Title: Under the Apple Tree
Pairings: Rose/Scorpius
Summary: Rose and Scorpius, one summer's day, under an apple tree. They're finally friends, not enemies, but Scorpius wants to be something more. Rose isn't so sure. One-shot of Rose's first kiss. Scorp/Rose
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. How sad.
Rating: K+
"In case you haven't noticed, I don't exactly have a lot of experience with this. I don't really have to beat back the boys with a stick," Rose says from her seat on the grass, fidgeting a little at the strange turn the conversation had taken.
"Well, when you're older," Scorpius says, with that superior tone he employs every once in a while. It makes her want to slap him, and both of them know it. He leans back against the old apple tree and crosses his arms, smirking.
"I'm seven months younger than you!" she exclaims irritably, leaning forward with her hands on her knees.
"Yep," he says, one pale eyebrow raised. "Seven months is quite a while." He closes his eyes and pretends to sleep, just because he knows it will annoy her.
Rose shakes her head at that. "Scorp, you know it's strange for you to ask me for relationship advice," she states bluntly, climbing onto the lowest bough of the old apple tree.
"Why?" This startles Scorpius, and he turns to find her awkwardly trying to sit on the thick old branch.
"I haven't ever gone out with anyone. You, on the other hand, are dating your sixth or seventh girlfriend." Legs dangling down, she runs her fingers through her bushy red hair in exasperation. "I have no idea how you're supposed to go about trying to kiss Emilia Norbory."
"Oh," Scorpius says. He hadn't thought of that. "But what should I do?"
She sighs audibly. "I've read many books on the subject."
There was a silence.
"If it makes you uncomfortable for me to ask you about dating, I'll stop," he says earnestly, one hand against the tree.
"No, it's okay," she says. Rose slides off the branch and hits the ground with a thud. She hadn't meant to be rude. It had taken them too long to become friends for her to jeopardize it over something silly. "If you need help, Scorpius, I'll try to help you."
"Thanks," he says, looping a friendly arm across her shoulder.
"You do tend to date psychos, Scorp. Somebody has to be the voice of reason," she says, poking him in the side.
He clutches his side and dies dramatically. "Too true," he says from his new position in the grass.
Rose flops down beside him, thinking about the previous girls he has dated. Really, they were crazy people. Scorpius doesn't say anything either, so she presumes he's thinking about the same thing he is.
"Have you really never had a crush on anyone?" He keeps his eyes on the blue sky.
Rose is taken by surprise. Propping herself up on her elbows, she replies, "Um, once. When I was ten. His name was Theo and he wrote stories and wore a pirate hat everywhere. And… sort of one sixth year."
Scorpius laughs at that. "Last year? Who was it?"
To her credit, she doesn't blush. "Not telling."
"It wasn't… Daniel, was it?" he teases.
She begins to laugh and laugh. No, Rose assures him, it was not Daniel. He joins her, chuckling.
When she regains her composure, she says "I was asked out last year, you know. That Hufflepuff Anthony Harper asked me." She stifles a fit of laughter and continues. "I whacked him in the side of the head and yelled No!"
Scorpius laughs at this. They both knew Anthony. Eventually, both teenagers are yet again silent.
She can sense what he will say. "No," she says simply.
"No what?"
"No, I haven't been kissed."
He marvels that she knew what he was thinking. Truly, a Weasley superpower."Really?"
"Nah. I'm too busy for such nonsense-" She starts to stand up- he can tell she's afraid now.
Scorpius stares at her now, his head cocked to the side. Rose looks away, turning red with embarrassment at the revealing of her secret. But Scorp takes no notice. He's busy thinking of other things. Scarier things. They're standing too close now, barely six inches away from each other.
"Do you…" he asks, uncertainly.
"No," she says strongly, taking a step away. "No," she says again, softer. "As much as I- never mind, you've got a girlfriend."
There is a long, awkward silence.
"Did I just mess up our friendship?" he asks softly.
"No, I…" she says, trailing off. "No. We'll forget about this."
In that moment, both of them know they won't forget this day, ever.
"We had better go inside," she says finally, breezing past him on the way back towards the Burrow.
"Yes," he says. He says it more like a breath than a word, because she has turned to face him, and he realizes she is not just pretty, she is beautiful. Catching sight of him, she blushes scarlet. He gently grabs her shoulders and looks into her eyes. In that moment, Rose knows exactly what he is planning to do.
Some of the old Rose comes back as she says, "Don't you dare…" but she is interrupted by his lips meeting hers.
"Why the hell did you do that, you idiot?" she asks furiously, pulling away. "You just cheated on your first remotely sane girlfriend in three years. With me!"
"I can break up with her." Scorpius's eyes are wild. He is exhilarated.
"Yeah? So when are you going to decide to break up with me?"
"It isn't like that!" he says frantically. He thought if he could kiss her, once, everything would be all right.
"Yes, it is." She pauses a moment. "We hated each other's guts for four years, and we've been great friends for the last two. I waited too long to be friends with you to let you ruin it like this!" She turns on her heel and walks back to the house, her long bushy hair flying out behind her.
Sadly, he follows her.