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Mark doesn’t do well under pressure.
He tends to set standards too high on himself, because he wants to do well. Especially when he’s with a team, even more when people rely on him. As Hufflepuff’s seeker, he unfortunately tends to be in this position a lot. Never quite like today, though.
“You have to win, Mark. Don’t let Yuta fool you.”
Taeyong is watching him with determination and some anger Mark doesn’t really remember ever seeing before. Taeyong is usually a nice person, who repeats to Mark,-and pretty much everyone for that matter,- that the important thing is that he tries his best, and that no one would get mad at him if Hufflepuff ever lost. Also, Taeyong wasn’t really interested in the quidditch competition, he rooted for Hufflepuff when the team played, sure, but otherwise he was never the kind to get passionate about competition. That was reserved for frogs, nifflers, dragons, and any kind of non-human creatures.
The situation is unexpected, and if Taeyong, - the one who usually doesn’t care - says that Mark has to win, it means that Mark has to win. No other choice.
“Isn’t Yuta your best friend?” Asks Yukhei in between two mouthfuls of toast. Mark would have asked the same, but his stomach is twisted in a way that makes talking difficult.
“He is,” Taeyong says, somewhat reluctantly, “and he’s also a sneaky bastard. I’ll trust him with my life, but not with this.”
On that cue, Taeyong leaves, not without a last death glare to the slytherin table. Ten winks at him, - which is explanation enough of Taeyong’s weird behavior - but Mark doesn’t dwell on it, because by his side Yuta is smiling a thousand watts smiles, and Mark is blinded by it (he can’t divert his gaze).
Taeyong may be right: Yuta is dangerous. Not in a violent way, of course, not even in a manipulative one. He’s just really aware of his charms, and knows how to use them to his advantage. That’s why he’s dangerous to Mark.
Because Mark is also very really aware of Yuta’s charms.
And that renders him totally useless. A flustered bisexual mess, that’s it.
Not that he has a crush on Yuta. He definitely doesn’t have a crush on Yuta.
Having a crush on the older boy would suggest observing him from afar in the hallway, as he laughs with his friends, which Mark only does because Yuta is loud and his laughs sound like chiming bells. It would also involve waking up in the early morning in order to watch Yuta jog shirtless around the lake even in the dead of winter, and look at the sweat falling down his chest, his gaze stuck on the Slytherin’s navel piercing. Mark only happens to be an early riser and be in the vicinity. And of course, he only watches Yuta’s piercing because he’s curious if it hurts, especially when the weather is so cold, and it must be felt with the metal. There must be a magical explanation, and Mark is adamant to find it.
Who is he kidding? Of course he has a crush on Yuta. He just wishes it was less obvious, at least today when he feels like everyone’s eyes are on him.
Of course that’s just an impression, because fortunately, Kim Jongin, Hufflepuff’s quidditch captain and one of their chaser, is ten time hotter than pretty much everyone else at school (with the exception Yuta, of course, in Mark absolutely unbiased opinion), so the focus is mainly on him. With the exception of Mark’s one. Which should have been, because Jongin is walking straight towards him with the obvious intention to talk to his players.
Mark shrieks when Lucas forces his head on the side to see his captain’s arrival. Jongin smiles, Mark gulps.
This is not the greatest day to play. It’s the beginning of February, the weather is cold and humid, the sky too dark for this hour of the day. At least there are still a lot of spectators coming, most students anticipating the allegedly best two teams of the year in a match.
Mark does not feel reassured by that last information. He wouldn’t have been too disappointed to not have hundreds of students watching his every move. And that they will be commented on by Johnny, loud enough for everyone to hear. Yikes.
Johnny, Mark’s older brother, blissfully unaware of Mark’s crush. Mark hopes.
Not that Mark’s crush will have anything to do in the game. Of course, Mark is a conscientious player! Once on the field, he won’t care about the people watching, he won’t see Yuta as a crush but as the rival’s team member.
Before the game, though, as Yuta calls Mark’s name, it’s another story entirely. The Hufflepuff can’t exactly pinpoint when it started, Yuta calling his name at any given moment just for the fun of it. Maybe during first year, when he was nothing more than Johnny’s cute little brother, freshly arrived in hogwart, so innocent still.
“Mark!”
Mark doesn’t move as he watches Yuta walk toward him, a gigantic smile on his face. He’s wearing his silver and emerald quidditch outfit, his broom in one hand, and his bat in the other. He looks both pretty and ridiculous. Pretty ridiculous Mark hears a voice in his head that sounds awfully like Donghyuck’s.
“Hi, oppa! Yuta ! I meant Yuta.”
He laughs nervously. Mark is usually a mess, but the combo of pregame stress and Yuta’s bright smile certainly doesn’t help.
“Hey cutiepie, ready for the game ?”
Mark decides to purposefully ignore the three to five shades redder he must have gotten with this simple word : cutiepie. He tries to appear casual and decontracted.
“Sure, a little nervous, nothing unusual.”
“Don’t worry, everyone is in the same boat. Even your most amazing Hyung myself!”
That isn’t really funny, but it doesn’t stop Mark from laughing his heart out. Yuta always seemed particularly happy to see Mark laugh at his jokes, no matter how lame they were or the fact that Mark was so easy to make laugh.
“Plus,” continued the Slytherin, “I’m sure Jongin made the best strategy for you, didn’t he?”
“Yeah! He… Wait, hyung, are you trying to get information from me?”
Yuta fake gasped at that.
“How dare you accuse me of such a thing! I, Nakamoto Yuta, trying to lure my cute dongsaeng into corruption? Nonsense,” he smiles, then, and gets even closer to Mark. Too close. Mark is already panicking inside. When Yuta puts both arms around the younger, Mark’s brain short-circuits, “I just came to wish you good luck, and that’s how you thank me?”
Mark can do nothing but imitate some dumb fish by opening and closing his mouth. What is happening?
“No, I-... I- ! You..!”
“Anyway, good luck, Markie, I can’t wait for you to impress me, and don’t be too sad when you lose. Slytherins are just that good!”
Then he drops a kiss on Mark’s cheek, and runs to his own team, leaving Mark and his thundering heart alone.
It takes a moment for Mark to process what just happened. And then a little more to snap out of it.
Did Yuta just kiss him? No, that’s not possible, right? There is one logical explanation. One that confirms Taeyong’s theory that Yuta is not to be trusted on the (quidditch) battlefield. Remember when we talked about how aware of his charms Yuta is. It’s the proof, right there. And he’s not afraid to use it. Maybe it’s a little manipulative. Somehow, Mark doesn’t mind. As long as he’s aware of Yuta’s stratagems, they shouldn’t work, right? Right.
Mark is not a naive and gullible first year anymore. Yuta’s jokes won’t work on him, and he won’t lose the game because he’s distracted by a simple kiss. He can’t let that happen.
Staying focused on the game is easier after Jongin’s heartfelt speech, and Taeyong’s even more heartfelt death glare (Mark chooses to believe it’s not intended for him, it’s like a bucket of ice water still).
The strategy is never hard to follow as a seeker. All he has to do is look after the golden snitch and if possible catch it after they already have a head start on the other team. After the two matches that were already played, Slytherin is 20 points ahead of them. A score they could even quite easily against another team, but still, because they are their main rivals, it’s the match at hand that matters.
So Mark stays slow on his broom, watching his surroundings carefully, and keeping an eye on Ten.
He listens attentively to what is happening around him, too. The goals that are made, Jongin and Yuta giving orders and advice to their teams. He allows himself a look when Johnny comments on some amazing move.
“Wonderful sloth grip roll from Sooyoung! This girl will go far, I'm telling you! Yuta, please, don’t look so disappointed your bludger didn’t hit someone’s face. And, Sooyoung passes to Jongin, and…”
Mark sees something glimmering in the air. Is that what he is looking for? He tries to approach without looking too much out of his routine. Ten is a little further away, but it’s too early in the game to…
“Wendy ! Are you trying to kill my brother?!”
Johnny’s words are just the warning Mark needs to avoid the bludger thrown his way. He speeds on his broom. He uses that to get closer to the shiny point he saw before.
He tries to remember how many points each team has. With the bludger on his tail, it’s not easy to concentrate on numbers. He throws a look at the scoreboard : 50 - 40 for Hufflepuff. Could be better, but it’s enough for Mark. He can use the speed he’s gaining to get to the snitch without raising Ten’s suspicion.
He vaguely thanks Jeno, Hufflepuff’s beater, when he gets the bludger away from him. He sends another look to the glimmering. Of course, it’s not there anymore. He tries to look around. Yes, ten feets above, a little on the -
“MARK,” screams a too well known voice in the crowd.
He stops abruptly. Is there a danger? Is Yuta warning him from his own bludger? No, that wouldn’t be smart at all. Johnny, in the voice speaker, seems as disoriented as Mark.
“What the fuck Nakamoto, get your ass back in the - Ouch, professor Kim! What do you mean, not allowed to swear, ass is not a swear word! ”
Mark ignores Johnny as he watches Yuta approach for the second time of the day, this time on his broom. He’s still feet away when he speaks again, hanging upside down on his broom. His shirt is falling down, displaying the infamous belly piercing. Mark instantly forgets from the game to his name. Do they matter? Not when Yuta is here in all his (semi) naked glory.
“Mark, will you do me the honor of accompanying me to hogsmeade on Saturday?”
“Is it really the moment?” Mark panics.
“I mean, yeah? you love quidditch, I love quidditch… Isn’t it romantic?”
Romantic? What does he mean, romantic? Mark’s heart is hammering so hard in his chest that it threatens to escape, and any kind of thought has left him. Why would Nakamoto Yuta, out of everyone, ask him out? Romantic? A date? Him? Oh god, this must be some very realistic dream he’s having.
“But you… You… I’m -”
Stupid. That what Mark is, stupid. Because while Yuta is AsKiNg HiM oN a DaTe, Ten is flying at maximum speed to the other side of the pitch.
“Shit! ”
He passes by Yuta without another look, and concentrates on Ten. He accelerates as much as he can, but Ten is already too close. Surely the golden snitch will move, Mark hopes. It’s what it does, moving around quickly as to be hard to catch.
It does, indeed. Ten has to do some backflip on his broom to change direction and be back on track. They’re almost neck to neck.
Unfortunately for Mark, Ten is the fastest flyer at school.
All he can do is watch as the golden snitch disappears betweens Ten’s fingers.
He doesn’t feel anything but utter shame as the crowd roars in the distance.
He doesn’t know what he expects from his team when he reaches the ground, but not a group hug, that’s for sure. He tries as much as he can to contain his tears. He’s so disappointed in himself, with reason. He shouldn’t have let himself be distracted with a silly crush.
He feels sick in his stomach. He’s so dumb, to have believed Yuta would ever want to take him on a date. He’s heartbroken, and the guilt that he let his team down is eating him up, even with Jongin reassuring him with kind words.
When Taeyong joins them, and puts his hands on both of Mark’s shoulders, the younger one can't even look him in the eyes. Oh, how much he must have disappointed him.
“Oh, Markie, I'm so sorry, I shouldn’t have put so much pressure on you!”
Mark is surprised at the apology, and even more by the crushing hug his senior is giving him. This time, he is definitively crying.
“Yuta is an idiot, I’ll wring his neck when I see him.”
Mark wants to say something, but he can’t: the words are caught in his throat anyway.
After a while everyone starts to leave. Mark can still hear Jongin complain to Miss Kim that Yuta’s act should be considered foul play, diminishing as he draws away, covered by the chatting of the crowd. Taeyong left a while ago, probably to make good on his promise, and the rest of the Hufflepuff team are on the way back to their common room - not without an obligatory detour by the kitchen.
Mark doesn’t follow them. He wants to be alone for a while, he’s tired of everyone’s pity stares. He was a fool, it happens. Can’t he be heartbroken in peace?
Apparently not, because not even a few steps out of the Hufflepuff locker room his name is called by the last person he wants to see at the moment.
“MARK !”
Yuta.
What does he want? To rub it in his face? Mark tries to ignore him, and speed his steps.
“Mark, wait!”
Yuta is faster than him, and soon they’re at the same level. Their eyes meet by accident and Mark’s body has the strangest reaction to it, heart racing up and bile rising up, unable to decide what it’s supposed to do anymore.
“You didn’t answer my question!”
“What question?”
"Hogsmeade, do you want to go with me?”
Until now, Mark had only felt sadness and shame. Yuta’s request during the match had been quite mean and manipulative, but Mark had been quick to disregard it because all in all, Slytherin were known for their awful scheme and it was part of the game.
But Yuta has the audacity to come to him and twist the knife in the wound with the biggest smile on his face, and it’s so, so unfair.
“Are you fucking serious? Did you really come all the way to fucking… Why did you even come? We lost! Isn’t it enough? Oh, no, let’s make even more fun of poor little Markie and his awful crush! I know I’m pathetic, okay?”
His vision is blurry, but he still can see Yuta’s face deflate. Good. He deserves it.
“What? No, I ‒”
“Anyway, well done for embarrassing me in front of everyone, and I won’t annoy you anymore.”
He’s about to leave. He’s adamant he’s going to leave and not let Yuta play with his feelings anymore, but the Slytherin catches him by the clothes and Mark has to look at him again, and wow, he looks kinda mad.
“You’re not pathetic, Mark Lee. You’re the least pathetic person out there, you hear me? You’re funny, smart, hard working, so fucking gorgeous and one of the best quidditch players I witnessed in seven years at this school. Don’t ever let anyone make you feel less than that.”
“uh,” is Mark's very intelligible answer to the declaration.
“I swear, Mark, it was so hard not to kiss you all year, to properly woo you and actually wait to ask you out on a date.”
Mark’s body is in haywire, sending all kinds of different signals to his brain which might have actually shut down.
When did Yuta even woo him?
“Earlier, before the match… Were you flirting with me?”
“Have been for the past six month, but thanks for noticing.”
That’s not possible. Mark would have remarked if Yuta had ever changed behavior: he noticed everything about him. Like the fact he spent an awful lot more time with Taeyong at the Hufflepuff common room since Johnny and Taeil had started dating. And then Taeyong had to go on patrol, and Yuta was left alone with Mark, and...
Oh...
Mark was definitively stupid.
“So, that wasn’t a scheme? The asking out to Hogsmeade?”
“I mean… It was a scheme, but I also really wanted to go out with you. I… Uh, Well, I didn’t think this through.”
“I felt so awful! How are you going to make it up to me?”
“With a kiss?”
Yuta looks so handsome, with his hair in every direction from the wind during the match, and his skin reddened by the harsh cold, and Mark really wants to give him his kiss. He also doesn’t want to make it too easy.
“No. You’re going to give me a kiss, because I deserve it after all you’ve put me through. And tomorrow, at breakfast, you’re going to embarrass yourself in front of the whole school by asking me again. Deal?”
“Deal.”
The promise is sealed with Yuta’s lips on his own. Exactly where they’re supposed to be.