double, double, toil and trouble

Chapter 17

"But you're not, though, are you?" Kaito teases, pushing Donghyuck back away from him, "Be honest with yourself, Donghyuck, you're nothing like them"

Such words hit a nerve with Donghyuck. If his body were a string instrument, then it felt like Kaito had just plucked a string, snapping it in the process.

It was always an insecurity of his.

Seeing how brave Doyoung was to leave their house and not look back, to move on with his life, to finish his education and move out with his boyfriend, to land a successful job, to be happy...

And then Mark, sweet Mark who is so kind, so warm, so full of hope and happiness, who radiates optimism and perseverance...

Donghyuck always caught himself wishing that he was more than he is. He wanted to grow up like Doyoung, who fought against the calling of their parents. He wanted to prove to himself and to Mark that he was a good partner.

And these wishes, these insecurities never slept, they were always there, at the back of his mind...

But Kaito was right.

He could knock himself down and try to build himself back up, into somebody different, somebody better... but he was always building with the same pieces.

He's not like Doyoung and Mark. He'll never be like them.

Where Mark would urge Donghyuck to think about the consequences, where Doyoung would tell him to take the high road, Donghyuck couldn't comply with either of those.

He was his own person. He made his own choices and his own mistakes.

"You're right, I'm not", Donghyuck accepts, his eyes looking back at Kaito, who smiles at the acknowledgement, "Which means that I can do this-"

And without another thought, he takes a step forward and swings at the other Slytherin, his fist harshly making contact with Kaito's cheek as the boy falls to the floor, his body balancing on the top of the stairs threatening to descend down the stone steps.

Before Donghyuck could deliver another blow though, Kaito kicks his feet, tripping Donghyuck, who stumbles, falling to his knees. Sensing the perfect opportunity, Kaito then scrambles to his feet, launching himself at Donghyuck as they begin wrestling with one another.

At the commotion, the moving paintings around them begin to gossip and cheer, placing their own bets on who will win and grabbing the attention of other paintings to jump from frame to frame to come and have a look.

Their disorder then attracts some students who follow the figures in the paintings to the two boys fighting, and when Donghyuck looks up again, there's already a rather large crowd gathered around them.

Kaito swings at him, just catching his lip which splits open, blood drops staining his white shirt. Looking down at the mess, Donghyuck then grabs the boy by his shoulder, pushing him to the floor to slam his body against the stone as he hisses, blood splattering from his lip, "My boyfriend, my brother, my parents- none of them are of your concern!"

With a strangled grunt, Kaito brings his knee up into Donghyuck's stomach, causing the boy to wince and for Kaito to gather enough strength to switch their positions, now climbing on top of Donghyuck, "We purebloods need to protect our bloodlines. We are inherently more powerful. We can't ruin-!"

"That's a complete myth!" Donghyuck defends, using what strength he has left to push Kaito off of him, and when they're both on their knees, Donghyuck dives so that he can pin Kaito underneath him once again, "Mark is Head Boy for Merlin's sake! He's top of most of his classes, he's a brilliant wizard-"