Mayfly; Gift for The Community!
Title: Mayfly
Author: phys_nut
Beta: dwarfandelf
Pairing/s: Albus/Scorpius
Rating: NC-17
Warning(s): Character death, male/male sex but nothing crazily graphic, angst
Length: 6,267
Summary: Abus and Scorpius have only one day left…
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction set in the Harry Potter universe - all recognizable characters and settings are the property of J. K. Rowling and her associates. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is made from this work. Please observe your local laws with regards to the age-limit and content of this work. I also do not own Seamus Heaney, or his wonderful poem “Valediction.”
Author's Notes: First of all, I’d like to give a big GIGANTIC thank you! To my beta dwarfandelf, she is absolutely wonderful and this story wouldn’t be half as brilliant (and grammatically correct/free of bad spelling) if it wasn’t for her! :D Secondly, for anyone who doesn’t know, a car-boot sale is basically a junk or second-hand sale, where people gather in a field and sell off stuff that they own/make/whatever but don’t want anymore. Usually it’s out of the boot of their car, hence the name! It’s actually quite fun to go to one; you can find really interesting knick-knacks there! Also, the reference to Heaney, is to a poet called Seamus Heaney, and the line is from a poem of his called “Valediction,” very beautiful, and can be read here. Hope you enjoy the story!
Mayfly
The dawning sun crept slowly up the sky, its rays penetrating a dim, quiet apartment. The still air suddenly wavered and a young man apparated into the apartment with an audible ‘pop’. Albus ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily as he flopped back down on his couch. Yawning, he pulled out his wand and cast a quick ‘tempus,’ groaning when he saw it was 6am.
“Bloody hell,” he groaned, “bloody parents, bloody James, bloody Lily, bloody everything!”
The previous morning, like so many other times before, Albus had been woken up by Lily casting aguamenti on his head and dragging him out of bed to floo to Grimmauld Place and help her and James deal with their parents. Harry and Ginny, as Albus had been calling them for years, had started arguing once again - over their jobs or the war, or whatever had come up this time - just as they had been ever since Albus was fifteen, and just like every other time over the past seven years, the arguing had escalated into full-blown duelling, which their children had to sort out.
Albus had stumbled out of the floo in his pyjamas, ducked without thinking as a curse flew over where his head had been, and had cast a quick charm on Harry, pinning him to one wall, while James had done the same to Ginny. A quick expelliarmus from Lily, and they had been ready to begin the “peace talks.” It had taken the better part of the day to calm Harry and Ginny down, and get them talking amicably again. Albus had cooked up a nice family meal, after which his parents had disappeared upstairs to make up properly, leaving the three siblings to share a bottle of firewhiskey, catch up on each other’s lives, and give out about their parents. After a few hours, James and Lily had retired to bed, but Albus, unable to sleep, had apparated back to his apartment, hoping distance from the source of his unease would help him relax.
His parents’ relationship had always boggled him: when they loved one another, it was with a passion none could rival, but when they hated each other, they hated each other with an intensity that frightened Albus, and he was surprised neither had cast an Unforgiveable on the other yet. Dealing with their arguments always shook him to the core, and upheld his belief that relationships were nothing but dangerous traps, within which the good was completely blanked out by the bad. Albus had always been terribly jealous of James and Lily, who never seemed so affected by their parents' marriage troubles, and were in perfectly happy relationships with Teddy and Frank Longbottom respectively.
Truth be told though, there was only one person that Albus wanted, and that was his flatmate and best friend. Scorpius. Although he and Scorpius had been sorted into Slytherin and Gryffindor respectively, thanks to James befriending the blond teen, they had been near constantly around each other, and a love of cars had sealed their friendship, so much so that they had spent nearly every holiday together, and moved in together after Hogwarts; Albus working as an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries, and Scorpius in the Department for Muggle Artefacts.
They had also come out to each other as being gay in sixth year, and had shared their trepidation when it came to relationships. Like Albus, Scorpius had been greatly affected by his parents' relationship, or rather non-existent relationship, given that they didn’t speak to one another unless necessary, and lived completely separate lives. Albus and Scorpius both agreed that the prospect of ending up like their parents terrified them, and had both sworn off relationships. And yet, it was impossible to ignore the tension that lay thick between them. If there was ever anyone who Albus would want to try dating, it was Scorpius. He was funny, adventurous, always willing to try something at least once, caring, and as a bonus, totally gorgeous. Albus found it so easy to talk to him - they fit together so well, and it was all-too-frequently lately he found himself imagining what it would be like to be with Scorpius, in every way: to hold him, kiss him, love him…
He was almost sure that his friend felt the same - they had secret looks, secret signals, private touches and hugs that lasted much longer then friendly ones should. There had been a moment, last New Year’s, when they had shared a drunken kiss at the stroke of midnight, and after staring wide-eyed at each other, were about to lean in for a proper one, when Lily had burst into the room, screamed, “Happy New Year!” and had showered them both with hugs and kisses, effectively ruining whatever moment had been building up. They continued to dance around each other and their ‘not,’ feelings for one another, and while Albus was desperate to tell Scorpius how he felt, he was also desperate not to tell him. In effect, he was stuck.
Scowling, Albus tossed his wand in the direction of the coffee table, looking up in surprise when its landing made a crinkling sound rather than the usual thud of wood on wood. Sitting up, he spied his wand, lying on top of a folded up piece of parchment, upon which was written his name in Scorpius’ writing. Curiosity overcame him, and he stood, walked over to the table and picked up the parchment, which he unfolded and read. As he did so, his eyes widened, and a large smile slowly spread across his lips. He let out a short happy laugh, and then clapped a hand over his mouth. Once he had finished the letter, he read it again and again, and then slowly put it into his pocket. He remained frozen for a few minutes more, hand still over his mouth, upon which was still a ridiculously happy smile.
“He…” he whispered, “he…Scorp…”
Snapping out of his trance, he sprinted out of the living room and burst into Scorpius’ room, shouting out, “Scorp! I l-“
He broke off and frowned as he noticed how the blond man was lying in the very rumpled bed, so still. Too still.
“Scorp?” Albus said softly, a bad feeling creeping into his chest, “Scorp?”
Slowly, he walked into the room, and knelt by the bed. With a trembling hand, he reached out to touch his friend’s cheek, his breath catching when he felt that it was ice cold.
“No…no!” he cried desperately, hands scrabbling at the covers to feel frantically at Scorpius’ neck for a pulse.
It took him several moments to slow his hands enough to place them on the right spot, and even then, they trembled violently.
Nothing.
Not even a faint patter.
Not even an echo.
Albus stared mutely at the body in the bed, his mind racing in circles as it started to dawn on him what was going on. His hands trembled, his body shuddered and his throat tightened up as he shook his head stubbornly.
“Scorp, Scorpius no,” he whispered brokenly, “you have to wake up! You’re fine, you’re fine, you were great yesterday, and this is all a joke, or-or a nightmare, or-or-ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU’RE JUST NOT! You’re…you’re no - you can’t leave me,” he dry-sobbed, voice cracking.
Albus’ head was in turmoil; he wanted to cling to Scorpius and try to osmose the life back into him, he wanted to slap him and shake him and scream at and plead with him. He’d do anything for his friend to wake up.
“Help…he needs help,” Albus said, frantically turning and half running, half-crawling back out to the living room.
He threw a handful of powder in the direction of the fireplace, yelling out, “I need St. Mungos right now!”
“Hello, please indicate the nature of the medical emergency,” a dull voice said, and a witches head popped up in the ashes.
“I need some mediwizards over here straight away,” Albus told her quickly, “It’s my friend, he’s, he’s,” he took a deep breath and plunged ahead, “he won’t wake up.”
“Okay, do you know if he took a self-brewed sleeping potion last night?” the witch asked in a bored tone.
“That’s not it!” Albus yelled furiously, “I think he’s dead!”
“Oh,” the witch nodded, eyes widening only marginally, “well that’s very different from not waking up. The mediwizards will be with you shortly, please clear your floo.”
Albus huffed and stood up, moving back. Shortly, the fire flared green, and two mediwizards stepped out.
“Hello sir,” one said, smiling gently, “you said your flatmate has passed away?”
“Yes,” Albus nodded, a wave of numbness washing over him as he concentrated on getting help to Scorpius, “I got back about ten minutes ago, he’s usually up at this time for work, so I went to talk to him, and found him…he’s so cold, and - and h-he has no pulse,” he gasped out, fighting to remain calm.
“You did well to call us Mr. Potter,” the mediwizard smiled, obviously recognizing him, while the second headed down the hall, “Are you family of the patient?”
“No, I’m just…I’m just a friend,” Albus replied quietly.
“Would you be able to get in contact with his nearest living relatives?”
“Sure, I’ll call them now.”
The mediwizard nodded and smiled in thanks, then followed his co-worker down the hall, while Albus turned back to the fireplace. He was completely shook up, and it took several moments of deep breathing to settle himself enough to grab some floo powder and call out, “Malfoy Manor,” as he threw it in the fireplace.
“Hello sir, Malfoy Manor, how is Wibble serving you today?” a squeaky voice asked, as an elf’s head popped up in the fireplace.
“Hello Wibble, are Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy in today?” Albus asked, only a slight tremor in his voice.
“Mrs. Malfoy is away, but Mr. Malfoy is present sir.”
“Great, could you go get him for me please?”
“Yes sir, Wibble is getting him right away sir,” the elf nodded eagerly, and its head disappeared, only to be replaced by Draco’s moments later.
He yawned, blinked sleepily at Albus and half-heartedly snapped, “Albus, what in Merlin’s name are you doing floo calling at this hour of the morning?”
“Draco - it’s Scorpius,” Albus said, then swallowed thickly and continued, “he’s…you need to come over.”
Draco’s eyes widened, and his head suddenly disappeared out of the fireplace. Seconds later, the fire flashed green, and a pyjamas and dressing gown-clad Draco gracefully stepped through, his face pale and eyes wild.
He gripped Albus’ upper arms and asked worriedly, “What’s wrong Albus, where’s Scorpius, what’s happened?”
“I…I only got home a while ago, and he…I…” Albus began, his throat tightening, and his brain refusing to fully acknowledge the situation.
“What, he what?” Draco snapped, impatience and fear leaking into his voice.
“Mr. Malfoy,” a voice said, and Albus looked over to see the mediwizard who had spoken to him earlier.
“Who are you?” Draco demanded.
“My name is Gareth, I’m a mediwizard with St. Mungos,” the mediwizard replied.
Draco’s face further paled, and Gareth continued in a soft, sympathetic voice, “I’m afraid your son passed away late last night.”
Draco’s grip on Albus’ arm tightened to the point of extreme pain, and then suddenly slackened, and as the man spoke, he shook his head slowly.
“No, no, he couldn’t…Scorpius…SCORPIUS!”
He rushed out of the room. There was a moment of silence, which was suddenly broken by a heartbreaking shriek. Albus rushed into the room, freezing at the sight of Draco kneeling on the bed, Scorpius’ body cradled in his arms. The elder Malfoy was sobbing and rocking back and forth, petting his son’s hair uselessly.
“My boy,” he wept brokenly, “My poor poor boy.”
“I’m very sorry for your loss, Mr. Malfoy,” the second mediwizard said respectfully, as he put his diagnostic tools away.
“What…what was it?” Draco asked.
“A sudden brain clot that caused a seizure. Even if we had known it was going to happen we wouldn’t have been able to do anything.”
Draco nodded, hiccupped, and sobbed even harder, burying his face in Scorpius’ hair.
The mediwizard stood, and with a discrete glance at Albus, left the room. Albus spared a look at the father and son, and followed him into the living room.
“Thank you for the quick response,” he said hollowly to the two men.
“You’re welcome,” Gareth nodded, grabbing some floo powder, “I’m very sorry for your loss.”
The second mediwizard nodded, following his companion into the fireplace. With a call of, “St. Mungos,” they were gone, and Albus was left feeling bereft and numb. Draco’s wails a distant noise in his head, he walked into the kitchen and proceeded to make two mugs of tea, working solely on autopilot. Leaving one mug on the counter, he took the other and made his way back to the living room, where he sat and stared into space, not noticing how the hot mug was burning the skin of the hands that gripped it tightly.
Minutes, or possibly hours later, Albus couldn’t tell, a distraught and broken-looking Draco walked into the sitting room carrying Scorpius in his arms.
“I have to bring Scorpius home,” he announced, staring straight at the fireplace, “there are traditions…and his mother, and grandmother…you can come see him in the afternoon if you wish.”
Albus nodded, throat working furiously to swallow the lump that had appeared at the sight of his friend’s lifeless body. Draco bowed his head, pressing his forehead to Scorpius’ chest, before he spun on the spot and disapparated. Albus barely noticed; he couldn’t hear, couldn’t see, couldn’t feel anything but grief and longing and emptiness inside. A tiny shiver ran down his spine, followed by another, and then another, until eventually he was shuddering uncontrollably on the couch, his now ice-cold tea spilling out of the cup on over his hands. He stood abruptly, and made his way into his room to get an extra robe. By the time he entered his room, he’d forgotten what he had gone in for, and stood in the centre of the floor, head slumped, arms hung limply at his sides, cup dangling from his fingertips, liquid spilling slowly to the floor. Albus remained completely motionless for the next few minutes, before a bright flare of anger overcame him and he screamed and hurled the cup against the wall opposite him. As tea and shards of ceramic exploded outwards and dived to the floor, Albus screamed and kicked the chest of drawers, scattering the objects on top of it to the ground, and collapsed on the floor. Curling inwards, he screamed himself hoarse, and then remained lying down, panting shallowly as exhaustion overcame him.
When he awoke, the clock read 9.00am, and the numbness had settled back over him. Silently he stood and started gathering his things to put them back on the chest of drawers. His hand stilled as he picked up the final item, and he stared down at the small black timeturner. For years, they had been impossible to recreate after the incident with Albus’ dad, but eventually a very talented and dedicated witch had cracked the magic and mechanics, and they had gone back into production. Albus himself, having a natural talent for charms, was involved in developing new prototypes. This here in his hand was one that Albus had snuck home to tinker with and test. The tinkering itself was done, but not the testing, the reason being that Albus had yet to clear enough time - for this timeturner turned back days rather than hours.
I could go back…I could go back and save him, was the sudden thought that entered Albus’ head as he rolled the timeturner between his hands, I could take him to St. Mungo’s and…No. No there’d be no point, he realised, remembering the mediwizard’s words.
His shoulders slumped and he sat down heavily on his bed, timeturner still in his hands. It was insane to think that twenty-four hours ago, he was in his parents’ house trying to calm them down, and Scorpius was enjoying his day off work, and now…now Scorpius would never know how Albus felt about him, had died not knowing how they could be together, how Albus could love him, worship him, do everything possible to make him happy.
It doesn’t have to be that way…
It was mad, totally mad, not to mention illegal, but Albus couldn’t dispel the notion as it grew into an idea, formed into a plan. It wouldn’t have to be this way. He could go back, give Scorpius, himself, them one day together, one perfect day. It would be difficult, and painful, and if anyone found out Albus would be in a serious amount of trouble, but for Scorpius…For Scorpius, going to hell itself and back would be worth it.
Mind made up, Albus summoned his wand, activated the timeturner, turned it over once, and lurched as the world spun around him.
When everything had settled down, the world around him was the same, and Albus despaired that the timeturner had failed to work, until he suddenly noticed that the smashed teacup was not to be seen. And then he heard music coming from the kitchen. His insides lurched and he jumped up, sprinting down the hall and hurtling into the kitchen.
There, right in front of him was Scorpius, looking so painfully real that Albus locked up, unable to do anything but stare. Scorpius himself jumped as the door swung open and swung around, wielding a spatula with all its potential deadliness.
“Albus!” he gasped, eyes wide, “You scared the shit out of me, what are you doing bursting into rooms unannounced like that?”
Albus blinked rapidly four or five times, swallowed and replied softly, “Sorry…”
Scorpius frowned and lowered the spatula, eyes raking over Albus’ appearance.
“Albus, what’s wrong?” he asked in a worried tone, “I thought you had gone to your parents, did something happen?”
Albus shook his head and then managed to croak out, “I came back.”
He took an uncertain step towards Scorpius, who put down the spatula and walked up to him, placed a hand on his forehead, looking into his eyes.
“Are you feeling well?” Scorpius asked, “What did you come back for?”
Albus closed his eyes at the feel of Scorpius’ hand on his face. He wanted to cry and laugh at the same time, but most of all, he wanted Scorpius, wanted all of him. He opened his eyes to gaze intensely into his friend’s, and his hands came up to cradle Scorpius’ face. Scorpius froze, staring back at him, his expression changing from worried, to confused and unsure, and then just as they widened with realisation, Albus did the one thing he’d always denied himself, and leaned in and kissed him hungrily.
Scorpius responded slowly and cautiously, and Albus pulled back to gasp out, “You, Scorpius, I came back for you,” before leaning back in to kiss him again.
This time, Scorpius returned the kiss just as fiercely, and they melted together, hands running frantically over each other’s bodies, wanting to touch and feel everywhere. Albus felt dizzy, and desire washed over him in heady waves. His hands slowed, caressed Scorpius’ cheeks, and ran through his hair, down his neck and sides, up his back and down his chest, committing it all to memory, while his mind chanted a litany of wantneedloveScorpScorpScorp over and over again. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a part of him wept for the fact that this was his one and only chance to do this, but he ignored it in favour of pouring his every emotion into his kiss and touch.
Scorpius whimpered softly, his hands tangling in Albus’ hair, his tongue curling itself around Albus’, and then moaned deep in his throat as Albus pulled their hips together.
“Albus,” he gasped, pulling back, though he still pressed firmly against said man, “What’s…why?”
Albus bit his lip and then slowly replied, knowing he had to be honest, had to get this right, “Scorp, I know I’ve always said that I never wanted to date or be in a relationship because I don’t want to end up like my parents, and that’s true, but…For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been the one person I’ve wanted more than friendship from, and I’ve tried to deny it, but there’s just no point…I love you Scorpius,” he said, in a clear, proud voice, “I’m going to love you till the day I die.”
Scorpius’ eyes widened as he spoke, and his mouth flapped soundlessly for a moment, before he whispered, “Albus…Albus…”
A shy smile crept over his face that grew and blossomed into a full-blown smile of pure happiness. He quickly leaned in and pecked Albus on the lips, and then did it again and again and again.
“I love you,” he said joyfully between kisses, “Albus I’ve loved you for so long.”
Albus laughed, and then suddenly was crying, his body shaking as he kissed Scorpius’ face over and over.
“What’s wrong?” Scorpius asked, and then smirked and added, “Does my proclamation of love upset you that much?”
Albus snorted with laughter, and quickly wiped his eyes, replying, “Stuff it you git, they’re happy tears.”
“Happy tears? You are such a woman,” Scorpius scoffed, though Albus could see his eyes glinting mischievously.
“Oh really?” he countered, smirking, “Well I highly doubt a woman could do this.”
He reached down, grabbing Scorpius’ arse and hoisting him up. Scorpius gasped and wrapped his legs around Albus’ waist, and then kissed him deeply as Albus began to walk out of the kitchen.
“Oh the stove!” he gasped, just as they were at the doorway.
“Now who’s a woman?” Albus asked teasingly as he walked back and turned the stove off.
“Shut up,” Scorpius said, before grabbing his face and kissing him, “Bed.”
“Yes m’ame,” Albus grinned, laughing as Scorpius punched him on the arm and then kissed him again.
Once in the bedroom, they fell on the bed in a tangle of limbs, and quickly divested each other of their clothing. Albus pulled back to look over Scorpius reverently. Time slowed down as he gazed at the man he loved, and he sucked in a sharp breath at the perfection to be found in a mole just under his ribs, a litter of scars on his shoulder from a quidditch accident, a couple of wonky broken toes.
“You are so beautiful,” he breathed, placing his hand over Scorpius’ heart, “every bloody inch of you.”
Scorpius blushed, but snorted and sat up, grabbing Albus by the shoulders as he said, “Then come here and show me how beautiful you think I am.”
Albus followed him back down, laying on top of him, and poured his heart into their lovemaking. They spent what seemed like forever, kissing and touching each other everywhere, rolling around the bed, fingers teasing, lips and teeth and tongue following, biting and licking and sucking and finally Albus buried himself to the hilt in Scorpius. He wiped sweat-matted hair from Scorpius’ forehead and leaned his own against it, staring into his lover’s eyes. Slowly, he started to move, thrusting inside of Scorpius a little faster and deeper each time. Scorpius clutched at Albus’ back, and groaned and arched his hips up to meet his every undulation. Their bodies took up a primal, punishing rhythm together, and all the while, they stared into each other’s eyes. It was the single most intense experience of Albus’ life, and he wanted it to never end. However, all-too-soon, their rhythm turned ragged and erratic. They clutched at each other desperately, Albus groaning continuously, and Scorpius’ breaths coming in furious, sobbing pants and gasps. Scorpius reached down and started stroking himself frantically, and suddenly, he was clenched around Albus tight and juddering as he cried out. Albus’ thrusts became completely undone at this; they paused, resumed moving quickly, paused again, thrust oncetwicethrice, and then he tensed up, back arched as he spilled himself inside his love.
The two men panted harshly as they slowly came down from their high, and basked in the afterglow of their session. Scorpius stroked Albus’ hair and back, while Albus lay slow, loving kisses along his collarbone, up his neck and over his face, finishing with Scorpius’ lips. They kissed deeply, languidly, lovingly. Albus started to pull back, when Scorpius grabbed him and wrapped his legs around his waist, pulling him back in.
“No,” Scorpius gasped, his cock twitching faintly, “stay.”
Albus whimpered as Scorpius shifted, holding him deep and secure, and then asked, “Are you sure?”
Scorpius nodded eagerly and replied, “It feels good.”
“Okay then,” Albus smiled, and wow this was hot, and if he wasn’t totally exhausted he would be hard again in a heartbeat.
He settled himself fully on top of Scorpius, who moaned happily, and kissed his shoulder. They dozed off, and woke up an hour later, Albus hard inside of Scorpius, and Scorpius getting there. Albus pushed himself up and sat back on his knees, Scorpius following, straddling his lap, controlling the pace. He barely moved; tiny little bounces, while they concentrated on memorizing every inch of each other’s bodies that they could reach. Their lovemaking was slow and gentle, but their orgasms blindingly intense, and afterwards Albus lay on his back, Scorpius curled on his chest, peppering kisses across it, while still moving restlessly, milking every tiny bit of Albus’ orgasm out of him, dragging a second one out before he pulled completely off Albus, lying down beside him. Albus wrapped himself around the blond, feeling completely buzzed and the epitome of ‘punch-drunk-love.’ As the high slowly faded away, he remembered his vow to make this the perfect day for Scorpius, and he racked his brains, trying to think about the things Scorpius really loved to do.
“Hey,” he said excitedly, as an idea came to him, “what do you say to going to that Adventure Park with the rock climbing and go-carts, and then going to that muggle antique car auction and car-boot sale down the road?”
“Really?” Scorpius smiled, “That’d be brilliant, I’ve been meaning to go to them for ages!”
“I know,” Albus smiled, kissing him softly, “which is why I want to take you.”
Scorpius beamed and kissed him back, then pulled away and said, “Okay, you go have a shower, while I get my stuff ready and then I’ll go, because Merlin knows if we go in together we’ll never get out.”
“True,” Albus laughed.
He kissed Scorpius once more and headed off to the bathroom, grabbing a towel along the way. He showered quickly, then dried off and headed back into the room, where he found Scorpius standing by his bookcase, reading over a familiar-looking piece of parchment, and Albus’ stomach clenched as he recognized the note he’d found on the coffee table.
“What’s that?” he asked casually, as he walked into the room.
“Huh? Oh, it’s a…it’s a note, for you,” Scorpius replied carefully, and then clarified, “It’s a love note actually. I wrote it weeks ago, I’d finally plucked up the courage to give it to you tomorrow when you got back from your parents’.”
Albus’ heart lurched and he managed a wobbly smile as he replied, “Sorry for stealing your confession thunder.”
“It’s alright, I really don’t mind,” Scorpius replied, putting the note back on the bookshelf, “In fact, I’m quite happy you did.”
“Me too,” Albus smiled, then smirked and smacked Scorpius on the arse as he added, “Now go have your shower, I’ll cook breakfast.”
Scorpius yelped and glared as he retorted, “It had better be a damn good one to make up for that abuse.”
“Abuse?” Albus smirked, “Or foreplay?”
Scorpius rolled his eyes and walked out of the room, half-heartedly waving the finger in Albus’ direction.
Albus grinned and headed into his own room, got dressed and went to make breakfast. Just as he was laying it out on the table, Scorpius walked in, dressed in jeans and a tight t-shirt, and Albus felt his breath catch as he looked up. His features relaxed and he knew he had a mushy look on his face as he said softly, “Hey.”
“Hey,” Scorpius replied, smiling shyly as he walked up and wrapped his arms around Albus’ waist.
They shared a kiss, and then took their seats at the table, tucking into their breakfast hungrily, feet lazily brushing against each other, and they shared lingering looks and smiles. When they were finished, Albus set the dishes in the sink to be cleaned, while Scorpius went to get their coats.
“Bugger,” he heard, as he walked out of the kitchen, and he called out, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s lashing rain,” Scorpius called back, in an ‘I-should-have-expected-this,’ tone of voice, “The park and car-boot sale will be closed.”
“Bugger,” Albus cursed, heading into the living room, where Scorpius was standing at the window, “Bloody English weather.”
“Ah well, some other time,” Scorpius shrugged, and Albus felt his heart clench painfully, but shook his head and tried to quickly think of somewhere else to go.
“Okay, um, how about that museum exhibition you were talking about?”
“It’s not starting until next week.”
“Are there any shows or films you want to go to?” Albus asked, desperation lacing his voice.
“Not today no,” Scorpius replied, shaking his head, sounding a bit put out.
A strange sense of loss settled over Albus, and a part of him wanted to wallow and mourn the loss of the day, of the chance to do something, of Scorpius. His last day with Scorpius, his last….oh god his last day. Before…before…He couldn’t face it, not now, or he’d completely lose it and tell Scorpius everything, and he couldn’t do that to him, couldn’t force the unbelievable burden on his shoulders. And, if he was being totally honest, he was being selfish as well, because he wanted a Scorpius who was focused on them and their love and how wonderful a day they were having.
Albus bit his lip, while his eyes stung a little and a lump formed in his throat. Now was not the time. He had to be strong.
“Oh well, we can have a lazy day today,” Scorpius smiled, taking Albus’ hand in his.
“No, we can’t…we should do something!” Albus cried out.
Frustration and stress were quickly building up in his chest, and he fought the urge to start hyperventilating. Why couldn’t today go right? Why was everything falling apart, why couldn’t he give Scorpius the day he deserved? It wasn’t right. It wasn’t bloody fair!
“Albus, what’s wrong?” Scorpius frowned, “I know you don’t like it when plans don’t work out, but you seem overly stressed about this.”
“I wanted to take you out,” Albus said stubbornly, face scrunching up, “I wanted this to be the perfect day for you.”
“Albus,” Scorpius said softly, squeezing Albus’ hand, “I have you, so today is a perfect day. Don’t worry about the park or museum or anything, we have the rest of our lives to enjoy them.”
Albus shuddered violently, and he clutched at his head and tried to take calming breaths. Scorpius rolled his eyes, sighed and pulled Albus’ hands away from his head, which he then cradled with his own.
“Okay, I don’t know why you’re freaking out so much, but how about I tell you what I want to do today?”
Fearful of what would happen if he tried to speak, Albus nodded dumbly, looking at him with large, pleading eyes.
“What I want,” Scorpius said firmly, gazing directly into his eyes, “is to spend the day with you in bed naked. Then I want to get greasy Chinese takeaway with a couple of bottles of Tiger Beer, and watch Some Like It Hot, and after that I want to go back to bed with you.”
As Scorpius spoke, Albus found himself relaxing and smiling. He nodded once more and then said, “I think I can do that for you.”
“Prove it,” Scorpius grinned, laughing when Albus swung him into an exaggerated embrace, kissed him on the nose, and then picked him up and swept him off to the bedroom.
They spent the day making love to one another, trying out everything and anything they could think of to take each other to new heights of pleasure. Eventually they were utterly exhausted, and collapsed on the bed together. Albus wrapped himself around Scorpius, kissing and touching him everywhere, murmuring words of love and worship like a mantra, a protective spell.
“I love you,” Scorpius breathed in reply, “I love you Albus.”
Albus kissed him, hands still moving relentlessly over his body, unable to keep from feeling every piece of skin. Scorpius turned so they were lying back to chest, and laced their fingers together. Albus nuzzled his neck and kissed him tenderly behind his ear, and snuggled close as they relaxed against each other.
As night drew in, Albus ordered the take away and beer, while Scorpius sorted out the DVD. They huddled together under a duvet on the couch, watching the film and eating and drinking. When they were done, they retired back to the bedroom, where they made love one last time; Albus moving painfully slow on top of Scorpius, engulfing him over and over again. Once they were sated, they lay together in the darkness, kissing and talking; Scorpius making plans for future days out, while Albus ‘hmm’d’ and tried to block it out and concentrate of on how it felt to be so brilliantly connected to his love and best friend.
With a murmured, “Goodnight, love you, Al…” Scorpius slowly drifted off, but Albus remained awake, watching him sleep peacefully.
The happiness and tranquillity of the moment was shadowed though by the knowledge of what was to come. Albus blinked rapidly and wished and prayed to every deity he knew of for Scorpius to be saved…
Less than an hour later, Scorpius jerked and spasm in his arms, gave one last hitching breath, and then was still. Albus skimmed his hand along his neck, feeling for a pulse, and upon finding none, gave a grievous moan and buried his face in the blond hair, clutching the body to his. Despite the fact that he knew this was going to happen, to watch it and feel it was beyond words, beyond feeling, beyond anything. He felt like he had been torn in half, was completely lost and useless.
“Scorpius,” he crooned in broken sobs, “My beautiful, perfect Scorpius…Love you so much baby.”
He remained as such, until the body turned stiff and cold, and then realised that he himself would be back soon. With one final kiss to Scorpius’ temple, he dragged himself out of bed, got dressed in his original clothes he had travelled back in, and then tended to Scorpius, casting a cleaning charm on him and the bed, though leaving it messy, and dressing his lover in his pyjamas. He then set up the apartment as he remembered it being - banishing the takeaway leftovers, opening the curtains and putting the note from Scorpius to him on the coffee table. That done, he gave an exhausted, weary sigh, and noticing it was ten to six, apparated up onto the roof of the building. There, he crumpled in a heap on the ground, frowning when he heard a strange crinkling sound coming from his pocket. Reaching in, his eyes widened when he pulled out the note from Scorpius.
But, where…Oh, I put it in my pocket that morning…
He read over it once more, his face contorting in pain as he did, before it crumpled. The dam broke, and he finally let out all the heartache and sorrow that had been building up inside flow out, as he cried and keened and curled himself into a ball around the note, howling his grief to the morning Gods.
Dear Albus,
This is Scorpius, though as you know my handwriting, no doubt you already suspected as much, hehe…Anyway, the reason I’m writing you this note is because there’s something I need to tell you, and I’m too cowardly to say it to your face (some Gryffindor I am!)
I know that I’ve always said that I don’t want to become involved with anyone because of the troubles my parents have, but I realise that the mistakes of the past should be learned from, not used as an excuse to not get hurt. Over the years we’ve known each other, you’ve become my best friend, but truthfully now, you mean so much more to me than just that. You mean more to me than anything in the world. I love you Albus Potter. I’ve loved you for some time now, and I will love you until the day I die.
It is said that life is short, and I would gladly spend the rest of whatever time I have left loving and caring for you. I can only pray that you feel the same way about me, and if you do not, then I apologise if I make you feel uncomfortable, but I could not deny how I felt any longer: around you I felt undone - never was it put better than when Heaney said, “self is in mutiny.”
I may not give this to you just yet, but someday, I’ll have the courage to, I promise you that.
All my love,
Scorpius
Author: phys_nut
Beta: dwarfandelf
Pairing/s: Albus/Scorpius
Rating: NC-17
Warning(s): Character death, male/male sex but nothing crazily graphic, angst
Length: 6,267
Summary: Abus and Scorpius have only one day left…
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction set in the Harry Potter universe - all recognizable characters and settings are the property of J. K. Rowling and her associates. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is made from this work. Please observe your local laws with regards to the age-limit and content of this work. I also do not own Seamus Heaney, or his wonderful poem “Valediction.”
Author's Notes: First of all, I’d like to give a big GIGANTIC thank you! To my beta dwarfandelf, she is absolutely wonderful and this story wouldn’t be half as brilliant (and grammatically correct/free of bad spelling) if it wasn’t for her! :D Secondly, for anyone who doesn’t know, a car-boot sale is basically a junk or second-hand sale, where people gather in a field and sell off stuff that they own/make/whatever but don’t want anymore. Usually it’s out of the boot of their car, hence the name! It’s actually quite fun to go to one; you can find really interesting knick-knacks there! Also, the reference to Heaney, is to a poet called Seamus Heaney, and the line is from a poem of his called “Valediction,” very beautiful, and can be read here. Hope you enjoy the story!
Mayfly
The dawning sun crept slowly up the sky, its rays penetrating a dim, quiet apartment. The still air suddenly wavered and a young man apparated into the apartment with an audible ‘pop’. Albus ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily as he flopped back down on his couch. Yawning, he pulled out his wand and cast a quick ‘tempus,’ groaning when he saw it was 6am.
“Bloody hell,” he groaned, “bloody parents, bloody James, bloody Lily, bloody everything!”
The previous morning, like so many other times before, Albus had been woken up by Lily casting aguamenti on his head and dragging him out of bed to floo to Grimmauld Place and help her and James deal with their parents. Harry and Ginny, as Albus had been calling them for years, had started arguing once again - over their jobs or the war, or whatever had come up this time - just as they had been ever since Albus was fifteen, and just like every other time over the past seven years, the arguing had escalated into full-blown duelling, which their children had to sort out.
Albus had stumbled out of the floo in his pyjamas, ducked without thinking as a curse flew over where his head had been, and had cast a quick charm on Harry, pinning him to one wall, while James had done the same to Ginny. A quick expelliarmus from Lily, and they had been ready to begin the “peace talks.” It had taken the better part of the day to calm Harry and Ginny down, and get them talking amicably again. Albus had cooked up a nice family meal, after which his parents had disappeared upstairs to make up properly, leaving the three siblings to share a bottle of firewhiskey, catch up on each other’s lives, and give out about their parents. After a few hours, James and Lily had retired to bed, but Albus, unable to sleep, had apparated back to his apartment, hoping distance from the source of his unease would help him relax.
His parents’ relationship had always boggled him: when they loved one another, it was with a passion none could rival, but when they hated each other, they hated each other with an intensity that frightened Albus, and he was surprised neither had cast an Unforgiveable on the other yet. Dealing with their arguments always shook him to the core, and upheld his belief that relationships were nothing but dangerous traps, within which the good was completely blanked out by the bad. Albus had always been terribly jealous of James and Lily, who never seemed so affected by their parents' marriage troubles, and were in perfectly happy relationships with Teddy and Frank Longbottom respectively.
Truth be told though, there was only one person that Albus wanted, and that was his flatmate and best friend. Scorpius. Although he and Scorpius had been sorted into Slytherin and Gryffindor respectively, thanks to James befriending the blond teen, they had been near constantly around each other, and a love of cars had sealed their friendship, so much so that they had spent nearly every holiday together, and moved in together after Hogwarts; Albus working as an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries, and Scorpius in the Department for Muggle Artefacts.
They had also come out to each other as being gay in sixth year, and had shared their trepidation when it came to relationships. Like Albus, Scorpius had been greatly affected by his parents' relationship, or rather non-existent relationship, given that they didn’t speak to one another unless necessary, and lived completely separate lives. Albus and Scorpius both agreed that the prospect of ending up like their parents terrified them, and had both sworn off relationships. And yet, it was impossible to ignore the tension that lay thick between them. If there was ever anyone who Albus would want to try dating, it was Scorpius. He was funny, adventurous, always willing to try something at least once, caring, and as a bonus, totally gorgeous. Albus found it so easy to talk to him - they fit together so well, and it was all-too-frequently lately he found himself imagining what it would be like to be with Scorpius, in every way: to hold him, kiss him, love him…
He was almost sure that his friend felt the same - they had secret looks, secret signals, private touches and hugs that lasted much longer then friendly ones should. There had been a moment, last New Year’s, when they had shared a drunken kiss at the stroke of midnight, and after staring wide-eyed at each other, were about to lean in for a proper one, when Lily had burst into the room, screamed, “Happy New Year!” and had showered them both with hugs and kisses, effectively ruining whatever moment had been building up. They continued to dance around each other and their ‘not,’ feelings for one another, and while Albus was desperate to tell Scorpius how he felt, he was also desperate not to tell him. In effect, he was stuck.
Scowling, Albus tossed his wand in the direction of the coffee table, looking up in surprise when its landing made a crinkling sound rather than the usual thud of wood on wood. Sitting up, he spied his wand, lying on top of a folded up piece of parchment, upon which was written his name in Scorpius’ writing. Curiosity overcame him, and he stood, walked over to the table and picked up the parchment, which he unfolded and read. As he did so, his eyes widened, and a large smile slowly spread across his lips. He let out a short happy laugh, and then clapped a hand over his mouth. Once he had finished the letter, he read it again and again, and then slowly put it into his pocket. He remained frozen for a few minutes more, hand still over his mouth, upon which was still a ridiculously happy smile.
“He…” he whispered, “he…Scorp…”
Snapping out of his trance, he sprinted out of the living room and burst into Scorpius’ room, shouting out, “Scorp! I l-“
He broke off and frowned as he noticed how the blond man was lying in the very rumpled bed, so still. Too still.
“Scorp?” Albus said softly, a bad feeling creeping into his chest, “Scorp?”
Slowly, he walked into the room, and knelt by the bed. With a trembling hand, he reached out to touch his friend’s cheek, his breath catching when he felt that it was ice cold.
“No…no!” he cried desperately, hands scrabbling at the covers to feel frantically at Scorpius’ neck for a pulse.
It took him several moments to slow his hands enough to place them on the right spot, and even then, they trembled violently.
Nothing.
Not even a faint patter.
Not even an echo.
Albus stared mutely at the body in the bed, his mind racing in circles as it started to dawn on him what was going on. His hands trembled, his body shuddered and his throat tightened up as he shook his head stubbornly.
“Scorp, Scorpius no,” he whispered brokenly, “you have to wake up! You’re fine, you’re fine, you were great yesterday, and this is all a joke, or-or a nightmare, or-or-ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU’RE JUST NOT! You’re…you’re no - you can’t leave me,” he dry-sobbed, voice cracking.
Albus’ head was in turmoil; he wanted to cling to Scorpius and try to osmose the life back into him, he wanted to slap him and shake him and scream at and plead with him. He’d do anything for his friend to wake up.
“Help…he needs help,” Albus said, frantically turning and half running, half-crawling back out to the living room.
He threw a handful of powder in the direction of the fireplace, yelling out, “I need St. Mungos right now!”
“Hello, please indicate the nature of the medical emergency,” a dull voice said, and a witches head popped up in the ashes.
“I need some mediwizards over here straight away,” Albus told her quickly, “It’s my friend, he’s, he’s,” he took a deep breath and plunged ahead, “he won’t wake up.”
“Okay, do you know if he took a self-brewed sleeping potion last night?” the witch asked in a bored tone.
“That’s not it!” Albus yelled furiously, “I think he’s dead!”
“Oh,” the witch nodded, eyes widening only marginally, “well that’s very different from not waking up. The mediwizards will be with you shortly, please clear your floo.”
Albus huffed and stood up, moving back. Shortly, the fire flared green, and two mediwizards stepped out.
“Hello sir,” one said, smiling gently, “you said your flatmate has passed away?”
“Yes,” Albus nodded, a wave of numbness washing over him as he concentrated on getting help to Scorpius, “I got back about ten minutes ago, he’s usually up at this time for work, so I went to talk to him, and found him…he’s so cold, and - and h-he has no pulse,” he gasped out, fighting to remain calm.
“You did well to call us Mr. Potter,” the mediwizard smiled, obviously recognizing him, while the second headed down the hall, “Are you family of the patient?”
“No, I’m just…I’m just a friend,” Albus replied quietly.
“Would you be able to get in contact with his nearest living relatives?”
“Sure, I’ll call them now.”
The mediwizard nodded and smiled in thanks, then followed his co-worker down the hall, while Albus turned back to the fireplace. He was completely shook up, and it took several moments of deep breathing to settle himself enough to grab some floo powder and call out, “Malfoy Manor,” as he threw it in the fireplace.
“Hello sir, Malfoy Manor, how is Wibble serving you today?” a squeaky voice asked, as an elf’s head popped up in the fireplace.
“Hello Wibble, are Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy in today?” Albus asked, only a slight tremor in his voice.
“Mrs. Malfoy is away, but Mr. Malfoy is present sir.”
“Great, could you go get him for me please?”
“Yes sir, Wibble is getting him right away sir,” the elf nodded eagerly, and its head disappeared, only to be replaced by Draco’s moments later.
He yawned, blinked sleepily at Albus and half-heartedly snapped, “Albus, what in Merlin’s name are you doing floo calling at this hour of the morning?”
“Draco - it’s Scorpius,” Albus said, then swallowed thickly and continued, “he’s…you need to come over.”
Draco’s eyes widened, and his head suddenly disappeared out of the fireplace. Seconds later, the fire flashed green, and a pyjamas and dressing gown-clad Draco gracefully stepped through, his face pale and eyes wild.
He gripped Albus’ upper arms and asked worriedly, “What’s wrong Albus, where’s Scorpius, what’s happened?”
“I…I only got home a while ago, and he…I…” Albus began, his throat tightening, and his brain refusing to fully acknowledge the situation.
“What, he what?” Draco snapped, impatience and fear leaking into his voice.
“Mr. Malfoy,” a voice said, and Albus looked over to see the mediwizard who had spoken to him earlier.
“Who are you?” Draco demanded.
“My name is Gareth, I’m a mediwizard with St. Mungos,” the mediwizard replied.
Draco’s face further paled, and Gareth continued in a soft, sympathetic voice, “I’m afraid your son passed away late last night.”
Draco’s grip on Albus’ arm tightened to the point of extreme pain, and then suddenly slackened, and as the man spoke, he shook his head slowly.
“No, no, he couldn’t…Scorpius…SCORPIUS!”
He rushed out of the room. There was a moment of silence, which was suddenly broken by a heartbreaking shriek. Albus rushed into the room, freezing at the sight of Draco kneeling on the bed, Scorpius’ body cradled in his arms. The elder Malfoy was sobbing and rocking back and forth, petting his son’s hair uselessly.
“My boy,” he wept brokenly, “My poor poor boy.”
“I’m very sorry for your loss, Mr. Malfoy,” the second mediwizard said respectfully, as he put his diagnostic tools away.
“What…what was it?” Draco asked.
“A sudden brain clot that caused a seizure. Even if we had known it was going to happen we wouldn’t have been able to do anything.”
Draco nodded, hiccupped, and sobbed even harder, burying his face in Scorpius’ hair.
The mediwizard stood, and with a discrete glance at Albus, left the room. Albus spared a look at the father and son, and followed him into the living room.
“Thank you for the quick response,” he said hollowly to the two men.
“You’re welcome,” Gareth nodded, grabbing some floo powder, “I’m very sorry for your loss.”
The second mediwizard nodded, following his companion into the fireplace. With a call of, “St. Mungos,” they were gone, and Albus was left feeling bereft and numb. Draco’s wails a distant noise in his head, he walked into the kitchen and proceeded to make two mugs of tea, working solely on autopilot. Leaving one mug on the counter, he took the other and made his way back to the living room, where he sat and stared into space, not noticing how the hot mug was burning the skin of the hands that gripped it tightly.
Minutes, or possibly hours later, Albus couldn’t tell, a distraught and broken-looking Draco walked into the sitting room carrying Scorpius in his arms.
“I have to bring Scorpius home,” he announced, staring straight at the fireplace, “there are traditions…and his mother, and grandmother…you can come see him in the afternoon if you wish.”
Albus nodded, throat working furiously to swallow the lump that had appeared at the sight of his friend’s lifeless body. Draco bowed his head, pressing his forehead to Scorpius’ chest, before he spun on the spot and disapparated. Albus barely noticed; he couldn’t hear, couldn’t see, couldn’t feel anything but grief and longing and emptiness inside. A tiny shiver ran down his spine, followed by another, and then another, until eventually he was shuddering uncontrollably on the couch, his now ice-cold tea spilling out of the cup on over his hands. He stood abruptly, and made his way into his room to get an extra robe. By the time he entered his room, he’d forgotten what he had gone in for, and stood in the centre of the floor, head slumped, arms hung limply at his sides, cup dangling from his fingertips, liquid spilling slowly to the floor. Albus remained completely motionless for the next few minutes, before a bright flare of anger overcame him and he screamed and hurled the cup against the wall opposite him. As tea and shards of ceramic exploded outwards and dived to the floor, Albus screamed and kicked the chest of drawers, scattering the objects on top of it to the ground, and collapsed on the floor. Curling inwards, he screamed himself hoarse, and then remained lying down, panting shallowly as exhaustion overcame him.
When he awoke, the clock read 9.00am, and the numbness had settled back over him. Silently he stood and started gathering his things to put them back on the chest of drawers. His hand stilled as he picked up the final item, and he stared down at the small black timeturner. For years, they had been impossible to recreate after the incident with Albus’ dad, but eventually a very talented and dedicated witch had cracked the magic and mechanics, and they had gone back into production. Albus himself, having a natural talent for charms, was involved in developing new prototypes. This here in his hand was one that Albus had snuck home to tinker with and test. The tinkering itself was done, but not the testing, the reason being that Albus had yet to clear enough time - for this timeturner turned back days rather than hours.
I could go back…I could go back and save him, was the sudden thought that entered Albus’ head as he rolled the timeturner between his hands, I could take him to St. Mungo’s and…No. No there’d be no point, he realised, remembering the mediwizard’s words.
His shoulders slumped and he sat down heavily on his bed, timeturner still in his hands. It was insane to think that twenty-four hours ago, he was in his parents’ house trying to calm them down, and Scorpius was enjoying his day off work, and now…now Scorpius would never know how Albus felt about him, had died not knowing how they could be together, how Albus could love him, worship him, do everything possible to make him happy.
It doesn’t have to be that way…
It was mad, totally mad, not to mention illegal, but Albus couldn’t dispel the notion as it grew into an idea, formed into a plan. It wouldn’t have to be this way. He could go back, give Scorpius, himself, them one day together, one perfect day. It would be difficult, and painful, and if anyone found out Albus would be in a serious amount of trouble, but for Scorpius…For Scorpius, going to hell itself and back would be worth it.
Mind made up, Albus summoned his wand, activated the timeturner, turned it over once, and lurched as the world spun around him.
When everything had settled down, the world around him was the same, and Albus despaired that the timeturner had failed to work, until he suddenly noticed that the smashed teacup was not to be seen. And then he heard music coming from the kitchen. His insides lurched and he jumped up, sprinting down the hall and hurtling into the kitchen.
There, right in front of him was Scorpius, looking so painfully real that Albus locked up, unable to do anything but stare. Scorpius himself jumped as the door swung open and swung around, wielding a spatula with all its potential deadliness.
“Albus!” he gasped, eyes wide, “You scared the shit out of me, what are you doing bursting into rooms unannounced like that?”
Albus blinked rapidly four or five times, swallowed and replied softly, “Sorry…”
Scorpius frowned and lowered the spatula, eyes raking over Albus’ appearance.
“Albus, what’s wrong?” he asked in a worried tone, “I thought you had gone to your parents, did something happen?”
Albus shook his head and then managed to croak out, “I came back.”
He took an uncertain step towards Scorpius, who put down the spatula and walked up to him, placed a hand on his forehead, looking into his eyes.
“Are you feeling well?” Scorpius asked, “What did you come back for?”
Albus closed his eyes at the feel of Scorpius’ hand on his face. He wanted to cry and laugh at the same time, but most of all, he wanted Scorpius, wanted all of him. He opened his eyes to gaze intensely into his friend’s, and his hands came up to cradle Scorpius’ face. Scorpius froze, staring back at him, his expression changing from worried, to confused and unsure, and then just as they widened with realisation, Albus did the one thing he’d always denied himself, and leaned in and kissed him hungrily.
Scorpius responded slowly and cautiously, and Albus pulled back to gasp out, “You, Scorpius, I came back for you,” before leaning back in to kiss him again.
This time, Scorpius returned the kiss just as fiercely, and they melted together, hands running frantically over each other’s bodies, wanting to touch and feel everywhere. Albus felt dizzy, and desire washed over him in heady waves. His hands slowed, caressed Scorpius’ cheeks, and ran through his hair, down his neck and sides, up his back and down his chest, committing it all to memory, while his mind chanted a litany of wantneedloveScorpScorpScorp over and over again. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a part of him wept for the fact that this was his one and only chance to do this, but he ignored it in favour of pouring his every emotion into his kiss and touch.
Scorpius whimpered softly, his hands tangling in Albus’ hair, his tongue curling itself around Albus’, and then moaned deep in his throat as Albus pulled their hips together.
“Albus,” he gasped, pulling back, though he still pressed firmly against said man, “What’s…why?”
Albus bit his lip and then slowly replied, knowing he had to be honest, had to get this right, “Scorp, I know I’ve always said that I never wanted to date or be in a relationship because I don’t want to end up like my parents, and that’s true, but…For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been the one person I’ve wanted more than friendship from, and I’ve tried to deny it, but there’s just no point…I love you Scorpius,” he said, in a clear, proud voice, “I’m going to love you till the day I die.”
Scorpius’ eyes widened as he spoke, and his mouth flapped soundlessly for a moment, before he whispered, “Albus…Albus…”
A shy smile crept over his face that grew and blossomed into a full-blown smile of pure happiness. He quickly leaned in and pecked Albus on the lips, and then did it again and again and again.
“I love you,” he said joyfully between kisses, “Albus I’ve loved you for so long.”
Albus laughed, and then suddenly was crying, his body shaking as he kissed Scorpius’ face over and over.
“What’s wrong?” Scorpius asked, and then smirked and added, “Does my proclamation of love upset you that much?”
Albus snorted with laughter, and quickly wiped his eyes, replying, “Stuff it you git, they’re happy tears.”
“Happy tears? You are such a woman,” Scorpius scoffed, though Albus could see his eyes glinting mischievously.
“Oh really?” he countered, smirking, “Well I highly doubt a woman could do this.”
He reached down, grabbing Scorpius’ arse and hoisting him up. Scorpius gasped and wrapped his legs around Albus’ waist, and then kissed him deeply as Albus began to walk out of the kitchen.
“Oh the stove!” he gasped, just as they were at the doorway.
“Now who’s a woman?” Albus asked teasingly as he walked back and turned the stove off.
“Shut up,” Scorpius said, before grabbing his face and kissing him, “Bed.”
“Yes m’ame,” Albus grinned, laughing as Scorpius punched him on the arm and then kissed him again.
Once in the bedroom, they fell on the bed in a tangle of limbs, and quickly divested each other of their clothing. Albus pulled back to look over Scorpius reverently. Time slowed down as he gazed at the man he loved, and he sucked in a sharp breath at the perfection to be found in a mole just under his ribs, a litter of scars on his shoulder from a quidditch accident, a couple of wonky broken toes.
“You are so beautiful,” he breathed, placing his hand over Scorpius’ heart, “every bloody inch of you.”
Scorpius blushed, but snorted and sat up, grabbing Albus by the shoulders as he said, “Then come here and show me how beautiful you think I am.”
Albus followed him back down, laying on top of him, and poured his heart into their lovemaking. They spent what seemed like forever, kissing and touching each other everywhere, rolling around the bed, fingers teasing, lips and teeth and tongue following, biting and licking and sucking and finally Albus buried himself to the hilt in Scorpius. He wiped sweat-matted hair from Scorpius’ forehead and leaned his own against it, staring into his lover’s eyes. Slowly, he started to move, thrusting inside of Scorpius a little faster and deeper each time. Scorpius clutched at Albus’ back, and groaned and arched his hips up to meet his every undulation. Their bodies took up a primal, punishing rhythm together, and all the while, they stared into each other’s eyes. It was the single most intense experience of Albus’ life, and he wanted it to never end. However, all-too-soon, their rhythm turned ragged and erratic. They clutched at each other desperately, Albus groaning continuously, and Scorpius’ breaths coming in furious, sobbing pants and gasps. Scorpius reached down and started stroking himself frantically, and suddenly, he was clenched around Albus tight and juddering as he cried out. Albus’ thrusts became completely undone at this; they paused, resumed moving quickly, paused again, thrust oncetwicethrice, and then he tensed up, back arched as he spilled himself inside his love.
The two men panted harshly as they slowly came down from their high, and basked in the afterglow of their session. Scorpius stroked Albus’ hair and back, while Albus lay slow, loving kisses along his collarbone, up his neck and over his face, finishing with Scorpius’ lips. They kissed deeply, languidly, lovingly. Albus started to pull back, when Scorpius grabbed him and wrapped his legs around his waist, pulling him back in.
“No,” Scorpius gasped, his cock twitching faintly, “stay.”
Albus whimpered as Scorpius shifted, holding him deep and secure, and then asked, “Are you sure?”
Scorpius nodded eagerly and replied, “It feels good.”
“Okay then,” Albus smiled, and wow this was hot, and if he wasn’t totally exhausted he would be hard again in a heartbeat.
He settled himself fully on top of Scorpius, who moaned happily, and kissed his shoulder. They dozed off, and woke up an hour later, Albus hard inside of Scorpius, and Scorpius getting there. Albus pushed himself up and sat back on his knees, Scorpius following, straddling his lap, controlling the pace. He barely moved; tiny little bounces, while they concentrated on memorizing every inch of each other’s bodies that they could reach. Their lovemaking was slow and gentle, but their orgasms blindingly intense, and afterwards Albus lay on his back, Scorpius curled on his chest, peppering kisses across it, while still moving restlessly, milking every tiny bit of Albus’ orgasm out of him, dragging a second one out before he pulled completely off Albus, lying down beside him. Albus wrapped himself around the blond, feeling completely buzzed and the epitome of ‘punch-drunk-love.’ As the high slowly faded away, he remembered his vow to make this the perfect day for Scorpius, and he racked his brains, trying to think about the things Scorpius really loved to do.
“Hey,” he said excitedly, as an idea came to him, “what do you say to going to that Adventure Park with the rock climbing and go-carts, and then going to that muggle antique car auction and car-boot sale down the road?”
“Really?” Scorpius smiled, “That’d be brilliant, I’ve been meaning to go to them for ages!”
“I know,” Albus smiled, kissing him softly, “which is why I want to take you.”
Scorpius beamed and kissed him back, then pulled away and said, “Okay, you go have a shower, while I get my stuff ready and then I’ll go, because Merlin knows if we go in together we’ll never get out.”
“True,” Albus laughed.
He kissed Scorpius once more and headed off to the bathroom, grabbing a towel along the way. He showered quickly, then dried off and headed back into the room, where he found Scorpius standing by his bookcase, reading over a familiar-looking piece of parchment, and Albus’ stomach clenched as he recognized the note he’d found on the coffee table.
“What’s that?” he asked casually, as he walked into the room.
“Huh? Oh, it’s a…it’s a note, for you,” Scorpius replied carefully, and then clarified, “It’s a love note actually. I wrote it weeks ago, I’d finally plucked up the courage to give it to you tomorrow when you got back from your parents’.”
Albus’ heart lurched and he managed a wobbly smile as he replied, “Sorry for stealing your confession thunder.”
“It’s alright, I really don’t mind,” Scorpius replied, putting the note back on the bookshelf, “In fact, I’m quite happy you did.”
“Me too,” Albus smiled, then smirked and smacked Scorpius on the arse as he added, “Now go have your shower, I’ll cook breakfast.”
Scorpius yelped and glared as he retorted, “It had better be a damn good one to make up for that abuse.”
“Abuse?” Albus smirked, “Or foreplay?”
Scorpius rolled his eyes and walked out of the room, half-heartedly waving the finger in Albus’ direction.
Albus grinned and headed into his own room, got dressed and went to make breakfast. Just as he was laying it out on the table, Scorpius walked in, dressed in jeans and a tight t-shirt, and Albus felt his breath catch as he looked up. His features relaxed and he knew he had a mushy look on his face as he said softly, “Hey.”
“Hey,” Scorpius replied, smiling shyly as he walked up and wrapped his arms around Albus’ waist.
They shared a kiss, and then took their seats at the table, tucking into their breakfast hungrily, feet lazily brushing against each other, and they shared lingering looks and smiles. When they were finished, Albus set the dishes in the sink to be cleaned, while Scorpius went to get their coats.
“Bugger,” he heard, as he walked out of the kitchen, and he called out, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s lashing rain,” Scorpius called back, in an ‘I-should-have-expected-this,’ tone of voice, “The park and car-boot sale will be closed.”
“Bugger,” Albus cursed, heading into the living room, where Scorpius was standing at the window, “Bloody English weather.”
“Ah well, some other time,” Scorpius shrugged, and Albus felt his heart clench painfully, but shook his head and tried to quickly think of somewhere else to go.
“Okay, um, how about that museum exhibition you were talking about?”
“It’s not starting until next week.”
“Are there any shows or films you want to go to?” Albus asked, desperation lacing his voice.
“Not today no,” Scorpius replied, shaking his head, sounding a bit put out.
A strange sense of loss settled over Albus, and a part of him wanted to wallow and mourn the loss of the day, of the chance to do something, of Scorpius. His last day with Scorpius, his last….oh god his last day. Before…before…He couldn’t face it, not now, or he’d completely lose it and tell Scorpius everything, and he couldn’t do that to him, couldn’t force the unbelievable burden on his shoulders. And, if he was being totally honest, he was being selfish as well, because he wanted a Scorpius who was focused on them and their love and how wonderful a day they were having.
Albus bit his lip, while his eyes stung a little and a lump formed in his throat. Now was not the time. He had to be strong.
“Oh well, we can have a lazy day today,” Scorpius smiled, taking Albus’ hand in his.
“No, we can’t…we should do something!” Albus cried out.
Frustration and stress were quickly building up in his chest, and he fought the urge to start hyperventilating. Why couldn’t today go right? Why was everything falling apart, why couldn’t he give Scorpius the day he deserved? It wasn’t right. It wasn’t bloody fair!
“Albus, what’s wrong?” Scorpius frowned, “I know you don’t like it when plans don’t work out, but you seem overly stressed about this.”
“I wanted to take you out,” Albus said stubbornly, face scrunching up, “I wanted this to be the perfect day for you.”
“Albus,” Scorpius said softly, squeezing Albus’ hand, “I have you, so today is a perfect day. Don’t worry about the park or museum or anything, we have the rest of our lives to enjoy them.”
Albus shuddered violently, and he clutched at his head and tried to take calming breaths. Scorpius rolled his eyes, sighed and pulled Albus’ hands away from his head, which he then cradled with his own.
“Okay, I don’t know why you’re freaking out so much, but how about I tell you what I want to do today?”
Fearful of what would happen if he tried to speak, Albus nodded dumbly, looking at him with large, pleading eyes.
“What I want,” Scorpius said firmly, gazing directly into his eyes, “is to spend the day with you in bed naked. Then I want to get greasy Chinese takeaway with a couple of bottles of Tiger Beer, and watch Some Like It Hot, and after that I want to go back to bed with you.”
As Scorpius spoke, Albus found himself relaxing and smiling. He nodded once more and then said, “I think I can do that for you.”
“Prove it,” Scorpius grinned, laughing when Albus swung him into an exaggerated embrace, kissed him on the nose, and then picked him up and swept him off to the bedroom.
They spent the day making love to one another, trying out everything and anything they could think of to take each other to new heights of pleasure. Eventually they were utterly exhausted, and collapsed on the bed together. Albus wrapped himself around Scorpius, kissing and touching him everywhere, murmuring words of love and worship like a mantra, a protective spell.
“I love you,” Scorpius breathed in reply, “I love you Albus.”
Albus kissed him, hands still moving relentlessly over his body, unable to keep from feeling every piece of skin. Scorpius turned so they were lying back to chest, and laced their fingers together. Albus nuzzled his neck and kissed him tenderly behind his ear, and snuggled close as they relaxed against each other.
As night drew in, Albus ordered the take away and beer, while Scorpius sorted out the DVD. They huddled together under a duvet on the couch, watching the film and eating and drinking. When they were done, they retired back to the bedroom, where they made love one last time; Albus moving painfully slow on top of Scorpius, engulfing him over and over again. Once they were sated, they lay together in the darkness, kissing and talking; Scorpius making plans for future days out, while Albus ‘hmm’d’ and tried to block it out and concentrate of on how it felt to be so brilliantly connected to his love and best friend.
With a murmured, “Goodnight, love you, Al…” Scorpius slowly drifted off, but Albus remained awake, watching him sleep peacefully.
The happiness and tranquillity of the moment was shadowed though by the knowledge of what was to come. Albus blinked rapidly and wished and prayed to every deity he knew of for Scorpius to be saved…
Less than an hour later, Scorpius jerked and spasm in his arms, gave one last hitching breath, and then was still. Albus skimmed his hand along his neck, feeling for a pulse, and upon finding none, gave a grievous moan and buried his face in the blond hair, clutching the body to his. Despite the fact that he knew this was going to happen, to watch it and feel it was beyond words, beyond feeling, beyond anything. He felt like he had been torn in half, was completely lost and useless.
“Scorpius,” he crooned in broken sobs, “My beautiful, perfect Scorpius…Love you so much baby.”
He remained as such, until the body turned stiff and cold, and then realised that he himself would be back soon. With one final kiss to Scorpius’ temple, he dragged himself out of bed, got dressed in his original clothes he had travelled back in, and then tended to Scorpius, casting a cleaning charm on him and the bed, though leaving it messy, and dressing his lover in his pyjamas. He then set up the apartment as he remembered it being - banishing the takeaway leftovers, opening the curtains and putting the note from Scorpius to him on the coffee table. That done, he gave an exhausted, weary sigh, and noticing it was ten to six, apparated up onto the roof of the building. There, he crumpled in a heap on the ground, frowning when he heard a strange crinkling sound coming from his pocket. Reaching in, his eyes widened when he pulled out the note from Scorpius.
But, where…Oh, I put it in my pocket that morning…
He read over it once more, his face contorting in pain as he did, before it crumpled. The dam broke, and he finally let out all the heartache and sorrow that had been building up inside flow out, as he cried and keened and curled himself into a ball around the note, howling his grief to the morning Gods.
Dear Albus,
This is Scorpius, though as you know my handwriting, no doubt you already suspected as much, hehe…Anyway, the reason I’m writing you this note is because there’s something I need to tell you, and I’m too cowardly to say it to your face (some Gryffindor I am!)
I know that I’ve always said that I don’t want to become involved with anyone because of the troubles my parents have, but I realise that the mistakes of the past should be learned from, not used as an excuse to not get hurt. Over the years we’ve known each other, you’ve become my best friend, but truthfully now, you mean so much more to me than just that. You mean more to me than anything in the world. I love you Albus Potter. I’ve loved you for some time now, and I will love you until the day I die.
It is said that life is short, and I would gladly spend the rest of whatever time I have left loving and caring for you. I can only pray that you feel the same way about me, and if you do not, then I apologise if I make you feel uncomfortable, but I could not deny how I felt any longer: around you I felt undone - never was it put better than when Heaney said, “self is in mutiny.”
I may not give this to you just yet, but someday, I’ll have the courage to, I promise you that.
All my love,
Scorpius