Rose's giggle floats across the library and Albus tries not to clench his fist — the last time he'd done that, he'd snapped his quill, bumped his hand into his jar of ink, and it had tipped over. He'd spent half an hour cleaning it up, after receiving a thorough scolding from Madam Pince. He had been lucky — none of the ink had reached the books — or she'd have banned him from the library.
Now, in hindsight, that would've been the best course of action — he didn't know how much longer he could stand this.
But he can't resist the temptation. He risks a glance to Rose and Scorpius' table and catches Rose leaning over to peck Scorpius on the cheek, a red blush staining her cheeks. Albus vibrates with controlled, inexplicable anger.
He doesn't know why he's so jealous of them. Of Rose, in particular — Rose was a perfectly nice girl, she treated Scorpius well, and they were happy together.
So why does he feel like hitting something anytime he thinks of them together?
Maybe it's the unsettling feeling in his gut that tells him that Scorpius is not supposed to be with her.
"Sorry, Albus, I've got plans with Rose," Scorpius apologizes, sounding sincere. "But maybe we can hang out some other time?"
Albus swallows back an instinctive sigh. "Sure," he says mildly, hating the word and the way it tastes like acid on his tongue. "I don't mind."
"Thanks!" Scorpius flashes him a broad grin that makes Albus' heart flip in his chest. He can feel the beginnings of a blush but wills it away — but it doesn't matter, because Scorpius has turned his back, opening his trunk, and allowing Albus a moment to compose himself.
How in the name of Merlin had he fallen so hard for this boy?
"Please?" Rose begs, looking at him with large, pleading brown eyes that could tug the heartstrings of any man. Including Albus.
"Fine, I'll help you," he agrees, even though his insides are rebelling. No! Don't work with her, she's your rival!
"Thank you so much," Rose says, shoulders sagging. "I feel like an awful girlfriend for not knowing what to get him."
"You've only been dating for two months," Albus points out. "I don't think he's going to expect anything grand — he's just Scorpius. He likes the simple stuff. His father spoiled him a lot when he was a kid, so he doesn't like people spending too much money on him."
"...Wow." Rose looks embarrassed and the jealous side of Albus cheers. "Yeah, that's good. Anything else?"
He knows he could sabotage their relationship right here. This is a prime window of opportunity.
But like an idiot, he doesn't take it.
"Books," he says, exhaling. "Get him any kind of book. Any genre, any length, and he'll love it. If you can get him a boxed set of any book series, he'll be ecstatic."
"Oh, that's perfect!" Rose exclaims. "I think there was a book series he wanted — I think he mentioned it before we started dating — so I'll keep an eye out for that. Thank you!"
"Don't mention it," he replies, wondering if he'd done the right thing.
Of course he had. But for once, he wants to be selfish.
"Something wrong?" Albus ventures, after they've been sitting in silence on Scorpius' bed for the past five minutes, devouring the chocolates he'd purchased from Honeydukes.
Scorpius turns his head away, but not before Albus glimpses the look of sadness on his face.
"We fought," he says quietly. "We both said some stupid things and...she just stormed off. I don't know where she went and I really don't know if I care."
"Oh." Albus doesn't know quite how to respond to that — he hasn't been in a serious relationship before, just a casual fling here and there — but he awkwardly pats Scorpius on the shoulder. "All couples fight, right? You guys will get over it."
For a moment, he's worried that he'd said something insensitive because Scorpius is silent. But then he chuckles. "That's the thing," he says wryly. "We can't seem to get over it. It's the same cycle over and over. One of us says something, the other gets angry, and then we're shouting, and I'm just...I'm just so tired."
A flicker of hope springs alive in his chest, but Albus doesn't say anything.
"Honestly, I'm wondering, is it worth it anymore?"
Albus watches the pair by the lake. They're not arguing, just talking, and after a moment, they hug and walk away in different directions.
"Hey," Albus greets Scorpius. "How did it go?"
Scorpius shrugs. "Okay, I guess. We both agreed that it was for the best."
"Right." Albus meets his eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Better than ever, actually," he says, grinning. "I was thinking, why don't we go down to the kitchens? I missed that little tradition of ours. It's time we brought it back."
"Good idea." Albus feels warm. Everything is good. Better than good. "I bet they've missed us."
850 words
Auction - You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift
