Fic: Up to Something
Title: Up to Something
Author: dreamdustmama
Summary: Albus has a date, and James is determined to find out who it is.
Word Count: 2952
Rating: PG-13 for language and a bit of boy!kissing (obviously).
Genre: Humor, Romance
Prompts: Person: James Potter II; Place: Carnival; Object One: Tunnel of Love; Object Two: Ticket; Food: Candy Floss; Emotion: Joy; Freeform: Win or Lose
Disclaimer: Not mine.
AN: I like this Al. I don't know if I'll do a series, but I probably will use him again. :)
Up to Something
Albus was up to something; James knew it.
His younger brother had been acting strange since they got home from Hogwarts last month, and for the past week he’d been walking around with a dazed, goofy smile constantly on his face. James wasn’t entirely sure how Albus acted at school, seeing as they were in different Houses, but he did see him often enough to know this wasn’t normal.
James was currently standing in the doorway to Albus’s bedroom, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed, watching as his brother flitted about the room. Al was dressed in a low-slung pair of jeans, a black Metallica t-shirt, and bloody green and silver trainers. James narrowed his eyes as Albus came to a stop in front of his mirror and actually tried to tame his hair.
“If I didn’t know better,” James said, making Albus jump, “I’d think you were getting ready for a date.”
Albus tensed and flushed, staring at James with guarded eyes. He bit his lip, chewed on it for a minute, and then took a deep breath. “Yeah, I-I’m meeting Scorpius at the carnival, actually.”
“Oh,” James said, a bit disappointed; Albus was only going to meet his best friend. Why all the nervous getting ready then? No, there was no way Al was only going with Scorpius; there must be some girl that he didn’t want the rest of the family to know about. James blinked as he realized Albus was staring at him oddly. “What?”
Albus hesitated. “You don’t-there’s nothing you want to say about that?”
James was confused. “Why would I? You know I don’t have a problem with Malfoy.”
“Yeah, but-,” Albus started, then shook his head and sighed. “Nothing. Forget it.”
James frowned as Albus stalked past him, apparently having given up on his hair. He loved his brother, but sometimes-most of the time, come to think of it-he really didn’t understand him. Straightening, he turned and followed Albus downstairs, hoping to get more information out of him before he could leave.
Unfortunately the Floo sounded when he was about halfway down the stairs. Cursing, James jumped the last few steps and reached the living room just as Albus disappeared into the green flames. Damn. What now? Quirking his eyebrow James turned and hurried back up the stairs to his own room; he knew exactly how to find out what was going on.
Hurrying to the trunk he’d flung in the corner the evening they’d arrived back home, James flung the lid open and rifled through all the junk.
“Ha!” he yelled triumphantly a few minutes later, pulling out the invisibility cloak.
“Ha what?”
James jumped and swung around, automatically trying to hide the cloak behind his back. Lily was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.
“Um,” he said, and then sighed. Lily was damned perceptive, even at fourteen, and there wasn’t a person he knew of that could lie to her and get away with it. “I was looking for the cloak.”
“Why?” Lily asked, frowning slightly. “There’s no reason for you to use it when we’re at home.”
James winced, unable to meet her eyes. “Erm. I’m going to follow Al actually.”
Lily blinked. “Isn’t he going to the carnival with Scorpius?”
“Yeah,” James said. “That’s what he told me, but I think he’s got a date. I want to know who it is.”
Lily stared. “Let me get this straight,” she said slowly. “Albus told you he’s going to the carnival with Scorpius, but you still want to follow him and find out who his date is?”
“Um. Yes,” James said, confused by her tone.
Lily shook her head. “You. Are an idiot.”
“Oi!” James said indignantly. “I am not!”
“Right,” Lily said, amusement clear in her voice and expression. “Alright then. Go follow Al and find out who his date is. I promise I’ll laugh at you when you get back home.”
“Why-,” James started, but Lily was already walking away, giggling madly.
Shaking his head, James decided that he had to be the only sane person in his family. He glanced at his watch and jolted at how much time had passed; he needed to hurry if he was going to find Albus. Flinging the cloak over himself, James pulled his wand out of his pocket and Disapparated. He landed a few feet away from the carnival entrance, the wards keeping him from going directly in.
He looked around, trying to find his brother among the crowds of wizards and witches. Albus couldn’t be that far ahead of James, seeing as how he’d had to use one of the Floos instead of Apparating. James grinned as he spotted a familiar head of messy hair walking into the gate, a blond head next to him. Ok, so he was here with Scorpius; that didn’t mean they weren’t doubling or something.
Someone bumped into him from behind, making him stumble. He quickly pulled off the cloak and sent the confused wizard an apologetic smile before hurrying to the ticket booth. James bought one of the magical wrist bands that would allow him to ride any of the rides, just in case he needed to follow Albus onto one of them.
As soon as he’d stepped through the wards that hid the wizarding carnival from Muggles he flung the cloak back over his head, casting a quick charm to keep others from bumping into him on accident. It took a minute for him to find Albus again, but eventually he spotted his brother and Scorpius by one of the game booths.
James hurried over, making sure he got close enough to hear but far enough away that Albus wouldn’t figure out he was there.
“-don’t think you can,” Scorpius was saying, his voice challenging.
“I can too!” Albus scoffed. “It can’t be that hard to hit the bull’s-eye.”
“Wanna bet?” Scorpius asked.
Albus considered him shrewdly. “What does the winner get?”
“To pick what we do next,” Scorpius said, smirking. “Loser can’t complain.”
“Deal,” Albus said.
James watched as Albus paid the witch running the booth and picked up one of the three bean bags she set in front of him. He considered the target for a brief second before pulling his arm back and throwing the bean bag directly at it-only to have it jump out of the way a split second before contact was made. James had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at Albus’s expression.
“Bloody hell,” Albus muttered.
“Not that easy, is it?” Scorpius asked, his tone teasing.
Albus actually stuck his tongue out at Scorpius before picking up another bean bag. He missed with that one as well, and the third was so far off even the witch behind the counter looked embarrassed. Albus winced, a slight flush appearing on his cheeks as he ran a hand through his hair.
“Ok, that was harder than I thought,” he muttered.
“Don’t worry,” Scorpius said lightly as they walked away from the booth, James following. “I’ll pick one of the kiddie games next. Maybe you can win that one.”
“You’re a git,” Albus said flatly. “A complete and utter wanker.”
Scorpius raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips. “Then why are you here?”
“Certainly not for the company,” Albus said mockingly.
“Oh really?” Scorpius asked. “Not even the company of your date?”
A jolt of excitement shot through James; he was going to find out who Albus’s date was!
“Well, maybe for that,” Albus said, and the two boys smiled at each other. “So what’s next?”
Damn it, James thought sullenly. It was starting to look like he was going to have to follow them around the whole day.
“Hmmm,” Scorpius said thoughtfully. “How about we ride the dragon coaster?”
“Alright,” Albus said eagerly.
James suppressed a sigh and quickly followed after them. He loved the dragon coaster but there would be no way he could ride it; it was fast, and he couldn’t risk losing the cloak. And really, there was no point since it wouldn’t exactly allow for casual conversation and eavesdropping. He ended up leaning against a wall near the exit to wait.
When the ride was over and the two boys got off they were both flushed and windblown, excitement radiating from them. James couldn’t help but smile; it was nice to see Albus so happy.
“What now?” Scorpius asked.
Albus looked around thoughtfully, obviously considering all their options, and then his face lit up with pure joy.
“Candy floss!” he exclaimed, grabbing Scorpius’s hand and dragging him away.
James blinked in surprise and then hurried to catch up. When they reached the vendor Albus dropped Scorpius’s hand and bought them each a large paper cone wrapped in the spun sugar.
“I love candy floss,” Albus said, tearing off a huge chunk and stuffing it in his mouth. James rolled his eyes.
“I can tell,” Scorpius said mildly, though he wasted no time in eating a piece rivaling Albus’s.
They walked around for a while, eating their candy floss and playing a few of the games. James followed them, a bit bored but finding that their excitement was infectious.
“What about that game?” Albus said, throwing away his empty cone and pointing to one of the Muggle games the carnival boasted about. “Win or lose, you can pick what we do next.”
Scorpius considered the game. “A strength test? Seriously?”
Albus rolled his eyes. “Come on, it’s fun. I dare you.”
“And I get to pick what we do next no matter what?” Scorpius confirmed.
“Yup,” Albus answered.
James noticed the calculating look on Scorpius’s face and raised an eyebrow. Albus was a Slytherin-he should know not to fully trust one of his own, best friend or not.
“Alright,” Scorpius agreed, and stepped toward the game.
Despite his sudden misgivings, James couldn’t help but be impressed at how high the little ball went when Scorpius hit the target. He had managed to get it almost as high as James could, and that was saying something, considering how many times it had taken him to get it there.
“Wow,” Albus said, also impressed. “It took James nearly all summer last year to get it that high.”
Thank you, Al, James thought with a grimace.
“Yeah, well,” Scorpius said, his sudden flush contradicting his casual tone. “It’s not like it’s hard or anything.”
James narrowed his eyes and reconsidered his views on the Malfoy boy.
Albus laughed. “Right. So what do you want to do?”
Scorpius hesitated slightly, his face carefully blank. “I was thinking…the Tunnel of Love, maybe.”
James’s jaw dropped and Albus’s eyes widened. Why in the hell would Scorpius suggest that?
“Oh,” Albus breathed. “Um.”
“We don’t-don’t have to,” Scorpius started, stumbling over his words. “I just thought-,”
“No, it’s-,” Albus said.
“No pressure or anything,” Scorpius continued hastily. “I mean I-,”
“It’s ok,” Albus said.
“I-I would like to but-,” Scorpius said nervously.
“I would too,” Albus said.
“Really?” Scorpius asked, sounding unsure.
“Really,” Albus said, smiling shyly and running his hand through his hair again.
“Ok,” Scorpius said breathlessly after a brief pause, a slow smile spreading across his face.
“Ok,” Albus repeated, biting his lip.
What the fuck? James thought, staring at the two boys staring at each other.
“Um. Shall we?” Scorpius asked, gesturing toward the nearby ride.
“Alright,” Albus said, nodding slightly.
They turned and headed for the ride, trying to look casual but continuing to sneak nervous, happy glances at each other. James trailed behind, more confused than ever. Why were they going to ride something meant for couples? And what the hell had that awkward exchange been about? James frowned slightly, and thought that he had to be missing something important.
They reached the entrance to the tunnel, and James watched as Scorpius bought them a ticket while studiously ignoring the raised eyebrow of the attendant. James picked up the pace as the other two stepped into the boat, quickly casting a lightening charm on himself before getting into the seat behind Albus and Scorpius. Why did these things have two seats anyway?
The boat started to move and James waited, hoping the boys would start talking and maybe he would find out who Albus’s date was supposed to be. Although why his brother hadn’t met up with her yet was beyond him-the day was almost over, and all he’d done was run around with Scorpius.
“Are you nervous?” Scorpius suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
“No,” Albus said. “Yes. Maybe a little.”
“Me too,” Scorpius admitted.
James frowned slightly; the only lights in the tunnel were from the fairies scattered across the walls and ceiling, so he couldn’t make out their faces. What did they have to be nervous about?
“So. Um.” Albus said. “Do we just-,”
“Erm. I guess.” Scorpius answered. “Maybe if we just, um, do it…,”
“Yeah,” Albus agreed. “Yeah. That’s-,”
“Yeah,” Scorpius said. “Ok. Um. Here, scoot a bit closer, and turn-,”
Albus moved forward slightly. “And you-your leg’s in the way-ok, that’s better-,”
“Al?”
“Yeah?”
“Just-,”
“Right.”
James watched, shock coursing through him, as Albus leaned in and pressed his lips against Scorpius’s. The kiss was brief, but they both pulled away slowly.
“That-,” Albus said, sounding breathless.
“Was really…really nice,” Scorpius finished.
“Yeah.”
“Again?”
“Definitely.”
Oh, James thought blankly as the two boys kissed again, both of them making soft noises as their lips met. And then-Oh! Of course. Merlin, he really was stupid. Wincing at his own obliviousness, and his sudden desire to be far, far away from the snogging boys, James turned his head and stared at the fairy covered wall.
When the ride ended five minutes later James was sure he was traumatized for life. He would never be able to look at Albus-or Scorpius for that matter-again without remembering things he had no desire to know. He shuddered and made to get out of the boat as soon as it stopped; unfortunately, he forgot that the other two didn’t know he was there.
Scorpius made to get out a split second after James, and he felt a tug on the bottom of the cloak as the blond unintentionally stepped on it. Oh shit, James thought briefly as he stumbled-and landed in the water the boat floated in. He struggled slightly in the shallow water before finding his footing and coming up spluttering.
“James? What the fuck?!”
James flinched at his brother’s angry voice and looked up at Albus sheepishly, shoving his wet hair out of his eyes. “Er. Hullo.”
Albus glared at him and grabbed the fallen cloak before scrambling out of the boat behind Scorpius. James bit his lip and pulled himself up onto the docking area, not meeting Albus’s eyes.
“What the fuck were you doing, James?” Albus asked, holding up the cloak.
“Um,” James said. “Following you?”
“Following-,” Albus repeated in shock. “Why?”
James flushed and stared down at his trainers. “Trying to find out who your date was,” he mumbled.
Albus was silent for a long moment, and when he finally spoke his voice was low and dangerous. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No,” James said, nervously brushing some of the water off of his face and looking up at Albus.
“I told you this morning who I was going with,” Albus said through gritted teeth.
“Not really,” James said defensively, crossing his arms. “I asked you if you had a date and all you said was that you were going to the carnival with Scorpius.”
Albus stared at him. “You’re an idiot.”
“Yeah,” James muttered. “I’ve heard that a lot today.”
“Wait a minute,” Scorpius said. “How long have you been following us?”
James felt his face heat. “Since you got here.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you stop when you realized what was going on?” Albus asked.
James didn’t answer, transferring his gaze to something, anything, else.
“Albus,” Scorpius said in slow realization. “I don’t think he realized it was a date until we were in the tunnel.”
James’s blush became hotter, and he stared up at the sky.
“Oh, my god,” Albus said-and then burst out laughing.
“Shut up,” James snapped. “I think we’ve established the fact that I’m an idiot, alright?”
Albus laughed for a minute longer, and then shook his head. “So you-you had no idea?”
James shook his head, and Albus suddenly looked nervous.
“Do you. Um. Do you care?” Albus asked, twisting the cloak slightly in his hands.
James blinked. “About what?”
Albus glared at him. “About the fact that-that…,”
James raised his eyebrows. “That you’re on a date with Scorpius? Or on a date with another boy?”
“Either,” Albus mumbled. “Both.”
James felt a smile tug at his lips and reached out to ruffle Albus’s hair. “No, I don’t bloody care. You’re my brother.”
Albus’s smile was pure relief. “Oh. Good then, ‘cause I’d hate to have to hex you.”
James snorted. “No you wouldn’t. You’d love to hex me.”
“True,” Albus conceded.
“Can I hex you?” Scorpius asked. “For being a nosy git?”
James sighed. “You can have one free shot when we get back to school.”
Scorpius considered. “Alright. Now can you go away?”
James laughed and reached for the cloak. “Yeah. I need to get home and dry off anyway.”
Albus and Scorpius waved him off, and James headed for one of the Apparition points. He was almost there when he remembered that Lily was waiting for him at home.
Oh, hell.
Author: dreamdustmama
Summary: Albus has a date, and James is determined to find out who it is.
Word Count: 2952
Rating: PG-13 for language and a bit of boy!kissing (obviously).
Genre: Humor, Romance
Prompts: Person: James Potter II; Place: Carnival; Object One: Tunnel of Love; Object Two: Ticket; Food: Candy Floss; Emotion: Joy; Freeform: Win or Lose
Disclaimer: Not mine.
AN: I like this Al. I don't know if I'll do a series, but I probably will use him again. :)
Up to Something
Albus was up to something; James knew it.
His younger brother had been acting strange since they got home from Hogwarts last month, and for the past week he’d been walking around with a dazed, goofy smile constantly on his face. James wasn’t entirely sure how Albus acted at school, seeing as they were in different Houses, but he did see him often enough to know this wasn’t normal.
James was currently standing in the doorway to Albus’s bedroom, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed, watching as his brother flitted about the room. Al was dressed in a low-slung pair of jeans, a black Metallica t-shirt, and bloody green and silver trainers. James narrowed his eyes as Albus came to a stop in front of his mirror and actually tried to tame his hair.
“If I didn’t know better,” James said, making Albus jump, “I’d think you were getting ready for a date.”
Albus tensed and flushed, staring at James with guarded eyes. He bit his lip, chewed on it for a minute, and then took a deep breath. “Yeah, I-I’m meeting Scorpius at the carnival, actually.”
“Oh,” James said, a bit disappointed; Albus was only going to meet his best friend. Why all the nervous getting ready then? No, there was no way Al was only going with Scorpius; there must be some girl that he didn’t want the rest of the family to know about. James blinked as he realized Albus was staring at him oddly. “What?”
Albus hesitated. “You don’t-there’s nothing you want to say about that?”
James was confused. “Why would I? You know I don’t have a problem with Malfoy.”
“Yeah, but-,” Albus started, then shook his head and sighed. “Nothing. Forget it.”
James frowned as Albus stalked past him, apparently having given up on his hair. He loved his brother, but sometimes-most of the time, come to think of it-he really didn’t understand him. Straightening, he turned and followed Albus downstairs, hoping to get more information out of him before he could leave.
Unfortunately the Floo sounded when he was about halfway down the stairs. Cursing, James jumped the last few steps and reached the living room just as Albus disappeared into the green flames. Damn. What now? Quirking his eyebrow James turned and hurried back up the stairs to his own room; he knew exactly how to find out what was going on.
Hurrying to the trunk he’d flung in the corner the evening they’d arrived back home, James flung the lid open and rifled through all the junk.
“Ha!” he yelled triumphantly a few minutes later, pulling out the invisibility cloak.
“Ha what?”
James jumped and swung around, automatically trying to hide the cloak behind his back. Lily was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.
“Um,” he said, and then sighed. Lily was damned perceptive, even at fourteen, and there wasn’t a person he knew of that could lie to her and get away with it. “I was looking for the cloak.”
“Why?” Lily asked, frowning slightly. “There’s no reason for you to use it when we’re at home.”
James winced, unable to meet her eyes. “Erm. I’m going to follow Al actually.”
Lily blinked. “Isn’t he going to the carnival with Scorpius?”
“Yeah,” James said. “That’s what he told me, but I think he’s got a date. I want to know who it is.”
Lily stared. “Let me get this straight,” she said slowly. “Albus told you he’s going to the carnival with Scorpius, but you still want to follow him and find out who his date is?”
“Um. Yes,” James said, confused by her tone.
Lily shook her head. “You. Are an idiot.”
“Oi!” James said indignantly. “I am not!”
“Right,” Lily said, amusement clear in her voice and expression. “Alright then. Go follow Al and find out who his date is. I promise I’ll laugh at you when you get back home.”
“Why-,” James started, but Lily was already walking away, giggling madly.
Shaking his head, James decided that he had to be the only sane person in his family. He glanced at his watch and jolted at how much time had passed; he needed to hurry if he was going to find Albus. Flinging the cloak over himself, James pulled his wand out of his pocket and Disapparated. He landed a few feet away from the carnival entrance, the wards keeping him from going directly in.
He looked around, trying to find his brother among the crowds of wizards and witches. Albus couldn’t be that far ahead of James, seeing as how he’d had to use one of the Floos instead of Apparating. James grinned as he spotted a familiar head of messy hair walking into the gate, a blond head next to him. Ok, so he was here with Scorpius; that didn’t mean they weren’t doubling or something.
Someone bumped into him from behind, making him stumble. He quickly pulled off the cloak and sent the confused wizard an apologetic smile before hurrying to the ticket booth. James bought one of the magical wrist bands that would allow him to ride any of the rides, just in case he needed to follow Albus onto one of them.
As soon as he’d stepped through the wards that hid the wizarding carnival from Muggles he flung the cloak back over his head, casting a quick charm to keep others from bumping into him on accident. It took a minute for him to find Albus again, but eventually he spotted his brother and Scorpius by one of the game booths.
James hurried over, making sure he got close enough to hear but far enough away that Albus wouldn’t figure out he was there.
“-don’t think you can,” Scorpius was saying, his voice challenging.
“I can too!” Albus scoffed. “It can’t be that hard to hit the bull’s-eye.”
“Wanna bet?” Scorpius asked.
Albus considered him shrewdly. “What does the winner get?”
“To pick what we do next,” Scorpius said, smirking. “Loser can’t complain.”
“Deal,” Albus said.
James watched as Albus paid the witch running the booth and picked up one of the three bean bags she set in front of him. He considered the target for a brief second before pulling his arm back and throwing the bean bag directly at it-only to have it jump out of the way a split second before contact was made. James had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at Albus’s expression.
“Bloody hell,” Albus muttered.
“Not that easy, is it?” Scorpius asked, his tone teasing.
Albus actually stuck his tongue out at Scorpius before picking up another bean bag. He missed with that one as well, and the third was so far off even the witch behind the counter looked embarrassed. Albus winced, a slight flush appearing on his cheeks as he ran a hand through his hair.
“Ok, that was harder than I thought,” he muttered.
“Don’t worry,” Scorpius said lightly as they walked away from the booth, James following. “I’ll pick one of the kiddie games next. Maybe you can win that one.”
“You’re a git,” Albus said flatly. “A complete and utter wanker.”
Scorpius raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips. “Then why are you here?”
“Certainly not for the company,” Albus said mockingly.
“Oh really?” Scorpius asked. “Not even the company of your date?”
A jolt of excitement shot through James; he was going to find out who Albus’s date was!
“Well, maybe for that,” Albus said, and the two boys smiled at each other. “So what’s next?”
Damn it, James thought sullenly. It was starting to look like he was going to have to follow them around the whole day.
“Hmmm,” Scorpius said thoughtfully. “How about we ride the dragon coaster?”
“Alright,” Albus said eagerly.
James suppressed a sigh and quickly followed after them. He loved the dragon coaster but there would be no way he could ride it; it was fast, and he couldn’t risk losing the cloak. And really, there was no point since it wouldn’t exactly allow for casual conversation and eavesdropping. He ended up leaning against a wall near the exit to wait.
When the ride was over and the two boys got off they were both flushed and windblown, excitement radiating from them. James couldn’t help but smile; it was nice to see Albus so happy.
“What now?” Scorpius asked.
Albus looked around thoughtfully, obviously considering all their options, and then his face lit up with pure joy.
“Candy floss!” he exclaimed, grabbing Scorpius’s hand and dragging him away.
James blinked in surprise and then hurried to catch up. When they reached the vendor Albus dropped Scorpius’s hand and bought them each a large paper cone wrapped in the spun sugar.
“I love candy floss,” Albus said, tearing off a huge chunk and stuffing it in his mouth. James rolled his eyes.
“I can tell,” Scorpius said mildly, though he wasted no time in eating a piece rivaling Albus’s.
They walked around for a while, eating their candy floss and playing a few of the games. James followed them, a bit bored but finding that their excitement was infectious.
“What about that game?” Albus said, throwing away his empty cone and pointing to one of the Muggle games the carnival boasted about. “Win or lose, you can pick what we do next.”
Scorpius considered the game. “A strength test? Seriously?”
Albus rolled his eyes. “Come on, it’s fun. I dare you.”
“And I get to pick what we do next no matter what?” Scorpius confirmed.
“Yup,” Albus answered.
James noticed the calculating look on Scorpius’s face and raised an eyebrow. Albus was a Slytherin-he should know not to fully trust one of his own, best friend or not.
“Alright,” Scorpius agreed, and stepped toward the game.
Despite his sudden misgivings, James couldn’t help but be impressed at how high the little ball went when Scorpius hit the target. He had managed to get it almost as high as James could, and that was saying something, considering how many times it had taken him to get it there.
“Wow,” Albus said, also impressed. “It took James nearly all summer last year to get it that high.”
Thank you, Al, James thought with a grimace.
“Yeah, well,” Scorpius said, his sudden flush contradicting his casual tone. “It’s not like it’s hard or anything.”
James narrowed his eyes and reconsidered his views on the Malfoy boy.
Albus laughed. “Right. So what do you want to do?”
Scorpius hesitated slightly, his face carefully blank. “I was thinking…the Tunnel of Love, maybe.”
James’s jaw dropped and Albus’s eyes widened. Why in the hell would Scorpius suggest that?
“Oh,” Albus breathed. “Um.”
“We don’t-don’t have to,” Scorpius started, stumbling over his words. “I just thought-,”
“No, it’s-,” Albus said.
“No pressure or anything,” Scorpius continued hastily. “I mean I-,”
“It’s ok,” Albus said.
“I-I would like to but-,” Scorpius said nervously.
“I would too,” Albus said.
“Really?” Scorpius asked, sounding unsure.
“Really,” Albus said, smiling shyly and running his hand through his hair again.
“Ok,” Scorpius said breathlessly after a brief pause, a slow smile spreading across his face.
“Ok,” Albus repeated, biting his lip.
What the fuck? James thought, staring at the two boys staring at each other.
“Um. Shall we?” Scorpius asked, gesturing toward the nearby ride.
“Alright,” Albus said, nodding slightly.
They turned and headed for the ride, trying to look casual but continuing to sneak nervous, happy glances at each other. James trailed behind, more confused than ever. Why were they going to ride something meant for couples? And what the hell had that awkward exchange been about? James frowned slightly, and thought that he had to be missing something important.
They reached the entrance to the tunnel, and James watched as Scorpius bought them a ticket while studiously ignoring the raised eyebrow of the attendant. James picked up the pace as the other two stepped into the boat, quickly casting a lightening charm on himself before getting into the seat behind Albus and Scorpius. Why did these things have two seats anyway?
The boat started to move and James waited, hoping the boys would start talking and maybe he would find out who Albus’s date was supposed to be. Although why his brother hadn’t met up with her yet was beyond him-the day was almost over, and all he’d done was run around with Scorpius.
“Are you nervous?” Scorpius suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
“No,” Albus said. “Yes. Maybe a little.”
“Me too,” Scorpius admitted.
James frowned slightly; the only lights in the tunnel were from the fairies scattered across the walls and ceiling, so he couldn’t make out their faces. What did they have to be nervous about?
“So. Um.” Albus said. “Do we just-,”
“Erm. I guess.” Scorpius answered. “Maybe if we just, um, do it…,”
“Yeah,” Albus agreed. “Yeah. That’s-,”
“Yeah,” Scorpius said. “Ok. Um. Here, scoot a bit closer, and turn-,”
Albus moved forward slightly. “And you-your leg’s in the way-ok, that’s better-,”
“Al?”
“Yeah?”
“Just-,”
“Right.”
James watched, shock coursing through him, as Albus leaned in and pressed his lips against Scorpius’s. The kiss was brief, but they both pulled away slowly.
“That-,” Albus said, sounding breathless.
“Was really…really nice,” Scorpius finished.
“Yeah.”
“Again?”
“Definitely.”
Oh, James thought blankly as the two boys kissed again, both of them making soft noises as their lips met. And then-Oh! Of course. Merlin, he really was stupid. Wincing at his own obliviousness, and his sudden desire to be far, far away from the snogging boys, James turned his head and stared at the fairy covered wall.
When the ride ended five minutes later James was sure he was traumatized for life. He would never be able to look at Albus-or Scorpius for that matter-again without remembering things he had no desire to know. He shuddered and made to get out of the boat as soon as it stopped; unfortunately, he forgot that the other two didn’t know he was there.
Scorpius made to get out a split second after James, and he felt a tug on the bottom of the cloak as the blond unintentionally stepped on it. Oh shit, James thought briefly as he stumbled-and landed in the water the boat floated in. He struggled slightly in the shallow water before finding his footing and coming up spluttering.
“James? What the fuck?!”
James flinched at his brother’s angry voice and looked up at Albus sheepishly, shoving his wet hair out of his eyes. “Er. Hullo.”
Albus glared at him and grabbed the fallen cloak before scrambling out of the boat behind Scorpius. James bit his lip and pulled himself up onto the docking area, not meeting Albus’s eyes.
“What the fuck were you doing, James?” Albus asked, holding up the cloak.
“Um,” James said. “Following you?”
“Following-,” Albus repeated in shock. “Why?”
James flushed and stared down at his trainers. “Trying to find out who your date was,” he mumbled.
Albus was silent for a long moment, and when he finally spoke his voice was low and dangerous. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No,” James said, nervously brushing some of the water off of his face and looking up at Albus.
“I told you this morning who I was going with,” Albus said through gritted teeth.
“Not really,” James said defensively, crossing his arms. “I asked you if you had a date and all you said was that you were going to the carnival with Scorpius.”
Albus stared at him. “You’re an idiot.”
“Yeah,” James muttered. “I’ve heard that a lot today.”
“Wait a minute,” Scorpius said. “How long have you been following us?”
James felt his face heat. “Since you got here.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you stop when you realized what was going on?” Albus asked.
James didn’t answer, transferring his gaze to something, anything, else.
“Albus,” Scorpius said in slow realization. “I don’t think he realized it was a date until we were in the tunnel.”
James’s blush became hotter, and he stared up at the sky.
“Oh, my god,” Albus said-and then burst out laughing.
“Shut up,” James snapped. “I think we’ve established the fact that I’m an idiot, alright?”
Albus laughed for a minute longer, and then shook his head. “So you-you had no idea?”
James shook his head, and Albus suddenly looked nervous.
“Do you. Um. Do you care?” Albus asked, twisting the cloak slightly in his hands.
James blinked. “About what?”
Albus glared at him. “About the fact that-that…,”
James raised his eyebrows. “That you’re on a date with Scorpius? Or on a date with another boy?”
“Either,” Albus mumbled. “Both.”
James felt a smile tug at his lips and reached out to ruffle Albus’s hair. “No, I don’t bloody care. You’re my brother.”
Albus’s smile was pure relief. “Oh. Good then, ‘cause I’d hate to have to hex you.”
James snorted. “No you wouldn’t. You’d love to hex me.”
“True,” Albus conceded.
“Can I hex you?” Scorpius asked. “For being a nosy git?”
James sighed. “You can have one free shot when we get back to school.”
Scorpius considered. “Alright. Now can you go away?”
James laughed and reached for the cloak. “Yeah. I need to get home and dry off anyway.”
Albus and Scorpius waved him off, and James headed for one of the Apparition points. He was almost there when he remembered that Lily was waiting for him at home.
Oh, hell.