They had decided – they were finally ready. They were ready to finally tell their friends and family and everyone about the love they had found in one another. And, just as important, they were finally ready to show one another just what that love meant.

Albus would be lying if he said he wasn't scared. Or nervous. Or…whatever fell somewhere in between the two emotions. He'd been almost avoiding Scorpius all day. Every time he looked at his boyfriend, his stomach erupted in butterflies so violent he felt like he needed to run for the nearest wastepaper basket.

He was ready. Really. He just…couldn't help but to worry about what came after this. They loved each other, he had no doubts about that. But…what if…for some reason, Scorpius became tired of him? Or what if he did something wrong and it made things awkward? Or…what if it wasn't going to feel as good as they were dreaming of? What if they should wait just a little bit longer?

There was no way he wanted to voice any of this aloud, so avoiding Scorpius felt like the better option. Until avoiding him was no longer possible…. Until they were meeting in their dorm at their pre-arranged time when all their other roommates were at Quidditch practice. They only had a couple hours to do this and had already agreed to waste not one second.

Before Albus had really prepared himself, they were both sitting in his bed. The curtains were drawn and Scorpius was across from him, perched on his knees. They were dressed in nothing but their pants, but neither of them had made a move yet. They'd seen each other like this before. But never in anything less. Never fully naked. "We're still ready for this…right? I mean, I am," Scorpius assured, reaching out to grace his fingers over Albus' thigh. "I just want to make sure you are before…."

Taking a deep breath, Albus nodded and tried to forget his nerves. "Yeah…I want this, too, Scor. I do. Here…." He reached forward, pulling his boyfriend into a gentle kiss. A gentle kiss that turned prickly and warm as he tongued apart Scorpius' lips.

"I…I worked it out," Scorpius whispered into their kiss. "The spells a-and…and all that."

Albus nodded, relaxing back towards the pillows. Taking slow and measured breaths as he beckoned Scorpius closer. "Is it going to hurt?"

"Probably at least a little bit," Scorpius said cautiously. "But I'll be careful. As careful as I can. I promise."

"Okay…." Albus' voice was wavering, but he was sure. He wanted this. He wanted all of this. And though he was feeling so nervous, he was sure that this moment and those to follow would be the happiest time of his life. And this night would be one to remember. One they would never forget. "Okay. C'mere." He pulled Scorpius towards him again, this time by his waistband. Scorpius shuffled forward, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. Albus chuckled, savoring the way he could make his boyfriend sweat. "Tonight…. Tonight you're going to show me how much you love me. You're going to show me how happy I make you." Scorpius' breath shook against Albus' lips as they barely met again. "I want to see and feel all of you, Scor. And then I want to shout from the rooftops to the whole world tomorrow about just how much you mean to me."

He wasn't sure if it was his words or his hand gliding down the boy's pants, but Albus was going to savor those beginnings of tears welling in Scorpius' eyes for the rest of his life.

"Just promise me you'll be mine forever, okay? That's all I'm ever going to ask."