#(plus my procrastinative ass will avoid things unless there is demand to see things made)

[bawdybooster]

Of Service to the Imperium

“…and then, there’s the issue of you.”

You froze, feeling the cold serpentine gaze of the lamia interrogator fall upon your rope-bound body.  She was quite an intimidating figure, tall and elegant in her uniform, with features looking to have been chiseled from the purest marble to form a perfectly threatening force for the Lamia Imperium.  Long, silver hair flowed from her head and draped itself down her backside.  Her thick white coils crowded around in the dungeon, not wrapped around you just yet but certainly eager to grind you to dust once the order was given.

“Me…?” you asked meekly.

“Yes,” she hissed ruefully. “You.  We don’t take kindly to Imposters in our ranks, and I don’t have to remind you that Transformation Elixirs are outlawed among civilians for a good reason.”

You blushed.  The merchant who’d sold you those elixirs had promised that no one would notice so long as you kept on top of them.  You would have been indistinguishable from any other Serpentine Sentries.  Awesome, Athletic, Appealing – blessed with a scaly tail flowing from below your waist, nobody would have been able to notice.

But the way you hissed out an uncharacteristic “Reporting for Duty, Sssir,” to the captain spelled out plain as day how you didn’t belong.  All well-trained soldiers of the Imperium had gone to great lengths to remove the hiss of the common lamia from their tongue, and anyone whose tongue so much as hissed a second longer than necessary could only mean one of two things — they had slipped through the coils of their instructor’s grasp, or they were simply no real lamia.

Before you could hiss another word in, a snare of coils had descended upon you from the guards and dragged you away to the dungeons, where you now found yourself before your cold interrogator, your Transformation Elixir having now worn off and left you quite small in comparison to the well-built woman before you.

“Well?” She growled, “What reason have you to be here, walker?”

You gulped, overcome with embarrassment as you realized you had never admitted this to anyone aloud before.

“I… want to be one of you.”

The Interrogator's frozen figure stirred, no longer cold from spite and distrust but from unspoken awe at what she was hearing.  For a moment, her forlorn lips seemed to part in awe, before her fangs gritted together in a hissing snarl as her face twisted into rage.

From the walls, her white coils thrust forward, binding tightly around your body with an angry squeeze.  Her hands descended upon your neck, fingers drawing claws as she threatened to tear you to shreds here and now after the words she had just heard.  “What?!”  She snarled, “Isss thisss sssome sssort of joke?!”

Your eyes bulged, lips trembling in fear as she held your life in clawed hands.  Babbles of denial spilled forth from you, desperate to be heard before the binding loops of scale and muscle drew tighter and pulled what little breath you had from your lungs.  Amidst this panic, you understood that this was only right – that as the Imperium had explained when they conquered your lands, their all-knowing hiss and yes speaking the truth of their awesome might to your people, that this was the rightful place of the lamia.  Atop a mound of coils reminding the world of the order and peace they brought to these chaotic realms.  And as you lay there, bound at the mercy of the Interrogator’s coils, something shifted in her touch.  Her desire was still there, clutching to your trembling life, but no longer was it a desire to tear you to pieces – it was a desire to know what you said.

Her clawed hands left your neck, permitting you to gasp for breath.  “Then explain,” She ordered.  “Now.”

Something in her voice compelled you to speak, a hypnotic tone not unlike that of the missionaries who spread the gospel of the Lamia Imperium.  You told everything to her: Of how your life had been a dull, aimless routine of farming before the Imperium arrived.  Of how their presence had enlightened you to your rightful place within their coils.  Of how the thought of proving all your worth to them had driven you to obsession, to the point of putting you in the unfortunate position you now found yourself in.

And as you spoke, stirred by the eager duty to be of service to the Lamia Imperium, a change stirred in the Interrogator.  Her chiseled scowl melted from its cold, bleak exterior, and in its place curled a serpentine smile – one that no longer saw an insult to very Imperium in your form, but rather, potential.

Your babbling words stopped as the coils surrounding you gave a gentle hug, white scales holding close to you as they shifted about you, not unlike a reassuring massage.  A brief, unbound moan danced off your tongue as coils slithered over your form, before drawing tight to draw your attention back to the Interrogator before you, her coy smile accompanied by a mischievous look in her eyes.

“Well,” she tutted, “I had no idea you were so enamored with the Imperium.  It’s not often one such as yourself becomes so eager to serve a greater being.  I apologize for my barbs, earlier.  The Imperium will be very pleased to hear of your dedication.”

A dazed smile spread across your cheeks, the Interrogator’s tail stroking your head like a prized pet.  “Th… Thank you,” you murmured, “I live to–”

You gagged as her coils wound tight around your throat, her hands taking your head into their grasp.  Two thumbs placed themselves upon your lips, bringing your mouth shut as the Interrogator hushed what thoughts you had in your mind.  “Do not speak, little morsel,” she hissed in a soothing voice.  “I want to get a good look at you~”

Before you could say a word, your mind froze as her hands drew your gaze up, and directly into her spiraling eyes.  Beams of pure white and deep black swirled forth into your eyes, ensnaring your mind as they wrapped themselves around your thoughts and brought everything under control – her control.  You had heard tales of how the lamias rose to power, of how their ability to dominate the minds of lesser beings had enabled their rapid expansion across the lands.  You had always thought it an exaggeration of how they had convinced so many to side with their amassing power, a tale spun by dissidents who spoke ill of their ways of persuading the mind to see and hear things as they saw them.  You had never imagined it to be so… so literal.

Gentle hands cradled your head as gentle coils cradled your body, permitting the Interrogator to better examine you.  Her watchful eye looked over every inch of you, your own eyes spiraling into the bliss her hypnotic vision had granted you vision to see.  A stricken gasp erupted as her claws dexterously traced your form, ripping you from the rope that had previously bound you, before you were silenced once more as she traced a spiral over your steady heart.

She stood you up and removed her coils from your body.  You felt awfully bare, unbound from her embrace for her to witness in full.  You perked up as you heard the sound of her chuckling before your mind unraveled, a resonant SNAP! drawing her spirals out from your mind and bringing you back to consciousness before her.

The two of you stood there alone in the dungeon.  Expecting.  Awaiting.  Taking in and studying the sight of each other for minutes that felt like hours.  Her white coils churned about silently, surrounding herself in powerful might that could easily break you into no more than another plaything.  You fully expected them to, yet knew not why she seemed to resist doing so.

Beneath the loops of pure, snow-colored scale, she stood on edge, coiled up as much in her upper body as in her tail as her arms crossed to draw a judgmental stare out from her chiseled face.  Despite having left you untouched for the past few minutes, you felt entirely trapped by her.

“You said you wish to be of service, yes?”  She finally said, her head turning to side-eye you as if to better study you.

“Yes.”  You answered.

“Then your wish is granted.”  she mused.  “You have violated the Imperial Code, the punishment for which is eternal servitude to the Lamia Imperium.  A being of your… splendor would find great pleasure as a Courtesan for the Emperor’s Den, and I am certain your mind and body would enjoy being broken into blissful little fragments by the Imperial Elite.”

Your legs trembled, a wounded mewl silenced behind closed lips at the thought of being hypnotized and coiled up as a squeeze toy for some of the most powerful lamias in the lands.

“It is my duty,” the Interrogator went on, “to Interrogate those who violate the Code and, in due time, discern what the suitable punishment would be for them.  Under normal circumstances… your fate would have already been sealed, and I would have drawn you before the Magistrates for judgment.  However… my mind dwells on the motive of your crime – You wanted to be one of us.”

You freeze as the Interrogator’s coils sprawl out toward you, taking you in her binds and squeezing close as she draws you before her.

“I can arrange that this be done, permanently.  Our Scholars have been eager to find ways to provide a surplus to our armies without wasting precious lamia blood in a futile draft, and I have a feeling you may be all too eager to subject yourself to adequate… research for the task.”

You wince as her hands reach up to your face, before gently cupping your cheeks and drawing your chin upward.  But it all sounds so tempting.  The thought of it all – becoming a part of the Imperium, becoming a lamia, sounds too good to be true.  She’s up to something.  You just know it.

She draws your focus up to her gaze, and your eyes break into an awestruck stare as once more, her black and white spirals loop out from her eyes to ensnare your mind.“All I ask is that you look into my eyes, and tell me what you really want~”

[basicallywhiterice]

Sugar quills: Lee Donghyuck (Haechan)

Pairing: Lee Donghyuck (Haechan) x Reader

Spinoff drabble here!

Genre: Harry Potter!au, Hogwarts!au, Slytherin!Donghyuck x Ravenclaw!reader, friends to lovers, one second of angst, fluff

Warnings: Cursing, like two dirty jokes

Word count: 5.5k

Summary: Sugar quills are sweet, but a certain Slytherin boy is sweeter.

a/n: Social distancing sucks, and you can suck on sugar quills, so here’s a Hogwarts au! (Not sure that metaphor worked lmao) This was originally going to be 2k at most, but I got carried away... I’m also emotionally invested in a very ambitious Mark Lee fic, so keep an eye out for that, too. Stream Kick It, and enjoy!

•••

The Yule Ball is next week, which means that you are in dire need of a dress. Of course, you could’ve ordered a dress weeks ago, but you run on procrastination like Jaemin runs on coffee. Besides, you only made the executive decision to go to the ball with your friends a few hours ago. Even if you don’t have a date (yet, although you’re working on that), it’s your 7th year at Hogwarts and last chance to attend, so fuck societal norms.

Right now, you’re strolling the streets of Hogsmeade, admiring the snowy trees and searching for a dress store that sells muggle styles like the ones you saw in magazines as a kid. You stop to peer into Honeydukes to see if they have any more sugar quills when a snowball hits your back.

“Hey!” You spin around to face a grinning Donghyuck, or Haechan, as he insists the teachers and students call him (they don’t). He’s carrying a gigantic bag of sweets in his left hand, making you wonder how he made a snowball in the first place. You relax once you see him, weighing your options. Sure, you could pull out your wand and dump a pile of snow on him, but that would be unnecessarily cruel. Plus, even after seven years at Hogwarts, you’re a muggle-born at heart and are still occasionally surprised by how easy and accessible magic is. Finally settling on pelting him in the nose with a leftover chunk of snow, you pretend to be annoyed even though you secretly have the urge to kiss his scrunched nose.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t y/n, the second-fastest person in our year to learn Apparition.”

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Thonghyuck, who only brags about being able to Apparate first because that’s the only thing he’s good at.” (It’s not. Donghyuck is good at a lot of things, including being smart and enthusiastic and good-looking and just… him… but you don’t tell him that unless he’s feeling down. Wouldn’t want to boost his ego even more.)

“Touché. What are you doing?” He falls in step beside you, bumping your shoulders together as you try to avoid slipping by leaning into his side.

“What does it look like? I’m walking.” You wait until he sighs and stops ramming into your side. “I’m trying to find a muggle-style dress for the Yule Ball.” For the tenth time today, you wonder if he has a date. You wouldn’t be surprised if he did. Luckily, you managed to find out from Jaemin, Jeno, and Renjun that he doesn’t after ten minutes of them teasing you.

Donghyuck darts in front of you, grabbing your shoulders while his Honeydukes bag knocks against your arm, and practically shouts, “You have a date???”

You stare into his comically wide eyes. “Um, no?” He lets go of your shoulders but stays rooted to the ground, staring at you. You cross your arms defensively. “Even if I did, you don’t have to be so surprised about it.”

He shakes his head so vigorously that you worry he’ll give himself a concussion. And then his dramatic, sassy facade fades away to reveal his more authentic side. “No! I wasn’t surprised, I was just kind of shocked. I mean, I wasn’t expecting that. I mean, um… sorry.”

You’re grateful that the snow falls on your cheeks to alleviate the burning, but you feel an internal sting that you don’t think is caused by the cold. “You sure have a way with words.” Sidestepping him, you tug his hand so he keeps walking. “Why do you have twice as much candy as you normally buy?” You hope you sound nonchalant as you ask, “Are you bribing someone to go to the ball with you?” When he continues walking, you let go of his hand and stare straight ahead.

Your feelings toward Donghyuck aren’t crystal clear to you, but you know three things. Number one: you like him more than a friend. Number two: you were hoping to ask him to the Yule Ball. And number three: you’d be devastated if he went with someone else.

“I want to do a kind of promposal, since we’ll never go to prom and I only have one more chance to ask her. And we only have one more opportunity to go to this ball.”

You can tell he’s nervous, and your heart softens for him even as it hardens with jealousy. “I’m sure she’ll love it, Hyuck.” Normally, you would pester him and question who the unlucky girl was, but your heart’s not in it today.

Your words seem to give him some of his usual exuberance back. “Thanks. What stores are you going to? I wanna come with you.”

“Since when have you been interested in women’s dresses?”

He laughs at this, actually grabbing your elbow and turning to look at you. You’re disheartened after hearing about his plans to ask someone to the ball, but his laughter is so contagious that you unconsciously crack a smile. “I mean, if you’re interested in them, then I guess I am. But I’m looking for a suit. I don’t feel like wearing dress robes for an entire night.”

“I guess we’ll both be breaking dress code, then.”

“I like the sound of that. Breaking dress code, together.”

And then you forget about his potential dance partner. Despite occasionally being a dumbass, you’re not dense—you hope it’s you, and it wouldn’t be a huge stretch if it was. But you don’t want to ask in case it’s not, and in this moment, you don’t care. Nobody can take away the happiness this moment with Donghyuck gives you.

•••

Later, after Donghyuck demands that you show him all the dresses you’ve tried on and you demand that he presents all the suits he’s picked, you finally settle on a dress. It’s an elegant ball gown, a deep midnight black with silver designs embroidered into the floor-length skirt.

“I think this is the one, Hyuck.”

“Show me, and tell me what you think of this suit.”

You step out of the dressing room, and your jaw drops to the floor. Donghyuck always looks good, but this suit does wonders for him. He wears a low silver vest underneath a rich black suit, exposing a neatly buttoned dress shirt (basically his suit in Boom). His soft brown hair is parted to one side, exposing his forehead. He stops fiddling with a silk green tie once you stop next to him, leaving one hand at the knot of his tie while the other rests in his trousers pockets.

He looks so beautiful, you might cry.

Thankfully, he speaks before you have the chance to start sobbing. “You look amazing.” He casts an appreciative glance from head to toe.

This is fine. This heart rate is normal. “Thanks. This suit makes you look like a god.”

He steps closer, sets a gentle hand on your waist, and turns you to face a wall mirror. “Look,” you suddenly realize. “We’re matching. The silver in my skirt matches your vest.”

He leans toward you and places his lips near your ear. “No blue? That’s not very Ravenclaw of you.” You hope he can’t see goosebumps forming on your skin.

Slowly, you turn your entire body to face him. You’re inches apart, so close that your noses would brush if you leaned in. “I guess I’ll have to wear that blue necklace you got me. Wouldn’t want to let my house down.”

After what seems like an eternity of the two of you just standing there, ogling each other, he steps away, smoothing out his perfectly-ironed suit. “I think I’m getting this suit.”

“I think I’m getting this dress, too.” You hurry back into your dressing room, face uncomfortably hot and hands uncontrollably jittery. Thank goodness you already have a pair of heels in your dorm, because you’re not sure walking would be possible after that encounter.

•••

It’s Sunday, which also means the Yule Ball is six days away. You spend the day cooped up in your room, the library, and various houses’ commons rooms doing homework and scribbling out essays. When the clock hits seven, you call it a day and start focusing on more pressing issues.

“Seulgi, do I even ask Hyuck to the ball at this point? He’s planning a whole-ass promposal for someone, and there probably wouldn’t be a point in asking.”

Seulgi rolls over on your bed to face you, wearing a look of pure judgement. “Bitch, I thought us Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart.”

“Hear, hear!” Yeri pipes up from her bed, temporarily abandoning her white nail polish. You eye the bottle warily. It wouldn’t be the first time Yeri has spilled something on her bed. “Y/n, I know your one braincell is probably tired, but can you please tell it to think?”

You almost throw your stuffed Niffler at her, but choose to smash your face into it instead. “The hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you don’t need to ask him because Donghyuck is asking you,” Wendy explains, not looking up from her journal.

“I mean, I hope he does, but you don’t know that,” you admit sadly, your words muffled by your Niffler plush.

Wendy scoffs. “You dumb bitch.”

“Be careful, Voldemort might be manipulating you with that journal,” you fire back.

“Y/n, you love to be in denial, but it’s pretty obvious that you and Donghyuck��Haechan, whatever, I don’t even know at this point—you two have a thing going on,” Seulgi speaks slowly, like you’re a preschooler who doesn’t have common sense. Which would honestly be pretty fair, but you’d like some proof that Donghyuck reciprocated your feelings.

You open your mouth, but Wendy cuts you off. “Don’t.” You stare in wonder as she continues journaling without even looking up to see your actions. “It’s not like you don’t have common sense. You got Yeri a date to the ball while she was being a coward—”

“Hey! I was not being a coward, I was being cautious!” Yeri sighs. “Great, I just messed up my nail,” she complains before flipping Wendy off with her smeared middle finger. She carefully picks up her wand and vanishes the offending nail polish.

“Anyways, you have common sense, you just never use it for yourself,” Wendy finishes. She finally looks up and her face softens when she sees the concern evident in your features. “Sweetie, you’re hanging out tonight, right? Just the two of you? Wouldn’t that be the perfect opportunity for him to ask you?”

“But we do that every week. Well, that’s also a good thing, but it doesn’t mean anything will happen tonight.”

Seulgi rests a hand on your shoulder. “Girl, we aren’t getting your hopes up. Don’t overthink it.”

You look around your dorm, grateful beyond words. “Thank you.” The three of them smile back at you, radiating nothing but encouragement and positivity.

“So what time are you meeting him tonight?”

“In fifteen minutes. Shit! I have to get ready!”

•••

You forgot to buy sugar quills on Saturday.

You realize this because you’re pacing around Ravenclaw’s common room, trying to steel your nerves, when you think fuck it, I need a drink. But the Three Broomsticks doesn’t sell alcohol to Hogwarts students and you’ve never really had a drink before, so your mindset changes to fuck it, I need a sugar quill. So you go back to the dorms to get a sugar quill, and you’re halfway up the stairs when you realize that you didn’t go to Honeydukes yesterday because you didn’t want to risk ruining your gorgeous dress. That’s when you hear Donghyuck yelling at the eagle knocker, and that’s when your mind goes fuck.

You race down the steps—catching yourself before you fumble over the last one—and open the door. “Hyuck, it’s not alive. Arguing with it won’t do anything.”

He still looks so beautiful that you might cry, but he looks softer compared to when he was in a suit. Warmer. Fluffier. His hair is messy and falls into his eyes, and he’s enveloped in a green Slytherin sweater.

“I was being a gentleman and telling it off for being pervy, so at least I was doing the right thing.”

“What?”

“It asked ‘what gets wetter the more it dries?’ And then I lectured it about being wet in a school full of minors.”

You laugh and step outside, closing the door to protect the ears of innocent first-year Ravenclaws. “It’s a sponge, Hyuck. The answer was a fucking sponge.”

“I know, but what’s the fun in that?” He grabs your hand and laces your fingers together and your brain short-circuits. Well, this is bolder than what he usually does, but no complaints. “C’mon, I planned something that I think you’ll like.”

He guides you down Ravenclaw Tower’s spiral staircase and the only response you can come up with is “I like whatever I’m doing as long as I’m with you.” Your_Brain.exe may have stopped working, but once it restarted—confident and flirty mode: activated.

Donghyuck stops and turns in front of you, facing you so that you’re one step taller than him. Since you’re finally taller than him, you’re about to comment on this height difference and question what he’s doing when he asks, “What about doing me? Would you like that?”

You let go of his hand and rest your hands behind his neck. “Take me out to dinner first, loverboy.”

His bemused expression is priceless, like he wasn’t expecting you to answer so quickly. Or at all. “Come on, Hyuck,” you brush past him as he gapes at you. “I thought you were taking me somewhere fun?” you ask when you reach the bottom of the stairs. He hasn’t moved an inch, and you giggle when he finally makes it down the steps.

You reach for his hand when he stops next to you, beaming when he raises your interlocked hands to his mouth and presses a light kiss on your knuckles. “I am, although I’m afraid it’s not out to dinner. Maybe next time.” And just like that, he whisks you off again.

You’re being bold tonight. To be honest, you have no idea where all of this flirty banter is coming from in your mind. Maybe Seulgi, Yeri, and Wendy boosted your confidence. Maybe you regret not doing something in the dress shop. Maybe Donghyuck never holds your hand, meaning he’s definitely up to something (and you hope with all your heart that he planned a promposal for you), but he always looks at you with this kind of adoration and tenderness and you only realized it now.

Maybe you’re both being bold tonight.

Donghyuck stops in front of a wall on the seventh floor. You glance over at him quizzically, but he closes his eyes and looks concentrated, so you just admire his side profile instead. A door appears out of nowhere and he opens his eyes.

“How did you summon a door? Did I miss this lesson in Transfiguration?”

“I didn’t summon it, it’s kinda weird. It’s called the Room of Requirement, and it appears with what you need on the inside. Only a few people know about it. Pretty cool, right?”

“I’ve never heard of that before. I wanna see what it’s like in there.”

Your free hand moves toward the doorknob, but Donghyuck stops you. “Wait.” He envelopes your hand with his free hand and hesitantly meets your eyes. “You haven’t… found a date to the ball since yesterday, right?”

You smile so hard that your face hurts, but you can’t stop. “Of course not. I have pretty high standards for my date to my last Yule Ball, you know. He has to ask me with a promposal to show that he’s a man of culture.”

He beams, and the sun is suddenly jobless. He lets go of your hands, opens the door, and bows. “After you, m’lady.”

The room’s lights are off. Donghyuck enters after you, shutting the door and plunging the room into complete darkness. A spotlight turns on after a few seconds, illuminating the center of the room.

You laugh when you see what spotlight shines on. A group of sugar quills floats in mid-air, spelling out the word “quill.” Below, a sign framed with a dozen or so writing quills reads “you go to the ball with me?” Read together, the display asks: “Quill you go to the ball with me?”

Jeno, Jaemin, and Renjun emerge from the sides and you lean over from laughing too hard. Jaemin has a white feather stuck in his hair, while Jeno is full-out dressed in a quill costume, complete with wisps of what looks like white yarn adorning his sides. Renjun looks very thankful to be wearing regular clothes.

The three of them approach you. Jeno and Jaemin go to your sides, each carrying a quill in a quill holder. Jeno’s holder contains a sheet of paper that says ‘yes’, while Jaemin’s holder contains a sheet of paper saying ‘no’. Renjun steps in front of you and holds an inkwell between the two trays.

Donghyuck stands behind Renjun with a piece of parchment above his head. The paper has two boxes reading ‘yes’ and ‘no’.

You don’t hesitate to take Jeno’s quill, dipping it in Renjun’s inkwell. The three boys step aside, allowing you to walk toward Donghyuck, who lowers the parchment to mid-chest level so you can check your answer easily.

You don’t check either box at first. Instead, you implore with a warm smile: “If I delay this, do I get to see Jeno in his quill costume longer?”

Jeno groans. “I lost a round of rock, paper, scissors and I’m trying to be a good wingman. Check the box already, y/n.”

So you mark the ‘yes’ box. Donghyuck’s smile makes you feel like you’re the only people in the room and you step closer, ready to press a kiss to his cheek and maybe somewhere else too—

The moment is interrupted by the other boys’ cheers. Jeno takes off his quill costume and throws it at Donghyuck, yelling, “I told you she would say yes!” Turning toward you, he starts to expose Donghyuck explain. “He was so nervous before this, that was the only reason I wore that stupid thing, you should’ve seen him—”

“He asked us to be here instead of just enchanting the quills and inkwell and stuff because he needed our moral support,” Jaemin cuts in, pulling Donghyuck away from you and into a headlock. He fusses with Donghyuck’s hair and coos at his flushed face.

“This boy is so whipped,” Renjun not-so-inconspicuously whispers to you. Giving your lovestruck expression a quick glance, he adds, “and so are you.”

Donghyuck wrestles Jaemin off of him and pulls you away from Renjun, wrapping you in his arms and pressing a light kiss to your forehead. “Just because I’m not in Gryffindor with Jaemin doesn’t mean I’m not brave.”

You rest your head in the crook of his neck, content.

When Donghyuck walks you back to Ravenclaw’s dorms after curfew, he holds your hand again. You both attempt to keep your voices down to avoid Filch, but honestly, you don’t care at this point. After you reach the top of Ravenclaw Tower, you both stop, awkwardly wondering what to do next.

You break the silence. “Thanks for all these sugar quills.” You hold up the bag of quills he gifted you, giving it a little shake. “How did you know my hidden stash ran out?”

“I kind of kept distracting you on the way back from Hogsmeade yesterday so you didn’t get any from Honeydukes. Did you like the whole… promposal? I wasn’t sure if you wanted to go with me or someone else, but you seemed kind of jealous after I mentioned taking someone yesterday? Like I don’t want to pressure you into anything…”

You place the bag of sugar quills on the ground and place a hand on the side of his face. He stops talking. “The girls were making fun of me for being dumb, so I guess we’re dumb together. I liked the promposal, Hyuck.” You wait a beat longer before adding, “I like you.”

When Seulgi tells you ‘I told you so’, Yeri cheers that everyone in your dorm has a date to the ball, Wendy shakes her head with a knowing smile, and all three press you to spill the tea later that night, you won’t be able to tell them who started it or how it happened. All you know is that one moment, you and Donghyuck are standing there, not moving, and in the next moment, you’re kissing.

Your mind goes blank, but you react immediately, leaning into him and kissing him back. It’s soft and sweet and completely natural. There are no butterflies in your stomach, but a warm feeling of utter happiness fills you. You let go of Donghyuck’s hand to curl an arm around his neck, and he rests his hands on your waist, tugging you closer. You sigh into the kiss and thread your fingers through his hair. It’s over as suddenly as it started, but this time, there’s no awkwardness when you look at Donghyuck.

Standing there, with his face basking in the light from the torches and his arms around you, he looks like a dream come true.

You pick up your bag. “Goodnight, Donghyuck.” You press your lips to his again, briefly.

He pulls you in for one final kiss before stepping back. “Goodnight, y/n.”

•••

Donghyuck spends much more time with you in the days leading up to the Yule Ball. He takes you to visit the Room of Requirement when you ask him, cuddles with you while you read through your Potions notes, and always gives you goodnight kisses when he walks you back to your dorm. Of course, you try to avoid flaunting these displays of affection in front of other people. You wouldn’t want to be that couple who makes out in public.

But that’s the problem. You have no idea if you’re a couple or not. He hasn’t said if he’s liked you back, and he hasn’t even mentioned taking you out on a date yet. You don’t say anything because you’re trying not to rush things, but come Friday, when you slip into your ballgown, you’re still not sure what your relationship is with him.

You do Yeri’s hair as Wendy does your hair as Seulgi does Wendy’s hair as Yeri does Seulgi’s hair. Yeri casts a spell to make Seulgi’s hair form a heart on top of her head and you giggle, prompting her to turn around, suspicious. “Quit moving,” Yeri complains, cheeky as ever. “I can’t make your hair pretty if you’re always moving around.”

“I’m already pretty,” Seulgi retorts, but stays still. You couldn’t agree more.

Wendy did an amazing job with your hair, which is voluminous and silky and tied half-up with a piece of green silk that matches Donghyuck’s tie. It frames your face, and when you finish applying your makeup, you feel like a Disney princess. It’s times like these when you’re thankful you splurged on your shared full-length mirror. “Ooh, I look fabulous.” Looking around the room, you feel the need to amend your statement. “We all look fabulous.”

“Yes the fuck we do!” calls Yeri.

After you slip on your heels and put on your blue necklace, you’re ready. You take tons of pictures as you wait for your dates to show up, and your poses get more outlandish as time goes on. Seulgi is attempting to sit in a middle split and persuading Wendy to try it with her when your dates arrive.

You help Seulgi to her feet as Suho, a fellow Ravenclaw, approaches her. She pushes you toward Donghyuck, and that’s when you get your first good look at him.

He’s as stunning as ever, looking even better than he did in the dress shop. His hair is slicked away from his forehead (no fortune cookie hair for this event!), making his face appear sharper, his nose more prominent and his jawline more defined. You can see hints of glittering eyeshadow on the edges of his eyelids.

He pulls you close by your waist, plants a kiss on your nose, and lifts your necklace. “Pretty.”

You give his shoulder a light shove. “Me or the necklace?”

“Can’t it be both?”

“No, because you picked out the necklace, so you’re biased toward it.”

He sighs dramatically. “Well, I guess I can’t be biased toward you, because no matter how lovely I think you are, you blow me away every time I see you.”

You blush. “Thanks. You look very handsome tonight.”

“Only tonight?” He doesn’t let you out of his embrace, pouting, until you peck his cheek. You slip your hand into the crook of his arm and descend down Ravenclaw Tower’s stairs.

“You always look handsome, but you knew that already.”

“Fair point. Oh!” He stops you. “I almost forgot. Here,” he fishes around in his pockets and pulls out a small bouquet of flowers, “is your corsage. You know, since this is kind of prom.”

You extend your wrist and he slides the navy blue flowers with dark green leaves on. He hands you his boutonniere for you to place in his lapel. “I love it, Donghyuck. Did you pick this out with our house colors in mind?”

“Yeah. I charmed it to match with your necklace, too. See?”

“You’re so thoughtful, Hyuck.” You’re pretty sure you have heart eyes right now, but no one else is around to tease you about it.

You reach the Great Hall. Yeri pulls you toward the entrance for group pictures, and after she gets them, she pushes you away to take individual pictures with Renjun.

“You’re welcome! Without me, you would’ve been a dateless coward!” You tease Yeri, who sticks her tongue out at you. Renjun blushes and directs her attention back to Seulgi and Taeyong, the designated photographers. “Do you wanna get pictures now or later?” you ask Donghyuck.

“How about later? The staff dance is about to start, and I want to see McGonagall and Flitwick together.”

McGonagall and Flitwick turn out to be surprisingly elegant dancers. Flitwick charms his shoes to levitate in mid-air and he glides along with minimal effort.

The first students’ dance follows the staff dance, and waltzing with Donghyuck is magical. After countless other dances, your feet start to hurt. He leads you to a table, makes sure you’re comfortable, and leaves to get you some punch.

You kick off your heels (stream Kick It) and transfigure them into a pair of much more comfortable flats. As you slip them back on, Seungmin, a fellow Ravenclaw in your year, sits down next to you.

“Hi y/n! How’s your night been?”

“Hey Seungmin! It’s been wonderful so far. I can’t believe I was stressing about finding a date just a week ago. How are you liking the ball so far?”

“It’s been pretty fun. We dared Hyunjin to ask Sprout to dance, and he’s over there asking her right now,” he points toward the staff’s table. Sure enough, Hyunjin has his hands clasped around Sprout’s right hand, pleading her to dance with him. “By the way, I can’t believe Donghyuck took so long to ask you. I’m sure you would’ve found a date earlier, but there’s obviously an unspoken rule about you being Donghyuck’s girl, and I doubt very many people would want to be on the receiving end of one of his hexes.”

Well, this is news to you. “I had no idea—oh shit,” you exclaim as Sprout stands up from her seat. Hyunjin escorts her to the dance floor. “He really did that.”

Seungmin shakes his head in disbelief. “I have to get this on camera.” He stands up, then realizes that he’s cutting your conversation short. “Oh, sorry—”

You wave him off. “Go record him. Send me a video when you get it.”

“Thanks, y/n. Have fun!”

“You too!” You wave as he disappears from sight. As if on cue, Donghyuck materializes by your side.

“You changed your shoes,” he notes, handing you a glass of punch. You down it in one go, suddenly jittery. How long has everyone shipped you with him? “Dang. You wanna get out of here?”

You clear your throat. “Yeah, that’d be awesome. Can we go to the Room of Requirement?”

“Of course. Gimme a sec.” He tips back his head and finishes his punch, and you’d never admit it but you stare at his neck for an embarrassingly long amount of time. You stand up, still staring. He notices but doesn’t comment on it, taking your cup and throwing it away with a cheeky smile instead. He rests an arm around your waist when he returns, dipping his head to plant a kiss on your temple. “Ready?”

You nod. “What do you want the room to have?”

“Maybe a bed…” He laughs at your unamused expression. “Kidding. Besides, I haven’t taken you out to dinner yet, remember?”

“You little shit. Speaking of food, how was the snack bar?”

“It was pretty good. You want to come back later for snacks?”

“Maybe. I think I’ll survive for now.” You turn to look at him. “You know, since you’re the only snacc I need.”

•••

Donghyuck wishes for a balcony, you wish for scented candles, and the room gives you a balcony lined with candles. It even scatters a few flower petals on the parapet as a finishing touch.

“Classy,” Donghyuck remarks as you both step onto the ledge. He stands facing you, leaning forward so your foreheads touch.

You take a deep breath, smooth your hands down his suit, and summon some Gryffindor-level bravery. “Earlier, Seungmin said something about how I was your girl. The funny thing is, I don’t remember you asking me to be your girlfriend.”

He freezes. “Did I not ask you? Shit, I forgot.” He takes a step back, eyes wide. His hands fly up to massage his temple. He starts pacing while running his hands through his hair, muttering a string of curse words and the occasional ‘how did I forget’.

“Hyuck,” you laugh, relieved. You reach for his shoulders, trying to calm him down. He stops walking but keeps ruffling his hair with a distraught expression, his eyes flickering from your face to the side to the ground. “Donghyuck,” you say again. Slowly cupping his face, your gaze roams his face, taking in his full cheeks and sloping nose before stopping on his lips. As you flick your eyes up to meet his, you smile. “It’s ok if you forgot, just ask me now.”

He swallows. In that moment, snow falls outside, and you fall even harder for the boy standing in front of you. His hands grasp yours and remove them from his face. Then he kneels down on one knee (a bit exaggeratedly in your opinion) and declares, “Y/n l/n, I’ve liked you since the day you visited me in the infirmary in fifth year. Actually, it was probably earlier than that, but that was when I finally accepted that I had a big fat crush on you.”

You remember that day. During a Quidditch game with Ravenclaw, a stray Bludger knocked him off his broom seconds after he caught the Snitch. He ended up in Madam Pomfrey’s care with a broken arm. You had visited him, worried half to death. Even as he teased you for caring about him, you made sure he was comfortable and didn’t have a concussion. When you left, you gave him a bag of his favorite lollipops from Honeydukes with a note that read ‘If you die, I’ll kill you. Get well soon xoxo <3 <3’. The lovey-dovey part was only written half-jokingly.

“And I know I’m an idiot for not telling you this sooner, but maybe I can be your idiot, so will you be my girlfriend?”

“Yes, I’d love to.” He swoops down to kiss you firmly as soon as the words leave your mouth, and you respond by tugging him closer by his tie. The way he holds you makes you positively melt. You’re not the only lovestruck person on that balcony, though, because even when you pull away, Donghyuck refuses to let you go.

“I’m lucky to have you,” you admit.

“No, I’m the lucky one here.”

“I know, I’m quite the catch.” You wink and he laughs and he kisses you again and again and again.

Later, Donghyuck walks you back to your room so you can change and cuddle with him properly. You bring a sugar quill with you because a bitch is hungry and that bitch is you.

He steals your quill every five minutes so he can kiss you, but you don’t mind.

Sugar quills are sweet, but a certain Slytherin boy named Lee Donghyuck is sweeter.