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As a Ravenclaw, Taehyun found the Slytherin common room fascinating. Even though he had broken the rules to get inside, he couldn’t say he regretted it. It was so interesting to see the most intimate parts of the other Houses dorms, and the Slytherin common room was surprisingly cosy despite being underground. Of course, it helped that Taehyun had a very warm body he could curl up against.
Beomgyu was like an enigma to Taehyun. He had literally none of the qualities of a stereotypical Slytherin, but once he got to know him, he started to pick up on the more subtle qualities. The boy wasn’t very talkative but when he spoke, he always said something meaningful. He knew how to play a crowd better than even Yeonjun, could read a room in two seconds flat, and oftentimes knew what Taehyun wanted without needing to ask. He was also fiercely loyal to his house and his friends and especially to Taehyun.
Sometimes, though, his loyalties got a little out of order. It’s not that Taehyun expected to always be Beomgyu’s top priority and concern—Taehyun was perfectly capable of taking care of himself—but there had been several occasions recently where some of Beomgyu’s housemates had expressed their dislike of Taehyun being in their common room. Nobody else in Slytherin was dating someone out of their House except for Yeonjun—and the boy he was dating, Soobin, was Head Boy so nobody said anything. Yeonjun would also hex them if they did say anything—which meant that Taehyun stuck out like a black sheep.
Beomgyu was usually good at shooing them off or telling them that they needed to stop being so close-minded, but recently he had…changed. Taehyun didn’t notice it at first, the way the elder wouldn’t stand as close to him in the hallways, didn’t sit with him at lunch some days, started leaving Quidditch practice before Taehyun could meet him. Taehyun chalked it up to the fact that Beomgyu was about to be a seventh year, so he had a lot more attention on him than before.
It was fine at first, because the two still spent a lot of time together when they could, but things went sour when Beomgyu started cutting their time short to go be with his friends.
“Hey, Yeonjun-hyung is having a two-v-two down at the Quidditch field, I’m gonna head down,” he said, staring at the parchment as he stood up. Taehyun sat up, trying not to frown. He had been so comfortable and was hoping that Beomgyu wouldn’t want to do anything and they could just cuddle all night, but. He guessed a Quidditch match against Yeonjun and Soobin could be fun.
He stood up too, looking around for his jacket. He found it and slipped it on, going to wait at the door for Beomgyu. He appeared quickly, Quidditch gear in hand, and he pushed open the door. The couple walked up out of the dungeons, and Taehyun turned to go towards the Quidditch pitch, but Beomgyu stopped him. “Where are you going?” he asked.
Taehyun turned back to look at him, blinking a few times in confusion. “What do you mean? The pitch is this way,” he replied. Beomgyu’s eyes widened, before a guilty expression befell him. Taehyun’s heart sunk immediately. “I’m sorry, baby, but we already have enough players,” he said gently. Taehyun stared at him, the hurt slowly trickling in. Beomgyu noticed, and he stepped forward, taking Taehyun’s hand loosely in his.
“I’ll sneak into your dorm when we’re finished, okay? I’m really sorry, it’s just super last minute and you know how beneficial extra practice is for me,” he rambled. He was just making excuses, but Taehyun let himself believe them. He nodded a little, looking down. “Okay,” he said. Beomgyu kissed his forehead, and then moved past him to walk down the hallway. Taehyun watched as he did, beginning to process the fact that his boyfriend had just knowingly excluded him.
He sighed and started the long walk back to Ravenclaw tower.
Beomgyu never snuck into Taehyun’s dorm, and Taehyun hadn’t expected him to. He hardly came to Ravenclaw Tower to begin with, citing his fear of heights—a lie that was cute at first but now just made Taehyun sad. In fact, most of Taehyun’s housemates wouldn’t even have believed he was dating the Slytherin if they hadn’t seen them at the Yule Ball last year. It wasn’t that Beomgyu was ashamed of their relationship, he actually flaunted it a lot, but only when it was advantageous to, Taehyun noticed.
After last night, Taehyun re-evaluated the last few months of his relationship. He came to the saddening realisation that Beomgyu really only showed him off when it benefited himself, and he had been neglecting Taehyun and what he needed from him. Taehyun wasn’t sure what to do with this newfound conclusion, and it very much scared him, so he sought out the one person he knew would be able to give him the best advice.
Soobin was a Hufflepuff, along with Taehyun’s other close friend Hueningkai, and when he wasn’t in class or with Yeonjun, he was in the library. So Taehyun headed to the library the next afternoon, trying not to look as sad as he felt. He hadn’t seen even a glimpse of Beomgyu yet, but he assumed the boy was still asleep after the late night he had had. Taehyun craved his cell phone for nth time, but since they didn’t work at Hogwarts, there was no point.
When Taehyun entered the library, he found Soobin in a few minutes. He was reading a stack of spellbooks and scribbling on some parchment, but he smiled when Taehyun approached. “Taehyunnie, what are you doing here?” he asked cheerfully, pushing his books aside. Taehyun sat down and fiddled with his fingers, taking a breath. He had no idea how to start the conversation. “Hey, did something happen?” Soobin asked, always the observant one. Taehyun glanced up at him, before groaning, dropping his head.
“Beomgyu-hyung keeps blowing me off,” he decided to say. It felt pathetic, but he knew Soobin wouldn’t judge. When he looked up, Soobin was looking at him with worry and understanding, so he elaborated. “We’ll spend like an hour or so together and then he always leaves to go be with his friends. And he doesn’t sit with me during lunch as often and he just completely stopped walking me to my classes,” he explained, voice getting quieter as he went. Saying it all out loud just made it feel real.
Taehyun’s heart ached, and he didn’t want to cry but the lump in his throat was starting to get painful. Soobin leaned forward, patting Taehyun’s knee. “Sounds like he’s got his priorities all out of order,” he replied. Taehyun laughed humourlessly, sitting back in his chair. Soobin puffed his cheeks out for a second, before setting his pen down. “Relationships are a two-way street, Taehyun, and if Beomgyu-ah isn’t being reciprocal then that’s something you need to talk to him about,” he advised.
It was logical, but Taehyun seriously had no idea how to breach the subject. He voiced said concern to Soobin, who hesitated, pursing his lips as he thought of a response. Taehyun absolutely hated the position he found himself in, the shadow of fear hanging over him now, and he hated that the one person he wanted to go to was the source of all his stress.
“I think he needs to be reminded that you aren’t going to just let him do whatever he wants, that he could lose you,” Soobin eventually said. Taehyun eyes widened. “You want me to break up with him?” The thought made something sharp twist in his gut, his brain immediately shutting down the idea. The thought of not having Beomgyu in any capacity was frankly too much for Taehyun to contemplate.
Thankfully, Soobin shook his head rapidly, eyes popping. “No!” he cried, earning a loud ‘shush’ from the librarian. After apologising, Soobin looked back at Taehyun, voice lowered. “I meant just like, the threat of a breakup. See how he reacts to you even considering ending things, and then lay it all out for him. Be honest with what you want, and don’t be ashamed,” he said.
Taehyun stared at his hyung as he considered his words. He felt a little scared that Beomgyu would actually agree with Taehyun and then they would actually breakup. But if that’s what he wanted, would Taehyun respect his choice? Or would he fight to fix things? He didn’t know. He didn’t like thinking about any path where he lost Beomgyu. But Soobin had a point. Taehyun didn’t want to just be tossed aside, a sure thing for Beomgyu to come home to no matter what. Taehyun deserved better than that.
“Thank you, hyung,” he said, bowing his head a little as he stood up. Soobin smiled up at him before standing, clearly relieved. He gave the younger a hug and patted his head before Taehyun left to find Beomgyu.
He was nervous as he wound through the corridors of the castle, and he almost ditched the plan entirely, but something told him to push through. He didn’t find Beomgyu in any of his normal hangout spots, so the Quidditch pitch was the final place Taehyun could think of. As he exited the castle, he pulled his wand out and whispered a Lumos to illuminate the grounds. Several students were roaming around, enjoying the fall air, and Taehyun sighed as he remembered stargazing with Beomgyu last year around this same time.
There was a one-off Quidditch match going on, but none of the players had the signature emerald green colours of Slytherin house, so Taehyun was discouraged as he walked up. If Beomgyu wasn’t here, Taehyun had no idea where to look.
However, as he stopped at the entrance to the pitch, a group of Slytherin’s rounded the corner, talking loudly. Among them was Beomgyu. Taehyun stared at them, wishing Beomgyu had been alone but pushing those thoughts aside. He crossed over until he was in front of them, and he did his best not to look too awkward. “Hyung,” he said. Beomgyu immediately responded to the call, head snapping over and eyes settling on Taehyun.
“Taehyun!” he said, pushing his friends out of the way and going up to Taehyun with a smile. Taehyun decisively did not return it. “Can we talk?” he asked quietly. One of the boys—Taehyun didn’t recognise him—chuckled and ‘oohed’, pushing Beomgyu’s shoulder. “Someone’s in trouble,” another one joked.
Taehyun tried not to act disgusted, but he almost slipped up when Beomgyu laughed and turned around to wave his wand in their faces. “Fuck off,” he said. When he turned back though, he saw the unamused expression on Taehyun’s face and his smile dropped instantly. He swallowed, before nodding and stepping closer to Taehyun, grabbing his elbow. “Yeah, of course we can talk,” he said, turning one more time.
“I’ll catch up with you guys,” he told his friends. Taehyun resisted rolling his eyes, because wow, Beomgyu basically insinuated he wasn’t going to stick around after Taehyun was finished talking. Regardless, the friends disappeared and Beomgyu guided Taehyun over to a bench near the lake. Taehyun sat down, staring at his hands, and Beomgyu sat next to him.
It was quiet for a few moments, before Taehyun finally gathered his courage and locked eyes with Beomgyu. The elder looked mildly concerned, mostly confused, and also ridiculously pretty. Taehyun exhaled through his nose, and let the words out.
“We should break up,” he said. The words burned as they left his mouth, and his brain screamed at him while his stomach did flips. But he kept his gaze on Beomgyu, and was actually genuinely surprised to see the sheer terror that crossed his features. His skin paled and his eyes widened and he shook his head. “What? No, I don’t think we should,” he replied.
Taehyun blinked. He had gotten his answer, but he knew he had to keep going. “You clearly enjoy your freedom, and I don’t want to hold you back from anything,” he went on. Beomgyu was shaking his head before Taehyun finished talking. “You don’t hold me back.” Taehyun sighed, finally having to look down because the hurt in Beomgyu’s eyes was too similar to what Taehyun had been feeling.
“I don’t hold you back because you’ve already pushed me aside, hyung,” he whispered. And he sounded so broken. Saying it that way, putting it into such a raw perspective, it tipped Taehyun over the edge. He stood up, walking up to the water’s edge. He stared at his distorted expression and quickly wiped a tear away. He wasn’t supposed to start crying.
Beomgyu appeared at his side after only a few seconds, but Taehyun kept staring at the water. “I don’t mean to push you aside, Taehyun,” he said. And Taehyun had about heard enough of that so he spun, glaring at Beomgyu for the first time. “Yes, you do! You actively exclude me all of the time, and I let it happen because I don’t want to make things awkward, but I’m tired of being my own boyfriend’s second choice!”
He took a deep breath as he turned back, leaving Beomgyu wide-eyed and floundering for a response. He closed his eyes, shoulders slumping as he shook his head. “I love you, Beomgyu, but I deserve to be treated better.”
Silence is all he got as an answer, and when Taehyun looked at Beomgyu, the boy was still in some sort of shock, unable to find something to reply with. Taehyun waited another beat, and then walked away.
As he walked, though, Beomgyu called after him. “Does this mean we’re broken up?” Taehyun stopped walking, another tear falling as he looked over his shoulder. “That’s up to you, hyung,” he said. And then he kept walking until he was back inside the castle.
He wasn’t sure how he felt. He didn’t feel any relief, certainly no happiness, but the sadness had been replaced with something else. Something almost numbing. Being in this limbo now with Beomgyu had also sent his emotions spiralling, and all he knew was that he really wanted to cry a little and then fall asleep. And so that’s exactly what he did.
The next morning, Taehyun braced himself for his first class, which he shared with Beomgyu and the other Slytherins. He didn’t know what Beomgyu had decided, if he had decided, and he didn’t know how long he’d be able to survive not knowing. He only slept a few hours last night, the rest of them spent going over every possible answer the boy could give him. He may not have known what Beomgyu was going to decide, but he knew what he wanted for himself.
As flawed as Beomgyu was, the months prior had been bliss. Taehyun had felt so loved and cared for, and that’s what he wanted back. He wanted his boyfriend back. He didn’t fall in love with the person Beomgyu had turned into, but Taehyun knew that the true version of him was still there. His final year of school and his growing popularity with his friends had gone to his head, but hopefully Taehyun’s reality check would do the trick.
He pulled on his robes and styled his hair just a little so it swept off of his forehead, and then he grabbed his bag and wand and left. It was second-nature, the walk to Potions, and Taehyun wasn’t paying much attention as he headed towards the dungeons. If he had, he probably would’ve seen the group of Slytherin’s walking towards him, annoyed scowls on their faces.
“Hey! Kang Taehyun!” they cried. Taehyun’s head snapped up, and his eyes widened as four burly Slytherins stopped in front of him. The girl put her hands on her hips and looked at Taehyun as if he was inferior. “You’re the reason Beomgyu-ah is being an insufferable pain in the ass,” she said. Taehyun’s eyes widened. “What?” he replied lamely. One of the boys rolled his eyes. “He quit our intramural Quidditch team, which fucks us for the playoffs, so thanks for that,” he sneered.
Taehyun fish-mouthed, not knowing what to say. Now he knew he Beomgyu felt last night. It appeared that the Slytherins were blaming him for Beomgyu’s behaviour. Although, it seemed that the boy was taking steps to remove himself from the Slytherin social pyramid, which was good for Taehyun. So the conflicting feelings also complicated things, and before he knew it, one of the other boys pulled out his wand and said something about “taking out his anger on the twink”.
He took a step back as his eyes widened and fear shot through him. Nobody would actually dare hex another student in plain sight, but the sight of the wand scared Taehyun enough for him to reach for his own wand in self-defence.
“Leave him alone!”
Beomgyu’s voice rang out, echoing off the stone walls. He ran up, pushing the boy back before standing protectively in front of Taehyun. “Don’t touch him,” he hissed. He had his wand in his hand, arms slightly extended. Taehyun gulped, heart beating out of his chest and mind just trying to keep up with everything it was seeing. The boy glared at Beomgyu, rubbing his shoulder. “He’s holding you back, Beomgyu, we talked about this,” he said.
Taehyun looked down, crossing an arm over his torso. “He’s the reason I want to move forward, actually,” Beomgyu responded. Taehyun lifted his head at that, surprised. He couldn’t see Beomgyu’s expression, but the other Slytherins looked shocked. “I can’t believe I let you guys get between us, but I’m not letting it happen anymore. We aren’t friends, so please leave me alone,” he said, tone clearly dismissive.
He turned around then, angry expression morphing into a guilty one. He didn’t say anything though, and instead grabbed Taehyun’s hand and pulled him away. Taehyun let him, mind swirling as they went up towards Ravenclaw tower. Neither of them spoke until they were outside the door, and then Beomgyu turned to face Taehyun. “I’m so fucking sorry, Taehyunnie,” he rushed.
Taehyun swallowed, looking at Beomgyu’s hand in his. He hadn’t realised how much he missed even the simple gesture. “I was pushing you aside, and I have no excuses, only an apology.” Taehyun looked at him, at the beautiful boy he had fallen in love with. He saw the pain and the regret in his eyes, and he wanted it to go away. He wanted his own hurt to go away, too. So he stepped forward and took a deep breath.
“I need to see real changes, hyung, don’t just give me promises,” he instructed. Beomgyu nodded rapidly, his other hand taking Taehyun’s. “I won’t let you go a single day without knowing how much I love you,” he whispered. Taehyun blushed at that, and nodded, exhaling deeply. He was still a little scared, but he was mostly relieved that Beomgyu hadn’t decided to just take the easy route and end things.
“I’m so fucking lucky to be loved by you,” the elder breathed and when Taehyun looked up at him, his gaze was so sincere it made Taehyun’s world explode. “I’ll always love you, hyung,” he whispered back. Beomgyu dropped his hand just to cup Taehyun’s cheek. Taehyun’s eyes closed at the contact and he leant into it, doing his best not to nuzzle his palm.
They stood like that for a moment, before Taehyun let them into the tower and Beomgyu followed him up to his dorm. He was glad Hogwarts had finally installed single-occupancy dorms, because Taehyun valued his personal space. He slipped into his little room and closed the door once Beomgyu was inside. They both took off their shoes and then Taehyun climbed up into his bed.
Beomgyu hesitated, staring at Taehyun in the darkness. Taehyun stared back, before reaching out a hand. Beomgyu moved forward instantly, taking Taehyun’s hand and climbing up to sit next to him. He slid his arm around Taehyun’s waist and Taehyun turned into the elder’s chest, resting his cheek right over Beomgyu’s heart. His hand rested on Beomgyu’s stomach, and he closed his eyes for a moment.
“Thank you, for putting me in my place,” Beomgyu murmured after a couple seconds. Taehyun opened his eyes and tilted his head to look up at his boyfriend. “Thank for not choosing to breakup,” he whispered back. Beomgyu ran a hand through Taehyun’s hair, pulling him up enough so they could gaze at each other properly. “I didn’t even consider it,” he replied. Taehyun fisted his shirt, his emotions running high.
He felt vulnerable, so he pressed closer. “I’m scared your housemates are going to try something again,” he confessed. Beomgyu immediately tightened his hold on Taehyun, gaze hardening. “They won’t touch you,” he promised. Taehyun sighed and nodded, knowing that Beomgyu couldn’t guarantee that, but he felt better at least letting him know he was afraid. Beomgyu nuzzled Taehyun’s neck, before leaving a trail of kisses up his jaw until finally kissing him on the lips.
Taehyun kissed back, hand on Beomgyu’s neck, and he felt a little better. When they parted, Taehyun curled in as close as possible, so glad to be back in his boyfriend’s arms. It didn’t take long for the both of them to fall asleep.
And when they woke up, and the day began, Beomgyu was true to his word and Taehyun felt more loved than he had in a long time. Things were going to be okay.