SpellBound

22nd January,
Orihara Residence, Ochiai,
Shinjuku, Toshima,
Tokyo, Kanto,
Japan.

Dear Mother and Father,

I apologize for not writing sooner. The school year so far has been full of ups and downs with the oncoming O.W.Ls. I have a request for you. I know this may be a lot to ask, but I would like to take a friend to East Africa to see a Nundu in their natural habitat. We are working on a project about them for our O.W.Ls and I would like to get a better understanding of them. If you could, please arrange a Portkey for the 28th of January. Thank you very much.

With love,

From Izaya.

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Four days later...

26th of January,
Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft & Wizardry,
Highlands of Scotland.

To my son,

It is wonderful to hear from you, Izaya and don't worry about writing to us, Mairu and Kururi already do that and keep your mother and I up to date. Speaking of your mother, she is away on a business trip so I was able to get you a Portkey to East Africa on your desired date. An old friend and co-worker of mine will be accompanying you, for safety's sake. This friend of yours... It wouldn't happen to be this Shizuo Kururi has written about? If so, he seems like a nice enough lad. You should introduce me and your mother some time. Well, that is all I have to say. My co-worker will meet you at 7:00am on the dot outside the school's enterance gates.

Much love,

From your Father.

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(3rd Person P.O.V)

28th of January, 6:31am...

"Uhhm... Flea... How come we're up so early, dressed, with bags packed and standing by the enterance gates..?"

A bleary-eyed blonde questioned, rubbing his eyes. The teen's hair was tousled and he had a bed-head since he wasn't able to properly get ready for... Whatever his boyfriend had planned. His clothes were slightly rumpled and Shizuo felt like a bear coming out of hibernation; hungry, tired, and grumpy.

In contrast to the half-awake male, Izaya was smartly dressed and seemed to be buzzing with excitement. He was holding the taller teen's hand and happily humming to himself. His hair was neatly brushed and he literally shone beside Shizuo, smiling happily.

"All in good time, Shizu-chan." the ravenette replied, cheekily smirking at the other, the smirk lifting said other's mood considerably. Shizuo liked how Izaya could always raise his spirits. It was nice. 

"Hey... Flea..." the blonde tried again, stifling a yawn. "Please tell me..." As the older male said this he moved behind the auburn-eyed teen and brought him into a hug, draping his arms over the smaller's shoulders and resting his head on top of Izaya's. This, much to the annoyance of the raven and to the delight of the taller, made a small, pink tinge appear on Izaya's cheeks. 

"No." the ravenette denied for the second time, then squeaked when Shizuo started to nuzzle his hair. Izaya felt his face heat up even more as the blonde pressed up against his body and brought the younger into a more secure embrace, still nuzzling his hair. 

"Shizuuuu-chaaan~... Stop that... Please?" Izaya whined, squirming slightly and tilting his head to gaze up at his boyfriend. As much as he liked being nuzzled affectionately, he hated how easily he'd blush. The ravenette swore it wasn't natural to blush at a small bit of contact. Shizuo didn't blush much, but the raven had to admit, when the blonde did, he was adorable.

It was now Shizuo's turn to deny his lover. The older male grinned wolfishly and promptly kissed Izaya's forehead, then his nose, and finally, the raven's lips, closing his eyes. Izaya returned the kiss happily, also letting his eyes flutter shut, tugging gently at Shizuo's bottom lip with his teeth. 

To Izaya's shock, the taller pulled away and put on the most helpless, kicked puppy look the ravenette's auburn eyes had ever seen. The blonde somehow had managed to make his eyes all wide and innocently sad along with a perfectly portrayed pout. 

"Y-you won't get to kiss me for the rest of the day unless you tell me why we're here!"

Oh Merlin's beard... What kind of tone was that?! The blonde had sounded like the cutest Tsundere on earth (courtesy of Erika teaching him about the 'dere' types). Meanwhile, all Izaya could think was how manipulative it was of his boyfriend to do that to him. 

'Shizu-chan is just so cute... Dammit...'

For the remainder of their time waiting for Izaya's father's colleague, the couple each tried to get the other to relent. Izaya, attempting to steal a kiss, and every time he failed, Shizuo nuzzled the raven's hair and asked him to tell him where they were going. They may as well be a pair of five year old kids rather than teens, fighting back and forth like that...

"Oh, Flea! There's a... Carriage or someth-Oh! It's a car... A Ministry car, too..." Shizuo had shouted as he was ruffling his lover's hair. Izaya looked over in the direction of the oncoming vehicle, a smile forming. The ravenette swiftly made the day trip bags levitate with a flick of his wand as the car pulled up beside them, the boot opening on its own. The taller of the two watched silently as Izaya loaded the bags into the car and opened one of the doors. The auburn-eyed teen took Shizuo's hand and led the blonde into the vehicle, Shizuo closing the door as he sat down beside the raven.

"So you're Orihara-san's son, I presume. Nice to meet you, I'm Kalein." The driver said.

"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you too." Izaya replied. "Now, can we be off, please?" The ravenette latched onto one of the mocha-eyed teen's arms as Kalein gave a nod and started to drive.

"Oi, Flea," Shizuo began. "Why are we going to the Ministry? Did something happen? Are we in trouble?"

Izaya simply shook his head and rested it on the older's shoulder. "I may as well tell you... Shizu-chan, I'm taking you out to see something exciting!" the ravenette exclaimed, beaming up at Shizuo. "It's your birthday after all!"

"Ahh... Oh yeah! Today's my birthday, isn't it?"
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.
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Silence...

Shizuo laughed sheepishly and grinned as Izaya face palmed. The smaller male couldn't believe his boyfriend had forgotten about his own birthday.

"How did you forget..?" Izaya questioned exasperatedly. Shizuo averted his gaze and tried to think exactly how he had forgotten. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind.

"Uhh... I don't know..!" the blonde answered, sweat dropping. The younger teen left it and snuggled into the other, sighing in content.

"Well, never mind that, I guess none would be a good time to rest, Shizu-chan." Izaya said quietly, closing his eyes. "Wake me up when we're there, okay?"

"Sure. Hang on... You were full of energy a second ago, tell me what we're seeing, please..?"

Shizuo's sentence fell upon deaf ears as his gaze found itself on the sleeping form of a certain auburn-eyed teen. The blonde smiled fondly at how cute the other was, kissing his forehead softly.

"Sweet dreams, Flea."
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(1st Person P.O.V {Izaya})

"F...ea... Oi... Fle..a... Flea~."

Shizu-chan's voice... I slowly opened my eyes to see my boyfriend looking me straight in the eye. He seemed happy... What were we doing again..? As I was blinking the blurriness out of my vision, Shizu-chan spoke again.

"Flea, we're at the Ministry of Magic. We need to hurry, otherwise our Portkey will leave without us."

"Portkey..?" I questioned, coming to my senses. Portkey... Oh..! The one for Africa. I pulled away from Shizu-chan and opened the car door, stepping out of it, Shizu-chan doing the same.

"Flea, where are we going? I heard Africa. You never told me what we're seeing."

Shizu-chan shot me a cute, pleading look, one which, thanks to my sleepiness, I couldn't deny.

"We're going to East Africa to see something special, Shizu-chan~." I answered, booping his nose. He grinned and took my hand.

"Really? What is it?" -Shizu-chan asked, an excited tone in his voice. I shook my head and tapped my nose.

"So many questions~. I'll tell you this, it's for me to know and for you to find out~." I replied, smirking coyly. Shizu-chan opened his mouth to speak.

"A surprise, is it?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Well then," Shizu-chan squeezed my hand a little and beamed. "I can't wait, Flea~."

As we had this exchange Father's colleague had gotten out of the car as well and had stood silently watching our interactions. He seemed curious, but I pride him on not prying.

"Okay!" I said, turning to the man. "Let's go!"

He nodded and gestured for Shizu-chan and I to follow as he started to walk to wherever our Portkey was being held. We had to be able to keep up as the crowds in the Ministry were appalling. I, as I hate to admit, am rather... Under average when it comes to height... No... Actually, Shizu-chan is the one who is above average! He's just so tall... Lucky... I sometimes don't fare well in crowds, and this atmosphere of business is getting to me. All the bustling about...

нєу fℓєα, уσυ σкαу?

Ah... Shizu-chan... ι'м fιиє, ∂σи'т ωσяяу.

уσυ ѕєєм тσ вє ѕтяυggℓιиg... ℓєт мє нєℓρ.

Shizu-chan is quite observant. But now I feel like a burden... I should be able to lead him.

нσω? Is he going to clear a path or something? Oh well, at least we can practice this mind thing of ours. It's really handy. I think I am going to like it.

ѕιмρℓє. ι ¢αяяу уσυ. ι'ℓℓ ℓιfт уσυ now σкαу?

н-нαиg σи ѕн-

Before I could do anything Shizu-chan had lifted me up onto his shoulders. To top it off, he'd done it with one arm. Show off... I pouted as I settled comfortably upon his frame, looking at how everything looked different from this angle. So, this is what it would be like if I was taller...

"Better~?" Shizu-chan teased. "You like being taller than me for once~?" I flushed and stuck my nose up in the air, crossing my arms and glancing down at him. Shizu-chan laughed and nuzzled the inside of my leg, smirking up at me. I blushed even more and planted my hands on the sides of his head, turning it to face forward.

"H-hurry and follow him, Shizu-chan!" I stuttered out, cursing myself. He thankfully didn't make another remark and nodded, picking up the pace to catch up with the driver.

Soon we arrived at the International Portkey Exchange Route area and were brought to ours. Since we were going to be landing in some grassy forest or field, our Portkey was a twig.

"Ready Shizu-chan?" I said just as we each touched the wood.

"Ready." he replied easily, smiling. "So, this is going to leave in..?"

"Twenty seconds." Kalein cut in as he touched the twig. "I will be accompanying you there."

Oh, so we won't be exactly alone... That's a shame... Well, I guess it's for our safety. I signed and looked over to Shizuo, who was wearing a nervous expression on his face.

"Shizu-chan, are you okay?"

"Yeah... Just one problem..."

"What is it?" Shizu-chan is worrying me... Is he unwell?

"I've never used a Portkey before."

"Oh... Oh. Shizu-chan, I'm afraid you're in for a rough ri-"

My words were cut off as the Portkey whisked us away.

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(3rd Person P.O.V)

East Africa, Nundu Territory...

"Shizu-chan, we're here!"

"Oww..."

Izaya smiled a bit and helped the other male up, nuzzling him as he did. Shizuo was sore all over, not liking the use of a Portkey whatsoever, though his boyfriend nuzzling him was helping. He wrapped his arms around the ravenette and sighed happily, taking in a whiff of the younger's scent. Izaya chuckled and kissed the blonde on the cheek.

"You okay, wolfie woo~?" the auburn-eyed teen cooed. Shizuo huffed out in annoyance, not liking his lover use that nickname.

"Please don't call me that." he said, exasperated. "Stick to Shizu-chan, I like that one better."

"Okay, Shizu-chan~."

The taller male smiled and scanned the area, wondering where they were. He knew they were in East Africa... But where in East Africa?

"Shizu-chan, come on! We need to find a Nundu!" Izaya stated, trying to pull away from the taller's embrace and urging the blonde to move faster. The smaller teen may not have been as interested in mythical creatures, but he loved something new all the same.

"A Nundu..?" the mocha-eyed teen repeated, shocked and curious bubbling inside of him. Now he knew where they were. The couple were in one of the most dangerous forests in the world. Of course, naturally, Shizuo had forgotten the name of the said forest, but he couldn't care about that now. He was debating on either going along with finding the beast or going back. But... He Izaya did probably pay a lot to have this arranged... And the driver guy was from the Ministry so they should be safe enough... Shizuo made up his mind, grinning.

"Right! I'm coming, but don't hurry so much." the blonde squeezed the younger teen lightly and tilted his up so Izaya had to gaze up into his own eyes. The blonde pressed up against the younger male, and kissed him on the lips.

"I want to enjoy my time with my boyfriend~" Shizuo purred into Izaya's ear and pulled away, smirking a the blush he predicted would blossom on the ravenette's cheeks.

What was life without a bit of excitement?

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(1st Person P.O.V {Kalein})

I had my suspicions about those two students... But they're actually dating? Well, I personally have nothing against it, but Shirou and Kyouko do. Shirou isn't as bad though, but he'll still be shocked when he finds out his son is dating a male. So far wandering through this dense vegetation, they look like the perfect couple. I am amazed that Izaya, a child who was so closed off and reserved, became so full of energy and outgoing whole being around one teenager for less than a year. Heck, they even started dating. For some reason, Shizuo Heiwajima sounds familiar... I don't know how, though. Where did I see his name before..?

"Shizu-chan, what did you find?"

"It's... A gigantic paw print..! My word..."

I walked over to the pair of them, keeping my distance. They also seemed to have forgotten about me, but I don't mind. It makes it easier to see how deep their relationship is. My job here is not only to protect them from harm, but to also report back to Izaya's parents. His father had begun to become interested in Izaya's relationship with Shizuo since Mairu and Kururi babbled on about them both in the letters they sent. He knew he wouldn't get much out of them if he asked them about what was Shizuo to his son, so I guess he used this trip as an opportunity. He picked me because despite my height, I can be hard to recognize. He also knew I was a terrible liar, so all I can do is tell the truth. While I observed the two teens they were laughing and messing around. Izaya had thrown Shizuo a smirk and said murmured something, which propelled the taller male into action. Now, Shizuo has Izaya pinned underneath him, smiling in triumph. I felt a faint smile of my own play on my lips.

They really do look good together...

I'd hate to see these two forced apart...

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(3rd Person P.O.V)

"Izaya, I think I saw one!"

The shout from Shizuo alerted Izaya. The blonde had run on ahead to scout for one of the creatures. So far, after finding the print they'd strayed into a den by chance. An empty one. Afterwards, they'd continued to scroll through the forest, chatting casually while searching. They'd completely forgotten about Kalein, which was fortunate for the man.

"Really, Shizu-chan?" The ravenette sounded amazed and looked to where the blonde was pointing. Unfortunately because of the density of plants, the pair could only catch a glimpse of a swishing tail and the beast's back.

"We'll need to get a higher vantage point so we can actually see the Nundu." Izaya pointed out, Shizuo nodding in agreement. Izaya gazed around the area they were in, then spotted an easily accessible tree. The branches were knarled and twisted with loops and lodges that acted as perfect handgrips  and footholds. It looked over most of the other trees, and it had a branch hanging over the place the Nundu seemed to be.

"Shizu-chan, we could climb that." the auburn-eyed male pointed to the tree, the taller, mocha-eyed teen staring up at it.

"That's pretty tall..." Shizuo commented. "We're going to have to climb up that..?"

"No, you won't."

Kalein decided to make himself noticed and stepped forward, drawing his wand. Izaya and Shizuo turned to face him, realization dawning on their faces.

"I don't mean to sound rude but, you could do that?" Shizuo inquired. Kalein laughed.

"Mmn, Yeah, sure I could. It's easy. Just relax, okay?"

Shizuo and Izaya stood still, hand in hand. They nodded and watched a pinkish-purple glow surround them. Kalein had wordlessly cast the spell. The couple were brought up to the overhanging branch and settled down. Kalein then cast the spell on himself and followed them up, making himself seem like he wasn't there at all.

"Ooh..."

"Woah... This is so much better than the pictures I've seen..!"

The Nundu was resting peacefully in the open, enjoying the sunlight that shone through the trees' leaves. It's yellow and black fur looked soft, the yellow shining like gold. The spot markings dotted around on its fur looked a obsidian black and the spikes were flat against its neck. For the sheer mass of the beast, the group were awed.

"A gigantic leopard..." Shizuo uttered, breathing out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Izaya's eyes were sparkling in amazement. They'd actually gotten to see a Nundu.

They stayed in the tree admiring the creature. Shizuo, at one point, wanted to touch the Nundu, which drove Izaya into a muffled hysterical fit of anger, scolding the blonde mercilessly.

Shizuo used to think you couldn't properly convey anger by whispering. Now, he knows otherwise.

The pair were now sitting on the overhanging branch, Shizuo holding Izaya and the raven leaning into the embrace. All was calm. The blonde found himself loving Izaya more than he already did, if possible. The auburn-eyed teen was content with his position, and Sighed happily.

"This... It's just..." the raven didn't have the words to express himself.

"Yeah, I get you... It's beautiful..." Izaya nodded in agreement. "

"Flea... This is absolutely the best thing I have ever done... Thank you so much." Shizuo stated, practically beaming with joy and appreciation. He hugged the raven tighter teen and kissed him. Izaya returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around the taller male's neck. 

"No problem, Shizu-chan." the ravenette replied as they pulled away. He smiled, then looked back down at the Nundu. "Hey... It's getting up..."

And indeed it was. The beast had started to rise from its slumber, slowly climbing to its feet. It silently stretched and walked around in a circle, growling lowly. Soon, the giant leopard-like creature was becoming more agitated.

"I wonder what's wrong with it..." Izaya said aloud, tilting his head slightly. "Shizu-chan, you have a book on these kinds of creatures, do you know, by any chance?"

The blonde nodded his head slowly, studying the beast's movements. "I think... Another Nundu is close... I ain't too sure though..."

"Shouldn't we go, then?" Izaya asked. "In case you're right? I remember you telling me its breath is deadly... I do not want to be around for a roaring contest."

"Right." Just when Shizuo turned and opened his mouth to Kalein, a chill ran up his spine. It make the blonde tense and take a defensive stance, much to the confusion of the other two.

"Shizu-chan? Wh-"

And then, underneath the tree, chaos ensued.

Another Nundu burst out of the undergrowth beside their tree, unknowingly hitting the side of the trunk. The whole plant shook upon impact, forcing the trio to grip onto the thick branch they were standing on. They all yelled in shock, Shizuo muttering a string of curse words after that made Izaya and Kalein raise at eyebrow. They looked back down where the Nundu they were observing was.

Now circling each other were two Nundu, each growling and snarling viciously. One was larger than the other, but it seemed injured. The group knew they'd have to leave now.

"It's too dangerous to walk back to the Portkey, so we'll have to Side-Along Apparate." Kalein shouted over the noises the Nundu were making and grabbed onto the two teens.

"Okay, here we go."

"Wait! I-

"Oh Go-"

And with a crack, they Disapparated.

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"Fuck... My stomach..."

"I feel you, Shizu-chan..."

"No one has been Splinched, I hope."

The three males were now back near their Portkey, two of them hunched over and breathing heavily. Kalein let go of their arms and went over to the Portkey, checking his watch.

"Flea... I swear... I am never learning how to Apparate..." Shizuo said breathlessly, feeling like all of his innards would come out. Izaya, feeling similar, managed a weak smirk.

"I guess... I'll learn for when we're older..." the raven spoke, slightly delirious. "We'll live tooogetherrrrr~ and I'll be your huussssbaaand... And I'll cook for yoooouuuu~..."

Okay, more than slightly delirious.

Shizuo blinked and turned Izaya to face him. The raven's eyes were dilating constantly, but they were slowly coming into focus.

"Older... Live together... Husband... Cook for me..." Shizuo listed off, then smirked. "I haven't even proposed, yet~."

Izaya blushed heavily and turned away, looking down at the grass. It appeared that the younger male was back to his senses. He couldn't believe he'd said that! Merlin...

"What else would you do for me, my Flea~." Shizuo cooed, shifting from his hunched position to rolling onto his back and lying right in Izaya's vision.

"Well~?" the blonde urged, blowing a bit of hair off his face.

"You two! The Portkey iis leaving in thirty seconds! Hurry!"

Kalein's warning made the two students jump to their feet. They ran towards the male, touching the stick not a second before its departure. And once again, they all disappeared.

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After they had gotten back to the Ministry of Magic Kalein transported the two back home immediately. Izaya had fallen asleep and Shizuo was now carrying him to the Slytherin dorms. The Room Of Requirement didn't seem to want to work, so Shizuo was relying on his memory for entering the dorms. Draco had told Goyle the password one time a day or two ago. The blonde could only pray that it hadn't changed.

Shizuo finally arrived at the door of the Slytherin stronghold. The silver snake on the door hissed and stared straight at Shizuo.

"whαt'ѕѕѕ thє pαѕѕѕѕwσrd?" spoke the silver ornament.

Shizuo paused for a moment, giving himself a chance to make sure it was right.

"Merlin."

The snake appeared surprised and nodded.

"чєѕѕѕ, cσrrєct. nσw, α ѕѕѕαmplє σf purє вlσσd."

Somehow, the snake pulled off a smug look, then opened its mouth to show its fangs. Shizuo, however, was in dismay. He didn't have pure blood... Then he got an idea... He didn't like it, but he'd have to.

The blonde moved Izaya around so he could carry him with one arm, then placed one of his lover's fingers on a gang, then pressed downs hard enough to break the skin. A droplet of blood ran down the side of the silver tooth. Shizuo shifted back to carrying Izaya with both arms, looking at the serpent.

"ѕѕѕѕ.... σnє σf thє ѕѕѕmαrtєr grчffíndσrѕ..." it said. The door swung open and Shizuo stepped in, hoping not too many Slytherin were around. Fortunately, since it was late, the Common Room was almost empty, except for those few who were to engrossed in a conversation.

The blonde hurried quickly to the boy's dorms, keeping his face shadowed. Upon reaching his destination, he started searching for Izaya's dorm. As one time, one of the Seventh-years were awake and nearly caught him. It also didn't help that he nearly ran into Akabayashi. After a while, Shizuo began to become frustrated. Finally, the blonde teen found the door to his boyfriend's dorm. Once he checked and made sure it was Izaya's twice, the tall male entered the dorm without worry, as he knew Izaya shared a dorm with Draco and the others.

"Shizuo?!"

"Argh!"

The blonde's mouth was soon covered by a hand belonging to no other than Draco Malfoy.

"What in the- How did you get in here?" Malfoy whispered incredulously. "You didn't break the door, did you?"

"No, I gave the snake the password." Shizuo answered, his voice muffled, annoyance in it.

"Oh..." Malfoy removed his hand. "Hang on! Where'd you get the password?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow, I need to put the Flea to bed, okay?"

Shizuo was tired himself, and really wanted to get back to his dorm. Draco nodded and got back into his own bed, shrugging.

"Fine... But you're telling me tomorrow!" the Malfoy heir ordered, sending a quick glare at their blonde before completely falling asleep. Shizuo signed in relief and laid Izaya onto the his bed. Shizuo pulled the green curtains around the bed, isolating them from the others. The blonde smiled fondly as he tucked the ravenette in, finishing off with a kiss.

"Thank you for today, Flea." Shizuo whispered, smiling. The mocha-eyed teen decided to watch the sleeping figure of his boyfriend and sat down on the ground at Izaya's bedside, pushing a bit of the curtain out of the way. The male folded his arms and put them on the bed, placing his head on them. Shizuo loved how adorably peaceful Izaya looked, and wanted nothing more than to climb into bed with him. Before the blonde-haired male felt his eyelids start to close shut, and soon, he drifted off to sleep as well.

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