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Chapter Text

1. Sitting in the Owlery

Scorpius took a breath, heart racing, breath frosting out into the air inside the Owlery. He was going to do it. He was finally going to tell Albus...but first they had to deal with the Time-Turner. Of course they had to. It was only logical. After all, he had just come back from a reality even worse than his greatest nightmare caused by said Time-Turner, so the Time-Turner had to be dealt with first. Obviously. Scorpius was totally not panicking even more over telling his best friend in the whole world that he cared more about than life itself that he was gay. 

Gay. Scorpius marveled. What a funny word, with old French roots. He was French, actually. On his dad's side. He tested it out in his head, saying it aloud in his thoughts. Gaaaay. Gay. Gayyy. Gay. Gay. Gay. It was kind of fun to say, with a hard consonant at the beginning, and a nice "ay" sound to round out the word.

Realizing his mind had wandered, Scorpius snapped back into reality. The Time-Turner, of course. It had to be dealt with. Immediately.

Clearing his throat and glancing at Albus, Scorpius said, "So I think a simple Confringo."

Albus shook his head, replying, "Definitely not. For something like this you need Expulso." Despite holding the most dangerous contraband item quite possibly ever in his hands, Scorpius couldn't help but look away from it to watch Albus' perfect pink mouth scrunch in concentration of thought. Stop it Scorpius, he chided himself. Focus on what's important.

Scorpius furrowed his brow in disagreement, mirroring Albus, and retorted, "Expulso? Expulso and we’ll be clearing bits of Time-Turner from this owlery for days." It simply wouldn't do. They'd be found out immediately, and then probably expelled for good this time. With his dreams of following in Hermione Granger's footsteps as Minister of Magic, getting expelled from the best wizarding school in the world simply wouldn't do. Plus, he'd be separated from Albus, which would be even worse.

"Bombarda?" Albus helplessly suggested.

Scorpius' eyes widened, internal alarms going off in his head at the spell's name, whisper-shrieking, "And wake up everyone in Hogwarts?"

No, that wouldn't do either. He thought it out a bit more, and said, "Maybe Stupefy. They were originally destroyed using Stupefy." Stupefy was a good spell. Useful. It would get the job done.

Albus rolled his eyes and shook his head, dark hair flopping over his forehead, saying, "Exactly, it’s been done before — let’s do something new, something fun." Scorpius cracked a small grin. Just like Albus to want to be original and try the never-before-done task. It was what had gotten them into this mess, but then again, Albus was Albus. And Scorpius could never say no to Albus.

Still though, they had to make sure the Time-Turner was gone for good. "Fun?" Scorpius replied. "Look, many wizards overlook the importance of choosing the right spell, but this really matters. I think it’s a much-underestimated part of modern witchcraft," he added. Maybe if Minister of Magic didn't pan out, he'd go into spellcrafting. That seemed like fun, and now that the danger from their adventures were over, Scorpius was looking forward to getting back to classes and eventually taking his OWLS again.

They both sat in silence, mulling the spell prospects over.

While going through a list of destruction spells in his head, Scorpius' thoughts drifted once again. This time, to Albus.

Albus' hair. Albus' eyes. Albus hated his green eyes because they made him look like his dad, but Scorpius liked them. They were a very particular shade of green. If he had to rank his favorite greens, it would be Albus' eyes, then Slytherin green. Albus' smile. Albus' laugh. Albus. Albus. Albus. You know what, now that Scorpius really thought about it, Albus was quite attra-NO. Scorpius internally yelled. NO. NO. NO. He would NOT be crushing on his straight best friend. That was an absolute cliche, plus there was no way Albus would ever like him back...would he?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts. Scorpius turned back to the other subject at hand. How to tell Albus he was gay. Bollocks, the Time-Turner would get sorted eventually, and they were safe at Hogwarts and had all the time in the world. However, Scorpius coming out to Albus could not wait. He could feel his bravery slipping, and he knew he had to tell Albus NOW, or he would lose his courage and never say anything to Albus ever again. Well, that wasn't true. But he'd have to gather enough courage AGAIN to tell Albus his secret, and he was running on too much midnight adrenaline to lose momentum now.

Scorpius turned to Albus, about to blurt out an "Also, Albus, by the way, I'm gay," before the worst possible thing happened.

Delphini Diggory, Albus' blasted crush showed up. Scorpius cursed himself internally for thinking that they had all the time in the world at the Owlery, glaring up at her smiling, obnoxiously objectively attractive face.

“A much-underestimated part of modern witchcraft — you two are the greatest, you know that?" she grinned. Albus positively glowed, and Scorpius' courage vanished.

He would try another time.

Chapter Text

2. Scorpius' Meltdown

Scorpius hated meltdowns. He always did. They had gotten worse after his mother died, and now they had become almost unbearable after he experienced the horror of the Dark alternate wizarding universe.

His mother was always had always been the one who was there during his meltdowns, since his father wasn't much good at it. Astoria would sit in the corner of Scorpius' room as he rocked back & forth on his bed, softly singing his favorite childhood songs in French until he stopped sobbing & screaming and was ready to be touched again. Usually once the rocking stopped, she would sit on the edge of his bed, gently coming her fingers through his hair and making tiny plaits. Scorpius would eventually curl into her lap, often falling asleep due to the exhaustion the meltdown brought on. "It's okay Scorpius," she would whisper. "You're with me, my star. You're safe here. Don't worry, my darling."

Of course, just like that, she was taken away from him. She was gone. And once she was gone, Scorpius was faced with dealing with his meltdowns alone. He still remembered in vivid detail his first meltdown after she passed, the one the day after her funeral. He had shivered and cried in the solitude of his room, tearing his hair and furniture apart. Scorpius only fell asleep after eight hours of uncontrollable shaking. While he was asleep, unbeknownst to him, Draco came in to "reparo" his broken dresser and torn sheets. From then on, they had an unspoken agreement. Scorpius would have his meltdowns by himself, his father would fix the physical damage, and they would go on the next day as if nothing had happened.

As much as he had tried to hide them from Albus at first, Albus eventually found out about his meltdowns. Scorpius expected Albus to leave him or make fun of him, but instead, Albus became his rock, helping him hobble to the Room of Requirement when a meltdown started (which had by their second year created a sensory-friendly, padded meltdown room for Scorpius) where they would sit until Scorpius calmed down or fell asleep.

Being a fifth year by now, Scorpius had a pretty good handle on predicting his meltdowns, so they no longer snuck up on him. He especially knew he could not have a meltdown today of all days, as today was the day that he had marked on his calendar to come out to Albus an entire month ago.

One chilly night in February, Scorpius awoke from a nightmare of losing Albus once again. Waking up on the verge of screaming, Scorpius knew then and there he had to tell Albus the truth. At precisely three in the morning, Scorpius circled April 20th on his calendar, and started to plan how he would do it. He had spent the past months dropping subtle hints like, "Oi, did Roberts have a growth spurt?" and "Albus, don't you think Davies' hair looked good today? Wonder what product he used." It had taken him the month to fully gather the courage and 'prepare' Albus for his confession, but he was finally ready.

However, April 20th started horribly. He and Albus had woken up late, and the kitchen elves ran out of brioche toast (Albus' and Scorpius' favorite breakfast), so both of them were in a right mood. Just to add the cherry on top, Polly Chapman had gotten the half of the Gryffindor fifth years to call him "The Son of Voldemort" once again. It was a shit day made worse by heckling and slurs, but Scorpius was determined to not let that deter him from coming out to Albus. Nevertheless, unbeknownst to him, Scorpius had fallen into such an anxious spiral that he failed to notice his hands starting to shake erratically and his breath becoming shallow while they were making their way down to the Charms classroom, the telltale signs of his meltdowns.

"Oi, Scorpius," Albus said worriedly, noticing his shaking hands. "You alright? Do you want to go to the Room of Requirement, and skip Charms?"

"I can't," Scorpius nearly wailed, starting to wring his hands and tap his chest. "OWLS are far too soon, and you hate having the relearn what we miss in Charms on our own, and-"

"Mate," Albus smiled, cutting him off. "Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself, alright? Now, let's get you to the Room of Requirement." Albus reached out a hand, which Scorpius promptly smacked away.

"So-sorry," Scorpius panted, starting to hyperventilate and tear up, hands flapping as he backed up from Albus. He had hit Albus. Not Albus. Not lovely, lovely Albus. Lovely Albus hadn't done anything wrong, it was Scorpius who was being wrong. All wrong. Bad, bad, bad. Bad. "It-it's j-just, I h-had something t-to tell y-you a-and I-"

"Scorpius," Albus interrupted again, no longer smiling. "It's okay. C'mon. You can tell me later, just, we've just got to get to the Room, okay?"

Scorpius tried to nod, only for his body to start convulsing and his thoughts to double in speed. "Okay," Albus said hurriedly, noticing Scorpius' meltdown worsening. "I'm so, so sorry, I know you hate being touched mate, but we've got to get you to the Room of Requirement." Without saying another word and ignoring the oncoming stares from second year Hufflepuffs in the corridor, Albus picked up Scorpius bridal style and sprinted as Scorpius started sobbing and shaking into his shoulder. Chest heaving from effort, Albus ran from the fourth floor to the seventh floor of Hogwarts as fast as he could, nearly tumbling forward once they made it into the Room of Requirement.

Albus quickly set Scorpius down onto the cushions in the middle of the room before backing up to give Scorpius space, but not before Scorpius squeaked out a word, still shaking.

"Stay."

"Alright," Albus whispered. Moving slowly as to not spook Scorpius, Albus settled into the cushions next to Scorpius.

Scorpius hated Albus seeing him like this. He had no control over his movement, barely any control over his thoughts, and he wished more than anything during moments like these that he hadn't been born this way. He hated his meltdowns, he hated that he had asked Albus to stay, he hated how weak he felt, he hated that he didn't succeed in coming out to Albus like he'd planned, he ha-hated, hated, hated. Hated. Hated. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Me. Hate. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.

"Hey," Albus cried, grabbing Scorpius' hands, as Scorpius started to tear at his hair and scream while rocking back and forth. "Try not to grab your hair, Scorpius. It's okay. I'm here, alright? We'll get through this together. I'm right here." At Albus' touch, Scorpius' movements softened and his screams died down, as his body returned to only rocking back and forth.

"I'm right here," Albus murmured, using the edge of his robes to wipe Scorpius' face. Leaning into the touch, Scorpius laid down on Albus' lap, too tired to care anymore. As Scorpius felt himself falling asleep, he swore he could hear Albus humming and gently braiding his hair.

Two hours later, Scorpius woke up. 

He immediately shot upright, mortified at falling asleep on Albus and pinning him down for two hours. "Albus, I am so, so sorry," Scorpius said, immediately moving away from him. "You should have just shoved me off or something, and Charms, we've missed Charms-"

"Scorpius," Albus interjected, running his hands through his hair sheepishly. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're okay, and frankly, I'm glad we missed Charms. Flitwick can lecture me to sleep sometimes," he laughed. "Now, you must be hungry mate, you didn't have much for lunch. Let's go get you washed up properly and head to the Dining Hall, yeah? Maybe the elves finally have more toast." 

Nodding, Scorpius stood up and got ready to leave, but not before realizing his astronomical goal of the day had still not yet been accomplished. Right. He still had to do that. He had to come out to Albus. But now, his plans were ruined. They were supposed to go to Charms, then study in their room, and then Scorpius would tell him, "Hi Albus, I know we've been best friends for years and nearly died for each other, but I've been hiding the fact that I'm GAY from you this WHOLE TIME." It had all gone wrong, but perhaps there was time to fix it still-

"Scor-pi-ous," Albus sing-songed, ruffling Scorpius' blond hair. "Hello? I can see you spiraling. Come on, let's get some food in you, and you'll feel better, I promise."

Dejected, Scorpius responded, "Okay." He was still emotionally drained from the meltdown, so the coming out would just have to wait. Farewell to the month of careful planning.

As they walked out of the Room of Requirement, Scorpius lifted his hand to his hair, having felt something odd when Albus had touched it. Running his hand over the top of his head, Scorpius' careful touch immediately registered what was there. Plaits.

Chapter Text

3. Dinner with the Potters, Malfoys, and Granger-Weasleys (Dear God Help)

Over the summer between their fifth and sixth years, Scorpius and Draco were invited to a Potter family dinner. Who would have ever thought? 

The dinner was originally to celebrate Albus and Rose having finished their fifth year and OWLS (without Albus almost ending the world this time), but on account of Scorpius being Albus' best friend, Albus insisted on including Scorpius in the family event. After all, Albus had protested, both Scorpius and Draco had been instrumental in defeating Delphi just a year ago, so they really ought to be included in the celebration anyways.

That was how at precisely 7pm in the middle of June, Draco Lucius Malfoy and Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy ended up on the front steps of the Potter household with a bouqet of flowers picked from the Manor gardens and a bottle of aged firewhiskey fetched from the Manor cellars. An hour earlier, Scorpius had been agonizing over what to wear before realizing his father, no, dad, he would start using dad, had decided to go with a casual outfit composed of a polo shirt and slacks. Before he made them both late, Scorpius instinctually grabbed his go-to casual outfit as well, a white t-shirt and dark green jeans, Albus' favorite outfit. Or, at least, Albus always complimented him when he wore it. So, Scorpius concluded. It should be good enough for the rest of the Potters and the Granger-Weasleys.

Flowers and wine in hand, both Malfoys anxiously took a deep breath for apparating (Scorpius side-along to Draco) to the Potter house. The outside looked average, no indication that the Saviors of the Wizarding World were currently inside, but it radiated with a warmth that Scorpius looked forward to every time he visited.

"It's okay to be nervous Dad," Scorpius grinned, silently chuckling a bit at Draco's extremely anxious figure.

"You called me Dad," Draco said with surprise, turning to look at Scorpius.

"Oh, yeah," Scorpius muttered, digging his hands into his jean pockets. "I thought maybe, y'know, it would help us get closer, or at least the Mind Healer, Healer Dave, you had me start seeing last year said that it could help us bond, with, y'know, generational trauma with Grandfather taken into consideration, and-"

"It's fine, Scorpius," Draco replied with a small smile. "I quite prefer it to 'father,' actually."

"Great. Wonderful. Thanks. Thanks Dad," Scorpius said cheerfully, dragging Draco along as they went to knock on the front door.

Before Scorpius knew it, he had been dragged inside by Albus to team up for several rounds of Exploding Snap against Rose (who won almost every time), and then they were all sitting around the Potter dinner table. Scorpius was nervous at first, having never eaten dinner with his dad with the Potters AND the Granger-Weasleys. However, to his surprise (and Draco's), conversation went smoothly. Draco and Ron both made snide quips about each other, but on the whole, it was a civil and pleasant dinner sprinkled with laughter and "Pass the butter, would you?" Scorpius thought the conversation was safe, until Ron (being Ron), decided to take the conversation they were having about Quidditch in a different direction.

"So, Scorpius," Ron grinned, ginger eyebrows waggling. "Got any girl you fancy? Do tell the group."

Scorpius turned beetroot red up to the roots of his hair, nearly choking on a potato he'd just swallowed. In the same second, Albus knocked his water glass over in an effort to thump Scorpius' back to get him to stop chocking, spreading water everywhere.

"Albus," Harry scolded, waving his wand to clean up the water, while Scorpius coughed and gave a thumbs up saying "thank you" to Albus. "That's the second time this week."

"Sorry dad," Albus replied. "Just helping Scorpius avoid dying by potato."

"Well, he hasn't answered the question yet," Ron nagged. "C'mon, it's just us."

Right, thought Scorpius. Just us. Just the Saviors of the Wizarding World including the Minister of Magic and Head of Magical Law Enforcement, not to mention his own dad. "Uhhh," Scorpius muttered, blush only slightly receding as he tried to distract himself by cutting up the steak on his plate. "No. No. No one," he squeaked, stuffing a piece into his mouth.

"C'mon Uncle Ron, bugger off," Albus groaned, noticing Scorpius' discomfort.

"Well, he can tell us later then. What about you, Al?" Ron said jovially, gleefully finding his next target.

"It's Albus, Uncle Ron," Albus glowered, pushing his peas across the plate. "And no. There's no one. Ask Rose, why don't you. Leave us alone." He turned to Scorpius, now slightly concerned, since Scorpius had clearly become hyperfixated by creating a tower of roasted potatoes on his plate to distract himself from Ron's question. Upon a questioning glance of "Are you okay?" from Draco, Scorpius nodded, but continued to pile his potatoes into a higher tower.

"Ron, really, don't aggravate the kids," Hermione said, flashing an apologetic smile to Scorpius and lightly punching Ron in the arm.

"Ah," Ron winced in fake pain. "I'll stop, I'll give up! You've got a mean punch, 'Mione."

"Right hook too," Draco added, letting a small smile crack.

"Wait, what? You punched Uncle Draco, Mum?" Hugo gasped. "When? Where? How? You always said you don't condone physical violence! Wait, seriously, how?"

As the table went into an uproar as Draco began recounting the tale of How Hermione Granger Rightfully Punched Draco Malfoy In the Face After Draco Said Some Very Bad Things, Scorpius slipped outside, still thinking about what Ron had said earlier. Albus, seeing Scorpius leaving, quietly got up and went after him.

Finding Scorpius sitting on his bed in his room, Albus knocked on the door, whispering, "Hey Scorpius. You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Scorpius whispered back.

"Well, if you're worried about your dad fitting in, Hugo called your dad Uncle though, so that's good, right?" Albus grinned. "And I think Uncle Ron will come around soon too, he can just be a stubborn git sometimes."

"Yeah," Scorpius grinned back, fiddling with his hands. "It's just, what Ron said earlier...it just threw me for a loop a bit."

"I'm sorry Scorpius," Albus grimaced. "Like I said, he can be quite a git sometimes, I'll talk to him so he doesn't bring it up-"

"No," Scorpius interjected. "It's fine. Really, it's just...Albus, it's just..." He could do this. Scorpius could do this.

"It's just what?" Albus inquired, head tilting like a puppy. 

"I'm," Scorpius faltered. Albus, I'm gay. I've known for years and I haven't told you, but I'm gay. "I'm just quite tired, actually. Stayed up too late reading a new book." Not doing it today then, Scorpius ruefully thought.

"A new book, huh?" Albus grinned, sitting next to Scorpius and gently nudging him while saying, "Not Hogwarts: A History again, finally!"

Leave it to Albus to always lighten the mood when he needed it most. "Hey," Scorpius giggled, pushing Albus back. "Hogwarts: A History is a masterpiece in nonfiction, and Bathilda Bagshot is-"

"A genius," Albus laughed, interrupting. "I know, I know. 'She's one of the greatest writers the Wizarding and the Muggle world have ever known.' Should have told Uncle Ron that that was the girl you like."

"Yeah, right," Scorpius laughed, dissolving into hysterical giggles. 

They both ended up laughing and talking with each other for the rest of the evening without Scorpius even realizing he had left his poor dad alone, but Draco had in fact found himself enjoying the night much more than he expected. He even managed to bond with Harry Potter himself over their shared neutral opinion on firewhiskey, despite Ron's love for it.

As Albus and Scorpius exchanged quips and stories from the summer, Scorpius still found his mind wandering back to what Ron, Uncle Ron, had said earlier. "Got any girl you fancy?"

"Well," his inner voice replied. "No. But there's Albus."

With that, Scorpius' entire world clicked into place.

He liked Albus.

He had always liked Albus, from the first day they met on the train and Albus took one of his sweets.

Scorpius expected his self doubt and self hatred to start attacking him, but instead, his mind was surprisingly quiet. It would be okay, Scorpius thought.

He knew it would be okay no matter what because Albus would always be there for him. Despite whatever he was, or whoever he liked, Albus would be there. Like he'd always been. Looking at Albus' beautiful laughing face, green emerald eyes, sprinkle Weasley freckles, and wild waves of Potter hair, Scorpius knew deep down that it was going to be okay. It was always going to be okay. He would be okay, and they would be okay.

He still had to tell Albus he was gay though. Eventually.

(And maybe, if he felt brave enough, Scorpius would tell Albus that he liked him too.)

---

3.5. Bonus Epilogue!

"Oh come on," Rose groaned, rolling her eyes after Scorpius and Albus hadn't returned for several minutes. "Albus still hasn't figured it out? And Dad, that was massively uncool. Really, asking a poor kid who you just met who they fancy?"

"Sorry Rosie," Ron said ashamedly. To both their credit, Ron turned to quietly apologize to Draco for setting off Scorpius, and Draco patted his back with a semi-forced smile to accept the apology.

"Figured what out?" Harry inquired, as Ginny elbowed him. "Ow, Gin!" he grimaced, as Ginny shot him a glare as if saying "Seriously, Harry?"

"No," Draco sighed, spearing a roasted potato on his fork. "If I'm honest, I'm at quite a loss for Scorpius too. He still hasn't told me, although I'm sure he himself knows."

"Knows what?" Ron egged on. "Ooh, are they fighting over a girl, and Albus doesn't know that Scorpius likes her too, and-"

"Shut up, Dad!" Rose groaned at the same time Draco said, "Do shut up, Weasley." Stunned at their twin outburst, Ron's head swiveled between the two, eyes bulging and expression agog.

"You know what, Weasley," Draco smirked, enjoying Ron's clear outrage and discomfort. "I may find you intolerable, but your daughter is quite alright. Quick-witted. She get's it from Hermione, I suppose."

Hermione sighed, as Ron's face only turned redder and his mouth started to form a half-baked insult. "Ron, don't you start." Hermione chided. "Not when we were just getting you and Draco to be civil to each other. Draco, you too. Now, Ginny, what is it that you were saying about potential Quidditch rosters for the upcoming season?" 

"Excellent question, Hermione," Ginny grinned, relieved to be changing the topic from her poor son in the other room. Ginny, Hermione, Rose, and Draco began a lively conversation, all the while Harry and Ron sat (although, for different reasons) in dumbfounded silence.

Chapter Text

5. Albus Beats Him To the Punch

"Hey Scorpius," Albus said hesitantly after Potions class. "Can we talk?"

“Of course,” Scorpius said, packing up his textbook in the new dragon leather, custom spell-proofed satchel his dad had gotten him for his birthday. He’d been the victim of so many vicious bag-splitting pranks over the years, so thankfully those had finally stopped thanks to his new bag. “What’s up, Albus?”

“Just, I have something to tell you,” Albus said nervously, fiddling with his tie.

“What?” Scorpius inquired, as they walked out the classroom. He observed Albus closely, watching Albus run his fingers through his hair repeatedly. “You seem nervous Albus. You can tell me anything, you know that, right?”

“Yeah,” Albus nodded, cracking a slight grin. “It’s just, this might come as a shock.”

“Albus,” Scorpius replied. “Whatever it is, I promise you it’ll be fine. We have quite literally been through hell and back with Delphi.”

“You’re right,” Albus sighed. “Just, can I, maybe, just tell you in the dorms? We’re nearby and I wanna pick something up.”

Scorpius knew Albus well enough by now to know that he was clearly wanting to go to the dorms to get some privacy, but was too embarrassed to say so. “Albus,” Scorpius chided slightly. “If you want to go somewhere private, all you have to do is ask,” he whispered in Albus’ ear.

“Uhh,” Albus stuttered, blush reaching his dark brown Potter curls at the same time the sentence’s implication reached his brain. “Scorpius, you know that has, a, uh-“

“OH,” Scorpius squeaked, turning red as well. If it was possible for someone's whole head to turn red, Scorpius was sure he was entirely bright tomato at that point, from the tip of his chin to his hair. “No no no, I DID NOT mean it like that. Absolutely not. Not at all. I sincerely apologize," Scorpius coughed. "Well, unless, ah, uh, NEVERMIND," he squeaked again. "Let’s just get to the dorms now, shall we? Excellent then!”

Turning immediately on his heel before he embarassed himself again, Scorpius high-tailed it to the dorms nearby, hoping Albus would just follow him to their room.

As soon as he reached the dorms, he flopped onto his bed, which was right next to Albus’. They technically used to have roommates, but after Carl Jenkins’ death, everyone else hadn’t wanted to room with them. Exhausted by the events that had just passed at the time, Headmistress McGonagall had simply granted their request without a second thought, and now Albus and Scorpius lived together by themselves.

Scorpius groaned into his pillow right as Albus entered, almost falling over while laughing, as he said, “Scorpius, you are hilarious, did you know that?”

“Leave me alone, I’m wallowing in my embarrassment,” Scorpius’ muffled voice said.

“C’mon Scorpius, it could have been much worse. What if it was James or something? At least it was me,” Albus guffawed.

“Don’t make it worse,” Scorpius groaned, throwing his pillow at Albus.

Albus caught the pillow, sitting down on his bed next to Scorpius.  Their beds had originally been across the room from each other, but after having a week of nightmares where they’d wake up screaming and sit with each other anyways, they had unspokenly decided to move them together at the center of the room one morning. Hogwarts itself, being the intelligent castle it was, kept the configuration, and even managed to move their nightstands by their beds while they had class that day.

Hearing Albus’ laughter die down, Scorpius sat up, platinum blond hair sticking up in every direction. “What were you going to tell me again?” he asked, remembering how he had gotten into this mess in the first place.

“Ah, about that Scorpius,” Albus said hesitantly, before pausing for a moment.

Waiting patiently, Scorpius encouragingly looked at Albus, until Albus blurted out, “I’m pansexual.”

With those words, Scorpius temporarily short-circuited. All he could compute was what was visually in front of him: Albus Severus Potter, his best friend and the most beautiful boy in the world. He had hair and eyes like his dad, but freckles and a charmingly crooked smile like his mum. Albus. Albus, his best friend of all time. Albus, who was surprisingly fit, but always slouched in class. Albus, who lit up answering questions during Transfiguration and fell asleep in Potions. Albus, who could never quite tie his Slytherin tie correctly, so he always did it for him. Albus, his best friend.

Albus was pansexual. Albus was not straight. 

Scorpius was gay. He was not straight. 

He knew Albus was not straight, but Albus didn't know he was not straight.

He really, really liked Albus.

He didn't know if Albus would ever like him back, but now he had a chance.

"Scorpius?" Albus said, waving his hand in front of Scorpius' blank face. "Are you alright? Look, if you, you know, don't feel comfortable with me anymore because of traditional Pureblood values or something-"

"Albus," Scorpius interrupted. "I don't feel comfortable with anyone but you. You are my best friend, and will always be my best friend. I love you unconditionally." With his last sentence, Scorpius' breath hitched in his throat. He didn't mean to say it, yet it jumped out of his mouth before he could help it. He did love Albus, as a friend...and also more than a friend. He had to tell Albus now. Albus, I'm gay. I'm gay, and I've think I've always been a little bit in love with you, but I didn't fully realize it until this year. Scorpius opened his mouth, but not before Albus spoke. 

"Oh, okay, thanks mate," Albus sighed with relief. "Love you too," he smiled, hugging Scorpius.

Scorpius hugged him back, but his heart still sank a little. 

Albus was pansexual, and now he knew Scorpius still loved him.

Albus still didn't know Scorpius was gay, and that Scorpius loved him. Truly loved him, in a more-than-a-friend way.

Chapter Text

5. Part 1: Two Weeks Before Sixth Year

Scorpius was determined to finally come out to Albus before sixth year started.

It had been long enough. He'd tried in the Owlery, but then Delphi came along and almost destroyed the world. He'd tried in class after planning it out for months, but then had a meltdown. He tried over a family dinner, for Merlin's sake. He tried after Albus came out to him, and failed even then.

Scorpius was sick and tired of being closeted to his best friend, so this time, he was going to make a quick, hopefully foolproof plan that he would follow through on no matter what. Chewing on the end of his sugar quill, Scorpius wrote down the following in the journal Mind Healer Dave had gifted him:

My Coming Out (to Albus) Plan

Step 1: Ask Albus if he could come over to the Potter household for a sleepover the week before school started, since Dad is travelling to France for a weekend to visit Grandmother.

Step 2: After dinner when they were hanging out, ask Albus if they could talk about something serious.

Step 3: Immediately assure Albus that everything is okay and Scorpius himself is not in danger, since Albus is very much a worrier.

Step 4: Jump straight to the point and say verbatim, "Albus, I'm gay."

Step 5: Avoid the urge to run out of the room and floo straight home.

As soon as he finished, he scratched out a quick message to Albus on a spare piece of parchment:

Hello Albus,

May I come over for a sleepover tomorrow? Dad's out of town to visit Grandmother in France, and the Manor gets awfully lonely. I know it's only two weeks before school starts, but I miss our shared dorm. 

- Scorpius

Before he lost his nerve, he tied the message to the leg of his tawny owl, Elton John (yes, named after that Elton John), and opened his bedroom window. Watching Elton fly away, Scorpius felt the butterfly thump-thump of his heartbeat settle in. That night, Scorpius fell asleep late, his anxious butterfly heartbeat never ceasing to flutter.

The next morning, Scorpius sprung out of bed and sprinted over to where Elton was sleeping on his perch, gently untying Albus' reply while feeding Elton a treat as an apology for waking him up so early. Unscrolling the parchment, Scorpius softly read aloud, "Hi Scorpius, of course! Just floo on over around 3. Warning: Dad's attempting a new recipe for dinner. Maybe eat beforehand." Smile creeping on his face, Scorpius opened his journal, crossing out Step 1.

Before Scorpius knew it, it was 3 in the afternoon. Taking a deep breath, backpack stuffed with toiletries and pyjamas in hand, Scorpius stepped into the Manor floo, shouting, "The Potter residence!"

For the next couple of hours, Scorpius blacked out from anxiety. All he knew was that he and Albus played some Wizarding Chess, chatted, then tried to play Albus' favorite Muggle game called Monopoly. Scorpius won the first, but lost the latter game spectacularly to the resident Potter Champion of Monopoly, Albus himself.

At dinner, he managed to shove down a plate of delicious food made by the Savior of the Wizarding World himself, trying to remember to laugh after Aunt Ginny (Scorpius was testing out what to call her, since she always told him, "Just call me Ginny or Aunt Ginny, Scorpius") told him a story about when Uncle Harry (he still couldn't quite get used to this one) introduced the infamous Weasley matriarch, Molly Weasley, to a variety of new spices. Apparently in recent months, Uncle Harry (no, that still felt too odd to say), had turned to cooking in an effort to connect to his dad's side of the family. Upon tasting something he had cooked, Molly Weasley had, according to Aunt Ginny (okay, he could get used to that one, maybe), "Nearly fainted from the spice, but forced Harry to teach her how to make it the next day!" 

After dinner, Scorpius went to Albus' room, where the pullout couch bed had already been made for him. After unpacking his backpack and laying out his clothes for the next day on Albus' dresser, Scorpius turned to face Albus, who was reading. Albus had actually gotten reading glasses over the summer, but hated how similar they made him look to his dad, so he only really wore them around Scorpius. 

Fiddling with his green jumper, Scorpius took a deep, calming breath. It was time for Step 2. "Hey Albus," Scorpius nearly mumbled, clearing his throat. "Can we talk about something serious?"

Upon hearing the word 'serious,' Albus' gaze snapped to Scorpius, and he dropped the book. Scooching closer to Scorpius, Albus replied, "Of course mate. Are you okay? Do you need anything? Is it your dad, because if so, you can crash here-"

"No Albus," Scorpius cut him off, fiddling with his jumper more intensely now. "Dad's been great lately, actually. I'm alright too. It's just, I have something to tell you."

"Yeah, anything," Albus grinned back, pushing his glasses up his nose. God, Scorpius loved how adorable he looked with glasses, even though Albus hated them.

"Albus, I'm gay," Scorpius blurted out.

There it was. The big words. Now all he had to do was hold his ground, and avoid running as fast as he could away from Albus before Albus could reply.

"Oh," Albus smiled. "Thank you for telling me Scorpius. That was really brave of you."

Swallowing nervously, Scorpius replied, "This doesn't change anything, right?" He could already feel his face heating into a telltale sign of tomato embarrassment and regret, but not before Albus lunged at him, enveloping Scorpius into a hug.

"Of course not," Albus reassured him. "You're my best mate. Always have been, and always will be, okay?"

Tentatively, Scorpius hugged him back, relaxing into the hug and letting his anxiety leave (at least for a bit).

"So, got anyone you fancy?" Albus laughed, releasing the hug and sitting down next to Scorpius on the couch.

"Yeah," Scorpius blushed. "Yes, actually." It's you. It's always been you.

"Well, who?" Albus asked, nudging Scorpius with his elbow, lying his head on Scorpius' shoulder and grinning widely.

The next moment, Scorpius would regret for a long, long, long time. Quite possibly even more than letting Delphi and Voldemort take over the world through screwing up reality.

Looking into Albus' eyes, Scorpius found himself envisioning everything he could lose. If he told Albus he loved him, even liked him, he could lose their friendship. He could lose the one person that made him feel safe. He could lose the love of his life. In a split-second decision, he panicked.

"Davies," Scorpius blurted out again. "Yeah. Um. Proper fit bloke."

Immediately, Scorpius felt the air in the room sour. Although Albus tried to hide it, Scorpius saw his grin fall for a brief second, and the light in his green eyes flicker. Lifting his head off of Scorpius' shoulder, Albus shifted away from him. Instantly, Scorpius felt the urge to lean back into his touch. 

"Yeah, he's...fit," Albus replied, before standing up and stretching. "You should go for it," Albus smiled gently through a yawn (an oddly loud one too, Scorpius thought). Turning his back to Scorpius and walking back to his bed, Albus said, "I don't know about you, but I'm really tired. If it's alright with you, let's go to bed, and we can talk about it more tomorrow." 

"Okay. Yeah," Scorpius replied, feeling his heart sinking a bit as Albus turned away from him. "Whatever you need."

Scorpius slept even less that night. His plan went perfectly, each step executed exactly how he wanted it to. Then why did it feel like everything had gone the exact opposite way?

Chapter Text

5. Part 2: The First Week of Sixth Year

By the first week of sixth year, Scorpius was in near shambles. 

It had been three weeks since Scorpius came out to Albus, and since then, Albus hadn't responded to any of Scorpius' letters. Scorpius was sure it wasn't homophobia since Albus, asides from being pansexual, had been known to hex homophobic bullies at Hogwarts over the past few years.

The first week, Scorpius thought Albus might just be down with a pox or flu.

The second week, he ruled out Albus being sick after owling James inquiring about Albus' health. After James wrote back, Scorpius also found out that Albus had apparently hung out with Rose, so it had something to do with him.

The third week and first week of sixth year, Albus made excuses to get away every time Scorpius tried to sit or talk to him. "I've got some catch up work to do," on the trolley. "Go ahead without me, I'm editing this essay one more time," during the evenings after classes. "I have tea with Lily, and she asked for it to just be us if that's okay," the first weekend at school.

Albus was avoiding him, and Scorpius was at a loss as to how to confront him without ruining his one and only true friendship. Normally he would ask Albus about situations like these, but then again, Albus wasn't talking to him.

Slowly, Scorpius fell into a miserable spiral of wake up, try to talk to Albus, eat, go to class, eat, try to talk to Albus again, eat, try to talk to Albus one last time, sleep. Nothing worked, not Hogsmeade weekend plans, not tickets to Quidditch games over break. Even a simple "How are you?" was met with a noncommittal grunt from Albus of "I'm busy, give me a bit."

Slowly, Scorpius felt Albus slipping away. Instead of eating with him in the Great Hall, Albus had begun sitting with Rose or skipping meals. Instead of partnering with him in class, Albus asked to work with different people in order to "branch out a bit, like Dad suggested." The latter particularly struck Scorpius. Was he not enough? Was his friendship not enough? Had Albus finally gotten tired of him?

Within only the span of a week, Scorpius felt himself slipping into old habits. He stayed awake obsessively folding his clothes, gnawed his nails raw and bloody with anxiety, and no longer spoke in class. 

Something was wrong with him. Well, he already knew what was wrong with him, but this was something else. Something Scorpius couldn't ask him about or calculate. What was it? What would make Albus hate Scorpius so much so that within only a month, they no longer spoke? Was it him? It couldn't be Albus. It must be him. It was Scorpius' fault, yes. His fault. His fault. His fault. Scorpius, the stupid Son of Voldemort's big, nasty, Fault. Capitalized.

Absorbed in another thought spiral, Scorpius wandered down to the Herbology greenhouses after skipping lunch, failing to notice a fuming Rose Granger-Weasley spot him from the top of the pathway when he was halfway down.

"SCORPIUS HYPERION MALFOY," Rose screeched, chasing him down the steps to the Herbology greenhouses. "WHAT DID YOU DO??"

On instinct, Scorpius bolted, running to the greenhouse and hoping to hide inside. An angry Rose was something no one ever wanted to come across. Besides, he had to figure out why it was his fault. Why didn't Albus like him anymore? No, no, crying wouldn't do, Scorpius thought while rubbing away the tears threatening to fall. He had to focus. Focus on what he could do about Albus. Focus on finding out what his Fault was.

However, when he reached the greenhouses, the doors were locked. Accepting his fate, Scorpius turned around to face Rose, doing his best to put on an impassive face.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ALBUS??" Rose yelled, frighteningly similar to Molly Weasley in that moment. With her braids whipping around her and robes billowing due to the windy day, Rose Granger-Weasley was truly a horrifying sight to behold.

"I-I don't know," Scorpius mumbled, desperately clawing at the Herbology door in an attempt for a last ditch escape (forgetting that he was a wizard in the moment, and could just cast a simple 'Alohomora').

"You had to have done SOMETHING," Rose fumed, stalking closer to Scorpius. "He's turned to clinging onto ME for Merlin's sake." Scorpius' heart sank. Maybe that was it. Albus had finally figured out that he should have been friends with Rose, should have sat on the trolley with her, not Scorpius. Tears threatened to well up once again.

"Well," Rose insisted. "What did you do??"

"I don't KNOW! He-" Scorpius cried, feeling his eyes burn.

"Well, you HAD to have done something!! He hasn't eaten much within the past TWO WEEKS, and he refuses to talk about ANYTHING to do with you," Rose yelled, somehow even more furious.

Scorpius' head started spinning. This was even worse. Albus wasn't eating, and he needed to eat. He needed to eat, and he wasn't, and that was how Albus coped with hard things. And Scorpius had told him it was unhealthy, and Albus promised to stop. Albus had stopped the following month after Scorpius helped him. And this was all Scorpius' fault. Crumbling, Scorpius yelled back, "I'm SORRY!!" Furiously rubbing his eyes as thick, wet droplets started falling, Scorpius continued. "I've tried and tried to figure it out, but he won't TALK to me. He won't even LOOK at me. I try and I try to talk to him, but he doesn't answer. He-he lies, he makes excuses just to get away from me. I don't know what I did, but I don't know how to FIX it, and I-I-I-," he trailed off, starting to choke on sobs. He didn't know why Albus was avoiding him. He wished more than anything that he knew why.

Upon seeing Scorpius' shaking frame, Rose instantly softened. "Oh Scorpius," Rose said softly, anger falling away. "Come here." Pulling him into a tight hug, Scorpius sobbed into Rose's shoulder, salty tears, snot, and all.

"Thank you," he whispered into her robes. "I'm so sorry for making your robes dirty, I can clean them, or get the elves to, and-"

"Oh pish," Rose replied. "The robes don't matter. Scorpius - you're the most important person to Albus, and I mean it. I don't know why he's being so thickheaded." Pulling out of the hug, Scorpius wiped his eyes on his own robe sleeve.

"I'll talk to him," Rose promised, spelling her robes clean. "We'll figure it out. Albus can be thick sometimes, but he always comes around." 

"Okay," Scorpius sniffed, sitting in front of the greenhouse door. "I'm sorry, but...could you stay? Wait with me until class?"

"Of course," Rose smiled, sitting down next to Scorpius. "I have Care of Magical Creatures next anyways, and that's not too far. Let's talk about something else now, something to cheer you up," Rose proposed.

"Yeah," Scorpius smiled weakly, racking his brain for a topic. "Umm, any thoughts on the newest Portkey regulations, particularly the ones regarding densely populated Muggle areas? I thought they were interesting, but I assume most people haven't read them, so I thought I'd ask, and if you didn't that's fine and-"

"Scorpius," Rose interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Of course I have. Now, what do you think of Section 4 of the last regulation?"

Mildly cheered up, Scorpius replied, and Rose and him began discussing the topic with zeal. Maybe with Rose's help, Scorpius thought, he could finally fix this.

--- Albus' POV ---

Unbeknownst to Rose and Scorpius, Albus Severus Potter himself was only a few feet away, crouched and hidden inside the neighboring greenhouse, having heard their entire conversation.

"Fuck," he whispered, hand clapped over his mouth. His tears seemed to burn as they fell onto the dirt floor.

He had let stupid jealousy blind him and drive them apart, and now Scorpius was hurting. Beautiful, mussed platinum-blonde, gray-eyed, pink-cheeked Scorpius, whose laugh sounded like a chorus of bells ringing. His best friend. Scorpius. His Scorpius. His Scorpius was hurting, and it was all Albus' fault.

Chapter Text

6. Confession

After chatting with Rose for the rest of lunch, Scorpius felt much better. Since Gryffindor and Slytherin had a joint Herbology class as well, Rose sat next to him, and their lively continued conversation on Portkey regulations was almost enough to make Scorpius not notice that Albus never showed up to class. Almost.

No matter how focused Scorpius tried to stay on what they were learning, his eyes always drifted back towards the greenhouse doors. Was Albus okay? Was he avoiding him to the point that he stopped coming to class? Did Albus need help? What if Albus was in danger again, and Scorpius didn't know?

Trying to mentally stomp down on his rising panic, Scorpius nearly missed the greenhouse door softly creaking open in the middle of Professor Longbottom's lecture, a slightly red-eyed and rumpled Albus stepping inside. They immediately locked eyes, and Scorpius felt his breath hitch. Even when Albus had been crying, he still looked...handsome didn't quite cover it. To Scorpius' surprise, despite avoiding him for the past couple of weeks, for the first time, Albus didn't look away too. Green eyes locked on gray, and something unspoken passed between them. Scorpius wasn't quite sure what it was, but it seemed akin to some sort of silent apology. A "will you forgive me?" of sorts.

"So he's finally shown up," Rose murmured, breaking his staring contest with Albus. Scorpius turned to look at her, right as she shot a death glare rivaling the Minister of Magic herself right at Albus. The room seemed to drop 5 degrees colder, and Scorpius almost shivered. "I'm going to having a talking with him. Take notes for me if I miss anything, will you Scorpius?" Rose huffed, getting up from their desk and pulling Albus outside the greenhouse. Thankfully, they were at the back of the classroom so no one was staring at a fuming Rose stomping over to Albus, and Rose and Scorpius were diligent Herbology students, so Professor Longbottom had simply given Rose a nod when she got up and left.

Six nail-biting minutes later, Rose and Albus re-entered, with a softly smiling Rose and an ashamed-looking and a bit more red-eyed Albus.

"What did you say to him?" Scorpius whispered to Rose, just as she returned to her seat and Professor Longbottom signaled the end of class, gray eyes looking askance to see if anyone else had notice Rose step out. Thankfully, once again, no one had.

"Ah, nevermind that," Rose smiled cunningly, brown eyes glittering with mirth. Then, gaze turning slightly stern, she sighed, "I know he's going to ask you to talk and apologize, but remember, you have all the right to give him a little hell for what he's done. I've already told him he's a dolt, but it'll get through to his head better if you tell him."

"I don't want to hurt him more-," Scorpius protested, glancing back at Albus, who was sitting in the lone desk at the very back of the classroom.

"Scorpius," Rose cut him off, rolling her eyes slightly. "As much as you love Albus, he hurt you through his actions, not the other way around. You deserve to tell him what you've been through instead of bottling it up and dismissing your feelings as insignificant." 

"How did you know?" Scorpius replied weakly, meeting Rose's arched eyebrows with a poor attempt at a smile.

"Give me some credit," Rose scoffed, softly smiling to show Scorpius she was joking. "I've known you for five, going-on-six years now and my baby cousin even longer. Give him a bit of hell, at least. And then after you've made up and made out, bring him around to the Gryffindor table for lunch sometime." At Rose's words, Scorpius started spluttering and choking on air, face turning into a tomato. "Don't be a stranger Scorpius, alright?" Rose grinned, giggling slightly at Scorpius' panicked face. "I'd like to get to know you better. After all, no one else will talk Ministry regulations with me, and we still haven't discussed the new French floo regulations."

With that, Rose Granger-Weasley, that badass that she is, kissed Scorpius on the cheek, readjusted her braids to look even more perfect than they already were, and walked out of the greenhouse with the confidence only a teenage girl could possess. If Rose wasn't so remarkably unafraid to accomplish anything and talk to anyone, Scorpius thought. She would have made an excellent Slytherin. 

Finishing packing up his own bag, Scorpius put in his quill last and got up to leave, nearly running into Albus who had somehow snuck up to him.

"S-Scorpius, can we talk after class?" Albus stuttered, eyes downcast while fiddling with his robe sleeve.

"Yes, of course...alright!" Scorpius nearly yelped in reply, doing his best to avoid looking Albus as well.

The walk back to the Slytherin dorms from the greenhouses to the dungeons was quite possibly the longest walk Scorpius had been on. They were both dead silent, and intent on avoiding eye contact with each other.

One minute passed, Scorpius glanced at Albus. Another minute passed, he readjusted his tie. Was it oddly hot in the normally cool dungeons, or was it just him?

Once they arrived back at their dorm, Scorpius sat on his bed, finally looking at Albus. It took an enormous amount of his self control not to immediately wrap the agitated, pacing Albus in a hug and tell him everything was okay, but he did his best to stick to Rose's words. Albus had hurt him, and no matter how much Scorpius loved Albus, he still deserved an apology from him. He could do this. He could stand his ground.

Summoning his courage in a Gryffindoric effort, Scorpius finally asked, "Are you going to tell me why you've been avoiding me?" Even though his voice cracked slightly, he immediately felt a little relief once he got the words out.

"I-," Albus hesitated, finally looking at Scorpius. Scorpius looked back, and despite the situation, his heart still skipped a beat. Nothing compares, he thought. Nothing would ever beat looking at Albus Potter. Albus was looking back at Scorpius with such melancholy eyes, dark brunette curls all rumpled and red-tinged emerald eyes begging for forgiveness. Scorpius wanted nothing more than to comb the curls back in place with his hands and kiss Albus' eyelids until the redness faded...but, he must not get distracted. He was there to get an apology. 

"I'm sorry," Albus blurted out, eyes wincing shut. "I'm so sorry, Scorpius." In Albus' eyes, there was nothing he wouldn't do to earn Scorpius' forgiveness. As he looked into Scorpius' strained, sad expression and long lashes fluttering over gray eyes, Albus wanted nothing more than to kiss him silly until they both forgot about the past month. But, he couldn't ignore that Scorpius was hurt, and it was his fault. He was there to apologize.

"I, I was jealous," Albus admitted, sitting across from Scorpius on his own bed. "I was jealous of Davies, and angry that maybe I wasn't enough for you, so I took it out on you. I avoided you, I didn't speak to you, and I was so incredibly stupid for thinking that would fix things." Taking a deep breath, Albus continued. "You don't have to forgive me, but please, please know that I regret what I've done more than anything, even what happened with Delphi."

Albus searched Scorpius for some sign or expression, but Scorpius had broken their eye contact, refusing to look at him. Albus swallowed. "Scorpius," he begged softly, doe eyes pleading. "You are my best friend. You mean the world to me. You mean MORE than the world to me. I-," Albus broke off, choking down a sob.

"I don't want to lose you," he whispered. "Please."

Hearing the desperation in Albus' voice, Scorpius finally looked up again. Gray eyes locked on green.

"I accept your apology," Scorpius replied, as neutrally as possible despite a million different emotions rushing through him at once. Albus' entire posture sagged with relief, but not before he continued. "But it's going to take time fully forgive you."

Albus tensed up again, panic now filling his eyes.

"Albus," Scorpius continued, starting to feel anger bubbling up in his chest, spurred by Rose's imaginary voice in his head. He would not cry. He would not cry, but he would let Albus know how he really felt.

"You are my only friend. You have always been my only friend. But you will always be welcomed by everyone for being Harry Potter's son, whether you like it or not. I know we've talked about this before, but once again, just IMAGINE for a SECOND what it was like for the supposed Son of Voldemort and the son of a former Death Eater to lose the ONE PERSON who welcomed him." Despite his best attempts at hiding it, Scorpius felt his face redden with anger as frustrated tears began rolling down his face.

"It's absolute HELL. Okay? And the worst part," he choked. "Is that you did it, all of it, on PURPOSE. Of your own volition. Just like everyone else who avoids me in the halls or writes on my trunk. Imagine that, for a minute. Imagine losing the ONE PERSON you care about, and the worst part is your own HEAD betrays you and starts to tell you that it's YOUR fault. That maybe the rumors are true. Maybe you should just be locked up in Azkaban. Maybe no one does like or even love you after all..." Scorpius trailed off, tears picking up speed.

Watching Albus' face turn ashen, Scorpius stood up in front of him, wiping away his tears with his worn robe sleeve, nearly tattered from anxious pulling. "It felt like living through the alternate Voldemort universe all over again. Except WORSE," he whispered. "Because you WERE there. You just didn't do anything about it...y-you...you left me." 

After Scorpius finished, they just stared at each other. Gray eyes locked on green, angry and desperately sad. Green eyes locked on gray, tortured by his own actions.

"I-," Albus whispered after several minutes passed, a single tear rolling down his own face and another apology on the tip of his tongue.

"Why did you do it in the first place?" Scorpius whispered, interrupting. "I felt so alone Albus. You left me so alone." 

"I LIKED you," Albus shouted in desperation, starting to sob again too, but trying to hold back his tears. "I liked you so badly, so much, that I couldn't take it when you said you liked Davies," he choked out.

"I know it's stupid, I know it's selfish, but it just hurt too much," Albus cried. "So, I did what I do best, I pushed you away. Again."

Laughing darkly and tearing his hand through his curls, he continued. "But it wasn't even my dad or some authority figure telling me this time, it was me. Me and my stupid head and my stupid heart. It's my fault, I know. I'm so sorry Scorpius, and I-"

"I LIED," Scorpius yelled back, sobbing harder, nearly keeling over. "I LIED because I was SCARED," he told Albus. "I like you, I LIKE like you, and I didn't want to lose my best friend just because I let my STUPID heart fall for my best friend."

Without another word, Albus stood up faster than humanly possible, enveloping Scorpius into a hug. Scorpius melted into it, an involuntary sigh escaping his mouth. He'd missed this. Albus gripped onto Scorpius' jumper, pulling him in even tighter. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I love you, I'm sorry" Albus whispered over and over.

Eventually, they simply stood there together, gripping onto each other like it was the end of the world, Albus' breath ghosting over Scorpius' ear. With that hug, Scorpius felt something shift. They still weren't entirely okay, but something was fixed. 

With the hug, Scorpius felt a surge of courage in the comfort of Albus' arms. Summoning his inner Gryffindor once again, Scorpius gently pried his arms away and stepped back, doing his best to look at Albus while he talked. "Albus," Scorpius whispered. This time, he wouldn't make something up out of panic and fear. This time, he would say what he really meant. "Can I kiss you?"

In true Potter (and quite frankly, Weasley too) fashion, Albus immediately grabbed Scorpius, pulling him towards him and nearly smashing Scorpius's face in with his own. Mortified, Albus pulled back before he could break Scorpius' nose, turning bright pink. Laughing gently, Scorpius leaned towards Albus, and kissed him. 

Oh, Scorpius thought. This is what love feels like.

Their first kiss was soft, hesitant. An "Are you sure?" kiss. Despite how gentle it was, Scorpius' stomach exploded into butterflies, heart jumping into overdrive. He had imagined what it would be like to kiss Albus before, of course, but it was completely different than what he'd thought. However, for once, Scorpius listened to his heart instead of his head, diving back towards Albus again. This time, Albus initiated the kiss, pulling Scorpius towards him. Lips met lips, and the rest of the world was forgotten for a few moments.

After about eight kisses (No, of course Scorpius totally didn't count them), they pulled apart, lying down next to each other on Albus' bed in happy shock.

"I guess we have Rose to partially thank for this," Albus joked softly, playing with Scorpius' hair.  "Oh god," he groaned, facepalming. "She's going to be insufferable about us, isn't she?"

"Us?" Scorpius squeaked, immediately turning to face Albus after realizing what he had said. Albus was done for. Scorpius with his bright, nearly white blonde hair askew and cheeks pink looked like a Veela god, and Albus almost lost his train of thought before realizing the question Scorpius had really asked.

"Oh," Albus coughed, face turning pink as well. "Um, all things considered, you don't have to, but, ah, would you like to be boyfriends? I know you still might not fully forgive me, and, uh, don't worry, I haven't forgiven myself either, but, ah, uh-"

Cutting him off, Scorpius kissed him again. Part of their relationship was still damaged, but Scorpius had faith that it would heal with time. And more kisses. And maybe some nudging from Rose Granger-Weasley. "All things considered," he smiled. "Yes. I would like to be boyfriends."

Grinning the widest he ever had, Albus rolled over on the bed and tackled Scorpius into a hug.

--- 1 HOUR OF KISSING, CUDDLES, AND A FEW MORE ALBUS APOLOGIES LATER---

"Promise you'll never do anything like that again," Scorpius whispered, head resting on Albus' lap.

"I swear on my life," Albus whispered back, leaning down to kiss the top of Scorpius' mop of silvery blonde hair. "I swear that I'll never be that stupid again."

"You still have to make it up to me," Scorpius huffed, turning his face away from Albus' out of pretend spite.

"Whatever it takes," Albus promised, laughing softly, cradling Scorpius' head as if he might lose him again at any moment. "I will spend the rest of our lives making it up to you, if you'll have me."

With that, Scorpius turned back around to face Albus, face turning into the closest thing a human can get to a tomato. "Al-Albus...did you just propose to me?" he spluttered.

Albus just turned bright red, and lifted Scorpius out of his lap to bury his face into Scorpius' shoulder, muttering unintelligible somethings in embarrassment. Scorpius just grinned, and gently lifted Albus' head up to kiss him. Maybe they had to work on communication (Okay yes, Scorpius thought, they definitely had to work on communication), and maybe them as a couple would be chaos incarnate given the whole Delphi fiasco, but at least they would be together. Albus and Scorpius. Scorpius and Albus.

And that was more than Scorpius could ever want.