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Sakusa Kiyoomi first meets Hinata Shouyou in the worst of places - in the Yule Ball for that year’s Triwizard Tournament, as he sits resolutely on one of the dining chairs, scowling at all the people prancing around on the dance floor. Somehow, the Ministry officials and students attending are all the most horrible dancers he’s ever seen.
He doesn’t hate Christmas - he’s not some Grinch that can’t stand the sight of joy. He just doesn’t enjoy social events like these where everyone’s stepping on each other’s toes with the widest, fakest smiles Sakusa’s ever seen plastered on their faces. It’s almost terrifying.
“Hi!” A bright voice interrupts his train of thought, and Sakusa looks up to see a boy with shockingly orange hair standing there, a radiant smile on his face. “I’m Hinata Shouyou, I’m from Beauxbatons,” he says, “you look bored - would you like to dance?” His English has a slight accent to it, but it’s miles better than Sakusa’s measly attempts at French.
That said, he really doesn’t want to dance. If it were up to him, he’d sit here the entire night, a glass of punch in his hand. There’s something about Hinata, though, that makes it almost impossible for Sakusa to say no to him. Maybe it’s the endearing hopefulness in his amber eyes, or the way he’s only a little taller than Sakusa, even when he’s standing and Sakusa’s sitting (Sakusa’s always been a sucker for tiny things). “I’m not good at faster songs,” Sakusa says, trying to let Hinata down easy.
“I checked with the music man!” Hinata says, gesturing in Bokuto’s direction - the Hufflepuff has taken it upon himself to arrange the music for today, and Bokuto is literally the second last person Sakusa would trust with anything, beaten to the bottom only by one Miya Atsumu. “He told me the next song, and it’s slow, no worry!”
Sakusa takes one long look at Hinata. He doesn’t seem like someone Bokuto would lie to, so he nods reluctantly. “Okay,” he says, “I’m Sakusa Kiyoomi. Slytherin.”
“It’s very nice to meet you!” Hinata says, as he takes Sakusa’s hand and drags him out of his seat, towards the dance floor - Sakusa refuses to acknowledge Atsumu’s loud hoot from all the way across the dance floor when he catches sight of Sakusa out of his chair. He has the satisfaction of watching Professor McGonagall admonish him straight after, and he conceals a smile.
Sakusa nods at Hinata. “Do you dance?” He asks. A wave of regret rushes over him the second it leaves his mouth.
If Hinata thinks his question is dumb, he doesn’t let it show. He beams. “I do!” He says. “We have a ballet troupe at the Beauxbatons, and I’ve been dancing since I was a baby.”
“A little bit, here and there,” Sakusa says, “my parents sent me for ballroom dancing classes when I was younger.”
“That’s so cool!” A sentence like that would sound sarcastic if anyone else said it, but coming from Hinata, it just sounds sincere, like he’s genuinely interested. He leads Sakusa into the music, and Sakusa thanks Merlin that it’s a calm waltz, not one of the jigs that Bokuto has been obsessed with. Hinata’s movements are graceful and smooth, and Sakusa feels like he’s gliding over the dance floor.
“How old are you?” Hinata asks.
“I’m a sixth year,” Sakusa says, “sixteen.”
“Oh - I’m fifteen,” Hinata says, “I just started in lycée.”
“Lycée?” Sakusa asks, the unfamiliar French word awkward on his tongue.
“Yeah,” Hinata says, “we have two parts of Beauxbatons, see, collège and lycée - the young ones go to collège and we go to lycée.”
Sakusa nods again and stays silent, trying his best to keep up with Hinata. Hinata’s expertise in dancing is obvious, as he works his way through elegant footwork and spins, even sinking into a dip at some point, to Sakusa’s immense panic. His ballroom dancing knowledge isn’t enough to keep up with someone as energetic and light-footed as Hinata.
It’s only when the music speeds up, and Hinata’s steps get faster and more complicated, all while he has a smile on his face that’s too devious and knowing for Sakusa’s comfort.
“Oi, Hinata,” he whispers, panic seeping into his veins, “you knew this wasn’t just a slow song, didn’t you.”
Hinata bursts into peals of bright giggles, and Sakusa feels all his blood rush to his face at how cute the sight is. Hinata forces Sakusa to dip him again, and Sakusa helplessly complies, pulling Hinata back towards him as the French student continues giggling. “I’m sorry,” he says, “Bokuto and I thought it would be fun - you looked so dull sitting there! Was I supposed to just watch?”
Sakusa isn’t kidding when he says he would’ve hexed anyone else for doing the same thing. He hates being out of his comfort zone and dances like these - a foxtrot, of all things - are as far out of his comfort zone as it gets.
He thinks Hinata Shouyou poisoned his drink. Why else would he be perfectly okay with a juvenile prank like this? He looks down at Hinata’s big eyes and all he can manage is the weakest glare he’s ever given, completely lacking any heat in it. “I’m going to die,” he says, his tone accusing, “I told you I couldn’t do fast dances.”
“You’re fine,” Hinata brushes him off, “my teacher scolded me for five years about my foxtrot, I barely passed his test, you’re doing amazing.”
Sakusa’s literally going into overdrive. His brain is having a hard time as it is trying to cope with dancing at such a fast tempo - coupled with Hinata’s compliments, he’s not sure he’ll make it out alive and with his entire brain intact.
“Mm,” is his intelligent response, but Hinata just smiles.
He’s grateful that he can pretend the flush on his cheeks is because of how demanding the dance is. Which it isn’t - he goes running every morning before breakfast, and his stamina’s better than this, but for the sake of his ego, he pretends he’s just horribly unfit.
After what seems like eons, the song ends, and Sakusa removes himself from the dance floor, Hinata following him, his eyes sparkling. “That was fun!” He says. “We should do that again.”
“We will not. That was painful,” Sakusa says, before his Pureblood training kicks in, “but thank you for the dance, regardless.”
Hinata pouts, looking like a kicked puppy, but he leaves it at that. “Thank you, too,” he says, sinking his head into a little bow. He picks up a glass of pomegranate juice from one of the floating trays before sitting down at Sakusa’s table, catching his breath. “Do you play Quidditch?”
“Yeah,” Sakusa says, “I’m a Seeker.”
Hinata’s eyes light up. “My best friend is a Seeker too!” He says. “He’s the Beauxbatons Champion - Theodore Rosier.” He looks back at the dance floor, where the Champions are still dancing. Sakusa doesn’t quite care about the Triwizard Tournament - he thinks it should’ve been abolished when the first competitor died, but it’s still a thing because people are cruel.
The Hogwarts Champion this year is Shimizu Kiyoko, one of the top sixth-year students from Slytherin. Sakusa talks to her sometimes when he really has to - she’s the Slytherin Prefect that everyone’s all over, but she has a thing with Tanaka Ryuunosuke from Gryffindor. The Durmstrang Champion is a muscular girl with cropped hair. Sakusa doesn’t quite remember her name
“Did you put your name into the Cup?” Sakusa asks.
“No, no, I would never,” Hinata says, shuddering, “I’m not strong enough - Charms and dancing I can do, but never things that put me in danger.”
Sakusa breathes a sigh of relief - at least Hinata isn’t a blundering fool. Not that Shimizu is. She’s one of the few students in Hogwarts Sakusa could see winning the Cup, but Sakusa thinks it’s stupid to enter the Cup when it’s clearly a life hazard. “Neither did I,” he says, “Your friend must be powerful, then? Theodore?”
“He’s crazy,” Hinata says, “he’s the son of our Minister of Magic, good at everything - he makes me feel like a buffoon - he’s real prickly, though.” He laughs brightly even when he says that, and Sakusa can’t help but stare at his smile, his giggles imprinting themselves into the depth of Sakusa’s mind.
“You dance well enough to make up for that,” the compliment slips from Sakusa’s mouth before he can stop himself, and Hinata’s cheeks dust a pleasant shade of pink, “Shimizu’s kind of like that, too - our teachers love her.”
“They love you too,” Hinata says, “Bokuto told me you’re the top of the Defense Against Dark Arts and Transfigurations class.”
“You met Bokuto today?” Sakusa asks. Hinata seems far too close to Bokuto to be healthy.
“Yeah! He’s really cool,” Hinata beams, and Sakusa tries his best not to choke on his punch, “he taught me how to do the sticky shoes spell!”
“You should stay far away from him,” Sakusa says, “he has an effect on people.”
“Omi-omi, are you gossiping about me?” Bokuto’s loud voice interrupts, and Sakusa turns to see both Bokuto and Atsumu standing behind them. Speak of the devil - Sakusa sighs and rubs his temples. He supposes it would be naïve of him to hope that he would be able to spend the entire night with no interventions from them.
He’d never planned to befriend the two gremlins - they’d just ended up being neighbours when they were children, to the delight of his mother. Sakusa Airi was a woman who seemed terrifying to anyone who didn’t know her, but she was the most motherly person Sakusa knew. When their family moved in, Sakusa had been hellbent on ignoring the two loud children living on either side of their house whenever they played Quidditch.
His dreams were short-lived, though. Two days into living there, Atsumu’s Quaffle had flown into their yard, and his mother, always one to encourage Sakusa to make more friends, had invited them in for a tray of cold peach juice. Afterwards, she’d forced Sakusa into joining them in their game - they’re missing a Seeker, she’d insisted. Osamu, Atsumu’s twin, occasionally took part in their hangouts, but he usually sought his other friends out instead.
They had been friends ever since, slightly unwillingly on Sakusa’s end. They did practically everything together, but had all ended up in different Houses eventually.
“Yes,” Sakusa said, “we’re talking about how you’re a menace that can’t clean properly.”
Atsumu grins at Hinata, completely ignoring Sakusa. “Hi, I’m Miya Atsumu,” he leers, “I saw ‘ya dancing with Omi-omi.”
“I’m Hinata! Hinata Shouyou,” Hinata smiles at Atsumu, shaking his hand, “are you from Slytherin, too?”
“Ew, never - I’m a Gryffindor, Bo here’s a Hufflepuff,” Atsumu says, “yer from Beauxbatons, aren’t ya?”
Bokuto’s owlish eyes flit between Sakusa and Hinata as Hinata talks to Atsumu, a suggestive grin on his face - Sakusa glares at him with as much venom as he can muster.
“How was the dance, Hinata?” Bokuto grins instead.
“It was really fun!” Hinata beams. “Thank you for the music, I really missed dancing like that.”
“It’s a shocker that ya got the coot to dance,” Atsumu says, “he’d never dance with us, damned traitor.”
Hinata looks at Atsumu, wide-eyed, then at Sakusa. He looks suspiciously determined. “Let’s go,” he says, pushing himself out of his chair and hoisting Sakusa up from his chair, “round two!”
Screw the Pureblood mannerisms. Sakusa groans loudly as he’s forced onto the dance floor by the three overenthusiastic Musketeers, Atsumu and Bokuto both cackling like chicken.
Over the next few months, Hinata becomes an undeniably large part of Sakusa’s life - he joins him for classes, despite technically being a fifth-year. He’s exceptional in Charms classes, and Sakusa watches Filius Flitwick fall off his chair in excitement when Hinata successfully turns vinegar into a glass of fine red wine on his first try.
Hinata accompanies him on his morning runs, and he begs Sakusa to dance with him in return - Sakusa complies without protesting. It’s surprisingly enjoyable to spend some of his evenings dancing with Hinata, watching him as he shows off his ballet routines, which are all refined twirls and leaps that make Hinata look like he’s flying.
His favourite thing to do with Hinata is when they break curfew to lie on the Quidditch pitch - it used to be Sakusa’s favourite place to go alone at night to look at the stars and just think. It’s rather strange to have company in a place he usually goes to in solitude, but Hinata’s company is more than welcome - Sakusa finds that it’s actually more calming when Hinata’s there with him. If Hinata catches him staring at his face in the starlight, he doesn’t say anything.
He’s never let someone into his life so quickly - he’s hesitant with everything and antisocial to a fault, with walls as strong as a herd of giants around him. Somehow, Hinata pushes the walls down like they’re made of straw. It’s like Sakusa doesn’t even have any reservations about being around Hinata, and it terrifies him.
“Sakusa,” Theodore Rosier, the Beauxbatons Champion, approaches him one day when Hinata’s with Bokuto and Atsumu in Hogsmeade - he’s Hinata’s best friend, Sakusa’s mind supplies. Hinata always talks about him, and Sakusa’s just a little jealous, he swears. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”
Sakusa tilts his head and follows Theodore into a random empty classroom, gesturing for him to speak. Theodore seems to have a permanent scowl on his face, and now’s not an exception
“What do you want with Hinata?” He asks. Straight to the point.
“What?” Sakusa asks, even though he knows his answer. He’s falling in love.
“You heard me the first time - I’ve seen the way you look at each other,” Theodore shrugs, “he’s dumb, but he’s my friend, and I don’t want him to get hurt.”
Sakusa looks at Theodore for a long moment. “I enjoy his company,” he says simply.
Theodore’s scowl grows even deeper, if that’s even possible. “Cut the crap, Sakusa,” he says, “do you like him?... Or love, I guess?”
Sakusa raises his eyebrows. “With all due respect,” he says, “I think that’s a question I should talk to Hinata about.”
Surprisingly, Theodore nods stiffly. “I hope you don’t hurt him,” he says, “he’s more sensitive than he looks.”
“What were you thinking?” Sakusa shouts at the Minister of Magic himself, despite Bokuto and Atsumu both holding him back, despite the fact that the entire audience is staring at him. “What do you mean by his life is uncertain?” Tears prick at his eyes, and his throat is starting to get raw - he’s never shouted in his sixteen years of existence.
The Minister looks at him, not saying anything. “We apologise,” he says tartly after a long while, “if all goes well, he’ll come out of this perfectly okay.”
“If,” Sakusa echoes dully, “he’s not even a fucking competitor.”
No one bothers to reprimand him for his language, but Bokuto and Atsumu drag him away from the Minister and the professors.
“Listen, okay?” Atsumu says, his tone serious for once. “Shou’s strong - he’s gonna be fine, ya just wait - Shimizu’s gonna come out with him and they’ll both be okay, you don’t have to be so worried.”
“I mean, maybe a little bit worried, but-” Atsumu elbows Bokuto harshly, but Sakusa’s not really listening anymore. He just stares at the surface of the river where Shimizu disappeared.
The Second Task involved the kidnapping of those most dear to the Champions - Tanaka for Shimizu, Hinata for Theodore and the Durmstrang Champion’s sister - and tying them to the bottom of the Great Lake.
Theodore almost drowned in the process. As it turned out, the Beauxbatons Champion had a fear of water of all things, which is why Sakusa’s here, by the lake, just praying to Merlin with all his might that Hinata will be okay.
He’s never been this out of control of his emotions - he usually prides himself for being someone who’s calm and collected, but right now? There’s nothing in him to stop himself from letting his anger and fear take over.
It’s agonising to wait for Shimizu to come back with Hinata, the entire stadium waiting in silence, creating the perfect environment for Sakusa to start overthinking. Hinata’s been his largest source of wholesome happiness for the past few months, always there to talk or to just accompany Sakusa. He’s a balm to all of Sakusa’s moods. He’s neat, adorable and the kindest soul Sakusa’s ever met - it’s sheer cruelty for the world to give him something so good to just take it away in a few months.
She finally comes back up, the air bubble around her head popping gently when she surfaces, a familiar wild mop of orange hair resting on her shoulder.
Sakusa can only stare at Hinata even when the stadium erupts into loud cheers. He looks so grey. So lifeless, so dead. It’s terrifying - more than his growing feelings for him, more than anything in the entire world.
But his eyes flutter open, and Sakusa almost starts sobbing from the immense relief. Maybe he does - he can’t quite remember. They fall back shut, but it doesn’t matter - he’s alive. He’s breathing. He’s okay.
He just remembers almost falling over, barely supported by Bokuto and Atsumu - they grin at him, that familiar shit-eating grin. “Told ya so,” Atsumu says, and Sakusa can’t do anything but offer them a weak smile.
He stays in the infirmary with Hinata for hours after Bokuto and Atsumu are kicked out by the Mediwizard who allows Sakusa to stay with a raise of an eyebrow, waiting for him to come round - Shimizu comes to visit, Tanaka in tow.
“Thank you,” is all he can say, hoping that his tone conveys just how grateful he is.
Shimizu smiles gently at him. “You don’t have to thank me,” she replies, “I know how it feels - I hope he gets well soon.” She leaves with Tanaka, who looks like he’s going to cry when he looks at Hinata.
Finally, Hinata opens his eyes again. “Hi,” he says, a tiny smile ghosting around his face, “you look real sad, Omi.”
Sakusa’s heart skips a beat. “How are you feeling?” He asks.
“Great,” Hinata says, even though he doesn’t make any move to sit up, “the mermaids, Omi.”
“What about them?” Sakusa asks, mildly amused.
“The mermaids gonna… gonna get me,” he replies, eyes half-lidded, “Omi?”
“Mm,” Sakusa acknowledges, running a hand through Hinata’s soft hair, grateful that he’s here.
“Don’t… don’t let the mermaids get to me, ‘kay?” He murmurs, and he reaches out to grab Sakusa’s free hand, tugging it to his chest.
Sakusa melts, and he’s grateful Hinata’s only half-conscious, because his smile spreads wider than it’s even been. “Never,” he says, and Hinata smiles, contented. His eyes fall back shut, his long eyelashes brushing against his cheeks angelically.
Sakusa’s ruined.
“You looked so dead,” Sakusa whispers to Hinata when it’s dark, when he thinks he’s still sleeping, “I was so scared.”
“Mmph,” Hinata grunts, shifting, “you’ll have to try a little harder to get rid of me, Omi.”
The rest of the Tournament goes without a blip - no one touches Hinata, and that’s all Sakusa cares about. Shimizu wins. It’s good karma for saving Hinata, Sakusa thinks.
Winter turns into spring into summer, and it’s almost time for Hinata to go back home.
Hinata grows a little distant - he still spends almost every second with Sakusa, or the Idiot Duo, as Sakusa has affectionately termed them, but he doesn’t seem as open as before.
Sakusa hates it. He knows how near their goodbye is, and he doesn’t think he’s ready to let go.
Hinata only talks about It to him two days before he’s due to leave for France again, when they’re lying on the Quidditch field again, the stars ever so bright. The only thing Sakusa has eyes for, as usual, is Hinata.
“I need to tell you something,” Hinata says quietly, as if he’s afraid to disturb their silence, “I think I’m in love.”
Sakusa’s heart drops to his stomach almost instantly. “Oh?” He replies, not daring to hope. “With who?”
“An idiot,” Hinata replies, a smile playing along his lips, “I’ve spent the past few months trying to get with him and we’re still not dating.”
“Is that so,” Sakusa says.
“Yeah,” comes the delicate reply, “and now I’m leaving and I don’t know when I’ll see him again.”
“What a coincidence, I’m in the same situation,” Sakusa breathes out, “with a really small fool that I’m going to miss a lot.”
“Oh,” Hinata says, his voice sounding strangely choked up, “I’m going to miss my idiot a lot, too.”
Sakusa looks down at Hinata. “We’re both stupid,” he says.
“We are,” Hinata says, his laugh sounding foreign, “can I kiss you? Please?”
Sakusa doesn’t respond - he leans down to press his lips to Hinata’s, like how he’s been yearning to for the past few months. His lips are as soft as Sakusa expected - he tastes like the blueberry jellies that Hinata’s been addicted to ever since Bokuto and Atsumu brought him to Hogsmeade for the first time, and Sakusa kind of wants to cry.
He pulls Hinata into his lap, momentarily pulling his lips away. It was a shitty kiss - neither of them are experienced and too much teeth is involved for comfort, but it’s Hinata and anything Hinata is okay for Sakusa.
Sakusa never expected (or wanted, for that matter) to find love. His entire life has been about studying as hard as possible to become the best Auror there is. If you told him years ago that he’d fall in love with the cutest boy from France and that he’d literally drop anything for the same boy, he would’ve scoffed in your face and called you a fraud - he’d never grow soft for anyone.
And yet here he is.
He kisses Hinata again, a little more desperately this time - his hands travel up Hinata’s shirt, enjoying the way he shudders, and he kisses him deeper, nipping at his lips and drinking as much of his blueberry taste as he can.
Hinata breaks it off, panting softly. “I love you,” he says, and chokes up. He rubs at his eyes furiously, not letting Sakusa look at his tears.
It breaks Sakusa’s heart. He wraps his arms around Hinata, ignoring the summertime heat that settles around them, carding his hand through his hair gently, just the way he’s always wanted to. “It’s okay,” he whispers, his voice breaking, “I’m not looking. You don’t have to be strong.”
It doesn’t take long - Hinata starts to sob quietly into Sakusa’s shoulder, his small body shaking in Sakusa’s arms.
“I love you too,” Sakusa says after a long while of just holding Hinata.
“I have a plan,” Hinata says the moment he marches up to Sakusa the day after, “I’ve been talking to my mum - I’m gonna work really hard and come to Britain to be a Mediwizard, I’m gonna work at St. Mungo’s.” He tells Sakusa. “And you’ll wait for me, won’t you? Till I finish at Beauxbatons.”
Sakusa nods, not even thinking. He’ll wait as long as it takes.
“Two years,” Hinata says, “two years until I’ll be in Britain forever.”
“Two years,” Sakusa agrees, “I’ll be here waiting.”
Sakusa sighs as he watches the Idiot Duo dance and sing like complete fools on the dance floor, wondering just what he’s doing here. He has an assignment for the Ministry, but Atsumu had insisted he come to this ball in particular, with a Look in his eye that told him he had zero say in this.
Sure enough, Bokuto had dutifully showed up to his apartment an hour before the ball, an extra robe in hand just in case Sakusa tried to come up with a stupid excuse. They knew him far too well for comfort.
He brings the glass of wine to his lips now, contemplating if he should just sneak off and go home.
“You look bored,” a voice speaks, “do you want to dance?”
“I have a boyfrie-” he turns to stare into the large amber eyes of Hinata Shouyou, beaming brightly. “Shouyou.”
“Hi,” Hinata says, “it’s a slow song, I promise. Wanna dance?”
Sakusa listens carefully to the song - it’s the exact same one as the first song they’d danced to the first time they met. He can’t stop the fond smile that spreads across his face as he shakes his head, already taking Hinata’s hand and standing to wrap him in a tight hug. “No,” he says, “but fine. Just one dance.”
The beam on Hinata’s face is more than worth it.