"Hey Scor, Ella hasn't owled us yet and Hogsmeade is in a week. I wonder if she wants us back..." Albus said thoughtfully over lunch. In the three weeks that had followed their first trip to Ella's, Albus had tried desperately not to pine for Scorpius (though he hadn't been able to resist a good wank now and then) and Scorpius had tried desperately to flirt with Albus to see if anything was there. Neither of them had made much progress.

Scorpius shot Rose a look, and she kept quiet.

"I dunno Al, maybe we should owl her, you know? Let her know we're available?" Scorpius said casually.

Albus froze "You want to go back?"

"Well, she'll probably give us another good sum of money Al, wouldn't hurt to ask right?"

Albus shoveled food into his mouth so he had time to think before answering. He looked at Zenneth, hoping for some help. Zen nodded inconspicuously.

"Um, yeah, let's owl her then. I don't have time to head up to the Owlery today though, could you do it?"

"Sure!" Scorpius smiled at Albus though he couldn't help feeling a little guilty that Albus trusted him enough to owl Ella conveying a message they'd both approve of. Not after what Scorpius had said in the last one.

The four friends finished their food and headed outside to the Black Lake. Since it had gotten warmer, whenever it was not raining the four had taken to studying out in the shade.

"I wonder what she'll have you do this time?" Zenneth mused, opening his Transfiguration textbook and practicing the wand movements

"I hope it's nothing too…intense" Albus answered absent-mindedly while rummaging through his bag to find his Defense Against the Dark Arts notes. "Bloody hell, I must have left my notes in our dorm. I really need those, I'm going to run back." he got up to leave.

"I'll come with you Al" Rose said dusting her skirt off and following Albus back into the castle. "You know, I think you should say something to Scorpius" she said as they entered through the back doors.

"You do? Wait, what do you mean?" Albus narrowed his eyes at her.

"Come on Al, I've known you for long enough and I'm not stupid."

Albus blushed "I wouldn't know what to say".

Rose smiled fondly at her cousin and put her arm around him the best she could "You just say it Al, and see what happens. You got sorted into Gryffindor for a reason you know?"

...

The next morning at breakfast Albus was present when Ella's owl flew in. He opened the letter gingerly, letting Scorpius read over his shoulder.

Glad to hear from you both! I'll see you next Friday then, and I'll have another 100 galleons for you. I don't know how to thank you enough!

-Ella

"You ready for this?" Scorpius asked, his breath tickling Albus' ear.

"I suppose, though…I hope she doesn't get us to do anything too intense…you know?" Albus stuffed the letter back into its envelope and watched Ella's owl take off.

"Is ickle Albus afraid?" Scorpius teased, nudging his best friend and eliciting laughs from the two other Gryffindors.

"Shut up Scor" Albus said, rolling his eyes and laughing with Rose and Zenneth.

...

The week flew by and before they knew it, Albus and Scorpius were back on Prickle Street, walking up to Ella's house. They didn't talk much, each lost in their own thoughts. Scorpius knocked briskly on the door.

Ella opened it almost instantly and smiled "Come in boys! You're in good time!"

"How are you Ella?" Albus asked amiably as they made their way into the house.

"Fine, thank you Albus. And you both?"

"Good" the boys said together.

Ella smiled again "I am so lucky to have found you! Do you mind getting ready right away? I want to get as much drawing time in as possible." The boys agreed and headed to the washroom.

All Scorpius could think of was his agreeing, on their behalf, to do a more intimate pose, and he hoped fervently that it would be sexy. If Ella thinks that it's intimate, then maybe it really is. Especially if she's under the impression that it's more intimate than the pose from last time, he mused, hoping beyond odds that somehow, he'd be able to connect with Albus.

Albus was lost in his own thoughts. He was anxious; worried that he would probably have to pose another lie. But maybe Ella would put them in a warrior stance, or wrestling? Weren't those muggle things that Aunt Hermione had mentioned in the past? At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little excited that he would be seeing Scorpius' prick again.

"You ready mate?" Scorpius asked, cutting into Al's thoughts.

"Yeah, let's go" Albus opened the door and they headed back into the studio feeling a tad proud of himself for not letting his eyes drop below his friend's waist just yet.

They were surprised. The blocks were nowhere to be seen, just a white sheet on the ground. The studio had been cast in darkness because all the curtains were closed. The only light came from the few candles Ella had spelled to hover near the ceiling and give a spotlight effect on the middle of the floor.

"Wow" Scorpius breathed, voicing Albus' thoughts.

"Come in boys, don't just stand there" Ella laughed as they gingerly entered the candle-lit room "You can leave your clothes on the side again. Could you both move to under the light please? Not directly under it though, a little to the side."

The boys followed her order. Albus cast a sneaky glance at Scorpius' prick, smiling to himself. It was being highlighted by the candles above and looked positively glorious.

Ella broke into his daydreams, "Right, well, my idea was somewhat of a slow dance kind of pose." She ignored the shocked looks she was getting from both boys and continued "You'll need to move closer together. Good, could you put your arms around Scorpius' neck Albus? Yes, like that. And Scorpius, I need your arms around Albus' waist. Yes! Now, could you both look at each other again? Hm…no, I don't like that. Albus, rest your head on Scorpius' shoulder, yes! And Scorpius, rest your head on Albus'…yes like that." She paused and squinted "No, no, I don't like that either. Scorpius, could you look at Albus instead? No, Albus keep your head where it was…Yes. Yes! That's it! Hold that please."

So they held the pose, Albus' arms wrapped around Scorpius' neck and his head nestled on Scorpius' shoulder. Scorpius stood with Albus pulled close to him, his arms around his waist and his eyes trained on whatever he could see of Al's face.

Ella went straight to it, stopping only to point her wand at a small radio so they could listen to some music. Albus was red as a beet, thinking about how only a thin layer of air separated his and Scorpius' pricks. He also felt ashamed to think that their pose was once again, extremely natural. It felt right being in Scorpius' arms, so close that he could feel his heartbeat. He decided to try and concentrate on something else because with his prick so close to his mate's, it would be too easy for Scorpius to tell he was very enthusiastic about the pose.

Scorpius was thinking that Ella had been right, there was something about holding Albus in a dark room that made things very intimate. Not in an erotic way (well, maybe a bit), but in a way that Scorpius didn't want to have to let go. He was thankful that he pose allowed him to look at Albus. He couldn't quite make out his eyes under the heavy brown lashes, but he contented himself by pretending to shift his arms and pulling Albus a little closer. He immediately regretted it because even thought he really liked Al's body pressed so close to his, their pricks were now touching, and even a small twitch would be detectable...

Both boys ended up trying to figure out what charm Ella was using on her easel so that she could draw in the dark. It kept them distracted from thinking about other matters, involving not-so-pure thoughts. Risky-business, they both thought, seeing as a slight movement would be noticeable thanks to the proximity of their nether regions.

After a while standing like that, it was becoming too much for Albus. After Ella was done, he'd never be this close to Scorpius again, and he'd never be able to tell him how he felt, no matter what Rose and Zen had said. He was appalled to find that tears were prickling his eyes; he closed them quickly - hoping that none would slip out onto Scorpius' chest. He took a deep breath and just waited.

Scorpius felt a little drop on his collarbone and his first thought was that the candles Ella had spelled were dripping. But it wasn't hot wax, it was a warm drop of water, and it slid down his chest slowly. And then Albus sighed into his arms. Was Albus crying? Scorpius had to fight his urge to lean his head in and check, he didn't want to ruin the pose for Ella.

Both of them lost track of time, but just when their arms started to cramp, Ella announced the completed picture. "You can move again!" the boys peeled themselves off each other slowly, looking forlorn briefly before heading to gather their clothes. "You can both come look once you've changed if you'd like." She tried to be cheerful, sensing that something was not quite right.

Scorpius and Albus got dressed in silence. They headed back to the studio to thank Ella and were met with the easel their picture was drawn on. Once again, it was hauntingly good. Ella had managed to capture the atmosphere and the unsaid feelings between the two Griffindors perfectly, everything was in plain sight in the picture.

"You've outdone yourself Ella, it's really beautiful" Scorpius murmured approvingly.

"Yeah, great job Ella, you've done a lovely piece of artwork." Albus croaked, unable to take his eyes away from the pictures.

"I was wondering if you'd like to keep the pictures, actually. See, once I hand them in at the end of the term, my project will be done. And of course, I'd keep them for myself, but I'd be more than happy to give them both to you if you would like that." She grinned.

"Wow, Ella, are you serious?" Scorpius asked

Ella nodded, still grinning.

"Well, yes then! Of course! They're amazing!" Scorpius laughed

Albus couldn't help but wonder why Scorpius wanted to keep the pictures. Of course, he wanted to as well, but he had a crush on Scorpius…

Albus smiled his thanks at Ella and cast a tempus charm. "Oi, if we leave now, we won't have to sprint back to Hogsmeade" he said. Scorpius nodded at him, so he turned to leave "Thank you so much Ella, do let us know how your project goes!" Albus said, now walking to the front door, trying to fight the uneasy feeling gnawing at his stomach.

"Thank you both, and I will" she smiled at them again, and handed them another bag of money. "Take care you two!"

They said their goodbyes and headed out. It had started to rain. They hadn't noticed the weather since the studio was in darkness the whole time they were there. Albus felt tears stinging his eyes again, thoughts of their recent session setting them off. He let one slip down his cheek, hoping the rain would make it hard for Scorpius to tell that he was crying. He couldn't believe he was crying…but to him, it was over, he had missed his chance, and try as he might, the burden of never telling his best mate how he really felt was weighing down on him.

"What'd you think Al?" Scorpius asked, giving Albus a small smile. His expression morphed into one of concern when he saw his friend's face. "Al, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing, I'm just…uh, worried about exams." Albus tried to sniffle without Scorpius noticing.

"I meant to ask you Al, has something been bothering you?"

"No, why?" Albus said, continuing to walk and trying not to look at Scorpius' piercing eyes.

"I thought…well, I thought you might have been crying when we were modeling. I thought I felt a tear."

Albus thought fast "It was probably just wax from the candles Ella spelled."

"No, it couldn't have been, the wax would harden soon, not drip down my whole chest" Scorpius stopped, grabbed Albus' arms and turned him to face him. "Albus, please tell me what's wrong?"

"It's you." Albus whispered, now letting the tears fall freely down his face.