Must Have Done Something Right / Scorbus

Chapter 17 / Boyfriends, Girlfriends and Scorpius Malfoy

The curtains around Albus' Infirmary bed were flung open. Scorpius looked up to see Mel run forward to the bed, desperate to see Albus, her face the image of distress. Scorpius struggled to hide his scowl—of course she had to come and ruin it.
"Albus! What happened?" she shrieked, leaning over to his face, effectively blocking Scorpius out of the picture. He didn't even think she knew he was there, so intent was she to get to Albus. He remained quietly on the side and watched.
"Just a Bludger incident," Albus shrugged. "Nothing too serious."
Scorpius had the distinct impression that he was trying to downplay it for his girlfriend.
Mel barraged on, now caressing his sore face with her pink-tipped nails. Scorpius saw Albus wince. She said, "It can't be nothing. I just passed that seventh year, Raymond, on the way here and he said that Matt hit you with it. Is it true?"
Albus cocked his head to the side, and Scorpius wanted to believe it was because he didn't want her hands on him. "Yeah, but I'm fine now. You both should really stop worrying."
Mel ignored him and while trying to pet his hair, continued, "It must have been an accident. Matt wouldn't hurt a fly!"
Scorpius wanted to laugh. Albus actually did.
"What?" Mel asked innocently.
Albus shook his head. "Nothing."
Scorpius couldn't believe that Mel still believed Matt was blameless. He was struggling to find reasons why she was trying hard to paint Matt in a good light. Surely, she heard about the whole punching incident in the Great Hall the other day—that had left no suspicion. Matt had deliberately punched Albus. Everyone knew it; most people saw it. So then why was she conveniently forgetting about it now?
"Are you in pain, Albie?" Mel cooed disgustingly, stroking his face as if he was an owl.
Scorpius couldn't keep the frown off his face. He watched with narrowed jealous eyes as she caressed him, wishing for the entire world he could be the one doing that. And Alby? She never called him that before. That was Lily's nickname for her older brother.
"I'm fine," Albus said plainly.
"What did Pomfrey say?"
Albus, of course, had no answer to this, as he so recently woke up.
But Scorpius knew, and he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to answer.
"His nose was broken and bleeding, and she fixed it up, giving him a bone strengthening potion because as you know his nose has been through quite a lot lately. She then gave him a Pepper-Up potion to restore his strength and energy that he lost from the ordeal. And finally, she healed all the minor cuts and bruises he procured when he fell from his broom onto the pitch. She now plans to give him a final set of potions to ensure full recovery," Scorpius announced smugly, ticking the list of medical procedures off with his fingers.
He had never seen Mel's face so shocked. Albus, meanwhile, looked impressed.
"Scorpius," Mel said, her eyes wide. She swallowed. "I didn't ... I didn't know you were here ... with Albus."
"I was here since he came in a few hours ago," Scorpius said in an off-hand voice. "You know, just to make sure he's alright." He was probably pushing this too far, but Scorpius inwardly basked in his glee at his upper hand over Mel.
Mel's mouth opened and closed a few times, before she said, "Well ... it's good to see that Albie has such good friends."
Albus looked like he was watching a duel—his head swinging from left to right, eager to see who would emerge the victor. Scorpius saw his mouth twitching up in a smile. Bizarrely, this spurred Scorpius on, giving him confidence he wouldn't usually possess.
"It is," Scorpius agreed. "Particularly when he's caught in a mess like this one, and other people may be too busy to come to him."
Down boy, Scorpius had to tell himself. Still, it was monumentally fun; if only to see Mel out of her depth.
Her face muscles twitched in indignation, having clearly understood Scorpius' not-so-hidden meaning. "Well, I can take it from here. You can go now, he's got me," Mel said, beginning to get angry. She stood up straighter.
"Oh, I'm not leaving now." He fixed her with a steely gaze. "Pomfrey gave me instructions on how to help the healing process along, so I'll be staying to help him."
Mel clenched her jaw. "I'm his girlfriend, Scorpius. I'll help him."
Words abandoned Scorpius at that moment as jealousy invaded his system, while his brief burst of confidence shrivelled. Thankfully, he was spared from answering when the curtains around the bed were once more opened to reveal Madam Pomfrey.
It couldn't have happened better if Scorpius had planned it. First, Pomfrey said, "Miss Gordon, what are you doing here? Visitors aren't allowed."
Mel sputtered. "I'm here for Albus, like Scorpius is."
"Mr Potter will be able to have visitors soon, I've just got to put some final touches on him, and Mr Malfoy here is going to help me," she said to Mel. Then she turned to Scorpius, "You remember what I said about holding his head while I give the potions, yes?"
Scorpius couldn't help the gleeful twitch in his mouth as he saw Mel's affronted face, Pomfrey's quizzical look, and best of all—the smirk on Albus' face. "Of course, Madam Pomfrey."
As he moved to Albus' head, Mel stormed out, the bed curtains flailing after her fleeing form.
The victory of watching Mel leave was quickly shadowed with apprehension of what Albus would say next—had he gone too far? Did he make his feelings ridiculously obvious? But Albus wasn't given to chance to say anything because Pomfrey immediately delved into business.
"Alright, Mr Malfoy. Hold his head, gently. Not too tight," she said while reading Potion labels.
While Pomfrey asked Albus some questions about the pain he was feeling and whatnot, Scorpius gently, carefully, curled his fingers beneath his head, sliding under his black hair. He couldn't help a tiny noise in the back of his throat escape as he felt, for the first time, Albus' hair. It was soft, messy, warm and deliciously Albus. He wriggled his fingers under Albus' chaotic mane of thick black hair until they met and cautiously lifted his head a fraction.
"That's it, Mr Malfoy. Hold it there," Madam Pomfrey said and she set about doing her business.
It didn't last long, and regrettably, Scorpius was soon asked to lower his head once more, as Pomfrey had finished administering the potions and salves, declaring Albus as fit. Scorpius couldn't agree more. He truly was the fittest boy he knew.
She bustled out of the room, telling them they could leave when they were ready.
As Albus heaved himself to sit upright, he flung the blankets away from him. Scorpius had to physically stop himself from whimpering at the sight of Albus in shorts and a tight-fitting t-shirt that clung to his sweaty skin. His golden skin stood out against the stark white sheets, and for some reason, Scorpius found that Albus' bare toned legs were incredibly attractive. Not to mention the bumps and grooves of his abdominals, clearly visible through his wet pale blue t-shirt. The two clear bumps of his nipples also stood out against the cotton material like tiny buttons, a testimony to chill of the room.
Scorpius could have sworn he was about to swoon. He coughed awkwardly.
"You alright?" Albus asked as he pushed himself off the bed, which only made the muscles in his arms flex. This effectively robbed Scorpius of his breath.
"Mmhmm," he nodded, his eyes riveted to Albus' chest. Thankfully, the other boy was looking elsewhere, probably for his clothes.
"You seemed happy when Mel left," Albus said in a casual tone, as if he had just commented on the weather. He reached for his pair of frayed, washed-out khaki pants and shoved his left leg in.
Scorpius stood still and stared. "Did I?" he asked in what he hoped was a similarly indifferent tone.
Albus smirked. "Truthfully, she was annoying me a bit just then. It's just ... the way she keeps sticking up for Matt." He shook his head. "I dunno ... maybe she's just determined to see the good in people. I should respect that, shouldn't I?"
No, Scorpius wanted to say. But, instead, he said, "Why couldn't she admit that Matt can do a lot worse that hurting a fly ... for instance, sending a Bludger to your face?"
Albus shrugged. "She and Matt have been friends for a long time; longer than we've been going out," He stood and pulled a large jumper over his head and Scorpius watched as his upper body disappeared.
"But you're her boyf—" He couldn't finish the rest of the word.
"I don't claim to know everything about girls. Far from it ... they're such weird creatures," Albus said, and Scorpius would have loved to jump in and suggest trying homosexuality for a refreshing change. But then Albus continued, trying to make some sense of Mel's mind, but it came out sounding even more confusing. "Sometimes ... there isn't much difference between friends and that special someone ... Merlin, that sounds horrible, but I suppose when you find the right person ... it won't be like that," Albus said, oblivious to the fantasy currently playing out in Scorpius' mind.
There was a question that begged to be asked. "So ... so you don't think ... Mel is the right person?"
"Don't get me wrong, I love her ... she's my girlfriend," Albus said quickly. "But there are things she does that annoy me, just like I know there are things I do that annoy her, and ... I don't know ... we're still growing up. We might both change yet. Maybe she is ... maybe she isn't. We're still sixteen," he said. Then smiling, he added, "Almost seventeen."
Scorpius wanted to collapse with frustration. What on earth did Albus mean?
Choosing to ignore everything about Mel, Scorpius smiled weakly and asked, "Your birthday's in March, yes?"
Albus grinned and nodded, looking relieved at the change in topic. "The 23rd." Then he asked, "I can't believe I don't know when yours is ..."
"January 13th," Scorpius responded.
"I'll remember that," Albus said. "Now, come on, let's head back, and get to bed."
Once again, Scorpius' mind went haywire with those three simple words. Albus could be so completely unaware sometimes. With his mouth shut, Scorpius followed him out of the Infirmary.