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Akaashi Keiji was a good student. He worked diligently, studied hard, and practiced spells until he'd perfected them. He was almost never tardy, which is why it seemed so unfair that the first time he was late to class, he was met with such an inordinately harsh punishment.
After uttering a carefully practiced apology, and explaining he had to speak to his Charms teacher for a make-up assignment, Professor Yamiji waved him off, seeming more amused than anything else.
"You didn't miss much. We're just about to start tasseomancy."
After straightening from his half-bow, Akaashi started towards his usual spot situated near the back of the classroom. The lack of vacancy gave him pause. Konoha caught his eye, offering an apologetic wince.
"Ah, Akaashi-kun, since you're late, you'll be working with Bokuto-kun today."
A sense of dread settled low in his stomach, and Akaashi could almost feel a headache starting to fulminate against his skull. This was beyond unfair. He was familiar with Bokuto Koutarou. As familiar as everyone else was, at least.
It wasn't even a month ago that Bokuto and his friend Kuroo were publicly escorted from the Great Hall to the Headmaster's office after their collection of magically enhanced sex toys were found and confiscated.
"We'll donate a fraction of the money we earn off them to the school!" Kuroo had offered as they were escorted by a scowling Professor Nekomata. "It's for a good cause!"
That wasn't the duo's first infraction, either. And while Akaashi suspected Kuroo of being the mastermind, given his status as a Ravenclaw, he was also quite confident that Bokuto was far from harmless. For one, the rumor that he'd used the engorgio charm on a certain body part was still circulating. And if Bokuto's juvenile antics weren't bad enough, he was also raucous and loud, dramatic and overbearing. He possessed a boundless sort of energy that seemed to saturate the air around him, but it made Akaashi tired, more than anything. And as far as Akaashi was concerned, the last thing he needed was added stress in his life.
It was with more than a modicum of reluctance that Akaashi dragged his feet across the carpeted floor before taking what he hoped would be only a temporary seat. After propping his bag against the leg of the table, he inhaled the cloying aroma of perfume and smoke, then released a resigned sigh. Divination had never been one of his favorite classes. Akaashi appreciated more definitive subjects. Growing up at a Muggle school, his favorite classes had been science and math; areas of study with clear answers of what was right and wrong. Divination was a broad range of grey, with plentiful room for misinterpretation and error. It was frustrating, but having a partner that clearly didn't give a damn only exacerbated what was already an unpleasant situation.
Akaashi cleared his throat. "Are you ready to begin?" he asked without preamble.
But Bokuto didn't notice, too busy arguing with the Slytherin on his other side, that Akaashi recognized as Daishou Suguru. "Hey hey hey! There's no way Ravenclaw is gonna lose!"
"That so?" There was a mocking lilt to the words.
"My buddy Kuroo's been practicing nonstop! There's no way he'd lose to you!"
The Slytherin wore a sinuous smile. For someone who exuded such a lazy air, he was quite skilled at riling Bokuto up. "Tetsurou's really nothing to write home about."
"Well, you have to beat me before you can even play him! And I ain't gonna lose either!"
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
Before Bokuto could come up with a rebuttal, Akaashi grabbed his arm. "We're supposed to be reading the tea leaves," he reminded quietly. The tempest swirling in Bokuto's eyes died down, his attention flickering from Daishou to Akaashi.
Bokuto appraised Akaashi silently, but the interlude of quiet didn't last long. "I think I've seen you around the dorm before!" he exclaimed, as if excited by the revelation.
Akaashi squirmed under that unremitting gaze. The irises of Bokuto's eyes were like amber that was just starting to crystallize. They were wide and earnest, almost comically so, but there was something penetrating about his stare, too.
Akaashi dropped his focus to the porcelain tea cup in front of him, lifting it to give his hands something to occupy themselves with. There was a tiny chip along the rim of the cup, right before where the handle protruded outwards. "Well, I'd expect you to have," he said quietly. "We are in the same House." Because despite all the comments that Akaashi would have fit in much better in Ravenclaw, he'd always admired the traits of Hufflepuff. Hard work. Dedication. Patience and loyalty.
"I haven't seen you in any of my other classes."
"You're a year ahead of me," Akaashi informed him, incredulous at Bokuto's lack of observation.
"It's still weird, though. Normally I notice people like you!" Bokuto responded candidly.
"People like me?" What was Bokuto trying to imply? That he was just like every other overachiever? Shy and reserved, and nothing more? Not exactly a flawed statement, but Akaashi didn't like being lobbed in a category that painted him as some two-dimensional, single-faceted person. Unless... unless Bokuto was referencing his Muggleborn lineage? The notion made him tense up. He'd had the word "mudblood" hurled at him before, at times when the hallways were mostly clear and there was no chance of prefects to overhear and intervene.
"Yeah," Bokuto rocked forwards on his stool, teetering much too close for comfort. When he exhaled, Akaashi could feel his breath land warm on his skin. "You're really pretty!"
Akaashi's grip on the cup slackened, and he narrowly avoided dropping it. "Pardon me?"
"You know, you're..." Bokuto gesticulated wildly for emphasis.
"I'm not following."
Bokuto's face scrunched into a frown. "Well it's just, you have really nice hair. And eyelashes!"
"Eyelashes?" Akaashi echoed dubiously. It seemed like an odd thing to fixate on, but Bokuto merely nodded earnestly.
"If you talked more, I definitely would've noticed you sooner! Not that being quiet is a bad thing! A lot of people say I'm too loud. I don't see the point in being quiet, though. Then people have an excuse to tune you out. Or you have to repeat yourself. I get ignored a lot as it is, so it's a good thing I'm so loud."
"No offense Bokuto-san," Akaashi sighed, "but can we start the assignment?"
Without waiting for an answer, he unrolled a scrap of parchment that had a tea stain marring the corner. It discolored the tan colored paper, but it wasn't distinctive enough for them to lose marks for sloppiness. "I'll take notes," he said, his voice barely carrying over the din of conversing voices all around them. "Describe the images you see in the tea leaves." Despite the soft pitch of his voice, Bokuto didn't seem to have any trouble hearing him.
"Okay!" He maneuvered the cup towards himself, peering at the dregs of tea at the bottom.
"What does it look like?" Akaashi prompted. Bokuto opened his mouth to speak.
"And don't say it resembles genitalia."
His mouth promptly closed.
Akaashi rubbed his temples in exasperation as he watched Bokuto scrutinize the tea. His lips formed a half-pout. "It doesn't look like anything. I was hoping it'd look like something cool. Like an owl!"
"Why is that?" Akaashi didn't actually care. He was humoring him. That was all.
"I have a pet owl. A Great Horned."
Akaashi gave a noncommittal hum. "What's its name?"
"Hoot!" Bokuto said proudly, puffing out his chest a little.
Akaashi's eyes twitched from the strain of trying not to roll them. "I'm sorry I asked. Why don't you take notes and I'll examine the tea leaves?" He handed the parchment to Bokuto, and was given the cup in turn. Their hands brushed during the exchange. Akaashi jolted, sitting ramrod straight in his seat. A tingle ran through him, and he almost blamed Bokuto for using some sort of spell, but the other boy didn't seem to have noticed. Akaashi swallowed, determinedly looking away from his partner. The tea leaves formed an amorphous clump, but he supposed they could be construed as an image of an acorn. A slightly long and misshapen acorn, but still. He relayed as much to Bokuto, who jotted down acorn.
"What does an acorn symbolize, again?"
Akaashi sighed and reached for his textbook, flipping to page five of Unfogging the Future. "It's a symbol of windfall. An unexpected or sudden gain or advantage."
Bokuto wrote down word-for-word what Akaashi recited in a messy, indecipherable scrawl. He had a feeling he'd be doing most of the write up himself.
The rest of the week passed without incident. Akaashi raced to the North Tower every day, arriving early to claim his usual spot. Konoha continued to sit beside him, and class carried on as usual. What wasn't normal, however, was how Bokuto was suddenly acting. A few times every class, he'd stretch dramatically, head turning just enough to allow him to peer over his shoulder at Akaashi. And if not that, he'd turn fully around in his seat, under the guise of admiring "the really nice tea set" at the back of the room. There were a few instances where Bokuto would peer over his shoulder only to find that Akaashi was already staring at him, much to the embarrassment of the younger Hufflepuff.
Akaashi tried to pay no mind to the sudden influx of attention, but it was difficult to act nonchalant when his cheeks were flushing a brilliant carmine hue. He needed an anti-blushing charm. And fast.
"So, how's Bokuto, Akaashi?" Konoha asked conversationally as they were making their way to the Great Hall.
"How should I know?" he deadpanned, staring resolutely at the floor.
"It's just, from the sounds of it, you two seem to be getting along pretty well."
"I've hardly mentioned Bokuto-san," Akaashi protested. "Only twice at the most."
"True," Konoha conceded. "But for someone as quiet as you, that's the same as anyone else going on an hour long rant." When Akaashi didn't reply, Konoha continued, unfazed, "I hear he has a really nice wand."
"Where'd you hear something like that?"
"Aw, you know. Gossip in the corridors. You should ask him if he needs help polishing his wand, or anything."
Akaashi leveled him a glare. "I will hex you," he said evenly.
Konoha held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Just trying to help." Akaashi sighed, starting to turn away, when he heard Konoha exclaim, "Hey, isn't that Bokuto?" in a voice that reverberated through the corridor.
Bokuto, who was currently with Kuroo and a shorter Ravenclaw with dyed blonde hair, looked over at the mention of his name. It took him a moment to discern who had spoken, and in that brief moment, Akaashi began mentally running through all the curses he could use to enact vengeance on Konoha. Jelly Legs Curse. Hair Loss Curse. Slug-vomiting Charm. There was also the cruciatus curse, but Akaashi supposed that might've been a bit of an extreme.
"Anyway," Kuroo was saying to Bokuto, "if we modify the potion a bit, we can make magic viagra." Bokuto didn't seem to be listening, however. Kuroo's gaze panned from his friend to where Akaashi was standing, recognition dawning on his face. "Right, well, Kenma and I are gonna get something to eat." He bumped Bokuto's shoulder as he left. The boy at Kuroo's side, Kenma, hadn't looked up from the Muggle Studies book in front of him.
After a moment of gawking, Bokuto sauntered toward him and Konoha, but when Akaashi glanced sideways, he realized that Konoha was long gone. That traitor. Maybe the cruciatus curse wasn't a bad idea after all.
"AKAASHI!" Bokuto flapped his arm in greeting like an overenthusiastic, one-winged bird. "You do remember me, right? I'm—"
"Yes, I remember you, Bokuto-san."
Bokuto beamed, a smile so wide that crinkles formed at the corner of his eyes. It was unnerving having someone stare at Akaashi like that, to think that he was the cause of not just someone else's happiness, but their utter elation.
"It's too bad we haven't been partners in Divination again."
Akaashi nodded wordlessly. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say in a situation like this. Or what Bokuto wanted him to say.
"But my grade really went up after our assignment together! I've been studying more, too."
"Oh?"
Bokuto's head bobbed up and down. He's like a bobble head, Akaashi mused. That was a comparison that the pureblood likely wouldn't understand.
"I've been practicing clairvoyance. And I see you in my future."
It took a moment for the words to register. Bokuto's serious tone was probably what caught Akaashi by surprise. An irrepressible laugh bubbled in his chest, and before he knew it, he was snorting. Actually snorting. His cheeks darkened at having made such an undignified sound, but Bokuto didn't comment on it. Instead, he looked almost dejected, his posture suddenly hunched.
"Kuroo told me it would work."
"I think your Divination skills need a bit of polishing up," Akaashi answered truthfully, hiding a smile behind his hand.
"Y-yeah, I guess they do need polishing."
At the word 'polishing,' Akaashi was suddenly reminded of Konoha's earlier comment about Bokuto's wand. He coughed into his hand. "I'd better go get something to eat. You should too," he advised.
"W-wait!" Bokuto shouted, even though Akaashi had yet to move. "There's something I wanted to ask you." He inhaled deeply, before blowing all the air out of his cheeks. "WillyoucometomynextQuidditchgame?"
"Huh?"
"My, uh, game. I'm a beater. We're versing Slytherin. Will you watch?"
Akaashi blinked.
"It's alright if you don't want to," Bokuto added hurriedly, gaze now downcast. "I just thought, if you wanted to... but you probably have better things to do. Sorry."
It was surprising that despite how boisterous and outspoken Bokuto was, he also harbored a shy streak. Akaashi felt his lips curve into a subtle smile. "Ok."
"Ok?"
"I'd love to watch you play, Bokuto-san."
"Oh. I mean, of course! Who wouldn't want to watch Quidditch? It's the best sport there is!"
Akaashi considered interjecting that the Muggle sport volleyball was quite enjoyable too, but he was fairly certain Bokuto wouldn't understand the reference.
"Cheer for me, won't you Akaashi?"
He looked more like a hopeful puppy than an owl in that moment, even though his hair had been deliberately styled to resemble the aforementioned bird.
"Ok," Akaashi said again. He still wasn't sure what else to say, but it seemed Bokuto didn't expect him to uphold the conversation, or fill it with superfluous commentary.
They entered the Great Hall side-by-side, Bokuto chattering about Quidditch all the while. Rather than feel tired by the endless stream of words, Akaashi felt surprisingly energized. It seemed that Bokuto had a way of drawing out excitement in others. Or at least in Akaashi.
The weather was hot the day of the Quidditch match, and Akaashi's robe adhered to his skin from a layer of rapidly forming sweat. The Quidditch players must have been saturated in perspiration from where they were positioned in the air. Then again, the higher up they were, the cooler the air was. The speeds they traveled on their brooms probably generated wind, too.
Akaashi's eyes trailed languidly over the canary yellow blur that was Bokuto. He flew to the outskirts of the pitch, darting in front of a Chaser in order to deflect a bludger. Even from the spectator's stands, Akaashi could see how muscular he was. Bokuto was quite skilled at Quidditch, too. He was fast and strong, and... it was impressive. Akaashi was of course noticing all this objectively. Anyone could see that Bokuto was talented.
Yet somehow, he suspected that the rest of the school watching the game wasn't as focused on Bokuto as he was.
The crowd erupted into cheers as Bokuto launched a bludger at a Slytherin, momentarily incapacitating the player.
"Hufflepuff, do your stuff!" One student using a voice amplifying spell bellowed. It wasn't a particularly clever cheer, in Akaashi's opinion, but at least it rhymed.
The quaffle traveled back and forth between the teams' respective Chasers, before a Slytherin took possession. The ball was flung towards an unguarded hoop, but the team's Keeper, Haruki Komi, blocked just in time.
The hollers and whoops of the crowd was infectious, and when Bokuto's next swing coincided with another save by Haruki, Akaashi let out a cheer. "Go Bokuto-san!"
He tensed when he realized how loud his cheer was, carrying over the surrounding voices. Bokuto was hopefully far enough away that he wouldn't have heard Akaashi's mortifying cheer, but it was at that moment that he turned to survey the crowd, eyes almost instantly locking with Akaashi's.
He grinned, and Akaashi started to return the gesture, when his expression froze on his face. The bludger Bokuto had hit had returned to him, courtesy of Daishou. Only, Bokuto wasn't prepared, his attention singled on Akaashi.
The bludger rammed into his side, knocking him clean off his broom. Akaashi's heart hiccuped in his chest as he watched Bokuto fall. In the span of his fall, time seemed to simultaneously speed up and slow down. One of the teachers cast a spell to cushion his fall, but Bokuto still hit the ground with an audible thud.
Silence stagnated over the crowd as they watched Bokuto's limp form get carried off the field.
An irrational panic seeped through Akaashi. His legs felt like lead as he fought his way through the stands. "Akaashi, wait!" he heard someone, probably Konoha say. He didn't give even a second's pause. His chest heaved in a rapid staccato as he ran through the maze of corridors to the Hospital Wing. It was only once he reached the doors that he hesitated. He wasn't sure what state Bokuto was in—if he was conscious, or not. He wasn't sure if he was prepared for an answer he might not like. He didn't know if visitors were even allowed. But he couldn't stand waiting helplessly. He was trembling, harried by his own worries. Without further hesitation, he pushed open the door. The head nurse was examining Bokuto.
"Mild concussion," she clucked her tongue. "And a sprained wrist. But nothing too serious."
Bokuto answered with a drawn-out groan. "Can't you take me back to the game?"
The nurse shook her head in disbelief. "You're to rest up, understand?"
Bokuto groaned again.
Akaashi hesitated, loitering awkwardly in the doorway. He was unsure if he should make his presence known, or leave now that he knew Bokuto was alright.
Bokuto turned his head to the side, making Akaashi's decision for him as they once again locked eyes.
"Akaashi!" Bokuto called out.
He shuffled to Bokuto's bedside guiltily.
"I'm sorry," he whispered into the space between them. Bokuto frowned, nonplussed.
"For what?"
"You... got injured."
"Hey hey hey! That was my own fault. I was... distracted," Bokuto explained meekly.
Akaashi's frown smoothed. "I could tell. You really should pay better attention."
"I was paying attention!"
"Oh?" he challenged.
"I was just... paying attention to you." He said the admittance like it was nothing, as if he wasn't embarrassed in the slightest.
Akaashi was embarrassed enough for the both of them.
"I'm really happy you came to watch! Except for the part where I fell off my broom. You must think I really suck."
"You were amazing," Akaashi declared, settling his hand overtop of Bokuto's before he was aware of what he was doing. He started to retract his hand, but Bokuto's grip on them was firm.
"Your hands are cold!"
"I don't mind." Akaashi's hands were naturally cold, but it countered the fact that his face was hot. Too hot. Burning really. Both from embarrassment, and from their close proximity.
"Let me warm them!"
"It's fine."
"No, it's not!" Bokuto insisted vehemently, as he scooted over on the bed. "You could catch a chill." He looked so innocent in that moment that Akaashi conceded, momentarily forgoing the fact that Bokuto was actually manipulative, and that there was a reason he was best friend's with Kuroo Tetsurou. Still, he let Bokuto's hands encompass his own, his fingers smoothing up and down in gentle caresses. "You have nice hands, Akaashi."
Akaashi ducked his head. "Almost as nice as my eyelashes?" he teased.
"Almost," Bokuto agreed seriously.
His hands were broader than Akaashi's and more calloused from playing Quidditch. Akaashi secretly reveled in their warmth, and the rough texture.
"You should join the Quidditch team, Akaashi. Then I won't be as distracted."
"Won't that make you even more distracted?" Akaashi interjected. Bokuto didn't have an argument, so he contented himself with humming as he continued to feather his fingertips along Akaashi's hands. Fire trailed in their wake, and Akaashi once again felt spirals of electricity shoot through him from the contact.
"I think they're warmed up now." His voice came out thready and an octave higher than usual. He tried to clear his throat as quietly as possible.
"Not yet," Bokuto argued, hands stilling over Akaashi's. At this point, it was quite clear this was just a ploy to hold Akaashi's hands. He couldn't say he minded much. Or at all, really.
An uncharacteristic silence hung between them. Bokuto stared at Akaashi for a disconcertingly lengthy amount of time, and Akaashi was torn between wanting to break his gaze, or continue to stare. When Akaashi finally did blink, he reopened his eyes to see Bokuto slowly leaning in closer, so close that Akaashi had to tip his head back to see him.
"Um, is it okay if I do this?"
Akaashi tried to gather his sluggish thoughts long enough to form a coherent answer, but in the end, all he managed was a breathless sounding, "Uh huh."
Bokuto kissed the way he did everything else: with a clumsy sort of eagerness. Their lips slid together messily, teeth clacking when they both moved at once. Akaashi tried to remedy the situation by tilting his head, but he only accomplished bumping their noses together. Bokuto didn't pause, continuing to kiss him until he was breathless and lightheaded. He leaned into Bokuto, gravitating towards him by some unseen force. Bokuto kissed with urgency, as if he feared that when the kiss ended, whatever existed between them in that moment would shatter.
But it wouldn't.
Akaashi didn't want it to.
He thought of how panicked he'd felt, how his heart had lodged itself in his throat when he watched Bokuto fall.
The thought of it made breathing even more difficult.
He was the one to break this kiss, chest heaving as the need for oxygen kicked in.
"S-sorry," Bokuto gasped out. "I'm sorry."
Akaashi tensed.
"Well, actually I'm not. But I... if you didn't want to, I'm sorry for making you feel like you had to."
"I wanted to." Akaashi leaned closer. "I really wanted to. I still want to."
He mustered up the resolve to initiate a second kiss, but was interrupted by a spluttering noise from behind. Akaashi whirled around to see the Nurse blushing profusely. "N-no visitors! He needs his rest!" And then, as if Akaashi was some sort of troublesome insect, she shouted "Shoo!" and waved him away with her hands.
"I'll be going," he announced, bowing stiffly.
Bokuto's hand latched onto his wrist.
"Akaashi?" he worries his lip between his teeth. "Do you think you'd maybe want to be Divination partners again?"
"I'd love to," Akaashi answered, because it was the truth, and also because screw Konoha.
Bokuto let out a cheering whoop. "I told you you'd be in my future."
"Yeah," Akaashi murmured fondly. "You did."