Prompt: Annoyed

WC: 673

"Scorpius. Hyperion. Malfoy. Bugger off right now, or I really will Furnunculus you into next week. I'm never going to date your sorry ass, so stop asking."

Rose felt like she had overdone it just a bit this time, but she would do anything to keep Malfoy away from her. Every time he asked her out, Rose got even more annoyed at him. Couldn't he see she hated him?

Malfoy had slumped back to his seat next to Albus at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. Rose couldn't hear him anymore, but she could tell that he was retell img the entire encounter to Albus, who was also wearing the expression of a sad puppy.

That was another thing she was annoyed at.

She had mostly gotten over her cousin and Malfoy being friends, but what annoyed her the most was that they were both head-over-heels in love for each other and nobody else, not even Albus and Malfoy themselves, could tell.

Well, maybe Albus knew that he liked Malfoy, but Rose thought that was highly unlikely, seeing as he was as daft as a salmon when it came to feelings.

She could tell how much it crushed his heart every time Malfoy asked her out and he retold all of his experiences with her in detail the next time he saw Albus.

Rose really was pissed about how clueless the boys were.

Albus had learned to tune out Scorpius's recountings of his few experiences with Rose, who he was desperately trying to date. They all sounded about the same, with Scorpius's marching up to her and hopefully asking her out, and Rose plainly rejecting him again and again. Then he would trudge back to Albus and tell him all about it like he thought Albus hadn't heard it before. Something tiny and fragile inside of Albus seemed to shatter every single time.

Scorpius's obsession with Rose was the only thing Albus found annoying about his best mate.

So, Albus nodded his head and drowned at the correct times, and then he was always eager to change the subject to anything else, even if he was just promising Scorpius that he would pummel him again in chess that evening. Which he definitely would, by the way. Scorpius was absolutely useless at chess.

As Scorpius yammered on more about Rose, Albus found himself staring intently at his friend's mouth.

"Albus? Albus? Albus!"

Albus snapped back to attention, and he realized that Scorpius had most likely gone off script and asked him something. "Sorry, Scorp. What is it?"

Scorpius smiled at him and his heart melted and flooded the rest of Albus's body.

"I was saying, I think I might be over Rose." Albus perked up immediately. Scorpius was done with Rose Granger-Weasley? He almost missed the rest of what Scotpius was saying due to his shock.

"I guess she really does hate me. After all, I have been nagging her for a date for ages, haven't I?" Scorpius said, as if he was just coming to this revelation. Which he probably was, actually. Albus hadn't heard the specifics of what his annoyed cousin had said this specific time, but he had caught the words "Furnunculus me into next week" during when he was half listening to Scorpius.

"You just realized that, Scorp? Well, at least I won't have to listen to your retellings almost every day," Albus said, relief flooding through him to join his melted warm heart.

Albus glanced at the Gryffindor table to where Rose was sitting with her own friends, and saw her looking towards them with a relieved expression. He put the image away and decided to analyze it later.

When he looked back at Scorpius, his best mate had cracked a full-on grin for him, and Albus happily grinned back.

Maybe he didn't really have a chance at Scorpius in the near future, even if he had given up on Rose. Maybe he did.

But at least he still had their friendship, and that was enough for now.