It was a late winter night, the chill in the dungeons kept at bay by warming charms and fires. Though it seemed quiet, in one four poster, behind the emerald curtains, two boys laid. The whispers and laughter were dampened by a silencing charm.

"Have you ever kissed anybody?" The blond turned to his dark-haired friend.

"Come on, Scorp, you know I haven't." He turned to address his friend.

" Well, neither have I. We are sixteen, Albus. I feel like I should have kissed somebody already," Scorpius sighed.

"Well, maybe we can... nevermind, I don't know." A blush crept across Albus' face. Emboldened by the almost suggestion, Scorpius leaned over, clumsily placing his lips over Albus'. Giggles erupt as noses collide and teeth click together. It doesn't take long for an awkward rhythm to form before the boys pulled apart. That night, they didn't fall asleep. Instead, the evening was spent as a patchwork of whispers, fumbling kisses, and scarlet blushes. 

As these nights continued, they became less awkward and more comfortable. The kisses became more passionate, as they were stolen in abandoned corridors and behind tapestries. The looks exchanged in the classroom, the pressed knees in the common room, things subtly changed. It was a happy time for both boys.

"Albus! You'll never guess what happened!" Scorpius was shouting as he basically skipped into the common room. "Rose said yes! We are going to Hogsmeade together this weekend. 

"Oh, that's awesome. Hope you have fun." A fake smile covered the fact that he felt his heart sink faster than a stone in the black lake. He had thought there was something between them. He had hoped that this would have amounted to something. A little nagging voice in the back of his head reared its head, venom at the ready.

"You were wrong, Albus. You were just a game to him, just an experiment. Don't be heartbroken; you should have seen it coming. After all, you were just fooling around." The venom of the words sank into his heart. Days went by where every word and smile was a mask, and every tear fell in secret during the now lonely nights.

"So, how's it been going with Rose?" There was a hidden tentativeness in the question.

"To be honest, there isn't much happening. I thought I would feel more...I don't know. We are going to go out again; maybe things will click on our next date. "He doesn't miss you. You're meant to be with Rose, a girl. The thing with Albus, that was just fooling around. Everyone fools around when they are teenagers," Scorpius thought as he attempted to justify his lack of feelings.

Albus had never felt more broken than when he watched Scorpius leave for the village hand in hand with Rose.

The date didn't go very well, however. It wasn't bad or anything, but Scorpius couldn't understand why he didn't feel more excited about being there with Rose. Rose actually ended the date by telling Scorpius she was bored and it wouldn't work out. "Why am I not sad?" Scorpius was musing to himself in the bathroom mirror, attempting to sort out the confusion that was his emotions. 

Having readied himself, Scorpius returned to the common room, joining Albus on the floor in front of the fire. 

"You did not make Hugo disappear when he was a baby," Scorpius laughed as he gave a playful shove. As Albus shoved him back, a wide grin cracking his face, Scorpius took action, before even thinking. 

"Scorp, what are you-" Scorpius, who had pinned Albus to the carpet, cut him off with a desperate kiss. Albus melted under the other boy's lips, tasting the butterbeer lingering from Scorpius' trip to the Three Broomsticks. Pouring every ounce of his longing into the kiss, Scorpius could feel the reciprocation pushing back against lips. Soon, his mouth was moving down the smooth jaw, causing Albus to shiver.

"I love you," Scorpius whispered between kisses. A look of hurt flashed across Scorpius' face as he was abruptly pushed off.

"Don't say that, please don't say that." Albus could barely do more than a whisper.

"Why?" Scorpius' voice cracked as tears gathered in his eyes.

"Because you don't mean it. You don't like guys that way. Besides, I already know how you feel about my cousin. So please, say anything but that. I can't hear that. Not from you." Albus didn't raise his volume the entire time he spoke.

"I do mean it. I mean it with every fiber of my being. I was scared, scared to love my best friend, scared because I didn't want to lose you, scared because I thought I needed to be with a girl. But I was wrong, and I'm not scared. I need you." A single tear escaped.

A blush crept into Albus' face as he leaned over and left a soft, shy kiss on Scorpius' cheek.

"I love you too."