Quidditch, Romance, and Near Death Experiences (6/25)
Title: Quidditch, Romance, and Near Death Experiences
Author: thanku4urlove
Pairing: Yabu/Takaki, Yamada/Daiki
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: magic!
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, AU (Hogwarts)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: it's the wave of a wand, and dust blown off the cover of a spellbook. It's learning incantations and kicking off the ground on a broomstick. It's magic. It's a new year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, full of Quidditch, romance, and near death experiences.
A/N: It's time for some Quidditch!!!!! also kisumai's new song is a banger I love it 10/10 would recommend
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
“Yutorin?” Keito asked, concern on his face as he looked up from his lunch, his eyes going to a space over Yamada’s shoulder. Daiki turned to see what it was, but before Yamada could do the same he felt a heavy weight on his shoulder, glancing over to see their tall friend, He looked dejected, his forehead planted squarely on Yamada’s shoulder and his entire body hanging limply.
“What happened?” Yamada asked, Yuto sitting down next to him. It was lunch time, a quick break between classes, and Yuto had promised to meet them, but when fifteen minutes had passed and Yuto still hadn’t shown, they started eating without him.
“I feel terrible.” Yuto responded, putting his face in his hands.
“Are you sick?” Keito asked, but Yuto shook his head, a frown on his face.
“This girl… This girl and her friend asked to talk to me after class, and I said yes, and…” Yamada could see where this was going already, wincing as Yuto recounted the tale of being asked on a date.
“And I mean, I said no, but… But her face! She looked like she was about to cry, and her friend looked like she was going to hex me…” He sighed, letting his head fall back. “I didn’t even know she liked me, honestly.”
“Yuto, everyone likes you.” Yamada couldn’t help but say, Yuto looking at him in confusion before shifting his questioning gaze to Keito, who nodded.
“They do?”
“Chinen told us. You’re...” Yamada waved a vague hand. “Popular.”
“Chinen?” Yuto simply looked baffled, and Yamada couldn’t help but laugh.
“Be careful though.” Daiki told him, his expression serious. “Professor Kimura told us about one time where he turned down a date, and she ended up cursing him with the Bat Bogey Hex. The last thing we need is bats flying out of your nose.”
Yamada wanted to give that hex a go on Professor Kimura himself though, when that night found him trying to help Keito out with the Ventus Jinx they were learning in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Despite his promise to help tutor his friend, getting blasted in the face by gusts of wind was not how he’d envisioned spending his evening, silently cursing their teacher once again when his bangs flew into his eyes, stinging.
“Sorry!” Keito exclaimed, putting his wand down, a remorseful wince on his face.
“No, no, I should have closed my eyes.” Yamada said, rubbing his eyes with one hand and waving the apology off with the other. “This is good though, I think you’ve got it.”
“Really?” Keito cast the spell again, and this time Yamada had the sense to completely turn away, his hair getting completely mussed up as papers blew up at him.
“...sorry.” Keito said again, and he sounded so genuinely apologetic that Yamada had to laugh.
“When we started you barely had a summer breeze going on. I really think you’ve got the hang of it.” Yamada insisted again, and while he was being honest, a large part of him just wanted to go to bed. He was tired, and he knew that despite the consistent energy Keito was putting forth in his attempts at the jinx, he was tired too. “Let’s clean up, we’ve made a bit of a mess.”
Things had been blown all around the common room while they’d been practicing, and as a result many of the students had gone somewhere else to study or chat, for their own safety more than anything else. Keito nodded, thanking him a few times as they went through the room, picking up stray papers, quills, and other objects that had been propelled to the floor.
“You two are still up?” Daiki was stepping down the stairs, looking concerned as he saw them. “It's late, you know.”
“Yamada was helping me out.” Keito explained, and Yamada offered a weary smile.
“Well I'll take care of this, and you two go to bed, okay?” Daiki said, taking the stack of papers Keito had in his hands. Keito thanked him, heading to bed, Yamada putting the pile of knick knacks he had picked up throughout the room on the table next to him. Daiki obviously expected him to go to bed too, raising an eyebrow when Yamada collapsed onto the couch instead, dragging his bag towards him and pulling out his near finished Transfiguration essay.
“Ryosuke…” Daiki reprimanded, sitting next to him. “You have class tomorrow morning.”
“So do you.” Yamada pointed out, fishing out a quill and a bottle of ink. Daiki couldn't much argue with that. “I'm almost done, I promise. I just have to add three more inches.”
Daiki gave him a disapproving look, shifting close to Yamada on the couch.
“Hold on, why are you down here?” Yamada had to ask, realizing that Daiki had come out of nowhere. The sixth year was suddenly very interested in his fingernails, his tone almost abashed when he answered.
“I don't know if you know, but the last time you put your two way mirror down, the angle… I can tell by looking at it if you're in bed or not.”
“You watch me sleep?” Yamada asked him, raising an eyebrow. The question was half-joking, meant to be light, but Daiki’s denial was flustered and immediate.
“No. No! I can just see your feet sometimes, that's all. And I was worried, because I know how much you need your beauty sleep.”
Then it was Yamada's turn to be indignant, opening his mouth and hitting Daiki in the chest. Daiki just chuckled, the sound affectionate and warm, and he rested his head lightly on Yamada’s shoulder. Biting his lip in an incredibly futile attempt not to smile, Yamada turned his attention back to his essay.
It was times like these with Daiki that Yamada liked the best. The still, quiet moments where nothing much was happening, but even so warmth was spreading throughout his entire body, happy comfort settled in his chest. He loved spending time with Daiki. Daiki helped him a bit with the essay, murmuring suggestions that sometimes were useful, and sometimes were things like “in conclusion, Arioka is the best”, which made him laugh. True to his word, finishing the essay didn’t take long, Yamada sighing when it was done and and letting his head fall back.
“Okay, bedtime.” Daiki insisted, getting to his feet. He looked at Yamada and put his hands on his hips, giving him an expectant look. Yamada whined a little, reaching up for Daiki to help him. Daiki took his hand, pulling him to his feet, and as soon as he was standing Daiki entwined their fingers. Yamada suddenly felt extremely awake, looking down at their hands as Daiki led the way to the staircase. He came to a stop where the staircase branched off to the separate dormitories, causing Yamada to look up at him, positive that Daiki could hear his heart beating.
“Goodnight, Ryosuke.” Daiki gave him a gentle smile, and Yamada felt a light tug in his chest, a strange sort of anticipation that was both hopeful and completely unrealistic, every inch of him wanting to step closer before the moment was broken.
Then, with a squeak, an excited pink lump of fluff emerged from Daiki’s pocket, clambering haphazardly up Daiki’s robes. They both jumped in surprise, Daiki having to let go of his hand to make sure their pygmy puff didn’t fall, laughing as it sat in his hand.
“I guess he wants to spend the night with you.” Daiki said, putting a light kiss on the creature’s tiny head before handing him over. With a small wave Daiki headed off to bed, leaving Yamada standing there feeling inexplicably nervous and slightly disappointed all at once.
The first Quidditch match of the school year was upon them; Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Keito was sandwiched between Yamada and Yuto in the stands, Yuto vibrating in excitement and Yamada latched tightly to his forearm, lamenting about how high up they were. There were an incredible amount of people watching the match; it had to be more than half of the school, with the students from the visiting schools as well. It was growing steadily chillier outside as November was coming in, but today the skies were clear, the sunshine bright but muted due to the lack of warmth.
The cold didn’t dull the energy in the slightest though, the two competing houses yelling at each other across the stands. Keito could have done without so much noise, but it only got louder when the two teams walked out onto the field, Quidditch robes on and broomsticks in hand. The Gryffindor team was announced first, the enthusiastic roars near deafening. The sounds around Keito was just as loud as the Slytherin team was announced too, though that time it took form of booing that all but drowned the cheering of the Slytherin students from his ears.
“But we have to be high up!” Yuto insisted. “You can see better from here.”
Yamada just grumbled something about death, hunching further in his seat. Then the Quaffle was thrown, and the match began.
“And Gryffindor has the Quaffle!” Daiki exclaimed, his voice magnified through the crowd and across the grounds. “An actual stroke of luck for them, which I’m excited to see. The team has what one would call 'room for improvement’ but hopefully this carries through the rest of--oh wait, Quaffle has been taken by Yuki Nozawa, now in Slytherin possession.”
It was easier to see the action from this high up, Keito had to admit, Bludgers whizzing around, the Quaffle passing hands quickly. One player caught his eye though, a Slytherin he assumed was the Seeker, hanging back from all the action and searching the field with his eyes for the Snitch.
“--and it’s past the Keeper! Ten points to Slytherin!”
The Chaser that scored tried to make a victory lap around the pitch, only to be smashed in the foot by a Bludger. Her broom spun a few times, holding the handle with one hand and her ankle with the other, and for a terrifying moment Keito was afraid she was going to fall.
“Do we need a time out?” Daiki asked, the player shaking her head and straightening up, but her foot was hanging at a slightly concerning angle. Daiki seemed to share his concern, asking once more, but at the player’s insistence they continued.
“If you're sure. Let's be courteous out there guys. Keep it a little more King of the North, a little less Queen of Dragons.”
Keito tried to keep his eyes on the action but they somehow always drifted back to the Seeker. He was staying away from the increasing messiness in the middle of the field, surveying the scene before him, flying around the outskirts. Then with a sudden burst of speed he zoomed forward, catching everyone’s attention.
“It looks like the Snitch may have been spotted! Yaotome Hikaru is in quick pursuit of something, but I genuinely can’t see what.” Daiki confessed with a slight, apologetic laugh, Keito’s heart leaping into his throat at the mention of Hikaru’s name. He had been trying, with little success, to get Hikaru from his mind; being hung up over such a small encounter made him feel silly. He’d barely managed to steer his thoughts from it before they’d spotted him watching the Hufflepuff Quidditch practice. His suspicion of him being the same Hikaru that Yabu was friends with was confirmed when he’s seen Yabu throw his arm around Hikaru’s shoulder once practice had wrapped up, Hikaru walking out onto the Quidditch pitch to talk to his friend. And now Hikaru was here, a Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team.
The Gryffindor Seeker was hot on Hikaru’s tail, the two of them zipping across the field. The game had barely started, and now looked as though it was about to be over, a win for Slytherin when the Snitch was caught.
A Bludger barreled in their direction, aimed straight for Hikaru’s face, who had to duck and roll to avoid it. The entire stadium cheered and gasped, Keito himself included, Daiki letting out a muffled curse and getting reprimanded immediately by Professor Takizawa.
“An amazing dodge by Yaotome--sorry, Professor--and a show of remarkable aim by Kochi Yugo. Unfortunately though, it looks as though the Snitch has been lost. Come on, Slytherin, at least give my house a chance.”
The game picked up after that but Keito was hopeless at that point, eyes on no one but Hikaru. Hikaru’s gaze was focused but his movements were casual, looking completely in control of himself and his broomstick. Gryffindor Seeker was watching him like a hawk, hovering just over his shoulder in case he darted towards the Snitch again. There were a few more close calls, but none of them lasted too long, and meanwhile the war around the goalposts dragged on, each side getting some points in.
Then suddenly Hikaru was diving, the angle so steep and fast that Keito barely felt he could watch, squinting his eyes. The Gryffindor Seeker followed after him instantly, rushing to catch up. Hikaru turned sharply and pulled up, doubtlessly in pursuit of something this time. The Gryffindor Seeker was unable to turn as fast, his body scraping the ground in a way that looked painful before he too was able to get back into the air, turning to follow.
The crowd began to shout, watching the players flying neck and neck across the field. The Gryffindor’s broom was faster but Hikaru’s movements were sharper, the two of them weaving their way between players and balls and everything else, Hikaru’s hand reaching out, finally snatching something nimbly from the air.
“He’s got the Snitch!” Daiki announced, cheers erupting from the Slytherin side. Keito let out a whoop himself, happy for what Hikaru had done, but Yuto--and more inquisitively, Yamada--gave him looks, and he clammed up immediately.
“Slytherin wins, two hundred and twenty points to forty!” Daiki declared, and with that, the match was over.
With a painfully loud bang, blue sparks erupted from Keito’s wand. The force of the spell caused his arm to jerk, throwing his aim, and that was for the better; the blue stream of light hitting a tall row of shelves instead of Professor Kimura. The entire wooden structure fell forward, the contents crashing to the ground as it collided with the shelving unit next to it, a whole three units of stuff on the floor, some of it broken, by the time Professor Kimura was able to stop the destruction.
“Well…” He looked over the destruction, the entire room silent. “Class dismissed. If you could stay behind please, Okamoto?”
Keito nodded sheepishly, Yamada giving him a quick and concerned glance before scurrying from the room with the rest of the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Professor Kimura said as Keito walked up to him, turning to straighten the two shelves that had almost completely fallen down. “I’m not mad at you. If we didn’t make mistakes, we wouldn’t learn.”
Keito nodded a bit, knowing he was pink in the face.
“I am glad your aim was off though; if your spell was powerful enough to knock all of these shelves over, I don’t want to know what it would have done to my face.”
That was supposed to be a joke, and Keito realized that, but the actual thought of him seriously harming a teacher due to his inability to do a spell had his mouth going dry. Kimura clapped him on the shoulder, giving him a little smile.
“It’s really okay. I’ve been meaning to redecorate anyway. Though, since you… Well, since you made this mess, I do ask that you help clean it up.” The Professor snapped his fingers, suddenly struck with inspiration. “Tell you what, I’ve got a student that’s supposed to show up soon for detention, and I know he’ll be all for rearranging my classroom. He can help you. Just... Don’t let him do anything drastic.”