Al O'Lantern

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"Are you almost finished over there?" Scorpius is ancy as he waits for Albus to finish carving his pumpkin. He scoops up another handful of Bertie Botts, not caring about the flavor because, yes, he's riding a sugar high, and shoveling them into his mouth.

"Close," Al's tongue is sticking out, meaning he's really concentrating, "The curves in my design are hard to make with this knife, why aren't we using magic again?"

"Because I wanted to do it the muggle way for a change." Scorpius spews jelly beans at his best friend who winces, but smirks as chewy bits hit him.

"Hey, watch where you aim your mouth Scorp." Albus chuckles, Scorpius blushes, but his best mate is too busy carving the last piece of his pumpkin to notice.

Thank Merlin he didn't see that, Scorpius thought, and he never will. That last thought makes the blonde's shoulders collapse a little, aiming towards the pile of Honeydukes candy wrappers that are scattered on the common room floor. They have the place to themselves for the evening while their housemates are out at the Ravenclaw Halloween party. Of course, any room with Albus in it doesn't feel private, it feels intimate.

"Finished!" Albus thrusts the knife in the air, before realizing it to be a possible safety hazard and slowly putting it on the floor.

"About time." Scorpius quirks his eyebrows to the boy sitting across from him, who then threatens to move from his spot on the carpet to attack his best friend, "Hold on! You can't see my pumpkin yet!"

"Well then let's reveal them so I can come over there and make you pay for that comment." Al narrows his eyes, but they're sparkling with good humor. It's a look that Scorpius replays in his mind every day.

"Okay, on the count of three, one, two, three!"

Both boys swivel their pumpkins around to face the other. Both gasp a bit at the other's creation. It truly is a coincidence.

For both Slytherins have carved their best mate's initials into their pumpkin. Al's S is a bit wonky, and Scorp's P is a bit too tall, but they are both there, plain as day.

"Are those," Albus' mouth quirks up a bit on the edges, "my initials?"

Scorpius could only nod, there was no hiding his blush this time, "I call it an Al O' Lantern."

Albus' grin could supply light to all of Hogwarts for two months straight. "I love it."

Scor does a quick inhale and tries to move on, "And those are my initials on yours as well?"

Albus looks down at his work, and is he sporting a blush too?, "Yes, though I don't think my pumpkin carving can really do your name justice."

"I love it." Scorpius' voice is thick, and his head is beginning to hurt from all the sugar and something else.

Al smiles at him, and Scor swears something passes between them, "I'm glad."

"I love you." The words escape him before he can catch them, but once they do he doesn't try to blame it on the sweets, or say he meant friendship, because that wouldn't be true. And he's tired of lying.

Albus' blush makes itself fully known, and his smile becomes a small adoring sliver. He moves his pumpkin out of the way so he can crawl over to his best mate, crunching wrappers along the way.

Scorpius remains frozen, he couldn't move even if he'd tried.

When Al reaches him he is closer than he's ever been.

Scor is freaking out, but he isn't complaining.

Albus looks straight into Scorpius' eyes and gives him a look that he has never seen before,

"I love you too," he whispers.

Now Scorpius could move.

He inches his head through the air until it connects with Al's.

Their lips touch, and he is taken on a new kind of high.

Albus' timid smile proves to be an act, as he shows Scorpius what being in love with someone means. Scor is happy to learn, and shows Al what it means for him too.

When they part, both boys look like they've been at the Ravenclaw party for a little too long, but they don't care, the night is just beginning anyway.

So maybe it wasn't a coincidence then.

Maybe it was meant to be. 

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