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mysterystarz · 3 years

Text

enchanted:

summary: akaashi keiji had captured your attention the minute he had sat in your train compartment, but it was another thing being his best friend...and falling in love with him! having unrequited feelings for the boy was scary enough, but the idea of him reciprocating those feelings was even scarier! despite being one of hogwarts' most perceptive students, you had no idea what went on in akaashi's head.

pairing: akaashi keiji x g!n reader

word count: 15.3k (I am so so sorry!!!!)

genres + themes: mutual pining, best friends to lovers, slow burn, fluff, angst, hogwarts!au

warnings: some swearing, some innuendos (blame suna), suna being the best matchmaker, reader and akaashi being clueless pining fools, some implied sexual tension <3

a/n: mega shout out to @pockydays who beta read the first part of this fic (if you're reading this, ily <3)

Patterns were something that you’ve observed for quite a while — a series of events that seemed to lead to the same conclusion, only to begin again. It was an endless cycle or a foregone conclusion (depending on who you asked), and you always found yourself wondering if there would ever be a sweet release from it.

Stepping onto the Hogwarts Express, bright-eyed and new to the magical world, you didn’t expect to be acquainted with anyone immediately. Rather, you were more captivated by the idea that, in just a few hours’ time, you’d have a chance to live the dreamy magical fantasy that your father had mentioned in your childhood bedtime stories from years long past.

Or at least, that’s what you had believed before you slammed into someone on the way back to your seat on the train.

“Oh no.” You muttered under your breath as you felt the lingering feeling of the solid collision. “I’m sorry.” Looking up, you found a boy with gunmetal blue eyes and dark hair looking down at you.

“Oh? It’s okay.” He responded softly. “Do you have an extra seat in your compartment by chance?”

“Yes, I do. You’re free to join me.” You hurriedly cleared up any clutter on the seats and gestured to them, a smile on your face. “I’m Y/L/N Y/N, future first year.”

The boy’s lips quirked up in what could be considered a smile. “Akaashi Keiji. This will be my first year too.” The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a bit, staring out the train window. The sky was filled with light fluffy clouds while the trees were green and lush. Even though it wasn’t particularly sunny, you found yourself being drawn in by the deep blues of the lake that you had just passed.

“My Dad is a wizard.” You said, breaking the silence. “He works for the Ministry of Magic.” “That’s an intriguing position.” Akaashi reclined further in the seat, crossing his legs as he lightly furrowed his brow in thought. “My Mom is a witch, but I’ve lived a muggle life for as long as I can remember. It was a bit of a shock receiving the letter.”

“You too, huh?” You commented as you bought some chocolate frogs from the trolley witch. “Would you like one?” You extended a chocolate frog to Akaashi. From first impressions, you could easily tell that he was well-mannered and particularly reserved. Still, the idea of a fresh and magical start being just around the corner, eased any tension you may have felt towards the boy.

“I... I suppose I do.” Akaashi’s face was ever so composed when he took the chocolate frog from you, peering at the card that came with it. “What’s that?”

“These?” You gestured to the cards. “These are chocolate frog cards. They always come with a famous witch or wizard and list their achievements. This one is yours.” You passed the card to him and watched how his eyes scanned the text, a smiling Dumbledore waving to him from beyond the frame.

“The pictures move?” He had asked, the corner of his mouth quirking up in that amused look again. “Nobody had ever told me that they moved.”

“Well, I guess it’s something you’ll adjust to eventually.,” you giggled. “Any guesses on the house you’ll be in? I think it’d be nice to be in Ravenclaw, but I’m partial to Slytherin as well.”

“From what I read about it, Ravenclaw seems like the best fit for me.” He turned his head to look out the window quickly before meeting your eyes again. “But isn’t Slytherin the house that hosted the most dark wizards?”

You grinned excitedly, finding the questions he asked to be far better than what you had anticipated. “Well, perception is a fickle thing in most cases. The other houses have also hosted their fair share of dark wizards, but none really own up to it. I guess it depends on the way you see each house... and how you see the people in them.”

Akaashi was left to ponder in silence as the first years were ushered over to the boats and towards the castle that promised a new beginning for the both of you.

*********

The Great Hall was a hubbub of much anticipation, the shushed whispers and sortings providing ample entertainment and an endless amount of nerves. You tapped your foot on the tile anxiously, willing your breathing to even out. It was just a sorting. Just a sorting. Just a–

“Akaashi Keiji.” McGonagall announced. Akaashi slowly and deliberately made his way onto the stool, sitting on it gracefully. The black hat covered his eyes and the hall watched in awe as the hat simply stayed atop his head, not shouting anything outwards into the interested ears of the students. There he sat for five minutes, as the murmurs intensified by the minute. A hat stall! Hogwarts had not had one for nearly fifty years!

“Ravenclaw!” The hat had finally yelled, the loud claps of the houses providing a thundering applause to Akaashi’s descent off the podium and down to the Ravenclaw table. He met your eyes, offering you a twinkling glint of assurance as he walked away, introducing himself to the joyous Ravenclaws.

As other sortings had passed, you felt the anxiety creep and settle gently into your bones. It was a pattern you had begun to observe. The more students were sorted, the more anxious you became. Just as you were about to let out a dramatic exhale, it was your turn.

“Y/L/N, Y/N.” Professor McGonagall looked towards you, offering you a small smile as you walked up to the podium, legs slightly trembling from the amount of attention you had attracted. Sitting atop the brown stool, you let the hat envelop your vision as it spoke into your ear about all the options it had in front of it, and where it was going to place you.

The hat seemed to spend ages considering this placement however, and you could only tell due to the increasing intensity of the murmurs beyond the confines of the hat. Another hatstall? Unlikely.

“Where would you like to be?” The hat whispered slowly into your ear. “Because in the end, the fate at hand is your choosing.”

“Put me where I’ll be somebody worthy.” You whispered, a small smile tugging at the corner of your lip. “That’s all I need to prove, anyways.”

“Slytherin!” The hat yelled out into the hall. The students all erupted with a massive cheer as you stepped off the podium and headed towards the Slytherin table, shaking hands with the older students who came up to greet you. Shooting a glance towards the Ravenclaw table, you found Akaashi’s eyes glued to you as you eventually sat down, a pensive look on his face.

You were aching to know what he was thinking about.

*********

The first week of classes passed by somewhat uneventfully, and a part of you was disappointed that you had not seen much of Akaashi. Slytherin and Ravenclaw both had Charms class together, so occasionally, you’d catch a glance of him.

If only he’d glance back.

You had sent a letter to your father earlier, informing him of your house placement and also of the mysterious boy you met on the train. He had mailed back expressing how proud he was that his child was in a house that could guarantee their success. If only you had any true friends to share that information with.

All the friends you once had were in a world that was no longer your own, and you found yourself wondering if you were always going to be lonely in the giant castle.

“It’s been a while.” A voice remarked casually. Looking up, you found Akaashi, clutching his books just so they lined up in a perfect line, his face in an expressionless expression.

“I suppose it has.” You smiled as you began to walk down the corridor. “Is there anything you wanted to say?”

“Yes,” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I wasn’t exactly sure how to approach you post-sorting.”

Oh. Perhaps Akaashi had been exposed to the stigma that surrounded your house and it’s members. You knew there were many accomplished students among their ranks that could combat the whole dark-wizard thing, such as the rising Quidditch star Oikawa Tooru. However, he wasn’t the best example to use for an ordinary Slytherin student. You tried to locate a true example of this in your head when Akaashi had continued.

“I don’t think any less of you for your sorting, Y/N.” His eyes were cast downward and his walking pace was slightly faster than normal. “If… that was what you believed to be the case.”

You let out a shaky sigh of relief as you sped up your pace to match his. “That’s a relief. Why were you afraid to confront me?”

Akaashi flushed a little bit at this, bringing his eyes up to meet yours. “Well, we were in different classes and you always seemed to speed walk to History of Magic after we had Charms together, so I always just assumed that you had to be there urgently. I struggled to get a hold of you any time before that though, which is why I took the chance today.”

You raised your eyebrows in shock. “Perceptive. I’m not surprised.”

Akaashi looked perplexed at this as they turned the corner together, nearly hurtling into a Hufflepuff. “The split second judgements you make about people are starling.”

“Well someone has to do it, don’t they?” You asked rhetorically. You gazed up at Akaashi who seemed to be processing your response. “Besides, what’s the use of acquainting with people if you have no idea who they are.” With that, you walked inside the Transfiguration classroom while Akaashi walked straight to History of Magic, a subtle smile etched onto his face.

So maybe, you had garnered an interest in the boy for all his politeness and thoughtful remarks. Call it a pattern, but you always seemed to feel a lot lighter after a conversation with him. Maybe it was just the satisfaction of seeing your words being taken into serious consideration, or perhaps it was the fact that he sought you out, instead of it being the other way around.

Needless to say, you fully planned on conquering that reserved demeanor of his. It was intriguing, yes, but you knew from experience that the reserved ones always tended to have an abyss of thoughts and feelings that they simply kept under wraps. If you were going to be in the presence of a mystery, then you intended to solve it.

It was simply the way it worked.

“Y/N, zoning out near the Great Lake is not a good idea when you have an open jar of ink next to you.” You felt yourself being tugged from whatever reverie was prancing around in your head, and back into the reality of Akaashi dabbing at a spot of ink near your cheek.

“Keiji, I wasn’t zoned out for that long.” You chuckled as you closed the ink bottle. “But I still have no idea how that got onto my face. My quill was all the way down there.” Akaashi promptly looked down to your quill which sat idly on the grass. He let out a low sigh, as you grinned.

“You need to start paying attention during times when we sit outside like this. I will sentence you to an eternity at the library during good weather if you don’t at least do that.”

“Well what were you doing when I was zoned out then?” You asked curiously, tucking the parchment into the bag you had brought outside. “You seem to observe an awful lot when I’m not paying attention.”

Akaashi laughed at this, breathy gasps left in between high tinkling sounds. If there was one thing you most appreciated about Akaashi, it was definitely his laughs. “I was trying to get your attention. Seriously Y/N, where have you left your head today?”

You playfully smacked him on the shoulder as you headed towards the castle, the gray clouds above you providing shadow to the humid day.

Now in your fifth year, you were no longer a stranger to the magical happenings that surrounded your life, in and out of Hogwarts. Throughout your years roaming the castle’s halls, you had accumulated not only a vast knowledge of curses, charms, and jinxes, but also had managed to create meaningful friendships with people inside and outside of your house.

But even despite this, Akaashi was still your best friend.

As the two of you finally made it to one of the empty corridors, he had grown unnaturally silent, fingers fiddling rapidly. He only did that when he was nervous.

“What are you so worried about?” You hesitantly reached to grab his hands, running soft circles over the back of them, an easy way to soothe his nerves. “We don’t have any exams coming up. Did something happen?”

Akaashi looked back at you, a slight pink flush covering his cheeks as he nodded his head. “Yeah, for a second, I thought I forgot to do the Charms essay that Flitwick assigned. Thank you though.” He slowly pulled back his hands and walked at your side again, the cadence of his footsteps matching the low thud of your heart.

Ever since your second year, Akaashi had finally opened up to you, setting down his reserved demeanor and finally expressing who exactly he was behind the wall he had crafted for himself. What you found was startlingly different from the boy you met on the train. Sure he was polite, witty, and incredibly thoughtful, but he also had a compassionate heart, a ridiculous sense of humor, and always knew what to say to you in situations where you didn’t know what to do.

And yes, you knew it was odd of you to keep a track of all these things, but that’s what best friends do right?

Right?

Wrong. So utterly wrong. What had started out between the two of you morphed into a friendship which complexity rivaled something out of the movies. It was so caring, tender, loving even, and yet there was the title that divided you from what you really wanted him to see. How you wanted him to see you. Of course, having Akaashi’s friendship was an achievement all and of itself, and you weren’t going to let it go due to a simple crush.

Crush. For some reason, you couldn’t bring yourself to apply that term to your situation. But at the same time, you couldn’t very easily tack the word love onto the relationship to describe it either. It was so difficult to explain, and yet your heart seemed to define it easily.

What a shitty paradox.

You were shaken out of whatever thoughts you had by Akaashi’s bright laughter. It seemed like all traces of the nervousness he held were gone, leaving pure amusement in its wake. “You zoned out...again!” He flashed you one of his rare grins and you begged your cheeks not to heat up in response. “Who are you thinking about?”

“What makes you think that it’s a person?” You settled on replying. It sometimes surprised you how much Akaashi knew about you, but then again, he was always observant. Which made it all the more difficult to hide your inconvenient feelings.

Akaashi scoffed at this. “Because you never zone out otherwise. Someone’s been on your mind. So who is it?”

“I guess that’s for you to find out then.” You teased, picking up your pace. “Maybe I should start calling you Mr. Legilimens, seeing as you read minds and all.”

“If I was a Legilimens, then I wouldn’t be asking.” He rolled his eyes. “Besides, they would have to be important to weigh on your mind this much. Did something happen with this person?”

“Yes, they dabbed at a random spot of ink near my cheek.” You said sarcastically. “And they were fiddling their fingers like a creepy old wizard.”

Akaashi shook his head before you turned the corner of the corridor and began heading up the stairs to the Ravenclaw common room. “Remind me why I put up with you?”

“Because, you love me.” You shot back cheekily. “Plus, I’m your best friend and confidante.”

You merely received a drawn out sigh in response as the two of them confronted the door knocker, something that you’ve referred to numerous times, as the Hogwarts equivalent of a bouncer.

“Oh, you two are back again.” It commented wistfully, “Alright, then. What room can you eat?” You giggled at the riddle, meeting Akaashi’s eyes to find a familiar glint of exasperation.

“Will you ever give us quality riddles?” Akaashi asked quietly. “All of these are more comical than challenging.”

“Then answer it.” The knocker replied. “I’ll consider it.”

“A…” You attempted, before you felt the familiar prickle of laughter disrupting your breathing. “Sorry, I meant a mushroom.”

“Correct.” The knocker unlocked, and the two of them entered the Ravenclaw common room, the door shutting behind them, as you sat on one of the blue couches that surrounded the area. The Slytherin common room was always such a cozy spot, however Akaashi could only sneak in in the dead of nights when the others weren’t awake to see. Sure, there was the sacredness that they needed to uphold (apparently), but you knew your housemates well enough to know they didn’t care for that crap.

It was mainly the fact that most of the people in your house were deathly perceptive, and weren’t afraid to comment on the nature of the friendship you shared with Akaashi. It was a scenario you’d rather avoid, and Akaashi being the gentleman he is, never pried for any more details than necessary.

“So, care to share what happened today with the person that you’re actually thinking about?” Akaashi headed to the order side of the common room, picking up a novel and sitting down next to you. Turning towards him, you found the blue of his irises clouded with curiosity, as well as something else that you weren’t able to pinpoint.

“It’s nobody.” You exhaled, opting to take a look at the book he had picked up. Dracula?

Noticing your pointed gaze, he opened up the book, exposing the well-read pages on the inside. “I was surprised to find a muggle book on the shelf.” He explained carefully, carding through the pages with those obnoxiously nice hands of his. “It’s not every day you find some of these.”

“I suppose so.” You managed to say before you sunk deeper onto the couch. Akaashi seemed to scan the pages before his eyes fell back on your face, a puzzled expression placed on it.

“Now you’re worrying me.” He mumbled as he brought his hand to your forehead, before placing it back on his. “Not a fever. Did you sleep well enough last night? You’re being more quiet than normal.”

“I...I have a question for you.” You whispered almost guiltily. “What do you do when you have this one thing you will never have, no matter how desperately you want it?”

Akaashi looked a bit taken aback by this, but he was ever so composed as he grabbed your hand. “I don’t think you are the type to give up so easily. What makes you think you can’t have it? Nothing is completely out of reach.”

“This is.” You groaned. “I just don’t know what to do. It’s been bothering me all day.” No, it had been bothering you since the beginning of fifth year, when you discovered that what you felt for your best friend was a smidge more than friendship. You weren’t telling him that though.

He hummed a bit before he answered. “Well, a start would be to see why it’s so out of reach, and then find a way to conquer that.” He looked back at you to gauge your reaction, and by the calm lines of his face, he clearly found something that he had wanted to see. “Logic is always an option.”

“Is logic an option in matters of the soul?” You gazed up at the high ceilings of the common room, appreciating their detail.

Akaashi was silent yet again, and yet he never stopped playing with your fingers. “It differs from person to person I suppose.” His eyes were cast at your intertwined hands, and he didn’t seem to be as affected by it as you were (on the inside). “Would it help you?”

You inhaled slowly, willing your lungs to fill with air, if only to disguise the thudding of your heart. “No,” Turning to Akaashi, you opted to look him straight into those expressive eyes that you had used to solve the mystery that he was, all those years ago. “I don’t think it would.”

Sitting in Arithmancy, you absentmindedly tapped your quill on the desk as Professor Vector wrote away at the board, equations littering the surface. Arithmancy was single-handedly one of the easiest subjects to pass, considering it’s straightforward nature and the elements of magic that made yielding the answer a far more attainable process.

You decided to take a rare moment of pause, and let your mind wander beyond the walls of the classroom and to Akaashi. Perhaps he was letting his thoughts float away in Potions, as Professor Snape droned on about Hair-Raising Potions. It wouldn’t be beyond him to let himself rest in classes that he was successful in. Maybe if you were lucky, he was thinking abou—

“Y/L/N, dear, could you provide me the magic number and the explanation as to why it is such a key part in our class today?” Professor Vector asked sweetly from the front of the class. You were startled, cheeks beginning to flush from the attention that was suddenly directed onto you.

“Sorry,” You giggled awkwardly, “Seven is the magical number which has been proven by many recent wizards to have the strongest sealing and bonding properties to magic. Considering the equations that we’re covering today, having the base as seven is a key to yielding a number that can be used to predict future events when combined with numerology.”

“Perfect.” Professor Vector beamed. “Fifty points to Slytherin.”

“Fifty?” You found yourself inquiring before you could stop yourself. “Isn’t that a bit much?”

“Nope.” Professor Vector continued around the board, writing down the appropriate amount of sevens and using her wand to combine them into a set of numbers. “Having knowledge of a number’s magical properties under duress is worthy of reward. Don’t sell yourself short dear.”

Once class ended, you were about to head out the door, when you saw Professor Vector beckoning you over to her. Feeling a bit anxious, you settled on pulling at your pointer finger as she waved goodbye to the other students and gestured to her desk.

“Y/L/N, could you quickly write me the answer to this.” She handed you a piece of parchment with seven, three, and five listed on it. You quickly grabbed a quill from her desk and added the three together, yielding fifteen, which you then had to reduce by adding the two digits. You yielded the number six and handed it back to her. You secretly felt proud of yourself for solving it that quickly.

Vector scanned over the page, her eyes set in focus as she took in the steps you took to solve it. “Y/L/N, are you by chance in a relationship with the person you were thinking about during class?”

“What!” You bursted. “No Professor, we aren’t. Is there any particular rea–”

Professor Vector merely chuckled. “I have a knack for judging when my students are letting their minds drift out the window.” Your face heated up in an attempt to suppress all the thoughts that roamed past your head. Judging by the playful glint in your favorite Professor’s eyes, you could tell that she knew.

“Professor, was that why you called on me?” Was all you managed to get out before your ears heated up again.

“No, but it would have been funny regardless.” She scanned over the parchment again. “I had these numbers in my head the entire day and had a feeling they’d have to do with you. You yielded six. Care to tell me what that means?”

Oh. “Six...love.” You gasped. “Is that...pertaining to…?”

“Yes.” Vector nodded at you. “Be open with them. Things could lead to romance or it could just mean a deeper depth to a potential friendship. Numerology isn’t always the most accurate when separated from a full arithmetic base, but it usually gets the general idea across. Now hurry! We wouldn’t want you being late for Transfiguration!”

You were met with a face full of fresh sunshine as you wandered around the Quidditch pitch after classes had ended, feeling the breeze sweep away any of the worries you had carried with you. The pitch was always a good place to think, considering it’s vast nature and the memories of excitement from the games creating a lively energy in the space.

“I wasn’t sure if I’d find you here.” Startled, you whipped around to see your housemate (and friend) Suna Rintarou, carrying around a bag with a level of nonchalance that could only be described as artful. “Can I sit down?”

“I don’t have an issue with that.” You shrugged, looking out into the grass as Suna sat next to you. “What do you want? You never come to me unless you want something.”

“Hmmm, you know me so well Y/N.” He teased as he pulled out his camera. “Nah, actually, I just want to shove you two pining fools together and get footage.”

“You what?” You raised an eyebrow at him. “Seriously Rintarou, you have no concept of subtlety. And you call yourself a Slytherin?”

“Well that’s an improvement.” He drawled, flipping through the photos he had taken earlier. “You’re not debating the pining fools part.”

“Keiji and I are not pining fools. It’s only me who’s doing the fucking pining, and I hate it.” You admitted. However close you were with Suna, you refused to divulge information about yourself that he could use against you. Unfortunately, him being a stupidly perceptive bastard, he had discovered your feelings for Akaashi before you had yourself.

“Ahh, seems like you’re still an idiot.” He smirked as he pulled up one of the photos he had taken recently, a portrait of Akaashi at the library, sketching on a piece of parchment. “Any idea what he’s sketching?”

“Knowing you and your tendency to be a little shit, you’re probably going to say that it’s me, which is impossible bu–“

Suna grinned cheekily at this response and you began internally groaning, because of course, he would capture a perfectly normal picture of your best friend drawing and say that he was drawing you.

“I actually have proof this time.” He deflected calmly after seeing the intensity of your glare. “Besides, it’s not my fault that you’re too oblivious to even notice the looks he gives you.”

“He gives that look to all his close friends.” You shot back. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

“Seriously,” Suna groaned. “Pull your head out of your ass for just a moment and think! God, it’s not even that hard to do!”

“Show me what exactly you mean by ‘proof’ and I’ll consider it.” Suna zoomed in on the picture, and tried to angle the image so that the parchment’s contents would be clear enough to show what he saw. Clearly when he snapped the image, he was well aware of what the contents were, but the image in front of you was purely strategic pencil marks mixed with a few pixels.

He rolled his eyes exasperatedly as he put away his camera. “This is one of your fucking pattern analogies. Everytime I want to show you that you’re deluded in thinking it’s a one way street, something always screws it up.”

“One way street? Did I just hear Suna Rintarou using muggle terminology?” You grinned smugly at him as you stretched your arms, attempting to relieve the tension that had settled in your shoulders. “Wow, how dire is this situation then?”

“Shut up.” He laughed, his green eyes glimmering with mirth. “I’m from a muggle family, so I’ll use muggle terms when I need to show dumbasses like you, some common sense.”

“You always go back to basic insults when someone shows you that you’re human and have the tendency to slip up your whole wizard persona.” You commented, feeling his eyes shrink in annoyance. “Human Rintarou, welcome to planet Earth–”

He strided up to you, staring down at you as he stood up completely straight, the height difference between the two of you enough to make you back away. Instead, he simply leaned closer, invading your personal space.

“You stop that or I take you dancing.” He said lowly, green eyes lightening at the prospect of that proposition.

If there was one thing you were worse at than accepting the depth of your feelings for Akaashi, then it was dancing, Or at least, dancing in front of people.

“Oh, Y/N, that’s where you were.” Akaashi’s voice remarked behind you. You hastily stepped away from Suna and faced your best-friend, who had most likely watched that entire exchange. The emotions in Akaashi’s eyes were undecipherable, but you could easily see the gears that churned inside his head.

“Hi Keiji,” You greeted, moving to stand next to Akaashi, with the two of you facing the extremely amused Suna.

“Dancing is a terrible idea.” Akaashi had said, in a tone that wasn’t the one you had grown so used to. It sounded far more distant, and infinitely less him. “You’d kill your feet Suna.”

“Oh I’m well aware, Akaashi.” Suna smirked, and the look on his face made you uncomfortable. “I have no intention of taking Y/N dancing until they learn the ropes. They’re all yours.” He left you one last smug look before he walked off the pitch, as if he hadn’t said something that directly implied that you and Akaashi were more than friends.

You glared intensely at the back of Suna’s head, but it seemed that he was aware of this, and continued to walk off the pitch like nothing happened. What an asshole.

“Why exactly did Suna insist on taking you dancing?” Akaashi inquired, tone low. “You two are friends. Doesn’t he know that you absolutely hate dancing in front of other people?”

“He does,” You sighed, exasperatedly. “He was just...attempting to get the upper hand over me in retaliation to something I said.”

“Okay then.” Akaashi added to the conversation. The look on his face seemed distant “That’s fair enough.”

“Are you okay Keiji?” You whispered concernedly. It had been a good while since you had seen Akaashi suppress his thoughts in front of you, and you could see so clearly that he was doing it now. “You know you can tell me anything I did if I made you feel uncomfortable.”

Akaashi looked back at you, but his face betrayed no emotion. “No Y/N, you didn’t do anything. I just miscalculated something.”

“Oh,” You said, the guilt seeping more into your chest. Something was so clearly bothering him, and yet you couldn’t read him. How could you help him, if he didn’t say what was making him that way?

“Dancing,” He had simply stated as they walked off the pitch. “You can dance, but fumble in front of people?”

“Yes.” You mumbled, heat covering your cheeks. “Coordination to a rhythm that isn’t mine always managed to throw me off”

“Well,” He turned in your direction, his eyes finally expressing a bit of hopefulness. “I know how to waltz. Would you want me to teach you?”

“You can waltz!?” You exclaimed as you turned the corner around the pathway that led back to the castle. “How come you never told me this before?”

Akaashi was finally back to normal it seemed, and he shot you a disarming smile as you climbed the stairs to the entrance. “Well, it’s not like waltzing is commonly done nowadays. I just didn’t feel the need to mention it.”

“You could have led with that on the train.” You teased, putting on a deeper voice in imitation. “Hello there. My name is Akaashi Keiji and I’ll also be beginning my first year at Hogwarts. I can also do the unthinkable feat of waltzing, and due to my extremely modest nature, will not admit how proficient I am at it.”

Akaashi morphed his face into one of faux impassiveness, and you chuckled at it until he joined you, their laughs mingling together in the empty halls. It almost seemed picturesque how the silent halls emphasized the secret joy shared between them. In fact, almost every time they traded some sort of banter, the halls were empty. A pattern, yet again.

“I’ll make sure we waltz one of these days, okay?” He assured you silently, the remnants of his amusement still evident on his face.

“I’m holding you to it.”

“So you’re telling me he offered to teach you how to waltz, conveniently after I threatened you?” Suna smiled. “Hmmm, Y/N, you made your man jealous.”

You sat with Suna in the Astronomy Tower, and admired the way the sky was mixed with hues of pinks and oranges, with the clouds a subtle lilac. Viewing the sunsets from that height always made you find clarity in some of the most difficult situations, but it didn’t seem to offer ways to get Suna to mind his own business.

“Rin, you need to shut up.” You grumbled. “I swear, if your mindless meddling causes me to fuck up the friendship with the per–”

“Person you love most.” Suna interjected, a shit-eating grin on his face. “I know that. Why do you think I’m meddling if I wasn’t aware of the stakes?”

“Has anyone bothered to tell you you’re a menace?” You rolled your eyes. “Besides, knowing the stakes is different from tampering with them.”

“You’re hopeless!” He groaned. “How are you not able to see that he was fucking jealous? It was so obvious! The distant face, the reluctance to tell you why he looked that way, and the relief when you promised more time with him! My god.”

“Are you certain that it’s jealousy, and nothing else?” You questioned. “The worst thing I could do is adjust my interactions for all the wrong reasons.”

“You adjust your interactions with Akaashi?” Suna shot back. “Why? He loves you for you.”

“I do it to make sure I don’t say something I’ll regret later on.” You confessed. “There are times where I just want to tell him that I love him, and I can’t risk that.”

“It wouldn’t be that huge of a risk, considering that he loves you too.” Suna had pulled out his camera, and snapped a quick picture of the sunset as the colors deepened a bit, a precursor to the impending darkness that would follow. “I’ve seen it time and time again. Akaashi always goes out of his way for you. Rather than observe him, try observing his surroundings. You’ll be surprised how much of yourself you’ll find in them.”

“What do you mean?” The skies dipped into shades of blue as Suna rose from the seat across you.

He shrugged as he gestured for you to follow him down the stairs. “You’ll see it eventually.”

The two of you sprinted down the stairs of the Astronomy Tower, as the lighter hues of blue faded into something a lot darker behind you. Reaching the Great Hall, you slid in your seat, out of breath from keeping up with Suna. Screw him and his stupidly lanky legs.

“You just ran down from the Astronomy Tower, didn’t you?” Akaashi sat down beside you at the Slytherin table, as he did randomly on some nights. The professors and the rest of their houses had grown used to such behavior, with some of the students and staff even encouraging it.

“Maybe,” You grinned cheekily, as you reached for a treacle tart. “I regret it though.”

“Of course you do.” He laughed, reaching for a glass of water. “Don’t you dare eat only treacle tarts for dinner. That’s no way to maintain a healthy diet.”

“Fine, but they are one of my favorites.” You argued as you placed a sandwich on your plate. “It’s your fault for sitting in the area right in front of them.”

Wait. While you had randomly slid into a spot in the vicinity where you normally sat with him, it was common knowledge that treacle tarts were always near the back of the tables. Akaashi knew how much you loved treacle tarts. Did he always sit there on purpose?

“Y/N? What were you thinking about?” Akaashi casually grabbed a treacle tart for himself (as if he hadn’t eyed it the entire time) and took a bite out of it.

“Hmm, just about how we always conveniently end up near the treacle tarts every time we sit together. That’d be a pattern, right?”

You wanted to see the slightest hint of surprise from Akaashi. Just a little widening of the eyes or a subtle flush of the cheeks would be enough. However, his face maintained its signature neutrality as he took another bite of a sandwich he had just added onto his plate.

“It’s a coincidence that it’s near the treacle tarts. I always choose to sit here so I can spend time with you while still hearing the gossip at the Ravenclaw table.”

You decided to test that, tuning your ears to focus on the Ravenclaw table, and you didn’t hear...anything. Your heart bloomed at the thought. Turning to Akaashi, you saw his face flicker for a moment, before returning to its typical expression. “Awww Keiji, you can tell me if you sit here for other reasons.”

“You have an endless amount of cheek and you just have to use it on me.” He groaned. “And for god’s sake, drink water! You’ll never survive if you’re not hydrated!”

“You’re always caring for me!” You grumbled into a bite of a sandwich. “Take care of yourself every once in a while!”

“In what way exactly?” Akaashi wiggled his eyebrows. You froze.

Did Akaashi Keiji, handsome polite boy, just make an innuendo?

“What did I just hear?” You whispered, knowing full well that the tips of your ears were bright red. “Did you really just…” Crap, you couldn’t even say it!

Akaashi couldn’t hold his composure any longer and burst into the chiming laughter that you loved so much, except the fact that it was at your expense, made you want to smack him. Some of the girls at the table turned to look at him, blushes covering their cheeks at the sound of his voice. That prick had no idea how much he affected people.

In fact, you had no idea that he could even make an innuendo. Typically the dirty jokes were Suna’s area of expertise, and although you had grown used to his crude remarks, you were not mentally prepared for Akaashi to use one...and towards you nonetheless.

“Y/N, are you okay?” He gasped out, leaning to grab a sip of water. “You looked a bit red.”

“You’re terrible.” You frowned as you leaned over to grab some water for yourself as well. “Where the hell did you pick up something like that!”

Akaashi looked puzzled at this statement as he set down his glass. “What do you mean? I just asked how I would take care of myself? I don’t really think there’s anything more than sleep and hydration that can help.” However, at this, his lips formed a smirk, and you just knew he was playing innocent.

“Don’t lie to me.” You deadpanned. “Or else, I shall continue courting these treacle tarts.”

“I had no idea you could court treacle tarts.” He mumbled to nobody in particular. “Speaking of which, I have a quick revision I need to do in the library. Would you like to join me?” You contemplated this for a few moments. While time with Akaashi was always filled with memories and a warm heart, you hadn’t had the time to think about your previous interactions due to Suna’s untimely entrance.

You decided that going anywhere with Akaashi was worth any loss of free time. You nodded in his direction. “I think I’d like that.” Akaashi smiled at this, finishing up his plate’s contents and reaching for a peppermint. He had done that simple action so gracefully, and yet it never ceased to remind you how elegant the boy was in his every action. It was sometimes so frustrating to view this.

Akaashi turned toward you, peppermint still in his mouth as he raised his eyebrows. “See something you like?”

Yes, yes you did. “No, nothing interesting. I thought I saw a cute Hufflepuff walking back to their table, but it seemed that their hair was the only cute part about them.”

Akaashi’s eyes widened and you visibly saw him gulp in shock before he composed himself again, straightening out his robes. “I swear Y/N, being a Slytherin does not give you the right to be that brutal! Forget it, I’ll lecture you once we get to the library. We both know how bad it gets on nights before Snape’s essays are due.” He rose from the seat, grabbing another two peppermints for good measure as he met your eyes. “What are you waiting for?”

“I’m just enjoying the view.” You responded naturally, appreciating the way he flushed at your comment. “Kidding. Let’s go.” The two of you traversed down the corridors filled with the occasional student and eventually reached the library. Upon entrance, you saw many fifth years in various corners, parchments marked in red ink from a peer’s edits.

“Follow me, I have a good spot.” Akaashi commanded as he expertly maneuvered through the students and tables that filled the library. The two of you ended up in a quaint corner that was being occupied by...Kozume Kenma?

Kenma looked up at you, a brief smile covering his usually impassive features as he pushed various colors of ink, a few quills, and a few sheets of parchment across the table. “Akaashi. Y/N. Glad you finally made it.”

“Glad to be here.” You grinned as you took a seat across the pudding haired boy. “I didn’t really expect to see you here Kenma. Any special occasion?” Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted bookshelves filled with muggle classics like the type your mom had read you when you were younger (and before your dad had introduced you to some magical knowledge).

“I owed Akaashi a favor.” Was all Kenma offered in response as he rose from his seat. “I should get going. I have Snape first thing tomorrow and I’m not too keen on having him deduct points from Ravenclaw just because I’m tired.” He offered you a parting smile before he walked out of the library, winding through shelves, footsteps practically inaudible.

“What did you do for Kenma?” You asked Akaashii while you picked up a jar of green ink. “It had to be something big if he sat in the library for this long.”

“I told Kuroo to fuck off...to his face….on his behalf.” Akaashi hesitantly said, sliding into the seat where Kenma sat just moments ago. “Kenma was surprisingly delighted by this and offered to do me a favor sometime in response. I cashed that favor in today.”

“You did what?” You gasped. “Did you just…?”

“Curse?” Akaashi giggled. “I should do it more often if it gets this big of a reaction out of you.” You groaned as you shoved your face in between your hands in an attempt to calm yourself down. He was being so bold today, and you had no clue why.

“I’m not used to it from you.” You admitted as you re-emerged from your hands. “However, feel free to do it. It’s always nice to hear people who are so composed let themselves loose every once in a while.”

“I’ll consider it.” Akaashi replied with a nod as he grabbed his essay from the stack of parchments. “Feel free to look around the books here while I revise. In fact, you could even revise for me, and I can go grab you the books I found around here.”

“Sounds like a deal,” You smirked as you grabbed a quill and dipped it into some green ink. “I’ll make sure I won’t be easy on you.”

“I’d expect nothing less from you.” Pushing out his chair, he left the seat as he speed walked over to the shelves, picking up books at an alarming speed. Amused, you let a smile sit on your face as you reviewed Akaashi’s essay, finding no grammatical errors or inconsistencies in his arguments. For all intents and purposes, it was a perfect essay, and you were half annoyed at Akaashi for wanting to revise it at all!

He returned to the table, hands filled with books with the largest, most adorable, grin on his face. “Look what I found Y/N!” He said excitedly as he pulled out Pride and Prejudice from the pile. “I found Jane Austen! I didn’t even know Hogwarts had Jane Austen!”

“They do?!” You had shouted, receiving a disapproving look from Madam Pince, who had unfortunately been restocking the shelves just as you had expressed your glee. You sheepishly offered her an apology, to which she responded with a curt nod.

“You need to be more careful with that.” Akaashi had whispered in your proximity, breath minty fresh. It was a direct contrast to the tone he had used before, and you wondered what inspired such a dramatic switch. It was probably nothing. “Yelling in the library is a crime.”

“Not as much as a crime as hogging all the muggle classics.” You reached for one of the books, but were halted by Akaashi’s hand on yours.

“I thought our deal was you revising my essay first.” He said, his eyes, a dark and mischievous blue. “Besides, I haven’t gotten the chance to read a muggle classic in ages. Let me indulge myself.” He stepped away and slid back into his seat as he thumbed the spines of the other books he had discovered, not once letting go of your hand.

“You’re being awfully bold today Keiji,” You remarked as you quickly set down the quill and ink jar. “Regardless, your essay is perfect. There are no grammatical errors, none of your information is incorrect, and it’s also worded well. Why revise something so perfect?”

“Well I just wanted to check it through to make sure.” His fingers let go of your hand and he flexed them a bit, a tell-tale sign that he was at least a little bit nervous. “Also, there’s some Charles Dickens in this pile too. I think we could just stay here for a while, right?”

You nodded enthusiastically as you extracted Oliver Twist from the pile. “Yeah, I think we could.” You had just begun flipping through the pages when an epiphany struck you. Prior to today, you had never realized there was a section to the library filled with a plethora of muggle classics, and yet here you were with Akaashi, reading said books in a quaint corner.

Kenma said that he owed Akaashi a favor. Did he cash in his favor....for you? Perhaps Suna was influencing your thought process a bit too much.

The murmurs of the chattering students grew to a low hum as more time passed by, the dim lanterns of the library providing the only light around the area. You finally set down Oliver Twist only to see Akaashi looking straight at you with a look of interest on his face.

“See something you like?” You teased, bringing up his quote from the Great Hall. He shook his head in denial before he grabbed Pride and Prejudice and rose from his seat. The two of you signed out the book before heading into the corridors of the castle, predominantly empty, save for a few teachers and wandering students.

“That was a lot more peaceful than I had anticipated.” Akaashi admitted as the two of them walked to nowhere in particular. “Would you be open to doing that again?” You felt your heart warm at the declaration.

“In a heartbeat,” You grinned as you gripped his shoulder. “It’s always fun doing things like that with someone who actually understands the appeal.” He smiled at this, and the two of them continued in a comfortable silence as the halls grew quieter around them. They stopped in front of a larger door, a normal one by the looks of it, yet Akaashi focused on it like he focused on a homework assignment.

“Isn’t this just a nor–” You were promptly cut off when Akaashi opened the door, revealing a comfortable space with music speakers and plenty of comfortable seating. He looked proud at this revelation and dragged you inside, shutting the door behind them.

“I thought Kozume was just lying to me.” Akaashi gasped in awe. “Y/N, this is the Room of Requirement. It’s supposedly said to provide the users with what they need at any given point, and isn’t documented in any particular map. I think we’ve just found it.”

“Wow.” Was all you managed to express as you walked around the perimeter of the room, touching the seats and admiring the general spaciousness. You found a table in the far back, filled with many artistic mediums, and you could immediately pinpoint that it was meant for Akaashi.

Akaashi walked up behind you, saying nothing as he stared down at the supplies. He finally let out a particularly loud sigh, as he reached for the oil pastels. “I wasn’t expecting these to show up.” He experimentally reached for a sheet of paper and blended a green and blue pastel together, forming a gorgeous gradient. He used almost no effort, and still, the product was still so beautiful.

“Suna told me that he found you sketching in the library one day.” You began experimentally. “What were you sketching? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you do it.” Akaashi looked a bit startled before he set down the oil pastels.

“Where does Suna even appear from?” Akaashi murmured under his breath. “What did he tell you I was drawing?” He looked worried, and you saw him playing with his fingers as he waited for a response.

“He...didn’t tell me what you were drawing.” You lied, willing your face to maintain its neutrality. “That’s why I asked.”

Akaashi dropped his hands and rolled his shoulders, looking thoroughly relieved. “I was drawing greek gods. I was working on one of them when Suna found me it seems.”

You would have been prideful for the response that your best-friend provided with you, had it not been for the palpable panic you felt emanating off of him. He had been worried about what Suna told you, and was even relieved when you hadn’t told him the truth. Then again, Akaashi had always been possessive of his artwork and far too modest, even though every time he touched a pencil to paper, it created a masterpiece that was rivaled only by greater artists.

Maybe you couldn’t read him as well as you thought.

Akaashi flitted around the room, loosening his tie a bit. “I am going to attempt to teach you how to differentiate your left foot from right in the presence of others, and am more than capable of healing any of the chaos you may inflict on my feet.” He spun around and gestured for you to join him, your heart thudding madly at the simple movement.

“Don’t we need music?” You asked as you slowly made your way over to him, begging for your heart to slow it’s pace. The atmosphere would be far too tense, and far too silent without any music to create an ambience. As much as you loved Akaashi (and you did, with almost all of you), you were not going to let something like that wedge an odd gap between the two of you.

Akaashi pulled out his wand and waved it experimentally around the room, a soft piano beginning to filter through the speakers. “That can be arranged.” He furrowed his brow in thought as he waved his wand a final time, a familiar music coursing through the room. “I actually learned how to waltz to this, so it may help you as well.”

The soft lyrics of the song sent you hurtling through a wave of nostalgia, and you stepped up to Akaashi, smiling. “This is what we listened to on the Hogwarts Express for second year’s summer break.”

Akaashi flushed a bit at this, as he positioned his hand hesitantly on your waist. “Is this okay?” He looked up from the spot where his hands were, to meet your eyes, and for just a second, you were momentarily taken aback by how vulnerable he looked. You had always loved his eyes, but under the dimmed lights, they looked almost ethereal, an endless ocean of sorts.

“It’s more than okay.” You assured him, tentatively placing a hand on his shoulder. “I trust you Keiji. Besides, you’re going to have to guide me for the sake of your feet.” You attempted a laugh in an attempt to lighten the semi-intimate air around you, but all it did was add to the warmth.

“That’s good to hear.” He smiled as he poked your cheek. “Loosen your posture a bit so that way you’re a bit less tense, and I can begin to guide you.” You took his advice, reliving the stiff posture you had unknowingly been in, and immediately felt the difference. He nodded in approval before he leaned forward, your faces mere inches apart. Your breath hitched a bit. This was seriously close.

“Alright, so on the count of three, I will be moving my left foot forward. When I do that, step back with your right. I’m almost certain you will be able to go the opposite of my movements from there, but please, tell me if anything is too much.” He instructed, bringing his gaze to your face. “You will tell me if anything is too much, right?”

“I will.” You affirmed, and he began, bringing his left foot forward. You brought your right foot back in response, and suddenly, the two of them were dancing around the room, your steps opposing his, with every step he took. He looked so at ease leading the movements, eyes trained on your face almost fondly.

“Who said you couldn’t dance?” Akaashi whispered, his eyes filled with mirth. “You’re doing splendidly. You haven’t even stepped on my feet once.” You felt yourself flush at the realization, turning the corner of the room before regaining some semblance of composure.

“Well, you’re an amazing leader.” You attempted as you stepped to the right with your right foot. “I’m almost certain I’d never be able to do something like this without you.” He smiled bashfully at this as he twirled you around and captured you in his arms again.

The song was a soft melody behind them, but all you could register was his hands on your waist, the slow but deliberate pace of your movements, and the crackling tension between them as he leaned even closer, his left foot stepping to the left with practiced accuracy.

He looked so at ease while he danced, not a trace of stress on his face, but rather, a gentle smile. Akaashi was beautiful when he was dancing, and you felt proud that you were the lucky one who got to see him like this.

He suddenly dipped you, and your faces were just an inch apart. Though his face was calm, his eyes were slightly blown, the dark blue becoming an even darker color. You stayed there for a moment, face heating with the proximity.

“You did amazing.” He mumbled near your ear, voice a bit rough.

“I know,” You gulped, as you moved your face a bit away from his, and let him pull you up, before you engulfed him in a hug. “Thank you.”

Suna tapped his quill incessantly on the table as you attempted to copy down the ingredients that Snape listed on the board for a Draught of Peace potion, watching Suna quicken his pace the more and more ingredients were written on the board.

“It’s not that complicated.” You assured him, passing him the list that you had just written down, watching his green eyes scan the contents of the page with a contented sort of look on his face.

“Yeah, I know that, but don’t you think that it’s odd how Snape is just writing the ingredients instead of dictating it like he normally does?” Suna shrugged. “It’s just not something I’m used to.” You had also noticed the lack of normal instruction today, and a part of you wondered what happened to have caused it. However strict Snape may have been, he was still a proficient teacher, which meant he had a reason for anything he was doing.

“With your table-mate, I would like you to read the ingredients listed above, and brew a perfect Draught of Peace in the alloted class time. Samples of each potion with your names will be collected in a vial and scored for brewed efficiency and it’s efficacy.” Snape’s expression was stern and unyielding as he continued. ”Unfortunately I do not have the time to dictate this lesson as the sixth years have brewed Amortentia, and I must dispose of it before an accident should occur. I shall return to the classroom in another half hour to oversee your progress. Please be mature enough to conduct yourselves.”

With that, Snape left the classroom, robes billowing out behind him as he let out a sound that sounded more like frustration than anything else. The class remained silent for a minute as they let the reality that they were alone truly sink in, before they acted on anything.

Gryffindor student Tanaka Ryuunosuke shouted in glee at the lack of supervision, and suddenly, the rest of the Gryffindors joined in on the chaos. You saw Suna’s fingers twitch through your peripheral vision, and you knew he wanted to snap a picture of the events.

“Tanaka, starting your brew is the safest option.” You stated, staring at the buzz-cut boy. “It’d be way safer if we got this out of the way. You know how scary Snape can get.” He immediately ceased his antics, which you took as a sign that he listened.

“Look at that,” Suna drawled, a look of mischief on his face, “It’s not that hard to get your point across, Why don’t you, I don’t know, tell Akaashi you love him with that tone?”

“Rintarou!” You growled, stalking over to the potions supplies, “You know full well I can’t do that! It’s almost pathetic how I can read almost everyone, but I struggle to read my best-friend.” Suna walked up behind you, grabbing the vial of salamander blood that you struggled to reach.

“Fine. Be that way. But at least tell me where you were three days ago. I didn’t see you in the Common Room, and I knew you left the Great Hall with pretty boy.”

“Pretty boy?” You snickered, grabbing some porcupine quills. “I mean you’re not wrong, but of all the names…”

“Not the point Y/N.” Suna shoved you back to the table, placing the cauldron on top. “Where were you?”

“Keiji let me join him in the library to make some revisions to his perfect essay, which I ended up with the job of revising while he went digging around for books. He found muggle classics. I didn’t even know Hogwarts had them!” You rambled excitedly, swirling your wand over the cauldron. “Then we ended up walking randomly in the hallway until we found the Room of Requirement.” You stopped there, a little heat raising in your cheeks at the memory of their waltz. He was so close…

“What did you two do there?” Suna quickly wrote down something on a piece of parchment and tucked it away as he began to add some moonstone.

“He taught me how to waltz.” You mumbled, using your hands to cover your cheeks.

Suna’s eyes widened at this, a devilish smirk emerging onto his face. “Was this waltzing in the bedroom or…?”

“Get your head out of the damn gutter!” You yelled. “Seriously, you’re a fucking pig!”

“And you’re a lovesick idiot.” Suna retorted almost immediately.

“But for your information, he actually taught me how to waltz. I didn’t step on his feet even once.” You admitted, adding some powdered griffin claw as a finishing touch to the potion. “He is an amazing dancer. I suppose the reserved ones always have their talents.”

“They’re also the kinkiest.” Suna grinned, waving his wand over the finished product.

“Why are you this way?” You groaned as you hid your face between your arms. “Why?”

Suna chuckled at this, a brief hint of his amusement before his face returned to it’s normal expression, an indecipherable one. “Listen, as your friend–” He paused at this, making a face that looked a lot like a grimace. “Scratch that, that sounded sappy as fuck. Look, as somebody who’s given your lonely ass some company for the past few years, I’m telling you that you won’t be able to live with yourself if he gets with somebody else because you didn’t tell him how you felt.”

Snape re-emerged from the doors just then, his expression much calmer as he scanned the room. “It seems that the Slytherins have made good progress.” He remarked sarcastically, throwing a disapproving look at Tanaka, who had just begun adding the porcupine quills. “Do tell me why everyone in the class isn’t at the point in their brewing that Suna and Y/L/N are.”

“Professor,” a Gryffindor piped up, a short boy by the name of Nishinoya Yuu. “Suna and Y/L/N were the first to the supplies and had already prepped their cauldron before you had even provided the ingredients needed. They were steps ahead!”

You had never truly paid much attention to Nishinoya before, but he was surprisingly observant for someone so outspoken. Perhaps for once, your split second judgement of him was incorrect. Maybe, he had noticed the events in the classroom far before you had, and never cared to showcase this. Whatever it was, it was startling seeing the stark change in his demeanor when he pointed out a circumstance that even you hadn’t been aware of. When did they prep their cauldron? Suna had most likely done it while you wrote your notes.

Snape raised an eyebrow at this before turning his eyes to their cauldron, watching the color shift from a pale lilac to a deep blue. “Is this true?” You turned immediately to Suna, only to see him nod at Snape.

“Yes sir, I did prep the cauldron while you were writing the ingredients. Y/L/N here was listing them down on a sheet of parchment, so I was able to prep accordingly while viewing what they wrote on there.”

“Very well.” Snape acknowledged. “The two of you may leave. Everyone else, please finish up your potions and submit whatever you have completed. By the looks of it, Suna and Y/L/N’s potion is perfect, so it will be used as the comparing medium. Other than that, class is dismissed.”

You found yourself on the Quidditch pitch yet again after classes had drawn to a close, the cloudy skies providing a coolness to the air that you could only describe as refreshing. In front of you, you watched as the Ravenclaws mounted their brooms and soared through the air, throwing the quaffle into the Keeper’s hoops as they passed. Among them was Akaashi, whose face was focused as he aimed the quaffle directly through the hoops with ease, even though Bludgers were constantly aimed in his direction.

He seemed to have finally noticed you, his face splitting into an immediate smile. He gestured to his captain before dismounting his broom and jogging over, the expression not once leaving his face. “Y/N! I didn’t know you came to watch. You’re not spying on us to report back to your Captain or Suna for the Interhouse Tournament, right?”

“No, I don’t know Oikawa personally, and I would never tell Suna anything after the little stunt he pulled in Potions today.” You chuckled, walking towards him. You offered him a brief high-five in greeting, and he met your hand with just as much enthusiasm.

“What happened in Potions?” He questioned, with his face contorted in a polite expression that you knew meant that he was curious.

“Snape had to get rid of the Amortentia that the sixth years brewed earlier today, so he ended up leaving us unattended for half an hour and expected us to complete a Draught of Peace. Suna prepped the cauldron beforehand, which is the only reason we finished.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What stunt did he pull then?” Oh.

“He said some....questionable things in relation to events that I had mentioned.” You found yourself a bit flustered at the memory of his words, and shook your hands at your sides rapidly in an attempt to remove the awkward tension you felt internally.

“Questionable in what sense?” Akaashi was genuinely curious now, his blue eyes widened and absolutely begging for the answer, similar to how he was when a professor taught new material.

“Uhhh, we can settle on predominantly....dirty.” You winced. “He took something I said and made quite the show out of it. I won’t be offering him any information at all.”

Akaashi looked a little closed off now, and he seemed to be lost in thought...again. This somehow mirrored the situation you found yourself in just a week ago, where Suna had insisted that he was jealous. Was he jealous now?

“Nothing he said was in relation to me.” You clarified. You hoped that this would at least provide a clearer definition of Akaashi’s emotions (which you never seemed to be able to read nowadays), but rather, his face twisted into one of even more confusion.

“If not in relation to yourself, then who did you reference?”

Well shit. Telling Akaashi the truth would be so easy, but it would wreck the friendship that you came to treasure over the years. However, lying would only make Akaashi question you even further. Even worse, if he did reciprocate the feelings that you shared, the worst thing you could do was make him think your heart was reserved for somebody else (which it never was, and never could be).

“Suna asked me where we went three days ago, and I told him. He made quite the rude comment off of that.” This was good enough. A half-truth to Akaashi, was infinitely better than a lie.

Akaashi’s face morphed into something distinctly resembling relief, and perhaps amusement as he met your eyes. “You were having that much difficulty telling me that? How bad was it?”

“Terrible.” You groaned. “You’d be appalled if you had heard it as well.”

“Really?” Akaashi smirked in the carefree way of his. “Well, after practice, I suppose I should find Suna and ask him what made you this flustered. Certainly it’s not anything outrageous.”

“Don’t you dare!” You threatened, pulling out your wand playfully. “I am not afraid to hex you into the next century.”

Akaashi was merely entertained by this, grabbing your wand hand and placing it gently at your side. “Threaten me after practice Y/N.” He waved a farewell before he jogged back onto the pitch, receiving a few pats on the back from the other Ravenclaw players, and mounting his broom again, soaring off into the sky.

The water of the Great Lake lapped against the glass windows of your dormitory with an alarming speed as the thunderstorm outside raged in its nature. Sitting in your bed, you heard the thundering skies and the pour of the rain on the lake. You had sat awake for hours now, not finding it in you to ignore the rapidly developing storm that lingered outside the castle’s walls.

You were so tempted to merely stay awake and do anything, but you desperately craved the blissful comfort of sleep, and couldn’t find it within the walls of your dormitory. You considered finding Suna and waking him to accompany you, but you knew from experience that he would never comply unless there was an explicit reason.

You knew that Akaashi had insisted that you find him when you struggled to sleep, but you had never found the need to utilize that option. His dormitory was in the Ravenclaw Tower, and in the dead of night, there was always the risk of being caught by Filch. However, deep down, you knew that the risk seemed worth it, because Akaashi had made it clear even years ago, that he would never turn you away if you ever used that option.

You grabbed one of the velvet blankets that laid on your bed, and wrapped it around you as you exited your dormitory as silently as you could. Tiptoeing through the halls, you reached the Common Room, which was dimly lit by the green lanterns that adorned the ceilings. You rushed out, feeling the adrenaline spike in your veins at the chance of being caught.

You didn’t care though. You sprinted through the halls, using the dull lanterns as your guide when you finally reached the knocker of the Ravenclaw Tower.

“Y/L/N. This is not your house’s dormitory.” It stated as it stared ahead. “Either way, what is a man when he is drowned, yet not wet.”

You contemplated the riddle for a few moments, letting the ideas flood your head at a devastating speed until you finally reached the answer. “He’s in quicksand.” The doorknob unlocked itself, and you let yourself inside as quietly as you could. The Ravenclaw Tower was peaceful at night, ambient golden light illuminating the high ceilings of their Common Room. You would’ve stayed there, had it not been for the fatigue that so desperately wanted to claim you, but couldn’t.

You walked up the stairs to the boy’s dormitory, slipping into Akaashi’s room as quickly as you could before finally letting yourself breathe. You felt the guilt poor through you at the idea of waking Akaashi up, especially when he looked so...peaceful, while he was sleeping, but you knew he’d feel even worse if you had come all this way and he didn’t do anything,

He was always selfless like that.

That was one of the reasons you loved him.

Walking up to Akaashi’s bed, you gently sat down in the far corner as you leaned close to Akaashi, a far enough distance to where you weren’t flustered. “Keiji,” You whispered carefully as you ghosted your fingertips near his cheek. “Keiji, I can’t sleep.”

For a few moments, his breathing remained the same, and you were about to abandon the mission and return to your own dormitory when he groaned softly into his pillow. He slowly opened his eyes to meet yours, his half-lidded and sleepy gaze affecting your heart in more ways than one.

“Y/N?” He sighed out breathily, his voice coming out as a low rasp. “You can lie down with me. It’s okay.” You shakily lowered yourself onto his bed, immediately comforted by the softness of the mattress, and the heat that you felt radiating off of him. You gently turned to your side so that you were facing him, and nothing could have prepared you for the sight you saw.

Even though his features were clearly exhausted, the smallest of smiles was on his lips. The faint lightning that flashed through the room illuminated his eyes, and you could see just how happy he was with that simple look. You hesitantly wrapped an arm around his torso, and buried your head into his chest.

“Thank you,” You smiled. “Thank you so much.” You suddenly felt the softest lips brush the shell of your ear, so gently that you may have missed it otherwise.

“Goodnight Y/N,” He breathed into your ear. “Sleep well.”

It was the best sleep you had in ages.

*********

The sunlight gently streamed into the room through the sheer curtains that covered the windows of the dormitory, the gentle light waking you from your slumber. You had almost forgotten where you were, had it not been for the solid warmth you felt wrapped around you the minute you had eased into consciousness. You groggily opened your eyes to be met with Akaashi’s sleeping face a mere inch away from yours.

The sunlight streaming into the room made him look as if he was glowing, his dark hair and lashes contrasting almost artistically against his pale skin. His lips were so close to yours, so close that if you moved just an inch, you could seal the distance between you (like you had wanted to, for so so long).

But what was the use in kissing him if he couldn’t meet your lips back with the same desire, the same amount of love that you did?

Feeling him begin to stir slightly, you closed your eyes hastily, not wanting to be caught staring. You stayed still like that for a few moments, wondering if you were imagining the sudden tension that seemed to exist in the space between you.

You had no clue how long you just stayed there, consciously aware of Akaashi’s proximity to you, and yet not quite enough to judge what was happening beyond the area you could sense. You could hear the steady rhythm of Akaashi’s breathing, yes, but you were more aware of your heart’s rapid thudding inside your chest. Could he hear it?

Akaashi’s breathing hitched for a moment before his breath fanned across your face. You felt the blood rush to your cheeks because you knew how close he must have been. Before you had even had time to process this, he pressed his lips to your forehead softly, before smiling against it.

“Good morning sleepyhead. We’ve got to get you out of here before someone sees. We’ll both have a lot to explain if we don’t” You hesitantly opened your eyes to see Akaashi gently smiling above you. He had never been much of a morning person, but for a moment, you could’ve sworn that he seemed like one.

“Morning Keiji,” You sighed as you grinned back at him. “I just want to stay here. You never told me that the Ravenclaw beds were this comfy.”

He chuckled lightly at this. “Y/N, I can assure you that all the beds are equally comfortable. I’m glad you slept well.”

“Did you?,” You asked him. “I would have hated to wreck your sleep for the sake of my own.”

“I...I slept well.” He yawned. “Let me quickly get dressed and I’ll escort you back to your Common Room so we can make it look like we had met up earlier. You’re lucky all my roommates sleep like rocks.” He had just left the bed when he turned around, eyes widening in realization. “You’re probably cold. Hold on.” He headed to his trunk, rummaging through it briefly before he pulled out a hoodie and tossed it in your direction.

To say that you were thrilled was an understatement.

“When do you want this back?” You asked as nonchalantly as you could manage.

“Hmm, you can hold onto it for now. I’ll have it back some other time.” He grabbed his uniform from his trunk before he headed inside the bathroom, closing the door behind him. You picked up the hoodie from the bed, admiring the soft feel of the cloth on your fingers before you slipped it on.

It was a little loose on you, and plenty long, but it was warm, and even smelled like a faint hint of mint and perhaps something a bit sweeter yet tart, like cherries. It felt similar to how Akaashi’s arms felt when they were wrapped around you, and in a distant part of you, you weren’t sure if you wanted to return it at all.

Akaashi emerged from the restroom, looking incredibly polished (as he always did for their schooldays), but seemed to lose all his composure the second he saw you standing in front of the mirror.

“You okay?” You asked Akaashi, relishing the random expressions that flashed across his face. “You look conflicted.”

“I am definitely very conflicted.” He admitted silently. “You look comfy. It makes me want to go back to bed.”

“Well, I suppose if there’s ever another time I can’t sleep, you can expect me up here.” Akaashi nodded at this, a contented sigh leaving his mouth.

“You’re welcome here regardless, Y/N.” He smiled. “That’s not even a statement you need to make.”

*********

You left the History of Magic classroom, hands filled with scrolls from the notes that you were made to take about Emeric the Evil and his escapades, mentally cursing Professor Binns for being such an insufferable teacher even despite his wisdom.

Akaashi and you had been successful in sneaking out of the Ravenclaw Tower undetected, even managing to make it to the Slytherin dormitories in record time without awakening any of your roommates. Once you had gotten dressed, the two of them wandered the corridors aimlessly until they settled on returning to the quaint spot in the library, muggle classics right within reach.

Feeling in good spirits, you had decided to walk through the route of corridors that Akaashi usually frequented, to get to his classes.

What a mistake that had been.

Standing in front of Akaashi was a gorgeous Ravenclaw girl, clutching a letter with a giant blush on her face. She was petite, ebony curls framing her pale face, green eyes looking up at Akaashi with a lot of admiration, despite her nervousness. From your spot, you could see her offer the letter to Akaashi as her blush deepened into an even deeper red.

What you didn’t expect however, was for Akaashi to accept the letter with a matching blush on his face. He looked at the girl fondly, and even seemed a little embarrassed when she gave him a hug and ran off, leaving him alone in the corridor. You watched him absentmindedly smile at the letter before placing it in the pocket of his robes, walking in the opposite direction then you had come.

It felt like ice cold water had been doused on your head, numbing all your senses as you replayed the scene in your head again. Had he accepted? Was he...taken?

You resolved that you’d ask him at dinner, and even encourage him, because you loved Akaashi Keiji so much that your heart would handle the pain if he was happy with someone, even if that someone wasn’t you.

You loved him so fucking much, that if letting go was the only way to make sure he was happy, you’d do it in an instant.

You avoided him the rest of the day, which was easy considering that the two of you had different schedules apart from Charms class, in which you chose to sit with Suna. You applauded yourself for maintaining a facade of normalcy, because nobody, not even Suna, had questioned you as to whether or not you were feeling okay.

Dinner had rolled around before you had even registered, and you found a seat across from Suna until you inevitably had to face Akaashi.

“What did you see today that left you so shell shocked?” Suna had remarked casually, his voice laced with the slightest hint of concern. “You sat next to me in Charms. You literally never do that when your pretty boy is right there.”

“Other people think that my pretty boy is pretty too.” You sighed out, willing yourself to maintain your facade for just a while longer. “I saw a confession. He kept the letter.”

Suna didn’t say anything, but his green eyes searched over your face as if he was looking for something.

You didn’t know what that could be.

“I just thought that after everything, that there would be just the slightest chance that he’d feel the same way I did. I mean, hell, I noticed everything you told me, Rin! I noticed how there was a lot of my favorite things in every place we went, I noticed the way he looked when we waltzed, and hell I really thought–” You had taken a deep breath in order to maintain the composure you so desperately needed. “I just...I just thought that maybe he– you know what, forget it.”

Suna looked genuinely alarmed at this as you lazily grabbed a drink of water. “Y/N, I don’t like this side of you.” His hand twitched pathetically at his side before he ended up resting it on top of yours regardless.

Suna never willingly offered comfort to anyone.

You wondered how bad he thought the situation was if he was doing this.

“You’re sounding like somebody who’s given up.” Suna said sternly, his narrow eyes staring into yours. “You’re a Slytherin. You get what you want by any means necessary, you hear me? If you want Akaashi, then for goodness sakes, have him! He’s loved you and known it for longer than you have.”

Just then, Akaashi had slid into the seat next to you, not offering you his customary smile. Rather, his eyes were hyperfocused on Suna’s hands on yours, and you hoped with everything in you that Suna wouldn’t let go.

“Suna. Y/N.” Was all that Akaashi said, but you knew by now that he simply wanted an explanation for what he was seeing, and you didn’t feel the need to offer him one.

“So Keiji,” You grinned, placing all your bitter feelings away, if only for a moment. “There’s been rumors that you were confessed to today. Who’s the lucky girl?” You raised your eyebrows for effect, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in your heart.

Akaashi flushed at your words, and you felt yet another wave of hurt that encompassed you at the small response. “About that...I didn’t accept her confession.”

“Why not?” You asked him, crossing your legs in your seat. “From what I heard she’s a Ravenclaw, and she’s really pretty.” More like what you had seen, but he didn’t need to know.

“There–” His cheeks exploded into a red that was similar to what you had witnessed earlier today. “There is someone else that I have feelings for.”

Someone else.

Someone else?

You attempted to smile at this, even though you felt like you were collapsing on a few different levels. “Oh...that’s a valid reason. Say, I’m going to head to the library. I have some things I need to finish.”

Akaashi immediately shifted in his seat. “Wait, could I join you? I have to do some research on Animagi anyways.”

“Maybe next time. Rin and I have to go to the library to do some research on Amortentia. I think it’d be a cool extra credit opportunity for Potions.” You squeezed Suna’s hand in an attempt to get him to come with you, and he rose elegantly from his seat, nodding at Akaashi before you left the Great Hall, hand in hand.

You wanted to forget the flash of hurt that you saw on Akaashi’s face.

The next few days were some of the most difficult that you had to endure. Despite the fact that you were resilient, you just couldn’t bring yourself to speak to Akaashi without feeling like something had wilted inside you.

And so you avoided him in the most natural way you could. You no longer sought him out between classes or sat in his vicinity at mealtimes. You spent more and more time in the library, but far away from the quaint corner where they had shared some of their sweeter moments. In fact, Suna had become your pillar for the past days, and you had never appreciated it more.

The two of them sat in the library (like they did frequently nowadays), as Suna flipped through his camera’s pictures and you sketched mindlessly.

“You know Y/N, you can’t avoid him forever,” Suna mumbled as he snapped a random shot of the bookshelf in front of them. “You’re acting like you got your heart broken.”

“I know.” You groaned as you put your head down on the table. “I don’t want to avoid him forever, but at the same time, facing him hurts so much more.”

“I’ve never seen you be this emotional over something...ever.” Suna teased. “You’re acting like you got rejected.”

“He likes someone else Rin!” You exclaimed. “That’s a ‘game over' for me.”

“You’re a fucking dumbass you know.” He retorted, rubbing his temples. “You’ve been so preoccupied avoiding him that you don’t realize how miserable he’s been without you.”

You looked at Suna, for a moment, hoping that your internal emotions weren’t coming through, but they seemed to seep out of you like a running tap.

“Please don’t play with my heart Rin.” You whispered. “I’ll get over this eventually, but if you keep telling me something I know for a fact can’t be true, then I won’t be in good shape.”

Suna sighed dramatically as he set his camera down. “You can continue your moping session or you can come with me to the Great Hall for dinner to eat some food. You haven’t eaten properly in ages.”

“Fine, but don’t put me in a situation where I’ll have to interact with Keiji.” You commanded, sternly. Suna offered a simple shrug, but you took it as an assurance as the two of you made your way there, the tables already half-filled. You found Akaashi at the Ravenclaw table, chatting with a few of his Quidditch teammates before his eyes eventually drifted to you. You offered a weak smile in that general direction before you sat down, reaching for some pumpkin juice.

You reached hesitantly for a treacle tart and bit into it, but it didn’t seem to have the same flavor as you always loved, so you let it lay idle on your plate. Eventually, the rest of the desserts were brought out, and you gladly competed with Suna for the chocolate-covered strawberries and the pineapple pastries that filled the table.

“So, aren’t you glad that I dragged you here?” Suna questioned casually, a twinkling glint of glee as he ate the last chocolate strawberry.

“Very,” You mumbled through a bite of pineapple pastry, enjoying the sweet flavor that rested on your tongue.

When dinner had drawn to a close, you had skipped out of the Great Hall, contented from the interesting variety of food that had been laid out, and were about to make a turn down a corridor when you heard a voice.

“Y/N.” You whipped around to see Akaashi, who looked as if he had sprinted after you. He looked more disheveled than usual, his tie loose around his neck and his hair messy. He seemed to have noticed this as well since he quickly straightened himself out.

“Hi there Keiji,” You smiled widely as you began walking backward. “I’m just gonna head to the li–”

Your statement was punctuated by you being pushed up against the wall, Akaashi’s hands on either side of you. He looked pained as he stared back at you, breathing heavily.

“I’m sorry,” He said, tone low. “This seems like the only way to make you stay.” His eyes expressed emotions that ranged from relief to agony, and for the first time in forever, you didn’t even have the slightest clue as to what was happening in his head.

“Keiji,” You whispered, heating up at the proximity of your faces. It had been a while since they had been close, let alone this much. “What do you want to hear?”

“Please, tell me why you’ve been avoiding me.” Akaashi sighed, leaning in a bit further. “These past few days have been so terrible without you. Please, tell me if I did something, anything, to hurt you because I can assure you that I would never even dream of hurting you intentionally.”

It was now or never. You inhaled deeply as you looked into Akaashi’s eyes, which was filled with a clear worry. “Keiji...I love you. I always have. So when you said that there was someone else, backing off was the only way I could even manage to cope. You don’t have to say anything, but please don’t let this come in between our friendship. I’m so sor–”

You were cut off Akaashi’s chiming laugh before he pressed his lips to yours, almost instantaneously. Although his lips were soft, he kissed you with so much emotion that you gasped, meeting his kiss with just as much passion. You had no idea how long you stood there, breathing Akaashi in as he kissed you to oblivion, but after you broke apart, you could clearly tell it had been a while.

His eyes were completely blown, and he smiled happily at you before he pecked your forehead affectionately. “So Suna had been right.” He chuckled. “Why am I not surprised?”

“What did he tell you?” You asked suspiciously, although your heart hammered out of your chest.

“He said that you hadn’t caught on. I thought I had been so obvious, but it seems not. Y/N, ever since third year, I have had strong feelings for you. Almost every time I was awake, I thought of you, and that later turned into sleeping moments too. I even began sketching you in my sketchbook, which is why I never showed you my drawings anymore. I thought the lingering touches and smiles I gave you would have helped you catch on, but that wasn’t the case. I suppose this is clarification, but Y/N, I love you, I’ve always loved you, and I will continue to love you...if you’d let me.” He smiled genuinely at you, his blue eyes still dark, but lit up with what only seemed like fireworks.

“I love you Keiji, so much.” You murmured before you leaned in to kiss him again, finally having the chance to feel his lips against yours.

Click.

Akaashi and you quickly released yourselves from your position on the wall, only to see Suna with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Thank god, you pining idiots actually ended the pining!” Suna showed the picture he had captured of the two of you, gazing at it proudly. “I think I’ll call this thing enchanted, considering you’ve had each other hooked from the start.”

“That’s a surprisingly nice play on words,” Akaashi commented.

You gripped Akaashi’s arm as you beamed at Suna. “It is, isn’t it?”

Suna looked between the two of them for a moment before saying anything. “Do me a favor and go make those lovey-dovey eyes that you’re making at each other in the bedroom.”

“SUNA!” Akaashi groaned, cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that.” You teased, winking at Akaashi.

Akaashi froze, but a faint smile was visible on his lips.

*********

enchanted

adjective

placed under a spell; bewitched

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