It Ended Before it Began
"So… did you ask?"
Louis shielded his eyes from the blaring sun and looked up at the figure before him. He had been hoping to avoid the blond that week—until the holidays, even—but knew it would be only a matter of time before he was tracked down. Still, he now prayed more than ever that the ground would open up and swallow him whole.
"Umm…"
"Louis, c'mon mate, you said you would last Thursday."
Louis turned his head away, focusing on the grass. He began plucking thick, green blades one by one, trying to figure out what he could say. Somehow, he knew his friend would not believe a lie, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try.
"I know, I know, I just got busy. Longbottom's on my back over Herbology homework from last month and our exams are next week and—"
"It's ok, it's ok."
He could hear his friend sit down next to him, and after pulling a few more strands of grass out of the dirt, he dared a peek at Scorpius. As he feared, the blond looked disappointed, his grey eyes not sparkling as they usually did. Louis' stomach churned with guilt, hating that it was him who was causing the pain.
"I do want you to come to Shell Cottage for the holidays, I really do," he said, nudging the blond.
Scorpius looked at him, an uncertain smile pulling at his thin lips. "Yeah?"
"Of course!"
His friend beamed and he nudged him back. With a wink, Scorpius said, "Well good then. I still haven't seen your bedroom, you know."
Louis' stomach churned again knowing that Scorpius probably never would, yet the prospect of Scorpius wanting to be with him wasn't enough to completely wipe the smile from forming on his own face. Perhaps he could change his father's mind, or appeal to his grandfather for support. It wasn't like they were against Scorpius himself; they just didn't appreciate his… nature. If he could convince them that Scorpius was the same boy they had hosted at sleepovers before, then maybe, just maybe...
"Lou—Lou—c'mon, mate, pay attention!"
"Sorry, what were you saying?"
Scorpius rolled his eyes. "I was asking if Victoire was going to be home, or if she was bringing the Tonks boy. He may be a show off with all that weird hair colour stuff going on but he is pretty decent at Quidditch. Maybe we could play a few games."
"Yeah, maybe," Louis sighed.
Honestly, he was actually pretty sick of Teddy himself, always hearing Victoire and his mother gushing about the boy at mealtimes, and wasn't looking forward to spending weeks in his presence.
Scorpius must have mistook his reply, for he pursed his lips and stared at his hands. Feeling terrible enough that they probably would not be playing Quidditch, Louis hurriedly changed the subject.
"Speaking of hair… yours looks extra golden in this light," he said.
A faint tinge of red brightened Scorpius' cheeks. He looked back up at him, cocking his head to the side. "You do realise that is the most cheesy thing you could say, right? Especially given your own hair." Louis felt his own cheeks warm, and he cursed himself for being so lame. Thankfully, Scorpius was smiling again and raked a hand through his hair. "But… I do suppose you're right; I am quite golden."
Louis pushed him on the shoulder, and soon, both boys were shoving each other and tossing grass into each other's hair.
After a few moments of mucking around, Scorpius held his hands up. "Ok, I surrender. You win, you win—c'mon, now, let's get going. It's almost lunchtime and I don't want Fergus Parkinson taking my seat again."
Louis had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Scorpius was always particular about where he sat at the Slytherin table, and the only time that he would sit in another seat was when he joined Louis at the Hufflepuff table. Nevertheless, after dusting off most of the dirt that clung to his robes, he held out a hand and helped Scorpius to his feet.
The pair did not let go as they made their way up to the castle, chatting away happily about what could be on the menu today. The house elves had been sending up jelly and ice cream dishes during lunch that week, perhaps as a parting gift for the students about to leave for the summer. Louis slowed down his pace, hoping to catch the last rays of sun before the rain kicked in again. The more he thought about it, the more he knew he and Scorpius would be ok, and everything would work out.
"Louis! Scorp! I cannot believe it!"
Both boys stopped in their tracks as a red-headed missile flew at them, a grin lighting up her face. They didn't have time to completely dodge her, though, and soon they found themselves engulfed in a tight hug.
"Dom—can't—breathe—"
"Oh, sorry, sorry," Dominique said, but the smile still on her face showed she was anything but sorry. Looking from one to the other, she said, "So… when were you going to tell me?"
Scorpius looked at him and shrugged, before turning to the witch. "Tell you what?"
Dominique slapped his shoulder. "That you two are dating! I mean, I knew you liked each other, of course—we all did—but now it's official!" Then, turning to her brother, she slapped him harder. "I was supposed to be the first to know! Not Rose."
Louis huffed and rubbed his arm. He glared at Scorpius who was trying to stifle a giggle at Dominique's enthusiasm, but the blond didn't care.
"Well, now you know," Louis said.
His sister clapped her hands together, dancing from foot to foot. "Oh, this is just perfect. We can go on double dates next year to Hogsmeade!"
"Since when did you have a boyfriend?" Louis asked, but Dominique ignored him.
"I was thinking we could do it this summer, too, go to the opening of the new Fortescue's and—" Dominique stopped and looked at Scorpius with wide eyes. "Oh, Scorpius, I'm so sorry. I didn't know my father would react that way; I'm sure he'll come around, though."
Louis felt his stomach drop. He could have kicked Dominique for opening her mouth, yet he knew it wasn't really her fault. She had been there when his father had found out that he and Scorpius were more than just friends, and although he usually supported their choices, it wasn't his finest moment. Still, did his sister not possess a single ounce of tact?
"What—what do you mean?" Scorpius asked, looking back and forth from Dominique to Louis. Louis couldn't meet his gaze. The world felt like it was spinning.
"You know, when Louis asked Dad if you could come over again this year and he freaked out and called you—" Dominique paused, and when Louis dared to look at her, he could see that the pin had finally dropped. "Oh you didn't—you didn't know, did you?"
Slowly, carefully, Louis peeked up at Scorpius. The boy's arms were folded tightly across his chest, his nostrils flaring. Although it had been Dominique to tell him, Scorpius' cold glare was focused on Louis.
"No, I did not know," he said.
"I'm sorry," Dominique whispered.
Louis felt like throwing up. Scorpius' eyes were full of anger, but it was not enough to hide the hurt and betrayal within them, either. He really should have told him earlier, but how could he? How could he tell him that his father, who had always defended Scorpius despite his surname, who had treated the blond like his own son, suddenly wanted him to stay away from his son and family?
"Scorp, I—"
Scorpius turned to Dominique, his chest heaving. "It's ok, I will be summering at home," he said, barely keeping the venom out of his voice. Storming up the steps to the Great Hall doors, he turned around and added, "and Dom, I'm sorry but I don't know where you got your information. I do not have a boyfriend."
Louis' heart felt like it had shattered into a million pieces, his eyes growing hot and itchy. Dominique put her arms around him, but he shrugged them off.
It was supposed to be the best summer of his life, but now, now it would be the worst.
A/N: This story was written as a gift for the wonderful Shay (The Kawaii Neko). I hope you like this story! Prompt: Scorpius/ Louis—anything about them, maybe some angst.
I don't normally write slash, and I don't think I've ever written Louis before, so I hope this was ok! Yeah... I have a tendency to have Scorpius pull out grass blades lately... it's sort of his thing. Now, before anyone starts hating me, Bill isn't meant to be as homophobic as he may come across here. I know out of everyone he would be understanding and supportive, so to put it in perspective, he is simply shocked by the news. He doesn't mind that his son is a homosexual, more that he is surprised that his son is dating another boy who he also considered a son, and would have freaked out even if Scorpius had been a girl. He most definitely is supportive of their relationship (and funnily enough, Fleur is even more so).
I was heavily inspired for this story by the Australian television show, 'Dance Academy,' in which Sammy doesn't want to ask his father if his friend can stay with him because he is afraid he has feelings for said friend. In the episode, however, Sammy's father actually does sign the forms and is happy for the friend to stay with them. Ummm, just watch it... :)