Call You Mine: TaoChen [1/2]
Title: Call You Mine: TaoChen [1/2]
Author: FloweryMisha
Pairing: TaoChen
Warning: BoyxBoy love. Enough said.
Summary: Slytherins are the elite. They always go for the best. Including Zitao.
Author’s Note: Not sure if anyone would read this chapter, but this part is necessary ;; AND PLEASE, NO TRANSLATIONS ALLOWED!!
[1: KrisHo]
You can’t stop the future. You can’t rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret is to press play.
--Jay Asher
Yixing broke up with Jongdae a few weeks after their relationship went public.
Jongdae had never thought it would hurt this much.
When Yifan kissed Junmyeon in public, it was then that Jongdae realized they actually had nothing to fear. Their relationship had been kept secret for almost a year, but it was stupid of them-him, specifically-to do that. So what if they were in different houses? They were very much in love, and nothing could ever get between them.
Or so Jongdae thought.
When Yixing asked him to go to the ball together, Jongdae was very happy. It was the day he had been waiting for. To be able to lean closer like a spoiled child to Yixing. To be able to hold hands together without feeling scared. To be able to dance together with their noses pressed against each other like nothing else mattered in the world. At the ball, Jongdae noticed a lot of people turned their heads to look at them (holding hands) with shocked expressions, but no (rude) comments were made.
It wasn’t like Jongdae was a bad person. Both he and Yixing were Prefects, which meant that they were the best in their houses.
After their public appearance at the ball, Jongdae thought it was a fresh start for both of them. They still had two years to stick together through classes and horrible exams until they graduated. And then they would get married, got decent jobs and lived together happily ever after.
But Jongdae was wrong for thinking that way.
Yixing looked so gloomy when he said he needed to talk to Jongdae, and the latter’s heart dropped slightly at that. It was never a good thing whenever someone said ‘they needed to talk’. Jongdae wished it was just his imagination, that Yixing really needed to talk to him about something important.
But happy endings clearly just happened in fairy tales.
The word ‘sorry’ kept on coming from Yixing’s mouth, and before Jongdae even got the chance to ask more like ‘why’, the former had already left.
Jongdae stared wordlessly at Yixing’s back as the latter walked away. He tried to call for the older male, but nothing came out of his mouth. Jongdae could hear the sound of his heart breaking when Yixing disappeared from his vision, and he couldn’t help but think that Yixing was ashamed of the fact that he was a Ravenclaw.
But then again…
All Slytherins do.
***
Junmyeon was unable to say anything when Jongdae informed him the news.
He could tell that the Hufflepuff Prefect was thinking very hard to say something to comfort him, but really, there was nothing that could make him feel better at the moment. Jongdae showed Junmyeon a row of his perfect white teeth, as if to say don’t worry, he would recover in no time. Junmyeon didn’t look convinced at all, but he said nothing in return.
Whenever Jongdae was alone, he tried to think of a few possibilities as why their relationship came to an end. Did he do something wrong...? Did he make Yixing angry...? Did he accidentally say something that hurt Yixing...? Endless questions were running through his mind, but whatever it was the he was assuming, his thought would always go back to one question:
Is it because Yixing is a Slytherin and he’s a Ravenclaw?
Jongdae groaned and mentally scolded himself for such an irrational thought. He recalled Leeteuk-seonsangnim’s wise words of ‘relationship was relationship’ and ‘it had nothing to do with the house’.
Maybe Yixing just couldn’t continue.
Maybe it was as simple as that.
Despite the fact that they were in different houses, it was a tad hard to avoid each other especially when they both took Ancient Runes. Jongdae pretended he didn’t see the way Yixing looked away when they stumbled upon each other. If he was being honest to himself, then it hurt. It freaking hurt, because how could Yixing threw away what they had so easily...?
Jongdae thought what they had was real. A year wasn’t exactly a short time, although it was nothing compared to Junmyeon and Yifan’s relationship. The other couple had been together for three years before their relationship went public.
Maybe, Jongdae grimaced darkly. We’re just not meant to be...
Days passed by in a breeze, and Junmyeon still sent Jongdae a worried look every time they were together. But Jongdae would always put on his best smile and acted like everything was all right. Like his break-up hadn’t affected anything in his life. He was still the usual Kim Jongdae.
The perfect Ravenclaw Prefect.
Although Jongdae would be lying to say he wasn’t sad. Deep down inside, Yixing had everything he-and his parents-ever wanted. Honestly, there were a thousand things about Yixing that he loved, and if he could write them all down, it would probably be an autobiography. Jongdae realized that he needed to stop when he woke up in tears for the umpteenth time that week. The male clutched his chest tightly as he buried his face into his pillow, trying to muffle his sobs so that he wouldn’t wake up his roommates.
He needed to stop.
Because maybe, just maybe, Jongdae was also glad that they were over because then he wouldn’t have to live in lies.
***
Jongdae knew he needed to move on, but it was always easier to be said than done.
A week after that, he found himself caressing ChenChen’s black fur absently. It was Sunday, and he took the opportunity to rest and drop by the owl’s room. Jongdae curved his lips upward into a small smile when his owl purred at him.
“I’m sorry,” Jongdae uttered softly like he knew what the bird was saying. “You’re not gonna send letters to XingXing anymore...and I’m not in the mood to find anyone new. You’re probably jobless for the rest of your life.” ChenChen squeaked as a reply and Jongdae chuckled. He continued to caress the black owl’s fur, his eyes getting distant as he sighed. “I wonder what Yixing-hyung’s doing right now...”
His moment of peace was disturbed by the sound of the door. It creaked as it swung open and Jongdae gasped in surprise because he didn’t really expect anyone to be there. Who would want to be with their owls when they could grab Butterbeer or sleep in the dorm? Someone peeked into the room and Jongdae was greeted by a pair of scary eyes. The other male looked like he needed more sleep because there were obvious bags under his eyes.
“Is this the pet’s room?” The gray-haired male asked casually as he scanned around the place.
“U-um,” Jongdae frowned. “It’s the owl’s room, actually.”
“Oh.” He paused as he gazed down at the transparent box in his hand. “Does it mean I can’t put my snake here?”
Jongdae went pale at the (stupid) question. “Of course you can’t. I don’t think snakes and owls would get along...”
The male pouted. “Then where should I put my pet?”
“Who has snake as a pet anyway?” Jongdae muttered quietly with a roll of eyes. “Snakes can’t fly and you can’t expect him to deliver a message....” He waved a hand dismissively. “Pets other than owls are being taken care of under Madam Jessica’s supervision. You can bring it there...”
The male ran a hand through his hair and Jongdae automatically held his breath. “Okay,” he said and turned around to leave the room.
Jongdae was still holding his breath for an unknown reason. He slowly let it out and was about to turn his attention back to ChenChen when the panda-eyed male walked back into the room.
“Are you going to stand there for the rest of your life?”
Jongdae almost jumped at the sudden voice. “H-huh?”
“I clearly don’t know the way to Madam Jessica. Are you going to accompany me or what?”
Jongdae gaped at how rude he was. Who is this kid?? If he wanted some help, all he needed to do was to ask politely! Jongdae puffed his cheeks in dismay, deciding that the gray-haired male definitely had some issues with manners. He could always decline, but then he pressed his lips firmly before taking his owl back into its cage.
“See you later, Chen,” Jongdae said softly as he locked the owl’s cage. ChenChen purred softly in reply and Jongdae patted his pet’s head with a finger before walking to the other male with a sigh. When they were close enough, Jongdae noticed that he definitely lost when it came to height, and...oh wow, the male was quite handsome up-close... Wait, what the hell was I thinking? “Follow me.”
The scary male did as he was told. They were walking quietly for a second and there was a hint of sincerity as the other male spoke. “I’m sorry to disturb your personal time with your owl...”
Jongdae’s eyes softened as he turned to look at the taller male. On second thought, maybe he wasn’t that bad.
“It’s all right... I was just checking on him anyway.”
“Yeah, it’s not healthy to talk too much to your owl like it’s human.”
Jongdae’s jaw dropped involuntarily at the remark and his face flushed at the accusation-statement? Scratch ‘he wasn’t that bad’. This male needed a manner class! Jongdae managed to hold himself from clawing the male’s face as he indignantly asked, “Excuse me, but who are you...?”
“Huang Zitao,” he introduced himself with a shameless grin. “I’m a transfer student from China. My father got promoted to Korean Gringgots Bank so we had to follow him.”
“China...?” Jongdae blinked rapidly, forgetting his anger aside. “But your Korean is...good.”
Zitao shrugged. “I’m pretty good with languages. If it wasn’t because of my father’s job, I would have never come here. But who knows, I might like this place after all... I also thought of leaving Panda behind, but then I decided to just take him with me.”
Jongdae blinked. “Panda?”
Zitao pointed at his snake and Jongdae almost tripped on his own foot. Not only that he needed to take a manner class, he probably needed help in naming his pet.
Jongdae slowed his steps down as they were getting nearer to their destination and he motioned to the hallway. “You’re almost there. Just go straight that way and it’s the first door on your right.”
“Aren’t you coming with me?”
“My common room is this way. You’ll be fine on your own. It’s not like you’re gonna get lost.”
Zitao narrowed his eyes curiously at the hallway behind Jongdae. “...you’re a Ravenclaw.”
Jongdae cleared his throat, suddenly getting nervous at the tone Zitao was using. “That’s right. I assume you’re from the other house...?”
“The best house,” Zitao corrected proudly. “The Serpents.”
Jongdae froze.
Slytherin.
Zitao smiled too brightly to Jongdae’s liking. “Nice to meet you-hey, wait!“
Jongdae turned around to leave before the Chinese male got to finish his sentence. He ignored the sound of protest Zitao was making and hastily ran toward Ravenclaw’s common room.
His mind flew to Yixing and his heart ached badly at that.
***
“Jongdae-yah, are you okay?”
Junmyeon’s hesitant yet worried voice jerked Jongdae out of his daze. They were sitting together in the Great Hall before lunch that day, trying to do their homeworks.
Jongdae nodded and tried to concentrate on his homework, but he failed miserably. His parchment was empty from the first moment he arrived at Junmyeon’s table, and forty-five minutes later, it was still empty. He lifted up his face only to meet Junmyeon’s concerned gaze.
“...I’m okay.”
Jongdae then lowered his head, not wanting to continue the conversation anymore.
It just happened to be his (bad) luck that he witnessed Yixing laughing before he went to see Junmyeon.
It was actually a common view. Yixing was a very outgoing person and he was always smiling. Jongdae was supposed to feel happy that Yixing was able to move on with his life-he wasn’t sure if Yixing ever felt sad at their break-up-except for the fact that he was laughing with someone Jongdae didn’t recognize. Jongdae had seen most of Yixing’s friends, but he had never seen the male before.
And the male was cute.
Very cute, especially his chubby cheeks.
They were leaning so close against each other and it was the first time Jongdae had ever seen Yixing’s eyes sparkling with emotions. The happiness was too obvious. Jongdae didn’t think that Yixing had ever radiated such emotions whenever they were together, just the two of them. Something akin to jealousy surfaced within Jongdae, but there was nothing he could do.
Jongdae stared gloomily at his parchment. His heart hurt and there was no way he would be able to study with this feeling. “Hyung, I’m sorry, I can’t... I think I’m gonna head back to my room.” He was about to shove everything into his bag when someone dropped a thick book onto the table, causing both Junmyeon and Jongdae to jump slightly.
“Hi.”
Jongdae looked up and he was a bit stunned when he found out it was Zitao. “Zitao.”
“Mind if I sit here?”
It caused the other students to stare at their table and Jongdae became uncomfortable with that. Junmyeon blinked momentarily at Zitao before shifting his gaze back to Jongdae with his eyebrows knitted together. Jongdae ignored it by resuming inserting his books into his bag.
“You can sit, but I’m leaving.”
“Oh. Mind if I follow you?”
Jongdae dumbly stared at Zitao like the latter had just said something very stupid. As a matter of fact, he did say something very stupid. What the hell was he thinking? Didn’t he see that he was in a green robe while he and Junmyeon didn’t?
“You can’t.”
“Why?” Zitao protested.
“Isn’t it obvious? Your robe.”
Zitao glanced down at his robe. “What’s wrong with it? It’s just a robe.”
“Well the color is bothering me!” Jongdae hissed angrily as he stood up. The innocent retort irritated him. Either Zitao must be extremely stupid or he just liked to troll people.
“I can take it off if you want me too-“
“Are you out of your mind??”
Junmyeon glanced back and forth in horror between Jongdae and Zitao, but they didn’t seem to care about their surrounding anymore.
“Why am I out of-oh, is it because you’re a Prefect?” Zitao’s eyes dropped to the pin on Jongdae’s blazer, but the question just angered the latter even more. “Does it mean that you’re older?”
“...holy shit. What year are you in??”
“Fourth. Let me guess. You’re in the fifth year?” Zitao guessed and noticed that Jongdae was visibly stiffening. “Seventh? Wait. Sixth. Sixth? Oh wow, I am taller than you.”
An invisible vein popped out on Jongdae’s forehead and he snapped.
“You’re really rude, you know that??” Jongdae pointed his index finger at Zitao. Their argument made the other students to stare intensely at them, and Junmyeon sank lower in his seat. “I am two years older than you! You should show me some respect, brat! You’re not hanging out with me and that’s final!!”
With that, Jongdae ran out of the room. He was so pissed off about what just happened that when someone grabbed his shoulders abruptly, he almost sent a kick toward whoever it was-which was easily avoided by Zitao. Jongdae didn’t even have the chance to breathe and he winced when the taller of the two shoved him against the wall.
“Ow!!”
“I’m sorry if I hurt you,” Zitao apologized calmly, but Jongdae could see that he was a bit panicked. “I’m sorry, Hyung-“
“Zitao, don’t-“
“No, please, I am really sorry-“
“I hate Slytherins, okay??”
The words made Zitao stop completely. Jongdae was breathless before him, dragging a hand down his face as he whimpered. Zitao looked a bit hurt as he spoke,
“Including me...?”
“It’s not...I don’t know,” Jongdae sighed in exasperation. “Look, you’re new, so you don’t know the situation around here. Slytherins aren’t allowed to talk to the other students except for Gryffindors. If you’re bright enough, you should be able to conclude everything from that sentence, and realize why we can’t be friends.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Zitao deadpanned. “I don’t think-“
“It doesn’t matter what you think, I’m not going to accept you no matter what happens,” Jongdae said sadly. “And you have to stop following me. Did you see their reactions back there when you approached me? You need to stop talking to me, or else your friends will hate you for that. And...and you’re still young, I don’t want your future to be ruined.”
Zitao’s expression turned sour at Jongdae’s words. “But I bet not all Slytherins are like that. This isn’t fair. You didn’t even give me a chance.”
“I gave a chance to someone, but he betrayed me.”
“And he’s a Slytherin?”
“Yes, he’s a Slytherin.”
Jongdae’s bitter tone seemed to get to Zitao, because when he pushed the latter away, Zitao easily stepped aside in silence. Jongdae took the chance to run away and he didn’t bother to look back.
Zitao didn’t follow him this time.
***
Jongdae sat quietly all by himself in the Astronomy Tower.
It was the only place he would run to whenever he felt down. Fortunately there were no other students at the tower because the sky was cloudy that night. Jongdae continued to gaze lifelessly outside the window as he drew his knees to his chest.
“Hi.”
Jongdae almost hurt his neck for turning his head so fast. He was about to scold whoever it was who disturbed him, but his irritation diminished when he saw it was Junmyeon. Jongdae sheepishly smiled, beckoning his best friend to join him and Junmyeon did so.
“Hi...”
“I have a feeling you would be here,” Junmyeon said softly. “Glad that I’m right.”
“Well yeah, of course you would know,” Jongdae replied and rolled his eyes. “Listen, Hyung... I’m sorry I ran out on you today.”
“It’s all right,” Junmyeon shook his head. “But...you know, after all this time...I’ve never really seen you snapped before.”
Jongdae sighed dramatically. “I know, right? I didn’t mean to, but I kind of lost my self back then. He was just a new student and-”
“That Slytherin boy?”
“Yes! Oh dear god, he was so annoying-“
“He adores you, you know?”
Jongdae sent Junmyeon a disbelieving look. “Hyung, please.”
“No, really,” Junmyeon chuckled. “The way he ran after you the minute you stepped out of the Great Hall...I could say that it was a determination.” Junmyeon chuckled loudly when Jongdae pulled his own hair in frustration with a groan. “He was sincere, that much I could tell. Why won’t you believe me? And...I know I’m in no position to say this...”
“Damn right, you’re not-“
“...but it might be a fresh start for you.”
“If there are people that I care about in Slytherin, there will only be two.” Jongdae quickly held up his fingers in the air as he counted. “Your boyfriend, and your brother.”
Junmyeon’s smile didn’t falter. “And possibly Zitao.”
Jongdae growled in annoyance. He felt like snapping, but there was no way he would snap at Junmyeon. Jongdae chose to rest his head on Junmyeon’s shoulder instead, to hide his expression, while at the same time clutching the latter’s arm a bit too hard. He said nothing for a long moment, until Junmyeon was the first one to continue the conversation.
“What if...Zitao is different?”
Jongdae took a long time to think before sighing heavily. “I don’t know.”
“How will you know if you won’t try?”
“Easy for you to say,” Jongdae snorted and nudged Junmyeon. “Your future with Yifan is decided.”
“But you know I’m right...”
“...I know you’re right. But honestly, I’m too scared to find out. I’m too scared to try and open myself again, to whoever it is, especially...someone that comes from Slytherin. I don’t think I can stand the pain if it ever happens anymore. Because it really hurt when Yixing...”
“Perhaps because Yixing isn’t meant for you.”
Jongdae exhaled loudly. “So you’re saying I should give Zitao a chance.”
Junmyeon merely nodded as he shifted beside Jongdae.
“All I’m saying, is that you should open your heart...”
Jongdae rolled his eyes for the second time that night, but Junmyeon didn’t see it. He said nothing more after that. However, he knew that Junmyeon was right.
And Jongdae hated Junmyeon for always being right.
***
A week had passed by since then and Jongdae hadn’t seen Zitao. Which was actually a good thing, because deep down inside, Jongdae didn’t think that he had completely forgive him. Junmyeon told Jongdae to be nice if he ever saw Zitao, but who knew, it just might anger him more by seeing the Chinese male.
But if fate said they needed to collide, then collide it would be.
Jongdae was in the library that afternoon when he found out Zitao was approaching him. The Ravenclaw Prefect was a bit surprised at first (and his heartbeat might have quickened but he denied the fact), but his expression soon morphed into dislike. Just as he thought, he didn’t want to see Zitao. At least not yet. Jongdae gathered his things in record time, wanting to run away as soon as possible. But before he even managed to do so, Zitao held his hand up.
“Kim Jongdae!”
There was a loud shush from the entrance of the library and Zitao covered his mouth with his palm. Jongdae was supposed to stick to his plan to run, but he couldn’t help feeling slightly amused at the younger male’s expression-although Jongdae wasn’t sure if he had ever introduced himself, it would be easy for Zitao to find out his name. Another sound made and the librarian would ban them for sure. It intrigued Jongdae a bit of how Zitao was going to communicate. The Chinese male looked around him with a frown on his face, and soon broke into a smile as he grabbed an unused parchment from the table.
Zitao occupied the empty seat across Jongdae as he jotted something down on the parchment. He put the quill down and showed Jongdae what he wrote. Jongdae squinted his eyes as he tried to read the letters.
KIM JONGDAE
…HYUNG
DO YOU THINK I CARE?
Jongdae gawked. He had no idea what Zitao was talking about and it must’ve been obvious, because Zitao resumed writing.
ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THING.
Jongdae had the sudden urge to correct the word, but he did nothing. His blank expression probably made Zitao a bit frustrated because the latter took the quill back.
DO YOU REALLY HATE SLYTH ME THAT MUCH?
OH LORD I CANNOT WITH ALL OF THIS GO OUT WITH ME THIS SATURDAY?
WE WILL TALK OUTSIDE SCHOOL?
PLEASE?
Jongdae took a long time to think. He could easily decline or walk away just like the last time he did, but Zitao’s expression was hopeful and nervous that Jongdae didn’t have the heart to. Zitao looked somewhat helpless and sincere, and truthfully, it would be unfair if he thought all Slytherins were the same. He rolled his parchment open, planning to write an answer, but then he decided to just nod.
Zitao’s face instantly brightened and he grinned as he showed Jongdae another reply.
THANK YOU FOR A SHORT PERSON YOU SURE ARE NICE
Jongdae was about to stab his quill into Zitao’s face when the latter laughed voicelessly and held up his parchment.
FOR A SHORT PERSON, YOU ARE VERY CUTE
:)
Jongdae felt something jolted at the bottom of his stomach, but he dismissed it with a roll of eyes.
He would definitely make Zitao pay everything for him if they ever, ever went out this Saturday.
[2]
Author: FloweryMisha
Pairing: TaoChen
Warning: BoyxBoy love. Enough said.
Summary: Slytherins are the elite. They always go for the best. Including Zitao.
Author’s Note: Not sure if anyone would read this chapter, but this part is necessary ;; AND PLEASE, NO TRANSLATIONS ALLOWED!!
[1: KrisHo]
You can’t stop the future. You can’t rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret is to press play.
--Jay Asher
Yixing broke up with Jongdae a few weeks after their relationship went public.
Jongdae had never thought it would hurt this much.
When Yifan kissed Junmyeon in public, it was then that Jongdae realized they actually had nothing to fear. Their relationship had been kept secret for almost a year, but it was stupid of them-him, specifically-to do that. So what if they were in different houses? They were very much in love, and nothing could ever get between them.
Or so Jongdae thought.
When Yixing asked him to go to the ball together, Jongdae was very happy. It was the day he had been waiting for. To be able to lean closer like a spoiled child to Yixing. To be able to hold hands together without feeling scared. To be able to dance together with their noses pressed against each other like nothing else mattered in the world. At the ball, Jongdae noticed a lot of people turned their heads to look at them (holding hands) with shocked expressions, but no (rude) comments were made.
It wasn’t like Jongdae was a bad person. Both he and Yixing were Prefects, which meant that they were the best in their houses.
After their public appearance at the ball, Jongdae thought it was a fresh start for both of them. They still had two years to stick together through classes and horrible exams until they graduated. And then they would get married, got decent jobs and lived together happily ever after.
But Jongdae was wrong for thinking that way.
Yixing looked so gloomy when he said he needed to talk to Jongdae, and the latter’s heart dropped slightly at that. It was never a good thing whenever someone said ‘they needed to talk’. Jongdae wished it was just his imagination, that Yixing really needed to talk to him about something important.
But happy endings clearly just happened in fairy tales.
The word ‘sorry’ kept on coming from Yixing’s mouth, and before Jongdae even got the chance to ask more like ‘why’, the former had already left.
Jongdae stared wordlessly at Yixing’s back as the latter walked away. He tried to call for the older male, but nothing came out of his mouth. Jongdae could hear the sound of his heart breaking when Yixing disappeared from his vision, and he couldn’t help but think that Yixing was ashamed of the fact that he was a Ravenclaw.
But then again…
All Slytherins do.
***
Junmyeon was unable to say anything when Jongdae informed him the news.
He could tell that the Hufflepuff Prefect was thinking very hard to say something to comfort him, but really, there was nothing that could make him feel better at the moment. Jongdae showed Junmyeon a row of his perfect white teeth, as if to say don’t worry, he would recover in no time. Junmyeon didn’t look convinced at all, but he said nothing in return.
Whenever Jongdae was alone, he tried to think of a few possibilities as why their relationship came to an end. Did he do something wrong...? Did he make Yixing angry...? Did he accidentally say something that hurt Yixing...? Endless questions were running through his mind, but whatever it was the he was assuming, his thought would always go back to one question:
Is it because Yixing is a Slytherin and he’s a Ravenclaw?
Jongdae groaned and mentally scolded himself for such an irrational thought. He recalled Leeteuk-seonsangnim’s wise words of ‘relationship was relationship’ and ‘it had nothing to do with the house’.
Maybe Yixing just couldn’t continue.
Maybe it was as simple as that.
Despite the fact that they were in different houses, it was a tad hard to avoid each other especially when they both took Ancient Runes. Jongdae pretended he didn’t see the way Yixing looked away when they stumbled upon each other. If he was being honest to himself, then it hurt. It freaking hurt, because how could Yixing threw away what they had so easily...?
Jongdae thought what they had was real. A year wasn’t exactly a short time, although it was nothing compared to Junmyeon and Yifan’s relationship. The other couple had been together for three years before their relationship went public.
Maybe, Jongdae grimaced darkly. We’re just not meant to be...
Days passed by in a breeze, and Junmyeon still sent Jongdae a worried look every time they were together. But Jongdae would always put on his best smile and acted like everything was all right. Like his break-up hadn’t affected anything in his life. He was still the usual Kim Jongdae.
The perfect Ravenclaw Prefect.
Although Jongdae would be lying to say he wasn’t sad. Deep down inside, Yixing had everything he-and his parents-ever wanted. Honestly, there were a thousand things about Yixing that he loved, and if he could write them all down, it would probably be an autobiography. Jongdae realized that he needed to stop when he woke up in tears for the umpteenth time that week. The male clutched his chest tightly as he buried his face into his pillow, trying to muffle his sobs so that he wouldn’t wake up his roommates.
He needed to stop.
Because maybe, just maybe, Jongdae was also glad that they were over because then he wouldn’t have to live in lies.
***
Jongdae knew he needed to move on, but it was always easier to be said than done.
A week after that, he found himself caressing ChenChen’s black fur absently. It was Sunday, and he took the opportunity to rest and drop by the owl’s room. Jongdae curved his lips upward into a small smile when his owl purred at him.
“I’m sorry,” Jongdae uttered softly like he knew what the bird was saying. “You’re not gonna send letters to XingXing anymore...and I’m not in the mood to find anyone new. You’re probably jobless for the rest of your life.” ChenChen squeaked as a reply and Jongdae chuckled. He continued to caress the black owl’s fur, his eyes getting distant as he sighed. “I wonder what Yixing-hyung’s doing right now...”
His moment of peace was disturbed by the sound of the door. It creaked as it swung open and Jongdae gasped in surprise because he didn’t really expect anyone to be there. Who would want to be with their owls when they could grab Butterbeer or sleep in the dorm? Someone peeked into the room and Jongdae was greeted by a pair of scary eyes. The other male looked like he needed more sleep because there were obvious bags under his eyes.
“Is this the pet’s room?” The gray-haired male asked casually as he scanned around the place.
“U-um,” Jongdae frowned. “It’s the owl’s room, actually.”
“Oh.” He paused as he gazed down at the transparent box in his hand. “Does it mean I can’t put my snake here?”
Jongdae went pale at the (stupid) question. “Of course you can’t. I don’t think snakes and owls would get along...”
The male pouted. “Then where should I put my pet?”
“Who has snake as a pet anyway?” Jongdae muttered quietly with a roll of eyes. “Snakes can’t fly and you can’t expect him to deliver a message....” He waved a hand dismissively. “Pets other than owls are being taken care of under Madam Jessica’s supervision. You can bring it there...”
The male ran a hand through his hair and Jongdae automatically held his breath. “Okay,” he said and turned around to leave the room.
Jongdae was still holding his breath for an unknown reason. He slowly let it out and was about to turn his attention back to ChenChen when the panda-eyed male walked back into the room.
“Are you going to stand there for the rest of your life?”
Jongdae almost jumped at the sudden voice. “H-huh?”
“I clearly don’t know the way to Madam Jessica. Are you going to accompany me or what?”
Jongdae gaped at how rude he was. Who is this kid?? If he wanted some help, all he needed to do was to ask politely! Jongdae puffed his cheeks in dismay, deciding that the gray-haired male definitely had some issues with manners. He could always decline, but then he pressed his lips firmly before taking his owl back into its cage.
“See you later, Chen,” Jongdae said softly as he locked the owl’s cage. ChenChen purred softly in reply and Jongdae patted his pet’s head with a finger before walking to the other male with a sigh. When they were close enough, Jongdae noticed that he definitely lost when it came to height, and...oh wow, the male was quite handsome up-close... Wait, what the hell was I thinking? “Follow me.”
The scary male did as he was told. They were walking quietly for a second and there was a hint of sincerity as the other male spoke. “I’m sorry to disturb your personal time with your owl...”
Jongdae’s eyes softened as he turned to look at the taller male. On second thought, maybe he wasn’t that bad.
“It’s all right... I was just checking on him anyway.”
“Yeah, it’s not healthy to talk too much to your owl like it’s human.”
Jongdae’s jaw dropped involuntarily at the remark and his face flushed at the accusation-statement? Scratch ‘he wasn’t that bad’. This male needed a manner class! Jongdae managed to hold himself from clawing the male’s face as he indignantly asked, “Excuse me, but who are you...?”
“Huang Zitao,” he introduced himself with a shameless grin. “I’m a transfer student from China. My father got promoted to Korean Gringgots Bank so we had to follow him.”
“China...?” Jongdae blinked rapidly, forgetting his anger aside. “But your Korean is...good.”
Zitao shrugged. “I’m pretty good with languages. If it wasn’t because of my father’s job, I would have never come here. But who knows, I might like this place after all... I also thought of leaving Panda behind, but then I decided to just take him with me.”
Jongdae blinked. “Panda?”
Zitao pointed at his snake and Jongdae almost tripped on his own foot. Not only that he needed to take a manner class, he probably needed help in naming his pet.
Jongdae slowed his steps down as they were getting nearer to their destination and he motioned to the hallway. “You’re almost there. Just go straight that way and it’s the first door on your right.”
“Aren’t you coming with me?”
“My common room is this way. You’ll be fine on your own. It’s not like you’re gonna get lost.”
Zitao narrowed his eyes curiously at the hallway behind Jongdae. “...you’re a Ravenclaw.”
Jongdae cleared his throat, suddenly getting nervous at the tone Zitao was using. “That’s right. I assume you’re from the other house...?”
“The best house,” Zitao corrected proudly. “The Serpents.”
Jongdae froze.
Slytherin.
Zitao smiled too brightly to Jongdae’s liking. “Nice to meet you-hey, wait!“
Jongdae turned around to leave before the Chinese male got to finish his sentence. He ignored the sound of protest Zitao was making and hastily ran toward Ravenclaw’s common room.
His mind flew to Yixing and his heart ached badly at that.
***
“Jongdae-yah, are you okay?”
Junmyeon’s hesitant yet worried voice jerked Jongdae out of his daze. They were sitting together in the Great Hall before lunch that day, trying to do their homeworks.
Jongdae nodded and tried to concentrate on his homework, but he failed miserably. His parchment was empty from the first moment he arrived at Junmyeon’s table, and forty-five minutes later, it was still empty. He lifted up his face only to meet Junmyeon’s concerned gaze.
“...I’m okay.”
Jongdae then lowered his head, not wanting to continue the conversation anymore.
It just happened to be his (bad) luck that he witnessed Yixing laughing before he went to see Junmyeon.
It was actually a common view. Yixing was a very outgoing person and he was always smiling. Jongdae was supposed to feel happy that Yixing was able to move on with his life-he wasn’t sure if Yixing ever felt sad at their break-up-except for the fact that he was laughing with someone Jongdae didn’t recognize. Jongdae had seen most of Yixing’s friends, but he had never seen the male before.
And the male was cute.
Very cute, especially his chubby cheeks.
They were leaning so close against each other and it was the first time Jongdae had ever seen Yixing’s eyes sparkling with emotions. The happiness was too obvious. Jongdae didn’t think that Yixing had ever radiated such emotions whenever they were together, just the two of them. Something akin to jealousy surfaced within Jongdae, but there was nothing he could do.
Jongdae stared gloomily at his parchment. His heart hurt and there was no way he would be able to study with this feeling. “Hyung, I’m sorry, I can’t... I think I’m gonna head back to my room.” He was about to shove everything into his bag when someone dropped a thick book onto the table, causing both Junmyeon and Jongdae to jump slightly.
“Hi.”
Jongdae looked up and he was a bit stunned when he found out it was Zitao. “Zitao.”
“Mind if I sit here?”
It caused the other students to stare at their table and Jongdae became uncomfortable with that. Junmyeon blinked momentarily at Zitao before shifting his gaze back to Jongdae with his eyebrows knitted together. Jongdae ignored it by resuming inserting his books into his bag.
“You can sit, but I’m leaving.”
“Oh. Mind if I follow you?”
Jongdae dumbly stared at Zitao like the latter had just said something very stupid. As a matter of fact, he did say something very stupid. What the hell was he thinking? Didn’t he see that he was in a green robe while he and Junmyeon didn’t?
“You can’t.”
“Why?” Zitao protested.
“Isn’t it obvious? Your robe.”
Zitao glanced down at his robe. “What’s wrong with it? It’s just a robe.”
“Well the color is bothering me!” Jongdae hissed angrily as he stood up. The innocent retort irritated him. Either Zitao must be extremely stupid or he just liked to troll people.
“I can take it off if you want me too-“
“Are you out of your mind??”
Junmyeon glanced back and forth in horror between Jongdae and Zitao, but they didn’t seem to care about their surrounding anymore.
“Why am I out of-oh, is it because you’re a Prefect?” Zitao’s eyes dropped to the pin on Jongdae’s blazer, but the question just angered the latter even more. “Does it mean that you’re older?”
“...holy shit. What year are you in??”
“Fourth. Let me guess. You’re in the fifth year?” Zitao guessed and noticed that Jongdae was visibly stiffening. “Seventh? Wait. Sixth. Sixth? Oh wow, I am taller than you.”
An invisible vein popped out on Jongdae’s forehead and he snapped.
“You’re really rude, you know that??” Jongdae pointed his index finger at Zitao. Their argument made the other students to stare intensely at them, and Junmyeon sank lower in his seat. “I am two years older than you! You should show me some respect, brat! You’re not hanging out with me and that’s final!!”
With that, Jongdae ran out of the room. He was so pissed off about what just happened that when someone grabbed his shoulders abruptly, he almost sent a kick toward whoever it was-which was easily avoided by Zitao. Jongdae didn’t even have the chance to breathe and he winced when the taller of the two shoved him against the wall.
“Ow!!”
“I’m sorry if I hurt you,” Zitao apologized calmly, but Jongdae could see that he was a bit panicked. “I’m sorry, Hyung-“
“Zitao, don’t-“
“No, please, I am really sorry-“
“I hate Slytherins, okay??”
The words made Zitao stop completely. Jongdae was breathless before him, dragging a hand down his face as he whimpered. Zitao looked a bit hurt as he spoke,
“Including me...?”
“It’s not...I don’t know,” Jongdae sighed in exasperation. “Look, you’re new, so you don’t know the situation around here. Slytherins aren’t allowed to talk to the other students except for Gryffindors. If you’re bright enough, you should be able to conclude everything from that sentence, and realize why we can’t be friends.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Zitao deadpanned. “I don’t think-“
“It doesn’t matter what you think, I’m not going to accept you no matter what happens,” Jongdae said sadly. “And you have to stop following me. Did you see their reactions back there when you approached me? You need to stop talking to me, or else your friends will hate you for that. And...and you’re still young, I don’t want your future to be ruined.”
Zitao’s expression turned sour at Jongdae’s words. “But I bet not all Slytherins are like that. This isn’t fair. You didn’t even give me a chance.”
“I gave a chance to someone, but he betrayed me.”
“And he’s a Slytherin?”
“Yes, he’s a Slytherin.”
Jongdae’s bitter tone seemed to get to Zitao, because when he pushed the latter away, Zitao easily stepped aside in silence. Jongdae took the chance to run away and he didn’t bother to look back.
Zitao didn’t follow him this time.
***
Jongdae sat quietly all by himself in the Astronomy Tower.
It was the only place he would run to whenever he felt down. Fortunately there were no other students at the tower because the sky was cloudy that night. Jongdae continued to gaze lifelessly outside the window as he drew his knees to his chest.
“Hi.”
Jongdae almost hurt his neck for turning his head so fast. He was about to scold whoever it was who disturbed him, but his irritation diminished when he saw it was Junmyeon. Jongdae sheepishly smiled, beckoning his best friend to join him and Junmyeon did so.
“Hi...”
“I have a feeling you would be here,” Junmyeon said softly. “Glad that I’m right.”
“Well yeah, of course you would know,” Jongdae replied and rolled his eyes. “Listen, Hyung... I’m sorry I ran out on you today.”
“It’s all right,” Junmyeon shook his head. “But...you know, after all this time...I’ve never really seen you snapped before.”
Jongdae sighed dramatically. “I know, right? I didn’t mean to, but I kind of lost my self back then. He was just a new student and-”
“That Slytherin boy?”
“Yes! Oh dear god, he was so annoying-“
“He adores you, you know?”
Jongdae sent Junmyeon a disbelieving look. “Hyung, please.”
“No, really,” Junmyeon chuckled. “The way he ran after you the minute you stepped out of the Great Hall...I could say that it was a determination.” Junmyeon chuckled loudly when Jongdae pulled his own hair in frustration with a groan. “He was sincere, that much I could tell. Why won’t you believe me? And...I know I’m in no position to say this...”
“Damn right, you’re not-“
“...but it might be a fresh start for you.”
“If there are people that I care about in Slytherin, there will only be two.” Jongdae quickly held up his fingers in the air as he counted. “Your boyfriend, and your brother.”
Junmyeon’s smile didn’t falter. “And possibly Zitao.”
Jongdae growled in annoyance. He felt like snapping, but there was no way he would snap at Junmyeon. Jongdae chose to rest his head on Junmyeon’s shoulder instead, to hide his expression, while at the same time clutching the latter’s arm a bit too hard. He said nothing for a long moment, until Junmyeon was the first one to continue the conversation.
“What if...Zitao is different?”
Jongdae took a long time to think before sighing heavily. “I don’t know.”
“How will you know if you won’t try?”
“Easy for you to say,” Jongdae snorted and nudged Junmyeon. “Your future with Yifan is decided.”
“But you know I’m right...”
“...I know you’re right. But honestly, I’m too scared to find out. I’m too scared to try and open myself again, to whoever it is, especially...someone that comes from Slytherin. I don’t think I can stand the pain if it ever happens anymore. Because it really hurt when Yixing...”
“Perhaps because Yixing isn’t meant for you.”
Jongdae exhaled loudly. “So you’re saying I should give Zitao a chance.”
Junmyeon merely nodded as he shifted beside Jongdae.
“All I’m saying, is that you should open your heart...”
Jongdae rolled his eyes for the second time that night, but Junmyeon didn’t see it. He said nothing more after that. However, he knew that Junmyeon was right.
And Jongdae hated Junmyeon for always being right.
***
A week had passed by since then and Jongdae hadn’t seen Zitao. Which was actually a good thing, because deep down inside, Jongdae didn’t think that he had completely forgive him. Junmyeon told Jongdae to be nice if he ever saw Zitao, but who knew, it just might anger him more by seeing the Chinese male.
But if fate said they needed to collide, then collide it would be.
Jongdae was in the library that afternoon when he found out Zitao was approaching him. The Ravenclaw Prefect was a bit surprised at first (and his heartbeat might have quickened but he denied the fact), but his expression soon morphed into dislike. Just as he thought, he didn’t want to see Zitao. At least not yet. Jongdae gathered his things in record time, wanting to run away as soon as possible. But before he even managed to do so, Zitao held his hand up.
“Kim Jongdae!”
There was a loud shush from the entrance of the library and Zitao covered his mouth with his palm. Jongdae was supposed to stick to his plan to run, but he couldn’t help feeling slightly amused at the younger male’s expression-although Jongdae wasn’t sure if he had ever introduced himself, it would be easy for Zitao to find out his name. Another sound made and the librarian would ban them for sure. It intrigued Jongdae a bit of how Zitao was going to communicate. The Chinese male looked around him with a frown on his face, and soon broke into a smile as he grabbed an unused parchment from the table.
Zitao occupied the empty seat across Jongdae as he jotted something down on the parchment. He put the quill down and showed Jongdae what he wrote. Jongdae squinted his eyes as he tried to read the letters.
KIM JONGDAE
…HYUNG
DO YOU THINK I CARE?
Jongdae gawked. He had no idea what Zitao was talking about and it must’ve been obvious, because Zitao resumed writing.
ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THING.
Jongdae had the sudden urge to correct the word, but he did nothing. His blank expression probably made Zitao a bit frustrated because the latter took the quill back.
DO YOU REALLY HATE SLYTH ME THAT MUCH?
OH LORD I CANNOT WITH ALL OF THIS GO OUT WITH ME THIS SATURDAY?
WE WILL TALK OUTSIDE SCHOOL?
PLEASE?
Jongdae took a long time to think. He could easily decline or walk away just like the last time he did, but Zitao’s expression was hopeful and nervous that Jongdae didn’t have the heart to. Zitao looked somewhat helpless and sincere, and truthfully, it would be unfair if he thought all Slytherins were the same. He rolled his parchment open, planning to write an answer, but then he decided to just nod.
Zitao’s face instantly brightened and he grinned as he showed Jongdae another reply.
THANK YOU FOR A SHORT PERSON YOU SURE ARE NICE
Jongdae was about to stab his quill into Zitao’s face when the latter laughed voicelessly and held up his parchment.
FOR A SHORT PERSON, YOU ARE VERY CUTE
:)
Jongdae felt something jolted at the bottom of his stomach, but he dismissed it with a roll of eyes.
He would definitely make Zitao pay everything for him if they ever, ever went out this Saturday.
[2]