Title: A Moonlit Moment
Summary: Scorpius grins at him shyly, hands stuffed in the pockets of his hoodie and hair tousled for no particular reason. "Walk?" he asks. In which their post-dinner walk becomes more than just a walk.
Disclaimer: I am not associated with J.K Rowling or Warner Bros and make no profit from any of what I am posting.
A Moonlit Moment
They go to the dorms after dinner.
Scorpius says something about finishing an essay due the next day and even though Albus wants to go for their daily post-dinner walks, he doesn't press Scorp about it.
They missed out on booking the same room this year which means that Albus rooms with an annoying pig named Craig while Scorpius gets the slightly cooler footballer called Dave.
It also means that they can't talk to each other all night which had been the highlight of Al's first two years at uni.
Hence the post-dinner walks; That's when they catch up on a day's worth of classes and stories and have all the weird, fucked up conversations they've always had.
He's in his pyjamas, drafting out an essay of his own when the door opens and Craig walks in followed by Scorpius.
The latter grins at him shyly, hands stuffed in the pockets of his hoodie and hair tousled for no particular reason
"Walk?" he asks.
Albus doesn't bother changing out of his pyjamas. He just grabs a jacket and follows Scorp out.
A chilly breeze tugs at them as Albus and Scorpius head towards the park. Winter will soon be upon them and Al doesn't know what that will mean for their walks: it's the one time of the day Albus really looks forward to.
The one time of the day when he can be alone with his best friend.
"So Lily called. Apparently Mum and Dad went shopping for the family gathering and they both went a bit - "
"Overboard?" Scorpius offers, grinning broadly. "In their defence, the gatherings sound stressful."
"They're stressful as fuck mate. You're lucky your family doesn't do them."
"It helps that we don't have any terrifying gingers."
"Ginger ninjas," Al says slicing through the air. "Damn right they're terrifying. We're always laughing when Dad yells at us but Mum - " He shudders at the thought.
They stop at their usual bench, Scorpius on the right and Albus on the left, facing the football field. Al rests his head on Scorp's shoulder and for a few moments, they exist alone in a world of their own.
Then Scorpius' phone rings and Albus pulls away, heart hammering against his chest for reasons he can't explain.
'Dad,' Scorpius mouths, pressing the phone to his ear.
"Hey," he says softly as Al leans his head to Scorp's shoulder again. It's more comfortable that way, he tells himself. There's no other reason why he has to.
"Yeah," Scorpius says and sitting this close to him Albus can feel him speak. It sends sparks through his veins and makes blood rush to his cheeks. He likes this, Albus thinks, closing his eyes. Being with Scorpius feels… right.
He feels Scorp stiffen under him, holding his breath as he mutters a final 'Okay.' His voice quivering despite the short response.
Al sits up at once. "Scorp?" he whispers.
Scorpius ends the call, dropping his phone on the bench and then bends forward burying his face in his palms.
"Scorp?" Al says again, tentatively placing a hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"
He takes a shaky breath then turns to Albus. "It's Mom," he whispers and the truth hits Albus before Scorpius can finish speaking. "She - she went in her sleep."
"Shit," he mutters, engulfing a very stiff and very still Scorpius in a hug. "I'm here for you, okay?"
Scorpius nods against his chest and wraps his arms around Albus, squeezing him till Al can barely breathe. He doesn't protest, he doesn't even dare to move until Scorpius does.
"Thanks." And then: "Fuck." Scorpius quickly rubs his eyes with the back of his hand, blinking rapidly.
The last time Al saw Scorpius cry it had been tears of joy after winning the game.
He'd made fun of his best friend then and mocked him for being so invested in a sports team. Now, Albus shakes his head, taking Scorpius hands and lowering them.
"You're allowed to cry."
Scorpius snorts, rolling his eyes and then buries his face in Al's shoulder. Albus moves to wrap his arms around Scorpius and gently rubs his back.
They're in a world of their own again, Albus thinks, only this time it seems to be falling apart.
Scorpius looks up after what seems like an eternity, silver-blue eyes puffy from crying.
Albus watches him run a hand through his hair, lip quivering and a single tear rolling down his cheek. They're still pressed against one another, comfortably close.
"I'm in love with you," Scorpius says quietly, ducking his head so that Albus can't see his face.
He blinks, both confused and surprised. "What?"
"I don't want to hide it till it's too late." Scorpius gulps, clenching and unclenching his fist. He looks again, silver-blue eyes fixed on Albus'. "I'm in love with you, Al. I've been for a while now."
Albus blinks, again, the cogs in his brain begin to turn.
He remembers the way his heart seems to summersault every time he is with Scorp or the way their hands seems to fit perfectly. He thinks of how Scorpius looks under the moonlight, silver hair bathed in silver light and how he doesn't watch anyone else during games. How he always knows where Scorp is, even without looking.
And suddenly, it all makes sense.
"Say something," Scorpius says desperately. "Al, please."
He smiles, though maybe Albus shouldn't. "I think I might love you too."
Scorpius makes a sound halfway between a sob and a laugh and encases Al in yet another hug.
"And I'm not leaving you anytime soon," Al adds because it needs to be said and also because he means it. "We're going to be together forever and ever, okay?"
Scorpius nods against him. "Okay," he mumbles. "Al?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I kiss you?"
Albus almost agrees but - "Scorp?"
"Yeah?"
"Distracting yourself isn't going to help, you know?"
Scorpius sighs against him. "I know," he says quietly. "I just - once?"
He's looking up now, close enough for Albus to feel his breath on his cheek. He squeezes his eyes shut and nods. "Once - "
Scorpius cups his hand around her cheek, pressing his lips softly but firmly against Al's. The kiss only lasts a moment though Al suddenly wishes it could have lasted for a lifetime.
"It was almost better than I imagined," Scorpius mumbles against his lips and Al opens his eyes. The world still looks the same and that catches him by surprise. He feels different. He feels happy and safe and warm.
"Next time, we'll make it better than you imagined," Albus promises.
Blood rushes to his cheeks at just the thought of a next time and Scorpius' smile tells Al that he feels the same. He threads his fingers together, leaning on Scorp's shoulder.
Scorpius wraps an arm around him, pressing a kiss into Al's hair and then resting his head on top of his.
They've always been best friends, Albus thinks, maybe it's about time they became something more.
Maybe it's time they started something that lives outside the few moments they share together. Something that could last forever.
It's almost the end of pride month and for some reason ,I just realised that everything I posted this month has been straight. Obviously, I had to do something to fix that!
Hope you enjoyed this. I'll edit it properly in a week though if you see typos or mistakes please let me know!
As always, feedback is always appreciated.
Find me on Tumblr at WizardingAesthetics (link in bio)