dinner parties | scorbus

CH7: no judgement

CH7: no judgement (3989 Words)

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Albus made sure that he checked the ground for twigs and brambles before he took a step; frightened that the smallest sound would echo through the night. It meant that he moved slowly, but he didn't mind — so long as nobody noticed the dull flashing in the woods. Albus had covered the glow with his fingers and been sure to shine it upon the ground, though he often had to flick the light higher to check the trees.

He neared the small, daisy-covered clearing in the forest. The moonlight shone down onto the grass, creating a white glow through the canopy. Albus released a small sigh and checked the watch on his wrist. He didn't need to worry — he had arrived ten minutes early. He glanced down at his feet, wary of the thousands of daises that occupied every inch of the small clearing. In the moonlight they looked like snow; weaving through the undergrowth of the trees shrouding the area. Albus tried not to crush too many of them under his feet.

He pulled his dark sleeves over his fingertips and took two steps into the centre of the space, gazing into the sky to check for the stars. Though he couldn't find the motivation to read them, he ran his eyes over the patterns amongst them. He began to count the number of times the stars refracted in the light and stared for long enough to decipher if they were red or blue.

He gave an almighty jump as hands clapped onto his shoulders. Every thought imaginable ran through his mind in a millisecond—had his parents seen him leaving the property and decided to follow? Had someone else caught wind of his venture through the outskirts of town and decided to harm him whilst he was distracted?

"I scared you!" A familiar voice rang in his ears. "I didn't think I'd pull it off, but you seemed a bit distracted by the world of lights up there."

Albus noticed, due to a moment of relaxation in his typically disciplined thoughts, that Scorpius seemed to have lights in his eyes too. Potter gave his head a slight shake and turned around once more, frowning to himself. He wondered why, of all things, that had been the first thought to enter his mind upon seeing Scorpius that day. He wondered if the matching tones of his silver eyes and jumper had something to do with it.

"Is everything okay?" Scorpius asked, his feet crunching the soft daisies. 

"Yes, sorry. I thought I saw something in the woods."

Scorpius jumped into his line of sight, grinning brightly. Albus couldn't help but allow his own lips to tilt upwards as a result. The blood rushed to Albus' ears as Scorpius half leapt on him, pulling their chests together in a tight hug.

Albus allowed his eyes to flicker closed for a moment. He dropped his head into the boy's shoulder and the sweet smell of pine needles wrapped around him in a soft embrace. Scorpius' arms looped over his shoulders calmed him, though he couldn't quite explain why. All he could comprehend was that heartbeat against his chest, and the warm hands upon his back, settled the bubbling of his blood.

Scorpius pulled back. He grinned brightly and extended his hands in a dramatic fashion. "Lay it on me, Potter. What's been going on in your world?"

"You'd need to take a seat," Albus scoffed, smiling as he ran his hand through his hair.

"I can most certainly do that! Also, uh, you've got, uh... may I please remove the sticks from your hair?"

"Go for it."

Albus glanced down at the ground whilst Scorpius fluffed a hand through his hair. He turned around before the blond boy could notice his blush, or newfound inability to swallow. He paced across the clearing and stared through the trees for a moment. When he spun back around, he couldn't help but watch fondly as Scorpius gently coaxed his horse out from the bushes. It approached tentatively.