Work Text:
Akaashi had had enough.
In general, most of the students in the Ravenclaw house were recognized by the rest of the houses as the most intelligent, if not the smartest, in the whole school. And Akaashi had no problem with that stereotype so used over the years. It was distinctive of his house from eternity and he didn't have to change it when it was not completely wrong.
But what in fact was quite annoying, was that within the walls of the Ravenclaw tower rumors flew faster than owls on mail days. Akaashi had learned since his freshman year at Hogwarts, that some Ravenclaws, if not the majority, had complexes that were a bit difficult to cope with. And Akaashi thought that he was more smart than that, because he wasn't a person who would let himself be carried away by stereotypes or comments from people who only wanted to criticize others, but everybody had a limit. And Akaashi wasn't so patient when it came to his own interests.
And that morning, he had a lot to deal with. And it wasn't even lunch time.
"Hey, Akaashi." The first person to talk to him during the day was Atsumu Miya. They weren't that friends to being with, but it wasn't as if the presence of Atsumu was annoying because, to be fair, they were classmates since first year. And they were both in fifth year now.
Enough years of tolerance to start hating him now.
"Is it true that you're dating the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain?"
Although exceptions could always be made, Akaashi believed.
"Excuse me?"
"At breakfast, Bokuto Koutarou himself showed up at the table asking where you were."
Akaashi had left that morning because the previous day he had gone to bed very late and it was the Hufflepuff captain's fault, but he didn't see how Atsumu could draw his own conclusions that he and Bokuto were dating simply for that question. Akaashi used to be Bokuto's tutor although the boy was a year older, it wasn't at all strange that he looked for him at the table.
"And what did you say to him?"
"That you were sleeping, duh." Atsumu rolled his eyes as if that was an obvious answer, and Akaashi let out a laugh as Atsumu collided with some Gryffindor girls because he distracted himself just to be sarcastic towards Akaashi. He didn't even understand why Atsumu was talking to him on the way to potions class. The corridors were very crowded and if it was difficult to walk, it was even more to talk.
"Very smart of you, Atsumu."
"And you don't guess what he answered!" The boy hurriedly apologized to the Gryffindor girls with his famous Atsumu-Miya-Smile, and returned to be next to Akaashi in a flash, this time, hooking one of his arms with the one from Akaashi that was next to him.
Akaashi sighed tiredly. He hadn't even had breakfast and had to start his second part of the day on Atsumu's arm.
"What did he say."
"Oh, come on! At least pretend you're interested. "
"I'm not really interested, Atsumu."
"Oh, but this is going to interest you." Atsumu clung a little more to Akaashi, giggling as if he were a gossip girl. Akaashi thought for a moment that he was. "When we told him that you wouldn't came down to breakfast, he worried a lot, and before returning to his table, he left Yukie with a bag, you know, like the one you carry when you go to the library. And Saru stole it from Yukie and inside was your tie and two buttons."
Akaashi stopped walking for a second, and cursed himself when Atsumu, being stuck to him, noticed the change in his face.
And to Akaashi's bad luck, he continued.
"With the guys we couldn't get precise conclusions about why the Hufflepuff captain would have your tie and two buttons that looked like they were torn off from a shirt, but thanks to the girls we were able to come up with a hypothesis."
"Oh, yeah?" Akaashi felt his throat dry.
He wanted to kill Bokuto Koutarou in that precise moment.
"Yes." Atsumu smirked with his typical smirk. But Atsumu Miya had many typical smirks, and the one he was wearing right now, was his evil smirk. The one which you can't expect anything good. "Yukie said that maybe you were dating the Hufflepuff. We all laugh at the beginning but, who knows? Once, I tried to take off my girlfriend's shirt and accidentally ended up taking off the first buttons of her uniform."
Akaashi was going to reply, almost with disgust, of how Atsumu's accusations were quite out of place in his opinion. But at that moment, in that fucking right moment, a laugh echoed in almost the entire corridor and most of the eyes turned in its direction.
Bokuto Koutarou wasn't an introverted, reserved or much less silent person when he made his presence at any place. Bokuto liked to have other people's attention on him, and sometimes he didn't even know he was receiving attention but he was fine. Since his first year in Hufflepuff it was like that and he was already in his sixth year more welcomed than ever even by the rest of the houses.
There always seemed to be a person around Bokuto and the boy had no drama with anyone and was always friendly even with people he should not be friendly with. His group of friends was quite big and Bokuto was interesting enough to not make anyone bored and he always got new people to put their eyes on him.
Not to mention that he was quite attractive. Or at least in the opinion of some girls.
Kuroo Tetsuro was a Slytherin and was his best friend. That fact seemed to have revolutionized Hogwarts in their early years, so much that when Akaashi arrived at the castle he could already hear the rumors of a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin being the new Fred and George Weasley. Akaashi didn't know them much at that time, and many Ravenclaw girls seemed to be in love with them.
And right there were the famous Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Bokuto and Kuroo, surrounded by a small group of girls who seemed excited to get Kuroo's attention, while Bokuto made a few laughs out of the girls with whatever he was talking about.
And it was not until Bokuto looked up and his eyes connected with Akaashi's, that Akaashi remembered that he should not be enthralled with how attractive Bokuto was that morning, but that he should be upset about Bokuto exposing him to his housemates as he had done.
So for that very reason, Akaashi frowned a bit and ignored Bokuto all along the corridor, passing by without even giving him a nod.
"Wow." Atsumu gasped beside him as they turned the corner, finally leaving that crowded corridor behind. "Um, do you know that the Hufflepuff captain didn't take his eyes off you since he saw you, right? Fuck, it was pretty intense."
Atsumu was an idiot and Akaashi hated him for confirming what he already knew: Bokuto didn't know a shit about discretion.
"You know? That Bokuto Koutarou seemed about to jump on you when we passed him and you didn't even looked at him. Dude, it was so intense that my own heart is racing." Atsumu put a hand to his chest, and then extended that same hand to Akaashi's free hand, taking him to touch his chest and confirm that in fact, his heart was beating very fast. It's not as if Akaashi cared. "How intense the attraction between two men can be? Fuck, that adrenaline makes me want to try. Wouldn't you mind giving me a hand?"
Akaashi broke off sharply from Atsumu's arm and to his luck, they already had reached the classroom. He didn't share a seat with Atsumu or any person from Ravenclaw, so he would have one hour of class of peaceful potions until he had to go through the tension of the questions of his housemates.
And nothing changed from there. Not at all.
When the class ended and Akashi stepped out of the room, a group of people passed him and he felt something fall into one of the pockets of his tunic. The situation happened so fast that Akaashi noticed much later that who passed in front of him had been Bokuto, and that inside one of the pockets of his tunic, was an exaggeratedly large cereal bar very full of all kinds of fruits and cereals, not to mention that it also had yogurt on it.
And of course one of his housemates who came to his side talking to him about how much he hated history of magic, noticed that movement that the Hufflepuff had with his friend, and didn't shut up about it all morning until Akaashi ate the fucking cereal bar to erase all evidence.
His stomach no longer suffered, but what did suffer was his head, to say the least.
"Keiji-chan, is it true what they say?" It was Oikawa Tooru at lunchtime who seriously annoyed him for the second time that day. For a change, Atsumu was too far away to pay attention and get into the conversation.
Conversation that Akaashi didn't want to have.
"What, that Ravenclaws are last to win the cup this year? I heard it, that should improve, captain." Akaashi would fight.
"Funny, aren'cha?. But you know what I mean." The captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team wrapped his arms around Akaashi's shoulders, sticking him a little closer to him. "Some second years told me that they saw you last week with Bokuto Koutarou near the lake. You know, the captain of the rival team of our house in recent years."
"If they saw me or not, it's none of your business." Akaashi defended himself trying to get Oikawa away, and not having much success, he looked for Iwaizumi, the Ravenclaw captain's best friend and famous for putting Oikawa in his place.
"Are you confirming what everyone says? Are you really dating that idiot who thinks two plus two is five and looks like an ugly owl?"
This time, Akaashi didn't respond and with a strong move he pushed Oikawa aside. They were sitting so Oikawa didn't fall to the ground, but it caused him to hit the girl who was sitting next to him. Iwaizumi who was already coming to put order with his friend, was impressed like the other people at the table. Akaashi was known for being a very quiet and friendly guy and with whom it was easy to talk about anything. And for him to react in that way, and be seeing Oikawa with hatred in his eyes right now, meant that the Ravenclaw captain had said something really, really bad to him.
"Shittykawa, what did you do now?" Iwaizumi seemed eager to hit his best friend.
"So is it true?" Oikawa ignored everything around except Akaashi's gaze which was about to catch fire. "I was kidding, you know, I just wanted to tease you."
"Don't you dare to talk about him like that again." Akaashi said, genuinely angry, in a quit voice, but since he wanted Oikawa to listen to him and make his message clear, it was inevitable that at least the people around them would hear everything. "Never."
"Oi, I told you I was just kidding, don't take it too personal!" Oikawa smirked slyly raising two hands. Iwaizumi hit him on the back of his neck, but it was not enough for Akaashi to calm down. And when out of the corner of his eye he could see that many people in the dining room were looking at them, he made his plate aside and stood to go already.
And although Atsumu reached him at the exit of the great dining room to ask him what had happened a moment ago, after seeing Akaashi's face he restrained himself from any doubt and decided to accompany him in silence. He had another class about to start for his nonexistent luck.
And that's how he arrived at the end of the day. Being teased by his friends and housemates for the simple fact of the rumor that ran about him dating the captain of the Hufflepuff team. And Akaashi, being a reserved person, hated having attention to himself or other people talking about him because of stories told mouth by mouth. He hated attention and at least he appreciated having the castle library for him in the afternoons. While Ravenclaw had its own library almost as complete as the castle's, it was located in the common room in Ravenclaw where he least wanted to be now. And in the afternoons students usually concentrated on their activities like Quidditch or wandering around the castle rather than going to the library to study. And although when that afternoon he entered that sacred place, there were no more than ten people, and most of them were sitting at the tables in the entrance, so Akaashi with his backpack on hand went more deeper, dodging a few shelves and hiding well in the comfort of that place until he found his favorite place. A couch with a small coffee table and a fireplace next to it, which was placed next to a window which he sometimes used to saw the landscape of the forest to distract himself or just to relax.
He spent most of the afternoon reading books about dragons until he got bored and had to get up to find a few books of the history of magic to do a more in-depth investigation for the task that Professor Binns had left.
Generally, the shelves were very well organized, but there was always an idiot who didn't know how things worked and put the books in places that didn't correspond. And while the librarian with magic then took charge of ordering everything in its place, there was still light outside and it was still hours before the library closed for the lady in charge to do her job.
And while Akaashi was grateful to be a tall boy with his meter eighty-two, there were shelves too high that his arms were not enough and honestly, worrying about that was the last thing he needed in his day.
So he came up with a faster solution. He was about to take out his wand so he could have the book he wanted, but a pressure on his back made all the pores of his body alert, until he could recognize the smell of the person behind him. After that, said person got closer enough to Akaashi's body, and extend an arm in front of him.
"Do you need help?" the voice said in his ear with a warm breath that caused an electric current to travel down his entire spine. The person, or rather the boy who had stuck his chest to Akaashi's back got even closer to him so he could move better and take the book with which Akaashi had been having so many problems. "Is this what you needed?"
Akaashi turned around.
And indeed, there was Bokuto Koutarou.
"You're tall but not enough" Bokuto said quietly without taking his eyes away from Akaashi's. "It must be frustrating."
"It isn't." Akaashi cleared his throat and looked at the Hufflepuff with a neutral scowl, as neutral as he could while feeling that his heart was about to run away from his chest. "It's useful when I need someone bigger than me to do things I'm supposed to do."
"Uh?" Bokuto looked intently into his eyes as he comfortably held one of his hands next to Akaashi's head, while the other was hid in his pant pockets. He was wearing his Quidditch comfy and sporty uniform. Jesus. "Did you make the poor old librarian reach things for you? Mean, Akaashi. Mean."
His name coming out from Bokuto's lips was like a caress to his cheek, but even so, he wouldn't allow himself to fall. His legs had to understand that trembling like cowards wouldn't help him in life at all.
Bokuto leaned a little closer to him.
"No, in fact, taller guys usually offer to help me when they see that I need it."
"Oh?" Bokuto raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Well, such a pretty face must know how to take advantage of itself for good causes."
"Don't worry about it." Akaashi smiled in turn, releasing a nervous laugh. His fucking legs didn't stop shaking and this game was about to drive him crazy. "This pretty face of mine knows very well how to take advantage of big guys."
"I see," The Hufflepuff released the hand that was in his pocket and placed it in the Ravenclaw's chin. Akaashi felt his cheeks burn more than ever, but he wouldn't let his eyes be weak at the touch of Bokuto's fingers on his skin. "This is a pretty and brave face then?"
"Intelligent, more than brave."
Akaashi closed his eyes when the Hufflepuff's thumb caressed his chin while his ring finger gently touched his jaw. Bokuto blew air over his face and it was so warm and welcomed that Akaashi opened his own eyes to look at Bokuto with a face that the only thing that shouted was that Bokuto needed to stop teasing him.
So he did.
Bokuto's lips collided with his in a hurried and anxious way, and the hand that was on the shelves next to Akaashi's head, went to one of his thighs, holding him firmly against Bokuto's body, before Akaashi's legs will betray him by shaking him so much that he will fall to the floor.
A hand of the Hufflepuff cradled Akaashi's face while having all control over the kiss. Bokuto opened his mouth deepening more and more his closeness with Akaashi.
Both were a mess of wet kisses and tongues, too desperate for contact that they didn't realize the moment when Akaashi crashed sharply against the bookshelf and almost making it fall, although not managing to save a few books that fell to the floor. Bokuto pulled himself from his lips at that, his eyes shone with the excitement of the moment but he still allowed himself to see the disaster they were doing. Or at least he tried to see it until Akaashi clasped the same his hands in Bokuto' face returning it to his face to crush their lips again. Bokuto's hands traveled to Akaashi's hips to glue him even closer to his body if it was humanly possible. Both with their minds blank and desperate for the other's contact that had been lost all day.
"Fuck. Akaashi, I missed you so much." Bokuto breathed into his ear when he ran his face to sweep his lips to Akaashi's neck and inhale a little of his essence.
"We did see each other yesterday." Akaashi's voice came out ragged from the open mouthed kisses that Bokuto was leaving on his jaw.
"It's not enough." The Hufflepuff growled over the juncture of his neck and shoulder. Akaashi wasn't wearing his tunic but he was in his normal clothes, which consisted mostly of a sweater somewhat open in the collarbones and sleeves that covered almost all his hands, which was quite convenient for Bokuto's lips. They didn't stop kissing and exploring their skin as they had done so many times in the past.
"B-bokuto-" Akaashi's heart was beating a thousand times an hour, even faster than Atsumu's heartbeat that morning. And although it was a fairly common feeling whenever Bokuto was that passionate and intense, in those moments, maybe due to the emotional overload that was the day, Akaashi felt that he couldn't stand it.
He was literally drowning. And Bokuto realized instantly because of how much his body was shaking.
"Akaashi, hey" Bokuto spoke softly. Akaashi hugged him hiding his head in the Hufflepuff's neck and Bokuto left him, returning the hug.
Akaashi felt pathetic.
The distance between their bodies was practically nonexistent, and he knew that Bokuto could feel his heartbeat very clearly. Although it calmed him a bit that Bokuto's heartbeats were equally altered, it didn't match his own which, however exaggerated it sounded, was disturbingly fast.
"Wanna go sit at your favorite place?"
He knew that Bokuto was referring to his couch by the fireplace and in front of the window, so he simply nodded, not making the slightest impulse to move. And he didn't feel less manly at all when Bokuto took him in his arms, taking him in a bridal style to that comfortable sofa where he was, letting Akaashi be on his lap, with his arms still wrapped around his neck.
"You okay?" Bokuto asked when a long time passed and Akaashi's heartbeat subsided a little. "Usually I'm the one who always gets more agitated than you when we see each other."
"I guess." Akaashi said softly against the skin of Bokuto's neck. He felt the Hufflepuff tremble and Akaashi missed the feeling of his skin against his lips, so he came back to leave a short kiss before pulling away to see Bokuto in the eye. "Why did you leave my tie to Yukie? Everyone asked me this morning if we were dating."
"Oh." Bokuto looked genuinely surprised. Akaashi wanted to scold him but even more wanted to kiss him. "Is that why you almost hit Oikawa at lunch? I was about to go after you but that boy Miya was faster than me."
"Yes. Well, Oikawa was one of the people who asked me. Literally all Ravenclaws are wondering what is doing someone as intellectual as Akaashi Keiji with the idiot and enemy team captain Bokuto Koutarou." Akaashi let go as he frowned and Bokuto hugged him closer to his chest. "It's so, so annoying. Why do they care in the first place? Why should it matter if I'm dating you or not? Why can't they just shut up instead of spreading rumors that make everyone see me when I walk through the corridors? It's very uncomfortable. Everyone looking at you all the time. I hate it."
Akaashi didn't know why he even cared so much, but he did and anxiety grew in his chest with every thought of the people who turned to see him during the day. Whispering to the person next to them, just Merlin known what the hell they were saying. It was uncomfortable and he hated it.
"Hey, my little star, calm down," Bokuto said softly kissing his cheek. "I'll tell Kuroo to get them to stop bothering you. Not telling them you don't want attention, but generating some other important rumor so that they no longer notice you." Bokuto's hand gave a gentle circular massages on his hip while the Hufflepuff's lips left more kisses on his cheeks, then on his nose, his eyes, his forehead, his chin, and basically every inch of his face.
He liked that. He liked that Bokuto was always so considerate with him and so loving. Bokuto was so brave and Akaashi was just a coward.
"And please don't think less of yourself just for this, little star." Bokuto softly said against his lips before leaving a soft and sweet kiss on them. Akaashi's chest started to get warm. "Your anxiety because of the attention is nothing to feel bad about and you are fighting against it the best way you can. And I know that if we go out in public, it would not be very helpful. So don't worry for me, I'm fine like we are now." The Hufflepuff smiled as he left a kiss, then another, and another on Akaashi's lips until Akaashi gave a soft giggle.
Bokuto was so perfect and Akaashi still didn't understand what he did to deserve him. But there he was. Smiling warmly as he pressed him even closer to his chest and allowed himself to lie down to listen to his heartbeat. Both silent and looking out the window as it started to rain in the forbidden forest. The silence was calm and peaceful and Akaashi appreciated it a lot.
And maybe he didn't mention anything to Bokuto during the whole afternoon they were together, about how the next day he planned to greet Bokuto at breakfast with a kiss on the lips in front of the whole school. But he wanted it to be a surprise even for himself.
And it was. And it was even more so when Bokuto laughed on his lips and hugged him for another kiss, while Bokuto's Hufflepuff friends, friendly teased them and others simply clapped with amusement. Some at the Ravenclaw table were surprised. Others, like Atsumu Miya, were smiling happily at Akaashi's bravery. Others, like Oikawa Tooru, looked in his direction with a small smile of approval. And others, like Yukie or his classmates, were blushing and excited after seeing Akaashi for the first time with such a big smile and laughing in the arms of a person like Bokuto Koutarou.
Maybe Akaashi have had enough of the Ravenclaw people, but he definitely will never have enough of Bokuto Koutarou.