Eight New Years

[betelin_notecor]

Title: Eight New Years
Main pairing: Albus Severus/Scorpius
Word count: ~10,000
Genre: angst, fluff, romance
Warnings: none
Rating: pg-13
Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K.R. and related entities. I made no money on this fic.
Notes: This fic was prompted by love_stoned0_0 as a prize for taking part in the ass_carnival. I'm sorry it was a bit late babe... I just fail at life. =P

Summary: Scorpius's life has been shaped by New Year's Eve parties and Albus.

Scorpius poured the bottle of Asti gingerly, cringing at the sight of the wine. He had sent Albus to the store to pick up some New Year's bubbly, and he should have known that Albus would choose the sweet sparkling wine over proper Champagne. His boyfriend just didn't understand wine.

He handed Albus the first glass and then dumped three cherries and half of the juice in the cherry jar into a second glass. He proceeded to fill what was left of the glass with Asti. The fruit juice would cover the taste of the alcohol, leaving him with nothing but sweetness and bubbles. Perfect. It wasn't the Champagne he'd been looking forward to, but it would be good. He set the glass to the side.

He leaned back in his seat on the couch, snuggling into Albus's side. Albus slung an arm over his shoulders. Their first New Year's Eve alone together. It was better than any year before.

"Happy New Year, Scorpius," said Albus.

Scorpius poked his boyfriend in the side. "We've still got a few minutes until the new year."

Albus shrugged and made to take a drink from his glass, but Scorpius stopped him.

"No! You can't drink until the clock hits midnight!" protested Scorpius.

Albus sighed, but set his glass on their coffee table. "What are we supposed to do for the next ten minutes then?"

Scorpius smirked. "I know a few things we could do..."

Albus grinned and launched himself at Scorpius, kissing him hard and fast. He broke away a moment later to say, "Love you."

Scorpius touched a hand to Albus's cheek and replied, "I love you, too."

~Year One~

Scorpius's first year at Hogwarts had not started out very well. Being sorted into Slytherin had been expected. That his dorm mates would include the illustrious Albus Severus Potter had not been. He had also expected to be ignored, avoided, and mistreated. He was a Malfoy after all, and the vast majority of his year mates' parents had been through the war. He had hoped he would make a friend or two, but he hadn't imagined that he actually would.

In fact, he had made a number of friends. He was treated nicely by most of the Slytherins, and the other houses were no meaner to him than they were to anyone else. He got on well with his dorm mates... especially Albus, which had been the ultimate surprise. His father had warned him that the Potters and Weasleys would probably hate him before they even met him. Instead, after Albus had been sorted into Slytherin, he had blinked twice and then clambered off the stool and down the Great Hall until he plopped into a seat next to Scorpius.

He had greeted Scorpius with a "Hello!" and then proceeded to point out his many relatives. Not once had he said anything mean. When they followed the prefect to the dorm, he stuck next to Scorpius's side, and he picked the bed right next to Scorpius's in the dorm. Scorpius had wondered about the boy's clinginess at the time, but later on he had learned that Albus had seen their fathers trade nods on Platform 9 3/4, and from that, he had decided that Scorpius was probably an all right kind of guy.

Scorpius didn't understand his friend's odd flights of logic, but he appreciated Albus for himself. Though the son of the Boy Who Lived, Albus was down to earth and friendly to everyone. Everyone was nice to him in return, and as Albus's best friend, Scorpius got trickle down kindness from everyone. At first it had irked him, but gradually he began to cultivate his own friendships with people, and he grew out of his irritation. Albus remained his best friend though.

His logic balanced Albus's flighty nature, and Albus's generosity balanced out his selfishness. Being the only child in his family had spoiled him, he knew. Albus didn't seem to mind though, and he took Scorpius's selfish demands in stride. Even the most silly demands received consideration.

One such demand had been that Albus attend the Malfoy family's New Year's Eve party. Albus had spent the entire month before the hols cataloging all of the family traditions that he liked to partake in. One had been New Year's Eve at the Burrow with all of his cousins, aunts, uncles, various other relatives, and family friends. Even knowing that Albus was not likely to come, Scorpius attempted to force his hand.

"You just have to come! There will be shrimp cocktails and Champagne to steal, and caviar and foie gras, and just so much food," said Scorpius. He leaned to the left until he was propped against Albus's side in the carriage. "Please?"

Albus sighed and shrugged. "I dunno if I can. Mum and Dad are expecting me to go to the Burrow. If you'd told me earlier, maybe, but we're almost to the train now!"

Scorpius crossed his arms and pouted. He had only just gotten permission from his parents to invite Albus. It had taken weeks to finagle that from them and promises that he would do well in school. "You have to come, Albus. It won't be any fun without you."

Albus laughed. "But you'll have alcohol and food with funny names. I'm sure you'll get along without me."

His pout devolved into a scowl. "Please."

Albus shook his head but then looked at Scorpius. "I... guess I could ask my parents if I can come."

Scorpius grinned. "Great! We'll have so much fun!"

The carriages came to a stop and Albus looked as if he wanted to protest, but he changed his mind. "I guess we will. Did you say you're going to have caviar?"

Scorpius hopped out of the carriage. "Yep! And escargot and maybe some calamari."

Albus wrinkled his nose. "Isn't that stuff, like, snails and squid?" He climbed out of carriage slower than Scorpius had. His motion sickness must have upset his stomach. Scorpius felt bad. The poor kid couldn't even ride a broom he got so ill.

"Yeah. What's wrong with squid and snails?" He wondered if there was a potion he could give Albus that would help with the motion sickness. It would make a good Christmas present.

Albus covered his mouth with a hand. "Oh, ew."

Scorpius could identify the warning signs of impending vomiting. He hustled Albus over to a trash bin and patted him on the back as he tossed up the toast and jam he'd eaten for breakfast. When Albus seemed down, Scorpius handed him a handkerchief and helped him straighten himself up. They had just begun to move away from the bin when Albus doubled in half again and threw up what looked like chunks of sausage on Scorpius's shoes.

Scorpius sighed and Banished it away. He'd gotten good at the spell since becoming friends with Albus. "You owe me. You'd better come to the party now, to make up for tossing up on my shoes." They'd never be the same again. You just couldn't get rid of that vomit smell.

Albus laughed a bit and then held his stomach. "Sorry, Scorp."

Scorpius sighed. "Don't call me Scorp. Now come on... let's get you settled on the train with a trash bin."

Albus nodded and Scorpius led his nauseous friend away. He doubted it was the last time that day that he'd see Albus's stomach contents. He wasn't going to let the boy near the candy trolley, that was for sure.

~*~

Albus's head peeked through the fire. "I'm sorry, Scorpius. Mum said I have to come to the Burrow tonight."

Scorpius's stomach dropped. He'd been planning their New Year's Eve for almost two weeks. He'd already stolen some hummus from the kitchen for himself, and some biscuits for Albus, as he doubted the boy had ever tasted hummus. They were going to top it off with some extra-strength butterbeers nicked from his dad's stash. It would have been perfect.

"You promised!" he said. "You threw up on my shoes! You have to come!"

"I can't." Albus smiled. "But we can still spend New Year's Eve together!"

Scorpius glared at him. "I'm not staring into a Floo fire for the next seven hours."

Albus had the audacity to laugh. "No! Grandmum said you could come to the Burrow."

Scorpius contemplated this. Hours spent with a wild pack of Weasleys, including Rose, who liked to one-up him in Potions and Herbology, and James, who adored playing jokes on Albus and Scorpius, or not seeing Albus at all. It wasn't a terribly hard choice to make.

"I'll see you in a few minutes then," Scorpius sighed. He doubted his parents would care. Mum would likely even be glad to have him out of her hair.

Albus nodded. "Floo straight to the Burrow. I'll be there waiting!" His head ducked out of the Floo, and then the connection ended.

Scorpius nodded and began to fortify himself. A night with the Weasleys would probably be distressing, but Albus was worth it.

~Year Two~

A year later, Scorpius found himself trying to go back to the Burrow for New Years Eve. He had actually enjoyed himself the year before. George and Ron had ended up in a drunken pissing contest that had amused everyone--for good reason. They actually went outside and pissed their names in the snow. Scorpius had watched with amusement. His family would never allow anything like that to happen at one of their holiday parties.

Scorpius had loved it. So the next year, he hadn't bothered to get permission for Albus to come to his house. He'd spent days waiting for Albus to invite him. Finally, he had caved on the train when it seemed as thought Albus would never invite him.

"Albus, aren't you going to invite me to your family's New Year Eve party?" Scorpius asked.

Albus looked away from the window only long enough to shake his head. Then he returned his gaze to the passing countryside. They had discovered that Albus got less motion sick when he was looking out the window on the train, so Scorpius wasn't offended, but he was desperate.

He wouldn't tell anyone, but he was hoping that the Weasley men would end up drunk in front of him again. It wasn't so much the drunkenness he was looking forward to, as the semi-nakedness. Over the summer, the Malfoys had taken a trip to South France. While there, Scorpius had spent his days lounging on the beach and ogling the other tourists. Only, the tourists he'd chosen to ogle weren't women. It had shocked him when he realized that he was very, very gay. Nevertheless, he had embraced it. He wasn't sure how his parents or Albus would feel about it, but he was comfortable with it.

And he really liked ogling men. He really wanted to ogle the Weasley men. He'd yet to see an adult cock without clothing, except his father's once, and he did not want to think about his father like that. His memories of the previous New Year's Eve party were blurry and full of laughter. He was hoping to make some fresh memories to tide him over while he was wanking at night. That wasn't going to happen if Albus didn't invite him over.

"But... why?"

Albus smiled out the window. "I got permission to go to your house! I was waiting for you to ask me over."

Scorpius huffed and crossed his arms. "I didn't ask because I'm not allowed to. My parent's didn't give me permission to invite anyone over." Albus didn't need to know that he hadn't asked for permission in the first place.

Albus frowned. "Oh. Darn. I was looking forward to that fancy food."

"It'd probably be more fun at your house anyway." said Scorpius. "Your family is... pretty cool."

Albus grinned at him, looking away from the window. "Gee, Scorp. Was that a compliment?"

Scorpius pursed his lips. He'd do anything for a chance to see a cock. Plus, it really would be fun to spend the night with Albus. "Yes. It was. Shut up. And don't call me, Scorp."

Albus burst into laughter. His laughter was just trailing off when he turned an ugly puce colour. Scorpius sighed as his shoes were splattered with stomach acid. All of Albus's food had already been lost earlier in the day, but there was just enough liquid left in his stomach to cover Scorpius's feet.

He Banished the liquid and handed Albus a clean handkerchief. Albus smiled at him wanly as he wiped his mouth and then focused on the window again. Scorpius took off his shoes and began to rifle through his bag for a new pair. "You owe me, Albus."

Albus sighed. "I know. I'll make sure you can come to the party."

"Perfect!" cried Scorpius.

~*~

Albus giggled madly when Scorpius Flooed through to the Burrow at the same moment as Teddy Lupin. Scorpius had met his cousin a few times, and he was rather blown away by the attractive Auror. He didn't quite understand Albus's laughter though, at least, not until he looked up.

Someone, likely George, had hung a bough of mistletoe just outside of the Floo. And now Scorpius was under it, with Teddy.

He glanced at his cousin and then blushed. Teddy was laughing, his hair a bright blue.

"Sorry about this," said Teddy, as he leaned over and brushed his lips along Scorpius's.

Scorpius's stomach fluttered a little, and he regretted the loss of touch when Teddy pulled away. He didn't have a crush on his cousin, but he was a bloke, a very cute bloke, and Scorpius wouldn't turn kisses away.

"You have to kiss if you are caught under the mistletoe in this house. To do otherwise is dangerous. I got covered in rancid eggnog one year when I refused to kiss Victoire."

Scorpius nodded dumbly and Teddy walked away. Albus was still giggling from his spot at the table.

"You shoulda seen your face, mate!" chortled Albus. "You looked like you were about to be hit by a Bludger!"

Scorpius ran a finger across his lips. He was glad he'd gotten Albus to invite him--very glad.

"Anyway, James, Rose, and the rest of them are up in the orange room. I think they've nicked some of the adults' eggnog, so let's go join them." Albus stood and grabbed Scorpius by the wrist. "This way!"

Scorpius let himself be dragged into what appeared to be Ron's old room. The walls had been painted orange a while ago and were now peeling, and the Quidditch posters were inhabited by men and women who hadn't played professionally in decades. It was cozy though, and Scorpius settled himself into a spot on the floor with Albus.

James sneered down at them from his position on the bed. "Now that you ankle-biters are here, we can start the fun stuff." Dominique laughed and patted James on the head. James might have been the oldest of the Potters, but he was an ankle-biter himself amongst the Weasley cousins.

Albus glared back at his brother. "The eggnog?"

Rose giggled, her flushed cheeks making it obvious where the eggnog had gone. "We drank it all... sorry! There's, um, butterbeer though."

Albus rolled his eyes and grabbed the butterbeer from where she pointed. James was already draining one of his own, and as soon as the bottle was empty, he tossed it down to the ground with a smirk.

"Time for truth or dare!" he crowed. Scorpius was amused to see him wobble in his spot on the bed. He'd drunken a bit too much alcohol, it seemed.

Rose spun first, leaning over the edge of the bed to reach the bottle on the floor. It landed on Louis, a fifth year in Gryffindor. All of the Weasley relatives were Gryffindors, in fact, except for Albus. Scorpius wondered if the hat put them all in Gryffindor simply because their red hair was so like a lion's mane.

Louis rolled his eyes and slammed back a swallow of butterbeer. "All right, what's my dare?"

Rose frowned. "You don't even want to here the truth question?"

Louis snorted. "Coming from you? No."

Rose's frown deepened. "Fine then. I dare you to... kiss Albus!"

Albus choked on a mouthful of butterbeer. "Rosie! No! We're cousins!"

Rose sighed. "You're a pansy, Albus. Fine. Louis, kiss Scorpius."

"All right." Louis shrugged and dropped his butterbeer on an nightstand. "Sorry, Malfoy."

Scorpius watched with wide eyes as Louis crawled over to him. He was about to lower his lips to Scorpius's when Albus growled and shoved Louis, who toppled over.

Albus stood and grabbed Scorpius's hand to drag him up with him. "Leave him alone! He already got mauled under the mistletoe. He doesn't want this!"

Technically, Scorpius did want it. Free kisses were just his thing, but he wasn't ready to explain that to Albus, so he let himself be dragged from the room again.

"What was that about?" he asked Albus once they were outside. He could hear whoops coming from the kitchen and he wondered if Ron and George were getting drunk again. Kisses were nice, but he still wanted to see a cock.

Albus crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. "I can't believe they were picking on you like that."

"But you were laughing when I got stuck under the mistletoe," said Scorpius. He really didn't understand what the difference was.

Albus just shrugged. "That was Teddy though. He's straight, so it's not like anything might have happened. Rose knows Louis is gay."

Scorpius blinked rapidly. Louis was gay? It was too bad he was so much older than Scorpius... he was pretty cute. "What does being gay have to do with anything?"

Albus sighed. "I dunno. It just... it wasn't right. I didn't like it."

"All right," said Scorpius, mindful of the drunken revelry getting louder and louder in the kitchen. "Let's go see what everyone else is up to then."

"I hope Uncle Ron and Uncle George aren't at it again. I really don't want to see them pissing again."

Scorpius shook his head. No, he didn't really want to see them urinating, but he wouldn't mind catching them with their pants down. "Come on, Albus."

~Year Three~
Cocks weren't really such a big deal after all. Especially Ron and George's. He'd been rather disappointed to discover the men had freckles on their penises. Really, freckles? Ugh. He didn't mind sprinkles of freckles, like the ones across Albus's nose, but freckles on cocks was just a complete turn-off for him.

Besides... he'd seen plenty of non-freckled cocks since then. Making it onto the Slytherin Quidditch team as a Keeper meant taking communal showers with all of the other male Quidditch players. Some of the cocks weren't overly attractive, but he'd seen enough of them to keep his fantasies well fueled.

Thus, he hadn't worried about going to the Burrow this year. He liked to think he'd gained some maturity since the previous year. Plus, Albus had invited him at the very beginning of December.

He Flooed into the Burrow on New Year's Eve with no mission in mind. If he got kissed again, it would be lovely, but he wasn't counting on it. He was cautious stepping out of the Floo and was relieved that there was no mistletoe on the other side. Albus had gotten stuck under the mistletoe with Rose last year after she apologized for the dare, and that had been a very disturbing kiss to watch. He had no urge to get stuck kissing Rose... or any other girl for that matter.

What he did have an urge to do was to come out to Albus. He had decided that New Year's Eve would be the perfect time to do it. He was tired of listening to Albus talk about this girl or that girl. He wished he could talk about hot men with Albus, but he knew that wasn't going to happen, so he'd just be grateful to an end of Albus's rambling about tits and vaginas. Well, technically, the term was vaginae, but that was even more disturbing than the girly parts themselves.

If he were to tell the truth, which he wouldn't ever do, he really just wanted someone to know that he was gay. He couldn't come out to his parents, not yet, and Albus was his closest friend. He'd never heard Albus make fun of homosexuals, so he hoped that Albus would be all right with him.

Scorpius found Albus in the living room with his great, great aunt, Muriel. Scorpius had met the old bat only once before, and that had been enough for him. Frowning, he backed away from the living room, wondering how he could help Albus get away without getting stuck talking to her too.

He'd almost returned to the kitchen when he bumped into someone. Glancing up, he realized that he'd run into Louis and that they were under some mistletoe. Louis smirked and Scorpius grinned back at him. They both knew escape was impossible, so neither spoke as they leaned into a kiss.

Scorpius was intrigued by the taste of figgy pudding on Louis's lips, and he licked along them, hoping to taste more. Louis must have taken that to mean Scorpius wanted to deepen the kiss, for he opened his mouth and drew Scorpius's tongue into it. Scorpius moaned at the feel of Louis's mouth and the bright burst of flavor. His own mouth tasted like the sugar quills he was addicted to, or so he hoped. Knowing his luck, he probably tasted like sauerkraut or something weird.

They drew apart a moment later, Scorpius panting for breath as he had forgotten to breathe. Louis smiled at him. "I thought you might be gay."

"How did you know?" Scorpius asked.

"The fact that you didn't protest Rose's dare like any straight boy would have."

"Oh." That would have been a fairly obvious tell, wouldn't it?

Behind him, he heard Albus stumble out of the living room. "I'm free!" he cried.

Scorpius turned to look at his friend and was shocked to see a scowl on Albus's face.

"I told you to stay away from Scorp!" Albus cried.

Louis threw his hands up in the air. "He was the one who ran into me!"

Scorpius wasn't sure why Albus was upset, but he tried to calm him down. "I did, and don't call me Scorp."

Albus stomped over to Scorpius and drew him away from Louis and the mistletoe. "Don't try it again, Louis, or I'll put Biting Teacups in your bed!" He tugged Scorpius all the way up the stairs to the attic. There was a ghoul in the corner rattling things, but Albus ignored it. "You have to stay away from him."

"Why?"

"Because he's going to try to date you, and you aren't allowed to date him!"

Again, it seemed as though Albus's flights of logic had taken him somewhere Scorpius couldn't follow. "What are you on about? Why would he want to date me?"

Albus gave a great sigh and slumped into a seat on an old trunk. "He knows you're gay, and there just aren't any gay blokes at Hogwarts, so he'd want to date you just because you're the only one he knows."

Scorpius gaped at him. "I... what makes you think I'm gay?"

Albus quirked an eyebrow at him. "Please, Scorp, do you think I'm an idiot? You cringe every time I try to discuss girls, you didn't care when Teddy kissed you last year, and you were perfectly willing to let Louis kiss you at Rosie's command."

Well, it seemed like Scorpius was bad about keeping his sexuality a secret.

"Plus, I've caught you staring at other bloke's cocks in the showers."

Really bad.

"Um... you're right then. Does it... does it bother you?"

Albus shook his head. "Of course not. I'm gonna be a bit ticked if I catch you ogling my bits in the bathroom, but really, if I got to take showers with girls, I'd be ogling them too."

Scorpius sighed. "Not the shower thing. The thing where I'm gay."

"Oh!" Albus brightened. "Nope! I don't care." His face fell into a scowl. "You aren't allowed to date Louis though. You'll just have to find some other gay bloke somewhere."

Scorpius was completely amused. Albus didn't care if he was gay, as long as Scorpius didn't ogle him in the shower or date Louis. "Why not Louis?"

"Because you're my best friend."

Scorpius didn't understand what Albus thought he was conveying with that statement, but he assumed it was something big.

"Why would that matter?" Scorpius asked.

Albus scowled harder. "If you date him and then you'll break up, you won't want to be around him, which means you'll want to avoid my family, which means you'll want to avoid me."

Scorpius sunk down onto the trunk next to Albus and threw an arm around his shoulders. "You can't get rid of me that easily! You're my best friend Albus, and you mean much more to me than any other bloke ever will. I'd never try to avoid you... unless we were fighting or something, but still."

Albus leaned into him. "D'you mean it?"

"Of course. Have I ever lied?"

Albus just stared at him.

Scorpius laughed. "Oh, all right, I've lied, but have I ever lied to you?"

"No... not that I know of."

"Well, I haven't, and I'm not starting now. You are my best mate, and you are stuck with me, from now until forever. Got it?"

Albus beamed at him. "Got it!"

Scorpius nodded and stood. "Good. Now lets go downstairs and see what everyone else is up to."

Albus stood a little more reluctantly. "You'll have to be careful. There's mistletoe everywhere. I don't want you to get stuck under it with Louis."

Scorpius zipped his lips and didn't say another word as they traipsed downstairs. Omission of information wasn't lying and Albus didn't really need to know about his kiss with Louis. At least, not for a while. Maybe that'd be the secret he'd share next New Year's Eve.

~Year Four~

Scorpius had yet to find a potion that could quell motion sickness completely, though it wasn't for lack of motivation. It seemed as though Albus puking on his shoes was getting to be a yearly event.

It was near the end of the train ride home that it happened again, and Scorpius just Banished the mess and his shoes. He'd invested in some cheap Muggle shoes just for the rides to and from Hogwarts, and they had definitely come in handy. He wondered if it was safe to put on his own shoes and decided against it. The extra pair of Muggle shoes would be much safer if Albus's stomach ended up needing to empty itself again.

He handed Albus a handkerchief, grateful from the neverending supply his mother kept him stocked with.

Albus smiled at him, which was rather disgusting when his face was streaked in vomit, and took the handkerchief gratefully. Once his face was clean, he said, "Thanks, Scorp."

Scorpius shrugged. "No problem. You owe me, of course. And don't call me Scorp."

Albus giggled. "Still, I love you, mate, for putting up with this. No one else would have."

Scorpius blushed from his neck to the roots of his hair. "I love you too," he muttered.

He had never lied to Albus before (and omission of information just didn't count!) and he wasn't lying then. It had been a sudden realization at the beginning of the year that had helped Scorpius realize that he loved his friend far deeper than friends normally loved each other.

It was distressing, to say the least, and Scorpius did his best to avoid thinking about it, but it didn't help that Albus said things like that out of the blue for no seeming reason. Malfoys learned early on that one only professed love at the most important moments of one's life: birth, death, and orgasm. Not that Scorpius's father had actually said that. Scorpius imagined that his father wouldn't ever be able to spit out the word orgasm in front of his son. The times had been very strongly implied though.

The Potter/Weasley clan didn't seem to have any rules governing their affection. They would hug each other or kiss each other or mention how much they loved each other at completely random moments. It amused Scorpius when he was watching it, but experiencing it made him break out in a cold sweat.

Albus folded up the dirty handkerchief and tucked it away in a pocket before returning his gaze to the countryside. Scorpius was grateful because it meant he could watch Albus without being accused of staring.

Albus was a gorgeous boy. His hair was ruffled and he had freckles all over his face and he was scrawny and short, but Scorpius loved every bit of him. He loved the cowlick on the back of Albus's head and the odd birthmark on his left wrist. He adored his green eyes and his pert nose. Most of all he adored Albus, the Albus that existed within all of his various physical traits.

He knew that Albus wasn't classically handsome, but he didn't care. He liked the way Albus looked and acted and spoke. He was smitten with every part of Albus.

Except the vomiting, but really, everyone had a flaw. Vomiting was better than an obsession with boogers or an attraction to ear wax, he supposed.

Now the only problem he had was keeping his feelings secret from Albus. He knew that, while Albus was comfortable with him being gay, he wouldn't be happy to discover Scorpius's feelings. Everything between them would be all awkward and uncomfortable, and he might accuse Scorpius of peeking at him in the showers. (Which Scorpius had only done once, and he'd only caught a glimpse of his arse. And it was a wonderful arse, indeed.)

Scorpius didn't want to lose his best friend, so he kept his mouth shut and listened to Albus drone on about this girl or that one, imagining himself showing Albus how wonderful men could be. After all, a woman could never suck a dick as well as a man because they simply didn't know enough about dicks, and they never would. Scorpius was convinced of this.

He was nervous about the New Year's Eve party at the Burrow though. New Year's Eve always seemed so monumental for him. It would be just like him to blurt it out amidst Albus's entire family.

Still, he couldn't say no when Albus asked him. Being invited to spend the evening with Albus made him feel special. Albus had never invited anyone else over to the Burrow on that evening. He liked knowing that he was one of Albus's most important people, one of the people he wanted to ring in a new year with. So, he'd go to Albus's New Year's Eve party, and he'd do his best to keep his mouth shut.

~*~

Scorpius Flooed into the Burrow, checking for mistletoe as soon as he arrived, and being careful not to drop the box in his hands. Ginny was cooking some kind of cake and she hollered for Albus as soon as she noticed Scorpius had arrived.

Albus skidded into the room a moment later from outside, panting madly as if he had run from wherever he was. Scorpius took in the flush on his face and his heaving chest and reminded himself and his dick that Albus might look like that in the middle of sex, but there was no reason for him to be imagining it in the Burrow kitchen.

"Happy New Year, Albus," Scorpius said officially. He held out the box in his arms. "I brought you a belated Christmas present."

Albus smiled. "You already got me that book on Kneazles, Scorp. I didn't need anything else."

Scorpius smirked. "It's not exactly something else. It's more like... the other half of that present. I didn't send it at Christmas because I needed to get permission from your parents to give it to you. I wouldn't have wanted you to have to give her away, after all."

Albus gasped. "No way, you didn't!"

Scorpius held the box out further. "Take it and see."

Ginny and Scorpius watched as Albus took the box and gently set it on the floor to open up the flaps. He reached inside and pulled out a purring Kneazle kitten that was as dark as Albus's own hair. "Thank you," said Albus reverently, stroking the kitten's fur.

Scorpius smiled sheepishly. "She's not that big of a deal. My mother breeds Kneazles, and this one was actually the runt of the litter. She's not the brightest Lumos, but she's sweet."

Albus stood and yanked Scorpius into a one armed hug. "Still, thank you." He pulled away to hug his mother. "Thank you too, for letting me keep her."

Ginny reached out to pet the Kneazle, which snapped at her fingertips. Scorpius bit back a laugh.

"You can keep her, Albus, but she's your responsibility. If you can't care for her, she'll have to go to a new home. Your father and I don't have time to take care of pets."

Albus nodded. "I'll take care of her. I've always wanted a Kneazle!"

Scorpius had known. It was why he'd wheedled the runt away from his mother. Even the runts sold for a lot of money as breeding stock, and it had been hard to convince her to give it up. Still, he'd just had to give it to Albus. It was the perfect gift to express his love.

"I love her," Albus said.

And I love you, thought Scorpius.

~Year Five~

Albus had named his Kneazle Bastet and she had taken to curling up around his neck, more like a snake than a cat-like magical creature. It was unbearably cute, and it made Scorpius smile every time he saw it. However, his smile tended to fall away soon after because another girl had taken to accompanying Albus everywhere too.

Topaz was a sweet fifth year Hufflepuff, and Scorpius wanted to rip her head off. She was a kind girl, but she didn't deserve to live as long as she was Albus's girlfriend.

Scorpius had liked her once, until she had seduced his friend. Now Albus spent his days talking with her or about her, and his nights moaning her name. To make it worse, she had sat with them on the way home from Hogwarts, and Albus hadn't thrown up once, even though they had been playing Exploding Snap instead of looking out the window.

It wasn't fair. Why did she get to sit next to him and cuddle up against him? What was it about her that made Albus control his stomach for her? And how had he even managed to control it?

Scorpius was angry and jealous, and he knew it, but it didn't stop him from hating Topaz anyway. He glared at her the entire train ride, and she didn't even notice. Albus did though and he shot Scorpius a glare in return. That hurt, badly.

When they reached the Platform, Scorpius stomped out of the compartment, levitating his bag behind him. Albus followed him angrily, poor Bastet clutching at his shoulders with her claws.

"What was that all about?" Albus demanded. "Topaz thinks you hate her!"

Scorpius snarled. "She's right. I do."

Albus gaped at him. "What... why? How can you possibly hate her? There's nothing about her to hate!"

Scorpius could hate anything and everything about her, from the perfect little brown ringlets on her head to the cute patent leather shoes on her feet. As long as she was stealing his Albus away, he could never like her.

He couldn't tell Albus that though because then he'd have to explain that he loved Albus to the point of hatred towards others. He didn't think Albus would take that lightly. He tried to blow it off without outright lying. He refused to lie to Albus. "She's just... she's all you talk about or think about anymore. I miss the old pre-Topaz you."

Albus rolled his eyes. "I'm still the same bloke."

Scorpius wanted to scream that, no, he wasn't the same bloke. The old Albus didn't detail how French kissing felt or why blow jobs were the best things on earth. The old Albus spent hours talking to Scorpius and debating which professional Quidditch teams would end up at the next World Cup or why spinach was better than lettuce in salad.

"I'm just... jealous," he admitted. "I used to have you all to myself, and now I have to share you."

Albus frowned. "I'm sorry, Scorpius. You're still my best mate, but she's my girlfriend. It's not like I can ignore her."

Scorpius sighed internally. "I know."

Albus offered him a small smile. "Are we okay now then?"

Scorpius nodded.

"Thank Merlin!" Albus said, then he grimaced and bent over, and Scorpius transformed a handkerchief into a rubbish bin just in time. Bastet leaped onto Scorpius's shoulders to save herself from the vomit.

Albus took his time throwing up, and Scorpius was grateful that the train had mostly emptied while they were fighting. He noticed that some of Albus's hair was getting close to the vomit, and he brushed it back, marveling at how soft to the touch it was. He wished he had an excuse to touch Albus like that more often.

Finally, Albus emptied his stomach and straightened up. He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, provided by Scorpius, of course, and said, "Thanks, mate. I've been taking anti-nausea potions since I woke up, and the last one just wore off."

"Albus Severus Potter! You know better than that! Those potions are dangerous!" Scorpius was still searching for an anti-nausea potion that was safe. The current ones wreaked horrible damage on a wizard's liver and small intestines.

Albus shrugged. "I just didn't want to throw up in front of Topaz." He sighed. "She'd dump me if she saw me vomiting like mad. It's so gross, and I hate being so weak."

Scorpius reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "I'm sure she wouldn't dump you. It's not that big of a deal. And you aren't weak."

Albus leaned into the touch and Bastet jumped back onto his shoulders. "Do you know any other fifteen year old boys who toss up their lunch whenever they go traveling?"

Scorpius had to admit that he didn't.

"See? It's weak and pathetic, and she'd never want to be with me if she knew. Who could love the amazing, vomiting Albus?"

Scorpius didn't understand where Albus came up with these odd bits of logic. "Why would tossing up make you unlovable?"

"It just... isn't attractive," said Albus.

Scorpius wanted to shake him. "Neither is pissing and shitting, but people do that all of the time."

"It's not the same!" protested Albus.

"But it is!" said Scorpius. "I've seen you throw up tons of times, and I've never abandoned you."

Albus gave him a wan smile. "I've always rather expected you to, especially when I ended up vomiting on you."

"I've told you before, you're stuck with me forever."

"Thanks, Scorp." Albus pulled away from him and Banished the rubbish bin that was still sitting at their feet. "I really do owe you."

Scorpius let go of Albus's shoulder so he could return to their compartment to grab his things. "It's what friends are for," he said. "And don't call me Scorp."

Albus laughed. "See you on New Year's Eve, Scorp!"

~*~

Scorpius Flooed into the kitchen on New Year's Eve, as he always did, and was greeted by an overly glum Albus sitting at the table.

"Hey," muttered Albus.

"Happy New Year?" Scorpius offered.

Albus shrugged. "Topaz dumped me, so it's not really that happy."

Scorpius tried to contain his glee. She was gone! He'd been dreading watching her and Albus cuddle their way to a new year. Still, he felt bad for Albus. He hated seeing him so unhappy. He wanted to know why he and Topaz had broken up, but he'd ask later, once Albus was over it a bit.

"Is there anything I can do to cheer you up?" asked Scorpius.

Albus let his head fall to the table. "Nah. You might as well go home. I'm not going to be any fun tonight."

Scorpius cuffed him on the back of the head.

Albus sprang up from the table. "Ow! What was that for?"

"I'm not going to go home just because you are depressed. Idiot." Scorpius really didn't understand his friend's logic. He loved the boy, but Albus was slightly mad at times. "Now come on. Let's go torture James."

Albus grinned. "He's in one of the bedrooms with his girlfriend. Alone. I doubt they'd appreciate a snake in their bed."

"Too obvious. I vote for a toad. With an hex on his slime to spread warts."

"Oh!" cried Albus. "Do you think we could get it to touch his prick?"

Scorpius grimaced. Better the toad than Scorpius. He wouldn't go near James Potter's dick if someone was paying him. "We can try."

"Awesome!" Albus raced for the stairs, and Scorpius followed. Nothing cheered up Albus as much as the thought of cursing his brother with genital warts.

~Year Six~

When Scorpius Flooed into the Burrow, he narrowly avoided getting stuck under the mistletoe with Lily. Grateful that he'd escaped that torture, he smiled at her and wished her a "Happy New Year!"

The look she gave him made him wonder if he'd ever even spoken to her before. He didn't think so. Oh well.

"Albus! I'm here!" he called, wondering where he friend was.

Lily pointed outside. "Everyone's out back. Uncle George got a bit wild with the mistletoe, and we're trying to avoid it. I just came in for some hot chocolate."

Scorpius didn't stay to talk to her. He fled the kitchen and found Albus outside, laying in the snow.

"Are you trying to give yourself hypothermia?" asked Scorpius.

Albus grinned up at him. "Nope! I'm making snow angels! Make some with me?"

"And get cold, wet snow all up in my clothes? I think not!" Especially since Scorpius had worn his nicest casual outfit in an attempt to interest Albus. He knew it was silly, but Albus hadn't had another girlfriend since Topaz. Scorpius was rather hoping it was because he had discovered a deep and abiding love for Scorpius and not just because he couldn't get another girl to date him.

Albus reached up a hand. "All right then, help me up so we can go inside and get warm."

Scorpius reached down to pull him up and was surprised when Albus pulled him the other way. He toppled forward, on top of Albus and into the snow. The snow was cold, but Albus was warm, and he had to force himself to climb off Albus. "You prat!"

Albus snickered. "Come on, Scorp. You’re already snowy now. Make snow angels with me."

"No. And don't call me Scorp!" Scorpius hated the undignified nickname.

Albus began to wriggle around in the snow. "Please? It's so much fun."

Scorpius shook his head. "No, come on inside. It's cold out here!"

"Fine," huffed Albus. He climbed out of his oddly shaped angel and began to beat the snow off.

Scorpius waited until he was mostly clean and then began to walk inside. Albus followed quickly, the rest of the snow falling off as he walked. The kitchen was empty, but someone had left a bunch of mugs full of hot chocolate on the counter under a warming charm. The each stole one and snuck off to the upper levels of the house.

It wasn't until Scorpius opened the door to the Orange room and stepped inside that he saw the mistletoe. It was too late to warn Albus, who stepped inside right after him. Scorpius wasn't sure he would have warned him anyway.

He set his mug of chocolate on the dresser and pointed up. "We're stuck."

Albus sighed. "I really wish Uncle George would calm down with the mistletoe. Grandmum gets kick out of it, so she lets him, and no one else can control him." He didn't set his mug down. "We'll just have to wait it out."

Scorpius was confused. "Wait it out?" That meant... no kissing?

"Aunt Angelina, Uncle George's wife, was tired of the mistletoe and having to kiss random people, so she made him put a time limit on the mistletoe. As long as we don't move out from under it for an hour, we don't have to kiss. If we try to move away now, we'll likely be sprayed with some kind of gunk."

Scorpius wanted to cry. There was only a foot between him and the boy he loved, and they were standing under mistletoe, but he couldn't kiss him. He picked up his hot chocolate again and took a big swallow to avoid saying something he'd regret.

Albus closed the door behind them, squishing up against Scorpius when there wasn't quite enough room. Scorpius choked on his chocolate and it took him a while to stop coughing afterward. He had just gone to take another sip when Albus fell to his knees in front of him. Seeing Albus in a traditional blow job position short circuited his brain and he ended up spitting out his chocolate. Most of it went back into his mug, but some dribbled down his face and onto his shirt.

"Are you okay? Is there something wrong with your chocolate?" asked Albus, as he sunk the rest of the way to the floor, sitting with his legs crossed.

Scorpius shook his head and tried to blot away the chocolate spots with a handkerchief.

"Come on and sit down then." Albus pointed to the floor next to him. "We might as well be comfortable while we wait."

Scorpius sat down on the floor, leaving a careful amount of space between them. His spacing was ruined when Albus leaned up against him, propping his head on Scorpius's shoulder. Scorpius wanted to touch him so badly, to play with his unruly hair and to kiss his freckled cheeks, but he kept his hands and mouth on his mug, draining the chocolate. Even after the mug was empty, he held it to keep his hands busy.

"I'm bored," whined Albus.

"I'm Scorpius,"he replied. "Nice to meet you, Bored."

Albus elbowed him in the side. "Ha ha, you're so funny, I almost forgot to laugh."

Scorpius elbowed him back. "What are you complaining to me for then? You're the one who doesn't want to kiss." Oh, no. He did not just say that.

Except he did.

Albus sat upright. "You want to kiss?"

Scorpius grip tightened on his mug. "To get out from under the mistletoe, yes." His wording was careful. He still hadn't lied to Albus. He didn't want to lie now.

Albus stared at him. "And if we weren't under the mistletoe?"

"Then we'd be playing Exploding Snap or something." Scorpius knew that wasn't what Albus was asking, but he couldn't answer the question truthfully, not without possibly losing his friend.

"Scorpius." Albus crossed his arms. "If we weren't under the mistletoe, would you still want to kiss me?"

Scorpius squeezed his mug until his knuckles turned white. "I... you... yes."

Albus grinned. "Okay." He pulled the mug from Scorpius's hand and sung a leg across him so he was straddling Scorpius's hips. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't doing it because of the mistletoe." He leaned down and pecked Scorpius on the lips.

Scorpius wondered if he was going insane. Albus had just kissed him. And not because of the mistletoe, but in spite of the mistletoe. Could he possibly like Scorpius like Scorpius liked him?

Scorpius took a chance and reached up to pull Albus's head back down to his. He pressed his lips against Albus's cautiously, and he knew he'd done something wrong when Albus pulled away. He closed his eyes and tried to will away the pain of having destroyed their friendship.

"I'm sorry," muttered Scorpius.

Albus patted him on the cheek and Scorpius's eyes flew open. "It's okay. You just wanted to get free of the mistletoe. I did too, but I didn't want to freak you out or make you think I liked you."

Scorpius was completely confused. Albus had kissed him and didn't mind it, but he didn't like Scorpius?

"After all, you're gay. I didn't want you to get the wrong idea." Albus frowned thoughtfully. "Though, would you have gotten the wrong idea? If I kissed a girl, I can see her thinking I liked her, but you're my best mate. It's different, right?"

Scorpius stared at him. He was sitting on Scorpius's lap, having just kissed him, and contemplating whether Scorpius being gay meant he would react to a kiss like a girl.

Scorpius growled and shoved Albus off him. "Damn you!" He climbed to his feet, his hands clenched in fists.

"What?" Albus asked from the floor. He looked stunned. "Why are you upset? Was is because of the girl thing? Because, honestly, I'd never think of you as a girl, Scorp."

Scorpius wanted to flee, but Albus was in front of the door and there was no escaping. He threw himself onto the bed and buried his head in the pillow so he could scream out his frustration. He was in love with a straight idiot.

Albus climbed up onto the bed next to him and patted his back. "What's wrong?"

Scorpius pulled his face out of the pillow. "How can you be so damn clueless?"

"Huh?"

Scorpius felt like punching something, so he punched the pillow. "You sat on my lap."

"Well, yeah," said Albus. "It's the easiest position for kissing."

"And you kissed me!"

"Yeah."

"After I told you I wanted to kiss you, mistletoe or no."

Albus quirked his head to the side. "No, you just said you'd still kiss me without the mistletoe. As in, kissing me wouldn't freak you out."

"No! I said that if we weren't under the mistletoe, I would still want to kiss you."

Albus sat there, like a dumb, attractive log. Finally, he said, "Well, you're gay. So, you'd want to kiss me because I'm a bloke, right?"

Scorpius shoved him off the bed. "I don't want to talk to you. Of course that's not why I wanted to kiss you! I don't want to kiss every guy I meet." He didn't know why he was pressing the conversation like this.

"Oh. Then, why me?"

Scorpius couldn't lie, but he wasn't going to tell the truth. "Because you are you!"

Albus peered up at him from the floor. "Then... you like me?"

"Yes, damn it!" Of course he liked Albus. Albus was his best friend, even though he seemed to be the biggest idiot on earth.

Albus lit up. "I like you too!"

Scorpius sighed and sank back into the bed. He stared up at the ceiling before closing his eyes and muttering, "I know." He just didn't like Scorpius the same way Scorpius liked Albus.

His eyes sprang open as the bed began to move and Albus clambered into it. He snuggled up next to Scorpius, wrapping his arms around him. Then he pressed a kiss to Scorpius's cheek.

Scorpius was lost and confused. Albus didn't kiss him. He hugged him or patted him on the back or leaned up against him, but he did not cuddle in beds with Scorpius and kiss him.

"Are we boyfriends now?" asked Albus.

Was Albus insane? "What?"

"Well, we kissed, and I like you, and you like me, and so we should be boyfriends, right?"

Scorpius wondered if he had fallen asleep. It certainly seemed like a dream world.

Not wanting to burst the dream, he asked tentatively, "You mean, you like me, like me? As in, more-than-a-friend kind of like?"

Albus kissed him cheek again. "Yep."

Scorpius pinched himself. It hurt. This was impossible. "You're straight."

"Nope. I'm bi. But mostly, I just like you."

Scorpius looked over at Albus, who was grinning at him. "Me?"

Albus laughed. "Who else? You've seen me at my worst, and you still stick around. You put up with my crazy family, and you don't freak out when I throw up on your shoes."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Those aren't reasons for falling in love with someone."

Albus smoothed a hand along Scorpius's face. "Except, I do love you. I love that you always have a clean handkerchief and that you talk about the most vulgar things without blinking, but you won't play in the snow. I think it's cute that you wrinkle your nose when you are studying, as if you smell something bad, and I adore that you gave me Bastet when Kneazles are so very expensive and hard to get. Mostly, I love the way you murmur my name in your sleep, as if I'm so important to you that you even have to dream about me."

Scorpius blushed. "When did I say your name?"

"Oh... you've done it since first year."

Merlin. How embarrassing.

"It's so sweet!" Albus giggled. Scorpius flushed harder.

"So then... you like me?" Scorpius asked again, just to clarify.

"Yes. And you like me?"

"So much," Scorpius murmured.

"Then we're boyfriends. It's settled."

Albus was such a dork, but he was Scorpius's dork. Scorpius finally let himself believe that Albus was telling the truth and that he really did like Scorpius. He leaned in and brushed a kiss against Albus's lips just as a ton of fireworks went off outside.

"Happy New Year, Albus."

"Happy New Year, Scorp."

~Year Seven~

"Scorp and I are dating."

Albus dropped that bomb on his family the next New Year's Eve before Scorpius could stop him. It blew up the room. Ginny was grumbling in the corner and Harry was patting Scorpius on the back, while James burst into laughter and Lily started clapping. A drunk Ron Weasley waved a glass of champagne in the air and cried, "At least it isn't Rosie!" at which his daughter grimaced.

Scorpius was surprised to discover that most of Albus's family were pleased by the news. His own family would not take the news as well, expected, but for the moment he was grateful just to bask in the warmth of Weasley/Potter affection.

"So, what took you guys so long?" asked Louis.

"What do you mean?" replied Albus.

Louis smirked and swung his arm over Albus's shoulder. "We've been waiting for you two to get together since you had a jealous hissy fit over Rosie daring me to kiss him."

Albus frowned. "I wasn't jealous. I was just afraid that he wouldn't want to be around me any more if you two dated and broke up."

Rose giggled from across the room. "Albus logic, of course. We should have known. He's such a blockhead, I imagine he didn't realize he was in love until he kissed Scorpius for the first time."

Albus just gaped at her open mouthed until Scorpius punched him in the shoulder. "You liar! You made it sound like you'd been in love with me for ages, with all that rot about names and nose wrinkling!"

Albus protested, "I never said it had been ages! I just... listed all the reasons why I knew I love you. As I realized them."

James rammed an elbow into Albus's side. "Idiot. Now look at poor Malfoy. Here he was feeling better because he'd loved you for years and you apparently had too. Only, now he's found out that you didn't and that he really is the dork he thought he was!"

Albus grinned at him. "Years? Really?"

Ginny snorted from her corner. "I've been expecting you to annouce you were dating since he gave you Bastet. Honestly, what fourth year gives another fourth year a Kneazle? Those things cost hundreds of Galleons!"

Scorpius avoided Albus's gaz, but he couldn't avoid his questions.

"Did you really like me back then?" Albus asked.

Scorpius nodded.

Lily giggled again. "Didn't you ever wonder why Topaz broke up with you?"

Albus titled his head to the side. "Um... not really?"

Scorpius sighed. His boyfriend was a dimwit.

Lily smirked. "She was tired of listening to you talk about Scorpius all of the time. Plus, Scorpius's utter jealousy of her freaked Topaz out."

"You were that kind of jealous? Really?" Albus wriggled in place like a happy puppy.

Scorpius wanted to smack him. "I'm glad you find my embarrassment so entertaining."

"Aw, Scorp, it's just so cute and romantic! Why didn't you tell me?" Albus wrapped his arms around Scorpius's waist.

Scorpius glared at him. "Do not call me Scorp. Or cute. Or romantic. I am a man, not a girl."

James smirked at him. "Says the bloke who wears pink shirts, hates getting dirty, and likes other blokes."

Albus let go of Scorpius and punched James, far harder than Scorpius had punched Albus earlier. "Liking blokes doesn't make you a girl, prickhead."

"Oh, shut it, you nancy boy," James said.

Scorpius punched him too.

"Ow! What was that for?"

Scorpius sneered at him. "Don't insult my boyfriend."

Albus snuggled into his side and everyone in the room cooed. Scorpius felt sick.

"That's so sweet!" Lily squealed.

"I am not sweet!" Scorpius growled. "Come on, Albus. I think we need to hide out at my house."

He stormed off towards the kitchen Floo, dragging Albus along with him. He stopped when he was trapped in place by a piece of mistletoe hanging above the living room door.

George chortled from his place by the fireplace. "Newest invention. You're stuck there until you kiss. Even if you want to move, you can't!"

Scorpius glared at the room of Potters and Weasleys. "I hate your family," he muttered to Albus.

Albus squeezed him around the waist. "Believe me, I do too."

"Don't watch!" Scorpius hollered at the staring family, and then he bent his head down to kiss Albus.

The chorus of "Ah!"s behind him let him know that hadn't listened. He ignored them though, in favor of running his tongue across Albus's lips. Albus opened them and he slid his tongue into Albus's mouth, grimacing at the taste of virgin eggnog. He really couldn't stand the stuff unless if was more rum than eggnog. He continued kissing Albus though, and the taste dissipated, leaving only Albus's natural flavor behind.

Albus pulled away a minute later and Scorpius became conscious of the whooping and whistling behind him.

"We're going to my house," he said.

"All right," Albus agreed.

They Flooed into the Manor in the midst of a party. His parents had always gone all out, but Scorpius had forgotten how flamboyant things got after spending six years with Albus.

Albus pulled him over to where his parents were standing and greeted them with a smile. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. It's so nice to see you again!"

His father nodded graciously. "It's nice to see you too. May I ask what brings you to our house tonight?" He wrinkled his nose. "Scorpius has always preferred the Burrow before."

Albus beamed and Scorpius wondered if he should be scared. "We were at the Burrow, but my family was being rude."

"Imagine that," Scorpius's father muttered.

"And all I told them was that Scorp and I were dating!" Albus added.

His father fainted. Scorpius wished he could do the same when his mother swept him into a hug and squealed, "Oh! I'm so happy for you, darling!"

Albus grinned at him over his mother's shoulder, obviously happy that everyone know knew, and Scorpius couldn't be angry at him.

"Don't call me Scorp," he muttered half-heartedly.

~Year Eight~

Their enthusiastic snogging was interrupted by a loud "meow!" from Bastet. Albus pulled away from Scorpius but remained sitting in his lap, and they watched the clock tick closer and closer to the new year.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven," began Albus.

Scorpius joined in. "Six, five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year!"

Albus kissed him and then grabbed their drinks from the coffee table. "Here's to the best new year ever!"

Scorpius toasted with him and drank down his sweet wine and cherry juice. It had gone flat while they were waiting.

"I think we should have waited to open the bottle..." Scorpius said.

Albus shrugged. "Oh well. We'll know for next year."

Scorpius smirked at him. "You expect me to be hanging around next year then?"

Albus kissed him soundly. "They say that whatever you are doing when the new year comes is what you'll do all year."

Scorpius ran his hands up under Albus's shirt. "Too bad we weren't shagging then."

Albus giggled and they both leaned into a kiss. The kiss stretched out longer and longer until Bastet meowed again to get their attention.

Scorpius was breathing harshly and he panted out, "Are you sure the saying isn't that whoever you are with on New Year's Eve is who you'll spend the rest of the year with?"

Albus shrugged. "It might be. It's just one of those silly Muggle superstitions. I know that I'll be with you anyway."

Scorpius leaned his forehead again Albus's. "You'll never get rid of me."

"And I wouldn't want to," Albus replied.

They took the time to finish their bottle of wine then. The bubbles made the alcohol go to Scorpius's head rather quickly, and he enjoyed the buzzed feeling for a few minutes.

Then Albus turned puce and Scorpius had to pull out the trash bin he'd set aside earlier. The first thing he'd learned after Albus came of drinking age was that he really couldn't hold his liquor.

Albus smiled up at him with a vomit streaked mouth and Scorpius sighed and pulled out a handkerchief. He wiped Albus's mouth for him and dropped the handkerchief into the rubbish bin before Banishing the whole thing.

"Sorry." Albus buried his head in Scorpius's shoulder. "I don't think my stomach will ever get stronger."

Scorpius shrugged and didn't mention the potential anti-nausea potion he was brewing at work. The company had sprung at the idea of a safe anti-nausea potion and had been glad to let Scorpius begin research on it. He hoped it would be ready in time for Christmas the next year.

"You stomach is just a part of who you are. I can't say I love it, but I'll always love you."

Albus snuggled into his side. "I love you too, Scorp."

Scorpius sighed. "Don't call me Scorp."

Albus pouted. "Come on, Scorp. Please? Just let me?"

"Well, in seven years, I've yet to stop you."

Albus whooped.

"But if I hear anyone else calling me Scorp, I'm going to hex them to the moon!" And he meant it!

Albus giggled and patted his arm consolingly. "Of course you will."

Scorpius sighed and let himself snuggle off into sleep with Albus at his side. His boyfriend was a nutter... but he wasn't exactly normal himself, so he supposed it all evened out.