veela vehemence
Title: veela vehemence
Pairing(s): Xiumin/Luhan
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): genderswitch
Summary: After all, Luxian wants Minseok to be her baozi.
A/N: originally done as a random gift fic! part of my hp/hogwarts au which you can read more of here.
“Pine fresh,” Luxian whispers once she’s sure that the coast is clear. She knows that Minseok had slipped into the Prefects’ bathroom about twenty minutes earlier, having followed him from the Hufflepuff common room with the aid of a silencing charm. In fact, Luxian is probably a bit too excited at the notion that he’s taking a bath.
The door swings open and she tiptoes in, praying she doesn’t mess up during her quest to find the not-so-secret object of her affections. The problem, however, is that she’s never been here before. Yixing mentioned that the boys and girls had separate areas of the bathroom, but how in Merlin’s name was she supposed to corner Minseok when she didn’t even know where to find him?
“Bollocks,” she mutters, reaching a small clearing surrounded by stained glass windows. She had gone through all the trouble of being teased by her friends about her silly little crush, then she finally had the guts to ask for the Prefects’ bathroom password and now here she is. But Minseok is nowhere in sight.
“Excuse me?”
Or maybe he is.
Luxian swivels around instantly, coming face to face with a very wet Minseok with only a towel around his waist. Her eyes widen at the sight and she tries not to stare at the water droplets sliding down his toned torso.
“Erm,” she says. So much for coming off as elegantly as someone of her background should. “Hello.”
“Oh, Luxian, hello,” greets Minseok brightly, using another towel to dry his damp hair. “It’s you. Well, the girls’ section is on the other side.”
At that point in time, Luxian’s jaw drops because firstly, half-naked Minseok seems completely unperturbed by the presence of a non-prefect or non-captain in the vicinity. Secondly, how can he be so polite to her even when they’re alone together, after all the times she’s treated him coldly? Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, she’s so sure she has her Veela turned on, but it doesn’t seem to have any effect on him.
She should probably say something instead of gawking like a shrunken head.
“No!”
Minseok looks surprised at her outburst. “No?”
“I- I refuse to bathe!”
“I’m not forcing you to,” he replies coolly, almost amused. It makes Luxian want to simultaneously smack him and kiss him because he looks way too charming with that expression on his face, lips quirked up at the corners.
“Shouldn’t you be chasing me out?” she questions after a beat. “I shouldn’t be here.”
He shrugs. “You’re not the first student without a title who’s come in. And besides, you’re close to Yixing and Kris, aren’t you? I’m guessing they must’ve given you the password. No harm done.”
“Yes,” Luxian squeaks, uncharacteristically jittery until she finally recalls the real reason why she’s there. “They told me because… I have something to tell you.”
“Oh. Alright.” Still continuing to rub at his hair, Minseok gestures for her to go on. Luxian wants to sob because she’s part-Veela, for goodness’ sake. She should be making males swoon over her; she shouldn’t be swooning over a wizard boy, even if he’s the first boy she’s liked in a long while.
“Could you not do that?” she says, feet shuffling a little.
Minseok looks adorable even when he’s confused. “Do what?”
“Drying your hair. Stop it.”
“But-” He glances down at Luxian’s hands and seems to notice that they’re balled into fists. “Hey, are you okay?”
The girl herself is so confused about her feelings and the entire scenario itself, and it’s beyond infuriating. So she lets her Veela confidence take charge and walks up to Minseok, clutching his bare (wet) shoulders with a considerable amount of force. He smells nice, a lot like vanilla, and Luxian bites back the desire to sniff at his neck.
She tilts her head up and looks him dead in the eye.
“I. Like. You.”
Minseok grabs her back by her upper arms, and Luxian goes positively stiff. “I. Know.”
“What?”
Giving her an unreadable expression, Minseok gently pries her hands off him. “I know. Now, if you excuse me, I need to dry off the rest of me before I catch a cold. Would you mind waiting here for a bit?”
Luxian can only make a pained noise of agreement as she watches Minseok disappear behind one of the walls with a fresh set of school robes. Although his tone of voice had been serious, she could’ve sworn a smile had played on his lips for a fleeting moment.
But because this is the first time in Luxian’s life that she’s felt so lost, she finds herself dumbly obeying Minseok’s words. He knows? She couldn’t be any more bewildered at present, so she just stands awkwardly in the middle of the bathroom, trying to ignore the distracting mermaids of the stained glass who keep doing body rolls.
“All done,” Minseok announces as he emerges after a few minutes, coming back and looking all boyishly handsome and- “Do you want to go for a walk with me? Before it gets too dark."
Walk? A walk with Minseok? “Okay,” Luxian nods. She could walk, no problem.
-
“Whoa there, careful.”
“I’m fine!” squeaks Luhan indignantly, even after having nearly tripped over what looks like hardened mooncalf poo. Where on earth did that come from anyway?
Minseok chuckles. “If you say so.” He moves his hands away from her shoulders where he had caught her, preventing her face from meeting the grass. Luxian feels a teensy bit let down by the loss of contact.
“I don’t understand,” she mutters quietly, unlike her usual abrasive Slytherin self. Before her near mishap a few seconds earlier, there had been an unbearable silence between the two of them as they strolled around the grounds. But it was a silence, nevertheless, with no cursing or bad words or fighting at all.
Continuing to walk along one of the paths, Minseok gives her a sidelong glance. “What don’t you understand?”
Luxian hates how he makes her feel less coherent than normal, now that it’s just the two of them (save for the random first years messing around a nearby tree). “Why don’t you seem surprised? Or angry-“
“And why would I be angry?”
“Because…” She looks down at her shoes. “Because I’m always mean to you. Even though I just told you I liked you. Which is odd, don’t you think.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Minseok shrug. “I don’t know,” he tells her honestly. “Maybe it’s because my dad once said that girls could be nasty to guys when they feel confused about their feelings, or something. I really don’t know. But, I mean, there’s never been a reason for me to dislike you.”
Luxian takes the plunge. “How bout a reason to like me, then?” she asks boldly. A laugh leaves Minseok’s mouth and he chooses not to answer, instead smiling at her rather enigmatically. It drives Luxian insane.
“I’m not sure if anyone’s told you this before,” he starts to change the subject, “but I feel as though you’re more pleasant without calling upon your Veela genes, like now. Loads better than yesterday, when you were walking around after dinner and all the blokes in the Great Hall couldn’t help but stare you down.”
A blush dusts Luxian’s cheeks because that may or may not have been a purposeful attempt to get a certain Hufflepuff Quidditch captain to notice her. But then she thinks of the very fact that Minseok had indeed noticed, and a mix of curiosity and frustration overcomes her.
“How do you even tell?” she asks with a pout. “Most people can’t even sense it when I… when I turn it on.”
Minseok grins that stupidly charming grin of his again. “Girls with looks have never meant too much to me, honestly. Not when my mum used to be a member of the Wonder Witches. I’ve had more than enough of the emphasis on looks.”
Luxian screams immediately (a first year falls out of the tree, but never mind) because she loves the Wonder Witches. They’re one of her favorite bands next to The Warlocks of the Levitating East.
She peers at his face again and shrieks at how blind she’s been. “Oh my god, you look exactly like Sohee!”
“Mum’s good genes,” Minseok laughs.
“No wonder I like you so much. Oh my god, you’re so hot. Your face is perfect. And I can’t believe I just said all of that aloud.” She stops to bury her face in her hands, embarrassed at her lack of restraint.
“So you like me just for my looks, or my body?” Luxian doesn’t have to look up to know from the lilt in Minseok’s voice that he’s kidding. “Because if that’s the case, I’d rather you not like me.”
“No! You’re smart and funny and nice and I just-” Her hands start flailing on their own accord in a decidedly un-Veela-like manner, and Minseok looks like he’s trying very hard to hold back another chuckle. Luxian doesn’t want to lose all of her cool, though, so she takes a deep breath in, shoulders relaxing on the exhale.
“Look,” she begins, voice awfully small. “I know I come off ditzy and superficial, and loads of people actually think I am that way. I know they do. But- But I don’t think I’m that shallow? At least I hope I’m not that shallow. It’s just. The Veela thing and my appearance and the way I carry myself have always caught others’ attention. I used to welcome the limelight, and I still do. Although it’s not always the kind of limelight I want. And now I’m rambling.”
When she finally meets Minseok’s eyes after a short pause, he’s looking at her intently with his hands tucked into his pockets. He seems deep in thought and Luxian prays that he isn’t silently mocking her, though she wouldn’t blame him for it.
“Merlin, I’m sorry,” says Luxian, apologizing for the first time in a long time to someone other than her father or mother. “I never should have looked for you today. I’m sorry for wasting your time.” She shouldn’t have been so foolishly ambitious, thinking she’d stand a chance with Minseok. Secretly liking him seems like a much better option now.
But a hand comes to rest on her forearm, and Luxian finds herself blinking back tears to look into Minseok’s kind eyes. “It’s okay. No need to be sorry.”
She laughs bitterly. “You didn’t need to subject yourself to the torture of listening to the stupid things I had to say.”
“But it’s better that you let everything out,” Minseok says, squeezing her shoulder gently. “Can’t keep troubling thoughts bottled up for too long, can you?” He clears his throat then. “And if you ever get tired of talking to your own friends and all, I guess you could talk to me? Like, yeah. I’m not your enemy, you know.”
Luxian’s hands run down her face. “Why are you so nice,” she states. “Please stop making me want to date you."
“I’m sorry, I’m not sure if I can turn off the side of me that appeals to you,” Minseok replies, getting a little cheeky as he pulls his hand back. “But how about some Butterbeer at Hogsmeade this weekend?”
Feeling as if she’s been petrified, Luxian can’t help but gape again. “Like, a date?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of between friends, actually. At least for a start.” It’s only then that she notices how Minseok’s hand is extended towards her, and she carefully takes it for a firm handshake.
“Yeah, of course,” Luxian says, a genuine smile forming on her face. “That sounds good.”
-
“Off you go,” teases Kris, on the evening after the Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor Quidditch match. “Have fun seeing your boyfriend.”
Luxian threatens to pull all of his silly bleached hair out. “Not my boyfriend,” she hollers for good measure as he runs off towards the Slytherin common room and she heads to the fifth floor.
She sneaks into the Prefects’ bathroom, an act that has become routine within the last month or so. It’s not the best meeting spot one could possibly have, but it’s become hers and Minseok’s private meeting spot since they started seeing each other more, after their first Hogsmeade tea session.
True enough, Minseok is leaning against one of the walls on the far side, clearly having just finished his bath from how his hair is still damp. To Luxian’s slight disappointment, he’s already changed into his uniform, but his tie is loose and the top button of his shirt is undone. It’s a slightly disheveled look that suits him, she thinks.
“Hello,” he says, waving her over with a grin when he sees her.
“Congratulations, Captain,” she smiles back, almost skipping towards him. “Good job kicking Gryffindor’s asses.”
Minseok doesn’t bother with good-naturedly chiding her for the language, as he is usually fond of doing. “Maybe we’ll finally win the Cup this year,” he muses as she sits down next to him, albeit carefully so that her skirt doesn’t get wet.
The more competitive side to Luxian resurfaces, and she smirks. “Not unless we have anything to say about it. Slytherin still has a match against Gryffindor too, you know.”
With a playful tap to the girl’s nose, Minseok shakes his head. “You’re forgetting that Hufflepuff’s done very well for both our matches so far, if I might say so myself. And the chances of us beating Ravenclaw at our next match are pretty high, so.”
Luxian scoffs. “Wow, how humble of you.” Minseok shrugs and grins boyishly.
There’s a brief pause between them, before he turns to face her. “Hey, could I try something?” he asks, nearly hesitant in his manner of speaking.
“I suppose so.” Luxian lets him take her hand, blushing as he guides her to stand in front of one of the sink mirrors.
With hands anchoring themselves on her shoulders, Luxian watches with wide eyes as Minseok stands behind her, so close that she can almost feel his chest against her back. “Close your eyes,” he whispers into her ear after leaning down a little. Luxian does as she is told, her neck feeling quite warm.
It’s because of her nerves that Luxian doesn’t catch the words that Minseok utters, but after a second or two, she feels like there’s something cool against the skin of her face. The sensation is ticklish and Luxian can’t hold back her giggles, fingers reaching up to her face on their own accord. When her fingertips touch her skin, however, she realizes that it feels different. It feels as if her makeup is gone.
Eyes snapping open, Luxian discovers that she’s right. She takes in the image of her barefaced reflection, dark circles under her eyes more evident and skin pastier than it typically comes across to other people. It’s not that she wears as much makeup as some other girls, or that she really needs to wear makeup in the first place. But under Minseok’s gaze, with the way he’s looking at her now, she feels so exposed.
“You’re beautiful, Luxian. Just the way you are,” he whispers, gently removing the rubber band that holds her hair up. Her locks fall down to frame her face, but they don’t hide how fiercely red her cheeks are. “Even on the inside.”
“That’s not true,” she protests. He always manages to make her feel vulnerable, for some reason. “I don’t even know myself if there’s a bit of good in me.”
“There is, and I’ve seen it,” insists Minseok. “I’ve seen how you stand up for what you believe is right, like when you stopped Zhitao from being bullied when she was younger. I’ve seen how you used to be so good at Care of Magical Creatures before you dropped it after OWLs, because you truly care for the creatures we had to deal with. Pity the practical exam didn’t go too well.”
“Don’t remind me,” groans Luxian. She had nearly fainted at the sight of the enlarged flobberworms they needed to deal with. Thinking about it gives her goose bumps.
Minseok grins at her through the mirror. “Also, you’re pretty fun to be around when you’re not being snarky.”
“Gee, thanks,” she says sarcastically, even though a part of her is truly thankful. No one has really noticed those things about her, or told her that they noticed them, at least.
When Minseok turns her around so that they’re facing each other, his hands having slid down to rest on her upper arms, Luxian lets out a soft sigh. She flushes and nearly falls into him when he pulls her closer, and she belatedly recognizes that he’s hugging her.
“I like you too,” he confesses into her hair suddenly. Luxian wants to flail about but she can’t, not while in his hold, and she vaguely wonders if Minseok can perform non-verbal body bind spells. It seems like her body has been pulled taut.
Taking a good few seconds to convince herself that she will suppress the urge to yell in celebration of her officially reciprocated feelings, Luxian snakes her arms around the boy’s waist. The action is an abnormally shy one. She rises onto the balls of her feet, burying her face in Minseok’s neck.
“I know,” she says rather cheekily, and he chuckles. “I know.”
-------------
trip mee if yoo dare
on twitter and ask.fm
A/N 2: YAY for xiuhan bc people keep requesting (not that i’m complaining at all)
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Pairing(s): Xiumin/Luhan
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): genderswitch
Summary: After all, Luxian wants Minseok to be her baozi.
A/N: originally done as a random gift fic! part of my hp/hogwarts au which you can read more of here.
“Pine fresh,” Luxian whispers once she’s sure that the coast is clear. She knows that Minseok had slipped into the Prefects’ bathroom about twenty minutes earlier, having followed him from the Hufflepuff common room with the aid of a silencing charm. In fact, Luxian is probably a bit too excited at the notion that he’s taking a bath.
The door swings open and she tiptoes in, praying she doesn’t mess up during her quest to find the not-so-secret object of her affections. The problem, however, is that she’s never been here before. Yixing mentioned that the boys and girls had separate areas of the bathroom, but how in Merlin’s name was she supposed to corner Minseok when she didn’t even know where to find him?
“Bollocks,” she mutters, reaching a small clearing surrounded by stained glass windows. She had gone through all the trouble of being teased by her friends about her silly little crush, then she finally had the guts to ask for the Prefects’ bathroom password and now here she is. But Minseok is nowhere in sight.
“Excuse me?”
Or maybe he is.
Luxian swivels around instantly, coming face to face with a very wet Minseok with only a towel around his waist. Her eyes widen at the sight and she tries not to stare at the water droplets sliding down his toned torso.
“Erm,” she says. So much for coming off as elegantly as someone of her background should. “Hello.”
“Oh, Luxian, hello,” greets Minseok brightly, using another towel to dry his damp hair. “It’s you. Well, the girls’ section is on the other side.”
At that point in time, Luxian’s jaw drops because firstly, half-naked Minseok seems completely unperturbed by the presence of a non-prefect or non-captain in the vicinity. Secondly, how can he be so polite to her even when they’re alone together, after all the times she’s treated him coldly? Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, she’s so sure she has her Veela turned on, but it doesn’t seem to have any effect on him.
She should probably say something instead of gawking like a shrunken head.
“No!”
Minseok looks surprised at her outburst. “No?”
“I- I refuse to bathe!”
“I’m not forcing you to,” he replies coolly, almost amused. It makes Luxian want to simultaneously smack him and kiss him because he looks way too charming with that expression on his face, lips quirked up at the corners.
“Shouldn’t you be chasing me out?” she questions after a beat. “I shouldn’t be here.”
He shrugs. “You’re not the first student without a title who’s come in. And besides, you’re close to Yixing and Kris, aren’t you? I’m guessing they must’ve given you the password. No harm done.”
“Yes,” Luxian squeaks, uncharacteristically jittery until she finally recalls the real reason why she’s there. “They told me because… I have something to tell you.”
“Oh. Alright.” Still continuing to rub at his hair, Minseok gestures for her to go on. Luxian wants to sob because she’s part-Veela, for goodness’ sake. She should be making males swoon over her; she shouldn’t be swooning over a wizard boy, even if he’s the first boy she’s liked in a long while.
“Could you not do that?” she says, feet shuffling a little.
Minseok looks adorable even when he’s confused. “Do what?”
“Drying your hair. Stop it.”
“But-” He glances down at Luxian’s hands and seems to notice that they’re balled into fists. “Hey, are you okay?”
The girl herself is so confused about her feelings and the entire scenario itself, and it’s beyond infuriating. So she lets her Veela confidence take charge and walks up to Minseok, clutching his bare (wet) shoulders with a considerable amount of force. He smells nice, a lot like vanilla, and Luxian bites back the desire to sniff at his neck.
She tilts her head up and looks him dead in the eye.
“I. Like. You.”
Minseok grabs her back by her upper arms, and Luxian goes positively stiff. “I. Know.”
“What?”
Giving her an unreadable expression, Minseok gently pries her hands off him. “I know. Now, if you excuse me, I need to dry off the rest of me before I catch a cold. Would you mind waiting here for a bit?”
Luxian can only make a pained noise of agreement as she watches Minseok disappear behind one of the walls with a fresh set of school robes. Although his tone of voice had been serious, she could’ve sworn a smile had played on his lips for a fleeting moment.
But because this is the first time in Luxian’s life that she’s felt so lost, she finds herself dumbly obeying Minseok’s words. He knows? She couldn’t be any more bewildered at present, so she just stands awkwardly in the middle of the bathroom, trying to ignore the distracting mermaids of the stained glass who keep doing body rolls.
“All done,” Minseok announces as he emerges after a few minutes, coming back and looking all boyishly handsome and- “Do you want to go for a walk with me? Before it gets too dark."
Walk? A walk with Minseok? “Okay,” Luxian nods. She could walk, no problem.
-
“Whoa there, careful.”
“I’m fine!” squeaks Luhan indignantly, even after having nearly tripped over what looks like hardened mooncalf poo. Where on earth did that come from anyway?
Minseok chuckles. “If you say so.” He moves his hands away from her shoulders where he had caught her, preventing her face from meeting the grass. Luxian feels a teensy bit let down by the loss of contact.
“I don’t understand,” she mutters quietly, unlike her usual abrasive Slytherin self. Before her near mishap a few seconds earlier, there had been an unbearable silence between the two of them as they strolled around the grounds. But it was a silence, nevertheless, with no cursing or bad words or fighting at all.
Continuing to walk along one of the paths, Minseok gives her a sidelong glance. “What don’t you understand?”
Luxian hates how he makes her feel less coherent than normal, now that it’s just the two of them (save for the random first years messing around a nearby tree). “Why don’t you seem surprised? Or angry-“
“And why would I be angry?”
“Because…” She looks down at her shoes. “Because I’m always mean to you. Even though I just told you I liked you. Which is odd, don’t you think.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Minseok shrug. “I don’t know,” he tells her honestly. “Maybe it’s because my dad once said that girls could be nasty to guys when they feel confused about their feelings, or something. I really don’t know. But, I mean, there’s never been a reason for me to dislike you.”
Luxian takes the plunge. “How bout a reason to like me, then?” she asks boldly. A laugh leaves Minseok’s mouth and he chooses not to answer, instead smiling at her rather enigmatically. It drives Luxian insane.
“I’m not sure if anyone’s told you this before,” he starts to change the subject, “but I feel as though you’re more pleasant without calling upon your Veela genes, like now. Loads better than yesterday, when you were walking around after dinner and all the blokes in the Great Hall couldn’t help but stare you down.”
A blush dusts Luxian’s cheeks because that may or may not have been a purposeful attempt to get a certain Hufflepuff Quidditch captain to notice her. But then she thinks of the very fact that Minseok had indeed noticed, and a mix of curiosity and frustration overcomes her.
“How do you even tell?” she asks with a pout. “Most people can’t even sense it when I… when I turn it on.”
Minseok grins that stupidly charming grin of his again. “Girls with looks have never meant too much to me, honestly. Not when my mum used to be a member of the Wonder Witches. I’ve had more than enough of the emphasis on looks.”
Luxian screams immediately (a first year falls out of the tree, but never mind) because she loves the Wonder Witches. They’re one of her favorite bands next to The Warlocks of the Levitating East.
She peers at his face again and shrieks at how blind she’s been. “Oh my god, you look exactly like Sohee!”
“Mum’s good genes,” Minseok laughs.
“No wonder I like you so much. Oh my god, you’re so hot. Your face is perfect. And I can’t believe I just said all of that aloud.” She stops to bury her face in her hands, embarrassed at her lack of restraint.
“So you like me just for my looks, or my body?” Luxian doesn’t have to look up to know from the lilt in Minseok’s voice that he’s kidding. “Because if that’s the case, I’d rather you not like me.”
“No! You’re smart and funny and nice and I just-” Her hands start flailing on their own accord in a decidedly un-Veela-like manner, and Minseok looks like he’s trying very hard to hold back another chuckle. Luxian doesn’t want to lose all of her cool, though, so she takes a deep breath in, shoulders relaxing on the exhale.
“Look,” she begins, voice awfully small. “I know I come off ditzy and superficial, and loads of people actually think I am that way. I know they do. But- But I don’t think I’m that shallow? At least I hope I’m not that shallow. It’s just. The Veela thing and my appearance and the way I carry myself have always caught others’ attention. I used to welcome the limelight, and I still do. Although it’s not always the kind of limelight I want. And now I’m rambling.”
When she finally meets Minseok’s eyes after a short pause, he’s looking at her intently with his hands tucked into his pockets. He seems deep in thought and Luxian prays that he isn’t silently mocking her, though she wouldn’t blame him for it.
“Merlin, I’m sorry,” says Luxian, apologizing for the first time in a long time to someone other than her father or mother. “I never should have looked for you today. I’m sorry for wasting your time.” She shouldn’t have been so foolishly ambitious, thinking she’d stand a chance with Minseok. Secretly liking him seems like a much better option now.
But a hand comes to rest on her forearm, and Luxian finds herself blinking back tears to look into Minseok’s kind eyes. “It’s okay. No need to be sorry.”
She laughs bitterly. “You didn’t need to subject yourself to the torture of listening to the stupid things I had to say.”
“But it’s better that you let everything out,” Minseok says, squeezing her shoulder gently. “Can’t keep troubling thoughts bottled up for too long, can you?” He clears his throat then. “And if you ever get tired of talking to your own friends and all, I guess you could talk to me? Like, yeah. I’m not your enemy, you know.”
Luxian’s hands run down her face. “Why are you so nice,” she states. “Please stop making me want to date you."
“I’m sorry, I’m not sure if I can turn off the side of me that appeals to you,” Minseok replies, getting a little cheeky as he pulls his hand back. “But how about some Butterbeer at Hogsmeade this weekend?”
Feeling as if she’s been petrified, Luxian can’t help but gape again. “Like, a date?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of between friends, actually. At least for a start.” It’s only then that she notices how Minseok’s hand is extended towards her, and she carefully takes it for a firm handshake.
“Yeah, of course,” Luxian says, a genuine smile forming on her face. “That sounds good.”
-
“Off you go,” teases Kris, on the evening after the Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor Quidditch match. “Have fun seeing your boyfriend.”
Luxian threatens to pull all of his silly bleached hair out. “Not my boyfriend,” she hollers for good measure as he runs off towards the Slytherin common room and she heads to the fifth floor.
She sneaks into the Prefects’ bathroom, an act that has become routine within the last month or so. It’s not the best meeting spot one could possibly have, but it’s become hers and Minseok’s private meeting spot since they started seeing each other more, after their first Hogsmeade tea session.
True enough, Minseok is leaning against one of the walls on the far side, clearly having just finished his bath from how his hair is still damp. To Luxian’s slight disappointment, he’s already changed into his uniform, but his tie is loose and the top button of his shirt is undone. It’s a slightly disheveled look that suits him, she thinks.
“Hello,” he says, waving her over with a grin when he sees her.
“Congratulations, Captain,” she smiles back, almost skipping towards him. “Good job kicking Gryffindor’s asses.”
Minseok doesn’t bother with good-naturedly chiding her for the language, as he is usually fond of doing. “Maybe we’ll finally win the Cup this year,” he muses as she sits down next to him, albeit carefully so that her skirt doesn’t get wet.
The more competitive side to Luxian resurfaces, and she smirks. “Not unless we have anything to say about it. Slytherin still has a match against Gryffindor too, you know.”
With a playful tap to the girl’s nose, Minseok shakes his head. “You’re forgetting that Hufflepuff’s done very well for both our matches so far, if I might say so myself. And the chances of us beating Ravenclaw at our next match are pretty high, so.”
Luxian scoffs. “Wow, how humble of you.” Minseok shrugs and grins boyishly.
There’s a brief pause between them, before he turns to face her. “Hey, could I try something?” he asks, nearly hesitant in his manner of speaking.
“I suppose so.” Luxian lets him take her hand, blushing as he guides her to stand in front of one of the sink mirrors.
With hands anchoring themselves on her shoulders, Luxian watches with wide eyes as Minseok stands behind her, so close that she can almost feel his chest against her back. “Close your eyes,” he whispers into her ear after leaning down a little. Luxian does as she is told, her neck feeling quite warm.
It’s because of her nerves that Luxian doesn’t catch the words that Minseok utters, but after a second or two, she feels like there’s something cool against the skin of her face. The sensation is ticklish and Luxian can’t hold back her giggles, fingers reaching up to her face on their own accord. When her fingertips touch her skin, however, she realizes that it feels different. It feels as if her makeup is gone.
Eyes snapping open, Luxian discovers that she’s right. She takes in the image of her barefaced reflection, dark circles under her eyes more evident and skin pastier than it typically comes across to other people. It’s not that she wears as much makeup as some other girls, or that she really needs to wear makeup in the first place. But under Minseok’s gaze, with the way he’s looking at her now, she feels so exposed.
“You’re beautiful, Luxian. Just the way you are,” he whispers, gently removing the rubber band that holds her hair up. Her locks fall down to frame her face, but they don’t hide how fiercely red her cheeks are. “Even on the inside.”
“That’s not true,” she protests. He always manages to make her feel vulnerable, for some reason. “I don’t even know myself if there’s a bit of good in me.”
“There is, and I’ve seen it,” insists Minseok. “I’ve seen how you stand up for what you believe is right, like when you stopped Zhitao from being bullied when she was younger. I’ve seen how you used to be so good at Care of Magical Creatures before you dropped it after OWLs, because you truly care for the creatures we had to deal with. Pity the practical exam didn’t go too well.”
“Don’t remind me,” groans Luxian. She had nearly fainted at the sight of the enlarged flobberworms they needed to deal with. Thinking about it gives her goose bumps.
Minseok grins at her through the mirror. “Also, you’re pretty fun to be around when you’re not being snarky.”
“Gee, thanks,” she says sarcastically, even though a part of her is truly thankful. No one has really noticed those things about her, or told her that they noticed them, at least.
When Minseok turns her around so that they’re facing each other, his hands having slid down to rest on her upper arms, Luxian lets out a soft sigh. She flushes and nearly falls into him when he pulls her closer, and she belatedly recognizes that he’s hugging her.
“I like you too,” he confesses into her hair suddenly. Luxian wants to flail about but she can’t, not while in his hold, and she vaguely wonders if Minseok can perform non-verbal body bind spells. It seems like her body has been pulled taut.
Taking a good few seconds to convince herself that she will suppress the urge to yell in celebration of her officially reciprocated feelings, Luxian snakes her arms around the boy’s waist. The action is an abnormally shy one. She rises onto the balls of her feet, burying her face in Minseok’s neck.
“I know,” she says rather cheekily, and he chuckles. “I know.”
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trip mee if yoo dare
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A/N 2: YAY for xiuhan bc people keep requesting (not that i’m complaining at all)
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