A/N: I decided to put this here, rather than in a ScoRose collection I was planning on making, mainly because it's more centred on Rose and Albus. This was quite hard to write. I seem to only have really angsty sad stuff at the moment. But, I love how it turned out!
Title: embrace
Summary: Albus finds Rose on the balcony during his brother's wedding, and she has a lot on her heart.
Word count: 1648
Genres: Family, Hurt/Comfort
Characters: Rose W., Albus P.
"What are you doing, Rose?" Albus asks, as he steps out of the crowded, heated ballroom and onto one of the terraces outside. His words come out as white puffs.
"Being an idiot," she replies. She is wearing a light, evasive blue dress. Something that won't keep her warm against the bitter cold of the winter outside. She's also smoking, gently blowing the grey smoke around, and perched on the edge of the balcony.
"Rose, you're not an idiot. You're one of the cleverest people I know. You've aced every test and exam you ever took." He goes over and joins her on the railing. Her eyes look red, as if she has been crying. But then again, maybe she has been laughing. Fred's speech about James had everyone in fits of laughter. Now that was one good wedding speech.
Rose gives him a wry smile and takes another drag. "You're too nice, Albus."
There's a long pause after that. Rose is usually all bubble and constantly chattering. The silence is unusual, but Albus knows that if lets it wait, eventually she will open up. Meanwhile, he listens to the snow slowly falling on his cousin's bare shoulders and the faint murmur of music and people laughing from the wedding reception.
"Have you ever done something really, really stupid, Albus?" Rose asks him eventually.
Albus snorts, "Of course, I have. I'm fairly sure you preciously keep a list of all the stupid things I've ever done just to blackmail me."
This should have made Rose laugh. They both know it's true and Rose likes to threaten him with it regularly. Instead, she just looks at him wearily. "No, like something so incredibly stupid, it's going to ruin your whole life."
"Umm…"
"Like," she elaborates, "Get married to some guy who had a nice smile, but only find out you didn't really love him, get drunk, have a one-night stand with a guy you've hated your whole life and then finding out you're pregnant."
Albus gives a confused laugh. "Okay, that's really specific, and makes me think that you really did do that."
Rose's shoulders slump, and she takes another drag.
"Oh," he whispers, "you really did do that."
She nods into the distance not looking him in the eye. It's all dark out in front. The light from the windows of the wedding reception illuminate the first couple of trees, but beyond that is only darkness and uncertainty.
"Do you not love Cristopher?"
She shakes her head. "He had such a lovely smile and said nice things to me. But I didn't really know him. We got married far too early."
Albus remembers his cousin's own wedding. She had been so young, and so radiant in her white dress. Aunt Hermione had been a nervous wreck, insisting that 19 was far too young to get married, but Rose being as stubborn as always had insisted that true love couldn't wait. They're now 22, three years later, at his brother's own wedding. The irony isn't unnoticed.
Rose exhales another puff of smoke. The cigarette is almost at its end.
"So, you're pregnant?" Albus asks.
She nods.
"Have you told him?"
She frowns.
"Because it's not his," he concludes.
Rose is now crying. Perfect tears drip, one by one down the side of her nose. "I've been so stupid, haven't I?"
"Well, all things considered, you've been so stupid as to smoke while pregnant."
She gives another short, wry, laugh and harshly stubs the cigarette (or at least what remains of it) on the edge of the railing. "I've been trying to stop," she confesses, "It's just so hard."
Albus nods and reaches over to gather his cousin in his arms. Neither of them is a hugger, and they haven't done this since they were 5, but it seems appropriate hear, and Rose burrows against his chest. The folds of her dress are soft in his hands. Smooth tule and glitter.
"Albus, I'm scared," she whispers against his shirt.
"You're safe here, I promise," he tells her. And it's true. He loves his cousin to death, and in his arms, she will be safe.
They hold each other in silence for a few moments, sharing their warmth, like when they were children. They've spent quite some time outside now, Albus knows they should head back in soon, lest James accuse him of abandoning him. Dinner will surely be served soon now. Sweet smells are seeping out of the window, mingled with his cousin's shampoo. Baby shampoo, he knows. Sharing an apartment with someone for a year teaches you that sort of thing.
"Don't you want to know who's the father?" she mumbles, still not looking up to him.
"Someone you've hated your whole life?" he says lightly, "Sounds ominous."
"Please, Albus. Don't joke now."
"Okay, but you know you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
She looks up at him. It's kind of strange. She used to look down, back when they were little, always being the taller one of the two. "You have to promise not to hate him."
He frowns. "Rosie, anyone who's hurt you deserves to be hated by me."
"No, you can't hate him, it's not his fault." She burrows her head again, and then chokes out: "Or maybe it is. Both of our faults. We kind of knew this was coming."
"Oh, who is it, Rose? I'll do my absolute best not to hate him." Albus is lying. Seeing Rose like this is making his blood boil. He's not someone rash, he always has a clear head when he's angry. But his cousin seems broken, something she's never been. Rose is the strongest person he knows, stubborn as a mule and always a witty remark.
She mumbles something into his chest.
"Sorry?" he asks softly.
"Scorpius Malfoy," she says a little clearer.
"Oh." Albus stifles a gasp, not to offense his cousin, but his mind is reeling; Scorpius Malfoy? His very own best friend? It makes perfect sense. He's always had the most ridiculous crush on her (despite never wanting to admit it) and Albus strongly suspects Rose feels the same. After all, the line between love and hate is always so precariously thin. Both ridiculously stubborn and proud, if either one had ever managed to admit their feelings, they might've been in the same situation but happily married.
But that is not the case. The hate never fully became love. Rose is married. Scorpius is not her husband. She's pregnant. Her spouse is not the father. She's now hurting and crying into his chest. A surge of anger towards Scorpius overcomes him. How could they have been so stupid?
But still, he remains neutral. Rose needs some help now. Flying to Scorpius in a blind rage would only cause a scene. He needs to stay with her now. Talk it through with her.
"What do I do now?" she whispers.
"I don't know," he tells her truthfully.
"I'm so, so ashamed, Albus. Don't you see? Marriage was a test too, and I failed it."
He frowns. "A test? Rose, marriage should not be a test."
"That's because I've failed it spectacularly. I've been unfaithful."
"Rose…"
"I've always failed this type of test, Albus. I failed my marriage, I failed at being your friend-"
"Rose, don't start blaming yourself for things that didn't happen," Albus corrects her.
"And don't pretend I wasn't horrible to you those first years at Hogwarts."
Albus winces; It's true there is a part of their history they don't talk about. Somehow, it always comes back to the hate between Slytherin and Gryffindor. The hate between the Weasleys and the Malfoys. History seems to always want to repeat itself, but Rose still is the victim of it.
"And I'm going to fail at being a mother," she concludes. Albus knows the front of his shirt is wet. The residual warmth from the party inside is completely gone. They only have the cold from outside now.
"No, you can't say that."
"Yes, I can!" she cries. "What is to become of this poor baby? It's not like Cristopher is going to accept it once it's born and looks nothing like him! And I can't exactly go begging to Malfoy to take care of it!"
Scorpius would definitely care for the baby, Albus knows. Quite on the contrary, he would love being a father. He has always had that sweet side of him, not that Rose has ever seen it. But he lets her weep. Mentioning Scorpius again would do no good.
"I'm so ashamed, Albus. I can't face either of them. The situation is hopeless." Her mascara is running. She looks like a panda. A strange red-headed panda. But still.
"Rose, you're the strongest person I know. So, shit happens sometimes, and no one's ever died of shame. Of all people, I know you'll be able to get through this."
"Albus…" Her eyes are full of gratefulness, but he can see she doesn't believe him. "Oh," she laughs, "Is it crazy that I love the baby already? It would have been so much easier to abort."
"It's not crazy at all, Rose."
"Why do we fall in love so easily?" she murmurs, as if to the tiny thing growing in her stomach.
The snow is still falling, and the noise inside still just as raucous. They're both shivering now, and soaking wet.
"Come on, Rose. I'm sure we'll figure this out. You can come to my place for the next couple of days and we'll do everything we need to do." He turns towards the doors. "But for the moment, we must go back and enjoy the celebration."
Rose laughs a little. "Yes, Dominique is going to murder me. I promised her I would stick with her during the evening."
Albus smiles too. "Come on, time to go."
FOR HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
House: Ravenclaw
For assignment #4: Extinct Languages – Task #2 – write about someone failing a test
For writing club; record collection: 7) casting the blame on someone
For writing club; time machine: 10) pregnancy outside of marriage
For writing club; show time: 9) ashamed
For writing club; elizabeth's empire: 19) "Why do we fall in love so easily?"
For writing club; liza's loves: 1) A wedding reception
For writing club; lizzy's loft: 25) Hurt/Comfort
For writing club; angel's archives: 3) strength
For writing club; scamander's case: 9) fear
For writing club; film festival: 6) smoking
For writing club; tv spree: 14) "okay, that's oddly specific, and makes me think that you really did do it."
For writing club; forecast: 4) hopelessness
For founder says: Helga says 5) "[name], I'm scared." / "You're safe here, I promise."
For pick a wick: 9) celebration
For build a better breakfast: 28) family reunion
For like a skyscraper: Floor 2 – 1) Hurt/Comfort
