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All the staff at Macdonald Hall, in unspoken agreement, had decided to ignore the illegal extension charms Elmer had used on his room. As well as allowing enough room for Elmer’s telescope collection, his trio of tropical fish aquaria, and his trays of shrivelfig seedlings, this also made it ideal for small gatherings - or emergency committee meetings.
Boots wasn’t yet sure which one of those the current situation would qualify as. Ten minutes ago, he and Bruno had been lounging on the floor in Wilbur and Chris’s room - it had become a Sunday afternoon routine, they played cards with whoever else was there, while Wilbur tried a new edible potion recipe from the Larousse Gastromagique. Today it had been “Infinity Smoothie”, and Sidney was assisting. Everything had been going great, until Sidney “assisted” a little too closely. The cauldron had gone flying into Bruno, who ended up sprawled on top of Boots. The potion splashed everywhere, and suddenly Boots found himself holding hands with Bruno. He’d tried to pull his hand away, but he couldn’t seem to let go. So they did what everyone always did when faced with the unexplainable - they went to see Elmer.
Now Wilbur was sitting on a wooden crate with “Danger!” stencilled on the side, Sidney was kneeling in the middle of the room out of reach of everything, and Chris was balancing on the edge of the bathtub. It was rarely used for bathing, and was currently home to two baby thunder eels. Their small clouds bobbed gently above the water, and occasionally a very small bolt of lightning would exit a cloud, and land with a tiny sizzle in the water. Boots and Bruno were sharing a beanbag next to Elmer’s black swivel chair. It wasn’t a large beanbag, so their thighs and torsos were pressed tightly together. Their clasped hands rested on Boots’ thigh. He chewed on the thumbnail of his other hand. Holding hands with Bruno was… nice. Really nice. He'd be quite happy to keep doing so for some time.
Elmer frowned at his computer screen. Next to the keyboard on the desk was a tall glass filled with a light purple creamy liquid. Elmer paused for a moment to contemplate it, then spoke.
“Sidney and Wilbur, would you say that you stirred the potion four times clockwise, or could it have been more?”
Sidney’s brow furrowed. “Um… I can’t remember? I suppose it might have been more.”
“And you only added banana, maple syrup, and jewelweed?”
Sidney looked accusingly at Wilbur, who blushed.
“I might have tasted a bit of the syrup, to make sure it was okay. Anyway, it was Sidney who knocked over the cauldron!”
Elmer swivelled around and stared Wilbur straight in the eye. The other boy shrank slightly under his serious gaze.
“I know you all think potions accidents are funny mishaps, but there’s always a tiny chance they can be deadly! It’s very important, for Bruno and Boots’ sakes, that we know exactly what ingredients were in the potion that splashed on them. So, were those the only ingredients you used?”
The strongman of Macdonald Hall spoke in a very small voice.
“I didn’t have enough maple syrup, so I topped it up with syrup of hellebore. They looked about the same color.”
Boots expected another lecture, but Elmer simply gave a small “hmmm” and spun back around. His face turned green where the glow of the monitor hit, his fingers flew on the keyboard. After a few minutes of reading he spoke again, still facing away from the other boys.
“Inconsistent stirring and slapdash measuring is always problematic, but it is the addition of syrup of hellebore that has me most concerned - it may have drastically altered the nature of the potion. I myself would never mix hellebore with any other kind of syrup, due to the possibility - albeit a very small possibility - of it precipitating a volatile reaction.”
“What does he mean?” whispered Wilbur nervously.
Chris whispered back, “He means, boom!”
Boots paled slightly. It sounded alarming but on the other hand he was used to Elmer's tones of doom when he was in full-on investigative mode, and he couldn't help feeling secretly warmed by Bruno’s hand clutching on to his. He looked down to where both their hands rested on his thigh, his friend’s fingertips digging in slightly through the thick cloth of his robes. He swallowed. He’d had daydreams about Bruno before, sure (and maybe a few night dreams) - but he’d never imagined that they might become real. Not that this was real - but Bruno’s hand sure felt real.
“It’s all going to be fine, Boots. Whatever this is, we can face it together.”
Bruno was using his most reassuring voice, and his most sincere smile. Boots smiled weakly back. At moments like this, when Bruno said words like “we” and “together”, Boots could almost imagine telling his best friend how he felt about him. Almost. Maybe they just needed to be in enough life or death situations together, and eventually Boots would build up the nerve. That, or they could die horribly…
“Oh.”
Boots’ thoughts ground to a halt, and the pair looked expectantly at Elmer.
“Oh? Did you figure it out?”
“Yes,” Elmer stopped typing and folded his hands in his lap.
“And?”
Elmer paused, opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. The right side of his mouth quirked up.
“It’s, uh. Well, the good news is, it’s not explosive. It’s not even dangerous, or permanent. But the bad news is… I think Wilbur and Sidney might have created a bonding potion.”
Louder than Chris’s snigger or Wilbur’s chuckle, Bruno’s exclamation echoed in Boots’ brain.
“A bonding potion? How does that even work?”
“Well, people take them for a variety of reasons, and the potion’s effects depend on a number of factors - how much exactly of the potion you each absorbed, your proximity, and also the strength of your feelings towards each other. The stronger your feelings, the stronger the symptoms. I’ve found a website featuring a checklist to help figure out what steps to take to relieve the effects of the potion."
Elmer sounded on firmer ground talking about checklists rather than emotions.
"Any objections? No? Okay, question one: Have you ever previously been bonded?”
The two friends glanced at each other.
“No, of course not. I’ve never been bonded with anyone.” Boots looked at Bruno, as his friend took the lead and answered the question. His cheeks were flushed.
“Me neither.”
“Good, good. Question two: since taking the potion, have you felt the urge to be close to each other?”
“Uh, no more than… I mean, maybe a little?” Bruno wasn’t normally flustered. Boots decided it was a good look on him. No more than usual? Maybe, if Bruno was nervous, it was Boots’ turn to be brave.
“Yeah, I agree, about the same as usual.” He felt the intensity of Bruno’s gaze shift suddenly to him.
“Question three: have you felt the urge to touch each other?”
“Uh Elmer, have you seen them?” piped up Chris.
“Sssh, I need to be methodical here. Question three: have you felt the urge to touch each other?”
Boots could feel the clasp of Bruno’s hand. He felt the warmth of the other boy’s thigh against his, and heard his breathing, shallow and quick.
“Yes,” said Boots. He stood up, his arm muscles tensed as he pulled Bruno with him. For an instant it felt like the other boy’s whole hand slid from his grasp, and Boots locked gazes with Bruno, who widened his eyes almost imperceptibly, then Boots readjusted his grip and they were clinging to each other tightly again. Once they were both standing, he put his other hand on Bruno’s hip and manoeuvred him closer. It was a little awkward and he nearly tripped on the beanbag, but he thought it got the message across.
“Uh, me too,” said Bruno, sounding a little choked. As he met Boots’ gaze, his eyes were bright but a slight question remained. Boots smiled at him, embarrassed but happy. Time for a bit more encouragement… he winked at Bruno, then raised his voice.
“Um, Elmer… I think the effect is getting stronger.”
“Really? That’s very interesting. The effect from the hellebore should wear off very quickly, normally after only a few minutes. We’d better move on. Question four: are you feelings for each other...” Elmer coughed, and a flush appeared high on his cheeks, “friendly, or romantic.”
Ignoring everything around them, Boots trembled slightly as Bruno lifted his other hand up, as if to cup Boots’ cheek, then dropped it back down by his side.
“Elmer!" hissed Chris. "This isn't right. You have to make them stop."
Elmer frowned. "I don't understand - the potion really should have worn off by now. I checked my calculations three times, and there's no way it could be having such a prolonged effect."
While the other boys started arguing in the background, all Boots could think about was Bruno.
“Bruno?” Boots spoke quietly. It felt like it was now or never. Boots tipped his head forward, and placed his lips gently against Bruno’s. Bruno didn’t resist, but he didn’t return the kiss. Boots drew back, just a little.
Bruno gave a small sigh, then leaned in towards Boots and took a deep breath before he spoke.
“It’s not just because of the potion, right? Because, for me, with you, it’s not because of the potion…” Bruno’s whispered babbling was a beautiful thing.
A wave of relief rushed through Boots. He moved his hand away from Bruno’s hip, then squeezed their clasped hands once, sharply, before pulling them apart. It felt like there was a moment of resistance, but it was just Bruno’s fingers clutching his, and then they separated completely. He moved his lips as close to Bruno’s ear as they could be without touching.
“It’s not because of the potion.”
Then finally, finally, they were kissing, Bruno’s lips soft against his, their mouths parting slightly as they found each other’s hands and rejoined them.
“Question five…”
There was another muttered exclamation from Chris, followed by more anxious whispering. He, Wilbur, and Sidney stood in the now open doorway, making frantic hand-signalling motions at Elmer.
“... have you felt any other urges…”
“Stop! Elmer! I think they’re okay now. We need to go. We don’t need to know about question five!”
Their hand signals having been ignored, the three boys crossed the room and pulled Elmer from his chair. As they dragged him upright, bumping his feet gently on the carpet, Chris called out to Bruno and Boots.
“We’ll just leave you two to it! We’ll be down the hallway… a loooong way down the hallway!”
This prompted Elmer’s plaintive cry of, “No, not in my room! Not in front of my eels, they're very delicate!”
Bruno snorted, and the two friends broke apart. There was a rustling noise as the electric fan next to the shrivelfigs turned on and sent a breeze rustling over their leaves, and the pump in one of the fish tanks produced a massive gurgle.
“Shall we continue this elsewhere? This isn’t the most romantic setting.”
Bruno’s voice was low, and filled Boots with anticipation. He still felt slightly dazed.
Bruno stepped towards the doorway, then held out his hand back towards his friend. Boots took it willingly, and let himself be led out of the room. He winced as he heard an almighty crash followed by several cries.
“Sidney, you landed on my foot!”
“I couldn’t help it, I tripped on the beanbag!”
Then there was a scuffling sound followed by another crash, and two wails of anguish.
“Noooo - not my monitor!”
“My smoothie!”
Boots walked along shoulder to shoulder with Bruno, their hands clasped loosely together. Boots spoke, his voice echoing slightly in the empty corridor.
“Where shall we go, the back of the library? Behind the pool?”
Bruno snorted again, and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of Boots’ mouth.
“Well Boots, this may have escaped your attention, but it hasn’t escaped mine. I suggest we go and make good use of the private room that the Fish has so kindly supplied us with.”
—----- Epilogue
Later that evening, returned from brushing their teeth and warding off some good-natured teasing from their friends, the two pajama-clad boys lay on their beds in their dorm facing each other. Their blue-striped duvets were in a crumpled heap on the floor, and both pillows lay at the head of Boots’ bed.
“So, Boots - when did you realise that the potion had worn off?”
Boots blushed. “Oh, you could tell?”
Bruno raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, of course I could tell. So when was it exactly?”
Boots considered. He just had to be completely honest, and hope Bruno didn’t mind any slight deception.
“Well, I knew for sure when I pulled you out of the beanbag. And I suspected a little before that.”
“Uh huh. And you said you couldn’t act, Boots. Maybe we should ring Jordie, get him to give you a part?”
The sarcastic tones made Boots tense up, but when he looked over, Bruno was laughing at him. Boots threw a pillow at him.
“How about you? You realised then too, right? Or was it later?”
“Me? Oh well, actually it’s a funny story, my family all have some kind of weird genetic deal with hellebore. Kind of like the opposite of an allergy.”
“Huh, weird.”
Boots thought for a moment, moving the remaining pillow to a comfortable spot under his head. He replayed the scene in his mind, and then tried to remember everything Elmer had said at dinner. He sat bolt upright.
“Hang on, Elmer said it was the syrup of hellebore that provided the compulsion!”
“Sure, I heard his speech. Jewelweed for infinity, infinity equals everlasting love, banana for flavour, endless smoothie refills, hellebore, blah blah very temporary bonding potion. Actually it was pretty obvious what the potion would do, if you’ve had any reason to read much about hellebore.”
Bruno had the smug look on his face that he always had when he somehow aced a test despite never seeming to study.
Smug Bruno always made Boots suspicious. “But… but... what do you even mean by the opposite of an allergy? You mean it never affected you, not even for a minute? So why were we holding hands in the first place?”
“Well,” said Bruno. He reached over and took Boots’ warm hand in his cool one, making a bridge between their beds. Boots stared indignantly at him, and Bruno winked back, the look in his eyes slightly bashful but entirely unrepentant.
“Sometimes, you need a catalyst to get the best reaction.”