More Than Friends | Albus x Scorpius

Part Twenty-Three: Ornaments

Albus led Scorpius to his room, listening to him babble about this or that. Albus didn't show it, but he was hyper-aware of how his family was acting and talking in front of, or behind, Scorpius' back. He could tell that his father was tense and awkward, unsure of how to speak to a Malfoy. His brother and sister were waiting. He could tell. Albus felt like his mother already knew, already knew that her youngest son was gay and in a relationship.

Albus said, "I think that I might be sick."

"Why?" Scorpius laughed, feeling sparks where Albus instinctively touched Scorpius' hip.

"I dunno, " Albus murmured. "I feel weird here."

Scorpius nodded and understood. "Maybe you need to talk to them more. I mean, you don't really talk to them very much."

"I try to, though."

Scorpius nodded but murmured, only loud enough for Albus to barely hear, "Let's talk about it when nobody can hear us."

Albus nodded and opened his bedroom door, feeling very underwhelmed after living a luxurious life for four odd days and wondered how Scorpius was going to handle it.

"Your room is so messy, " Scorpius pointed out, visibly fighting the urge to clean his room.

"I know, "

************

Scorpius found it awkward eating at a dinner table full of people. He kept hitting Albus' arm with his elbow and knocking the food from his fork.

"Sorry, " he would murmur, embarrassed by how he was acting.

" 'S fine, Scorp."

Ginny put her fork down and wondered aloud, "Do you normally eat with others, Scorpius? Or just with your father?"

Scorpius put his fork down and turned his eyes downcast. "Sometimes."

"Shocking, " Harry mumbled with an eye roll. Ginny elbowed him in the ribs. Scorpius deflated slightly.

"Well, he's busy. He has to work or visit family members. Our house elf keeps me company most of the time, though Father sometimes eats with me when he isn't as busy."

"House elf?" James clarified. "I've always wanted a house elf."

Scorpius shrugged.

"What family do you have that visits?"

"My grandfather and grandmother, my father's friends and their children...that's about it."

Ginny nodded at the answer and ignored Harry's eye roll. Albus intervened quickly.

"Uh, well, Draco was very kind though, right, Scorpius?"

He nodded.

"We even went to a Muggle village nearby. It was very---"

Harry asked, "Did anybody else go with you two?"

"Uh, no, " Albus answered. "Just us two..."

James raised his eyebrows and Albus kicked him from under the table, causing James to wince and Scorpius to hide his chuckle by turning it into a cough.

Albus subtly placed his hand on Scorpius' thigh, but Scorpius wasn't expecting it and started.

"You okay there, Scorpius?" James questioned.

"Y-Yes, sorry."

Albus gave his thigh a squeeze and Scorpius blushed, though it seemed like he was blushing more from embarrassment than from Albus' touch. James knew though.