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There have been a number of times when some of their professors had mistaken them for twins – fraternal, because they look nothing alike. While Park Jihoon is all bright eyes, bright skin, and bright smile, Park Woojin is all deep gazes, deep complexion, and deep aura; but they’re both undeniably beautiful and captivating, that they have everybody wondering what their parents might look like. They’re also always together – sitting right next to each other in class, huddling over a collection of books together at the library, eating all of their meals side by side at The Great Hall. They’re both extremely intelligent and immensely talented as well, that they have everyone thinking what their parents might be like too.
Every time somebody brings this fraternal twins thing up, Jihoon would frantically shake his head and hastily explain that he can never be related to someone like Woojin. The younger Park, who, to nobody’s surprise, is standing right beside the older Park, would snort, clear his throat, and then calmly say “We’re competitors, actually. Frenemies? Nothing more, nothing less. Which is why I excel in Potions, and Jihoon in – wait, what do you excel in?”
Jihoon would flush red in both embarrassment and annoyance, and kick Woojin in the shin. As the latter would writhe in pain, the former would continue to explain that the two of them come from completely different Park families, and that he is their year’s best student in Transfiguration, thank you very much.
“You know,” Jinyoung would begin as they leave their classroom for their next class. He has to wait a bit for Jihoon to stop looking back to check if Woojin’s leg is okay before he could continue. “None of us would be surprised if you and Woojin hyung eventually become one big Park family.” He would wiggle his eyebrows quickly at Jihoon before running away. Jihoon would have no time to retort, so he would wait for Woojin to catch up to him instead.
Jihoon and Woojin had met right before they boarded the Hogwarts Express back in their first year. Jihoon’s entire family had brought him to the station, obviously eager about finally sending their youngest member to Hogwarts. He had been waiting for his acceptance letter ever since he can remember, and now that he’s gotten all of his books and materials neatly packed inside his trunk, he couldn’t stop thinking about what house he’d eventually be sorted into. There’s no telling, really, since his dad and older brother are from Slytherin, while his mom is from Ravenclaw. He thinks he can fit nicely into both anyway, so he tells himself not to dwell on the thought too much until his name is called during the actual sorting ceremony later on.
Jihoon had turned to bid his family goodbye when he spotted another family looking a bit lost in the corner of the station. He assumed that they’re muggles, considering the wide eyes and gaping mouths the family members were sporting as they looked at everything and anything along Platform 9 and 3/4 – all of them, save for the boy with a small snaggletooth peeking from his shy smile in the middle of them all.
“I’m going to board the train now,” the boy had quietly told his parents. They snapped out of the trance they were in to give him parting hugs, kisses, and words.
His younger sister had been clinging onto his leg tightly the entire time, her eyes threatening to spill tears everywhere. They must be pretty close, Jihoon had thought, since no words were exchanged, but the boy knew exactly what to do and say to make the little girl feel better.
“Oppa’s going to be home for the Christmas holidays anyway,” the boy had said to the young girl. He was patting her head with one hand while rubbing her arm with the other, and it was doing magic. “That’s only how many months away!”
His little sister had nodded in agreement but hugged the older boy tightly anyway, clearly not wanting to let him go anytime soon.
“Write to us, okay?”
“Let us know how you’re doing.”
“And don’t wave your stick around unnecessarily!”
Jihoon had laughed much louder than he had wanted to at this, making everyone – including the boy and his family – turn to his direction. His cheeks had already flushed a shade of bright pink in embarrassment, but he braved the walk towards the boy and his family anyway, excusing himself from his own family.
“Hi,” Jihoon had said, shyly offering his hand to the boy with the snaggletooth. “My name is Park Jihoon, I’m a first year too.”
The boy’s parents had immediately brightened at Jihoon’s statement. They quickly introduced themselves as well, and Jihoon learned that the boy’s name is Woojin.
A first year! A Korean! A Park! They had exclaimed, making Jihoon chuckle again. “Don’t worry about your son,” Jihoon had assured them. “I’ll take care of him!”
If Woojin were to be completely honest though, he has actually done most of the caring while he and Jihoon are together at Hogwarts. Jihoon was only useful for the first few weeks, he had written in one of his earlier letters to home. He’s managed to burn a patch of Hyungseob’s hair and a section of Haknyeon’s robes, and melt three pots in Potions! And it’s only been half a semester!
Jihoon, who had been looking over Woojin’s shoulder, did not forget to give the younger’s head quite a hard shove.
“I’m not exaggerating though?” Woojin laughed.
“Don’t forget to also tell them about how I was actually considered to advance and take Transfiguration with the second years if I didn’t turn the offer down to be able to help you with it, ” Jihoon answered as he waved his wand and turned Woojin’s quill into a chick.
The Ravenclaw common room is never quiet and peaceful enough for either Jihoon or Woojin’s liking. For a Hogwarts house that has always been stereotyped as nerdy or studious, their common room is always in a commotion and never conducive for any advanced studying, forcing the two of them to find someplace else to review their lessons. Woojin prefers doing school work in empty classrooms, where no one (except the occasional couples slipping in to hide from prefects and professors as they make out) will cause a ruckus, while Jihoon opts to study at the library, where he can get all of the books and resources he needs as quickly as he’d like.
Woojin’s thinking of what classroom would be the least disturbed at this time of the day, but Jihoon’s already tugging at his robes, and pulling him towards the direction of the library.
“We have a test in Potions tomorrow,” Jihoon says without even looking at Woojin who’s in the midst of grumbling a string of complaints about how they always study at the library these days. “I need to get a couple of books and browse through some stuff to prepare for it.”
Woojin knows Jihoon can’t see him, so he rolls his eyes. “I know.”
Jihoon stops in his tracks and abruptly turns around to poke a finger in Woojin’s chest. “Shut up.”
Woojin chuckles and his eyes disappear into crinkles. He grasps Jihoon’s finger, it’s warm against the palm of his hand. “I meant, I know about our exam tomorrow,” he states, then he bends Jihoon’s finger a little but enough to make the older pull away in slight pain. “But, I know about you and Potions too. I’m pretty sure everybody does.”
“Ouch,” Jihoon pouts.
Woojin sticks his tongue out as he rubs the sore spot on his chest. “The truth hurts.”
The library isn’t as serene as the boys had wanted it to be, but it’s a bit better than the state of the Ravenclaw common room. A bunch of boys are making a fuss on one of the tables – they’re probably there for detention, while a group of girls are gossiping over opened books and pieces of parchment on another. Jihoon and Woojin pay them no mind as they both make their way to an isolated desk at one corner of the hall – the one that they’ve deemed theirs over the past six years, and they like to think that everybody else in school acknowledges it as their spot too. Woojin immediately rests his head on top of his arms as soon as he takes a seat, which makes Jihoon scoff.
“Wake me up in twenty minutes,” Woojin mumbles. Jihoon can’t see his face, but he knows Woojin’s smirking, so he makes sure to kick at one of the legs of the younger’s chair to disrupt him even a tiny bit.
“Thank you for being so supportive of me,” Jihoon hisses.
Jihoon then makes his way to the Potions section of the library. He runs his index finger along the books’ spines, squinting his eyes at the titles. When one rings a bell, he pulls it out of the shelf and rests it on one of his arms. He chooses as many books as he has deemed he’s needed that by the time he finds his way back to his and Woojin’s table, he has already gotten a toddler’s height-worth of books in his arms. The topmost volume falls to the floor with a thump, and it wakes Woojin up. He turns to look at Jihoon with an eyebrow raised, clearly amused at the older’s load.
“I don’t understand why you don’t just use your wand to bring all of your books over,” Woojin says as he stands up from his seat and walks over to Jihoon to relieve him of a couple of the books he’s borrowed.
“Well, I don’t understand why you don’t either,” Jihoon answers, but he extends his arms to urge Woojin to take some more.
Woojin acts like he has no more plans of helping Jihoon with his books, making the older glare at him.
“Are you hoping any of the Half-Blood Prince’s books are here?” Woojin jokes as he lays out at least twelve books onto their table.
Jihoon swats at his arm with the thickest one in his hands. “Shut up, I already have his copy of Advanced Potion Making.”
“I know, but you’re still failing.”
Jihoon hits Woojin’s head with the same book he had used earlier. “A C is not failing,” Jihoon argues, and before Woojin can finish talking about how it is a failure in their standards (being the smartest kids in their year, and all), he continues with “I’m probably just not compatible with the Half-Blood Prince.”
Woojin sits back down on his chair, chuckling but rubbing the top of his head. “Oh? Is that a thing now?” He opens one of the books Jihoon borrowed to a random page. “You did pretty well in the last exam though.”
“That’s because I studied using your notes,” Jihoon says as-a-matter-of-factly as he sits himself down opposite Woojin and opens a book of his own. He’s already too busy jotting down notes Woojin doubts he’d understand later to notice the teasing smirk on the other’s face.
Woojin sets the book he’d just opened aside and rests his chin on his hands to look at Jihoon. “Are you implying that you’re compatible with me?”
Jihoon’s face immediately warms at Woojin’s sudden comment, and he’s sure he’s already turning red. Woojin has always been a joker, but Jihoon can never get used to this kind of teasing from him. He hopes the library’s lighting is bad enough to make the color of his face unnoticeable to Woojin, but he doesn’t expect too much because the younger Park knows him too well already anyway.
“You’re disgusting, Park Woojin,” Jihoon hisses as he slides a couple of the books on the table at Woojin’s direction.
Woojin laughs much too loudly for his and Jihoon’s own good in the library, clearly enjoying the reaction he’d just gotten from the older Park. “You were the one who brought it up, I was just putting two and two together.”
The librarian makes her way to their little corner to reprimand them, and Jihoon apologizes profusely. Woojin doesn’t look or feel that sorry though.
Jihoon yawns for what seems like the twentieth time only that past hour, which makes Woojin shut the book Jihoon has been trying to read for the past two hours with a snap. The library is empty now, save for the two of them and the librarian, so the sound echoes through the hall, but nobody comes to tell them off anymore.
“You’re tired, let’s go.”
“I can’t, not yet,” Jihoon counters. “I’ve made such little progress!”
Woojin had expected this answer, but he’s sleepy and Jihoon is too, so he takes it upon himself to grab a couple of the books Jihoon borrowed that he’s classified as those best to use when cramming for a Potions exam, and stuffs them into his bag. “Browse through these tomorrow morning, we’ve got a free period before Potions anyway,” he tells Jihoon.
Jihoon huffs but packs his own things lazily anyway. “I’m going to mess the exam up again tomorrow, I’m sure of it.”
Woojin extends his hand toward Jihoon and pulls him off of his seat after the older takes it. He leads the way back to the Ravenclaw dormitories. “You’re not that bad,” he reassures, giving Jihoon’s hand a couple of squeezes along the way. “I’ll lend you my notes again too.”
Jihoon’s eyelids are still heavy with sleep (or lack, thereof) but his lips break into a big smile. “You’re the best.”
Woojin hands his bag over to Jihoon right before he shoves the older Park into the bedroom he shares with Jinyoung. “I know, I’ve been told so many times. Mostly by you.”
Jihoon is still alert enough to spin around and lightly kick Woojin in the butt. “Get out,” he orders, but he’s laughing.
Woojin laughs too but turns to the direction of his own bedroom anyway. “Good night, rest well, Jihoon.”
Woojin is busy tying his shoelaces when Jinyoung steps into his and Daehwi’s bedroom.
“Good morning, hyung,” Jinyoung chirps, plopping himself onto Daehwi’s bed while the owner is still rushing to get ready in the bathroom.
“Good morning,” Woojin replies. He makes sure his shoelaces are tied tightly and evenly before standing up from his bed and straightening out the creases on his uniform. “Has Jihoon left?”
Jinyoung raises an eyebrow in a disbelieving and questioning manner, as if what Woojin had just said made no sense to him at all.
At about the same time, Daehwi walks out of the bathroom. He has been friends with the other three boys for a long time already that he immediately catches onto the conversation he wasn’t initially a part of.
“Since when did Jihoon hyung ever leave the dormitories without you?” Daehwi breathes out. He pulls Jinyoung up from his bed and mimes at Jinyoung to fix his tie for him. “And vice versa?”
“Since when did either of you go anywhere without the other?” Jinyoung adds.
Woojin leans against one of his bedposts and ponders for a moment. Jinyoung is a slow walker, so Daehwi is already pushing him out of the bedroom while interrupting Woojin’s thoughts. “The answer is never, Woojin hyung. Not once in six years. You hate being late but still wait for Jihoon no matter how long it takes for him to get out of bed after he’s spent too many hours the previous night reading a book on who knows what.”
Daehwi and Jinyoung exit before Woojin can say anything else, so he’s left alone with his own thoughts. He looks back at all of the days and weeks and months and years he’s spent with Jihoon, and he snorts when he really can’t remember a time he spent away from Jihoon, without Jihoon. It doesn’t sound too bad, really, Woojin thinks, he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way anyway – no matter the consequences of hanging out with somebody so radioactive.
Daehwi and Jinyoung were right.
Woojin’s thoughts are interrupted by Jihoon’s “What did those two say this time?” and only then does Woojin realize he spoke his mind out loud.
He walks over to where Jihoon is standing by his bedroom door and fixes a couple of strands of hair that Jihoon missed to brush with his fingers probably because of his own rush to get ready. “They said you’d be late, again,” Woojin lies. He makes a show of looking at his watch so he misses the pink tinge creeping onto Jihoon’s cheeks as he cards through Jihoon’s hair. They’ve been best friends for six years, but actions like this still make Jihoon’s face warm.
“Yeah, but now you are too because you’re still here. Why are you still here?”
Woojin’s hand stops moving through Jihoon’s hair and rests right on top of the older’s head. “Yeah, because I never go anywhere without you and you never go anywhere without me, right?”
The pink on Jihoon’s cheeks have practically covered his entire face, even up to the tips of his ears, but he looks right into Woojin’s eyes anyway when he says, “Right.”
“Were you able to get any readings done last night?” Woojin asks as he closes the door to the Ravenclaw dormitories behind him. He had wanted Jihoon to go straight to bed much like he had done last night, but he knows Jihoon too well so he didn’t even bother to ask about that option.
“Barely,” Jihoon huffs. “My eyes couldn’t even stay open for more than half a sentence at a time, so I went to sleep after, like, an hour of trying.”
Woojin chuckles but reaches for one of Jihoon’s hand because he also knows how nervous Jihoon must be today. Woojin doesn’t really understand how anybody as intelligent and skilled as Jihoon can find Potions difficult. It’s basically just like cooking, like following a recipe book. But Jihoon finds it hard, and Woojin acknowledges it. Woojin also knows how important getting a good grade in Potions is for Jihoon, just like how important getting a high mark in Transfiguration is for him. They need to do well in all of their subjects in preparation for their N.E.W.T.s next year which they will need in order to get into their career choices in the future. It’s all so important, so heavy, and Woojin tightens his hold on Jihoon’s hand to let him know that Woojin is there to share the burden with him – just like what they both have been doing for each other ever since.
They walk to their first class with their hands intertwined. They sneak into one of the empty classrooms during their free period the same way. Nobody says anything, not even their professor who is notorious for being against even the tiniest kind of public display of affection (rumors say he went through the nastiest break-up, hence). More than being mistaken for fraternal twins, majority of the people in school think they’re a couple anyway. Jinyoung and Daehwi wiggle their eyebrows and send knowing smiles their way when they meet each other in the halls, but they also collectively shoo the annoying Ravenclaw head girl away as both Parks enter the empty classroom they’ve chosen to do some last minute studying just in case she has any thoughts of them doing the dirty while inside.
“I’d much rather go through each of their family trees to explain how they’re not related than try to get Jiyoung noona out of their hairs, to be honest,” Jinyoung complains. He exaggeratedly swipes at the sweat atop his eyebrows to show just how much effort it takes to cover up for their friends’ study dates.
“I’d rather not have to deal with either of those two options, honestly,” Daehwi answers. “They should just get together officially already. Everybody’s thinking of it anyway.”
Jinyoung hums in agreement. “Everybody but them, apparently.”
They move onto their Potions class with their hands still held in each other’s. Woojin can hardly feel the tips of his fingers at how tightly Jihoon has been holding onto him all this time, but he finds himself not complaining about it at all. If this helps Jihoon calm down, then Woojin is willing to make the necessary sacrifices. That’s what best friends do anyway, he reminds himself.
They have to wait outside the dungeons for a little while for the class ahead of them to completely empty the room. A small group of friends exiting talk about how hard the exam was despite their efforts of staying up the whole night to study, and Jihoon feels his knees go weak in panic. Woojin is quick to move his hand from Jihoon’s own to his arm to steady him, until Woojin eventually decides to pull Jihoon closer to him by the small of his back. Jihoon’s face is buried in the crook of Woojin’s neck, but he still hopes Woojin won’t feel the warmth that has begun to spread all over his face. Why Woojin’s actions still surprise him is a mystery even to himself.
“You’re going to do fine, Jihoonie,” Woojin whispers by Jihoon’s ear. “Great, even. We read my notes together, remember?”
Jihoon is tempted to kick Woojin in the shin for his teasing, but settles for burying himself deeper into Woojin’s embrace instead. He can deal with Woojin’s cockiness later. He takes a deep breath and the faint scent reminiscent of a cup of hot chocolate, of marshmallows roasting in a soft fire – of Woojin – fills his nostrils and warms him up and calms him down. Like magic.
“I need at least a B in this one, Woojin, and if I don’t get it -.”
Woojin suddenly presses his forehead against Jihoon’s own – to shut him up more than anything (or at least he tries to convince himself so). “Why don’t we take it from another perspective this time?” Woojin asks. He mentally pats himself on the back for how steady his voice comes out as, because he really isn’t sure of what he’s doing right now or where he’s going to go from here – all he knows is that he doesn’t like seeing Jihoon anxious, nervous, scared, and that all he wants is for Jihoon to be happy and smiling. This is important to Jihoon so it’s important to Woojin as well.
“What are you getting on at now?” Jihoon returns. His cheeks are an alarming shade of red again, but his eyes are steady against Woojin’s own.
Woojin chuckles. “Simple. If you get an A, I get a reward.”
“And what kind of reward would that be?”
Woojin straightens himself up just as their Potions professor calls for their class from inside the dungeons. He puts both of his hands on Jihoon’s shoulders and gives Jihoon a long and reassuring squeeze. “That’s for me to know and you to find out, so go get that A.”
Jihoon’s knees are still wobbly so he shakes a bit as he walks to his seat. “I’m not sure I want to aim for an A anymore,” he finds it in himself to tease Woojin.
Woojin slips into the seat next to Jihoon and smiles at him until his eyes disappear into crescents again. “Oh trust me, you’d really want to get that A.”
Woojin finishes the test at least half an hour ahead of Jihoon, but he pretends he’s still answering so he wouldn’t be asked to leave the room. He has been silently counting the number of times Jihoon has sighed, or has pushed his hair back in frustration, or both, and Woojin hasn’t reached 15 yet, so he’s taking it as a good sign.
When Jihoon leans back in his chair another 30 minutes later, a small smile drizzled with content but with a bit of anxiety laced on his lips, Woojin assumes all went well.
“Looks like I’ll be getting my reward after all,” Woojin tells Jihoon as he wraps one arm around the older’s shoulders when they walk out of the dungeons together.
Jihoon frowns, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “You’re getting too cocky, Park Woojin. Don’t tempt me to transform you into a rooster.”
Woojin shrugs. “Seeing as I’m the best in Potions, I don’t see why I shouldn’t.”
Jihoon pushes Woojin away but the younger Park only laughs and holds onto the older’s arm to pull them closer to each other again. “You said I was the best last night, don’t act all innocent,” Woojin continues, and when Jihoon rolls his eyes, he laughs but changes his tone to a more serious one. “Okay, but really, how was it? Do you think you’re going to get that B at least?”
Jihoon slides his arm to make his and Woojin’s palms press against each other’s as their fingers intertwine. They’ve held hands before, even more than usual today, and Jihoon finds himself enjoying the feeling of Woojin’s hand in his own and vice versa. “At least a B, yeah.” He looks up to smile at Woojin. “Thank you, Woojin-ah.”
Woojin mirrors his smile. “Go on. I know your sentence doesn’t end there.”
Jihoon frowns again and gives Woojin’s hand a particularly hard squeeze, making the younger yelp in pain. “You wish, I’m not saying you’re the best again.”
Woojin wants to celebrate, but Jihoon thinks it’s too early for that.
“You’re going to jinx it at this rate!” Jihoon cries as he tosses a pillow from his bed to where Woojin is standing by the door to his and Jinyoung’s room.
“Are you doubting my capability, Park Jihoon?” Woojin fakes feeling insulted.
Jihoon tosses another pillow and laughs loudly when it hits Woojin right in the middle of his face. “Shut up, you’re annoying.”
At the same time, Jinyoung erupts from the small hill he’s managed to make with his blanket and pillows to drown out the noise the Parks were making as they were busy bickering. “Shut up, you’re both annoying,” he shouts. He glares at both Parks for a little while before grabbing one of his pillows and making his way to the door.
“I’m going to sleep in your room tonight,” Jinyoung tells Woojin. “I should’ve done this a long time ago if it would’ve spared me from hearing you two bickering almost every night all this time.”
Woojin opens his mouth to respond, but Jinyoung has already slammed the door to the adjacent bedroom.
“We don’t bicker every night!”
“He said almost every night.”
And before Woojin can come up with an answer to Jihoon’s counter, Jinyoung’s and even Daehwi’s voices yell a “See!” from the other room which leave both Parks stunned in silence.
Woojin has always been an early riser, so he wakes up before Jihoon does. He checks to see that Jihoon’s still asleep, and he smiles fondly at Jihoon’s slightly parted lips. He then makes his way to his own bedroom and wakes Jinyoung up to inform him that he can go back to his room and get ready for school now.
“I’m surprised you’re awake,” Woojin tells Daehwi who’s already sitting up on his bed though his eyes are still heavy with sleep. “Are you okay or are you sick?”
“Actually, I just wanted to sneak up on you and Jihoon hyung. See what base you’ve managed to reach in one night,” he says while stretching. “It’s about time, you know.”
Woojin raises an eyebrow to which Daehwi only rolls his eyes at. “You know, Jinyoung and I, and basically the entirety of Hogwarts, wonder how the two smartest kids in our year are absolutely clueless when it comes to love.”
Woojin looks confused, so Daehwi continues. He makes an exasperated sigh for emphasis. “You’re in love with Jihoon hyung, and he’s in love with you. It’s so obvious. It’s not that hard to realize or to understand, I have no idea how the both of you haven’t caught on yet.”
Woojin chuckles as he shakes his head.
“I’m right, and you know it,” Daehwi goes on as he prepares his change of clothes for the day. “You hate being late, but wait for Jihoon hyung anyway. You don’t even get mad at him for delaying you, not seriously at least, you do tease him a lot though.”
Woojin wants to say something about how he’d do the same for Daehwi and Jinyoung, but Daehwi hasn’t stopped talking.
“You don’t like sharing your notes with anybody else because you think it’s a lazy way for others to learn, but you give them to Jihoon hyung as if they were his own.”
“You’ve never asked for my notes!” Woojin manages to say.
“I stopped asking after that one time you said no and asked me to pay ten galleons for a tutoring session instead!”
Woojin laughs out loud as he remembers what Daehwi is talking about.
“That too!” Daehwi cries. “You’ve never charged Jihoon hyung for your tutoring services. Not! Once!”
Woojin is still laughing when he tries to explain that the reason he doesn’t ask Jihoon to pay him ten galleons is because Jihoon teaches him Transfiguration in return.
Daehwi makes sure to stop by Woojin’s bed to bop the owner on the head before making his way to the bathroom. “I helped you in Herbology, hyung, free of charge.”
“I don’t need much help though?” Woojin jokes. “Just that one time because -.”
“You chose to sleep in class after you stayed up the entire night to help Jihoon hyung with Potions,” Daehwi finishes for him. He holds the bathroom door open to say, “And don’t even try to tell me this is all just a best friends thing, hyung. You guys act exactly like Daniel hyung and Seongwu hyung from Gryffindor or Youngmin hyung and Donghyun hyung from Hufflepuff, and they didn’t even have the audacity to use the best friend card to cover up for their lovey-dovey.”
Daehwi shuts the bathroom door before Woojin can say anything else, leaving the latter to swim in his own thoughts. Woojin thinks Daehwi’s arguments are shallow, but he’s reminded of the comforting feeling of Jihoon’s hands in his own, of the reassuring feeling of Jihoon’s laughter, of the constant want to have Jihoon by his side, of the intense need to have Jihoon smile.
He looks back to yesterday, when he pressed his forehead against Jihoon’s, and realizes he did that because he needed to look Jihoon in the eyes to calm both of their hearts down. He looks back to yesterday, when he asked Jihoon for a reward, and realizes that he did that because he knew what he was doing, knew where he wants to go with Jihoon from there, and is even more sure that he doesn’t want Jihoon feeling anxious, nervous, or scared, and that he is positive that all he wants is for him to be happy and smiling.
His thoughts are interrupted by a soft knock on the door, and Jihoon’s head pops in between the small opening. His hair is sticking out in various places, his eyelids are still heavy with sleep, but Woojin still finds his breath hitching in his throat. Woojin has always found Jihoon pretty, but he finds it a bit odd that at this state, all he can think of now is how beautiful his best friend actually is.
“It wasn’t you I saw when I moved into Jinyoung’s bed,” Jihoon says simply.
“So early in the morning and you’re already looking for me?” Woojin manages to tease.
Jihoon rolls his eyes. “I dreamt I failed Potions and wanted to let you know.”
Woojin hums. “Because I’m your best friend, right?”
“You’re the worst friend, actually,” Jihoon yawns. “But, yeah. I guess? I remember that my mom always looked for my dad after she had a nightmare or something, she finds comfort in him. You could say they’re best friends, I guess, they’ve been married for how many years already.”
Woojin nods, and Jihoon continues. “I find comfort in you too. Looking at the way we do things, I hear some people think we’ve been married for as long too.”
The results of their Potions exam arrive the day after, and both Jihoon and Woojin reach for each other’s hands under their desk at the same time as they wait for their scores. Their professor slides two sheets of paper onto their table, both with matching scrawny Parks and red As written on the top corners.
She gives them a small smile, “I didn’t expect anything less from the both of you,” she whispers before moving onto the rest of the class.
Woojin’s grin widens when Jihoon turns to him looking like he had won the Triwizard Tournament. “I told you you could do it.”
Jihoon gives Woojin’s hand a squeeze. “I couldn’t have done it without you,” and before Woojin can say anything in response, Jihoon adds an “As always.”
Once classes are over, Woojin pulls Jihoon aside and waits for everyone to exit the room. He meets Daehwi’s and Jinyoung’s gazes for a short while and mentally reminds himself to thank them for their help and support or whatever, and to ask if they can switch rooms, so, you know, none of them have to witness his and Jihoon’s bickering ever again.
“So you got an A,” Woojin begins. He can’t help but grin and it makes him even happier that Jihoon can’t help but do the same.
“I did, thank you, so much,” Jihoon answers. “I’m not really keen about doing this, but a deal’s a deal. What reward do you want?” He crosses his arms over his chest to try to look as menacing as possible, but Woojin only finds him adorable.
Woojin takes a deep breath. “I was wondering if you’d like to test out our compatibility.”
“What?”
“You’re smart, you know what I mean, don’t make me say it again,” Woojin replies, looking away in hopes the anxiety building up inside him doesn’t spill through his eyes. His brows are furrowed and Jihoon wants to laugh at how cute he looks now.
There’s a glint in Jihoon’s eyes and he’s trying his best to suppress the smile creeping up on his face. “I know I’m smart, but I don’t know what you mean so I want you to say it clearly for me.”
Woojin sighs, but looks Jihoon right in the eyes anyway.
“I’ve been thinking and have come to the conclusion that I want what’s best for you not only because you’re my best friend or because our parents asked us to look out for each other, but because I like you, a whole lot, and I was wondering if you’d be willing to test out our compatibility because you got an A with the help of my notes and that implies we’re compatible, right?”
Woojin is breathless, his mouth is opened slightly, but Jihoon has the audacity to laugh out loud. If it didn’t sound beautiful to Woojin, he would’ve probably punched Jihoon in the face.
Jihoon uncrosses his arms and pulls Woojin by his arms closer to him instead. He stands on his tippy toes to press a soft kiss on the tip of Woojin’s nose, hoping it would give him the answer he’s hoping for. But just in case it doesn’t, Jihoon smiles and says, “Absolutely right you are, Park Woojin.”
It hasn’t even been half an hour since Woojin has transferred all of his belongings to Jihoon’s room, but they’ve already begun arguing.
“But I sleep better at night with the window by my side, so please.”
“This was my room first, and I’ve always slept on this bed, so no.”
Woojin pouts – he learned a little while back that it makes Jihoon weak in the knees. He’s an intelligent kid, he knows exactly what to do with that kind of information. “Please, please, please.”
Jihoon’s eyes soften for a split second before he crosses his arms and looks away. He’s smart too. “No.”
“Please!”
“No!”
“Please, Jihoonie, please.”
“No, Park Woojin, no.”
Woojin is about to enter an entire new level of begging before he’s interrupted by Daehwi and Jinyoung shouting in chorus from the adjacent room again.
“Just sleep on the same bed, bloody hell!”
Both Parks are stunned into silence. Suddenly, there’s a glint in Woojin’s eyes that Jihoon doesn’t miss before the younger bounces onto the older’s bed, tackling the owner down along with him.
No words are exchanged, but both are clearly contented with this kind of arrangement. Jihoon’s already basking in the warmth that comes with Woojin cuddling even closer to him.
“Why didn’t we think of this sooner?” Woojin asks as his face hovers dangerously close to Jihoon’s own.
“And to think we’re the best boys in our year,” Jihoon adds before he closes the gap between his and Woojin’s lips.