Read my heart, not my mind

23. Hufflepuff vs. Who Cares, Did You SEE Hobi?

The rain was pelting down around us, freezing and large as the sun was almost completely obscured by the dark, overhanging clouds. The cheers of the crowd were muffled in the continued onslaught as thunder boomed and lightning streaked through the dark sky. Taehyung was commentating, his bias toward Hoseok and Hufflepuff was clearly more evident than in the game between Slytherin and Gryffindor. I had Jimin and Namjoon on either side of me and I couldn't feel my toes anymore in the just above freezing temperatures.

But none of that mattered.

My attention was completely focused on Hoseok. Sitting in front of him while he flew I got the sense that he knew what he was doing. Watching him fly through the air, dodging fellow chasers and bludgers... it was nothing short of a work of art. He could maneuver his broom away from everything with nothing but the grip of his legs, holding and aiming the quaffle to score yet again. He zigged and zagged through the other players with confidence, turning his body at the drop of a hat as he faked a right dodge and rolled to the left, making the crowd go wild.

His red hair was soaked and dripping rivulets onto his face but he only pushed it back, exposing his forehead and nearly making me swoon in the process as he playfully bit the tip of his tongue. I could feel the way my heartrate slowed and beat painfully against my chest and in my throat as he flexed and stretched his arms. Hoseok didn't just wear his uniform, he made it into an irresistible extension of his raw physicality, claiming very inch of fabric to show off how lean, muscular and attractive he was.

The canary yellow of his uniform was almost unrecognizable as the rain soaked through it but it didn't seem to bother him. This was his stage and he owned it with a confidence and magnetism so strong that I felt even more drawn to him than normal. Hoseok of everyday was bubbly and smiling, but Hoseok, Captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team was an entity all on its own. He was focused and sure, moving his body just like a dancer as he scored yet again.

I didn't even remember to pay attention to the score, or what Taehyung said, or even how both Jimin and Jeongguk exclaimed over how good their friend had gotten over the summer. Hoseok had every ounce of my attention, thoughts and heart as I fell in love with this side of him as well. I gulped nervously as we met up after the match, unsure that I could look at him without my admiration and adoration being as easy to read as a children's book.

The day remained cold and dreary as the seven of us laid lazily around in the fifth floor clubroom. I couldn't bring myself to talk to Hoseok like I normally would, I found that I was just too shy around this aspect of his personality. But I couldn't convince myself to leave either as I wanted every moment with him.

"What did you think?" Hoseok asked, his voice quiet with apprehension as we found our first moment alone together since the end of the game. He insisted on walking me to Ravenclaw tower and as in so many different things in my life, I couldn't tell him no.

I bit my tongue as my gaze landed on the honey colored edges of his collarbones that I could just peek beyond his loose fitting knitted shirt. It made my cheeks flame as I tried but failed to divert attention away from my blatant staring. There was something so different about him today, he screamed power and strength and it made my already weak heart flutter and my palms sweat in nervous anticipation.

"I thought you were amazing." I said carefully, trying to control the volume of my voice so I wouldn't betray my true level of fan-girl. "Watching you today made me mourn all of the years I wasted without that sight in my life. Everything was perfect, from how you handled the quaffle to the way you moved on your broom. I missed five years of that that I can never get back."

He chuckled as he hugged me tightly, filling my nose with the intoxicating scent of his cologne. "I will fly any time you want me to, and you won't have to miss another minute. But it's been a long day, you should get to bed."