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Choi had just barely stepped out of the door for his last class of the day when Ryu Jaekwan comes barreling down the corridor, nearly running over Choi in the process. Jaekwan stumbles as he comes skidding to a stop in front of Choi, and Choi grabs a handful of his robe, pulling on it to keep him steady.
"Where are you going in such a hurry, Jaekwan-ah? To think I'd see the day, star-student Ryu Jaekwan, running through the halls…" Choi trails off as he gets a good look at Jaekwan's face. He's looking at Choi with a look of hopeful desperation, an almost crazed look in his eyes.
"Sunbae," Jaekwan starts, more hesitant that Choi has heard from him since the year they first met. "Do you love me?"
What? "What?" Choi repeats out loud. Jaekwan is still looking at him with that expectant look on his face. What answer is he looking for? Yes, I've been in love with you for the past two years? Yes, I love you so much my day is incomplete before I see you? Yes, and to prove it, I have every vein on your body memorized?
"Of course I love you, Jaekwan-ah, haha, after all you're my sweet hoobae of course, why are you asking, ahaha," Choi says instead, and hopes he didn't sound as awkward as he feels. Jaekwan's shoulders slump, an audible sigh of relief, and before Choi can ask what all this is about, a rumble of footsteps sounds from around the corner, and the panic blooms back on Jaekwan's face.
"Come with me," is all Jaekwan says, grabbing his hand and dragging him along before they're both running down the halls, a cacophony of sound behind them. Choi risks a look back, and what looks like a dozen people is chasing in their wake. Choi curses, then runs faster. They turn down another hallway, halfway through the hall, when Jaekwan suddenly stops and pulls the two of them into the nearest broom closet.
"Jaekwan-ah, what—" Choi starts, but Jaekwan slaps his hand across Choi's mouth as a parade of footsteps runs past the closet door. Choi sticks his tongue and licks Jaekwan's palm, but it doesn't budge. Figures. That trick stopped working after the first five times. It isn't until the hallway silences again that Jaekwan finally puts his hand down, shoulders slumping.
"Sorry, sunbae," Jaekwan whispers into the dark, despite no one else being around. Choi strains to hear him. "A love potion went wrong in class today, and I've been getting chased since then," Jaekwan admits, almost embarrassed, if the red brightening the tips of his ears is any indication. Choi lets out a low whistle.
"Aigoo~ my Jaekwan-ie is so popular~" Choi teases, reaching up to poke at Jaekwan's slowly warming cheeks. He must be more worked up about than he lets on, because Jaekwan doesn't immediately push his hand down, only letting out a defeated sigh. Choi can't help but smile. It's a little mean, to laugh at his hoobae's plight, but Jaekwan is so rarely distressed to this degree. It's a little cute. "But we can't stay in here all day. Let's head to the infirmary, see if they have an antidote.
Jaekwan only shakes his head. "I went earlier. They're still working on one. They told me to leave before they get affected too." Jaekwan stops, then frowns, brows furrowing. Choi wants nothing more than to smooth them out. "Wait, Choi-sunbae, how are you unaffected?"
All the blood in Choi's body rushes to his face, and he really, really hopes the broom closet is darker than not. "Aha, I must have exceptionally strong magic resistance, haha!" Choi lies through his teeth, because it's much less embarrassing than the truth, being that Oh, Jaekwan-ie, the potion wouldn't change anything, since I already love you! Is it heating up in here, or is that just Choi dying of humiliation? "Enough about that, haha, everyone's probably already gone by now, so let's just go back to your dorm or something."
"Sunbae, wait—" Jaekwan reaches out, but Choi's already pushed open the door to the supply closet, the air from the hallway cooling his face instantly. He turns back to Jaekwan and shoots him a thumbs-up.
"See? Nothing to worry about, Jaekwan, no one's here—" Choi jumps as the closet door swings shut, revealing a man with white hair and piercing red eyes standing behind the door, holding a bouquet.
"Please accept my honest feelings," Lee Jaheon says, holding out a bouquet of oddly arranged flowers at Jaekwan. The flowers' colors are clashing against each other like a row of neon signs, and the flowers aren't even arranged in any sort of visually appealing way. Just in order of size, horizontally left to right. Before this moment, Choi would've thought it impossible to arrange flowers in such an eyesore of an arrangement.
Before Ryu Jaekwan could even respond, a snap sounds in the air, and the bouquet bursts into flames. If nothing else, Choi's eyes have been rescued. Lee Jaheon only blinks as the ashes fall through his fingers. Choi turns to the other end of the hallway, where a tall, blonde, American man enters the hall. Choi is more familiar with this man as a pink rabbit profile picture on Kim Soleum's phone: Braun.
"How inelegant, as expected from a lifeform of your species," Braun notes, a hint of a sneer underlining his voice, impeccably polished brown leather loafers clicking against the floor as he walks up to them. "To profess your honest feelings with such cheap flowers and harsh delivery; why, this confession is no better than a joke!" In the empty space, Choi can't help but hear the faint smattering of a laugh track.
"A true confession can only be considered in the form of the most romantic language of all: poetry," Braun continues, stepping past Choi and reaching towards Jaekwan's chin, lifting his face up towards him. Choi finds that the action makes him irrationally annoyed. His hand twitches for a cigarette. "Romance, who loves to nod and sing—"
"Fire magic is not allowed in the halls," Lee Jaheon deadpans, and Braun turns his attention to Lee Jaheon in a terrifyingly quick motion.
"Have you no class? To interrupt a truly heartfelt profession of love with useless rules is an insult to no less than my entire professional career!"
"? I did not comment on your romantic endeavors nor your career." Another fireball flies past Lee Jaheon's head, who dodges with ease. "Dueling is also not allowed in the halls."
"And a creature as brutish as you is certainly not allowed on my stage!"
Choi tugs on Jaekwan's sleeve. "Let's go. Before they notice we're gone." They sneak their way to the end of the hallway more cautiously than they need to be, considering the exponential volume and frequency increase in the sound of flying spells after they turned out of the hallway. Once they make it past another corner, they start running again, this time even having to dodge and weave around random students on the way to Ryu Jaekwan's dorm room.
They're right by the entrance to the common room when suddenly, out steps a curly brown-haired boy holding a box of chocolates. His one green eye, the other hidden under an eyepatch, brightens up when he sees Ryu Jaekwan.
"These are for you," Baek Saheon says, quickly striding over and holding out the heart-shaped box, and Jaekwan instinctively takes it. The second Jaekwan closes his hand around the edges of the box, Baek Saheon quickly lets go, crossing his arms and turning his head away. It doesn't hide anything, considering his entire neck is flushed pink. "N-not that I like you, or anything! I just, didn't want these to go to waste."
Jaekwan moves to relax, but Choi quickly hisses at him, "Don't believe him." Choi could recognize those tsundere types a mile away, what with the obvious contrast of vehement verbal denial to evidently affectionate actions. He's just missing a little hmph! at the end; otherwise, Baek Saheon would be a textbook example of a classic tsundere. One that Choi was very familiar with, at that, thanks to hearing many descriptions of him.
"That's Grapes-ie's boyfriend," Choi clarifies. The box drops out of Jaekwan's hands.
Kim Soleum truly had the best timing, because it was at that moment he walked out of the common room. Choi, who had picked up the box of chocolates before it could hit the ground, quickly pushed them into Kim Soleum's arms. They looked like homemade chocolates, too, huh? Choi really couldn't let anyone give Jaekwan anything. One of these days, someone really was going to woo him before Choi did, especially with Jaekwan's bleeding heart.
"Choi-sunbae—! What—?"
"Those would've probably been for you anyway~" Choi calls back, pulling Jaekwan along and away, leaving the two dumbstruck behind. "We'll have better luck in my room," Choi says to Jaekwan, as they run back into the halls and towards the main staircase. If Choi knew that he would be doing this much running today, he probably would've picked a different pair of pants that morning. Maybe left the robe in his closet altogether.
At the top of the staircase, there's a girl with short brown hair, who perks up when she sees them. "Choi-ssi, Jaekwan-ssi! Have either of you seen Soleum-ssi?"
Finally. Someone not looking for Ryu Jaekwan. "He was right behind us," Jaekwan answers, sounding as relieved as Choi feels. "You should go stay with him and Baek Saheon."
Go Yeongeun shakes her head. "No, I already spoke to Saheon-ssi earlier. I just need to find Soleum-ssi. I need to break up with him."
Choi gapes. "Break up?"
She nods, then actually looks down and towards Jaekwan, a little shy. "Actually, I really like you, Jaekwan-ssi."
Choi's smile strains. He really spoke too soon. "You can't mean that, haha! You and Grapse-ie really care for each other, okay, and I know that Baek Saheon guy is weird, haha, but you guys all love—"
"No, I want to break up with her too, sunbae."
Choi was wrong on two counts today, because Kim Soleum truly had the worst timing to be coming up behind them on the staircase at this exact moment. Choi hadn't even realized that Kim Soleum was following them, much less how long he was following them for. "Grapes-ie, not you too! I know Jaekwan-ie is a catch, but you're both in a committed relationship—!"
Ryu Jaekwan pulls at Choi's sleeve, already ready to run again. "Let's just go, sunbae. You can't convince them. We need the antidote."
"Haven't we done enough running today?" Choi sighs, but lets himself get dragged along with Jaekwan. Maybe this time, they'll find somewhere appropriate to hide and wait this out.
Kwak Jekang slams his palms down against the bench, beakers and test tubes and their apparatus setup clattering against the wooden table, laughter bubbling out of his throat. A piece of the glassware tumbles off its precarious resting spot, and Lee Yeonhwa scrambles to the ground to catch the (luckily, empty) beaker before it hits the ground. Jay, lying down in one of the nearby cots, grumbles lightly and pulls his blue cap lower down his face. He would've fallen asleep if not for the sudden noise.
"Finished!" Kwak Jekang announces, holding up one almost-full glass vial, then giggles. Lee Yeonhwa shudders, but carefully places the beaker back on the table. This time, further from the edge. "I should just keep this."
"No, you shouldn't," Lee Yeonhwa sighs, with all the tiredness of someone who's shot down that idea six times in the past hour. "We need to tell Ryu Jaekwan-ssi we've finished the antidote as soon as possible."
"Right, that was his name," Kwak Jekang replies, snapping, then frowns. "Ahh, but I don't want to run around looking for that goody-goody Hufflepuff."
Lee Yeonhwa is about to volunteer herself for the job, but Kwak Jekang ignores her hand. Instead, he reaches under the table and pulls out a box of a dozen donuts, opening the flap and looking contemplative before taking out one with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles.
"Jay-B~" Kwak Jekang sings, and Jay cracks one eye open, glancing over to where Kwak Jekang is waving the donut in the air temptingly. Lee Yeonhwa can see the second that Jay notices the donut, because his eyes slowly widen, and he nearly leaps off the cot — as much as Jay 'leaps', anyway — to cross the room to them in quick, smooth strides.
Jay stops to stand in front of Kwak Jekang, eyes following the donut as it's waved in his face, even as he looks one second away from just grabbing it straight out of Kwak Jekang's hand. Before he can, Kwak Jekang pops the lid off the antidote potion and, in one smooth motion, pours a dose into his mouth and moves forward to connect his lips with Jay's. He makes sure all of the potion goes into Jay's mouth, forcing his mouth open and pushing back against Jay's tongue, only pulling away after he's sure the entire potion dose was fully transferred.
As he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, Kwak Jekang stuffs the chocolate donut into Jay's mouth before he can spit anything out. Jay stares down Kwak Jekang, but swallows.
"Fetch Ryu Jaekwan for me, and the rest of the box is yours, okay~" Jay only stares harder, but after a second, he turns around and walks out of the room. The door to the infirmary shuts behind him with an echoing thump.
"…do you always have a box of fresh donuts around, just so that you can boss around Jay-ssi?" Lee Yeonhwa asks hesitantly, and Kwak Jekang only cackles in response.
A new set of footsteps comes from around the corner, and both Choi and Jaekwan tense instantly, prepared to run. The new person is just walking, not running, but there's always a chance the situation can turn south.
Out walks a taller student with long gray hair and red-lined robes. No flowers or chocolates or gifts or badly written love poetry in sight, but oddly, there's a splattering of pastry crumbs on his shirt collar.
"Jay-ssi, right?" Choi asks, recognizing, and Jay turns to look at him.
"Are you Ryu Jaekwan? Umm, I'm looking for a Ryu Jaekwan," Jay responds, almost lethargically, and Jaekwan squints suspiciously.
"Do you love me?" Jaekwan asks unceremoniously, and Choi wants to cry at the lack of tact… and maybe, just a little bit, he hoped he would be the only one Jaekwan asked that to.
Jay just blinks.
"Aha, what do you need Jaekwan-ie for?" Choi cuts in after a beat of silence. He's starting to think that if he weren't here, those two would just stare each other down the rest of the day.
"Oh. Kwak Jekang is looking for him," Jay answers slowly.
Choi squints. Jay doesn't look like he's crazy in love with Jaekwan, but from what he's seen of the guy, Jay's never really looked much of anything.
"Do you happen to be immune?" Choi tries, and Jay hums.
"I guess so… that might have been the potion he spat in my mouth…"
"The antidote is done?" Jaekwan asks immediately. Jay nods, and a relieved grin spreads on Jaekwan's face despite the tiredness still set in his shoulders. Honestly, Choi's still a little stuck on the "spat in my mouth" part, but it seems like everyone else is moving on, and he's mostly just glad to no longer be fending off Jaekwan's suitors.
"That guy finally finished, then," Choi says, smile widening. It must be the reassurance of having won against what feels like half the school for Jaekwan's affections, because that smile came to his face easily.
They follow Jay back to the infirmary, smoothly dodging the advances of as many students as possible. He and Jaekwan have had a lot of practice over the course of the past few hours, and despite Jay's laid-back demeanor, he seemed to be quick on his feet. When they step through the infirmary doorway, Jay seems to forget about them entirely, making a beeline for Kwak Jekang.
"Back already?" Kwak Jekang teases, staring straight at Jay, as he balances a box of donuts on one palm. Choi didn't think that eccentric guy was a fan of sweets, but Jay swipes the box out of his hand to the sound of Kwak Jekang's slightly unhinged laugh. Then, box of donuts still in one hand, Jay grabs Kwak Jekang's face in the other and pulls it to his face. Kwak Jekang lets out a single choked breath before Jay kisses him, pushing Kwak Jekang down with his mouth and sending the both of them tumbling into an empty infirmary cot. Kwak Jekang lets out a moan that is, in Choi's opinion, completely unwarranted.
The other person in the room, Lee Yeonhwa, lets out a long-suffering sigh and closes a curtain around the no longer empty cot.
"Ignore them," she says, handing a half-empty vial of shimmering potion to Ryu Jaekwan. "This potion blocks the effects of the love potion, so after you drink it, everyone should go back to normal."
"Bottoms up, Jaekwan-ah!" Choi mimes taking a shot. Jaekwan shoots him a disappointed look, but obediently downs the potion, nose scrunching up cutely as he swallows.
"…I feel the same," Jaekwan frowns, after a beat, and Lee Yeonhwa nods.
"You shouldn't feel anything different," she confirms, "but we can head over to the Great Hall right now to check. Dinner is about to start anyway, and," she glances over at the closed curtain with a pained expression. Choi has been valiantly ignoring any sounds coming from that direction. "Those two are going to be a while, and I don't want to be here for that."
Choi holds his breath from the infirmary all the way to when Jaekwan steps into the Great Hall. There's a beat of silence — no running, no screaming, no people throwing themselves over here — then he and Jaekwan let out a collective sigh of relief. Lee Yeonhwa claps her hands together.
"Success!" she cheers lightly, then nods at the two before walking off in the direction of the Ravenclaw table. Ryu Jaekwan walks over to Hufflepuff, and Choi follows, passing by his own table, not quite ready to leave Jaekwan alone after the day they've had.
They sit next to a girl with bright blue hair, Lee Seonghae, whom Choi knows from working with her on a project together in the past. He follows her line of sight to the Ravenclaw table, where she's staring at… Lee Yeonhwa.
"She's so kind and empathetic," Lee Seonghae sighs happily, the closest to lovesick Choi has ever heard her. Lee Seonghae has always been a bit of an… odd… girl, but loyal and protective. Lee Yeonhwa would probably get along with Lee Seonghae, if her present company is any indication of the crazy she can put up with. It wouldn't hurt to play some matchmaker, especially after the day he had.
"Let this sunbae give you some advice, then, Seonghae-ah," Choi starts. Lee Seonghae startles, head shaking before looking at Choi, then glancing pointedly at Ryu Jaekwan. "Wh— hey! Okay, look here, I have plenty of romantic experience to pass on!"
"No offense, sunbae, I think you're amazing at a lot of things! But I think I'll ask someone else for this," Lee Seonghae responds, smiling as brightly as usual as she bounds away, despite the blow to Choi's pride. Jaekwan looks up as she passes and gives Choi a questioning look.
"Ahh, Jaekwan-ie, why don't my juniors love me anymore?" Choi whines, throwing himself at Jaekwan. "Jaekwan-ah, do you love me?"
"What are you talking about?" Jaekwan mutters, his palm landing on Choi's face and pushing him back. It's a familiar action, with a familiar touch, reassuring Choi that no matter who else throws themselves at Ryu Jaekwan, nothing will change between them. "Just eat your food, sunbae," he says, pushing a stacked plate towards Choi, and Choi beams.