Inevitable
Disclaimer: See CH1.
A/N: Whoo, so I did it! Internet café's rule!! Merry Christmas all! Consider this chapter my fluffy, festive gift to you and thanks for reading! :)
The very second Scorpius flooed back to his Diagon Alley flat, he realised that he really didn't want to be alone, because alone time would give him ample time to brood on Rose and what had just happened between them back in Paris. In his current semi-drunken state, that really wasn't a good idea nor an idea conducive to his sanity either come to think of it.
Merlin, I've done it, Scorpius thought bleakly as he stared around his flat unseeingly, I've actually done it. After everything, after years of suffering in silence, I told her how I feel.... and I just left!
Sickened he sat down with a thump on his settee, pushing throw cushions out of the way and burying his aching head in his hands with a groan. His head swam from excess wine and those bloody awful cocktails and he was surprised he'd managed to floo back to the right address at all given how tipsy he was feeling. He didn't regret what he'd done though. Far from it- but he regretted just leaving like that, even though part of him knew that was for the best; Rose needed time to think. To absorb his revelation. To decide what she wanted to do.
Scorpius lifted his head blearily as he ran a tired hand through his already dishevelled hair. "Dad," he said out loud, wondering why he hadn't thought of it sooner. Of course, it was the perfect answer: his father would make him feel better, take his mind off things, he was good at that. It was after midnight but all of a sudden Scorpius just wanted to go home. Back to Devon.
Ten seconds later, Scorpius had apparated to his father's cottage, hoping against hope that somehow, some way his father would make him feel slightly less of an idiot.
...
"Rummy," Ron smiled gleefully as he lay down his cards on the wooden tabletop, "pay up chaps..."
"Merlin on a splintered broomstick," Draco gaped in visible disbelief as he tossed another galleon onto Ron's rapidly growing pile of coins with a disgruntled sniff, "how do you do that, Weasel?"
"Calm down Malfoy," Ron said smugly as he blew on his knuckles and wiped them triumphantly on his robes, "you can still win your money back..."
"He has no chance," Harry said, also looking pissed off as his own coin joined Draco's, "you've wiped out half of the Malfoy fortune tonight, Ron."
Ron was looking proud; "I feel so... fulfilled," he beamed, sliding the coins into his robe pocket with glee, "my work here is done."
"Only because we were playing stupid infantile card games like sodding rummy," Draco sulked, "Hugo tells me that you are bloody terrible at poker. Perhaps we should try that one next."
Ron glared at him aghast, "is that how you spend your days at the Ministry, Malfoy? Coaxing family secrets out of your employees?"
Draco was looking smug, "Hugo is merely very... chatty, that's all."
Ron looked huffy as he downed his fire whiskey, "hmph, I'll be having words with him. A father-son bond is sacred."
"Indeed," Draco said mildly, exchanging an amused look with Harry.
"You haven't heard from Scorp yet, I take it?" Harry guessed as he grabbed a handful of peanuts from the glass bowl beside him and then dealt the cards once more.
"I didn't think I would," Draco replied with a grin, "I'm sure he and Rose are having far too good a time to even think of things back in England. Let's hope so anyway."
Ron was looking mildly irritated however; "not TOO good a time," he said hedgily as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "No offence Malfoy- I know he's your son and all, but she's still my little girl at the end of the day."
Harry smirked at Ron's evident over protectiveness then jumped at the loud cracking noise from the next room, upsetting the playing cards. Ron choked on a half-swallowed mouthful of fire whiskey, spilling some on the table top.
"Who on earth would apparate here at this time of night?" Ron wondered, eyeing his pocket watch as he used his sleeve to mop up the spill, much to Draco's chagrin who tutted something about 'antiques' under his breath.
They soon had their answer. "Dad!" they heard Scorpius call plaintively from the kitchen, sounding distraught, followed by a crash and a muffled yelp.
Draco exchanged concerned glances with Potter and Weasel. "Merlin... something's happened," he got up, startled and worried. "He sounds drunk. Scorp?! I'm in here!"
He gaped incredulously as his son staggered into the living room, resting against the doorway looking more dishevelled than he had ever seen him. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was ashen. His robes were rumpled. More than that though, was the expression of utter confusion and anguish on his face.
"Are you alright?" Draco demanded, rushing to his side, wondering what on earth had happened to make his son consume so much alcohol.
"What happened?" Ron jumped up too, looking frantic as the next thought suddenly struck him. "Is it Rose? Is Rose alright?"
It was Harry who recognised the look on Scorpius' face as one of misery and uncertainty. "Easy Ron," he cautioned his best friend, putting a hand on his arm, "I think Scorpius has had a bit of a shock tonight."
Scorpius' eyes focused first on his father and then on Ron and Harry and the messy card table behind them. "I told her," he stammered blearily, falling limply into the nearest chair, seemingly not caring he had an audience. Alcohol was a wonderful anaesthetic to real life, that was for certain.
Ron, Draco and Harry all exchanged looks of pure shock, instantly realising what he was talking about. "What?" Draco asked, wanting to be sure, mounting excitement rising in him.
Scorpius lifted eyes that were pure portals of misery to his father; "I told Rose that I love her," he groaned feverishly as he clung to his aching temples, "in Paris. By Notre Dame. I kissed her."
Harry and Ron's eyes were growing progressively larger. Draco was looking rather proud all of a sudden.
Scorpius looked up at Ron almost fearfully from behind lowered, bleary eyelids as if recollecting who he actually was all of a sudden and scared he would be shouted at; "sorry Mr Weasley. I just couldn't hold it inside anymore, but I love your daughter. Really I do."
Ron sighed and knew the only thing that could make the poor lad feel better at this point in time. He'd been through all this woe himself with Hermione years earlier and knew the mixed up feelings very well unfortunately. "Harry, get Scorpius some more fire whiskey. A large glass I reckon is best."
Harry nodded and obliged. Draco patted his son on the back as he sat down beside him. "What did Rose say?" he asked tentatively, not wanting to press him but sensing Scorpius needed to get it all off his chest.
"She was a bit shocked I reckon. I—I told her she needed time to think," Scorpius reflected miserably as he rubbed at his eyes. "Gods, I shouldn't have done that, should I? I shouldn't have just bloody left left. That means she can change her mind. I should have just waited around until I got an answer."
Draco smirked, "Malfoy trait son, always keep 'em hanging...." he flinched under Ron's heated glare. "Um, I mean... well, you know what I mean."
Scorpius quickly downed his shot of fire whiskey and put his head balefully in his hands, feeling progressively worse as he nevertheless gestured for another one. "M' sorry Mr Weasley," he said again bleakly, his voice slurred both by alcohol and exhaustion, "but I really do love Rose. Honest I do. I wanna marry her someday."
Ron sighed again as he refilled his own glass and took a big appreciative gulp. "I know you do Scorpius."
Scorpius' eyes were suddenly full of bright unbidden hope. "Do you think she might love me back?" he asked pensively, holding his fingers a mere millimetre apart and squinting at them drunkenly as he wobbled in his seat; "do you think there's any tiny miniscule chance?"
Draco patted him gently on the back, straightening him up again and clinked his glass with Ron's; the pair of them had always known it would come to this one day and they were glad Scorpius had finally been brave and taken the plunge- no matter the outcome; "I suppose you'll find out soon enough son, you'll find out soon enough."
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
When Rose opened her eyes the next morning after approximately two hours of very unsettled sleep, she was feeling hung-over and confused. More to the point, she was feeling incredibly lonely. Scorpius had only been gone for a few hours, but even her flat felt empty without him snoring loudly enough to wake the dead next door. More to the point, Rose felt empty too.
She gazed miserably up at her alabaster coloured bedroom ceiling for a few minutes, reluctant to get up and actually face the day. Somehow leaving the safe confines of her bedroom would make everything more real. It would mean that she'd have to face this head on. Rose just wanted to put her head under her quilt and hide.
She was frightened.
She had thought up until last night that everything in her life had been set out nicely. Her job was going well, she rented a nice flat in Paris and she was in a fairly amiable relationship with a nice enough bloke. One she didn't love, admittedly. There was the incredible homesickness for England of course, but she usually tried to ignore that.
Then in a matter of moments, Scorpius had turned her entire life upside down with that earth-shattering, toe-curling kiss. A kiss that had melted her to the very tips of her toes just like she'd always wanted, always dreamed about. Rose had instantly realised that somehow her 'nice' life that she'd been quite content with previously just wasn't enough anymore. No one should have to settle for 'nice' when they had just tasted what perfect could be.
Rose had been thinking about that kiss all night- about the passionate expression on Scorpius' face when he'd told her he was in love with her- that he'd been in love with her for years. The very notion caused her cheeks to turn pink and butterflies to flap wildly in her stomach. How had she never realised?
She was a fool. She could have had Scorpius' kisses a lot sooner.
Like she'd wanted them a lot sooner. She could freely admit that now. Scorpius too must have been frightened too, but he'd been brave enough to admit his feelings. It was finally time for Rose to do the same.
Rose sighed despondently as she slid out of bed, her eyes immediately resting on the photographs on her bedside table- her and Scorpius at their graduation, her and Scorpius celebrating winning the Quidditch cup for Ravenclaw in their fifth year- his arms slung around her shoulders... she and Scorpius beaming from amongst the rest of their group of friends a couple of years earlier on a reunion weekend in Edinburgh to visit Lorcan at a muggle magic festival up there...
It was ALWAYS her and Scorpius, wasn't it? Rose smiled wistfully at her own stupidity as she traced his handsome face in the photograph, wondering why it was only now that she could clearly detect the look of adoration in his expression when he smiled up at her.
Rose somehow wasn't surprised to realise that she was smiling adoringly back.
…
Of course, there was one slight problem on the horizon: Jacques. Rose needed to speak to him and she needed to be honest with him, particularly given that they'd been good friends before they'd started seeing each other and he deserved to be treated with respect. She knew that until she had told him the truth and the way she really felt, she couldn't go and see Scorpius, even though she was positively desperate to go to London and have a long overdue heart-to-heart with him. She'd psyched herself up and was now growing impatient about it. The thought of Jacques actual reaction to her news however, caused Rose to immediately draw a blank. She could honestly say that though she knew him, she didn't know enough about him to guess how he would take such a revelation.
Rose only realised now, that all along, he had never quite been the man for her, nice though he was.
It was 9:30am when she made a quick floo call to Jacque's apartment and asked him if he would mind stopping by to see her on his way into work at the restaurant. The Frenchman was more than happy to oblige and greeted her with a cordial kiss on the cheek as he apparated into her kitchen. No passion whatsoever. Rose smiled ruefully despite herself. Maybe this would be easier than she'd anticipated after all.
"I am surprised you wanted to see me this early!" he exclaimed as he met her eyes, "especially with your friend being so reluctant to spend any time with me at all…" he looked around the kitchen as if trying to seek out Scorpius.
"He left." Rose hadn't meant for her voice to sound quite so pathetic and miserable, but somehow it just did. Unwittingly, her eyes filled with tears as she remembered Scorpius apparating away from her last night on the banks of the Seine. That had hurt- even though she knew he'd only done it to allow her time to think. Think she had, all bloody night in fact.
"Left?" Jacques repeated, clearly startled at this information. "Why?"
"Jacques, I'm leaving too," Rose said quietly, not daring to meet his eyes and unable to answer his question through the lump caught in her throat. "I'm so sorry."
"Leaving Paris?" Jacques repeated uncertainly. "For good? Rose- you love Paris."
Rose nodded, her lower lip wobbling as she spoke decisively; "I—I do love Paris," she admitted, "but...I've realised that in the past few days my heart... it belongs in England." With Scorpius.
The latter words were unspoken, but apparently Jacques picked up on them anyway. "Rose," he sighed as he ran a hand through his dark hair, clearly trying to find the right way of expressing himself as Rose winced; "I cannot exactly say I am surprised by this."
Rose looked at him uncertainly for that was NOT what she had been expecting as she let out a breath, "w—what?" she asked, astonished.
"You breaking up with me so soon after your friend from London comes to visit you." Jacque's eyes were sharp and analytical, "and after he departs so suddenly leaving you this upset…"
Rose felt dangerously close to tears at the very mention of Scorpius leaving again and wished she could stop crying. She felt so bereft without him around and he'd been gone for less than a day. A matter of hours infact.
"He has hurt you?" Jacques said slowly, then his eyes turned soft, "or maybe he has surprised you instead?"
"I---" Rose swallowed at the vivid memories of the evening before and that earth-shattering kiss. "More the second one actually."
"I thought so." Jacques smiled gently and looked like he was considering broaching the subject of something highly important as he steepled his fingers together. "Rose, did you ever wonder why I never tried to move our relationship forwards?" he asked her carefully. There was no malice or derision in his voice, merely curiosity.
"Sometimes," Rose admitted carefully, knowing he was referring to their lack of intimacy and blushing. "I—I imagined it was because you didn't fancy me enough."
Jacques shook his head; "far from it, Rose. You are very beautiful and desirable. It was merely because I did not want to be second best."
"S—second best?" her voice faltered at his words.
"Yes," he replied earnestly. "Truthfully Rose, I was waiting for this to happen- for you to realise your feelings for your friend. Do not feel upset by my words but I know deep down I was always the substitute."
"Y—you were?" Rose stammered, shocked, though unable to deny it.
Jacques expression was wry. "Ever since I have met you, it has been 'Scorpius did this' or 'Scorpius and I once…' or 'when Scorpius and I…'" he smiled gently, "I do not think you were aware of it or even that all of your stories involve him in some way but it is obvious that the two of you are… how do you say it? Intrinsically linked."
Rose felt absolutely terrible that someone else who had meant a lot to her had to be the one to point this out. "I never realised…"
"I know," Jacques said matter of factly. Then he saw her upset face. "Rose, it is not your fault," he assured her. "I had a lot of fun with you. I am glad we spent so much time together and I would be telling untruths if I said I didn't hope you would have chosen me instead of him, but I just want you to be happy. That is important to me also."
"I—I expected you to be angry," Rose said, amazed at his capacity for understanding, though knowing that was part of the reason that made him a good friend too.
"I cannot be angry," Jacques sighed simply, "I have expected this since the beginning which is why truthfully I did not let myself fall in love with you. That first evening when I was introduced to your friend, I saw how he acted towards me. He was jealous, yes? He did not eat my dinner and I am an excellent chef." His voice wasn't arrogant, merely blunt and to the point as was the way with many European men.
Rose nodded slowly. "Yes," she said in a small voice, "but I didn't realise it at the time. I just assumed he was being a prat. Merlin, there are so many things I'm only just realising now. I feel so stupid for never seeing things for what they actually were- looking back he made them so bloody obvious. I just didn't fully open my eyes."
"We can still be friends?" Jacques said hopefully next, "maybe one day I could come over to England and meet the people I have heard so much about? Perhaps see the Burrow?" he looked rueful, "I will stay away from Scorpius for a while, in case he tries to hex me however. I would prefer to have my testicles intact."
Rose smiled despite herself at his good humour; "of course we can still be friends. We started as friends- maybe that was always the way we were meant to be."
Jacques smiled wickedly and tilted his head to one of Roses' family photographs on the mantelpiece; "perhaps when I come to the Burrow I can meet this cousin of yours- Lily? She and I could also be friends. GOOD friends, yes?"
Rose swatted his arm even as she burst out laughing, glad there were clearly no hard feelings between them, though she felt sad at the thought of saying goodbye to him. She would miss his naughty sense of humour and mild manner, not to mention his cooking of course. "Bloody hell! I've not even gone yet and already you're moving on!"
Jacques wiggled his eyebrows expressively as he eyed the picture of Roses' beautiful cousin; "This Lily—she does not have a male best friend who is in love with her? I will not have to fight for her affections?"
Rose rolled her eyes as she waved her wand at the kettle on the kitchen bench, boiling some water for them to have a cup of tea, "nope. Just two older brothers to deal with instead. Really Jacques, I'm hurt that you've gotten over me so fast." Her smile said everything however. Now she could have the heart to heart with Scorpius that she realised that deep down she had always longed for. Her heart fizzled at the thought.
"It was inevitable," said Jacques contritely, not wanting her to feel bad, "the second I saw you and Scorpius together, I knew I had no chance."
Rose smiled nervously, "let's just hope he still feels the same way."
"It is inevitable," Jacques insisted again kindly, and Rose realised that she was somewhat buoyed by his confidence. Optimism swelled in her as she slid the teabags into her chipped blue mugs and poured on the water.
"Well, I'll find out this afternoon, won't I?" Even as she smiled and chatted to her now ex-boyfriend, she sent out a silent prayer as she thought of Scorpius. What he could be doing now, where he was…
Please let him still love me.
HPHPHPHPHPHPHP
"Oh god…" Scorpius tried desperately not to throw up as he forced his crusty eyelids open. The room spun dangerously however and he quickly shut them once more, gripping the mattress and letting the sick feeling wash over him, breathing hard. Even his fingernails and eyelashes hurt. Exactly how much had he drunk last night?
The sickness quickly faded to be replaced by numbness instead. Gods. It hadn't been a bad dream. He really had grabbed hold of Rose, kissed her passionately, declared his love for her and then left.
He'd left.
"Merlin," Scorpius staggered to his feet, trying to let the dizzy feeling abate, though it was a futile effort. When he'd been a drunken student he'd never been able to recall his alcohol fuelled escapades or which girls he'd snogged on his campus, but now unfortunately he could recall with crystal clear clarity everything he'd said and done the previous evening, including staying up into the wee hours of the morning with his father, Roses' dad and her uncle, spilling his heart to them over copious amounts of fire whiskey.
Hot embarrassment flooded him. Roses' dad would think he was a prat.
Hells bells, even HE thought he was a prat.
"Shower," Scorpius mumbled bleakly, eyeing the clock on his bedside table which told him it was well after lunchtime and that he should REALLY be up facing the day by now, which would be all good and well if he hadn't just felt as if his head had been hit by a bludger and his mouth like he'd swallowed a pair of old socks. He staggered into the bathroom and as he stuck his head under the cold spray he tried not to think about Rose and what she could possibly be doing now. He'd said he'd give her time and he would- all the time she needed- he just needed to try and find something else to focus on in the meantime.
Dressing in the slobbiest pair of muggle jeans he could find after his icy shower, a tatty old t-shirt from his university days and not even bothering to brush his hair, he slumped bare foot into his kitchen, highly unwilling to face the day. Gods, this was like waiting for non-magical paint to dry. What on earth would he DO with himself whilst he waited for Roses' decision? It could be days yet. Weeks even. He was stumped.
A piece of parchment from his father propped up on the kitchen bench fortunately solved the second problem of the day for him:
Scorp- may I suggest several doses of pepper-up potion followed by a large, greasy fry up? I took the liberty of re-stocking your fridge when I saw you back in the early hours of this morning, though I doubt you will remember me assembling the much-needed sausages and bacon from my own pantry as you were--- how do you kids word things these days? "Off your head?" I anticipated you would have a rather sore head this morning. I do like being right as you very well know.
Love Dad.
PS; try not to worry about Rose. What will be, will be.
PPS; if you are worried about the Weasel's reaction to last night don't be. He assures me that he was very much the same when he was trying to win the affections of Roses' mum. Remind me to tell you the full tale when you are adequately sober.
With a wry smile, Scorpius followed his father's advice- attending first to the pepper-up potion which tasted completely vile, though did wake him up somewhat and took away the unwelcome feelings of nausea, and secondly locating a frying pan as he began "cooking" the most enormous greasy breakfast (or rather 'lunch') he could imagine- aided by his trusty wand of course. He was no Jacques The Master Chef he thought sourly, but as he tucked into bacon, black pudding and fried eggs with aplomb, he actually thought it was pretty good.
"Is that bacon and eggs I can smell?"
Scorpius dropped his fork in shock as he gazed into the green flames in the fireplace where Roses' head was bobbing merrily, her eyes focusing on him. He'd been so absorbed in spearing a rasher of bacon and lining his stomach with the grease dripping from it, he'd not even noticed the rush of green flame.
"Rose---" he stammered, gaping at her. "I didn't expect to see you so soon---" Understatement of the century. This was either good news or bad news, but for the life of him, Scorpius just couldn't work out which.
"Hi," she said softly, seriously. "Is it ok if I come through?"
"Um—yeah—yes—of course," Scorpius stuttered, pushing his plate to one side frantically, his appetite suddenly long gone at her solemn tone. He wondered how she was going to play this: the ball was in her court so to speak. Would she be casual? Aloof? Gods, nerves rose in his throat choking him.
"Brilliant, won't be a second." As Roses' face disappeared from sight, Scorpius realised belatedly, that he looked a complete fright. Red-eyed like one of those zombies from a muggle movie and with two days worth of stubble prickling his chin, not to mention his wet hair from the shower. Not good.
Really not good.
Aaargh! he thought, panicked, next looking down at his holey t-shirt, bare feet and grubby jeans. Rose had never seen him looking anything but supremely well-dressed in the whole time they had known each other, aside from in their pyjamas at Hogwarts or at the Burrow of course, but even then they'd been pure silk. Why did it have to be now? Grooming charm- come on, what does Meera always use to dry her bloody hair after its been raining? Think brain- think! He snatched up his wand and pointed it at himself hopefully. There was nothing he could do about the clothes but he could at least restore his hair to some semblance of respectability.
Too late. There was a roar of green flame and then Rose appeared in his kitchen grate, dusting ash from her clothes. By contrast, she looked beautiful- her hair curly and shiny and dressed in a simple white jumper and black leggings. Then again, she always looked beautiful to him.
"Hi," she said again, her voice uncharacteristically shy. "Sorry to interrupt your breakfast, but it does smell absolutely bri---" Then she noticed that he was pointing a wand at his temple and her brow furrowed in consternation. "Um… Scorp... what are you doing?" she asked, eyeing him strangely. Gods, he wasn't trying to obliviate himself, was he?
He let his arm fall limply to his side, looking crestfallen. "I look um, hung-over," he mumbled self consciously, "I didn't want you to see me looking like this. I look a mess. I've only just got up."
Rose was touched that it clearly mattered so much to him what she thought about his appearance, but like most Weasley's, her mouth had a bit of a habit of overruling her brain. "You do look like hell," she agreed tentatively, looking up at him. Then she blushed furiously; "oops. That didn't come out quite right." I should really think before speaking, especially when it's something this important. She cringed; great start Rose. Maybe I should just obliviate us both. Besides, you know you think he always looks gorgeous, even with red eyes and a holey t-shirt.
"I've been in hell," Scorpius confirmed ruefully, raking a hand through his tousled hair and thankfully not taking offence at her words. "Ever since last night I regretted just leaving you... but I didn't know what else to do. I---I suppose I panicked."
"I know," Rose said simply. "I was caught on the hop a bit myself, actually. Unexpected declarations of love and all."
Scorpius wished he didn't look such a bloody slob as his cheeks reddened considerably, adding to the overall flustered demeanour. He was a Malfoy and like his father, prided himself on good grooming, excellent robes and all that jazz. The fact that Rose was here and she was seeing him at his worst ever and in awful clothes and with unkempt hair really didn't bode well for him, not to mention their potential as a couple. Rose- whatever she'd been about to say would probably change her mind now.
"It was good that you left," Rose told him now, seemingly not noticing his embarrassment as he smoothed ineffectually at his raggedy t-shirt, "that you gave me time to make an informed decision I mean..."
"It was?" he asked her uncertainly, halting in his movements.
Rose smiled shyly, her cheeks pink; "um, dare I admit that with you around, I would have been somewhat... distracted whilst I was trying to think?"
Scorpius felt hope rising in him. She was smiling at him. That had to be good, didn't it? Not to mention that she was here a lot sooner than he'd expected which possibly wasn't as bad as he'd initially suspected. "Distracted?" he asked her anxiously, trying to steady his racing heart.
She took a step a bit closer to him. "Distracted," she repeated mildly. "You know, wanting more of those bloody brilliant kisses and all."
Scorpius' heart was in his mouth; "you mean---"
Rose was the one who took the initiative this time, by pressing her lips forcefully to his.
Wow, was Scorpius' first thought. His second was that he realised he had his answer.
...
"You broke up with Jacques then?" Scorpius asked hopefully as they finally broke apart for air.
"I broke up with Jacques," Rose confirmed softly, resting her head against his chest, "he wasn't exactly surprised, needless to say."
"He wasn't?" Scorpius was confused as he smoothed a red curl out of Roses' eyes. "He wasn't angry or anything? I would have duelled with him you know if I'd have had to---"
"Nope," Rose smiled ruefully, though the idea of two men duelling over her affections did sound rather exciting; "he said that you and I were inevitable. He knew straight away, that first night when he met you, he said. He realised it then."
"Oh," Scorpius looked baffled as he scratched his head, "well...then maybe he isn't such a bad bloke after all. I wouldn't have let you go without a fight though. And I suppose thinking back, the coq au vin he cooked was actually pretty good..."
Rose swatted his arm and dissolved into gales of laughter which he contentedly kissed away.
"I love you, Scorpius," she murmured between warm, gentle kisses as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing closer to him.
He stopped kissing her instantly, his heart racing incredulously. "Say that again," he commanded, overjoyed.
"I love you," she repeated firmly, her smile bright, her blue eyes filling with happy tears when she saw how ecstatic her words had clearly made him, hangover and all. "Um, feel like another guest for breakfast?" she gestured to his half-eaten bacon and eggs hopefully and he beamed.
"Merlin, you can eat all the breakfasts here you want," he held her close, so so glad she was here with him; "every single day. And I bloody love you too."
HPHPHPHPHPHPHP
"So, are you ready to break the news to our friends?" Scorpius asked Rose, tilting her face up to his as they paused in the alleyway at the back of the Leaky Cauldron later that evening.
"Yep," Rose beamed. She hadn't stopped smiling all afternoon and her cheeks hurt from all the grinning she was doing of late, not to mention her mouth hurting from all the excessive kissing she'd also been doing today, but she didn't care. She was just too happy to think about anything else other than how ecstatic she felt. "I think a part of me has been ready for this for so long," she admitted shyly.
He was glad to hear her say it outloud; "you and me both, love..." he dropped a soft lingering kiss to her lips and then squeezed her hand feeling his stomach bubble with nerves as he realised they were about to tell their friends they were an item at last. It was slightly daunting though exciting too. He hoped it wouldn't affect the dimensions of the group too much. "Come on, there's no time like the present..."
"They're all going to be so surprised," Rose giggled as she followed him into the crowded pub, eagerly anticipating the looks of astonishment that she knew without a doubt would be on their friends' faces.
Scorpius privately wasn't so sure- they'd all known he loved Rose and since Hogwarts no less. However, he knew they'd actually be astonished that he'd finally acted upon his feelings at last. Admittedly, he was still surprised himself.
Scorpius was also glad Lysander was here and not off gallivanting in Peru or Nepal or who else knew where, so he could tell him the news about he and Rose firsthand. Lorcan too, was visiting his parents this weekend from Edinburgh, so the whole group really was together once more. It was like fate, he thought with a happy grin. Destiny.
The same could undoubtedly be said about he and Rose.
The group of friends were sat at their usual table in the corner Scorpius noticed straight away, laughing and joking over fire whiskeys and butterbeers- Lysander in the middle of telling one of his travel stories and Meera gazing avidly at Hugo who was trying hard to appear nonchalant though Scorpius knew he secretly liked the attention from the pretty girl. Thrived on it almost. He hoped they'd get together soon, though he was hardly one to talk. It was Meera who caught sight of Rose first however and she squealed excitedly as she leapt to her feet in a swish of glamorous gold and pink robes- a patented Gohil design.
"Merlin, Rose! What on earth are you doing here? Oh it's so brilliant to see you! It's been ages!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her in a huge hug. "Look at you- you're positively glowing! Paris must be doing something right."
Rose flushed and exchanged a shy glance with Scorpius who couldn't help feeling smug at the fact as he grinned wickedly back remembering their deep kisses of that afternoon. Nope. Not unless Paris is a euphemism for... something else.
Hugo however merely looked baffled and then worried all at once as he greeted his sister with a jovial slap on the back. "Uh-oh, I didn't forget mum or dad's birthday, did I? You aren't here to hex me into next week for forgetting their wedding anniversary or something?"
Rose giggled at him as she hugged Meera happily; "no Hugo you idiot. Do I really need a specific reason to come over and see my family and friends once in a while?"
Albus, Lorcan and Phillius exchanged sceptical looks. Lysander however was looking from Scorpius to Rose and then back again, his brown eyes sharp. Scorpius was the only one who noticed him arch a quizzical brow and see the slow smile spread across his face.
Bloody hell, how did Lysander do that? Talk about perceptive.
"Budge up everyone," Lysander urged sweetly, encouraging the group to make room for the two newcomers, "I have a feeling that Rose and Scorpius have something to tell us."
Rose shot Lysander a sharp, suspicious look and then smiled, nah. He didn't know. Of course he didn't. Lysander merely smiled innocently back at her as she and Scorpius sat down.
"What's new, sis?" Hugo asked her, taking a gulp of butterbeer and gesturing for the barman to bring them over more drinks, which Scorpius visibly blanched at. He would never drink firewhiskey again.
Never. Again.
Rose looked up at Scorpius, barely containing her excitement. "You tell them," she proffered, her eyes sparkling.
Scorpius smiled tenderly at her and then looked around the table, his eyes calm as he dropped the bombshell. "We um, well, Rose and I are together now…"
Scorpius met Roses' eyes at their friends silence as they gazed around the table. Maybe it was just shock but everyone was looking completely poker faced with blank expressions.
"Together…" Scorpius prompted again dubiously; "as in… seeing each other. That's why Rose came back. She's going to look for a potioneers job over here so we can be together, she's been homesick and well," he smiled bashfully, "she's really missed me, so...." his voice trailed off as he looked from Hugo, to Albus to Meera.
Nothing. No response from them whatsoever. They'd been expecting gasps of incredulity or at least exclamations of happy surprise after all. The palpable silence was somewhat disconcerting to say the least.
The two of them exchanged crestfallen glances. "A relationship!" Scorpius finally prompted loudly, taking Roses' hand in his and entwining their fingers to get the point across. The motion of linking their fingers still sent little happy sparks through him. He wondered if that would ever fade, and found he hoped not.
Scorpius and Rose again waited expectantly to see the looks of shock on their friends faces but were completely amazed when instead, they all broke into gales of laughter.
Now it was Rose and Scorpius' turn to be shocked: laughter was certainly not what they'd expected in this instance.
"Finally!" Albus exclaimed with a huge grin, his green eyes flashing with merriment. "Ok, pay up, kiddies!"
To both of their astonishments, Knuts and galleons started being passed out freely across the wooden table top. Lorcan, Albus and Lysander seemed to be doing exceptionally well as they gleefully pocketed their coins.
"You—you bet on us?" Scorpius spluttered incredulously, finally realising just what was going on. The sickle had well and truly dropped.
"Is nobody even surprised?" Rose burst out at exactly the same time, disappointment written all over her freckled face. She'd so been looking forward to shocking everybody with her new boyfriend, but to see that no one even looked remotely surprised was rather startling in itself.
"I'm surprised…" Hugo spoke up from his comfortable seat beside Meera. Rose visibly brightened as she smiled at her little brother in relief, awaiting his response.
"…I'm surprised you managed it at this early stage in life," Hugo smirked smugly, "the way you two were carrying on, I was thinking you'd be in your mid sixties before anything actually happened between you. Hey, would you still fancy our Rosie with wrinkles and little old lady tights, Scorp?"
"Of course I bloody would!" Scorpius protested hotly about to vehemently argue with him, then he realised too late that the younger man had actually been teasing him.
Rose blushed at the stout, public declaration of love but smiled prettily as she squeezed his hand, Scorpius flushed a deep scarlet at his own evident lack of wit and everybody else burst into merry peals of laughter eyeing the two of them, supremely pleased they'd finally seen sense. About bloody time.
"To Rose and Scorpius!" Lorcan exclaimed, holding his goblet aloft in a jubilant toast; "thank Merlin for Paris!"
"Rose and Scorpius!" the others echoed, clinking their goblets happily as Rose snuggled contentedly in Scorpius' arms and he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead just relishing in the fact that he could now freely hold her close to him whenever and wherever he wanted.
HPHPHPHPHPHP
Three months later, Scorpius' flat, Diagon Alley…
"You're so beautiful…" tentative yet gentle hands stroked the bare freckled skin of Roses's shoulders as Scorpius pulled the fluffy quilt tighter around them and sank back into the sheets, sweaty and sated. His fingers contemplated the path that they now trailed and he looked down at her, smiling.
"What are you thinking?" Rose asked him softly; "you have a little worry crease, right there…" she pointed to the middle of his otherwise smooth brow, running her fingertips over it tenderly; "I thought making love was supposed to relax you…"
She was rewarded with a whimsical smile; "I was actually thinking how silly we've both been," he admitted almost wistfully as he took her hands and gently kissed her fingertips, "we could have had this a long time ago, couldn't we?" by 'this' he clearly meant the rumpled sheets and the tender way they were holding each other, amongst other things.
Rose tilted her chin as he brushed a soft kiss to her forehead in a symbolic gesture that was becoming second nature to them- this was also a conversation they'd had many times over the last few months, ever since she'd moved back over to England, thrown caution to the wind and declared her own feelings for him; "maybe so, but we got there eventually, though it's weird to think everyone else saw it happening but us…" she rolled her eyes and smirked despite herself.
It still amused Rose to think that she and Scorpius' love life had been the focus of everyone's ardent attentions for so long and they even hadn't been aware of it. All credit to their friends for not making it abundantly obvious, though she doubted she'd have believed them if they'd have said anything- she had been rather dense, hadn't she? It still embarrassed her to think of all of the times Scorpius had tried to say something and she either hadn't realised or had unconsciously put him off.
Rose wouldn't do that again. Ever.
Scorpius took a deep breath; "I am going somewhere with this," he said hesitantly, uncomfortably aware his insides were swirling with nerves. He tried not to let his panic show, knowing that he'd already done the hardest part all those months earlier in admitting his feelings for her; "Rose, when you were away in Paris…being away from you for so bloody long, it made me realise that I never want that to happen again, Merlin Rose, you were worth waiting for, but I never should have waited so long in expressing how I felt."
Rose sat up, pulling the quilt around her naked body as she eyed him with sceptical amusement, "what are you getting at Scorp?" she asked him curiously, admiring his smooth expanse of creamy skin as he reached over to his bedside table, fumbling somewhat in the cluttered top drawer. That was a sight she'd never tire of, she knew. Scorpius, being with him right now and at this very moment was worth all of the heartache, the pain of missing him, because now everything in her world made sense once more. "I'll listen this time, full attention and everything…"
Rose then studied Scorpius more closely, perplexed; "Scorp, are you ok? You're sweating…" and she didn't just think it was from the bedroom work out.
Merlin, so he was. Agitated, Scorpius wiped at the beads of sweat beading his brow, chastising himself, though undeniably he did have a reason to be nervous right now.
When he turned back to her, holding out the small velvet box, his hands were shaking and his grey eyes were more anxious than she had ever seen them. Trembling fingers lifted up the boxes lid and Roses' eyes widened to impossibly large proportions at the sight of the beautiful jewel nestled inside. Her eyes darted back to his face, utterly speechless for the very first time ever- well, the second time if you counted the night by the Seine in Paris.
"This ring… it was my mother's…" Scorpius began tentatively, swallowing hard against the nerves in his voice yet not quite succeeding in chasing them away entirely, "Rose, I love you, I have for so long now and I know this might be a little bit soon but to me it just couldn't come soon enough," his voice wobbled once more; "I um… I asked your dad for permission. I know that was the traditional thing to do…" He swallowed hard once more, wondering why she wasn't saying anything. Really, there was no misinterpreting this, was there? Maybe he needed to make this clearer. He took a decisive breath. "Um…"
Rose blinked in palpable shock, still not taking her eyes from the jewel that was now being held out to her with shaking fingers. Oh Merlin. Is this what I actually think it is? Tears of joy pooled in her blue eyes as she gazed at Scorpius, hoping against hope that it was.
"…Rose, will you marry me? Please?"
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
A/N: Aargh another cliffy, hehe. At least this was a fluffy one. I hope this made everyone happy and was worth waiting for! Cliché? Probably. What do you mean 'definitely?' Oh well, I know we were all hoping for a happy ending with these two. If you've followed the story this far, please stick around for the last chapter (the epilogue) which will hopefully be posted in the next week :)