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“And we’ve got a special guest with us today! All the way from his boring job teaching at Hogwarts – ”
“You teach there too.”
“My very best friend from school – ”
“Don’t call me that.”
“One of Gryffindor’s finest alums, Aizawa Shouta!” Hizashi finally leaned away from his wand, projecting unnecessarily obnoxious effects into the arena. While his voice wasn’t projecting, he leaned into Shouta’s space.
“I know you’re just here because you got an off day and you think that Hawks is hot.”
“Shut up,” Shouta muttered into his scarf. Clearly, that was affirmation enough for Hizashi. He knew him too well.
He hadn’t only come because he found Keigo attractive. While he could barely be coerced onto a broomstick himself, he’d been to quite a few Quidditch matches when they were in school. Oboro had been on Hufflepuff’s team, after all, before – And! Hizashi had commentated on all of the matches, not even bothering to go out for Slytherin’s team as he was much more interested in calling the shots and entertaining everyone when the matches got boring.
Because they did. They got so ungodly boring. Shouta stared out into the pitch where Keigo was clinging to his broom, floating but not moving at all. Searching for the Snitch, he knew, much like Tatsuma was doing for her own team. Sure, the Chasers were still moving about and the Keepers and Beaters were doing their best to defend, but that wasn’t the interest of a Quidditch match, despite Hizashi’s incessant yelling at his side.
Shouta’s eyes scanned the pitch unblinkingly, searching for the flutter of wings.
When they had still been in school, the few times Hizashi and Oboro had talked him onto a broom without them, they’d occasionally played together on the pitch after dark. Between the three of them, it was hard for there to be a full-fledged match, so they didn’t bother trying. They’d release the Snitch, watch it flutter into the distance, and be off. Hizashi and Oboro more often than not would get distracted chasing each other, bumping into each other’s brooms and laughing.
Shouta would keep his eyes peeled for the Snitch.
“And Hawks is off!” Hizashi exclaimed, louder than he’d been before. Shouta jumped a little, eyes focusing on Keigo’s movement. “Knew that would get your attention!” He laughed. “Y’know, Shouta here only ever came to Quidditch matches because of me and our friend, you’d never guess he was such a big fan of such a mainstream player!”
“Hizashi,” Shouta hissed, shoving at his chair. Hizashi laughed, managing to stay balanced despite the fact that only two feet were on the ground. The chair was probably charmed to keep him upright.
“But Hawks is good! Damn – oops, sorry kids! – look at him go! Ryuukyuu doesn’t seem to have noticed whatever he did, but something’s definitely gotten his attention! If Hawks gets the Snitch right now, it’s game over and a pretty damn quick match. Not quite record-breaking, though. Actually, the fastest Quidditch match ever was over in less than a minute! Not even four seconds into the match, and the Snitch was grabbed!”
“Sounds boring,” Shouta intoned, leaning back in his chair as he watched Keigo slow again. He seemed to be watching the pitch, waiting for something to happen. “Either way, it looks like Hawks lost track of the Snitch. Would be easier if he caught it now. We’d get out of here quicker.”
“No record breakers today! Hawks’ fastest catch was only ten seconds into the match, but he’s had a couple close calls. He’s fast, and he’s calculating when it comes to catching the Snitch. Matches with him as a Seeker have been ending pretty quickly this season!” Hizashi grinned. “And! While everyone was focused on Hawks, it looks like we’ve had a sneak attack at the goals! Edgeshot has managed to slide a Quaffle past the Keepers which means the game is officially on!”
“I don’t think it takes someone scoring to begin a game.” Shouta picked at the end of his scarf, watching everyone moving around. It was a slow game, the score creeping along little by little.
“But the excitement, Shou! Can’t say it’s not exciting once people start scoring! A good time. Like – ” Hizashi projected more sound effects through the Pitch as Uwabami blocked a Quaffle from the goal, hitting it far away, almost straight to her teammates. “Makes the game more engaging! Before that past score, everyone’s only paying attention to Seekers! Once we get going, there’s so much to see!”
Shouta, frankly, was still only paying attention to the Seekers. Oboro had recommended he go out for Gryffindor’s team multiple times when they were still in school, saying that he had a keen eye, he would be able to find the Snitch in beyond record time, end every game without a question of the winner. Shouta hated flying and had the feeling that Oboro was exaggerating his skills at least a little.
And after… everything, Quidditch…
He’d attended less matches his last year.
There were more important things to focus on. He honestly didn’t know how Hizashi managed his teaching job with commentating and working the odd mission as an Auror. Sure, more of Shouta’s efforts went into his work as an Auror than Hizashi’s did, but between the two jobs, he found himself with practically no free time.
“OH MY GOD!” Hizashi jumped up, toppling his chair backwards and eliminating Shouta’s guess about it being charmed. Maybe he just had that kind of balance. It was impressive, in a way. “Hawks and Ryuukyuu are on the hunt! They’re both going quick! I’d be surprised if we didn’t have a winner in no time at all!”
“If you’d been paying attention,” Shouta sighed, “you’d have noticed a moment ago when Hawks started moving. I don’t think Ryuukyuu’s tracking the Snitch so much as his movements. He’s got keen eyes; they’d be helpful even outside of the Pitch.”
“Your fanboy is showing,” Hizashi murmured away from his wand, causing Shouta to shove at his already precarious balance. Nonetheless, he held his position with a loud laugh. “Well, folks, my associate here might just be correct! It looks like Hawks is in hot pursuit, definitely going for something. These two have broken a lot of records between them, and it’s always a killer match to see them face off! While Hawks is known for his speed, Ryuukyuu’s agility is - ”
“It’s a trick,” Shouta breathed, raising his eyebrows.
“What?” Hizashi looked back at him, his eyebrows raised to an almost comical degree. Shouta rolled his eyes, leaning forward so that he could reach the wand he was supposed to be speaking into.
“Hawks isn’t tracking anything. His movements are too practiced to be following the Snitch. A Snitch is known for its erratic movements, his are too smooth to be tracking. He’s taunting. He either doesn’t know where it is, or he’s trying to draw her off - ”
“THAT’S IT!” Hizashi shouted. Shouta looked back out to the Pitch. Keigo had veered wildly off path, hand outstretched. Ryuukyuu hadn’t adjusted her broom yet.
His hand closed.
He raised his fist into the air with a loud yelp, and Shouta tuned out the sound of Hizashi shouting praises at the quick match. Thank god it had been so quick. He hadn’t really been looking forward to sitting through a Quidditch match for god knows how long.
Hizashi went through a rant of closing remarks, and Shouta watched the players do their closing loops. Keigo held the Snitch high above his head, grinning his whole round. Shouta rolled his eyes at the theatrics and sank back into his chair.
“Can we get dinner now?” Shouta asked, standing up and allowing his back to pop. Hizashi looked back at him and grinned a grin that could only mean trouble.
“Actually! I have some plans before dinner.” He grabbed Shouta’s hand and dragged him toward the door.
Shouta sighed, knowing better than to fight with him, and wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck as he stepped down and followed Hizashi.
Hizashi chattered away the whole way to the players’ area (and why the hell he would be bringing Shouta there was a whole different story), though it was simple enough to keep occupied with a few well-placed affirmative noises. Shouta was listening, but he also knew that there was no need to participate in the conversation. Hizashi made it easy that way.
“Why are we here?” Shouta asked as they stopped in front of the player’s area. Hizashi leaned against the wall, like he fully planned on stopping here and waiting.
“Well! I figured since you were such a big fan of Hawks -”
“Don’t tell me…”
“I’d introduce the two of you!” Hizashi finished as he waved his hand toward the door, where Keigo stepped through.
Keigo grinned at Hizashi, flashing a bright media grin to Shouta before surprise filled his features. He squashed that back into a grin and walked up to the two of them.
“Ah, this must be your friend, Hizashi!” Keigo laughed, outstretching a hand. Shouta rolled his eyes but shook his hand, smiling when Keigo squeezed his hand slightly before pulling it away.
“Shouta Aizawa. A big fan of yours, though I doubt he’d never admit it.” Hizashi winked, grinning at Shouta. Shouta glared at Hizashi momentarily but then turned to Keigo, a wide grin spilling onto his face.
“Shouta. Charmed to meet you. I’ve been dying for this day.” Hizashi looked at him like he’d professed his allegiance to the Dark Lord, looking back and forth between the two of them. Keigo, at least, only laughed for a second before taking a place near Shouta’s side.
“I didn’t know you were such a big fan.” Keigo grinned, bumping their shoulders together. His hand brushed his sweat-slick hair out of his eyes, only exposing more of his unbearable smirk. “If I’d have known I had such a big fan at the match, maybe I should have made it last longer so you got to see more of my moves.”
“I’d prefer that it end faster so we can get food faster.” Aizawa shrugged with a yawn. “You could have caught the Snitch in your first chase but you decided to show off instead. Very fancy broomwork, but you unnecessarily extended the match.”
“Awh, but I couldn’t beat a record, so I might as well show my skills! I had my eyes on the Snitch the whole time, and the fans love to see some broomwork! It’d be too boring if the matches ended that fast every time.” Keigo leaned back against the wall.
“Hmm. You can show off and still catch the Snitch more quickly than you did. Don’t just toy with it.”
“You’re no fun!” Keigo laughed, reaching out to take Shouta’s hand.
Shouta smirked, holding Keigo’s hand and leaning into him. “Now, I swear I’ve heard you say differently before.”
“Shouta!” Hizashi gaped behind them and Shouta snorted in laughter. He glanced back at his friend, sure that his face was showing the grin that Hizashi had always criticized as scaring away his students.
“Did he not know?” Keigo asked, an unruly eyebrow quirked in surprise. “I thought you guys were coming back here since Shouta’s coming home with me! You said you were introducing me to your friend, too, it was weird that it was just you and Hizashi!”
“Keigo, meet my friend Hizashi.” Shouta smirked, laughing at both of their expressions. “Hizashi, meet my boyfriend Keigo.”
“Boyfriend!?” Hizashi exclaimed, this time causing Keigo to laugh as well. “No wonder you’re such a fan.”
“I prefer him off of the pitch, but I suppose his Quidditch isn’t that bad.” Shouta shrugged.
“Where the hell did you two even meet? No way Shouta’s wandering behind the scenes at Quidditch matches behind me, and somehow I don’t really see you two in the same circles.”
“We – ” Shouta began, but Keigo quickly interrupted.
“It was an accident!” He laughed, sounding loose enough, but Shouta could tell it was strained. Not only that, but their meeting had been anything but accidental. “Paths crossed at Diagon Alley before school started this year for you guys! Totally wasn’t expecting anything to come from it, but guess we all got a surprise!”
Maybe it was a secret, he supposed. It would have been nice if Keigo had mentioned that, so Shouta wouldn’t reveal anything he wasn’t supposed to.
But… they hadn’t met in Diagon Alley. They hadn’t met anywhere near Diagon Alley.
“Why is he here?” Shouta muttered, leaning across the table. “You said you were bringing in someone who knew what they were doing, not someone flashy who will – ”
“So quick to judge!” Hawks, a professional Quidditch player, not an Auror, and certainly not one who knew how to blend into a crowd, leaned across the table to grin at him. “A fan, then? If you know who I am?”
“We’re tracking down dangerous criminals, and you send a Quidditch player.” It wasn’t even worth answering Hawks. Instead, Shouta stared down the Head Auror at the other end of the room, fixing them with a glare as unimpressed as their own.
“Ah, look beyond the surface now, Eraser! I hear you’re quite the Auror yourself, you can’t be that quick to judge.” Hawks smirked. “Maybe you’re focusing too much on Hawks. Perhaps you’ve heard of me, outside of Quidditch, too?”
“I’ll bite.” Shouta leaned forward, raising an eyebrow. “Who are you?”
“Keigo Takami.”
Keigo Takami…
He’d heard of a Takami. Recruited by the Head of the Ministry himself, trained while he was still in school. A prodigy, though no one had met him before. He worked on his own, but he brought down dark wizards quickly.
Rumor had it that Takami was working directly with some dark wizards to try to bring down the top of the line. He was relentless, clever.
Everyone had heard of Tamaki Keigo.
That was… Hawks?
Shouta pursed his lips, tapping his fingers against the table.
“What is this mission?”
“You’re going to have to tell me everything!” Hizashi laughed, bumping his shoulder against Shouta’s before shaking his head. “My Shouta Aizawa! Dating a Quidditch player.”
“What can I say!” Keigo grinned, throwing an arm over Shouta’s shoulders and laughing. “Even a tough-skinned Auror can fall for my charms.”
“He’s insistent and not as frustrating as he acts,” Shouta muttered, rolling his eyes and tugging Keigo closer. “Suppose there’s more than meets the eyes.”
“Lucky me!” Keigo grinned, bouncing up on his toes to meet Shouta’s lips. “Now! Let’s eat before he gets grumpier.”