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Soobin has a head cold.
He’s been sneezing and sniffling like crazy all week, sluggishly walking from class to class and dozing off between lessons. All he wants to do is sleep for the next century, but unfortunately exams are right around the corner. Even though his body is begging him for some well-deserved rest, Soobin can’t afford to miss any more important lessons. His nose is pink and drippy all the time, his head is pounding, and his body constantly aches—but these minor inconveniences won’t stop Soobin from passing his exams. He’s very determined.
At one point, he goes to Madam Pomfrey for some magical assistance. He’s secretly hoping that she’ll be able to magically heal him with a flick of her wand or a fancy potion, but no such luck.
When he arrives, the infirmary is already filled to the brim with other seriously sick and injured students. Because his minor cold isn’t an emergency, she sends him away with packets of herbal tea and some muggle-grade painkillers. At least she has the decency to look apologetic.
Soobin may not be able to smell anything fully, but he’s confident that he’ll be able to finish the week without any major issues. It’ll only be a little while longer until he’s back to 100%, which should be easy to manage for the time being—
—until suddenly it isn’t.
Potions, he curses bitterly, inwardly shaking his fists at the sky for his misfortune, of course it had to be Potions class.
“Hello, everyone!” The professor quickly captures the attention of the class with her enthusiastic greeting, allowing the lesson to finally begin. Her students shift around in their seats anxiously.
“Today’s brew will be a difficult one, but based on the talent and intelligence of this advanced class, I’m sure we’ll be successful! Today, each pair will attempt to recreate this very famous potion.”
“Oh great,” Yeonjun mutters quietly from his place beside Soobin, fiddling absentmindedly with the end of his green tie. His books are haphazardly strewn across their workspace and his blond hair sticks up messily off his forehead, which makes Soobin snicker. He quickly reaches over to smooth down the edges without much thought. Yeonjun lets him.
As best friends, Yeonjun and Soobin always gravitate towards each other without hesitation. They’re always attached at the hip—naturally fitting into each other’s sides and spending most of their time together despite their different houses. Luckily for Soobin, Potions class is no different.
Yeonjun is considered to be one of the greatest potion makers of their generation. Somehow he always knows how much of each ingredient to place in the cauldron and how long to stir the mixture to get the perfect concoction every time. Soobin isn’t exactly the worst at Potions—he can pull his own weight, that’s for sure—but the subject has always been too number-oriented for his taste. The Hufflepuff prefers Charms.
Luckily for Soobin, they’ve been partners (in both crime and Potions class) since they met during their first year.
While Soobin is known for his level-headed brains and leadership, Yeonjun has always been more creative and outwardly spontaneous. The two of them balance each other out very well. Soobin doesn’t know where he would be without the Slytherin by his side.
Years ago when they met for the first time on the Hogwarts Express, they were just nervous little first years. Yeonjun’s hair was incredibly dark, rivaling Soobin’s own color, and he was already dressed expertly in his robes. The elder introduced himself with a confidence that Soobin sometimes still feels jealous of, so friendly and sure of himself even in front of strangers.
Before long, the two boys were bonding over dumb jokes and chocolate frog trading cards. It was Soobin’s first introduction to the wizard candy. When he suddenly revealed an insanely rare Hermione Granger trading card inside, Yeonjun nearly fainted. Soobin gave him the card without hesitation and the two have been attached at the hip ever since. The card has been framed next to Yeonjun’s bed for many years.
Even though they were sorted into different houses—with Yeonjun in Slytherin and Soobin in Hufflepuff—nothing could stop them from becoming best friends.
The professor carefully lifts the sheet off the cauldron at the front of the classroom, smiling widely at her students as they gawk and gasp. A few people in their class seem to recognize the pearlescent sheen of the liquid. Soobin’s chest tightens as his mind supplies the answer.
Amortentia—the most powerful love potion in the wizarding world.
Yeonjun also comes to the same conclusion, immediately stiffening in his seat. His eyebrows are furrowed together in concern as he warily inspects the potion. Soobin isn’t sure if he likes what he sees.
“Does anyone recognize this potion?” The professor prompts.
And like the overachieving Slytherin he is, Yeonjun raises his hand immediately to speak. The elder consistently earns top ranks in most of his classes, so it’s no surprise that he’s willing to answer.
“It’s Amortentia, ma’am. You can tell because of the mother-of-pearl sheen on top. If brewed correctly, each student should be able to smell something different based on what they love.”
“Excellent, Mr. Choi! Five points for Slytherin.” The professor looks incredibly pleased, clapping her hands excitedly. “Class, step forward and form a line near the front of the room. Each student will take turns sniffing the Amortentia and describing what they smell. I think this will be an exciting activity for everyone!”
This is definitely not exciting for Soobin. The Hufflepuff hasn't been able to smell anything for two days straight because of his stupid head cold. This is a nightmare.
As the students shift to form a line, Soobin tugs on his best friend’s robe desperately. Yeonjun looks confused, staring back at the Hufflepuff like he grew two extra heads. “What is it, Binnie?”
“Hyung, I haven’t been able to smell anything for two days! What am I supposed to say up there?”
Yeonjun’s eyes widen in realization, suddenly remembering Soobin’s extensive list of complaints throughout the week. Luckily, his best friend always seems to have a solution for everything. “Just go up there and make something up. There’s not supposed to be a right answer for this, so it’ll be easy. Everyone smells something different. No matter what you describe, she’ll have to believe it.”
As usual, Yeonjun is right. Soobin nods quickly, his mind immediately running through everything that he loves most in the world. Even though he could just say anything, he wants to make it somewhat believable.
What does Soobin love?
He loves his family and friends. Nothing makes him happier than knowing he’s the reason that someone in his life is smiling. His parents are so proud of how far he’s come at Hogwarts, and that knowledge fills him with pleasant warmth. He loves his mother’s home-cooked meals. He loves sitting with Yeonjun by the Great Lake, teasing each other mercilessly under the guise of productivity. Sometimes, the two of them get bored of their books and pick bouquets of gorgeous wildflowers instead. They’re a bright yellow color and smell incredibly sweet. Soobin thinks that he could just lay amongst them for hours with Yeonjun by his side. And he may not be a Ravenclaw, but he loves the smell of new parchment—even though Soobin isn’t very fond of the essays that often follow. That seems like enough to describe, but Soobin tacks on one last vague scent just to be safe. He likes the smell of chocolate too.
The classmates in front of him are describing very specific scents, and even though Soobin wishes he was paying attention to each of them, his mind is still clouded with anxiety. Part of him wishes he could actually smell the Amortentia for real—without the hassle of his dumb stuffy nose. Soobin thinks that he would be very interested in the results.
When it’s Yeonjun’s turn to sniff the potion, Soobin is suddenly laser-focused. He holds his breath in anticipation, feeling unexplainably tense as he watches the Slytherin boy close his eyes and lean over the cauldron. Soobin tries to convince himself that the constricting feeling in his chest is just healthy concern for his best friend.
Yeonjun takes a tentative breath, allowing the scent of the Amortentia to envelop him completely. “It smells...comforting, like a warm hug. At first, I smell hints of vanilla and the pages of an old book. There’s a woodsy undertone, but I can definitely smell a strong floral influence. The yellow ones. It also smells like freshly cleaned robes. It’s actually kinda familiar, almost like the detergent that—”
Suddenly, the boy abruptly cuts himself off. His eyes fly open, wide with panic, and Soobin can see the intense blush climbing up his neck. Yeonjun refuses to meet anyone’s eyes. “Uh—never mind. T-that’s all I smell.”
The professor kindly ignores his outburst, smiling softly as she ushers Yeonjun back to his seat. The other boy stares at the floor, wordless. Soobin resists the urge to comfort him, realizing that the entire class is now watching the Hufflepuff expectantly. It’s supposed to be his turn next, but all Soobin wants to do is march back over to his table and wrap Yeonjun in a warm hug. His best friend looks so disheveled and flustered that Soobin wants to drag the two of them out of class without another word. Anything to protect Yeonjun.
“You can step forward now, Soobin,” The professor prompts, effectively interrupting his anxiety-induced trance. With one last longing look towards Yeonjun, who still refuses to meet his eyes, Soobin steps forward.
The pearlescent sheen on top of the potion is completely mesmerizing and the Hufflepuff feels himself take a reflexive step forward. Immediately, a weight settles in the air around him, but Soobin still can’t smell anything due to his obnoxious head cold. For a moment, it seems as though the fumes are trying to break past the barrier of his stuffy nose, but to no avail.
Somewhat defeated, Soobin begins listing off everything he thought about in line. “Um—to me, the potion smells like home-cooked meals and new parchment. I can smell the sweetness of the wildflowers alongside the Great Lake and a little bit of chocolate. That’s it.”
“Excellent! You can head back to your seat now.”
Soobin smiles gratefully at the professor and promptly returns to his desk. Yeonjun’s eyes look unfocused and glassy. His eyebrows are pinched together in confusion like he’s thinking really hard about something, head hanging low. Somehow, he doesn’t hear Soobin sit beside him. Soobin frowns with concern as the Slytherin boy startles in his seat, jumping like he’s been electrified.
“Are you okay?” Soobin whispers, slowly placing his hand onto Yeonjun’s shoulder. He feels like he’s talking to a cornered animal instead of his best friend.
Yeonjun grins weakly, but the action doesn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah, I’m super. Never been better! Totally not freaking out. I’m okay.”
“What were you going to say about the detergent? Because—”
“Binnie, why did you mention the wildflowers?” Yeonjun asks quietly, staring at the folded hands in his lap. It’s almost as if the Slytherin didn’t even hear the beginning of Soobin’s question. Whatever he’s struggling to mentally process, it must be a lot.
“You said to make up random scents for the professor’s sake, hyung,” Soobin answers, shrugging his shoulders casually in a futile attempt to hide his nervousness, “So I thought about the things I love to do sometimes—eating my mom’s home-cooked meals, reading in the library, and picking flowers by the lake.”
Yeonjun nods, but Soobin can see the disappointment on his face. It doesn’t matter how well the elder tries to hide his emotions, Soobin always knows how to read his best friend like an open book. But right now, he can’t seem to figure out what happened that made Yeonjun so upset. It’s worrying.
“Is that bad, hyung?” He tries again, confused, “Should I have said something different, or—”
“No, that’s perfectly fine. I’m sure our professor didn’t suspect a thing.”
“But what about—”
“Enough, Soobin. Just drop it.”
The short response leaves him somewhat speechless, watching helplessly as Yeonjun begins to organize their potion ingredients on the table without another word. They hardly speak for the rest of class, the older boy clearly deep in thought about some new realization. Soobin feels completely powerless, lost and confused about what he could possibly be missing. Maybe Yeonjun is just having a rough day?
Luckily, Soobin and Yeonjun are one of the few pairs to correctly brew the Amortentia potion on their first try. Their professor praises them for their brilliance and hard work, but Soobin doesn’t feel the familiar warmth of pride settle in his chest. He feels...hollow for some reason. Yeonjun smiles weakly, thanking her quietly for the house points and compliments.
By the end of class, Yeonjun seems a little more relaxed, but still slightly on edge. It’s like he can’t keep still, fidgeting constantly and staring up at the ticking clock. He’s not usually this antsy to get out of class.
When the professor dismisses them, Yeonjun practically jumps out of his seat and rushes towards the door. Soobin, obviously anticipating this type of behavior, is only a few steps behind him. He catches up to the speed-walking Slytherin, reaching out to grab his wrist before he gets too far.
Yeonjun looks surprised and flustered, staring at the way Soobin’s large hand encircles his wrist with wide eyes. The other boy stands momentarily frozen, his ears burning a deep, Gryffindor red. Soobin pulls his best friend closer, confused by the way Yeonjun’s breath hitches in his throat.
“Are you okay, hyung? What happened in there?” He asks cautiously, checking Yeonjun’s face for any sign of trouble. The other boy still can’t meet his eyes, too busy staring at the shoes peeking out from underneath his robes. “Do you need me to take you to Madam Pomfrey?”
Yeonjun shakes his head fervently, taking a step back from Soobin like the taller boy had burned him. “No! I—uh, I just left my notes in my room! I have to—I gotta go. Go there. To get my notes. In that direction. Bye, I’ll see you later!”
Before Soobin can get another word in, the Slytherin is taking off down the hallway. He weaves around students in a flurry of panic and Soobin is helpless as he watches him go. Usually, the two of them walk to almost every class together, but it seems like that won’t be the case today. The younger’s heart feels heavy in his chest.
The worst part is, Yeonjun’s dormitory is in the other direction down the hallway.
Whatever the boy’s issue is, it’s very clear that Soobin is a part of the problem.
———
“Why is Yeonjun-hyung avoiding me?” Soobin asks in lieu of greeting, plopping himself down miserably across the table from Taehyun. After a bit of searching, he finally found the young Ravenclaw in the library.
If anyone can help Soobin explain these strange circumstances, it's Taehyun.
“Why are you so oblivious?” Taehyun deadpans immediately, keeping his eyes trained on the book he’s reading. He flips through the pages casually, ignoring the confusion and frustration on Soobin’s face.
“Oblivious to what?”
The younger boy rolls his eyes and sighs, shaking his head in disappointment. “I can’t believe I ever thought you were a Ravenclaw.”
Soobin drops his head into his hands dejectedly, feeling like he’s on the verge of tears. “I just don’t know why he doesn’t want to see me anymore. I miss him so much.”
Taehyun softens at this, closing his books to finally give Soobin his full attention. He looks a little sad too, but the Hufflepuff can’t decipher why. “Hyung…”
It’s been a little over a week since their Potions class incident and Soobin has barely seen Yeonjun at all. Every time the elder sees him in the hallways or eating in the Great Hall, the boy’s face flushes bright red and he zooms off in the other direction. Whenever Soobin tries to talk to him, Yeonjun just stutters out an incoherent apology. No matter how many times the taller attempts to corner him, Yeonjun escapes every single time. Even when they’re hanging out as a group, the Slytherin always finds a silly excuse to leave early.
And the younger misses him so much that it’s starting to hurt. His chest feels empty and he’s starting to skip meals at the dining hall. Luckily, his cold is finally gone—but Soobin still feels like absolute shit. He never realized how often he relied on Yeonjun for positivity and warmth in his life.
He’s completely miserable without Yeonjun.
“Do you know why he’s been avoiding me?”
“I think Yeonjun-hyung is currently figuring out some of his,” Taehyun pauses, choosing his next words carefully, “personal feelings, but still cares about you deeply.”
Soobin sighs, frowning despite the reassurance. “He’s just been so different around me recently. Whenever he sees me, he gets so flustered and nervous—it’s like he can’t look me in the eye. But I always catch him staring at me with this soft look on his face when he thinks I’m not paying attention. He’s so confusing.”
Taehyun stares at him blankly, looking like he wants to say something but eventually deciding against it. It’s the same look he gives Beomgyu when he doesn’t understand an easy Transfiguration assignment. “Hyung…I think for a moment you need to separate this behavior from Yeonjun-hyung specifically and think about what that type of reaction usually means. Getting flustered easily, being bad with eye contact, soft glances when someone isn’t looking—what does that sound like to you.”
Soobin shrugs, already starting to lose hope. “I don’t know...anxiety? But Yeonjun-hyung has never—”
“Fine,” Taehyun interrupts, staring intensely at Soobin for a moment before sighing heavily, “What if you saw me suddenly acting this way towards Beomgyu-hyung? That means whenever I see him, I can’t form coherent sentences and I get flustered really easily. Sometimes, I look at him fondly when I think the others don’t notice. What does that sound like to you?”
Soobin rolls his eyes. “It sounds like how you always act around Beomgyu—like you’re super in love with him. How is this supposed to help me?”
Taehyun looks momentarily torn between ripping his hair out and lunging across the table to strangle the life out of Soobin. “First of all, I am not like that, hyung. I don’t like Beomgyu-hyung, that would be so embarrassing! Stop being delusional.”
“Delusional? Taehyun, it’s obvious you’ve had a thing for him since second year.”
Taehyun looks momentarily stunned, face frozen in panic, before promptly slamming his head down into his pile of books. Soobin winces. “How are you so oblivious to everything, but somehow that is the only thing you pick up on? I hate you.” Taehyun mumbles into his book covers.
“Well, I—” Soobin begins, only to be immediately interrupted by an over-excited Gryffindor nearly slamming into their table.
“Hey, guys!” Beomgyu greets cheerfully, plopping down into the seat next to Taehyun. Soobin watches as the Ravenclaw beside him flushes bright red, pointedly averting his eyes towards the endless rows of shelves. “What were you two just talking about?”
“N-nothing. We weren’t—we weren’t even talking. Soobin and I don’t speak.” Taehyun stutters, growing more and more embarrassed by the second. Soobin rolls his eyes at the younger’s reaction, almost completely incoherent around his crush. Why does that sound so familiar?
“Oooookay...” Beomgyu answers, shrugging his shoulders. Immediately, the Gryffindor changes the subject.
“Anyway, guess what I have!” He singsongs, sounding smug. Taehyun and Soobin share a worried look, never fully prepared for the shenanigans that Beomgyu tends to unleash. The Hufflepuff is glad that Huening Kai isn’t here to feed the flames of Beomgyu’s plot.
As the boy reaches into his bag, a mischievous grin overtakes his features. He slowly reveals a small vial of liquid—so small Soobin can barely decipher what it is—and presents it proudly to the pair. “Ta-da!”
“A vial of liquid?” Soobin questions, clearly lost. Taehyun also looks confused, which makes the elder feel a lot better.
Beomgyu frowns, rolling his eyes. “No, dummies. It’s Amortentia! I stole a tiny bit from the Potions classroom before I left today. No one will even realize it’s gone.”
Taehyun looks like he’s about to protest, but Soobin practically lights up in excitement. “Amortentia? I never got the chance to smell it last week because my nose was so stuffed up! Let me smell it.”
His two friends share a secret look, mentally communicating like they know something Soobin doesn’t. Taehyun looks concerned and Beomgyu seems hesitant, his excitement from earlier completely drained right out of him. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea, Soobin-hyung.”
“Why not?”
“Well, because—” Beomgyu is about to say something, but after receiving a harsh look from Taehyun and swift elbow to his ribs, he stops himself. “It might not turn out great.”
“Are you serious? Guys, I was already supposed to smell it in Potions class, how dangerous can it be?”
Taehyun and Beomgyu share another secret look, frowning. Finally, they both seem to relent with a sigh. “Okay, Soobin-hyung. But don’t say we didn’t warn you.”
Soobin takes the vial gingerly in his hands, practically shaking with anticipation. He was pretty upset that he missed the opportunity to properly engage with Amortentia last week, so this is perfect. He quickly unscrews the lid, lowering himself in the seat so it looks less suspicious to other students and the librarian.
Immediately, his senses are hit by the smell of citrus. It’s powerful and sweet, leaving Soobin instantly addicted to it. He closes his eyes and lets himself be engulfed in the scent.
Next, the smell transitions into the freshly cut grass of the quidditch pitch. Soobin can easily identify the smell because he’s spent so much time watching Yeonjun and Huening Kai practice every other morning. It’s very clean and refreshing, reminding him of fall days at Hogwarts—those have always been some of his favorites.
The next scent completely surprises him—it’s the yellow flowers from the Great Lake. Soobin can’t believe he actually guessed something right when he was describing the fake Amortentia scents to the class. Studying with Yeonjun alongside those flowers is one of his favorite things to do. Looking out at the lake, Soobin feels truly at peace.
The last one Soobin recognizes is the soothing smell of mint. Although it starts out subtle, the scent slowly begins to build as the time passes. Usually, Soobin doesn’t really like mint because it reminds him of that nasty mint chocolate chip that Yeonjun always likes. But this scent comforts Soobin, making his chest feel warm on the inside. Overall, the Amortentia leaves him feeling a little overwhelmed and disoriented.
“What did you smell?” Taehyun asks curiously.
Suddenly, Soobin’s eyes fly open. A million things begin to click in his brain as if he’s unlocked the secrets of the universe. Everything makes sense.
“Yeonjun. I smelled Yeonjun.”
Taehyun and Beomgyu gasp, but Soobin ignores them.
It’s the strong citrus smell of the Slytherin’s favorite perfume, the early morning quidditch pitch, his favorite yellow flowers, and his favorite ice cream. Every single scent leads directly back to Yeonjun. How could he have been so blind? Now that he starts to think of it, Soobin has always felt very strongly for Yeonjun, but has never put a label on those feelings.
Soobin is in love with Yeonjun. Deeply, irrevocably, and embarrassingly in love with his best friend.
What did Yeonjun describe at the cauldron? Soobin racks his brain, desperately grasping for his exact words.
“It smells...comforting, like a warm hug. At first, I smell hints of vanilla and the pages of an old book. There’s a woodsy undertone, but I can definitely smell a strong floral influence. The yellow ones. It also smells like freshly cleaned robes. It’s familiar, almost like the detergent that—”
The yellow ones.
He’s talking about the yellow flowers that grow beside the Great Lake. The ones that surround the two of them during their study meetings, looking so vibrant and smelling so sweet. Yeonjun is talking about the ones that Soobin smelled in his Amortentia.
Soobin feels like he might pass out.
He loves Yeonjun—loves him in a way that makes Soobin yearn for his presence and manifest in protectiveness. Feelings that he stupidly labeled “platonic” for the other boy come flying back to him, smacking the Hufflepuff in the face and calling him a hopeless idiot.
There’s also a slight possibility that Yeonjun might return his feelings. Based on their shared Amortentia smell and Yeonjun’s weird behavior, Soobin doesn’t understand how he didn’t realize it sooner. Maybe that’s what Taehyun was trying to explain to him all along.
“I’m in love with Yeonjun-hyung.” He murmurs, the words somehow feeling familiar in his mouth. It’s almost as if they were meant to be there.
A couple beats of silence pass as the table digests Soobin’s confession. Beomgyu shrugs, scrunching his eyebrows. “Well, yeah…duh.”
His tone snaps Soobin right out of his embarrassing lovesick haze. “What do you mean?” He asks sharply.
“It means that you’re officially the last person at Hogwarts to realize.” Beomgyu flashes a toothy grin, ignoring the pointed look Taehyun sends his way. “Right behind Yeonjun, of course.”
How could he have been so stupid? Soobin immediately jolts out of his seat, hastily packing his discarded textbooks and parchment. “I have to go find him!”
Taehyun watches with a mix of concern and amusement. “Hyung, are you sure—?”
“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”
———
Even though Yeonjun often pretends to be super mysterious and elusive, Soobin has always been able to read him like an open book. It’s a book that he’s become very familiar with over the years and cherishes deeply. He hopes to cherish this knowledge for the rest of his life.
And from this knowledge of the Slytherin’s whereabouts and behaviors, Soobin knows all of the other boy’s favorite hiding places around the castle. Whenever Yeonjun is upset or needs a place to think, the Qudditch pitch and the Astronomy Tower are the best places to escape from everything. And since it’s far too late in the evening to be out on the pitch, Soobin zooms through many long-winding corridors towards the Astronomy Tower in a haze.
Since his realization, Yeonjun is the only thing that occupies Soobin’s mind—remembering the way he laughs way too hard at Huening Kai’s awful jokes, his attractive smirk after winning a Quidditch match, and the way he softly runs his fingers through Soobin’s hair when they’re up late writing essays. Yeonjun is truly incredible. Soobin has had these feelings of awe and fondness for the other boy since first year, but now the context of these feelings finally makes sense. His love for Yeonjun has always been different than his feelings for his other friends. They complete each other.
Soobin just hopes that Yeonjun has been avoiding him because he feels too strongly (and mutually) for the Hufflepuff, not that he’s disgusted by the scent of his Amortentia. Now that would make this love confession a little awkward.
He finally spots Yeonjun sitting on the floor of the Astronomy tower, playing with the sleeve of his robes with a far-off look in his eye. Clearly, he’s thinking about something very important. Soobin hates to break the peacefulness of this moment, but he’s two seconds away from blurting out a full-blown love confession.
“Yeonjun-hyung?”
The Slytherin immediately startles, practically falling over in shock at the interrupting voice. He stares up at Soobin standing in the doorway like it’s the first time he’s seeing him. “What are you doing here?”
“You always come up here when you need to think,” Soobin begins, suddenly feeling incredibly nervous, “so this was the first place I looked.”
“Well, you found me.”
An awkward silence stretches between them, neither boy knowing how to approach the obvious tension between them. When neither of them can take it anymore, they both start to speak at the same time.
“Listen, I—”
“Yeonjun-hyung, I like you.”
Soobin quickly reaches up to cover his mouth, shocked by his own admission. After meticulously planning his exact confession for the last hour, of course the younger would just blurt out the first thing that came to mind. Soobin wishes he had a time-turner to avoid this embarrassment, but not even magic can help him now.
“Soobin?” Yeonjun whispers, afraid that his own voice will betray him. He stares up at his best friend in disbelief.
Soobin is practically frozen, rendered completely speechless by the hopeful look in Yeonjun’s eyes. His mind races with a million different things he wants to say—how much he cares for Yeonjun, how often he thinks about him, how many times he’s imagined what it’d be like to kiss him. But the words get trapped in his throat, stunned in the presence of Yeonjun's effortless beauty.
“Uh—” He tries, but his brain to mouth communication is completely fried.
Worried by the silence, Yeonjun slowly stands up from the ground and approaches the tense figure of his best friend. He hesitantly places his hand on Soobin’s shoulder, speaking in soft tones like you would to a frightened animal. “Are you okay?”
Yeonjun looks concerned. Soobin takes a deep breath, preparing to speak and explain himself, when he suddenly smells the other boy’s citrus perfume. The vibrant scent finally wakes up his senses and reminds him exactly why he’s here.
“I’m more than okay. Hyung, you need to know—” Soobin answers, reaching up to grasp Yeonjun’s shoulders tightly, “I really, really like you—so much that it’s actually super embarrassing that I didn’t realize it sooner. You’re just so incredible that I—”
Lips. Those are Yeonjun’s lips tentatively brushing against his own, light and unsure. His lips are just as soft as Soobin always imagined they’d be. It’s a somewhat short kiss, but the faint taste of Yeonjun’s strawberry chapstick has already left Soobin feeling dizzy.
Now this is magic.
Butterflies erupt in his stomach, fluttering around wildly as the boys begin to process what this means for them. Yeonjun just kissed him.
Soobin keeps his eyes closed, inhaling deeply. He feels insanely overwhelmed, the scent of Yeonjun’s citrus perfume clouding his mind with the pleasant buzz of contentment. His erratic heartbeat echoes loudly in his ears. There’s no going back now.
“...citrus perfume, the Quidditch pitch, yellow wildflowers, and mint.”
His words hang heavily in the air for a moment and Soobin holds his breath. A beat of silence passes.
“Um...am I supposed to understand what that means?” Yeonjun whispers into the silence, sounding puzzled. When Soobin finally opens his eyes, he finds the Slytherin staring back at him with mussed hair and rosy cheeks. Somehow his lips look even more appetizing than usual, shiny with spit and bitten cherry red. Soobin resists the urge to swoon.
“That’s my Amortentia.” Soobin explains quietly, enjoying the way Yeonjun’s eyes widen and his jaw drops in shock. “It’s everything that describes you, hyung.”
“When did you get some Amortentia?” Yeonjun asks, sounding skeptical. Soobin can practically see the gears turning in the elder’s head as he tries to catch up with these life-altering details.
“Beomgyu stole some.” Soobin explains. Yeonjun looks mildly impressed, but not entirely surprised. Knowing Beomgyu, that makes complete sense.
“Soobin,” Yeonjun begins softly, voice sounding shaky and hollow. “Are you sure it’s me? There’s so many other people here at Hogwarts. I mean...maybe your mind is playing tricks on you just because it knows how much I’m already in love with you.”
“You’re in love with me?” Soobin whispers breathlessly, heart pounding wildly in his chest as he steps closer to the elder. Nothing else matters in this moment except for the two of them.
Yeonjun freezes, looking mildly horrified by his sudden admission. Before the other boy can backtrack or melt into a puddle of pure embarrassment, Soobin reaffirms the confession. “You’re in love with me.”
“I—well, I didn’t mean to say it like that.” Yeonjun stutters, refusing to meet Soobin’s eyes. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way! Just because I kissed you doesn’t mean that you’re in love with me or anything, so—”
Soobin doesn’t know how much more of this he can take. The only thought bouncing around in his skull is a giddy repetition of Yeonjun loves you, Yeonjun loves you, Yeonjun loves you.
Using their minimal height difference to his advantage, he quickly swoops down and places another lingering kiss on the elder’s lips. It doesn’t last very long the first time—just a peck—before Soobin is pulling back to study his best friend’s reaction. His heart thuds wildly in his chest. Yeonjun immediately stops rambling as Soobin leans away, looking completely flabbergasted. Heat blossoms across his cheeks and covers the tips of his ears, providing a striking resemblance to the Gryffindor crest.
Before Soobin can apologize profusely or rattle off a lame excuse, Yeonjun is pressing forward to meet his lips once again. His eyes are squeezed shut—like he’s worried that if he opens them, every aspect of this moment will be gone. Soobin melts into the kiss without hesitation.
They stay like that for a while, pressed tightly against each other in the astronomy tower after the most confusing week of Soobin’s life. The younger’s hands rest on Yeonjun’s hips like they belong there. Soobin’s brain decides to clock out for a little while, dutifully ignoring everything that isn’t the insistent press of Yeonjun’s lips or the small sounds the other boy is making.
After way too much time passes, they finally detach from each other with shy giggles. Yeonjun pants quietly, uselessly attempting to catch his breath. His blond hair is completely disheveled and sticks up all over the place where Soobin has been running his hands through it. The top two buttons of his uniform shirt are undone and his robe is hanging off one shoulder—he looks thoroughly kissed. The Hufflepuff tries not to feel too smug about it.
Soobin is the reason that Yeonjun is so breathless and flustered. Not anyone else.
“You’re amazing.” Soobin murmurs earnestly, afraid to disturb the sanctity of the moment, “And I know I’m in love with you too, idiot.”
“Hey! Show some respect, kid. I’m your hyung!” Yeonjun starts to complain, but Soobin can see the way his eyes are shining with happiness. No amount of pretend-seriousness or cheesiness can hide the elder’s blinding smile.
“Okay, idiot-hyung.” Soobin giggles as Yeonjun starts to pout, rolling his eyes at the fake nickname. “But I think we’re both pretty dumb since we didn’t realize this any sooner. The Amortentia just helped me realize...it’s always been you.”
Feeling incredibly sappy, Soobin can’t resist the urge to push a stray piece of Yeonjun’s bangs behind his ear like they’re in some cheesy romantic comedy. The elder blushes again and Soobin files that information away for later. “Your face is bright red, hyung.”
“Shut up.” Yeonjun whines, burrowing his face into the crook of Soobin’s neck to hide his embarrassment.
Soobin laughs, a deep rumble in his chest. He’s never felt happier than he does at this moment. Sighing softly, he takes a second to bask in the warmth of Yeonjun and the lack of fear he now feels—until he hears the elder sniffle and immediately goes into panic mode.
Is he unhappy? Has Soobin completely misread this entire situation? Does Yeonjun have allergies?
Still hidden in the crook of Soobin’s neck, the Slytherin quietly mumbles something that the younger fails to catch.
“Huh?”
Yeonjun sighs loudly, putting on a big show of acting annoyed. “I said it’s your detergent...that’s when I realized.” His voice trails off softly at the end like he’s embarrassed by the admission, but Soobin’s heart positively swells. “It smells really good. Like a mix of floral and vanilla.”
What he originally thought was fear or embarrassment was actually just Yeonjun smelling the detergent on his robes. This boy is way too cute for Soobin’s personal health.
“I’m glad you like it so much.” Soobin grins, looking incredibly smug. He’s about to continue teasing Yeonjun, but suddenly a spontaneous thought pops into his head. “Let’s get out of here, I have somewhere I want to go.”
“I’m perfectly content right here, but fine.” Yeonjun reluctantly agrees, partially extracting himself from the warmth of Soobin’s arms. “If you insist.”
Soobin immediately grabs Yeonjun’s hand, interlacing their fingers together softly. Without any more hesitation, he drags the Slytherin down the stairs and through multiple long corridors. The elder follows blindly, pestering him about the secret location the entire way.
When they finally arrive at his destination, Yeonjun can’t help the elated laughter that escapes his mouth. The sun hangs low in the sky, painting the Great Lake and the beautiful patch of yellow wildflowers around them in a soft orange hue.
Soobin doesn’t think the wildflowers have ever smelled so sweet.