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Close as Lovers

Scorpius waited until the two had ordered their drinks before leaving his observation spot and walking over to their table, casually snagging a seat from a nearby table to pull up to theirs. "Santana, how nice to see you again. Sorry to interrupt but my partner and I have a couple things to go over involving a case we're working on. I'm sure you understand." The Slytherin deliberately put smug challenge in his gaze, daring the man to complain about his actions.

"Of course." The Spaniard's face betrayed no annoyance, though there was a tenseness to his body that betrayed the fact that he very much disliked the idea of even temporarily sitting so close to the Slytherin.

"So what did you want to show me?" Albus asked, playing along with the ruse. Taking the folder offered to him the Gryffindor made no move to stop the Slytherin when he reached out to take a sip from his wine glass.

Raising an eyebrow Scorpius gave his partner a questioning look, acting as though the other man wasn't even there. "Since when do you drink this crap?"

Obviously the Slytherin had noticed that Santana had ordered the drinks for them without consulting him, Albus thought as he struggled to keep a straight face. "It's not that bad."

The look on the blonde's face said that he clearly questioned the Gryffindor's sanity for thinking so. "Looks like I'm going to have to take you out drinking again, Partner. Your taste buds need correcting before permanent damage is done."

"Or you just want a repeat of the last time we went out and liquor was involved." Albus shot back with a cat that got the cream smile before pasting on an apologetic smile for Santana. "And sorry, we're ignoring you, aren't we? We tend to do that, we spend far too much time together. Just let me finish reading this and I'll send him on his way."

"He's so mean to me. Good thing he makes it worth my while or I'd have ditched him years ago for someone nicer." Scorpius drawled out, giving the Spaniard a conspiratory grin as he informed the waiter who'd come over what he wanted to drink, ordering one for himself and one for his partner while he was at it.

"I heard that."

"I would be worried about your hearing if you hadn't." Damn but it felt good to really flirt with the other man in public, it was something they rarely did since they both got annoyed when people harped at them about the fact that they weren't dating yet. Not that those people were wrong, but it rubbed their faces in the attraction they worked so hard to ignore. But he could go all out tonight, Scorpius thought with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Albus looked over the papers he was pretending to review and just shook his head, knowing that look well.

Wanting to distract the Slytherin so that his dinner companion could finish reading whatever the annoying blonde had brought with him Santana turned his attention to forcing himself to have a somewhat polite conversation with the other man. "Mr. Malfoy, I don't mean to offend, but might I ask how it is that you came to be Albus's partner given the fact that the past two generations of your family did everything in their power to eradicate his bloodlines?"

"It surprises you that he's my partner instead of the man hunting me to the ends of the earth for some dark wizard deeds." A common enough question, one they'd answered countless times so that their responses were automatic and to the point. "We aren't our parents or grandparents."

Santana's skepticism was written all over his face.

Seeing that Scorpius just grinned at the Spaniard. "I'm not saying that Al and I don't inspire strong emotions in each other, I'm just saying that unlike our ancestors our feelings are of a far more positive variety."

"That's a polite way of putting it." Albus piped up.

"Isn't it just." Scorpius purred back, reaching out to take the Gryffindor's hand, slowly bringing it to his lips for a teasing kiss.

)

Much to Santana's displeasure Scorpius didn't leave when Albus finished reading over the 'important' report he'd brought with him. Instead, under the guise of wanting the Spaniard's expert opinion on the case they were working on, the Slytherin remained at the table. The foreign Auror didn't have any great insights to offer, he was of the opinion that the politicians had probably died of natural causes and they were reading too much into it. But that didn't stop the two from asking him questions and speaking to each other with words deliberately chosen to convey more than one meaning. Many of the other meanings hinted at an intimate bond, which they unconsciously reinforced simply by behaving as they always did around each other.

By the time dinner was over it was pretty obvious that Santana hated Scorpius personally and not just because of who the blonde's ancestors were and what they'd done. The Slytherin couldn't have been happier about that and it took a great deal of effort on his part not to show just how delighted he was by that fact.

When they headed out of the restaurant Albus offered to walk the foreign Auror back to his hotel before he headed back to his place with Scorpius so that they could do some more brainstorming about what angles to pursue the next day.

"I can let myself into his place and wait if you don't feel comfortable walking to your hotel alone, Santana." Scorpius offered dryly, linking his fingers behind his back as he sweetly insinuated that the Spaniard wasn't up to being left alone.

Stiffly Santana informed them that he was more than capable of making his way back to his hotel by himself. The look he sent Albus's way suggested he hoped the Gryffindor would want to see him back, but was met with cool politeness

Bidding the man good night while remaining at Scorpius's side, Albus just smiled over their tense good byes and then headed off with his partner without a backward glance, the two walking in perfect tandem.

Once they were out of the other man's hearing range Albus looked over at the blonde with a questioning look in his eyes. "So I take it you're going to follow me home like a little lost puppy?"

Smirking a little Scorpius shoved his hands into his pockets, a hint of a skip in his steps. "He's going to follow us, you know it and I know it. We've piqued his interest about the nature of our relationship and he'll want to see if I stay at your place. He thought I was there to stake my claim just like we planned, he's too arrogantly sure of himself to think that we might be looking in his direction concerning out latest homicides."

"And what would you have done if he'd insisted I see him home?" Albus asked with a smirk, enjoying the man's company and the cool night air. "You would have been stuck standing outside my door like a stalker. My neighbors might have called in the Aurors." He added with a teasing wink.

"That would have been entertaining but no, I would have just let myself in, raided your cabinets, and waited for you to return like a good little Slytherin. And given you a thorough looking over when you got in to make sure that he hadn't put a mark on you I'd need to kick his ass for." Scorpius added with a look in his eyes that suggested he wouldn't mind having that excuse to cause the Spaniard harm.

Albus wasn't surprised by that, but he was annoyed by the Slytherin's presumptuousness. "So you think my place is that easy to get into huh?" He wasn't as paranoid as his partner but he was an Auror. His place was well warded against intruders too.

The Slytherin reached into his pocket and pulled out his key ring, jingling the half a dozen keys there in a mocking manner. "I have a key, Al. Getting in wouldn't be that difficult."

Reaching out Albus grabbed the key ring from the Slytherin, studying the rings hanging from the plain silver hoop. And yes indeed, he recognized one of them immediately as his own. "How the bloody hell did you get a key to my place?"

Nimbly taking his keys back Scorpius smiled at the Gryffindor as he stuffed them back into his pocket. "You gave me a copy, remember?"

Searching through his memory Albus could only remember one time that he'd given the Slytherin the key to his place for any length of time. It had been when he'd been laid up and on sick leave for three weeks after a witch had tried to escape capture by causing the contents of a caldron to blow up all over him. Bed rest drove him crazy so he'd had his partner drop by occasionally to bring him paperwork and information so he wouldn't go nuts. Giving Scorpius a key had made sense then.

"You gave me that key back." Albus stated after a thoughtful pause, not a doubt in his mind. But that thought was quickly followed by one that answered the question of how the other man had come to still possess a copy of his house key. "You made a copy of the key before you gave it back, didn't you?"

"Yup."

Rolling his eyes Albus knew better than to try and get the key back from the other man now that he knew of its existence. And he'd feel foolish if he stole it from the Slytherin later. Besides, if Scorpius wanted a key to his place so badly…then he could have it, Albus decided as he went a little mushy over the idea.

Giving the Slytherin a little hip check Albus kept his voice normal. "Then I want a key to your place too."

"I'll have one made and give it to you."

Surprised at the quick agreement Albus wasn't going to argue. "Deal."

Slipping into comfortable silence the men had gone four blocks before they casually glanced at each other, silently signaling that they were both aware that they'd picked up a shadow. The man was good, they'd give him that, but they'd been expecting a tail and had been watching out for any signs of one. The man was giving them their space, but he was definitely trailing them.

Keeping his voice low Scorpius kept his gaze straight ahead, not a care in the world. "We never did discuss if we were going to really give him something to chew on."

The Gryffindor's voice was just as low. "What do you mean?"

"I mean do we want to give him what he's looking for?" The Slytherin answered, giving a nod of greeting as they passed people he vaguely recognized from past walks in his partner's neighborhood. "Do we push him over the edge or do we leave him hanging with big question marks in his eyes?"

Looking over at his partner after calling out good night to his neighbors Albus considered where the Slytherin was going with his question. "You think he'll actually stick around to see how long you stay at my place? You want to stay over so that he'll think we're lovers? I can't see him sticking around all night. Especially since he can't possibly be targeting me as a potential hit. My record's so clean it squeaks."

"No, you're probably right that he's either setting you up as an alibi for something big or as a gateway to the highest tiers in the political world but still…how do you want to play it?" Leaving the final decision in the Gryffindor's hands Scorpius made no move to influence his partner either way. He couldn't decide which choice was more fraught with peril to be honest.

Mentally debating both sides Albus's mind turned to what he'd said before, about how someone was a heartless coward if they didn't admit how they felt to someone. He wasn't heartless, but he was definitely a coward where the Slytherin was concerned. And the cowardly lion within him was saying that it would be damn stupid of him to play at them being lovers for Santana's sake, especially since he had no guarantee the man would even be watching whatever show the Slytherin was thinking of putting on. Even more so since he was sure to hear about how they'd behaved at dinner later. Their waiter and those nearest to them had certainly been paying their conversation plenty of attention. And he was tired, so tired, of acting like he didn't know what people were talking about when they mentioned the chemistry he and his partner had. Because boy did they have chemistry. It would take nothing really to convince anyone that they were a couple.

Not to mention the fact that he was sick of spending time with Santana.

"Let's play it by ear, shall we?"

"Sounds like a plan to me."

)

Louis was about to walk into his favorite bakery to grab some bagels for his breakfast the next day when he spotted a familiar figure coming down the street towards him with long, ground eating strides. Crossing his arms in front of him the Gryffindor tapped his foot as he waited for the hulking Slytherin to make his way over to him before speaking. "Fancy meeting you here, Goyle. Come to make me waste another muffin?"

"It didn't go to waste. It was a good muffin."

Snorting in response Louis gave the other man an exaggerated eye roll, refusing to be amused. "This time I'll throw something that explodes on impact."

"You do that." Thinking that a fight with Weasley was a damn good way to start the day Rorake headed for the bakery door, opening it for the both of them. He briefly considered giving the man a sarcastic little bow, but decided that the man was so egotistical the blonde wouldn't necessarily realize he was being sarcastic and just think he was actually bowing for him. So he just held it open and raised an eyebrow in the Gryffindor's direction.

"Thank you." Marching past the man like he owned the place Louis headed over to take his place in the line without so much as glancing back in the Slytherin's direction. But of course he was aware, how could he not be? The man was a huge, looming presence that was impossible to ignore. And they were suddenly spending a lot of time in each other's company for reasons he couldn't begin to understand, Louis thought as he pretended to study the wipe board advertising the day's specials.

There were only three customers ahead of them when Louis felt a finger slowly being drawn across his back in various shapes. Stiffening the Gryffindor didn't turn around, knowing precisely whose finger it had to be touching him. "What are you doing?" He murmured for Rorake's ears only, trying to pretend like he wasn't just a little stirred up by what the Slytherin was doing.

"I just realized how to alter Mrs. Bullregarde's lawn to incorporate all the new features she wants to add to compete with what I just did for her next door neighbor. Don't move."

Louis's fingers flexed in annoyance as he struggled to keep his voice level, very aware of the fact that they were in public and had an audience. "You're drawing someone's lawn on my back?"

"I am. But only with my fingers so relax and don't move. Your girlie jacket isn't going to get wrecked, my hands are clean."

Fuming, Louis turned around to glare up at the Slytherin. "My jacket is not girlie, FYI. Though it doesn't surprise me that you wouldn't know anything about fashion, Mr. Slytherin. Someone who apparently lives in their work clothes obviously wouldn't know style if it jumped up and bit them in the ass." And it was a pretty nice ass, especially in well worn jeans that hugged the Slytherin in such interesting places. Not that he'd noticed…much.

"Any jacket that color, regardless of cut or style, is automatically girlie, Weasley, FYI." Reaching out Rorake slid his finger down the blonde's nose, flicking it teasingly at the end. "Now be a good little Gryffindor and turn around so that I can finish what I'm doing."

And knowing better than to think that the fiery blonde would do anything just because he'd told him to Rorake shocked their growing audience by physically turning the other man back around to face front so that he'd have access to the man's back again.

Mouth opening in shock Louis didn't know what to do. There were so many ways he wanted to hurt the other man that his brain was overloading trying to decide which one to go with. None of them were evil enough!

Having a pretty good idea what was going through the Gryffindor's head Rorake just smiled and went back to touching the man's back as he pleased, having lied abut the lawn thing. He was pretty good at visualizing, but drawing a diagram on the blonde's back would be pointless. He'd pretty much been lying through his teeth about the whole landscape planning thing.

Damn but he loved stirring the man up.

Best hobby ever.