Key actually found it much easier to avoid Hannah than he'd thought it would be. Lucy, not so much. He spent as little time alone with her as he could muster, easily shoving Yunnie into the mix. Yunnie wasn't overly thrilled with having to spend even more time with Lucy; however, for Key he'd put up with it. How else was he supposed to keep tabs on the little runt and get free mangas?
However, what he didn't want, was the extra attention from Lucy. She showed up at the most random, and often inconvenient, times, which was greatly hurting his ability to sneak off with girls. Why girls felt the need to 'support' and 'help' each other at their own inconvenience was baffling and annoying.
Though, it was all worth it for a conversation Lucy forced on him a few weeks into the term while he was cornered into helping her with some of her homework.
"Yunnie, I need your help." Lucy said while biting down on her lower lip and glancing around for Key. She knew he wouldn't be caught dead in the Library; but, she had to be sure.
"What life ending thing happened this time?" Yunnie asked in a bored voice, not wanting to hear about her and Key. For some reason their relationship bothered him more and more as time went on. It was starting to worry him since the concern he used to carry for Lucy was slowly turning into annoyance and sometimes felt like jealousy, even. Though, what was there to feel jealousy over? Their problems, and relationship as a whole, was like a natural disaster that kept destroying the same small happy village that they kept putting up. Though inevitably once again, one of them, mostly Key, would go stomping through it, killing everyone's happiness, within it.
Who in their right mind would ever want to be in that kind of relationship? Why was he even thinking of such things?
"It's kind of secret and private..." She said in a low voice as she scooted her chair closer to him. Yunnie frowned, not wanting to hear anything 'secret and private' about them. Though, now that his imagination was going it was probably not as bad as anything he could think up on his own.
"I'm listening." He said despite himself while he continued to write his essay, though it was just gibberish words. He'd have to go back and erase half of it.
"I know Key isn't as emotionally invested as I am in our relationship." She said with a sad sigh, eyes wide and sad. He wanted to feel bad for her; but couldn't. He'd mentioned a long time ago to her this exact thing and she'd brushed him off. "And when I was at his place this summer I told him I loved him..."
"Uh huh," Yunnie said in a bored voice even though she had his full attention and he was actually writing down what she was saying without realizing it, "so what?"
"So what? Ugh, boys!" Lucy scoffed. "He just looked like a deer in headlights! I even told him I knew he'd never really liked me the way I'd liked him; I wanted him to say it wasn't true..."
Yunnie glanced at Lucy only to see her with her head resting on her arms, which were folded together on the table. She looked so sad and pathetic.
"He just told me I was being dramatic, which is kind of like denying it, right?" She continued, looking at him hopefully.
"Erm..." Yunnie said, looking back at his work quickly.
"Yeah I guess you're right; Key is so bad at expressing himself if it isn't anger. His words just don't come out right when he's cornered like that." She sighed with a small smile.
Yunnie's brow furrowed as he looked sideways at her. Where the in the bloody hell had that come from? How did 'erm' equal 'your boyfriend is just horrible at expressing himself.'? Wow, she was as delusional as Key was.
"Anyways," Lucy continued, getting back on track, "um... this is kind of embarrassing. You can't say anything to anyone, Yunnie, especially not Key! I'll murder you if you do, you got that? I'll drown you in the bloody lake and don't think I can't."
Yunnie looked at her apprehensively while nodding his head. She may be small; but, she was scary when she was angry.
Lucy sat up and scooted closer to him while looking around again before grabbing Yunnie's shoulder and pulling him down so she could easily whisper in his ear.
"I told Key to make love to me when I was at his house." She started.
"WHAT?!" Yunnie yelled in shock, knocking Lucy backwards in her chair in fright and causing everyone around them to stare. Lucy's face was bright red; but, not as red as Yunnie's.
No, there was no way he would do it. He couldn't have. Yunnie told himself as he looked at Lucy in complete in utter shock while she glared at him. Key'd never actually have sex with her! He doesn't even really like her. He likes me.
"Yunnie what the fuck?" Lucy hissed. "I thought you'd know all about this."
What was that supposed to mean? Of course he knew all about it!
Wait, did she mean like Key'd already told him? Did that mean they hadn't?
Yunnie sighed with relief as he grabbed Lucy and hugged her. Bless that poor little stupid girl's heart. She'd nearly given him a heart attack. Though, how could he have honestly thought Key would sleep with her? The thought made him smile as she wiggled away from him.
"Stop it! I'm being serious!" She said.
"Hold on." He said as he started shoving his things in his bag. "Tell me somewhere more private."
He had to hear this. It was going to be amazing and he wanted to enjoy every awkward second of it. Oh, if only it were Key telling him.
When they got into a deserted classroom, Yunnie locked the door to make sure no one would interrupt them before looking at Lucy.
"Okay, so what happened?" He asked her as calmly as he could.
Lucy bit down on her lower lip as she hopped up onto a desk and stared down at her skirt.
"Well, like I said, I told him that I loved him and he didn't really reply the way I wanted him to." She started. "So I told him I would do anything to make him love me... anything."
"Ah," Yunnie said, pressing his lips together to stop the smirk that was forming from getting any larger, "and let me guess; he didn't get it?"
"No! He's so dull!" Lucy wailed, face red. "What guy doesn't get that? You did!"
Yunnie covered his mouth with his hand to keep from laughing as the mental image of what happened formed in his head.
"So, did you just out and tell him and he freaked out?" He asked.
Lucy glared at him.
"Why do you think he freaked out?" She asked suspiciously. Yunnie blinked at her reaction before realizing he was being offensive.
"Oh... I just thought since... he's him and when surprised he normally freaks... you didn't actually... did you?" He replied lamely, losing .
"I didn't just out and tell him." She started, not answering his question, much to his dismay. Was Key that stupid? Did she somehow trick him into it? There is no way. He'd be able to tell. "I tried being kind of subtle about it."
"By what, stripping naked?" Yunnie laughed, it being the funniest of the options to come to mind. Key'd probably die of a heart attack.
"What about this is funny?" She yelled at him, making him quickly stop. Her embarrassment was threatening to turn into anger despite wanting his help.
"Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood. I was kidding." He apologized while shaking his hands in front of him before sitting down as well, arms resting across his chest.
"No! I just... well I was talking to Andromeda about it and she said if you just... you know... then guys sleep with you." She said cryptically.
Yunnie stared at her blankly. "What?" Nowhere in there had she said anything descriptive.
"You know... down there..." Lucy said in embarrassment, nodding at Yunnie's crotch, making him look down and then up at her, wide eyed. Okay, this was getting to be way too graphic and way too much for him. He couldn't believe Key would sink this low. Yunnie had half a mind to go punch him; though the reasoning behind it was a little gray.
"But, whenever I grabbed his belt he'd pull away from me all confused like a bloody moron." She moaned, falling back on the desk dramatically with her arms falling over the sides, not wanting to look at Yunnie in embarrassment.
Yunnie was stuck between disbelief at a guy actually being that stupid and relief at Key being that... well... innocent. For some reason he always liked to think that Key was like this cute little thing that Yunnie stood around protecting. And now there was this little curly haired girl there trying to defile his innocent little Key.
"So... he didn't stuff you then?" Yunnie asked.
"Ew, don't say it like that!" Lucy said. "It would have been beautiful and romantic... and perfect! But, he's such a spazz and so stupid... and easily frightened... and... and..."
Yunnie couldn't help but smile as he mental finished it for her, 'if he wasn't gay and in love with his best mate.'
Sitting up, Lucy's hair flew everywhere.
"Absolutely NOTHING happened. NOTHING! What am I supposed to do now?" She asked Yunnie.
"Excuse me?" He replied, wiping the smile quickly off his face.
"Things are super awkward even though he won't admit it." She said. "I need to fix it; but, I don't know how. How do I fix it? How do I get him to make love to me and fall in love with me?"
Yunnie couldn't help himself.
"Oh Lucy..." He laughed, bending forward and resting his hands on his knees. "What romance novel are you living in?"
"Yunnie! You have to help me! I'm being serious!" She said, hopping off the desk and pushing him so he'd sit up straight. She looked up at him as he was taller than her even while sitting. "I'm begging you! I can't lose him. I love Key so much. I always have... He's everything to me. I think about him and only him. We're meant to be together... I just need to make him realize it."
"And you think him stuffing you is suddenly going to change everything and make him fall madly in love with you?" Yunnie asked, not believing even she was that idiotic.
"Stop saying that! And yes, that's what I've been saying! That's how it works in the movies and in all these Asian dramas I've been watching... just like our first kiss! It was so passionate and meaningful! You were there! Just the sudden passion taking over and binding two people together forever." Lucy said while interlocking her hands together as though it proved her point before looking up at him hopefully.
Wow, just wow... She was more mental than Key was.
"And what is it I'm supposed to be helping with?" Yunnie asked her.
"Well, you've done it. How can I get Key to do it with me?" She asked him bluntly.
"Excuse me?" Yunnie laughed.
"Come on, Yunnie!" Lucy snorted. "You've totally been romping around with all sorts of girls. I've heard all about it."
Yunnie raised an eyebrow at her. "Was it at least good gossip?" He asked lightly, a smirk etched across his lips.
"Be serious!" Lucy snapped. "You have to help me! How do girls get you to?"
"They don't have to." Yunnie laughed while hopping of the desk and making her step back. "Normally the guy is the one doing the charming, not the other way around, Lucy. Though, I don't chase. Girls flock and I enjoy."
Lucy frowned, wanting to kick him. "You aren't going to help me, are you?"
"I don't know what I can do Luce." Yunnie replied while patting her on the head. "Our little spazz is easily frightened and quick to run away. It's your fault for chasing him."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" She whined, leaning against him pathetically. "Wait until we get married?"
Yunnie made a face. She thought they were going to get married? Yeah right.
"You could try talking to him." Yunnie offered. "Though he'll just yell at you in embarrassment. You could try pulling his pants off again; but, I'm pretty sure he'll just scream at you and run off again. You could lock him in a room, strip down and tell him if he loves you he'll 'make love' to you; but, he might try and jump out a window and then we'll have a dead Key on our-"
Lucy cut him off stomping on his foot.
"You are just as cruel as he is sometimes." She said, tearing up. "I just wanted some help and you are making fun of me."
"OW! That really hurts!" He moaned, hopping on one foot.
"Yeah, well you deserve it! You both deserve it! Hell, you deserve each other; you are both so horrible!" She said spitefully.
"Oh, and no, it was not all good gossip, for your information! You're not as smooth or satisfying as you think you are, Sucks-It!" She added acidly before unlocking the door and storming out, leaving Yunnie with a stupid smirk on his face.
"Yeah, sure," he snorted, brushing off her horrible attempt at cutting him down. She could have at least of attacked his manhood or something if she'd really wanted to slice him some. She must have been out of sorts because that was really lame, especially for her.
After that conversation, Yunnie found himself more and more willing play around with Key, much to Key's dismay.
Key didn't know why Yunnie was suddenly so fond of messing up his hair or a sudden interest in his personal life. Though, this time it was much less pompous and controlling and more noisy and curious.
Not to mention that he had fallen asleep on Key's leg once, which was not only painful since his whole leg fell asleep, but he had to sit there arguing with himself on whether to wake him or not while staring at his stupid perfect sleeping face. Having someone so calm and content to be around him was just bizarre and unnerving, especially when he was pretty sure he was in love with them.
Ever since Lucy had said she was in love with him Key had been trying to figure out what that meant and the more and more he thought about it the more unhappy he became. Everything that seemed to define it pointed at Yunnie and he hated it. He hated love with a fiery passion.
So, he held on to Lucy for dear life. He held on to her words that someday she'd make Key love her because that's the only hope he had. What could he ever hope for? That Yunnie would suddenly wake up one day and decide that girls weren't good enough anymore and the small, scrawny, hot tempered, sharp tongued, and dimwit of a Slytherin was the one that he wanted to be with? Oh yes, the possibility of that happening was very high.
He was better off sticking with Lucy and hoping that someday he would wake up and find Yunnie less attractive and more annoying and Lucy to be the perfect person for him. Who knew, maybe he should try sleeping with her. It might help. What could it really hurt?
So, after one particularly confusing and frustrating afternoon with Yunnie, Key snapped.
"Hey, I want to see you tonight." Key said when he got back to the Common Room and found Lucy after class.
"Uh, okay?" She replied taken off guard.
Key looked around before leaning in and whispering in her ear, "I want to love you two." Making her whole face turn red. "Nine, third floor, room 329. Don't get caught or I'll kill you."
And with that he walked back out of the Common Room, heart racing. Well, that was done with... kind of. It was half over. Yes, there it was half over and done with.
"Key, what's up?" Yunnie said, wrapping his arm around Key's shoulder an hour later when Key was walking out of the Great Hall in a daze. He couldn't do this... No he could do this! And he would... maybe...
"Nothing," Key said lamely while shrugging Yunnie's arm off, making Yunnie smirk.
"Hey, you get the new manga you promised me?" He asked eagerly, while wrapping his arm back around Key and squeezing his shoulder so his body bumped against Yunnie's. Key took a deep breath while he closed his eyes. He was going to do this and then he'd be over and done with Yunnie and all this awkwardness. They could be best mates without his heart racing at their bodies hardly touching.
"Yeah, I got it." Key said, pulling away from Yunnie to open his bag. Yunnie let his hand trail over Key's shoulders before dropping to his side. Key frowned as he shifted through this bag, trying to slow down his fast beating heart. He really was getting sick of Yunnie's overly friendly attitude. It was confusing as hell and every now and then Key found himself getting his hopes up.
"Here," Key said, shoving the manga at Yunnie before turning to leave.
"Hey, wait." Yunnie said, grabbing Key's wrist to stop him. Key tensed at the contact. Why couldn't Lucy's hand feel like this? "I have your other ones up in our room. Come on, I'll give them back to you."
"I'll get them later. I have to go." Key said as he attempted to walk away, though not pulling away from Yunnie's grasp. He was so pathetic.
"Ha, yeah right. Like you have anything better to do. Come on. I'll let you have my Transfigurations homework if you happen to have any other ones in there I can borrow." Yunnie said, pulling Key toward the stairs.
Key perked up. Free homework? Well, how could he possibly say no to free homework? Plus, he really should get those old mangas back as well...
"Fine, but I have to be somewhere in a bit." Key said before inwardly sighing as Yunnie let go of his hand while making his way up the stairs to the first floor and to their room.
When they entered the room Key dropped his bag on the ground as Yunnie locked the door behind him like he always did. So many noisy, and randy, students were roaming around looking for free rooms these days that you could never be too careful even though Key and Yunnie had dubbed room 150 theirs ages ago. Some people just didn't have respect for things like dibs and room reservations.
However, whenever Yunnie locked them in Key couldn't help but feel like he was locking out the world and it was just the two of them and their own little reality. Or, at least for Key, it was. He could pretend like he didn't have a girlfriend or that Yunnie didn't have a horde of girls chasing him around. He could just make believe it was the two of them happily together without needing anyone else. Sometimes when Yunnie would fall asleep Key would just sit there and stare at him, trying to find things wrong with him.
However, he never did.
Sure, his hair was uneven in some places because he cut it himself; but, it made him look different and stand out, just like Key, though not as dramatically. Who wanted a normal and boring hairstyle anyways? So what if his clothes weren't brand new; they still looked good on him. Hell, they looked better on Yunnie than Key's brand new ones did on him. Key even liked that he talked in his sleep. It was the only time Key could say anything real to him, though he hardly did for fear that Yunnie would wake up or was just pretending to be asleep. He'd never openly admitted to Yunnie how he felt.
Looking sideways at Yunnie reading Key's new manga, Key found himself comparing him to Lucy. His heart sank with every comparison since there was no way she could ever compete with him. How could anyone? But then how could Key, for even a second, think that Yunnie would return his feelings? It wasn't just laughable; it was insulting to Yunnie. Even if he was into guys Key would be the last one on the Earth Yunnie would look to. He was too weak and pathetic. There was absolutely nothing desirable about Key as far as he was concerned. He wasn't bright, quickly angered, loud, had no patience, and was horrible at being nice to anyone for more than a few minutes. Basically, he was a spoiled socially inept brat.
"What's up?" Yunnie asked suddenly, making Key jump.
"Huh?" Key replied.
"You're staring in that weird zoned out way again." Yunnie said with amusement while turning a page.
"Sorry," Key muttered while pulling his manga up to his face so it was practically covering it before turning the page. He heard Yunnie snorted and frowned. He was so pathetic.
"I find it funny that someone so outspoken can be so very shy." Yunnie commented while turning another page. "Must be really embarrassing."
Why did he have to do this? He had to poke and prod. He couldn't just let Key sit there and be awkward. Oh no, not anymore. These days he had to push him repeatedly until he'd blurt out something stupid or storm off.
Key put his quill down, having been trying to poorly copy Yunnie's answers, and watched Yunnie lick his lips before looking down at his parchment and trying to turn his attention to the next question as the same thought flooded his mind for the millionth time. He actually sighed with frustration.
"Hmm?" Yunnie replied thinking Key was talking to him.
"I hate you." Key grumbled to himself. He hated Yunnie for making him stay up at night thinking about him. He hated him for making Key fantasize about things that would never come true. For making Key wish for a life that would never be his no matter how much he wished, prayed, longed, or begged for it. Yunnie was this precious and priceless thing being dangled before Key that he could never have or even touch. No, Key was only allowed to look at Yunnie from afar while others played with.
Yunnie laughed in response while turning on his side to look fully at Key, smirking. "Aw, no you don't. You love me, Key." He teased before Key snapped.
"Fuck all." Key snapped as his work fell from his hands.
He watched Yunnie's smirk faltered as Key reached out and grabbed his shirt. Key didn't know what made him do it. It could have been the years of repressed feelings. It could have been all the pent up sexual tension. It might have even just been hearing the word 'love'. However, whatever it was, Key did the one thing he'd sworn to himself he'd never do.
He kissed Yun Suk Choi.