"Scoooorp!" It was Albus' voice screaming at him from the castle gates. He glanced up from under his favorite tree, the one perched so perfectly at the edge of the Black Lake, his favorite book resting on his legs. The youngest male Potter was running down the hill, his long legs flying beneath him. Scorpius was merely waiting for the boy to miss a step and trip. The moment came all too soon. You'd think that after seven years he'd learn his lesson. Albus was so occupied by his bounding leaps that his foot caught on a protruding rock. It was almost a comical scene, the way he flipped end over end to roll down the rest of the hill, but Scorpius was so frightened that his best friend might actually be hurt that he was up and running before his brain caught up with his movement.
He crouched by the younger boy and watched his face for any reaction to his presence. Albus groaned in pain before sitting up. Scorpious was so relieved that the boy was alright that he threw his arms around him and hugged him tight. The dark haired youth cried out in sudden pain and the blond boy pulled back quickly.
"So sorry Al!" He said, checking his friend for any visible wounds. "Quite a tumble you took down that hill, y'alright?" Normally he'd cringe over his abhorrent use of the English language but he was too worried about Albus to really care.
"'M fine Scorp, just twisted my ankle 's all." The boy tried to get up on his own but dropped back to the ground with a cry. "I take that back, just broke my ankle 's all." Scorpius couldn't help but grin. Even in the face of pain, the boy was just too cheeky for his own good.
"Come on Al, let's get you up to the hospital wing." The younger boy cast a look behind his friend and looked at the tree he had abandoned.
"You left all your stuff under the tree, somebody'll take it." Scorpius shook his head.
"Al, your health is way more important than a couple of books." The soft grin his best friend gave him made him melt on the inside. He was just too adorable for his age!
Scorpius put up with Albus' stubborn grumbling the whole way up to the castle, up several stair cases and down numerous, long corridors. His friend was not a light weight, not after all those years of Quidditch, but he carefully helped his friend hobble the long path to the hospital wing. When they opened up the doors to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey was straightening up a bed, as if expecting Albus.
"Come on dears, let's get you in the bed so I can have a look at you Mr. Potter." After all the years of Albus and Scorpious getting into miscellaneous troubles and plenty of mischief, she was no stranger to the many different ways the boys could get themselves injured. At this point, they were beginning to believe that Albus had bust not only his father's record of trips to the hospital wing, but also his father's friends Mr. Finnigan and Professor Longbottom.
"Tell me what happened Mr. Malfoy." The mediwitch kindly asked. Her eyes were inspecting every inch of Albus, as though he might break at any moment. Scorpious was quick to speak up.
"He was running down the hill, headed towards the big Oak near the Black Lake. He tripped on a rock and ended up flipping and rolling the rest of the way down. We think he's broken his ankle." Scorpius did not pretend to be an expert on injuries, but even he could tell when something was broken versus sprained. Between him and Albus, he had plenty of examples of both.
"It's becoming ridiculous how many times you've ended up in here Mr. Potter, need to watch where you step!" The young boy pushed his broken glasses further up his nose but they slid down again. He sighed in frustration. Scorpius rolled his eyes and grabbed his friends glasses. A quick "reparo," and the glasses were fixed in no time.
"Thanks Scorp." His whispered. Madam Pomfrey quickly set Albus' ankle but requested that he stay over night just in case. She exited the room then, leaving the boys alone.
"What in the bloody hell, possessed you to go running down that hill Al?" He couldn't help the anger in his voice. He had been so worried! Seeing him tumble down that hill had frightened him to no end!
"Had to tell you something Scorp." The dark haired youth was frowning, his emerald eyes downcast. The blond boy sighed.
"What'd you have to tell me?" The boy didn't answer so he grabbed his chin and tilted his head up so he could meet his eyes, "What was it Al?"
"'S not important anymore." He frowned but didn't push the issue, "Will you stay with me tonight Scorp?" He couldn't help the confusion that lit his eyes.
"What?"
"Will you stay with me tonight? Yes or no?" That soft look filled Albus' eyes and Scorpius knew he was sold. He sighed.
"Yes."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Scorpius woke to the most wonderful smell. His face was burrowed in Albus' chest, because sometime during the night, he had curled up onto the bed with his best friend and was now cuddling him. Scorpius chanced looking up and found that Albus was still quite asleep. He treasured the feel of the strong boy, the wonderful sense that he was being protecting and was protecting at the same time. That was the great thing about Albus, he was not afraid to cuddle with his best friend, despite the fact that he was gay. He realized that the way that Albus smelled was purely divine. He smelled a bit like grass from his tumble the day before, but underneath that was a delicious musky smell and the faint scent of sandal wood. He breathed in deep before pulling himself from the bed to sit in the chair beside his best friend.
Seeing Albus curled up in the hospital bed was just too sweet for words. His black hair was mussed in sleep, dark lashes fluttered over a bespeckled face of freckles. His full, pink lips were curved in the slightest smile and his arms seemed to grasp at the spot that Scorpius had just abandoned. He realized with a start that he was falling in love with his best friend. The longer he sat there thinking about it, the more he realized how it made sense. All the time they spent together, how they couldn't bare to be apart for very long, and how they much prefered to be in each other's company compared to other people. But in the end, Albus was in a steady relationship with Magdelyn Wood and Scorpius would not be able to bear to tear his friend apart from a girl that he really liked, even if he loved him.
In the end, he really should've just said no.
