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Taeyong wasn’t a fan of Quidditch. “Never have been, never will be,” he had told an appalled Yuta once.
And so, the answer that came all too naturally when Jungwoo invited him to watch the upcoming match was an instinctual “No.”
“But hyung,” Jungwoo whined, puppy-eyed, “It’s your last year! I really want you to see me play at least once before you leave! And literally the whole school will be there except for you!”
Taeyong had met Jungwoo on the first day of school in his third year (the younger’s first). Taeyong was already running late, and when he arrived at Platform 9 of King’s Cross Station, he found a boy staring at the wall with his eyebrows furrowed. Taeyong could still remember the way Jungwoo’s jaw had dropped when Taeyong simply grinned and walked into the wall beside him. From that very day, the Muggle-born began to look up to him, quickly becoming one of Taeyong’s close friends.
Ever since Jungwoo had joined Ravenclaw’s Quidditch team two years ago, he’d been bugging Taeyong to watch one of his games. Taeyong simply never understood why others enjoyed watching Quidditch so much. He had tried, once, in his first year, but got bored after ten minutes, left, and never went back since. Really, sitting at the bleachers for hours on end, watching a bunch of witches and wizards flying around on their brooms, hitting balls around, waiting for the Seeker to finally catch the Golden Snitch? He could do much more with that time, honestly. Especially since the castle became quiet, peaceful. And as much as he adored Jungwoo, many others before him had already tried convincing Taeyong to spectate a match, but to no avail. Jungwoo’s puppy eyes and pout may make Taeyong crumble, but they could only get him so far.
Taeyong sighed. “No means no, Woo.”
“Please…” Jungwoo begged again, “We’re going up against Slytherin! I’ll need all the moral support I can get! And almost the entire school will be there!”
Doyoung, who had been silent the whole time, perhaps taking pity on the poor Ravenclaw, decided it was time to interject, “I think you should just give it up. Taeyong would never agree. Even Yuta stopped trying after being denied the first twenty times.”
Taeyong paused in his tracks as Jungwoo’s words registered in his mind, causing his friends to nearly collide with him.
“You’re going up against Slytherin?” Taeyong asked before Doyoung could whine at him for stopping in the middle of the hallway.
“Yes…?” Jungwoo replied hesitantly, unsure if his answer would sway Taeyong’s decision.
Taeyong blinked, cocking his head.
“Okay, I’ll be there.”
Doyoung’s jaw dropped.
“You’ll.. what? You’ll be there?” Doyoung’s voice was raised as he stared at Taeyong incredulously.
Jungwoo, too, was evidently shocked, but his surprise was quickly replaced with glee as he jumped up and down, wrapping his arms around Taeyong.
“Really? Yay! Thank you, hyung! I’ll do my very best with you watching!”
Taeyong could hear the disbelief in Jungwoo’s voice. He laughed, twisting his arm into an awkward angle to pat his friend’s back. Doyoung’s questioning frown was left ignored.
—
Taeyong was still not interested in Quidditch. Well, not really. He was interested— just not in the game itself. Rather, he was attending the match for a sole reason, for a sole person. It wasn’t Jungwoo, or Yuta (that made him feel a little guilty— sorry, friends), but the Slytherin captain.
Jaehyun, like his friends, had been pestering him to watch one of his practice games for a while now. It was funny, really, listening to him whine and beg. He sounded eerily like Jungwoo at times, with the way he insisted it was their last year in Hogwarts together, and it would be Taeyong’s last chance to watch him play. Taeyong’s usual response was to snort and say no. Jaehyun, in turn, would pout and tug at Taeyong’s robe, to which the Gryffindor simply stuck out his tongue.
Taeyong heard that his boyfriend was a phenomenal player. He was, after all, the captain of his team, having been appointed in their 5th year after proving himself as one of the best Chasers Slytherin had seen in recent years. He had even amassed a little fan club of sorts— a few bright-eyed first- and second-years who admired his talent. Yuta had lamented (jokingly) on more than one occasion that Jaehyun was getting all the attention, his little fans attending their practice sessions and cheering exclusively for Jaehyun. Taeyong had seen them around too, watched the way a first-year Hufflepuff had stared at Jaehyun during dinner, then nearly passed out when Jaehyun, sensing her eyes on him, turned around, looked at her, and winked. (“I can’t believe you did that. They have inflated your ego too much. Someone needs to humble you,” Taeyong had told Jaehyun when they met later that night. Jaehyun smirked. Typical. “Jealous?” Taeyong snorted. “As if.”)
Yet, Taeyong never agreed to attend a single match (granted, there had only been one since they started dating, and that was when they had barely started) or practice session. He did feel a little (pretty) bad, and began to worry that he wasn’t being a good boyfriend. Well, he supposed this was his chance to make it up to Jaehyun. He still wasn’t very sure what made him agree this time. Perhaps it was what Jungwoo said, that it was his last year, and this was likely his last chance to see Jaehyun and his friends play. Or maybe he wanted to check out what it was that made a couple of eleven- and twelve-year-olds so obsessed with his boyfriend.
Taeyong flipped open his planner. The Ravenclaw versus Slytherin match was in exactly two weeks. The third for the year’s Cup. He hoped the weather would start to warm up by then. He hummed as he marked out the date, beginning to feel slightly… excited? Oh. That was surprising, even for him. He can’t believe a boy has made him feel excited over Quidditch. Oh, he’s fucked.
“You’re weird, you know?” A (very judgmental) voice came from the couch behind him. “Stop smiling to yourself.”
Taeyong whipped around to glare at Doyoung. “You’re one to talk, you laugh in your sleep sometimes.” That shut the headboy right up. “Don’t tell anyone I’m going to watch the match, by the way. Tell Jungwoo not to tell anyone, too.”
“Why?” Doyoung frowned. “Everyone’s going to freak out, you know? The Lee Taeyong, number one Quidditch hater, is going to watch a match!”
“I don’t hate Quidditch. I just think it’s boring. And—” Taeyong panicked. And I want to surprise Jaehyun. He couldn’t exactly say that, could he? He racked his brain for an excuse. “And... I want to surprise Yuta and our other friends!” Doyoung looked like he didn’t quite believe it, but thankfully, didn’t probe further.
“Okay. Though if you don’t want Jungwoo to tell anyone, you should send a message, like, right now. No way he’s not telling the whole school if you don’t.”
Fuck. Gritting his teeth, Taeyong pulled out a piece of parchment, and quickly began scribbling down his message.
—
Taeyong adjusted his scarlet-and-gold scarf, wrapping it tighter around his neck. It was freezing. But he didn’t want to go back in yet, not when this was his first time seeing Jaehyun in a week outside of classes and passing by each other in the corridors or the Great Hall. He had been insanely busy, training every single day for the upcoming match.
“You’re cold.” Of course, Jaehyun would notice. Taeyong was hoping he wouldn’t, because— “We should go back in.” Yep, there it was. Jaehyun was, well, a worrier. Don’t go too close to the edge, Taeyong. Don’t touch that, Taeyong. Be careful, Taeyong. It got annoying, sometimes.
“No,” Taeyong crossed his arms, stubborn.
“You’re cold,” Jaehyun repeated, “You’ll fall sick. Let’s go in, hmm?” Taeyong rolled his eyes. Jaehyun sounded like a mother.
“I’m going to tell your fan club that Jeong Jaehyun acts like a mother hen, see what they’ll think of their big, strong idol then.”
“They’ll fall in love with me even more! Ruthless on the pitch, caring off it? That’s, like, every teenager’s favourite romance trope!”
Taeyong huffed. Jaehyun could tell he was not going to relent.
“Fine. A while more.”
Taeyong grinned. Jaehyun sighed. They sat in silence for a while, listening as waves crashed against the lakeshore before ebbing away.
“Taeyong?”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to ask you a question.”
“Ask it.”
“You’re going to hate it.”
“Ask it.”
“You’re going to say no.”
“Ask it.”
“Will you come to my next Quidditch match? We’re up against Ravenclaw. It’s in two weeks!”
“No.” Yes.
Jaehyun whined, “Pleaaaaase?”
Taeyong shook his head, remaining firm, “You know I’m not a fan.” Jaehyun’s bottom lip jutted out, and Taeyong felt bad. He melted a little, “I’m sorry, Jaehyun.”
“It’s okay,” Jaehyun reassured (or rather, tried to sound reassuring, but Taeyong could tell it was not quite okay), looking down and fiddling with his robe. Taeyong felt even worse, now, and for a moment, he almost cracked and told Jaehyun that, Yes, he was going!, but held back when he reminded himself of his goal— giving the Slytherin a surprise! He really hoped the surprise would be good.
Taeyong grabbed Jaehyun’s hand, squeezing it, and got to his feet. “Come on, you’re right, it’s cold. Let’s go back in.” Jaehyun nodded silently, following suit.
Taeyong really, really, hoped the surprise would be good.
—
“You’re not backing out, right?” Jungwoo asked, slightly worried. He had asked about five times in the past week and a half. Taeyong wanted to sigh, but knew he couldn’t exactly blame him. It had taken the younger literal years to get him to agree. He shook his head firmly, and the Ravenclaw beamed.
“So… are you guys preparing banners? The Ravenclaw common room has a bunch of extra blue and bronze paint, if you need some!” Jungwoo sounded hopeful, and Taeyong grimaced slightly. How was he supposed to explain to his friend that he couldn’t exactly go decked out in Ravenclaw colours because his secret boyfriend was in Slytherin, and he was going to support them too?
Turns out, he didn’t have to, because it seemed Jungwoo was able to read his expression. He gasped, looking betrayed, “Are you not rooting for Ravenclaw to win?”
“I—” Taeyong spluttered, “I’m rooting for both teams! I have friends on both, you know! Yuta will kill me if he sees that I went but didn’t support him!” Jungwoo grunted resignedly. Taeyong, feeling bad for disappointing his friend, quickly reassured, “That doesn’t mean I won’t go all out to support you! I’ll just cheer both teams on with all my energy!”
Jungwoo perked up a little at that, and Taeyong patted him on the back. Three more days until the match.
—
The stands were packed, animated chatter ringing in Taeyong’s ears as he soaked in the atmosphere. Green and blue flags and banners littered the crowd, students eager to show support for their friends and housemates. Taeyong, himself, clutched a little green-and-silver flag in one hand and a blue-and-bronze flag in the other, binoculars hanging around his neck. He had to admit, he was beginning to understand why people liked these events so much. It felt fun being surrounded by so many other spectators, their excitement infecting him. Perhaps first-year him just didn’t understand.
“Everyone, please welcome onto the pitch, Team Ravenclaw and Team Slytherin!” Commentary boomed over the speakers as each team emerged from their locker rooms, marching onto the pitch, brooms in hand. Loud cheers filled the air.
Taeyong sucked in a breath, eyes following Jaehyun as he led his team to the centre of the pitch. He had seen Jaehyun in his Quidditch uniform before, so he shouldn’t feel like the air had just been knocked out of his lungs, but perhaps it was the way Jaehyun carried himself— standing tall, confident, leading his teammates. Taeyong thought that Jaehyun might just look more attractive than he ever had before. He wondered how long it would take Jaehyun to see him sitting here in the stands— or if he would, at all. He hoped he would. Taeyong could hear Doyoung beside him beginning to whoop and shout with the rest of the crowd, and he followed suit.
“Mount your broomsticks,” the referee’s voice was amplified. Both teams heeded her command, and Taeyong could tell how nervous they were. Then, a loud whistle, and the brooms rose up into the air. They were off.
“The Quaffle is immediately snatched up by Slytherin Captain Jeong Jaehyun, off he goes! A nice pass to Lee Donghyuck, he’s fast, he’s got a new broom, I heard— back to Jeong—” Taeyong watched intently as the players whizzed around on their broomsticks. It was dizzying, almost, trying to follow along as the fourteen broomsticks and 3 balls flew around in the air. He barely noticed that he was holding his breath when Jaehyun aimed the Quaffle towards the goal.
“Keeper Dong Sicheng tries to block, he misses, Slytherin scores!”
Taeyong exhales, and suddenly he can breathe again. He cheered, and screams reverberated through the pitches as half the crowd jumped up, waving their banners vigorously. He could see two of Jaehyun’s fans in front of him, chanting his name as they proudly held up their “Captain Jeong” banner. Ravenclaw supporters grumbled in frustration, but didn’t have much time to sulk before the Quaffle was back in play. The game was moving so quickly. Wow, this was intense. Taeyong was overstimulated.
“So, how are you liking it?” Doyoung poked his side. Taeyong could barely hear him, even though he was all but shouting.
“It’s… a lot… but it’s fun!” Taeyong turned his attention back to the game. Jungwoo managed to grab the Quaffle this time. Jaehyun was chasing him, trying to intercept the ball. Then all of a sudden, Smack!, a Bludger hit Jaehyun square on the back of his head. Taeyong gasped, and his heart stopped.
“Ouch! That must have hurt! Bludger to Jeong’s head! Quaffle passed to–” Taeyong could not hear the commentary, heart pounding as he stared at Jaehyun with his jaw dropped, hands tightening around the flags in them. Was he okay? Did he get a concussion? Bloody hell– but Jaehyun simply rubbed the back of his head, and continued pursuing the Ravenclaw Chaser, as if he hadn’t just been hit by a magical ball flying at top speed.
Doyoung must have sensed his shock. Even if Taeyong and Jaehyun didn’t exactly get along, he knew his friend wasn’t evil. He would be worried if anyone got smacked in the head by a Bludger. “It’s normal, you know? They all get hit by Bludgers all the time, it’s just part of the game.” Taeyong felt his grip around the flags loosen as he eased up a little, but he was still worried. He was going to talk to Jaehyun about this.
The game went on. The Seekers flying around trying to find the Golden Snitch as the Quaffle got passed back and forth, Beaters trying their best to protect their teammates from incoming Bludgers. It got a little less giddying after a while, as Taeyong finally got used to trying to watch everything happening all at once. He almost forgot what he was here for, until—
“Lee stopped by Son, Ravenclaw back in possession of the Quaffle, expert manoeuvre by Son, if I do so say myself, Son dives to lose Slytherin, but Jeong is not letting up—” the Ravenclaw Chaser flew towards the stands, and true enough, Jaehyun was right on her tail. The pair came closer, and closer until Taeyong could clearly see the determined expression on the witch’s face, her teeth gritted. Closer, closer, then almost as she reached the boundary lines of the pitch, she shot up vertically, leaving Jaehyun staring at the stands, right at… Taeyong.
Taeyong’s heart skipped a beat as he caught Jaehyun’s gaze, watching as his face morphed, surprise evident. It was as if Jaehyun had forgotten the game was still going on, the way he was paused right there, simply looking at Taeyong. The Gryffindor offered him a smile (a small one, he was afraid Doyoung would be watching). Then, he snapped back to reality when several green-and-silver-striped-faced students yelled at him to “Follow her!” Quickly, he was off again, speeding after the Ravenclaw, but it was a little too late. She had managed to pass the Quaffle to Jungwoo.
Doyoung snorted. “Even Jeong Jaehyun is surprised to see you here.” Taeyong laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. Sometimes he felt like Doyoung knew exactly what was up, and was either trying to save him from embarrassment or fuck with him. He wasn’t exactly talented at sneaking around, after all.
Taeyong grabbed the binoculars weighing against his chest, and aimed them toward Jaehyun. He could still read the slight shock on Jaehyun’s face, then watched as the corners of his lips slowly turned up and suddenly, Jaehyun squared his shoulders, leaned forward, and flew faster. He looked so determined to win, Taeyong almost giggled. He was playing more intensely, eyes narrowed as he flew in pursuit of the Chaser holding onto the Quaffle. Merlin, Taeyong would hate to be Ravenclaw right now.
The minutes ticked by. For every goal that Ravenclaw scored, Slytherin scored more– they were beginning to pull ahead. Taeyong, miraculously enough, was thoroughly enjoying himself– even though the game was drawing to the end of its third hour and his throat was beginning to feel sore from all the shouting, he still felt entertained, and not at all (okay, maybe just a little) bored. Perhaps Quidditch wasn’t so bad, after all. Albeit, Taeyong couldn’t help but secretly pray that the Snitch would be found soon, because he could tell the impatience would start creeping in if he had to wait much longer.
It seemed that Merlin had heard his prayers, because all of a sudden, both Seekers seemed to have locked into something in the air, and they both dove for it. Taeyong watched with bated breath as the two raced towards— Taeyong could see it now, if he squinted— a little, golden, winged ball near the edge of the pitch. The Slytherin Seeker, however, was just slightly faster, and her fingers wrapped around the Golden Snitch right as the Ravenclaw Seeker caught up with her.
The crowd went crazy. These were the loudest of the cheers Taeyong had heard the whole day, students screaming and shouting at the top of their lungs. Taeyong clapped along with them. Jaehyun looked overjoyed (expectedly so) as he descended onto the ground, running up to his teammates as they did a victory dance of sorts (it was a hard watch, Taeyong had to admit). Taeyong smiled as he watched on.
What a game. Perhaps, he might even attend the other matches in the future. Indeed, Quidditch wasn’t so bad after all.
—
Jaehyun, as usual, was already waiting, toeing a pebble on the ground, when Taeyong arrived at their spot by the lake that night.
“So,” Taeyong began casually, causing Jaehyun to look up, “like the surprise?”
Jaehyun broke into a smile, dimples tunneling into his cheeks. “Loved it.” Taeyong nearly stumbled over as Jaehyun barrelled into him, engulfing him in a hug, whispering against his shoulder, “thank you.”
“So… did you enjoy the game?” Jaehyun asked as he pulled away, looking eager, and slightly nervous, for his response.
“Hmm…” Taeyong feigned disinterest, but when Jaehyun’s shoulders sagged slightly, face dimming, he quickly gave in, “I did. It was pretty fun!” Jaehyun lit right back up, giving a little joyful jump.
“See, I told you Quidditch isn’t boring!” Jaehyun looked triumphant, wearing his I-told-you-so smirk.
“Well… you didn’t tell me how good you look playing Quidditch. Maybe if you had I would have gone a long time ago!” Taeyong retorted. Jaehyun stared at him for a moment, blinking, before bursting out laughing. Taeyong felt the heat crawling up his neck as he realised how utterly cheesy he sounded.
“Merlin, Taeyong. That was so—” a sharp glare from Taeyong shut Jaehyun up. “…Well, isn’t that a given? I’m always attractive, am I not? That’s why I have a fanclub. That’s why you fell for me.”
“You think me shallow,” Taeyong looked offended, crossing his arms over his chest. Jaehyun simply chortled at his expression.
“Are you not?” Jaehyun teased, “you used to hate me until we grew up and I became hot.” Taeyong pretended to gag, giving Jaehyun a punch on the shoulder.
“Gross. I wish I told you I hated the game. Someone needs to bring your ego down a few notches.” Jaehyun blew a raspberry. Real mature.
Taeyong sighed, tugging Jaehyun’s arm as he settled down under their favourite tree. Leaning against the trunk, Taeyong intertwined his fingers with Jaehyun and inhaled deeply to take in all the scents— the fresh lakewater, the floral notes of approaching spring, the woodsy aroma of the forest. It was moments like these Taeyong appreciated the most. Silence, peace… and Jaehyun.
“You owe me a goal, you know?” Taeyong’s eyes were about to shut but snapped wide open at Jaehyun’s voice. He turned to his boyfriend, confused. “I nearly got Ravenclaw. They managed to score a goal because I was so surprised to see you I couldn’t move! You could have warned me that you were coming!”
Taeyong snorted. “Well, that would have ruined the surprise, wouldn’t it? I’m sorry, though, I didn’t mean for that to happen,” Taeyong sounded apologetic.
“I’m just teasing,” Jaehyun squeezed Taeyong’s hand. “Anyway, I think you made it up to me.” Under the glow of the moonlight, Taeyong could see as the tips of Jaehyun’s ears began to redden. “Seeing you there made me play harder. Pretty sure you’re the reason we won in the end.” By the end of his sentence, Jaehyun’s entire ears were burning red from his admission. Merlin, Jaehyun was adorable when he was embarrassed.
Taeyong chuckled, “Just say you’re obsessed with me.”
“I am obsessed with you.”
Taeyong melted. It still didn’t feel real, sometimes, that Jaehyun was saying these things to him. Which was fair, given their tumultuous history. Though he would always be grateful for what they had become. He shuffled closer to Jaehyun, tucking his head into the crook of the Slytherin’s neck.
“Do you have a favourite part of the game?” Jaehyun’s question made Taeyong ponder. He ran through the events of the match in his mind. The game started, then Jaehyun almost immediately scored a goal, then—
“Jeong Jaehyun!” Jaehyun’s head nearly got knocked off his neck from the way Taeyong shot up straight.
“What?” Jaehyun sounded indignant as he rubbed his aching jaw.
“You didn’t tell me how dangerous Quidditch is! You got hit by a Bludger in the head and acted as if nothing happened! How often does this happen?” Taeyong scolded. Jaehyun scratched his nape, looking embarrassed.
“Hey! That’s insulting! To both my Beaters and myself! Don’t you have faith in your friend Yuta? They are decent enough at their jobs to deflect the Bludgers most of the time! But getting hit is just a part and parcel of it all, I’m used to it. And I’m pretty proficient at healing spells, you know?” Jaehyun protested. Taeyong huffed.
“Still. You got hit right in the head! You could have gotten a concussion! Tell Yuta to train more. He should be deflecting every single one!” Taeyong was upset (clearly).
Jaehyun guffawed. “Look who’s the mother hen now, after always teasing me for it. So protective, maybe you’re the one who’s obsessed with me!” Taeyong’s face flushed. Jaehyun was right. That sounded exactly like something his boyfriend would say.
“You’re influencing me,” Taeyong grumbled, still slightly annoyed that Jaehyun had never told him that he regularly got hit by a bewitched, flying, iron ball.
Jaehyun gave Taeyong a gentle smile. “I’ll make sure to be more careful on the pitch, watch out for Bludgers, hmm?”
Taeyong couldn’t help but return Jaehyun’s smile as he nodded contentedly, snuggling back into Jaehyun’s side.
“So… will I see you at my next match?”
Taeyong hummed.
“Maybe.” Yes.