title: the unknown element
fandom: kuroko no basket + hp
pairing: some light akashi/kuroko
summary: the obligatory hp!au where everyone plays quidditch instead of basketball. tetsuya’s life is pretty normal for someone who attends a magic school - until akashi seijuurou takes notice of him.
notes: some characters were unsuitably sorted to put them all on one team (*coughcough*aomine*coughcough*). i realize hogwarts is a british school, so the names should be changed around, but it felt really weird to write them like that. let’s all pretend that nobody finds it weird & w/e. also keeping the nicknames (murasakibara’s -chin and kise’s -kocchi) bc it also felt weird not to. hp canon is like... thirty or s/t years after voldemort. hp & co are still around but they aren’t in this fic. written for ‘alternate universe’ prompt for akakuro week. it’s the LAST DAY thank you all for reading my dumb drabbles all week.
Tetsuya looks up from his essay on the properties of the Draught of Living Death when he hears giggling; a few tables over, some Gryffindor and Ravenclaw girls have their heads bent together, whispering about something. They keep shooting looks across the library, which Tetsuya follows to find, of all people, Akashi Seijuurou.
Slytherin’s fifth-year prefect, captain and keeper of the Slytherin quidditch team, brilliant student and talented athlete... There’s a reason the girls flock to him and eye him up in the library. Tetsuya’s never really spoken with Akashi himself, but he does seem to be a good enough guy - most of the times when Tetsuya passes him in the halls, he’s soft-spoken, polite, kind. Some of the Gryffindors - the last ones to let go of old house prejudices - even mutter how they don’t know how he’s even a Slytherin, the highest praise they can offer Slytherins.
Tetsuya slips his books and parchments away. There won’t be any studying while Akashi’s fans are in vicinity - he doesn’t mind them in other parts of the school, but he does wish they could contain themselves while in the library.
He stands and shoulders his bag, crossing the library to get to the main doors. His mind is preoccupied, planning out what he’ll need to do when he gets back to the dorms to finish his homework before dinner, and that’s probably why he doesn’t notice the person heading his way until he bumps into them. They’re so tall and broad that Tetsuya would’ve bounced off of them and landed on the floor if they hadn’t caught him around the elbows, the sort of quick reflexes that can only belong to a talented athlete.
Tetsuya looks up. And up.
“Oh...?” Murasakibara says, peering down at him. “Are you a first year?”
Tetsuya frowns. “Fifth year,” he says. Why does he always get that question?
Murasakibara’s surprise isn’t flattering. “But you’re so small!” He reaches out and ruffles Tetsuya’s hair - Tetsuya bats his hand away and smoothes down his bangs with irritation. He’s not a kid.
Tetsuya stiffens at that smooth voice. He turns his head to see Akashi surveying them, eyes calm and still as lakes.
“Look, Aka-chin,” Murasakibara says, dragging Tetsuya with him to Akashi’s table. “A puny fifth year. Can I crush him?”
Tetsuya stiffens, prepared to whip out his wand at any moment, but Akashi shakes his head.
“No,” he says. He meets Tetsuya’s eyes. “And who are you?”
Tetsuya has no clue what’s going on. “Kuroko Tetsuya,” he says. “Fifth year.”
Akashi’s eyebrows go up. “Your house?”
Tetsuya can feel his expression going flat. He’s well aware of how unnoticeable he is, but sometimes it’s a little depressing to have it shoved in his face like this.
There’s a long pause. Tetsuya feels a little triumphant in making the infamous Akashi Seijuurou take pause, because Akashi always seems to be at least ten steps ahead of everyone else, to the point where nothing seems to faze him. But Akashi is clearly flummoxed now - if Akashi were the type to let his jaw drop, it’d be on the ground.
“Kuro-chin’s in our year and house?” Murasakibara says, reaching out to ruffle Tetsuya’s hair again. “I’ve never seen you before.”
Tetsuya dodges Murasakibara’s hand. “Most people don’t see me,” he says. “And I don’t room with you.”
Due to their large, labyrinth-like dorms, Slytherins are usually given their own rooms by third year - before that, they double or triple up, but they never have all of their grade in one room like the Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs. [2] Tetsuya’s lived on his own since his second year and, other than classes, he doesn’t interact with his classmates much - especially not the godly five who make up their quidditch team, the ones that people have quietly been calling the ‘Generation of Miracles.’
He shifts uncomfortably when he realizes Akashi’s still watching him, like a snake might watch its next meal. Tetsuya’s not used to being noticed, especially by someone like Akashi who is, as much as any Hogwarts student can be, a minor celebrity.
“You play quidditch,” Akashi says.
Tetsuya stiffens. “I fly,” he says. “But I’m not interested in playing quidditch.”
He goes out to the pitch when he can’t sleep and flies in circles and dives until his mind clears. Sometimes, if he’s feeling especially restless, he’ll release the fake snitch his grandmother bought for him before she died - it’s slower than a real snitch, but mimics its movements enough to be a good replacement. Following its movements to catch it clears Tetsuya’s head in a way that nothing else can. But he’s always been terrible at sports, so even though he enjoys watching quidditch and knows the game well, he’s never tried out for the team. What could he offer to a team like his, anyway?
“That’s a lie,” Akashi says. “Come to the pitch tonight. Seven o’clock.”
Tetsuya’s brow furrows. Everyone in Slytherin knows that the team practices every night at seven. What is Akashi playing at?
“I’m not interested in--”
“Yes, you are,” Akashi says, turning away finally. “Be at the pitch.”
Murasakibara turns away too and Tetsuya is left to stare at the pair of them. Neither looks up to acknowledge him as he turns and leaves the library. He’s less angry and more confused. He’s never really played quidditch before, not even as a kid - most kids his age skipped over him for that sort of thing - but he loves to fly. Honestly, he’d always rather thought that making it a sport would ruin the flying aspect.
Tetsuya shakes his head and collects his thoughts, straightening his shoulders. Akashi Seijuurou may be the Emperor of Slytherin, but that doesn’t mean Tetsuya has to listen to his commands. He’s definitely not going to go down to the pitch tonight.
Tetsuya goes down to the pitch.
He spends the hour leading up to seven getting increasingly anxious and flustered, glancing up from his homework every three seconds to check the clock only to find no time had passed. With every minute that passes, he starts to think - would it really be so bad? and maybe it could be fun and what’s the harm? and before he knows it, he’s grabbing his cloak and broom and hurrying out his door.
Akashi probably used some sort of charm on him. Tetsuya can’t explain his own behavior otherwise.
He gets there with five minutes to spare, but there are already figures in the air. Tetsuya watches, a little breathless, as Kise, Aomine, and Akashi execute a beautiful team-play, tossing the Quaffle between them until it’s just a blur of red. They still don’t make it past Murasakibara, though, because even though he sits at the goalpost nonchalantly, all Murasakibara has to do is stretch a little and the goal is blocked. It pays to be tall, Tetsuya thinks with some envy.
Midorima and Takao [3] sit on the sidelines, watching the play. Midorima tosses his beater’s bat from hand to hand, as if trying to warm up his fingers.
Tetsuya stands down there, watching them. Should he call up? Most people don’t notice him unless he speaks to them directly...
Akashi glances down as he and the other chasers fly back into position - for a moment, his gaze skitters over Tetsuya before they finally settle on him. Akashi has the gall to look completely unsurprised to see Tetsuya there and Tetsuya does his best not to let his own annoyance show. Maybe he shouldn’t have come--
“Break!” Akashi calls. “Players to the ground.”
“But Akashicchi we barely got started--!”
“it’s only been like ten minutes, what the hell do we need a break for--”
The players settle down on the ground directly in front of Tetsuya, still squabbling amongst themselves. To Tetsuya’s surprise, Takao glances over at him, but the others don’t seem to notice that he’s there. Akashi gives Tetsuya a look that’s plainly inquisitive and, to Tetsuya’s surprise, a little mischievous - he tilts his head as if to say, what do you want to do to them?
Well. Tetsuya isn’t a prankster like Kagami, but he does need to find amusement where he can.
“Hello,” he says and watches as most of the rising stars of quidditch jump out of their skin. “I am Kuroko.”
“Who--!” Kise screeches, pointing an accusing finger at Tetsuya.
“What the hell,” Aomine says, blank with shock.
Midorima pushes his glasses up and Takao cackles behind his back. “That was a good one,” he says. He was the only one other than Akashi who didn’t jump.
Akashi moves to Tetsuya’s side. “This is Kuroko Tetsuya,” he says. “He will be our new seeker starting today.”
Tetsuya freezes. “I don’t remember agreeing to that, Akashi,” he says, with the same false-polite frostiness that his mother uses when she’s angry. “In fact, one could say... that you have made the decision for me. That’s not very polite.”
Tetsuya thinks the sudden, tense silence that follows his statement is a little melodramatic - surely they can’t expect him to simply fall in line with Akashi’s little plan?
Takao’s cackling again. He comes up to Tetsuya’s other side and throws an arm around his shoulders.
“I like him,” he says to Akashi. “It was getting boring, being the only one to keep you geniuses in line.” He leans in to mock-whisper in Tetsuya’s ear, “They’re a handful, you know.”
“I’m beginning to realize,” Tetsuya says and Takao laughs.
“Tetsuya,” Akashi says, and Tetsuya tries to remember if he ever gave Akashi permission to use his first name, “you would be a benefit to our team.”
“You haven’t even seen me fly,” Tetsuya counters, eyebrows raising. “I’ll tell you now; I’m nowhere as good as any of you. I fly for fun.”
“Akashi, is he really the one you want--”
“This isn’t about pure ability,” Akashi says, cutting Midorima off. “What you have is a different sort of skill. Tell me, has anyone ever noticed you without you speaking to them first?”
Tetsuya frowns. “Takao just did,” he admits and Takao throws up a v-sign. “But other than him... Not very many people, no.”
“That sort of lack of presence could be useful for a player who needs to maneuver around the game unseen,” Akashi says, as much for his teammates benefits as Tetsuya’s. “Seekers get followed by the other team’s seeker, or become targets for the beaters... Tetsuya’s ability to disappear could dramatically reduce that. And,” Akashi turns to face Tetsuya directly, “I have seen you on a broom.”
“Get on your broom,” Akashi orders. “I’ll release the snitch and make you a deal - if you can’t catch it within a minute, I’ll give up on you being our team seeker.”
There’s some disbelieving noises from Akashi’s team, but Tetsuya only has eyes for Akashi’s stern-eyed visage. He has to know what he’s saying is impossible. Even Harry Potter himself couldn’t catch a snitch that fast. But Akashi is saying it without any mockery or derision - he seems to honestly believe that Tetsuya can do this, if he puts his mind to it. And he’s seen Tetsuya fly.
Tetsuya’s hand tightens around the handle of his broom. “Alright,” he says. “But I did warn you.”
“Akashi, is this really--”
“Kuroko, there’s no way--”
“We could be playing right now--”
Akashi waves a hand and silences his teammates cries. Takao mutters into Tetsuya’s ear, “Honestly, it’s much less of a hassle to not be on the team,” but he ruffles Tetsuya’s hair as he withdraws and gives him a wink.
Tetsuya smooths down his hair and wonders at the warmth rising in his chest. Nobody’s ever believed in him before, he thinks. It’s a bit odd.
“Get ready, Tetsuya,” Akashi says as he kneels by the box with the quidditch balls.
Inside its small case, the snitch flutters wildly, desperate for escape. Tetsuya mounts his broom and takes a deep, slow breath, gathering his calm. If he can’t do it, it’s hardly any skin off his back. But if he can... His eyes drift to where Akashi kneels. Well, if he can, that’d be something, wouldn’t it?
Akashi releases the snitch. Tetsuya’s in the air before he can form a thought, eyes on that tiny golden ball. It’s a tricky, wild thing, but Tetsuya can follow it - he dives down at it from odd angles, choosing the strangest trajectory in order to corner it. Tricky or not, the snitch is just a charmed ball, and it follows certain patterns. Most people would just try and chase it along the same patterns - Tetsuya decides to create new ones.
He touches back down in thirty seconds, snitch clasped tightly in his right fist, breathing hard. There’s complete silence on the pitch.
Then, Kise cheers and Tetsuya finds himself with an armful of boy. “Kurokocchi!” he yells.
“What the fuck how did you do that,” Aomine’s saying over Kise’s shoulder and Midorima looks stunned.
Tetsuya looks until he can find Akashi’s eyes - the pleasure in them leaves him warm and a little flushed.
“Well done, Tetsuya,” Akashi says. “With you on the team, we will surely have our victory.”
Tetsuya sees Akashi smile and is suddenly, fiercely glad that he made the decision to come down to the pitch after all.
Tetsuya takes his time showering after practice, listening to make sure all the others have left before he gets out to dress. He feels like he needs time to process, time his rowdy new teammates probably wouldn’t allow him. To his consternation, he walks out to find Akashi waiting for him, already dressed.
“Akashi,” he says as he pulls on his pants and shirt, trying not to blush. He’s never quite gotten used to changing in front of other people - and it’s weird, to know that Akashi’s watching him right now. “What is it?”
“Our goal is complete victory,” Akashi says. There’s something odd about his voice, but when Tetsuya turns around, his face is as calm and still as ever. His eyes track Tetsuya’s every movement. “That is what we strive for.”
“Isn’t that what all Slytherins strive for?” Tetsuya says. It’s more rhetorical than anything, but Akashi nods.
“You’ll need extra training,” he says. “But with my help, you’ll be an extraordinary player.”
Tetsuya’s pretty good at keeping his head, but he can feel the blush coming on from hearing that. He’s honestly never met people as willing to believe in him. He has no idea what he’s done to deserve it.
“I don’t know that I can offer anything,” he says. “But I... want to play. So I’ll be your seeker.” He smiles a little. “Although you never made it sound like an offer.”
“It wasn’t one,” Akashi says. Tetsuya twitches. “My will is absolute, Tetsuya - the moment I knew you would aid us, you were going to be our seeker. But I’m pleased you’ve realized it as well.” He eyes Tetsuya. “Are you ready to go? I’ll walk with you.”
Tetsuya huffs and grabs his broom and bag. He has a feeling he might’ve signed up for more than he bargained for, with this. But he can’t quite bring himself to regret it.
Complete victory, huh? He smiles. I think I’m good with that.
originally i was going to have akashi be the seeker & kuroko be the chaser with the odd way of passing. but i like kuroko as seeker, so i changed it around. in any case, they go on to win the house cup for the next two years. poor kagami in gryffindor & hyuuga in hufflepuff are decimated.
[1] okay kuroko is like the most hufflepuff hufflepuff to exist. but i needed him to be in the same house as akashi & it made a lot more sense to have slytherin!kuroko than hufflepuff!akashi. kuroko is at least ambitious and mildly cunning. but i would like to repeat: kuroko is the MOST hufflepuff hufflepuff.
[2] this is not the actual layout of the slytherin dorms & i’m pretty sure they do room communally. but it seemed like a bit of a stretch that no one in slytherin would notice kuroko if they roomed with him for five years so...
[3] i couldn’t make kagami a slytherin, even though he would’ve been the obvious choice to round out the team. he’s so absolutely NOT a slytherin, even with the ambition. takao made a good fit, esp since he’s the other half of the beater team w/ midorima.
