Work Text:
Kim Doyoung.
Yuta had first met the Ravenclaw in History of Magic where they had both come into class late and were forced to sit next to each other for the entire semester. Doyoung was smart, abrasive at times with his sharp tongue and even sharper wit and Yuta found it equal parts awe-inducing and irritating. Doyoung was always quick to correct Yuta’s essays in class, peering over the Slytherin’s shoulder and pointing out inaccuracies in the dates and places he’d put down.
Eventually, it reached the point where Yuta had lost it and snapped, “Do you ever just keep your mouth shut? I bet you couldn’t even go one day, no, one week without a single word coming out of that insufferable mouth of yours.”
Doyoung had looked at him in shock before an angry flush spread out across his cheeks. “If you get full marks on your next essay, I won’t talk for a week. But if you don’t get full marks, you have to run through the Great Hall in nothing but your underwear.”
“Fine,” Yuta had said hotly. They shook hands furiously, each one burning with the unbridled determination to win.
Yuta had only been one point away from scoring full marks for his essay and subsequently landed himself in detention for two weeks after shamefully racing through the Great Hall in his favourite pair of boxers. Headmaster Jung had been amused but reprimanded him nonetheless. Doyoung had been nothing but smug grins after that.
That smug grin was quickly wiped off Doyoung’s face the month after when the Ravenclaw lost their next bet and ended up with Yuta’s name magically tattooed (temporarily) onto his forehead for three weeks.
It was war from that moment on. Doyoung never backed down from any bet Yuta threw his way and Yuta was unrelenting in his quest to one-up the other boy. The scale of their bets escalated wildly to the point that they became the talk of the entire castle.
(“Yuta and Doyoung are at it again. Apparently Yuta bet that Doyoung wouldn't be able to last 10 minutes in a room with a Boggart.”
“I'm guessing Yuta lost? Is that why I saw Doyoung shaving Yuta’s eyebrows off in the hallway?”)
Yuta wasn’t exactly sure how this argument started. But was it his fault that Doyoung decided to butt into his conversation yet again ?
Doyoung had been little miffed that Yuta had been bragging about Slytherin beating his own house miserably at the last Quidditch match and started defending their Seeker who had encountered a nasty bout of flu the night before the match. Which led to where they were now, up in each other’s faces and staring each other down daringly.
“If you think you’re so great at Quidditch, I’d like to see you catch the Snitch at your next match,” Doyoung challenges, pointing one finger at Yuta’s chest. The Slytherin quidditch player grins, ignoring the way the Ravenclaw prefect’s eyes widens as Yuta’s chest makes contact with the finger he’s pointing as the Slytherin takes a step forward.
“Piece of cake,” Yuta says, tilting his head as he continues to smile dazzlingly. “But if I catch that Snitch, you have to go on a date with me in Hogsmeade.”
For a split second, Yuta sees a flash of panic in Doyoung’s eyes before the latter composes himself quickly. “Fine. But if you don’t catch the Snitch, then you have to take over my night patrol duties for two weeks.”
“Deal,” Yuta steps away and sticks out a hand for the other to shake. Doyoung’s eyes meet his and Yuta fights the urge to smile to himself as he spots the fiery determination in the Ravenclaw’s eyes. The two of them shake hands and Yuta can’t help but focus on how soft Doyoung’s hands feel against his own. “See you around, love.” He laughs at how pink Doyoung’s ears turns as the other boy whirls around with a huff before storming away.
News of their latest bet travels across the school like wildfire and Yuta isn’t surprised when his friends confront him about it several hours later,
“Yuta, why did I just hear that you and Doyoung are back to making ridiculous bets again?” Taeyong demands as he drops a pile of books on the table next to Yuta. “The last time you guys made bets you ended up with a detention for a month and a semester long ban from the kitchens.”
The Japanese student looks up from the essay he was writing and frowns. “It’s not a ridiculous bet,” Yuta replies. He sets his quill down and yanks on the Hufflepuff’s robes to get him to sit down. “I bet him that I could catch the snitch in my next match. Nothing ridiculous about that.”
“Last I checked Slytherin’s Seeker was Sehun, not you,” Taeyong points out. “Besides, I’m pretty sure Minseok would gut you if you cost them the match.”
“You have so little faith in me, Yong, you know that?” Yuta says, clutching at his chest with a pained expression. “Trust me, I'll catch that snitch.”
Taeyong rolls his eyes at this and starts pulling out his textbooks from his bag. “What do you even gain from doing these bets with Doyoung?”
Yuta shrugs and turns back to his essay, dipping the tip of his quill into the inkwell. “Bragging rights?” He supplies, neatly finishing the sentence he’d left half-finished. “Plus, I get one date with him when I win.”
Taeyong grabs Yuta’s shoulder, forcing the Slytherin to face him. “A date? Seriously? You couldn’t have just asked him out like a normal person?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Yuta huffs. He sets down his quill once more and folds his arms. “Besides, I'm doing this solely to annoy him. I know he'd rather eat a sock than spend one day in Hogsmeade with me.”
Taeyong stares at Yuta with an expression the other couldn’t quite read. “You're only taking Doyoung out on a date to annoy him? Are you sure about that?” The Hufflepuff asks carefully. Yuta frowns, not liking the knowing tone Taeyong was using.
“Of course I'm sure, what are you implying?” Yuta demands. Taeyong shrugs and turns away a little.
“Don't think I've forgotten about that time a couple of weeks ago when you and Johnny smuggled in Firewhisky and got completely hammered. You were waxing poetically about Doyoung's face for nearly an hour until you started puking your guts out.” Yuta felt his cheeks heat up at the hazy memory of that night.
Yuta had eyes. He was a guy who could appreciate the beautiful things in life. Sure, Doyoung was a ridiculous know-it-all, pompous and irritated Yuta on a near daily basis. But Doyoung was also incredibly gorgeous, all elegant lines and sharp cat-like eyes that simmered with breathtaking beauty whenever Yuta challenged him with something new.
But to imply that there was anything more to their relationship than their ongoing rivalry? Ridiculous. Doyoung might be breathtaking to look at (on occasion) but that was as far as Yuta would go with that.
Besides, did it even make sense for him to want to date the person who'd given him countless detentions and public displays of humiliation? Yuta tells Taeyong this with a roll of his eyes.
“Look man, I don't really get it either but don't you two get tired of this? I would have thought that once Doyoung became a Perfect that he'd put a stop to these ridiculous bets but he still actively participates in it. And knowing that it could tarnish his Prefect status? Don't you think that's odd?” Taeyong responds. “Plus, you could easily say no too. You both like putting yourselves through this for reasons the rest of us don’t really understand. It's weird.”
Yuta was definitely not going to be able to finish this essay with the way this conversation was taking a turn. “You wouldn't get it, Yong,” He says. It was a battle of pride. He didn’t expect anyone else to understand the intricacies of the odd rivalry between Doyoung and him. Taeyong gives Yuta an exasperated look and shakes his head.
“You're right, I don't get it. But I'm also starting to think that you don't really understand what's going on between you two either.”
“That’s because there’s nothing going on.” Yuta says, a little more sharply than he intended. The withering look Taeyong gives Yuta unsettles him and he decides to turn his attention back to the wretched essay Professor Kim had assigned them for Divination. He misses the way Taeyong smiles to himself a bit before turning back to his own work.
It was impossible to not run into at least into one of Doyoung’s friends. It was unavoidable considering the fact that Yuta’s best friend Johnny was dating one of Doyoung’s own best friends. It was common to see the tall Gryffindor hand in with the smaller Slytherin. Sometimes Ten (with a disgruntled Doyoung in tow) would join them in Hogsmeade trips or during study sessions in the Great Hall. Sometimes Johnny would invite Yuta and Taeyong to sit by the lake with Ten’s gang (consisting of Doyoung and Kun, a kind hearted Hufflepuff that Taeyong had began getting close to).
Ten is as stunning as Doyoung, with pretty eyes and a delicately pointed nose sculpted by gods. Like Doyoung, Ten is clever with a tongue that could gut you if you said the wrong thing at the wrong time and eyes that could burn you with a single glare. Yuta, thankfully, had never been on the receiving end of Ten’s infamous temper.
But as he watched the way the boy marched across the Slytherin common room with murderous intent in his narrowed eyes, Yuta felt his skin crawl and silently prayed to whatever higher power was listening that no one would find the raunchy Muggle magazines he had stashed under his mattress if he died at Ten’s hands this afternoon.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Ten is seething and Yuta could feel waves of anger rolling off the smaller boy.
“Well, I was trying to read up for Herbology until you interrupted me,” Yuta deadpans. Ten does not looked amused by this at all and glares even harder. “Alright, alright, what do you want? I literally have no idea what you’re talking about,” Yuta says defensively, raising his hands up in what he hoped was a sign of surrender.
“Your bet with Doyoung,” Ten spits. “What are you playing at?”
This again? Yuta couldn’t figure out why everyone was on his ass about this particular bet. “If you’re worried about me costing Slytherin the matc-”
“I don’t give two shits about the match, dingus. I wanna know what your intentions are with Doyoung. I wanna know why you want to take him out on a date when I know you’re probably just going to humiliate him.” Ten cuts across him sharply, shutting Yuta up quickly.
“I…” Yuta finds himself at a loss of what to say. “It’s none of your business,” He says indignantly, straightening up in his seat. He hopes he looks more defiant than he’s currently feeling.
“It’s absolutely my business, asshole. Doyoung’s my best friend and if you so much as hurt him, not even Johnny can stop me from making sure you never get to see daylight again.” Yuta had no doubt about this and feels himself shrinking back a little at the pure venom lacing the other boy’s words.
Before Yuta could formulate a response, Ten turns on his heel and marches off. Yuta doesn’t realise he’d been holding his breath until he exhales loudly. “What the fuck,” Yuta splutters, feeling the impact of Ten’s threat sink in. “What the fuck just happened?” He repeats, leaning back in the armchair he was occupying.
Yuta could feel the gazes of his fellow Slytherins on him. Some of them were looking at him with pity, most likely wondering what he had done to land himself on Ten’s blacklist. Others were giggling, probably finding the whole scene funny.
Fuck. Yuta needed some air.
Ignoring the mutterings of everyone else around him, Yuta grabs his books and shoves them hastily into his bag before hitching it onto his shoulder and stalking out of the common room.
As he makes his way to the library, Yuta finds himself thinking about the bet. Frustratingly enough, he finds himself thinking about Taeyong’s words from earlier that day as well as Ten’s question from mere minutes ago.
“You're only taking Doyoung out on a date to annoy him? Are you sure about that?”
“What are you playing at?”
Yuta never really thought much about his relationship with Doyoung. As far as he was aware, it was fairly neutral save for their regular betting rounds. Conversation was relatively surface level, never dipping below topics such as coursework and school gossip. When their friend groups mixed they remained civil towards each other, although Yuta couldn’t help but slip back into his teasing habits every so often. It satisfied him to see the other, normally so composed, unravel as vexation chipped away at his nerves. It was somewhat of a thrill to Yuta that he was able to get right under Doyoung’s skin.
But despite his constant teasing, Yuta knew which lines never to cross. He never instigated anything during exam seasons because he was well aware that Doyoung usually became a more high-strung and neurotic version of himself, the result of the Ravenclaw putting too much pressure on himself. Yuta was aware of this. He never took jabs at anything that would personally hurt Doyoung, never started a bet that would put Doyoung’s Prefect badge at too much risk.
‘Rivals’ was too heavy a term to name his relationship with Doyoung. It was too strong of a word considering how much consideration and care the two of them expressed between each other. Every word, every interaction was careful, calculated. It never teetered past anything more than friendly but also didn’t delve below what Yuta dubbed as ‘healthy competitive spirit’. Acquaintances but not quite friends. Enemies but with less animosity. Their whole dynamic made Yuta’s head spin, really.
Taeyong was right, I don’t understand any of this . Yuta thinks. With a shake of his head, he puts aside any thoughts about Doyoung and directs his attention to the wretched Divination essay he still hadn’t made much progress with.
A few hours and multiple hand cramps later, Yuta throws down his quill and holds up his roll of parchment with a satisfied grin. As he starts scanning through it for any mistakes, he suddenly becomes aware of a presence behind him.
“Um,” The voice is familiar, tinged with hesitation and doubt. Yuta turns in his seat and finds himself looking up at Doyoung. The Ravenclaw is frowning slightly as one hand grips the strap of his messenger bag tightly. He points at the empty seat next to Yuta. “Do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full and I really need to finish something for Arithmancy.”
Yuta glances around and sees that every seat in the library was indeed occupied. He looks back at Doyoung who is still standing awkwardly by his table. “Sure, go ahead,” Yuta gestures after removing his things. Doyoung gives him a thankful nod before sitting down.
This is definitely something new.
As hard as he tries to focus on his Herbology readings, Yuta can't help but sneak glances at Doyoung every now and then. The other boy is frowning over his own work, flicking through pages of the textbook he has open while scribbling notes hastily. His dark hair falls into his eyes as he writes and if it bothered Doyoung he doesn't make any effort to push the obstructing strands out of the way.
Doyoung looks up suddenly, as if he could feel Yuta’s staring and the two of them lock gazes for the briefest of moments before Yuta quickly turns away. “Do you need something, Nakamoto?” The Ravenclaw asks tiredly.
“No,” Yuta responds quickly. He shifts in his seat and pulls his papers close to him. “Just wondering why you would want to put yourself through Arithmancy.”
“I’d rather take this than Divination,” Doyoung retorts, eyeing the Divination book sitting in front of Yuta. “Arithmancy is straight forward, logical. It makes sense. Divination is a sham. I don’t believe in tea leaf readings and crystal balls. Though I didn’t think you were one to believe in those things.”
“I don’t,” Yuta admits. “I took it because I thought it was going to be an easy pass. I’m starting to think maybe I should have chosen something else.”
The soft laugh that Doyoung lets out takes Yuta by surprise. It’s a nice sound and Yuta finds himself staring at the genuine smile that broke out on Doyoung’s face. Yuta swallows, feeling his stomach flip and his heartbeat skip a little.
Oh?
To Yuta’s mild disappointment, Doyoung turns back to his papers and textbook. The Slytherin reluctantly does the same but he can’t help but replay the pretty sound of Doyoung’s laugh in head. Shaking his head he forces himself to focus back on his work.
Focus, Yuta.
Several hours later, Yuta finally closes his textbook. He stretches his arms up and stifles a yawn. The sky is already dark outside and Yuta realises that dinner is probably long over.
“Hey, Do-” Yuta stops as he sees Doyoung fast asleep next to him. He has his arms folded on top of the table and is resting his head on them. His textbook is still open and his papers are scattered haphazardly in front of him. Honestly a mood. Yuta thought to himself with amusement.
But as he keeps staring at Doyoung, he realises that the other boy is shivering slightly in his sleep. With little hesitation, Yuta unfastens his own cloak before standing up and carefully covering Doyoung with it. The Ravenclaw shifts slightly in his sleep but doesn't wake up.
He must be exhausted .
Doyoung returns Yuta's cloak the next morning. His cheeks are oddly pink when he shows up to where Yuta is seated at breakfast and avoids the Slytherin's eyes, practically throwing the nearly folded cloak in his direction and muttering a hasty “Thanks,” before hurrying back to his own table.
“Your ears are red,” Taeyong says bluntly, arriving moments after Doyoung leaves and stealing a sausage off Yuta’s plate unapologetically.
“Good to know that you aren’t colourblind, Yong.”
Yuta had never really been alone with Kun before.
Which was why Yuta had been stunned when the sweet-faced Hufflepuff approached him during dinner and politely asked if he could talk to him for a moment. Yuta could only nod dumbly and follow after the other student as everyone else stares.
Once they were alone in one of the alcoves in the hallway, Kun turns to Yuta and says, “Yuta, I don’t think you’re a bad person.”
Kun’s words stun Yuta momentarily. The Slytherin scratches the back of his neck in confusion, wondering what brought this on. “Uh, thanks? I think?”
“I know this is a little out of the blue,” Kun starts. “But I just want you to reconsider your terms for your bet with Doyoung. Trust me when I say that I’m doing this because I also have your best interests at heart.” He lays a gentle hand on Yuta’s shoulder and looks at him with eyes that could melt the hearts of the entire student population. Merlin.
“ My best interests?” Yuta repeats. While it was mildly touching, Kun’s concern confused him nonetheless. He thinks back briefly to the way Ten accosted him in the Slytherin common room the other day and fights back a shudder.
“Just think about it okay? I think you and Doyoung both need to sort out your feelings before either of you get hurt. I care about you both, I don’t want this bet to get in between you or the rest of our friends.” Kun finishes, smiling at Yuta gently before walking away.
Whenever Yuta had trouble sleeping, he’d take walks around the castle. It was a terrible habit, one that often got him in trouble since he wasn’t supposed to be wandering around past curfew. But whenever he had energy to burn or something pressing on his mind that prevented him from falling asleep, he’d slip out of the Slytherin dungeon and let his feet wander.
Tonight, he finds himself outside by the Great Lake. The sky is clear and the full moon reflects across the inky black water. Yuta could almost perfectly see the stars mirrored in the lake.
Yuta makes himself comfortable on the grass, settling under one of the largest trees and closing his eyes. He hums a melody under his breath, one of the muggle songs Johnny often sang out loud, and enjoys the cold night breeze against his face.
“Can’t sleep?”
Yuta’s eyes fly open in shock and he finds himself staring up at Doyoung. The Ravenclaw didn’t look particularly annoyed at seeing Yuta out and about long after curfew. On the contrary, he’s gazing at Yuta with something akin to curiousity dancing behind his eyes.
“Is it that obvious?” Yuta asks, grinning up at Doyoung cheekily.
To his surprise, the Ravenclaw sits down next him. Yuta automatically moves over a little so that the other boy would have space to lean back against the tree as well. “I think I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t be out after hours without a good enough reason. Unless I was wrong and you’re actually planning some devious scheme with the Giant Squid and the merpeople.” Doyoung gives Yuta a little smile as he says this and the Slytherin feels his heartbeat quicken ever so slightly.
“Aren’t you going to give me detention?” Yuta asks, a little wary. Doyoung reaches for the Prefect pin on his cloak and unpins it before tucking it away in the pocket of his robes. He gives his pocket a little pat before looking at Yuta.
“I’m off duty.”
“Oh.”
As silence settles over them, Yuta becomes aware of how close Doyoung is to him at this moment. It wasn’t like they’d never sat together before. This time is different, however. There are no other classmates, no textbooks in between them. There’s no one else around but the two of them. Doyoung could have easily left Yuta there, could have turned and walked back to the castle and left Yuta alone.
Yet for some inexplicable reason, Doyoung had chosen to stay. He’d chosen to sit by Yuta and had even chosen not to let Yuta face the repercussions of breaking curfew.
Why?
“Did you know that in the 2014 Quidditch World Cup, Haiti was disqualified in the first round of matches because their Beater caught the Snitch instead of their Seeker? They call it Snitchnip . Apparently it’s a foul that can cause your team to immediately forfeit the game.”
Yuta blinks, all-too familiar with this random piece of trivia. He gazes at Doyoung with confusion but the other boy keeps his eyes fixed on the lake in front of them. “Didn’t think you were one to keep up with Quidditch trivia,” Yuta comments. Doyoung lets out a sigh and turns to face the Slytherin.
“I’m telling you this for a reason,” Doyoung’s voice is frustrated and Yuta doesn’t really understand why. “I don’t want you throwing Slytherin’s match over our stupid bet.”
“Why do you care? It’s just the preliminaries anywa-”
“Am I really worth the shit you’re gonna get from your captain and from the rest of your house?” Doyoung’s voice is raised and he’s glaring at Yuta in frustration.
Yuta doesn’t trust himself to speak at this point. Even though he’s currently glaring at Yuta, the Slytherin can’t help but think about how breathtaking Doyoung looks in the moonlight. Yes , Yuta wants to say. He’d absolutely give up this next match and many more matches after that just to have the chance to take this beautiful, beautiful boy out on dates, his house loyalty be damned. This realisation hits Yuta like a bolt of lightning and he finds himself suddenly feeling like he’s running out of oxygen.
Taking a deep breath, he forces himself to smile a little. “I know what I’m doing,” Yuta says instead.
“Do you?” Doyoung snaps. He points a finger at Yuta’s direction “Do you really? Did you even know Snitchnip wa”
“Doyoung,” Yuta interrupts, grabbing Doyoung’s hand away from his face and looking him right in the eye. “Why do you even care ?”
Yuta sees uncertainty fill Doyoung’s eyes as they stare at each other. Doyoung looks at his hand, the one that Yuta is still holding before locking eyes with Yuta once more.
“I don’t know.”
Doyoung’s voice is quiet and Yuta can practically hear his own heart thumping loudly in chest as understanding dawns on him.
Ten’s anger at the stakes of the bet, Kun’s conversation with Yuta, it all made sense now. As insane as it seems, Doyoung apparently cares about Yuta. Doyoung cares enough about Yuta to the extent that it seems that his friends were worried that Yuta might somehow hurt Doyoung’s feelings with the proposed date at the conclusion of this current bet.
And most importantly, Doyoung cares enough about Yuta to worry about the consequences the Slytherin boy would face for purposely losing a Quidditch match.
The realisation that perhaps his budding feelings towards the Ravenclaw were reciprocated in some kind of way made Yuta’s head spin. Warmth began to bubble up inside his chest and Yuta feels like he’s just taken Felix Felicis with the sudden bubble of giddiness that settles in him.
“Forget I ever said anything,” Doyoung says, snatching his hand out of Yuta’s. The bubble pops and Yuta feels like the ground was just yanked out from under him. He scrambles to his feet as Doyoung begans marching away.
“Doyoung, wait.”
“If you follow me right now I’ll hex you,” Doyoung threatens, not even sparing a glance back in Yuta’s direction.
The day of the match arrives and Yuta finds himself only half-listening as Minseok gives the team one of his infamous pep talks. The Slytherin Quidditch captain, and Beater of the team, is addressing the Chasers now and Yuta jolts with a start when he feels an elbow in his side courtesy of Minghao, a fellow Chaser.
“As I saying, I want you three to stick tightly to the formations we’ve been practicing. Hufflepuff’s Seeker might not be as quick as Sehun but their Chasers are notoriously fast,” Minseok says. “Even if Sehun catches the Snitch we might still lose if they get the Quaffle too often. Focus on keeping the Quaffle out of their hands and score as much as you can. I don’t want any funny business out there, do you all understand?”
Yuta somehow feels that this last part is directed specifically at him and feels frustration rising up in him. It seemed like the entire universe was hellbent on stopping him from carrying on his bet. The rest of team murmurs in response and Minseok calls them in for a team chant before they split and head out onto the pitch.
“Yuta,” Minseok says, placing a hand on Yuta’s shoulder as he passes by. “I know about your bet with Doyoung.” Yuta feels a chill run down his spine and he swallows nervously. “I’m not giving you permission to throw in this match by chasing after Snitch and getting us fouled but I’m not going to stop you either.”
“What?”
Minseok smiles a little. He squeezes Yuta’s shoulder gently before letting go. “Do whatever you think you should. But next time, you should just ask him out. It’ll be easier for everyone that way.” And with that, Minseok ran off after the rest of the team leaving Yuta to gather his muddled thoughts alone. Damn Minseok .
Yuta hears the roaring voices of the crowd as Johnny and Jaehyun announce the entrance of the Slytherin team. Shaking his head, Yuta grabs his broomstick and runs out onto the pitch before leaping onto his broom and soaring up to his waiting team.
“Slytherin’s Nakamoto has just joined the rest of the players on the pitch,” Yuta hears a smile in Johnny’s magically amplified voice and he blows a flying kiss towards the announcers’ post. “It’s only the second match of the season but anticipation for this match has been building up as if it’s the finals for the World Cup.”
“It’ll be interesting to see how Yuta’s bet with Ravenclaw’s Kim Doyoung will turn out today,” Jaehyun’s voice fills the air as the Hufflepuff’s team flies onto the pitch. “Hufflepuff has just joined team Slytherin on the pitch. Both captains are shaking hands as Professor Choi gets ready to blow the whistle.”
Johnny and Jaehyun’s voices fade into the background as Yuta grits his teeth and watches Professor Choi toss the Quaffle up into the air. He grins as Minghao snatches the Quaffle out of the air with ease and speeds off towards the direction of Hufflepuff’s Keeper. Minghao dodges a Bludger and shouts for Yuta and the latter swiftly catches the Quaffle as Minghao cleanly passes it to him.
Yuta feints to the left before pelting the Quaffle neatly through the hoop on the right and high-fives his fellow Chasers before doing a little celebratory loop in the air. He spots Doyoung among the Ravenclaws and feels his heart do a little flip in his chest as they make eye contact. Doyoung’s face turns impassive as he pretends to look elsewhere, forcing Yuta to look away and get back into the game. It stings but Yuta didn’t have time to dwell on it any longer as the Quaffle lands in the hands of Hufflepuff’s Chasers.
True to Minseok’s words, Hufflepuff’s Chasers start giving the rest of the team trouble. Yuta struggles to intercept their quick passes and they’re quick to dodge the Bludgers Minseok and Seunghoon are batting their way. The only thing keeping Hufflepuff from scoring is Jongin’s insane reflexes as he expertly defends Slytherin’s hoops.
In the midst of all the madness, Yuta’s bet with Doyoung is almost forgotten until Jaehyun’s voice booms across the pitch, “Hufflepuff’s Mingyu and Slytherin’s Sehun have both just made a dive towards the the side of the pitch!” Yuta glances to where he sees two blurry figures hurtling towards something glinting gold just a few feet away from where he was hovering.
Time slows down. Or at least it feels like it does. Memories of Ten and Kun’s words flood Yuta’s mind and he thinks back to Minseok’s final words to him before the start of the match.
When his memory of that night at the lake flashes in front of his eyes, where Doyoung had looked so impossibly beautiful in the moonlight, Yuta makes his decision.
“SLYTHERIN WINS!” Johnny bellows and the crowd erupts in a deafening cheers. As the rest of his team fly towards Sehun to congratulate him on winning the match for them, Yuta makes a beeline towards the opposite end of the pitch.
Several students gasp and hurry aside as Yuta jumps off his broom and lands right next to where a shell-shocked Doyoung is standing. From the corner of his eye, he sees Kun shaking his head before muttering a quick summon spell to save the broom from going wayward.
“You win,” Yuta says, breathlessly. Doyoung just stares at him with an unreadable expression and Yuta feels his heart sink but if he knows that if he has to keep talking or he’ll probably never get the courage to say what he wants to say again. “I’m sorry for being a prick that night at the lake. I know you were just looking out for me, though Merlin knows why when I’ve been nothing but annoying for the last few year-”
Yuta suddenly feels a hand pull at the front of his robes and he stumbles forward. “Just shut up this once,” Doyoung murmurs and Yuta realises that the other boy’s face is just centimeters away from his own. Yuta is about to reply when he feels Doyoung’s lips press against his own and Yuta’s brain fizzles out immediately.
Doyoung’s hands are gripping the front of Yuta’s robes tightly and his lips are moving against Yuta’s fiercely. Yuta thinks he hears Johnny and Jaehyun whooping loudly in their magically amplified voices and he ignores the cheering and screams and whistling of the students around them in favour of deepening the kiss.
When they break away, Doyoung’s cheeks are a marvelous shade of pink and Yuta feels a rush of satisfaction at the sight of Doyoung’s shiny spit-slick lips. “I’ve just decided to change my terms for the bet,” Doyoung says breathlessly. Yuta tilts his head and grins at Doyoung, eyes twinkling with mirth.
“And what would you have me do instead of take over your night duties?”
Doyoung leans in and kisses Yuta’s cheek quickly before stepping back. Yuta feels warmth rushing to his cheeks and he hears Ten making fake gagging noises from somewhere behind them.
“Take me out to Hogsmeade this Saturday instead.”
How could Yuta refuse?