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Soobin wouldn’t say he’s a judgmental witch. He doesn’t even think he deserves to judge other witches when he’s struggling in HERB 101, short for Introductory to Herbological Sciences. However, if tea is spilled all over his freshly bought and washed cloak, he will be a little bit ruthless to the person with the obnoxiously large witch’s hat.
His cloak may be black, but he really did not want to spend another 25 cents on the laundry and dryer. It may not be that much, but on top of the overpriced tuition of this university and extra dormitory fees, his complaints are valid. If it were the fifth day of wearing the cloak, he would’ve let it slide. In fact, he would’ve thanked the person for giving him a reason to wash the cloak. But on the first wear after taking it out of the dryer? He’s mad. And it’s all because of the enormous hat in front of him that is obviously obstructing the person’s vision. Just when Soobin was about to give this rookie a piece of his mind, the other guy interrupted him.
“I’m so sorry,” the boy stammered out, hat nearly bonking Soobin in the face as he bowed, “I’m very late to class and couldn’t see where I was going.” A phone alarm went off, and Soobin almost got whacked again when the other moved to pull his phone out from his pocket, lifting his weapon of a hat slightly up to where Soobin could see only his mouth. Even with the little Soobin could see, he could tell the guy was getting flustered by the second. Soobin was about to get this big head to run him his 25 cents, but he was left speechless when the other apologized once again before running off with his big hat in the distance.
Soobin is suddenly a judgmental witch.
Because of the whole tea fiasco, Soobin was also running late to class. With his luck, the class he was running late to happened to be HERB 101. He would never be a witch in STEM, and he swore by that. He managed to sneak into the lecture room with the help of his dear but evil best friends. Emphasis on evil because when he told them the reason behind his tardiness, all they did was laugh at him.
“That kid did you a favor because really, Soobin. A cloak on top of an Essentials hoodie? This is a fashion nightmare,” Yeonjun snickered and Soobin had to hold himself back from throttling the older during collaborative work time. He’d like to think Kai would have his back because they both have the same sweatshirt addiction, but as if to add salt to the wound, Kai just pinched his nose.
“Hyung, did you use washer #3 again? You know that one makes your clothes smell like slugs on a rainy day because someone decided to leave a jar of goo in their pockets,” Kai grimaced, rolling his seat away from Soobin. Soobin paled, lifting his cloak to his nose to test if Kai was lying to him. He was unfortunately not lying to him.
There was a moment of silence (for respect) as Soobin took off his cloak and shoved it into his bag. However, his day was not ruined yet because he finally understood the material in this horrid class. He just has to find the good in everything so he doesn’t want to ram his broomstick into the nearest brick wall. As the lecture reached its end, he could feel himself thanking whoever was out there for blessing him with an easy class day. Fifteen minutes left of class and he managed to understand at least 50% of the material. He was about to celebrate, jump up in his seat even, until the epitome of evil professor made a last-minute announcement. If Soobin were standing, he would’ve fallen to his knees.
“As you all know, finals season is in a few months. I would assign a test like every other class, but where is the fun in that,” the professor began, and Soobin swore he could see the murderous intent in the old man’s eyes, “So, I’m assigning a project instead, which is why I’m mentioning it early. For this project, you must work with a partner to create a mixture of herbs that expresses the relationship you have with each other. Due to this requirement, I’m going to allow you all to choose who you want to work with. If you don’t have anyone, just simply raise your hand.”
There was hope in Soobin’s life for a second, but just for a second. When he turned around to ask one of his greatest friends to be his partner, he felt betrayed for the first time. There they were looking at Soobin with their tongues sticking out while they left Soobin in a lion’s den. He humbly raised his hand, mentally visualizing the downfall of his fake friends. Externally, he was emotionless, refusing to give his friends the reaction they wanted; Internally, he wanted to cry and wallow in his introverted life.
“Ah, Soobin and Beomgyu! The two of you would be perfect partners! With the last five minutes, get to know each other and exchange contact information.” Soobin looked at whoever this Beomgyu person was and felt his eyes bulge out of their sockets at the sight of the very familiar ginormous hat. There was no way. Absolutely no way.
Soobin begrudgingly sat down next to Beomgyu and almost cried when all he could still see was the hat. This hat could not be comfortable at all, but it looked like Beomgyu wore it throughout the entire lecture. How he hadn’t gotten called out for blocking half of the board is what got Soobin the most.
“Excuse me,” Soobin started, jaw clenched when the other turned around to face him. All he could still see was the bottom half of his face. It wasn’t like Beomgyu’s mouth was a disappointing sight because, on the contrary, his lips did appear to be nicely shaped and all, but how on Earth was Soobin supposed to talk to this witch without fearing for his life? He didn’t want to be taken out by a cauldron-sized hat.
“Oh, I didn’t hear you arrive,” Beomgyu said, hand stretched out to shake Soobin’s, “My name is Beomgyu!” Soobin returned the handshake, but all that ran through his mind was the fact that the hat hindered Beomgyu’s ability to hear as well. The hat had got to go. “It’s a pleasure to work with you, Soobin… Soobin… How old are you?”
“Beomgyu, do you want to take off the hat first? There’s nothing wrong with it, but I’m a little distracted by it,” Soobin half-lied. There were many things wrong with it, but he couldn’t say that in the first introduction. Beomgyu’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape before he reached up to lift the hat. “Sorry, I’ve worn it so much that I forgot that it’s different from other hats. Let me take it off for a bit. How old are you again?”
Soobin heard the question. He knows he heard the question. But nothing could prepare him for his brain to short-circuit at the sight in front of him. Long hair, arched eyebrows, long eyelashes, big and round eyes, perfectly sloped nose paired with soft pink lips. Pretty face. A very pretty face in front of him, and Soobin was unfortunately a weak man to pretty faces.
“Soobin?”
“Number,” Soobin spluttered out, mentally writing his will when Beomgyu looked at him confused, “I mean I’m 21, and number–phone number. I need your phone number so we can plan out our first meeting.”
When Beomgyu smiled at him, Soobin swore he felt all his troubles disappear into the wind. “Ah, so it’s Soobin hyung. I’m 20 but turning 21 after the next moon turn,” Beomgyu informed, writing down his phone number on a sticky note, “This is my number. I hope we can get started on this project soon. I love herbology!”
Whatever grievances Soobin had with Beomgyu were left to rot away. How could he ever be mad at someone who uses teddy bear sticky notes? The moment that eyesore of a hat vanished, he knew he was cooked.
>>>
“You are such a loser, Soobin hyung–are you seriously lining up your crystals just to text a boy?”
All Soobin can do is scream into his pillow as he recounts the day he met Beomgyu. It was just yesterday when he had his cloak, which smelled like garbage, get doused in tea. A full 24 hours he had to message the pretty boy in his herbology class but still hadn’t. He only told his friends now because he was upset with them for leaving him to fend for himself, but ultimately viewed meeting Beomgyu as a blessing in disguise. However, his friends will always be fake.
“Don’t question me,” Soobin grumbles, fingers clenched around his phone as he tries to think of what to say. Keyword: tries. He’s been through different variations of saying hello that he cannot stick to one choice. It’s not like Yeonjun or Kai were helping him either because they would rather make fun of his failures than anything else. He may be exaggerating a bit, but this wouldn’t have been his problem in the first place if they partnered up with him.
“Give us that phone. You’re a lost cause,” Yeonjun huffs, snatching the device away from Soobin before he cooks up another message. He doesn’t even have time to protest before Yeonjun and Kai hit the send button, both having a smug look on their faces. He’s never been more afraid to check his phone in his life, and when he does, he’s a bit surprised to see the message. It’s unusually normal compared to any other message he had his friends send for him.
You
hey beomgyu!
it’s soobin from herbology
r u down to meet tmr after classes to start on the project?
we can meet as often as u think we should
Soobin’s skeptical as he searches through the rest of his messages to see if all his friends truly did was text Beomgyu. He squints his eyes at them after seeing nothing. It’s a little unbelievable that they didn’t do or say anything weird. “Did you guys do something to my phone? Why am I just seeing a normal message?”
“C'mon, hyung. We may make fun of you all the time, but if you got a crush then we gotta help you out,” Kai truthfully says, causing heat to rush to Soobin’s cheeks. There’s a camera flashing his eyes as he defends himself. “It’s not a crush! He’s still the guy that poured tea all over me, and you know how I felt about that.”
“A guy who is your type pouring tea all over you,” Yeonjun corrects, “Let’s say you don’t have a crush on him, which I can believe because realistically, you still don’t know him. But you have to be interested in him a little bit to worry over a small first text.”
Soobin knows he doesn’t have a crush, but he can’t deny Yeonjun’s statement. He’s a teensy bit interested in getting to know Beomgyu as a friend. Call it a friend crush because that is what it truly is. Even though he had a bad impression of Beomgyu because of his hat, talking to him during the last few minutes of class felt surprisingly comfortable. Beomgyu was easy to get along with, and Soobin was not the type to speak to anyone the way he did with Beomgyu. He’s an introvert at heart; talking tends to bore him but listening to Beomgyu talk about the history behind different herbs was captivating, to say the least.
“I can’t deny the allegations, but honestly, I don’t think I could have a crush on someone who wears a hat like that everywhere. I swear I see him everywhere now after yesterday.” Soobin’s not lying. Every corner he turns before and after classes, he sees a floating hat zooming through the halls. He doesn’t exactly know why the younger is always running late to classes, but he has a few guesses.
The three of them move to another unrelated topic, game controllers in their hands rather than the books of witchcraft they have to study. Soobin’s in the middle of popping Kai’s balloon with a red turtle shell when he feels his phone vibrate. He pauses the game, ignoring the whining noises coming from his friends as he opens his phone.
boy with the big hat
soobin hyung!!!
i thought i wrote the wrong number at first bc it’s been a day lol
im down to meet tmr c:
we can work at the cafe on campus
i know someone who works there and i can force him to give us a discount :>
You
sounds awsome
aweskme*
aweosme**
AWESOME
god
ignore all of that plz
this is too humblign
humbling*
boy with the big hat
4 typos an overkill :p
cant wait to see u soob hying
oh
hyung*
i take it back we r the same hehe
“Did this guy hex you? What’s up with that goofy smile, Soobin.” Soobin looks up, nearly dropping his phone while he stares back at his friends staring at him. He forgot that they were still here and in the middle of an intense Mario Kart balloon tournament. He should probably continue the game with them, but it’s like someone took over his body as he turns off the TV and drags both Yeonjun and Kai out of his room. “Actually, I saw a cute video of a Maltese, but it made me feel sad that I don’t have one. I need time to myself to light up some candles and heal my inner soul. See you tomorrow, guys!”
Before Soobin could let his friends voice out their complaints, he slams his bedroom door on them. He opens up his phone after getting situated on his bed, fingers rushedly typing out back-to-back responses. He swears it’s not a crush–he doesn’t even get crushes like that. It’s just the fact that Beomgyu is very cute and funny to talk to, that’s all.
If he’s silently hoping that Beomgyu will leave the hat behind tomorrow so he can see the younger’s face, he doesn’t say anything.
>>>
Soobin ends up arriving at the cafe half an hour earlier than planned. Truthfully, he skipped his last class because of the nerves pooling in his stomach. He doesn’t even know why he’s feeling nervous when it’s just a classmate he’s meeting. A classmate who he spent the entire night texting but still a classmate nonetheless. His palms are soaked as he taps his card on the reader, ordering their drinks in advance. He remembers Beomgyu talking about iced americanos and this complicated order full of magical spices. He doesn’t want to mess up the pronunciation of said spices, so he orders an iced americano. He may have been born into a family full of witches, but that doesn’t mean he knew every ingredient out there.
He sits down at a table closer to the windows. He usually sits near the back, but he learned that Beomgyu liked sitting in populated areas. Something about how the younger enjoys observing people. Beomgyu’s a little weird but everything about it is endearing to Soobin. The way Beomgyu tends to drag out his words through text and switch from topic to topic every five messages. He learned so much about Beomgyu in the past day; he wonders how he hasn’t met Beomgyu sooner. Their music tastes are the same, they both want to own a dog in the future, they like the same dramas and so much more. It’s like Beomgyu is his soulmate, platonically of course.
Soobin’s sipping on his sweet tea when he sees a person with a large hat get stuck in the doorway. He almost laughs before realizing that the only person who could have an enormous hat like that is Beomgyu. He stands up in concern, about to make his way over to help Beomgyu get himself out of there, but someone beats him to it. It’s the barista who took his order earlier.
“Beomgyu hyung,” the barista starts to say while twisting and turning the witch hat to get it inside, “I told you to use the entrance through the library. Did you forget the chicken incident? I’m still finding feathers in our dorm from it.”
“Hehe, I forgot. You can’t lie and say the chickens weren’t cute though,” Beomgyu says, readjusting his hat before he spots Soobin, “Soobin hyung!” Soobin wants to ask Beomgyu who this barista is and why the barista said ‘our dorm’ when talking to Beomgyu, but his questions are answered when Beomgyu continues talking.
“Taehyun-ah, I told you to not let the tall guy with black hair order last night! I was supposed to get a discount out of you,” Beomgyu huffs, turning towards Soobin to scold him too, “Hyung, I texted you that I was going to get us a discount. Why’d you buy drinks without me?”
“Well, I–”
“Hyung, the discounts you’re talking about aren’t even discounts when you force me to make your drinks for free. And how was I supposed to know this guy was the tall guy you were talking about? Do you know how many tall people with black hair go here,” the barista, who Soobin now knows is Taehyun, interrupts with his arms crossed. He kind of resembles a black cat, Soobin thinks.
“You’ve been my roommate for how many years, and you still can’t read my mind,” Beomgyu pouts and Soobin’s heart nearly bursts out of his chest.
“I work with familiars. You are not a familiar last time I checked.”
“If I look into my recipe book, I can become–”
“Um,” Soobin clears his throat, grabbing the attention of both Beomgyu and Taehyun, “The line.” Soobin didn’t want to ruin the mood, but the growing line of impatient customers started scaring him. He sees Taehyun shoo Beomgyu off regardless of the latter’s reluctance, and now he’s sitting across from Beomgyu as the other sips on his americano. He notices the small smile on Beomgyu’s face, and he can’t help but smile too. He’s glad Beomgyu enjoys the americano he got him.
“About the project,” Beomgyu starts, taking his hat off so Soobin can also read his laptop, “I went over the rubric with our professor and we might have to meet at least twice a week, hyung.” Soobin doesn’t have any complaints, but is the project that hard to do where they have to meet that often for the next few months? The rubric looked short and simple the last time Soobin checked (which was the day it was assigned.) “Did I miss something? I’m fine with meeting twice a week, but is there a reason why?”
“I was told that we have to figure out what we mean to each other before actually mixing something up,” Beomgyu answers, Soobin noticing his worried expression, “I don’t know what he means. He said that we’re a good pairing, but I don’t know how we can do this project if we just met. I’ve never... I don’t think…”
“Hey,” Soobin interrupts, concern filling his mind, “It’s okay, we can do it. I’m sure we’ll figure it out in the end, so there’s no need to worry. If we managed to talk for hours on end last night, then becoming closer is not impossible.” There’s still a look of hesitance on Beomgyu’s face that doesn’t ease Soobin’s concern. It appears that Beomgyu doesn’t believe the words that leave Soobin’s mouth despite the pure honesty behind them.
“I’m scared.” If Soobin didn’t have his full attention on Beomgyu, he would’ve missed the other whispering those two words. He doesn’t know why Beomgyu’s scared, but he knows better than to press the issue further. He ends up assuming that Beomgyu’s afraid of failing the class because the final project is worth a good chunk of their grade. Even Soobin’s afraid of failing the class because he truly does not want to take this science class ever again. He sends Beomgyu a reassuring smile.
“I’m scared too. After that last exam, I really need to lock in for this class. There’s no way I’m failing an introductory class. Absolutely no way. We have this project in the bag, Beomgyu.” When Beomgyu laughs, he swears he can see a ring of light radiate off the younger.
Soobin ends up walking Beomgyu to his dorm despite the latter’s protests that he can walk home himself or wait for Taehyun to finish cleaning up so they can walk together. It’s quiet between the two but not awkward. Their footsteps are in sync with one another, hands in their pockets to protect their hands from the cold. It’s cold outside, but Soobin feels warm beside Beomgyu.
“Hyung, look! It’s a cat,” Beomgyu exclaims, shocking Soobin a bit. He sees the shorter run toward the stray cat, crouching down next to it. Soobin catches up, sitting beside Beomgyu as he watches him slowly start to gain the black cat’s trust. “She looks just like Tyun,” Beomgyu giggles as the cat starts to pet herself against Beomgyu’s frame. She crawls inside Beomgyu’s large hat and lays down, getting comfortable. Soobin gazes at Beomgyu when he smiles and scratches at the cat’s chin when she starts to fall asleep.
Soobin notices the slight shiver that shakes the other’s body and moves to take off his scarf. “Beomgyu,” he says, wrapping his scarf around Beomgyu’s neck when he grabs his attention, “This will help with the coldness.” Beomgyu’s nose and cheeks are red, and Soobin can’t help but think how pretty Beomgyu looks despite the redness. The other turns back to the cat, mumbling out a quick thank you as he reaches up to touch the scarf around his neck. Soobin grins, attention on Beomgyu the entire time they sit together on the curb.
They end up sitting there for a while until the black cat eventually wakes up and runs off, meowing as she leaves. There’s a slight pout on Beomgyu’s lips as they stand up to continue walking, seemingly missing the cat’s presence. Soobin has to hold back from ruffling Beomgyu’s hair. The night sky is filled with their laughter as they walk to Beomgyu’s dorm, both imitating the characters in the game they like. When they reach Beomgyu’s doorstep, they both hesitate to say goodbye. Beomgyu fiddles with his keys, purposefully taking his time to insert them into the keyhole. When he does, he doesn’t open the door, instead, he turns around to face Soobin.
“I had fun today, hyung,” Beomgyu says, ears beaming red as Soobin meets his eyes. Soobin feels heat rush to his cheeks and coughs, “Me too, Beomgyu. I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” Beomgyu nods.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Soobin’s left standing dumbfounded after the smaller hugs him and rushes into the dorm room, a closed door in front of his face. It’s not until he tucks himself into his bed that he feels his ears and face burn as he processes what happened. He brings his arm to his face, holding back a scream since it’s late at night and he doesn’t want to wake Kai and Yeonjun. He’s rolling around his bed, nearly knocking the crystals off his nightstand in the process. He stares up at the glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling, a slow realization intruding his mind.
Soobin might be cooked.
>>>
Soobin ended up meeting with Beomgyu more than twice a week for the last two months. They see each other every day, the younger currently lying on his stomach on Soobin’s bed as they watch Tinker Bell on Soobin’s TV. They’re currently on a Tinker Bell marathon, Beomgyu suggesting it when they debated on who was the best fairy the week prior. Initially, they were supposed to be working on their project together in Beomgyu’s dorm instead. But they ended up stopping at Soobin’s place because he forgot to grab his broom before he left the dormitory that morning. The pitch stop just ended up being a movie marathon with Beomgyu explaining why Vidia is misunderstood. Soobin couldn’t care less about which fairy is the best one, but he thinks Beomgyu looks cute when he’s frustrated.
“I don’t understand why you don’t like Vidia, hyung. She’s just a girl,” Beomgyu says, poking the side of Soobin’s head after braiding his hair. Soobin leans his head backward, his back against the foot of his bed as he looks at Beomgyu. The younger has an angry pout on his face, his long hair slightly messy due to their nap earlier. How can Soobin not add fuel to the fire?
“She’s too mean to Tinker Bell. There was no reason for her to be doing all that,” Soobin argues, holding back a laugh when he sees Beomgyu scrunch his nose.
“She’s doing all of that because she cares about her! She has a good heart; she just doesn’t know how to express her emotions well. Just because she’s a little mean, that doesn’t mean she deserves all this hate. You just don’t see the sapphic potential,” Beomgyu huffs, sitting up to turn his back toward Soobin, “I know you’re trying to make me mad, hyung. I know you.”
Soobin laughs, crawling onto the bed behind Beomgyu, “Okay, okay, I won’t attack the baddie anymore. Can you turn around so we can continue the movie?” Soobin watches as Beomgyu stubbornly remains still, arms crossed as he turns his body further to prevent Soobin from seeing his face. “Cub, please? I’m begging... I’m experiencing withdrawals already,” Soobin pleads, hands on his knees. He sees Beomgyu tense up before slowly turning around to face Soobin, eyebrows still furrowed.
“We can’t even continue the movie anymore. It’s almost 8 and we still need to work on our project. I have the ingredients ready at my place for a reason,” Beomgyu says, poking at Soobin’s knee. Soobin frowns, not wanting to leave the comfort of having Beomgyu on his bed.
“Can we finish the movie first at least?”
“No.”
“Please?”
“Soobin.”
Soobin shivers at Beomgyu’s tone, immediately standing up to pack up his stuff. As cute as Beomgyu is, when he’s serious, he is serious. Soobin knows better than to mess with a serious Beomgyu. He still has the bite mark from the last time he messed with the tiny witch. Beomgyu may be shorter than Soobin, but he knows how to pack a punch.
“Get on, Beomgyu. It’s faster to go to your dorm via broom,” Soobin says, setting up his stick. He sees Beomgyu raise an eyebrow.
“It’s literally a three minute walk.”
“Okay? It’s also a 30-second flight.” Soobin knows he won because he feels Beomgyu get on and wrap his arms around Soobin’s waist. He hears Beomgyu mumble something and laughs, starting up his broom. They make it to Beomgyu’s place in 15 seconds, and Soobin ends up having to help Beomgyu fix his bangs as they stick up due to the wind.
Every time Soobin enters Beomgyu’s bedroom, he’s always left in awe. The leafy decor, fairy lights, and record player all scream Beomgyu. Even the cauldron in the corner of Beomgyu’s room is designed very Beomgyu-like. He doesn’t know how to describe the design of it, but what he does know is that if he saw it in the store, he would immediately think of Beomgyu. But to be fair, everything has been reminding him of Beomgyu lately.
“Can you pass me my hat, hyung?” Soobin reaches over to grab the heavy hat, putting it on Beomgyu’s head for him. Being with Beomgyu for the last couple of months made him view the hat in a better light. Beomgyu is oddly cute wearing the hat. It made him look tinier than he is, especially when he’s running around campus.
“Did we end up needing the rosemary,” Soobin asks, pulling out a pouch from his backpack. Beomgyu nods, stirring the liquid in the cauldron as he sprinkles a bit of the crushed rosemary inside. Soobin ends up being the ingredient passer as Beomgyu handles the mixing. He’s thankful for that because all he specializes in are crystals and flight. He’s never made a successful mix in his life.
However, he’s not sure if this mixture would be a success because it starts bubbling abnormally. “Beomgyu, is it supposed to do this?” Beomgyu starts slowing down his mixing, biting his lips as he looks at the pink bubbling liquid.
“I think I’m missing an ingredient. Can you pass me the bottle to your left?” Soobin turns around to see a small vial with no label. He hesitantly hands it over, questioning what it is, “Are you sure what’s in here is safe?”
“It’s a staple for most potion-making—well mine at least—so I’m positive it’s safe. I just need to add a little bit–oops.”
Soobin’s heart nearly stops as he sees Beomgyu empty the whole vial into the cauldron, pushing the younger to the ground when the liquid bursts into pink fumes. The room starts smelling floral and sweet before it smells like strawberries and vanilla—just like Beomgyu. His heart is pounding as adrenaline fills his entire body. There’s a funny feeling in his stomach as he continues to breathe in the gas, mind somewhat becoming hazy. He snaps out of it when he feels Beomgyu shift from underneath him, quickly moving to support his upper body with his arms.
“Hyung,” he hears Beomgyu whisper, and when Soobin looks down, his breath hitches. Beomgyu’s eyes are lidded, his face flushed with his hair splayed out on the floor as he stares up at Soobin. Soobin moves his gaze down Beomgyu’s face, his heart thrumming in his chest as he reaches the younger’s rosy lips, arms feeling weak at the sight below him. He feels his body lowering, seeing Beomgyu’s eyes close, the only thing running through his mind being Beomgyu Beomgyu Beomgyu.
Did something curse him? Was he being hexed right now? Why can’t he think properly?
Before he lowers himself fully, he hears the jingling of keys, freezing when he realizes what is happening. He jumps up, pulling Beomgyu with him. He brings his hand to his nose to prevent breathing in any more fumes, and he does the same to Beomgyu, seeing that the other is still flushed and out of it. He mentally curses, opening up the window as he sets Beomgyu on his bed. He rushes out of the room, running into Taehyun since the other just arrived home from hanging out with Yeonjun and Kai. He needs to leave. He’s been bewitched—he’s sure of it.
“Woah hyung. What’s up with you? You look lovestruck,” Taehyun says, an amused look in his eyes.
“Cauldron mishap. Beomgyu’s still in there, but I aired out the room. Make sure he’s okay for me–I have to go,” Soobin forces out, leaving the dorm before Taehyun could respond. His body moves on autopilot, almost crashing into multiple trees as he flies home. It takes him three whole minutes to make it back, his brain fuzzy the whole flight. He unlocks the front door, stumbling inside as he throws his broom to the side. He sees Yeonjun and Kai on the couch of their living space, looking back at him full of confusion.
“Hyung, you good?”
“Yeah man, you look like you got hit with a cupid’s bow. Did you drink a love potion?”
“I’m fine!” Soobin flinches at his own harsh tone, “I’m fine. There was no drinking anything. We just failed our first project attempt. I—I have to go and cool down, sorry for the ruckus.” Ignoring Yeonjun’s and Kai’s concerned looks, he hurries to his room, locking the door behind him. He falls to his knees, breathing heavily as he fists his carpet. His heart feels like it’s about to burst as tears fill his eyes.
It was not a failure nor was he cursed. Deep down, he knows it’s neither. He’s a liar. But he wants to believe he was bewitched. Wants to believe that what he’s feeling is not true and only the results of the fumes. What he’s feeling is not normal and he needs to get rid of it.
The goal of the project was not just an expression of their relationship. It never was.
The goal was to capture the true feelings the two people have for each other and heighten them. And what Soobin is feeling right now is his amplified feelings.
The mixture Beomgyu created wasn’t done to get Soobin to like him. It was created to bring out Soobin’s real emotions, thus meaning something else entirely.
There are dark spots on his carpet as his vision blurs, his lip quivering. It was supposed to be a simple friend crush–it wasn’t supposed to be anything more than that. But Beomgyu, the boy who had spilled tea on him, the boy who wears a hat so big that he can’t find his way to class every day, the boy who is so good with animals. The boy who made his way into Soobin’s heart and claimed his territory. Soobin digs his nails into his palm as he closes his eyes and releases a shaky breath. He’s been in denial. Extreme denial. Beomgyu’s not just a friend to him. The Beomgyu, who is so incredibly beautiful inside and out, is not just a friend to Soobin.
Soobin is in love with Beomgyu. He’s in love with Beomgyu and it’s not because of any hex.
>>>
Soobin brings his knees closer to his chest as he sets his phone on silent. It’s been a week since the cauldron explosion and a week since he last saw Beomgyu. He doesn’t mean to ghost Beomgyu for so long, but he doesn’t know what to do. He misses him. He misses Beomgyu and his contagious laughter, his cute pout, and his soft hands. But he’s scared to face him. He knows his phone is vibrating due to Beomgyu’s messages. He knows that the younger still texts him about his day despite Soobin not responding for a week. He knows that Beomgyu doesn’t deserve the silence he’s been given, but Soobin doesn’t know what else to do. He subconsciously thought that his feelings would magically disappear if he didn’t see Beomgyu at all, but all that did was make his heart yearn for more.
He pushes himself out of bed to get ready for his lectures. As sad as he is, he can’t afford to skip anymore classes. If he skips HERB 101 one more time, he’s going to fail the class before even turning in that final project. So, he makes his way out of his bedroom, surprising Yeonjun and Kai in the process. He’s truly thankful for them both because he would’ve starved in his room for the past week if they hadn’t dragged Soobin out of his bed every night.
He leaves the dorm with his friends, splitting off when they reach campus. All he has to do is get through with his morning before finishing it off with the shared class he has with his friends. And Beomgyu. He really misses Beomgyu right now.
His classes pass by excruciatingly slowly, his eye bags becoming more apparent as he struggles to stay awake in his history class. The moment he hears the professor dismiss them, he immediately aims straight for the door, not bothering to zip up his large backpack. He checks the time and sees that he has thirty minutes to spare until he has to go to his herbology class. He feels relieved that he has so much time because then he could practice apologizing to Beomgyu for being unresponsive for the past week.
Right as Soobin whispers apology #8 to himself, he sees a very familiar hat in the distance. He doesn’t know why he quickly hides behind a pillar, but suddenly he’s the nosiest person ever as he listens to Beomgyu’s conversation. He squints his eyes and sees a tall man behind Beomgyu’s hat. The man looks somewhat sad, but Soobin is more focused on how Beomgyu’s hands form small fists at his sides, knuckles completely white.
“Beomgyu, please,” the man begins, Soobin’s eye starting to twitch as he sees the guy grasp onto Beomgyu’s hands, “I’m sorry for everything that I’ve done. Nothing can express how regretful I am to lose you. I need you back in my life, Beomie. Please take me back, I’ll cherish you this time.”
Soobin has to physically hold himself back from jumping in and pulling Beomgyu away when the man goes in for a hug. He doesn’t know who this guy is, but what he does know is that he obviously fumbled. Soobin wants to step in and show Beomgyu that he deserves someone who will treat him right from the get-go, but he feels his heart drop to his stomach as he sees Beomgyu relax in the other man’s hold.
“I..”
Soobin can’t listen to this. He can’t listen to whatever Beomgyu says. He speeds off before he can, tightly gripping the straps of his backpack to calm himself down. He can hear his heart pounding as he maneuvers around people. He wants to go home—he needs to go home. He can’t stay here any longer. Going out today was a mistake.
To his perfect luck, the moment he turns direction to head back to the dorms, he runs into both Yeonjun and Kai. As much as he loves them, he can’t help but feel disdain when they drag him to herbology, the class where he has to see Beomgyu.
“Soobin! We were just looking for you. Let’s get to class or else we’ll be late,” Yeonjun declares, his grip on Soobin’s arm tight. When they make it to the lecture room, Soobin’s a little surprised to see Beomgyu sitting at their usual seat. He’s usually late rather than early. The cute witch notices Soobin’s presence and his eyes light up, waving all of them over. Soobin looks away, pinning his feet to the ground and nearly causing Yeonjun to trip. “I’m going to sit in the front today. I missed the past three lectures, so I have to lock in,” he says, immediately going to the farthest table away from everyone else. He hears Beomgyu ask Yeonjun and Kai where he is sitting and ignores the stares he gets throughout the rest of the class.
Once the class finishes, Soobin stays behind so the others can leave first. He thinks his plan works until he’s whacked in the face by the rim of a hat. The culprit removes the weapon from his head, and Soobin’s left to be greeted with Beomgyu’s worried expression.
“Hyung, is everything okay? You haven’t responded to any of my messages, nor have you been to class. Did I do something wrong?” Guilt fills Soobin as he listens to Beomgyu’s words. It’s not Beomgyu who did anything wrong, it’s Soobin, and he’s quick to reassure the younger.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Beomgyu. I was just sick the past few classes,” he lies, unable to look straight into Beomgyu’s eyes. He sees Beomgyu’s body relax as his face lights up. “Ah, it’s good that you’re feeling better then! But you shouldn’t isolate yourself when you’re feeling terrible. You should’ve texted me to help because you know I can make you healing teas. Take these for now,” Beomgyu scolds, reaching into his bag as he shoves different vials in Soobin’s hands, “These prevent any sicknesses from returning. If you ever need to refill, just tell me–”
“Beomgyu,” Soobin interrupts, placing the antidotes back in Beomgyu’s hands, “I don’t need all of this.”
“You’ve been sick for a week, hyung. You need to take them.”
Soobin bites his lips as he remembers the scene from earlier. There’s a pang in his heart when he thinks about how Beomgyu probably likes someone else. Someone other than him. With that, he can’t have Beomgyu fretting over him any longer.
“Don’t you have someone more important than me to give these to?” Soobin doesn’t mean to sound cold, but every time the image of Beomgyu being hugged by another man flashes in his mind, he feels bitter. Beomgyu sports a confused look, hands still working to give Soobin the endless amount of glass vials.
“Who is more important to me than you,” Beomgyu says, stacking the containers on Soobin’s palm, “I wouldn’t be giving you all of these if you didn’t mean so much to me, hyung.”
“Do I,” Soobin whispers, brain still tainted with the idea of Beomgyu being someone else’s lover. He doesn’t know if Beomgyu knows that he can’t care for another guy like this while being in a relationship, but he’s more upset than anything to care about whoever Beomgyu is seeing. He doesn’t like how Beomgyu is saying things he doesn’t mean.
“Soobin, what?”
“I can’t possibly mean anything to you, Beomgyu. You can’t lie to me.”
“What are you even saying, hyung? I’m not lying to you.”
“You are,” Soobin speaks, louder than normal because both of them flinch at his volume. He pushes the vials back into Beomgyu’s hand, eyes widening as he realizes he pushed too harshly when the vials slip from Beomgyu’s grasp and crack onto the floor. There’s a lump that forms in his throat as he looks from the spills on the floor to Beomgyu’s shocked and hurt expression. “I–I have to go. I can’t do this project with you anymore, so you can tell the professor that it was me who couldn’t do it. I’ll–Goodbye, Beomgyu.”
Before Beomgyu could respond to him, he flees on his broom, refusing to look back. He thought he would feel content with pushing Beomgyu to be happy with his new partner, but the empty feeling in his chest taunts him.
He’s worried that he has just made a mistake.
>>>
It’s early morning when Soobin’s awoken to a loud banging on his front door. He groans, pulling his pillow over his head to drown out the noise. He relaxes when he hears Kai open the door but immediately shoots up at the sounds of yelling. He initially hears Kai trying to calm the angry guest down before Yeonjun comes out of his room to help. There’s stomping until his door slams open, revealing a very angry cat. Before he can even ask why Taehyun is so angry, he’s suddenly being grabbed by the collar of his shirt.
“Soobin, what did you do,” Taehyun huffs out, fury in his eyes. Soobin’s lost. It’s seven in the morning, and he’s still processing how on Earth Taehyun managed to open his locked door.
“I didn’t do anything?” Both Kai and Yeonjun are trying to calm Taehyun down so he releases Soobin from his grip, but his grasp tightens instead.
“Then why is Beomgyu refusing to come out of his room–let alone eat? Every time I go inside, he’s always stirring something in his cauldron. I leave plates of food on his table, but they remain untouched as he remains fixated on whatever he’s mixing,” Taehyun accuses, “He’s been like this for days , Soobin. I know you had something to do with it because he has a picture of the two of you pulled up as he measures out the ingredients he needs. Hyung, please. You have to do something–talk to him at least. I haven’t seen him like this since…” Taehyun stops abruptly, his grip on Soobin’s collar loosening before dropping the older back onto the bed. “Just fix whatever is going on between the two of you. I don’t want to see Beomgyu like this again.”
Before Soobin can respond, his roommates end up speaking first.
“Why are you speaking to Soobin as if he’s the one to blame? Can’t you see that he’s hurting too,” Yeonjun defends, earning a glare from Taehyun.
“Then tell me what Beomgyu did. Whatever he did doesn’t warrant Soobin ditching their friendship out of nowhere.”
“Beomgyu’s not a saint, Taehyun. I know both Yeonjun and I care for you immensely, but we can’t just stand here and watch you shit on Soobin’s character with no regard for his feelings.”
“Well, I’m still waiting for one of you to tell me why Soobin shouldn’t be the one to apologize first. He’s the one that hurt Beomgyu’s feelings,” Taehyun retorts, veins bulging from his forehead.
“Beomgyu’s the one that hurt Soobin’s feelings first! Why would he continue leading Soobin on knowing that he liked someone else? He’s the one lying to Soobin about caring for him when he has a boyfriend he told no one about,” Kai yells, shocking everyone in the room at his lack of composure. There’s silence in the room until Taehyun laughs in disbelief.
“Boyfriend? What boyfriend? You have to be playing with me at this point.”
“Soobin literally saw Beomgyu hugging another guy after the same guy confessed to him. Are you saying that he’s not seeing anyone,” Yeonjun says, arms crossed.
“What did the guy look like,” Taehyun asks, suddenly calm. Yeonjun and Kai turn to Soobin, eyes pressuring him to speak. He gulps before telling Taehyun everything that happened that day. He describes how he saw Beomgyu standing underneath a tree with a tall man with strikingly red hair, and how he heard the man apologize and ask Beomgyu to take him back. He tells Taehyun that Beomgyu relaxed in the man’s hug, implying that he must’ve forgiven the guy. He avoids Taehyun’s gaze the entire time, only looking up when the other speaks.
“Unbelievable. This is just so unbelievable,” Taehyun says, irritation evident on his face, “That jerk isn’t Beomgyu’s boyfriend. Soobin, did you even stay long enough to hear what Beomgyu had to say?”
“I–” He didn’t. He left before he could hear Beomgyu’s response. He just thought that Beomgyu felt the same way due to his body language. With Soobin’s lack of response, Taehyun sighs.
“I’m done. Talk this out with Beomgyu, and please respond to his messages. I don’t want to see two of my friends harm themselves over a stupid misunderstanding.” With that, Taehyun leaves. Yeonjun and Kai look at him before following Taehyun out, guilt written all over their faces. Soobin glances at his phone, heart racing in his chest as he opens up Beomgyu’s messages. It’s been silent for the past few days, Beomgyu most likely giving up on sending Soobin any messages after their whole situation.
He sees that Beomgyu’s last message to him was an ‘ I miss you ’ and something in his chest hurts. He scrolls up to where he last texted Beomgyu and starts reading, the smile forming on his face contradicting the tears filling his eyes.
my bear ♡
gooododddododod morningggg hyung :>
do u rmbr what happened last night lolz
i rmbr watching tinker bell and then i suddenly woke up with my white highlights stained pink :p
[IMG Attached]
how am i supposed to get this out :<
anyway do u want to hang out td, my place is free
taehyun is going over to yours to see yeonkai again
lmk soon hehe
02/21 8:14 AM
my bear ♡
have u been busy hyung?
i know its only been two days but u still havent replied :c
i didnt see u in class today either
is everything okay?
i wanted to visit but kai told me that ur doing fine
doesnt rlly ease my worries but kai never lies to me so
ill just keep texting u so u dont feel lonely !!
i told our professor that our first mixture exploded and he said that it was normal
whatever that means >.>
anyway i gotta head to the cafe, taehyun wants to show me a new drink
ttyl soob
02/23 2:05 PM
my bear ♡
omgomgomg u wont believe this
[IMG Attached]
its the same black cat we saw on our first date
hangout*****
she grew so big :,>
i wonder who’s taking care of her because she looks well groomed
shes so cute im gnna die
we might have to catnap her
omg shes whining for food gtgt
02/24 10:13 AM
my bear ♡
just discovered a new chicken place we have to try someday
it looks even better than ** chicken
like so much better
the skin is looks so crispy and juicy
yj hyung said he tried it once and felt like he had his soul cleansed LOL
he offered to eat with me but how can i betray our chicken bond like that :p
lets eat there soon so he stops tempting me
02/25 5:53 PM
my bear ♡
AMLOST GOT RAN OVER BY A BROOM
ALMOSY*
ALMOST*
this onesided texting is getting dangerous hyung
was just trying to talk abt my day until this lunatic decided to go 10 above the speed limit in a residential area
reply back soonnnnnn so i can show u my face when he did that lol
02/26 12:05 PM
my bear ♡
class td was kinda hard but nothing i couldnt do B>
he rlly decided to go over an 80 slide powerpoint in one day
my hand hurts from all that writing
ill give u my notes when u feel better hehe
02/27 3:13 PM
my bear ♡
i forgot to text yesterday
something came up and i ended up rotting in my room haha
…
um
do u ever feel like ur ever too much hyung
like too clingy and annoying
sorry
thats a weird question ignore that
idk why i suddenly asked that lol
02/29 10:32 PM
can u come to school tmr
i miss u soobin hyung
02/29 11:24 PM
Soobin has got to be a D1 asshole. He should’ve responded to Beomgyu’s messages earlier, and now it just seems impossible to. He’s typing up a response but ends up deleting it halfway through. He turns off his phone, his head in his hands as he regrets all the things he has done before. There’s no reason for Soobin to be upset at Beomgyu in the first place. Even if Beomgyu just views him as a friend, he shouldn’t have gotten butthurt over Beomgyu liking another person–to which he now knows is not Beomgyu’s boyfriend. He has to stand up. He’ll tell Beomgyu that he likes him regardless of how their relationship will turn out. Beomgyu deserves to know why Soobin was tweaking out.
He’ll confess his feelings to Beomgyu immediately.
Soobin does not confess his feelings to Beomgyu immediately because he blinked and suddenly it’s already Saturday evening. A whole three days went by without him saying a word to Beomgyu. He knows Taehyun is disappointed in him–even Yeonjun and Kai are getting on him for his cowardice. It’s not like he doesn’t want to apologize because he really does. He just doesn’t know how to talk to Beomgyu anymore. Every message he types up ends up sounding awkward and out of place. But he knows he has to say something because his drinks at the cafe have been getting worse and worse. If Taehyun is spitting in his drinks, he unfortunately cannot blame him.
Soobin pulls out his phone, eyes filling with determination as he tells himself that this is the one. He opens up Beomgyu’s chat logs and moves to type. He swears he was going to send the first message, but when he sees the three dots pop up, it’s like his body got pushed off the Titanic to freeze.
my bear ♡
soobim
is taehuyn with yeonjun an dkai
i need milk but i thikn we dran
sorry i accidentally tripped
taehyun isnt respondign to mee so i thought he could be at ur palce
umm
can u tell him t ocome home soon
i relaly need the ilk
milk
im feelign kinda wo
zy
You
beomgyu?
r u okay?
Soobin waits for Beomgyu to respond, the three dots popping up and disappearing. A minute passes by and he starts to feel worried. There are many typos in Beomgyu’s messages and he barely corrected them.
You
hello?
i’m going to call u beomgyu
When Soobin presses the call button, he’s already setting up his broom with his phone between his ear and shoulder while he brings a milk carton along with him. Anxiety spikes in him as each ring passes by, his broom deciding to malfunction when he needs it. He curses, leaving the broom behind as he decides to just run. It’s only a three minute walk to Beomgyu’s dorm.
“‘Ello?” Soobin’s breath hitches as he runs, left hand clutching his phone tighter when he hears a voice emit from the device.
“Beomgyu, can you hear me?” He hears shuffling on the other end, eyebrows furrowed when he gets no response, “Beomgyu?”
“Soobinie hyung,” the voice says, nearly slurring, “is that you?”
Soobin reaches Beomgyu’s doorstep in less than a minute, panting as he wipes the sweat that trickled down his temple despite the cold air. He catches his breath, holding the phone away from him as he breathes heavily.
“Yes, it’s me, Beomgyu-ah. Can you open the door?” There’s a noise of confusion coming from his phone. At first, the pitter-pattering of footsteps is emitted from the speakers of his phone, but then he hears it from the other side of the door. He ends the call when he hears Beomgyu unlock the lock after fumbling with it for a bit, a lump forming in his throat as he sees Beomgyu for the first time in a while. He’s wearing his abnormally large witch hat with a black cloak over his pajamas. Soobin would have cooed at the sight if not for the glistening sheen on Beomgyu’s unnaturally red skin.
“Beomgyu, I told you not to wear your hat when you’re sweating. It’s making you overheat,” Soobin scolds, taking the large thing off. Beomgyu looks completely out of it. His eyes are glossed over and his cheeks are completely red. His hair is sticking to different sections of his forehead and cheekbones as he huffs and puffs, gripping the wooden ladle he brought out with him. “Did you catch something? Let’s head to bed–you look like you’re about to take a tumble.” Soobin ushers Beomgyu back to his room and down his bed before turning around to wet a towel. However, the moment he turns around, there’s a tug at the sleeve of his sweatshirt. He looks back, Beomgyu staring straight at him with his lidded eyes.
“‘m not sick,” Beomgyu says, stumbling a bit when he stands up, “Milk. Did you bring milk?” Soobin grabs Beomgyu by the shoulders, saving the younger from face planting onto the floor as he nearly trips on his own feet. He’s analyzing Beomgyu’s expressions to see what is going on with the other. He smells something sweet like honey and vanilla whenever Beomgyu breathes, now realizing the aroma also coming from the cauldron in the corner. He sees endless amounts of familiar vials scattered all over the floor, quickly picking one up to examine what exactly is in it. “Beomgyu, what is this–”
“Your face is so handsome,” Beomgyu bluntly mentions, finger poking at Soobin’s cheek, “And soft too. Are you real, hyung?”
Soobin feels himself redden at Beomgyu’s statement, grabbing the other’s hand to stop the poking. “I am most definitely real. Can you tell me what’s in this vial?”
One moment Beomgyu was staring at him with his big eyes, and the next he was suddenly wrapping his arms around Soobin as his warm skin came into contact with the crook of Soobin’s neck. Soobin gets the air knocked out of him due to the abruptness, arms subconsciously reaching up to wrap around Beomgyu’s frame as well. He smells the strong vanilla all over the younger, one thing in his mind that could possibly explain Beomgyu’s odd behavior.
“Hyung,” Beomgyu says, emphasizing the ‘g’, “I missed you so muh-ch.”
Soobin’s starting to piece together that Beomgyu’s delirium is not because of sickness. Beomgyu has to be intoxicated. There’s no way he isn’t considering the way he’s acting. Soobin doesn’t know what Beomgyu could’ve drank, but he knows what the warmth that radiates off Beomgyu’s skin entails. He’s glowing because he’s drunk. Soobin has to know what in the world Beomgyu was mixing up in his room, so he shifts to move. This did not seem to make Beomgyu happy as the arms around him grow tighter, a whine escaping Beomgyu’s throat. “Noooo, don’t leave hyung.”
As cute as Beomgyu is, Soobin has to check what Beomgyu consumed. “I’m not leaving, Beomgyu. I just have to check what you’ve been mixing in your cauldron.” When Beomgyu refuses to budge, Soobin sighs, manhandling the giant teddy bear until he reaches the cauldron. The honey and vanilla aroma is intense the closer he gets. He sets Beomgyu on the side table despite the whining protests. He holds up as many empty vials (of the same ingredient Beomgyu used during their failed project attempt) and questions Beomgyu.
“What exactly was in this vial that made you put so many of them into the cauldron?” He sees Beomgyu glance at the glass cylinder, snatching it out of Soobin’s hands as he looks at it closely.
“Mmm... This is the 4x agave syrup. It’s supposed to heighten our emotions,” Beomgyu informs, “I wasn’t sure if it was working so I kept on adding it… hyung, can I drink the milk nyow.”
Soobin sighs, organizing the empty vials on Beomgyu’s desk. “And how much of the liquid in the cauldron did you drink?”
“……Not dat much.” Soobin gives Beomgyu a deadpan look, not believing a word that comes out of his mouth. “I had to drink it to make sure it works! It’s for our final project, hyung. I needed to perfect it so you don’t have to retake the course again.”
Soobin freezes, eyes still on Beomgyu as the younger mentions their assignment together. He remembers telling Beomgyu to drop the project–that he couldn’t do it. So, why was Beomgyu overworking himself to finish the potion without Soobin’s help? The more he thinks about it, the more his heart squeezes. Despite Soobin’s silence, Beomgyu still excitedly texted him about his day and continued to work on the project alone–simply because he didn’t want Soobin to fail the course.
“Beomgyu, I told you that I won’t do the assignment anymore. All of this isn’t necessary.” Why does he still care about Soobin so much? Especially when Soobin was the one who yelled at him and hurt him. He doesn’t understand Beomgyu at all.
Beomgyu’s face is unreadable, the redness of his cheeks still prevalent as he blinks slowly. He points at the door, lips parted, “Milk please.” Soobin furrows his eyebrows, quickly exiting the room to get the forgotten milk carton. He pours the milk into a glass before returning to Beomgyu, the younger still sitting on the table next to the cauldron. He hands Beomgyu the cup, helping him drink it in case he spills. Beomgyu takes a few gulps, lowering it to his lap with his two hands clutching it. Soobin sees the blush on Beomgyu’s cheeks slightly diminish, the shine in Beomgyu’s eyes growing clearer and clearer.
Soobin’s eyes soften while watching the other finish the glass of milk, gradually sobering up. He was planning to tell Beomgyu his true feelings, but it can wait until tomorrow. Beomgyu seems tired.
“I should let you rest, Gyu. I’ll text you in the morning to make sure you’re good,” Soobin says, turning around to leave. He’s unable to though, a hand reaching out to grab the bottom of his sweatshirt.
“Soobin hyung,” Beomgyu hesitantly whispers, grabbing Soobin’s attention, “Did I do something wrong?”
Soobin’s eyes widen, completely turning around to face Beomgyu, “Beomgyu, what–”
“I’m sorry if I did. Please don’t be mad at me. I can’t take it anymore,” the younger continues, a slight quiver to his lips. “I know I can be clingy. I know I talk too much sometimes. I know I have a harder time reading the room. I know how weird I am. I know I can’t express my emotions well, but I will never lie about how much I care about you, hyung.”
“Hey, look at–”
“I’m sorry for making you upset. I’m sorry for ruining our friendship. I’m so so sorry. I won’t overwhelm you with my presence anymore, but please. Please don’t treat me like he did,” Beomgyu cries, “Please just tell me whenever I do something wrong. You can tell me that I’m annoying, that I’m being too much.”
“Cub, please..”
“If you can’t stand me anymore, please let me know. I’ll change and become a better person. Just don’t hate me, hyung. I don’t know what I would do if you did.”
“Love,” Soobin says, cupping Beomgyu’s face to get the younger to look at him. He thumbs at Beomgyu’s cheeks to wipe away the fallen tears, but more keeps falling down as Beomgyu continues to look downwards, “I–”
“I like you, Soobin hyung. I like you so so much,” Beomgyu interrupts and Soobin’s whole world pauses. He feels his heart racing as Beomgyu’s words replay in his head over and over. He doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t know what to say. But when the sadness on Beomgyu’s face starts to grow, he snaps back to reality. He wants to be upset about his incapability to confess first but reassuring Beomgyu will always be his main priority.
“Beomgyu,” Soobin starts, forcing the younger to look at him. He tucks a loose strand of hair behind Beomgyu’s ear as he stares longingly at the other, “Can I kiss you?” He almost believes he said the wrong thing when Beomgyu just stares at him, but once he sees the cute witch close his eyes, he feels fireworks explode in his stomach before shortening the distance between them.
Soobin has had his fair share of kisses before, but they were all between friends during very mediocre frat parties. Because of that, he never truly understood the hype behind kisses–didn’t understand how someone could feel excitement towards them. But the moment he felt Beomgyu’s soft lips on his, he understands more than ever what it feels like. He understands the intoxicating feeling to kiss someone who occupies ninety percent of his brain. Someone who he can’t be without. He feels the adrenaline that courses through his veins as he holds the person he likes in his hands, brushing against Beomgyu ever so gently. He never wants to break away, but he has to tell Beomgyu everything on his mind.
“Beomgyu,” he begins, his heart bursting at the sight in front of him. Beomgyu’s face is flushed, pupils dilated with his lips a strawberry red color. It looked like the younger was drunk again, but all Soobin could think about is how effortlessly pretty Beomgyu is. “It is me who should be sorry. I’m the one who should be apologizing to you. I acted selfishly without thinking about how you would feel because of my stupid feelings. I didn’t know what to do or what to say to you, so I isolated myself. I was afraid of ruining our friendship if I didn’t get rid of my feelings fast. But that was my biggest mistake that made me hurt the person who means the whole world to me,” Soobin says, voice full of sincerity, “I like you too–so much. From the very first moment we met, you had already moved into my heart and stayed. Everything about you is perfect to me. The way your eyes twinkle whenever you talk about something you’re so passionate about. The way your lips part whenever you think too hardly about something. The way you taught me how it feels to be comfortable with someone and let go.”
“You’ll never be too much, and you’ll never be annoying. Never apologize for being yourself. You being you is the reason why I adore you so much,” Soobin adds, gently running his thumb over Beomgyu’s knuckles as he holds the other’s hands, “I can’t even remember how I lived before you came into my world, Beomgyu. It only took you two months to have such a deep effect on my life. You are so easy to love and cherish, and whoever deep-rooted these horrible thoughts into your head needs their name dropped right now because I am not playing around.”
“Do you really mean it, hyung,” Beomgyu asks, hesitance evident in his eyes. Soobin smiles, “Of course I do. I really am not playing around. Once you tell me his name, I will start learning how to properly vex–”
“No,” Beomgyu quickly says, his fingers tightly wrapping around Soobin’s, “Do you mean it when you say that you like me?”
Heat rushes to Soobin’s ears, the confidence he had in maintaining eye contact with Beomgyu suddenly gone as they dart everywhere. However, he will still remain certain about his feelings. “I like you so much that I can’t stop thinking about you every second of the day. I don’t want you to ever feel doubtful about how I feel towards you, and I’m really sorry that I’ve made you doubt it before.”
He sees Beomgyu appearing tentative, not fully believing a word that he was saying. Soobin places Beomgyu’s hand over the right side of his chest, gaze focused on the younger as his heart rate increases the more he stares at Beomgyu.
“I’m serious about everything I’ve said. No matter how many times I see you, your presence will always make my heart feel like it’s going to pop out of my chest. Even now, I want to go back to holding you close and kissing your tears away.” He sees maroon paint Beomgyu’s cheeks before the younger hides his face in Soobin’s chest, mumbling something that Soobin can’t quite catch. “What’d you say, love?”
“Does that mean we’re dating now?”
Soobin chokes, turning away from Beomgyu as he hides his face in his elbow. “I–I still need to make it up to you, Beomgyu. Let me earn your forgiveness first by taking you out on dates.”
Beomgyu pouts, pushing Soobin away while he grabs his enormous hat and puts it on, “If we’re not then what are you still doing in my room. Go home, Soobin.” Soobin looks at Beomgyu, amused. The hat is blocking the entirety of Beomgyu’s face due to the angle he’s sitting in, leaving only his crossed arms in display.
“Beomgyu,” he whines, tugging on the hat a little, “Don’t be like that pleaseee.”
Beomgyu stubbornly sits still, arms still crossed as he huffs. Soobin wants to chuckle, but he must stay in character.
“Fine. I guess I’ll leave then,” Soobin dramatically sighs, turning around slowly. He’s about to make his first step towards the door until a large hat obstructs his view, body turning around as he reaches up to uncover his eyes. He sees Beomgyu gripping onto his collar after throwing the witch hat on his head. “See, that wasn’t so–”
Before Soobin can finish his sentence, he nearly jumps in surprise when Beomgyu’s lips connect with his. He laughs before melting into the kiss, hands wrapping around Beomgyu’s waist as he kisses back. He’s beaming with joy knowing that the moment he gets back to his room, he’s going to be hip hip hooraying.
There’s still much more that they need to discuss, but right now it can be forgotten. Soobin knows he has a long way to go to fully make it up to Beomgyu, and that he still wants to learn about who that guy hugging Beomgyu was. But ultimately, they have so much time in the world for each other that it’s okay to not rush things.
Soobin can tell that Beomgyu will be in his life for a long time. Maybe it’s not entirely love yet, but he knows that whatever he feels will only grow stronger than it is now.
Smiling, Soobin rests his head against Beomgyu’s. Their heartbeats are in sync, eyes full of adoration for one another that the two can only see. They hold each other in a comfortable silence, no words needing to be said as they savor each other’s company. Soobin reaches up to grab the hat on his head. He places it on Beomgyu, grinning as he remembers the months prior.
To the boy with the large hat, thank you for spilling tea on him.