You Can Stop Staring, You Know? (Stephen & Christopher)

Guest

The fun of having Finley Allen being a prefect was that he was very easy to scare. Most people who knew Finley knew this to be true. Normally, Christopher wouldn't use this against someone, not without good reason, anyway. Which was precisely why Christopher had used that against the prefect.

Suggesting his father was on the board of markers for the O.W.L.S and that he could ruin the older Ravenclaw (ever so subtly, not so blase as that) Christopher had obtained the password to the Prefect's Bathroom. He abhorred the idea of sharing a bathroom with so many other people, and the likelihood of running in to another prefect was minimal.

Which was where Christopher had spent the last half an hour. Having a relaxing bath, and then shaving the small amount of stubble that had appeared along his jaw. Christopher had been a relatively early bloomer in that respect, but for the moment, he preferred the clean shaven look.

Christopher had pulled on a pair of jeans to lounge around in that evening, and had slipped out of the prefect's bathroom with his shirt in his hand. His sisters would have a field day if they were to catch him being so carefree, but Christopher was not in the mood for snobbery that evening.

However, just as he stepped out of the bathroom, Christopher noticed someone else and paused, hoping they hadn't noticed him leaving the prefect's bathroom, because there were definitely too many snitches in this world already.

Guest

Stephen never missed his daily exercise. During the winter, when it was too cold to go for a jog outside, Stephen discovered the wonders of using the Hogwarts dance room. As far as dance rooms went, it wasn't much in terms of size, but it was enough for Stephen to move around in and get a steady amount of cardio exercise everyday. And what had started as random exercises everyday had eventually turned into choreographed routines, which Stephen did with students who frequented the dance room.

In Hogwarts, there seemed to be a stronger separation (and even enmity) between purebloods and muggleborns, but in South Korea, purebloods held a lot of respect for muggleborns. It was due to this that Stephen had grown up knowing both the traditional magical dances and the K-pop dances muggles loved so much. Though he didn't have dance training as a child, Stephen soon discovered that he had a natural talent for dance, and that it was useful for keeping in shape. That was how the random exercises started, and how Stephen earned the password to the Prefect's Bathroom from the Hufflepuff Prefect.

He didn't mean to take advantage of it, but the Prefect had insisted. It was his way of thanking Stephen for keeping some of the Hufflepuffs preoccupied with dancing instead of causing trouble like those Gryffindors and Slytherins. When Stephen argued that they would be causing trouble if he used the Prefect's Bathroom, the prefect just gave him the regular bath schedule of the other prefects, who maintained it so that they would not run into each other naked.

Let it never be said that Hufflepuffs were uptight students who lived to follow the rules because they did not know how to bend them.

Drenched in sweat after hours of nonstop dancing, Stephen decided to finally use the Prefect's Bathroom. He had unbuttoned his shirt as he approached the bathroom, eager to wipe the sweat off his skin and have a nice, long bath. Though people normally wouldn't expect it from him due to his sweet face, he was rather toned, and his body was getting more sculpted with the workout he was getting. He had been so pleased with the day's exercise that he almost bumped into someone, who had paused just in time before they could collide.

Panicked, Stephen immediately stepped backwards and almost dropped his gym bag. He considered running away, but it was too late—he was sure the other guy had already seen his face, and besides, he could just say that the Prefect had sent him to fetch something he had lost. It wasn't the best excuse, but it was the only slightly believable thing he could think of at the moment. It was then when he realised that the other guy wasn't a prefect.

Though the prefects usually stuck with their own houses, they were popular enough for Stephen to know all of them. However, the guy in front of him, who was shirtless and quite distracting because of that, was someone he hadn't heard much about. He was a familiar face, definitely—Stephen saw him during classes, and had even heard that he came from an important pureblood family, but since they belonged to different houses, they had never really talked. And Stephen preferred to keep it that way, since he had heard that British purebloods could be terrible supremacists.

This was an awkward situation, and Stephen didn't know what to do. He ignored the feeling of regret building up inside him. It was too late for that now. Instead, he cleared his throat and spoke. 'Uh, sorry. I didn't see you there.'

Guest

A collision had been missed, something for which Christopher knew himself to be lucky of in that moment, as he noticed only a moment later the state of the boy in front of him. Sweating most profusely for reasons Christopher could only hazard a guess at, the boy before him was verging on unsanitary.

Many might find a guy just after working out quite an alluring sight. But there was a difference between attractive sweating and repulsion. Christopher, in that moment, was leaning towards the latter, but there was no indication of such a thing on his features.

But Christopher's attention was taken instead by the fact the boy was speaking, and his eyes slowly moved from the sweaty physique of the boy up to his eyes.

The face of the boy before him did not suit the body that was beneath. The facial features were soft, and the face... cute as opposed to manly. Christopher found himself losing the sense of repulsion he'd started off with feeling, and instead... well, allured.

"No harm done." Christopher responded in a very suave tone a little later than might have been expected. "Christopher." He introduced himself, holding out his hand in a polite handshake with the other boy, still taking him in and trying to work out how such a cute face could end up with such a body.

"Quidditch practice?" Christopher asked, though he couldn't place the boy from one of the school teams. Though, of course, Christopher couldn't blatantly ask why the other boy was so sweaty, could he? That would be... uncivilised, and highly rude.

Guest

There was an awkward pause before the other guy replied, and Stephen figured it was because he was taking in Stephen's sweaty mess of a body. It would have been terrible for both of them if they had collided, since the other guy was shirtless, and would've probably needed another bath upon contact with Stephen's skin.

Feeling rather self-conscious and shy upon realising how well sculpted the other guy's body was, he took the towel from his shoulder and began to wipe at his chest. Though he didn't show it, he was glad when he and the guy finally made eye contact, and then he wasn't glad anymore.

Though he had managed to keep his face free of any emotions, something electric shot up his spine, and it took all of his will for him to not run away. Thoughts of being snitched on was replaced by something else upon having a closer look at the other guy. Though he had seen the guy various times, it was only now that he realised how the other guy was a Greek statue come to life, with his chocolate brown eyes and ridiculous jawline. The guy eventually responded, telling Stephen there was no harm done and this his name was Christopher.

'Stephen.' He shook Christopher's hand. Zap.

He should probably get out of here as fast as he can.

Stephen, however, was rooted to the ground as Christopher asked if he had just come from Quidditch practice. Just how was he supposed to explain to this guy that he had actually just come from hours of teaching some Hufflepuffs muggle dance moves? Christopher might assume he was a muggleborn, and Stephen just did not want to see and know if Christopher was one of those supremacist purebloods. Assuming he had even heard correctly about the other guy's background.

Telling Christopher he was dancing was definitely not an option. On the other hand, Quidditch wasn't, either—Stephen had no interest in the sport European wizards loved so much, and he did not want to lie about that. Deciding to take the safest option, he gave an answer that was the truth but not the whole truth. 'No, cardio workout.' He wiped at the sweat on his neck, feeling less sticky as he dried up. Still, he was in great need of a bath, and he wasn't sure how to have one now that Christopher was here.

He wasn't very good at keeping small talk with strangers, but he wasn't very good at excusing himself out of them, either. It was a curse brought on by being both too polite and shy.

From where he stood, he was highly aware of how Christopher smelled so good, and how he looked so attractive with wet hair. Though he was stressed out by the direction his thoughts were taking, he managed to speak again with a polite smile. 'Is there anyone else having a bath inside?' He was now banking on the idea that Christopher didn't know who all of the prefects were, since he hadn't questioned Stephen's presence by the bathroom.

Guest

Noting the name he'd been given, Christopher tucked that piece of information away with the face that came with it. Dropping his hand from the other boy's, Christopher took note of the pause in the response to what the other boy had been doing. Cardio was very vague, and Christopher knew there were many types of cardio, and he would not allow the other boy, Stephen, to leave it there.

"What kind of cardio?" Christopher asked the boy, the honest query not demanding an answer, but showing interest. There was no right or wrong answer here, Christopher played all sports, which included dance - though he was much better at ballroom than the more contemporary dance styles.

Though, Christopher would, without meaning to, judge him on the answer he gave in comparison to the sweat on his body. Because whilst sports were sweaty, some were not so sweaty as others.

'Is there anyone else having a bath inside?'

"No, the prefects won't be arriving for another hour or so." Christopher responded, subtly letting Stephen know that he knew neither one of them should be using the room, but not in any way making it seem like he was going to run off and tell if Stephen stepped in there. After all, they were both breaking rules, really.

Guest

The last thing Stephen expected was for Christopher to take an interest in his athletic activities, but the day was full of surprises, and it seemed as if they weren't about to stop. Though Christopher's question did not sound judgemental, Stephen still wasn't certain whether he should answer honestly. He was not in the mood to deal with derision from people, especially this guy, who he preferred to keep in his memory as that random good-looking acquaintance with a great body. Not that he was focused on Christopher's body. He was just appreciating the guy's physique, since he was a dancer, after all.

There was no use waltzing around the answer. Stephen would just have to tell him the truth, and if he doesn't like it, then that's his problem. It's not as if Stephen was likely to run into him again anyway. Stephen spent most of his time either at the Common Room or the dance room, and he's quite sure he's never seen Christopher around those areas. 'Dance,' he replied, almost certain that the answer would elicit a smirk on the guy's face. 'Hip-hop dance. It's a great cardio exercise.'

It was a relief to know that regarding one thing, at least, they were on the same page. Christopher seemed to understand that they were both not supposed to be there, and that it would be more beneficial for both of them if they helped each other out instead of turning each other in. Perhaps Stephen was finally beginning to learn from his Auror cousin. He could only hope that this wouldn't make their encounters in class awkward, since it wasn't everyday that you met someone shirtless.

Stephen acknowledged Christopher's subtle message with a nod. He didn't doubt what the guy had told him—it matched the schedule the prefect had given him—but yet again, he was unsure what to say. Thanks? Sorry? Such words seemed awkward, since they both technically caught each other breaking the rules. It was during moments like this when Stephen hated his shyness the most. How he wished he was like those guys whose confidence just naturally came to them.

'Well,' a small, shy smile played on his lips as he spoke again, 'Guess I'll just have to be quick, then.'

Guest

"You dance?" Christopher responded almost immediately as the boy before him explained. Few people danced in this school, fewer still that were guys. However, the type of dancing explained why the boy was as sweaty as he was, even if it was beginning to seep in to the other boy's clothes now, rather than him actively sweating.

The sex appeal slowly ebbing away with the seconds that pass.

"That explains why you looked so... worked up when you first came here, then. Doing hip-hop, I mean. I dance too, but ballroom is the area I was encouraged in to more than street dancing. Though, I'm told you can transfer the skills quite well." Christopher explained, though how true that was, he wasn't one hundred percent sure.

When Stephen said he'd have to be quick, Christopher responded with a smile of his own, stepping to the side so the other boy could get past. "I guess you will have to be..." Christopher responded, not knowing what else to say now. It seemed the other boy wanted to get on, and his opportunity had been squandered.

This time...

Guest

Stephen smiled despite himself. So Christopher wasn't as judgemental as Stephen assumed, after all—he was just probably curious as to why Stephen was so sweaty, and that was understandable. Slowly, Stephen began to feel more at ease, now that he knew Christopher was a dancer himself.

Though he was never really into ballroom dancing, he had tried it out along with all the other sorts of dance. Ballroom dancing was a bit too snooty for him, unlike hip-hop which was just so unrestrained and expressive. It wasn't as easy to transition from waltzing around to popping and locking, but perhaps Christopher wouldn't do so badly.

Stephen cleared his throat. 'Well, um, if you're interested, you can dance with me. Hip-hop, I mean. Not ballroom.' Stephen flashed Christopher a half-smile, half-wince. 'I don't really like ballroom, sorry. There were too much rules.'

He really should have his bath soon, but there was just something about Christopher that made him linger, and he hoped the guy wouldn't just laugh at his offer and say no.

Guest

The offer that came in the next moment made Christopher consider the option for a moment. Don't reply too quickly, he told himself, nor too enthusiastically. Play this cool. Nodding only once, Christopher gave his approval to the idea. "That sounds cool." He replied, showing an interest. "We'll have to work out a convenient time for both of us, but it sounds like a good idea.

"Can't promise I won't show you up though!" He added, giving the Hufflepuff a wink to show he was only (half) joking in that moment.

"Anyway, I'll see you around." Christopher replied moving closer to the Hufflepuff, dropping his voice a little as he scanned the hall to make sure they were alone. "I like your boxers, by the way." And with that, Christopher set off, feeling quite smug with himself, and hoping, beyond anything, that those words were going to give the other boy a headache because he thought them through way too much.

Phase one, complete.

» The Follow Up (Christopher & Stephen)
» so far back in the closet you found narnia // stephen & eun soo
» Where there's a quill, there's a way (Stephen)
» Taste of Home (Stephen and Finley)
» When The Hours Stop (Open)