Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jeongguk steps onto the platform in Hogsmeade Station and takes a deep breath, filling his lungs with the clean air. He stretches his arms above his head, feeling stiff after the long train ride. There’s excited chatter all around him, everyone looking forward to being back at the castle.  He’s looking forward to a new year at Hogwarts too, like he does every year. He can’t wait to get into his robes, to be able to hold his wand in his hand and actually use it. A whole summer without using any magic is torture. 

Taehyung comes up beside him, lugging his heavy bags. Jeongguk grabs his own bags out of the train’s luggage compartment and the two of them follow the stream of students making their way out of the station toward the Thestral-draw carriages. He and Taehyung get a carriage to themselves and the ride to the castle is spent in comfortable silence. They spent the entire train ride talking, and they’re both tired. He looks in front of him. The carriage is open today since the weather is nice and Jeongguk has a good view of the empty harnesses pulling the carriage. 

Or, empty to him. He knows there are animals attached to the harnesses and are pulling them along, but he can’t see him. For years he thought they were pulled by magic until he learned about the Thestrals. He hated that Care of Magical Creatures class, being surrounded by beasts he couldn’t see. He supposes he should be grateful that he can’t see them, because, to be able to see them, you’re required to have witnessed death. Jeongguk doesn’t need to know what Thestrals look like.

The castle comes into view and Jeongguk bounces his leg in anticipation. Now, he couldn’t care less for the sorting ceremony but the feast at the start of the school year is Jeongguk’s favorite. So much good food and he gets to catch up with his other friends he hasn’t seen all summer. Taehyung is the only person he’s seen in two months. He’s sent letters back and forth with Jimin but Taehyung lives close enough to him that it’s relatively easy for them to hang out in person. Jimin came by their carriage on the train for a bit and it was fun to catch up. Jeongguk doesn’t know where he is now, probably with his other friends. He’ll see him again later. 

The Great Hall is lit up with hundreds of candles floating above the tables. The ceiling is a reflection of the outside sky, deep blue and cloudless, stars shining brightly. Since this is the start-of-the-year-and-sorting ceremony, Jeongguk and Taehyung part ways to sit at their own tables, Taehyung with the Hufflepuffs and Jeongguk with the Ravenclaws. He greets people as he walks past them, looking for an empty seat, and it just so happens that the only one he can see is right beside Kim Namjoon. Looking around, he searches for any other open spot but all of them are being occupied as he stands there, and he’s left with no choice. 

Carefully, he slips onto the bench beside Namjoon. Namjoon turns to him with wide eyes then quickly settles his features into a soft smile. Jeongguk smiles back then focuses his gaze to the front where the professors are sitting to avoid having to become overwhelmed by Namjoon’s presence. 

Jeongguk has had a crush on him ever since he saw him in the common room as a tiny first year. At first he had chalked it up to only being admiration for another student in his house, someone who was older and smarter. Now, Namjoon is only one year older than him but it made sense to first-year Jeongguk. But when Jeongguk kept seeing him year after year and the crush didn’t go away – if anything, his feelings grew – he knew it was serious. Still, he never acted on it. Namjoon is way out of his league. 

He half-listens as the headmaster welcomes everyone and starts the sorting ceremony. Jeongguk has seen it three times by now, and lived it once, he knows how it goes. His stomach growls angrily. He pats it to try to console it; the food will be out soon. His silent consolation doesn’t help. His stomach growls louder. So loud in fact, that it has a couple of students closest to him look over at him, including Namjoon. Jeongguk looks down in embarrassment. 

“It’s boring, right? They should give us the food first. But maybe they don’t as a way of making sure to keep us seated for the whole thing.”

Jeongguk looks over to see Namjoon leaning towards him, whispering to him. His heart skips a beat and he ends up staring a little too long at him because Namjoon starts looking self-conscious. He quickly shakes himself out of it.

“They’re totally doing it for that reason. There’s no other way,” Jeongguk says hurriedly. 

Namjoon shifts his eyes to the front. “Look, it’s almost done. Only two more.”

Jeongguk follows his gaze and confirms Namjoon is right. There are only two more in line. Just then, the person currently sitting on the stool gets up and walks over to the Gryffindor table to applause and cheers from the students there, and now there’s only one more. He picks up his fork, readying himself for the food that’s about to appear on the empty plates in front of him, when the last first-year finishes getting sorted and immediately the headmaster stands up again. Jeongguk groans, sagging in his seat. Beside him, Namjoon snickers quietly. Jeongguk can’t even be embarrassed that his crush is laughing at him, he’s too hungry. The headmaster finally sits back down after giving a speech of which Jeongguk hears nothing, and the food appears and he can dig in. 

When Jeongguk is full to the point of bursting, he sits back and exhales. Students around him are starting to get up and slowly leave the Great Hall. Namjoon stands up beside him. Jeongguk looks at him, hoping Namjoon will look at him long enough for him to say bye but Namjoon does more than that. 

“I have to go and fulfill some prefect duties now. I hope you have a nice rest of your evening and maybe I’ll see you in the common room.” He smiles, dimples poking into his cheeks and Jeongguk has to look away, his heart beating wildly. 

“Thanks, you too. I hope the first-years don’t give you too much trouble,” Jeongguk says, looking back at him. He laughs and Jeongguk’s heart skips a beat. It’s been a while since he heard that sound. 

Namjoon waves then turns and leaves. Jeongguk looks after him as he walks up to where the first-years are sitting and starts herding them along out of the Great Hall, then he starts preparing himself for the long trek back to the common room, standing up. Taehyung catches his attention across the Hall and points in the direction of the big doors leading out to the corridors. Jeongguk gives him a thumbs up and starts navigating out of the Hall amidst all the other students doing the same. 

“I saw you sat beside one Kim Namjoon,” Taehyung says when Jeongguk reaches him in the corridor, smirking and wiggling his eyebrows obnoxiously. 

Jeongguk rolls his eyes and shoves him. Taehyung laughs loudly. “Alright,” he says once he’s calmed down. “Go back to your tower. I’ll see you later.”

“You go back to your kitchen elves,” Jeongguk fires back. 

“I’ll have you know those elves are my friends,” Taehyung says, turning his nose up. 

He turns and stalks over to the entrance for his common room. Just as he’s about to turn the corner, he turns around and waves to Jeongguk. Jeongguk waves back then makes his way to his own common room. It is arguably his favorite place in the entire castle. Jeongguk bets every student says that about their own common room, though. The Ravenclaw common room is cozy in its own way, with soft sofas and chairs to sit in and tables all around to study at. There’s a fire, which Jeongguk loves to lie on the plush carpet in front of. And his bed. It’s probably the softest bed he’s ever slept on. 

The common room is also where he sees Namjoon the most since they’re in the same house. And, speaking of Namjoon, he made it back before Jeongguk even with a herd of children. He’s standing in front of them now by the noticeboard, explaining the use of it to them. All of the first-years are listening with rapt attention. Jeongguk remembers when he was a small first-year, new to the castle and everything impressed him. Things still impress him four years later, despite not having been new to magic when he arrived. 

Eventually, Namjoon sends the first-years off to bed. Jeongguk has situated himself on a couch in front of the fire – it should be too hot for the fire to be lit in late summer but it only adds to the cozy atmosphere. He fully intended to head straight to bed but when he saw Namjoon was still up, he decided to wait. He wants to say goodnight to him. He sits up out of the cushions as Namjoon approaches. 

Namjoon smiles when he sees him. “Goodnight, Jeongguk,” he says as he walks past. 

Jeongguk’s heart skips a beat or two at hearing Namjoon say his name. It’s ridiculous. They’ve shared a common room for years, of course Namjoon knows his name, but for some reason it makes him want to yell it from a rooftop; Kim Namjoon said my name!

“Goodnight,” Jeongguk says in response. 

The walk up the stairs to his bed is the easiest it’s ever been, he practically floats up, and his bed feels even softer than usual. Jeongguk sleeps like a baby, dreaming of tall legs and dimpled smiles. 

The next day is the first day of classes. Jeongguk can’t even be upset about that because he feels well-rested and is ready for the day. Taehyung squints at him at breakfast, finding his behavior odd. Jeongguk just smiles, not deterred. Nothing will be able to ruin his day. 

Not his professor loading them with information about the OWL’s during his first class. Or the professor in the class after that dumping an assignment on them on the first day. All his classes go like that; info about OWL’s, assignment after assignment. By dinner time, Jeongguk feels a little overwhelmed and his spirit has fallen just a bit. He slumps over his food, thoughts circling around his head about the stupid amount of assignments he has to do by the end of the week. 

Taehyung dumps down in the seat opposite him, looking just as dejected as Jeongguk feels. 

“Rough first day?” Jeongguk asks, sympathizing with him. 

Taehyung nods his head and starts loading food onto his plate. “Why do they insist on us not having any free time?”

Jeongguk manages a grin. “You do realize we’re in a school, right? We’re supposed to study.”

Groaning, Taehyung shoves food into his mouth. He instantly starts looking more energized as he chews. They sit and eat in silence for a while. Jeongguk subconsciously keeps an eye out for a familiar face, hoping to see him in the crowd. Taehyung notices him looking around and looks around the Great Hall himself before focusing back on Jeongguk. 

“What are you looking at?”

Before Jeongguk has a chance to answer, someone walks up to them. Jeongguk recognizes him, it’s one of Namjoon’s friends, a sixth-year. The Quidditch captain pin on his chest catches Jeongguk’s eye. 

“Hey. Taehyung, Quidditch tryouts are this weekend,” he says. 

Taehyung shifts nervously in his seat. “Am I at risk of being kicked out of the team?”

The Hufflepuff captain huffs. “No, you’re safe. You’re the best Keeper we could possibly ask for. I just need the whole team there to judge the people trying out. You know Nathan and Miles graduated last year, we need someone to fill their spots.”

Taehyung relaxes again. Jeongguk can see that his cheeks got a pink tint to them at the compliment, though. “Thanks, and yeah I’ll be there.” Nodding, the captain leaves again. Taehyung exhales, leaning his elbows on the table. “Why do I find Hoseok kind of scary?”

Jeongguk laughs, surprised at that. “What? He looks like he wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

He follows Hoseok with his gaze and sees him sitting down at the Slytherin table where his friends are sitting, including Namjoon. Jeongguk accidentally makes eye contact with him, blushes and quickly looks away again. 

Taehyung is focused back on his food. “I’m curious to see what he’s like as captain. Nathan was kind but competitive. He would have us practice into the night until we were perfect in his eyes. It was exhausting.”

Jeongguk sits up straighter at the thought of Quidditch. After the Ravenclaw common room, the Quidditch pitch is his favorite place in the castle – or, the grounds, since the pitch is outside. He loves flying on his broom, the wind in his hair and the sun on his skin. He loves competitive games, and especially winning in said games. It’s a special feeling, being up in the air, just him and the wind in his ears. There’s no room for any other thoughts or distractions. Sometimes he’s gone down to the pitch in the evening by himself, to have some time alone and fly around the field. It’s relaxing. His favorite thing. 

“I’m excited to start practice,” he says. 

“Same,” Taehyung agrees. 

By the time the weekend rolls around, Jeongguk has somehow managed to get all his assignments done on time. Now he can focus wholly on Quidditch practice. The Ravenclaw team held tryouts after classes on friday but Jeongguk was so tired he fell asleep immediately after classes and missed it. He hopes his team isn’t too upset with him about it. He and Taehyung make their way to the pitch together, Taehyung tagging along to watch, claiming he has nothing else to do.

They enter the field and Jeongguk sees that most of his team is already there so he hurries into the changing room to change. When he comes out again he notices the stands aren’t completely empty. It’s normal for students to sometimes come and watch even the practice so Jeongguk wouldn’t think much of it if it weren’t for who exactly he sees sitting there. It’s Hoseok, but he’s not alone. He’s sitting with a friend, Namjoon to be exact. 

Taehyung is sitting a few rows below them and Jeongguk grabs his attention then motions for him to turn around. Taehyung does and when he looks back at Jeongguk his eyes are wide in surprise. Jeongguk makes a face as if to say, “why are they here?” Taehyung shrugs. 

“Alright, gather ‘round!” Mina, Ravenclaw’s Quidditch captain, calls. Then the people in the stands catch her eye and she rounds on them. “Yah, Jung Hoseok! If you’re here to get intel on us, you won’t get any. It’s the first practice of the year.”

Hoseok laughs as if what she said is the most ridiculous thing he’s heard. “You wish. When it comes to it, we’ll still beat your asses in a match,” he calls back. 

Mina scowls. Hugo, Jeongguk’s Chaser friend on the team, pats her on the shoulder. “Don’t pay him any mind. He’s just trying to rile you up.”

“Whatever. Let’s just start practice.”

Jeongguk would love to say that the first practice of the year is a lot of fun, because practice usually is for him, but he’s distracted. Namjoon is still sitting in the stands beside Hoseok, Jeongguk can feel his eyes on him. Can feel him watching his every move, every twist and turn he makes on his broom as he passes the Quaffle to his teammates. Today is mostly about building teamwork and getting back into the swing of things, but all Jeongguk can focus on is Namjoon. He glances in his direction a few times, whenever he’s close enough, and every time, Namjoon’s eyes are already on him. It makes Jeongguk nervous. He usually handles attention on him when he’s on the pitch well, but Namjoon is not just anyone. 

By the time practice is over, Jeongguk has fumbled the Quaffle more times than he cares to admit. Mina flew over to him at some point to ask if he was okay and his whole face had burned in embarrassment. He didn’t want to admit the reason for his distracted state so he just mumbled something along the lines of “I’m fine.”

Now he lands on the ground and quickly makes his way to the changing rooms. Taehyung runs to catch up to him. 

“I would ask what’s up with you but I know exactly what it is.” He’s smirking and Jeongguk doesn’t like that expression on him at all. 

“Stop looking at me like that, you look ugly.”

Taehyung ignores him. “Looking a little red there, Jeonggukie,” he continues to tease. This time, Jeongguk is the one to ignore him and quickly enters the changing room. “Have fun in the shower,” Taehyung calls after him before the door closes. 

✧

The weeks go past slowly. His professors are getting more aggressive by the day in their insistence of the importance of OWL’s. Jeongguk is getting tired of hearing words like exam and your future on the daily, and also of the amount of assignments he has to do. At this point he lives in the library. He barely has time to do anything else but study. He wakes up, goes to class, after class he goes straight to the library on the days he doesn’t have Quidditch practice, barely makes it in time for dinner, sleep, repeat. It's exhausting but he knows it will be worth it if he’s able to get good grades on the final exam. 

Taehyung was supposed to meet him in the library but he’s yet to make an appearance. Jeongguk isn’t that bothered by his friend being late, except Taehyung promised to help him with a potion he’s supposed to read up on for his next Potions lesson. Now Jeongguk has to do it all on his own, and he can’t make sense of it. He groans, frustrated, and leans forward until his forehead hits the surface of the table with a loud thud. It hurts, pain searing through his head, but he feels like he deserves it for being so bad at Potions. 

“Are you okay?”

Jeongguk sits up so fast at hearing a voice beside him that his chair almost tips over backwards. He grabs hold of the edge of the table, just about saving himself from falling to the floor and embarrassing himself in front of whoever startled him. He looks over at the person and his face heats up when he sees Namjoon standing beside him. He’s looking at Jeongguk with concern. Jeongguk wants the ground to swallow him whole. 

“Um, yes!” Jeongguk says a little too loudly, then clears his throat and lowers the volume of his voice. “Yes, I’m fine.” He tacks on a smile to make it more believable. 

Namjoon studies his face for a moment before nodding. Then he glances at Jeongguk’s open textbook lying abandoned on the table. 

“Ooh, the Draught of Peace,” he says, sitting down on the chair beside Jeongguk and pulling the book closer to himself. Jeongguk stares at him in surprise. “I remember this was quite difficult to make last year, but it comes up on OWL’s so it’s important to know it. I’m guessing that’s why you’re reading about it now?” He looks at Jeongguk and, upon seeing his expression, his own quickly falls, going from almost excited to unsure, hesitant. “I’m sorry. I’m probably bothering you, I didn’t even ask if I could sit.” 

He goes to stand up but Jeongguk quickly grabs his wrist to stop him. “Wait!”

Namjoon pauses in his movements and looks at Jeongguk quizzically. Jeongguk’s face grows hot once again. Then he remembers he’s still holding onto Namjoon’s wrist and quickly lets go. He pulls his hands to himself, resting them in his lap and starts nervously fiddling with the hem of his robes. 

“Would you mind maybe– If you don’t mind I mean, could you, um, help me? With– with the potion? Because it’s– like you said, it’s difficult.”

He bites his lip, preventing any more words from leaving his mouth in an embarrassing ramble. He’s already made a fool of himself in front of Namjoon twice and it hasn’t even been five minutes since Namjoon came up to him. He tries to will his face to cool down, can feel the heat spread to his ears and neck. The ground really needs to hurry up and open so he can disappear. 

“Oh. Sure. I mean, I’d love to help,” Namjoon says. 

Jeongguk’s heart stutters in his chest and he turns his head to look at him. Namjoon gives him a soft, reassuring smile which Jeongguk returns with a small smile of his own. 

“Alright.” Namjoon moves the textbook so that it’s lying between them, making it easier for both of them to read it at the same time. “Tell me what you’re having trouble with and I’ll do my best to help.”

Jeongguk’s insides melt. Namjoon is so kind and considerate. They don’t even know each other that well but here he is, so willing to help a near stranger. Jeongguk may or may not fall a little deeper. He quickly shakes himself of those thoughts. Now is not the time, he needs to focus on what Namjoon is saying about the potion. 

“It’s a potion that you have to be especially careful with, any wrong amount of ingredients can lead to devastating results. Especially if you put too much of anything, it can lead to whoever drinks it to never wake up.”

Jeongguk nods along, then remembers he should probably be taking notes, so he digs out a spare piece of parchment and his quill out of his bag. Namjoon waits until he’s set up to continue. 

“The ingredients you use are powdered moonstone, syrup of hellebore, powdered porcupine quills and powdered unicorn horn. It’s important to put in the ingredients in the right order and amount. The potion should be a turquoise color at the end when brewed correctly.”

“Turquoise,” Jeongguk mumbles as he writes the word on his piece of parchment under the list of ingredients. 

Namjoon goes on to tell him exactly how the potion is made, meticulously going through each step with Jeongguk. He doesn’t laugh at Jeongguk’s questions or ridicule him for not understanding everything immediately. He’s patient, kind and understanding. Jeongguk wishes there were more people like him in the world. 

“Ah, it would be easier if I could just show you how to make it instead of explaining it. Maybe I could ask Professor Sluhorn if we can use his classroom after classes are over? Or maybe I can check with Yoongi if he could lend us his kit?”

It seems like Namjoon is talking more to himself than to Jeongguk but Jeongguk doesn’t want him to go to any trouble for him. 

“You don’t have to do that. This is more than enough, I actually understand it a bit better now. You’re good at explaining. If it was Taehyung helping me, he would get frustrated with me and I’d understand less than when we began, but you’ve been so patient and understanding. Thank you for your help.”

Namjoon’s cheeks take on a pink tint and Jeongguk realizes he made him blush, which in turn makes Jeongguk blush. 

“You’re welcome,” Namjoon says softly, looking down at the table. 

Just then, Taehyung comes running, loud footsteps echoing through the library. Madam Pince is right on his heel, shushing him the entire time. When Taehyung comes to a stop at the table Jeongguk and Namjoon are sitting at, he turns to her and, with an obviously fake apologetic smile, puts his bag down quietly to show he’s done making noise. Madam Pince huffs, turning her nose up, then leaves again. Taehyung slumps down into a chair across from Jeongguk, and sticks his tongue out at her back. Jeongguk muffles his laughter in his hand. 

Taehyung turns to him with genuinely apologetic eyes this time. “Sorry. So sorry I’m late. Hoseok was in a bad mood and had us run drills for forever. If I’d known practice was gonna go longer I’d let you know.”

Jeongguk waves him off. “It’s okay. I ended up getting help after all.” 

He gestures to Namjoon beside him and Taehyung looks at him like it’s the first time he’s seeing him. Namjoon starts squirming nervously under the attention but before Jeongguk can tell Taehyung to cut it out, he starts packing up his stuff. 

“I should head out. If the Hufflepuff practice is over I need to meet Hoseok for dinner.” He gives Jeongguk an apologetic smile but Jeongguk waves him off, as well. 

“It’s fine. Thanks again for your help, and enjoy dinner.”

Namjoon nods. “You too. Um, I mean, whenever you go to have dinner. Enjoy it,” he says a little awkwardly. His eyes grow big and with a last small wave he hurries out of there. 

Jeongguk smiles to himself as he watches him go until he’s completely out of sight between the large bookshelves. Then he turns back to Taehyung and his cheeks heat up in embarrassment at having been caught staring. Taehyung is looking at him with a smug grin on his face. 

“Shut up,” he mumbles and Taehyung laughs. Then he remembers where he is and quickly covers his mouth with his hand. Madam Pince doesn’t need to come over and shush him again. 

✧

Jeongguk successfully brews a Draught of Peace in class a few days later and he puts it all up to be Namjoon’s help. Professor Slughorn even complimented his potion, going as far as to say it’s the best one out of the whole class. Jeongguk feels like he’s on cloud nine for the entire rest of the day. He hasn’t seen much of Namjoon since so he hasn’t been able to tell him about it, but he plans on doing it as soon as he can. Maybe he’ll see him in the common room soon, though Namjoon seems to be busy with his own things. 

The semester continues to crawl forward and, with winter approaching, so does the cold weather. The inside of the castle gets colder as the outside does. Jeongguk thinks it’s enough that it’s cold when he goes outside, it doesn’t have to be cold inside too. It means he has to add an extra sweater under his school robes in the mornings. At least there’s open fire places in the common room, that makes it one place that’s devoid of frigid air.

Something he’s excited for, though, with winter approaching, is the first Quidditch match of the year. His whole team has practiced their asses off for it and he’s confident they’ll win. And, they’re up against Slytherin. The Slytherin team has some of the weakest players in Jeongguk’s opinion. They’re easy to play against, Jeongguk barely broke a sweat during last year’s match against them. He’s confident this one will be no different. 

The castle is buzzing with excited energy on the day of the match. Jeongguk made sure to get a full night’s sleep so he’s feeling well-rested and ready to take on the day as he makes his way to breakfast. Students in the corridors wish him good luck with pats on the back and encouraging words. The smile on his face is hurting his cheeks by the time he sits down in the Great Hall. 

Taehyung is already sitting at the Ravenclaw table and is decked out in blue. He cheers loudly when Jeongguk approaches, and everyone around him at the table follows his lead. Jeongguk flushes under the attention, thanking everyone for their support, then grabs a piece of toast and slobbers some jam on it. Just as he takes the first bite, he feels a hand on his shoulder. Toast still in his mouth, he turns to meet the eyes of Namjoon. He immediately lets go of the bit of toast he was about to bite off and wipes his mouth of crumbs. 

“Namjoon, hi.”

“Hi. Just wanted to wish you luck today, I’m sure you’ll do great. I’ll be cheering on you.”

Jeongguk’s stomach does a somersault. He knows Namjoon probably meant he’ll cheer on the entire team but Jeongguk chooses to believe he meant he’ll cheer on him specifically. The thought makes him giddy. 

“Thanks.”

Namjoon walks away again, but not before giving Jeongguk a dimpled smile. Jeongguk imagines this is what it feels like to drink Felix Felicis. Knowing Namjoon will watch him play, will cheer on him, Jeongguk feels like he can do anything. 

“Alright, lover boy,” Taehyung says in his ear with a laugh. “Let’s get back to earth and finish our breakfast, yeah? You can’t fly on an empty stomach.”

Jeongguk nods distractedly and finally takes a bite of his toast. 

The stadium is alive with energy. Students of all houses decked out in either blue or green cover the stands, cheering and chattering loudly. There are banners that people have enchanted to have the text illuminated or stand out from the fabric. Even some professors have gone all out in support. Jeongguk thinks he spots Professor Flitwick close to the top, all blue attire and standing on top of the seat rather than sitting. 

Jeongguk’s body is buzzing, all the energy from everyone around him being absorbed and waiting to be used up on the field. He and his team have a quick pep talk in the changing rooms which mainly consists of everyone just yelling, until Mina gets them to calm down enough to say a few actually inspiring words. When it’s time to go out onto the pitch, Jeongguk is ready to win. 

They quickly shake hands with the opposite team then they’re up in the air, waiting for Madam Hooch’s whistle. It comes a second later, the balls being released. The tiny golden Snitch disappears instantly but it’s not Jeongguk’s job to find it so he concerns himself with getting in possession of the Quaffle instead. 

The crowd is loud, but all it does is spur him on and, within the first ten minutes, he’s scored two goals. The crowd goes wild each time, the announcer yelling out the score. He’s doing a good job of keeping up with the gameplay but Jeongguk tunes him out, preventing the Slytherin Chasers from scoring a goal is more important. They’re big and burly but that isn’t always ideal for Quidditch. You need to be quick and nimble on your broom. Weight can easily slow you down, which will be a disadvantage. Jeongguk takes that to his own advantage, zigzagging between the Slytherin team to be open for a pass. The opposing Beaters do everything in their power to try to stop him, but three years of playing Quidditch has made him good at predicting their moves. 

He dodges a Bludger heading his way and receives a pass from Hugo. His way to the hoops is open, the only obstacle the Keeper. It’s as if the crowd is holding their collective breath in anticipation and Jeongguk won’t let them down. He feints to the left and the Slytherin Keeper veers to the left hoop and Jeongguk has all the space to throw the Quaffle through the right hoop.

“And Jeon scores again!!!”

The crowd goes wild once again. Jeongguk does a quick lap around the arena to cheer with the students in blue. The students in green look dejected. Ravenclaw are ahead one hundred points but that doesn’t mean much if Slytherin catches the Snitch first. Jeongguk takes a quick glance around the field to see how the Seekers are doing. Neither of them seem to have spotted the Snitch yet, hovering in the air high above the rest of the game. A shout of his name gets his attention back on the game and he catches the Quaffle Mina throws to him, and shoots off to the hoops across the pitch. 

The game goes on. Ravenclaw continues to stay ahead by a landslide. Jeongguk continues to score goal after goal. He’s adored by the crowd and it fuels him. At some point he spots Namjoon in the crowd, and sees him cheering excitedly with his friends. He waves at Jeongguk, a big smile on his face. Jeongguk doesn’t let his dimples distract him. He waves back and gets right back to the game. But seeing Namjoon, knowing he’s right there, makes him happy. 

The whistle signaling the end of the game comes all too soon, in Jeongguk’s opinion. He spins around on his broom to see the Ravenclaw Seeker holding his hand up high, the golden Snitch glimmering in the sunlight. Jeongguk cheers and joins the rest of his teammates in surrounding their Seeker, congratulating her and each other on a game well done. But as he flies across the pitch to them, there’s a collective gasp of those around him and someone yells his name in what sounds like a panicked voice. He falters slightly, confused, but he doesn’t get much farther than that before a searing pain splits his head open and everything goes black. 

✧

Jeongguk wakes up to the sound of hushed voices talking. There’s a numb pain on the right side of his head and in his whole body, and he groans lowly as he tries to move. The voices stop and Jeongguk squints his eyes open to see Jimin and Taehyung staring down at him. Their eyes are wide with worry but also relief. 

Taehyung lets out a sob and throws his arms around Jeongguk. Jeongguk groans louder, his body protesting at the weight added onto it in the form of his best friend. Taehyung gasps and moves back, sitting back in his chair looking even more worried. Jimin chastises him, swatting him on the arm with a hissed, “be careful!” Taehyung looks down sheepishly. 

“Jeongguk,” Jimin turns to him, “it’s so good to see you awake.”

Only now does he notice that he’s in the infirmary. Empty beds stand on either side of him along the wall, the only occupied bed the one he’s in. It’s quiet and he can hear voices outside the window, students enjoying the nice weather. He tries to sit up and winces, his muscles once again protesting at the movements. Taehyung hurries to adjust the pillows behind Jeongguk and he smiles gratefully as he leans back against them. 

“What happened? The last thing I remember was that we won the game.” He looks between his friends. The two of them exchange a worried glance. 

“You don’t remember?” Taehyung asks hesitantly. 

Jeongguk shakes his head, then winces when pain sears through it. 

“You fell off your broom. You got hit by a Bludger,” Jimin says slowly.  

“Someone on the Slytherin team aimed it directly at you after the final whistle, everyone saw it,” Taehyung adds. “But don’t worry! Every professor saw it, too, and he got a lifetime’s worth of detention.”

Jeongguk nods slowly, processing the information. That would explain the pain in his whole body. Getting a Bludger to the head and falling off his broom isn’t exactly painless. 

“You’ve been out for two days and Madam Pomfrey had to mend a broken bone in your arm from the fall but she said you’ll make a full recovery. No brain damage or anything.” Taehyung grins. 

“Well, that’s…reassuring.” Jeongguk tries to smile but it comes out more as a grimace. Jimin sympathizes with a grimace of his own. 

Jeongguk closes his eyes for a moment. Despite being healed with magic, he still feels properly banged up and it will probably take a few days to get back to his usual self. He hopes it won’t take too long, though, he wants to get back to practice as soon as possible. He keeps thinking about what Taehyung said, about how someone hit him after the final whistle. It wasn’t part of the game so there was no way he could’ve predicted that but, at the same time, he feels a need to get better. He at least should’ve seen it coming and dodged it. Instead it knocked him out for two days. 

“Oh, by the way,” Taehyung interrupts the silence and Jeongguk opens his eyes. “Your team came by to see you while you were out. They’re still very angry about what happened and so am I. I wish that guy got a worse punishment than detention.” 

He frowns, his eyebrows pulling together in the middle. Jeongguk reaches out a hand and pokes him there. Taehyung’s expression relaxes right away, surprise coloring his face at Jeongguk’s action. 

Jimin looks between them, then pokes Taehyung in the side. “Tell him about the other thing, too.”

Jeongguk tilts his head in confusion while Taehyung lights up in a smile. It quickly turns into a smirk and Jeongguk starts feeling worried. “Namjoon came by to see you.”

The worry turns into embarrassment, or maybe fluster. His cheeks burn and he looks down to his lap to hide his face that’s no doubt turning bright red. Still, he can’t help but smile. “He did?”

“Oh my god, you’re right. He has it bad,” Jimin says and Jeongguk flushes harder. 

“I know! That’s what I’ve been saying.”

Jeongguk frowns and looks up at his friends. “Are you talking about me behind my back?”

“Yes,” Taehyung says with no hesitation. “We talk about how annoying you are with your crush, like just do something about it already.”

Jimin agrees with a fierce nod and Jeongguk looks back down in shame. He didn’t realize he was being annoying with his talking about his crush. He didn’t even think he was talking about it a lot, tries to not do it too much because he fears it’ll be annoying for his friends. Apparently his fears were correct. 

“Sorry,” he mumbles. 

“Wait, no. We weren’t serious. Jeongguk you’re allowed to pine loudly, okay? I’m sorry if we don’t seem very supportive. You’re not annoying, I promise,” Taehyung says, a bit hurriedly, waving his hands in front of him as if to get his point across fully. 

Jeongguk looks up through his lashes. “Really?” he says, unsure. 

Jimin hits Taeheyung on the arm. “Look what you’ve done! You’ve made the baby sad,” he chastises. 

Taehyung turns to him. “What about you! You agreed with me.”

Jeongguk watches as they bicker some more, a small smile on his lips. He trusts his friends and, if they say he’s actually not annoying, he’ll believe them. 

He gets to leave the hospital wing a few hours later, when Madam Pomfrey has looked him over and given the all-clear, but not before stressing to him how important it is that he takes is easy for a few days and if she sees him back in the infirmary before the end of the week, “oh, so help me, Merlin.” Jeongguk smiles nervously as he files out of the door. 

He goes straight to his common room. Dinner has already been and he ate in the infirmary. It was lonely but it was only for one day so it’s fine. Now he steps into the common room and looks around for a specific someone. It’s pretty empty at this time of night, right before curfew. A few straggles come through the door after Jeongguk, probably from the library if the heavy books they have in hand are anything to go by. 

Jeongguk is about to climb the stairs to get to his bed when the door opens once again. He turns, just expecting another straggler coming in at the last minute. Who he doesn’t expect to see is Namjoon. He looks tired, carrying an armful of books, his book bag barely hanging off his shoulder. But despite his tired state and messy hair, he still looks as good as ever. He shifts the weight of the books to one side and uses his freed hand to push his glasses up on his nose, and pauses when he spots Jeongguk standing on the stairs. 

Namjoon stares at him for a long moment, then deposits his books on a nearby table and walks up to Jeongguk. For a quick moment, Jeongguk thinks Namjoon is going to hug him but he stops at the bottom of the stairs. Since Jeongguk is standing a couple of steps above him, this makes him stand slightly taller. Namjoon looks up at him, his expression one of relief to see Jeongguk is okay. 

“Hi. I’m happy to see you’re okay,” he says, his voice quiet, but it doesn’t matter because Jeongguk hears it clearly in the empty common room. 

“Thanks,” Jeongguk says for lack of a better response, then cringes at himself for being so awkward. 

“It was really scary, seeing you free-fall from your broom from such a height. Luckily a professor acted fast and softened your landing.”

“Oh, right. I imagine that’s scary. I mean, I blacked out when the Bludger hit me so I don’t remember anything.” Namjoon winces.  “But I’m okay now,” Jeongguk hurries to add. 

“I’m glad,” Namjoon smiles. “I’ll let you get some rest now.”

Jeongguk would like to talk to him some more but he can tell how tired he is, eyes drooping and shoulders slumped, so he nods. Namjoon goes and retrieves his books, then turns back to Jeongguk. 

“Goodnight.”

Jeongguk smiles. “Goodnight.”

✧

As winter gets closer, the class material starts getting more difficult and Jeongguk gets reminded of just how close OWL’s are. The thought makes him nervous. It’s a big part of your final grade and Jeongguk would like to pass with, at the very least, decent grades. He and Taehyung spend every free moment in the library, and sometimes Jimin joins them. It’s nice to study with friends because then they can help each other instead of struggling through the increasingly difficult curriculum alone. 

Namjoon has offered to help him more, and Jeongguk takes him up on it every time. He tries not to feel too bad about it. Namjoon has his own classes and tests to study for but also Namjoon has been the one to offer and Jeongguk doesn’t want to be rude by declining. They meet up in the common room because it’s the easiest, sitting at a table in a corner or by the fire. Sitting by the fire now that the weather is getting colder is Jeongguk’s favorite thing and he has to admit trying to study with the heat from the flames warming him is difficult. But Namjoon is still the most patient person Jeongguk has ever met, and he’s ever-so understanding with him. Jeongguk is beyond grateful for his help. 

“Okay, now I know more about giants than I ever wanted to,” Jeongguk says as he scribbles the last word on his essay and puts his quill down. 

Namjoon laughs beside him, leaning back against the couch cushions. They’re sitting by the fire today and Jeongguk has had to fight to keep his focus on the most boring topic of them all: History of Magic. Professor Binns had them write an essay on the Giant Wars. He’s already written one about the Witch Hunts and one on the Goblin Rebellion for this class this year, he’s tired of writing. He much prefers the classes where he can use actual magic. Like Transfiguration, where he gets to transfigure an owl in a pair of opera glasses. 

He leans back against the cushions beside Namjoon. “Thanks again for your help.”

“Of course. I love helping you. I mean– I love being able to help.”

Jeongguk smiles. The fire in front of them crackles, flames dancing. It’s hypnotizing to Jeongguk’s tired mind and he gets lost in thought staring at it. There’s only a few weeks until Christmas and Jeongguk can’t wait for a break, no matter how short it’ll be. It’ll give him a chance to regain some energy for the second semester. Merlin knows he’ll need it. He expected fifth year to be brutal but actually living it is a whole different thing. 

Honestly, Jeongguk would say that the only reason he’s gotten through it this far is Namjoon. He’s been a huge help not only in helping Jeongguk with his studies but also because simply seeing him makes Jeongguk’s day infinitely better, and Jeongguk is lucky to see him nearly every day even if it’s only for short moments in the common room or the Great Hall. 

He especially treasures these moments when he gets to spend longer time with Namjoon, even if all they do is study. He should probably find some way to repay him for all the help. Something he’s been keeping in the back of his mind is that there’s another Hogsmeade weekend coming up. Jeongguk chose not to go on the first trip because he had so much to study, and he still has a lot to do, but he figures he deserves a small break. 

“Are you doing anything next weekend?” Jeongguk finds the bravery to ask, but it’s not even the main question. 

Namjoon hums, thinking for a moment. “I don’t think so. I mean, there’s the Hogsmeade trip so I’ll probably go there.”

Jeongguk gets the opportunity handed to him and takes it. “Would you maybe want to go together?”

He isn’t looking at Namjoon, instead keeping his eyes firmly on the fire. 

“Sure. I’m sure Hobi wouldn’t mind you joining us. Maybe Yoongi will come too, if he doesn’t have too much work to do.”

Ah, he’s taking it as a friend thing. Jeongguk should clear up the misunderstanding, tell Namjoon he means it as a date, but the courage has left him. He nods in acknowledgment, wincing internally at his own stupidity. Why is having a crush so hard? Jeongguk can never seem to get his words out correctly, and in this situation it’s already coming back to bite him in the ass. 

But he tells himself it’s alright. Maybe he can ask Taehyung to join him so he won’t be alone with all of Namjoon’s friends – and Namjoon. But Taehyung will probably laugh at him for not clearing up the misunderstanding. 

The weekend rolls around quicker than Jeongguk would’ve liked it to do. He hasn’t had nearly enough time to prepare in spending time with Namjoon outside the castle. But, at the same time, he’s looking forward to it. It’ll be fun to see him in another setting than academics. Plus Jeongguk could really use a break from studying. 

Taehyung hadn’t laughed at him when Jeongguk told him, instead giving him a look of pity that had Jeongguk’s cheeks heating up in embarrassment. At least Taehyung agreed to come so he won’t be alone with Namjoon and his friends. 

He’s standing just inside the large castle doors now, Taehyung beside him, waiting for the others to arrive. He’s nervous for some reason, and he’s not sure if it is because he’ll meet Namjoon’s friends properly for the first time or if it is because he’ll be spending time with Namjoon himself. 

Craning his neck, he tries to look beyond the sea of students in the entrance area waiting to be let out. Filch is standing by the doors with a long piece of parchment, urging everyone to form a line. No one is doing a good job at listening to him and Jeongguk would feel bad if it weren’t for the fact that he, along with everyone else, hates Filch. He and Taehyung are standing to the side, away from the biggest crowd, and no matter how much Jeongguk reaches up in his tiptoes, he can’t see anyone familiar. 

Taehyung laughs as he loses his balance and stumbles to stand back on the soles of his feet. “Calm down, they’ll be here soon.”

Jeongguk is about to reply with something snarky but then a few familiar faces come into his view. Namjoon is making his way over, along with Hoseok, Jimin and Seokjin. There’s one face among them that’s less familiar to him but one he’s seen around. He assumes it’s Yoongi. He’s a Slytherin like Jimin, a green and silver scarf wrapped around his neck. All of them are bundled up against the cold they will face once they get outside. Jeongguk thinks Namjoon looks particularly cozy and cute in his hat and Ravenclaw scarf. 

“Hi,” Jeongguk says shyly, looking at Namjoon when he’s in front of him. 

Namjoon smiles, his dimples poking into his cheeks. “Hi. You excited for today?”

Jeongguk nods. Taehyung clears his throat beside him and Jeongguk flushes, remembering they aren’t alone. Namjoon seems to have a similar reaction, but he quickly gets over it in favor of introducing everyone. Jeongguk was right in his guess that the second Slytherin is Yoongi. He smiles kindly at Jeongguk. 

“Namjoon. Why did you wait this long to introduce us? This kid is adorable.” Yoongi is looking at Namjoon but is clearly talking about Jeongguk and Jeongguk flushes deeply, focusing his gaze on the floor. 

Namjoon groans. “Don’t. You’re embarrassing him. This is exactly why I didn’t do it sooner.”

Jeongguk glances up from the floor to see Yoongi give Namjoon a look of hurt. “But I’m a sweetheart.”

“Yes, you are, but Namjoon is allowed to have his own friends, is he not?” Seokjin cuts in, smiling sweetly between the two bickering friends. 

Yoongi relents. “I guess.”

“Alright,” Jimin says. “Let’s get into the line before it gets too long. It’s anyways gonna take a while to get out.”

They follow him and take a place in the growing line. A professor came and helped Filch with herding the students and now everyone is standing in a proper line and Filch can cross off names in his list. It’s their turn soon enough and the cold air bites Jeongguk’s cheeks when he steps outside and he pulls his scarf up higher. Winter is approaching fast. Soon the grounds around him are going to be covered in a thick layer of snow and it’ll only get colder. Jeongguk isn’t looking forward to it. 

Their group naturally split up to walk two-and-two-and-three to fit on the narrow lane leading to Hogsmeade Village. For some reason, Jeongguk ended up walking beside Namjoon. He thinks Taehyung must have had something to do with that and he looks behind him to meet his friend’s eyes. Taehyung gives him a bright smile and goes right back to his conversation with Jimin. Jeongguk rolls his eyes and looks forward again. 

Ahead of them, Hoseok, Seokjin and Yoongi are walking and chatting. Seokjin and Yoongi are holding hands. One could argue it’s to preserve some heat in the cold weather but Jeongguk has heard all about their relationship from Jimin. He also remembers all the rumors circling around the corridors last year regarding Seokjin, and later also Yoongi. After the summer there were not many still paying attention to them and interest in the two of them quickly died down. 

If he’s being completely honest, he doesn’t fully understand their relationship. From what Jimin told him, it’s not romantic in any way but still special to Seokjin and Yoongi. It confuses Jeongguk, but he’ll keep that to himself. He has to admit the two of them are cute together. Besides, Jimin did mention that neither of them would mind if he were to ask them questions about it. Maybe when they get to know each other a little better, he will. 

The walk to the village is a little awkward, if only because he doesn’t know what to say to Namjoon. He’s not good at initiating conversation, less so with someone he doesn’t know that well. It only makes it worse that it’s his crush, which makes him nervous. He keeps his gaze forward and focuses on walking. 

Finally they arrive, after what feels like hours to Jeongguk. Taehyung drags them into Honeydukes right away and they spend some time browsing the shop. Getting into the warmth from the outside has Jeongguk’s cheeks stinging but he quickly recovers at the sight of all the candy. 

After Honeydukes, everyone gets a turn to go where they want. They visit Zonko’s Joke Shop because Seokjin said he wants to see if they have anything new and interesting in stock. Then they go to Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop because Namjoon and Jimin need new quills. Jeongguk takes the opportunity to buy some for himself while there. He has a tendency to lose his at the bottom of his bag and is always in need of more. Then Seokjin and Yoongi split off to go to the Shrieking Shack. Jeongguk considers going with them but quickly backtracks on that; he wouldn’t want to impose on time alone between them. Instead he follows the others to The Three Broomsticks. 

Right outside the door, Taehyung makes a noise as if realizing something. “I forgot my scarf somewhere,” he says, hands coming up to his neck, empty of soft knitted fabric. 

“I’ll come with you to look for it,” Jimin says and Hoseok agrees and they leave to retrace Taehyung’s steps. 

This leaves Jeongguk once again alone with Namjoon. For a second, he considers running after the others, but that would leave Namjoon completely alone and Jeongguk can’t do that to him. So, he swallows his nerves and suggests waiting for their friends inside. Namjoon agrees and they enter the bar. It’s warm in here as well, and Jeongguk has to take off his scarf so he doesn’t overheat. They order a butterbeer each and sit down at a table in the corner. 

Namjoon takes off his scarf and jacket and drapes them over the back of his chair. Jeongguk follows his example, then takes a sip of his butterbeer. The air between them is awkward, much like on the walk here. Jeongguk racks his brain for something to say, he can’t stand the silence. 

Why did their friends have to leave them? If Jeongguk didn’t know better, he’d say Taehyung did that on purpose. And, knowing Taehyung, he could’ve started it by purposefully leaving his scarf behind somewhere. Jeongguk doesn’t think Taehyung is that much of an evil genius, but the thought makes him frown. 

“Are you okay?” Namjoon asks carefully, noticing Jeongguk frowning. 

Jeongguk wants to punch himself. Why can’t he act normal around Namjoon for once? He schools his expression into something more neutral. “I’m fine.”

“How long do you think they’ll be? Should we have ordered for them?” 

Jeongguk shrugs. “Dunno.”

Silence falls around them again. Jeongguk swirls his finger in the water condensation left on the table from his glass, painfully aware of Namjoon’s presence in front of him. He tries his hardest to ignore it while at the same time thinking of things to talk about. These situations are sometimes stressful for him. He’s a little shy and withdrawn as a person and, being put in a situation like this, where he’s one half of the company and thus responsible for keeping the conversation going, isn’t easy. It’s easier being in a larger group, then he can let the others keep the conversation going and just observe – and give his input here and there when he feels like it. His friends have never judged him or made him feel bad for being the way he is, which also makes it easier. 

But Namjoon doesn’t know him that well. To him Jeongguk might seem weird or unapproachable, and that’s the last thing Jeongguk wants. So, he’s stressed. He wants to make a good impression on Namjoon, wants him to see him as a good person and not an awkward, shy blob of a human. But that’s easier said than done when Jeongguk is an awkward, shy blob of a human with bad social skills. 

He wonders what’s taking the others so long. Surely, Taehyung’s scarf can’t be that difficult to find, unless it somehow grew legs and walked off, which, as a wizard, is something Jeongguk knows isn’t totally implausible. Taking a sip of his butterbeer, he looks in the direction of the door leading into the pub. Every time it’s opened while he’s sat here, he’s looked up hoping it’s Taehyung and the others. So far, no luck. 

“Are you bored?” Namjoon asks. 

He’s once again taking note and being aware of Jeongguk’s behavior and, even though he isn’t bored, he can understand how his current behavior can come across that way. 

Jeongguk looks at him with wide eyes. “No, no, I’m not.” 

Namjoon takes a sip of his own butterbeer. “I would suggest they got lost but Hogsmeade is a small village, I doubt it’s easy to get lost.”

Jeongguk once again thinks of how Taehyung could’ve done this on purpose, then gotten Jimin and Hoseok in on it. He doesn’t know why Taehyung might think he needs to spend more time alone with Namjoon, isn’t it enough that they’re alone together while studying? Then, he’s reminded of something else and a blush makes its way up his neck. The reason he had even asked if Namjoon wanted to visit Hogsmeade with him in the first place was because he had planned to ask him on a date. He hadn’t ended up doing that but now he’s here anyway, alone with Namjoon like he’d wanted. 

He really needs to think of something to say. 

Thankfully, Namjoon beats him to it. “There’s another Quidditch match next week right? Gryffindor against Hufflepuff?”

Jeongguk smiles. Quidditch. Now there’s something he can talk about uninterrupted for hours. 

“Yes! I’m excited for it. As much as I love playing it, watching it is just as fun. Plus it’ll give me an opportunity to study both teams’ play and be able to better beat them.” He grins

Namjoon laughs. “Of course. Ravenclaw has this year’s Quidditch cup in the bag. But Taehyung is on the Hufflepuff team, right? How does that work? You two are good friends, but you’re also on rival Quidditch teams.”

“We know to keep that rivalry to the pitch. He’s my best friend, I don’t think I’d be able to seriously fight with him outside of Quidditch,” Jeongguk says, the corners of his mouth lifting up in a soft smile. 

He’s known Taehyung since they were scraggly first-years. They met on the train. Jeongguk had managed to find an empty train carriage but then Taehyung had come, saying it was the only sort-of empty one left and asked if he could sit there. Jeongguk isn’t a mean person, so of course he said yes. Little did he know, it would be the start of a great friendship. 

Namjoon is looking at him with a smile when Jeongguk looks back at him, and he blushes. Then he clears his throat, determined to keep the conversation going now that it’s started. 

“You don’t play Quidditch? I mean, I know you’re not in our Quidditch team, but I mean outside of school.”

Namjoon shakes his head. “Not really. I’m not a big fan of flying as it is, so Quidditch has never been on my mind much. But I enjoy watching it from time to time.”

“Are you scared of flying? Or do you just not like it?” Jeongguk asks, then bites his lip, hoping it wasn’t a rude question. 

Namjoon doesn’t react as if it offended him and Jeongguk breathes out in silent relief. “I wouldn’t say I’m scared, I’ve just never gotten the hang of it properly and because of that I completely wrote it off as something not for me, you know?”

Jeongguk nods. “I know what you mean.”

“But,”Namjoon adds, “I wouldn’t be opposed to learning.”

Jeongguk can’t quite decipher the expression on his face as he says that, but he’s looking at Jeongguk with wide eyes, as if waiting for him to understand a hidden meaning behind his words. Jeongguk isn’t good at reading between the lines so he ignores it and hopes it isn’t important. 

“It’s really fun,” he says instead. “I feel free when I’m flying, like it’s just me and the wind up there. No worries, no thoughts, nothing. It’s peaceful.”

Namjoon’s expression turns soft. “That sounds like how I feel when I read. I don’t mean to sound like a nerd but I enjoy reading a lot,” he says, a little sheepish. 

Jeongguk quickly shakes his head. “Reading a lot doesn’t make you a nerd.” As he says it, he realizes what the words leaving his mouth mean and pauses. He grimaces. “I mean–“

Namjoon laughing cuts him off in his attempt to redeem himself in his stupidity. “It’s okay. I don’t mind being a nerd. It’s not a bad thing.”

Relaxing slightly at once again knowing he didn’t offend Namjoon, Jeongguk smiles slightly. “I agree. It can be a good thing.”

He’s surprised to notice they’ve sat here for almost an hour. After the conversation started flowing, time felt like it flew by. They both seem to have the same thing in mind as they finish the last of their butterbeer. 

Namjoon grabs his scarf. “Should we head back? Before it gets too late.”

Jeongguk nods, grabbing his own scarf and wrapping it around his neck, then he stands up and slips his jacket on. The air outside feels colder than before when stepping into it after being inside the warm pub. He wraps his jacket tighter around himself and stuffs his hands in his pocket. He and Namjoon walk side-by-side back to the castle, but this time it isn’t awkward. The silence between them now feels comfortable and the stress Jeongguk felt earlier is nowhere to be found. 

✧

Jeongguk finds Taehyung at the Gryffindor table the next morning and stalks over to him, frown in place and fists clenched at his sides. He’s not actually mad at his friend, just wants to make it seem like he is for leaving him alone with Namjoon yesterday. He will admit he’s maybe a little petty. 

Taehyung glances at him when he stops beside him, gives him a brief greeting, then goes back to his breakfast. Jeongguk huffs and stares him down. He can feel his lips pulling into a pout of their own accord over being basically ignored but does nothing to stop it. Maybe he’s giving in to the pettiness a tiny bit. 

“Hi Jeongguk,” Jimin says, noticing him standing there. 

Jeongguk deflates a little and turns to him. He’s sitting on the other side of the table, opposite Taehyung, and Seokjin sits beside him. Jeongguk hadn’t even noticed them when he arrived but it makes sense that they’re here if Taehyung is sitting at the Gryffindor table. He gives them a small wave in greeting then goes back to staring at the side of Taehyung’s head. Taehyung doesn’t pay him any mind, just keeps shoveling food into his mouth. Jimin and Seokjin look between them with equal amounts of concern and amusement. 

“I can feel your eyes burning a hole in the side of my head,” Taehyung comments after a few more minutes. 

“Why don’t you sit down?” Seokjin offers. 

Jeongguk doesn’t want to say no to him so he sits down beside Taehyung. He fully intends to keep staring at him but then food appears on the plate in front of him and he’s momentarily distracted by it. Jimin starts talking about some homework or another he has to turn in tomorrow but Jeongguk isn’t really paying attention. He looks back at Taehyung. He’s finished most of his food by now and is listening to Jimin complain. 

“You did it on purpose, didn’t you?” Jeongguk says. 

Taehyung looks at him with confusion. “Did what on purpose?”

“You know. Yesterday.”

A frown creases Taehyung’s brow as he thinks for a moment. Jeongguk studies his expression closely for when realization hits. But either Taehyung doesn’t know what he’s talking about or he does but is pretending he doesn’t, because there’s no change in his expression telling Jeongguk what he wants to know. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says with a shrug. 

“Did something happen, Jeongguk?” Jimin asks. 

Before he gets a chance to answer, Seokjin starts waving to someone and everyone’s attention is diverted. Jeongguk looks over in the direction Seokjin is looking and, after a moments’ searching for someone familiar, spots Yoongi in the crowd. He makes his way over to them and, as he gets closer, Jeongguk sees he’s not alone. Immediately, he ducks his head before he can make accidental eye contact. 

Yoongi comes up behind Seokjin and gives him a back hug, draping his arms over Seokjin’s neck and leaning down briefly. Seokjin returns the hug as well as he can, then turns so he can talk to Yoongi while facing him. The person Yoongi was with came over with him and is standing beside him rather awkwardly. 

“Hi Namjoon,” Taehyung says, his voice sickly sweet. Jeongguk wants to roll his eyes, knows exactly what Taehyung is doing. 

“Hi,” Namjoon says. “Hi, Jeongguk.”

Jeongguk snaps his head up and looks at him. “Hi,” he breathes. 

He fears he said it too quietly and Namjoon didn’t hear him, but Namjoon gives him a big smile, dimples showing and eyes becoming crescents. Jeongguk’s heart flutters in his chest and he wills his cheeks to not burn. 

“I had fun with you yesterday,” Namjoon says. 

That’s all it takes for Jeongguk’s whole face to go up in flames. He just knows he’s beet red all the way down his neck now. Covering his ears with his hands, he avoids Namjoon’s eyes as he says, “me too,” in a low voice. 

Taehyung is smirking beside him. Jimin is looking between him and Namjoon with amusement dancing in his eyes. Even Seokjin and Yoongi are wearing similar expressions. Jeongguk wants the ground to swallow him, or maybe to burst into flames like a Howler when it’s done delivering its message. He’s not picky how, he just needs to get out of this situation. He buries his head in his hands and waits for something to happen. Namjoon seems to take pity on him, which only makes it worse for Jeongguk. 

He looks at Yoongi. “Should we get going? Didn’t you say you had a ton of things to do?”

Yoongi’s expression turns sour at the reminder. “Yes. Let’s go.”

Seokjin stands up. “I’ll come with. I guess it’s time to be confined to the library for the rest of the day,” he says with a grimace. 

Jimin and Taehyung laugh, then wish them luck with their studying as they wave them off. Since Jeongguk still has his face buried in his hands, he misses the last smile Namjoon shoots his way. But it also means he misses how his expression turns slightly worried as Jeongguk still seems to be struggling. 

“You guys are mean,” Jeongguk says with a pout when he resurfaces from his hands once he’s deemed the situation clear. 

“You know we’re just teasing you,” Taehyung says and ruffles Jeongguk’s hair. 

Jeongguk seats his hand away and glares at him. “You didn’t forget your scarf somewhere yesterday, did you? You weren’t even wearing a scarf. You gave yours to Jimin because he forgot his.”

Jeongguk remembered that little tidbit while he was hiding in embarrassment. He can’t believe he didn’t realize it sooner. Now he knows for sure that Taehyung did it on purpose. 

Taehyung’s face falls ever so slightly before he recovers and smiles sheepishly. “You got me.”

“You’re mean.” He turns to Jimin. “And you. You were in on it.”

Jimin gives him an awkward smile that borders on a grimace. “Sorry, but Tae said you needed a push.”

“And look! You said you had fun,” Taehyung says, draping his arm around Jeongguk’s neck in a sideways hug. 

Jeongguk pushes him away, but he can’t deny what he said. He did have fun. The memory makes him smile. Taehyung smiles proudly and Jeongguk shoves him harder, so that Taehyung nearly falls off the bench. Jimin starts laughing his squeaky laugh while Taehyung glares. Jeongguk can’t stay mad at him, he’s already forgiven him for what he did.

✧

Jeongguk can’t stop thinking about The Date That Wasn’t a Date he had with Namjoon for the rest of the week. He had had a lot of fun, when he had overcome his nervousness and anxiety, that is. Maybe he ought to thank Taehyung, after all. If not for him pretending to have lost his scarf, Jeongguk wouldn’t have gotten time alone with Namjoon. 

He hasn’t seen much of him since last weekend, though. Namjoon is a prefect, so it’s understandable that he has a lot to do. Jeongguk hopes he isn’t working too hard, and maybe he should tell him that the next time he sees him. Maybe if he walks past the Transfiguration classroom tomorrow afternoon, he can accidentally run into him. Not that he has Namjoon’s schedule memorized, he just happens to know when he has that particular class based on when he’s seen him in that corridor before. 

He could also try the library since Namjoon spends a lot of time there. Jeongguk knows he could use a library session for himself but it’s so boring, watching the Hufflepuffs practice for the upcoming match is way more fun. He hopes he isn’t setting himself up for failure. If worse comes to worse, he could ask Namjoon if he would mind helping Jeongguk study some more. 

Taehyung is nervous about the game. It will be his first of the year and they both know how ruthless the Gryffindor team is on the pitch. Jeongguk tries to reassure him he’ll be fine, and it doesn’t matter if they don’t win this match, they could still have a chance to win the tournament. Taehyung isn’t entirely convinced but there’s only so much Jeongguk can do for his friend. 

He and Jimin are on the way to Herbology while talking about the anticipated second Quidditch match of the year when someone comes up in front of Jeongguk. He’s about to tell them off, thinking it’s a first-year or something trying to be a brat, but stops short when he sees who it actually is. Namjoon stands there, smiling shyly. Jimin stops talking mid-sentence when Jeongguk stops in front of Namjoon, and looks between them. 

“Hi,” Jeongguk says because Namjoon has yet to say anything and this could turn awkward quickly. 

“Hello. I wanted to ask you a question.”

“Okay.” Jeongguk turns to Jimin. “You can go ahead, I’ll catch up.”

Jimin looks between them some more, then nods and does as Jeongguk said and goes ahead to the Herbology classroom. But he doesn’t miss an opportunity to tease Jeongguk, turning back to wiggle his eyebrows suggestively at him behind Namjoon’s back. Jeongguk refrains from rolling his eyes and focuses back on Namjoon instead. 

“What’s your question?”

Namjoon looks nervous, which in turn makes Jeongguk slightly nervous for what the question could be. What if it’s something bad? Should he be worried? Namjoon glances behind him and Jeongguk follows his gaze to see Hoseok farther down the corridor. He gives Namjoon two enthusiastic thumbs up, then immediately drops his hands and turns away when he notices Jeongguk looking. Namjoon turns back to him and takes a deep breath. 

“Do you want to go to the Quidditch match with me?” he says very quickly, his words getting jumbled up. 

Jeongguk cocks his head to the side, confused. “Sorry?” 

Namjoon takes another breath and repeats, this time slower, “I was wondering if you would maybe like to go to the Quidditch match with me this weekend?”

Oh. Jeongguk’s cheeks heat up and he fights the urge to cover his ears with his hands. Then he realizes that Namjoon probably means this to be a friend thing also, like he took Jeongguk asking him to Hogsmeade last week, and a bitter feeling settles in his stomach. But he doesn’t want to make Namjoon think anything is wrong, so he smiles. 

“Yeah, sure, I’d like that. I mean, it would be fun if all of us sat together to watch the match. Your friends are a lot of fun.”

He’s trying to make light of the situation, acting like being friendzoned isn’t hurting him when in reality his heart is screaming in agony. Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but it feels that way. 

Namjoon frowns slightly. “Um, if you want we can sit all of us together but I was thinking more that you and I go alone.”

Immediately, Jeongguk’s whole face heats up. It seems he greatly misunderstood the situation. He starts stuttering up a response, barely getting a full word out. 

Namjoon smiles a little sadly. “It’s okay if you don’t want to. As I said, we can go all together if you don’t want to be alone with me.”

“No!” Jeongguk nearly yells in his haste to reassure Namjoon he would very much like to go alone with him. Namjoon flinches slightly at the volume of his voice and Jeongguk winces. He clears his throat and starts again. “I mean, I don’t mind going alone with you. I would actually really like that.”

Namjoon’s sad expression turns hopeful. “Really?”

Jeongguk nods. “Yes.”

“Okay then, I’ll see you on saturday,” Namjoon says gently with a smile. Then he waves as he turns and walks away down the corridor. 

Jeongguk watches as he walks up to Hoseok and how Hoseok claps him hard on the back when Namjoon most likely tells him what happened and what Jeongguk’s response to his question was. 

He himself stands rooted to the spot for a moment longer, trying to stay in control of his emotions and not start jumping up and down and shout in joy. Then he realizes he’s late for class and starts running to the classroom. He arrives minutes late and gets a point reduction from Professor Sprout that he can’t even be upset over, his interaction with Namjoon playing on repeat in his head. Jimin looks at him smiling like a fool strangely but doesn’t say anything, maybe because Professor Sprout is in the middle of talking about today’s lesson. Jeongguk expects an interrogation from him later. 

The rest of the week flies by. Jeongguk is looking forward to the weekend when he will get to spend some time alone with Namjoon. He wonders in the back of his mind if Namjoon intends for this to be a date. The thought of that only makes him more nervous. He tells his friends what Namjoon asked him and they tell him it most definitely is a date, but Jeongguk feels like he shouldn’t assume. His friends tell him he’s an idiot and that he should just enjoy the moment with Namjoon and not agonize over it being a date or not (“even if it totally is,” Taehyung adds). 

He joins Taehyung with the rest of the Hufflepuff team at breakfast on the day of the game. Hoseok gives him a suspicious glance but, when Jeongguk says he’s only here to support his best friend, he lets it be. It would be unfair to say he’s as nervous as Taehyung about today. Taehyung can barely get any food in him. He’s not the most confident in his Quidditch skills, even though he’s a wonderful flier and has won them games in the past with his Keeper skills. 

The halls are buzzing with energy as they always are on a match day, and Jeongguk is right there with everyone else to hype up the team as they make their way to the pitch. They pass a few Gryffindors on the way and Jeongguk makes eye contact with Seokjin. He gives them an icy glare and Jeongguk recoils, only to then get a cheeky smile to show he didn’t mean anything with his glare. Talk about whiplash. 

Taehyung shudders beside him. “Seokjin is scary.”

Jeongguk wants to laugh. Seokjin is probably the nicest, sweetest person Jeongguk has met, but he doesn’t bother mentioning that to Taehyung. He won’t hear anything beyond his nervousness. 

He drops Taehyung off at the changing rooms and goes to find Namjoon. They agreed to meet at the stands but that might have been a mistake; there are so many students here. Jimin, Seokjin and Yoongi walk past him to find seats of their own. 

“Good luck,” Jimin calls, once again wiggling his eyebrows at him. 

Jeongguk shows him his middle finger. All three of them laugh as they continue on their way. Knowing that more than two people know about his embarrassing crush on Namjoon these days makes it all the more embarrassing. While he stands there contemplating all his life choices leading up to this moment, someone comes up and pokes him on the shoulder. He startles and turns to see Namjoon beaming at him. 

“Found you,” he says brightly, dimples on full display. 

Jeongguk can’t even blame the weather for how hot he suddenly feels. He quickly turns and motions for the stands, hoping Namjoon understands and follows him. He does, and together they make their way up and find good seats. Jeongguk loves being on the pitch, but sometimes it’s just as fun to be in the stands. Today, the crowd is divided perfectly half-in-half in yellow and scarlet colors. Jeongguk himself is decked out in yellow. Namjoon is also wearing some yellow, but not as fully decked out as Jeongguk. Jeongguk can’t even be embarrassed about it; he’s very passionate about Quidditch. 

“Are you cold?” Namjoon asks when they’ve sat down. 

He hadn’t thought about the cold until now, but he knows he will get cold sitting here even when he gets excited about the game, so he nods. 

“A little.”

Namjoon takes out his wand and performs a silent charm. Instantly, Jeongguk feels warmer all over and thanks him with a smile. Now he can enjoy the game and stay warm and toasty at the same time. He’s not even going to comment on the fact that Namjoon so effortlessly can perform nonverbal spells. It’s incredibly attractive to him how intelligent Namjoon is. That’s not to say he wouldn’t be attracted to him if he wasn’t as intelligent. A smart mind isn’t everything to Jeongguk. 

Just then, the two teams enter the pitch and the crowd starts cheering. It’s not long until they’re in the air and Madam Hooch blows the whistle signaling the start of the game. Jeongguk is on the edge of his seat from the beginning, following the game. The golden Snitch disappeared as soon as it was released and Jeongguk doesn’t even bother trying to see it, instead he focuses on the balls he can see.

Taehyung is in position at the goal hoops at one end of the pitch and Jeongguk can tell all the way from here how nervous he is. He hopes Taehyung looks his way so he can send some encouragement. The Quaffle has yet to make it to his end but he’s following it with his eyes like a hawk, ready to defend his hoops. Jeongguk knows he will do a good job, never misses a ball during practice. But, he also knows that practice and actual games are different. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever fully understood the rules of this game,” Namjoon says beside him and Jeongguk is brought back to the present. He realizes he got a little too into the game and almost forgot Namjoon was still here. 

He looks at him. “It’s fairly easy once you get the hang of it but I can understand why you haven’t, since you said you weren’t a big fan.”

Namjoon smiles sheepishly. “Does that put me in minus with you? Me not being a fan of Quidditch?”

Jeongguk giggles. “No, it doesn’t. Believe it or not but Quidditch isn’t the be-all end-all for me.”

“Kind of hard to believe, if I’m honest,” Namjoon says with a teasing smile and Jeongguk laughs some more. 

Just then, there’s an eruption of cheers from the crowd. Unfortunately, it’s on the red side of the stands as Gryffindor scores. Jeongguk sags in his seat, disappointed. So is Taehyung. He dejectedly flies away from the left-most hoop, probably having thought the Quaffled would go through that one. Clearly whichever Gryffindor Chaser had scored did a feint before doing so. 

“Cheer up, Taehyung! You’re doing great,” Namjoon yells, pumping his fists in the air. Taehyung can’t hear him from this distance but the act alone, that he’s trying to cheer him up, is enough to have Jeongguk fall for him all over again. A warm feeling settles in his chest and it has nothing to do with Namjoon’s warming charm.

The game goes on. Both Jeongguk and Namjoon get invested in it and not much conversation happens from then on. Taehyung is upset over his first miss and Gryffindor scores a few more times before he manages to save a goal. The crowd on the Hufflepuff side cheers as loud as they can for him and, both that and the save seems to motivate Taehyung. He grips his broom firmly and plays the rest of the game with added confidence. 

In the end, Hufflepuff wins the game by 50 points when their Seeker catches the snitch. Everyone runs on the pitch, cheering and celebrating. This was the part that Jeongguk missed during his own game because he got knocked out but it’s the most fun part, especially when the team you rooted for is the one who wins. Everyone gathers around Taehyung, his own team right at the front, cheering and congratulating him. They pick him up from the ground and throw him in the air. Jeongguk laughs as he watches. Taehyung is the happiest Jeongguk has probably ever seen him and he’s proud of him. He’ll wait til later to tell him. 

“Will there be an after party?” Namjoon asks beside him. 

They watch as the team carries Taehyung away to the castle, the cheering crowd following. 

“The Hufflepuffs aren’t the biggest partiers as you can probably imagine, but occasionally they’re known for throwing a mean party. Quidditch match wins are one of those occasions,” Jeongguk tells him as they follow behind at the back of the crowd. 

Namjoon nods. “I’m not the biggest partier either, but if you’ll be there I could stay for a bit.”

Jeongguk doesn’t know why that makes his heart flutter. Then again, everything Namjoon does makes him feel warm and fuzzy inside. 

The Hufflepuff common room is already in full party mode. Jeongguk knows it won’t last very long, but it’ll be worth the while. Taehyung spots him as he and Namjoon step through the door. He looks like he’s already had something to drink, or it might just be adrenaline high from the game.

“Did you see?” he calls, pointing at Jeongguk from across the room. “Did you see my last save? That was kind of insane. Who am I?!"

He turns away with a faraway expression on his face, probably reliving the moment he referred to. Jeongguk did see it and can confirm it was insane. A Gryffindor Chaser had come towards him at full speed, Quaffle in hand. Taehyung had hovered by the hoops, waiting for an opening, an indication to which way they were going to throw. They had done a feint at the last second and Taehyung veered the opposite direction. The crowd around Jeongguk had started to sigh in dejection when Taehyung took everyone by surprise, the Gryffindor Chaser most of all, when he did a sharp turn and zoomed in the right direction and managed to save the Quaffle from going through the hoop at the very last second. 

Jeongguk’s ears are still ringing from the volume of the cheers for that move. 

“Is he okay?” Namjoon asks, looking at Taehyung daydreaming in the corner. 

Jeongguk waves his hand dismissively. “He’ll be fine. Would you like something to drink? Someone here must’ve acquired something with alcohol in it for this celebration.”

Namjoon hesitates. “Ah, I don’t know. Is that a good idea?”

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those goody-two-shoes,” Jeongguk says with a laugh. 

“No?” It comes out sounding like a question and Namjoon laughs as well but it sounds a little awkward, a little stilted. 

Jeongguk realizes what he said might hold some truth. But he’s not about to force anything onto him. “You don’t have to drink if you don’t want to, I’m sure they have non-alcoholic drinks too. Sorry, I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.” He winces. 

Namjoon is quick to shake his head. “You weren’t, it’s fine,” he reassures, then looks around the room. The celebration is still in full swing. People are dancing to the music playing at a respectable volume. Every so often someone will remind everyone of their reason for partying by shouting “we won,” and everyone will cheer loudly and give the Quidditch team a round of claps on their backs. “But I actually think I’m gonna head out.”

Jeongguk turns to him. He feels a pout settle on his face. He would like Namjoon to stay longer but, again, he won’t force him to do anything he doesn’t want to. This is clearly not his scene, even if the party is pretty low-key. Jeongguk feels a little bad for bringing him here but Namjoon did also say he would only stay for a bit. He supposes he should be grateful for the time he did get to spend with Namjoon, and he is. 

He nods, still pouting. Namjoon cuckles when he sees his expression and pokes a finger at Jeongguk’s cheek. The action surprises Jeongguk so much that he drops the pout, his lips falling open slightly in shock. Namjoon’s cheeks have a tint of pink to them and he scratches the back of his neck. 

He points toward where the team is with his thumb. “I’m gonna say my congrats then go. It was fun spending time with you, even if all we did was watch a Quidditch game.” He smiles softly at Jeongguk. “Have a good night, Jeongguk.”

Jeongguk waves a little belatedly, dimples and soft eyes on the brain. “You too.”

Namjoon walks over to the Hufflepuff team and tells them congrats on the win, then leaves through the entrance to the common room with a last wave to Jeongguk. 

✧

Christmas break arrives quickly. Jeongguk manages to finish all his assignments before and only has a couple to worry about when he gets back to the castle in a couple of weeks. He’s going home to spend time with his family, and he and Taehyung have planned to see each other. It’ll be nice with a small break before the second semester that is probably going to be a lot more hectic and busy in preparation for OWL’s.

He feels rather confident for the OWL’s, but they’re still a few months out and a lot can change. He’s choosing to not think too hard about it, though. Of course he wants a good score, the scores he receives on his OWL’s will determine what subjects he can take on NEWT level next year and he has a couple in mind he would like to take, but he’s not too worried about those for his OWL’s. 

He spends his break stuffing himself full with his mom’s cooking and playing two-person Quidditch with Taehyung in the snow, which, Taehyung told him, is basically just catch. Jeongguk got curious about the muggle sport and Taehyung ended up showing him how to play. It was fairly simple and straight-forward; you just toss a ball back and forth to each other, but it was fun. 

Jimin and he exchange letters over the break, and on Christmas Day he receives one from all his friends wishing him a happy Christmas. He even gets one from Namjoon. It doesn’t make him squeal seeing it but he does scream silently in his head because Namjoon added a heart after his name, signed at the end. 

As much as he loves spending time with his family, he couldn’t wait to come back to the castle. All seven of them sit together on the train and, despite Seokjin and Namjoon having to leave for some time for Head Boy and prefect duties respectively, Jeongguk has a great time. It makes the train ride seem to go that much faster and he’s back at the castle before he knows it. 

He was right in thinking that this semester would be more hectic because not even a week back at school and he’s buried under a mountain of schoolwork. Every professor has set homework and is expecting every kind of assignment done. Jeongguk is a little overwhelmed by it all and he’s once again spending most of his time in the library. 

The others are there, too, and Jeongguk sits with a different friend practically every day. Sometimes they’re more than two at a table but every time they study in silence. There’s not much time for small talk when everyone has so much work to do. He knows Seokjin and Yoongi are studying for NEWT’s. The two of them are graduating this year and Jeongguk will admit he’ll miss them, but they’re his friends now so he will make sure they don’t lose contact. 

Jeongguk treasures his time with Namjoon especially, even if they barely talk while they study together. Namjoon will help Jeongguk if he asks, and he will be as patient and kind with him as he always is. Jeongguk feels lucky to have him in his life, even if he does wish it could be more than as a friend but Namjoon doesn’t return his feelings. Jeongguk accepted that a while ago, even if it hurts. 

There haven’t been any more moments that he feels he needs to analyze and question whether they classify as dates or not, and at this point he has completely written off the Quidditch match as being a friend thing. Jeongguk is content with having Namjoon as a friend only, because it means he will stay in his life. If Jeongguk were to confess his feelings, that might change. Namjoon might not want to stay friends knowing Jeongguk has feelings for him. Jeongguk doesn’t want that, so he says nothing. 

As they struggle through the semester, the weather gets warmer. Jeongguk and his friends take advantage of it and bring their work outside. There’s a specific tree near the lake that they usually take residence under. It’s big enough that the shade provided from it leaves a large enough area for them to all fit under to not have to be in the sun. The breeze is cool as it blows through Jeongguk’s fringe. He’s lying on his stomach while reading a section in his Charms textbook on Levitation Charms. Taehyung sits cross-legged a little ways away in the shaded area, his own nose buried in a Potions textbook. 

Jimin comes hurrying over and plops down by the tree trunk, dumping out his supplies on the ground. Neither Jeongguk or Taehyung react to his arrival and Jimin says nothing as he starts scribbling frantically. He talks under his breath as he works, and Taehyung huffs and puffs as he tries to make sense of the potion he’s reading about. Jeongguk wishes they could appreciate the nice weather more, but OWL’s are all that’s on his mind lately, and he knows that’s the truth for his friends as well. They’re all stressed. 

Jeongguk’s eyelids start getting heavy and the words in front of him don’t stick in his mind; he’s read the same sentence five times now and he still doesn’t know what it says. Eventually, his head gets too heavy to hold up and he lets it drop onto the book. He’s floating into dreamland before he knows it. 

He’s haunted by essays and tests in his dreams, as well, and he fails every single one because his mind wants him to suffer, clearly. When he’s miserably failed the third test in a row, he slowly starts coming back to consciousness. Voices talking help with bringing him back to reality and he blinks his eyes open. The page of his textbook sticks to his cheek when he tries to lift his head and he subtly wipes at his mouth and peels it away. 

The voices belong to Taehyung and Namjoon. Namjoon is sitting beside Taehyung and appears to be teaching him something from his textbook, maybe the potion he was struggling with. 

Taehyung looks up when he notices Jeongguk moving. “Morning, sleeping beauty.”

Jeongguk hums in response, still trying to shake the dregs of sleep off. Namjoon smiles at him before going back to Taehyung’s textbook. Jimin is still scribbling away by the trunk of the tree, but now he’s silent. Jeongguk turns back to his own textbook and tries to continue where he left off through bleary eyes with little success. He gives up all-together and flops onto his back. 

“What time is it? I’m getting hungry,” he says through a yawn. 

Taehyung mirrors Jeongguk by flopping onto his own back. “Let’s take a break,” he says to Namjoon, who shrugs and closes the textbook with a thud. 

Jimin groans in frustration. He leans his head back against the tree and closes his eyes. “I need just a few more sentences to reach the minimum inch limit but I’m out of things to say.”

Namjoon stands up and wordlessly walks over to him and sits down beside him. Jimin cracks an eye open but stays silent as Namjoon picks up his essay and looks over it. He picks up Jimin’s quill and adds to the end of the essay, then sets the things down and goes back to his original spot. Jimin reads what he wrote and stares at Namjoon in awe. Namjoon looks away with pink cheeks.

“We all know he’s a genius. It’s extremely attractive and all that. I wish I had a brain like his,” Taehyung says, having watched Namjoon help Jimin. 

Jimin nods solemnly, agreeing with him. Namjoon flushes darker. Jeongguk finds him being shy about getting complimented endearing, and he turns his head away to hide the smile stretching over his lips without his permission. 

Something hits Jeongguk on the chest and he turns his head to see Taehyung staring at him, holding another small twig in his hand. Jeongguk makes a face at him to ask what his problem is. Taehyung subtly gestures to Namjoon, then to Jeongguk, the points beyond to the lake behind them. Jeongguk frowns, not understanding. Taehyung mouths something at him that he thinks is supposed to say “ask him to go with you.”

Rising up on his elbow, Jeongguk makes another face. “Where?” he mouths back but Taehyung has already turned away from him and starts up a conversation with Jimin. He rolls his eyes but turns to Namjoon. Except he doesn’t know what to say. What did Taehyung want him to do anyway? He looks out over the lake. The dark surface is shimmering under the sunlight. 

“Namjoon?” he says. Namjoon hums in acknowledgment. “Would you like to walk with me?” 

He motions to the path going around the lake. He doesn’t know what Taehyung meant for him to do but he won’t say no to some alone time with Namjoon. 

“Sure,” Namjoon agrees and they both get up. 

Jeongguk looks back once and Taehyung and Jimin both give him thumbs up. It doesn’t do much in giving him any confidence but he’ll take the encouragement. They’re silent as they walk, but it’s a nice silence. Before, he would be anxious about the silence between them and constantly think of something to say. Now, he feels rather comfortable. It’s nice to just be in Namjoon’s presence. It’s just the two of them this far out by the lake. The sun is setting, slowly inching closer to the horizon. 

“This is nice,” Namjoon says after a while of walking. 

Jeongguk hums. He’s suddenly very aware of Namjoon beside him. They’re walking close together and if Jeongguk were to lean just slightly to the right, their arms would touch. Namjoon’s hand is right beside his and he wants to hold it. Maybe if he had just a little more confidence, he would. For now he stuffs his own hands into his pockets so he can’t give into his urges. 

“Do you have any plans for the summer?” Namjoon asks. 

“I’m going to Korea to visit my relatives for a month,” Jeongguk says. He hasn’t visited his home country many times since his parents moved to England, maybe only a couple of times and the last time was a fair few years ago. When he goes now, there won’t be much he remembers. 

“Then it won’t be easy to send you letters,” Namjoon comments and he looks almost sad about it. 

“Yeah, I suppose it would take a while for me to receive a letter from England when I’m there.” He giggles, a mental image entering his mind of Namjoon’s poor owl flying across the world to deliver a small letter to Jeongguk. 

Namjoon looks out across the lake. “I wish there was an easy way to reach you, I would like to stay in touch with you over the summer.”

Jeongguk’s heart skips a beat, or maybe two. Namjoon wants to keep talking to him over the summer? He supposes they’ve become friends over the past few months. They have been spending a lot of time together, after all. He tells himself to not get his hopes up, Namjoon probably only wants to keep in touch for that reason; they’re friends. He wants to keep in touch with his friends, too. 

He thinks of something to say to shift the topic slightly, rather than focusing on what Namjoon said. “Taehyung has told me about phones, they seem fun.”

Namjoon huffs out a laugh. “Yeah, they’re fun. Is he half blood?”

Jeongguk doesn’t want to talk about Taehyung, that wasn’t his intention with mentioning him. “Muggle born,” he says dismissively. “Anyway, what will you do this summer?”

“I have quite a bit to prepare for my last year. NEWT’s and all, you know? I want to consider my options for jobs after graduation.”

“Are you excited to graduate?” Jeongguk asks. 

Namjoon shrugs. “It’s still a ways away, I haven’t really thought about it much yet but I suppose I will be.”

“What will you do after? You said you needed to consider job options. What are some options you have?” Jeongguk himself hasn’t thought much about what he’ll do after graduation. It’s two years away for him so he has time, but he can’t help but be pulled towards Quidditch. If he could be recruited for a team right after graduating, that’d be a dream come true. 

“Something I’m considering is Auror. But honestly anything within the Ministry of Magic would be cool. Okay, maybe not everything,” he amends with a laugh. 

“You wanna be an Auror? Wouldn’t that be scary? You would deal with dark wizards.”

Namjoon looks at him for a moment, his expression unreadable. “I mean, I suppose, but it’s an important job and I would want to feel like I’m making a difference.”

“You are making a difference,” Jeongguk says before he can think, then realizes what he said and wants to facepalm. 

Namjoon cocks his head to the side. “What do you mean? Right now? I don’t think I’m making any difference in school,” Namjoon laughs. 

Jeongguk doesn’t know how to tell him what he actually meant, that he’s making a difference to Jeongguk, in his personal life, without accidentally confessing to him. He stays silent. 

The air around them is getting chillier as the sun disappears below the horizon. When he takes a look around at his surroundings, he realizes they’ve walked all the way around the lake and are coming back up to the castle. The grounds are cast in deep shadows, night falling. 

“Let’s get dinner?” 

Jeongguk nods and together they make their way into the castle and to the Great Hall. Dinner is in full swing and most of the student body is here. Jeongguk can’t see his friends anywhere but he’d be surprised if they weren’t here. 

“I had a nice time with you today,” Namjoon says when they’ve sat down and their plates have been filled with food. 

Jeongguk avoids his eyes, feeling his cheeks heat up, as he tells him he had a good time too. “I like spending time with you,” he adds quietly. 

He thinks Namjoon might not have heard him over the din around them but the small smile on his lips tell otherwise. “Me too, you’re a great person, Jeongguk. I’m glad I have you in my life.”

“Yeah, I’m glad we’re friends,” Jeongguk says, smiling. And he means it, even if he also wishes they could be more. 

Something shifts in Namjoon’s eyes – for a brief second he almost looks disappointed – but it’s gone as soon as it appears and then he’s smiling back, so Jeongguk thinks nothing of it. 

✧

There’s one last Hogsmeade weekend trip of the school year and Jeongguk and Namjoon end up kind of just.. not telling any of their other friends that they’re planning on going. Jeongguk doesn’t mind that one bit, though. He likes spending time with him and, without their friends, there won’t be any distractions. Plus, they’re all busy studying. Jeongguk should probably be studying as well, but he’d much rather be at Hogsmeade with Namjoon. 

This time around, there isn’t a moment of quiet between them. Suddenly, everything is so easy and conversation flows uninterrupted. They talk about nothing of substance, just any topic that comes to mind. Jeongguk feels content, his heart settling comfortably in his chest. It still flutters excitedly whenever Namjoon laughs; it’s arguably the best sound to Jeongguk. 

Hogsmeade Village is bustling with students and professors alike, going in and out of shops or simply enjoying the weather outside. Jeongguk doesn’t feel like he needs to visit any shops but he and Namjoon make a mandatory visit to Honeydukes for some snacks. With their snacks acquired, they walk around the village for a while. They randomly end up at the Shrieking Shack. Jeongguk hasn’t visited it since his third year. He came to see it on his first ever Hogsmeade visit because it felt like an obligation of sorts to see it at least once. He hasn’t had a reason to come back since. 

“Did you know the Shrieking Shack isn’t actually haunted?” Namjoon says as they’re staring out at the house standing crookedly in the middle of a field. 

“It isn't?" Jeongguk asks, a little skeptical. As far as he’s aware, it’s the most haunted building in Britain. But he’s also not one to doubt anything Namjoon says. 

Namjoon shakes his head. 

“Then why does everyone say it is?” Jeongguk thinks the Shack looks the picture of haunted. Boarded up windows; crooked structure creaking in the wind. All it’s missing is creepy sounds coming from behind the boards. 

“Not sure actually. I haven’t been able to find anything written about that.”

“Huh.” 

He looks at the building for a while longer, trying to figure out if there might be any truth to what Namjoon said. Saying a place is haunted is a good way to make sure no one comes near it, he supposes, if it actually isn’t haunted. Only question then would be why anyone would do that. 

He looks away when he feels eyes on him and turns his head to find Namjoon already looking at him. His cheeks take on a pink tint when he gets caught but he doesn’t look away. Jeongguk feels his own cheeks heat up and he ends up being the one to look away first. He looks down at his feet, a small smile playing on his lips. 

They don’t stay much longer, soon they’re walking back towards the village. Jeongguk doesn’t want to head back to the castle just yet, wants to spend more time with Namjoon while he has the chance. He knows as soon as he comes back to the castle he’ll be busy studying for his exams. Namjoon doesn’t say anything about going back, either, and they end up walking around the village some more. 

During this whole trip, Jeongguk has had the best time. Namjoon is funny. Jeongguk finds himself laughing at everything he says. His stomach and heart do simultaneous flips whenever Namjoon laughs at something he says as well, or when he smiles at him. Jeongguk likes when Namjoon smiles at him, it makes him all warm inside. 

Namjoon keeps telling him jokes and smiling in satisfaction when Jeongguk laughs. Jeongguk can’t not be endeared by him, and his stomach is starting to hurt from the amount of laughing he’s doing. 

“I love hearing your laugh,” Namjoon says randomly once Jeongguk has calmed down a bit after a particularly funny joke. The statement sobers him right up and he stares at Namjoon, heart beating out of his chest. He barely dares breathe, fearing he might have heard Namjoon wrong. Namjoon continues before he has a chance to recover. “It’s cute. You’re cute.”

He’s not looking at Jeongguk, and his cheeks are a dark pink shade. Jeongguk stares at him some more. He just called him cute. Namjoon just called Jeongguk cute. Cute. He thinks he’s cute. Jeongguk’s brain is short-circuiting. 

“Um.” Namjoon scratches the back of his neck, glancing at Jeongguk nervously. He realizes he’s been quiet for too long and shakes himself out of it. 

“You think I’m cute?” He still can’t quite believe it. His heart is still trying to beat out of his chest and he feels slightly giddy. 

“Yes,” Namjoon says confidently, looking right at him. 

Jeongguk shudders, feeling like his wildest dreams are coming true. He still doesn’t dare hope. Friends can call each other cute, nothing weird about that. That thought brings him back to reality and he crashes back into his body. What Namjoon said, he meant platonically. There’s no way it was meant in any other way, Namjoon doesn’t return his feelings. Something heavy settles between his ribs and he fights to keep his expression from falling. He doesn’t want Namjoon to think anything is wrong. 

“Thanks,” he says, then considers quickly if he should return the compliment back to Namjoon. Since Namjoon called him cute first, it wouldn’t be weird, right? “I think you’re cute, too.”

Namjoon’s eyes go wide and Jeongguk fears he might’ve said the wrong thing. Maybe Namjoon doesn’t like being called cute. He’s about to think of a way to take it back nicely when Namjoon breaks out in a big smile. 

“Really?” he says, sounding almost shy. 

Jeongguk shrugs, going for nonchalance. “Yeah.”

Namjoon smiles to himself. Jeongguk has never seen him act this shy. It’s not good for his heart, Namjoon like this is even cuter if possible. Suddenly, Jeongguk gets an urge to cry. He longs for his bed, safe and far away from this situation. 

“Let’s head back to the castle,” Jeongguk says. He doesn’t fully manage to hide the sadness in his voice and quickly turns away before Namjoon can comment on it. 

They make it back to the castle quickly, the entire walk spent in silence. Jeongguk doesn’t feel like speaking and Namjoon doesn’t try to make conversation. He must realize something is wrong but he doesn’t ask about it, either. Jeongguk is grateful but Namjoon’s kindness only makes him want to cry more. 

Once at the castle, they part ways. Namjoon says he has some studying to get done and heads for the library. Jeongguk intends to go back to his common room but doesn’t want to be alone right now so he changes route and heads for the Hufflepuff commons. He hopes Taehyung is there.

He’s sitting in the common area with some of his house mates when Jeongguk enters and he lights up when he sees him. It immediately falls when he realizes Jeongguk seems to not be doing well and quickly pulls him along into his room. He doesn’t have a whole room to himself but is sharing it with other Hufflepuffs, but it’s empty right now so they get some privacy. 

Taehyung sits them down on his bed and pulls Jeongguk to him, hugging him tight. Jeongguk allows himself to finally relax and the first tear falls silently. Taehyung uses one of his hands to stroke through Jeongguk’s hair. It’s relaxing, comforting. As much as he and Taehyung affectionately bully each other, Jeongguk appreciates that they can have vulnerable moments like this, too. 

“What happened? Where have you even been today?” Taehyung asks gently. 

“Hogsmeade. Went with Namjoon.”

“I would say something teasing right now but it doesn’t feel like a good time. Will you tell me what happened?”

Jeongguk sniffles, turning his head more into Taehyung’s neck. He feels vulnerable and would like to hide from the world. If he can’t see anyone, it almost feels like they can’t see him either. It’s something his mom used to tell him whenever he was upset as a child and just wanted to hide under his covers. She encouraged it, said that if he can’t see anyone, it means they can’t see him either. As a child he had believed it and frequently used that trick to his advantage. Even if he was in a room full of people, he could simply cover his eyes and it meant he was invisible. As he grew older, he realized that obviously isn’t true, but the sentiment stuck and now whenever he’s upset and wants to disappear, he makes sure he can’t see anyone around him. 

He takes a breath. “I’m just being stupid. Namjoon told me he thinks I’m cute and I got my hopes up. Then I realized he only meant it in a friend way and got upset. So stupid.”

“Okay, first of all, stop calling my best friend stupid. Second, oh Jeonggukie, if only you knew.”

Jeongguk sniffles some more. “Knew what?” His voice comes out weak, barely above a whisper. He’s getting tired, the emotional rollercoaster he experienced earlier having taken it out of him. 

Taehyung doesn’t answer his question and Jeongguk is too tired to even remember he asked one. He starts drifting off against Taehyung’s shoulder, sleep quickly pulling him under. He easily gives into it; maybe tomorrow will end on a better note. 

✧

The next few weeks leading up to the final exams keep Jeongguk busy enough that he doesn’t have time to think about much else, including his last Hogsmeade visit. He spends his time in the library, trying to cram as much information into his brain as possible, and he, Jimin and Taehyung practice spells and charms in an empty classroom after class every day. Jeongguk feels confident about his spellcasting and believes he will do well, hopefully. 

On the week of the OWL’s, despite how much Jeongguk has studied and how prepared he feels, he’s nervous. His hands are sweating as he paces around the common room, repeating what he’s been studying for months to himself. He’s not the only one getting some last minute cramming in. Students at the tables around the common area are frantically scribbling on a parchment or flipping through textbooks, so he doesn’t feel completely alone in his nervousness. 

He stops pacing only because someone comes up to stand in front of him. Pausing his mumbling, he looks up and meets Namjoon’s gaze. 

Namjoon smiles at him. “Good luck today. I know you’ll do great.” 

He walks away again to leave Jeongguk to it but with Namjoon’s words echoing in his head, Jeongguk feels confident. Though, the nerves are still there as he makes his way to the Great Hall where the exams will be held. He, Taehyung and Jimin silently give each other encouragement, all seemingly too nervous to speak, before heading inside when they’re told to. 

They won’t know their results on the exams until after all of them are done, but Jeongguk thinks he did better than he expected on the first ones. That’s one down, another two weeks of exams to go. 

It becomes a sort of routine for Namjoon to wish him luck in the morning in the common room before Jeongguk heads to his exam. He will smile warmly and wish Jeongguk good luck in a soft voice. It burrows into Jeongguk’s heart and makes a home there, and he brings it with him to the exam hall, letting it provide him with the energy and motivation he needs.

It could become repetitive, but, every time, Jeongguk gains confidence from his encouraging words. The first week of exams go by quickly and Jeongguk gets a weekend to study for the next week of exams before he can finally allow himself to relax. 

Namjoon continues his routine the second week and that, too, goes by quickly. Before he knows it, Jeongguk has made it through his OWL’s. He feels a great weight lifted off his shoulders. Now he can relax and spend the next couple of months without worry. The school year is pretty much over, he just needs to wait for his results. He and his friends meet up outside in the grounds, to compare notes and just relax. 

They’re back under the shade of the big tree close to the lake, all seven of them. Jeongguk has enjoyed spending time with all of them the past year. It’s as if Namjoon and his respective friend groups have merged, and Jeongguk has gained some great friends because of it. 

Seokjin and Yoongi are in the middle of telling them about how their NEWT’s went. Jeongguk isn’t looking forward to them, they'll be a lot harder than the OWL’s. Though, according to Seokjin, they weren’t as bad as he thought. But Seokjin is kind of a genius so Jeongguk chooses to take his words with a grain of salt.

“What are your plans for after graduation?” Hoseok asks. 

“We’ve been talking about getting a flat together in London, so that’ll be exciting. Then I have a job lined up at the Ministry,” Seokjin says. 

“I’m not sure about my plans yet. I’ll wait until we’re in London to figure it out,” Yoongi says, looking too relaxed for someone who doesn’t seem to have a job lined up. 

Jeongguk would want a job lined up for after he graduates but, then again, there’s a long way to go till then still. 

“We should live together after Hogwarts,” Jimin says, looking at Taehyung, then he turns to Jeongguk. “The three of us. I think that would be fun.”

Jeongguk nods, thinking it over. It would be fun living with his best friends. He may have spent the last five years seeing them almost every day, and will spend the next two years seeing them almost every day, but living together in an apartment would be different. Jeongguk also doesn’t think he would want to live alone for his first time living by himself. 

The conversation moves on while Jeongguk is caught in his thoughts. He doesn’t try to get back into it, instead lets the others talking act as background noise as he looks out over the lake. He’s managed to get through another year at Hogwarts, and he feels accomplished. Now he has his Korea trip to look forward to this summer. 

He turns and looks over at his friends. Everyone is laughing at something Hoseok said that Jeongguk didn’t pay attention to. Taehyung is laughing loudly and is leaning slightly towards Hoseok, looking at him with sparkling eyes. Jeongguk quirks an eyebrow but he won’t comment on that, at least right now. 

Yoongi and Seokjin have gotten cozy against each other. As he’s spent more time with the two of them over the past few months, he’s noticed that they’re very physically affectionate people, but only with each other. They’ll hold hands everywhere they go. They’ll pat each other on the head affectionately or reach out for the other’s arm or knee to touch. Jeongguk thinks it’s cute. He’s no longer wondering about the dynamics of their relationship. It’s their business and all he can do is be honored that they feel comfortable enough around him to let him be privy to a portion of it. 

Jimin is trying to perform some sort of spell, pointing his wand at his own book bag. Jeongguk isn’t sure what’s supposed to be happening, but the others are egging him on and he smiles at the scene. 

Lastly, he looks at Namjoon. He’s been a big help for Jeongguk this year. He refrains from getting too sentimental but he also really really appreciates Namjoon. Namjoon who right now is laughing at Jimin’s failed attempt at spellcasting, his eyes disappearing into crescents and dimples poking into his cheeks. Jeongguk’s heart rate speeds up at the sight and the smile that forms on his lips is involuntary, automatic. He is not looking forward to spending two whole months without seeing him once. 

Later in the week the results are posted and Jeongguk finds out he passed all his classes with at the worst an A. But he passed with O’s and E’s in the classes he’d hoped to take at NEWT level, so he’s satisfied. 

The end-of-year feast is an exciting affair as always, everyone looking forward to summer. The train ride back to London is spent playing games and chatting in a train compartment for the seven of them. Jeongguk isn’t ready to say goodbye when it comes time to step off the train, especially since Seokjin and Yoongi aren’t coming back next year. 

Either way, they arrive at Kings Cross station and Jeongguk finds his parents quickly. They hug him tightly and express loudly how happy they are to have him home again. Jeongguk begrudgingly accepts his mom’s kisses on his cheeks. When he’s finally managed to convince her to stop so they can head to the car, someone taps him on the shoulder. 

He turns around and comes face-to-face with Namjoon. Jeongguk already said bye to him along with the others before going to find his parents, so he’s confused as to why he’s here. Maybe he forgot something. He’s shifting on his feet and looking at Jeongguk through his lashes. 

“Is something wrong?” he asks, getting a little worried. 

Namjoon shakes his head, then glances subtly at Jeongguk’s parents hovering behind him. Jeongguk turns to them and asks if they can wait outside the barrier for him while he speaks to his friend. They do as he asks without question and Jeongguk turns back to Namjoon. He’s silent for a moment, eyes on his shoes, fiddling with his hands in front of himself. He’s nervous, Jeongguk realizes. 

“I realized this would be my only chance to do this since I won’t see you for a few months and I don’t want to do this in a letter. Um, so basically, I like you.”

He says all this in one single breath and Jeongguk takes a moment to process his words, and his mind catches on to the last part. Did he hear that right? He stares at Namjoon for a long moment, trying to figure out if he’s being for real. For all Jeongguk knows, this could be a prank. Namjoon could have somehow found out about Jeongguk’s feelings for him and decided it’d be fun to play a prank on him. It wouldn’t be fun, not for Jeongguk. 

“Will you say something?” Namjoon says timidly when Jeongguk has been silent for a bit too long. 

“I– You– What?” Very coherent, great. Jeongguk still isn’t sure if he heard him right. 

“I like you, Jeongguk. Have for a while actually. It’s okay if you don’t like me back, I don’t mind being just friends. Unless me confessing right now will make things awkward or uncomfortable for you. If so, I'm sorry, I can go.”

Jeongguk needs his brain to start working right this second before Namjoon walks away and he loses the best thing that’s ever happened to him. 

“Wh– Are you crying?” Namjoon takes half a step forward, raising his hand slightly as if to touch Jeongguk but stopping himself. Jeongguk startles and reaches up to touch his own cheek. His fingers come away wet with tears. He quickly wipes them away with his sleeve. 

“I’m sorry.” He lets out a humorless chuckle. Namjoon looks like he wants to say something but Jeongguk continues before he gets the chance. “I like you too. So much. Have for so long. I never imagined you would return my feelings. This– I– I’m crying because I’m happy. I’m so happy right now.”

Namjoon still looks hesitant but then he seems to fully process what Jeongguk said because his eyes widen in shock. “You like me back?”

Jeongguk nods, smiling through his tears. 

Covering his mouth with his hand, Namjoon laughs. “I kind of want to jump up and down in joy right now.”

Jeongguk giggles, feeling giddy. He still feels a need to double check, a smidge of doubt holding on in his mind. “You mean it, right? You really like me?”

Namjoon lowers his hand from his face and his expression turns soft. Soft soft eyes directed at Jeongguk and he melts a little. “Yes. I promise. I really do like you a whole lot.”

The fact that Namjoon gave him reassurance instead of making fun of him for needing it is enough to make Jeongguk want to cry some more. He holds the tears in. 

“Can I give you a hug?”

Instead of answering, Namjoon walks forward and brings Jeongguk into a tight hug. Jeongguk rests his cheek against his shoulder and takes a moment to revel in the hug; Namjoon’s arms around him, his hands clutching at the back of Jeongguk’s shirt, his own cheek resting on the top of his head. 

The moment is ruined when someone calls Namjoon’s name. It’s his mom, standing a bit farther up the platform by the barrier. The platform is emptier now than when they started talking, students and parents alike slowly filtering out through the barrier. 

“Ah, I have to go,” Namjoon says with a pout. 

Jeongguk pokes his bottom lip with a finger, just because he can. Namjoon startles slightly in surprise but doesn’t tell Jeongguk off for doing it, and Jeongguk thinks that means he’s allowed to do it again. Just to prove his own theory, he pokes that same finger into Namjoon’s cheek where a dimple would be when he smiles. That action does make Namjoon smile. 

“I’ve always wanted to touch your dimples,” Jeongguk says, a little shyly. 

Namjoon chuckles. “You’re cute.”

Jeongguk feels his cheeks heat up and he wants to hide behind his hand. Namjoon doesn’t allow him, gently grabbing his wrists and urging Jeongguk to look at him.

“Send me a letter when you’re back in England? I would like to see you before school starts again.”

“I will,” Jeongguk promises. 

Namjoon smiles. “Have a good summer, Jeongguk.”

He starts walking backwards, keeping eye contact with Jeongguk for as long as he can. Then he waves before he turns to walk normally through the barrier. Jeongguk waves back, chest and tummy filled with excited butterflies. Then he grabs his bags he had dropped on the floor and makes his way through the barrier to meet back up with his parents. They ask him about his friend on the way to the car, and Jeongguk can’t get the big smile off his face as he tells them about Namjoon, and how he’s the best person he’s ever met. 

His mom and dad exchange a knowing look but don’t mention anything. Jeongguk wouldn’t know what to say if they did, he and Namjoon didn’t make anything official, only told each other about their feelings. Speaking of, thinking about it again makes Jeongguk feel warm all over, a giddy feeling settling in his chest. He can’t believe he started his fifth year stressed about exams and believing Namjoon would never reciprocate his feelings, to ending it with good grades and Namjoon being his almost-boyfriend. It’s more than he could’ve asked for or expected.