magic and mistakes (I/II)
magic and mistakes
For: kyudos2you
Rating: PG
Length: 10, 937 (total)
Summary: Kyungsoo is the head of Gryffindor House and his ultimate rival is the head of Slytherin - Luhan. They compete in practically everything, but perhaps something more, something unexpected, comes from their rivalry.
There were several things every single new student coming to Hogwarts knew about the school. An important thing to know was that the staircases liked to move randomly. Students should prepare for this wherever they go and if it happens, find another way to get to their destination.
Another important thing students quickly learn is that ghosts can jump out at any time. Guard valuables carefully, be especially aware of certain spirits who were known for causing all sorts of chaos, and then continue about the day as normal.
The Houses in the school were also known for their fierce rivalries - in particular, the one between Gryffindor and Slytherin was the most infamous. They competed in everything from grades in courses, to accumulating the most points to win the House Cup. Every year, before everyone moved out for the summer, both students in those Houses would up the ante and struggle to try and come out on top.
This was not limited to just the students. In fact, the heads of Gryffindor and Slytherin were both embroiled in their own rivalry. Best each other at absolutely everything - nothing was off limits. Kyungsoo, professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, had been sitting in his office. Scrolls of essays were piled on the wood surface and he was slowly, but surely, going to find a way to get through them all. After all, he had to get through most of them before evening fell. In the hours of the early evening, there would be a meeting. The heads of each House would come together and talk about the students under their wings, how points for each House had been distributed, and about a couple of things to come in the future. They were trying particularly hard to keep one of them secret from the students - and that was the Yule Ball, of course.
The Yule Ball was a grand occasion - lots of dancing and festivities for most of a single night. Students and even professors would invite dates to come and enjoy it with them. Live bands would perform at the concert, the food would be better than usual, the decorations would be extravagant and flamboyant, and nearly everyone who went left with a smile on their face. Even that could somehow be considered a competition - at least, it did for professor Do Kyungsoo.
But there was always that one professor that Kyungsoo would always butt heads with. Because of this one professor, he dreaded these meetings. Because of this professor, he worked really hard to make sure he was the best at everything. Because of this professor, he made sure all of the students under his House did their best to succeed as well.
It was only natural - after all, Kyungsoo was the head of Gryffindor House and this professor was the head of Slytherin House. They were destined to be rivals from the very beginning.
There was a knock on the door of his office and before Kyungsoo could tell the person to enter, they were already storming through the door. Most heads did not have to wear the colors of their House, but of course, Yixing was dressed in shocking hues of yellow with pinches of black. Yixing was known for that, as well as the way he taught his course. Students would file into his own class with complaints of, “Professor Zhang was really scattered today. Oh, I hope he doesn’t jinx his head away!”
His head was still attached to his body as he came bumbling into Kyungsoo’s office, a sheepish little grin on his face. “Kyungsoo, are you ready for the meeting?”
He supposed he would have to face that professor sooner or later, and so he sighed and murmured, “Yeah, I’m ready. I hope he’s not too obnoxious this time.”
Yixing turned to his fellow professor, a knowing glint in his eyes as he shrugged and replied, “You know, he’s really not very annoying at all. Not like you say he is. Is it just because he’s the head of Slytherin?”
Kyungsoo resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he snapped, “No, it’s because he’s an insufferable little know-it-all. He’s a bit of a weakling though. By his appearance, he should have been a little puff.”
“Well, they say we sort too young,” Yixing added, a whimsical tone to his voice as he stared down the long hallway. They were walking to the meeting now, Kyungsoo’s essays long since forgotten. “Either way, I think you should learn to get along with him. Minseok and I get along very well, and we’re supposed to be rivals.”
Kyungsoo scoffed and retorted, “Not as much as I’m supposed to be with him. And if he’d stop acting so annoying and like a smarmy little teenager, maybe we’d be able to endure each other.”
Obviously at a loss, Yixing dropped the conversation, though he did mumble, “You were like this too when you were first hired.”
Their meetings were usually held by the headmaster. He was an elderly man, nearing the age that he would likely retire, but he held the meetings as best he could.
As Kyungsoo and Yixing arrived in the little room, the other two heads were already there. Minseok, head of Ravenclaw House, was excitedly chatting with the other person in the room.
And this other person could only be known as Luhan - Luhan, head of Slytherin House. Luhan, one of the newly hired professors for Charms class. Blessed with a beautiful face, and perhaps even blessed with quick wit - Kyungsoo, however, cursed that trait. He cursed nearly every trait of the other professor.
Not long after they had entered, Minseok sighed and exclaimed, “Well, I can tell who’s here now. The atmosphere of the room has changed. Kyungsoo, you have got to learn to relax or else you’ll break the windows.”
“I am calm,” was Kyungsoo’s response.
Someone in the room scoffed, and since Minseok seemed to be rather disappointed, the noise could have only come from Luhan.
The Charms professor and head of Slytherin was sitting in one of the chairs by the table, arms
folded across his chest. He didn’t seem too happy as he retorted, “About as calm as those Howlers some of the students get sent. And you know how calm those are.”
Kyungsoo didn’t even hesitate when he snapped back, “Be quiet, princess.”
He had started to ignore the Slytherin professor, so Kyungsoo had missed the pink blush that formed on Luhan’s cheeks at the comment.
The upcoming Yule Ball was the main subject of the meeting, and after a small amount of time Kyungsoo was no longer paying attention. Instead, his mind drifted elsewhere, to other things.
Mainly, he began to think about what he could do to beat that stupid Slytherin.
Oh, not anything physical, of course - but just like the students of Gryffindor and Slytherin, he and . . . he and Luhan, a name filled with venom even as he thought of it, had a similar sort of rivalry. Kyungsoo was going to be better than Luhan at absolutely everything. Not only were his classes going to be taught better, his students were going to have better grades. This Yule Ball was just another competition for Kyungsoo - another chance to prove he was better than that stupid little Slytherin.
Kyungsoo made up his mind then and there. He was going to be better than Luhan in absolutely everything. His house would come out on top and by the end of the year, Luhan would be groveling at his feet, whining at the loss he was given. Yes, Kyungsoo liked that image a lot- perhaps they would even make a bet and as a result of his loss, Luhan would have to do whatever Kyungsoo said.
It was going to be a great year and suddenly, that little meeting didn’t seem like that big of a deal. Because now, Kyungsoo was going to win it all.
The year started off well enough after that meeting. His students were just as they usually were - either bumbling and barely making it through class or absolutely exceling. He was especially nice to the students in his own house, sometimes giving them extra points for doing well. “Ten points for Gryffindor for getting a perfect score on the exam,” he would say, and the Gryffindors would beam with joy. Kyungsoo would smile at them, but he would hide just how excited he was.
One thing down on the agenda and soon, Luhan would be putty in front of him.
It was late in the evening and Kyungsoo had stayed in his office late to finish grading papers. Usually, he was the only one to stay out so late. Luhan was never one to stay up late, he had noticed; the Slytherin professor was usually seen walking back to his living quarters by nine in the evening.
There was a knock on his office door and before he said for the person to come in, the door swung open. Of course, it was Yixing. It was always Yixing; even if Kyungsoo had demanded for him to stay out, Yixing would still turn the knob on the door, open it, and come strolling right in.
“You’re up late,” Yixing commented, peering at the decreasing stack of papers on his desk, “Why? You don’t have any classes tomorrow, so you could just do it then. You’re losing too much sleep.”
Kyungsoo laughed at this and replied, “May as well get it done. And besides, I was going to have other plans for tomorrow.”
Yixing smiled at him for just a moment, and then the smile faded. “You have that scary kind of smile on your face. You know, the one where you’re probably up to something? What exactly are you planning?”
“Oh, nothing much,” Kyungsoo replied, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, “I was planning on walking through the hallways, making sure students are doing things the way they should. If they’re in my house, I plan on giving them points. We’re going to win the House Cup this year, and Slytherin is going to be crushed under my boot.”
There was a sigh from Yixing before he said, “Oh, you’re on that again. You’re getting obsessed with it.”
“You just think I am,” Kyungsoo retorted, “But there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a little friendly competition. Either way, we’re supposed to be rivals. I’m supposed to want to smash his face into the ground and gloat about it. You’re my friend; you should be supporting me.”
For a moment, Kyungsoo felt like an immature teenager being scolded by his mother because then Yixing said, “You know, Luhan is a really nice person. I think you’d know that if you actually took the time to get to know him. But instead, you just try to find ways to beat him at everything. Maybe you should look inside and think of reasons why you do that.”
After that, Yixing turned to leave Kyungsoo’s office, but not before he said, “You know, if you look inside and ask yourself why you do that, you might be surprised with why you’re doing this. Just a thought.” With those words, he left Kyungsoo’s office, quietly shutting the door and walking off to another part of the school. Knowing Yixing, he may not entirely know where he was heading. Kyungsoo couldn’t find it in himself to care.
It was stupid how simple it was. Luhan was a Slytherin - a girly-looking Slytherin whose looks hid some kind of evil underneath it all. There had to be some kind of evil to be put into that house after all.
He encountered Luhan later that evening, in fact. Judging from the sleepy look in the Slytherin professor’s eyes, Luhan was just about to head off to bed.
“Wimping out already?” Kyungsoo asked, eyes moving to gaze at Luhan’s body. The Slytherin professor’s shoulders were slumped and he seemed rather relaxed - even with his biggest rival standing not too far away from him. It was late after all. This was Luhan’s bedtime and he needed to get his beauty rest so he could try and beat Kyungsoo at everything. Fat chance, Kyungsoo thought.
Luhan’s shoulders moved just a little bit; perhaps it looked more like a twitch. Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows. Was Luhan trying to shrug his shoulders? Oh, but was he just too tired?
Definitely a wimp.
“No,” Luhan replied, voice quiet as he gaze met Kyungsoo’s own. This hadn’t been the first time they had spoken in the evening. Well, it hadn’t been the first time they had spoken like this, either. At night, Luhan seemed to be more muted. He would sometimes even smile at Kyungsoo - and Kyungsoo considered that strange, of course. In fact, the very first time it had happened, Kyungsoo felt a strange chill working its way down his spine. It was . . . strange. His heart had beat quicker than usual and he felt this extreme urge to run away, to get away from Luhan and pretend he had never seen that smile before. But then it kept happening over and over, and so Kyungsoo had to accept it - he thought Luhan had a nice smile. There, he said it.
“Is that all you have to say?” Kyungsoo asked, a small little smirk on his face. Luhan was most definitely muted in that moment. His eyelids were even softly drooping, long eyelashes fluttering against the apples of his cheeks. What time even was it anyway? Kyungsoo glanced over at a nearby clock perched on the wall . . . 10:30pm. Oh, yes. It was most definitely past Professor Lu’s little bedtime.
Luhan just nodded his head and replied quietly, “Yeah. I’m sleepy. I stayed up too late. Anyway, I’m going to go now. Goodnight, Kyungsoo.” As soon as he finished speaking, that same little smile appeared on his face - oh no, his heart was beginning to race again and no, he could feel heat swelling in his body - and Luhan began to walk away from him, feet shuffling against the hard flooring and making light swishing noises as he soon left the area.
What . . . was that? Kyungsoo still stood in that same hallway, only it felt just a little bit cooler. The heat had faded and his heart returned to beating at a normal pace, but that didn’t mean everything was solved. In fact, now Kyungsoo was extremely confused. Luhan could smile and Luhan . . . was nice to him? He didn’t say anything bratty in response to him? What was this?
It felt strange - as though the hallway he stood in was some sort of alternate dimension, one where he and Luhan weren’t rivals and weren’t always at each other’s throats.
And then suddenly, Kyungsoo came to a most terrible conclusion and his stomach churned with dread at the very thought - Luhan actually wasn’t that bad. Maybe he . . . no, he couldn’t say it!
He couldn’t even think it!
But then, that little thought came tumbling into his head - Luhan really wasn’t a bad person. In fact, he was rather cute.
No, no, no! He couldn’t fall into something like that. He and Luhan were rivals! That had just been a moment of weakness for Luhan. Actually, considering a few other conversations of theirs, he had had several weak moments like that, so maybe he really wasn’t . . . no, Kyungsoo, don’t think like that!
His heart was racing just a little faster than normal just thinking about Luhan. He had to be mean still, Luhan just had to be! Their rivalry would fall apart if he wasn’t. Kyungsoo even felt as though his entire demeanor would shatter into sharp, jagged pieces only to crumble into specks of dust. Or maybe he’d just shred into pieces and be used up in the owlery to absorb the owl droppings.
No! He had to get back to those old feelings of rivalry - these little fluttery and warm feelings be damned! Tomorrow, he would get back to work and find out just how evil Luhan could be to be put into Slytherin. There had to be a reason, and now Kyungsoo was determined to find it.
The next day, Kyungsoo did exactly what he had planned to do. He walked through the halls of the school, giving points to students in his own house if they were doing things correctly.
He also may or may not have planned to spy on Luhan and his classes - but of course, he would have never told Yixing something like that. Yixing would have given him his usual look, the look that just screamed, “My poor son you are barking up the wrong tree with your rude ways.” Kyungsoo wasn’t rude. He was just a little competitive. Luhan was his rival, and he most certainly was not going to back down.
Luhan’s previous class must not have finished yet, because there was a group of students standing around chatting amongst themselves outside of his door. Kyungsoo purposely slowed down, listening in to what they were saying.
There was a conversation between a Ravenclaw student and a Gryffindor, Kyungsoo didn’t know his name - it wasn’t his fault there were so many students in his house! He just couldn’t be bothered to remember anyone’s name.
“Professor Lu’s class is interesting, I suppose,” the Ravenclaw student was saying, arms folded across his chest, “He teaches pretty well. It’s just kind of funny, because he’s a Slytherin but then he’s got that cute appearance.”
The Gryffindor student nodded along and added, “Not to mention he doesn’t act anything like someone from that house anyway. He looks cute and sometimes even acts like it. Sometimes.”
Kyungsoo couldn’t help but agree with those comments as the students continued to talk about Luhan. Slytherins were supposed to be intimidating, they said. But Luhan didn’t appear to be very intimidating at all.
However, once the door opened and Luhan was standing in front of them, watching as the previous students filed out, their conversation took a different turn. Their shoulders stiffened and they changed their words entirely - likely because the ‘intimidating’ Slytherin professor could suddenly hear them.
“Professor Lu is really, really tough,” one of the students said, which caused some other students to chime in and exclaim, “Oh yes! He’s really tough. I think one of these days he’s going to do a charm and we’re all going to explode. I don’t mean that in a bad way, either.”
Kyungsoo didn’t fail to notice the beaming smile on Luhan’s face. He seemed so excited and so proud of himself in that moment, in the moment that he thought his students were talking about how tough a teacher he was.
Of course, when Kyungsoo met up with Yixing later that afternoon - Gryffindor a grand total of thirty points richer than the previous day - he had to tell his colleague about it.
However, Yixing didn’t appear to share the same enthusiasm.
“Kyungsoo, you haven’t done any thinking, have you?” The head of Hufflepuff asked Kyungsoo once he had finished describing the event. Kyungsoo just furrowed his eyebrows, not saying anything.
Yixing just sighed and said, “Look, I’m telling you, maybe open your mind a little bit. You know, you’re so proud of being a Gryffindor.”
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Kyungsoo was extremely proud of being a Gryffindor- it was one of his most well-known traits. He enjoyed belonging to his house and he wanted everyone to know that fact. Who wouldn’t want anyone to know that they belonged to a house like Gryffindor?
“As I should be,” Kyungsoo cut in, a happy gleam on his face. He truly had the best house of them all, and absolutely no one was going to convince him otherwise.
“I do think that perhaps we sort too young,” Yixing said again, a wistful look on his face. He always seemed to get that way when thinking about either the past or deeper things. Kyungsoo wasn’t entirely sure which one it was at the moment, but it didn’t matter much either, he supposed.
“You say that a lot,” Kyungsoo muttered, diving back into the food in front of him. He had brought a little snack to his office. It wasn’t too much since Kyungsoo would be eating in the Great Hall later that evening.
Yixing just shrugged his shoulders and replied with a simple, “You say things a lot too.” Judging by the tone of his voice, Kyungsoo assumed that it was something Yixing no longer wanted to talk about. Instead, he just ate his snack and sat next to the head of Hufflepuff in a comfortable silence.
Everything after that proceeded just as it normally would - well, Kyungsoo was looking for ways to give his house some extra points, of course. Quidditch would be starting up as well, and if their team continued to win, they could beat Luhan . . . they could beat those Slytherins, he corrected himself.
He had never been very interested in watching the sport. In fact, he had complained to Yixing on several occasions because he just could not understand what was so fun about watching their students run around on brooms and try to . . . to throw balls through hoops?
Students came out of the matches extremely injured and so Kyungsoo had said he just did not understand the point of it.
This was another place he differed compared to Luhan - the Slytherin professor absolutely adored watching quidditch. Whenever there was a match and Slytherin was playing, Luhan would dress in nothing but green and silver, prepared to cheer on his team to victory. He wouldn’t sit with the other professors but instead would pile in with some of his students, yelling and groaning as he watched their team play the opponent. He always seemed to get very into the games and afterwards, there had been rumors that if Slytherin lost, Luhan would cry. There was also another rumor that Luhan hexed the players of the other team so that Slytherin would win every time. Kyungsoo thought the first rumor sounded more accurate - Luhan probably had a whiny streak and if things didn’t go his way, he’d probably get upset about it.
In fact, he shouldn’t even technically be cheering so much for his own team. The professors had been told by the headmaster time and time again that even though they were once part of a house, and even if they were the head of one, they were not allowed to cheer for their team or show their bias. It was part of the job of being a professor at the school, the headmaster had said. He had also been sure to add, “If you show bias in something like sports, then the students may think you show bias in other aspects of teaching as well. Which brings me to my next point: don’t play favorites with your students.”
They weren’t supposed to cheer for their house or show any sort of bias, but Luhan managed to get away with it. Kyungsoo had complained about it several times to Yixing, who was probably growing rather tired of it all. At one point, he even said to Kyungsoo, “You think he’s just an evil Slytherin. You can probably make up some kind of reason why he gets away with it so often.”
Kyungsoo decided that was why he became a Slytherin. His innocent and cute appearance hid a manipulative demeanor, using his looks and charm to get everything he could possibly want, including a chance to cheer for his team. No wonder he was the professor of charms.
But with the Quidditch games coming up, Kyungsoo took it as a chance to get ahead of Luhan in nearly everything. Gryffindor was ahead of Slytherin in the House Cup, and Kyungsoo felt as though he was a much more competent teacher than that other little brat. When his students spoke about him, they sometimes feared him. Actually feared him. The students wouldn’t do their little whispering thing like they did around Luhan, but instead when Kyungsoo walked by, they would be stunned into silence. Some of the first-years would even begin to shake, their knees knocking together as they trembled.
They didn’t have to lie to Kyungsoo to make him feel confident. That was a victory in Kyungsoo’s mind.So for now, the score stood at 3-0. Kyungsoo was winning, of course. In fact, he may as well add another point to his little tally because the Gryffindor Quidditch team was going to win. There was only one teeny tiny little place where Kyungsoo felt he was lacking against Luhan. In fact, Luhan may even come out winning that one, and the Gryffindor professor most certainly didn’t want that.
He was sitting in his office, grading another stack of essays from his students - they always moaned and complained that he assigned too much to do. Kyungsoo never thought so; after all, they lived in the school. Their friends were all there. Their beds were there. They didn’t need to go anywhere for anything, so they needed something to do to keep themselves occupied! That was where Kyungsoo came in, swooping down like their little owls carrying cute letters from their families - only he was carrying scrolls of untouched paper, demanding, “Write me your essay.” Yes. It was perfect.
Yixing came by when he was sitting at his office, doing his usual “I’m not going to wait to be told to come in, I’m just going to come right in” routine. Kyungsoo just barely looked up from his grading, shrugging his shoulders and letting Yixing walk around his office however he wanted. The head of Hufflepuff was pretty quiet for a little bit, taking a seat in front of Kyungsoo’s desk. It was a new addition to his desk, mostly so the students who came to see him could stop complaining, “Professor Do, I really need to talk to you for a bit but there’s absolutely nowhere to sit.” Now perhaps they would hurry and ask him their questions and leave. He wasn’t always in the mood to help students with simple questions. That was Yixing’s jurisdiction- helping students late into the night, probably walking them to their rooms even and tucking them into bed at night. Whatever.
After just a few moments of silence, Yixing cut in and asked, “The ball is coming up in about a month or so. Have you decided who to ask?”
Kyungsoo froze, the quill in his hand dropping onto the desk, dripping ink from the tip onto the essay he had nearly finished grading.
. . . Dammit! He had forgotten entirely about the ball, and about asking someone to go with him. How could he have forgotten something like that?! It was so important - he had to go to the ball with someone better than Luhan could ever hope to dig up!
“How about you? Did you find someone?” Kyungsoo asked, desperately trying to turn the tables around. Now the clock on his wall’s ticking sounded very loud, as though it was ticking down the time until he wouldn’t be able to do something better than Luhan. Luhan couldn’t win this one - he just couldn’t! Come on, Kyungsoo, think think think!
Yixing gave him a look before he replied, “Well, maybe. I was thinking about asking someone. Actually, could I get your advice?”
An incredulous look crossed Kyungsoo’s face - really? Yixing was asking him for advice? Him, of all people? Then again, they were friends, probably the closest professors in the school. It would be only natural that Yixing would come to him and ask him about this. And he could only do his best, as Yixing’s friend, to help him out.
“Sure. Who are you thinking of asking?”
“Well,” Yixing began, crossing his arms across his chest and looking at the wall behind Kyungsoo - he was giving off that whimsical look again. Perhaps this time, it was even more intense than usual. He was thinking about the person he wanted to ask, wasn’t he? “They’re a little hard to talk to sometimes. I don’t think you know them very well at all, before you try and figure out who it is. I’ve never really asked anyone to go to a ball with me, so I’m . . . . well, I’m nervous.”
Kyungsoo listened intently to what Yixing was saying. He seemed just a little nervous, running his syllables together and speaking just a little quicker than normal. He was thumping his foot against the ground, perhaps in an attempt to make himself feel less apprehensive about the whole situation.
“I can see that,” Kyungsoo said, motioning to Yixing’s foot. His shoulders were also stiff and he seemed to be emitting airs of nervousness, so it was pretty obvious. In fact, with the way Yixing’s shoulders were stiff and the way he was sitting, Kyungsoo almost felt a little bit nervous as well. His heart was racing a little bit, though he tried his best to shrug it off. Yixing was not going to rub off on him - first, he’d get nervous like Yixing and then he’d turn into a bumbling man like him too!
Yixing laughed, but it wasn’t his usual laugh. It was short, staccato - as though his breath had been caught in his throat midway through. Kyungsoo shrugged his shoulders; so Yixing was definitely feeling more than a little nervous about it. At least he didn’t have a rival to upstage!
“It’s just,” Yixing sighed, suddenly looking off into the distance again. The world was now Yixing’s and Kyungsoo was merely standing in it, listening to the words his friend rambled off, “Whenever I try and talk to them, I get really nervous and then it feels like my tongue doesn’t work anymore and I can’t speak. And I have to be around them a lot! They’re at our meetings and everything.”
Kyungsoo’s eyebrows raised as he said, tone light and playful, “Oh, so it’s one of our fellow professors.” Now his brain was running through the list of professors at their school.
But . . . he never really spoke with many of them outside of Kyungsoo. If he did, it wasn’t for very long. And even when he did, Yixing never sounded very nervous around them.
Either way, Kyungsoo didn’t have much time to ponder and try to solve the mystery, because Yixing continued to speak, “And either way, they’re seen as being something that they’re not. It’s kind of frustrating, you know? Anyway, I want to try and ask them but I don’t really know how. Have you ever asked someone, Kyungsoo?”
Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows as though lost in thought; no, he really hadn’t ever asked anyone to anything. This was all-new territory for him. But he wasn’t thinking about that. Instead, he was thinking about who this professor could be that Yixing wanted to ask to the ball.
And then a little bit of anger began to settle in the pit of his stomach - Luhan, with his good looks and his ability to use them to his advantage, would quite obviously have a date to the ball. Hell, even Yixing would ask someone to the ball and have a date. And where was Kyungsoo in all this?
Oh, sure, he had a date - perhaps in an invisible ghost lingering in his office. No, he had no one. He was going to be just that one professor leaning against the wall without a date. The others would be there with someone or if they didn’t have someone, they just wouldn’t show up at all except to chaperone.
Maybe Kyungsoo shouldn’t even show up at all. That would be admitting defeat and giving a point to Luhan, but perhaps it was all right. He didn’t think he could really win anyway.
“Kyungsoo? You’re not paying attention. I even had an idea for it,” Yixing huffed, bringing Kyungsoo out of his thoughts. He was no longer imagining himself leaning against the wall without a date, but he was now back in his own office. Yixing was sitting in front of him, just as he had been before.
“I’m paying attention now,” Kyungsoo replied, gazing down at the essays in front of him. The ink from his quill was drip, drip, dripping onto the essay still . . . perhaps the student would not care that they had a few extra splotches on their paper.
Yixing gave him a look - one that nearly screamed, “I really don’t believe you” but he continued with what he wanted to say anyway, “You see, there’s a Quidditch game coming up this weekend.”
Oh, right. Kyungsoo had been wrapped up in the future games of Gryffindor vs. Slytherin that he hadn’t realized the season was starting earlier. Who exactly was it that was playing the opening match?
“Is your house playing?” Kyungsoo asked hesitantly. He should know the answer to this, but he hadn’t been too focused. After all, he was the head of Gryffindor. He knew when Gryffindor was playing. He knew when they were playing Slytherin - in other words, he knew all of the most important dates.
Yixing nodded, and then continued his idea, “We are. I was thinking of asking them either before or after the game. But then, before might not be so good. What if they get too excited? And then after depends on the result of the match, you know? If they lost, they might be too upset to even listen to me.”
Though Yixing continued to discuss the pros and cons of his plan, Kyungsoo had stopped paying attention again. Instead, he was racking his brain for just who Hufflepuff was playing.
That would give him a pretty good hint, right?
. . . Well, he couldn’t think of anything.
Instead, he returned his attention back to his worried friend and simply said, “You know, just ask them.”
“That’s too scary,” Yixing replied, giving him a sheepish laugh, “I mean, there’s so many other things that could happen. They could reject me or it could be humiliating.”
“Just do it,” Kyungsoo repeated, shrugging his shoulders, “It’s only going to feel worse if you keep sitting here talking to me about it instead of doing something. At least if they reject you, you’ll have your answer. You’ll move on. The worst that they can do is say no. But then it’s over.”
Silence filled Kyungsoo’s office once he finished speaking, though it wasn’t too bad. It seemed as though Yixing was truly mulling over his words, as though trying to make a decision. Yixing was usually very thorough when it came to things of this nature - that was what a lot of people, Kyungsoo included, admired about him. When he made a decision, it was one well-thought out and planned to the last little dot. His lectures were the same way and though he was usually very scattered, his students seemed to enjoy him and learn a lot.
A sigh tumbled from Yixing’s lips quietly before he announced, “You know, you’re right. And the more time I spend thinking about it, the more time that passes before the ball. Someone could easily swoop in before me and ask them. Thanks, Kyungsoo. You’re actually pretty good at giving advice.”
Kyungsoo just laughed and replied with a short, “Well, what are you waiting for? Go on ahead and find them. You don’t want to be too late.”
Yixing agreed and after saying they’d talk later, he nearly skipped from the room, door slightly slamming on the way out. There, now the office had been returned to peace and quiet. Kyungsoo could now return to grading the essays. He was almost finished, after all! But then again, Yixing could come storming back into his room anytime to declare either a victory or defeat.
< part II>
For: kyudos2you
Rating: PG
Length: 10, 937 (total)
Summary: Kyungsoo is the head of Gryffindor House and his ultimate rival is the head of Slytherin - Luhan. They compete in practically everything, but perhaps something more, something unexpected, comes from their rivalry.
There were several things every single new student coming to Hogwarts knew about the school. An important thing to know was that the staircases liked to move randomly. Students should prepare for this wherever they go and if it happens, find another way to get to their destination.
Another important thing students quickly learn is that ghosts can jump out at any time. Guard valuables carefully, be especially aware of certain spirits who were known for causing all sorts of chaos, and then continue about the day as normal.
The Houses in the school were also known for their fierce rivalries - in particular, the one between Gryffindor and Slytherin was the most infamous. They competed in everything from grades in courses, to accumulating the most points to win the House Cup. Every year, before everyone moved out for the summer, both students in those Houses would up the ante and struggle to try and come out on top.
This was not limited to just the students. In fact, the heads of Gryffindor and Slytherin were both embroiled in their own rivalry. Best each other at absolutely everything - nothing was off limits. Kyungsoo, professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, had been sitting in his office. Scrolls of essays were piled on the wood surface and he was slowly, but surely, going to find a way to get through them all. After all, he had to get through most of them before evening fell. In the hours of the early evening, there would be a meeting. The heads of each House would come together and talk about the students under their wings, how points for each House had been distributed, and about a couple of things to come in the future. They were trying particularly hard to keep one of them secret from the students - and that was the Yule Ball, of course.
The Yule Ball was a grand occasion - lots of dancing and festivities for most of a single night. Students and even professors would invite dates to come and enjoy it with them. Live bands would perform at the concert, the food would be better than usual, the decorations would be extravagant and flamboyant, and nearly everyone who went left with a smile on their face. Even that could somehow be considered a competition - at least, it did for professor Do Kyungsoo.
But there was always that one professor that Kyungsoo would always butt heads with. Because of this one professor, he dreaded these meetings. Because of this professor, he worked really hard to make sure he was the best at everything. Because of this professor, he made sure all of the students under his House did their best to succeed as well.
It was only natural - after all, Kyungsoo was the head of Gryffindor House and this professor was the head of Slytherin House. They were destined to be rivals from the very beginning.
There was a knock on the door of his office and before Kyungsoo could tell the person to enter, they were already storming through the door. Most heads did not have to wear the colors of their House, but of course, Yixing was dressed in shocking hues of yellow with pinches of black. Yixing was known for that, as well as the way he taught his course. Students would file into his own class with complaints of, “Professor Zhang was really scattered today. Oh, I hope he doesn’t jinx his head away!”
His head was still attached to his body as he came bumbling into Kyungsoo’s office, a sheepish little grin on his face. “Kyungsoo, are you ready for the meeting?”
He supposed he would have to face that professor sooner or later, and so he sighed and murmured, “Yeah, I’m ready. I hope he’s not too obnoxious this time.”
Yixing turned to his fellow professor, a knowing glint in his eyes as he shrugged and replied, “You know, he’s really not very annoying at all. Not like you say he is. Is it just because he’s the head of Slytherin?”
Kyungsoo resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he snapped, “No, it’s because he’s an insufferable little know-it-all. He’s a bit of a weakling though. By his appearance, he should have been a little puff.”
“Well, they say we sort too young,” Yixing added, a whimsical tone to his voice as he stared down the long hallway. They were walking to the meeting now, Kyungsoo’s essays long since forgotten. “Either way, I think you should learn to get along with him. Minseok and I get along very well, and we’re supposed to be rivals.”
Kyungsoo scoffed and retorted, “Not as much as I’m supposed to be with him. And if he’d stop acting so annoying and like a smarmy little teenager, maybe we’d be able to endure each other.”
Obviously at a loss, Yixing dropped the conversation, though he did mumble, “You were like this too when you were first hired.”
Their meetings were usually held by the headmaster. He was an elderly man, nearing the age that he would likely retire, but he held the meetings as best he could.
As Kyungsoo and Yixing arrived in the little room, the other two heads were already there. Minseok, head of Ravenclaw House, was excitedly chatting with the other person in the room.
And this other person could only be known as Luhan - Luhan, head of Slytherin House. Luhan, one of the newly hired professors for Charms class. Blessed with a beautiful face, and perhaps even blessed with quick wit - Kyungsoo, however, cursed that trait. He cursed nearly every trait of the other professor.
Not long after they had entered, Minseok sighed and exclaimed, “Well, I can tell who’s here now. The atmosphere of the room has changed. Kyungsoo, you have got to learn to relax or else you’ll break the windows.”
“I am calm,” was Kyungsoo’s response.
Someone in the room scoffed, and since Minseok seemed to be rather disappointed, the noise could have only come from Luhan.
The Charms professor and head of Slytherin was sitting in one of the chairs by the table, arms
folded across his chest. He didn’t seem too happy as he retorted, “About as calm as those Howlers some of the students get sent. And you know how calm those are.”
Kyungsoo didn’t even hesitate when he snapped back, “Be quiet, princess.”
He had started to ignore the Slytherin professor, so Kyungsoo had missed the pink blush that formed on Luhan’s cheeks at the comment.
The upcoming Yule Ball was the main subject of the meeting, and after a small amount of time Kyungsoo was no longer paying attention. Instead, his mind drifted elsewhere, to other things.
Mainly, he began to think about what he could do to beat that stupid Slytherin.
Oh, not anything physical, of course - but just like the students of Gryffindor and Slytherin, he and . . . he and Luhan, a name filled with venom even as he thought of it, had a similar sort of rivalry. Kyungsoo was going to be better than Luhan at absolutely everything. Not only were his classes going to be taught better, his students were going to have better grades. This Yule Ball was just another competition for Kyungsoo - another chance to prove he was better than that stupid little Slytherin.
Kyungsoo made up his mind then and there. He was going to be better than Luhan in absolutely everything. His house would come out on top and by the end of the year, Luhan would be groveling at his feet, whining at the loss he was given. Yes, Kyungsoo liked that image a lot- perhaps they would even make a bet and as a result of his loss, Luhan would have to do whatever Kyungsoo said.
It was going to be a great year and suddenly, that little meeting didn’t seem like that big of a deal. Because now, Kyungsoo was going to win it all.
The year started off well enough after that meeting. His students were just as they usually were - either bumbling and barely making it through class or absolutely exceling. He was especially nice to the students in his own house, sometimes giving them extra points for doing well. “Ten points for Gryffindor for getting a perfect score on the exam,” he would say, and the Gryffindors would beam with joy. Kyungsoo would smile at them, but he would hide just how excited he was.
One thing down on the agenda and soon, Luhan would be putty in front of him.
It was late in the evening and Kyungsoo had stayed in his office late to finish grading papers. Usually, he was the only one to stay out so late. Luhan was never one to stay up late, he had noticed; the Slytherin professor was usually seen walking back to his living quarters by nine in the evening.
There was a knock on his office door and before he said for the person to come in, the door swung open. Of course, it was Yixing. It was always Yixing; even if Kyungsoo had demanded for him to stay out, Yixing would still turn the knob on the door, open it, and come strolling right in.
“You’re up late,” Yixing commented, peering at the decreasing stack of papers on his desk, “Why? You don’t have any classes tomorrow, so you could just do it then. You’re losing too much sleep.”
Kyungsoo laughed at this and replied, “May as well get it done. And besides, I was going to have other plans for tomorrow.”
Yixing smiled at him for just a moment, and then the smile faded. “You have that scary kind of smile on your face. You know, the one where you’re probably up to something? What exactly are you planning?”
“Oh, nothing much,” Kyungsoo replied, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, “I was planning on walking through the hallways, making sure students are doing things the way they should. If they’re in my house, I plan on giving them points. We’re going to win the House Cup this year, and Slytherin is going to be crushed under my boot.”
There was a sigh from Yixing before he said, “Oh, you’re on that again. You’re getting obsessed with it.”
“You just think I am,” Kyungsoo retorted, “But there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a little friendly competition. Either way, we’re supposed to be rivals. I’m supposed to want to smash his face into the ground and gloat about it. You’re my friend; you should be supporting me.”
For a moment, Kyungsoo felt like an immature teenager being scolded by his mother because then Yixing said, “You know, Luhan is a really nice person. I think you’d know that if you actually took the time to get to know him. But instead, you just try to find ways to beat him at everything. Maybe you should look inside and think of reasons why you do that.”
After that, Yixing turned to leave Kyungsoo’s office, but not before he said, “You know, if you look inside and ask yourself why you do that, you might be surprised with why you’re doing this. Just a thought.” With those words, he left Kyungsoo’s office, quietly shutting the door and walking off to another part of the school. Knowing Yixing, he may not entirely know where he was heading. Kyungsoo couldn’t find it in himself to care.
It was stupid how simple it was. Luhan was a Slytherin - a girly-looking Slytherin whose looks hid some kind of evil underneath it all. There had to be some kind of evil to be put into that house after all.
He encountered Luhan later that evening, in fact. Judging from the sleepy look in the Slytherin professor’s eyes, Luhan was just about to head off to bed.
“Wimping out already?” Kyungsoo asked, eyes moving to gaze at Luhan’s body. The Slytherin professor’s shoulders were slumped and he seemed rather relaxed - even with his biggest rival standing not too far away from him. It was late after all. This was Luhan’s bedtime and he needed to get his beauty rest so he could try and beat Kyungsoo at everything. Fat chance, Kyungsoo thought.
Luhan’s shoulders moved just a little bit; perhaps it looked more like a twitch. Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows. Was Luhan trying to shrug his shoulders? Oh, but was he just too tired?
Definitely a wimp.
“No,” Luhan replied, voice quiet as he gaze met Kyungsoo’s own. This hadn’t been the first time they had spoken in the evening. Well, it hadn’t been the first time they had spoken like this, either. At night, Luhan seemed to be more muted. He would sometimes even smile at Kyungsoo - and Kyungsoo considered that strange, of course. In fact, the very first time it had happened, Kyungsoo felt a strange chill working its way down his spine. It was . . . strange. His heart had beat quicker than usual and he felt this extreme urge to run away, to get away from Luhan and pretend he had never seen that smile before. But then it kept happening over and over, and so Kyungsoo had to accept it - he thought Luhan had a nice smile. There, he said it.
“Is that all you have to say?” Kyungsoo asked, a small little smirk on his face. Luhan was most definitely muted in that moment. His eyelids were even softly drooping, long eyelashes fluttering against the apples of his cheeks. What time even was it anyway? Kyungsoo glanced over at a nearby clock perched on the wall . . . 10:30pm. Oh, yes. It was most definitely past Professor Lu’s little bedtime.
Luhan just nodded his head and replied quietly, “Yeah. I’m sleepy. I stayed up too late. Anyway, I’m going to go now. Goodnight, Kyungsoo.” As soon as he finished speaking, that same little smile appeared on his face - oh no, his heart was beginning to race again and no, he could feel heat swelling in his body - and Luhan began to walk away from him, feet shuffling against the hard flooring and making light swishing noises as he soon left the area.
What . . . was that? Kyungsoo still stood in that same hallway, only it felt just a little bit cooler. The heat had faded and his heart returned to beating at a normal pace, but that didn’t mean everything was solved. In fact, now Kyungsoo was extremely confused. Luhan could smile and Luhan . . . was nice to him? He didn’t say anything bratty in response to him? What was this?
It felt strange - as though the hallway he stood in was some sort of alternate dimension, one where he and Luhan weren’t rivals and weren’t always at each other’s throats.
And then suddenly, Kyungsoo came to a most terrible conclusion and his stomach churned with dread at the very thought - Luhan actually wasn’t that bad. Maybe he . . . no, he couldn’t say it!
He couldn’t even think it!
But then, that little thought came tumbling into his head - Luhan really wasn’t a bad person. In fact, he was rather cute.
No, no, no! He couldn’t fall into something like that. He and Luhan were rivals! That had just been a moment of weakness for Luhan. Actually, considering a few other conversations of theirs, he had had several weak moments like that, so maybe he really wasn’t . . . no, Kyungsoo, don’t think like that!
His heart was racing just a little faster than normal just thinking about Luhan. He had to be mean still, Luhan just had to be! Their rivalry would fall apart if he wasn’t. Kyungsoo even felt as though his entire demeanor would shatter into sharp, jagged pieces only to crumble into specks of dust. Or maybe he’d just shred into pieces and be used up in the owlery to absorb the owl droppings.
No! He had to get back to those old feelings of rivalry - these little fluttery and warm feelings be damned! Tomorrow, he would get back to work and find out just how evil Luhan could be to be put into Slytherin. There had to be a reason, and now Kyungsoo was determined to find it.
The next day, Kyungsoo did exactly what he had planned to do. He walked through the halls of the school, giving points to students in his own house if they were doing things correctly.
He also may or may not have planned to spy on Luhan and his classes - but of course, he would have never told Yixing something like that. Yixing would have given him his usual look, the look that just screamed, “My poor son you are barking up the wrong tree with your rude ways.” Kyungsoo wasn’t rude. He was just a little competitive. Luhan was his rival, and he most certainly was not going to back down.
Luhan’s previous class must not have finished yet, because there was a group of students standing around chatting amongst themselves outside of his door. Kyungsoo purposely slowed down, listening in to what they were saying.
There was a conversation between a Ravenclaw student and a Gryffindor, Kyungsoo didn’t know his name - it wasn’t his fault there were so many students in his house! He just couldn’t be bothered to remember anyone’s name.
“Professor Lu’s class is interesting, I suppose,” the Ravenclaw student was saying, arms folded across his chest, “He teaches pretty well. It’s just kind of funny, because he’s a Slytherin but then he’s got that cute appearance.”
The Gryffindor student nodded along and added, “Not to mention he doesn’t act anything like someone from that house anyway. He looks cute and sometimes even acts like it. Sometimes.”
Kyungsoo couldn’t help but agree with those comments as the students continued to talk about Luhan. Slytherins were supposed to be intimidating, they said. But Luhan didn’t appear to be very intimidating at all.
However, once the door opened and Luhan was standing in front of them, watching as the previous students filed out, their conversation took a different turn. Their shoulders stiffened and they changed their words entirely - likely because the ‘intimidating’ Slytherin professor could suddenly hear them.
“Professor Lu is really, really tough,” one of the students said, which caused some other students to chime in and exclaim, “Oh yes! He’s really tough. I think one of these days he’s going to do a charm and we’re all going to explode. I don’t mean that in a bad way, either.”
Kyungsoo didn’t fail to notice the beaming smile on Luhan’s face. He seemed so excited and so proud of himself in that moment, in the moment that he thought his students were talking about how tough a teacher he was.
Of course, when Kyungsoo met up with Yixing later that afternoon - Gryffindor a grand total of thirty points richer than the previous day - he had to tell his colleague about it.
However, Yixing didn’t appear to share the same enthusiasm.
“Kyungsoo, you haven’t done any thinking, have you?” The head of Hufflepuff asked Kyungsoo once he had finished describing the event. Kyungsoo just furrowed his eyebrows, not saying anything.
Yixing just sighed and said, “Look, I’m telling you, maybe open your mind a little bit. You know, you’re so proud of being a Gryffindor.”
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Kyungsoo was extremely proud of being a Gryffindor- it was one of his most well-known traits. He enjoyed belonging to his house and he wanted everyone to know that fact. Who wouldn’t want anyone to know that they belonged to a house like Gryffindor?
“As I should be,” Kyungsoo cut in, a happy gleam on his face. He truly had the best house of them all, and absolutely no one was going to convince him otherwise.
“I do think that perhaps we sort too young,” Yixing said again, a wistful look on his face. He always seemed to get that way when thinking about either the past or deeper things. Kyungsoo wasn’t entirely sure which one it was at the moment, but it didn’t matter much either, he supposed.
“You say that a lot,” Kyungsoo muttered, diving back into the food in front of him. He had brought a little snack to his office. It wasn’t too much since Kyungsoo would be eating in the Great Hall later that evening.
Yixing just shrugged his shoulders and replied with a simple, “You say things a lot too.” Judging by the tone of his voice, Kyungsoo assumed that it was something Yixing no longer wanted to talk about. Instead, he just ate his snack and sat next to the head of Hufflepuff in a comfortable silence.
Everything after that proceeded just as it normally would - well, Kyungsoo was looking for ways to give his house some extra points, of course. Quidditch would be starting up as well, and if their team continued to win, they could beat Luhan . . . they could beat those Slytherins, he corrected himself.
He had never been very interested in watching the sport. In fact, he had complained to Yixing on several occasions because he just could not understand what was so fun about watching their students run around on brooms and try to . . . to throw balls through hoops?
Students came out of the matches extremely injured and so Kyungsoo had said he just did not understand the point of it.
This was another place he differed compared to Luhan - the Slytherin professor absolutely adored watching quidditch. Whenever there was a match and Slytherin was playing, Luhan would dress in nothing but green and silver, prepared to cheer on his team to victory. He wouldn’t sit with the other professors but instead would pile in with some of his students, yelling and groaning as he watched their team play the opponent. He always seemed to get very into the games and afterwards, there had been rumors that if Slytherin lost, Luhan would cry. There was also another rumor that Luhan hexed the players of the other team so that Slytherin would win every time. Kyungsoo thought the first rumor sounded more accurate - Luhan probably had a whiny streak and if things didn’t go his way, he’d probably get upset about it.
In fact, he shouldn’t even technically be cheering so much for his own team. The professors had been told by the headmaster time and time again that even though they were once part of a house, and even if they were the head of one, they were not allowed to cheer for their team or show their bias. It was part of the job of being a professor at the school, the headmaster had said. He had also been sure to add, “If you show bias in something like sports, then the students may think you show bias in other aspects of teaching as well. Which brings me to my next point: don’t play favorites with your students.”
They weren’t supposed to cheer for their house or show any sort of bias, but Luhan managed to get away with it. Kyungsoo had complained about it several times to Yixing, who was probably growing rather tired of it all. At one point, he even said to Kyungsoo, “You think he’s just an evil Slytherin. You can probably make up some kind of reason why he gets away with it so often.”
Kyungsoo decided that was why he became a Slytherin. His innocent and cute appearance hid a manipulative demeanor, using his looks and charm to get everything he could possibly want, including a chance to cheer for his team. No wonder he was the professor of charms.
But with the Quidditch games coming up, Kyungsoo took it as a chance to get ahead of Luhan in nearly everything. Gryffindor was ahead of Slytherin in the House Cup, and Kyungsoo felt as though he was a much more competent teacher than that other little brat. When his students spoke about him, they sometimes feared him. Actually feared him. The students wouldn’t do their little whispering thing like they did around Luhan, but instead when Kyungsoo walked by, they would be stunned into silence. Some of the first-years would even begin to shake, their knees knocking together as they trembled.
They didn’t have to lie to Kyungsoo to make him feel confident. That was a victory in Kyungsoo’s mind.So for now, the score stood at 3-0. Kyungsoo was winning, of course. In fact, he may as well add another point to his little tally because the Gryffindor Quidditch team was going to win. There was only one teeny tiny little place where Kyungsoo felt he was lacking against Luhan. In fact, Luhan may even come out winning that one, and the Gryffindor professor most certainly didn’t want that.
He was sitting in his office, grading another stack of essays from his students - they always moaned and complained that he assigned too much to do. Kyungsoo never thought so; after all, they lived in the school. Their friends were all there. Their beds were there. They didn’t need to go anywhere for anything, so they needed something to do to keep themselves occupied! That was where Kyungsoo came in, swooping down like their little owls carrying cute letters from their families - only he was carrying scrolls of untouched paper, demanding, “Write me your essay.” Yes. It was perfect.
Yixing came by when he was sitting at his office, doing his usual “I’m not going to wait to be told to come in, I’m just going to come right in” routine. Kyungsoo just barely looked up from his grading, shrugging his shoulders and letting Yixing walk around his office however he wanted. The head of Hufflepuff was pretty quiet for a little bit, taking a seat in front of Kyungsoo’s desk. It was a new addition to his desk, mostly so the students who came to see him could stop complaining, “Professor Do, I really need to talk to you for a bit but there’s absolutely nowhere to sit.” Now perhaps they would hurry and ask him their questions and leave. He wasn’t always in the mood to help students with simple questions. That was Yixing’s jurisdiction- helping students late into the night, probably walking them to their rooms even and tucking them into bed at night. Whatever.
After just a few moments of silence, Yixing cut in and asked, “The ball is coming up in about a month or so. Have you decided who to ask?”
Kyungsoo froze, the quill in his hand dropping onto the desk, dripping ink from the tip onto the essay he had nearly finished grading.
. . . Dammit! He had forgotten entirely about the ball, and about asking someone to go with him. How could he have forgotten something like that?! It was so important - he had to go to the ball with someone better than Luhan could ever hope to dig up!
“How about you? Did you find someone?” Kyungsoo asked, desperately trying to turn the tables around. Now the clock on his wall’s ticking sounded very loud, as though it was ticking down the time until he wouldn’t be able to do something better than Luhan. Luhan couldn’t win this one - he just couldn’t! Come on, Kyungsoo, think think think!
Yixing gave him a look before he replied, “Well, maybe. I was thinking about asking someone. Actually, could I get your advice?”
An incredulous look crossed Kyungsoo’s face - really? Yixing was asking him for advice? Him, of all people? Then again, they were friends, probably the closest professors in the school. It would be only natural that Yixing would come to him and ask him about this. And he could only do his best, as Yixing’s friend, to help him out.
“Sure. Who are you thinking of asking?”
“Well,” Yixing began, crossing his arms across his chest and looking at the wall behind Kyungsoo - he was giving off that whimsical look again. Perhaps this time, it was even more intense than usual. He was thinking about the person he wanted to ask, wasn’t he? “They’re a little hard to talk to sometimes. I don’t think you know them very well at all, before you try and figure out who it is. I’ve never really asked anyone to go to a ball with me, so I’m . . . . well, I’m nervous.”
Kyungsoo listened intently to what Yixing was saying. He seemed just a little nervous, running his syllables together and speaking just a little quicker than normal. He was thumping his foot against the ground, perhaps in an attempt to make himself feel less apprehensive about the whole situation.
“I can see that,” Kyungsoo said, motioning to Yixing’s foot. His shoulders were also stiff and he seemed to be emitting airs of nervousness, so it was pretty obvious. In fact, with the way Yixing’s shoulders were stiff and the way he was sitting, Kyungsoo almost felt a little bit nervous as well. His heart was racing a little bit, though he tried his best to shrug it off. Yixing was not going to rub off on him - first, he’d get nervous like Yixing and then he’d turn into a bumbling man like him too!
Yixing laughed, but it wasn’t his usual laugh. It was short, staccato - as though his breath had been caught in his throat midway through. Kyungsoo shrugged his shoulders; so Yixing was definitely feeling more than a little nervous about it. At least he didn’t have a rival to upstage!
“It’s just,” Yixing sighed, suddenly looking off into the distance again. The world was now Yixing’s and Kyungsoo was merely standing in it, listening to the words his friend rambled off, “Whenever I try and talk to them, I get really nervous and then it feels like my tongue doesn’t work anymore and I can’t speak. And I have to be around them a lot! They’re at our meetings and everything.”
Kyungsoo’s eyebrows raised as he said, tone light and playful, “Oh, so it’s one of our fellow professors.” Now his brain was running through the list of professors at their school.
But . . . he never really spoke with many of them outside of Kyungsoo. If he did, it wasn’t for very long. And even when he did, Yixing never sounded very nervous around them.
Either way, Kyungsoo didn’t have much time to ponder and try to solve the mystery, because Yixing continued to speak, “And either way, they’re seen as being something that they’re not. It’s kind of frustrating, you know? Anyway, I want to try and ask them but I don’t really know how. Have you ever asked someone, Kyungsoo?”
Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows as though lost in thought; no, he really hadn’t ever asked anyone to anything. This was all-new territory for him. But he wasn’t thinking about that. Instead, he was thinking about who this professor could be that Yixing wanted to ask to the ball.
And then a little bit of anger began to settle in the pit of his stomach - Luhan, with his good looks and his ability to use them to his advantage, would quite obviously have a date to the ball. Hell, even Yixing would ask someone to the ball and have a date. And where was Kyungsoo in all this?
Oh, sure, he had a date - perhaps in an invisible ghost lingering in his office. No, he had no one. He was going to be just that one professor leaning against the wall without a date. The others would be there with someone or if they didn’t have someone, they just wouldn’t show up at all except to chaperone.
Maybe Kyungsoo shouldn’t even show up at all. That would be admitting defeat and giving a point to Luhan, but perhaps it was all right. He didn’t think he could really win anyway.
“Kyungsoo? You’re not paying attention. I even had an idea for it,” Yixing huffed, bringing Kyungsoo out of his thoughts. He was no longer imagining himself leaning against the wall without a date, but he was now back in his own office. Yixing was sitting in front of him, just as he had been before.
“I’m paying attention now,” Kyungsoo replied, gazing down at the essays in front of him. The ink from his quill was drip, drip, dripping onto the essay still . . . perhaps the student would not care that they had a few extra splotches on their paper.
Yixing gave him a look - one that nearly screamed, “I really don’t believe you” but he continued with what he wanted to say anyway, “You see, there’s a Quidditch game coming up this weekend.”
Oh, right. Kyungsoo had been wrapped up in the future games of Gryffindor vs. Slytherin that he hadn’t realized the season was starting earlier. Who exactly was it that was playing the opening match?
“Is your house playing?” Kyungsoo asked hesitantly. He should know the answer to this, but he hadn’t been too focused. After all, he was the head of Gryffindor. He knew when Gryffindor was playing. He knew when they were playing Slytherin - in other words, he knew all of the most important dates.
Yixing nodded, and then continued his idea, “We are. I was thinking of asking them either before or after the game. But then, before might not be so good. What if they get too excited? And then after depends on the result of the match, you know? If they lost, they might be too upset to even listen to me.”
Though Yixing continued to discuss the pros and cons of his plan, Kyungsoo had stopped paying attention again. Instead, he was racking his brain for just who Hufflepuff was playing.
That would give him a pretty good hint, right?
. . . Well, he couldn’t think of anything.
Instead, he returned his attention back to his worried friend and simply said, “You know, just ask them.”
“That’s too scary,” Yixing replied, giving him a sheepish laugh, “I mean, there’s so many other things that could happen. They could reject me or it could be humiliating.”
“Just do it,” Kyungsoo repeated, shrugging his shoulders, “It’s only going to feel worse if you keep sitting here talking to me about it instead of doing something. At least if they reject you, you’ll have your answer. You’ll move on. The worst that they can do is say no. But then it’s over.”
Silence filled Kyungsoo’s office once he finished speaking, though it wasn’t too bad. It seemed as though Yixing was truly mulling over his words, as though trying to make a decision. Yixing was usually very thorough when it came to things of this nature - that was what a lot of people, Kyungsoo included, admired about him. When he made a decision, it was one well-thought out and planned to the last little dot. His lectures were the same way and though he was usually very scattered, his students seemed to enjoy him and learn a lot.
A sigh tumbled from Yixing’s lips quietly before he announced, “You know, you’re right. And the more time I spend thinking about it, the more time that passes before the ball. Someone could easily swoop in before me and ask them. Thanks, Kyungsoo. You’re actually pretty good at giving advice.”
Kyungsoo just laughed and replied with a short, “Well, what are you waiting for? Go on ahead and find them. You don’t want to be too late.”
Yixing agreed and after saying they’d talk later, he nearly skipped from the room, door slightly slamming on the way out. There, now the office had been returned to peace and quiet. Kyungsoo could now return to grading the essays. He was almost finished, after all! But then again, Yixing could come storming back into his room anytime to declare either a victory or defeat.
< part II>