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Childhood is not a magical time in life for everyone.
Sakura Haruka did not remember this lonely time fondly. He did not believe then that anything nice would happen to him in life. He did not even dream of something special then, only of ordinary human warmth directed towards him.
And when all hopes had already begun to die, he found out that he was a wizard.
Then his life was finally full of real magic, which he was no longer ashamed to call the power of friendship.
Although six years had passed since he found out that he was a wizard and found his true home and friends at Hogwarts, he still often could not believe it,
But who could blame him, since he was born into a Muggle family that did not even want to devote their attention to him and happily sent him to a distant (and definitely suspicious) school?
However, Sakura remembered less and less often the people who did not give him love. He was too absorbed in friendship with people who cared for him and for whom he was ready to die.
And the challenges that the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry threw at him every day.
Sakura would never say it out loud, but he really loved Hogwarts. It was his home.
But he really wasn't a big fan of lessons.
Sakura had never been the best student, whether in his previous Muggle school or at Hogwarts. He did best in Defense Against the Dark Arts and was pretty average in the other subjects.
But Potions were his Achilles heel. He'd rather not show up for those classes at all, but the thought that he could disappoint those around him with his behavior, kept him from skipping school.
Also, what he really couldn't understand, somehow Nirei was even worse at Potions than Sakura, but he always showed great determination (despite being terrified at the same time) before each next lesson and Haruka really admired him for it and felt motivated himself. However, motivation was not enough to enjoy the next hour of classes.
"Sakura-kun!" Nirei, who had come out of the Hufflepuff room, ran up to him with a smile. Sakura nodded in greeting. "Are you ready for potions?" Nirei was shaking, and Sakura had no idea if it was because of nervousness or excitement.
"Not really." He grimaced. He still had memories of his own potion exploding a week ago, and a moment later Nirei setting his own robe on fire.
The blond looked as if he remembered the previous potions lesson, because his smile quickly disappeared from his face.
"I believe that this time there will be no accidents during potion making." He said, raising his fist, but in Sakura's opinion he didn't sound convincing at all.
"Good morning, Sakura-kun, Nire-kun." They both turned to Suo, who approached them with a wide smile, and Haruka felt immediate relief. He felt more confident when the Slytherin was around, especially during potions lessons, because Suo was one of the best students in the entire school.
However, the feeling of relief quickly disappeared when girls passing by began to whisper at the sight of them. Haruka tensed up instinctively.
He was used to it even when he didn't know he was a wizard. People commented on his unusual appearance, two-toned hair and eyes. When he got to Hogwarts, the fact that he was a muggle-born became another reason to gossip. As his friends explained to him, wizards from non-wizard families were often the subject of ridicule, although in recent years the situation had supposedly improved a bit. However, there were still people who picked on people like Sakura.
That's why they didn't understand the friendship that connected him with Nirei and Suo, especially Suo.
They were both pure-blood wizards, and Hayato supposedly came from one of the most influential families that had been in Slytherin for generations, which is why he was often on the students' tongues.
However, Suo didn't care what others thought of him. He constantly stood up for Sakura's good name, just like his other friends when someone called him a mudblood.
And Sakura, despite the occasional insults, really felt in his place.
Only sometimes, in such situations, memories of his lonely childhood came back to him.
He was distracted from the whispers of passing students by Suo who placed a hand on his shoulder:
"Don't worry Sakura-kun. Maybe you won't blow anything up today." He said in an amused voice.
And even though he knew Suo was doing it to distract Sakura from his thoughts, for which he was grateful, he still broke away and shouted:
"I'll blow your fucking face up!"
Suo just laughed at that.
"Maybe we should go into the classroom already, classes are about to start." They were interrupted by a nervous Nirei.
Sulking, Sakura headed to class, not wanting to add to Nirei's stress.
Although he knew that in a few minutes his friend would be a nervous wreck again when the teacher told them to prepare a new potion.
The new potion was already waiting in the cauldron and all the students gave it a wide berth just in case, as they went to their seats.
The teacher didn't waste time on greetings and immediately started making their lives miserable.
"I need two volunteers to smell the potion!" Nakata-sensei said enthusiastically.
Of course, no one raised their hand.
Sakura just begged in his mind that this time he wouldn't be picked.
"If no one wants to, then I'll ask... Kiryu and Tsugeura!"
Haruka heard Nirei's loud, relieved exhale in addition to the scraping of chairs.
He fully understood his friend.
Hufflepuff and Gryffindor looked like they had been sentenced to death. Sakura began to conclude that apart from Suo, no one in this room liked potions.
More proof that Suo was a weirdo.
"Come on, boys, smell the potion," He said, lifting the lid from the cauldron. "Begin, Kiryu. Name… maybe three things you smell."
With some suspicion, the boy leaned down and sniffed the potion. A look of astonishment appeared on his face.
"Bubble tea, bubble gum, and…"He sniffed the potion again. "Violets."
"Great, now it’s time for Tsugeura. Name three things you smell."
Apparently reassured by the information that the smell wouldn’t be anything unpleasant, he quickly leaned towards the cauldron and inhaled deeply.
He frowned.
"I don't smell the same thing Kiryu does." Even though Sakura knew shit about potions, this one surprised him. Shouldn't potions smell the same to everyone?
"What do you smell?" The teacher asked.
"Roasted meat, banana protein shake, and the sea." He said with slight hesitation.
The teacher clapped his hands.
"Thank you, you can come back to your seats." He said to them and then turned to the whole class. "Can anyone guess what potion this is?"
Of course Suo raised his hand.
"Amortentia, sensei." He replied, and Sakura couldn't help but look at him in awe. How did he know all this? Even though Suo often called Sakura the heart of their trio (which always made Sakura blush and yell at Suo), he was convinced that Hayato was their brain. And Nirei was their spirit.
"The strongest love potion." Suo added.
Haruka froze on the spot. Any mention of love always paralyzed him. He couldn't look at couples in love without feeling unjustified shame.
And now he had to bring this topic up in class.
He felt sick to his stomach.
He really hated potions.
The teacher nodded in affirmation, but asked anyway:
"What makes you say that, Suo?"
"Everyone feels amortentia differently, depending on what attracts them the most. And everyone here is fully aware of Kiryu's great weakness for sweets and what Tsugeura is addicted to." He said, slightly amused.
Sakura's eyes widened and he tried to sort out the information he had received earlier. He knew that Kiryu had a weakness for that strange drink with balls and constantly chewed gum. Tsugeura, if he could, would eat only chicken and protein shakes. But he had no idea that Kiryu liked some flowers and Tsugeura, unlike him, must have been by the sea.
The teacher smiled.
"You're right. However, I must emphasize that this potion does not arouse true love, only a strong infatuation or obsession."
His interest in what else his friends liked was quickly replaced by panic caused by the potion they discussed. He really didn't want to have anything to do with this shit.
"Now I will ask the rest of you to come here and tell me what you smell. Although the purpose of our lesson is to try to balance such a potion, it is also worth taking a moment to learn something about the other person who is with us." He winked at them knowingly. Sakura did not feel comfortable. A teacher should not do such things. Especially since such things filled him with anxiety. Of course, he would like to learn new things about his friends, and without asking them directly, but he would have to give the same in return.
"Suo, maybe you will go first?" The teacher continued, and Sakura focused all his attention on Suo approaching the cauldron. He got the impression that every girl in the room perked up a bit. He snorted, irritated by this interest, but he could not blame them.
Sakura himself was very curious about what Suo would smell. He had known him for so many years, but he still did not know much about him, because the guy was annoyingly mysterious. He could count all the information about him on one hand and he couldn't even tell what was true. One of the few things he knew about him was that he loved tea, so he was sure he could definitely smell it. But he wondered what else he might like.
"I smell jasmine tea." Suo said right away and Sakura felt a strange sense of pride in guessing. Despite Suo's many attempts, he still couldn't tell the difference between teas. He kept forgetting the name of Suo's favourite tea, but he knew that if he smelled it, he would recognize it immediately.
"Sakura."
Sakura's heart pounded faster. He felt himself choking on his own saliva. What the hell?
"I mean cherry blossom, of course." He said, amused, as whispers from the students echoed throughout the room.
Sakura felt his face start to blush. Why had he thought that Suo could smell him when he smelled the love potion?
And why did he feel a pang in his heart at the thought that it wasn't true?
He shook his head. He didn't want to think about it. Instead, he continued to focus on Suo.
"And... ehh.." The boy rubbed the back of his head. If Sakura didn't know him, he would have thought he was embarrassed. "It's a bit embarrassing, but I feel something, like..." He paused dramatically. "Blood."
A dead silence fell over the room. And after a moment, the students began to whisper among themselves again.
But only Sakura was able to ask the question out loud:
"What?! So you're a fucking vampire after all?"
At Hogwarts, many students commented on Suo's suspiciously beautiful appearance and his aura of mystery, throwing out more and more interesting theories about him. The most popular opinion was that Suo might be a vampire. Sakura hated rumors, but the fact that Suo himself was kind of provoking them, not denying the rumors, but also fueling them even more and suggesting various things made Haruka not really know what to think about it all. Sakura had to admit that there was something unearthly about Suo, and his enigmatic nature when it came to giving out any information about himself made his blood boil.
In addition, Suo practically never ate in front of anyone, constantly getting out of some stupid diet. The only thing he allowed himself was tea. If that wasn't vampire behavior, Sakura didn't know what was. But anyone can't trust Suo fully, because he constantly lies and tricks people, especially naive Sakura. He had been fooled many times before, and although he was aware of Suo's nature, he still believed him, because despite everything, he trusted his friend like no one else.
"Maybe I'm a mosquito? They like blood too." He laughed when Sakura grimaced. "Don't judge me, Sakura-kun. I wonder what you'll smell." He looked at him provocatively.
"Surely nothing as suspicious as blood!" He shouted, frustrated by the sudden remark.
The teacher didn't seem to be upset by everything that had been said in his class. He had probably heard all sorts of strange things from his students over the years.
Although if the smell of blood didn't surprise him, Sakura began to worry about what other students had smelled over the years.
The professor waved his hand at Sakura.
As he passed Suo, he noticed the boy provocatively running his tongue across his teeth, as if he was really hinting that he might be a vampire.
The gesture made Sakura feel uneasy in his stomach. Heat rose to his cheeks, but he wasn't entirely sure what was causing it.
"Sakura, come over and tell us what three scents you can smell. Of course, you can smell many more, but we don't want to spend the whole day smelling the potion." The teacher laughed, but Sakura ignored him and focused on his task.
He leaned toward the potion and took a deep breath.
"Omurice." It was to be expected. Everyone in the room probably could have guessed it, since Sakura usually reached for it during lunch. He sniffed the potion again.
He was surprised when he smelled the tea that Suo usually brewed. Jasmine, as he had mentioned earlier. However, he preferred not to say out loud what he felt specifically and simply said:
"Tea."
No matter how many times Hayato told him what type of tea it was, Sakura could never place a specific name. so it would be even more strange if he mentioned the same type as Suo. But it was indeed good tea. Suo often offered it to Sakura and Nirei, but sometimes he also gave them other teas to try, including ones that were even tastier. That's why he couldn't understand why he could smell this one. He shook his head and tried to inhale the aroma of the elixir again.
"And…" Sakura frowned. He could smell a very nice scent that made him feel safe. It filled his entire body with a pleasant warmth. However, he couldn't place it as something specific. "Hell, I have no idea what this is. But it's a damn nice scent."
His teacher sighed, whether at Sakura's lack of response or his own foul tongue. He waved his hand for Haruka to return to his seat and invited another student.
Once each student had said what they smelt, the teacher showed them the procedure for making the potion and the students started brewing it themselves.
Sakura couldn't focus on brewing amortentia because he couldn't stop thinking about what he smelt from the potion. Instead of reaching for any ingredients, he stared blankly at the cauldron and remembered that last aroma that he couldn't decipher. He felt bliss at the memory, but also great frustration because he knew that scent very well, but despite his efforts, he couldn't tell what it was.
And he probably would have wondered about it until the teacher admonished him for not doing anything, if it wasn't for the fact that Nirei's potion exploded and covered the entire room and everyone with some pink goo that smelled like rotten eggs, and Sakura honestly doubted that Nirei had a weakness for them.
The teacher reassured everyone (especially Nirei, who began to panic and apologize to everyone) that the substance was harmless, but he still stopped the class so that everyone could scrub themselves with vinegar and change their clothes, while he began performing cleaning spells.
Every student practically ran out of the room immediately to get rid of the overwhelming stench. The smell of rotten eggs had never bothered Sakura so much, because it had effectively gotten rid of the memory of the previous pleasant smell.
He knew, however, that if he smelled this something in person, and not by smelling the potion, he would recognize it immediately.
"Nirei, if you apologize one more time, I swear I’ll fucking drown you in a potion you make yourself." Sakura said when he met up with his friends again before another class. After cleaning himself up, he no longer smelled like eggs, but he could still smell the vinegar. His friends probably smelled the same but he preferred not to check it out.
"I’m sor…" Nirei closed his mouth abruptly when Sakura glared at him.
Suo laughed.
"You may not be fans of potions, but you have to admit that they’re always a lot of fun."
Sakura grimaced.
"Yeah, because it’s a lot of fun scrubbing some stinking mess every time someone’s potion explodes."
Which was practically every class.
"I’m sor…" Nirei started again, but quickly covered his mouth with his hand. He swallowed deeply and after a moment, he moved his hand away from his face. "Maybe to prevent that this time, you could help me make the potion again, Suo-san?" He asked with hope in his voice.
Sakura shifted his body from one foot to the other, feeling a wave of undefined emotions flowing through him. He and his friends often studied together, but sometimes Nirei needed them to study alone with Suo. Sakura didn’t feel left out, because his friends had repeatedly made it clear how important he was to them, and he could tell that Nirei would feel more confident if Suo focused only on him and patiently explained everything to him.
At least that’s what he kept repeating in his head.
But something deep inside him couldn’t fully enjoy Suo helping their friend, because he felt a pinch of some nasty feeling.
"I’d love to, Nire-kun!" Suo smiled broadly at Nirei, and Sakura felt a muscle twitch in his hand. "I talked to Nakata-sensei right after class because I wanted to practice a bit myself, and he said he'd have a free room the day after tomorrow."
These are the positives of being a teacher's pet - Nakata-sensei would sometimes let Suo use the room if he wanted to brew something on his own, as long as he didn't take the potions out of the room. Or maybe it was just Suo's manipulative abilities? Sakura wasn't going to pick on Suo about it though, because he knew he deserved these privileges.
Nirei started shaking with excitement, and for some reason, Sakura felt his strength draining away.
"Great!" The blond clapped.
"Would you like to join us, Sakura-kun?" Suo turned to him and Sakura felt his heart beat faster as his friend focused his attention on him. “I noticed you barely started making your potion today."
"I… just…" He was embarrassed that Suo noticed that.
"Were you trying to figure out that scent you couldn’t identify?" He smiled cheekily.
Sakura felt his cheeks heat up.
"No?! Why would I care about that shit? I don’t care what I might smell when I smell this shitty potion."
Suo laughed.
"Sure, Sakura-kun. So, are you joining us?"
"I… don’t want to bother you." He said, turning his head.
Nirei however grabbed his arm and started shaking it.
"Sakura-san, you have to join us! We have to take advantage of the opportunity when we have a room available for ourselves. Suo-san will definitely help us both."
When he saw Nirei's eyes sparkle, he was almost ready to answer in the affirmative, but something still held him back.
"We'll both be happy if you practice with us." Suo's smile was so sincere that Sakura felt calm and actually believed that his friends wanted him there.
"Okay, I'll come. But only so that nothing explodes during the next lesson."
Suo's laughter echoed in his head for a long time.
The potions at the very beginning of the day had pretty much worn him out, and on top of that, there were also other classes, which had drained his energy even more. After eating and doing his homework, all he dreamed of was sleep.
But when he lay down, he felt a strange feeling of loneliness.
Something he absolutely shouldn't feel, not now, when he finally had friends, not now, when he was surrounded by the other guys from his house.
He really liked the Gryffindor guys who welcomed him with joy. He had good relations with almost everyone and he had the closest bond with the current prefect Umemiya (who for some reason insisted on being called senior whip), Tsubakino and Tsugeura.
But he still considered Suo and Nirei his closest friends, with whom he spent the most free time, even though they weren't even in the same houses.
Umemiya had told him in his first year that supposedly, who you sit next to on the train on your first trip to Hogwarts will determine who your lifelong friend will be. And after a while, Sakura was able to admit that he agreed with him. He believed that his friendship with Suo and Nirei was special and would survive anything.
And although he was close to the Gryffindors, at night he missed his closest friends.
And he would especially prefer to have them close to him when, tired, he tried to fall asleep, but he was disturbed by the loud snoring of Tsugeura, who had a bed right next to him.
Why wasn't Suo his roommate? Really, he would feel much more confident if he had him by his side. Suo seemed like a person who definitely didn't snore, heck, he didn't even toss and turn at night, and Sakura would probably wonder if he even breathed in his sleep.
And Tsugeura was snoring so deeply that Sakura could have sworn the paintings in the room were shaking.
He buried his head under the pillow and tried to remember why he hadn't put it on Tsugeura's face yet, to stop snoring once and for all.
Hogwarts was his home. The first home he had ever owned.
And his friends were what made Hogwarts.
And although he loved them, he wanted to murder them far too often.
–
When Sakura was introduced to the magical world, his life changed for the better. He finally met people who fully accepted him.
He liked to do magic, although he didn't always succeed.
The food at Hogwarts was absolutely phenomenal.
Sakura was absolutely enchanted by the magical world.
But the greatest joy he had was playing Quidditch.
He had previously been involved in various fights very often. After he got to Hogwarts, he did not stop doing this, but significantly fewer students resorted to traditional fighting, which he missed a bit. In addition, the punishments invented by teachers were never pleasant.
However, while playing Quidditch as a Beater, he could hit other students with bludgers without consequences, and this gave him wild satisfaction.
He loved this sport and could never get enough of it.
That is why Suo and Nirei always came to him after his team's training to spend some extra time training.
Nirei didn't play Quidditch, but he was fascinated by the sport and usually sat nearby and watched their training, often taking detailed notes.
Suo, on the other hand, was one of the most effective Seekers of their school. He was extremely agile and fast, and Sakura made it her goal to hit him with a bludger at least once.
They both joined their teams four years ago, and in all that time Sakura had never managed to do it.
Although it frustrated him terribly, he felt a huge excitement every time he practiced with Suo. Especially since Suo never agreed to traditional fight, and during the Defense Against the Dark Arts duels, the teacher chose the students to fight, so it was very rare for him to fight with Suo.
Today he failed again, but he had the impression that he was getting closer to the goal of knocking Suo off that fucking broom, which he swung agilely like a dancer.
"You're getting better and better, Sakura-kun. You almost hit me today."Suo approached him, clearly amused, taking off his helmet.
Sakura snorted.
"Hell yeah, you'll be kissing the ground soon."
Suo laughed and traditionally shook his hand after the duel ended.. He had long since developed such a habit with Sakura, because he thought it sealed the spirit of healthy competition or some shit. When Suo first said something like that, Sakura initially thought that there really was some spirit of good competition and it was actually sealed in this way. Only then did he enter the magical world and he had every right to believe it, especially since there were always some ghosts wandering around the school.
Later, he got to know Suo much better and was almost certain that he was just making fun of him.
Only later did Nirei explain to him what Suo probably meant.
And although Sakura didn't admit it, he was grateful to Suo for accustoming him to touch, to such interactions, because later, during official matches, he actually had to shake hands with his opponent both before and after the match.
If Suo hadn't accustomed him to it earlier, he probably would have instinctively kicked the hand extended to him.
However, he began to treat shaking hands with opponents as a more or less pleasant duty, depending on who he had to shake hands with.
But the handshakes Suo gave him were always different, a bit longer, and for some reason, those were the ones Sakura liked the most.
He told himself that it was because Suo had started it all and that was why he was most used to him.
But deep down he simply liked Suo's rare touch.
Although Hogwarts was a school of magic, a surprising number of students liked to engage in traditional fights. This was because the school had a strict ban on casting dangerous spells on each other that teachers could easily identify, so students preferred to settle their differences with their fists.
To Sakura's surprise, the school had many great fighters and Suo was one of the best in their year. However, Suo's fighting style was much different from his, because Hayato was as non-contact as possible.
On top of that, he refused to fight Sakura, much to his displeasure.
And he really wanted to face him.Sakura wanted to talk to him through his fists. And he dreamt that he could be the first person whose fist would reach Suo.
But for now, he had nothing to count on. He had to be happy with what Suo could give him at the moment.
"Thank you for the fruitful training, Sakura-kun." Suo said with a smile.
No matter how many times he had it, that smile, those words combined with the handshake always made him feel embarrassed and his cheeks would start to redden.
''You're welcome. " He mumbled.
Now their handshakes were longer than at the very beginning and Sakura began to be terrified by the thought that he was reluctantly letting go of his hand. However, he tried not to show it on his face and with all his willpower after a few seconds he pulled his hand away.
Then a gentle wind arose.
Sakura watched in amazement as Suo's hair fluttered, giving him a truly magical look.
He inhaled sharply and felt it.
The same beautiful scent when he smelled amortentia.
The fucking love potion smelled like Suo to Sakura.
And that meant... that Sakura loved Suo.
He could hear his heart beating loudly in his ears. He clenched his fists to calm his shaking hands.
"Sakura-kun? Is everything okay?" Suo asked him with obvious worry in his voice. Sakura looked into Suo's eye and knew it was a mistake, a fucking mistake, because how could he look into that beautiful eye that held so many secrets that made him drown. How was everything supposed to be okay when he just realized that he loved his best friend?
He was starting to get nervous. Sakura had never been comfortable with love matters, and now they were finally starting to affect him, which made him even more nervous.
Sakura needed time to organize all his thoughts.
Although everything was already starting to fall into place, he needed time alone, as far away from Suo, the center of his distraction, as possible.
''I have to...'' He has to what? To think calmly about being in love with Suo? He couldn't tell him that, especially since the visibly worried Nirei stood up and walked towards them. And since Sakura couldn't lie, and even less so to Suo, he simply said:
"I have to go."
Suo frowned. An expression appeared on his face that didn't suit him at all.
"Suo." He looked at him with difficulty. Why was it so difficult now? After all, these feelings had been inside him before, he had only just become aware of them. And he didn't want it to negatively affect his relationship with Suo, who was clearly worried about him, and that made Sakura want to escape even more, even for a moment. "Don't worry about me." He said, almost pleadingly.
Suo carefully analyzed his facial expression. Sakura, who was all wet from training, felt himself starting to sweat again, this time from nervousness.
Apparently his friend understood what he needed now, because he sighed deeply and said with an unusual warmth.
"I trust you, Sakura-kun."
Sakura felt his heart beating loudly again, but nodded gratefully and ran ahead, ignoring the calls of the nervous Nirei.
Sakura was in the library for the first time without Nirei or Suo, but he needed a quiet place where he could hide and think alone.
He was in love with Suo. He loved him.
It scared him, but at the same time it filled him with some strange feeling that he couldn't name, but he knew it was quite pleasant.
Above all, he finally felt some peace, because now he finally understood why Suo caused him a strange frustration, a sense of security... That Suo made him feel like no one else, because only Suo caused such a huge amount of emotions in him. Sakura knew he would have to tell him. He wouldn't be able to hide it from Suo, because he was the most observant person he knew and he understood Sakura like no one else. And Sakura would definitely rather tell him directly than for Suo to find out about it himself.
He didn't even want to think about the fact that Suo might have known about his feelings for him before Sakura himself... that would be embarrassing.
He started to think about how Suo would react to his confession. The huge nervousness gradually began to disappear when he started to repeat to himself that Suo was a good guy after all and would definitely approach his confession in a polite way. Sure, he made fun of Sakura all the time and he certainly had a foul tongue, but he would definitely approach this matter with maturity and understanding.
Yes, he could reject Sakura, but he would definitely do it gently. Sakura would be heartbroken, but he would somehow deal with it. Especially since he trusted Suo and knew that this confession wouldn't change anything between them and they would still be close friends.
But still... if there was a chance that Suo reciprocated his feelings...
Sakura felt his heart start to beat louder. He put his hand to his chest to better feel his heart beating for Suo. For his best friend.
His best friend who could become his lover if he also felt something for Sakura.
Because that's probably what would happen, right?
If Suo accepted his confession because he also felt something for Sakura (which seemed unlikely to him, but Sakura could dream, especially since it gave him a giddy feeling he'd never experienced before), then they would be... boyfriends? Who did typical boyfriend things? Like... holding hands... hugging... and... and kissing.
The last thought made Sakura feel like his body was on fire. He was definitely blushing, his skin was bursting with heat.
Suo would put his hand on his face, lean in towards him, put his lips on his and...
Sakura groaned in frustration, earning a scolding from the librarian to stop making noise. But how was he supposed to sit quietly when he was literally tearing himself apart from all these thoughts?
He could still picture Suo's face in his mind, his red eye burning, making his knees weak, and how he was getting closer, crossing all boundaries.
His skin began to sting. He put a hand to his mouth to push away the thoughts of kissing Suo.
He hoped that Tsugeura's snoring would effectively distract him from all this at night.
He had a rough night, because Tsugeura's snoring not only didn't help him take his mind off of what his eventual relationship with Suo could look like, but also made Sakura's bed shake slightly.
Maybe he should ask the teacher or Suo for some potion for their friend?
"Is everything okay, Sakura-kun?" Suo asked right after they exchanged greetings with Nirei before classes.
He looked at Suo, who always held his back and made him feel stronger.
"It’s okay." He said with surprising lightness. Because even though he felt nervous, he really felt that it was okay, because loving Suo was okay.
Suo seemed to calm down, as did Nirei, who started talking excitedly:
"It’s good that everything’s okay, Sakura-kun! I got scared when you ran out yesterday without a word. But I’m glad that today is better! After all, we have a long day ahead of us and we still have potions lessons with Suo!" He clapped his hands.
Sakura’s face fell. Oh yeah, those fucking potions.
Suo patted Sakura on the shoulder and Haruka barely refrained from placing his hand on his, for which he mentally scolded himself.
The awareness of his own feelings was burdensome.
"Don’t worry, Sakura-kun. Maybe this time nothing will explode." Suo said, smiling widely.
Sakura swallowed hard.
Oh, something was definitely going to explode today, and it was probably going to be his heart.
The lessons dragged on, and when it was finally time for Suo’s extra classes, Sakura wanted to get back to his room as soon as possible.
Just because he was studying potions in a classroom with only his two closest friends didn't make him hate the subject any less.
Especially since it was that fucking amortentia.
"Let's start by setting up our stations." Suo said happily as they finally entered the classroom.
Suo was a bit different than usual when he taught. Sakura couldn't help but think that his friend was perfect for the job.
Sakura shook his head. This was no time to admire Suo. He had a potion to brew and he really didn't want to embarrass himself with an explosion.
He and his friends got to work. They prepared the cauldrons and pulled out all the ingredients that Suo had listed (and he hadn't even looked at the textbook! Sakura could allow himself to admire his friend a little, though, since Nirei himself had pointed that out.)
They poured water into the cauldrons, waited until it started to boil, then began adding the first ingredients according to Suo's instructions.
"Now you must stir the potion 5 times, clockwise."
It sounded absurd, but all potions sounded absurd, so Sakura didn't question it.
He reached for the stirrer and was already putting it into the cauldron when a voice echoed through the room:
"No, Nire-kun, no!"
He had never heard Suo so panicked.
However, he understood why he reacted like that when the potion exploded right in Nirei's face, removing the boy's eyebrows.
"You can't use a metal stirrer for this potion. That's why I told you to take the wooden ones." Suo added, slightly resigned.
He had indeed told them so, and very clearly, as he handed them the wooden stirrers. Sakura thought for a moment that Hayato had only said it because of his own whims or to mess with them, but Sakura didn't know anything about potions and it might actually have some significance, so he didn't say anything.
"I'm sorry, Suo-san. I don't even know how I got a hold of the metal stirrer."
Sakura didn't know either, but he was starting to think that Nirei might just be cursed when it comes to potions.
Suo walked over to Nirei and handed him a cloth.
"Don’t worry, Nire-kun. The potion shouldn't damage your skin at this stage, but you should go to the nurse. Maybe she can help you get your eyebrows back."
Panicked Nirei nodded, apologized again, told them to continue without him, and ran off to the nurse's office.
"Why can't you use a metal one?" Sakura asked, looking in the direction of the retreating Nirei.
"Some ingredients react with metal, so you can only use wooden ones." Suo said, also looking at where their friend had disappeared.
"Why the hell are you only bringing this up now?!" He shouted.
Suo turned to him and raised an eyebrow.
"Sensei told us that in first year.''
Sakura felt embarrassed.
He turned his head away.
"If you had told us, we both would have remembered it better.'' He mumbled.
Suo burst out laughing.
''I'm glad to hear that I'm a bigger authority for you."
Sakura looked at him and saw the fire in his exposed eye.
''So, are we going to finish the potion?'' Suo asked.
Sakura nodded. He wanted to prove himself.
Sakura carefully followed Suo's instructions and after about 20 minutes the potion was ready.
They both leaned towards the potion to smell its scent and check if everything was okay with it.
This time Sakura could mainly smell Suo's characteristic scent and he was not surprised, because it was what he desired the most at the moment.
"Great job, Sakura-kun." Suo smiled, obviously proud of him, and Sakura felt everything overwhelming him.
"Thanks." Sakura mumbled. He knew he was blushing.
"So, did you figure out what the third scent you smelled in the amortentia is?" Suo asked with obvious curiosity in his voice.
Sakura’s heart beat louder.
It's now or never.
"You."
"What?" He probably had never seen Suo so surprised. He would have felt satisfaction that he had done it, but at that moment he was pouring his heart out to him.
He cleared his throat.
"I smelled you. Because I…" He felt a lump growing in his throat. Thinking that he was in love with Suo was hard, but saying it out loud seemed almost impossible. But he wanted Suo to know everything. He cleared his throat again. "Because I'm in love with you, damn it. I love you."
Suo looked at him for a moment, his eyes wide open. He had never seen such an expression on his face before, so he had no idea what he was thinking.
He was already waiting for some polite rejection, but as always Suo surprised him.
"Sakura-kun, do you know why when I smell amortentia, I smell blood?" Suo asked with fire in his eye.
Sakura's heart beat faster at the sight.
"Because you're a weirdo." He answered with certainty in his voice.
Suo smiled as if Sakura was right.
"Because blood smells like you, Sakura-kun."
At these words Sakura jumped back and stuttered:
"W-what?"
Suo took a step towards him and Sakura felt overwhelmed, even though they had been the same distance apart before.
"Every time you get into a fight, you get blood on you. Either your own or your opponent's. And nothing smells as good as you after a won fight, because then you shine the brightest. I am never as sure of my love for you as when you fight passionately for others."
Sakura looked at him as if speechless.
At his reaction, Suo added, now with a softer smile and tenderness in his voice:
"I also smell you when I smell amortentia, because I love you, Sakura-kun."
Sakura felt his legs give out.
He put his hand to his heart. This gesture must have caused some emotions in Suo, because he walked up to him and placed his hand on his face.
His skin burned under his touch.
"Sakura-kun." His name sounded so sweet on Suo’s lips. "Can I kiss you?"
Sakura was sure that his voice would fail him now, so he just nodded.
Suo slowly leaned towards him and brought his lips closer to Sakura’s.
At first, the kiss was gentle, inexperienced. As if they were both just beginning to discover each other. For a moment, they stayed in this innocent closeness and Sakura had the impression that he couldn't be happier. When they pulled away from each other and looked deeply into each other's eyes. Sakura saw that Suo was radiating happiness. He was about to ask him for another kiss when something in Suo's gaze changed. There was some wildness that scared and excited him at the same time.
Suo placed his other hand on his face and brought his lips closer again.
This kiss was much more passionate.
If Sakura had felt hot before, now he was completely burning, burning up and it was all because of Suo.
It was a beautiful, destructive feeling, a feeling that consumed him from the inside, and Sakura wanted more, more, more.
He didn't know that something like this could exist in him, but it was Suo who pulled the most wild desires from his soul and heart.
At some point he felt Suo bite his lip and Sakura moaned in response.
They pulled away from each other, but they remained close.
''So you are a vampire after all'' Sakura said, panting.
Suo laughed, while breathing heavily. He saw a drop of blood on his lip.
The bastard cut his lip.
Suo wanted him so much that he forgot all inhibitions.
And he was blushing! Sakura didn't know Suo was capable of that.
And he was the one who caused this. He, Sakura Haruka, made Suo barely catch his breath and blush.
''I neither deny nor confirm. '' This asshole was still able to joke with him after all this.
Suo licked his lips and Sakura felt himself getting weak. "It's hard to control yourself when you taste so good, Sakura-kun." He winked at him.
Sakura pulled away from him, feeling the heat rising. This was all too much for his poor heart.
''Fucking weirdo.'' He murmured.
''Maybe so, but the weirdo you love.'' He said, clearly pleased with himself.
Sakura felt the blood rush to his face in embarrassment.
"Don't put something in my mouth that I didn't say! " He shouted.
Suo leaned towards him with a cheeky smile.
"And that's not true?"
"No, that's true. I..." He swallowed hard.
"Or maybe you'd rather I put something else in your mouth." He smiled mischievously.
Sakura, all red, punched him in the arm.
"Asshole!" He shouted.
Suo laughed and hugged Sakura, who immediately relaxed in his embrace.
"But that asshole loves you." He whispered in his ear, sending pleasant shivers through his entire body.
"And I love that asshole." He confirmed quietly, slightly embarrassed.
Suo chuckled and snuggled into him even tighter. They stood in the embrace for a moment when Hayato pulled away from him.
Sakura immediately missed this closeness.
He felt better, however, when Suo grabbed his hand.
"Let's clean up, check on Nire-kun and in the evening, just the two of us, we'll drink jasmine tea together."
It sounded like a perfect plan.
And like a first date with Suo.
His heart beat faster.
"And could... could we..." He began, embarrassed that he wanted to ask for more kisses, hugs. Now, when he could not only smell Suo, but also taste him, he couldn't tear himself away from him.
He couldn't tear himself away from Suo.
Suo smiled slightly, leaned towards Sakura and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
"We can do anything you want, Sakura-kun." He said with tenderness in his voice.
And Suo's wonderful scent swirled in Sakura's head.
This is what love smells like.
Nirei didn't regain his eyebrows.