Author's Note: Written for Drcjsnider.
It had been two weeks. Enough time to call in the Ministry and have them declare it a disaster.
Two weeks. She should never drink again. Rose snorted at that. If she made it to week three without hearing from him, drinking might be all she had.
Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Teddy's party, two weeks since she and her good mate Scorpius had far too much to drink and after a night of flirting, wound up back at her place where they had surprisingly good sex considering they were both pissed.
Then the prat left before she woke up and she hadn't heard from him since.
(Not that she had tried to contact him.)
She slammed the quill down and threw the parchment into the fireplace. This was supposed to be over. They had tried dating in Hogwarts and that had been a disaster as well. Though it was obvious to both of them that their parents hated their relationship, they had been happy. She had been in love. Scorpius had been the first boy she had felt that way about, the first one she'd slept with, the one she still compared others to.
They had managed to last for two months until their sixth year began and they learned more about the war. She couldn't help but feel guilty and every fight turned into them arguing over things that had happened before they were born.
He broke up with her before the Christmas holidays. It wasn't until next spring that they could be around each other without it being horribly uncomfortable for everyone in the room. It took them years to get their friendship to what it was today.
But they had bollixed it up again.
Rose grabbed her coat and headed for the door.
That fucking prat. That weasel-faced little prat! She was going to kill him.
And she was going to have to hex Lily too. Her cousin had always seemed more interest in tarot cards and Arithmancy than dating. But judging from the way she had smiled up at Scorpius before hugging him tightly and kissing him on the cheek, she had decided to end her dry spell.
Arms crossed, Rose stood there, trying to find some other logical reason for Lily and Scorpius to be walking out of his flat at ten in the morning. There wasn't one. They had nothing in common – except for Quidditch and then they didn't even root for the same teams. Rose had ever seen them say more than three words to each other in all the years that she'd been friends with Scorpius.
She was going to kill him.
Lily left, Apparating off to who knows where and Scorpius turned, his eyes widening as he spotted Rose.
Smirking, she marched right over.
"So what, did you think you were going to work your way through the Weasley-Potter clan?"
"What?"
"Who's next? Dom? Lucy? Roxy? Louis? I hope you'll at least stay away from Vicky since she is married to your cousin."
Scorpius gaped at her, resembling an especially dull-witted fish as he blinked and opened and closed his mouth wordlessly before he finally muttered, "You're mad."
She scoffed. "Me? I'm not the one who thinks he can work his way through my family and keep his bits attached!"
"I'm not --" he began in a yell, then lowered his voice as people walked by. "I'm not sleeping with her. Or anyone else in your family, you daft cow!"
Deflated but not about to admit it, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and arched a brow. "Then what was she doing leaving your flat at this hour? Why did she kiss you."
Scorpius looked a little too smug at that and she wanted to hex him. "She wanted to talk to me about something personal."
"You lying little rat bastard--"
"It's true!"
"Why would she talk to you about anything! You're not friends! You have nothing in common--"
"Actually, we do."
"And what is that?" she snapped, hands on her hips.
He looked around again before moving close enough that she could smell his aftershave and feel the warmth of his body.
"You can't tell anyone."
The thought of Lily and Scorpius having some little secret made her burn with jealousy. "I won't."
"I mean it, Rose. You can't tell anyone. Not yet, anyway."
"I won't."
"It's Sabrina."
"Your cousin? That's what you have in common?"
Scorpius shrugged. "Apparently, Lily and Sabrina met through Sabrina's work at the Department of Mysteries and they hit it off so Lily wanted to know if Sabrina might be interested..."
The news about Sabrina wasn't surprising, Rose had known that for years. Neither the Smith nor the Greengrasses had reacted well to her coming out. "Wait, Lily?"
"Do you talk to your cousin at all?"
She bristled at this. They weren't as close as they'd been when they were kids and pretty much only spoke when at family gatherings but Rose was sure she'd remember Lily bringing home a girl. "Have you tried talking to my cousin? I don't really care about whatever color my chakra is!"
"Yeah, well, that's why she wanted to see me. Satisfied?"
Nodding, Rose was at a loss for what to say next – she had been very rude – when she remembered why she had come here in the first place. "Wait. No, I'm not. What the hell, Scorpius? You left without saying a word and you don't even talk to me for two weeks?"
He flushed pink and Rose stood a little taller. Now, it was his turn to feel foolish.
"I'm sorry about that," he mumbled.
"Sorry about what? Flirting with me all night? Curling up into bed with me? Kissing me? Pushing my skirt up and fucking me?" He went even pinker than before. "Or leaving in the morning?"
Eyes locked on hers, his mouth had disappeared into a thin line. "All of it. It shouldn't have happened."
That hurt. "It shouldn't have happened?"
He shrugged again. "It would end the same way it did before."
"Do you want to try again?"
The hungry, hopeful look on his face was answer enough. "Do you?"
They were older, more independent. They'd made their peace with the past and with the role their family's had played in it. Their parents had mellowed somewhat, if only because they thought the worst had passed. Yet it still seemed daunting.
She looked down the street to where Lily had disappeared before smiling up at Scorpius. "I think we'd be bloody cowards if we didn't."