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The doorbell rang a little after lunch, startling Seonghwa who had been so focused on washing the dishes that he didn’t notice the hour. He dried his hands on the way to the door, and his heart was hammering in his chest. Seonghwa was nervous, he had been nervous ever since someone answered the add he had posted yesterday about looking for a roommate. He didn’t expect anyone to answer this quickly so close to the school year starting.
But he was desperate and he didn’t really question it. Seonghwa was just glad that someone answered to his add and he wouldn’t have to stretch his finances to pay the rent of the apartment alone. He just hoped that whoever was on the other side of the door was a decent person unlike his last roommate, who had just packed up and left without notifying Seonghwa right before the start of school.
Honestly, Seonghwa didn’t mind that very much because the guy was a pig, literally. He was messy and lazy and he managed to annoy Seonghwa most of the days, he was also always late with the money for rent and bills. Seonghwa was starting his third and last university year, he didn’t have time to get angry at a useless roommate.
Seonghwa was fortunate enough to be able to live off campus, in a very nice apartment and not in the cramped, crowded dorms. But he still needed help from another person to pay rent for the very nice apartment. He really hoped the person ringing his doorbell was nice and all that because he was a little bit desperate. He was very desperate actually.
The man on the other side of the door was shorter than him. He had curly and fluffy brown hair and eyes that shone almost mischievously, it reminded Seonghwa of San and Wooyoung and their troublemaking ways. The next thing Seonghwa noticed was the man’s outfit, colorful and unique in a way that was almost mesmerizing to him: black, ripped jeans with colorful splotches of paint all over, a white shirt with flowers and butterflies clearly hand painted on it and a jeans jacket full of pins and patches.
“Seonghwa, right?”
The voice was high, nasally, but soft in a way that had Seonghwa hanging off every syllable. He could see himself listening to the shorter man for days and never getting bored of the cadence of the voice. To put it simply, the man in front of him was the most beautiful and the most unique person that Seonghwa had ever seen in his life. He was simply mesmerized, put under a spell. Seonghwa’s heart started beating faster.
“Ah, yeah.”
“I am Kim Hongjoong,” the man introduced himself with a grin.
“Nice – nice to meet you!”
“Likewise.”
Seonghwa moved away from the door to let Hongjoong enter the apartment and tried his best not to panic at having such a pretty person in his home. A pretty person that might soon become his roommate, great. Seonghwa wasn’t sure if that would be a good or a bad thing. Hongjoong seemed to be a reliable roommate, the type Seonghwa wanted, but looks could be deceiving and he didn’t want to suffer again. But he was also desperate.
“Let me show you around,” Seonghwa said.
“Yeah, please.”
Seonghwa showed Hongjoong around the apartment and wanted to pat himself on the back for managing to keep his calm and not embarrass himself at all. Hongjoong looked really interested in what the apartment had to offer and didn’t seem to mind Seonghwa’s list of rules. Once they finished the tour, Seonghwa led his potential roommate to the kitchen to serve him some tea and cookies.
“The apartment is really nice,” Hongjoong said.
“It is,” Seonghwa agreed.
Hongjoong took a sip of tea from the mug, looking extremely amused for some reason. Seonghwa, once again, felt like a spell had been put on him. He just couldn’t look away from Hongjoong, which was weird because Seonghwa was pretty sure that he wasn’t a believer in the whole love at first sight thing. Hongjoong was just extremely pretty.
“So, am I roommate material?” Hongjoong asked with a grin.
Seonghwa was a little taken aback by the question, not expecting Hongjoong to be this direct. He smiled, feeling a little unsure about the whole thing now that he really thought about it. There was no guaranteed that Hongjoong would be any better than his previous roommate. But sometimes in life you had to take risks, right? Seonghwa shouldn’t judge Hongjoong before he had a chance to know the other man. And again, he was desperate.
Seonghwa decided to give Hongjoong a chance. He was sure that he could solve any issues by talking to the other, so why not allow Hongjoong to move in? Seonghwa was a little desperate after all, he really did need a roommate, even if said roommate was going to be the death of him. Seonghwa hoped he wouldn’t embarrass himself too much during their time as roommates.
“You are definitely roommate material,” Seonghwa said.
“Ah, that’s good to hear,” Hongjoong laughed. “Because I really like the apartment and it’s very close to the university campus.”
“And it’s not a crowded dorm room,” Seonghwa added.
“That too.”
“So, when do you want to move in?” Seonghwa asked.
“I’ll do it over the weekend, is that ok?”
“Perfect!”
Hongjoong placed the mug of tea on the counter with a chuckle. Seonghwa’s eyes were glued on the small fingers wrapped around the mug, they were nice fingers adorned by a lot of rings. Hongjoong had nice hands. Seonghwa looked away before he did anything dumb. Hongjoong stepped away from the kitchen with a smile and Seonghwa followed as if spellbound.
“To be honest,” Hongjoong said as they stopped in the hallway. “I am so happy that someone needed a last minute roommate.”
Seonghwa chuckled a little awkwardly. “My roommate ditched without notice, I honestly thought that no one would respond so close to the start of school,” he explained.
“Yeah, I was thinking it was something like that.”
“What about you?” Seonghwa asked. “Why are you looking for a place to stay now and not earlier?”
Hongjoong leaned closer with a mischievous smile and Seonghwa felt a shiver down his spine. “The apartment I live in now is haunted by a naughty demon,” Hongjoong whispered with a grin.
Seonghwa blinked, confused, and Hongjoong laughed. Seonghwa didn’t know how to answer, he wasn’t a big believer in the whole supernatural and occult spiel, so he had no idea what to say. Hongjoong didn’t seem to mind his silence, he just smiled very amused. Maybe he was just pulling Seonghwa’s leg with that story. Maybe he just had a falling out with his current roommate or he was sick of his current apartment or maybe he wanted to be closer to university.
“Well, no naughty demons here,” it was what Seonghwa settled on for an answer.
“Yeah, I can tell,” Hongjoong smiled.
Hongjoong left after they exchanged phone numbers so they could be in contact from now on. Seonghwa spent the rest of the day in a daze, wondering if he was going to survive having Hongjoong as a roommate. There was no use in lying to himself, Seonghwa had to admit that he had a tiny crush on the beautiful being that was Hongjoong. Although he didn’t know Hongjoong at all, Seonghwa’s heart sang for him. Seonghwa just hoped he wasn’t going to embarrass himself too hard.
*
Hongjoong had a lot of plants, a lot. Seonghwa looked in awe as Hongjoong placed the colorful pots all over the apartment – with Seonghwa’s enthusiastic consent of course. When he first moved into the apartment he had plants all over, but they always ended up dying, so after a while Seonghwa just gave up on having plants in the apartment. Hopefully his new roommate had a green thumb and the plants would survive.
“Is it really ok for me to take over the apartment like this?” Hongjoong asked, clearly still worried.
“I love plants, but I always end up killing them” Seonghwa said with a sad pout, making Hongjoong chuckle. “So please feel free to take over the apartment with all those pretty plants.”
Seonghwa felt his cheeks heat up when Hongjoong smiled at him softly. There was something about that smile that pulled at Seonghwa’s heartstrings. His roommate turned back to arranging his plants, leaving Seonghwa to be flustered all by himself. Deciding that it was way too early to make a fool of himself, Seonghwa went back to his own room. For the rest of the day he busied himself with sorting through the supplies for the next school year as Hongjoong moved around the apartment, unpacking his things.
Seonghwa offered to cook dinner and ignored all of Hongjoong’s protests because he loved cooking and feeding people. And he also liked Hongjoong more than his last roommate and he didn’t mind making Hongjoong a delicious meal. His new roommate kept him company as he cooked and they shared funny stories about their childhoods. Seonghwa had missed this, he had missed cooking for someone.
They ate dinner mostly in silence, but it was a comfortable silence with no trace of awkwardness despite them barely knowing each other. Seonghwa had never felt so comfortable with someone he had just met, it was almost as if him and Hongjoong were meant to meet. Hongjoong insisted to wash the dishes and Seonghwa allowed him that because the smaller man’s glare was very fierce. He sat down on the couch and allowed himself to finally relax. Hongjoong was soon on his way to join Seonghwa on the couch.
“Why do you have so many plants?” Seonghwa blurted out as he looked at the colorful pots full of greens and blues and reds and yellows.
“I’m a witch,” Hongjoong said with a wide grin as he plopped down on the couch.
Seonghwa blinked at him confused. Hongjoong was grinning at him almost mischievously, clearly in the mood to joke around with Seonghwa. He laughed at how ridiculous the idea of Hongjoong being a witch was. Witches weren’t real, magic wasn’t real, but everyone was obsessed with the supernatural lately so Seonghwa couldn’t blame Hongjoong for choosing to say that. In a way it fit with the way he dressed and all the plants and crystals he had, not to mention the many old books and all the tarot decks Seonghwa spied in one of the boxes.
“A witch?” Seonghwa inquired amused.
“Mhm, a very powerful witch from a long line of witches and warlocks and shamans and all that jazz, you know?”
“Yeah, witches and wizards and magic,” Seonghwa said amused. “But shouldn’t you be a warlock? Or wizard?” Seonghwa asked.
“But what if I like being called witch more?” Hongjoong smirked.
“Oh,” Seonghwa licked his lips, not knowing what to say without sounding dumb or disrespectful.
“We should stop pointlessly gendering things,” Hongjoong said as he plopped his legs into Seonghwa’s lap and threw himself down on the couch – rather dramatically in Seonghwa’s opinion. “Witch or warlock, doesn’t matter honestly.”
“Mhm, yeah, of course,” Seonghwa said as he looked down at Hongjoong’s legs.
“I know you don’t usually use witch for males, but I like it more. I feel that it fits me better, it’s softer in a way,” Hongjoong explained.
“Ah, yeah, of course,” Seonghwa’s hands were hovering over Hongjoong’s legs, unsure if he was allowed to rest them there or not.
Hongjoong laughed, clearly amused, and Seonghwa finally decided to rest his palms over his roommate’s shins as gently as he could. Hongjoong chuckled, probably at Seonghwa’s expense because he was very tense. But how could he not be tense when his very beautiful roommate was just casually resting his legs in Seonghwa’s lap?
“Don’t worry, I don’t curse pretty boys,” Hongjoong said with a smirk.
Seonghwa’s cheeks heated up and he looked away from Hongjoong, feeling suddenly shy. Hearing someone as ethereal as Hongjoong call him pretty was a huge ego boost, not that Seonghwa needed it because he knew he looked good. But it was nice to have validation sometimes.
“So, you make potions with all those plants?” Seonghwa asked, deciding to humor Hongjoong.
“Potions, teas and poisons.”
“Poisons?”
“Mhm.”
“Do – do you use them on …”
Hongjoong laughed loudly, interrupting Seonghwa. Hongjoong got up from the couch, still laughing, leaving Seonghwa confused on the couch. He wanted to feel annoyed because Hongjoong was clearly laughing at him, but Seonghwa couldn’t find it in him to be mad at someone as pretty as Hongjoong. At least now he knew that his roommate was as mischievous as San and Wooyoung, but Seonghwa would never consider Hongjoong the bane of his existence like he did with his two oldest friends.
“Don’t worry, I don’t go around poisoning people,” Hongjoong said.
“That – that’s good … I guess,” Seonghwa stammered.
Hongjoong smiled down at him. “Well, I had a long day, I should probably go to bed and rest.”
“Ah, yeah, yeah, you should do that,” Seonghwa said as he sat up too.
“Good night, Seonghwa!”
“Good night!”
Hongjoong hurried to his bedroom, leaving Seonghwa alone in the living-room. He sat there for a few minutes just processing everything that had happened. For a minute Seonghwa entertained the idea that Hongjoong really was a witch, but how would that even be possible? Magic wasn’t real, right? Hongjoong couldn’t be a witch, he was just messing with Seonghwa. After all a lot of people were into the whole witch aesthetic and they loved supernatural and occult things without actually believing they are real. So why would Hongjoong be any different?
*
Hongjoong seemed to be the perfect roommate so far. Seonghwa had no complaint about him and he really didn’t know how to feel about that. He was both glad and suspicious, but he decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and just go with the flow. Hongjoong was messy, but not the type of messy that annoyed Seonghwa. He cleaned after himself and if he noticed they were running low on something he would buy it without Seonghwa having to nag him or something.
Sharing a bathroom with Hongjoong was less of a hassle than Seonghwa expected. Somehow they never needed the bathroom at the same time and if they did, Hongjoong somehow managed to never be in Seonghwa’s way and vice versa. Hongjoong also kept all his bathroom products organized and clean, something which Seonghwa appreciated greatly.
Hongjoong’s room was a disaster, Seonghwa had caught a few glimpses of it, but he had no problem with that as long as that disaster didn’t spill in the shared areas. Hongjoong did leave dishes in the sink and didn’t sort his laundry correctly, sometimes he would leave random things on the coffee table, but again, it didn’t really bother Seonghwa. Mostly because the dishes would be washed soon enough and the coffee table cleared before it could actually get on Seonghwa’s nerves.
The laundry however was a totally different story. It seemed Hongjoong just hated everything to do with it, from sorting it before washing it, to folding his freshly dried clothes. Seonghwa, surprisingly, didn’t mind taking care of everything laundry related, as long as Hongjoong kept buying that fancy bottle of fabric softener that smelled divine and made all their clothes extremely soft.
Seonghwa had no idea from where his roommate bought the softener from, but he hoped Hongjoong never stopped getting it. It was clearly not bought from your usual store, the bottle was made of glass and not plastic, with a crock and a strip of fabric wrapped around the neck of the bottle. It looked very much homemade, like it was bought from one of those family owned shops that used only natural ingredients and recipes passed down from generation to generation. Seonghwa loved it.
Hongjoong also had a lot of teas, a vast selection of tea bags and tins and small boxes full of fragrant plants. Same as with the fabric softener, the teas seemed to be homemade from natural ingredients. They were delicious, Seonghwa had never drunk such good teas and he was very happy that Hongjoong was willing to share them with him. Hongjoong made them tall mugs of teas every night around ten, right before they each retreated to their own rooms, and Seonghwa looked forward to that a lot.
With each passing day, Seonghwa got more and more used to living with Hongjoong. Their schedules seemed to somehow align and they spent a lot of time together. It was mostly spent in silence with each of them working on their homework, but it was nice. Seonghwa felt as if they were study buddies, it was always better to study with someone than alone. They watched movies and drama together on the evenings they didn’t go out with friends and every Sunday the somehow adopted the habit of making breakfast together.
So yeah, Hongjoong seemed to be the perfect roommate and they were only one month into them being roommates. Thankfully, Seonghwa hadn’t made a fool of himself so far. He managed to keep his mouth shut and not blurt anything awkward or dumb. He was still nervous and jittery around Hongjoong, feeling a little awkward even. If Hongjoong noticed this, he didn’t say anything, but Seonghwa swore that he always looked at him like he knew something which unsettled Seonghwa.
“What are you thinking about?” Hongjoong asked, startling Seonghwa who had been lazing around on the couch thinking about, well, Hongjoong.
Seonghwa opened his eyes and instantly regretted it. Hongjoong was dressed in a skirt. It was a black skirt, which stopped mid-thigh and exposed a lot of honey skin that Seonghwa couldn’t take his eyes off. A crimson turtleneck and the black combats boots in Hongjoong’s hands were also part of the outfit that was the bane of Seonghwa’s existence right now. Hongjoong’s hair was in his usual fluffy hairdo and his ears were full of silver earrings. Seonghwa just couldn’t stop staring, it was almost as if he was spellbound.
Hongjoong was moving around the apartment, doing this and that, oblivious to Seonghwa’s awestruck gaze. Seonghwa wasn’t sure what his roommate was doing, too focused on the way the skirt swished around Hongjoong’s thighs. Suddenly, Hongjoong turned to look at him and Seonghwa startled. He was caught staring, great. And he also hadn’t answered Hongjoong’s question, too busy staring like a fool. How was he going to explain himself?
“Is the skirt too short?” Hongjoong asked all of the sudden.
“N – no,” Seonghwa blurted out.
“Hmm, good.”
Hongjoong plopped down on the couch and, much to Seonghwa’s dismay, placed his legs in his lap. Seonghwa blinked down at the legs in his lap, internally panicking at the sight of so much honey skin on display. Hongjoong closed his eyes and relaxed into the couch cushions, oblivious to Seonghwa’s internal panic. Seonghwa placed his hands on Hongjoong’s shins, marveling at how smooth and warm the skin beneath his palms was.
“Are – are you going out?” Seonghwa asked, eyeing Hongjoong’s outfit.
“I was planning to, but my friend canceled last minute,” he said with a pout.
“That’s unfortunate.”
“It is, I put all this effort to dress up and now I can’t show it off,” Hongjoong sighed dramatically.
“I – we could go out,” Seonghwa offered hesitantly.
Hongjoong looked at him surprised and Seonghwa felt like a fool. Maybe Hongjoong didn’t want to spend time with Seonghwa like that, outside of their shared apartment. He should have kept his mouth shut, now Hongjoong was probably awkward and uncomfortable because of his missing brain to mouth filter, just what Seonghwa needed. But then Hongjoong grinned and just like that – poof – all of Seonghwa’s negative thoughts vanished. Gone was the anxiety and the overthinking.
“Really?” Hongjoong asked.
“Yeah.”
“Can I choose the place?”
“Yes.”
“Ok, then go change and let’s get out of here,” Hongjoong said as he removed his legs from Seonghwa’s lap.
Twenty minutes later Seonghwa was dressed in a pair of white jeans, a purple sweater and with his black hair lightly styled. He had applied some basic makeup and decided against a beret today. Hongjoong was sprawled on the couch with one of his old, weird books held open above his face when Seonghwa emerged from his room.
“I’m ready, let’s go!”
Hongjoong threw the book on the coffee table carelessly then jumped off the couch. Seonghwa’s attention was drawn to the smooth expanse of thigh that was left uncovered by the skirt and he felt like a creep for staring, but he just couldn’t help it. Thankfully, Hongjoong seemed to preoccupied with his bag to notice Seonghwa shamelessly ogling at his exposed thighs. Seonghwa was able to tear his eyes away from his roommate’s thighs as they made their way to the bus stop, at least.
They were quiet during the walk to the bus stop and during the bus ride too, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. Seonghwa tried his best to keep his eyes anywhere but Hongjoong’s thighs, which turned out to be harder than he anticipated. The urge to look was strong and Seonghwa’s gay heart was weak, he was a weak man. Thankfully, Hongjoong didn’t seem to notice all the quick glances he was stealing or if he did, he was nice enough not to say anything.
They got off close to the city center and Seonghwa followed Hongjoong down a very sketchy alley. Before he could start worrying and overthinking, they exited into a quiet, narrow street. There were old houses with neat gardens lining up the street. The trees bent over fences and over the sidewalk, shielding the pedestrians from the sun and rain. Not that there were too many pedestrians.
Actually, Seonghwa and Hongjoong were the only ones on the street. Hongjoong seemed to have been here before because he walked confidently towards somewhere that Seonghwa guessed it was their destination. Seonghwa looked around at the beautiful houses and the trees with yellow and orange leaves in awe. He had no idea that there were places this beautiful in the city, maybe he should be going out more from now on.
“Here we are,” Hongjoong said as he stopped in front of a small house.
Seonghwa looked at the pastel yellow walls, wooden window frames and the well-kept garden, and fell in love with whatever this place was. As he followed Hongjoong to the house, Seonghwa noticed the sign on the wall next to the door. It was a café. Seonghwa’s cheeks felt a little warm, but he told himself that this was probably where Hongjoong was supposed to meet his friend, he didn’t pick this place because he was with Seonghwa.
Twilight café, as the sign read, was warm and cozy. As soon as Seonghwa stepped through the threshold he felt at home. Hongjoong seemed to know his way around the café and he led Seonghwa towards a table somewhere towards the back of the café, somewhere where they would have a little bit of privacy. As soon as they sat down, a waiter appeared seemingly out of nowhere, startling Seonghwa.
“Welcome to Twilight Café,” he greeted as he placed two menus on the table. “Hongjoong, is nice to see you again,” he said with a smile.
“Nice to see you too, Yeosang.”
The waiter – Yeosang – then turned to Seonghwa with a grin, and Seonghwa felt a little unsettled by the piercing gaze. Seonghwa smiled at the waiter who apparently knew his roommate, probably because Hongjoong was a regular here or maybe because were friends. Yeosang winked before dashing away from their table, leaving Seonghwa confused.
“Ignore him, he is a menace,” Hongjoong said as he opened a menu.
Seonghwa smiled then got distracted by the beautiful interior of the café. There were a lot of plants, the tables and chairs were all white with colorful cushions and golden decorations, there was a chandelier dangling from the ceiling that provided the light in the café. The place was beautiful. The menus too, they were beautifully decorated and the font was very cute. Seonghwa looked through the menu, but he had no idea what to order.
“Can I order for you?” Hongjoong asked. “I will also pay, of course.”
“Oh, no, that – that’s ok!”
“I insist,” Hongjoong said with a grin. “I won’t take no as an answer actually.”
Seonghwa licked his lips and after a last look at the menu, he closed it and gently placed it on the table. He didn’t feel like arguing with his roommate in a public place and making a scene or making things awkward. So with heated cheeks, Seonghwa nodded and Hongjoong’s grin got bigger.
“Great!”
He flagged the waiter down and gave their order to Yeosang with a mischievous smile. Seonghwa felt a little out of loop, he wondered why Hongjoong and Yeosang were smiling borderline evilly at each other but he had a feeling that he was better off not knowing. Hongjoong had ordered a house tea, whatever that meant, and an assortment of sweet and savory snacks.
“Thank you for coming out with me,” Hongjoong said.
“You – you don’t have to thank me.”
“You shifted your plans for me, of course I will thank you.”
“I didn’t have much of a plan for today,” Seonghwa mumbled.
They were interrupted by Yeosang coming back to their table, this time carrying a silver tray. On it was a teapot with to cups. Behind Wooyoung was another waiter, taller than Wooyoung and carrying two huge plates. The other waiter smiled at Hongjoong as he placed the plates on the table, but he didn’t say anything. He dashed away from them as soon as the plates full of snacks were on the table. Yeosang didn’t seem to be in the same hurry as he colleague. He gently placed the teapot in the middle of the table, between the two plates, and then a cup in front of Hongjoong and one in front of Seonghwa.
“Enjoy,” Yeosang said before he too left.
The plates were full of pastries, toast, cheese, crackers, a mix of nuts, various mini cake and macaroons among others. Hongjoong leaned over the table to pick up the teapot and he poured tea into Seonghwa’s cup then into his. Seonghwa noticed that there were no teaspoons, sugar or honey. Maybe Yeosang forgot them. Almost as if he sensed whet Seonghwa was thinking, Hongjoong spoke.
“You don’t need sugar or honey in this tea, it’s already brewed to perfection,” he said.
Deciding to trust his roommate Seonghwa picked up the cup. The tea was warm, but not hot enough to burn his tongue. Seonghwa took a sip and felt himself relaxing immediately. The tea was sweet and very fragrant, Seonghwa felt like he was in a garden on a nice summer day. He took another sip and smiled as he put the cup back down.
“Good?” Hongjoong asked with a grin.
“Good,” Seonghwa confirmed.
“It’s a specialty of the café.”
“It’s delicious, what’s it made of?” Seonghwa asked.
“Exotic plants and a little bit of magic,” Hongjoong said with a mischievous smile.
Seonghwa smiled. There Hongjoong went with his love for the occult. Someone would think that Seonghwa would be annoyed by now, but he was actually endeared. Hongjoong was very cute every time he said he was a witch, there was just something about him saying it that made Seonghwa’s heart warm.
“This whole place seems magical,” Seonghwa said, playing along.
“It is.”
“I’m glad we came here,” Seonghwa said.
“I’m happy to hear that, I will bring you here again.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
They laughed then Seonghwa picked up a macaroon to eat it. It was pink and, as he assumed, it was strawberry flavored and it was perfect. Seonghwa almost moaned at how delicious it was. Hongjoong was watching him amused, making his cheeks heat up. He picked up another macaroon and shoved it in his mouth to stop himself from saying something dumb.
Hongjoong and Seonghwa spent the next few hours drinking tea and eating delicious snacks. They also talked a lot about everything and anything. It was nice to sit there and just enjoy each other’s company. When it was time to leave, Hongjoong paid for everything and Seonghwa told himself that he was going to prepare a nice dinner for them tonight.
On the way home they were quiet, not that Seonghwa minded. It was a very comfortable silence with the occasional glance at each other and small smile. Once they were out of the café, Seonghwa resumed his battle against the urge to ogle at Hongjoong’s thighs. It was a losing battle, Seonghwa found himself glancing at the forbidden sight one too many times for his liking. Thankfully, he didn’t get caught and once they made it back home Hongjoong changed into his usual home clothes, sparing Seonghwa from further suffering.
*
Hongjoong was lounging on the couch, watching as Seonghwa watered his plants. It was adorable, it really was and he couldn’t help but smile. The plants didn’t really need water to survive, but Seonghwa didn’t know that. Seonghwa didn’t know that all the plants were enchanted by Hongjoong and water was just a sweet bonus for them. And even if Hongjoong told him that the plants were magic, Seonghwa was just going to smile and keep on watering. It was absolutely adorable.
Hongjoong wasn’t shy about his witchy heritage because nowadays people usually thought you were joking or just called yourself a witch for shits and giggles. It wasn’t like centuries ago when you would get burned alive for being a witch. But no matter how many times Hongjoong said he was a witch, Seonghwa smiled gently and continued on like nothing happened. It was equal parts endearing and frustrating. Hongjoong wondered what it would take for Seonghwa to take him seriously.
“What’s this flower?” Seonghwa asked, snapping Hongjoong out of his thoughts.
Hongjoong got up from the couch and made his way to where his roommate was. He leaned over the table they had set up under the window to take a look at the flower Seonghwa was pointing to. It was one of the flowers he had inherited from his grandma, some type of exotic flower that Hongjoong had no idea where it came from or what it was called. He had tried to find out what it was, but no luck. He only knew that it was good in healing ointments for open wounds.
“I actually have no idea,” Hongjoong said with an awkward laugh.
“Oh, I see.”
“I got it from grandma and she never bothered to tell me what it is,” he explained.
“Oh my, what if I had been watering it wrong all this time?” Seonghwa asked, clearly panicked. “We need to find out what it is and how to care for it.”
“Hey, hey, it’s ok,” Hongjoong placed his hand on Seonghwa’s shoulder. “Just water it as you did until now, it will be ok.”
“But …”
“I searched, trust me, I did,” Hongjoong said. “But it’s some sort of old, exotic plant.”
“I don’t want to kill it,” Seonghwa said with a pout.
“You won’t, trust me.”
Seonghwa didn’t seem to believe him, but he went back to watering the rest of the plants as Hongjoong plopped back down on the couch. He continued watching Seonghwa as he moved around the room. Eventually, Seonghwa made his way back to the flower he had asked about. Hongjoong watched curiously as Seonghwa picked up the pot and brought it closer to his face. He sniffed it then turned it around in his hands, studying it from all the angles.
Seonghwa poked the flower gently then buried his nose in it, taking a long sniff. Hongjoong smiled, finding Seonghwa’s love for his plants extremely adorable. Seonghwa leaned back from the plant with a smile then placed it back on the table. As he made his way to the kitchen, Seonghwa sneezed loudly and his surprised face made Hongjoong laugh.
“Bless you,” Hongjoong said amused.
“Thanks.”
Seonghwa smiled then went into the kitchen. Hongjoong lounged on the couch for a while longer before getting up to assist Seonghwa with dinner preparations. As the evening progressed, Hongjoong noticed that Seonghwa got a little bit absent minded. It worried him a little, but Seonghwa assured him that he was ok, just a little tired. But still, Hongjoong couldn’t help but worry.
“I’ll make you my grandma’s special tea after dinner,” Hongjoong said.
“Ok.”
Hongjoong wouldn’t be so worried if he was a normal human, but he wasn’t a normal human, he was a witch. He always seemed to attract things that hurt the people around him somehow and he really hoped Seonghwa was going to be an exception. Maybe he was just overthinking and Seonghwa was just tired because of all the homework and studying he had to do. After all, Hongjoong had done his best to ward the apartment from anything that could harm Seonghwa, so his roommate couldn’t be possessed or have something mooching off on his energy.
Hongjoong also made sure to keep any dangerous artifacts, books and potions locked up in his room. There was no way Seonghwa had accidentally touched something he shouldn’t have, Hongjoong had been extremely careful. So most likely Hongjoong was just being paranoid, Seonghwa was probably just tired. Still, he made them his grandma’s special tea and made sure Seonghwa drank all of it before he went to sleep.
After he was sure Seonghwa was asleep, Hongjoong canvased the whole apartment to make sure there was nothing that could hurt Seonghwa. He went as far as to check all the plants although he knew they weren’t dangerous unless prepared in certain ways. Still, Hongjoong didn’t want to miss anything because the thought of Seonghwa getting hurt because of him was unbearable. Also, he didn’t want to move again because something followed him home or his roommate accidentally touched something magical.
Hongjoong went to sleep only after he was sure nothing was amiss. Seonghwa wouldn’t get hurt, not on his watch. Honestly, Hongjoong would have liked it if Seonghwa believed him when he said he was a witch, it would have made things easier. Hongjoong would have been able to explain everything to Seonghwa and warn him about things, it would have been less stressful. But Hongjoong didn’t mind going the extra mile to make sure Seonghwa was safe.
*
Seonghwa was tired and the school year had barely begun. He spent most of his Sunday in bed, catching up on some much needed sleep, but he was still exhausted when he woke up in the late afternoon. There was no way he would have enough energy to cook dinner, hopefully Hongjoong would be willing to order something. Seonghwa was craving pizza or maybe some hamburgers, or both.
Hongjoong was sprawled on the couch, phone on his stomach and attention fully on the TV. He was watching a movie, but he paused it as soon as he saw Seonghwa emerge from him room. Hongjoong jumped up from the couch and gestured to the room around him with a proud grin. Seonghwa looked around their living-room and kitchen then blinked, only now noticing all the decorations.
The whole room was properly decorated for Halloween and it looked amazing. There were fake spider webs in the corners, carved pumpkins with all sorts of faces in random places, candles, fake skulls and skeletons on shelves and hanging on the wall, ghost and bat shaped fairy lights, plastic or plush crows and bats and various other knickknacks. And all of Hongjoong’s plants looked spookier somehow.
“This …,” Seonghwa was speechless.
“Looks amazing?” Hongjoong inquired with a grin.
“Yeah, wow.”
Seonghwa had no idea how Hongjoong had done this all by himself. Maybe he was a witch after all, because only with the help of magic could he have managed to decorate everything so perfectly in such a short time and all alone. Seonghwa hadn’t expected all this when he agreed to let Hongjoong decorate their living-room and kitchen. He was going to take a lot of pictures of his roommate’s hard work in the week leading up to Halloween.
“Come, look at this,” Hongjoong beckoned him closer to the TV.
Seonghwa walked over to him and looked at the shelf above the TV where Hongjoong was pointing. Usually that was the place for all the DVDs and music CDs, but now they must have been stored in the small cabinet under the TV. In their place was a shelf full of jars and bottles of all sizes and shapes, all filled with colorful liquids and sparkly things.
“It’s a potion shelf, I put all the potions and ointments I had on hand here,” Hongjoong explained. “Hope that’s ok?”
“Ah, yeah, yeah, sure.”
Hongjoong beamed and Seonghwa looked back at the shelf full of colorful containers. They looked amazing, Seonghwa was glad that he allowed his roommate to decorate. Seonghwa was tempted to ask Hongjoong more about his so called potions, but he kind of feared the answers. The more Hongjoong said he was a witch and the more Seonghwa saw of his roommate’s things, the more Seonghwa started to think that maybe Hongjoong wasn’t joking. But there was no way Hongjoong was serious, magic and witches didn’t exist. Seonghwa was tired.
“I wanted to ask,” Hongjoong started hesitantly. Seonghwa hummed to show that he was paying attention. “Would you like to come to a Halloween party with me?”
Seonghwa was tired, but not tired enough to pass on a party. “Yeah, sure.”
“It’s on Friday.”
“Ok.”
“Do you have a costume?” Hongjoong asked.
“I think I can manage something,” Seonghwa said with a smile.
Hongjoong smiled then went back to the couch. Seonghwa joined him and his roommate played the movie. Seonghwa had no idea what was happening, but it was so relaxing to just sit on the couch that he didn’t care. After a while Hongjoong shifted and suddenly his legs were on Seonghwa’s lap.
“You could be a black cat,” Hongjoong suggested. “For the party, I mean,” he clarified when Seonghwa threw him a confused glance.
“What will you be?” Seonghwa asked.
“A witch,” Hongjoong grinned. “And you could be my cute, black cat familiar.”
Seonghwa laughed. He relaxed into the couch and he didn’t answer to Hongjoong. He was actually thinking about that, a black cat costume would be easy to do. Seonghwa just needed a cat ears headband and maybe a fluffy tail. He had a lot of black clothes he could use already so there wasn’t much to prepare. It was an easy and stress-free costume.
And so, when Friday rolled around, Seonghwa was dressed in a pair of black jeans and a black, soft sweater. He couldn’t find a cat tail that was appropriate for a party, so there was only the headband left. Seonghwa placed it atop his head and tried his best not to mess up his black hair. Hongjoong had been in his room all afternoon, preparing for the party, and Seonghwa was a little afraid of what costume he chose.
Seonghwa decided to make sure the apartment was tidy before they left, so while he waited for Hongjoong to get ready, Seonghwa cleaned a little around the living-room and kitchen. He watered the plants, made sure all the dishes were clean and in their place, wiped the coffee table and watered the plants. Seonghwa was trying to open a bottle of water when he sneezed hard enough for the bottle to slip from his grasp.
He sneezed again and again before whatever that was stopped. Seonghwa huffed then bent down to pick up the fallen bottle when he felt something. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it was a cold shiver wrecking his body combined with the feeling of being watched. Seonghwa straightened up and then started sneezing again.
Hongjoong’s door opened and Seonghwa’s eyes were instantly on his roommate; his roommate who was going to be the death of him. Hongjoong was dressed in a Ravenclaw uniform, but it wasn’t the boy’s uniform. Oh, no, Hongjoong was dressed in the girls’ uniform with a little twist of his own. The skirt was shorter and he wore fishnets and ankle boots, the rest was the same as the uniforms from the movies: white button down, gray vest with the Ravenclaw crest, robe and a Ravenclaw scarf.
“Hello there,” Hongjoong cooed. “How is my cute familiar tonight?”
Seonghwa opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything the room started spinning. He stumbled and reached out to the kitchen counter to stabilize himself. His upper lip felt wet and when Seonghwa touched it and his fingers came away covered in blood. Hongjoong was by his side, looking worried and saying something, but Seonghwa couldn’t hear anything but the roaring in his ears. The room was spinning and black dots were dancing in his vision. Seonghwa passed out.
He probably wasn’t unconscious for long because when Seonghwa opened his eyes, he was still in the kitchen. Hongjoong was kneeling next to him, looking extremely worried. Seonghwa groaned, his head felt full of cotton and when he tried to sit up, Hongjoong placed a hand on his chest to keep him laying down.
“Keep still for a little,” Hongjoong said softly.
“What – what happened?”
“You passed out.”
“Why?” Seonghwa asked confused.
Seonghwa was confused. He knew he was tired, but he was sure that he wasn’t tired enough to faint and have a nose bleed. Hongjoong looked extremely worried and that unsettled Seonghwa for some reason. He noticed the small bottle in Hongjoong’s other hand and frowned confused. Had his roommate given him something after he passed out?
“What happened?” Seonghwa asked again.
“It seems you made a friend,” Hongjoong said softly.
Seonghwa frowned, not understanding what Hongjoong meant with that. Hongjoong threw the bottle on the kitchen counter and Seonghwa tensed, expecting the glass to break and spray everywhere. But the bottle landed on the counter gently, almost like it had been floating. Seonghwa felt a little lightheaded all of the sudden. Then he heard a sound from the living-room and he froze.
“It’s alright,” Hongjoong said. “It won’t hurt you.”
“What – what won’t hurt me?” Seonghwa asked as Hongjoong helped him sit up.
He was still a little dizzy, but turned his head in the direction Hongjoong was pointing at. Seonghwa screamed and scrambled away. His back hit the kitchen cabinets hard and pain spread all over his body. Hongjoong was by his side, hands holding Seonghwa’s shoulders gently. Seonghwa was shaking as he looked at whatever was curled up in a ball next to their couch. It was small, no bigger than a newborn baby, with very dark skin and red eyes.
“What – what’s that?”
“I’m not sure what it is,” Hongjoong said.
“I’m dreaming,” Seonghwa mumbled.
“You aren’t.”
“That – that’s not real,” Seonghwa said.
“It is,” Hongjoong said softly. “It’s came from that exotic flower and latched onto you for energy.”
“Flower?”
“Mhm, the flower you asked me about, remember? The exotic flower I got from my grandma?”
“That – that’s not a flower,” Seonghwa said as he tried to scramble as far away as possible from the creature.
“I know, I know,” Hongjoong was suddenly in his lap, holding Seonghwa’s shoulders in his small hands. “It’s a creature that was sleeping in the flower, something you did must have woken it up and it used you to get energy and get better,” Hongjoong explained.
“I – I don’t …,” Seonghwa looked at the thing that was still curled up in their living-room. “I don’t understand.”
“Mmm, yeah, it’s a lot to take in,” Hongjoong said. “But don’t worry, it won’t hurt you anymore, I will banish it.”
“Banish it?”
Hongjoong cupped his face gently. “I am so sorry I let you get hurt,” he whispered. “I should have realized sooner that something was wrong, I should have made sure you were safe, I should have been more careful.”
And then it dawned on Seonghwa that Hongjoong was really not joking when he said he was a witch. Hongjoong was actually a witch, he was really a witch. Seonghwa felt dumb for thinking that Hongjoong was just joking, he should have known better. Now Hongjoong was blaming himself for Seonghwa’s stupidity. It was Seonghwa who kept poking at the unknown flower, it was Seonghwa who moved the flower from its original pot without telling Hongjoong and it was Seonghwa who was dumb enough not to believe Hongjoong was really a witch.
“I’m sorry,” Seonghwa said.
“No, none of that.”
“I should have believed you.”
“It’s alright.”
“No, I …”
“Let me take care of our guest first then we can talk, ok?” Hongjoong said softly.
Seonghwa nodded and Hongjoong stood up from his lap. Seonghwa instantly missed Hongjoong’s weight and warmth. His roommate stepped closer to the creature, murmuring soothingly in a foreign language. The creature shifted, but it didn’t attack Hongjoong. Seonghwa struggled to sit up although his legs felt like jelly, he had to use the cabinets for support. Meanwhile, Hongjoong was now kneeling in front of the creature and his hands glowed a soft blue. He was still murmuring and the creature nodded from time to time.
Then the creature vanished, just like that. Hongjoong stood up and turned to smile at Seonghwa, who was leaning against the kitchen cabinets still shaking. So his roommate was a witch, great. Seonghwa would need five to many business days to process all that. At least he felt better now, he wasn’t tired anymore. Hongjoong stopped in front of him and grabbed Seonghwa’s elbows gently.
“Are you alright?” Hongjoong asked gently.
“Ah, yeah, yeah.”
Hongjoong smiled and Seonghwa felt his cheeks heat up. Hongjoong was really pretty and Seonghwa had the sudden urge to lean down and kiss him. But that would be extremely inappropriate because Hongjoong was his roommate and he surely didn’t feel the same as Seonghwa. And also, there was the whole Hongjoong actually being a witch thing. Seonghwa wanted to say that he was mad that Hongjoong had treated it all like a joke and that he didn’t tell him the truth. But Seonghwa didn’t actually mind any of that.
“I am really sorry,” Hongjoong said.
“It’s ok, I’m not mad.”
“You’re not?”
“No, all is good,” Seonghwa assured.
“So you won’t kick me out?” Hongjoong asked surprised.
Seonghwa was shocked to hear that. He understood why Hongjoong believed Seonghwa would want to kick him out, but he had hoped Hongjoong knew him better than that. While Seonghwa had been in a little bit of danger, it wasn’t like Hongjoong hadn’t done anything to help or prevent it. Accidents happened, so Seonghwa didn’t feel like holding that against his roommate.
“I – I won’t kick you out,” Seonghwa said.
“That’s good to hear.”
Hongjoong wrapped his arms around Seonghwa’s waist and leaned against him with a sigh. Seonghwa placed his arms around Hongjoong’s shoulders gently and relaxed in Hongjoong’s embrace. It was nice, it felt nice. Seonghwa was feeling warm and cozy despite the earlier fright. Hongjoong was so small and warm and he smelled nice, and Seonghwa’s heart felt so full of joy.
“I’m happy that you aren’t mad,” Hongjoong mumbled. “I promise I will be more careful and I won’t let you get hurt ever again.”
Seonghwa nodded. “Can we skip the Halloween party tonight?”
“Of course,” Hongjoong said as he pulled away.
“I mean, you can go if you want,” Seonghwa said.
“No, it’s alright.”
“Are you sure?” Seonghwa asked with a frown.
“Yeah, it’s not like we were going to do any important spells or rituals,” Hongjoong said as he pulled Seonghwa towards the couch. “We were just going to get drunk and dance like fools.”
“You were going to do magic?” Seonghwa asked while he let Hongjoong push him on the couch.
“Of course, Halloween is the perfect time for a witch to do magic,” Hongjoong said with a smirk.
And then Hongjoong straddled Seonghwa. His roommate was in his lap, sitting there comfortable and smiling down at him. Hongjoong was in his lap and he was wearing a skirt and his things were on full display, and Seonghwa’s brain short circuited. He couldn’t do more than just look up at his roommate with wide eyes and his lips parted.
“Can I tell you another secret?” Hongjoong whispered.
“Y – yes.”
“I like you,” Hongjoong said.
It took Seonghwa a few seconds to process what Hongjoong said. When his brain finally caught up with the situation Seonghwa looked away with warm cheeks. He couldn’t hold Hongjoong’s intense gaze. His heart was beating so fast that he was sure his roommate was able to feel it or even heart it in the silence of the apartment. Seonghwa couldn’t believe that Hongjoong liked him.
“I would be honored if you were to be my lover,” Hongjoong said.
“I – I like you too,” Seonghwa said as he placed his hands on Hongjoong’s thighs.
“Mhm, do you now?” Hongjoong grinned.
“Yeah.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Then, will you be my lover?” Hongjoong asked.
“Depends.”
“Oh, on what?”
“If I can see you do magic or not,” Seonghwa said.
Hongjoong laughed. “You can watch me do magic all you want.”
“Then I guess you have a boyfriend,” Seonghwa said.
Hongjoong smiled as he leaned down and he didn’t stop until their lips were almost touching. Seonghwa closed the distance between them to press his lips to Hongjoong’s gently. He couldn’t believe that he had his roommate in his lap and they were kissing. Even more, they were boyfriends now. Seonghwa was so happy.