T Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's just the way things are. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy.

Close Shave

Having just finished updating his colleague, Madam Waverly, as to when the various requested potions would be ready to be bottled and sent to the Medical Wing, Scorpius did his best to ignore the noisy students nearby who were heading for the Great Hall. Or he did until he heard the familiar sound of Girl Lupin's voice calling out his favorite Herbology teacher's name, his head automatically turning to spy the girl running down the hallway towards…towards a very hot looking Albus Potter.

It was all he could do not to lick his lips as he stared and absorbed the sexy edge the faint stubble gave the Gryffindor's face. And as he watched a light came into the man's face that delivered a punch to his gut that had Scorpius inwardly reeling and struggling to keep his thoughts from his own face. The love the man felt for his god brother's daughter was naked on the man's face, and as the Slytherin watched the girl throw herself into the arms already open for her Scorpius felt jealousy well up that he couldn't do the same.

His jealousy increased a couple notches as he watched the girl rub her cheek against her uncle's, laughing as she did so.

This was apparently a ritual for them as the Gryffindors laughed and Potter lifted her up in his arms, rubbed their cheeks together some more before setting the girl back on her feet, looping an arm around her waist as they started forward once more with wide smiles on their faces.

Boy Lupin came to join them and Girl Lupin said something to her brother that had the boy giving his sister a very superior look. That look earned the boy a surprise attack as Girl Lupin suddenly broke free of her uncle's arm, got behind her brother, and pushed him into Potter's arms. And as soon as the boy was there he got the same treatment as his sister, the boy obviously trying and failing to keep in his laughter as he got the stubble nuzzle as well.

When he finally turned him loose the older Gryffindor wrapped one arm around the boy's waist and the other around the boy's sister. Together they walked as a unit towards the hall, finally coming into close enough earshot for the Slytherin to hear what they were discussing. Apparently the boy hadn't wanted to be nuzzled by his uncle in public.

"Ha. You used to fight me to be first when we were kids." Flora reminded her brother with a smirk.

"When we were kids, ya. We're not kids anymore. We're fourteen."

The look on Flora's face could only be called a sneer. "You're only fourteen in body, your brain's another story. And who cares what your friends say? They'll all be just jealous that they don't have someone here who loves them enough to give them stubble kisses."

"Uncle Al, since you don't have any kids yet what's say you adopt her so that I don't have to put up with her."

"Dummy. I'd still see you all the time at school and family get togethers."

That she was right and he knew it showed in his disgruntled face.

"Enough of that, you two." Albus's voice was amused but firm as he let them go so that he could affectionate ruffle their hair. "Now go on in and take your seats. You'll remain in your fourteen year old bodies if you don't feed them."

"Yes." The twins said in chorus, and after saying good bye to their uncle they took off to join the crowds going into the Great Hall.

The older Gryffindor watched them go and then started in Scorpius's direction since the other man was standing in front of the opening to the hallway that led to the teachers' way of getting to their platform inside the hall. The smile was still on his face, and the Slytherin couldn't help but wish that it was for him. He wished it so much that he surprised himself with the force of that desire.

"Good morning, both of you." Albus said as he nodded his head in greeting, hiding his amusement when the Slytherin nodded back rather than say anything to him in the presence of another.

"Good morning, Albus." Madam Waverly chirped. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

The Gryffindor shoved his hands in his pockets and gave her his full attention. "Shaping up to be one."

While the chubby cheeked healer passed along the information he'd just given her Scorpius simply stood off to the sidelines and studied the Gryffindor's face, the way the stubble hugged the man's cheekbones so deliciously. Man did he want to rub his own skin against those whiskers, feel them scratch and awake his nerve endings. Though it wasn't his cheek he wanted the other man to rub his cheeks against, the Slytherin thought wickedly, getting hard just thinking about Albus on his knees in front of him, rubbing that stubble against his thighs while the Gryffindor…

Jolting when he felt fingers press against his wrist Scorpius looked down at those fingers and then up to fix the woman with a piercing stare that had her withdrawing a hand like his skin had scalded her.

"You'd zoned out." Albus informed the Slytherin before the man could verbally lash out at the woman. "We both tried to get your attention verbally without luck. We were worried you'd been jinxed from behind while we were talking."

He couldn't argue that there weren't students at the school who were stupid enough to try and jinx him from behind. And since he had no intention of explaining himself Scorpius just gave them a look that said to drop the subject as he moved away from them without another word, ignoring the sound of the other two following him into the hallway.

)

Albus wondered all the way through breakfast where the Slytherin had zoned out to earlier while he was talking to Madam Waverly. Though he had a feeling he knew. The man's eyes darkened that way when he was touching him intimately, the Gryffindor thought with a now familiar heat in his belly. So maybe, just maybe, the Slytherin had been thinking of him. Thinking about him so intensely he'd managed to block out not just the two people standing in front of him but all the students walking by on their way to get to the Great Hall. Perhaps it was arrogant of him to imagine himself the cause…but he was in such a good mood Albus couldn't help but chose to believe that the look in those eyes had been for him alone.

So it was his turn to zone out through much of breakfast, which wasn't all that new since he didn't usually fully wake up in the morning without a great deal of caffeine in his system. But by the end of the meal Albus felt his mind was working just well enough that he could seriously ponder whether he should inquire of the Slytherin as to what he'd been thinking about earlier. Unlike him Albus didn't doubt that the blonde would tell him, Scorpius Malfoy would definitely not be the sort who had a problem saying what was on his mind.

And oh but he wanted to know what was on the Slytherin's mind in intimate detail.

It was that thought that had the Gryffindor breaking their morning custom and choosing instead to fall into step beside the Slytherin once breakfast was over, the blonde glancing at him once with a faint look of interest.

Screwing up his courage, and taking advantage of the fact that he wasn't quite awake enough to consider all the possible ramifications, Albus softly asked the Slytherin if he had plans for the period just before lunch, which they both had free if memory served him.

"Nothing I can't do later. Why?"

"I thought maybe you could drop by the greenhouse where I keep my personal plants. You said you'd maybe help me with my experiments? Give me your opinion as a Potions Master."

So he had. But for some reason he was getting the feeling that the Gryffindor wasn't asking him to the greenhouse so that they could discuss fauna and potions. He wasn't sure what the other man did want to talk to him about though. His curiosity piqued now Scorpius decided to play along, especially since time spent in Potter's presence was never a waste of his time.

"I can stop by. On one condition."

"What's the condition?"

He wanted to reach out and touch, but the departing students were just a little too close for comfort at the moment. So Scorpius had to settle for leaning in and angling his body so that his lips were as close to the Gryffindor's ear as they could be without raising too many eyebrows. "Don't shave."

"Don't shave?" Albus repeated, not even realizing one of his hands was rising to touch his fingertips to the stubble on his cheek. "But I don't look good with a beard. I've tried it."

The Slytherin chuckled. "I meant don't shave today, you can tomorrow."

"Oh. Okay. I can do that."

"See that you do."

)

Heading out across the school grounds on his way to the greenhouses Scorpius mentally mulled over his latest moral dilemma concerning Albus Potter. There were so many of those dilemmas recently that if he wasn't careful his conscience might grow a little. And what a horrible thought that was. His current dilemma was that thanks to the Gryffindor's laziness in decided not to shave, he now had a very vivid scenario in his mind that he was aching to make a reality. But putting that dream into reality was fraught with peril, not the least of which was the fact that he'd probably have to be inhumanly nice to his students to get the Gryffindor to even consider agreeing to going down on him.

It just wasn't possible, Scorpius thought with a shake of his head. He didn't have it in him to be that good for a whole school day.

Although…he could always use memory charms on the whole class so that they wouldn't tell anyone he'd been his usual, nasty self.

The Slytherin took a couple moments to ponder the logistics for that before sighing and admitting to defeat. He had the knowledge and power, but that would be cheating. And while he didn't mind manipulating things to suit him he had too much pride and ego to outright cheat. Unfortunately.

Opening the door to the greenhouse Scorpius walked in, surveying the empty area before heading down the main aisle towards the back of the greenhouse where the Gryffindor had been keeping his experimental hybrids. He was just almost at the door leading into the teacher's only section of this greenhouse when his eyes happened to land on a small pile of clothing. A black robe and a very familiar looking jumper to be exact. Familiar because Scorpius was a hundred percent sure that it was what his man had been wearing at breakfast.

Was Potter in the back wearing no top?

More importantly…was Potter in there wearing less clothing for his benefit?

Eager to find out Scorpius opened the door, his ears immediately assailed by the music playing. Foreign music that the Slytherin didn't recognize both in lyrics and style, though it wasn't unpleasant to his ears. The female vocalist appealed to him, and he liked the music a hell of a lot more when he spotted the Gryffindor towards the back of the section, moving to the rhythm with abandon. The man was wearing a sleeveless T-shirt which was a bit of a let down, but it was hugging the man's torso like a lover and ended just short of the trousers, so that there was a slim line of golden skin visible, just begging to be touched and tasted.

The way the Potter's ass was moving soon distracted the Slytherin from that patch of skin as he watched the unaware Gryffindor move his body in a naturally sensual way that fit perfectly with the beat of the strange music. The lyrics fit as well, Scorpius thought, his lips twitching as he paid attention to the words, not quite able to ignore them given the volume of the music. Or he was up until a particular part of the song had the other man moving his hands over his body in a way that deafened the Slytherin to the music and everything else as his eyes followed the path the Gryffindor's hands were taking.

It just kept getting and better, The Slytherin thought moments later as he watched the other man move his perfect ass again in some very interesting ways while walking over to pick up a watering can he'd set aside.

Albus had boogied his way through half of the following song before he sensed eyes on him, spinning around to gap at the front of the room where Scorpius was lounging against the doorway, watching him.

Cheeks and ears going red the Gryffindor stared at the Slytherin in horrified embarrassment. "How long have you been here?"

Scorpius shrugged his shoulders casually before straightening up. "Couldn't tell you. You dance very well." He added as he walked over to stand in front of the other man. "I was thoroughly enjoying the show."

That the Gryffindor wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or not was written all over the herbologist's face.

Lips curving into a slight smile over that the Slytherin reached out and wrapped one arm around the Gryffindor's waist, deliberately placing his fingers over the bare stretch of skin between the man's top and trousers while his other hand tenderly cupped the back of Albus's damp neck. "Dance with me?"

Surprised pleasure washing over him Albus shyly reached out and placed one hand on the other man's shoulder, setting the other on the small of the Slytherin's back. "Do you…like to dance?" He asked, dancing being something that he himself loved to do. As he'd just made pretty clear, the Gryffindor thought ruefully as he slowly began to move in time with the music and the other man's body. The music playing wasn't really meant for slow dancing, but that seemed to be what Malfoy was interesting in doing. And that suited him just fine, Albus thought as he enjoyed the feel of the man's hands on his flesh

"I don't mind it."

In his experience, when you danced with other men there was always the problem of who would lead, plus the fact that odds were your male partner wasn't used to being led and therefore had problems moving smoothly, Scorpius as he moved in a little closer to the Gryffindor. And while he occasionally got roped into dancing with women, which didn't have that problem, but what was there to enjoy about dancing with an annoying female who likely didn't know how to shut up or was scared of him?

But that wasn't a problem with the man in his arms. In fact, they moved perfectly together.

As the song came to a close the Gryffindor looked at the Slytherin with badly concealed curiosity. "What were you thinking about earlier, when I was talking to Madam Waverly before breakfast?"

Scorpius chuckled rakishly. "I'd bet a great deal you don't want to know." And leaning forward the Slytherin nuzzled his cheek against the other man's. "So this is called a stubble kiss, hmm?"

Stubble covered cheeks heating up again Albus gently nuzzled in return, instinctively fitting their bodies more closely together. "That's what the twins always called them when they were little." Remembering the man's earlier request Albus's smile widened a little. "Is this why you didn't want me to shave? Because you wanted some stubble kisses too?"

"In a manner of speaking." Was the Slytherin's dry reply.

"What do you mean, in a manner of speaking?" There was something in the man's tone that said he shouldn't ask, but Albus's curiosity got the best of him. Besides, how bad could it be if it just involved stubble kisses?

Very briefly did Scorpius consider changing the subject or misleading the Gryffindor. But it went against his nature not to be a straight shooter, and that aside he'd had his hand on the other man's bare back for a while now and it didn't seem to bother Albus at all. The Gryffindor didn't appear to have any problems with them being this close to each other either, and hadn't once brought up their little arrangement and the fact that it wasn't time for him to collect any sort of reward. That meant that against all odds the other man was becoming use to his nearness, and even enjoying these little interludes of theirs to a degree. Which meant that it only made sense for him to push the man further to see how far he could push before his elusive prey put on the breaks.

Well that and he just really, really, wanted his daydream to become a reality.

"What I meant was that I want stubble kisses in a way, though I know I won't be getting them the way I want them tonight."

Drawing back his head Albus looked at the Slytherin in confusion. "What do you mean? I obviously didn't shave so why couldn't you get them tonight?"

"Because you'd consider where I want the stubble kisses off limits."

Understanding beginning to dawn Albus instinctively looked down and then slowly back up at the Slytherin. "Oh."

"Exactly." Scorpius agreed, stroking the back of the man's neck with his fingers. "So stubble kisses to my cheeks are all I'm getting tonight or any night, isn't that right, Mr. Gryffindor?"

Albus would later blame and curse his Weasley genes for his words and reaction to the Slytherin's underlying taunt.