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"What are you drinking?"
Albus slid into the booth across from Scorpius. It was at the back of the Leaky Cauldron, giving them more privacy than most other seats in the pub. It was dark and musty, but that had never bothered either of them. He raised an eyebrow when, instead of responding, Scorp merely raised the glass he held and downed the contents.
"Ogden's Old Firewhisky," he murmured, his breath smoky.
"Oh."
It was the only response Albus thought himself capable of. Once you got past the layers of repressed, snooty rich guy, Scorpius was an incredibly easy person to understand. Generally, his actions fitted his moods perfectly. He drank red wine only when he went on dates. He drank Butterbeer when he was around children and various family members. Champagne and white wine were for celebrations, depending on the time of year, for some reason. Scotch was reserved solely for drinking with his father and grandfather. Firewhisky, though… Albus sighed. Scorpius only drank Firewhisky when he was upset about something. And, judging by the bottle sitting on the table beside his glass, it was something big this time.
"Scorp?"
Silently, Scorpius filled his glass with a couple of fingers of Firewhisky. Albus watched equally as silently as he raised the glass and took a small sip. Worry shot down Albus' spine, but he knew when to keep his mouth shut.
"Do you find me attractive, Al?"
Something strange shivered through Albus' entire body. His skin became clammy, and the small hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He shook it off, however. Scorp was straight: there was no way he was asking in that way. Clearing his throat, he met Scorpius' eyes with something approaching confidence.
"Why ask me?"
If the look Scorpius shot him had had any kind of power behind it, Albus was certain he would be a smoking pile of ashes on the floor right then. When he smiled, Scorp rolled his eyes.
"Oh, I don't know. Why would I be asking the one gay guy I know well enough to ask something like this?"
Albus' smile widened. Reaching forward, he snatched the glass from Scorp's hand and finished the shot off for him. Placing the glass down, he refilled it and pushed it back across the table.
"You've never asked before. Which girl turned you down?"
Shaking his head, Scorp threw himself back against the seat. His lips pressed together and he blew out a strong breath through his nose. Albus merely sat there waiting for a response. When Scorp didn't respond, he sighed.
"Look, if this involves one of my cousins, or – God forbid – my sister, then please just leave me out of–"
"Damn it, Al, it's not a fucking girl. And I think you know it." Scorpius' eyes were narrowed. He crossed his arms over his chest in an almost defensive gesture. "Can you please just stop playing dumb for a second and just look at me? Please?"
The same strange sensation washed through Albus at the pleading tone to Scorpius' voice. His mouth went dry and his head spun a little when he met Scorp's eyes. Standing, he shook his head and held out a hand.
"Come on. This isn't something we should be doing in a pub."
Scorp was a little unsteady on his feet, so Albus led him out of the Leaky and to the Apparition spot down the street carefully. Neither of them spoke as they walked. Albus' mind raced, though, through all the different ways this conversation looked to be going. Scorp was clearly drunk, so it probably wasn't a conversation they should be having at all was the conclusion he came to by the time they reached the Apparition spot. Still, he held Scorp's hand as he twisted, taking them to his flat in Oxford. Scorp staggered as they landed, resulting in Albus wrapping an arm around his waist to steady him.
"Sorry, I… Sorry."
Scorp shook his head as he pushed away from Albus. Throwing himself down on the lounge in front of the fire, he rested his head back against the cushion and closed his eyes. Albus stood just inside the living room, debating whether to continue the conversation they had been having. When he heard a light snore, he knew the decision had been made for him.
Sighing, he carefully moved Scorpius so he was lying along the lounge. He removed his shoes, then covered him in a blanket that he kept on the back of the lounge. Kneeling down beside the lounge, he took a proper look at Scorpius.
His hair – incredibly pale blond, like his father – had the tiniest curl to the ends where it touched the collar of his shirt. He was usually a very put-together kind of person. There wasn't usually a hair out of place, or the smallest amount of scruffiness about him. Tonight, however, his shirt was a little wrinkled, and his eyes were red-rimmed. Albus could very easily put that down to the drink, but the wrinkled shirt told him Scorp had probably been sitting in that booth in the Leaky for a while before he had shown up. A combination of worry and nerves shivered through him. There was literally nothing he could do about anything that had been said that night, however. Closing his eyes, he shook his head and stood.
"Goodnight, Scorp."
*~*
Albus was standing at the kitchen sink the next morning when he heard a slight sound from the doorway. He turned just as Scorpius entered the room, his head down. He eased himself into one of the chairs at the breakfast bar and rubbed his eyes.
"You look like shit."
Scorp hummed. "Feel it, too."
Albus smiled and returned to the sink, finishing washing up his mug and plate from breakfast. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly. Turning so he could rest his hips against the sink, he eyed Scorp critically.
He looked a lot less like his usual self that morning. Even more than the night before. The wrinkles in the shirt had increased with sleep, and his eyes looked like he had rubbed them with sandpaper. The bags underneath them didn't help, either. Albus shook his head.
"Hair of the dog? Or do you want painkillers?"
Scorp groaned. "Just Stun me until it passes, will you?"
"Painkillers it is."
Albus grabbed his wand from the counter behind him and used it to Summon a potion that Scorpius himself had made. He handed it over silently and waited for it to take effect. It didn't take long.
"Thanks," Scorp murmured after no more than a minute had passed. "I'll, uh… Look, I'll just get going, alright? I'll see you tomorrow or something."
Albus snorted. "You are fucking unbelievable." When Scorp glanced up, Albus raised his eyebrows. "After last night, do you really think I wouldn't want to talk about this?"
Scorp shook his head, lowering his gaze to the top of the breakfast bar. "I'm sorry, Al. I don't expect – I mean…" He sighed forcefully, running a hand through his hair. "I fucked up, alright? This is my shit to deal with, and I shouldn't have dumped it on you."
Confusion flooded through Albus, causing him to frown. So, had Scorp been asking whether Albus actually found him attractive the night before, or was it something else? Had it been a general question? Or had he really wanted to know if Albus himself found him attractive? He stepped back carefully to rest against the sink again.
"Scorp."
"You really don't have to, Al. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have–"
Nerves flashed through Albus' stomach, but he had to respond. And he did so in the only way he thought would shut Scorpius up.
"I'm looking at you now, Scorp." The echoed words from the night before had the effect Albus had wanted: Scorpius snapped his mouth shut and met his eyes with a look of surprise. "And I like what I'm seeing."
The surprise in Scorpius' gaze melted immediately to what looked incredibly close to hope. He licked his lips, then cleared his throat.
"You do?"
Albus' chest constricted with a combination of nerves and desire. He nodded silently.
"If you're offering, then yeah, I do."
Judging by how fast he moved, if Scorpius had been feeling better, he would have climbed over the breakfast bar to get to him. As it was, Albus caught him as he rushed across the room, and flung himself into Albus' arms.
"I didn't want to hope, Al. I've never… not with a guy before."
Albus threaded his fingers through Scorp's soft hair, and just held him. He couldn't help smiling. Of course he knew that Scorp hadn't been with a guy before. They had been friends most of their lives, after all. When Scorp pulled back, Albus let him.
"I want to with you, though."
The hope and happiness that spilled out of Scorpius' eyes sent a shiver through Albus. When Scorp dropped his gaze to Albus' lips, he licked them. His heart was beginning to race, but he ignored it.
"Are you sure? Really sure?"
Scorp nodded slowly. "I am. I have been for a while."
The kiss that Albus pressed to his lips was gentle and tame. Closed lips pressed together chastely for a second before he pulled back.
"And now?"
"Now…" Scorpius smiled. "Now I think you should actually kiss me."
Albus grinned. Using the hand still tangled in Scorp's hair, he pulled him closer. He started off gently, merely brushing their lips together again. But it didn't last long. His eyes slid closed as he increased the pressure and Scorp opened his mouth for him. He could still taste the painkilling potion on Scorp's tongue. When Scorp hummed, Albus couldn't help but begin to laugh. They pulled apart, Scorpius watching him suspiciously.
"What?"
Pulling Scorpius back into a tight embrace, Albus took a deep breath, breathing in the scent of stale alcohol and sweat that still clung to his skin.
"You are probably the very last person I thought I would be doing this with."
Wrapping his arms around Albus' shoulders, Scorp pressed closer. "Is that a good thing, or bad thing?"
Allowing himself to just feel the pleasurable sensations flowing through him for a few seconds, Albus grinned. "Scorp, this has the potential to be a very good thing, I think."
"Yeah?" Scorp pulled back far enough to press their lips together again. "Good. Because now that I have you,. I'm not letting you go."