Work Text:
The owl had first shown up a week ago.
After what had seemed like a never ending day of classes, a strenuous quidditch practice, and studying for hours at the library, Akaashi was more than ready to enter the comfort of Ravenclaw tower.
Adjusting his book bag, he forced his feet to move forward, fatigue settling deeper into his bones with each step. He could almost hear his bed calling to him, coaxing him with promises of warm sheets and soft pillows. Akaashi knew 6th year would be rough, but he wasn’t anywhere near prepared for just how exhausted he would be all the time. It didn’t help matters that Bokuto was acting strangely too. Now he had not only coursework and quidditch to worry about, but also his exuberant, loud mouth friend who had been uncharacteristically absent lately.
After 6 years of friendship, Akaashi was like a radio: finely tuned to Bokuto’s antics. He was well accustomed to all of Bokuto’s moods and feelings, but never in all their time at Hogwarts had Bokuto avoided him. There was something wrong. Akaashi was sure of this, but despite spending most of his free time searching for Bokuto, he was nowhere to be found.
Having had enough, Akaashi had finally gone to Kuroo one night, worry creasing his brows as he had asked in his usual tenor the whereabouts of Bokuto, but Kuroo had only arched an eyebrow, giving him an odd, loaded look before responding with, “Bo’s flyin’ around.” Akaashi had taken that to mean that Bokuto was out flying on the Quidditch pitch, but when he had arrived out of breath and panting, the pitch lights were off and the only thing visible were the dark, rolling storm clouds.
It had started to pour rain soon after, and Akaashi, annoyed and drenched, had swiftly made his way back to the castle with a sour taste in his mouth.
(Kuroo had been hit with a jelly legs jinx that night.)
Akaashi quickened his pace as he reached the top step, the entrance to the common room only a few broomsticks length away now. The thought of changing out of his thick robes and into something more comfortable spurred him on to move faster, but just as he rounded the corner, a small blur of silver and black whizzed by, so close that it ruffled the tips of his hair. Akaashi jolted in surprise, his hand loosening on his book bag as he ducked his head and took a startled step back.
Alarmed, Akaashi grasped for his bag and held it in front of him as a shield, his wand long forgotten and buried somewhere deep in his satchel. Stupid, Akaashi thought to himself, ducking his head again as the creature flew past. Who knows what sort of beast that is! And I’m using a Muggle bag for protection! If Akaashi wasn’t so terrified, he would have laughed.
Hoot!
Trying to calm his frantically beating heart, he carefully peeked his eyes over the top of his book bag towards the familiar sound.
It was an owl. A very small, silver and black owl now that Akaashi was able to get a closer look. It was only slightly bigger than his hand, maybe the size of his potions book at most, and he couldn’t help the wave of embarrassment that rolled over him for being so frightened of such a small creature. Akaashi was suddenly grateful that the corridor was deserted of other students.
Lowering his bag, Akaashi straightened up and tilted his head curiously at the little bird, exhaustion long forgotten. The owl mimicked his movements, bright golden eyes fixed on his face as it let out another chipper hoot.
It was peculiar, the odd coloration of the owl. He had never seen anything like it in neither the Muggle nor Wizarding world. The closest thing its color resembled was that of a Hippogriff, but the pattern was all wrong. Bokuto-san’s hair, his mind helpfully supplied. It’s like Bokuto-san’s hair. Smiling wryly, Akaashi suddenly wished the older boy were here to see the strange bird for himself.
Taking a few cautious steps forward, Akaashi crouched down and slowly extended his arm.
“What are you doing out of the Owlery?” Akaashi murmured to himself, stroking the silver and black feathers of the bird once he deemed it safe enough.
The owl let out a little hoot, bright yellow eyes shining up at Akaashi.
“You’re an odd one, aren’t you?”
The owl let out another hoot, chest puffing out as if proud of the fact that he wasn’t like the other owls littering the school grounds.
Akaashi drew his hand back and gently waved it in a shooing motion. As much as he was intrigued by the bird, it was late and the weight of his exhausting day was suddenly crashing down on him, his fatigue from earlier returning full force now that his heart wasn’t threatening to jump out of his chest. “Go on then,” he said softly. “Go back to the Owlery.”
Wide eyes stared blankly back at him.
Akaashi bit back a sigh. Of all the birds he would have the misfortune of running into, of course it would be a stubborn one. He gently shooed the owl away again, encouraging it to fly, but the bird wouldn’t budge. If anything, it only seemed to stare challengingly up at Akaashi.
Drawing a hand down his face, Akaashi couldn’t stop his sigh from escaping this time.
“Alright,” he muttered, extending his arm again so the owl could perch on it. The little bird let out an excited screech and gently hopped onto the back of Akaashi’s hand. “I’ll take you back myself.”
The owl hooted again, sounding indignant.
“Owls belong in the Owlery,” Akaashi murmured in response. Merlin, he must have been really tired if he was having a conversation—a one sided conversation at that—with an owl.
Straightening up, he placed the bird on his shoulder. The owl pecked his ear, and Akaashi flinched in surprise. “Don’t do that,” he scolded, angling his head back and side eyeing the little bird.
Of course, as was Akaashi’s luck, the owl ignored him completely and instead spent the entire walk up to the Owlery alternating between squawking loudly and lightly nipping at Akaashi’s bare skin.
Turning his head, Akaashi could’ve sworn he saw a glint of amusement in the little bird’s bright eyes.
⋆⋆✩⋆✧⋆☆⋆✧⋆✩⋆⋆
Eager to deposit the owl and return to his dorm, Akaashi was at the Owlery in no time. Gently grabbing the little bird from his shoulder, he set it down on a ledge and took a step back, admiring the coloration of the bird once more before wrapping his scarf tighter around himself at the sudden sharp, icy wind fluttering his hair and sending a chill down his spine.
“Good night,” he couldn’t help but mutter to the owl, feeling foolish once the words left his mouth. The owl stared down at him for a moment, head tilted to the side before hooting softly and settling down. Taking that as a sign that Akaashi was free to leave, not that he needed the bird’s permission, he stuck his hands in the pockets of his robes and turned, when suddenly, a small, but now familiar weight was settled on his shoulder once more.
Darting his gaze to the side, Akaashi was unsurprised to see the same little owl staring at him with wide eyes, the golden color ominously glowing in the dark night.
“Shoo,” Akaashi sighed, no longer in the mood to deal with a bird that wasn’t even his. “You’re home now. Please let me return to mine.”
Despite his protestations, the bird refused to budge. Every time Akaashi made to reach for it, the owl would deftly dodge his hands and instead fly high out of his reach before settling back down on Akaashi’s opposite shoulder. The little dance went on for a few moments longer before Akaashi finally let out an aggravated little tch.
“Fine,” he snapped, patience wearing thin. “Do what you’d like, but I’m returning you first thing tomorrow morning.”
At that, the owl’s already bright eyes seemed to light up even more, and it let out an excited sounding screech before hopping closer to Akaashi’s hair and burrowing its little face in it.
⋆⋆✩⋆✧⋆☆⋆✧⋆✩⋆⋆
After the bird had refused Akaashi’s second attempt at returning it to the Owlery the morning after he had first encountered it, Akaashi had grudgingly allowed the stubborn creature to remain with him. He had spent the rest of that day asking his classmates about the owl, but to his dismay, no one seemed to recognize nor claim it as theirs.
“Why don’t you just keep it?” Kenma had asked that night, surprising Akaashi. Though the two were friendly, the other boy wasn’t really known for willingly starting conversations, and Akaashi was taken aback by the blond’s soft suggestion.
“Have you asked everybody?”
Akaashi nodded his head at Shirabu, another 6th year Ravenclaw with whom he and Kenma shared the dorm with.
Shirabu shut his trunk, carefully setting down his pajamas he had just pulled out before shrugging out of his school robes. “Finder’s keepers then, right?”
“But I have no need for an owl.”
“You two seem to get along well enough,” Kenma’s soft voice had interjected again. “And owls are useful. Better than Kneazles at least,” he added, finally looking up over the top of his Muggle Studies book to stare balefully at the unmoving lump of orange fur curled up at the foot of his bed.
Akaashi was silent as he glanced at the small bird perched on the windowsill. His lips quirked up in amusement as he watched the animal doze off, head falling forward before snapping back up into place, eyes widening for a fraction of a second only to drift close once more.
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to keep him,” Akaashi had found himself saying, the words leaving his mouth before his brain could catch up. “Perhaps only until his rightful owner is found.”
Shirabu had hummed noncommittally, obviously not believing anyone would come to claim the owl as their own. “Perhaps,” he parroted, pulling his sheets back and crawling into bed. He grabbed the Transfigurations textbook from his nightstand and set it in his lap, flipping open to a marked page before saying in a mild voice, “Just make sure to keep that thing away from me. I don’t like owls.”
⋆⋆✩⋆✧⋆☆⋆✧⋆✩⋆⋆
A week later and Shirabu was right. No one had stepped forward in search of their lost pet, and Akaashi suddenly found himself as the reluctant owner of a rowdy little bird. Despite his exasperations with the owl, Akaashi had to admit that the animal had slowly grown on him.
Throughout the week, Akaashi had found himself confiding in the small bird, whispering secrets that he had never dared speak out loud before. The owl was a great listener Akaashi realized—hooting excitedly at the correct moments and gently nuzzling into Akaashi’s side at his more somber confessions.
It was an unusually warm day, and though the air was still chilly, the clear sky and bright sun had coaxed Akaashi out of the castle with both the owl and his schoolwork in tow. They were sat near the lake under his favorite Willow tree—the one he and Bokuto had childishly carved their initials into years ago—and the sun’s golden rays peeking through the canopy of the cascading foliage cast a pretty scattering of light across the otherwise shaded patch of ground.
The gentle sound of lapping waves brought a sense of peace and serenity to Akaashi as he stared out at the water, his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook laying face down and forgotten on the grass beside him.
“Tosei,” he murmured, eyes never leaving the lake as a soft breeze caused the water to ripple. “Where do you suppose Bokuto-san is?”
Hoot?
“Yes, I don’t know either,” he sighed.
Lost in thought, Akaashi’s eyes drifted towards the movement of a nearby Murtlap. The creature scurried across the edge of the water, and Akaashi watched blankly as the magical beast continued its trek for a few feet more before diving suddenly into the lake with a small splash.
“I miss him,” Akaashi found himself saying after a moment. The words were barely audible—just a softly spoken thought—but Tosei hopped closer in reassurance, tilting his head to the side and staring up at the Ravenclaw with an unusual intensity burning in his wide eyes.
“Akaashi!”
Tearing his gaze away from what he could’ve sworn was the tip of a giant tentacle poking out from the surface of the water, Akaashi turned at the call of his name.
“Hello Kuroo-san, Kenma,” he greeted once the other two boys drew closer.
Hoot hoot!
Tosei, who had been atop of Akaashi’s discarded robes, suddenly gave an excited cry and flew towards the duo. He landed on top of Kuroo’s head and burrowed his face into the messy black hair. Akaashi bit back a laugh at the sight.
“Bo, stop,” Kuroo grumbled, swatting at his head to no avail. The bird only screeched louder and nipped repeatedly at Kuroo’s scalp in retaliation.
“You should work on fixing your hair if you don’t want birds in it,” Kenma commented mildly. “It looks like a nest.”
“You know I can’t help it!”
“There are spells to style it,” responded Kenma in a bored voice, eyes never leaving the page he was reading. “You and I both know you’re only keeping your hair like that because you think it makes you look cool.” Kenma gave a cursory glance to Kuroo’s hair before returning to his book. “But it really doesn’t.”
“Kenma!” Kuroo exclaimed, clearly affronted as he turned to stare wide eyed at the blond in mock hurt.
From above him, the owl let out a series of squawks that sounded suspiciously like laughter.
“Not you too,” Kuroo groaned, hands still flapping wildly at the owl that was now flying in circles around Kuroo's head. “Dude, stop!”
Taking pity on his friend, Akaashi whistled once. “Tosei, come.”
Immediately, the bird flew back to perch on Akaashi’s extended hand, and Akaashi couldn’t help but drop a quick peck to the top of the owl’s head. Kuroo’s eyebrows rose in surprise, a strange glint flashing dangerously in his eyes. Small warning bells started to go off in Akaashi’s head.
“Oh? What’s this then?”
“What’s what?” Akaashi asked apprehensively, the warning bells steadily becoming louder and louder as he stared uneasily at Kuroo’s growing smirk.
Kuroo waggled his eyebrows suggestively at him. “Looks like you like that owl quite a bit, huh?”
Brows furrowing at the odd question, Akaashi nodded once. “Of course. I’ve grown fond of him.” He looked back down at the bird, stroking its feathers. “He’s quite intelligent.”
From beside them, Kenma snorted.
“You hear that, Bo?” Kuroo asked, voice oozing with mirth. “Akaashi’s grown fond of you. He thinks you’re quite intelligent.”
Akaashi paused, frowning up at Kuroo. “Why do you keep calling him that?”
“Because he’s like Bokuto,” Kuroo responded, emphasizing his words for a reason unknown to Akaashi. He turned his cheshire-like grin down on Kenma. “Right, Kenma? Wouldn’t you say that Tosei is like Bokuto?”
Ignoring Kuroo, Kenma dropped his book just low enough to peer down at Akaashi, bored, cat-like eyes meeting Akaashi’s darker ones. After a moment, Kenma sighed and lowered his book even further. “Akaashi, Tosei is Bo—”
“Kenma!” Kuroo cried hastily, wrapping an arm around the blond’s waist and jerking him closer to his side.
Kenma slowly blinked up at him, completely unperturbed by the sudden closeness. “What.”
“I just remembered!”
“Remembered what.”
“My mom!”
Kenma blew out a breath in slowly growing annoyance. “What about your mom.”
“She sent me my old PSP! It’s like the one you read about in your Muggle Studies book. It, uh, doesn’t work because you know, Muggle technology and magic doesn’t mix and all that, but I can still show it to you.”
A flicker of interest flashed across Kenma’s face. “Really?”
Kuroo scratched the back of his head. “Uh, yeah! Come on, let’s go. See ya later, Akaashi!” He grabbed Kenma’s hand and started to pull the younger boy hurriedly back towards the castle, the blond quickly following with only a half-hearted wave thrown at Akaashi in farewell.
Akaashi watched their retreating backs for a moment, confused and just a little amused as he usually was when it came to Kuroo, before looking back down at Tosei.
His eyes roamed over the strange little owl, taking in the odd, silver and black feathers and equally odd, yet striking golden eyes. “I suppose Kuroo-san is right,” he murmured to himself, head tilted and brows furrowing a bit as the gears in his head started to turn. "You are a bit like… Even the colors…”
He shook his head, ridding himself immediately of his thoughts. It was absurd, and surely even someone like Bokuto wouldn’t have—”
Hoot Hoot?
Akaashi cleared his mind once more as he reached down for the owl, maneuvering his hands so the bird could rest comfortably in his cupped palms. Unable to help himself, he dropped another delicate kiss to the top of Tosei’s head, the soft feathers brushing across his lips as he drew back. “Nevermind, Tosei. I’m just being ridiculous.”
Hoot!
Akaashi placed Tosei on his shoulder, the weight comforting and familiar, and a small smile made its way onto his face as he felt the bird affectionately nuzzling into his neck and cooing quietly.
⋆⋆✩⋆✧⋆☆⋆✧⋆✩⋆⋆
Extending his hand out, Akaashi waited patiently as Tosei flew down from his usual spot on the windowsill and landed daintily on Akaashi’s arm. He turned his head to look curiously at Akaashi as the Ravenclaw used his free hand to grab his satchel and scarf from where it had been hanging on one of the posts of his bed.
“We’re going to the Astronomy tower,” Akaashi explained, still unable to help but feel a bit silly for speaking to an owl despite having done so for a week now. Objectively, Akaashi knew how intelligent the winged creatures really were, and he was sure that the owl understood him on some level, what with the way its already round eyes seemed to widen even further at the mention of going out, but that didn’t stop Akaashi from only speaking out loud to the bird when no one else was around.
“I’m not leaving you here alone to make a mess of my things again, Tosei.”
At that, the owl seemed to shrink back a little, ducking its head a bit as he let out a small, pitiful hoot. Unable to maintain a stoic expression in face of the adorable bird he had grown so fond of, Akaashi softened as he reached out a hand to gently pet the bird.
“Come on then, I have a three foot Charms essay I have to write.”
Once up in the Astronomy tower, Akaashi conjured a small, wooden table out of an old quill and cast a quick cushioning charm on the cold floor before settling down for a night of studying. He could’ve stayed in the tower, but Fridays became the unofficial game night for the older Hogwarts students, and it just so happened that it was Ravenclaw’s turn to host.
Normally, Akaashi would have been unbothered by it. The game nights weren’t too bad and could even be fun sometimes, but those nights also usually involved him sticking to Bokuto for the duration of the evening, and since Bokuto was avoiding him for a reason unknown to Akaashi, he was in no mood to deal with a group of unruly teenagers by himself.
Though he had been prepared for a night of studies, Akaashi couldn’t help but let his mind wander towards thoughts of Bokuto. He hadn’t seen the other boy for about a week now, which was the longest they had gone without seeing each other in all their years of friendship, and if Akaashi was honest, he was feeling hurt.
The weeks leading up to Bokuto’s disappearance were odd. Bokuto was not one to spend so much time to himself. Unlike Akaashi, the older boy thrived in group settings and soaked up attention like a sponge, yet bizarrely, Bokuto had given excuse after excuse as he dodged Akaashi’s concerned questions, instead following Kuroo to secluded parts of the castle and leaving a confused Akaashi standing alone in the middle of the corridor more times than he could count.
Akaashi had asked Kuroo about Bokuto just that one time, but after the other Ravenclaw’s less than helpful response, Akaashi had taken to trying to figure out Bokuto’s strange mood on his own. After 6 years of friendship, Akaashi thought he knew everything there was to know about the Hufflepuff, yet this strange, subdued Bokuto was new and unknown territory, and Akaashi found himself at a loss.
As if sensing Akaashi’s despondent mood, Tosei, who had been standing on the ledge and watching, enraptured, at a practice game of Quidditch, turned his head and flew over to Akaashi, landing quietly on one corner of the conjured table.
Hoot?
Unable to concentrate on his essay, Akaashi set his quill down and dropped his head into his hands, letting out a deep sigh.
“I must’ve done something wrong, Tosei.”
Hoot hoot?
“Bokuto-san is still avoiding me.”
Saying it out loud caused Akaashi’s stomach to clench, heart thumping unevenly as hundreds of anxiety ridden thoughts raced through his mind. Despite what people might have assumed, Akaashi was actually extremely fond of the Hufflepuff. Before Bokuto, Akaashi hadn’t had very many friends. It was by pure luck that Akaashi had met Bokuto only two weeks into his first year at Hogwarts.
Akaashi looked down in surprise as a white ball rolled to a stop at his feet. Closing his book, he set it to the side before grabbing the familiar object and turning it in his lap.
It was a volleyball. Akaashi hadn’t seen one since before he knew he was a Wizard. Growing up, Akaashi had played with a few of the neighborhood kids, but once realizing that Akaashi was different, the other boys had quickly gone from friendly to cruel as they forbade Akaashi from playing with them again.
Little Akaashi with tears in his eyes had gone home to his parents, asking why the other boys refused to play with him, and it was at his uncharacteristic burst of emotion that all the lights in the house had gone off, surprising all three family members. His Hogwarts letter came soon after that.
“Hey, hey, hey!”
Jolted out of his thoughts at the loud call, Akaashi dropped the ball in his lap and turned his head at the sound.
Two boys that looked to be about his age were running towards him, one with messy black hair and the other—the one Akaashi’s eyes were immediately drawn to—with a uniquely colored silver and black head of hair.
They came to a stop right in front of him and Akaashi squinted, blinking rapidly as he brought a hand up in an attempt to shield his face from the glaring sun.
“That’s my ball,” the one with black hair said, pointing down at the white ball in Akaashi’s lap.
Face flushing, Akaashi grasped for the ball and held it up to the boy. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly, cheeks tinging pink. “It rolled towards me. Please, continue playing volleyball.”
“Huh? What’s volleyball?”
“Bo, you’re so dumb sometimes. This,” the black haired boy shook the ball to emphasize his point, “is volleyball.” He turned his attention back to Akaashi who had been staring up at the boys uneasily. “Half-blood?”
“Muggleborn,” Akaashi responded weakly, now even more unsure of the two boys than before.
The Second Wizarding War was infamous, and though times had changed substantially since Voldemort’s days, Akaashi knew better than to assume everybody now had an open mind when it came to blood purity.
“Dude, you’re scaring him,” the silver and black haired boy said, not so gently nudging the other boy in the ribs.
“Huh? What’d I do? I’m not doing anything!”
“It must be your ugly face then!”
“Hey!”
Akaashi stared at the two for a moment, amused despite himself, before gathering his things and standing up from where he had been sitting leaning against the tree. He brushed his robes off, stray pieces of grass gently fluttering to the ground, and hiked his bag further up his shoulder as he turned to head back towards the castle.
“Wait! Where are you going?”
Surprised, Akaashi paused in his step and twisted back to meet the black haired boy’s questioning gaze. “I—”
“Play with us!” The silver and black haired boy eagerly interjected, bouncing forward on his toes as he grabbed the ball from his friend’s hand and shoved it back towards Akaashi. “I wanna learn how to play bally-ball!”
The black haired boy snorted. “Bro, it’s volleyball.”
“I wanna learn how to play volleyball!”
Bottom lip caught between his teeth, Akaashi looked between the two. “I’m not too interested in the sport,” he said softly after a moment. It wasn’t a lie. After the neighborhood kids had been so callous towards him, Akaashi found himself turned off by the Muggle sport.
“Then I’ll make you interested! I’m pretty good at Quidditch, so I bet I’ll be good at volleyball too! I’ll be so good you’ll wanna play with me all the time!” The silver and black haired boy cried out enthusiastically, closing the distance between him and Akaashi. He slung an arm around Akaashi’s shoulder and turned to smile widely at the slightly smaller boy. “Oh! I’m Bokuto, by the way! And that ugly guy over there is Kuroo.” He jutted his thumb over his shoulder at the boy behind him, ignoring the indignant squawk. “What’s your name?”
Bewildered by the sudden turn of events, Akaashi could do nothing but stand there, frozen to the spot. He met Bokuto’s eyes, swallowing at the sudden dryness in his throat, and murmured, “Akaashi Keiji.”
“Akaashi! Cool name!” Bokuto said as he dropped his arm from around the younger boy’s shoulder. Reaching for the latter’s hand, Bokuto slotted his own with Akaashi’s and impatiently started to pull him back in the direction he and Kuroo had come from. “Come on, Akaashi! I wanna play volleyball with you!”
After that first encounter, the other boy seemed to be everywhere, always finding new ways to get closer to Akaashi. Whether it be in the Great Hall, the library, or even the corridors between classes, Bokuto was always there without fail, big smile on his face and golden eyes lighting up the moment he would catch sight of the younger boy.
Bokuto was the first real friend Akaashi ever had. His childlike wonder and enthusiastic outlook on life was something Akaashi had always admired, and spending time with Bokuto quickly became the favorite part of Akaashi’s days. Things started to change however, when the sight of Bokuto’s radiant smile directed at him brought a warm, fuzzy feeling to his chest, Wrackspurts erupting and taking flight in his stomach.
He hadn’t meant for it to happen, but somewhere along the way, Akaashi found himself viewing Bokuto as more than just a friend.
Akaashi knew that the two made for an unlikely duo, but he didn’t understand how anyone could not be captivated by the older boy as he was from the moment of their first meeting. Bokuto was like the Sun— bright, sparkling, and magnetic, and Akaashi was helpless to do anything but orbit around him, the gravitational pull too strong to ignore.
He sighed again, straightening up from where he had been hunched over. Leaning against the stone wall, he tilted his head back and stared unseeingly at the high ceiling. Akaashi heard rather than saw the owl shuffle closer to him. Angling his head back down, he allowed himself a small smile at the look of what seemed like concern shining in Tosei’s eyes.
“No need to worry about me, Tosei. I’m sure Bokuto-san has his reasons,” he murmured, a little sigh escaping his parted lips.
Hoot! Hoot! Hoot!
The owl gave an excited cry and flapped its wings, flying in erratic little circles above Akaashi’s head.
Frowning, Akaashi tilted his head up at Tosei in contemplation, an idea starting to form and take place in mind.
“Maybe…” he trailed off, muttering to himself as he shook his head in quiet disbelief.
Straightening back up, Akaashi rooted around his satchel for a spare piece of parchment and quickly set it on the table in front of him, grabbing his quill and dipping it into the small, black pot of ink.
Bokuto may have been avoiding Akaashi, but it would be nearly impossible for him to hide from an owl—especially one with a letter addressed to him.
Essay long forgotten, Akaashi began to write.
⋆⋆✩⋆✧⋆☆⋆✧⋆✩⋆⋆
Two days later and Bokuto was still nowhere to be found.
Frustrated, Akaashi slammed opened his trunk with more force than necessary, causing both Kenma and Tosei to look up at him in alarm, the latter letting out a surprised squawk and nearly falling off the window ledge.
Pulling out his shrunken broom, Akaashi tossed it on the bed and dug around his trunk once more for a thicker set of robes. He hadn’t gone flying in a while, and though it was too cold to be outside for long, Akaashi needed a break from the confines of the castle.
He used to think Hogwarts was too small for the amount of people the castle walls held. Students and staff alike seemed to litter every nook and cranny of the school no matter the time of day, and Akaashi felt suffocated at times. It wasn’t until after he had started to roam the grounds by himself that he realized just how big and lonely it was without a certain Hufflepuff by his side.
“Everything okay?”
“Fine, thank you,” Akaashi responded stiffly, brought out of his thoughts by Kenma’s familiar voice.
“…Is this about Bokuto-san?” The blond questioned softly, peering at Akaashi over the top of Muggle Studies book.
“Yes,” Akaashi answered simply, his voice slightly muffled by the sweater he was tugging over his head. He folded down the turtleneck so the material wasn’t so suffocating and reached for his winter robes, shrugging them on before sitting down on the edge of his bed to lace up his boots.”
There was no response for a moment.
“Kuroo and Bokuto-san are kind of stupid.”
Tosei let out a sudden screech and Akaashi glanced over briefly at the owl before humming in response, unsure of how to react to Kenma’s random remark.
“I’m going flying with Tosei,” he said instead, standing up and grabbing both his wand and shrunken broom from the bed. Now that he had changed into something warmer, his body was quickly heating up, and Akaashi was eager and more than ready to step out into the cold air.
“Do you want me to go with you?”
Touched by the gesture, Akaashi couldn’t stop his lips from curving up into a small smile, frustration briefly forgotten. “That won’t be necessary, but thank you.”
Kenma nodded, obviously relieved that Akaashi hadn’t taken him up on his offer. Attention already back on the book in front of him, he called out a simple, “have fun,” as Akaashi shut the door to their dorm behind him.
⋆⋆✩⋆✧⋆☆⋆✧⋆✩⋆⋆
Flying was exhilarating.
Steadily climbing higher and higher into the sky, Akaashi let out a breathless little huff as the sharp, frosty wind blew across him, hitting his face and causing his robes to billow wildly behind him as he suddenly dove towards the ground. Tosei was right next to him, keeping up with all of Akaashi’s tricks and maneuvers, and the Ravenclaw looked over, suddenly grateful that this odd little bird had come into his life.
He had been flying for only about forty-five minutes now, but the sun was starting to set and the already icy air was only getting colder as day bled into night. The many layers he had on did little to help as another crisp blast of wind caused Akaashi to shudder, feeling the chill wrap around his bones. Relaxing his grip on the handle of his broom, Akaashi hovered in place and squeezed his thighs together to prevent him from falling as he brought his frozen, gloved hands up to his neck to wrap his scarf tighter around himself.
A particularly strong gust of wind blew over him, and Akaashi quickly scrambled to grasp his broom again.
“We should head back,” he found himself saying to the owl as they both leisurely flew around the Quidditch pitch. A few students were in the stands, huddled together for warmth as they spent the evening with friends, but Akaashi was much too high for his voice to reach any of their ears. “You must be tired by now.”
Tosei blinked, bright eyes seeming to glow even brighter at the insinuation that he wouldn’t be able to handle another fly around the pitch, and Akaashi arched an eyebrow at the bull-headed little bird.
“Alright, one more lap, but we’re really going back inside after this.”
And with that, Akaashi and Tosei flew once more. Akaashi whizzed past the goal posts, the colors on the house stands blurring into each other as he picked up speed. The wind was striking him in the face, hair blowing furiously around him, and Akaashi smiled to himself at the intoxicating feeling of being high in the sky, far away from everybody’s reach.
Still smiling, Akaashi looked over to see if Tosei was keeping up when three things happened simultaneously.
1) Tosei was growing larger. His small wingspan started to expand, the silver and black feathers of his wings transforming into what looked suspiciously like human arms.
2) Akaashi felt his heart drop to the pits of his stomach when he realized what, or who exactly, Tosei was turning into.
And 3) Frozen fingers grasping desperately for his wand, Akaashi managed to strangle out a hastily yelled cushioning charm just as Bokuto’s limp body hit the ground with a sickening thump.
⋆⋆✩⋆✧⋆☆⋆✧⋆✩⋆⋆
In hindsight, Akaashi really should have known.
“Wait, you seriously had no idea? But I told you Bo was flying around! I dropped so many hints!”
Akaashi grit his teeth, worry taking over his better judgement and manners as he replied in a clipped voice, “No, Kuroo-san. I had no idea that Bokuto-san would be so stupid enough to try his hand at an extremely dangerous, and not to mention illegal, piece of magic!”
The room dissolved into a tense silence then and Akaashi sighed, pursing his lips and bowing his head at the older Ravenclaw.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured after a moment, an embarrassed flush creeping up his neck and into his cheeks at his outburst.
Kuroo rubbed the back of his neck and grinned sheepishly, one shoulder raising in a lopsided shrug. “I would’ve told you sooner, but Bo begged me not to. Bro code, you know?
Brows furrowed and mouth set in a straight line, Akaashi turned to look down at Bokuto’s still form laying on the infirmary bed, deciding not to respond to Kuroo’s ridiculous retort lest another uncharacteristic outburst flew past his lips.
He felt a sudden headache coming on, remembering Kenma’s seemingly random words from before. Kuroo and Bokuto-san are kind of stupid.
Looking back and forth between the two 7th years, Akaashi couldn’t help but silently agree.
“Are you mad at him?”
Akaashi sighed and brought a hand up to his forehead, eyes drifting shut as he rubbed gentle circles into his skin.
Was he mad at him? That was an understatement. He was furious, but more so at himself for not figuring it out sooner. A wave of embarrassment rolled over him as he cast his mind back to all his seemingly inane and harmless conversations with the owl. All those days and nights of confiding in Tosei, talking about Bokuto to Bokuto, dropping innocent little pecks to the top of his head… Merlin. Akaashi grimaced. He didn’t even want to think about the amount of kisses he had given owl Bokuto. Perhaps it was his turn to try his hand at the Animagus transformation now, the idea of hiding from Bokuto growing more favorable by the minute.
Heaving a big sigh, Akaashi finally lifted his eyes to meet Kuroo’s worried ones. “I—”
A sudden groan from beside him grabbed both boys' attention, and Akaashi quickly snapped his mouth shut, heart starting to beat wildly at the noise.
“Argghhhh, I think I’m dying,” Bokuto moaned, eyes weakly fluttering open.
“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said in a hurried voice, bringing himself closer to the bed so that he was hovering anxiously over the older boy, embarrassment long forgotten at the sight of his now conscious friend. “Are you alright?”
“No, I’m dying.”
From the opposite side of the bed, Kuroo snorted. Akaashi brought his sharp gaze up, glaring slightly at Kuroo’s nonchalant attitude.
“You’re not dying, you big drama queen. You don’t even have any broken bones. Merlin, you’re almost as bad as Oikawa.”
“But I feel like I’m dying,” Bokuto lamented, laying his head back against the white pillow. “Did I get hit by a troll or something?”
“You don’t remember?” Akaashi asked, worry creasing his brows.
Bokuto blinked. “I remember I was fly— HEY!” He suddenly shouted, bolting up and twisting around as he stared excitedly down at his body. Akaashi watched, bemused, as Bokuto threw the covers back and patted his hands down his torso to his legs. “I’M ME AGAIN!” Bokuto cried out, wiggling his toes and flashing Akaashi a giant grin that had Akaashi's heart stuttering in his chest. “I thought I was gonna be stuck as an owl forever!”
At those words, Akaashi’s eyes started to narrow, his earlier concerns drifting back to the forefront of his mind. “Yes,” Akaashi started, voice low. “What would you have done then, Bokuto-san?”
Bokuto seemed to shrink back on himself, and he glanced at Kuroo for help, but the other boy just grinned, a sly smirk falling into place as he patted Bokuto once on the knee before walking backwards towards the doors leading out of the Hospital Wing. “Sorry bro, you’re on your own.”
Bokuto watched as the double doors swung shut, and he cautiously brought his attention back to Akaashi again who was still staring at him with a disapproving glare.
“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi began. “Do you know how dangerous it is for young Wizards to attempt to transform into their Animagus form?”
“Yes,” Bokuto responded morosely, the tips of his hair somehow flattening and falling pitifully to match his miserable mood.
“And you know it’s illegal for students such as yourself to attempt the Animagus spell, right?”
Bokuto nodded again, playing with a stray piece of thread on his hospital gown and not meeting Akaashi’s eyes.
Akaashi was astonished. Animagus transformations were notoriously difficult to master, and the fact that Bokuto had been attempting his under the radar with absolutely no adult supervision made Akaashi’s breath hitch just thinking about it. There were a litany of things that could’ve gone wrong. He’d heard horror stories of witches and wizards attempting a transformation, only to remain stuck in a strange half-human, half-animal hybrid, never able to return to their previous state.
Bokuto, in Akaashi’s opinion, was extremely lucky to have only had to deal with the nuisance of being unable to transform back into his human self.
“Then, why—”
“Because, Ah-ka-aa-shi!” Bokuto whined. “You said it was cool! And I wanted you to think that I was cool! So I asked Kuroo to help, only he didn’t do a very good job because I couldn’t transform back and all he did was laugh at me, but then I remembered how smart you were so I went to find you, but you didn’t know it was me! And I didn’t know how to tell you!” Voice growing in intensity and pitch, Bokuto finally finished his little rant with a flourish, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat.
Akaashi stared blankly back at him, unsure of how to respond or even where to begin. “I said it was… cool.” He repeated after a moment, voice flat.
“Well, maybe not in those exact words, but you were reading about the Marauders in your History of Magic book and I heard you talking to Kenma and you said—”
“They’re impressive, don’t you think?”
“Who is?”
“James Potter and Sirius Black, even Peter Pettigrew… Mastering the Animagus spell on their own so they could accompany Remus Lupin…”
Beside him, Kenma snorted into his book. “Impressive, or extremely stupid. What if they had gotten caught?”
Closing his eyes at the memory, Akaashi let out a sigh of disbelief. Bokuto was really unbelievable. He said as much to his friend, the other boy still looking sullenly up at him.
“But I only wanted to impress you too! Like they did!” Bokuto whined, trying to justify himself to Akaashi.
“There are other ways of doing that, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said crisply, turning away from Bokuto’s pout. He wasn’t quite ready to fully forgive the older boy for doing something so reckless. Bokuto’s fall played in a loop in his head, and he couldn’t stop the barrage of what if’s that floated through his mind. He felt his heart thumping erratically in his ribcage. What if they had been higher? What if he hadn’t cast a cushioning charm in time? What if he had broken a bone, unable to play Quidditch ever again? Sucked in his unforgiving, anxiety ridden thoughts, Akaashi almost didn’t hear Bokuto’s question.
“Sorry?”
“Did I though?” Bokuto repeated, looking hopefully up at Akaashi.
“Did you what, Bokuto-san?”
“Impress you?”
So astounded by the inner workings of Bokuto’s brain, Akaashi just stared at him in silence, entirely at a loss for words.
⋆⋆✩⋆✧⋆☆⋆✧⋆✩⋆⋆
Two days later and Akaashi found himself back in the Astronomy tower. He had been leaning his elbows on the ledge and looking out at the night sky when the sound of muffled footsteps from behind caught his attention. He didn’t even have to turn to know who it was. After finding the Marauder’s Map in an abandoned tunnel somewhere deep under the castle a few years ago, Bokuto had refused to turn it in and instead used it for his own gain. Akaashi had no doubt in his mind that it was the Hufflepuff who had come up to find him with the help of that clever piece of magic.
“Hello Bokuto-san,” he said once the footsteps drew closer, the sound of his usually demure voice startlingly loud and echoing in the empty Astronomy Tower.
“Akaashi! How’d you know it was me?”
Turning, Akaashi folded his hands in front of him and faced his friend. “A lucky guess.”
The room dissolved into an awkward silence then, leaving a strange, hollow feeling in Akaashi’s chest because things were never awkward with Bokuto.
After Bokuto had been discharged from the Hospital Wing, Akaashi had done everything in his power to avoid the older boy. No longer having to worry about Bokuto’s health, he had found himself growing increasingly embarrassed the more he allowed himself to think back on all the one sided conversations he had had with Tosei. Bokuto had tried to speak to him on multiple occasions, but Akaashi had quickly hidden himself in the throng of students, ducking his head and trying his hardest to blend in so that the Hufflepuff would be unable to reach him.
There was no place to hide now, however.
“Wha—”
“This is—”
Both boys huffed and turned away. Akaashi bowed his head and gestured for Bokuto to continue.
“Um, here. This is yours.”
Confused, Akaashi met Bokuto’s unusually solemn gaze before blinking down at the parchment the other boy was holding out to him. “What’s…”
He trailed off, words dying on his tongue as he caught sight of the familiar handwriting, Bokuto’s name written in his neat script across the middle of the folded page. He felt his throat go dry.
“Where did you get this?” Akaashi asked in a strained voice.
“You gave it to me,” Bokuto responded, staring resolutely down at the parchment.
“I gave it t—” Realization dawning on his features, Akaashi stilled.
Bokuto may have been avoiding Akaashi, but it would be nearly impossible for him to hide from an owl—especially one with a letter addressed to him.
Essay long forgotten, Akaashi began to write.
He had never written a confession letter before, nor had he ever received one, so Akaashi sat, bottom lip stuck between his teeth as he crumpled and incendio-ed parchment after parchment of his failed attempts at confessing his feelings to Bokuto.
Seeing Tosei flying high above him had given him the idea to send his owl to the Hufflepuff, hoping that maybe the shock of a confession letter would spur the older boy to reveal himself to Akaashi, but Akaashi was no good with feelings. He didn’t know what to write, or even where to begin, and feeling increasingly frustrated with himself, Akaashi had finally given up, balling up his last attempt at a confession and tossing it to Tosei.
“Here,” Akaashi had said, exasperated. “Use it as a nest, eat it, I don’t care. I’ll have to figure out a different way to find Bokuto-san.”
“I wasn’t going to read it,” Bokuto began, scratching the back of his head and looking uncharacteristically timid, “But you said to eat it, and I didn’t want to do that, and I remember you working really hard on it, so…” He trailed off and mimed opening a letter.
Akaashi remained rooted to the spot, a thousand different thoughts and feelings darting through his mind. “You weren’t meant to see that,” he eventually ground out in a defeated voice.
“Yeah,” Bokuto agreed.
The room fell into another awkward silence, but neither boy offered anything more. Becoming increasingly uncomfortable the longer the silence went on, Akaashi fidgeted, unsure of what to do or say as he bit his lips and stared back out at the dark sky.
Anxiety growing, Akaashi had just opened his mouth to give his excuses and leave, when Bokuto’s voice gave him pause.
“Hey Akaashi?”
Akaashi turned back, brows raised in silent question.
“Do you miss Tosei?”
Bewildered by the random question, Akaashi met Bokuto’s eyes. “You’re Tosei.”
“Ah, I know!” Bokuto exclaimed, rocking back and forth on his heels. “I mean, do you like me better as Tosei? When I was all quiet and stuff, and I couldn’t talk or beg you to play Quidditch with me because I know sometimes you don’t want to, but you do it anyways.”
Akaashi frowned, brows pulled together as he stared at Bokuto in confusion. “Why do you ask?”
“Because, I dunno. You talked to me more when I was an owl. And you smiled more too. And you, uh, the petting and kisses…” Bokuto trailed off, suddenly looking extremely awkward.
Akaashi felt his heart screeching to a halt in his chest. Throwing himself out of the Astronomy Tower suddenly seemed like an extremely alluring option.
“Oh,” Akaashi stuttered out, cheeks flushing a dark red as a tidal wave of embarrassment crashed over him, leaving him feeling drowned and disoriented. He softly cleared his throat, trying to clear away the sudden dryness. “I apologize.” He bowed his head and stared hard at the stone floor. “If I had known, I would have never—”
“No!” Bokuto cried suddenly. “I liked it!”
Pausing, Akaashi drew his head back up to stare at him in disbelief, heart stuttering back to life in his chest. “You…liked it?” He repeated, unsure if he had heard correctly with the blood rushing in his ears.
Bokuto’s cheeks flooded with color, the slowly growing shade of red matching Akaashi’s own flamed face. “Yeah, it was nice. I wouldn’t mind if you did it again, you know. Or even if you don’t want to! It’s fine!” He quickly added, bringing his hands up so that his palms were facing Akaashi as he waved them side to side. “You can pretend I didn’t say anything. And I’ll pretend I never read your letter, but I kind of don’t want to do that because I feel the same way, and it was kind of awesome being your owl because you talked to me all the time and you pet me and gave me treats and kis—”He stopped suddenly and brought a hand up to scratch nervously at the back of his head again. “I liked it,” he finished lamely. “I like you.”
Akaashi vaguely thought that maybe it would be in his best interest to stop by the Hospital Wing—what with the way his erratically beating heart seemed to keep stopping and starting—and he stood there dumbly for a moment, unable to move and feeling like he had been hit with the Incarcerous spell.
“Hey,” Bokuto began after a short pause when Akaashi still hadn’t spoken. “Forget I said anything! If you want, I’ll just turn back into an owl again!” Bokuto had meant it jokingly, but Akaashi heard the hurt behind his words, and it was the thought of Bokuto believing that Akaashi didn’t feel the same way that spurred him into action.
“Bokuto-san.”
Akaashi stared at the older boy standing across from him, waiting for Bokuto to meet his eyes. After weeks of avoidance, Akaashi had missed this. He had missed the sight of Bokuto's uniquely colored hair and his always bright golden eyes. He had missed the sound of his loud laughter and heart-stopping smile. He had missed his never ending enthusiasm and steady presence. He had missed Bokuto. Bokuto was the sun, and without him, Akaashi had been feeling lost, floating hopelessly in the dark abyss with no direction or purpose. But now, his star was back, and his galaxy exploded in bright light and color—a supernova.
The owl was great, yes. But Bokuto was even greater.
“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi repeated.
The other boy finally looked up at him, eyes downcast and looking uncharacteristically gloomy.
Akaashi stepped closer and closed the distance between them. “I like you better than the owl,” he murmured, the corners of his lips pulling up into a smile. Before he could talk himself out of it, Akaashi stood on his tip-toes, quickly leaning forward and placing a soft, lingering kiss on Bokuto’s forehead as one hand came up to gently caress his cheek. When he pulled back, Bokuto’s face was bright red.
“Oh,” Bokuto squeaked, eyes wide.
Unable to help himself, Akaashi huffed an amused breath of laughter at the look of disbelief on Bokuto’s face.
“Uh, you know,” Bokuto began after a moment, speaking only once he was sure his voice wouldn’t crack. “I think I liked that better than when I was an owl. You might have to do it again though. To make sure. But maybe on the lips this time? He added hopefully, eyes shining and expression growing in radiance.
Indulging in Bokuto’s antics, Akaashi let out another soft laugh, stepping even closer. “To make sure,” he repeated, before leaning in once more.
⋆⋆✩⋆✧⋆☆⋆✧⋆✩⋆⋆
Packages and letters fluttered down from the cluster of owls soaring high in the Great Hall, students erupting into excited chatter as they received mail and presents from home. Watching the graceful birds flying above him, Akaashi smiled to himself. He was reluctant to admit that a part of him did miss having Tosei around, but when he glanced over to see Bokuto waving wildly at him from the Hufflepuff table, Akaashi couldn’t really find it in himself to care.
A small, badly wrapped package dropped into his lap then, surprising him and causing the Pumpkin juice he had been sipping on to spill over the sides of his goblet and onto the wooden table. He hadn’t been expecting anything from home, and confused, Akaashi started to unwrap it. His brows rose in surprise upon seeing what the brown wrapping revealed.
Akaashi stared blankly at the item, turning it over in his hands when a familiar, booming voice called out to him from across the Great Hall.
“AH-KA-AA-SHI!”
Looking up, he met Bokuto’s brilliant smile and excited, pink tinged cheeks from across the throng of students.
“DO YOU LIKE IT?”
Tearing his eyes away from Bokuto’s enthusiastic expression, Akaashi looked down at the small, silver and black stuffed owl, a smile growing on his face. Meeting Bokuto’s eyes once more, he couldn’t help but grin widely, lips curving up and eyes crinkling.
“Yes, Bokuto-san. I love it.”
(Bokuto couldn’t hear him, Akaashi was sure, but that didn’t stop the other boy from hooting loudly and causing the headmistress to dock 10 points from Hufflepuff.)