Work Text:
Hyungwon knew many things. He knew more spells than he could count and could concoct more than enough potions for the average problems: coffee stains, low energy, headaches. He could identify plants easily and knew the right hair dye to use that wouldn’t dry his scalp.
But there was one thing he didn’t know nor could even begin to understand, and that was Yoo Kihyun.
Kihyun, his downstairs neighbour and the source of his daydreams. Kihyun, the person who had invited himself into his life and made himself quite comfortable.
Kihyun, the man standing in front of him, looking at him with expectant eyes and a hopeful tilt to his eyebrows.
“Oh, um.” Hyungwon cleared his throat. They had run into each other at the front door - Hyungwon coming home from work, Kihyun heading out to walk his dog - and Kihyun had taken the opportunity, as always, to strike up a conversation.
Except this time, he had asked him if he was free on Friday evening, three days away.
“I think so,” Hyungwon answered, mentally kicking himself for sounding so dumb.
“Okay, well there’s this new movie out that I wanted to see and I was wondering if you’d be interested.” Kihyun shrugged, smiled. “Let me know.”
“I will,” Hyungwon responded, and with a little wave, Kihyun and his small spotted dog were gone.
Of course Hyungwon was free Friday night. It wasn’t like he had the most booming of social lives, and clearing out his schedule only entailed him texting Changkyun to say he had a date (maybe?) with the neighbour he had been pining over ever since he had moved in downstairs. Well, that one text turned into a huge discussion in their group chat with Jooheon and another friend, but in other words, it hadn’t really been that difficult to free up his Friday night.
Unfortunately, the three days flew by, and Hyungwon found himself in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist and hair still unstyled with only half an hour left before Kihyun would be expecting him at their front door.
“Someone needs to invent a spell to help you decide what to wear on a date,” he grumbled to himself as he dug through his closet but then sighed, shoulders slumping. He wasn’t even sure if it was a date. Kihyun had brought it up so casually, giving him absolutely no indication as to what his true intentions were.
His friends were no help either, telling him to just use a spell to figure Kihyun out or, better yet, to make him fall in love.
So Hyungwon was on his own to figure out what the hell the night was going to entail.
By some miracle, he was able to get dressed in record time and cast a quick spell to make his red and white Amaryllis plant bloom while he fixed his hair. Tying a few red flowers into a neat bouquet, he checked his appearance in the mirror by his door before taking a deep breath and stepping out of his apartment, the door locking automatically behind him. From his spot at the top of the stairs, he could already see Kihyun waiting by the front door, head tilted down to look at his phone. He was wearing a black turtleneck under a long brown trench coat that made him look both sophisticated and adorable, and Hyungwon sighed, bracing himself for a long night.
As he made his way down the stairs, he looked at the flowers in his hand. They reminded him vaguely of peppermint, the petals were a bright red, patches of white emerging from the center, streaking the petals. He smiled to himself for a brief second, and then realisation hit him.
He really didn’t know if it was supposed to be a date, so wouldn’t flowers be a little presumptuous?
Panicking, Hyungwon looked up to make sure Kihyun wasn’t looking back at him, and quickly mumbled a spell under his breath. The flowers vanished from his hand just as Kihyun looked up.
“Hey.” He greeted him with a smile, pocketing his phone. “Ready?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
The movie theatre was within walking distance on a good day, but the wind that evening was just a little too cold for it to be pleasant, so they decided on taking the bus instead.
As they waited in the shelter of the bus stop, Kihyun asked him about his day and how his job was going, and the more Hyungwon talked about all the unfinished textbook chapters he had to go over and edit, the more he wondered about the nature of their outing.
Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait very long, and once they got on the bus and sat down next to each other, Kihyun spoke up. “Oh, I wanted to tell you. I told my friend Hoseok about you and what you do at Jooheon’s store, and turns out he knows about it. I didn’t know Jooheon had such a big reputation! You made it seem like no one knew about it.”
Sheepishly, Hyungwon offered Kihyun a smile. He fiddled nervously with the sleeves of his black blazer as he responded that it really wasn’t that big of a deal.
“Hoseok seemed impressed,” Kihyun insisted, nudging Hyungwon with his shoulder. “But then again, I have a feeling Jooheon may be the same anonymous person Hoseok has had his eye on, if his reaction was anything to go off of.”
Hyungwon laughed loudly, using his hand to muffle the sound.
Before he could add anything to the conversation, though, Kihyun sighed softly. “Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Cover your mouth when you laugh. You have a cute laugh.”
Hyungwon’s eyes widened and felt his cheeks heat up, but all Kihyun did was smile before turning to face forward again. “Well, uh. Thanks,” he answered dumbly. Did this mean… Did this mean this could be a date?
When they got off the bus, Hyungwon was about to step in the direction of the movie theatre when Kihyun took him by the wrist, pulling him towards a convenience store. “I don’t wanna pay exorbitant amounts for popcorn and drinks.”
Hyungwon, biting back laughter, resisted the tugging. “You know I can just… Conjure up some popcorn.”
Kihyun turned around, looking up at him with amazed wide eyes. “What?! Hoseok always tells me he can’t do that!”
“Well, we can’t really create things out of thin air. We have to summon them from somewhere.” Hyungwon shrugged, a cheeky smile gracing his lips. “But I have popcorn at home, and more than enough types of drinks to go around.”
“Well, let’s go then! No time to waste.”
Kihyun dropped his hand away from his wrist as they began walking alongside each other towards the old movie theatre, tucked away between two huge clothing stores. When they got to the box office, Kihyun insisted on paying for the ticket, saying that he had dragged Hyungwon out, after all. The nonchalance with which he brought it up had Hyungwon rethinking their whole situation.
“Do we have a few minutes before the movie starts?” Hyungon asked as they began making their way to the auditorium.
Kihyun pulled back his sleeve to check his watch, then nodded. “Yeah. Previews start in about 5 minutes.”
“Great. I’m going to go to the bathroom.”
“Do you want me to take your jacket?” Kihyun asked, extending a hand out already.
Hyungwon took his phone out of his blazer pocket before handing it over to Kihyun, who draped it over his arm carefully. “Thanks. I’ll be right back.”
As soon as he stepped into the bathroom, he slid into a stall, locking it before leaning up against the door, and pulled out his phone.
hyUNGWONNIE HAS A DATE
kermit
guys
EMERGENCY
i still dont know if its a date or not
emo boi chang
how tf
joo100
bro just… ask him
kermit
i dont even know if hes gay
or like
into guys
joo100
there are two ways 2 find out
one is to… ask him
kermit
why did u spell the number but then use the number symbol for a whole other word
joo100
stfu and listen
papa bear
I agree with Hyungwon on that
joo100
guize
emo boi chang
say what u gotta say bro
im listening
joo100
thanks bro
oaky
*okay
and 2 (are u happy)
is
use that reveal spell
and read his mind
kermit
those are a pain
pls hurry i need to go back
emo boi chang
ur hiding in the bathroom arent u
papa bear
Of course he is
kermit
plEASE
joo100
i gave u options bro
take em or leave em
kermit
sigh you guys are the worst
Hyungwon sighed, pocketing his phone, then unlocked and stepped out of the cubicle, washed his hands out of habit, and dried them on his pants as he walked out. He pulled the door open to auditorium 8, squinting in the low light to figure out where Kihyun was sitting. Taking the steps two at a time, he peered down every row until he spotted him, closer to the back but smack bang in the middle of the row. The shorter man was so focused on the trailer projected onto the screen in front of them that he jumped a little when Hyungwon collected his blazer and sat down on the emptied seat.
“Sorry,” Hyungwon giggled, bringing his hand up to his mouth for a second before dropping it, remembering what Kihyun had said.
Kihyun, unfortunately, didn’t notice the action, so Hyungwon sighed, turning his attention to the screen.
When the next trailer started playing, Kihyun watched it for a little before turning to Hyungwon. “This one seems boring,” he commented.
Shrugging, Hyungwon didn’t have much to say. He wasn’t really a movie person in the first place; he had only agreed because there was no way he was letting that opportunity slip.
“Can you really conjure up snacks?” was Kihyun’s next question.
Hyungwon nodded. “It’s more like… Teleportation. I can bring them to me from wherever they are, as long as I know where they are.”
Kihyun nodded, impressed. “What do you have?”
“Um… Popcorn, for one,” Hyungwon said, causing Kihyun to roll his eyes amusedly. “Lots of Coke. I don’t really know why, I don't drink it that often. Um… Random chips, honestly. Lots of them. Probably any kind you want, as long as it’s spicy.”
“I didn’t take you for someone who likes spicy food,” Kihyun commenting before coming up with the most obscure brand of chips he could.
Hyungwon sighed, shaking his head. “Give me something normal , Kihyun.”
Giggling, Kihyun gave him another name, which thankfully was something common, and Hyungwon murmured something under his breath. A second later, a packet of chips fell into Kihyun’s lap and he looked up at the silver-haired man in amazement. “That’s incredible. I wish I took you to the movies with me earlier.”
Laughing, Hyungwon conjured up a few other bags along with two cans of Coke, handing one to Kihyun before cracking his own open.
They talked about everything and nothing until the movie started, and Hyungwon realised belatedly that the movie was a little creepier than he had expected. Every time something even mildly scary flashed on the screen, he cowered behind his blazer, trying to be low-key about it.
Except Kihyun saw right through him. “We can leave,” he murmured during a quiet part of the movie, looking over at Hyungwon with concerned eyes. “If you’re too scared.”
Hyungwon shook his head. He didn’t want Kihyun to have to compromise for him. “No, I’m fine,” he insisted, turning back to the screen.
“Wanna hold my hand?” Kihyun asked jokingly, and Hyungwon was hit with yet another wave of confusion.
Playing it safe, he shook his head, not daring to look at Kihyun. “No. I’m brave, I swear.”
“Whatever you say,” the other man singsonged.
The rest of the night continued on a similar note - Hyungwon pretending he wasn’t scared and avoiding Kihyun’s few attempts to comfort him - and finally, they were stretching their legs and making sure they didn’t make too much of a mess with the snacks before throwing out the wrappers and exiting the auditorium. In the brightly light lobby of the theatre, Kihyun looked over at Hyungwon, a wide grin on his face. “I’m sorry,” he said, not looking the slightest bit apologetic.
Hyungwon shrugged. “I guess this is what I get for not checking out what the movie was about beforehand.”
Kihyun just laughed before turning towards the door, and the two of them walked silently, Hyungwon following Kihyun through the heavy doors separating the theatre from the sidewalk and streets outside.
“Thank you for coming with me,” Kihyun then said, peering up at Hyungwon. “I don’t know about you, but I enjoyed the movie.”
“I did, too. Kind of,” he answered, sliding his hands in the pockets of his blazer. “Um.”
“Hmm?”
“I was-” Hyungwon cut himself off with a nervous laugh. “Never mind.”
“Tell me,” Kihyun urged him, tugging at his wrist again to get him to stop walking. They were standing in front of a convenience store, only making Hyungwon even more nervous. He didn’t want people to hear what he was about to ask, but he didn’t really have much of an option.
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Hyungwon.” Kihyun’s voice was soft, gaze curious and gentle. His grip on Hyungwon’s wrist slackened but he didn’t completely let go. “What’s up?”
It was that gaze that caused Hyungwon to break. “I was just wondering. About this. About… Whether… Um.” Hyungwon laughed again, the awkwardness palpable in the air. “Is this- I-”
“Just let it out,” Kihyun urged kindly. “I won’t judge you.”
Hyungwon felt his shoulders drop, releasing tension he didn’t even realise he was holding. “It’s a little presumptuous of me to ask, but… Is this… A date? Maybe?” He quickly backtracked, hands wrapping around the fabric inside his pocket. “I mean. I don’t mind if it’s not. I just. I didn’t know how to interpret the signals, and I could’ve used magic, but I just-”
Kihyun’s hand on his shoulder stopped his words in their tracks, leaving him with an open mouth and a flustered expression. Kihyun, on the other hand, was smiling softly.
“I wasn’t sure about what you’re into,” Kihyun answered honestly. “I was hoping it would be a date, but I didn’t want to come off too strong.”
“Oh.” That wasn’t the answer Hyungwon had expected: it was significantly better. “Well. Um. In that case…” He pulled a hand out of his pocket and held it out, murmuring a quick spell under his breath, and the two of them watched a bouquet of flowers appear within his grip.
Kihyun looked up at him with surprised eyes, taking the flowers carefully when Hyungwon handed them over. The taller man was pleased to note the blush sweeping across Kihyun’s high cheekbones, rivalling the vibrance of the flowers.
“These are really pretty,” he murmured, fingers coming out to touch the petals gently. “Thank you.”
Hyungwon just smiled. He hadn’t thought he’d ever be able to make Kihyun blush, but there’s a first time for everything, right?
Speaking of which…
“So, it wouldn’t be presumptuous to assume that you’d let me kiss you, would it?” Hyungwon asked timidly, smile only increasing when Kihyun’s surprised expression returned.
“You’re awfully bold for someone who was stuttering just minutes ago.”
“Shut up.”
Kihyun grinned, and Hyungwon internally rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what was going to come out of his mouth next. “Make me.”
And so Hyungwon stepped closer and wrapped an arm around Kihyun’s waist, the other on his cheek. Kihyun grinned wider, hands coming to rest on Hyungwon’s hips (the flower stems were poking into his skin but he had bigger things to worry about), and rocked up onto his tiptoes, meeting him halfway. Hyungwon couldn’t help but smile into the kiss, wrapping his arm tighter around Kihyun, making the shorter boy laugh as he kept kissing him.
When they pulled away, Kihyun’s face was pink and Hyungwon could only imagine what he looked like.
“Next time, we’ll do something you actually enjoy,” Kihyun promised him, but Hyungwon held him closer before he could get back onto his flat feet.
“This is just fine,” he answered, kissing him again.
