Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter trudged through the door into their empty dormitory together at eight o'clock.
Albus was in a foul mood, which was the case as often as not these days. He had just spent a whole evening in the Great Hall surrounded by loads of people he hated dancing together. Since Albus disliked nearly everyone at Hogwarts, his bad temper could hardly be attributed to that. He was accustomed to being forced into social situations he despised. The real reason he was so especially surly, and it was painful to admit this even to himself, was: Scorpius Malfoy wearing dress robes.
Albus was constantly and uncomfortably aware of the fact that he was pathetically in love with his best friend, and he was doing absolutely everything he could think of to become not so (short of avoiding Scorpius, because even this torture was better than that). But it wasn't working. If anything, the problem was worsening—he wasted hours every night tossing and turning and replaying their interactions to himself, sifting through memories of his own behaviour so as to ensure he didn't repeat anything that sounded more-than-friendly—and particularly focusing on the times Scorpius praised him or brushed up against him. Sometimes he would touch himself when he just couldn't stand it anymore, and afterwards he would be more angry about it than ever.
However, this evening, Albus had exited the bathroom into their dormitory after getting ready for the dance only to find Scorpius, already wearing his dress robes and standing there looking so impeccably perfect that Albus was suddenly reduced to a bumbling troll with no motor skills. Scorpius had watched Albus struggle with his bow tie for a minute before striding over to fix it for him. Albus had stood torturously still, hands fisted tightly at his sides, while Scorpius's fingers were flitting over his neck and he could feel Scorpius's breath on his face.
"We are never going to another dance again," Albus proclaimed, half to himself. He didn't think he could handle another encounter like the one with the bow tie—he'd probably be wanking to the memory of Scorpius touching his neck for the rest of his life as it was. Speaking of...Albus began digging through his trunk in search of pyjamas. With any luck, he could get started on the wanking now so he could go back to hating himself in peace tomorrow and Scorpius would be none the wiser.
"Oh c'mon Albus, it wasn't that bad," Scorpius said cheerfully, shrugging off his cloak and draping it elegantly in his wardrobe, "how often do we get a chance to dress up like this?"
That's exactly the problem, Albus thought to himself. He pushed some socks aside, looking for his favourite shirt, which he had nicked from his brother who had nicked it from his father. It appeared to be missing.
"I hate these robes," Albus muttered, more to divert attention away from the real problem than because he actually felt any animosity toward his own outfit, "Have you seen my Harpies shirt?"
That was a stupid thing to ask. Why on earth would Scorpius be paying any attention to where Albus put his clothing?
"Too bad you hate them," Scorpius replied, ignoring the question, "those robes really suit you."
Oh, Scorpius. Always with the innocent, offhanded compliments. Albus was positive that Scorpius would never speak to him again if he had any idea what it did to him when he said things like that.
"Really?" Albus retorted, unable to hide the petulant, scathing tone in his voice, "which of the beastly girls lining up to dance with my brother told you that?"
That wasn't a very nice thing to say, Albus realised. It wasn't Scorpius's fault that Albus felt the way he did. It wasn't fair to take it out on him. Then he saw it—the favourite shirt, draped over the top of his trunk. He stood up and reached for the fastenings on his cloak.
"I don't need a girl to tell me you're attractive, Albus," Scorpius said in a soft, breathy sort of voice. "I have eyes, you know."
Albus's hands stilled and his heart began thudding violently against his ribs. Albus was a master at justifying everything Scorpius did as niceness or tact, but there was absolutely no mistaking that tone—he was serious. He thought Albus looked good—and not just nice. Really good. In the same way Albus thought he looked good.
"You think I'm attractive?" he asked, unable to believe what he was hearing, looking up at Scorpius.
Scorpius stood there with his eyes nearly popping out of his head. He didn't answer the question, but he didn't need to—his expression said everything. Albus could tell Scorpius was scrambling for something he could say that would defuse the situation and was coming up empty-handed. There was nothing Albus could do but to wait for Scorpius to get his bearings. This might've been enough for, say, his brother to make a move, but Albus wasn't bold in that way and this was just too important to risk messing up.
"Is there a right or wrong answer here?" Scorpius said finally. He sounded squeaky and incredibly anxious.
Despite the fact that Scorpius appeared to be frozen to the spot, Albus was keenly aware that he could just make a run for it at any moment. Therefore, Albus stepped toward him very slowly and cautiously, trying to be stealthy enough about it to keep Scorpius from panicking.
"No," he told Scorpius in what he hoped was a calm, soothing voice, "there's just the truth, and not the truth."
Scorpius continued his internal dithering. Albus continued to inch closer.
"Do I really have to answer?" Scorpius squeaked again.
"Yes," Albus said in a whisper. They were so close now, much closer than could be explained away as friendly, and Scorpius seemed to realise that, "I need to hear you say it."
"Okay," Scorpius whispered back, and he appeared to steel himself, "yes, yes I do, I really, really do..."
Albus barely registered his words, he had focused in on the way Scorpius's eyes dropped to his lips. This, more than anything, was what gave Albus the push he needed to close the distance between them.
"Thank God," he groaned, and—yes! —even to his own ears it sounded sexy. He grabbed hold of the front of Scorpius's robes and pulled him closer, kissing him squarely on the mouth.
Scorpius responded right away, tilting his head and opening his mouth, touching Albus's waist and then shifting his hands under Albus's cloak to wrap his arms around his middle and pull him close. Albus began gently working his tongue between Scorpius's lips, running it over Scorpius's teeth and the roof of his mouth. Scorpius slowly followed suit and it felt so good that Albus didn't even bother to try and suppress the moan that came from deep in his throat.
Albus officially surrendered the battle he'd been fighting all evening with an especially persistent hard-on and so he let go of Scorpius's robes and grabbed him by the backside to pull their lower bodies closer together. He noticed vaguely that his other hand had tangled itself in Scorpius's hair, but had become very preoccupied with the discovery that he was not the only one with a stiffy problem.
At this, Albus's world narrowed to him, Scorpius and the unshakable urge to rub one out. He was sort of aware of the fact that he had apparently started humping Scorpius's leg—very classy, Albus, he thought to himself—but Scorpius really didn't seem to mind so he thought maybe he could just...
And then there were footsteps outside the door. Albus's whole body ached in protest as Scorpius hurriedly disentangled himself, and Albus realised that it looked pretty weird for him to be standing where he was, so he scrambled back to his trunk and laid the Harpies shirt over his lap while pretending to dig around again. He chanced a glance at Scorpius, who was facing the wall and breathing rather harder than usual, if his heaving shoulders were any indication.
The intruder stomped into the dormitory and made directly for the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Albus took twisted pleasure in the fact that whoever it was had probably had his date turn sour. Serves him right for interrupting our moment, thought Albus.
He suddenly realised he had been holding his breath, and let it out in a great rush. Scorpius turned to face him again, and the way he looked—still in those dress robes and all dishevelled and bothered—reminded Albus insistently of what they had been getting ready to do, and he fought to suppress a grin.
"Fancy a stroll?" he asked, and Scorpius nodded very earnestly, so Albus hopped out of his trunk and led the way out of their dormitory and into the empty common room. He didn't even know where they were going, but in his all-consuming desire to get off his mind had thankfully produced a solution.
"You know," he told Scorpius in an undertone, praying that Scorpius would agree to his suggestion, "there's a supply cupboard right upstairs by the Potions classroom that nobody has any business going near tonight."
"Well, we ought to look into that then," Scorpius said in that breathy voice, and Albus was so glad Scorpius was willing to squeeze into a supply cupboard with him because he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand being next to Scorpius without shoving him up against a wall and going back at it.
"Should we... you know, discuss this at all?" Scorpius added tentatively.
Albus could think of absolutely nothing that didn't involve himself and Scorpius touching each other under their trousers. All the parts of his brain not dedicated to arousal had apparently been shut off, probably because most of his blood had been diverted south.
"Yeah, but, like, maybe after we get off, yeah? I can't even think when I'm like this," Albus admitted, without eloquence.
Scorpius seemed more than satisfied with this answer because the corners of his mouth quirked up and he said, "Like this often, are you?"
"Just around you," Albus told him, then he added, "Why, want to see more of it?" Where did that come from? He felt his face go red.
"Definitely," said Scorpius, looking positively delighted.
They reached the supply cupboard. Albus had never been so pleased to see a location in his life—he opened the door and gestured for Scorpius to enter.
"After you," he managed to murmur, impressed at his ability to still form words. They were so near to being alone together in private again. He felt utterly suffocated by the desire to have Scorpius's lips back on his and he his insides were leaping with excitement as he attempted to close the door behind them.
It wouldn't shut. Albus pulled on it frantically, but it just kept bouncing open. In his manic frustration, he gave an almighty yank, feeling his elbow dig into Scorpius's stomach, and he was flooded with relief as he heard the click of the lock.
Albus wasted no time in turning his body around and wrapping himself back up in Scorpius. He pulled him forward into another kiss by the front of his robes and then, desperate to relieve the throbbing pressure between his legs, moved Scorpius by grabbing on his trousers until they were pressed together below the waist and he could resume rocking himself back and forth against Scorpius's thigh.
When Scorpius did it back to him, Albus grabbed him by the backside again and ground them together one last time before pulling back.
"Okay," he told himself, willing his body to calm down for a moment, then reached down between them to undo Scorpius's trousers. His hands were shaking badly, but miraculously the buttons and zipper gave under his fingers and then his hand was touching Scorpius through his pants. He felt around to get an idea of where everything was, then smoothed his palm up and down a couple of times over the front of his pants.
Albus wasn't sure exactly how Scorpius liked to be touched, so he decided to start lightly and pray that Scorpius would give him instructions beyond that. Scorpius pressed his face into Albus's neck, which Albus took to be an encouraging sign.
"Is this okay?" Albus prompted him.
"Just a bit harder," Scorpius whimpered.
Very grateful for the tip, Albus increased the pressure of his palm and Scorpius almost immediately dug his fingertips into Albus's shoulders, gasped, and then Albus could actually feel him pulsing through the fabric of his pants. Scorpius rutted helplessly against his hand for a long moment before going still. Albus wondered if he might come himself just from doing this to Scorpius.
Scorpius leaned all his weight against Albus, and Albus ran the fingers of his left hand through Scorpius's silky hair. He wiped his sticky right hand on Scorpius's trousers without thinking about it.
"Thanks for that," said Scorpius sarcastically, but not unkindly. Albus nearly started to laugh when Scorpius suddenly burst out with:
"No, really, truly, thanks for that. Thanks very much! That was..."
And then Albus kissed him again because he couldn't not—Scorpius's babbling was too endearing, and he wanted him to know that he was not the least bit offended. In fact, he was still very hard and hoping that Scorpius might do to him what he had just done to Scorpius. He didn't want to seem selfish, but he couldn't help pushing his stiffy back into Scorpius's leg again because it felt really good.
Scorpius got the hint and reached between them for Albus's belt; Albus leaned back to give him better access. Scorpius fumbled adorably with Albus's trousers, getting more and more flustered as the seconds ticked by and Albus remained frustratingly zipped and buttoned. But he waited as patiently as he could, holding onto the front of Scorpius's robes again, giving Scorpius time to get everything undone, and soon enough Scorpius reached inside his trousers and began stroking him through his pants almost exactly the way he had done to Scorpius.
Albus let out an embarrassing sort of whining sound and then covered his face with his hands so that he wouldn't do it again. Scorpius rubbed him gently for a couple more moments before he tugged on his hand and Albus took that to mean he wanted to snog again. It was so sweet and amazing and when their lips met he absolutely could not hold back any longer so he gasped and shuddered and came in his pants, pressing into Scorpius and, because he felt it so much that he couldn't not say it, he murmured "I love you" into Scorpius's mouth. Albus thought he heard Scorpius sniffle.
Albus touched Scorpius's hand to indicate that he could remove it. As his heart slowly stopped racing, his haze of contentedness gave way to a hefty dose of mortification. What if Scorpius wasn't ready to hear that he was in love with him? What if Scorpius didn't feel—no of course he did. Didn't he? It seemed easier to just continue snogging and not address what had just happened or what was going to happen after this. Too soon, Albus felt, Scorpius pulled away.
"Why'd you stop?" he asked, trying to recapture Scorpius's lips, but Scorpius turned his head so that Albus kissed the corner of his mouth instead.
"We should probably have a bit of a chat right about now; don't you think?" Scorpius prompted him, then he lit the tip of his wand and light flooded the tiny space between them.
Albus was finding it very difficult to look at Scorpius, partly from embarrassment and partly because he really just wanted to keep kissing him. He screwed up some courage, then met his gaze.
"Yeah, alright," he managed, then held his breath and waited.
"Well—wait, why do I have to go first?" Scorpius asked nervously, "You should say something."
Albus wasn't sure what else there was to say. He kind of felt that he had already played his cards and, if Scorpius was unhappy with what Albus had blurted out while he was touching him then, well, Scorpius was just going to have to deal with that.
"What do you want me to say?" Albus asked, and then he shrugged. "I already told you I love you, I meant that, and..."
"I, too," Scorpius interrupted excitedly, "I mean, I love you. Also. Too. I love you a lot. As more than a friend."
Albus suddenly understood—Scorpius simply wasn't sure whether Albus had meant what he said, or whether it had just slipped out as a result of him being in the middle of coming.
"I can see that," Albus said, with no small amount of relief, raising his eyebrows and beginning to smile.
"Just out of curiosity," Scorpius rambled, "just asking, inquiring minds want to know...how long have you been...um..."
"Fancying the pants off of you?" Albus finished for him.
Scorpius looked quite glad that he had not been forced to finish his sentence. "Yes, that," he confirmed.
Albus thought about his question. It almost seemed like there was not a time when he hadn't fancied Scorpius. The feelings had snuck up on him so stealthily that by the time he realised what they were, he was so far gone that there was nothing he could do about them. It was difficult to pinpoint a single event as what started it, but there was one moment that came to mind that Albus thought Scorpius might like to know about. It also would give him a chance to apologize for something he had been afraid to bring up until now.
"A really long time," he told Scorpius, "probably last year or...well, I think after everything that happened. I think what started it was when you said that I was the person you'd want with you at the end of eternal darkness. I'm sorry I told you I'd want someone big and powerful—I was just surprised and not sure what to say so I got all snarky."
"I am so obsessed with you," Scorpius blurted out again, and then his face turned so red that Albus could actually feel the heat of it on his own cheeks. "Everything about you is wonderful and brilliant and beautiful and do you want to be my boyfriend? Please say you do."
Boyfriend. Oh my God.
"Are you joking?" Albus told him with enthusiasm, "Of course I want to be your boyfriend. What do you think all this was?" Albus pointed down between them to their trousers, flies undone, buckles hanging down limply from open belts and he felt like his heart might burst from joy.
"Good. Great. Wow," Scorpius squeaked and then he collapsed into such an intense fit of giggles that Albus started worrying that he had actually missed something.
"Did I miss the joke?" Albus asked him, only half kidding, "I mean that's certainly possible, I think my brain might've shut off when you asked me to be your boyfriend..."
"No," gasped Scorpius, trying to breathe through his laughter, "I just...I really can't even begin to tell you how happy I am right now."
"I think I get it," Albus replied. Scorpius was his boyfriend. He was pretty sure he had never been this happy in his whole life. And then, because he couldn't resist bringing it up again, he said "So, about you finding me attractive..."
"Goodness, yes," said Scorpius instantly and with fervour, "I—hic—from your head to your toes, divine, all of you, the whole package—and the other package—hic—might I add, I wouldn't mind getting a glimpse of that one of these days..."
Albus didn't even register the hiccoughing. Scorpius wanted to see him naked. Maybe Scorpius would even get naked too, and they could touch each other again without any clothes on. The thought made Albus feel warm all over.
"You can have a whole lot more than a glimpse, if you like," he assured Scorpius, "Anytime you want."
"Oh that's a—hic—dangerous thing to say," Scorpius said, then, a bit more timidly, "And you...you think I'm..."
"Gorgeous. All of you, as well," Albus said in a rush, and then because it felt such a wonderful relief to finally tell him the truth, he added, "And today, I dunno...I was hoping we wouldn't have any more dances because I wasn't sure I could spend another evening with you wearing these damn dress robes and not jump you. Apparently I overestimated myself. I didn't even last the night."
Scorpius's eyes went wide.
"You were thinking that? Really? Me too! You look positively scrumptious in those robes, Albus, I couldn't not say anything, and now I'm kind of wishing we had another dance coming up soon because I never want you to wear anything else ever again. No, I take that back," Scorpius said without stopping, "You can take them off, but only if you promise not to put anything else back on in their place."
Albus laughed warmly at this, relishing in Scorpius's flirting. They were flirting together. Then he remembered something.
"Actually," he reminded Scorpius, "I think the dance we left early is probably still going on. Want to go back out there?"
Scorpius hesitated. Then Albus heard Scorpius's stomach rumble, which seemed to prompt Scorpius to remember that he was hungry. Albus wasn't surprised—he had barely touched his dinner.
"Yeah, I'm kind of hungry, let's do that," Scorpius said, reaching for the door, apparently fully intending on leaving the cupboard, forgetting that his trousers were hanging open.
"Er, you might want to hold on a second there," Albus warned him, reaching out and doing up Scorpius's flies. It was much easier than to undo them because his hands were no longer shaking, but the intimacy of being able to just reach out and touch Scorpius's clothes whenever he liked was not lost on Albus.
Scorpius smiled at him in thanks and then waved his wand and said "Scourgify." The uncomfortable damp stickiness was gone, so too was the white area on Scorpius's trousers where Albus had carelessly wiped his hand.
Scorpius exited the cupboard first, holding the door open for Albus, then he surveyed Albus critically as he stumbled out. Albus was positive that he looked well-shagged, he didn't need a mirror to tell him that his lips were swollen, or that his face was flushed, or that his limbs felt loose and limber.
Scorpius was eyeing him with unabashed desire, like apparently he hadn't gotten his fill in the cupboard. He stared blatantly at Albus's lips and unconsciously licked his own.
Perfect, thought Albus, and they climbed the staircase out of the dungeons together.