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To say that Renjun is stressing out because of his potions exams is an understatement. Since the past week, he has done so many potions he lost count of how many he did. The cycle is always the same, get up, do a potion, have lunch, do a potion, try the potions, cry out of frustration, do another potion, dinner, rethink his life choices. He needs to ace this exam and all the others. He needs to prove to everyone that he can do this and be a proper witch just like all of his family.
His housemates were getting concerned, more Mark than Donghyuck, the latter just leaves the house so he won’t be at the end of any of Renjun’s tantrums. But the ever so sweet Mark is always there for him, to assure him he’s doing well, to pat his back after he fails, he doesn’t even get mad when Renjun is so frustrated that his words come out all wrong and poisonous, he wipes his tears when he gets so frustrated to the point of crying.
Just like every other day of the week, Renjun is locked away in the kitchen, making his potions and making sure he doesn’t mess up any ingredients. After three tries he finally manages to make the perfect love potion, the vibrant glittery red and the sweet berries smell can only indicate that he was successful.
He mentally pats himself in the back and lets out a deep sigh. He has been trying to perfect that recipe for at least 2 hours so it’s nice that it’s finally done.
He takes off the pink heart apron that Jaemin had given to him on his birthday, puts it on the hanger, and leaves the kitchen, ready to rest for a few moments and gather the energy again, leaving the shining cup with the red liquid sitting on the counter, clearly having forgotten the type of people he lives with.
When he goes back, after a few minutes (an hour) of laying face down on the couch, he is met by the sight of Mark holding an empty cup, no potion on sight.
“Mark… Did you drink the red liquid in the cup?” he asks, praying to all the gods that the answer would be no.
“On top of the counter? Yeah!”
Renjun curses under his breath. “What did it taste like?”
“Red berries? I think?” a confused expression makes its way to Mark’s face. “Did I drink something bad?”
Berries, that’s the taste of a love potion , Renjun thinks. He ultimately decides to not panic his friend before he’s sure that he drank the love potion.
“No, not at all.” he dryly laughs. “Do you feel any different though?”
Mark hums as he thinks. “Not really?” he answers, more a rhetorical question than a definite answer. “You’re making me worry now… Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Do you think I’m pretty?” the younger blurs out.
The blue-haired blushes. “O-Of course I do.”
“More than usual? Like, are my eyes sparkling and shit?”
“You’re always pretty, Junnie.” the older confesses. “What are you even talking about?”
Oh gods, he drank it. What do I do now?
Renjun shakes his head furiously, trying to shake away the blush that’s making its way to his cheeks.
“Are you okay? Did I do something wron-”
“Nope, everything is totally, definitely just fine! I just have to practice some more potions…”
“Do you want company?” Mark suggests.
“Yes, that would be great actually.”
Renjun quickly cleans all the mess he had left in the kitchen. He takes out all the ingredients he needs to make a love potion antidote and notices Mark is observing him, and the younger just hopes that he doesn’t notice the type of potion he’ll try to make. It’s unlikely, Mark isn’t a witch, but you never know.
What do I even do with Mark while I don’t have the antidote? It’s my fault he drank it. He’s not even acting that much different. Mark must be really special and considerate to not act out of character after drinking the love potion.
As his mind keeps going off about the possibilities of this, and how much he fucked up, he remembers that he should probably help Mark in some way, love potions are very painful if the object of your love doesn’t return it. And after all, it was his fault.
“Hey, Mark?” he turns to the boy that was leaning on the counter, observing him.
“Yes?” Mark seems to have been pulled out of a trance.
Renjun looks down, semi-embarrassed. “Do you want to hold my hand?”
“O-Oh!” he stutters. “Yes… That sounds nice.”
“Great!” the smaller says, too quickly to be considered natural. “Here.” he extends his hand and Mark happily takes it in his.
The two hold hands and refuse to make eye contact. Renjun continues to gather up his ingredients, which is now harder because he’s only doing it with one hand.
As he’s trying to recall the recipe from the back of his mind, Mark gets behind him, still holding his hand, and leans on his shoulder.
Renjun flushed.
“What are you doing?” Mark asks against the younger’s shoulder.
“An Antidote…”
“For what?”
“Love potion.”
“Can that be something they ask for in an exam?”
Renjun nods his head. “They can ask for specific potions and their antidotes, so I have to know both.”
“That makes sense.” the older mumbles against his neck. Renjun shivers. “What do you do to all these potions that you’ve been doing?”
“I store them. Some I use… depends on what it’s for. I also test them sometimes to make sure everything is right.”
“So what did you do to the love potion?”
Renjun chokes and turns to the older. “W-What?”
“If you’re making an antidote, you have a potion right?” they’re still holding hands.
“Oh. Yes. I did one, a few days ago.” he answers nervously, his hands growing sweaty. “Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know.” the blue-haired shrugs. “I just find it interesting when you make potions and antidotes and charms, it’s cute when you’re all witch-y mode, y’know?”
It’s just the love potion speaking Renjun, stop blushing. He doesn’t like you like that.
“T-Thanks.” he looks away from Mark. “I could teach you someday, you don’t need to be a proper witch to do some of these spells and potions.”
“Me? I’m already clumsy with non-magic, imagine what I would do with magic on my side.” he giggles.
“You’re not that bad.” Renjun softly hits his arm, a warning to stop playing around. “Do you want me to teach you?”
“Sure. But don’t get mad at me when I ruin your potion.”
The smaller glares. “You won’t. Come here.” he pulls Mark next to him by the hand he’s holding. “So these are rose petals, now you have to burn them so it cuts off the love effects.” he gently places the older’s hand on the rose petal.
He guides Mark on what to do and what ingredients to use. The two are extra close, their sides are touching. Renjun gulps as he helps Mark grind the eggshells.
“So how does this work?” the blue-haired questions.
“Usually love potions wear off after 3 days, but this cuts all the effects of a love potion immediately.”
“Is it only for love potions? Like, if someone that didn’t take a love potion takes an antidote what happens then?”
“Ah… I don’t know. I never tried. But it shouldn’t affect them, it doesn’t erase actual feelings, only feelings created by a love potion.”
“Oh, so a love potion creates feelings that don’t exist? That’s so weird.”
Renjun laughs bitterly. “Yeah, which is why you usually don’t give love potions to people you like, what’s it worth knowing they don’t like you and you’re forcing them to be in love with you for 3 days…”
“And if someone that already likes someone takes the potion? Like if you take a potion but you’re already in love with that person? There are no feelings to create right? I think-” Renjun’s phone starts vibrating. “You should take that.”
The younger looks at his phone and declines the call. “It’s just Jaemin…” he rolls his eyes. “Probably wants to complain about his tests again. It’s alright, I’ll call him later.”
“If you say so…” Mark looks concerned.
“But, in the case that you take a love potion and you’re already in love with that person, nothing changes because the potion doesn’t have an effect.”
“Oh that’s cool, it's like… it knows your feelings.”
“It does...”
Just a bitter reminder that Mark doesn’t like him back or else he wouldn’t be holding his hands or calling him cute.
“Okay, now we just add this moon water and it’s done.” Renjun claps his hands together. “You did a good job!”
Mark beams. “Thanks! I think it’s because you did most of the work and you’re the best,” he adds the clear liquid into the little jar and it starts sparkling a deep red. “This looks like a love potion though…”
The black-haired blushes at the comment but moves to grab the potion and shakes it. “See how it is a plain red color? The actual love potion has shimmers on it.”
“Oh…” the older one squints his eyes and looks at the jar. “I see… and what does it taste like?”
“It’s not supposed to have a taste but people say it has a cinnamon taste to it, it’s very faint though.”
Mark gets even closer to him.
“Can I try it?”
“Huh… sure.”
I wasn’t expecting it to be this easy.
Renjun hands it to him and the older basically chugs it all down in one go. When he’s done he turns to look at the smaller with a disgusted expression.
“So?” Renjun asks, laughing lightly at the other’s expression.
“It tasted like dentist medicine, but worse.”
“Oh. Well, that’s a new one.”
“I never want to taste that again.”
The younger pats Mark’s back. “You won’t have to.”
Mark side-hugs him. “Do you still have more potions to do or… do you wanna hang out for a bit?”
Renjun’s face turns crimson red at the touch. “Huh… I have some time to spare. We can hang out…”
“Great.” the blue-haired intertwines their hands together and pulls him to the living room.
“What about the mess?”
“We’ll clean it later!”
The two sit on the couch, Mark makes it his job to take up as much of Renjun’s personal space as he is physically allowed to.
That’s weird, why is he still being clingy and touchy? Didn’t he take the potion?
Renjun unconsciously bites his lower lip in worry.
“What are you worried about on that pretty little head of yours, Junnie?” Mark stops looking at the TV and turns to him with big eyes.
He shakes his head. “Nothing… I just.” he takes a deep breath. “You took a love potion and I don’t think the antidote worked!” he says quickly. “I’m so sorry!”
The older laughs. “What? No, I didn’t.”
“But you drank the red liquid on the kitchen counter, and you said I’m pretty and you’re hugging me-”
“Oh, should I not…? I just thought because you asked me if I wanted to hold your hand that you were cool with this.” Mark pulls away from him and Renjun almost whines at the loss of contact. “I thought you were stressed from all the practicing and needed a little affection to feel better. And you’re pretty Renjun, I don’t need a love potion to say that. And the way you smiled at me when our hands touched I thought… Shit, I misread this entire situation right? Fuck, you don’t like me back… I’m sorry.”
Renjun blinks slowly. “Back? You like me?” the older nods. “But I thought you’d never like me, you’re like… Mark.”
“Yes, I’m Mark.”
The black-haired gets closer to the other again on the sofa and grabs his hand. “I like you too, I thought the way you were acting meant that the potion took effect and you didn’t like me…”
“I thought I was so obvious about it this whole time though. And I didn’t drink any potion, if I did I’d supposedly be in love with Hyuck right? Isn’t it like… you fall in love with the first person you see?”
“Oh well… who took it then…” he pauses for a moment. “Where’s Hyuck?”
“I don’t know, he texted me saying he went to Jaemin’s house.”
“Oh fuck, Jaemin!”
Renjun jumps up from the couch and grabs his phone, only to see 24 missed calls from Jaemin.
“Shit,” he mumbles as he pressed his friend’s contact number. He almost immediately picks up.
“Renjun! Fucking finally, you have to help me, Hyuck came to my house and he’s been trying to kiss me and hug me and I had to lock him in my room. What am I supposed to say to Jeno? He’s going to kill me-”
“It’s a love potion.”
“What?”
“Hyuck took a love potion I made, I thought Mark took it.”
Jaemin’s breath hitches. “What am I supposed to do then? He’s in my room and he won’t stop whining for kisses. I can’t do this shit right now, Junnie.”
“I’ll go there with an antidote. I suggest you hug him or let him hold your hand or something. Cause it’s probably painful for him that you’re rejecting his feelings.
“Fuck, alright. Please be here soon. I can’t do this anymore.”
“Will be. I’m sorry.”
He hangs up and goes back to the older one again.
“Did Hyuck take it?”
“Yup, he’s in love with Jaemin now.”
Mark laughs. “That’s so funny. Oh my god, does Jeno know?”
“I don’t think so. I gotta make another antidote, my head hurts.” he massages his temple. “This is a big mess.”
The older boy presses his lips softly on Renjun’s forehead. “I’ll help you, we can fix this together, alright? Don’t stress yourself.”
Renjun smiles brightly at him. “Right. And then… can we… talk about this?” he points his fingers at the both of them.
“Of course.” Mark grabs his hand and brings it up to his lips, pressing them softly on the top of the younger’s hands. “Let’s fix the mess first, and then I’ll ask you to be my boyfriend.”
The black-haired flushes. “A-Alright.”
“Good thing we didn’t clean the kitchen right?”