For the Quidditch League, Tutshill Tornados, seeker, Round 11, write about a missed opportunity on a snowy night(s).
Word Count: 908 by Google Docs
muggle!au, canadian!au
im sorry for making it canadian, i'm just stereotypical like that. y'know. hockey. snow.
huge thanks to jenny (the lady rogue) andemy (emiliyawolfe) for helping me reach 900 words and coming up with a plot and help me through a panic attack.
Albus Potter likes cereal more than a normal human being probably should, but he can't help it. It goes well with every season and is simple to make. God forbid he actually cooks something at home. That's his parents' job, and since his parents are always working, he has cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
He's sitting at the dining table with his two siblings, all of them enjoying cereal, when his dad bursts in the kitchen, home from his job at the studio. The TV studio. He's grinning like an idiot, and practically vibrating with excitement. They continue to eat their cereal, unperturbed; this is a common occurrence in the Potter household.
"Guess what I got!" he says happily, sitting down across from Albus.
"What?" Albus asks, his spoon halfway to his mouth.
"Is it for me?" Lily asks, peering at their father's hands, which are empty.
"Wrong!" he says, shooting a finger gun at her. She clutches her chest and leans back into her chair, feigning offense.
"For me, then?" James asks, getting up to put away his bowl and spoon.
"Nope!" their dad says, still grinning.
"Me, then," Albus says, a mouth full of Lucky Charms, and rolls his eyes.
"Ever consider the fact that I could get something for all three of you?" their dad says with a frown, his smile faltering slightly.
The three children blink and look at each other. "No," they said in unison.
Dad snorts a laugh. "Well, you're right," he admits, smiling again. "Albus, it's for you." He raises a hand as both Lily and James start to protest. "It's playing hockey. With the Canucks. You two," he says, pointing Lily and James, "don't even like hockey."
"True," Lily says with a shrug, following James to put away her dishes.
"Playing hockey with the Canucks?" Albus asks in disbelief, his mouth hanging open. The Vancouver Canucks have been his favorite hockey team ever since he could talk. He glances out of the window, seeing light snow falling. "Looks like it's going to be good weather, as well!" Albus jumps out of his seat and goes to hug his dad. "Thank you—wait, when is this?" he asks, pulling away as a sinking feeling settled in his stomach.
"This Thursday, after I'm done shooting at work."
Albus freezes, and his face falls as he looks up to his father.
"I can't go."
"What?" His father looks down at him, confused. "What do you mean, you can't go."
"I already made plans. With Scorpius."
"You're choosing your friend over the Canucks?" James asks his little brother, looking at him as if he's crazy. "I don't even like hockey and I know that this is huge."
"His boyfriend, isn't it?" Lily teases. "If Albus isn't going, I'll go instead," she offers casually, laying on the couch and picking up a magazine.
"No, I'm going. I'm older," James argues, poking her shoulder. Lily swats his hand away, poking him back.
"I'm cuter!"
"Wait, Albus, you can't just give this up," their dad insists, ignoring James and Lily's squabbling. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Albus shrugs. "Scorpius is my friend. He asked me to hang out first. It's that simple. I really want to, but… Scorpius."
"The Canucks, Albus! The Canucks!" Dad exclaims and throws his hands into the air for emphasis, following Albus as he puts his dirty dishes away. "You're literally wearing a Canuck sweatshirt right now."
Albus looks down to see that he was, in fact, wearing a blue sweater with the Canucks' 'C' on it. He shrugs again. "I've really been looking forward to hanging out with Scorpius. I haven't seen him in weeks and I was going to—" Albus bites his tongue, about to say more than he wanted to reveal to his family. "Besides, it's the only time Scorpius' available. He's going on vacation the next day so..."
"But...The Canucks," his dad tries again. Albus crosses his arms and glares at him. His dad doesn't say anything else, hopefully able to tell that Albus won't be changing his mind.
The next two days pass quickly for Albus, even with his siblings glancing at him every so often, obviously unable to understand why he'd miss the opportunity of a lifetime. On Thursday, Albus meets up with Scorpius, who is standing outside his house, arms crossed and a frown on his face. Snow is falling lightly, and there's a dusting of it across his shoulders, snowflakes settling upon his eyelashes.
"Why are you here?" he demands, frowning at Albus. Albus shakes his head and a plethora of snow falls out, like dandruff.
"You invited me," he replies, as though it's the most obvious thing in the world, and grins at Scorpius.
"Lily texted me saying that you could be playing hockey with the Canucks today, and instead you're here. Why?"
"I haven't seen you in a while, and wanted to." Albus shrugs. "Why is everyone so fixated on that?"
"Because you love the Canucks. Why the hell would you give that up?"
"Because I—" Albus stops and sighs, squinting Scorpius. "You really want my actual reason?"
"Yes." Scorpius nods.
"I love the Canucks, yeah, but I also—" Albus hesitates again, biting his tongue. The words are right there, but he can't bring himself to say them. He takes a shaky breath.
"What?" Scorpius prompts, raising his brows.
Albus laughs and smiles helplessly. "I also love you, you dumbass."