You Know

Days after the painting fiasco, as he had now come to call it, Albus sat on a barstool, feet swinging happily, behind the counter while he watched his parents prepare dinner together. Despite all their bickering, the two of them were inseparable. Ginny would help Harry with Ministry paperwork (although, Albus thought that may be a little illegal), and Harry would aid in the kitchen. Albus found it reassuring that a couple could stay together for so long and still love each other enough to stick around through the more monotonous tasks. His thoughts were beginning to wander and he soon realized he hoped he and Scorpius would be able to still refrain from killing each other. The imagery caught him off guard as he realized he was daydreaming about marrying a Malfoy… a male Malfoy.

"You alright, Al?" Harry asked curiously, up to his arms in dough and flower.

Albus jerked in his seat from being pulled out of his musings. He looked at his father curiously, taking in the mess. "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." He shrugged and pulled an apple from the fruit bowl, beginning to nibble. "Why don't you use magic to prepare the meals, Mum?"

Ginny sighed and wiped her hands on the cyan dishrag on her hip. "Because it builds character to make a home-cooked meal." Albus rolled her eyes as she chuckled. "And why aren't you and your lovebird spending time together? He's only got a couple days left here, you know." She turned around, grinning cheekily. Harry snorted at, Albus assumed, her diction.

"And who exactly would that be, Mum?" he ground out.

Harry sighed. "Al, it's fine. We've known you two were going to get together since your third year. Don't get upset at your mother."

Albus's mouth hung open. "And how exactly did you know … that?"

Ginny shrugged, handing him a spoonful of soup to try. "Here, taste this. I'll take that moan as an approval. Anyway, it was from your letters, of course. And the state you were in when you were away from him." She laughed, shaking her head to herself. "Like a lost puppy."

Albus attempted to take everything in. "So. It doesn't bother you, that he's… gay?"

They both cackled at that. "I think it would bother us more if he wasn't, Al," Harry stated. "After all, we wouldn't want some straight boy dating our son just for fun or anything… like an experimental sexuality project or something."

Ginny playfully elbowed him in the side. "No, Albus. We don't mind. About you, either." She looked directly at him for the first time in the exchange, and Albus could feel his blood rushing to his cheeks.

"Oh."

Ginny laughed again and stopped abruptly when a relatively high-pitched wailing came from the upper floor. "What's that noise?" she asked, tilting her head. Harry looked up and pondered with her.

As the noises became more distinct, Albus realized exactly what they were. His head dropped to the countertop and he groaned. "Oh no."

"Oh dear, is that Scorpius?" Ginny asked carefully.

"I think it is," Harry answered. "Albus is he okay?"

"Yes," Albus squeaked. "He's fine. He's just... showering."

Another wail came from upstairs. This one had a more defined tone and changing pitches.

Albus hit his head on the countertop "Stop it, Scorpius!" he whispered to himself. He looked up to see his parents staring at him. He laughed nervously. "It's just… uh. Scorpius likes to, uh… you know… in the shower." Ginny sputtered, surprised, where Harry's eyes widened and then bulged. Both of his parents were blushing when he realized what they were thinking. "Oh Merlin, no! Not that!" He rushed to correct himself!

Just as Albus was going to explain, they heard a clear burst of song ringing throughout the house. "I can seeeee you!" Ginny giggled at the tenor voice. "Your brown skin shinin' in the sun!" There was a loud clunk right then and a stream of profanities before the song began. "You got your hair combed back," another thump sounded as Scorpius jumped once in the shower, dancing. "Sunglasses on baby! And I can tellll you my love for you will still be strong! After the boys of summer have gone! DEEERRRN durrn nah duuurn deern ah! Deernn durrm nah durrrrn," Scorpius continued to squeal the guitar riff as Albus found his voice again.

He continued weakly. "I meant he likes to sing. He likes to sing in the shower. Not that." Both of his parents looked somewhat relieved. "I mean, I don't really know if he does that in the shower. I never really asked," he began to ramble, nervous. "He's a boy. I guess it wouldn't really surprise-" he looked up when both of his parents started guffawing.

Ginny laughed until her eyes watered, and Harry was having what seemed to be a difficult time breathing. Albus sighed in embarrassed defeat. "I'm just going to go hang myself, okay?" he mumbled, smiling a little from his own mistakes. He walked slowly up the stairs and laid on his bed, listening to Scorpius.

Moments later, the blonde walked out with a fluffy green towel wrapped around his waist and another done up on his head. Albus tilted his head to look over and greet the boy, but his reply got caught in his throat. He debated about commenting on the lack of clothes, but, not wanting to give the impression that he was surveying the boy's body, went instead for a different approach. "Don't only girls do that with their hair, Scorpius?"

The other boy snorted, bending over and undoing the towel on his head. He flung his hair around for a brief, crazy moment before sitting at Albus's feet on the bed. "Morning Ally Al," he grinned. "How are you?"

"I'm…" he mentally fought with himself, trying to decide if he should tell Scorpius about the exchange with his parents, "fine. I'm fine," he concluded. "You?"

"Perfecto," he laughed, beginning to dry his chest off with the towel that previously had held his hair. Albus didn't notice until now the droplets of water running down from the boy's neck, over his collarbone, between his nipples, over the rolls in his stomach as he slouched. The brunette gulped.

Scorpius laughed and resituated himself quickly. Before Albus could protest, Scorpius had placed himself on top of the other boy. Albus grunted as he was attacked with the unexpected weight. Scorpius wiggled his head in the crook of Albus's neck, muttering, "Do you love me, Potter?"

Albus was quiet for a moment, considering all that he had just been through in the past fifteen minutes. He sighed after a moment, resigning himself to the fate his parents apparently already knew he was headed for. "Yeah, I do. But I think you already knew that." Why shouldn't he? Everyone else did. "Yeah, I did," Scorpius agreed, now moving his head to face his friend, but Albus was avoiding his gaze. He paused before speaking again. "How long?" He tilted his head with curiosity, much like a puppy, and Albus's thoughts were once again brought back to what his parents revealed. Like a lost puppy.

"How long what?" he choked.

"How long have you loved me?" Scorpius clarified, patiently.

Albus signed again. "Longer than a couple of weeks," he answered, finally joining his sight with Scorpius's.

Scorpius positively beamed. "I knew it!" he squealed before diving in to capture Albus's mouth with his own. He began to hum again with happiness and Albus broke the kiss, an unreadable expression on his face.

"So which am I?" Albus asked.

"Huh?"

"Am I the boy of summer or the one you've promised your love to?"

"The latter, Albus," Scorpius said quietly. "I'm obviously the summer boy."

Albus was very still. "Is this just a fling to you, then?" he asked, careful not to raise his voice.

"Nooo," Scorpius answered, more energetic than before. "You said yourself I'm different in the summer."

Albus nodded. "So are we just going to happen during the summer?"

"No," Scorpius said. "I see what you mean, though. No. I just mean that I'll change again, you know, once school happens. When we have to be around everyone. I'm still going to be me. Just… different from right now, you know?"

Albus was getting somewhat bored with the conversation, not wanting to think beyond the current moment. "Alright," he muttered, before pulling Scorpius's head down.

After a minute or so, Scorpius gasped into Albus's mouth and pulled away. "That's the first time you've kissed me!" he squealed, excited. He began to bounce.

"Yes, and, had I known you were going to act like a little girl, I wouldn't have," Albus glared, put off by all the energy the blonde was radiating. He laughed, though, as his friend's mood was contagious. "Look at you, you're like a light bulb, all glowy with … whatever it is you're glowing with."

Scorpius gasped, playfully acting shocked. "I am not a light bulb." He sat up to cross his arms and pout. After a moment, he sneaked a glance over. "What's a light bulb?"

Albus laughed and kissed him again.