Obviously, I own none of the rights to either of these series. Those belong to J.K. Rowling and Haruichi Furudate, along with whatever publishers, producers, etc., are involved with both series.
Hermione leaned against the school gate, visible for all to see. She hugged the Nekoma jacket tighter around her, feeling incredibly out of place. Despite the jacket, all of the students were giving her odd looks, despite the fact that she was wearing their school jacket. Being foreign made her stand out, no matter what.
Tetsurou has said to wait for him at the front of school when it let out, and his class had ended five minutes ago…
What's taking you so long?
A group of girls walked by, giggling.
Gomen. I left my bento box in Kenma's classroom and I need to go get it back.
Hermione's eyebrow twitched. Can't you just pick it up this evening?
A group of boys were watching her from the schoolyard, whispering to each other. They probably thought they were being subtle, but they weren't.
Hermione sighed.
Tonight's supposed to be about you, though!
It would take five seconds, Tetsurou. He lives next door.
Great. One of the boys had apparently decided to approach her.
A guy is coming over to flirt with me and this is all your fault.
What?! Not ok! I'm coming.
Oh, now you come.
"Konnichiwa!" The boy gave her what she assumed was supposed to be a friendly smile and asked her something in Japanese. Maybe what class she was in?
"None of your business." His eyes widened.
This wouldn't be happening if you'd come straight here like you'd said you were. Why did you think I was annoyed?
"English?" The boy was grinning now. "Your accent is cute. I'm Ito Akinari. What's your name?"
Why did he have to be willing to continue this conversation in English? Hermione cursed her luck.
I thought you were just being impatient!
Hermione sighed, annoyed with both boys. "Granger Hermione."
"Foreign names are so cool. How long have you been in Japan?"
Tetsurou was getting closer. He'd left the school building. Turning to look for him would be weird, though. Too coincidental. "Since summer."
"Really? Are you visiting someone? Is that why you're here—you're waiting on a relative?"
Tetsurou was closer now. Any second and…
"Scram, Ito-san."
Hermione relaxed against the arm that wrapped around her waist. "Took you long enough, Tetsurou."
He grinned at her, and Hermione realized belatedly that she'd used his first name. She blushed. That wasn't…too unusual with couples, at least. Well, with couples that had been together a while. At least Ito didn't know how long she'd known Tetsurou.
The boy was looking between the two of them with wide eyes. "You…uh…you're dating Kuroo-san?" His voice was actually squeaking. What the heck.
Why is he so scared of you?
I'm sure I have no idea.
Hermione scoffed internally. Right. She returned her attention to the quaking boy. "Hai."
"Oh. Eto… Have a good day." With that, the boy hightailed it back to his friends.
Hermione turned to face a smirking Tetsurou, who was watching the crowd of boys with an amused glint in his eyes. He looked ridiculously good in his school uniform, his jacket slung over his shoulder and his sleeves rolled up.
He smirked at her arousal, "Like what you see?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "You already know the answer to that, Tetsurou. More importantly, what did you do to that boy?"
"He was in my class last year and sat next to me for a while, but I occasionally saw him glancing at my paper. So I started doodling really gruesome pictures of stick figures dying." Tetsurou feigned a confused expression, "Apparently that freaked him out."
Hermione snorted. "What the heck, Tetsurou."
"I don't like cheaters."
"Was he actually cheating, though?"
"Well…no. But still. I like my privacy."
Hermione laughed, "Whatever. Are you going to actually take me somewhere now?"
"Of course." He slipped his hand into hers. "This way, Birthday Girl."
"Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise." He kept his eyes straight ahead, preventing her from gathering a memory.
"Tetsurou…" He laughed at her annoyed expression.
"Somehow, I keep forgetting you don't like those." His grin was mischievous.
"You do not, you brat."
"You sure about that?"
"I can literally read your mind."
"Maybe." He shrugged. "But you promised not to for birthday related things. Come on, just a few streets down. It will be fun."
"So not the shopping center."
"Nope. We're staying in the world of your childhood, today." So something nonmagical. Where would he take her in muggle Tokyo?
She groaned. That was impossible to guess. There were too many things. He had said it was close, though.
"Just give up and be surprised, love." He grinned at her. "I promise it will be fun."
"Hmph." She turned her head to the side, sulking.
"Ito-san didn't bother you too much, did he?"
"No, I just don't like dealing with guys like that. At Hogwarts we'd all known each other since we were eleven, so that kind of situation never happened."
"It must've been weird to know everyone like that."
"Not really. It was just normal. Most of the children from wizarding families had known each other for even longer."
"Weird. The only people I've known for that long are Bokuto and Kenma."
Hermione blinked in surprise. "You've known Bokuto that long?"
"Yeah. I used to live over close to him when I was really little and we played volleyball together, then in elementary school I moved next to Kenma, and didn't really see Bokuto much until high school. We always stayed in touch, though."
"So you knew him before Akaashi, then?"
"Eh… I'm not really sure, to be honest. Bokuto's known Akaashi since his first accidental…eto…accident." Hermione laughed.
Tetsurou glared at her sullenly, "Shut up. It's hard to code things sometimes. Anyway, I don't know when that happened, since I didn't figure out that we had that common trait until last year. I recognized Akaashi's name at training camp and told him as much. Man, Bokuto freaked out." He smiled softly, clearly remembering the scene.
Curious, Hermione entered Tetsurou's mind through their link. She giggled at the image of an overenthusiastic second-year Bokuto hopping up and down while Akaashi frantically held his hand over Bokuto's mouth to keep him from spilling secrets about magic.
Tetsurou grinned at her, "Yeah, Akaashi had to drag him to an empty room quickly before he burst apart."
"Poor Akaashi." She laughed, "Bokuto didn't mention Akaashi's name before then?"
"Well, yeah, but how was I to ask the guy about it before I met him? And then Bokuto introduced him as Akaashi Keiji, and once I knew his first name started with a 'k' it was pretty damn obvious who Akaashi was, but I still didn't know if Bokuto knew that or not."
"It must be hard to have no way to know if the people around you have magic."
"Yeah. Before I met Akaashi I used to wish I had a recognizable name like he does. Now, though, I've heard enough of his complaints about random people approaching him to know otherwise."
Tetsurou stopped in the street, tugging her toward the doors. Hermione wrinkled her nose at the noise coming from inside the building.
Tetsurou laughed. "You can do something to mute the volume if you want, but I promise it's fun. And you said you regretted not having done a lot of normal games and such before you went to school."
With that, he opened the doors. Immediately the music became ten times louder and electronic sound effects filled the air
Hermione dropped her wand into her sleeve and cast a very limited muffliato directly around herself. Unfortunately that would have the side effect of also muffling her own voice, though, so…
An arcade, Tetsurou?
He grinned at her. You'll get to play a lot of those games you missed. I'd bet you haven't even played Mario Kart, have you.
Hermione bit her lip and slowly shook her head. She knew he could feel her confusion over the bond.
He laughed, Come on. It'll be fun, I promise. He grabbed her hand, weaving through the rows machines to reach the stairs. Up here. Though… he stopped in the middle of a bunch of crane games. Do you want anything?
Hermione stared at him incredulously. These games just steal your money, Tetsurou.
Nah, you just have to know how to handle them. He looked around at the different options in the games. Pocky? That's not too sweet.
I'll pass.
Pikachu? Polar Bear? Gudetama? Heart? Puppy? Slime? Lucky cat? Princess? Kirby? Mario?
Tetsurou!
What? He put on his best innocent smile. I have to win something for my beautiful date on her birthday.
Hermione blushed. She still wasn't used to his compliments. Fine, if you insist. The cat.
Your wish is my command. He grinned at her, then went over to the token machine underneath the stairs.
She watched incredulously as he put a token into the machine, then slowly moved the crane toward a plushie that was sitting on top of a pile. She shook her head when it wobbled, but slipped through the crane's grasp.
See—
Oh, be quiet. He opened his palm to show three more tokens. I need to position it, first. Three more tries and I'll have it.
Hermione raised an eyebrow incredulously but gestured for him to go ahead.
Tetsurou turned back to the machine, tongue sticking out slightly in concentration. Hermione watched the crane with amusement. The toy was shifting with each try. On the third go, it lifted up into the air precariously. Tetsurou let out a whoop of joy, but it quickly turned into an annoyed groan when the toy fell right next to the exit.
Hermione laughed.
Shut up. He groaned again, It's not even positioned well. Three more tries.
He trudged over to the token machine again, annoyance radiating from his body.
You don't have to, Tetsu.
Nope. I'm getting you the cat.
This time, the cat did tumble down the shaft on the third try. Tetsurou grinned as he handed it to her. There you go. You just have to know the trick, like I said.
Right. Hermione smirked at him, And who was it that said they would get it in four tries?
I was close, alright! I got it in the air.
And how much money have you spent practicing this?
He shrugged, I just watched Kenma play his virtual one for a while and noticed the pattern. When I tried it on the real ones, it worked just as well.
Hermione laughed, Is there any game Kenma isn't good at?
Nope. Well, sports arcade games aren't his best, but he's good at their virtual equivalents. Speaking of which, come on. I promised you I'd kick your butt at Mario Kart. It's about time I had a chance at winning this game.
Is that your real reason for bringing me here? So that you could finally beat someone?
You try losing to the same person for your entire life. It's degrading, I tell you.
Poor Tetsurou. Hermione rolled her eyes, but followed her eager boyfriend upstairs.
What if I win?
Tetsurou grinned at her, I've had lots of practice with Kenma. That won't be happening.
You've had lots of practice losing, you mean.
Tetsurou glared at her, Rude. stopping in front of two machines with steering wheels. Hermione glanced up to see the words Mario Kart scrolled across a race track.
It's a racing game? Tetsurou, I don't even know how to drive.
Which is precisely why I'll win.
Hermione groaned. Whatever. Let's do this. She had played a racing game a few times with her dad when she was little…
Tetsurou grinned, fishing some more tokens out of his pocket and handing her some. You'll need two. Don't forget to use the pedal.
Oh, shove it. I know that much. She shoved the two tokens inside the game, then scrolled through the character options. She had no clue who any of these characters even were…might as well pick the green dinosaur. She figured Kei would approve. She glanced briefly at Tetsurou's screen and saw that he'd picked the character with the big red and white hat.
She began accelerating as soon as the green light shone and quickly passed Tetsurou, much to his annoyance. They were on a rainbow of some sort, and it was a bit tricky to stay on the track, but she managed.
Tetsurou, on the other hand, did not, if his shout of dismay was anything to go by.
Hermione raced around the track, coming in third place. She turned to see Tetsurou still on his second lap.
What the heck? How are you this bad? Hermione laughed as he passed the finish line and the kanji for eight popped up on the screen.
It's rainbow road! Everyone sucks at rainbow road! How did you not fall off? You cheated.
Sorry, but no.
I demand a rematch! He held out two tokens.
Hermione rolled her eyes and put them into the machine. If you suck this badly, the level isn't going to matter, Tetsurou.
I will beat you and have my vengeance.
Uh-huh. The screen flashed the green light. Hermione's dinosaur sped forward, but the mushroom hat didn't move. You might want to pay attention to the screen, then, love.
Shit!
Hermione laughed, then focused on the course in front of her. They were in a jungle this time.
She came in second.
Tetsurou came in eighth. Again.
That's it, we're trying another game.
Hermione shrugged, Sure.
Tetsurou motioned toward a bunch of machines in the far corner. It's a mecha game. You get in and it looks like you're in a gundam or something and you have to protect the city.
Gundam?
Tetsurou groaned. Giant robot. Whoever saves the most people wins.
Hermione smirked at him, I literally helped save magical Britain, Tetsurou. I think I have a bit of a head start on you.
He threw two tokens at her head, and Hermione barely caught them. Real life doesn't count!
Well that's no fun… She grinned at him, but went over to the machines and stepped inside.
All the controls were in Japanese. Cheater.
I have no idea what you're talking about. Her eyebrow twitched.
What do the controls do?
Would you look at that, my game's about to start!
Jerk.
Hermione bit her lip and looked around her in confusion. That slot was probably where the tokens went…she slipped them inside and the game flared to life.
Hermione ignored the instructions since it wasn't like she could understand them, anyway, and started pressing buttons to try to figure out what they did.
5 confusing minutes later, she had managed to save 52 people. Or killed 52 people? The number 52 flashed on the screen.
Tetsurou was leaning against the machine when she stepped outside. How many?
It's the number that flashes at the end, right?
He burst out laughing, Hai.
52.
What the heck? You're lying! He opened the door to her machine. The number 52 was still flashing.
I take it I won again?
How the heck did you manage that? You're on the high score board! You couldn't even read anything! Tetsurou was waving his arms in disbelief, pure incredulousness coming across their bond in waves.
Hermione laughed. Maybe it was because I wasn't distracted by reading everything?
This is not ok.
Tetsurou grabbed her arm, then pulled her toward another group of machines. No, dart boards. Virtual ones? She hadn't seen these before. She fingered the blunted ends of the five darts that Tetsurou handed her. So there was some sort of censor or magnet then?
I'll start.
Hermione leaned back and watched as Tetsurou threw the darts. He at least had some form while he prepared to throw. And she always appreciated a good chance to watch his arms. She was quickly realizing that she definitely liked that particular body part.
Tetsurou threw her a smirk, then returned his attention to the game.
The first dart landed a little off from the center. Hermione frowned. If his aim was that good, they probably should have given him some daggers when the Lestranges were pursuing him…
The second one hit the center of the circle.
She'd definitely have to give him some daggers later.
The other three darts landed a fair distance apart—none of them on the edge, but none of them in the center, either.
There! Take that. This is the one game I can beat Kenma in.
Hermione smiled sweetly at him, hefting the dart in the palm of her hand. It was a bit different from what she was used to, but….
Her dart struck the center of the board. Hermione grinned. Her dad had had a dart board in the basement and she'd grown up playing against him. She turned to meet Tetsurou's eyes, inviting him to see the memory.
The slightest twinge later, and Tetsurou's mood was alternating between incredulous and amused. Holding out on me, Mio?
I didn't realize it would be an issue. Her second dart hit the center, the remaining three landing right next to the others. I grew up with the game, and aiming spells isn't all that different, really. I've had lots of practice.
I will find one where I can beat you.
Hermione shook her head. I'm beginning to doubt that, Tetsurou. Unless you want to do something cheap like a strength test.
Never! I will win fair and square. He began to wander throughout the arcade. Hermione followed behind his broad shoulders, taking the time to appreciate the smooth way he moved. First they did a whack-a-mole game of some sort. Then a rhythm game, which Tetsurou very nearly beat her at, but messed up on the ending because he was excited. Then there was a shooting game, as if he hadn't already learned from darts that she had good aim. Then a jet skiing game. Then street fighters.
She won every one.
Tetsurou knelt down against the wall, glaring at her. I'm losing on purpose. It's a birthday present.
Hermione knelt down next to him, bumping her shoulder against his. So if we come again, there won't be a repeat performance of this losing streak?
No. Never. Wouldn't happen.
Right.
He sighed next to her, glancing at his watch. It's about time for dinner, so we should probably head out, as much as I would like to keep looking for a game where I will beat you.
Dinner?
All she could feel was mischievousness and contentment from their bond. You'll see. He stood up, then held out his hand to help her up.
Brat. She took his hand, and he pulled her up, smirking at her as he pulled her closer than necessary.
Since no one could see them in this corner, Hermione didn't put distance between them and instead leaned against his chest. His arm automatically wrapped around her waist. You had fun, though?
Yes. Thank you. I'd been to an arcade a few times with my parents as a kid, but… she blushed and smiled up at him, It's nice going to one with someone my age. With you.
He grinned at her. I'm glad.
They walked through the maze of games quietly, hand in hand and occasionally dodging through other customers. When they went through the exit, Hermione was surprised to find that the sun had already set.
"Time flies when you're having fun, right?" Tetsurou was smiling down at her.
She nodded, clutching his hand with one hand and the stuffed cat with her other. "Where are we going to dinner?"
"I'll take us there once we find a quiet spot." Hermione nodded, letting him once again lead her through the crowd by the hand. Hermione stayed close, annoyed by the few girls that gave Tetsurou appreciative looks. Couldn't they see he was taken? Thankfully they soon they reached an alley and slipped inside.
"They were just strangers, Mio." Tetsurou was grinning at her, clearly amused, but also a little aroused.
Hermione blushed. "I know, but we're clearly together and, well…" they're prettier.
"None of that." Tetsurou stepped closer to her. "You're gorgeous, love. I wouldn't want to be paired with anyone else.
"Tetsurou…" She knew he said that, but it wasn't like he'd had a choice…
He sighed, "Birthdays are special occasions, right?"
Hermione slowly nodded as his hand reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, then slipped down to tilt her chin upwards.
"Good. Then I'll just have to show you how much I appreciate you." Her stomach clenched at the huskiness of his voice. He dipped his head down, soft lips tilting against her own.
Their magic swirled together, and Hermione lost herself into the sensations, letting Tetsurou dominate the kiss. His hand slipped into her hair at the base of her neck, and the other went to her waist, pulling her closer. Her own hands threaded through his hair, trying to find some anchor for herself amidst all of the sensations.
Gradually he slowed down, then rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily.
"Do you believe me now?"
Hermione whimpered, still recovering from the onslaught of his feelings and her own emotions. He sighed, threading his fingers gently through her hair. She never wanted him to stop. "Do you know how tempting it is to just kiss you forever and never go to dinner?"
Hermione blushed. "Tetsu…"
He groaned, then slanted his mouth over hers once more, briefly, before turning his lips to her neck, plating soft, open-mouthed kisses across it.
Hermione gasped, closing her eyes at the new sensations. She shivered when he gently pushed her the shoulder of her shirt aside before continuing his trail of kisses.
When he reached the end of her shoulder, Tetsurou pulled back again. His eyes were darker, making something stir at the bottom of her stomach. "You must know what you do to me, Mio."
Hermione swallowed. She knew. She could feel it through the bond. His desire was… overwhelming. And confusing. How could someone as attractive as Tetsurou desire someone like her, especially so strongly?
He hissed in annoyance. "Please don't doubt yourself, Mio. You're beautiful." He pulled her closer again.
Hermione whimpered as his teeth pulled on her earlobe, hot breath ghosting against her skin. She closed her eyes, completely overwhelmed by all of the sensations he was pulling from her, by their magic still swirling playfully around them. Her hands clutched frantically at the back of his shirt. She whined as his fingers traced her jaw, as his mouth dipped down to cover hers once more.
Tetsurou's phone began to vibrate.
He froze.
"We should go." His voice was faint, barely even a whisper. Hermione rested her head against his shoulder, reluctant to move.
"Do we have to?" She tilted her head, tentatively kissing the column of his throat.
He pulled his head back with a groan. "God, Mio." His voice was tight, "Yes. Yes we do."
Hermione kissed behind his ear, slowly threading her hands through his hair. It felt so soft…
"Mio, love…I'd love to keep doing this, believe me, but…"
Her hand stilled, and she sighed. "Alright. Take me to this dinner you have planned."
He groaned, but tucked his head over her shoulder, surrounded her with his arms, and then disapparated, pulling her with him.
"Really? You had to arrive like that?"
Hermione blinked at her cousin's voice.
Tetsurou snorted over her shoulder, then raised his voice, "The more two people brace each other with contact while apparating, the less each will feel side-effects like nausea." Well, she was less nauseous than usual right now…
"Oh and I'm sure that's the only reason you were that close, senpai."
Tetsurou was smirking as he pulled back from her, "Are you trying to suggest something, Tsukki?"
Kei's eyebrow twitched when he saw them both more fully. "You should both try to look less like you just made out in an alleyway before you come inside." He turned around and quickly went through the door, closing it behind him with a snap.
Hermione blushed as Tetsurou started snickering next to her.
She pulled out her wand, applying a quick hair spell to straighten her hair, then Tetsurou's. He grinned at her. "Ready to face the family, love?"
"You couldn't have warned me that we needed to fix our hair and such before we got here?" Hermione glared at him, but he just continued to smirk unrepentantly.
"How was I to know someone would be in the backyard? And I was a bit distracted, if you might remember. At least I asked for the birthday kiss before we got here." His hand reached up and gently corrected the neckline of her shirt.
Hermione blushed, but decided to change the subject. "So dinner is here?"
"Yeah, your aunt really wanted to have a family dinner, and who am I to protest?"
She smiled at him. "Thank you, Tetsurou." If he'd pushed the subject, Hermione was sure that her aunt would have let him do dinner with just the two of them, but she hadn't had a birthday dinner with family in so long… this would be nice.
He lifted up her hand, kissing it gently. "Ready to go inside?"
Hermione nodded and headed toward the backdoor. After she opened it, though, she blinked in shock.
It wasn't just the Tsukishimas.
A/N: As always, feedback is much appreciated! Y'all's reviews always make me so happy.
BrownEyesAngel: Hermione's used to a large government, where being important doesn't mean being the #1 person in charge, so that's why I decided she would be surprised. And yes, there will definitely be more cultural confusion :)
