a/n: because i just couldn't resist globetrotting alscor, even if it is three am.
from east to west
run for your life, swallow your pride, chase the setting sun
—run, ellen and the escapades
He spends his life chasing after Scorpius and his restless heart, running along lush green plains and through streets made of towering silver buildings and, some nights, he wonders why he hasn't given up yet, but then he remembers that wild hearts can't run forever and that maybe, one day, Scorpius will melt back into Albus' arms.
He hasn't yet, but, Albus will spend forever running from country to country, hoping that they can one day be together.
He follows Scorpius to New York, where they dance amongst buildings that caress the sky, and their dreams are almost shadowed by the shape that the dreams of the thousands of other souls cast upon the tarmac walkways. They become caught up in the wave of the thousands of people all living, praying and dreaming for a future that might never come but, eventually, the shadows begin to get too dark and stretch too far and so, Scorpius runs and Albus follows.
They end up in Paris, where they read each other poetry from torn books and Scorpius sketches the way the smudged streets look when it's raining. They climb the Eiffel Tower and they try and touch the sky and Albus slowly falls in love with the city of love – the city where its residents and visitors walk along the tree-lined streets peacefully, in awe of the city they have built and the city they reside in. But, even though Albus' heart is sold, the ever moving Scorpius slips away one more time and, once again, Albus slips away with him.
This time, they reach Dubai, the home of the rich, where the sun reigns down on the terracotta and golden mosaics and the glass buildings glint in the rays and stand tall and proud above the rest. They stroll through the markets and they waltz through luxury, they become part of the city that is a cut above the rest, but, it still isn't enough for Scorpius and his wild heart that still hasn't stopped running and so, they move on.
In Prague, the city hums of beauty and vibrancy, and the intricately tiled streets stretch on forever and ever, and, this time, they live in a small apartment above a coffee shop and Albus plays guitar at the window, and Scorpius draws him, his fingers moulded into chords of melodic music, his head bent over in concentration and the gentle thrum of the strings beneath Albus' fingers. They tiptoe along St Charles' Bridge and they clamber to the top of the cathedral, and they stare at the city that bustles with wandering souls and forging dreams, the city in which beauty can be found at every corner and the sunlight feels like a forever they might just be able to grasp. It is almost perfect, but Scorpius isn't quite ready to admit to the fact that he can't run forever and so, they continue on.
Somehow, they end up in Cairo, in the scorching desert, dancing amongst the Great Pyramids and looking upon the place where the gods were made and the gods fell. Albus sometimes wonders whether Scorpius and he will become two more gods that stood too close to the precipice but, he tries not to think of the day they might fall, and instead lets himself be submerged in the ancient history and the golden way of life and watches Scorpius thrive amongst the people who once called themselves immortal. Maybe this is it, he wonders one day, but, of course, Scorpius' roaming mind isn't content to stay put and he runs and Albus follows, once more.
In Reykjavik, they lie together under the Northern Lights and watch the galaxy show them its wonder and power and Albus thinks of the fireworks and smoke of The Burrow and how his heart aches for home but, he pushes the thought out of his mind – he promised himself that he would run with Scorpius until Scorpius finally fell back into his arms and that is what he will do. So, he slowly begins to love the heather-grey hills of Iceland and the geothermic pools and, he almost cures his homesickness. Almost, but there will always be an empty ache in the back of his chest when he thinks of home. One night, as they lie under the Northern Lights, Scorpius stuns him into silence and makes him think that, maybe, just maybe, their day is coming.
"I just want to go back home, Al," he says, his eyes longing for the suburban green lifestyle he once led.
And so, they trudge back to London, with majestic sights etched across their minds and a whole life worth of experience in them but, they're still no wiser. They sit in their flat, staring out through windows into the typical English rainy days, watching the people on the streets below going about their everyday business and they ride the colourful, exhaustive tube to whatever destination they fancy but still, it isn't enough. Scorpius' restless heartbeat is still going strong and he still hasn't found what he's looking for.
One day, he turns to Albus and he looks like a broken man, "I just want to find where I belong, Albus, isn't that enough?"
And Albus smiles and takes his hand and tells him, "Follow me, then."
And, this time, Scorpius follows Albus to a little cottage on a grassy, Cornish cliff that overlooks a bay of golden sand, where the cerulean waves lap along the shoreline and the air tastes of sea salt and tangibility. And, Scorpius smiles his first purely happy smile in a long time and settles down in front of the hearth and he turns to Albus with a smile.
"I think this might be it, Al, I think this place could be my forever."
And Albus smiles back and Scorpius' wild heart finally stops running and he melts back into Albus' strong arms and they whisper Cornish love ballads in each other's ears. One day, as they lie on the cliff of Lands' End, sculpting daisy chains, the seagulls flying freely overhead, the sea at his fingertips, Albus and Scorpius realise that this is what they've been looking for all along.
Their own little slice of the world they've spent their lives journeying across.
