for meet cutes day 7 - a's parent is going to jail and they're waiting in the courthouse to talk to them when they see b sobbing on a bench

for 366 words - temporary

for writing club: showtime - the crucifixion

337 words by google docs


Scorpius feels a little bit pissed. He knows that his father wasn't the best guy when he was younger, but he had thought that it all had changed when he got married and had a child.

He thought it all had changed when he had someone to stay out of jail for.

Yet now Scorpius is here, waiting to talk to his father before he gets five years in jail. He stews in his own anger for a few moments, before his moodiness is disrupted by a crying sound. Turning his head, he sees someone on a chair a few seats away from him, quietly sobbing into his hands.

"Looks like you're having a worse day than me," Scorpius says, desperate for some other human interaction.

The person looks up with red-rimmed green eyes. His brown hair looks like it hasn't been brushed for a while, and the guy's mouth is in a frown.

"What's your day been like?" the guy asks, his voice sounding hollow.

Scorpius lets out a deep sigh before saying, "My dad's about to go to jail, so I'm waiting to talk with him one last time."

The other guy shrugs, and casually says, "My dad died, so I had to get his will read."

The sentence hits Scorpius like a slap to the face. He suddenly feels guilty for being disappointed at his father leaving for five years. Yes, it's a long time, but it's still only temporary. This guy lost his father for good.

"Oh," Scorpius says, because saying that he's sorry seems so impersonal. "I'm Scorpius."

"Albus," the other guy says, giving Scorpius a sad smile. "He was sick, so I was prepared, but." Albus shrugs.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, you can talk to me," Scorpius offers. He already feels some sense of camaraderie with Albus, and he knows that he would want someone to do the same for him.

Albus looks at him, and there are tears in his eyes. "I'd like that a lot."