Haste Ye Back (Scorbus)

The Richest Man

Albus, Scorpius and Rose spent the duration of the afternoon in the pub and when Pippa's shift finished at five o'clock, the four friends made there way back to the flat. Albus kept drawing Scorpius sly glances on the way back to the flat, Rose's bombshell claim at the forefront of his mind. The mere possibility that Scorpius might feel the same way filled Albus with elation, but with each step they took towards the flat he felt dread grip him anew. It was like invisible rocks of fear were weighing him down, making it difficult to even breath. If Rose and Pippa were wrong about this...well, it didn't even bear thinking about.

When they were a couple streets shy of the flat, Scorpius squeezed Albus' elbow and said, "I'm just popping to the shop to grab a few things. I'll meet you back at the flat, alright?"

Without waiting for Albus' response he waved them off and veered left down a cobbled side street. Albus watched him leave with a mixture of apprehension and relief; he was glad to have the extra time to figure out what he was going to say, but he wasn't keen to be in the girls' company at that moment in time, knowing exactly what they would bring up the moment Scorpius was out of earshot. Sure enough...

"Al..." began Pippa.

"For the last time my name is Albus, not Al," he grumbled, pushing the flat's broken security door open and ushering them inside.

"I'd like to apologise again," she continued as though Albus hadn't interrupted her. "For looking in your head without your permission. Honestly, I never meant to do it, it's just more difficult around you for some reason."

"It's rude is what it is," he bit back, climbing the stairs to the uppermost floor. "More than that, it's an invasion of privacy. How would you feel if I did it to you?"

"I wouldn't like it one bit," she admitted. "I know that an apology won't do much to appease you - we can't put the genie back in the bottle - but I wanted you to know I am sorry. To be honest, it's difficult to find people who accept my gift - I guess I just got lucky with Rose and Scorp being as understanding about it. Past experience has shown me that they're the exception to the rule."

"What's your point?" he grumbled.

"The point is that you're a guest in this house and I should have been more considerate to you. More importantly, you're Scorpius' best friend. I know you're reluctant to talk to him about how you feel - and I still think you should talk to him - but I know it's not my place to say anything to him about it. It wouldn't be in my best interests to spill the beans on you, would it?" she asked.

Albus thought about it for a moment. He knew from Scorpius' letters that Pippa was his closest friend in Edinburgh and the affection seemed mutual. Pissing Albus off wouldn't exactly work in her favour.

"I suppose not," he relented.

"Scorpius is my friend and the last thing I would do is intentionally hurt him. I know you feel the same way," she continued. "But as Scorpius' friend, I'm going to give you a piece of advice; talk to him. Be honest with him about how you feel. You might be surprised at what he has to say. Tell him in your own time, but please say something."

Albus stopped at the uppermost landing and turned to face the girls, looking forlorn.

"I'm going to talk to him about it," he promised. "It's just difficult to find the right words."

Pippa gave him a sympathetic smile, "You're afraid you'll lose him as a friend."

"I told you not to look into me head," he groaned.

"I don't need to look into your head to know that's what you're thinking. It's written all over your face," quipped Rose. "Seriously Albus, give Scorpius some credit. You've been best friends for years, do you really think he's going to ditch you over this?"