Written for Quidditch League [Round 13, Pairing: Albus/Scorpius, Prompts: aptitude (word) - "I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.' –Dr. Seuss (quote) – blissfully (word)] Variety of Prompts [Word: #10 Sickle, Location: #6 Quidditch Changing Room]

-oOo-

Albus, for as much as Scorpius knew, was blissfully unaware of his best friends growing affection for him. The youngest Potter son didn't seem to pick up on it. But then again, Albus never did have much aptitude when it came to being perceptive. Scorpius never had a problem with his friend's lack of insightfulness, until now. Now that he wanted to take that friendship to a different level.

Taking a deep sigh, he pushed his textbooks away, and rested his head against the table top. Around him he could hear the quiet bustling of the library, and could just barely make out the quick and determined steps of someone moving closer to him. He knew the sound of her soles clicking against the floor.

"Did you do the history homework?"

The slightly irritated female voice sounded just to his right. Glancing up, Scorpius caught dark Ravenclaw blue and Weasley red as the girl pulled out a chair and say down across from him. Freckles dotted over her cheeks, light hazel eyes wide at him as she dropped her satchel onto the table. Off in the distance, the librarian shushed at the loud noise. "Scorpius? Homework? Did you do it?"

"Yes, Rose." Scorpius answered. He broke eye contact long enough to pull his history book from his satchel, and hand over the homework. She took it gratefully, pulling out her own and copying down the answers she didn't have.

"Where's Albus?" Rose asked after a few seconds, her eyes not leaving the work in front of her.

"Quidditch pitch." Scorpius answered. "He wanted to get in some last minute practice before tomorrow's game. Apparently Gryffindor's new Seeker isn't half bad."

"Hum." Rose muttered. "Figured you'd be with him. I mean, usually you two are joined at the hip or something."

"Is that a hint of jealously I detect, Weasley?" Scorpius couldn't help but grin at the girl. It was true that after both being sorted into Slytherin, Albus and Scorpius had proven to be the best of friends, this holding still into their last year at school. While Scorpius had gotten along greatly with Albus though, he found his relationship with Rose Weasley to be a weird one. They weren't really friends, but at the same time, they were the best of.

"No jealously Malfoy." Rose replied with a smirk. She kept her head turned down, but hazel eyes drifted up to look at him. "I was just kind of curious how long it would be until you two were joined at the lips as well."

"W-What?" Scorpius stuttered. He narrowed his eyes at the girl, daring her to continue. "I think you're mistaken Weaslette."

"Oh am I?" Rose put down her quill, turning her full gaze onto him. "So you aren't infatuated with my cousin?"

"I'm not." Scorpius answered, the denial in his voice too heavy for even him to ignore. "And the fact that you could even think that, shows just how wrong you are on the subject."

"If I had a sickle for every time I was wrong," Rose leaned back in her chair, "we'll I wouldn't have many sickles now would I?"

"What are you getting on about?"

"Come on Scorpius." Rose's voice lost the teasing quality and became sincere. "I know you like Albus. Everyone knows you like Albus. Well, except Albus that is. He never was very good on picking up on things."

Scorpius sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration with the girl in front of him. "Am I really that obvious?"

"It's pretty bad." Rose chuckled. "You get that doe eyed look around him all the time. Like a teenage girl in love."

A smirk pulled on Scorpius's lips. "So like how you look at Alex Zabini?"

"Pretty much." Rose nodded. "The difference being that I know I don't stand a chance with him. But you, you have something with Albus. You two are perfect together. You like him. He likes you. I don't see why-"

"Albus doesn't like me." Scorpius cut in. "Not like that anyway."

"How do you know? Did you ever ask him?"

"I don't have to ask. He likes girls."

Rose grinned. "No he doesn't."

"Ya, he kind of does."

"Doesn't."

"Does."

"Does not."

"Rose, I'm his best friend. I think I would know if my best friend was gay."

"I'm his cousin. And his best friend too" Rose crossed her arms over her chest. She leaned back, rocking the chair on its hind legs. "I think I'd know if he were gay or not more so then you would. And I know for a fact that he is."

"And how would you know that?"

The grin on Rose's face grew wider. "Because I noticed the way he watches you. I mean, he doesn't like it when you leave, but he enjoys watching you leave if you know what I mean. Plus, he kind of told me."

"What? Why would he tell you something like that, but not tell me?"

"Beats me?" Rose shrugged. "But I guess it must be pretty hard to tell your friend that you're gay and crushing on them, especially when you aren't sure if they feel the same way."

"Tell me about it." Scorpius sunk deeper into his chair. His grey eyes locked onto Rose, searching for any sign of infidelity in her words. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I'm tired of watching you two pine after one another." Rose spoke. "It's just sad really."

"I didn't know you cared that much."

"I don't." Rose shrugged, but couldn't hide the smile on her lips. "I just thought I'd but an end to all this nonsense going on between you two at the moment."

"You know me liking Albus is a whole other level of irrational."

"Probably," Rose shrugged. She picked her quill back up, jotting down something on the parchment in from of her. "But as my Aunt always says, a bit of nonsense is good. It's a key ingredient in life."

"You worry me sometimes Weasley." Scorpius grinned. The smile fell away after a second though. "You can't copy my homework?"

Rose looked up with an amused smile. "Did you just now realize what I was doing? Man, for being at the top of the class, you are incredibly slow. It's no wonder you and Albus get on so well."

"I'm going now." Scorpius stood, pushing the chair back and gathering his scattered school books back into his bag. He looked at Rose expectedly, holding out his hand.

"I'll give you it back at dinner tonight." Rose leaned protectively over the homework pages. "You owe me anyways. Now go and make out with my cousin."

"Do you even hear yourself some days?"

"Whatever." Rose rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

Scorpius could only chuckled lightly before he turned and made his way from the library. The further he got from the room though, the louder Rose's words became in his ears.

The trip down to the Quidditch pitch was much shorter then Scorpius would have wanted. Upon arriving at the Slytherin dorms, he had been greeted with a note on his bed from Albus asking him to come down to the pitch. Scorpius had done so after dropping off his school bags, and that was where he was now; standing just in the door way of the Slytherin changing room and watching as Albus flew through the air.

The Potter boy was an excellent Seeker, this was clear from the way he easily darted about high above the ground. Scorpius could barely make out the golden ball Albus was chasing just behind. About to grab a broom for himself and head up, he stopped whenever Albus snatched the Snitch. Scorpius clapped, gaining the attention of Ablus who smiled and began to descend.

Albus's hair was windblown by time his feet touched the ground. His jeans were marred by dirt and grass stains, just as his light blue shirt. The black locks were wild around his face. Light green eyes were shinning with joy. The speckle of freckles over his cheeks and nose were light brown and seemed to make his face seem even more youthful.

"There you are," Albus spoke cheerfully as he threw an arm around his friends shoulder. The action was comical as Scorpius held six inches over the Potter boy. Never the less, he allowed Albus to guide him back into the changing rooms. Once inside, Albus slide the practice broom with the others and leaned against the lockers. The cheerful and carefree expression fell away all of a sudden.

"Is everything okay?" Scorpius asked, concerned with the sudden change in his friend.

"Ya." Ablus nodded. "It's just, something Rose said earlier."

"I think I know what you mean."

"Look Scorp," Albus ran a hand through his hair, an action that Scorpius found adorable. "You're my best friend, and I don't want… this… to get in the way of that."

"I completely understand." Scorpius replied. He felt a bit deflated, taking a different meaning to Albus's words than what he meant.

Albus shock his head. "I mean, I like you. I really like you. I like you in a way that I don't like anyone else. In a way that I don't know if I'm supposed to like you. What I'm trying to say is… actually I don't even know. I just don't want to ruin this friendship if you don't feel the same."

"I do." Scorpius was quite as he spoke. "Feel the same that is."

"You do?"

"Of course I do. I've liked you for quite a while now. I just didn't know how to say it. I didn't know if you felt the same."

"So," Albus paused for a moment, a smile slowly pulling on his lips, "does this make you my girlfriend or something?"

"Must you ruin everything Potter?" Scorpius chuckled. Closing the distance between them, the Malfoy boy cupped a hand under Albus's chin and pulled his lips up to meet his.