she falls, face first, onto her pillow, a long winded groan heard not long after as she settles into the comforts of her own bed, legs dangling off the edge. chiara had been dragged out for the morning to try on dresses for the upcoming ball on a certain roommate’s insistence, despite her own insistence that she wasn’t going. the slytherin wasn’t that interested in the whole idea of attending, and had planned on sleeping, but there were people who planned otherwise. hooray.
spotting a glow from underneath her pillow, she can only recognise that as a written message from jimin, to which she pulls out a leather bound journal, a black cover and the edges of her pages in a golden yellow. once opening, the pages redirect to the newest message, and as she reads it, she closes it abruptly with a groan, tucking it back into her pillow. she wondered why he didn’t use his phone, with the ban of electronic devices being lifted, but had no time to dwell.
chiara eventually pushes herself up, the click-clack of her boots heard along the flooring as she throws her long coat back on, before leaving the confines of her bedroom, through the common room and into the corridors. on arrival into the courtyard, once spotting him, the slytherin doesn’t expect him to look so… cold. a frown settles on her features as she strolls towards him, a “hey” being called out as a thick puff of smoke escapes her lips.
once she’s standing in front of him, her bare hand reaches up to brace his cheek, and the warmth of her palm sears against his much colder skin. “you idiot, how long have you been out here?!” dropping her hand to take her gloves off, she forces them into his hands, pulling her wand out after and with a small mutter, they increase slightly in size, just to fit him better. “put these on. now. are you trying to freeze to death, is that why you called me here?”
Jimin twists his wand in his hands again, waiting as he hears the telltale sound of approaching footsteps. He squares his shoulders and turns his gaze expectantly in the direction of the sound only he finds it’s not Chiara, but instead a gryffindor boy who gives him an odd look. Jimin merely nods at him, offering a very brief flash of a smile as well. His breath leaves him in a huff of irritation and he’s grateful for the pillar behind him. The stone is frigid and his spine breaks out in a series of goosebumps but it at the same time grounds him, reminds him of why he’s here and of the treasure in his pocket.
For the past few days, he had imagined this moment. Jimin had agonized over how to approach it, the delicate way of reaching out for her attention. He had spent a few hours pacing in front of the gilded mirror in their dorm room, his movements and words practiced until he was sure they screamed rehearsed, a marionette falling to the stern hand of the master of strings. He had been nervous, angry over the small stab of fear that plagued his thoughts, it’s going to fail. The words had repeated over and over in his head until he was sick of it. A small sliver of bravery had led to him deciding to wing it, the words he thought ingrained in his head were left behind in the dust.
The resounding sound of heels against pavement brings him out of his reverie. Jimin pushes himself to stand up straight, still a little hesitant though. He wonders if he’s going to get his hopes up again only to be surprised by the appearance of another stranger. But it’s definitely Chiara, its her voice the pierces the silence that had fallen over the courtyard. It’s also the same voices that seemingly causes his heart rate to pick up. Despite all of that, he feels his lips quirk up into a small smile, only he only seems to wholly belong to her, Jimin forgets the cold that stabs at his limbs and instead ducks his head down, his blood seemingly fills the apples of his cheeks. It only seems to get hotter when her bare hand brushes against his skin before seemingly coming to a halt there. It burns and he bites down on his tongue for a moment, resisting the urge to groan at the lush feeling of heat.
Instead he expands his smile, his eyes falling into small crescents. “I haven’t been out here that long.” He whines hoping to cover up the lie he tells her, but it’s for her own good. He knows that hearing the truth would cause her to be angry at him, angry at his idiotic tendencies. Jimin still remembers the slight arguments they seemed to always fall into. He loses himself to his musings though as he watches her movements, the gloves, and the sound of her voice. He shakes his head and tugs at his bottom lip. “Ah Chi, please. You know I’m not that dumb.” His open palms falls to his side where he clenches them, testing his strength. “I actually called you out here with a purpose, I promise."
