Archive of Our Own

“A voucher for a cooking class? What kind of lousy birthday present is that supposed to be?” 

Hongjoong wasn't usually ungrateful, but everyone who knew him could easily find about a million reasons why the kitchen wasn't the place for him to be. His best friend Wooyoung however, seemed to have forgotten about the many incidents that had revolved around Hongjoong trying to make food. Or maybe those incidents were the reason why he had ultimately chosen this present. Either way, Hongjoong didn't like it. 

“It's the best birthday present you'll ever get. Because this, my useless friend, is a cooking class for humans. No magic involved. Maybe you suck at making food a little less when you don't stick your wand into the pot to stir.” 

Wooyoung grinned from ear to ear. Hongjoong, although mildly amused about his comment, didn't. One look at the half liquid cake on the table was more than enough to confirm that Wooyoung's words were true, and so was the giant burn mark on the ceiling above his stove. There was no way to remove that anymore. Not even with the help of magic. 

“Not everyone's cut out for cooking. I'm an aspiring musician. At some point I'll be a famous superstar and then I'll just hire a cook.” 

“You're a librarian. And without all the spellwork you've put into this apartment, it would be the size of a shoebox. Centuries will have passed before you'll be able to hire a cook. So just say ‘thank you’ and go to your damn cooking class so you won't die of malnutrition in a few weeks. I can't always cook for you. And chapagetti isn't real food.” 

The cake on the table squirted out a blob of chocolate with a rather unappetizing noise, and Hongjoong refrained from discussing this topic any further. Wooyoung was right. His cooking skills were abysmal. 

With a flick of his wand he had the cake levitating in midair, guiding it right into the trashcan where it belonged. And somehow, the trashcan caught on fire the exact moment the cake landed. Great.

“Wow. Hongjoong, your skills are unmatched. I bow to you, oh great wizard.” 

San was the first to get up, extinguishing the fire by pouring a bottle of water into the trash while Wooyoung pulled out his wand to open the windows. After all, burning cake wasn't necessarily a smell any of them wanted to linger. 

“Anyone feeling like burger? Or pizza? Preferably before Hongjoong's abomination of a cake comes back to life and tries to eat us all?” San asked once the smoke was gone, and Hongjoong figured he should just attend this goddamn cooking class. If he couldn't get his cooking right with magic, maybe he could learn it the human way. How bad could it be, right? 

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Two weeks later, Hongjoong found himself standing in one of these large kitchens he only knew from TV shows, not entirely sure what to expect. By now, he mildly regretted his choice to join this class, and as soon as the chef walked in, he regretted it even more. 

“Ahh, welcome, everyone! Please, gather around your stations in pairs of two. Today, we're starting with the basics. Egg fried rice. A simple dish even a child can make.”

Egg fried rice. Of course. The last time Hongjoong had tried to make egg fried rice, he had still been living with his parents. It had been shortly after he had discovered his magical abilities, and according to his mother, not only his attempts at cooking with the help of magic had been a major pain in the ass. The fact that he had ruined three of her pots and melted her Tupperware into a large clump of useless plastic when trying to make food apparently hadn't even been the worst thing he had done. But it was close. His mother had been especially mad about the Tupperware, mainly because since they didn't break on their own, she hadn't been able to get a refund. Oh god, he'd ruin this kitchen, too. He just knew it. Maybe it was best if he just bailed. He wasn't cut out for this! 

“Hey. Do you have a partner already?” 

A gentle voice ripped him right out of his spiral, and when he looked up at the person who had spoken to him, he was so mesmerized he simply forgot about his anxiety for a moment. 

“Wow… I mean, no. I don't.” 

“Cool. Would you like to team up?” 

In front of him stood the most beautiful person Hongjoong had ever seen in his life, and looking at him had immediately fried his brain so hard he could have taken it out of his skull and presented it to the chef as a perfectly prepared dish. That boy was ethereal. Breathtaking. Simply gorgeous. 

“I'm– well, we-we can. But I gotta warn you, I'm probably the most terrible cook in this room. If you still want to, though–”

“Sure. Don't worry, I'm rather inexperienced as well. You see, I'm a wizard. But I enjoy learning how to do things the human way. It takes up much more time, but it's so cathartic. I always wanted to learn how to cook traditionally. I'm Park Seonghwa, by the way, what's your name?” 

Seonghwa's smile was so sweet, Hongjoong couldn't help but share it. A wizard who enjoyed learning things the human way. Now that was quite uncommon, but Hongjoong was curious about it. 

“I'm.. I'm Kim Hongjoong. And I'm a wizard, too.” 

“Oh? So you're also here to learn how to cook the human way?” 

“Not quite… to be honest, I'm here because I can't cook at all. Every time I try, no matter how good the spell is, it goes up in flames, so… if you wanna reconsider, here's your chance.” 

To his very surprise, Seonghwa seemed amused about it more than anything else, and he was obviously not trying to get away from him. He rolled up the sleeves of his cozy looking sweater and reached for a soup ladle that he handed Hongjoong, giving him an encouraging smile. 

“Don't worry, I'm sure two wizards can nail egg fried rice, even if one of them is a fire risk.” 

Oh, how wrong he had been about that. 

Despite being able to do magic without his wand, Hongjoong hadn't actually tried using any at all. And yet, just as he started cooking the rice, the rice cooker at their station decided to short-circuit as soon as he had turned it on. Seonghwa wasn't too bothered by that and transferred everything into a pot for now, but Hongjoong was already getting the feeling that this wouldn't end well. 

“How about I cut up the green onions, and you take care of the carrots?” Seonghwa asked, following the recipe the chef was showing them. Hongjoong agreed, but as soon as he tried to start peeling the carrots, he managed to also peel his finger. 

“Shibal! Sorry… sorry. I'm good. I'm fine.” 

He wasn't fine. He was bleeding and it only went downhill from there. He needed so long to cut the carrots that Seonghwa had done literally everything else by then, and when he asked Hongjoong to put the veggies in the microwave to steam them, it short-circuited just like the rice cooker. This was frustrating at best. 

“Ugh, I feel like the whole kitchen has it out for me,” he complained, checking in on Seonghwa to see if he was pissed about it, but the boy's mood couldn't falter. 

“It's okay. Maybe they feel that you're scared of them. Give me the veggies, we can just steam them the old-fashioned way.”

Hongjoong resigned and just watched Seonghwa do everything, noticing all over again that he really wasn't cut out for anything that had to do with cooking. Maybe that was just his own curse. 

“I'm really sorry. I don't know why, but everything that belongs in a kitchen seems to have conspired against me. Even my birthday cake caught on fire two weeks ago,” Hongjoong explained with audible resignation in his voice, but Seonghwa actually laughed about it. 

“Oh, it's alright. You know, Hongjoong-ssi, you are a wizard. Have you ever considered that it's actually your magic that makes these gadgets fail? Fear can be rather powerful at times.” 

The way Seonghwa spoke, gentle and calm, made it clear that there was no judgment behind this, but his words held a certain truth. Hongjoong was prone to mess up any spell as soon as he was getting nervous. And ever since he accidentally screwed up his mother's kitchen, for the first time in his life really making her mad, he felt at least a little anxious whenever he tried to make food. So maybe Seonghwa was right. 

Hongjoong looked up to him while he was frying the eggs, and for a while, he allowed himself to do nothing but observe the boy. Something about Seonghwa was special, he could feel that. The way he talked, the way his hands executed every single move with the utmost precision, it was fascinating to Hongjoong. 

“Yeah… Yeah. Maybe you're right about that.” 

“From the little bit you've told me, I know that I am. Come here, it's time to stir everything together. Would you do the honor while I season it?” 

Hongjoong nodded, taking the wooden spoon he was handed from Seonghwa, but when their fingers touched for a second, he immediately stilled. Seonghwa's fingers weren't soft, they were rather rough, a little cold even, and still his touch sent a shiver through his entire body. 

Their eyes met as he looked up, just for a fleeting second, and Hongjoong hurried to avert his gaze and tend to the food. However… 

“What the heck is that? Why am I holding a rose?” he asked as he tried to stick it into the rice, blushing as Seonghwa burst into guffaw. He quickly threw it in the trash and reached for another wooden spoon, and luckily, this time it didn't transform. 

“My, my. You must be really powerful. To do a transfiguration without a wand, I'm impressed. How did you do that?” 

Hongjoong would have loved to just take the compliment, but the truth was, he didn't know how he had just done that. There had been a reason why he had left his wand at home for this class, but obviously, he was still unable to control his magic abilities properly. How embarrassing. 

“I wish I knew. I didn't plan to… It was an accident.”

“Happy little accident. Alright, turn off the heat now. Time to try what we've made.” 

꧁✮..🔮..✮꧂

To his surprise, the food had actually been pretty good. Granted, it had mostly been Seonghwa's doing, but he was nonetheless proud. For a moment he even considered coming back to the cooking class next week, but that was before he decided to speed up the cleaning process and by doing that, screwing up on a whole other level. 

“I've never seen anything like this. It's actually quite beautiful.” 

While Hongjoong wished he could dissolve into a puddle and become one with the earth, Seonghwa was staring at the building with pure admiration, not even bothered by the fact that Hongjoong had just secured himself the award for magical fuck-up of the year. It would take the de-transfiguration team weeks to restore the damage he had done. 

“I swear, I just wanted to wash the dishes a bit more quickly! I don't know how I turned a three-story building into… into this!” 

Right in front of them and in the very middle of Seoul now towered a large temple with a built in waterfall, splashing water all the way down into the streets. Luckily, no one had been hurt, but that didn't mean Hongjoong felt any better about his newest creation. 

“Oh, I believe you. Still, it's… lovely. Doesn't quite fit with the aesthetic of the rest of the city, but other than that, you conjured a beautiful building out of thin air. And all that using a soup ladle as a wand. Impressive.” 

“Seonghwa-ssi? You don't have to be kind right now. This is a disaster. What do I tell the police when they arrive? Oh my… That's gonna cost me a massive fine.” 

Seonghwa laughed. Why did he laugh? Why wasn't he scared or annoyed or literally anything else? His reaction made absolutely no sense at all. 

“You don't even have your wand with you. Neither do I, by the way. So.. Why don't we just get out of here? For all we know, this could have been anyone. Right? Lots of witches, wizards and mages in Seoul. Lots of teenagers, too, many of them still practicing their magical powers.” 

Right. Seonghwa was right, and getting out of here would definitely spare him from paying the fine that would make sure his next stop after cooking class would be debt-counseling. Besides, he had been registered for the class under Wooyoung's name since he had been the one to buy the voucher. 

“You're… you're really smart. Alright, I'm out of here. Um– it was nice meeting you, Park Seonghwa-ssi.” 

“You, too. Take care.” 

For a second, Hongjoong considered just running off right away when he heard the sirens, but if he did that, there was no chance in hell he'd ever see Seonghwa again. The problem was, he most definitely wanted to see him again. Not only was he stunningly beautiful, but also so obviously very kind. Hongjoong liked him. But how should he tell him he wanted to meet him again? After all, Seonghwa must take him for the most useless wizard in all of history, no matter if he considered all his mishaps funny so far. 

“Park Seonghwa-ssi? I had fun today. And I'm sorry for how it turned out in the end.” 

“Don't be sorry. I had fun today, too. I'm looking forward to next week. Although… Do you think there will be class next week at all? Maybe I should give you my phone number. Just in case.” 

Oh. So he had assumed they would see each other again anyway. That was fortunate. It definitely meant Hongjoong hadn't screwed up completely. 

“Of course! I just wanted to ask if we can see each other again some time. Also, I promise you, next time I won't conjure a Mayan temple in the middle of Seoul.” 

Again, Seonghwa laughed. What a beautiful laugh he had. And cute, too. 

“From an architectural point of view I'd say it's more Aztec than Mayan. Anyway, here's my card. Just text me whenever you're free. Maybe I'll manage to teach you some cooking skills when we meet.” 

Hongjoong chuckled and took the card out of his hand, studying it for a moment. It was beautifully made and showed a pair of moving, green vines on the side that perfectly complimented the gold letters on the middle. So Seonghwa was an herbologist and a potions master? How intriguing. And definitely much more interesting than Hongjoong's current profession. 

“Thank you. I'll text you. Also… I don't think cooking is the best idea. I ruined my parents' kitchen once, I don't need to ruin yours, too. Alright, I better run. Bye.” 

“Goodbye, Kim Hongjoong.” 

Hongjoong left and made his way to the nearest bus station, only daring to look back when he was already a little further away from the large gathering. Seonghwa was still standing there, looking at the giant building utterly and absolutely mesmerized, and somehow, it warmed Hongjoong's heart. It was so sweet, really. Seonghwa was sweet. 

He turned away once the bus arrived, so naturally he wasn't able to see that there were flowers starting to bloom all over the temple soon, turning the whole scene into an even more magnificent sight. How he had done it from so far away he couldn't tell, but when he saw the pictures the next morning in the newspaper, he knew it had something to do with Seonghwa. 

꧁✮..🔮..✮꧂

“Wait, this was you?! By Merlin's toenails, how did you do that?” 

Wooyoung held the newspaper with both hands, his mouth hanging wide open. Obviously, he was unable to believe what he was seeing here. 

“I don't know! I literally just wanted to wash the dishes and boom, Aztec temple.” 

“I don't know, looks more Inka to me. Especially with those flowers,” San chimed in, earning himself a bonk on his head from Wooyoung's newspaper. 

“That's not the point! The point is that Hongjoong turned the cooking class building into a fucking waterfall! This is a new record, I'm sure! Record for the biggest magical fail since the rubber duck epidemic. So how did you do it? Didn't you leave your wand at home?” 

Wooyoung seemed to be half impressed and half shocked at the same time, but no matter how badly Hongjoong wanted to tell him how he had done it, he had no idea. Maybe he had briefly thought about how useful a waterfall would be to wash his dishes more quickly, but that didn't mean he had tried to conjure one! Let alone a whole temple. 

“Guys, I don't think I'll ever figure out how this happened. Honestly, I didn't even have the presence of mind to just fuck off before the police showed up. If it hadn't been for Seonghwa, I'm sure the fine this would have cost me would have financially ruined me.” 

Both San and Wooyoung shared a look, and before Hongjoong had the chance to explain, Wooyoung was already grinning from ear to ear. 

“Seonghwa? And who's that?” he asked, making Hongjoong sigh. Of course the boy already started assuming things without knowing any of the facts, but unfortunately, Hongjoong had to admit he had thought a lot about Seonghwa these past two days. 

“I got paired up with him at the cooking class. Honestly it's a mystery to me how he didn't immediately run. I majorly screwed up.”

“Is that so? Let me guess, you found him pretty, felt intimidated and then all of the sudden, everything went to shit because you got nervous?” 

As much as he would have loved to deny it, that was exactly what had happened. Somehow, Hongjoong always fucked up everything as soon as he felt as much as an ounce of nervousness, and around the beautiful herbologist, he had felt more insecure than in a very long time. 

“So, actually–! Yeah. Guys, he was kinda ethereal and I'm just… I'm just me. It also honestly didn't get much better when the rice cooker gave out the second I touched it. Anyway, I still got his number on this card and… what should I text him, though?” 

Hongjoong pulled the card out of his pocket, smiling when he saw that its appearance had changed. How lovely were those enchanted business cards? Now, the moving vines on the sides had changed into marigolds, his favorite flowers in the world. Maybe Seonghwa had enchanted them in a way they'd react to one's own thoughts? That was just cute. 

“Aw, show me that,” San said, looking a little confused as he saw the card. 

“Park Seonghwa? Yeobo, isn't that the person you buy your potion ingredients from? The one with the cute little shop and the white bunny?” San asked, handing his husband the card. 

“It is! Damn, he's kinda famous around potion makers. There's no one out there who sells better quality herbs. And his potion recipes? Un-fucking-matched. His cold remedy is even sought after by non-magical folks. Gets you back on your feet in a single day! Hongjoong, are you telling me you're planning to take him out on a date?” 

Learning that Park Seonghwa was apparently famous in the wizarding world definitely didn't help with his confidence, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't text him. He would simply do it with a little more anxiety than he had planned. And maybe a few days later. 

“Well, yeah? I mean… I don't know if it's gonna end up being a date or just… a friendship thing. But I did plan on texting him. Eventually. Soon.” 

“Why don't you just do it now?” 

The answer to that was pretty simple. Because Hongjoong still felt embarrassed and he really didn't know what to say. After all, he had just accidentally transfigured a building into an ancient temple in front of the guy. 

“Because I just gotta think about… Wooyoung, what are you doing with my phone? Woo– Hey. Hey! Give it back! Hey! Don't you dare–!”

“I already sent it. Thank me later.” 

Hongjoong's heart dropped into his stomach and out of his ass when Wooyoung gave him his phone back, especially when he saw the text he had just sent. 

“I don't talk like that! Why did you make me sound like a dead Victorian child?! ‘Hello dearest friend?!’ Nobody talks like that! Jung Wooyoung you brat, you–!”

Before he could scold him more, the plant pots on Hongjoong's window sill exploded, and of course, the noise upset his familiar Rami who had been peacefully sleeping on the couch before. And just like every single time, Rami triggered a chain reaction, running through his flat like a scalded cat, knocking over a bunch of things before Hongjoong was able to catch him. He gently patted his fur until he calmed down again, cooing at him then. 

“My poor baby, I'm so sorry. Daddy didn't mean to scare you. It's all good, baby. It's uncle Wooyoung's fault,” he told him, and Rami looked at him with big eyes, a few flames bursting out his nose. At least he hadn't burnt Hongjoong's eyebrows again. 

“Poor little Rami… Come on, I'll give you a treat.” 

Hongjoong shot Wooyoung and San an angry look, and while San just looked a little confused and sad, Wooyoung was still grinning mischievously. 

“You really need to work on your temper. You're too powerful to have a temper like that,” Wooyoung joked, and Hongjoong wanted to slap his stupid little face. He pulled out his wand and quickly repaired all the damage before he gave his familiar a treat, and once the little squirrel had some food to chew on, he happily stayed on Hongjoong's shoulder, already having forgotten the incident.

With Rami close to him, Hongjoong felt more grounded immediately. It was always like that, but unfortunately, he couldn't just take him everywhere. 

“You know, Wooyoung, that was pretty damn rude of you. I know I'm bad at these kinds of things, but… Oh, wow. He already wrote back.”

Hongjoong checked his phone and couldn't hide a smile when he saw the cute text that Seonghwa had sent, actually happy that he said he wanted to meet up again soon. Why had he been so scared of texting him? 

Hongjoong immediately replied, suggesting a place and a time the next day, receiving a thumbs up from him right away. 

“Hah. That was surprisingly easy. We're meeting tomorrow for coffee.” 

Both Wooyoung and San looked at him expectantly, and as much as he still wanted to scold Wooyoung for stealing his phone, he really couldn't be mad anymore. 

“Thank you. Brat.” 

꧁✮..🔮..✮꧂

The Café Hongjoong had chosen for their date was a small place at the edge of town. The entire building was covered in poison ivy, the windows were a little dirty and there were large shelves stuffed full of old books and trinkets, giving it such a lovely, whimsical feeling. Besides that, they served the best cake Hongjoong had ever tasted in his life. He was sure Seonghwa would appreciate the place, if not for the vibes, most definitely for the cake. 

Since it was way faster, Hongjoong had decided to take his broom to the Café, not willing to take the bus or a car if it wasn't absolutely necessary. Doing so would have taken him around an hour longer and probably cost him his last nerve. Humans didn't appreciate it much, seeing the witches and wizards get to their destinations a lot faster than them, but if he was perfectly honest, Hongjoong didn't give a rat's ass. If they wanted to be mad, they could be mad all day, but he wasn't going to sit with them in some stinky, crowded bus. 

He arrived at his destination just in time, deciding to fly close to Seonghwa so he could hop off his broom in the same fancy manner he always did, but of course this time it just had to go wrong. Somehow he managed to get stuck on his saddle, and before he knew what was happening, he was lying face down in the dirt, his broom still flying next to him in mid-air. 

“Oh my stars, are you alright?” 

Seonghwa was right there, grabbing him below the arms to help him back on his feet, and when Hongjoong looked at him, he let out a series of incoherent noises. Seonghwa looked so beautiful in his blue robes, his face was positively glowing and his slightly longer hair looked like a black, silken waterfall… 

“You look a bit like the moon,” Hongjoong whispered as he was pulled up by the other wizard, immediately regretting his choice of words. Where had that come from? 

“What does that even mean?” Seonghwa asked while he dusted off Hongjoong's clothes, slightly tilting his head at the outfit he was wearing. For a second, Hongjoong feared he didn't like it, but then Seonghwa suddenly smiled and changed the topic. 

“Love your outfit. You look great in a suit. That marigold embroidery is beautiful. I love marigolds, such wonderful flowers, aren't they?” Seonghwa complimented him, and Hongjoong felt his ears getting hot. Not once in his life had anyone given him a compliment like this. Or maybe someone did, at some point, but coming from Park Seonghwa, it was surely something else. 

“Oh. Thank you. So actually, I made the suit myself. A-and the embroidery! I'm doing these things by hand, actually. Without magic. Like you with the cooking, hehe.” 

“It's beautiful. Are you a fashion designer? Is your work for sale?” 

As much as he wanted to just take the compliment, Hongjoong couldn't keep himself from laughing. With a snap of his fingers, he had his broom fly over to the rack at the wall of the Café where it parked itself without further trouble, then he turned back to Seonghwa to shake his head. 

“I'm a full-time librarian. Which is, in the time of smartphones and the internet, the most boring job imaginable. Gives me time for embroidery, though. And for writing lyrics. Should we go inside?” 

Seonghwa's eyes started to sparkle, but before he spoke, he nodded at Hongjoong's question. 

“So you're a designer and a musician? But you're still working full-time at the library? That is really fascinating. I always wanted to know how it is to work a human job and you're doing three at once? I gotta say I'm a little jealous.” 

No matter how he twisted and turned his words, Hongjoong didn't find any mockery in them. Apparently, Seonghwa, the great herbologist and potions master was indeed a little jealous of his profession(s). As to why that was, he couldn't find an answer. Maybe Seonghwa was a little mad, after all. 

“I don't understand. Why would you be jealous of any of this? I'm literally just a librarian. That's what pays me. The fashion and music, it's just… it's more of a hobby, you know? I won't ever make money with it, I guess. There's no need to romanticize it. And I meant it when I said my job is boring.”

Hongjoong gave him a polite smile, but when he saw that Seonghwa started to look a bit disappointed, he didn't quite know what to say. Apparently, he had romanticized Hongjoong's job, and once he started to explain, he understood it a little better. 

“Pity. You know, I grew up in an all wizard family. When I was little, my mother hardly had any human friends, and neither did I. But I was always so fascinated by how their world worked, how they did their jobs without any magic… I can't even tell you why, it still fascinates me. But people keep telling me it's not as glorious as I make it out to be.” 

Hongjoong felt incredibly sorry about bursting his bubble, but unfortunately, it was true. He was glad to be a wizard. And had he possessed a talent that would contribute to any kind of job in the wizarding world, he sure as hell wouldn't be working as a librarian. 

“I'm sorry to say, but it really isn't glorious. You know, I was born into a completely human family, so naturally, I had no one to teach me anything until I joined school and… Well. You see how good that worked out.” 

Again, Seonghwa's eyes widened, but before he could speak, the waiter came and asked them for their order. As always, Hongjoong ordered himself a coffee and waffles with maple syrup, encouraging Seonghwa to order whatever he liked. 

“I'm paying, by the way. Don't even try to argue. You really saved me the other day.” 

Seonghwa smiled and ordered white chocolate strawberry frappuccino with extra cream and a piece of strawberry cake, and Hongjoong couldn't deny he found that order adorable. Apparently, the boy liked strawberries. 

“Thank you. So, tell me then… Why are you working as a librarian if you don't enjoy living like the humans? I don't quite understand. You're powerful, you could have easily become a protector, or from what I've seen you could go into transfiguration. Home decor, for example. Why aren't you doing that?” 

That was a perfectly valid question, but the answer wasn't as simple as one might have thought. Or maybe, it actually was simple. Usually, he just tried to avoid thinking about it too much. 

“I wanna be a musician. Wanted to be, more like it. I left school before I graduated, thinking I would make it in the musical world. Got the job as a librarian seven years ago, told myself it's only to pay the bills, but… I'm still here. Oh, no, don't give me that look. It's fine. I learn a lot at the library, I have lots of time for my hobbies, and I earn enough to live comfortably. I have great friends, too. Life is good, Seonghwa-ssi. I'm not sad about any of this. Fame is overrated as long as you have fun doing what you do.” 

And Hongjoong meant it. His job was as boring as any other job, but everything else was just fine. He loved life. And who knew, he was still young. Maybe his breakthrough would come at some point. It was still healthier not to hope for it every day, but that didn't mean he'd stop trying. 

“I'm glad you're happy. But I do sincerely hope you still achieve your dreams. You deserve it.” 

“Thank you. I appreciate it. So what about you? Did you always wanna become a Herbologist? My friend Wooyoung actually knows you, says he always buys his ingredients from you. And he said your potion recipes are better than anyone else's.” 

Seonghwa immediately blushed at the compliment and was seemingly glad when the waiter brought them their food. Hongjoong just hoped he hadn't made him uncomfortable, but when the boy looked up and smiled at him, he had already almost forgotten his initial question. Damn those eyes… somehow, they sparkled like the universe itself and Hongjoong was so very mesmerized by them. Seonghwa was so, so beautiful. He had never seen anyone so drop-dead gorgeous in his life. 

“That's really kind of him to say. As for your question, yes. Growing up, I always loved plants and I definitely had a knack for potions. At first, I wanted to solely focus on potions, but I was never too happy with the ingredients. Even when I bought them from the highest quality vendors, something was off. It took me years to figure out what. Do you want to know the secret?” 

“Yes. Of course, tell me.”

“Plants need time. Growing them quickly with the help of magic actually reduces their magical abilities. It's strange, but believe me, it's true. I've tried so many things over the years, but I always achieved the best results by just letting them grow. Making sure they're comfortable. That they get enough sunlight. Of course I use a bit of magic to support them, keep the temperature steady, make sure they're all watered when they need to be, but I never, ever grow them with magic. Like that, I might not get a large yield like other vendors, but at least I can guarantee the quality of the products. It all comes at higher costs, of course, but some people, like your friend, really appreciate the quality.” 

Hongjoong noticed right there that he loved listening to Seonghwa. Not once in his life had he cared for plants, the ones he had stored in his flat were mostly to make his familiar happy, but the way Seonghwa talked about it actually made him feel interested. Maybe plants and potions weren't as boring as he had always thought. Or maybe Seonghwa had just a way of talking about things that made him feel intrigued. If he was perfectly honest with himself, that boy could have read him the phone book in alphabetical order and Hongjoong would still have considered it the most amazing story of all time. He just seemed so fascinated by everything he talked about, it made Hongjoong feel the same way. 

“It makes sense, Seonghwa-ssi. It's like with music, you know? It can't be rushed and done with magic. Some things need to be done by pouring your very heart and soul into it. I understand that.” 

The way Seonghwa's eyes sparkled made his heart flutter like never before. Somehow it felt good to know that they were on the same wavelength, and even though Hongjoong was definitely way too impatient and wouldn't manage to wait for plants to grow, he still understood. It all just made sense. 

“I'm glad you get it. Some things are just better without magic. Anyway, thank you for the invitation. I'm really enjoying this day so far. I was worried you wouldn't actually text me.” 

Hongjoong felt his heart flutter again, and when he started digging into his pancakes, they tasted a whole lot better than ever before. 

For a while, they sat there in comfortable silence, both of them enjoying their desserts, but the peace was harshly interrupted when Hongjoong heard a little sneeze, and immediately after saw smoke coming from his bag. 

“Oh, no… Noooo! Not again!”

He quickly opened his bag and stared right into two big eyes that were looking at him in confusion, and he quickly pulled the little squirrel out of his bag to save him from getting burnt up. 

“Rami, I told you before, you can't always come along… Why were you in my bag, huh? You belong at home. You torched all my belongings… My lyric sheets.. Oh, Rami…” 

Seonghwa quickly placed his familiar on the table and tried to salvage whatever he could from his bag, but everything was beyond repair. 

“Oh no…” 

“Hey, don't worry, it's not half bad.” 

“Seonghwa-ssi, you don't understand, there were lyrics in here, some library books… All my cards!” 

“So?”

“So?! This is a nightmare, this–”

“Shh. Just breathe. Let me.” 

Seonghwa pulled out his wand and restored everything that was in there with a swish, and for a mere second, Hongjoong felt like the biggest idiot alive. Right. He had forgotten that that was an option. 

His face was flushed red when he looked at Seonghwa who broadly smiled at him, and he quickly closed his bag again, wanting to pick up Rami. The only problem was, his familiar wasn't sitting in front of him anymore. 

“Rami!?” 

“He's here. Oh my god, he's adorable. I never met someone who has a dragon as his familiar. Only very powerful wizards have dragons by their side. Can I feed him a strawberry?” 

Hongjoong blinked a few times, for a second wondering what the hell Seonghwa was talking about, but it made absolutely no sense to him. 

“Uh, you can give him strawberries, but… You are aware this is a squirrel, right?” 

Seonghwa grinned again, and then winked at him, obviously not believing him. What was that all about? 

“Right, he's a squirrel, of course he is. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what your fire breathing squirrel truly is. You can trust me.” 

Hongjoong blinked several times again, unable to comprehend Seonghwa's words, but then it slowly dawned on him. Squirrels usually didn't breathe fire, but since Rami was a familiar, he hadn't ever questioned this. However, now that he considered it... Why had he never thought about this? 

“Oh, my god, I'm such a dumbass. I'm so stupid. I found him that way. For as long as he's been with me, he has always been a squirrel. I never even– oh, god, you probably think I'm so stupid…” 

“Not at all. I must admit, Rami is way cuter like this anyway. And he seems content in his current form. It's not like he couldn't change himself back, so…” 

“Yeah, he's a happy little squirrel. Don't get too close though, he'll bite… he… oh, wow okay, nevermind then.” 

Rami had decided to crawl up Seonghwa's arm and had laid down on his shoulder, which made Hongjoong's mouth fall open. So far, not even San and Wooyoung were allowed to even pet him, but it was obvious that he really liked Seonghwa despite him being a complete stranger. That had never happened before. 

“Oh? How fortunate. I had already assumed as much, but I'm happy your familiar proved my theory to be correct.”

Hongjoong tilted his head while he watched Seonghwa pet the little squirrel that had immediately fallen asleep on his shoulder, completely at loss as to what he meant. 

“What theory?” Hongjoong asked, feeling even more stupid when Seonghwa looked at him with big eyes. What had he missed now? 

“Don't you know?” 

“Know what? Huh? Seonghwa-ssi, I'm sorry but I have no idea what you're talking about.” 

Again, Seonghwa smiled, taking Rami off his shoulder and placed the sleeping little ball next to him on the table instead. 

“Oh. Well, I could tell you, but I think it's better if you figured it out yourself. Besides, there's no fun in giving away the end of a book. Like this, you can still decide for yourself.”

꧁✮..🔮..✮꧂

“Hongjoong-ah? Are you sure this is a good idea? He's the herbologist, whatever weird fertilizer you try to mix up here, he probably doesn't want to use it.” 

“Trust me, I read about this in a book. It'll work.”

“Ah yes, the good old ‘I read it in a book’. Not like that has ever gone wrong before.” 

As always, Wooyoung wasn't really impressed by Hongjoong's efforts, and he had every right to be. It was true, Hongjoong had screwed up a lot of spells he had more or less incorrectly copied from library books, but he was still sure about this one. He had checked three times if he had copied it correctly and even read some online reviews on it. This would work, he was certain. And he was sure it would make Seonghwa happy. 

“Cut me some slack, or did you forget the time I repaired your broom and saved you literally so much money?” Hongjoong asked, but Wooyoung just scoffed. 

“You always bring up the damn broom. But what about the day you melted my wedding ring when trying to clean it, huh? Or when you turned my entire living room into an aquarium? Or wait, do you remember–”

“Shut up, I get it. This will work though.” 

“Let's hope so. You just had to tell Park Seonghwa-nim that we know each other, didn't you? If you screw up, I'll forever be ashamed to buy my ingredients there.” 

Instead of replying, Hongjoong decided to roll his eyes hard and just finish up his project. He was done arguing with Wooyoung and pretty damn glad that the boy was back to focusing on his game again then. 

“If you wanna stay here until San is done working, fine, but I'm going to meet Seonghwa now. Come on, Rami, let's go.” 

Wooyoung looked up from the console, obviously confused about the fact that Hongjoong was taking Rami along, and he understood that reaction perfectly well. Rami wasn't the most pleasant-natured familiar, and quite literally always up to cause mischief. In front of Seonghwa, however, he had been the kindest little squirrel imaginable. 

“Are you sure you wanna take that… monster?” Wooyoung asked, and his wording made Hongjoong almost furious. 

“Don't call him a monster! He's my familiar! And my family! Besides, he loves Seonghwa. Crawled straight up his arm when I took him out of my bag.” 

Wooyoung's jaw dropped for a second before he closed his mouth again, and to Hongjoong's surprise, he started to grin like a Cheshire cat. 

“Ohhhh. Well then it's all settled now, isn't it?” he said, and slowly Hongjoong really started to assume there was something special about his familiar being fond of Seonghwa. 

“Seonghwa said something similar. What do you mean?” he asked, only to get the same answer as before. 

“You don't know? Well, you'll figure it out.” 

“Man, why can't you just tell me? What's so special about Rami liking Seonghwa? I mean yeah he can be obnoxious with strangers, but–”

“Hyung, you'll figure it out. Now go get dressed and meet up with Seonghwa. I'm sure he's already waiting for you. After all, you were supposed to be there ten minutes ago, weren't you?” 

When Hongjoong took a look at the time, he let out a screech and immediately grabbed the fertilizer and Rami, putting both of these things in his bag. Why was he always late no matter how hard he tried to mind the time?

“Next time tell me that earlier!” he hissed at Wooyoung, grabbed his broom and made a run for it. Screw getting dressed, his outfit was alright. 

He hopped on it as soon as he was outside, trying to text Seonghwa mid-flight that he was running late, but he knew that it would most likely read as gibberish since he had to type with one hand while not looking at his phone. He could have sent a voice message, of course, but sometimes his brain was just as full of acorns as Rami's.

He put his phone back into his pocket and sped up as much as he could so he wouldn't be too late, but unfortunately, he didn't manage to calculate the stopping distance he'd need correctly once Seonghwa's shop was in sight. 

“Oh, fuck, shit, shibal!” he yelled shortly before he crashed right through the window, but somehow he still managed to land on his feet right inside the shop. Unfortunately though, surrounded by millions of glass shards and a ton of broken vials. Great. Just great. 

He heard footsteps coming down the stairs at the side of the shop, and when Seonghwa saw him standing right in the middle of this mess, he started to laugh. 

“Wow, what an entrance. Couldn't wait to get here, could you?” 

Hongjoong blushed harshly and bowed as deeply as he could, then he quickly took his wand out of his coat pocket and started to clean up and repair the damage he had caused. Of course, Seonghwa helped. 

“I'm so sorry. I'm usually a really good flyer, but I guess I haven't made a good impression so far. I was running late and I didn't want to let you wait much longer.” 

“Ahhh. That's what your text meant. I was already wondering. Don't worry, I was still preparing food anyway.” 

Once they were done cleaning up the mess, Hongjoong took his broom to the side and left it right in the rack before he took a proper look around. Seonghwa's store was meticulously clean and perfectly sorted, everything smelled so wonderfully floral it was simply intoxicating, and especially the shelf with the potions for sale looked intriguing. There were a lot of things on there he had never even seen or heard of, and he definitely planned on asking about them later. Before that, though, Hongjoong needed to know something else. Not that he minded, quite the opposite, but he needed to know so he wouldn't accidentally misgender his new friend. 

“Seonghwa-ssi? Are you a girl today?” 

“Oh. Right. Yeah. I forgot to mention that. It's girl-day, yes. It changes sometimes,” she said, and Hongjoong quickly nodded, just wanting to make sure before assuming the wrong thing. He had already figured when he had seen her coming down the stairs, her hair was much longer today and she was wearing very feminine make-up, also the dress with the matching hat… yellow was really her color. 

“Alright. Just wanted to make sure. You look beautiful in that dress. Suits you. Yeah, anyway, sorry for destroying your store.” 

“Aw. Thank you. And don't worry. It's not like we can't just easily fix it, can we? Now come on up, I prepared a little something.” 

Hongjoong took Rami out of his bag so he could sit on his shoulder (apparently, he had just slept through the entire crash) and then followed her up to her apartment which was directly above her shop. 

Hongjoong couldn't deny he was mesmerized by her flat, and so was his Rami. The little squirrel hopped right off his shoulder to climb right on the ridiculously large tree she had somehow grown in the middle of the room, but Seonghwa didn't mind. 

“Rami–!”

“Oh, let him explore. I figured he'd love it here,” she said, and Hongjoong definitely couldn't deny that. Her apartment was beautiful, filled with approximately a hundred plants, a ton of fairy lights and the most cottage core looking furniture he had ever seen in his life. Even though it was practically one big, circular room, it was clear to see where the different areas were supposed to be. 

“Honestly? I love it, too. This is the most witchy apartment I've ever seen. Lovely, really. I enjoy the creativity you put in this.” 

“Heh. Honestly most of it is transfiguration magic. But you can't even tell I made it bigger, right?” she asked, and Hongjoong cackled. 

“With that big ass tree in the middle of the room? Never.” 

They had a good laugh about that, and Seonghwa told him to sit down on the couch while she finished preparing their food, but when Hongjoong saw the huge white bunny sitting there, he got the cuteness-aggression of a lifetime. That thing was not just huge but also fluffier than anything he had ever seen in his life. The little pink bow only made it worse, and Hongjoong couldn't hold back anymore, squeaking happily. 

“Oh my god, is that your familiar?” 

“Yeah! Her name's Byeoli. She's friendly, you can pet her. A little shy sometimes, though.” 

Hongjoong let out a few more squeaks before he sat down on the couch next to the bunny, gently petting her ears. 

“Who's a fluffy girl? You're a fluffy girl… cute baby,” he muttered, absolutely delighted when Byeoli hopped over and settled down on his legs. Hongjoong almost started to cry because that made him feel so loved, and when Byeoli stretched out and rolled on her back, presenting her belly to him, he almost lost it. 

“Seonghwa-ssi! Look! Come look, she's on her back! Oh my god she's so cute! Oh god, she has a little star on her belly, how delightful, oh my god, I'm–”

Seonghwa came over to join them, two bowls of ramen in her hands and Rami on her shoulder, and when Hongjoong saw her soft look, he almost melted again. Seonghwa was a beautiful person, inside and out. Hongjoong already adored her. 

“So cute. I figured she would like you. After all, Rami likes me, too. Go on, pet her belly. She'll start purring because she loves it.” 

“Oh, alright. If you wanna make Rami happy, pet him behind his ears. He really likes that.” 

Seonghwa nodded, placed the bowls of food on the coffee table in front of them and sat down on the floor on the opposite site. Hongjoong would have joined her, but the squeaking little bunny was simply too adorable. 

Seonghwa already started eating while Hongjoong petted the bunny a few more minutes, but the smell of freshly made ramen was simply too good for him to ignore much longer. He placed Byeoli back on the couch and joined Seonghwa on the floor then, smiling at the beautiful girl in front of him again. 

“How are you this beautiful no matter what gender you are? I'm a little jealous,” Hongjoong tried to flirt after he had been awkwardly staring for a while, then immediately started to shovel some food into his mouth when he noticed how stupid that had sounded. Seonghwa, however, seemed to enjoy herself. 

“Keep those compliments coming, I deserve them,” she said with a wink, making Hongjoong giggle. Oh, she was cute. 

“Well, you're not just beautiful but also a great cook. These are the best ramen I've ever eaten.” 

“I'm glad you enjoy the food. I thought about making egg fried rice first, but I figured I don't wanna end up living behind a waterfall.” 

Hongjoong blushed violently and quickly ate some more of the noodles, glad when she chuckled a moment later. Of course it had been a joke, but Hongjoong still felt a little awkward about it. 

“Well, that's what happens when you try to exchange your want for a soup ladle,” he mumbled, still not entirely sure why that had happened that day. 

“I don't think it would have been much different with a wand. I think it's because you didn't have Rami with you. You're obviously very dependent on your familiar. You're too powerful, Hongjoong. He cancels out some of that magic.” 

Hongjoong knew that. He was a lot calmer when Rami was around – after all, he was his familiar and their bond was inseparable – but he hadn't actually ever given it more of a thought until now. Things still went wrong sometimes even if Rami was around, but he never fucked up just as badly as when he wasn't.

“Well, you're right, but you know what humans would say if I brought a squirrel to cooking class.”

“Ugh, tell me about it. I've been called unsanitary by some lady once because Byeoli was sleeping on the register. As if her being in the shop means she poops into the potions. So stupid.” 

“Wow. Some people…” 

For a while, they both kept sharing funny stories about annoying customers, and Hongjoong once again noticed how genuinely he enjoyed being in Seonghwa's close proximity. She was really something else, and while his social battery usually ran out after a few hours, he felt like he could keep talking to her for years and years. She was funny and interesting, and Hongjoong caught himself hoping that something would come out of his flirting at some point. 

“Hey! I just remembered. I read about this cool fertilizer a while ago in a book at the library, and I've decided to make a batch for you. You don't have to use it, I just thought… maybe you'd like that.” 

It obviously took her a second to understand the harsh topic change Hongjoong had just pulled, but when he handed her the little paper bag he had put it into, she smiled at him so warmly. God, those eyes… that smile… 

“That's really kind of you, Hongjoong-ssi. I will definitely try it out. Maybe on my tree? I wish it would finally bloom,” she said, and Hongjoong nodded eagerly, really hoping it would work. He hadn't expected her to get up and put the powder around it right away, but he appreciated it nonetheless. It only meant that she actually liked his present. 

As soon as she was done, both of them looked up into the crown of the tree, hoping that it would start to bloom, but even after minutes, absolutely nothing happened. Hongjoong was the first to give up hope. 

“What a shame. Apparently, it didn't work as well as the book had promised,” he said, one hundred percent sure that he hadn't done anything wrong that could have caused it not to work. 

“Maybe it's also just the tree. Like I said, I've been trying to get it to bloom for years. Nothing ever worked.” 

Seonghwa's mood hadn't faltered when she came back to sit on the couch with him, but Hongjoong couldn't deny he was a little sad. How cool would it have been if he could have made that damn tree bloom?

꧁✮..🔮..✮꧂

It was rare that Hongjoong's phone rang in the middle of the night, but when it did, it was usually Wooyoung who was calling him. 

He picked up after the third ring, feeling tremendously tired, but still, he tried to stay friendly. It absolutely didn't work. 

“Wooyoung? I swear to god if you and San are stuck in that sex swing again I'll burn that thing down and then turn both of you into toads,” he hissed, but when he heard Seonghwa's voice on the other end of the line, he regretted his words right away. 

“Uhhhhh, this is Seonghwa? Wait, how did Wooyoung get stuck in a sex swing?” 

Hongjoong was immediately wide awake, regretting that he had picked the phone up like this. 

“Oh my, I'm so sorry. Usually only Wooyoung calls that late. Forget that I said sex swing. Um, what's up?” 

Seonghwa stayed pretty quiet for a moment, then she made a series of incoherent noises before she said the single most terrifying things Hongjoong had ever heard before. 

“My tree has started to insult me. And I'm pretty sure that it has something to do with that fertilizer you made for me.”

Hongjoong closed his eyes again and really hoped he'd die at this exact moment. So he had screwed up again. Wooyoung had been right. He was just as bad at making fertilizer than he was at making potions. 

“Seonghwa-ssi, I am so fucking sorry. I never meant to… what do you even mean your tree is insulting you? How does that work?”

“You tell me. I woke up to a very deep voice calling me an asshole for growing him inside an apartment. And right now, the tree is screaming something about my shop being a capitalist hellhole? I don't know Hongjoong-ssi, but something isn't right. Can you give me the list of ingredients you used? Maybe I can reverse it.” 

Hongjoong felt like utter garbage for screwing up so badly, but no matter how much he tried to make sense of it, he simply couldn't figure out what on earth went wrong this time. He had been so very careful copying it down from this book. Maybe Wooyoung had confused him by annoying him all the time. 

“Of course, I'll get up and find it… it's still here on my kitchen counter. Okay, yeah. So… The main ingredient was ground up lunar moth, I have that right here still, then some lemongrass, a bit of frogs bladder, crystallized cat whiskers and sunlight… Wait, I forgot the sunlight. I was in a hurry, I didn't put it in the sun. Do you think… do you think that makes a difference? It's just sunlight, shouldn't be that bad, right?” 

Seonghwa was quiet for a few seconds, then she let out a long, drawn out sigh. 

“It does make a difference. You know, when working with ingredients like frogs bladder, you need to charge them first. They're internal organs. Also the lunar moth? Well… you didn't listen in potions class, did you?” 

Hongjoong wanted to die when she asked him that. The truth was, no, he hadn't. And apparently, he still wasn't cut out to follow a list step by step to get to the result. 

“Maybe I was a little unfocused at school. Oh, god I'm so sorry. I'll make it up to you, okay?” 

“Ah, don't worry. It's actually a little funny. But you could do me a favor.”

Within seconds, Hongjoong was in the bathroom to put on some pants, nodding eagerly until he noticed that Seonghwa couldn't see him. 

“Of course! Anything!” 

“After your explanation, I assume sunlight will resolve the issue. But I can't cast a spell now because it'll disturb the biorhythm of my other plants. So… Can we come over and sleep at your place? Me and Byeoli, I mean?”

It took a moment for the message to reach Hongjoong's brain, but when it did, there was cold sweat forming on his forehead immediately. His apartment was a mess. It always was and… No, he was a wizard. That was an easy fix. But that didn't mean he was any less anxious about it. And still, a sleepover sounded lovely, even though the reason for it wasn't. 

“Um, yeah. Yeah, of course. Just fly over here and… yeah. I'd like that. I mean, I would like it more if it wasn't because of the tree, but.. Fly over. I'll open the window for you.” 

“No need. I don't fly. I'll take the bus.” 

Hongjoong was pretty confused about that. Why would she take the bus and drive for half an hour if she could just fly and be there in less than ten minutes? 

“It's no problem, really. Just take your broom–”

“I meant that. I don't fly. Not far at least. It's completely fine, I don't mind the bus. I'll be there soon.” 

She sounded mildly annoyed in the end and Hongjoong was a little confused about that, but who was he to judge? If she didn't want to fly, she didn't have to. But it almost sounded like she was scared. Hongjoong definitely planned on asking her about it, maybe not tonight though. 

He used the time until she arrived to quickly clean up his apartment, accidentally waking up Rami who seemed a little confused as to why he was making such noise in the middle of the night. He let out a few dramatic squeaks, trying to roll back up to continue sleeping, but Hongjoong would rather he was awake now. 

“Sorry, little one. Seonghwa is coming over. With Byeoli. You'll like that, don't you?” 

Rami was immediately wide awake when he mentioned Byeoli, obviously excited about it, and Hongjoong found it cute. He knew his familiar didn't just like Seonghwa but also her little bunny, and he was once again reminded of how weirdly Seonghwa and Wooyoung had reacted to this topic. So far, he still hadn't figured out what this whole thing meant, but he would just look it up at work tomorrow. If there was something new to learn about familiars, he'd surely find it in the library. 

By the time Seonghwa arrived, Hongjoong had managed to have his flat cleaned completely and even quickly changed his bedsheets so she'd have a comfortable, fresh place to sleep, and he couldn't deny he was glad that she came over. Like this, he at least had a reason to finally clean up. And this time, he managed it without a magical accident. 

“Hey. Come in. Again, so sorry for the inconvenience.” 

Seonghwa looked dead tired when he opened the door, but she still gave him an honest smile. 

“Don't worry about it. It's the thought that counts. And now that I know what my tree is really thinking about me, I'm gonna get rid of it tomorrow and plant a new one.” 

That actually shocked Hongjoong. 

“Even if it stops talking?” 

“Yeah. I have no love left for it. You know what it said? It told me I'm fat. And ugly. And that my singing sounds like a rusty can rolling over the floor. It also said my Byeoli is stinky. And there I thought that tree loved me.” 

No matter how much Hongjoong tried to not blame himself for it, he couldn't deny he felt like utter shit. That had surely been the rudest words poor Seonghwa ever had to hear, and it was all his fault… 

“Seonghwa, I'm so sorry. None of this is true, I hope you know that.”

“How would you know? You never heard me sing.” 

“Well, maybe you should sing for me then. Maybe I'll finally become famous if I team up with a beautiful girl.” 

Seonghwa smiled and finally entered his flat, immediately started looking around. Even though this was a perfectly normal thing to do, Hongjoong felt a little on edge, wondering if she would like it here. 

“Wow. Everything in here looks so.. human. I like it a lot.”

“Well, my landlord is human and he's not very fond of wizards. Maybe I left that out when he asked about me. I made it a bit bigger, though. This apartment was a shoebox when I moved in. Always have to remember to change it back if he comes to check on things… What a weirdo. Anyway, I'm glad you like it.” 

Seonghwa nodded and put her small bag and Byeoli on his couch next to Rami, and it only took seconds before the two familiars wound up rolled comfortably on the couch together, cuddling as if they had known each other for years. It really warmed Hongjoong's heart to see Rami like this. 

“I think Byeoli likes it here, too. You know, she's been squeaking a lot after you left earlier. I think she really missed Rami.”

“Oh, so that was it. Rami was really angry earlier, but I couldn't figure out why. He kept torching my guitar.” 

A laugh escaped Seonghwa's throat, but she looked at him apologetically a moment later, then took his hand.

“Well, I guess that means we have to see each other a lot from now on.” 

Hongjoong felt her squeezing his hand and couldn't stop his cheeks from getting hot. It only got worse after she let go and just started to undress right in the middle of his living room a moment later. God, she was beautiful. He knew he shouldn't be staring at her, but her naked skin looked so soft he felt a strong urge to touch her back. Of course he would never, never ever touch her without consent, but that didn't mean the sight alone wasn't enough to fry his brain. 

“Um– Seonghwa-ssi?” 

He had expected anything and everything, but not her turning around at his question, facing him shirtless and without a bra. The only thing covering her features a teeny bit were her long hair, but.. They weren't in the right place at this time, so Hongjoong could literally see everything. Oh no, he didn't want to come off as a creep, but she was just so beautiful… 

“Hm?” 

“I– uhm– I just– Okay, yeah, I'm– uhhhhhh– sleep. You. Bed. I mean, you can sleep in my bed and I just… I can share with Rami and Byeoli. The couch, I mean. God, sorry. Sorry.” 

Hongjoong's ears were on fire and there was a very visible problem growing in his pants. Unfortunately, it wasn't one that he could get rid of with a bit of magic, so he decided to simply turn around and face the wall until she was dressed. 

“We can just share, if you don't mind. Wait, am I making you uncomfortable? I didn't mean to, I honestly didn't think about it. I should have–”

“No, I'm not uncomfortable, I'm just– I'm just trying to be respectful. It's rude to stare when someone is changing.” 

He hoped that this was in any way believable, but his stammering and the fact that he was awkwardly swaying from one foot to the other made it abundantly clear that his reaction hadn't just happened out of respect. 

“Hongjoong-ah. You're allowed to look, you know? As long as you give me compliments.”

There was obvious amusement in her voice, but Hongjoong still didn't know what to do. It wasn't like he didn't want to turn around and look at her, but he felt like it would take their relationship a bit too far too fast. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but Hongjoong wasn't sure if he wanted her to see the growing problem in his pants just yet. They weren't at that level yet, they only just met! Especially because he didn't know if they'd become anything more than friends. 

And yet, he dared to slowly turn around after a few more seconds, not having expected her to still stand there absolutely, completely and utterly naked. 

“Fuck,” was all he managed to let out, but Seonghwa obviously found it funny. 

“Does that mean you think I'm pretty? Come on then, where are my compliments?” she asked teasingly, then started to stuff all her clothes into her bag as if it was the most normal thing to do. Was she not gonna wear pyjamas? 

“Of course! You're beautiful! Absolutely stunning! Also, this is some really great transfiguration magic you did there. Hehe.” 

Seonghwa didn't laugh at his joke, at best she looked mildly amused, and for a mere second Hongjoong was scared he had overstepped. Apparently though, she simply hadn't found it funny. 

“Wow. That was such a dad joke. Almost as bad as my friend calling me non-bunnery. Because I have a bunny as a familiar and I'm… yeah, self-explanatory. Right, enough chit-chat, I'm really tired. Let's go to bed.” 

“Sorry. Yeah. Um, bedroom's over there. I'll just get my bedsheets and then the room is all yours,” Hongjoong said, absolutely ready to do exactly that, but Seonghwa seemed to have different plans. 

“Do you mind sleeping next to me?” she asked, sounding almost a little insulted, but her question confused him beyond any limit. 

Seonghwa took her bag and quickly pulled out her phone and the charger before she placed it on the couch again, looking more tired by the minute. 

“Or course not! I just–”

“Then just come with me and lay down. Hongjoong-ah, it's late. Or do you mind that I sleep naked?” 

“What? No! I just– I'm not used to– you're really pretty and I– you know, aish– Alright, I'll come. To bed.” 

Again, Seonghwa took his hand and led him over to his own bedroom, and for a mere second, he had the feeling that something was going to happen between them now. Ultimately, something did happen, but absolutely not what he had expected. 

She tucked him into his own bed in the most loving, caring way anyone had ever tucked him in, pressed a kiss on his forehead and then laid down on the other side of the bed herself, only to conk out the literal second she had plugged in her phone. And Seonghwa wasn't a quiet sleeper. She snored. Tremendously loud. 

Without a second thought, Hongjoong cast a charm to lower the volume of her snoring – something he could do wandless because Wooyoung snored just as loudly – and then rolled over to his side so he could face her. Seonghwa was truly stunning. A little more extroverted and outgoing than he had expected her to be, but absolutely wonderful. Hongjoong wouldn't have minded waking up next to her every single day, no matter how overwhelming this situation had just been and how badly he had handled it. 

“I think you're making me fall for you, Park Seonghwa…” 

꧁✮..🔮..✮꧂

When Hongjoong woke up the next morning, the scent of freshly baked waffles was filling his apartment, and it made his mouth water right away. Was Seonghwa already up? 

He quickly leaned over and checked the time, groaning when he saw that it was already shortly past seven. He had to be at work at half past eight. Ugh. 

A bunch of little noises left his system when he stretched to put his spine back where it belonged, and as soon as he was done, he hopped out of bed and walked over to the kitchen/living room to see what Seonghwa was doing. 

“Oh? Is it boy day today?” was the first thing he asked when he saw him standing there, fully dressed in a pair of baggy jeans and a black tank top. His hair was a lot shorter now, almost as short as Hongjoong's, and the little bit of make-up he was wearing made him look a lot more masculine. 

“Yeah, it's boy day. I'm making waffles, would you like some?” 

Hongjoong walked right over to look at what Seonghwa was doing, and when he turned around to face him, he couldn't hold back a dorky grin. 

“A pretty boy in my apartment making me waffles? I must have died and gone to heaven. Sorry. Yeah, I'd like some waffles. Thank you.” 

Seonghwa fixed him a plate, doing every single step by hand from stacking the waffles to drizzling the syrup on top, placing a tiny piece of butter in the middle and even adding the blueberries around it in the shape of a heart. God, how cute was that? 

“Here you go! I already fed Rami and Byeoli, you can just sit down and eat. Would you like coffee? And when do you have to leave for work?” 

Hongjoong was a little overwhelmed by the amount of information Seonghwa was giving him so early in the morning, but he most definitely appreciated all of it. No one had ever made breakfast for him this lovingly, and that alone almost brought him to tears. It was all so very sweet. 

“I… thank you. Coffee, yes please. So, actually, I gotta leave at 8:15, so I still got time. Um, when do you have to work?”

He only noticed a little too late that this question had been both stupid and unnecessary, but Seonghwa answered it nonetheless. 

“I'm flexible. It's my shop after all. But since I gotta get rid of a nasty tree, I might keep it closed for today.” 

They sat down at the kitchen table together and Seonghwa handed him a cup of coffee. It was by far the best coffee Hongjoong had ever tried in his life. And those waffles… heavenly. 

“Hongjoong-ah? Can I ask you something?” 

Halting in his tracks and with a large piece of waffle hanging out of his mouth, Hongjoong looked up to Seonghwa, slowly nodding at his question. What was he going to ask? He sounded serious all of the sudden. Did he want to ask if he wanted to be his boyfriend? After all, Seonghwa had slept butt naked next to him last night. Maybe he was actually into Hongjoong. Oh, that would be wonderful. 

“You can say no, I mean we hardly know each other, but… would you like to go tree shopping with me later? I would appreciate it if you picked a new one for me.” 

The piece of waffle he had been chewing on still hung out of his mouth and Hongjoong forced himself to finally swallow so he could answer Seonghwa's question. It wasn't what he had hoped he would ask, but he couldn't deny that he appreciated the question nonetheless. This was intimate, in a way, asking someone you didn't know that long to pick an actual tree for your home. 

“I'd be honored. Why me, though? I mean, I'll gladly do it, but– I'd just like to know why you chose me.” 

Seonghwa turned his head away for a second, looking over to Rami and Byeoli who seemed to be having an intense conversation on his couch right now, then he turned back to Hongjoong with a smile. 

“Silly boy. Who else would be better suited to pick out my new tree than you?” 

That sentence stuck with Hongjoong the whole day. He couldn't understand why Seonghwa was so certain that he was the one to pick his tree, but Hongjoong couldn't deny he was flattered. Even though they hardly knew each other, Seonghwa seemed to trust him. And Hongjoong didn't want to disappoint. However, he had absolutely no clue what to look for in a tree, or what kind of tree was suitable to grow in Seonghwa's home and not insult him for it, so that made him feel quite nervous. 

Still, Hongjoong was looking forward to meeting up with Seonghwa again. And fortunately, he worked in a library and could just do some research on trees until he was picked up later. 

His whole face lit up when he saw Seonghwa walking into the library shortly before they closed, and Hongjoong decided to start cleaning up immediately. With a tap of his wand, all the books he had gathered around himself flew back into the shelves, and by swinging it a second time, he made sure everything was neat, every book turned the right way and no trash lying around anywhere. 

“Impressive. You really perfected this, haven't you?” Seonghwa praised him, but his compliment wasn't the only thing that made Hongjoong blush. When he took a proper look at Seonghwa, he noticed that the boy was still wearing his jeans and tank-top combination, but now it looked slightly more dirty than before and by god, he was sweating. He was practically dripping. And Hongjoong? Majorly turned on. Seonghwa was gorgeous… and somehow it even seemed like his muscles were more defined now, more present, as if he had just come from a harsh workout. 

“I mean… yeah. Books, well, that's my job. Okay, seriously, what have you done? You're– you're–” 

“Yeah, sorry about that. That tree still didn't shut up. So I took an axe and finished the problem the old-fashioned way. Didn't have much to say after I was done chopping it up.”

Seonghwa grinned at him, and Hongjoong swallowed a little too hard. The plain thought of him in that outfit, angrily axeing down a tree while looking this gorgeous, well… 

“Never thought my type would include ‘angry lumberjack’, but damn,” he mumbled, immediately regretting his words when Seonghwa started to laugh. Why had he said that out loud?! 

“Aw. I was worried for a second that you minded that I'm a bit sweaty, but I had to run here to be on time. Took me a bit longer than planned to get rid of that stupid tree. So, ready to go?” 

Hongjoong nodded eagerly, then quickly ran through the library to check if it was empty (of course it was, no one wanted to go to library anymore these days, which made him honestly sad) and then locked the door on the way out. 

“So, you really think I'll choose a better tree? I do feel sorry you actually got so angry you chopped your old one up… wait, if I ever piss you off, will you chop me up, too?” 

Seonghwa laughed again and shook his head, and to Hongjoong's surprise, he even took his hand. 

“Why would I chop up my… you? No, don't worry. And I'm sure you'll pick a much better tree. One that actually likes me and gives my home more positive vibes.” 

“Chop up your what? What were you going to say?” 

It was obvious that Seonghwa had wanted to say something else, and Hongjoong was eager to learn what it was. After all, there was still that thing with their familiars, and he believed that had something to do with what Seonghwa had wanted to say, also with the fact that he believed Hongjoong would be perfect to pick out his new tree. It was weird, really. Seonghwa was acting positively strange.

“Not important. Come on, I wanna make it to the store before they close. It's quite a bus ride.” 

Apparently, Hongjoong was left without an answer again. It was fine. He could wait a few more days. What he couldn't tolerate however, was having to take the bus. 

“Seonghwa-ssi, with all due respect, I'm not taking the bus. We can take my broom. Or rent a car if that's more comfortable for you. But the bus, no. Over my dead body.” 

Seonghwa's happy expression slowly turned darker, and Hongjoong could see that there was something troubling him. He knew Seonghwa didn't fly, he had said so, but so far he hadn't given him an explanation. 

“Why not the bus? What's so bad about that?” he asked almost a little too quietly, and Hongjoong started to feel bad. The last thing he had wanted was to make Seonghwa uncomfortable. But if they took the bus, it would be him who'd be suffering terribly. 

“I just really hate the bus. I don't like small, crowded spaces. Makes me extremely uncomfortable. It's always loud. Also it takes so long to get from A to B. If you don't wanna fly, it's okay, but then let's at least take a car, okay? There's enough car sharing options in Seoul.”

Seonghwa was quiet for a moment and then started fidgeting with his hands, making Hongjoong feel like he had just been a major asshole about it. Apparently, Seonghwa had some kind of issue with both flying and driving a car, but if he wasn't ready to talk about it, Hongjoong wouldn't pry. 

“I guess… I guess we can take the car. Um, but you're driving, right?”

“Of course.”

“Okay, I guess that's a compromise. Let's do that.”

It wasn't like Hongjoong enjoyed driving a car that much more, but at least he didn't have to share his personal space with a bunch of strangers like this. Seonghwa on the other hand seemed less confident about it, and after he had asked him for the third time to slow it down during their ride, Hongjoong couldn't stay quiet anymore. 

“Okay. Seonghwa-ssi, I know something is off. Tell me. Why are you so scared of driving a car? Why are you so scared of flying? Did something bad happen to you?” 

“Keep your eyes on the road and don't look at me while you're driving! That's dangerous! Oh my god!” 

Hongjoong sighed and reached out his hand to take Seonghwa's, and when he squeezed his fingers, he noticed Seonghwa's hand was shaking. Oh my… 

“Alright, alright. Breathe. We're almost there. We can take the bus back then. It's okay. It's okay, Seonghwa.” 

Seonghwa didn't say anything, just kept his eyes focused on the road while he held onto the support strap with a death grip, and Hongjoong made sure to drive as slowly as possible without obstructing the traffic. 

The second they reached the store, Seonghwa opened the car door and practically jumped out, and Hongjoong, while feeling sorry, couldn't help but wonder. He parked the car and immediately walked over to Seonghwa to rub his back while he took some deep breaths to calm himself down, then took his hand as soon as he looked more steady. 

“Hey. Hey… come on now, tell me why you're so scared. I'm not that bad of a driver.” 

Seonghwa took another deep breath and then sighed, lightly squeezing Hongjoong's hand before he finally decided to speak up. 

“You're not. But this was my first car ride and I didn't like it. It's horrible. When I sit in the back of the bus, I can't see the traffic ahead. But this… No. Absolutely not. Sorry, but we're taking the bus back. Or I'll walk.” 

“Wait. This was your first car ride?!”

Seonghwa nodded, slowly regaining his composure as he dragged Hongjoong inside. The store he had chosen was well-known amongst humans and magical folks, mainly for their ridiculously large collection of plants and herbs. Wooyoung had definitely mentioned it before as well, but so far Hongjoong hadn't paid it a visit. After all, he still didn't care that much for plants. And yet, upon entering the store, he couldn't deny it was really pretty and had a cozy feeling to it. 

“Yeah. I told you I come from an all wizard family. None of us has a license.” 

“Okay. Makes sense, I get it. It's also unnecessary to have a license in the middle of Seoul. But why aren't you flying either?” 

This time, Seonghwa started to look embarrassed, actually stopping in his tracks before he finally told the truth. 

“I'm afraid of heights. There you have it. You can laugh if you want. A wizard who's afraid of heights. Very funny. Laugh at me like everyone at school did.”

Hongjoong didn't even think about laughing. It wasn't funny to him and it shouldn't be to anyone else. 

“Hey. I'd never laugh at you. Everyone is scared of something, and I'd never make fun of you for your fears. You can tell me these kinds of things, okay? You can trust me. And if you ever feel like it, I'll help you conquer your fears. And if not, I'll even take the bus for you, Park Seonghwa.” 

When Seonghwa's eyes met his own, there was deep admiration in them, and it made Hongjoong's knees a little weak. This was nothing special. Just because he said he wouldn't make fun of his fears, Seonghwa looked at him as if he had just ended world hunger. Why? 

“I'm so glad it's you, Hongjoong-ah. I hoped it would be someone as kind and understanding as you. Let's go get that tree now, okay?” 

Hongjoong let out a long sigh, letting Seonghwa pull him along on his way to the back of the store. 

“You won't tell me what you mean by that, will you?” he asked, and of course, Seonghwa was as cryptic about it as before. 

“Nope. You'll have to figure it out yourself. I'm sure you will soon. There's the tree seedlings. Let's go and take a look, shall we?” 

Slowly, Hongjoong was getting a bit annoyed at the fact that Seonghwa kept telling him he had to figure it out himself, especially because he hadn't been able to find anything at the library. Yeah, it was strange that Rami liked Seonghwa so much, maybe even that Byeoli liked Hongjoong to that extent, but why did there have to be a secret meaning behind it? Hongjoong could hardly imagine that it had anything to do with the two of them, and yet… could it be? 

Hongjoong liked Seonghwa. A lot. And it was undeniable that he wished for them to become something more. The way Seonghwa acted around him definitely made him wonder if he wished for the same thing; after all, there had been no reason he had come to sleep at his place when his tree had turned evil. It wasn't like Seonghwa didn't have any other friends, he imagined. But he had chosen to sleep at Hongjoong's place. Even undressed right in front of him. And now he was out with him to pick a new tree for his apartment. 

“Okay, Hongjoong-ah. I want you to pick the one that feels just right. One that really resonates with you,” Seonghwa said as they were standing in front of a gigantic selection of seedlings, and for a moment, Hongjoong contemplated. How was he supposed to do that? How could he know which of the trees actually resonated with him? 

“Listen, Seonghwa-ssi, I think I'm not–”

“Shh. Don't think. Just close your eyes and go where your intuition will lead you.” 

Hongjoong sighed audibly, but decided to do what Seonghwa asked him to. If that was what he wanted, fine by him. 

He closed his eyes and instinctively reached out his hand to feel, well, something, and to his surprise, he could feel a certain pull. Without thinking, he walked into the direction he felt was right, surprisingly not knocking anything over. Just as he reached the point that resonated with him the strongest, he halted, his hand hovering over the tree seedling that felt just right. However, the second he opened his eyes…

“Oh. Oh, no. What's that?”

In front of him stood the utmost dead, dry looking sapling he had ever seen in his life, and it honestly looked like someone had jokingly put a single stick into a pot of soil. It said ‘Jacaranda Mimosifolia’ on the label, but even with a lot of fantasy, he couldn't imagine that this dry branch was still turning into any kind of tree. Even if loved and cared for. He had no idea what it was supposed to look like, but probably not that dead and crusty. 

“Apparently, that's my new tree then. Mhm, wonderful choice.” 

Seonghwa was beaming with happiness as he took the exact seedling Hongjoong had pointed at, but before he could walk away, Hongjoong quickly looked around for a better looking one of the same species. Funnily enough, every single other one of them looked way better and a lot less dry. 

“Wait! Why don't you take this one? It looks way healthier.” 

“So? You pointed at this one. I want this one.” 

For a mere second, Hongjoong considered he was actually fooling him, but Seonghwa seemed absolutely convinced that it had to be this sapling and no other. 

“But-but Seonghwa-ssi! This one looks a little, well, damaged. So why don't you just take a different one? It doesn't make sense! This one won't survive.” 

Seonghwa smiled as if he knew something that Hongjoong didn't, slowly walking back until he was standing right in front of him again. 

“Sometimes, things start out a little rough. That doesn't mean they can't turn into something beautiful. You have to learn to see potential in things. Make connections where you wouldn't expect them to be. And sometimes, you just have to listen to your gut feeling and trust the magic deep inside of you. It will lead you where you're supposed to be.” 

꧁✮..🔮..✮꧂

“You're cooked, Hyung.” 

Those had not been the words Hongjoong had been hoping for when he told Wooyoung about the tree, but his friend was definitely under the impression that Hongjoong had once again screwed up. Not that he hadn't thought the exact same thing, but he had still hoped for a bit of positivity. 

“How is it my fault that he actually bought that crusty ass tree? He said I should listen to my gut. I did. And now he took that shriveled thing home, ughh… It's all my fault. I shouldn't have made that fertilizer in the first place.” 

Wooyoung nodded in agreement. 

“That's right. You shouldn't have. Like I told you. If you wanna impress him, record a song. Do something you're actually good at.” 

By now, Hongjoong knew that his friend was right. It was always the same. As soon as he met someone he liked, he tried to go above and beyond to impress them, only ending up making a fool of himself. Maybe he should do it differently this time, from now on at least. Writing a song for Seonghwa didn't sound too bad. Or maybe, he could just keep spending quality time with him. After all, that's what he seemed to like the most anyway. 

“Yeah. Maybe I should change my tactic. We're going out for dinner this evening. I'll just tell him I like him then. I'm too stupid to impress him anyway. Do you think that's a good idea?” 

Wooyoung nodded. 

“You haven't scared him away so far, why would you now? Also, you should take Rami along. He's gnawing on your TV remote right now.”

“Ugh, Rami! Nooo!” 

Wooyoung stayed with him for the rest of the day, for a while just listening to him singing and later on he helped him pick out an outfit to wear. Ultimately, he decided on a black suit with a half skirt sewn onto the top, and to finish it off, Hongjoong decided to enchant it with a bit of magic. Like that, it looked like he was sparkling, and he was sure Seonghwa would love it. 

“Wow. Nice. That's gonna be the outfit you'll get laid in,” Wooyoung commented, making Hongjoong scoff. 

“Not what I'm going for. Alright, hair, make-up, and then I need to go.” 

Wooyoung gave him a thumbs up, apparently not feeling like he was still needed in the bathroom while Hongjoong styled his hair. When he was done half an hour later, he checked with his friend once more for the final judgment. 

“Hot as hell, Hongjoong-ah. Looking sharp. But are you wearing nice underwear, too? I'm sure Seonghwa will want to eat you up in that fit.” 

If there had been anything close to him that he could have thrown, Wooyoung would definitely not have a single reason to grin anymore. Unfortunately, the only thing in his hand right now was little Rami. And he'd never throw his familiar, even though it would surely have a nice effect if he burnt down Wooyoung's eyebrows mid-flight. 

“Bastard. I told you, I'm not trying to get laid. We're just going out for dinner to a fancy restaurant. Geez. You're a sex maniac. Anyway, see you later.” 

“You're just a prude. Have fun though!” 

Hongjoong didn't even mind being called a prude, especially because he knew it wasn't true. If something happened between them, he definitely wouldn't mind, but it wasn't his intention as he went on their date. All he wanted to do was to spend some time with Seonghwa. He was perfectly happy if they were just talking. 

His friend was already waiting in front of the restaurant when Hongjoong arrived, and the second he saw him, his brain shut down for good. Seonghwa looked absolutely stunning in his baggy blue jeans, the grey and yellow turtle neck combined with a yellow hat, and Hongjoong just stared at him for a second, absolutely in love with that look. 

“Wow. You really have such an eye for fashion. You look beautiful. Absolutely stunning. You could be a model. One question, though. Is it girl day or boy day?” 

Seonghwa, obviously mesmerized by Hongjoong's look as well, needed a moment of contemplation before he replied: 

“Ah, well. I think it's no gender day today. And thank you so much. I put a lot of thought into this outfit. I had hoped for that reaction, but… Wow. You look so handsome like this, too. Love the sparkles. Also, it is so bold to have this whole outfit a little see-through. Wonderful effect.” 

“Oh, thank you so much, I– wait, what do you mean by see-through?” 

Hongjoong looked down at his outfit and noticed that the enchantment had indeed made it look a little… transparent. And Hongjoong wasn't quite sure if he liked that. That hadn't been the plan at all! 

“Uh– Seonghwa-ssi? I think my clothes are dissolving,” he whispered, and when he looked back up to Seonghwa, they seemed more than just a little confused. 

“How? What did you do?” 

“Well, I enchanted them to make them sparkle! Apparently, something went wrong again. That's all Wooyoung's fault! Just because he distracted me!” 

Seonghwa chuckled audibly, then took out their wand to help him fix the outfit. Unfortunately though, it didn't actually work. If anything, Hongjoong's clothes were dissolving more quickly at this point, and it didn't just happen to the outer layer he was wearing. 

“Yeah. Alright. I think you should fly home. The way I see it, you have five minutes left before you'll cause a scandal,” they explained, making Hongjoong not only feel terribly embarrassed, but also really guilty. He had been looking forward to taking them out to a nice restaurant like this. 

“Ugh. Why do I ruin everything I touch? I'm just– yeah, nevermind. I guess… I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, okay? Let's meet tomorrow.” 

“Hey. Stop with the long face. You're not ruining anything. My shop is really close by, why don't you take my key, go inside and find some clothes. I'll be there in fifteen minutes, alright?” 

Reluctantly, Hongjoong agreed, took the key from their hand and hopped right back on his broom. Like this, he at least had a chance to make it inside before he would end up being completely naked. The only positive thing was the fact that his bag wasn't dissolving as well. That would have been the cherry on the icing, ending up naked while having to carry Rami and the entirety of his belongings. 

Once he reached Seonghwa's store, Hongjoong didn't even bother anymore, took his broom inside and left it right in the middle of the room before he went upstairs. 

“I'm such an idiot. Can't even get a simple spell right. Maybe I should just give up on magic altogether.” 

Of course he wouldn't do that, he loved being a wizard, he loved trying out new spells and so far, it hadn't ever bothered him if something had gone wrong. But since he had met Seonghwa, he felt like everything he tried was going wrong. It sucked! All he had wanted to do was to make himself look nice for them, and instead, he had only managed to cut their date ridiculously short. 

By the time he was upstairs, his clothes were practically gone and the sad remains literally fell off his body as he walked into the room. All he did was sigh. 

“Seems about right… alright. Clothes.” 

Hongjoong placed his bag on Seonghwa's couch and quickly helped Rami out of there, watching as the squirrel hopped over to Byeoli. The bunny was laying next to the newly planted tree, and when she saw little Rami, she was immediately awake and started to happily squeak. It warmed his heart. 

“Yeah, I get it. That's also how I feel when I look at Seonghwa. Love makes your brain a little stupid sometimes, I guess.” 

Instead of walking over to their closet, Hongjoong went over to the sad little tree sapling and the two cuddling familiars, wearing nothing but his underwear. Right now, he didn't care one bit. 

For a while he just watched as Rami and Byeoli kept changing positions to find the most comfortable one, and it was truly just adorable. Those two really loved each other. 

“Seonghwa was saying a few things I didn't understand. And so was Wooyoung. It's strange, really, in a way, I think I know what they mean. But I just can't imagine Seonghwa would want to put up with all my bullshit, you know?” 

Both animals looked at him with big eyes, and while Hongjoong knew they understood him perfectly fine, he just wished they could talk back to him as well. Maybe they'd have some solid advice. 

“Ugh, I know it's stupid, but I feel like Seonghwa is my soulmate. Ever since I met them, I'm like– I don't even know. My brain isn't working anymore. I keep making silly mistakes and everything they saw of me so far was pure stupidity. You know I'm better than that. Why can't I be normal around them? I just wanna show them I'm relationship material. But I feel like I'm not. Seonghwa probably thinks I'm useless.” 

Byeoli and Rami shared a look that didn't tell Hongjoong anything at all, and before he knew what was happening, the bunny hopped over to him and bonked his knee with her head a few times. 

“I have no idea what you're trying to tell me, but you're cute as hell, aren't you?”

“What she's trying to tell you is that you're stupid. I really don't know why though. I'm missing context.” 

Hongjoong shrieked as he suddenly heard Seonghwa's voice behind him, and when he turned around, they were standing there with the biggest grin on their face. 

“Seonghwa-ya! Sorry, I just– I got distracted. I get dressed right away,” he apologized, already halfway up trying to run over to their closet, but Seonghwa held onto his hand before he could run off. 

“Yah. Wait.” 

For a mere second, he was worried that Seonghwa had heard the entirety of his monologue, but when he turned around, looking right into their bright, beautiful face, he didn't even care anymore. 

“Yeah?” 

Seonghwa pulled him right back, twirling him around once while they laughed happily, then pulled him into a close hug. Oh, that was the most wonderful feeling in the universe. 

“Nothing. I just wanted to do that. I got us takeout. Honestly, I'm kinda glad, I'd much rather sit on the couch with you anyway. Let's get comfy.” 

And just like that, Hongjoong's bad mood was gone. Seonghwa wasn't even mad. They were happy to be home with him rather than at the restaurant. And if he was perfectly honest, Hongjoong was fine with that, too. 

“Oh. Alright. I'm glad I didn't ruin the evening by making my clothes disappear.”

Seonghwa laughed. 

“No. Hongjoong, I honestly don't care where we are as long as we're together. Also those minion boxer shorts are adorable. Come with me, I'll give you something nice and comfortable to wear. And then, we eat.” 

That sounded perfect. Seonghwa pulled him along by his hand, and Hongjoong found himself dressed in a fluffy sweater and some baggy pants a moment later. Additionally, after Seonghwa had put on some pyjamas as well, they put a comfortable blanket over both of them, then decided to transfigure their couch table so it had the perfect height for them to eat. The food smelled simply heavenly. 

“Yeah. That is a lot better,” he admitted, gently resting his head on Seonghwa's shoulder and was welcomed with a gentle side hug. It was weird, really. Whenever Seonghwa wasn't around, Hongjoong worried. Worried that they might not like him, that they wouldn't end up together, that whatever they started to build was going to shit, but once Seonghwa was there, his worries were gone. Their company was so warm and loving, there was no space left to worry, and maybe that was exactly what Hongjoong needed. 

꧁✮..🔮..✮꧂

When Hongjoong woke up in Seonghwa's arms the next morning, he felt like he was burning up. Somehow, they had managed to snuggle up against him at some point, and as if their ungodly high body temperature wasn't enough, both Byeoli and Rami had decided to lay down on top of him as well. Hongjoong wanted to enjoy it, really wanted to, but he was melting and his throat was as dry as the desert. Still… It was nice. Calm. It felt a little like they were a family. 

“Hey. Hey. Seonghwa. Wake up. Please? You're so warm,” Hongjoong tried to wake them, but instead, they only snuggled closer. And since they slept completely naked, Hongjoong could feel everything. 

“Park Seonghwaaaaaa… wake up!” 

Not a chance. Seonghwa didn't even flinch. Alright, if that didn't work, Hongjoong had to cool himself down differently, especially now that he started feeling aroused from the fact that Seonghwa was pressing their morning wood against his upper leg. 

Since he couldn't reach his wand, he just tried to conjure a light breeze with his bare hands. Maybe he wouldn't be able to align it properly, but it should work nonetheless. Or so he thought. 

The expected light breeze did work out, managing to cool him down, but unfortunately, it was quickly followed by the appearance of a rather large cloud as well. 

“No. No! Stop it. Stop!” 

Finally, Seonghwa opened their eyes as well, looking a little sleep-drunk and very confused, but when rain started pouring down on them, their expressions changed. For once, they looked mildly pissed. 

“Hey, Hongjoong-ah? Why exactly did you think waking up to a cloud pouring cold rain water on us is a good idea?” they asked, and Hongjoong let out an earth shattering sigh. 

“You were so warm. And you just didn't wake up so I wanted a cold breeze and… what I got was a cloud. And rain. I'm sorry.” 

Hongjoong reached for his wand then, now easily able to stop the rain again. He went on to dry everything up, and by the time he was done, Byeoli and Rami were fully awake, too, happily playing in the last small puddle he had missed to clean up. 

“Well, that was definitely an experience. Haven't been rained on while still in bed yet. Breakfast?” they asked, again absolutely unbothered by his shenanigans, and slowly Hongjoong was wondering how they were doing it. 

“Sure. But, um– okay, be honest with me here, how are you not annoyed? I feel like– Well, I…” 

“Yeah?” 

Hongjoong sighed. 

“I keep screwing up. All you've ever seen me do is screw up. So why are you still putting up with it? I mean it, how are you not annoyed? The day we met, I turned a building into a temple – it's still there by the way – and I ruined your tree, vanished my clothes and ruined our date and now I flooded your apartment.” 

Seonghwa just grinned, then stretched extensively while letting out a bunch of cute noises before they placed a hand on Hongjoong's shoulder, gently squeezing it. 

“So? I know you're clumsy. I like it. Those little surprises definitely make life more fun and colorful. Also, I'm aware that you're still nervous around me. It'll pass. Alright, now breakfast.” 

Hongjoong wanted to protest, wanted to let them know that he wasn't even remotely nervous, but that would have been a big, fat lie. He was nervous. And not just a little. But how couldn't he be? While Seonghwa's entire presence was rather soothing, they were also just incredibly beautiful, and Hongjoong was always nervous around beautiful people. Especially when they were also soft and talented and just perfect. 

But none of this was his actual problem. Somehow, Seonghwa knew. Apparently, they just knew everything about him and how he felt, but how? 

“Are you a mind-reader, Seonghwa-ya?” Hongjoong asked before having a second thought on how stupid that sounded, but Seonghwa simply looked confused at his question. 

“Not even remotely. I mean, I took a divination class at school at some point, but I don't have the gift. Why do you ask?” 

“Because… you know too much!” 

Seonghwa raised their eyebrows, pushed the blanket away and stepped out of bed as if it wouldn't make Hongjoong even more flustered to look at their naked body. God, Seonghwa was so stunning, no matter if they were a girl, a boy or neither. 

“Oh, my little Hongjoongie. I know so much because you're an open book to me,” they said, reaching for their dressing gown and putting it on. That was better. In a way. At least a lot less distracting. 

“But-but… Hmpf. If you say so. But I'm sure you don't know everything about me.” 

“Yet. But I will, at some point. And I want to. Hey. Don't be so grumpy. Rather tell me what you want for breakfast.” 

Of course there was no actual reason for Hongjoong to be grumpy, but sometimes he felt like everyone knew more than him. Especially Seonghwa. They behaved as if they knew something that Hongjoong didn't, and by now it was driving him mad. 

“I don't know. Anything is fine. But, Seonghwa, do you… Okay, seriously, I… Just tell me? Please? You're always so cryptic and I don't understand what you mean half the time and I'm–”

“Hongjoong. Calm down. It's all fine. If you're ready, you'll tell me.” 

“Tell you what, Seonghwa? What am I supposed to tell you? I don't– I–” 

Hongjoong took a deep breath and got out of bed, then he walked over to Seonghwa, at least trying to look brave. Seonghwa, on the other hand, was simply amused. As always. 

“Please. Tell me. I want to understand what's going on. I didn't understand a thing for a while now,” Hongjoong admitted, unfortunately sounding a little less put together than he had planned to. However, he really had enough of Seonghwa secret-mongering. Of course he had a rough idea, but if he was wrong about it, there was a realistic chance he'd destroy a beautiful friendship. And that… No. Despite not knowing Seonghwa for long, he couldn't imagine how terrible he'd feel if he ruined what they were building by making the wrong assumptions. 

Seonghwa, on the other hand, seemed as care-free as ever. It was enviable in a way. 

A broad grin on their face, they walked over to Hongjoong and placed both hands on his shoulders, leaning down to press a gentle kiss on his forehead. A warm shudder ran through Hongjoong's entire body. What a lovely feeling this was. 

“Ohh…” 

“There's always a million things in your head, right? You worry, you overthink, and you definitely think too much. But at the same time, this is what makes you so beautifully creative. Still, just for a moment, why don't you shut off your brain and listen to your heart, hm? And then tell me, just this once, what your heart has been whispering this entire time.” 

Hongjoong opened his mouth, but then closed it again immediately. How was he supposed to do that? How could he know which thought came from where exactly? But maybe, that was the problem. Maybe that's what Seonghwa meant, maybe he shouldn't think, but how did one not think? 

“I-I-I don't know, I–”

“Hey. You know. You've known this entire time. Just like Byeoli and Rami knew.” 

Seonghwa's arms were still wrapped around his neck as Hongjoong turned his head to look over to check on the two familiars. They were once again wrapped around each other in a fluffy ball. Rami hated other animals. Rami didn't like being touched by anyone but Hongjoong, and yet, here he was. In a way, he was just like Hongjoong himself. He also didn't like to receive affection, and yet, here he stood, Seonghwa's arms wrapped around his neck, the feeling of their kiss lingering on his forehead, and he loved it. Loved it so much it almost hurt him physically. That was what his heart told him. He wanted to be with Seonghwa every second of every day. And slowly, it became clearer. The more he felt and stopped thinking, the more he understood. 

“Seonghwa, I think… No. I feel like… I feel like you're my other half. I feel like you belong to me, but I also feel scared.”

Seonghwa's smile vanished as they placed one hand on Hongjoong's cheek, slowly shaking their head. 

“If you feel like this, then why are you scared?” 

“Because… what if I'm not what you want? I'm so clumsy and I make mistakes when I'm nervous and I'm barely ever able to focus and… you're a real adult, you're so put together and I'm just… I'm just me.” 

Slowly, Seonghwa's smile reappeared and they leaned forward once more, this time further down as they pressed their lips onto Hongjoong's for the first time. It was wonderful. It made Hongjoong feel things he had never felt before. The most wonderful moment of his life. Seonghwa's lips were so soft and their kiss was filled with love. It nearly brought him to tears. It was over way too quickly for his taste. 

“You really do think too much. And just so you know, I meant I when I said I hoped it would be you.” 

Hongjoong had hoped to be kissed by Seonghwa again, but apparently, he had misinterpreted the situation. They let go of him and simply walked into the kitchen then, starting to prepare the food. This was confusing. Were they a couple now? 

“Seonghwa?” 

“Yes?” 

Hongjoong walked after them, halting right next to them where he started to fidget with his fingers. 

“Are we… Do you feel the same? I still don't know what you mean when you say you had hoped it would be me. I don't understand…” 

Seonghwa stopped in their tracks and put the bowl of rice down they had started to wash, slowly turning over to Hongjoong again. It made him feel a tiny bit stupid, still not understanding what Seonghwa meant, but when they finally started to explain, life turned brighter with every word they said. 

“Hongjoongie. Do you still not understand? Don't you know? I thought you'd figure it out on your own, but if you're really that insecure and scared after all of this, I'll tell you. There's a saying that a witch's familiar immediately recognizes its owner's soulmate. I had a feeling it could be you that day we met, and Rami confirmed my suspicion. Byeoli then, too. She never exposes her belly to anyone but me, but she rolled over the second she met you. Don't you see? We were supposed to meet. We belong. You and me. Everyone knows it, everyone sees it. Why don't you? Why are you still so scared? You don't need to be scared. I'm not going away.” 

Once Seonghwa was done speaking, they continued to wash the rice as if they hadn't just told him the biggest revelation of all time, and Hongjoong needed a moment to digest all of this. So this was what they had been talking about. Of course he had wondered why Rami was so fond of Seonghwa when he usually disliked everyone else, but he simply hadn't figured that there was an actual meaning behind it. So Seonghwa was his soulmate. Seonghwa liked him. That was wonderful. So, so wonderful. 

“Seonghwa, I– argh.” 

Hongjoong didn't manage to speak right now. Instead, he wrapped both his arms around Seonghwa from behind, pressing his face onto their back as hard as he could.

“I like you! I like you so much and I'm so happy!” he yelled into the cloth of their dressing gown, squeezing Seonghwa so hard that they let out a mildly pained noise. 

“Sorry…” Hongjoong whispered, loosening his grip a little, and then, Seonghwa started to laugh almost maniacally. 

“Hongjoongie! What are you doing? Haha, look at that! Oh, I love that, don't stop now!” 

He slowly let go of Seonghwa, looking around to see what they meant, and when he noticed what he had done, he gasped audibly.

“Oh god, what's happening? I didn't mean to do that.” 

All around Seonghwa's flat, flowers had started to grow, and not just a few. The entire floor was covered by them, all kinds of flowers in different shapes and colors sprouting from every last cranny, and he couldn't deny it looked amazing. 

“I love it. Oh Hongjoong, I love your magic. This is beautiful…” 

Seonghwa turned around to have a proper look at the flowers that were sprouting everywhere, then they turned back to face Hongjoong, smiling happily with a few tears in their eyes. 

“I love it… this… you created this purely from your happiness. From your love. Just by feeling, Hongjoong, I'm… I'm speechless.” 

They leaned closer to Hongjoong, quickly wiping their hands on their dressing gown before they pulled him into the biggest hug, and Hongjoong returned it right away. 

“Seonghwa, these things… They just happen. They always just happened, even when I was a child,” he admitted, gently cooing when Seonghwa placed one hand in his hair. 

“I can imagine that. You're powerful, Hongjoong. Your magic just flows with your emotions. I truly believe you could achieve everything you set your mind to. It's enviable, but I'm glad it's you who holds that power. You're genuinely a good person.” 

Hongjoong tightened his embrace and buried his face in the soft cloth of their dressing gown. How did they always know how to make him feel so good, even when he let things like this happen unplanned? How did they always manage to love what he was doing without getting mad? It made him feel so good, so… loved. 

“My Seonghwa. I want to be an even better person just for you. I'm so glad you love my magic. You're the first one who ever said that to me. My Seonghwa… I think I.. I love you.” 

“I love you, too… let's be happy together always.” 

“Yes… Always.”

Neither of them noticed it right away, but while they stood there, holding each other in a tight embrace, a circle of beautiful marigolds started blooming around them. Seonghwa had left them right there, preserving them in space and time in the middle of their kitchen, even after all the other flowers were long gone and their tree had grown as big as the last one. Those marigolds would always be right there as a reminder of the day they've decided to make this eternity. A reminder that it was always and forever: Seonghwa and Hongjoong.