.”
“How do you know that?” you sighed.
“Because when Seokjin really feels strongly about someone, there’s no way he’s going to leave things in pieces after an argument,” Taehyung reasoned. “I once had this really bad fight with him but he was the first one to apologize. He can be really mature in that sense.”
“You really know people, huh?” you smiled at him. “Yoongi’s so lucky to have your back.”
“Or Seokjin could be busy with practice,” Yoongi shrugged. “The Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw match is in a few days.”
“Shit!” you sat up with a start. “Why didn’t I think of that?!”
“Because you’re really lovelorn, noona,” Taehyung sighed.
“Shut up,” you blushed. But then, you couldn’t help but agree with Taehyung as well when you found yourself rehearsing what you were going to say to Seokjin the night before his match. It felt a bit stupid talking to yourself in the bathroom mirror but the ‘Practice makes perfect’ habit you got from playing Quidditch was a hard one to abandon.
On the day itself, when you were finally standing in front of the door to the locker rooms, you found yourself unable anything you practiced. “Shit, this is bad. Really bad,” you muttered while your hands opened the door nonetheless.
“Y/n?” Seokjin looked up at you the moment you came into the empty locker rooms. He was sitting down on one of the benches with his broom leaning against the lockers next to him.
“Uh… where’s your team?” you asked, stepping hesitantly into the room.
“Out in the field already doing warm-ups,” he said. “They let me have some time to myself before a match.”
“Seems like a great team,” you smiled. Seokjin smiled back but only slightly as his gaze drifted down to the floor.
“Why are you here anyway?” he finally asked.
“Look,” you breathed out. “About that day—”
“I’m sorry for kissing you,” Seokjin blurted out. “I should have known you didn’t see me that way and I should have remembered my place and—”
“I don’t think you did anything wrong,” you blurted out this time. At this rate, it was a wonder you two were ever going to get any points across. You waited for Seokjin to say something but instead, his mouth hung open in surprise. “I’m the one who’s wrong for leaving you like that,” you continued. “Especially when… I feel the same way for you.”
“No way!” Seokjin suddenly stood up, making you back away slightly in surprise. “No way!”
“I honestly thought this could only happen in a parallel universe but I guess it’s happening here,” you shrugged. “And I’m being honest when I tell you this but, I couldn’t help but feel bothered at first when we kissed. It made me feel vulnerable and I hated that feeling because I never could afford to show that side of me before I became Quidditch Captain… or after.”
Seokjin’s gaze at you softened as he stepped forward to take your hand. “I know, feeling vulnerable really does suck. And I’m being honest right now too when I say that I feel like more of myself when I’m around you. I know I mess with you a lot and low-key flirt—”
“You blatantly flirt at me,” you corrected him.
“Fine, blatantly,” Seokjin rolled his eyes. “But I just feel relaxed and more like myself. I spot you easily among crowds and I cheer more than I should whenever you make a good save and when we stalked TaeGi I felt like I was having the time of my life.” He paused for a while before ending with “I… really want to be with you.”
“God, you’re really putting me on the spot here,” you flushed.
“I’m not quite done yet,” Seokjin winked. “But there’s no need to rush things.”
“Except for the fact that you have a Quidditch game in a few minutes?”
“Except for the fact that I have a Quidditch game in a few minutes,” Seokjin nodded, blinking rapidly as he somehow snapped back to reality. “To be continued,” he grinned, grabbing his broom and preparing to head out the door.
“Wait!” you called after him. Seokjin turned around, clearly anxious to get to the playing field, so you decided to swallow down your embarrassment. “Kiss for luck?” you said softly.
“God, you’re too cute,” Seokjin shook his head and walked briskly back to you. You closed your eyes, preparing yourself, when you felt a pair of lips kiss you lightly on the forehead. When you opened your eyes, you found Seokjin smirking down at you. “I’ll get the rest of my reward after I beat these guys.”
“Go get them tiger,” you grinned. “And you better get some goals in.”
“I’ll blow you a kiss every time I do,” Seokjin boasted as he headed out the door again. This time, you let him leave, knowing that after his game you two would have the rest of the day to yourselves. And hopefully, there was going to be some apple pie involved.