The Perfect Gift
Aug. 30th, 2018 09:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matsu1ninoTitle: The Perfect Gift
Pairing: Matsumiya
Genre: AU, Fluff
Disclaimer: Plot is mine, Arashi is not. Unfortunately.
Summary: As the start of their fourth year at Hogwarts commences, Nino scrambles to find a way to make Jun's birthday unforgetable.
Author's Note: Didn't expect this to be so long...
The end of the week was drawing near and Nino was growing impatient. Jun still hadn’t mentioned anything about his lack of birthday celebrations, and while it bought him the time to figure out exactly what he was going to do, it left Nino completely dazed. The affection Jun showed him had not changed, even if they hadn’t seen each other as often as usual. He saved Nino a seat in class and was always the first to suggest they be partners—it didn’t matter if they were making a concoction in Potions class or practicing a spell in Defence Against the Dart Arts. Divination was about the only time Nino got to himself, having already promised Aiba last year to be partners. Jun didn’t appear to have any problem being paired with Toma though. Whenever Nino made an excuse to have time alone, Jun would concede with nothing more than a parting kiss and a promise of meeting up later. Their afternoons in the Recreation Halls were peaceful and pleasant, while their twilight rendezvouses in the courtyard were as passionate as ever.
Nino had to wonder if he had missed something. A week since his birthday passed without any acknowledgement from his boyfriend, and yet he’d seen no reaction. Was Jun messing with him? Punishing him in some cruel manner? Or was he pretending to not realize for the sake of their relationship? Nino contemplated the possibilities for some time. He knew Jun could be sadistic, but letting the guilt eat him alive instead of confronting Nino didn’t seem like something he would do. Jun deliberately acting ignorant also seemed doubtful as Nino knew his boyfriend probably wasn’t patient enough to restraint his exasperation this long. There was a chance Aiba had experimented with a Cheering Charm, with Jun as his unfortunate target, but Nino thought this was quite unlikely. To last this long, the spell would have to be overdone and Nino hadn’t seen Jun burst into any random fits of hysteria. Nino was beginning to question if he’d gotten the date wrong. If he had and Jun’s birthday hadn’t been last week, that would mean he was getting himself all worked up for nothing. While it was an inviting possibility to think about, he knew he was most likely mistaken. Everyone he’d spoken to had mentioned Jun’s birthday being on the 30th of last month. It was a consistent answer. The only thing that didn’t seem to match was Jun’s recent behaviour.
Nino could feel himself being driven closer to the point of insanity the longer this dilemma taunted his conscience. He waited by the end of the corridor, his gaze continuously being drawn to the portrait of the Gryffindor common room. Still no sign of him. Nino frowned and leant back against the stone, dodging the occasional student that walked past. They sent him weird looks as they went by. With the way Nino was feeling, they were lucky he didn’t stick out his foot and trip them. Ohno was late. He was supposed to meet him there a good twenty minutes ago and yet here he was, standing like a statue on rapidly numbing legs, once again waiting for a Gryffindor to show up like they were supposed to. It made Nino wonder why his house was considered the untrustworthy ones when clearly it was Gryffindor who could not be relied on.
Earlier in the week when he’d been running around asking what felt like every fourth year student what they’d gotten for Jun, he came across some rather interesting ideas and a list of what not to get. Shun had given him a pair of two-way mirrors—who Jun chose to give the other one to was up to him. Toma and Yamapi had split the cost and bought him a Yajirushi Broomstick, the same models used by players in the Quidditch World Cup, after witnessing his newfound love for heights and adrenaline. Homemade miniature cauldron cakes had been a gift from Mao, Kazama gave a sneakoscope, the self-correcting ink was from Kame, an enchanted opal ring was courtesy of Becky, while a copy of ‘Bestiarium Magicum’ was from Aiba. Prompted by his and Aiba’s recent addiction to sweets, Ohno had given him a stash of assorted confectioneries from Honey Dukes. But it wasn’t Ohno’s gift that left Nino inspired, it was his remark about something interesting he’d come across in the store when buying them.
“Do you know what Nymph’s Bane is?”
Nino, confused by the sudden question, shook his head and watched as Ohno popped a pale blue every-flavour bean into his mouth. His expression turned thoughtful a moment later and mumbled something Nino heard as “mouthwash”. He swallowed and picked out another from the box.
“Apparently they’re a new type of candy that acts as an aphrodisiac,” he said right before cringing when the taste of grass coated his tongue. He offered the box to Nino, who immediately declined, eager to get his sweets-obsessed friend back on the subject. “It was weird, I’ve never seen anything like them before. I wonder if they use a type of love potion in the recipe.”
He smiled at the cream puff flavour that removed the lingering taste of grass. Nino hardly paid any attention to him. His mind was racing with all the possibilities that these new sweets Ohno told him about had to offer. He’d wasted no time in convincing Ohno to go to Hogsmeade Village and buy him a packet, bribing him with the opportunity to buy more sweets for himself while he was there. It didn’t take much to persuade Ohno to head down to Hogsmeade and meet Nino back near the Gryffindor common room in an hour.
A soft growl sounded from deep within Nino’s throat. He never should have trusted Ohno to go to Hogsmeade in his place. He’d have gone himself except he had no idea what these nymph things looked like, and truthfully he didn’t want to deal with the awkwardness of buying aphrodisiacs himself. With Ohno willing to fulfil his shameful request, why should he? But now he was wishing he had just sucked it up and gone. Nino could easily picture Ohno asleep under the oak by the Black Lake, confectionary wrappers scattered around him while the translucent line of a half-crafted fishing rod bobbed up and down in the waves. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d digressed from his intended arrangements in favour of lounging on a smelly bank deep within the grounds. Just the thought of him doing it now was infuriating, enough so that Nino was already compiling a list of ways to kill his sleepy, distracted friend should he not turn up soon.
Nino’s thoughts of murder were interrupted when someone pushed past him, the distinct red and gold of their robes catching his attention. With wide eyes, he watched them ascend the staircase.
“Megumi-chan!” he called out after her, having easily recognized Jun’s sister even if it had been quite some time since he last saw her. The sixth year’s chest heaved with a sigh as she turned back to look at him. Her pretty face was ruined by the fierce glower set across her features.
“What do you want, snake?”
Nino tried not to recoil at her harsh tone. “Nice to see you too,” he replied dryly.
He knew his boyfriend’s sister wasn’t his biggest fan; she’d had something against him from years back, though why she hated him so much was something he had never been able to figure out. Her petrification when they were first years had surely traumatized her and Nino couldn’t blame her for being somewhat nervous around him after that incident, but he knew her antagonism towards him extended even further than that. Despite Jun’s claims that Megumi was just protective of him, Nino couldn’t understand what she had to be so protective of.
Even now as she stood before him, he could see just how guarded she was. Her arms were folded tight across her bust, her dominant foot forward as she glared down at the fourth year. She was already slightly taller than him but the fact that she was standing on the stairs, looming over him in such a way, was nothing short of intimidating. Her distinctive features—a quality she shared closely with Jun—darkened angrily the longer she stared at him. Nino almost lost his nerve.
“Do you know if Ohno, uh Jun’s friend, is in there?”
She glanced up at the portrait entrance before turning her cold gaze back to him. “How would I know? You stopped me before I could go inside.”
“Right,” said Nino. “But if he’s in there, could you please tell him to come outside? I need to talk to him and it’s kind of urgent.” Megumi narrowed her eyes. “Please? It’s really important.”
“Fine,” she sighed. “You’d better not be up to anything.”
Nino bit his tongue to keep from retorting. As much as he would have liked to snap at her that his green and silver clothes didn’t make him any more dishonest than her, he knew that would be a bad idea. She had agreed to do what he wanted; the last thing he needed was to antagonize himself further with Jun’s sister. As she started walking up the steps, a new thought crossed his mind.
“Hey,” he called out to her. “What did you get Jun for his birthday?” If anyone could confirm once and for all what was going on with Jun, it was Megumi. She knew unquestionably knew the date and if Jun had been complaining about Nino to anyone, it would be her.
A look of suspicion flickered in her eyes, along with mild surprise, but otherwise he saw no further despise appear.
“Why?”
He shrugged. “I’m curious. Jun’s been pretty quiet about what everyone else got him.”
Megumi’s eyebrows furrowed, obviously doubtful of him. “I got him a Mokeskin pouch. He’s very possessive over his belongings, and is always complaining about never having enough room to store everything. If you bothered listening to him for once instead of only being interested in sleeping with him, you wouldn’t need everyone else to tell you these things.”
With that, she turned on her heel and stormed up the stairs, disappearing behind the portrait. Nino was left to ponder her words. His lips pursed in a pout when he recalled Sho having said something similar to him in the library. He wasn’t entirely sure what they were getting at but he was certain he was supposed to feel offended.
“I’m a very attentive boyfriend,” he muttered, despite knowing Megumi was long-gone.
“It probably wouldn’t kill you to pay a little more attention.” Ohno’s teasing voice reached his ears. Nino whipped around and saw the Gryffindor walking towards him. The slightest trace of chocolate remained on his lips. He crossed his arms.
“Where the hell have you been?”
Ohno held up a crystal-shaped box containing two ruby red spheres. Nino snatched it out of his hand. “The store was crowded. It’s hard to be subtle with so many people around.”
Nino wasn’t listening, too busy reading the label of the candy in his hands. Nymph’s Bane, as it was called. Hollow chocolate shells filled with a reduction of firewhisky and raspberry tears, charmed with a powerful love potion. Guaranteed to bring the spark to anyone’s life.
“Sounds spicy,” Nino joked.
“I checked with the lady at the counter, the love potion in these things only imitates the physical effects of an aphrodisiac, but it also doesn’t last long,” Ohno told him. Nino was a little surprise his friend was brave enough to ask the Honey Dukes store clerk about the details of the amorous goods he was buying.
“I’ll leave a message with them then, telling Jun to save them for tonight.” Nino’s gaze flickered to the crystalline box in his hands. “They’d better taste good.”
“What better taste good?”
Nino nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Megumi’s voice behind him. Hiding the box behind his back, he spun around to see her standing there with her hands on her hips.
“You know, it’s not polite to sneak up on people.”
“It’s also not polite to send people on useless errands without so much as a thank you,” she retorted, her gaze moving to a confused looking Ohno. “I thought you’d at least have the brains to look for you friend before asking someone to search their common room top to bottom.”
“So sue me for assuming a Gryffindor would be in the Gryffindor common room,” Nino spat back. He hastily passed the box to Ohno and asked him to place it on Jun’s bed, along with a note with clear instructions. Ohno nodded and headed up the stairs.
“What was all that about?”
Nino tried not to roll his eyes, suddenly glad he didn’t have such a nosey sister. “Just giving a belated birthday gift to my boyfriend, or am I not allowed to do that?”
Megumi huffed indignantly and walked off without answering. Nino poked his tongue out at her retreating back. He knew riling her up further probably wasn’t doing him any favours in getting her to change her impression of him, but she started it. Nino was honestly starting to doubt anything would make her like him. She might treat her brother better, but he really didn’t know how Jun could stand putting up with her.
“Is it in place?” he asked when Ohno returned. His friend gave a nod and Nino felt relief wash over him. Finally things were going to plan. Tonight would be perfect, he was sure of it.
---
Tonight was a disaster.
The two of them walked hand in hand to the Great Hall for the evening feast. Nino had to admit, Jun’s palms felt damper than he thought they ought to and his pupils seemed somewhat dilated, but he dismissed it as nothing more than excitement for the night to come. The instructions he’d left with the Nymph’s Bane included a not so subtle implication of what tonight would hold, and Nino was sure Jun was looking forward to it just as much as he was.
“Meet me in the Study Hall after dinner,” he had whispered to Jun as the two of them parted ways and headed towards their house tables.
Nino could feel Jun’s eyes following him, tracking his every movement as if afraid to let him out of his sight. Nino’s heartbeat increased a little even as he took a seat at the end of the Slytherin table.
Jun knew something wasn’t right. The feast began and everyone around him started to eat, but he couldn’t bring himself to join them. Not even the glorious selection of delicious foods set out before him, nor the tantalizing aroma they created, was enough to quench this burning sensation low in his abdomen. He flinched when he felt a flutter in the pit of his stomach, a tingle of pins and needles running up the length his leg. There were knots in his belly, his lips felt incomparably dry and his vision began to cloud. His eyes were drawn to where Nino sat on the other side of the room and suddenly he couldn’t pry his gaze away. A gasp escaped his lips when he felt a tightness in his pants, the burn he had been feeling growing uncomfortable as it dropped lower into his crotch. Images of Nino sweating and panting and writhing beneath him in all his naked glory flashed in his mind. Jun wanted nothing more than to rush over to where the Slytherins sat, slam his little lover down onto the table and ravish him. He didn’t care if everyone else saw, he didn’t care that they were having dinner. The only hunger he felt at that moment was for Nino.
Despite not really being hungry, Nino forced himself to eat something. He knew it probably wasn’t a good idea to only have the aphrodisiac in his system when he and Jun met up later. He swallowed down another bite of his hamburger steak, uncharacteristically happy to engage in the small talk with the other Slytherins around him. What they were talking about made little difference; Nino was in too good a mood to care whether they were discussing highlights from the last Quidditch World Cup or the purpose of Flobberworm mucus. The fork slipped out of his hand when two arms slammed down on the table in front of him. Everyone in the room seemed to turn and stare at the Gryffindor boy leaning far over the Slytherin. Nino looked up at Jun, the question he wanted to ask lingering on the tip of his tongue. Before he could articulate it however, Jun had taken him roughly by the arm and was dragging him up out of his seat. Nino tried to protest but his boyfriend paid no mind to his resistance, forcibly shoving him out of the hall and slamming the doors shut behind them.
Staggering to keep his balance from the rough handling, Nino spun around to question what Jun was doing, but was quickly pushed back against the door. Strong fingers held his hands above his head, their grip almost painful. Nino feared his circulation would be cut. He felt his breath catch when Jun’s body pressed against his, keeping him trapped where he was. The heat from the latter was so intense Nino thought he might suffocate, and for a brief moment he forgot how to breathe. This straying thought suddenly became an all too real possibility when Jun’s lips slammed against his, their noses crashing. Nino tried not to wince when their teeth bumped and a twinge ricocheted through his jaw. Jun didn’t seem to notice or care, too busy seeking entrance with his tongue. Normally Nino didn’t have any problem with it, but the kiss was already grossly wet and he felt no more inclined to the idea of having Jun’s tongue explore the inside of his mouth than he did having a dog’s tongue inside him.
When he tried to turn his head to break the kiss, Jun gave a frustrated whine and began pulling at his boyfriend’s robes.
“Jun,” Nino gasped. “What are you doing? What’s gotten into you?”
“I want you!” Jun hissed against his ear, right before taking the lobe in his teeth and nibbling his way down Nino’s neck, leaving a bruising trail of hickeys as he did.
“We’re in kind of…a public…place,” he tried to remind him, panting the longer he felt Jun’s lips sucking at his sensitive skin.
Nino could feel Jun’s member against his thigh, fully hard and throbbing even through the thick material of their robes. He didn’t understand. It wasn’t unusual for them to get turned on by the thought of a night together—heck, Nino had felt himself starting to get hard earlier in the hall—but Jun was never this horny, never this forward, and never one to initiate in public. Feeling Jun’s fingers slip under the waistband of his pants, his body rocking against the smaller guy despite the creaking of hinges behind them, worry began to fill Nino’s mind. He grappled to get a hold of Jun’s wandering hands and pull them back up. Jun gave a growl, his eyes dark with lust, and leant forward to nip him on the bottom lip. Nino gasped and threw his head back. As soon as he had, Jun surged forward and attached his lips to the patch of creamy, tender skin just below his jaw. He dropped to his knees without warning and lifted Nino’s shirt, licking the strip of skin from his waistband to his bellybutton. A shudder ran through Nino’s body.
“J-Jun,” he stammered. His hands flailed about, eventually finding Jun’s hair. He gripped a handful of his boyfriend’s silky locks and gave a few tugs until Jun finally looked up at him. “Did you eat the Nymph’s Bane?”
With swollen lips and glazed eyes, Jun nodded. Nino beat his head against the wood of the door.
“Why?” he whined. “The note…I told you not to eat it yet.”
Jun leant forward and nuzzled his crotch. “Nee-chan told me Ohno-kun left a gift on my bed. There was no note.”
Nino blinked at him in disbelief before he threw his head back a second time. “I really hate your sister.”
“Why? She’s just jealous.” Jun played with the zipper, despite Nino’s efforts to keep him from opening it.
“Jun, you need to stop,” Nino growled. “It’s not the place. This isn’t how tonight is meant to go!”
With two hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders, he tried to push him away but Jun stood his ground. Fuelled by the potent aphrodisiac potion, his lustful drive held far more influence than his sense of logic. Jun wound his arms around the smaller guy’s thighs. Nino yelped when he felt his ass being fondled through the material of his trousers. He staggered backwards, tripping over Jun and crashing through the doors of the Great Hall. He landed on his back with Jun between his legs, his pants unzipped and beginning to slip down past his hips. He could feel hundreds of eyes staring at them. His cheeks grew immensely hot, a blush burning all the way up to his ears. It was all Nino could do to drag himself to his feet, pull his pants back up, take Jun by the arm and rush out of the Great Hall without looking back.
---
“It wasn’t that bad,” Aiba was saying. His efforts to console his humiliated friend went to waste as Nino grumbled some incoherent words beneath his arms. He hoped maybe if he could hide himself, no matter how poorly, the shame would eventually disappear. So far it proved to be a fool’s dream.
The four of them were in the Recreation Hall and Nino had never been more thankful that they were the only ones there. Jun wasn’t with them. As far as Nino knew, his boyfriend had gone into hiding. Nino couldn’t say he blamed him. It had been a couple of days since the incident but the mortification was just as fresh as it had been that night. It had taken at least twenty-four hours before Nino had the guts to step outside his dorm, and even then it’d taken Yamapi and Shun physically jostling him out of the room to get him that far. He wasn’t planning on thanking them any time soon; he couldn’t even walk through the corridors without hearing the whispers and sniggers from everyone he passed, the feel of their judgemental eyes burning into his back. He hoped Jun wasn’t facing the same loss of dignity he was. After the aphrodisiac wore off, he’d taken off, assumedly to hole himself up in his common room. None of then had seen him since.
“Speak for yourself,” Sho’s sharp remark cut in. “Some of us were trying to eat.” He looked to Nino, his eyebrows furrowed deeply. “What were you thinking, hooking up right outside the door?”
“Maybe it was a sort of exhibitionism play or something,” Aiba suggested with a sly grin. “The thrill of getting caught can be very alluring.”
Nino banged his forehead against the table, throwing both arms over his head. “We didn’t intend on doing anything there, and I sure as hell had no plans on getting caught.”
“Then why—”
“Are you sure you put the note with the Nymph’s Bane?” he asked Ohno before anyone else could remind him of the horror of that night. Their tanned friend nodded, making Nino sigh. “Then it must have been Jun’s sister who removed it. Jun said she told him it was you who gave him the present. It’s her fault he ate them too early.”
Sho frowned. “I’m not sure you can really blame Megumi-san. Nymph’s Bane is not something you should play around with. Some people are known to have really severe reactions to it.”
“You’re the one who told me to get ideas from other people,” Nino snapped. “How was I supposed to know it would go so badly?”
Sho shook his head. “When are you going to learn to take responsibility for things?” he asked, getting to his feet. He nudged Ohno to come with him.
“Where are you going?” Aiba asked.
“To find Jun,” said Sho. “The weekend is almost over. He can’t hide forever.”
Aiba and Nino watched as the Ravenclaw dragged Ohno out of the Recreation Hall, muttering something about irresponsible idiots and needing the Gryffindor password. The door swung shut behind them.
“Don’t worry, Nino-chan. In a week or two, no one will remember a thing,” Aiba said with a reassuring pat on his friend’s head. He looked thoughtful and grinned. “Or, if you don’t want to wait, we can always brew up a forgetfulness potion and spike everyone’s pumpkin juice.”
If Aiba’s intention was to get him to smile, Nino was ashamed to say it worked. A grin crept onto his face, unable to conceal his amusement at the idea his friend put forth. He knew Aiba was most likely joking but there was no denying the appeal of his proposition.
“Why is this so hard, Masa?” His voice was soft and he sounded defeated. Aiba hated hearing him so glum. He shuffled over, wrapping an arm around the smaller guy who slumped against him.
“It doesn’t have to be,” Aiba protested. “Jun will love anything you give him, I’m sure.”
Nino scoffed. “You sure about that? So far the only things I’ve given have scarred him. For my birthday he gave me something so amazing, it made me forget about him all holidays, and I can’t even think of one stupid thing to give him that won’t end up hurting or humiliating him.”
“Look on the bright side, at least now the cat doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.” Nino glared at him.
“You were wrong, by the way,” he said, breaking the silence that fell when the Hufflepuff’s head drooped. “It did remind him of when you transfigured him.”
“Only because he thought I was the one who gave him the cat!” Aiba argued loudly. “If you’d told him it was you it wouldn’t have even crossed his mind, I’m sure of it.”
Nino chuckled. “It was pretty funny.”
The memory of his best friend screaming his lungs out while being chased around the room by their transformed friend was something Nino would cherish forever. Transfiguring Jun back to normal had taken longer than any of them expected, mostly due to the high level of the sixth grader textbook, but eventually they’d succeeded in returning Jun to his human form. They were lucky none of their professors had found out about their transfigurations disaster. Nino had to admit though, Jun made a cute panther.
Filled with a sense of nostalgia, an idea sparked in Nino’s mind. It seemed crazy but the longer he considered it, the more the thought about what Sho and Megumi had told him. He was an attentive boyfriend. He knew what Jun liked and disliked, he knew him as a friend and a lover; he had spent almost every waking moment with him for the last four years. He knew exactly what Jun wanted most.
He turned to Aiba. “Do you still have that sixth grader’s transfiguration textbook?”
Aiba looked at him, his head tilting in confusion. Nino could practically see the wheels turning inside his brain as he retraced his steps and figured out what he’d done with the book. Then he nodded, albeit somewhat hesitantly.
“I think I know where it is,” he said. “Why?”
“Because I have an idea, but I’m going to need your help.”
---
“Are you sure you want me to do this?”
“Yes.”
“Because there’s no guarantee I’ll be able to get it right on the first try.”
“It’ll be fine, Masaki.”
“And I don’t want you to go all psycho and try to kill me, pretending like you didn’t know the risks.”
“Is this what you told Jun before you transformed him?”
“No, but come to think of it I kind of wish I had.” Aiba rubbed the scars on his arm, wincing more at the memory than the touch. “It might have saved me some serious trauma.”
Nino rolled his eyes and put the finishing touches on the note he’d been writing. “Whatever. We’ve got the reversal spell we used then, so long as you know what to do everything will be fine.” He lifted his quill from the page and folded the piece of parchment neatly in half.
Aiba nervously held his wand in his hands. He glanced over at Ohno, who was watching them both closely. Though his gaze was glistening with concern, he neither said nor did anything to try and stop them. He knew his role in this plan and, crazy as it was, he couldn’t help admitting it was quite sweet.
“Okay, whenever you’re ready.”
Nino stood in front of him, his eyes closed, his chest heaving with every slow breath he inhaled. Aiba could see the way his hands were trembling slightly. First transformations were always terrifying. Taking a deep breath, Aiba readied his wand and pointed it towards his friend. He let the image of the animal consume his thoughts and cast the silent enchantment towards Nino. A pale light streamed from the end of his wand and shot towards the Slytherin. It encircled him, his body seeming to get swept up into the light, and he collapsed with a yelp. His limbs stretched and faded into a cloud of smoke as dark as his hair. Nino’s teeth gritted together, sharpening and tearing through his mouth. All the bones in his body cracked under the weight of the spell that was pressing down on him to form his new structure.
When the smoky residue of the spell cleared, Nino was left panting on the ground. After taking a couple of moments to recover from the shock, he staggered onto all fours. He felt wobbly and couldn’t take so much as a step without feeling as though he would fall over again. All around him the room looked strange. Noises rumbled in his ears in a muffled sense. He shook his head and tried to regain the true nature of the sounds. As the effects of the spell took hold, things began to clear. Everything looked and sounded sharper. Smells unlike anything he’d known were reaching his nostrils. In front of him he saw Aiba and Ohno, suddenly so much taller, staring down at him with wide eyes.
“Nino?”
Nino opened his mouth to speak, pleasantly surprised when a bark sounded instead of his usual voice. Aiba looked to Ohno with a relieved grin. “Looks like it worked.”
He took a step towards their transfigured friend, an engraved ribbon in his hand. He hastily tied it around Nino’s neck, twisting it around so the bow was displayed on the side. When he drew his hand back, Nino snapped his muzzle out and gave him a warning nip.
“Ow! Hey, you promised you wouldn’t.”
Nino stared at him, a smirk playing on his furry lips. That’s for not warning me it would hurt.
“That’s the last time I help you,” Aiba grumbled with no real weight to his threat. He glanced over his shoulder at Ohno.
“He still kind of looks like Nino, don’t you think?” Ohno mused.
Aiba looked him over and smiled. “He does.”
Nino barked again. There wasn’t time for this. Who knew how long Sho could keep Jun preoccupied. His friends seemed to get the message. Aiba crouched down and gently picked him up, placing him on the table. Ohno held out the folded note and allowed Nino to grasp it gently between his teeth.
“We’ll find him,” Aiba promised as the two of them moved to the door. “It will be a success this time!”
“Good luck,” Ohno whispered to him. The last thing Nino saw was Aiba’s confidently goofy grin and the double thumbs up he gave him before the door closed.
The Recreation Hall seemed so much wider now. Nino tried not to wince at how garish the colour scheme looked with his improved vision. The walls, the furniture, every painting and frame, the door, even the lights. It hurt his eyes just looking at it all. He let out a soft whine and ducked his head under his paw, careful not to shift the bow. Originally, he planned on having Ohno sneak him into the Gryffindor common room as an added surprise for Jun, but Aiba was quick to point out the potentially severe consequence of expulsion if a Slytherin was caught inside another house’s common room. As much as Nino was disappointed by the thought of losing his chance to be probably the first non-Gryffindor to enter those quarters, he knew Aiba was right. It was a violation not worth risking.
With one friend presently preoccupying him and another two out searching in case Jun decided to flee Sho’s company, Nino knew his chances of success this time were far greater. But fear continued to linger in his mind. He’d done everything he could possibly thing of and given his all with this; it was his last chance to give his boyfriend the gift he deserved. If this fell through as well, Nino really didn’t know what else he could do. He did his best to force all thoughts of failure out of his mind.
“Why can’t I just go back to the common room?”
Nino’s ear’s pricked up at the sound of Jun’s voice outside the door. He sounded tired and a somewhat annoyed.
“Because Nino left his present for you in here,” came Ohno’s reply.
Nino shuffled his paws nervously. He gripped the letter a little tighter in his teeth and sat up straight when he heard the rattle of the door handle. He suppressed a noise of relief when it swing open and he saw Jun standing in the entranceway. Their eyes met and almost immediately, Jun’s face lit up. Any trace of irritation disappeared in an instant. He hurried over, eagerly stroking him between the ears. Nino embraced the touch. It felt oddly nice to be petted. Having noticed the note, Jun took a seat on the table and tore it open.
You have no idea how much pain I’ve been through because of this. Next year, don’t try so hard, that way I won’t have to.
P.S. The cat was a bad idea, my bad. Hopefully this will make up for it. Happy birthday.
With a baffled expression, Jun turned his attention from the letter to the puppy sitting in front of him. Nino gave a shrill bark and jumped forward onto his lap, using his muzzle to flip the parchment over. Jun spotted the charm written on the back and took out his wand, uttering the incantation. He looked on with wide eyes as the puppy began to change right before his eyes. Its body grew, its paws extending and flexing as short fingers formed. The fur shed, vanishing beneath the silver and green lined robes, leaving only a soft tuft of hair on top of its head. Jun’s mouth hung open in disbelief as he stared at his boyfriend kneeling on the table.
“Kazu,” he stammered. “What are you…”
Nino grinned, amused by his flabbergasted state. “I was having trouble working out what to get you for your birthday. Then I realized, what makes a better gift than me?”
Jun stared at him like he was crazy. Then, without any warning, started to laugh. “You’re crazy, you know that?”
“But you love me.”
“I do,” Jun said immediately, with no trace of hesitation in his voice. His sudden declaration made Nino blush. “I take it you were the one who gave me that demon cat?”
“Technically that was Aiba-chan’s idea, so feel free to keep blaming him for that one.”
“And the erection candy?”
Nino averted his gaze, feeling his face grow hot. “Oh-chan’s idea,” he mumbled. Eager to change the subject, he added, “Everyone kept saying you wouldn’t care what I gave you, so I decided to improvise.”
“You realize you could have been stuck like that for a while,” Jun said softly. “The reverse transfiguration spell doesn’t always work like you think.”
“I trusted you would figure it out.”
“Way to put pressure on me.” Jun leant forward, giving him a light peck on the corner of his mouth. “I’ve always wanted a dog.”
“I know. Ever since first year, it’s all you’ve really wanted.” When Jun turned to look at him, Nino gave a soft smile. “I listen.”
The table creaked slightly as Jun reached over to play with the bow still tied around Nino’s neck. He twisted it around to read the engraving, unable to hide his amusement. ‘Sorry I forgot <3’ it read. Nino shifted uncomfortably. Jun was staring at him, grinning from ear to ear. After a couple of moments, he turned to face his boyfriend, saying rather accusingly, “How else was I supposed to top your birthday present to me?”
Nino fell silent when Jun gently grasped his hand. “While you do make an adorable puppy, you really didn’t have to go through all this trouble.”
“But I forgot.”
“I know,” Jun hummed. Nino spun around, his wide gaze fixed on his boyfriend who merely smiled knowingly at him. “Sho predicted you would. When he sent me his birthday letter, it mentioned you probably wouldn’t remember as you would likely be too caught up in your games. Seems he was right.”
Nino was lost for words. All this time, all this effort—for nothing. His despair quickly turned to anger as he realized everything he had been through the last week could have been avoided if Sho had told him Jun already knew he’d forgotten and honestly didn’t mind. He wouldn’t have lost hours of sleep trying to think of something worthy of Jun; he wouldn’t have almost torn all his hair out, they wouldn’t have embarrassed themselves in front of just about the entire school. He wouldn’t have needed to transfigure and give himself as a gift!
Jun chuckled at the horrified look on his boyfriend’s face. “I guess this means you’re my puppy now?”
“Shut up.”
Nino seized the front of Jun’s robes and dragged him down into a biting kiss. Jun’s hand wound around his waist, pulling his body in close. He nibbled Nino’s bottom lip and with a moan, he parted his lips and to grant Jun access. It was passionate and skilful, far more than the messy attempt they’d made in front of the Great Hall. Their tongues battled for dominance but Nino was quick to give in, happy to let Jun take the reigns and deepen the kiss.
When they broke apart, Jun leant forward and touched their foreheads lightly. “For what it’s worth, I do love my present,” he whispered. “But can we get to phase three now?”
Nino nuzzled him, too caught up in the pleasure of the moment to bother questioning how Jun knew about the phases. A smile crept onto his face as he climbed onto his boyfriend’s lap and pushed him down onto the table. “It’s about time.”
Pairing: Matsumiya
Genre: AU, Fluff
Disclaimer: Plot is mine, Arashi is not. Unfortunately.
Summary: As the start of their fourth year at Hogwarts commences, Nino scrambles to find a way to make Jun's birthday unforgetable.
Author's Note: Didn't expect this to be so long...
The end of the week was drawing near and Nino was growing impatient. Jun still hadn’t mentioned anything about his lack of birthday celebrations, and while it bought him the time to figure out exactly what he was going to do, it left Nino completely dazed. The affection Jun showed him had not changed, even if they hadn’t seen each other as often as usual. He saved Nino a seat in class and was always the first to suggest they be partners—it didn’t matter if they were making a concoction in Potions class or practicing a spell in Defence Against the Dart Arts. Divination was about the only time Nino got to himself, having already promised Aiba last year to be partners. Jun didn’t appear to have any problem being paired with Toma though. Whenever Nino made an excuse to have time alone, Jun would concede with nothing more than a parting kiss and a promise of meeting up later. Their afternoons in the Recreation Halls were peaceful and pleasant, while their twilight rendezvouses in the courtyard were as passionate as ever.
Nino had to wonder if he had missed something. A week since his birthday passed without any acknowledgement from his boyfriend, and yet he’d seen no reaction. Was Jun messing with him? Punishing him in some cruel manner? Or was he pretending to not realize for the sake of their relationship? Nino contemplated the possibilities for some time. He knew Jun could be sadistic, but letting the guilt eat him alive instead of confronting Nino didn’t seem like something he would do. Jun deliberately acting ignorant also seemed doubtful as Nino knew his boyfriend probably wasn’t patient enough to restraint his exasperation this long. There was a chance Aiba had experimented with a Cheering Charm, with Jun as his unfortunate target, but Nino thought this was quite unlikely. To last this long, the spell would have to be overdone and Nino hadn’t seen Jun burst into any random fits of hysteria. Nino was beginning to question if he’d gotten the date wrong. If he had and Jun’s birthday hadn’t been last week, that would mean he was getting himself all worked up for nothing. While it was an inviting possibility to think about, he knew he was most likely mistaken. Everyone he’d spoken to had mentioned Jun’s birthday being on the 30th of last month. It was a consistent answer. The only thing that didn’t seem to match was Jun’s recent behaviour.
Nino could feel himself being driven closer to the point of insanity the longer this dilemma taunted his conscience. He waited by the end of the corridor, his gaze continuously being drawn to the portrait of the Gryffindor common room. Still no sign of him. Nino frowned and leant back against the stone, dodging the occasional student that walked past. They sent him weird looks as they went by. With the way Nino was feeling, they were lucky he didn’t stick out his foot and trip them. Ohno was late. He was supposed to meet him there a good twenty minutes ago and yet here he was, standing like a statue on rapidly numbing legs, once again waiting for a Gryffindor to show up like they were supposed to. It made Nino wonder why his house was considered the untrustworthy ones when clearly it was Gryffindor who could not be relied on.
Earlier in the week when he’d been running around asking what felt like every fourth year student what they’d gotten for Jun, he came across some rather interesting ideas and a list of what not to get. Shun had given him a pair of two-way mirrors—who Jun chose to give the other one to was up to him. Toma and Yamapi had split the cost and bought him a Yajirushi Broomstick, the same models used by players in the Quidditch World Cup, after witnessing his newfound love for heights and adrenaline. Homemade miniature cauldron cakes had been a gift from Mao, Kazama gave a sneakoscope, the self-correcting ink was from Kame, an enchanted opal ring was courtesy of Becky, while a copy of ‘Bestiarium Magicum’ was from Aiba. Prompted by his and Aiba’s recent addiction to sweets, Ohno had given him a stash of assorted confectioneries from Honey Dukes. But it wasn’t Ohno’s gift that left Nino inspired, it was his remark about something interesting he’d come across in the store when buying them.
“Do you know what Nymph’s Bane is?”
Nino, confused by the sudden question, shook his head and watched as Ohno popped a pale blue every-flavour bean into his mouth. His expression turned thoughtful a moment later and mumbled something Nino heard as “mouthwash”. He swallowed and picked out another from the box.
“Apparently they’re a new type of candy that acts as an aphrodisiac,” he said right before cringing when the taste of grass coated his tongue. He offered the box to Nino, who immediately declined, eager to get his sweets-obsessed friend back on the subject. “It was weird, I’ve never seen anything like them before. I wonder if they use a type of love potion in the recipe.”
He smiled at the cream puff flavour that removed the lingering taste of grass. Nino hardly paid any attention to him. His mind was racing with all the possibilities that these new sweets Ohno told him about had to offer. He’d wasted no time in convincing Ohno to go to Hogsmeade Village and buy him a packet, bribing him with the opportunity to buy more sweets for himself while he was there. It didn’t take much to persuade Ohno to head down to Hogsmeade and meet Nino back near the Gryffindor common room in an hour.
A soft growl sounded from deep within Nino’s throat. He never should have trusted Ohno to go to Hogsmeade in his place. He’d have gone himself except he had no idea what these nymph things looked like, and truthfully he didn’t want to deal with the awkwardness of buying aphrodisiacs himself. With Ohno willing to fulfil his shameful request, why should he? But now he was wishing he had just sucked it up and gone. Nino could easily picture Ohno asleep under the oak by the Black Lake, confectionary wrappers scattered around him while the translucent line of a half-crafted fishing rod bobbed up and down in the waves. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d digressed from his intended arrangements in favour of lounging on a smelly bank deep within the grounds. Just the thought of him doing it now was infuriating, enough so that Nino was already compiling a list of ways to kill his sleepy, distracted friend should he not turn up soon.
Nino’s thoughts of murder were interrupted when someone pushed past him, the distinct red and gold of their robes catching his attention. With wide eyes, he watched them ascend the staircase.
“Megumi-chan!” he called out after her, having easily recognized Jun’s sister even if it had been quite some time since he last saw her. The sixth year’s chest heaved with a sigh as she turned back to look at him. Her pretty face was ruined by the fierce glower set across her features.
“What do you want, snake?”
Nino tried not to recoil at her harsh tone. “Nice to see you too,” he replied dryly.
He knew his boyfriend’s sister wasn’t his biggest fan; she’d had something against him from years back, though why she hated him so much was something he had never been able to figure out. Her petrification when they were first years had surely traumatized her and Nino couldn’t blame her for being somewhat nervous around him after that incident, but he knew her antagonism towards him extended even further than that. Despite Jun’s claims that Megumi was just protective of him, Nino couldn’t understand what she had to be so protective of.
Even now as she stood before him, he could see just how guarded she was. Her arms were folded tight across her bust, her dominant foot forward as she glared down at the fourth year. She was already slightly taller than him but the fact that she was standing on the stairs, looming over him in such a way, was nothing short of intimidating. Her distinctive features—a quality she shared closely with Jun—darkened angrily the longer she stared at him. Nino almost lost his nerve.
“Do you know if Ohno, uh Jun’s friend, is in there?”
She glanced up at the portrait entrance before turning her cold gaze back to him. “How would I know? You stopped me before I could go inside.”
“Right,” said Nino. “But if he’s in there, could you please tell him to come outside? I need to talk to him and it’s kind of urgent.” Megumi narrowed her eyes. “Please? It’s really important.”
“Fine,” she sighed. “You’d better not be up to anything.”
Nino bit his tongue to keep from retorting. As much as he would have liked to snap at her that his green and silver clothes didn’t make him any more dishonest than her, he knew that would be a bad idea. She had agreed to do what he wanted; the last thing he needed was to antagonize himself further with Jun’s sister. As she started walking up the steps, a new thought crossed his mind.
“Hey,” he called out to her. “What did you get Jun for his birthday?” If anyone could confirm once and for all what was going on with Jun, it was Megumi. She knew unquestionably knew the date and if Jun had been complaining about Nino to anyone, it would be her.
A look of suspicion flickered in her eyes, along with mild surprise, but otherwise he saw no further despise appear.
“Why?”
He shrugged. “I’m curious. Jun’s been pretty quiet about what everyone else got him.”
Megumi’s eyebrows furrowed, obviously doubtful of him. “I got him a Mokeskin pouch. He’s very possessive over his belongings, and is always complaining about never having enough room to store everything. If you bothered listening to him for once instead of only being interested in sleeping with him, you wouldn’t need everyone else to tell you these things.”
With that, she turned on her heel and stormed up the stairs, disappearing behind the portrait. Nino was left to ponder her words. His lips pursed in a pout when he recalled Sho having said something similar to him in the library. He wasn’t entirely sure what they were getting at but he was certain he was supposed to feel offended.
“I’m a very attentive boyfriend,” he muttered, despite knowing Megumi was long-gone.
“It probably wouldn’t kill you to pay a little more attention.” Ohno’s teasing voice reached his ears. Nino whipped around and saw the Gryffindor walking towards him. The slightest trace of chocolate remained on his lips. He crossed his arms.
“Where the hell have you been?”
Ohno held up a crystal-shaped box containing two ruby red spheres. Nino snatched it out of his hand. “The store was crowded. It’s hard to be subtle with so many people around.”
Nino wasn’t listening, too busy reading the label of the candy in his hands. Nymph’s Bane, as it was called. Hollow chocolate shells filled with a reduction of firewhisky and raspberry tears, charmed with a powerful love potion. Guaranteed to bring the spark to anyone’s life.
“Sounds spicy,” Nino joked.
“I checked with the lady at the counter, the love potion in these things only imitates the physical effects of an aphrodisiac, but it also doesn’t last long,” Ohno told him. Nino was a little surprise his friend was brave enough to ask the Honey Dukes store clerk about the details of the amorous goods he was buying.
“I’ll leave a message with them then, telling Jun to save them for tonight.” Nino’s gaze flickered to the crystalline box in his hands. “They’d better taste good.”
“What better taste good?”
Nino nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Megumi’s voice behind him. Hiding the box behind his back, he spun around to see her standing there with her hands on her hips.
“You know, it’s not polite to sneak up on people.”
“It’s also not polite to send people on useless errands without so much as a thank you,” she retorted, her gaze moving to a confused looking Ohno. “I thought you’d at least have the brains to look for you friend before asking someone to search their common room top to bottom.”
“So sue me for assuming a Gryffindor would be in the Gryffindor common room,” Nino spat back. He hastily passed the box to Ohno and asked him to place it on Jun’s bed, along with a note with clear instructions. Ohno nodded and headed up the stairs.
“What was all that about?”
Nino tried not to roll his eyes, suddenly glad he didn’t have such a nosey sister. “Just giving a belated birthday gift to my boyfriend, or am I not allowed to do that?”
Megumi huffed indignantly and walked off without answering. Nino poked his tongue out at her retreating back. He knew riling her up further probably wasn’t doing him any favours in getting her to change her impression of him, but she started it. Nino was honestly starting to doubt anything would make her like him. She might treat her brother better, but he really didn’t know how Jun could stand putting up with her.
“Is it in place?” he asked when Ohno returned. His friend gave a nod and Nino felt relief wash over him. Finally things were going to plan. Tonight would be perfect, he was sure of it.
---
Tonight was a disaster.
The two of them walked hand in hand to the Great Hall for the evening feast. Nino had to admit, Jun’s palms felt damper than he thought they ought to and his pupils seemed somewhat dilated, but he dismissed it as nothing more than excitement for the night to come. The instructions he’d left with the Nymph’s Bane included a not so subtle implication of what tonight would hold, and Nino was sure Jun was looking forward to it just as much as he was.
“Meet me in the Study Hall after dinner,” he had whispered to Jun as the two of them parted ways and headed towards their house tables.
Nino could feel Jun’s eyes following him, tracking his every movement as if afraid to let him out of his sight. Nino’s heartbeat increased a little even as he took a seat at the end of the Slytherin table.
Jun knew something wasn’t right. The feast began and everyone around him started to eat, but he couldn’t bring himself to join them. Not even the glorious selection of delicious foods set out before him, nor the tantalizing aroma they created, was enough to quench this burning sensation low in his abdomen. He flinched when he felt a flutter in the pit of his stomach, a tingle of pins and needles running up the length his leg. There were knots in his belly, his lips felt incomparably dry and his vision began to cloud. His eyes were drawn to where Nino sat on the other side of the room and suddenly he couldn’t pry his gaze away. A gasp escaped his lips when he felt a tightness in his pants, the burn he had been feeling growing uncomfortable as it dropped lower into his crotch. Images of Nino sweating and panting and writhing beneath him in all his naked glory flashed in his mind. Jun wanted nothing more than to rush over to where the Slytherins sat, slam his little lover down onto the table and ravish him. He didn’t care if everyone else saw, he didn’t care that they were having dinner. The only hunger he felt at that moment was for Nino.
Despite not really being hungry, Nino forced himself to eat something. He knew it probably wasn’t a good idea to only have the aphrodisiac in his system when he and Jun met up later. He swallowed down another bite of his hamburger steak, uncharacteristically happy to engage in the small talk with the other Slytherins around him. What they were talking about made little difference; Nino was in too good a mood to care whether they were discussing highlights from the last Quidditch World Cup or the purpose of Flobberworm mucus. The fork slipped out of his hand when two arms slammed down on the table in front of him. Everyone in the room seemed to turn and stare at the Gryffindor boy leaning far over the Slytherin. Nino looked up at Jun, the question he wanted to ask lingering on the tip of his tongue. Before he could articulate it however, Jun had taken him roughly by the arm and was dragging him up out of his seat. Nino tried to protest but his boyfriend paid no mind to his resistance, forcibly shoving him out of the hall and slamming the doors shut behind them.
Staggering to keep his balance from the rough handling, Nino spun around to question what Jun was doing, but was quickly pushed back against the door. Strong fingers held his hands above his head, their grip almost painful. Nino feared his circulation would be cut. He felt his breath catch when Jun’s body pressed against his, keeping him trapped where he was. The heat from the latter was so intense Nino thought he might suffocate, and for a brief moment he forgot how to breathe. This straying thought suddenly became an all too real possibility when Jun’s lips slammed against his, their noses crashing. Nino tried not to wince when their teeth bumped and a twinge ricocheted through his jaw. Jun didn’t seem to notice or care, too busy seeking entrance with his tongue. Normally Nino didn’t have any problem with it, but the kiss was already grossly wet and he felt no more inclined to the idea of having Jun’s tongue explore the inside of his mouth than he did having a dog’s tongue inside him.
When he tried to turn his head to break the kiss, Jun gave a frustrated whine and began pulling at his boyfriend’s robes.
“Jun,” Nino gasped. “What are you doing? What’s gotten into you?”
“I want you!” Jun hissed against his ear, right before taking the lobe in his teeth and nibbling his way down Nino’s neck, leaving a bruising trail of hickeys as he did.
“We’re in kind of…a public…place,” he tried to remind him, panting the longer he felt Jun’s lips sucking at his sensitive skin.
Nino could feel Jun’s member against his thigh, fully hard and throbbing even through the thick material of their robes. He didn’t understand. It wasn’t unusual for them to get turned on by the thought of a night together—heck, Nino had felt himself starting to get hard earlier in the hall—but Jun was never this horny, never this forward, and never one to initiate in public. Feeling Jun’s fingers slip under the waistband of his pants, his body rocking against the smaller guy despite the creaking of hinges behind them, worry began to fill Nino’s mind. He grappled to get a hold of Jun’s wandering hands and pull them back up. Jun gave a growl, his eyes dark with lust, and leant forward to nip him on the bottom lip. Nino gasped and threw his head back. As soon as he had, Jun surged forward and attached his lips to the patch of creamy, tender skin just below his jaw. He dropped to his knees without warning and lifted Nino’s shirt, licking the strip of skin from his waistband to his bellybutton. A shudder ran through Nino’s body.
“J-Jun,” he stammered. His hands flailed about, eventually finding Jun’s hair. He gripped a handful of his boyfriend’s silky locks and gave a few tugs until Jun finally looked up at him. “Did you eat the Nymph’s Bane?”
With swollen lips and glazed eyes, Jun nodded. Nino beat his head against the wood of the door.
“Why?” he whined. “The note…I told you not to eat it yet.”
Jun leant forward and nuzzled his crotch. “Nee-chan told me Ohno-kun left a gift on my bed. There was no note.”
Nino blinked at him in disbelief before he threw his head back a second time. “I really hate your sister.”
“Why? She’s just jealous.” Jun played with the zipper, despite Nino’s efforts to keep him from opening it.
“Jun, you need to stop,” Nino growled. “It’s not the place. This isn’t how tonight is meant to go!”
With two hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders, he tried to push him away but Jun stood his ground. Fuelled by the potent aphrodisiac potion, his lustful drive held far more influence than his sense of logic. Jun wound his arms around the smaller guy’s thighs. Nino yelped when he felt his ass being fondled through the material of his trousers. He staggered backwards, tripping over Jun and crashing through the doors of the Great Hall. He landed on his back with Jun between his legs, his pants unzipped and beginning to slip down past his hips. He could feel hundreds of eyes staring at them. His cheeks grew immensely hot, a blush burning all the way up to his ears. It was all Nino could do to drag himself to his feet, pull his pants back up, take Jun by the arm and rush out of the Great Hall without looking back.
---
“It wasn’t that bad,” Aiba was saying. His efforts to console his humiliated friend went to waste as Nino grumbled some incoherent words beneath his arms. He hoped maybe if he could hide himself, no matter how poorly, the shame would eventually disappear. So far it proved to be a fool’s dream.
The four of them were in the Recreation Hall and Nino had never been more thankful that they were the only ones there. Jun wasn’t with them. As far as Nino knew, his boyfriend had gone into hiding. Nino couldn’t say he blamed him. It had been a couple of days since the incident but the mortification was just as fresh as it had been that night. It had taken at least twenty-four hours before Nino had the guts to step outside his dorm, and even then it’d taken Yamapi and Shun physically jostling him out of the room to get him that far. He wasn’t planning on thanking them any time soon; he couldn’t even walk through the corridors without hearing the whispers and sniggers from everyone he passed, the feel of their judgemental eyes burning into his back. He hoped Jun wasn’t facing the same loss of dignity he was. After the aphrodisiac wore off, he’d taken off, assumedly to hole himself up in his common room. None of then had seen him since.
“Speak for yourself,” Sho’s sharp remark cut in. “Some of us were trying to eat.” He looked to Nino, his eyebrows furrowed deeply. “What were you thinking, hooking up right outside the door?”
“Maybe it was a sort of exhibitionism play or something,” Aiba suggested with a sly grin. “The thrill of getting caught can be very alluring.”
Nino banged his forehead against the table, throwing both arms over his head. “We didn’t intend on doing anything there, and I sure as hell had no plans on getting caught.”
“Then why—”
“Are you sure you put the note with the Nymph’s Bane?” he asked Ohno before anyone else could remind him of the horror of that night. Their tanned friend nodded, making Nino sigh. “Then it must have been Jun’s sister who removed it. Jun said she told him it was you who gave him the present. It’s her fault he ate them too early.”
Sho frowned. “I’m not sure you can really blame Megumi-san. Nymph’s Bane is not something you should play around with. Some people are known to have really severe reactions to it.”
“You’re the one who told me to get ideas from other people,” Nino snapped. “How was I supposed to know it would go so badly?”
Sho shook his head. “When are you going to learn to take responsibility for things?” he asked, getting to his feet. He nudged Ohno to come with him.
“Where are you going?” Aiba asked.
“To find Jun,” said Sho. “The weekend is almost over. He can’t hide forever.”
Aiba and Nino watched as the Ravenclaw dragged Ohno out of the Recreation Hall, muttering something about irresponsible idiots and needing the Gryffindor password. The door swung shut behind them.
“Don’t worry, Nino-chan. In a week or two, no one will remember a thing,” Aiba said with a reassuring pat on his friend’s head. He looked thoughtful and grinned. “Or, if you don’t want to wait, we can always brew up a forgetfulness potion and spike everyone’s pumpkin juice.”
If Aiba’s intention was to get him to smile, Nino was ashamed to say it worked. A grin crept onto his face, unable to conceal his amusement at the idea his friend put forth. He knew Aiba was most likely joking but there was no denying the appeal of his proposition.
“Why is this so hard, Masa?” His voice was soft and he sounded defeated. Aiba hated hearing him so glum. He shuffled over, wrapping an arm around the smaller guy who slumped against him.
“It doesn’t have to be,” Aiba protested. “Jun will love anything you give him, I’m sure.”
Nino scoffed. “You sure about that? So far the only things I’ve given have scarred him. For my birthday he gave me something so amazing, it made me forget about him all holidays, and I can’t even think of one stupid thing to give him that won’t end up hurting or humiliating him.”
“Look on the bright side, at least now the cat doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.” Nino glared at him.
“You were wrong, by the way,” he said, breaking the silence that fell when the Hufflepuff’s head drooped. “It did remind him of when you transfigured him.”
“Only because he thought I was the one who gave him the cat!” Aiba argued loudly. “If you’d told him it was you it wouldn’t have even crossed his mind, I’m sure of it.”
Nino chuckled. “It was pretty funny.”
The memory of his best friend screaming his lungs out while being chased around the room by their transformed friend was something Nino would cherish forever. Transfiguring Jun back to normal had taken longer than any of them expected, mostly due to the high level of the sixth grader textbook, but eventually they’d succeeded in returning Jun to his human form. They were lucky none of their professors had found out about their transfigurations disaster. Nino had to admit though, Jun made a cute panther.
Filled with a sense of nostalgia, an idea sparked in Nino’s mind. It seemed crazy but the longer he considered it, the more the thought about what Sho and Megumi had told him. He was an attentive boyfriend. He knew what Jun liked and disliked, he knew him as a friend and a lover; he had spent almost every waking moment with him for the last four years. He knew exactly what Jun wanted most.
He turned to Aiba. “Do you still have that sixth grader’s transfiguration textbook?”
Aiba looked at him, his head tilting in confusion. Nino could practically see the wheels turning inside his brain as he retraced his steps and figured out what he’d done with the book. Then he nodded, albeit somewhat hesitantly.
“I think I know where it is,” he said. “Why?”
“Because I have an idea, but I’m going to need your help.”
---
“Are you sure you want me to do this?”
“Yes.”
“Because there’s no guarantee I’ll be able to get it right on the first try.”
“It’ll be fine, Masaki.”
“And I don’t want you to go all psycho and try to kill me, pretending like you didn’t know the risks.”
“Is this what you told Jun before you transformed him?”
“No, but come to think of it I kind of wish I had.” Aiba rubbed the scars on his arm, wincing more at the memory than the touch. “It might have saved me some serious trauma.”
Nino rolled his eyes and put the finishing touches on the note he’d been writing. “Whatever. We’ve got the reversal spell we used then, so long as you know what to do everything will be fine.” He lifted his quill from the page and folded the piece of parchment neatly in half.
Aiba nervously held his wand in his hands. He glanced over at Ohno, who was watching them both closely. Though his gaze was glistening with concern, he neither said nor did anything to try and stop them. He knew his role in this plan and, crazy as it was, he couldn’t help admitting it was quite sweet.
“Okay, whenever you’re ready.”
Nino stood in front of him, his eyes closed, his chest heaving with every slow breath he inhaled. Aiba could see the way his hands were trembling slightly. First transformations were always terrifying. Taking a deep breath, Aiba readied his wand and pointed it towards his friend. He let the image of the animal consume his thoughts and cast the silent enchantment towards Nino. A pale light streamed from the end of his wand and shot towards the Slytherin. It encircled him, his body seeming to get swept up into the light, and he collapsed with a yelp. His limbs stretched and faded into a cloud of smoke as dark as his hair. Nino’s teeth gritted together, sharpening and tearing through his mouth. All the bones in his body cracked under the weight of the spell that was pressing down on him to form his new structure.
When the smoky residue of the spell cleared, Nino was left panting on the ground. After taking a couple of moments to recover from the shock, he staggered onto all fours. He felt wobbly and couldn’t take so much as a step without feeling as though he would fall over again. All around him the room looked strange. Noises rumbled in his ears in a muffled sense. He shook his head and tried to regain the true nature of the sounds. As the effects of the spell took hold, things began to clear. Everything looked and sounded sharper. Smells unlike anything he’d known were reaching his nostrils. In front of him he saw Aiba and Ohno, suddenly so much taller, staring down at him with wide eyes.
“Nino?”
Nino opened his mouth to speak, pleasantly surprised when a bark sounded instead of his usual voice. Aiba looked to Ohno with a relieved grin. “Looks like it worked.”
He took a step towards their transfigured friend, an engraved ribbon in his hand. He hastily tied it around Nino’s neck, twisting it around so the bow was displayed on the side. When he drew his hand back, Nino snapped his muzzle out and gave him a warning nip.
“Ow! Hey, you promised you wouldn’t.”
Nino stared at him, a smirk playing on his furry lips. That’s for not warning me it would hurt.
“That’s the last time I help you,” Aiba grumbled with no real weight to his threat. He glanced over his shoulder at Ohno.
“He still kind of looks like Nino, don’t you think?” Ohno mused.
Aiba looked him over and smiled. “He does.”
Nino barked again. There wasn’t time for this. Who knew how long Sho could keep Jun preoccupied. His friends seemed to get the message. Aiba crouched down and gently picked him up, placing him on the table. Ohno held out the folded note and allowed Nino to grasp it gently between his teeth.
“We’ll find him,” Aiba promised as the two of them moved to the door. “It will be a success this time!”
“Good luck,” Ohno whispered to him. The last thing Nino saw was Aiba’s confidently goofy grin and the double thumbs up he gave him before the door closed.
The Recreation Hall seemed so much wider now. Nino tried not to wince at how garish the colour scheme looked with his improved vision. The walls, the furniture, every painting and frame, the door, even the lights. It hurt his eyes just looking at it all. He let out a soft whine and ducked his head under his paw, careful not to shift the bow. Originally, he planned on having Ohno sneak him into the Gryffindor common room as an added surprise for Jun, but Aiba was quick to point out the potentially severe consequence of expulsion if a Slytherin was caught inside another house’s common room. As much as Nino was disappointed by the thought of losing his chance to be probably the first non-Gryffindor to enter those quarters, he knew Aiba was right. It was a violation not worth risking.
With one friend presently preoccupying him and another two out searching in case Jun decided to flee Sho’s company, Nino knew his chances of success this time were far greater. But fear continued to linger in his mind. He’d done everything he could possibly thing of and given his all with this; it was his last chance to give his boyfriend the gift he deserved. If this fell through as well, Nino really didn’t know what else he could do. He did his best to force all thoughts of failure out of his mind.
“Why can’t I just go back to the common room?”
Nino’s ear’s pricked up at the sound of Jun’s voice outside the door. He sounded tired and a somewhat annoyed.
“Because Nino left his present for you in here,” came Ohno’s reply.
Nino shuffled his paws nervously. He gripped the letter a little tighter in his teeth and sat up straight when he heard the rattle of the door handle. He suppressed a noise of relief when it swing open and he saw Jun standing in the entranceway. Their eyes met and almost immediately, Jun’s face lit up. Any trace of irritation disappeared in an instant. He hurried over, eagerly stroking him between the ears. Nino embraced the touch. It felt oddly nice to be petted. Having noticed the note, Jun took a seat on the table and tore it open.
You have no idea how much pain I’ve been through because of this. Next year, don’t try so hard, that way I won’t have to.
P.S. The cat was a bad idea, my bad. Hopefully this will make up for it. Happy birthday.
With a baffled expression, Jun turned his attention from the letter to the puppy sitting in front of him. Nino gave a shrill bark and jumped forward onto his lap, using his muzzle to flip the parchment over. Jun spotted the charm written on the back and took out his wand, uttering the incantation. He looked on with wide eyes as the puppy began to change right before his eyes. Its body grew, its paws extending and flexing as short fingers formed. The fur shed, vanishing beneath the silver and green lined robes, leaving only a soft tuft of hair on top of its head. Jun’s mouth hung open in disbelief as he stared at his boyfriend kneeling on the table.
“Kazu,” he stammered. “What are you…”
Nino grinned, amused by his flabbergasted state. “I was having trouble working out what to get you for your birthday. Then I realized, what makes a better gift than me?”
Jun stared at him like he was crazy. Then, without any warning, started to laugh. “You’re crazy, you know that?”
“But you love me.”
“I do,” Jun said immediately, with no trace of hesitation in his voice. His sudden declaration made Nino blush. “I take it you were the one who gave me that demon cat?”
“Technically that was Aiba-chan’s idea, so feel free to keep blaming him for that one.”
“And the erection candy?”
Nino averted his gaze, feeling his face grow hot. “Oh-chan’s idea,” he mumbled. Eager to change the subject, he added, “Everyone kept saying you wouldn’t care what I gave you, so I decided to improvise.”
“You realize you could have been stuck like that for a while,” Jun said softly. “The reverse transfiguration spell doesn’t always work like you think.”
“I trusted you would figure it out.”
“Way to put pressure on me.” Jun leant forward, giving him a light peck on the corner of his mouth. “I’ve always wanted a dog.”
“I know. Ever since first year, it’s all you’ve really wanted.” When Jun turned to look at him, Nino gave a soft smile. “I listen.”
The table creaked slightly as Jun reached over to play with the bow still tied around Nino’s neck. He twisted it around to read the engraving, unable to hide his amusement. ‘Sorry I forgot <3’ it read. Nino shifted uncomfortably. Jun was staring at him, grinning from ear to ear. After a couple of moments, he turned to face his boyfriend, saying rather accusingly, “How else was I supposed to top your birthday present to me?”
Nino fell silent when Jun gently grasped his hand. “While you do make an adorable puppy, you really didn’t have to go through all this trouble.”
“But I forgot.”
“I know,” Jun hummed. Nino spun around, his wide gaze fixed on his boyfriend who merely smiled knowingly at him. “Sho predicted you would. When he sent me his birthday letter, it mentioned you probably wouldn’t remember as you would likely be too caught up in your games. Seems he was right.”
Nino was lost for words. All this time, all this effort—for nothing. His despair quickly turned to anger as he realized everything he had been through the last week could have been avoided if Sho had told him Jun already knew he’d forgotten and honestly didn’t mind. He wouldn’t have lost hours of sleep trying to think of something worthy of Jun; he wouldn’t have almost torn all his hair out, they wouldn’t have embarrassed themselves in front of just about the entire school. He wouldn’t have needed to transfigure and give himself as a gift!
Jun chuckled at the horrified look on his boyfriend’s face. “I guess this means you’re my puppy now?”
“Shut up.”
Nino seized the front of Jun’s robes and dragged him down into a biting kiss. Jun’s hand wound around his waist, pulling his body in close. He nibbled Nino’s bottom lip and with a moan, he parted his lips and to grant Jun access. It was passionate and skilful, far more than the messy attempt they’d made in front of the Great Hall. Their tongues battled for dominance but Nino was quick to give in, happy to let Jun take the reigns and deepen the kiss.
When they broke apart, Jun leant forward and touched their foreheads lightly. “For what it’s worth, I do love my present,” he whispered. “But can we get to phase three now?”
Nino nuzzled him, too caught up in the pleasure of the moment to bother questioning how Jun knew about the phases. A smile crept onto his face as he climbed onto his boyfriend’s lap and pushed him down onto the table. “It’s about time.”
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Date: 2018-08-30 04:10 pm (UTC)As for the story, oh god they all fit perfectly well!! Nino sending oh-chan off on an errand even tho he’s much older XDD megumi seeing right through nino and making him embarassed in front of the whole hogwarts (poor jun though). But when megumi said nino just wants to sleep with jun and the fact that nino was getting an aphrodisiac candy is so ironic XDD and of course karma bites him in the end i mean WOW jun... 🙊 so so feisty 🔥🔥🔥
The ending tho d’awwwwwwsss so cute!!!! And puppy!nino >///< i can just imagine a shiba-inu nino when all the members say that he still looks so much like nino XD wish i can get a longer jun x puppy!nino scene but i guess jun having nino in person as his official puppy is even better hehehe 💜💛
You always claim you can’t write fluffy but your fluffy scenes are seriously the best fluff i’ve ever read!!! 😘