Archive of Our Own ^beta

“This is preposterous.” Yoongi dropped the folder file on his desk, looking around the room exasperatedly. “He's gone and done it again.”

“Who did what, Yoongichi?” Seokjin asked distractedly, without taking his eyes off the pages spread out in front of him.

“Who do you reckon?” Namjoon finished folding a paper plane and tapped it with his wand, sending it whooshing out of their shared office.

“That Jeon kid!” Yoongi thundered, grabbing back the file and flipping through its pages again with disdain. “Why does he need a protective spell on his broom now? He's a keeper, for Merlin's sake, he should protect himself with his hands!”

“That sounds like a perfectly decent request in my opinion.” Seokjin still didn't remove his eyes from his own work and Yoongi groaned in frustration.

“You know he can't use his own broom at games hyung, he probably needs the extra protection for common transport.” Namjoon was smiling, the asshole, without stopping to fold the paper planes for his memos. Why he didn't use magic to fold them too was a mystery.

“I'm rejecting his request.” At this, both Namjoon and Seokjin snapped their eyes towards the head of their small department.

Flying Permits & Superintendence was supposed to have four employees but there were only three of them since Yoongi took over the department. The main office kept telling Yoongi to hire someone else but he was intent on not doing so. Namjoon and Seokjin did more than a good job, thank you very much.

Besides, the office was much too small to accommodate anyone else. Never mind if the table on the corner of the office went unused.

“Yoongi, you know that's a perfectly standard request,” Seokjin looked honestly confused, which made Yoongi grunt. “You didn't reject him when he imported that special core from Malaysia! Why would you reject this?”

“Because he's gotten on my nerves, that's why.” Yoongi stamped REJECTED with red ink on the folder and threw it on the pile to be sent back out. “He can send an appeal if he doesn't like my judgment.”

“Hyung…” Namjoon shared a look with Seokjin and Yoongi clicked his tongue. “You're the one that goes through the appeals.”

"He already asked for too many mods. There is such a thing as too many spells on a broom, you know."

Seokjin and Namjoon looked at each other again.

“Whatever," Yoongi huffed. "I'll think about it again if he insists.” Namjoon and Seokjin shared yet another aggravating look. “Hey, stop it you two, I hate it when you're secretive.”

“It's no secret hyung,” Namjoon laughed. “You know Jungkook is going to flip out.”

☄

“Excuse me,” A knock drew the attention of the three officers towards the entrance of their office, where a man bowed before speaking again. “Which one of you is in charge?”

Yoongi's left eye twitched. Standing in the doorway of their little office stood none other than Jeon Jungkook, goalkeeper of South Korea's national quidditch team, bronze medalist of the world's quidditch cup just two weeks ago. He was clad in his uniform, minus the helmet, game broomstick in one hand and a letter in the other.

Seokjin and Namjoon bowed, the latter doing a weak wave—that earned a brief smile in return—, before pointing towards the one to blame.

Yoongi cleared his throat, made sure his expression was blank and professional like always (it was), and nodded before speaking. “Can I help you?”

The man narrowed his eyes. “Yes, I'd like to file an appeal for my request of a protective spell on my broom.”

“Did you fill in another request form?”

The man was tall, his legs seemed to go for miles in those absurd tight uniform pants, and his jaw was working something fierce. “No, I came straight from practice.”

“I can see.” Yoongi took a blank form in his papers and gestured for the man to come closer. “Please.”

“Is this really necessary, sunbaenim? I'm right here.” The keeper swaggered inside the office, making the room seem even more cramped in his presence.

Yoongi shrugged, apparently unaffected by the much larger man's overbearing aura and the honorific. “Bureaucracy.”

The man scoffed, took a quill and the form from Yoongi's hands, and leaned on his table to fill it, broom now resting by the wall. “This is such—” The man stopped himself at Yoongi's glare. They stared at each other for a tense moment, but then the keeper sighed and started filling the blanks with his furious and messy handwriting.

“Jeon!” Another man suddenly showed up at the door, out of breath and with a tight smile. “There you are kid, I told you not to run off like that!”

“Not now, Hobi.” The keeper grumbled his attention still on the form.

“Hyung, Hobi-hyung.” The man corrected automatically with a wave of his hand, like this was something he often said to deaf ears, and then bowed to those present in the small office. “I'm sorry for barging in like this; I'm Jung Hoseok, assistant coach of the national team. He isn't in trouble is he? He flew off as soon as he read that letter.”

“He isn't supposed to be, no.” Namjoon stood and offered the man a chair, who smiled and threw himself on it, looking thoroughly out of breath. “I'm Kim Namjoon and that's Kim Seokjin.”

The assistant coach bowed again and then started fanning himself. “You guys sure are hidden down here, aren't you? It took me forever to find this department.”

“We don't get many visitors.” Seokjin wrung his hands, as if he was unsure how to proceed after bowing politely.

“Done.” Jungkook slapped his form on top of something Yoongi was reading and the head of the department simply eyed him. “Can I get the ward now?”

“I'll have to look over the rule book again.”

“Sunbaenim, c'mon! Of course I can get a protective spell on my broom, that's super standard.”

“Bureaucracy.” Yoongi shrugged again.

“Well, your hair looks stupid.” Jungkook grabbed his broom and stormed out of the small office, his manager scrambling behind him.

☄

“What was that?” Hoseok caught up to Jungkook's long strides once they got in line to the floo fireplaces. “Do you know the head of the Flying Department? I've never seen you be that rude to anyone!”

“We went to school together. Namjoon-hyung too.” Jungkook said through his teeth.

“He's never going to give you the ward after this.” Hoseok got some floo powder while Jungkook stepped into the hearth. “Hey, but didn't you study abroad?”

“I did.”

“Small world, eh?” Hoseok clasped Jungkook's shoulder, a smile back on his face.

“Too small.” Jungkook muttered before Hoseok said the address to their practice field, bracing himself to spin in the green flames.

☄

“He did what?”

“He called the guy's hair ugly!” Hoseok stage whispered.

Jungkook scowled, still waxing his game broom while Jimin cackled and clapped his hands, Taehyung's eyes glittering at him.

“That's brilliant!” Jimin howled. “Why was hyung so mean?!”

“Was his hair really that ugly?” Taehyung asked, amusement clear on his face.

“No!” Hoseok almost choked in the word. “He had this really light blond hair, it was messy and cool, with a parted fringe and everything!”

“He's always pretending to be a jerk.” Jungkook huffed. “And I called his dyed hair stupid, not ugly.”

“So he isn't actually a jerk?” Taehyung asked, voice muffled from inside his shirt as he undressed; each item of discarted clothing was thrown straight to Hoseok's face, who picked, and folded, the items without a flinch.

Jimin snorted at Taehyung's rudeness, but then turned tilted his head and asked, "Does that mean his hair wasn't ugly?"

Jungkook glared at Jimin, who threw a smirk his way in response. “It was the same thing back at Hogwarts.” Jungkook moved to take off his boots, a deep frown now on his face. “It was like he didn't want people to know he could be nice.”

“He was hella nice when he let you import that special core from Malaysia.” Jimin stated matter-of-factly, as he undressed so he could follow Taehyung into the showers. He did fold his own sweaty uniform, though, handing it in a neat pile to the assistant-coach, who, as a matter of fact, was not in charge of laundry in any shape or form. “C'mon, hyung" Jimin nudged Jungkook's shoulder as he walked past him. "stop moping, everyone's already showering, don't wanna miss dinner.”

☄

“So what was the deal with Yoongi and the quidditch player yesterday?” Seokjin asked conspiratorially on the next day over tea, when it was too early for Yoongi to arrive in his usual squinting form.

Namjoon took a long gulp of his warm drink and hummed. “Yoongi and Jungkook haven't spoken since we were in school, more or less.”

“I didn't know they even knew each other.” Seokjin rested his mug on the corner of his table, the only spot not overflowing with forms. “Or that he went to school with you guys, for that matter.”

“They were both in the same house so they were bound to know each other really.”

Namjoon picked a biscuit from the box opened between them, careful not to drop any crumbs and set off Yoongi's wrath further.

“What happened, then?” Seokjin slurped his tea, making a Namjoon grimace.

“Gross, hyun. Anyway, that's the mystery. Yoongi was a prefect, and then head boy, I've told you that, right?” Seokjin nodded eagerly. “Right. So he usually took care of the kids, in his own way, and he was always getting Jungkook out of trouble because that kid, trust me, he started all shy and cute but then he did such an one-eighty on us.”

“A what?” Seokjin shook his head. “Never mind, keep going.”

“Right, so during Yoongi's seventh year they really got close but right after Yoongi graduated Jungkook was scouted, he didn't even finish Hogwarts, you know?” Seokjin nodded, encouraging Namjoon to tell more. “And then whenever I talked about Jungkook hyung got weird so I stopped trying. Around that same time, Jungkook got really busy with being a professional quidditch player and stopped answering my letters, too, so I sort of stopped trying talking to him." He drank some more tea and shrugged. "That's it, that's all I have.”

“That's… That's sad.” Seokjin sighed, placing his cup on the table.

“Yeah,” Namjoon shrugged again. “I think so, too.”

☄

Jungkook was practicing penalties with Taehyung when an unknown owl approached him on the second day of waiting. It was flying decidedly in his direction, so Jungkook signaled the chaser and landed his broom. The owl was a big northern whiteface with serious orange eyes. She landed on Jungkook's shoulder and dropped an envelope into his hand.

He read the whole thing holding his breath and re-read the last sentence three times:

The ward can be cast by you, if you feel equipped to do so. If not, an employee of the department can cast it for you.

Best regards,

Min Yoongi

Head of the Flying Permits & Superintendence Department

PS: The owl pecks.

Jungkook side-eyed the owl resting all peaceful and regal on his shoulder: it looked far too stoic to do such a thing, and it with her furry beak and cute ears, she didn't look much dangerous.

“Can you wait a minute, miss? I want to send you back with my answer, is that ok?”

The bird cooed in response and Jungkook went to Hoseok ask for a quill and ink.

☄

“Jeon Jungkook is coming by later today.”

“What?” Namjoon was reading files while stirring his tea half-heartedly and not paying attention to Yoongi at all. “Sorry, I didn't hear.”

Namjoon looked up in time to see Yoongi click his tongue. “Jeon. I wrote him the standard 'if you aren't equipped, an employee can cast the ward for you' crap and he asked if he can come by later today.”

“Sure,” Namjoon put his spoon in his mouth and thought for a moment. “I don't have anything later; tell him to come by at five.”

Yoongi pushed his chair back and mussed even more his ever-messy hair. “And he fucking said in his PS that Valentina didn't peck him.”

“Valentina didn't peck him??” Seokjin looked up from his own work, eyebrows raised. “But she hates everyone! I've never even touched her.”

“He's probably lying just to get on my nerves.” Yoongi eyed the offending owl, looking betrayed.

“That's hardly the case, Valentina likes you after all. That proves she's capable of affection.” Namjoon waved dismissively. “I'll write him to set up the time if the thought is so aggravating for you.”

“Don't be a brat, Kim Namjoon.”

“I'm just doing my job, hyung.”

☄

“Where are you going dressed all nice like that, hyung?” Jimin looked up from his chaser's playbook from his place on Jungkook's bed, once Jungkook came out of the bathroom wearing... just jeans. He wasn't sure what was nice about them.

“The ministry. Since we have the afternoon off, I'm gonna go get that ward on my broom.”

“Why don't you ask for Hobi-hyung to cast it for you? I'm sure he knows how.”

“I'd rather have it done by Namjoon. It's his job to cast these anyway, so.” Jungkook shrugged, rummaging his drawer for a presentable shirt.

Jimin rested his chin on his hand, the book no longer interesting. “He was the smart one when you were in school, right?”

Jungkook scoffed and threw his wet towel on Jimin's head, making him yelp. “He's a know-it-all, that's what he is.”

“Would you've been one too if you'd graduated Hogwarts?”

“Yah, Park Jimin, show some respect!” Jungkook pulled the towel from Jimin's head to see him smiling cheekily. “And no, Yoongi-hyung graduated Hogwarts and he isn't like that.” Jimin wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Really Jimin, what are you even doing in my room? Go pester Tae or something.”

Jimin dragged himself out of the bed and pouted. “Is hyung going to forget all about me now that you're talking to your boyfriend again?”

“He was never my boyfriend, Jimin get out of my room.” Jungkook fixed his hair in front of the mirror, muttering to himself. “Why is Jooheon never here when I need him to kick this brat out?”

Jimin stood by the door. “But hyung, didn't you tell me that Min Yoongi was the one that—”

Jungkook snapped back at Jimin. “Taehyung-ah!” He shouted loud enough for the entire dorm to hear. “Jiminie is the one who stained your favorite shirt!”

Jimin's eyes went as wide as saucers when a resounding what boomed through the apartment and he scrambled out of the room shouting back. “Hyung is lying! Tae, I had nothing to do with that!”

☄

“Kook!” Yoongi turned his eyes from his work, when Namjoon's voice echoed from the hallway, just outside their office. “Are you going to properly talk to me this time?”

“Hey, Nams.” Jungkook sounded completely different from how he did the other day. “Sorry for that, we haven't talked in too long.” He started talking animatedly with Namjoon; listening to them poke fun at each other like they used to made Yoongi's breath hitch in his chest.

Yoongi noticed Seokjin watching him but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the door, dreading every second until Namjoon brought Jungkook inside after they talked a little.

“...Here, put your broom here, no one uses this desk.”

The keeper greeted Seokjin with a polite bow, but only nodded towards Yoongi. So he was still a brat and was still mad at Yoongi, great. To make matters worse, Jungkook was wearing regular clothes— stupid skinny jeans and a shirt tight over his chest.

“The spell is a little complex but it doesn't take long; make yourself comfortable.” Namjoon smiled before starting to mutter softly, turning his full attention to the broom.

Jungkook looked around, inspecting the office while he had nothing better to do and still Yoongi stared at him. Seokjin was probably watching him watch the keeper, but Yoongi continued to pretended not to notice.

“How have you been?” Yoongi's question surprised not only himself, but also everyone else in the room. Jungkook messed his bangs before turning towards Yoongi with a squint.

“I still practice extensively and live in a dorm with four guys and two loud-ass girls after not winning the cup.” Jungkook crossed his arms over his broad chest. “You can guess.”

Yoongi hummed thoughtfully. “I can't believe those two are the first women ever in the national team.” He sighed, resting his chin on his hand and ignoring the bite in Jungkook's voice.

“Jennie's the best seeker I've ever seen and Lisa fits with Jimin and Taehyung like no one else could; they are as good as the others and just as hard working.” Jungkook raised his chin, looking down at Yoongi with burning eyes.

“That's not what I said kid, stop being so defensive.” Yoongi grumbled, which was probably not a very professional tone. “I just meant that I can't believe that it took all this time for South Korea to have women in its national team when quidditch is a unisex sport.”

“Big changes can be slow, but they do come if we don't settle for less.” Jungkook looked at Yoongi pointedly, as he was daring him to say something else.

Yoongi clicked his tongue and crossed his arms as well, his glare burning holes on Jungkook's face. The look on Yoongi's eyes was something foreign to Seokjin, who had stopped what he was doing altogether in order to watch the interaction unfold before him. Yoongi was usually very reserved and almost… almost lethargic. Even though he coordinated their department flawlessly, Seokjin knew Yoongi's heart was not in it.

Yoongi was different from Namjoon, who seemed to find content with beaurecratic work and happiness in his spare time, even if they seemed to each be a side of the same coin. Seokjin had been working with them for two years now, ever since the new minister took over and the panel of employees of a few departments was renewed and he joined Flying Permits. At first, he felt as if he was a third wheel or something, like he didn't fit in with Yoongi and Namjoon's dynamic, one built on years of friendship, but soon he brushed those worries away. Soon they formed a companionship that can only come from conspiring against the dull ache of working for The Man together.

Taking all those things in consideration, Seokjin knew that Yoongi was maybe a little sad more often than not and, so, this was the first time he saw such fire in his supervisor's eye. Namjoon didn't tell everything about Yoongi's relationship with Jeon Jungkook the other day, maybe he really didn't know all the details, but seeing Jungkook stare at Yoongi with nothing but anger and what? Resentment. Paired with the way the head of their department looked back was something Seokjin couldn't quite decipher, but he was sure meant a world of history.

And, maybe, Seokjin was a little too curious for his own good.

“Jungkook-ssi,” Seokjin called, interrupting the staring contest taking place on the other side of their small office and successfully getting the keeper's attention. “It's almost closing time and we're having drinks at a nearby bar, would you like to join?”

Jungkook's mouth hung open and Namjoon looked at them from his spell casting and smiled. “Oh! Great idea, Jin-hyung! You should come, Kook.”

“Uhm.” Jungkook scratched the back of his head, looking from Seokjin to Namjoon. “I don't know Nams, I already told the cap I'd go to the team's get-together in a pub near our dorms.”

“I'm done.” Namjoon flourished his wand one last time and turned towards Jungkook. “Hey, that's even better man, is it okay if we join?”

☄

“We shouldn't be here.” Yoongi stage-whispered, maybe for the millionth time, struggling against the tight embrace his co-workers had on him; each with an arm around his shoulders.

Jin pouted slightly and clasped Yoongi's shoulder tighter. “Don't be such a downer Yoongichi, Jungkook-ssi invited us!”

They made their way inside a barbecue restaurant, the smell of meat sweet and rich. Most tables were filled with people drinking and sizzling their bulgogi on portable grills. It was a wizarding place, if the way the waiters had dishes floating around was any sign. The restaurant must have had some kind of charm to keep non-magical folk away, because it was right in the middle of downtown. Yoongi had no idea how he never even heard about the place.

“Yeah, after loudmouth on the left practically forced him to.” Yoongi muttered, throwing his hands up. “Jungkook obviously didn't want to join our depressing round of drinks to talk shit about our shitty jobs, and he invited us just to be polite! Joon I can't believe you accepted!”

“That's not true. You know Jungkook would flat out refuse us if we couldn't come.”

“You made him uncomfortable!” Yoongi ran a hand over his face in frustration, while Namjoon looked around.

“No, that's what you do.” Namjoon whispered just when Seokjin started waving.

“There! They're in the back.”

They were in the back indeed. Hoseok-ssi, the assistant-coach, was waving back at Seokjin from a large table where other seven people sat. Its occupants were so loud, that it was a wonder the ministry workers didn't notice them first thing upon entering.

The three approached the large table and Yoongi recognized those as the steps of No Return.

“Everyone,” Hoseok got up and raised his voice to get the team's attention. “This is Min Yoongi, Kim Namjoon and Kim Seokjin, they're from the Flying Permits & Superintendent department and our Jungkook-ah's school friends, please be nice to them!” Hoseok smiled proudly when the team greeted and bowed politely. “I don't need to introduce the team, do I?”

Seokjin laughed brightly and shook his head, bowing a few times. “We watched the decisive game of this year's cup, it was really impressive. You guys should’ve won.”

“I'm Son Hyunwoo.” The team's captain and first beater stood up promptly, bowing politely to the trio. “It would've been more impressive if we had won. Please, sit. Any friend of Jungkook's is a friend of my team.”

“Thank you!” Seokjin smiled. He looked too happy for Yoongi's liking.

“Hi, hyungs.” Jungkook nodded from the end of the table and smiled, gesturing for Namjoon to take the seat across from him, who awkwardly greeted everyone and sat. Seokjin sat next to him and next to Jennie Kim, still smiling with over excitement.

Leaving the only vacant seats the one between Jungkook and the other head of the table, so of course Yoongi moved to sit on the head.

“Oh, sorry Yoongi-ssi, only the captain and the coach can take the head seat.” Hoseok waved apologetically. “Even if the coach and the technical committee couldn't come today, no one takes his place.”

“Call me hyung if you're below ‘93.” Yoongi grumbled, taking the sit next to Jungkook reluctantly, but turning towards him nonetheless. “Hey kid, sorry for barging in.”

Jungkook looked at him from his talk with Park Jimin with a loose smile and Yoongi narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“It's ok hyung, you're welcome here.”

“Kim Seokjin is a quidditch fanboy, he saw an opportunity and grabbed it like a lifeline. You could've said no.”

“We gotta take what we can, right?” Jungkook smiled even wider and Yoongi eyed the keeper's glass.

“What are you drinking?”

“Well, fire whiskey of course.”

“Are you even old enough to drink?”

Jungkook scoffed. “I'm less than a whole year younger than you hyung. Even our maknae can already drink, right Lisa!?” The keeper shouted the last part and the table erupted with cheers for the chaser, who raised her glass with a triumphant smile.

Jungkook got up and ruffled the girl's hair over Jimin, who yelped at being toppled over and tried to protect her, slapping Jungkook's hands away. Yoongi elbowed the keeper on the hips to make him sit back down. “Aish, when did you grow so tall?”

“After my sixteenth birthday,” Jungkook plopped back down on his seat. “Around the same time you stopped talking to me.” The keeper hiccupped, shrugged and turned back to his conversation with the chaser on his right, leaving Yoongi dumbfounded.

“Must've been out of spite then.” Yoongi muttered to himself, coming face to face to the assistant coach.

“Here, hyung.” Hoseok poured him a glass of soju with a sympathetic smile. “It's Friday night.”

Yoongi shrugged and downed the glass in one go. He could use making a few bad alcohol induced decisions.

☄

Yoongi's head hurt and he felt like the dead.

“Bloody hell.” Yoongi snapped his eyes shut after the assault the light made on his head. He was lying on an unfamiliar couch and he covered his face with his hand. “Ssi-bal.”

“Are you hangover?”

Yoongi jumped up at the sudden voice and looked to the side with wide eyes. The entire room was spinning and Yoongi almost puked his guts out before recognizing the man sitting on the floor right next to his face, hand relaxing on his wand. Why had he even slept holding it?? Most importantly, had this person been watching him sleep?

“Shit.” Yoongi threw himself backwards on the couch, putting his arm over his eyes and tucking his wand into his pocket. He allowed himself a moment before turning his head to the side and confirming that the man was still there. “Kim Taehyung-ssi.”

Taehyung wore what looked like pajamas, a pink shirt with multiple holes and loose black pants. His hair stood up in the back and he smiled with his nose scrunched up, clearly trying to contain a laugh.

“Yoongi-hyungnim.” The quidditch player offered Yoongi vial of hungover potion, which he accepted.

“Thank you.” Yoongi nodded his throbbing head before downing the entire vial and grimacing deeply at the aftertaste. “Why am I here?”

Yoongi's mouth tasted like a gutter and his stomach felt awful. He felt disgusting and probably needed to drink a lot more water.

“We tried sending you home, but you said you couldn't let Jungkook go again.” Taehyung shrugged. “So we brought you to our dorm.”

“I said what?” Yoongi looked up again, this time clutching the cushions for support.

“I think only Hyunwoo-hyung and I heard you say that, so you don't have to worry.” Taehyung took the vial from Yoongi's hand carefully, as if he was worried the man would break it from clutching too hard. “We're good at keeping secrets, if that's the case.”

“The‒ The case? Why didn't Namjoon and Jin stop me??”

“Oh, they tried. But I think Seokjin-hyungnim took it a little personally when you tried to punch him in the face. You tried hexing them first, of course, but Namjoon-hyung took your wand so you tried punching him, too.”

“I tried to what?” Another wave of nausea hit Yoongi and he covered his mouth quickly. No hungover potion could keep this type of nausea away.

“Are you going to puke? Please don't throw up on our sofa.” Taehyung scrambled up. “Let's go to the bathroom!” The chaser took Yoongi in his arms, bridal-style, and raced out of the living room, which absolutely did nothing to help with the queasiness.

The chaser plopped Yoongi next to the toilet before it was too late and patted Yoongi's back soothingly while he puked his soul out.

“If it's any consolation, you only tried hexing and punching your friend because he suggested you ask Jungkook-hyung on a date today.” Taehyung rubbed Yoongi's back some more while he retched even harder, before remembering to add something. “Oh, but hyung wasn't even close by to listen.”

“Why would Jin even suggest that?” Yoongi croaked after emptying his stomach's contents and rested his face on the cool porcelain.

The bathroom was large and clearly meant to accommodate many people at once, even though it looked like no one could get much privacy in there. The house was mostly silent around them, thank Bhudda for that, and Yoongi's head throbbed.

“That's not sanitary.” Taehyung scrunched his nose and gently pulled Yoongi away to flush the toilet. “Your other friend was kinda tipsy too; he said something about you and hyung being school sweethearts. I think that's why they started saying those things.”

“Me and Jin-hyung?” Yoongi furrowed his brow and let Taehyung help him up.

“No, silly, you and Jungkook-hyung.” Taehyung opened one of the taps and put his hand in the water. “Namjoon-hyungnim said you two needed to make amends.” He ran his now wet palm across Yoongi's face and the man grunted, but leaned into the cool touch.

Yoongi wavered on his feet and leaned against Taehyung's side a little harder. “I think I'm still drunk, you're talking nonsense.”

“Yeah, you are.” Taehyung snickered. “Wanna take a shower?”

“Not with you, thank you.”

Taehyung chuckled some more and gripped Yoongi a little harder so he wouldn't slip to the floor.

“I can wait outside if you can do it on your own.”

“Of course I can, thank you very much.” Yoongi pulled away and pointed at the door. “You leave now and know that I and Jungkook never dated, so we couldn't be school sweethearts.”

“Okay.” Taehyung let go of Yoongi. “There’s clean towels under the sink.”

“And call me hyung, stop with that formal speak bullshit.”

“Will do.” Taehyung flashed a big boxy grin towards Yoongi before exiting the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

Taehyung was still laughing softly when he came face to face with Jungkook.

“Morning, Tae.” Jungkook walked past Taehyung, rubbing his eyes with one hand and scratching his bare chest with the other.

“Hyung!” Taehyung rushed to put himself between Jungkook and the bathroom door. “You can't use the bathroom.”

“Didn't you just come out of there?” Jungkook stifled a yawn, trying to sidestep the chaser.

“Yeah, but there's someone taking a shower.”

“I just want to take a piss, why can't I go inside?” Jungkook finally focused on Taehyung's impish grin. “Is Lisa in there? Damn dude, she and Jennie have their own bathroom for a reason.”

“No, of course it's not her.” Taehyung rolled his eyes, like this never happened before, promptly receiving a slap on the side of his head for it.

“Show respect, you brat.” Taehyung whelped and stepped away, giving Jungkook the opportunity to hold the doorknob and open the door. Immediately the steam from the shower hit the keeker on the face and he could hear someone humming hoarsely.

“Yoongi-hyung is the one taking a shower. If you'd like to join.” Taehyung whispered suggestively and ducked when Jungkook turned to him with a deadly glare. The chaser rushed away into the room he and Jimin shared and slammed the door closed before his hyung could throw something at him.

“This brat…” Jungkook muttered under his breath and was about to quietly close the bathroom door again, when a voice came from inside.

“Who's there?”

Well, Jungkook thought. Might as well. “I'm just going to take a piss real quick, sunbae.” Jungkook slipped inside and closed the door behind him.

Yoongi chuckled from the shower stall and Jungkook pointedly didn't look in its direction, even if its sliding doors hid everything. “No more of that sunbaenim shit then?”

Jungkook pulled his shorts down and started peeing with no reservations. “I figured if you felt comfortable enough to shove your dick up my ass back at Hogwarts, then it wasn't big of a deal for me to not be so formal.”

Silence stretched while Jungkook finished peeing. Long enough for him to start regretting saying something so coarse.

“Did I ever do something you didn't want me to do, Jungkook?”

Yoongi's voice was grave and Jungkook sidestepped his discarded clothes on his way to the sink. The keeper washed his hands before answering, heart picking up speed.

“Yeah, you left.”

Yoongi didn't say anything else while Jungkook exited the bathroom and closed the door softly behind him.

Yoongi gave up trying to find his socks and put his coat on hastily. It felt gross to put on yesterday clothes, but he could hear the house starting to wake up; someone was already making breakfast and he could hear conversation from the bedrooms. He was eager to leave before he could make even more of a fool out of himself.  Just when Yoongi made it to the door to find his boots, though, someone cleared their throat. He halted and looked back with trepidation.

“Good morning, Min Yoongi-ssi.” Lee Jooheon, one of the team's beaters flashed him a dimpled smile from the other side of the living-room. “Breakfast is almost ready and Hyunwoo-hyung asked for you to stay if you'd like.”

Lee Jooheon wasn't that much taller and seemed to have a sweet disposition, but his sharp smile and muscles visible with his stupid sleeveless shirt made Yoongi want to rush away even more. He was about to use his previous puking as an excuse to leave without having to join breakfast, but his stomach decided to let out a mighty growl in that exact moment. How fucking cliché.

“Call me hyung.” Yoongi grimaced and Jooheon smiled even friendlier as he passed him on his way to the kitchen.

Son Hyunwoo, team captain and beater, was by the kitchen counter while Jennie Kim, the team's seeker, organized things. Both of them wore shorts, loose shirts and messy hair; the scene was so domestic that Yoongi stood by the door, unsure of what to do.

“He's joining us, cap.”

“Thank you, Jooheonie.” Hyunwoo said over his shoulder while still manning the rice cooker. “Can you please get the others?”

“Got it.” Jooheon gave a playful salute before exiting the kitchen.

The area was large and well lit, with a low table with no chairs a few steps to the side. The cooking duo had most of the food ready; they were probably the ones Yoongi had been hearing around the house, as many side dishes were all ready by the counter.

Hyunwoo and Jennie conversed in quiet tones as they worked, the sizzling of food being prepared turning their words hard to decipher. They worked around each other seamlessly, Hyunwoo getting out of the way at the same time Jennie turned to go through one of the top cabinets. Not for the first time, Yoongi marveled at how gracious quidditch players seemed to be.

“Uh, good morning?” Yoongi finally said, pulling his fringe off his eyes and shuffling his feet. “Should I help?”

The seeker raised her sleepy eyes at him and tilted her head. “Who did you sleep with?”

“No, I‒ I slept in the living-room.” Yoongi shuffled again, wanting nothing more than to  apparate out of there. “So, uh. Can I help?”

Jennie offered Yoongi the plates for him to set while she started placing the cutlery. One by one, the other members entered the kitchen in varying degrees of drowsiness and took their seats. Yoongi favored helping Hyunwoo serve the pre-cooked dishes he had been heating and the rice, so he wouldn't risk sitting on someone else's place.

The team members Yoongi still hadn't seen greeted him amicably and Hyunwoo told him to take the other head of the table, which felt a little wrong, but Yoongi complied and faked no reluctance to be seated between Taehyung and Jungkook.

If going to South Korea's national team's celebratory get-together had been surreal and slightly weird, joining the still half-asleep quidditch team for breakfast was even stranger. It was a lot quieter for one, and Yoongi quickly found out that sober Jungkook was even less prone to look his way. Everyone talked in soft tones, most discussing the light training they had for the day.

It was off-season then and the team would soon to be separated, to go back to their respective teams after being done with evaluations. They would only be assembled again for sporadic training and any practice matches leading up to the Asian Cup.

There's a beauty to how sports can bring people together; Yoongi mused. And set them apart too, if they allow it. The team's three chasers, for one, all belonged to different teams; Lalisa was even signed to a big Taiwanese quidditch team ‒ being a descendant born in South Korea ‒ and Yoongi marveled at how she and the other two chasers managed to fit in together like that. They were coordinated even while eating, their movements' fluid and harmonious while they sat so close together to eat.

As the meal went on, Yoongi was included in the conversation as if he had joined them in this ritual many times before. He used to be a seeker back at school and Jennie and Jooheon kept prodding him for tales of when Jungkook started playing quidditch, talking about their keeper as if he wasn't there.

☄

“Sunbae.” Yoongi stopped on his tracks as he was trying to put his boots on for the second time that morning. He turned around to find Jungkook across the living room, with an unsure stance.

The keeper had one hand on the back of his neck and he fiddled with the hem of his shirt with the other. Yoongi was immediately awestruck to how familiar the entire ordeal was: the fluff of Jungkook's bed-head, his too big for him sleep shorts and the stretch in the collar of his shirt. He looked like an overgrown kid and nothing else.

“Yes?” Yoongi's voice came out weak, but he tried to sound open and not as bare as that moment felt.

“Uh.” Jungkook cleared his throat. “Jimin said I was too harsh on you and Jennie suggested I apologize.”

“Are you going to?”

Yoongi crossed his arms and leaned against the wall with a blank expression. Jungkook scowled and his hands fell to his sides. They stared at each other like that, both not letting the other off the hook.

“Not unless you do.”

“Do you want me to?” Yoongi tilted his head, taking a step closer.

The keeper scoffed. “No.”

“Okay.” Yoongi nodded, still coming closer. “Listen, I'm sorry for that, alright? I'm sorry I…” Jungkook's eyes widened and he started shaking his head. “No, you asked for an apology, so now let me say it.” Jungkook just stood there, eyes wide.

Yoongi lowered hiis voice and switched to english, not wanting anyone else in the dorm to understand what was being said. “I'm sorry for the way I handled things back then, or more how I didn't handle them.” Yoongi forced the air out of his chest and came closer still. “I'm sorry for disappearing and not treating you the way you deserve to be treated.”

Yoongi was close enough for Jungkook to have to tilt his head down to look into his eyes and he did so, clenching his hands and holding his ground.

“Do you mean any of it?” Jungkook sounded now the same way he always used to, breathy and almost soft, and Yoongi wanted to pull his own hair out when he could only nod, words stuck in his throat and arms now limp on his sides. “If you said that about five years ago I might have believed it.”

“Why wouldn't you believe it now?”

“Because it's been five fucking years, Yoongi.”

The older one looked down, blinked a few times and nodded, stepping away. “Can you lend me some socks, then? I think I outstayed my welcome and mine vanished.”

Jungkook pulled his wand from his pocket and accio'd a pair of socks that he shoved into Yoongi's hand before moving away, when he spoke again, it was in formal, ice laced korean. “Close the door on your way out.”

☄

“You don't look like you just made amends with the guy you're still in love with.” Jennie informed Jungkook once he joined her in their dish-washing duties.

“I'm not in love with him.”

“Sure.” Jennie nodded, bumping her hip to Jungkook so he wouldn't hog all the space in front of the sink. “Say that again next time you fly off mid-practice to the scrawny guy who said no to a stupid request.”

“Everyone puts wards on their brooms.”

“But no one actually asks the Ministry first, oppa.”

Jungkook wanted to argue and say he was just following the law, but instead he started drying the dishes the seeker handed him, defeated. “He used to be a lot buffier when we were in school.”

“Really?” Jungkook eyed the girl. “I always thought you liked cute boys.”

Jungkook huffed, but kept quiet. Knowing Jennie, if he insisted she would only tease him more.

They did the dishes in silence, albeit a very comfortable one; they could hear Jimin and Taehyung bickering over something in their shared bedroom, Lisa's giggles and interjections cutting them off from time to time. Jooheon was singing along to something and Hyunwoo kept telling him to keep it down (he didn't). By the time Jennie and Jungkook were done, they were discussing amenities.

“I kind of don't want to leave here at all.” Jungkook sighed and handed Jennie the towel so she could dry her hands.

“Yeah, me too.” She leaned her back against the counter. “I mean, I miss my teammates, but I sort of wish we could all be in the same team, too, you know?”

“Same.”

“I kind of envy you and Jimin.”

“You wouldn't if you had to live with his clinginess.”

Jennie nudged him and Jungkook snorted.

“Oppa, you high-key adore him and everyone knows it.”

They shared a look and laughed. Jungkook was going to miss her. He and Jimin were both in the starting line-up of the Busan Seagulls, but Jennie played for Ungnyeo, an all women team based across the country. When Jungkook joined the reserve of his current team, he thought that not having women around was great, since girls always made him nervous. Then he did some growing up and not only saw how problematic that was, as he started missing their presence as well.

Having Jennie and Lisa made the team more balanced and gave them a fresh look on things. The way they were taught how to play had a lot more to do with speed and strategy, not using as much brute force. Even though quidditch is a gender free sport, South Korea was an old country, with old traditions and dogmas that most weren't willing to let go. This national team was breaking barriers just by being put together. Studying abroad at Hogwarts had changed in more way than one.

“Hey.” Jungkook caught Jennie's attention before she exited the kitchen. “It's been real.”

She chuckled and rolled her eyes. “We're being assembled again in three weeks, don't be greasy.”

“You're getting snarky with me, Kim.”

“It's because you give me too much rope.” Jennie flashed him a bright smile and left to her bedroom.

☄

“And I don't think I'll be seeing more of him.” Yoongi finished talking and leaned back, avoiding his friend's eyes.

Yoongi messed with the hem of his shirt, letting Namjoon digest everything he had just said. The room felt overheated, even if he knew the windows of Namjoon's living-room were open and a nice breeze was coming in.

“Wow, hyung.” Namjoon leaned back on his armchair. “I had no idea that there was so much going down.”

“Well, you've never been very observant.”

“True.” Namjoon nodded, getting up from his seat and heading towards the kitchen. “But I thought I would at least notice that my two best friends were sneaking around to mush faces.”

“...We didn't really have to sneak around. We started seeing each other on my seventh year, so Jungkook would just sneak into my bedroom.”

“That's kinky as shit.” Namjoon said from the kitchen. “So you want some tea? Is it too early for a beer?”

“Neither, thanks, I'm good.” Yoongi slumped on the sofa. “But it's never too early for beer as far as I'm concerned.”

Yoongi looked around Namjoon's small apartment while he waited for his friend to return. The space was tidy, but cluttered with books and the weirdest assortment of knickknacks Yoongi had ever seen. He tried to imagine how Namjoon's life would be like if he hadn't magic to assist him in everything. Possibly tragic.

“Didn't Emma ever notice?” Namjoon returned to the living room with a beer for himself in his hand and plopped back down on his armchair.

“Sorry?”

“The head girl who lived across from you. Didn't she notice Jungkook coming and going a little too often?”

“Well, if she did, she didn't say anything against it, so.” Yoongi shrugged, surprised on not feeling as uncomfortable talking about this as he thought he would.

“Hyung, you're my friend and I love you, but I have to say this. You were an asshole to the kid.”

“I know. I meant it when I apologized this morning.”  Yoongi sighed with his whole chest.

Namjoon knew Yoongi long enough to be able to recognize when something was eating him away.

“You should tell him everything. You were a jerk and can't be excused, but he should at least know the entire story.”

“I think I missed my window.”

Namjoon took another sip of his beer and then looked hard at Yoongi. “I'm going to be very disappointed in you if you let Jungkook go again, hyung.”

“You're supposed to always take my side, shithead.”

Namjoon chuckled. “We've been friends too long for me to still have to play nice.”

“Brat.” Yoongi tried to look angry, but the upwards twitch of his lip gave him away.

“I'm going to keep in touch with him, hyung. And I'm not asking for your permission.”

“Ah” Yoongi groaned, slumping on the couch again. He closed his eyes and pointed at Namjoon's general direction. “When did you ever ask for my permission to do anything?”

☄

“Fancy meeting you here.”

Jungkook looked to the side, startled. Standing next to him was none other than Min Yoongi, speaking in English with him, yetr again, in all of his glory of skinny limbs, leather coat and bleached hair.

“What are you doing here, sunbaenim?” Jungkook's voice was cool and formal, making the older one sigh.  Even so, he took a seat on the stool next to him.

“I'll have one of what he's having.” Yoongi told the bartender and the man went away again to place his order of seemingly fish and ships and a pint of black beer. “So we're back to that honorific, uh?” Yoongi started taking off his scarf and Jungkook still stared, with his mouth set and eyebrows drawn together.

“Did Nams send you here?”

Yoongi grunted. “I'm actually here to meet with him.”

“Me too.” Jungkook sighed. “He isn't coming, is he?”

“Ah.” Yoongi rested his chin on his hand and looked towards the pub's entrance for a moment. “Knowing that son of a bitch? Not likely at all.”

The bar they were in was an attempt to replicate British pubs. The place was dimly lit and had a wooden bar, where they sat. The booths and small tables around them were mostly vacant, but some people had already showed for happy hour. Yoongi looked at the multiple bottles of whisky and other distillates adorning the shelves on the other side of the counter, trying to come up with something to say next. He was for sure going to punch Namjoon in the face for this, that meddling piece of shit. For nearly two months now his friend had been intent on convincing Yoongi to go talk to Jungkook again. Apparently, he got tired of talking and decided to take matters into his hands.

“Why would he do this?” Jungkook complained after a while, with a loud sigh.

“You know why.” Yoongi watched Jungkook's face closely for what he said next. “I told him everything a week ago.”

“Aish.” Jungkook slumped, shoving a ship in his mouth and chewing it thoughtfully. “That actually explains a lot.”

“I know it wasn't only my story to tell, but he's your friend too and I only told him my side of it, so.”

“It's fine.” Jungkook kept eating, but without looking at Yoongi. “I suppose I should tell him my side, too. No wonder he keeps telling me I should accept your apology.”

“What's your side?”

“You know my side.” Jungkook took an angry gulp of his beer just as the bartender served some to Yoongi.

Yoongi drank off his pint and knew he was going to regret all of this later, but opened his mouth either way. “I know I hurt you, but I don't know to what extent.”

Jungkook shoved more fish inside his mouth and looked away, anger-chewing. “You're going to fucking give me indigestion,” he said with his mouth full.

Yoongi smiled a little and took a chip from Jungkook's plate deftly, tossing it into his mouth. “I won't give you anything you don't ask me to.”

“Oh, for fucks sake.” Jungkook spun on his seat and faced Yoongi, head on; cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling with anger. “You broke my stupid heart, yeah? Is that what you want to hear? Fucking sadist.”

The smile deflated on Yoongi's face. “I didn't…” He winced when the bartender stopped by again, placing his plate of food in front of him. “I didn't think your heart was mine to break,” he dare say once the man walked away.

“That's because you're dumb as shit.”

Yoongi scowled. “Just so you fucking know, I was in love with you, too. Asshole.”

Jungkook stopped halfway from eating another chip; his eyes were wide as he dropped it back on his plate. “I didn't say I was in love with you.”

“Didn't you imply it?” Jungkook shook his head and Yoongi sighed heavily. “Whatever, I was in love with you and don't think for a second that walking away was easy.”

A beat of silence.

“Why did you, then?”

Jungkook's expression was full of defiance and Yoongi buried his face on his hands and groaned loudly, gaining the attention of a few other patrons. “There was a lot going on, I thought I was doing the right thing.”

“Is that why Namjoon keeps saying I should give you a chance to explain yourself?”

“Probably.”

They both knew that Namjoon kept a strong front, but was mushy on the inside. They really shouldn't be surprised about being set up. Either way, Jungkook looked confused for a moment, before downing the rest of his beer and slamming the glass back on the counter.

“I'm listening.”

“What, now?”

“Yeah, now. C'mon, spit it before I change my mind.”

“Here?” Yoongi looked almost offended, but Jungkook huffed and kept his ground.

“Yes, here. Just say whatever it is already, Min Yoongi.”

“It's personal,” Yoongi whined.

That wasn't supposed to happen. They weren't supposed to talk about their shit like that. There were people around and the bartender had been cleaning the same glass for far too long, probably more invested in their conversation than on his cleaning duties. Yoongi grumbled to himself and avoided Jungkook's eyes.

“For fucks sake.” Jungkook got up, shoving his hand in his pockets, looking for his wallet. “I don't have time for your games anymore, you should‒”

“My dad died.” Yoongi suddenly blurted and Jungkook stopped, his wide eyes turning back towards him. “He was sick and died two months after I graduated.”

Jungkook took a sharp intake of air and sat back down. He just sat for a moment, and Yoongi swore he could almost hear the thoughts churning in his head. “Why didn't you say anything?”

“It was really fast.” Yoongi couldn't look at him anymore, running his thumb around the rim of his glass. “I tried getting magic treatment for him, but he didn't take it well.” He took another large gulp of his beer and grimaced. “Sometimes I wonder if it made him die faster.”

“But… I don't understand.”

“I'm a half-blood, Jungkook-ah.” Yoongi sighed, eating another chip for a moment. “I had to help at home. My family owns a chain of non-magical stores and I had to organize things with my hyung, everything was a mess. Dad wasn't supposed to die so soon.” Yoongi took a few steadying breaths, He wasn't as emotional talking about this as he used to, but it was still not easy. “Mother wanted me to get married, fast. She wanted me to marry the daughter of some… I didn't know if I would have it in me to leave until I did.”

Jungkook just stared at Yoongi, a kind of guilt starting to take form at the pit of his stomach. He still wanted to be angry. He wanted to blame Yoongi for how sad he made him, about how that sadness nearly cost him his career. He was young and didn't know how to deal with his first heartbreak. He also kinda felt like that hurt was what fueled him to be better, to train more furiously; to chase after what he wanted with more force. That was Yoongi's fault, too.

A large group entered the pub talking loudly and Jungkook looked at his now cold, half-eaten serving of fish and ships. Yoongi's food was untouched and he looked miserable with his messy shock of blonde hair.

Yoongi was fucking beautiful.

Jungkook nearly fell off his stool with that thought and touched Yoongi's arm before he changed his mind.

“Do you want to go somewhere else?”

Yoongi finally looked at him. His triangular eyes were slightly wide and his messy bangs fell a little flat on his forehead, like they were as sad as him. He was a kind of ridiculous, too. Absurd. The way flowers blooming in the cracks of sidewalks are absurd. Ridiculous for daring to try.

“I know it's no excuse Jungkook. Just ignoring you wasn't the way to go about it.”

Jungkook rubbed his nose and got up. “Can we go to your place? I'm still transitioning between dorms and have no privacy anywhere.”

“Yeah, we can.” Yoongi got up too.

“Good.”

☄

“Do you think maybe we can be friends again?”

Jungkook felt stupid. He could remember the last time he felt like this so well. And that was five years ago. Yoongi made him feel like he was sixteen all over again: eager and impressionable. Still the question just slipped from his lips, his left knee touching Yoongi's leg, bottles of beer freezing their hands. He hadn't meant to ask, but now that he did, Jungkook didn't regret it.

“I'd like that.”

☄

“And then Filch said: you kids are in big trouble; McGonagall wants both of you in her office at once.” Jungkook choked on his own voice trying to replicate the old janitor's growl, his face red and eyes watering from laughing too much, and maybe drinking a little more than he should have.

The room erupted in laughter and Jungkook cackled right at Yoongi's face, which was even redder, but for entirely different reasons. Jimin was giggling so hard that he doubled over, half throwing himself over Taehyung's lap, who had his eyes scrunched up from his laughs.

“I can't believe you just told them that.” Yoongi whispered against Jungkook's ear, and Jungkook chuckled, shrugging before taking another sip of his soju.

They were seated on the floor of Namjoon's apartment, sat in a half formed circle of an assortment of people Jungkook never imagined to be slowly becoming this close with, but there he was anyway.

Hoseok seemed to get along like a wild fire with Namjoon and Seokjin-hyung, the eldest  entering Jungkook's life with a series of smiles, raised eyebrows and asking if he was eating well whenever they met. Taehyung and Jimin now basically worshiped the officers of the Flying Permits department, particularly pestering Yoongi and Namjoon for whatever stories they could get about Jungkook's time in school and his rebel-without-a-cause phase.

Jungkook was indeed drunk, but he shrugged again when Yoongi kept staring at him, not being able to regret telling the others about the time Filch caught he and Yoongi in the prefect's bathroom, not exactly in their more presentable moment.

“It's not like they couldn't guess it happened at least once.”

“You telling them it's different.”

“Can you believe how stupid we were?” Jungkook laughed, leaning closer until he rested his head on Yoongi's shoulder. The room was spinning and the keeper just laughed more.

“Sometimes I wonder how the hell I even passed my exams when we were so horny all the time.” Yoongi finally laughed too, patting the back of Jungkook's neck. He was just as drunk.

“I think I thought about your dick more than I thought about quidditch.” Jungkook was laughing so hard now that he couldn't breathe and he threw himself back, lying on the floor.

The conversation around them had turned into something else and no one seemed to pay much attention when Yoongi stopped laughing and furrowed his eyebrows. Jungkook laughed until there was only a smirk on his lips and he looked at Yoongi lazily, an unfocused glint in his eyes that proved how out of it he was. Yoongi gulped and even though the room still seemed to be spinning, Jungkook was the fixed point.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Jungkook nodded and chuckled, like he was remembering something funny. “I think that if we had stayed together, I wouldn't have made it into the league.”

“Really?” Yoongi didn't feel too good anymore and he probably didn't want to know what Jungkook had to say.

“Fuck if I know.” Jungkook laughed more freely now and opened his eyes to look right at Yoongi. “I couldn't fly for a week after I realized you weren't answering my letters anymore, but then the anger came and it was quite the fuel.”

“I can imagine.”

Jungkook patted the floor next to him with one hand and gestured for Yoongi to come closer with the other. Of course he complied.

Yoongi turned his head to the left when he lied down, resting his palms on his stomach as Jungkook crossed his under his head. “Are we friends now?”

The keeper laughed some more. “Were we ever friends?”

“I don't...”

Maybe Yoongi should've said it, maybe Jungkook would say anything else, but Namjoon threw himself next to the keeper, asking him about whatever and the moment was gone.

☄

“Thanks for coming!” Jungkook said out of breath.

He let Namjoon put him under his arm and pat his chest. Seokjin was still screaming in excitement and the two of them threw praises at Jungkook, practically doing a play by play of every quaffle the keeper blocked.

“You did good.” Yoongi smiled at Jungkook when his friends finally left him to repeat the same thing with Jimin, who had just emerged from the locker room and joined their screaming.

“I know.” Jungkook beamed, waves of happiness rolling out of him and Yoongi couldn't help but feel proud.

The merit was completely to Jungkook's and his teammates, who had just won an impressive match and earned their place at the Asian Cup. But Yoongi couldn't help himself. Jungkook's hair was still a little wet when Yoongi ruffled if, from the shower the he had just took, and Yoongi wrapped his arm around Jungkook's shoulders, smiling up at him. He couldn't help feeling proud of Jungkook. 

“How do you want to celebrate? My treat!”

“The team is heading to a club; I don't think you can treat all of them.” Jungkook laughed brightly, but Yoongi's smile faltered a little, even if Jungkook didn't notice.

“Ah, it's alright, we can celebrate another day.” Yoongi hummed at Jungkook's relaxed expression and ruffled his hair again. “I'm proud of you kid, I really am.”

“What are you talking about? You should come with us, I'm sure Nams and Seokjin-hyung will want to join!”

“S'alright.” Yoongi pulled away from the half-hug in order to hold Jungkook by his shoulders. “Go celebrate, you did all of this on your own and you're fucking brilliant.” He moved his hands to squeeze Jungkook's face, making his lips jut out and he laughed some more. “You fucking did it, you rascal.”

“Sunbae!” Jungkook pulled Yoongi away, laughing and out of breath. “But you always knew I would, didn't you? You were the first to say I could.”

“Yeah, I always knew.” Yoongi was out of breath too and he turned his eyes away, mouthing an I'm leaving to Seokjin and waving.

“Are you sure you don't want to come?”

“You know me.” Yoongi pulled away after patting the younger one's shoulder. “Go have your fun, Jungkook-ah.”

He turned and left and Jungkook watched him go as far as his eyes would let him.

☄

A loud knock woke up Yoongi.

At first he didn't understand the sound, his house had a doorbell and there was no reason for anyone to knock instead of ringing it. So he stayed in bed, looking at the ceiling and trying to understand if he was still dreaming or not. When the noise timidly echoed again, Yoongi decided to get up and check it.

He crawled out of bed and found his wand, flicking it to turn on the lights as he made his way towards the door. If this was another of his college-aged neighbors too drunk to find their own home, Yoongi was going to hex them this time.

Yoongi opened his front door abruptly, ready to give a piece of his mind, when his voice fell short, breath getting caught in his throat.

“Hi, sunbae.” Yoongi looked back inside the house to look at the clock hanging on his wall, to see that it was one in the morning. “Did I wake you?”

Jeon Jungkook was standing on his doorstep at one in the morning, when he should be out celebrating with his team their qualification for the Asian Cup.

“Yes.”

“Sorry.” He didn't look too sorry. “Can I come in?”

“Are you drunk?”

“I didn't drink a drop of alcohol.”

“Come on in, then.”

Jungkook did so. Strangely enough, this was only the second time he visited, the other times in the past couple of months they went to Namjoon's small apartment in an all-wizarding district in the outskirts of Seoul. Yoongi's home, however, was a rather large house he inherited from his granddad of his non-magical side of the family.

The neighbors had known Yoongi since he was a weird kid that tended to have things break around him whenever he got angry. He was sure one of the old women up the street was still under firm belief that he was some sort of devil spawn. That meaning he was not an easy wizard to visit.

“Thanks,” Jungkook said, as he toed off his shoes and entered Yoongi's home. "Excuse me."

Yoongi walked towards his kitchen and pocketed his wand after Jungkook propped his broom next to the door. He gestured for Jungkook to sit by the kitchen table while he put the water to boil.

“Are you going to make us tea?” Jungkook asked quietly and Yoongi grunted in response, without looking at him.

“You still drink black tea, right? Yorkshire?”

Jungkook nodded, fiddling with his bangs. “Yeah, with milk and sugar.”

“Good.”

Jungkook watched Yoongi move around the kitchen, manually getting things out of the refrigerator and the cupboards.

“You still don't use magic to make food?”

“Nah, it makes it taste weird.”

Jungkook hummed in response and silence settled once again. He merely watched as Yoongi filled mugs with milk and sugar, then casted lazy charms to clean the kitchen. By the time he was done fussing, the water was boiling and, in a moment, Yoongi had the tea set in front of them.

Yoongi took a long sip of his warm drink and finally looked Jungkook in the eye. “So, why are you here in the middle of the night?

Jungkook shifted on his seat and put his mug back down on the table. It was uncanny. How they were apart for all these years and Yoongi still knew what all his ticks meant. Jungkook was nervous about something and didn't want to admit it.

“I was at the party, right? Seokjin-hyung and Nams went too.”

“Right.” Yoongi nodded, looking intently at Jungkook. The sooner he got JUngkook over being watched, the sooner he would get comfortable.

“And you weren't there.”

“I told you I was coming home.”

“I know.” Yoongi furrowed his eyebrows, but gestured with his hand again to get Jungkook to explain further. “But that's why I came here.”

Having Jungkook in his kitchen was weird. The keeper looked too big sat by Yoongi's tiny kitchen table, all large shoulders and biceps. His hair was windswept like always, black strands pointing up and adorning his full moon eyes and sharp eyebrows. Having him there made something stir in Yoongi's gut, but he ignored the feeling.

The night was quiet except for Valentina hooting outside. Yoongi should've taken Jungkook's jacket when he came in, he still had it on. Instead, Yoongi just stared for a moment before saying anything.

“You woke me up because I didn't go to a party where I definitely wouldn't fit in?”

Jungkook cleared his throat and took another sip of his tea. He placed the mug down again and pressed his lips together for a moment. “Are you going to make me say it?”

“I always want to make you say what's in your mind. But I'm honestly in the dark here.”

“I still kind of hate you,” Jungkook muttered.

“Yes, I suspected that was true.” Yoongi leaned back on his chair and sighed. He was not sleepy anymore, yet that didn't mean he was rested enough for this.

“It doesn't change the fact that I still think of you when good things happen to me.” Jungkook was not looking at him anymore. Lips back on a thin line as he thought before speaking again. “Five years, Yoongi.”

“I don't understand what that means.” Yoongi's heart was picking up speed and he had to brace himself. For what, he was not sure.

“During five years, and still now. It didn't matter how much I resented you or how long I didn't even think of you. When something good happened to me, you still were the first that came to mind.”

“But you wouldn't reach out.”

Jungkook shook his head. “Never.”

“Unless I did it first.” Yoongi was frustrated. Why did Jungkook had to come and make him think all those thoughts he tried so hard to bury all those years ago?

“And you never did.” Jungkook said after a moment. The keeper sighed so heavily, that Yoongi's chest feel cluttered and ugly. “It made me hate you more.”

“I'm sorry.”

“You already said that.”

Yoongi buried his face in his hands, elbows resting on the table. “My apologies mean nothing to you, do they?”

“They really don't.”

Yoongi rubbed his eyes and forced the frustration out of his chest. When he looked up at Jungkook again, the keeper's face was as red as his. “Then why are you here Jungkook. Why are you really here? Why did you start showing up at my work?”

“I still want you to congratulate me and tell me I did good,” Jungkook ingored the questions, seeming almost disgusted at himself. “How pathetic that makes me?”

“It doesn't make you pathetic;" Yoongi looked right at Jungkook, really looked at him. "It makes you braver than I ever was.”

They went silent, just looking into each other's eyes, feeling tense and alert. Until Jungkook spoke again, in a mere whisper.

“I hate you so much.”

“Hey," Yoongi reached out and took Jungkook's hand in his and Jungkook let him. "I hate me, too.”

Jungkook laughed. It bubbled up from his chest so completely unannounced that he looked equal parts surprised by his own mirth. He covered his mouth with his free hand, but his eyes were still wide. Yoongi, for once, didn't try to hide his own amused smile when he squeezed the other's hand and pulled a face.

Yoongi stuck his tongue out and Jungkook laughed again, this time louder, and Yoongi joined him. They laughed until their stomachs hurt and they were holding each other's hands tight. They laughed until happy tears collected at the corner of their eyes and maybe Yoongi should worry about bothering the neighbors, but instead he got up and pulled Jungkook into a hug, burying his face on the taller one's neck. They laughed until they couldn't breathe anymore and Jungkook rested his mouth against Yoongi's hair.

“Don't hate yourself; I can do that for you.”

“Whoa, thanks.” Yoongi nuzzled further into Jungkook's neck, splaying his hands over his muscular back.

“You're welcome.”

They stayed like that until they caught their breath and everything was eerie quiet, but a good quiet.

“Do you want to watch movies and pretend we don't have responsibilities to go back to on Monday?”

Jungkook pulled away to look at Yoongi's eyes. He looked for a long moment, like he was really looking for something. It seemed he found it when Yoongi bit the inside of his cheek, on the verge of taking his words back.

“Sure.”

☄

“I'm sorry you had to go through that alone.”

“I shut everyone out on my own”

“Still. Namjoon said you let him in again when he reached out.”

“Because he's like a dog with a bone.”

☄

“Did you want me to reach out?”

“I was scared you were going to.”

☄

“Jungkook-hyung.” Jimin whispered from the top bunk. “Are you asleep?”

Their room was completely dark and quiet. All the team members were asleep, but Jimin couldn't relax, couldn't hope to rest. It was quiet for a long moment and Jimin almost lost hope, until Jungkook spoke hoarsely from the other bed.

“Yes. Go to sleep Jimin.”

Jimin breathed a sigh of relief and tested his luck again. “Hyung, can I ask you something?”

“Shush, you're going to awake Jihoon.” But Jungkook relented, pulling the covers off his face. “What is it, Jiminie?”

Jungkook heard Jimin shift on the covers before he spoke again, even quieter. “Do you ever think about what you're going to do in the future?”

“They're going to renew our contracts,–” Jungkook sighed, trying to push the sleep out of himself. "– you don't have to worry.”

“Yeah, but what about after that? Do you ever think about it?”

“Where is this coming from?” Jungkook rubbed his face. “It's too late to have an existential crisis, Jimin-ah.”

This was it. He was going to say it. Jimin took a deep breath and shielded himself.

“Haechi wants to sign me.”

“Oh.”

The room was quiet save for Jihoon's quiet snores from the bed across the room. When Jimin spoke again, his voice was even quieter.

“They want me, Taehyung and Lisa as their chasers. The triplets are retiring.”

“Oh.”

“It's a secret," Jimin hastily added. "You can't tell anyone.”

“Of course I won't," Jungkook huffed. "But you're going, aren't you?” Jimin didn't say anything and the keeper kicked his covers to the side, suddenly too hot under them.  “Why are you asking about my future, though?”

“It's just… I don't know hyung, it feels wrong to leave here.”

“You have to do what's best for you, Jiminie.”

“I know. I love playing with the noonas, but…” Jimin trailed off again and Jungkook waited for the younger one to keep speaking, until it was clear that he wasn't going to.

“You should go.”

jungkook tried to sound as soft as possible and, when Jimin spoke again, he sounded small and sad. 

“I would miss everyone so much, hyung.”

Jungkook thought about what they had in there. All their wins and losses and the team. Everyone loved Jimin. Even Jihoon, who was their starting seeker for only a little over a year now. He thought back too to how Jimin played with Taehyung and Lisa, how the chaser's performance at the World Cup had been the best Jungkook had ever seen.

“Do you want to stay with us more than you want to be with Taehyung and Lisa?”

A long moment of silence and then Jimin's whisper was so small, that Jungkook barely heard him.

“No.”

Yeah, he figured.

“Then go.”

“I thought for sure you were going to accept that offer from the Tokyo Kitsunes last year, what's keeping you here?”

Jungkook didn't answer.

He was still thinking about it though, long after the seconds between Jimin's breaths became sparse.

☄

“Do you even speak Japanese?” Yoongi sat back on his couch, gaze lost somewhere on his wall, trying to grasp what he had just heard.

Jungkook came over unannounced; something the keeper seemed to be doing a lot more lately. He had been anxious all the while, until he finally spoke. Telling Yoongi that he had been in the talks with the Tokyo Kitsunes for a month now and that he had decided to finally accept the offer the team had made for him over a year ago.

“I… A little. It doesn't even matter.” Jungkook huffed, messing his bangs. “The team captain is half-Korean, I'll be fine.”

Yoongi was taking it pretty well, or so he thought, as he stared at his wall unable to meet Jungkook's eyes for a long moment.

“Is it going to be good for you? Better?”

“Yeah. Bigger paycheck, the team has a larger following.” Jungkook shrugs. “Japanese quidditch is better structured than ours.”

“And you'll still play for the national team?”

“Of course. I won't…” The keeper bit his lip, looking down at his hands. “Be gone all the time.”

“You'll just be busy as fuck when you're here. But hey, that never stopped you, right?” Yoongi teased, poking Jungkook's side.

Jungkook swatted the other's hand away. “Yah, I'm not like certain people who stop talking to everyone when things get hard.”

The smile instantly melted off Yoongi's face. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means exactly what I said.”

Yoongi groaned, throwing himself on the couch. "That's not a fair statement." Yoongi spat. His father had died. "I thought we were over blaming me."

This had to be bullshit. This couldn't be happening. Hadn't they made any progress the past… What? Hadn't it been almost a year since Jungkook showed up in his office glowering at everyone? No. It was probably only a little over six months, but still, that was more than enough time for that shit to stop. They had been talking like civilized human beings not five seconds ago.

“How can I be over blaming you for something that was your fault?”

Oh no.

“Not this shit again Jungkook, you could have come talk to me too, don't put everything on me,” Yoongi groaned, throwing his hands up.

“As if I would go crawling after you when you disappeared after I asked you to be my boyfriend!”

Yoongi wanted to disappear now. He distinctly felt very much like being anywhere else in the entire world. He kind of would enjoy hexing Jungkook right then and there, too.

“Do you think I wanted my dad to die?” Yoongi's voice raised without his consent. “Where the fuck is this coming from?!”

“You implied that I don't take quidditch seriously!” Jungkook basically shouted and got up, breathing hard.

Yoongi got up too, because he wasn't about to let that little shit tower over him. “When did I ever say that!?”

“Just now!”

Jungkook was going red in the face and Yoongi knew what that meant. Either Yoongi was about to need to make an strategic exit or he was going to get punched on the face.

“Jungkook, for fucks sake, just shut up.” Yoongi paced around the couch.

“No, I'm not going to shut up this time.” Jungkook followed Yoongi pace like a caged animal, his arms crossed over his broad chest. “We're going to talk about this.”

“About what?”  Yoongi stopped in front of Jungkook again and nearly whined. “Why is this happening?”

“We need to talk about this!” He gestured between them. “Us!”

“Why are you screaming?!” Yoongi raised his voice again, feeling exasperated and confused and what the hell. He couldn't believe.

“You screamed first!”

“When did…? No, fuck this shit. I don't need to put up with this.” Yoongi retreated away from Jungkook, who was suddenly up his face. He didn't have to listen to this crap.

Yoongi moved to get his coat.

“Fine, sure, do it again! Leave me here instead of facing what we have going on!”

“What do we have going on?!” If Yoongi hadn't really been shouting before, now he surely was. It was getting harder to breathe, but he kept going. “I've been nothing but nice to you! You're the one keeping your distance!”

“I want us to be friends!” Jungkook came up to him again.

Yoongi groaned. He couldn't believe this, he honestly couldn't. Jungkook was going to play the friendship card and Yoongi wasn't up for it.

“Well, it's not fucking working, is it?”

“What are you doing?” Jungkook choked, but Yoongi didn't look to check why, as he bent down to shove on his shoes. “Don't you dare Yoongi, I swear, if you leave right now…”

Yoongi raised his head back, fuming at the authoritative tone he was hearing. “If you don't admit why you're here I swear I will.”

“Admit to what?” Jungkook spoke in a more normal tone, but still his words sounded strangled and brimming with something. “I just came to tell you that I'm moving away. You're the one who got all worked up.”

“I got all worked up?” The nerve, he couldn't believe that asshole's nerve. “Jungkook, I'm serious.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” Jungkook watched Yoongi take his wand off his pocket, his voice dropping to a whisper. “You wouldn't do it again.”

“Watch me.” With one flourish of his wand, Yoongi apparated out of his own home, disappearing right in front of Jungkook's eyes.

☄

“Yoongi, you're my best friend and you're welcomed to stay here as long as you want, but you are aware that you're not making any sense, right?”

Yoongi grumbled and covered his face; turning on the couch until all Namjoon could see was his back. “Are you kicking me out?”

The couch was comfortable under Yoongi, but since he had barely left it when he wasn't working in the past couple of days, it had to be. He had actually gotten up long enough to organize some of Namjoon's mess of a living room. It looked much better now. The books were in piles against the walls and the plants were lined up under the window. The place looked at lot better now in Yoongi's opinion, even if Namjoon had lost it a little bit when he saw the result just ten minutes ago.

Namjoon had calmed already though, his anger always short-lived. He sat on his favorite armchair and watched Yoongi trying to become one with his couch. “We've been practically attached to the hip for four days now. I'm amazed we haven't killed each other yet.”

“You're the best of friends Namjoonie, why would I kill you?”

Namjoon narrowed his eyes. “You're trying to trick me into letting you stay here longer, aren't you?”

Yoongi got up, scratching his eyes. “Maybe?”

“Hyung, go back to your place. Jungkook's not going to be there.”

Yoongi scoffed. “That's not why I've been staying here.”

“Yeah, sure thing, you're fooling everybody.”

Yoongi pulled his wand and waved some sparks at Namjoon's face. “Show me some respect, brat. I'm still your hyung.”

“Yoongi!” Namjoon shouted, though it sounded suspiciously like a laugh as he shook his hands with a blocking spell; a weak puff of air blowing off Yoongi's ambers. “Jungkook moved to Tokyo this morning! Please go back to your house, he's not going to be there!”

“Jeez, don't get so worked up over it.” Yoongi slowly got up, patting his pants to get rid or any wrinkles. “What, you wanna bring a date over or something?”

“What if I wanted?” Namjoon sighed. “You're taking away my privacy.”

Yoongi messed his hair and looked away. “Uh, fine. Sorry about that, I'm leaving.”

“Sure, you're leaving because you suddenly care about my privacy,” Namjoon rolled his eyes. “Nothing to do with me telling you that Jungkook's in another country.”

“Damn right I care about your well-being.” Yoongi grunted before starting to collect his things spread haphazardly around his friend's living room.

It was probably already safe to go back home anyway.

While crashing on Namjoon's couch for approximately three days ‒ Valentina easily had found him there, like the smart girl she was, and pecked his knuckles raw for not feeding her for an entire day ‒, Yoongi had sent back three different owls. He had suspected they had letters from Jungkook, but didn't dare checking to find out.

When he made his way back to his own house, he worried about what he might find.

More than once Yoongi had spent longer periods away from home, but this time when he apparated back into his living room, things seemed to be different. Yoongi slowly realized that this was not how he left the place. He remembered precisely how there were old newspapers and bottles on his coffee table when he left, but now it looked pristine.

In the kitchen, he found the dishes washed and the curtains drawn. Slowly Yoongi checked every room of his house, unsure of what he might find in each one of them. As it turned out, he found nothing. No one, at least.

He was most definitely being silly. So yeah, maybe Jungkook cleaned a little, maybe to kill time, hoping Yoongi would return from his storming off? Maybe as a way of apologizing for how he lost his temper? He could've written letters to tell him to never contact him again, Yoongi couldn't know. Just to make sure, Yoongi checked every room of his house once again, this time not looking for someone, but making sure he wasn't missing any notes or something that Jungkook might have left behind. He came up empty again.

It was a Saturday morning and Yoongi wasn't so sure what he was supposed to be doing with his free time. He knew that the Busan Seagulls were playing today, with their new keeper and chaser, but somehow, the perspective of watching a game with neither Jimin nor Jungkook didn't seem as appealing. Whatever, he always rooted for the Daegu Gwisins anyway.

Yoongi opened a window for Valentina to get back when she wished to and decided to take a shower. Just when he was inside the bedroom and about to take off his clothes, his doorbell sounded.

Yoongi rolled his eyes and moved to answer it. It could be someone trying to preach their lord's word and Yoongi would surely end up being rude and then regret it. A small part of him felt anxious all of a sudden, when considering that he might actually know who had just showed up.

“Can I help you?” Yoongi opened the door to come face to face with a small, chubby man, probably in his early fifties.

“You Min Yoongi?”

“Who wants to know?” Yoongi closed his door a little, taking a step back inside.

“My name is Song Hyukmin. I'm here from the Ministry to install your floo fireplace.”

“Uh, I didn't request for it to be installed?”

The man furrowed his eyebrows and pulled a long list from his back pocket, going over with expert ease. “Aren't you Min Yoongi, resident of the 31st street, house number 25?”

“Well, yeah. But I didn't request any floo networking.”

The man stuffed his list back on his pocket and fixed his overcoat with a grimace. “Listen son, the job is already paid for a floo networking complete with security wards, you going to let me do my work or not?”

“Let me see your credentials first.”

The man went a little red in the face, but complied nonetheless, showing the identification card much like the one Yoongi owned, that proved that he was a Ministry employee.

“Can I get to work now? This is my last job of the day.”

“Do you happen to know who paid your service?” Yoongi opened the door and let the man inside.

“You can request the department on Monday.” The employee grumbled before entering the house and systematically taking off his shoes. Yoongi gave him Namjoon's slippers, which looked comically large on the old man's chubby feet. “Where would like me to hook it up?”

“I only have a fireplace in the living-room.”

Yoongi guided the man into the rather unused hearth. He hardly ever lit it up, usually preferring to use the ancient heat system installed under his house or even a few heating charms to keep the residence a pleasant temperature during winter months.

While the man worked, Yoongi wracked his brain trying to figure out who could have paid for floo networking in his place without consulting him first. The only people coming to mind were his mother and older brother, who constantly complained that he was too hard to visit since he lived on a non-magical neighborhood, where apparating on his front porch wasn't possible.

He made plans to give his mother a very colorful call once the man was done.

The process of hooking Yoongi's fireplace to the floo network consisted of a series of ancient looking charms and layering of runes, the unlit hearth cackling. An intense smell of ozone took over the place as the Ministry officer finally layered his work with protective wards, so strangers couldn't step into the house uninvited.

The man didn't look too happy when his job was done, but he left at once, declining Yoongi's offer of something to drink after assuring him that his floo was working perfectly fine, complimentary floo powder included. The man left through the green flames after taking his shoes and leaving the slippers behind, as if to prove a point. Yoongi figured the employee's humor couldn't be blamed when he had a Saturday shift this late into the morning.

Yoongi found himself alone again, feeling very much at loss if he should call his mother or brother first. He decided on his matriarch, her being the most likely one not to consider his thoughts when taking matter of his life on her own hands.

Yoongi took his ancient landline phone and waited patiently for his mother to pick up.

“Yoongi-yah, I wish you would visit instead of calling.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes in favor of sighing like he wished to. How typical of his mother to not have anyone call her other than him. After his dad passed away she seemed to retreated herself from any contact with non-magical folk, leaving the family business all to her oldest son.

“Good morning, mother.”

“How are you? Do you need anything? Are you eating well?”

“I'm fine, eating well, etcetera. Mother, listen, did you pay for floor networking in my house?”

“You finally have it up! Oh, sweetie, that's wonderful! When can I visit?”

“Mother!” Yoongi groaned. “Why didn't you talk to me before sending the man to install it? Haven't we talked about your meddling before?”

“What do you mean, baby? I didn't send anyone to your house to do whatever. Not after that time I bought you those nice curtains and ‒”

“You didn't request for my home to be floo networked?” Yoongi interrupted her, trying not to get annoyed at her condescending tone.

“I've been asking you to have it up for years now, but I do know you like to keep your home as non-magical as possible due to your neighborhood. Didn't you maybe file a request and forget about it?”

“No, mother, I wouldn't forget. Didn't Geumjae-hyung request it for me?”

“That's hardly the case, darling. Your brother has been so busy running the business lately... He would love for you to help, you know?”

“I think he's fine on his own, mother. Listen, I gotta go, alright? I'll visit in a couple of weeks.”

“Ah. This is what happens when you get older. Your offspring deserts you, they don't visit, they don't write…”

“Mother...” Yoongi whined.

“That's fine baby, but make sure you eat, yeah? Last time I saw you, you were skin and bones! Just because you blew your elbow all those years ago, it doesn't…”

“Mother, I'm hanging up.”

“Fine, fine. I'm expecting you at my doorstep in fifteen consecutive days, you got it?”

Yoongi rolled his eyes again. “Bye, mother.”

“Bye-bye!”

Yoongi sat back on the couch feeling troubled. If his mother or brother weren't the ones responsible, that meant… No. He wouldn't dare. Yoongi was going to wait until Monday came and go ask at the Floo Department who had requested it. Maybe one of his old aunts for his birthday? It wasn't anywhere near the date, but they got it wrong sometimes; they didn't have phones and didn't usually write. It still could be someone from his family.

He would just have to wait and see.

☄

Yoongi considered himself a bureaucrat.

Not that he actually enjoyed bureaucracy, but he did make a living out of it. Yoongi was good with rules and organization and doing things a certain way. Working with permits and evaluations was something that came naturally to him. He could recite laws and amendments the way a non-wizards lawyer would, remembering things down to their last detail. Yoongi never understood why people got mad with the law. It was there for a reason and they shouldn't bend it to their will.

Come Monday, he started questioning himself.

After the first rush of work, Yoongi asked Namjoon and Seokjin to hold his end for a moment so he could visit the Floo Department. He didn't have any friends there, even if they answered to the same authorities. Their job was fairly similar to Yoongi's and their office was the standard cramped room, though they did have four officers on the job.

Yoongi was very polite, friendly even, when he asked one of them to check who had requested the installation of his fireplace to the grid. The answer he got definitely wasn't what he had been expecting.

They couldn't tell him. The clearly over-worked woman hastily explained to Yoongi that that information was classified and she could not help him with it. He argued that it made no sense, it couldn't be classified if it was installed at his fireplace, in a house, under his name. Apparently that didn't matter. If he wasn't the one who requested it, he couldn't have access to those files.

Now, Yoongi hated people who tried to outsmart parts of the system that actually made sense. Sure, a bunch of things needed to change in the Ministry administration. Yoongi even overlooked details that he didn't agree with to help someone when he thought they could use a hand. This… Wasn't exactly the case, but either way, he tried to explain to the head of the department that he needed to know who in Merlin's name had paid for the setup.

Apparently, it couldn't be helped.

The head of the department said Yoongi shouldn't have agreed to the installation if he hadn't requested it in the first place. The man merely suggested that Yoongi always kept the protective wards strong and running.

Yoongi was not pleased.

He got back to his own office fuming. He was going to write a letter to every single one of his aunts, one of them was certainly to blame and he didn't care if that would make the innocent ones remember his existence and use the floo too to visit him at the most inconvenient times.

When Yoongi finally got home, he took ink and parchment to the living room with him to start the damned letters. His aunts wouldn't read anything in any other formatting, being old and very much traditional. When he was still trying to decide how to begin his writing, the fucking fireplace roared to life. Suddenly, big green flames were illuminating the room. Someone was… Requesting a visit?

Yoongi jumped up and yielded his wand, flicking it towards the green fire.

“Who is it?” Yoongi asked. Feeling stupid, slightly afraid, but mostly dumb.

Not for the first time in the past couple of days, Yoongi regretted allowing this to be set-up without knowing from whom the request came from. What had he been thinking? He had been tired and confused about the fight he had with Jungkook, sure, but that didn't justify how fucking careless he was.

Except, really, who the fuck would want to cause Yoongi any harm? Sometimes people got angry when he denied requests at work, true. But not enough to invest what he knew was quite some money, just to have the means to come into his house? When they paid for protective wards, too?

“Who is it?” Yoongi asked again, when the answer didn't come immediately.

“It's Jungkook, can I come through?” Yoongi opened and closed his mouth a few times, lowering his wand. “I'm sorry, I just got a notification that the floo was up and running, I don't have to come through. We can just talk like this? Or not at all if you don't want to?” Yoongi could not believe Jungkook was rambling in his fireplace. “I know it was a dick move to have you hooked into the Northen-Asia Floo Network without consulting you first, but I–”

“Come through.” Yoongi raised his wand again, this time using the counter charm that allowed Jungkook to come all the way to his house.

The green flames got even bigger and Jungkook materialized over them, spinning in place. Jungkook touched his own forehead when he stood still and squeezed his eyes shut. His wand was in a loose grip and he wore jeans, a white t-shirt and a red beanie, like was actually dressed to go out. Except he looked too pale and shaky.

Even though Jungkook was a “pure blood”, being raised in an all-magical family, the seeker very much hated any form of magic transportation. From apparating, portal keys and any form of fully magic means of travel—besides flying on a broom, of course—, using the floo network was the one that Jungkook tolerated the best. Though he hated it, too.

“Hi.” The man said faintly, moving to take off his shoes before stepping out of the hearth, using his wand to clean any ashes from his clothes and the floor. Yoongi couldn't find his voice as Jungkook took another uncertain step closer.

An awkwardly long moment passed while Yoongi just looked at Jungkook, realization slowly dawning on him. “Did you just floo here from Tokyo?”

“Yes.” Jungkook stored his wand when he saw Yoongi do the same and pulled his beanie further over his ears. “I didn't realize it would feel even worse to come all the way here.”

“Why are you here?” Yoongi felt anger build up in his gut. “Who the fuck do you think you are to set this up?”

Jungkook held his hands up, palms facing Yoogi. “Sorry?”

“I thought my mother had done it, that's the only reason I let it be installed.”

“Please don't get angry.”

“What the actual fuck Jungkook, I already am angry, you were intrusive as hell. You can't just do things like this, of course I'm angry!”

“That's the only way I could visit more often! And, to be fair, I did send you those letters that you didn't even open.” Jungkook spoke softly after Yoongi was done seething. “And you could always have turned down the installation or not allowed me to come through.”

Yoongi's breathing evened a little and he forced himself to calm down, even if his heart wouldn't stop racing. “Why did you do this?” The question still hissed through his teeth showing how pissed off he was.

“Look, we're both pretty stupid to have fought like that.” Yoongi opened his mouth to protest, but Jungkook kept talking, shutting him up. “We were! Please, we need to at least acknowledge that.” Yoongi scowled, but nodded nonetheless. “We were being stupid and… And I realized I couldn't let you push me away again, at least not without any closure.”

“I'm still fucking mad at you, you couldn't—”

“I know!” Jungkook interrupted Yoongi and the keeper looked so flustered and red that Yoongi shut up. “Please be angry at me later, let me try to explain myself right now, I have a lot to say.”

Yoongi gulped, trying to look away from Jungkook's intense eyes, but failing to do so. “Fine.”

The keeper took a deep breath, nodded to himself and started. Almost like he had rehearsed what he had to say.

“Five years ago, right before you stopped talking to me, I had said that maybe we should date, since we spent so much time together anyway. That was… That was not what I wanted to say.” Jungkook closed his eyes and Yoongi felt a little bit like dying. “I wanted you to be my boyfriend because I was head over heels in love with you, not because it was convenient. The mere thought that anyone else could ask you out drove me crazy.”

What the fuck. Yoongi took a step back as Jungkook looked out of breath in front of him, eyes still closed. Who does this kind of shit? Who shows up without any fucking permission and starts rambling like this?

The seeker took another deep breath and started talking again.

“I didn't try talking to you back then because I was too scared of what you would say. I was young and selfish and it didn't cross my mind that maybe something was going on with you. That maybe you needed me to take the first step. And I'm really sorry for that. I realized that our last fight was pushing you away because I was scared to start over. We were getting close again and my life is changing a lot right now and…” The keeper opened his eyes, looking at Yoongi so intensely that he went weak on the knees. “Listen, I have no fucking clue how to do this and it's been five years but I still want to hold your stupid hand and have you kiss no one else.”

Yoongi was slowly starting to smile, despite himself. This ridiculous shit-head. Jungkook had just went and done it. Yoongi was still trying to process everything he had just heard, and he tried to conceal it, but his amusement was clear as day on his voice. “That's terribly possessive of you.”

Jungkook groaned, rolling his eyes so hard that Yoongi flinched a little. “You are literally the lamest person I've ever known.”

“Was that you confessing to me?” Yoongi finally laughed at the way Jungkook seemed to blush even more profusely.

“Yes, Yoongi. Will you be my stupid boyfriend?” Yoongi laughed again, he just couldn't help it, but Jungkook took a step closer to him, shutting him up in the process. “Please?”

“Please?” Yoongi covered his mouth, trying to contain his guffaws. “You're going to be polite now? You did just fucking trespass into my house.”

“I asked permission first.” Jungkook took another step closer and Yoongi took another step back, the back of his knees hitting the couch.

“Yeah, after you were manipulative enough to install the fucking floo network.”

“I'm being polite now, please date me?” Jungkook loosely laced Yoongi's hips with his arms, pulling him slightly closer, a goofy smile now on his face.

Yoongi could pull away if he wanted. Just like he could have denied Jungkook's coming through the green flames if he really hadn't wanted to hear what he had to say. He laughed again and still covered his mouth to try hiding it. He laughed at how Jungkook was kind of a major jerk, but made his stupid heart race all the same.

They both knew what Yoongi's laugh meant. It wasn't mean or meant any harm. The truth was that Yoongi always laughed when he was nervous. And happy. As if to prove some sort of point, a stifled giggle slipped through Yoongi's fingers and he slowly pried his hands away, looking up at Jungkook with amusement on his eyes.

“We're both lame.” Yoongi murmured before taking Jungkook's face in his hands and kissing him.

Yoongi pulled Jungkook closer so he could kiss him the way he wanted to. Slowly and thoroughly. How many days does five and a half years have? Because suddenly Yoongi thought that he missed this during every single one of them and what? He had to be the dumbest man to ever live. He laughed into the kiss and he could feel Jungkook smiling too. Fuck. Both of them were kind of assholes.

Jungkook held Yoongi by the waist, kissing him back with just as much attention to detail, biting Yoongi's bottom lip and tasting it with his tongue. They smiled more into each other's mouths, laughing low on their chests because they were ridiculous, proud, and angry for all the wrong reasons.

Yoongi pulled away enough to kiss the tip of Jungkook's nose, to open his eyes and kiss the keeper's fluttering eyelids. He chuckled at the way Jungkook hummed when he moved his hands to the Yoongi's nape and kissed his lips one more lingering time.

“Is that a yes?” Jungkook asked teasingly, nuzzling his nose on Yoongi's cheek.

“Yeah.” Yoongi closed his eyes again, briefly, still trying to catch his breath. “Yeah, I can be your stupid boyfriend.”