Title: The Summer Trials Part IV
Author: phys_nut
Beta: the faboo dwarfandelf – cheers for the help!!
Summary: Scorpius realises what's going on.
Word Count: 3,508
Pairings: AS/S
Warnings: some heavy swearing, boy x boy kissing (squee! ^^), obscure conversations, dream-zombie and a little bit of snark.
Disclaimer: none of this is mine, it all belongs to the fabulous JK and her minions
A/N: Okay, for anyone who's wondering, a blue is when you have five cards of the same suit, doesn't matter what numbers or whatever they are. It goes by different names, but this is what I call it! ^^ hope you all enjoy the chapter, it was murder getting it done! Also, i'm very VERY sorry i'm late with this, i spent all of friday and saturday trying to upload my chapter, but stupid document manager wasn't working!! but it did today thank god! so please enjoy!!
Chapter Four: Dream a Little Dream…
By the third dream, Scorpius had realised that he was not waking up anytime soon, if ever. He had spent the fourth dream laughing hysterically, feeling, and more than likely looking, mentally unhinged, given that Dream-Albus was patting his back comfortingly, a worried look on his face.
"Is there anything I can do?" he had asked, rubbing slow, soothing circles on Scorpius' back.
Without thinking, or giving himself a chance to dance about the decision, Scorpius had said, "Kiss me," which Dream-Albus happily complied with.
He had cupped Scorpius' face gently, and kissed and licked his way into his mouth as though it would banish the hysteria away. Slowly, Scorpius had felt soothed down to the core, and then dizzy from the all-consuming kiss. He had begun to kiss back, though he shouldn't have, oh Merlin he shouldn't have. Albus was his best friend, and from the fact that he had dated plenty of boys and girls, he obviously was not interested in Scorpius that way, and thus Scorpius was left to have random flings and trysts in the astronomy tower, unable to let himself become involved because none of them were Albus.
Kissing now would be a betrayal of his and Albus' friendship, even though Dream-Albus was soft and tender and more than willing and so very like his real Albus. He shouldn't have kissed him, but Scorpius had been in the midst of losing his mind, and the kiss was the most real thing he could feel. So he had kissed back, fisting Dream-Albus' shirt, clinging to him desperately, and felt a sharp tug on his bellybutton. And suddenly found himself in the next dream. He and Dream-Albus were sitting at a poker table, where George Weasley, Albus' uncle, was shuffling a deck of cards in a variety of impressive ways.
"Hullo boys," George said with a wide grin, his shuffling practically hypnotic.
"Wotcher George," Dream-Albus grinned, while Scorpius smiled and nodded.
One of the 'privileges' of being Albus' best friend was that Scorpius had become inducted into the gigantic Weasley family (albeit after a few nerve-wracking outings and dinners where everyone eyed him suspiciously…thank goodness he was excellent at smooth-talking and lavishing the appropriate people with compliments), and so knew most of them fairly well. George was by far Albus' favourite uncle, and he and Scorpius had spent many a holiday hanging out in his joke shop, testing products or helping in the storeroom. Scorpius had fallen in love with the shop and its products; it was a prankster's dream, and much to Albus' delight, he and George had taken a rather quick liking to each other.
Looking around, Scorpius realised they were in a casino – it was quite small, but very posh and rich looking, rather like his father's private casino in the manor, only that was ridiculous because why would George be working in his father's cas- oh right. Dream.
"Do you know that this is a dream?" he asked Dream-Albus, who chuckled and said, "Of course it is Scorp."
"What do you mean, 'of course it is.'? Am I supposed to be having a series of never-ending dreams?" Scorpius snapped.
"Yup," Dream-Albus grinned, "it's part of the trials."
"What trials?"
"You know what trials."
Scorpius opened his mouth to tell Dream-Albus that no, he bloody well did NOT know what trials, but quickly shut it with a frown. There was something about a trial come to think of it…a trial for him and Albus.
"Oh hell," he whispered, face paling, "The Fairytale Trials."
"Told ya you knew," Dream-Albus said smugly.
"Wait, if this is the trials, then where's Albus?"
"I'm coming to rescue you."
"Rescue me?...I'm under an enchanted sleep, aren't I," Scorpius stated tonelessly.
"Mmhmm."
"And Albus is going to rescue me."
"Yup, on my noble steed and all."
Scorpius processed this information easily, but the realisation of what was truly happening was slow to wash over him, as were all horrible realisations that one's mind refused to process.
He buried his face in his hands, not wanting to believe it, wanting to rid himself of the gripping, twisting feeling in his gut and the inevitable conclusion: he was under an enchanted sleep, while Albus was coming to rescue him, as if he was a-a-
"A princess," he moaned into his hands, "Merlin's balls, I'm a princess!"
"Technically…yes."
"Why, why? This is not what we signed up for!"
"But it's the profile that fits us best."
"WHY? HOW?!"
"Because you need to learn."
"Learn what?" Scorpius asked, hating how panic and denial reduced him to a muddling mess of stunted questions and shrieks, not at all dignified.
"Learn to believe."
"Believe in what?" Scorpius snarled, head snapping up.
He then sneered as he considered the type of fairytale he was trapped in and added, "True love? Because that's complete and utter bullshit."
"Really? Why?" Dream-Albus questioned, a strange smile on his face.
"Because I refuse to believe someone could be in love with someone who doesn't love them back!"
"How do you know I don't love you back?"
"I never mentioned myself," Scorpius replied stiffly.
Dream-Albus gave him a look, and then smiled Albus' damned SMILE, causing Scorpius' heart to stutter and his cheeks to flush.
"…Because…well—it's obvious, isn't it?" Scorpius stuttered, heart wrenching painfully.
"Is it?"
"Yes."
"I think you may be wrong."
"Oh what would you know," Scorpius scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"More than you think," Dream-Albus replied coyly.
Scorpius scowled, and stared down at the table as though willing it to explode or burst into flames. He absolutely refused to think of Albus or love or anything of the sort because this was just a dream, a fucking dream and nothing more.
"…So how do I get out of this…sleep?" he asked slowly, still staring at the table.
"You have to complete your trial through the dreams, and I have to complete mine to find you."
"Sounds easy," Scorpius muttered sarcastically.
"It can be…do you trust me to rescue you?"
"I trust Albus to rescue me, yes."
"I am Albus."
"No, you're Dream-Albus," Scorpius replied firmly, poking the teen on the chest.
Dream-Albus pursed his lips, and Scorpius just knew, that like his Albus, this one was debating whether or not to say something. Eventually he sighed and shook his head.
"Fine…just pretend I'm the real Albus then. Scorpius," he said, eyes large and solemn, as he took Scorpius' hand, "Do you trust me to come find you?"
Scorpius stared into those soulful green eyes, and was lost.
"Of course I do Albus, you know that you-" he shut his mouth with an audible click, annoyed that he had slipped and called the teen Albus.
Dream-Albus on the other hand looked joyfully happy as he beamed at him.
"Good," he breathed, "Then we're one step closer."
"Fine," Scorpius frowned, "I'll go along with these dreams. And when I wake up I will throttle Albus."
Dream-Albus chuckled and smiled The Smile at Scorpius. Damn smile was so distracting and wonderful, he absolutely must ignore it. Forcefully, he tore his gaze away and looked instead at George, who was shuffling the deck and watching them with an exasperated look on his face.
"If you ladies are done chin-wagging, we've got a game of cards to play," he grinned, waggling his eyebrows.
"Ooo yeah, I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas please!" Dream-Albus said eagerly, leaning forward in his chair.
"You got it kiddo," George chuckled, starting to deal out the cards.
"Anything from the cocktail menu sir?" a waitress asked, having appeared by the table.
"Mm, yes, I think I'll have a Screaming Orgasm please," Dream-Albus replied, with a lavicious look at Scorpius.
"Certainly. And for yourself?"
"I'll have a Manhattan," Scorpius replied crisply, refusing to be drawn into whatever game Dream-Albus was playing.
The waitress nodded and headed off, and Dream-Albus smirked, "Ooo, classy, I always liked that about you Scorp."
Scorpius rolled his eyes and picked up his cards, barely glancing at them as he looked around the casino. The place was filled with smoke and fancily dressed wizards and witches; the air rang with screams of elation and grief, the jingling of money, catcalls and prayers of winning. The greed was consuming and suffocating, at once drawing Scorpius in like an old friend, and repulsing him.
"Do we have an opening bet Albus?" George asked, having laid out the first three cards.
Dream-Albus stared at his hand and then rapped twice on the table.
"Scorpius?"
Scorpius glanced at his cards and then to the three on the table. He had two kings and there was a third on the table; too good a hand to pass up, and so he picked up two chips and tossed them on the pot. Dream-Albus paused thoughtfully, then saw his bet, and George then dealt out the next card. They continued betting and raising each other as the next cards were dealt out, and as the last card was turned over to reveal a fourth king, Scorpius went in for the kill, raising Dream-Albus a ludicrous amount. Dream-Albus met his challenging gaze head on and raised his eyebrows, a smirk ghosting over his lips. Without hesitating, he saw Scorpius' raise, and nodded towards the blonde's cards.
Lips twisting, Scorpius showed the two kings he held. His gloating expression fell away though, as Dream-Albus revealed his cards to show he had a blue.
"Albus wins," George announced cheerily, pushing the pile of chips towards his nephew.
Dream-Albus cheered and hopped off his chair, walking over to Scorpius.
"Now I get to collect my prize."
"You just did," Scorpius frowned.
"They're just chips," Dream-Albus scoffed, taking Scorpius' wrist and gently tugging him off the chair, "I want my proper prize," and with that, he gathered Scorpius into his arms.
It was just a hug. It was absolutely ridiculous that it should feel so damn good, but it smelt and felt of ALBUS, so fucking perfect and oh god oh god, don't stop hugging me Albus, Scorpius wanted to moan. Never let me go.
As with all good things, it ended far too quickly, and Scorpius was left standing, slightly dazed, as Dream-Albus slid back into his chair. Scorpius quickly shook his head and scowled as he sat back down, just as the waitress returned with their cocktails. He took a large gulp to cover up his flustered state, while Dream-Albus sipped his and looked very sly indeed.
They played another round of poker, and again Scorpius lost. Dream-Albus moved their chairs right beside each other so he could drape himself over Scorpius' shoulder. The next time he won, he took Scorpius' hand in his, and the next, he placed a soft, chaste kiss to the sensitive spot right below his ear. The whole time, Scorpius had sat completely tense and rigid, while his spine fizzled and his brain literally went 'snap! Crackle! Pop!'
"Lighten up Scorp," George chuckled, just like he always did whenever the Slytherin took something far too seriously, "Enjoy it while you can…" his voice trailed off here and he got that look in his eyes.
It was a look that Scorpius recognized – he saw it whenever a curious child asked George about his missing ear, or when someone asked about the other boy in the photo behind the counter in the shop, or during the anniversary of the war. It was a look Scorpius realised was private, and thus he did not acknowledge it, but he was always on hand with a bottle of firewhiskey during the anniversary whenever he could. George would stare heavily at Scorpius whenever he handed it over, and then grasp his shoulder firmly, giving it a squeeze before he took the bottle. It was the same thing that his father did whenever he truly appreciated what Scorpius was doing, and Scorpius felt a small surge of pride at being able to bring some measure of comfort when words were completely redundant.
"You never know when it will end…when you'll lose the person most dear to you," George whispered, throat working hard as if swallowing thickly.
He paused, gathered himself together and then smirked and added, "So go with it, no matter how rough it seems."
"Rough isn't always a bad thing," Dream-Albus objected with a wicked glint in his eyes, "After all, with me, when it's love, if it isn't rough it isn't fun."
"You must want to be particularly rough then," George winked, dealing out the cards.
"Not yet, but soon I will," Dream-Albus chuckled, smiling at Scorpius.
Between the smiles, the innuendo and George's random comments, Scorpius' head was spinning.
"I…have—nothing to, make the most of," he finally managed to grind out.
"You have everything to make the most of," Dream-Albus breathed, eyes lighting up and boring into his, so very much like his own Albus.
His expression darkened and twisted up though, as he added, "And it's not just your fault that you refuse to see it. Anyway, next round!"
Again, Albus won, and this time he brushed his lips up along Scorpius' neck and kissed him on the cheek. Scorpius closed his eyes and resisted the urge to drown in the sensation Alb – Dream-Albus was pulling from him.
"Looks like you're having a bit of trouble kiddo," a rough, but familiar voice that Scorpius couldn't place said, and a figure wrapped up in a cloak stepped up beside him.
The person nicked one of his poker chips and started messing with it, flipping it and playing sleight of hand tricks as he whistled a tune Scorpius recognized as one of his favourites.
"You gotta know when to hold em, know when to fold em," the stranger sang quietly, as if only for Scorpius, "Know when to walk away and know when to run."
Why, Scorpius wondered to himself is it that all the songs in these dreams seem to allude to some secret meaning?
It was quite irritating that he wasn't allowed to just enjoy a good song; no, he had to think about how the lyrics applied to his situation…well by Merlin he wasn't going to! Subtlety was well and all, but this was getting beyond a joke.
"What is it you're trying to say?" he sighed.
"The secret to surviving," the stranger spoke, reaching up to his hood, "Is knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep."
He pushed down the hood to reveal…George Weasley. Only it wasn't George, because he was quite young and had both his ears.
"Fred!" George said in a shocked, but pleased voice.
"George old chap," Fred grinned, moving around the table to hug his brother, "You're looking old."
"And you haven't aged a day."
"Always was the better looking twin."
"Twat."
"Mum'll always be able to tell us apart now though."
"Too right."
The twins glanced at each other, smirking wickedly, then announced simultaneously, "Polyjuice."
Scorpius didn't know a lot about Fred Weasley; what he did he had gleaned from Albus, Albus' dad, and any of the older Weasleys after they had had a few too many glasses of firewhiskey. George was the most tight-lipped about his lost twin, but Scorpius had seen the pictures, seen how they were together, mock-scrapping, arms always around each other, grinning and plotting. Quite how they looked now, heads bowed together, George looking like he'd just come home, and with the grin lighting up his face, looking all of nineteen again.
"Can we please have a reunion and play cards?" Dream-Albus injected coolly, though with a hint fond exasperation in his voice.
Fred and George chuckled and replied, "Sure thing kiddo."
Fred continued to mess with the poker chip while George shuffled and dealt.
This time Scorpius was far more cautious about betting; not knowing if he really wanted to lose to Dream-Albus again or not.
"If you're gonna play the game boy, you gotta learn to play it right," Fred said with a very meaningful look at him and Dream-Albus.
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Scorpius murmured, still hesitating over his bet.
"Every hand's a winner and every hand's a loser."
"Obviously."
"You never count your mon-"
"I'm just playing careful," Scorpius finally snapped, "It doesn't help that you're sprouting nonsense, or that his face is totally blank!" he finished, gesturing at Dream-Albus' expressionless façade.
"Can't read my poker face," the black-haired teen replied with a sudden SMILE, and it was all Scorpius could do not to throw down his cards and smack (or snog) some sense into the boy.
"That's gambling Scorp," George said enigmatically, "it's about taking risks."
"I don't want to take a risk," Scorpius replied petulantly.
"Then how can you ever hope to hit the jackpot?"
Scorpius pursed his lips, eyes dancing as he mulled over his choices. Maybe, just maybe if he took a chance…
"Fuck it," he muttered and lay down his bet.
Again, Dream-Albus won the round, and this time he placed a lingering kiss on the palm of Scorpius' hand.
"Why do I keep losing?" Scorpius complained, trying to hide his heaving breaths.
"Because you have to learn patience," Dream-Albus replied.
"I am patient…when I need to be," Scorpius amended at the look from his friend.
"It's a different type of patience," Dream-Albus said softly, "a patience with yourself, and your situation and other people. How am I supposed to find you if you don't have the patience to let me?" he finished, cupping Scorpius' cheek.
It was too much, too damn much for Scorpius to handle. He should not kiss him. (Just kiss him). No (Yes). It's wrong (But it would feel so right).
"Why should I learn patience?" he snorted, looking everywhere but at Dream-Albus.
"Love is patient," Dream-Albus replied smiled.
"Then let Love be patient, and me be Scorpius."
Dream-Albus laughed, pinching Scorpius' cheek before leaning back.
"I think you'll find they may be one in the same."
Scorpius raised an eyebrow and sneered to show how much he did NOT agree with that statement at all. No sir-ee, not one bit. Love, bah! Love is for saps and Hufflepuffs, certainly not for Slytherins and certain feelings they may or may not have for their best friend…
"As much fun as this is-" George began in a bored voice.
"-fancy a game of two on two?" Fred finished, leaning on the table.
"Sure," Dream-Albus grinned, before Scorpius could open his mouth, "Me and Scorp will kick your arses."
"We'll see about that," the twins grinned in reply.
As Fred and George got themselves ready, Dream-Albus turned to Scorpius and said in a low, conspiratorial voice, "Wanna learn how to hustle?"
"You know how to hustle?"
"No, but you do."
"I do?"
"Yes…but no. In this dream you don't, but really you do, and so, I do too."
"I'm not sure what you're talking about."
"C'mon Scorp, sure you do! You've been hustling Slytherins at card games since first year."
"…I have," Scorpius smiled, suddenly remembering, "I've made a life out of readin people's faces, and knowin what their cards were by the way they held their eyes," he quoted, a personal motto of his.
"Exactly. So, hustling?"
"Okay, teach me."
Dream-Albus beamed and shifted close, so that his face was nearly on top of Scorpius'.
"You look down, they know you're lying, and up, they know you don't know the truth. Don't use seven words when four will do. Don't shift your weight, look always at your mark but don't stare, be specific but not memorable, be funny but don't make him laugh. He's got to like you then forget you the moment you've left his side. And for God's sake, whatever you do, don't under any circumstances…" Albus trailed off, noticing the twins trying to eavesdrop.
'Don't under any circumstances what?' Scorpius meant to ask, but he instead found himself leaning in and kissing Dream-Albus. The boy made a surprised noise and enthusiastically kissed him back. It was so good, so bloody brilliant, the feeling of Alb-
"No," Scorpius gasped, tearing out of Dream-Albus' embrace, "No, no. I-I can't, can't."
"Please Scorp," Dream-Albus begged, hands reaching out to run over his face, neck, shoulders, "I need it, you need it. Please, please give me what you need."
In a way, these dreams were like hitting the jackpot, Scorpius realised, thoughts of taking a risk and gambling and Albus, Albus, ALBUS racing through his muddled mind. But it was a bitter, tainted jackpot: this was not Albus, this was a Dream-Albus, a concoction of his imagination, dreams and dearest wishes. Nothing he could ever have.
"Take a risk Scorp," Dream-Albus panted, as though reading his mind, "Take a risk and then be patient."
Dream-Albus' hands twisted in Scorpius' hair, the raven-haired teen's cheeks were flushed and his eyes glazed.
"Albus," Scorpius groaned and fell forward, crashing their mouths together.
As they kissed, Scorpius felt a familiar tug on his bellybutton, and he switched dreams in a blinding flash of light.
***
A/N: so there we go!! What do you think?? PLEASE REVIEW THEY ARE MY LOVECHILDREN!!! :D next chapter: albus heads off to yet another country, hooks up with luna (not in that way!) and takes on the next part of his trial!