volumetwo | (no subject)

Scorpius wished he could say it had been easy to avoid James, but really, the Potter household was rather small, and they stupidly did everything together. Breakfasts, dinners, board games. It was difficult to find time alone with Al to just relax. Although James did a wonderful job of acting like he hadn't thrown Scorpius in the pond and returned his kiss and then called him a snake.

Seeing him now, well after midnight, looking disheveled... Scorpius wishes he'd thought to conceal himself or something. He's just standing there, one of Harry's books in his arms.

"Dunno," he says, defensively, looking back to the book, pretending it was far more interesting than it really was. "Aren't you supposed to be upstairs asleep?" That's what Al had said earlier, anyway. Had James snuck out?

"I was out with Teddy and some others," James answers lightly, shrugging one shoulder and rubbing the back of his neck. He kicks his shoes off, wincing again when they fly against the wall, before clearing his throat and shrugging again. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

God, no. He might be headily drunk, but he needs to kick the playful tone out of his voice. It didn't help that Scorpius had been painfully civil - even pleasant to be around to the rest of the family. Ugh.

Sure, Scorpius had been civil and pleasant when everyone else was around. But now it was just the two of them, and he wasn't about to conceal his annoyance at being found out up this late.

"You know, if you don't fancy getting caught for coming in so late, you may want to keep your voice down and stop throwing your shoes against the wall."

"I didn't throw them on purpose," James shoots back, a little huff in his tone as he rolls his shoulders back and glances toward the kitchen. "So... everyone else asleep?"

"No, Potter," Scorpius drawls, trying not to watch the roll of James's shoulders or think about how good he looks staggering like that. James is a prat, and Scorpius needs to just keep a safe distance from the volatile boy. "Everyone's playing Hide and Seek."

He gestures, dully, at the clock on the mantle. "Yes. Of course everyone else is asleep."

"'Cept you." He tilts his head a little to the side, before he moves over to stand in front of Scorpius, reaching down to gently rap his knuckles against his father's book in his arms. "Little odd for late night reading."

"How very perceptive."

Scorpius nevertheless looks up as James comes closer. Merlin. The whole staying away from thing is apparently not quite as important now that he's trashed, is it? But Scorpius is thinking long-term. What James will do to him in the morning. Once he's sobered up.

"I never said I was normal. Did I?"

"Don't really think any of us are."

James clears his throat a little, cutting his eyes back up to Scorpius's face. He should turn around. He should turn around and go back to his room and go to sleep. Instead, he just half-grins.

"You've been- surprisingly civil. Are you actually enjoying yourself here?"

Scorpius feels his cheeks getting a little warm. Why isn't James leaving? Going to bed? Anything, anywhere other than standing here, in front of hm, looking at him like that. With that bloody stupid handsome grin.

"What reason do I have to be anything other than civil, Potter? Merlin, you're annoying." Snapping the book shut, he turns his back to James and slides it back into the shelf, perusing for something else. All too keenly aware of the heat of James's body behind him. It reminds him how it felt at the pond, with James's arms around him.

"Don't you have a toilet to puke in?"

James pauses for a moment, sort of just watching the back of Scorpius's head. ".. no, that's probably not until a little later," he acknowledges. He shuts his head, then, breathing softly, simply... thinking.

Bad decisions. All he's going to make tonight are bad decisions. He should go.

"...think maybe we should talk though."

Scorpius goes stiff, his fingers lingering at the spine of a particularly aged tome.

"....What's there to talk about?"

Merlin. Of course James can't be a sleepy drunk or a quiet drunk: he's an obnoxiously honest drunk, isn't he? Or maybe a 'do things you wouldn't normally do' drunk. Shit.

Nope. That would be too convenient for everyone involved -- most of all, him.

"...you're actually having a pretty good time here, aren't you." It's murmured. "I mean, at least - you don't hate it."

.....Oh.

Oh!

"Oh," Scorpius says, sighing. "You want to talk about my time here." Merlin's soggy y-fronts, he'd thought James meant he wanted to talk about... Well. The other stuff.

Grabbing the first book his fingers land on, he shrugs. "Board games aside, it's not so bad."

James isn't sure what he wants to talk about - he just knows that he wants to talk, and if Malfoy is the only company he can get, then he'll take it.

He jerks his head toward the hallway, still thoughtful.

"C'mon. Rather be in my room in case my folks actually do wake up. You mind?"

"....Your room?"

Scorpius nearly drops his book. What the hell is going on here? James hated him one minute, tackled him into the pond the next, ignored him, and now he's back to playing like they're friends or something? It's confusing as shit, and Scorpius doesn't quite know how to process what he feels about the flip-flop of his stomach.

"...I guess." He sets his book aside. He's probably just looking too much into this. James is drunk. Maybe he just doesn't want to pass out alone.

James is bad at admitting unfortunate truths about himself: his real fears about being sorted into Slytherin back when he'd first come to Hogwarts, or the fact that he wasn't really sure what he wanted to do with his life and what if he was a disappointment to the family name, and how he'd sat and dwelled on the memory of Scorpius's mouth against his own every night since the other boy had arrived.

He rubs at his own cheek, a little tingly with from the drink, before he leads Scorpius back to his room.

It's tidy, mostly, though the bed is a nest of blankets and pillows. There's a writing desk in one corner, and glowing, shifting stars cover his ceiling, giving the dark room a faint glow. He turns on a lamp, padding over to drop down onto his bed, indicating the chair at his desk for Scorpius.

Scorpius closes the door behind him, all too aware of how warm it feels in James's room...and all too aware as well that it's his imagination. It's not really warmer in here because he's alone with James; his mind is just playing foul tricks on him.

"So," Scorpius says. He doesn't take a seat right away. He's never been in James's room, and he's...curious. So he walks around it, touching things.

Scorpius will find a bookshelf, piled high with things - mostly novels, wizard and muggle fiction both. It's mostly high fantasy, magic and adventures, though a slightly impressive collection of muggle comic book rests nestled in there as well. There are other shelves in the room, too, some with photos, others with knick-knacks from his uncle's store. A half-open trunk at the foot of his bed is filled with pranks and textbooks he chose not to get rid of. Peeking out of his closet is a small pile of dirty clothes, and somewhere at the head of his bed is a large stuffed stag.

He doesn't seem embarrassed about any of this, instead just following Scorpius with his eyes. "So..."

"Certainly enjoy Muggle literature, don't you?"

There's a slight tone of distaste to his voice, but it's more in regards to the comic book collection than the rest of the stuff. He'd read a Muggle book or two on Al's insistence and hadn't at all found them "dumb and dismal" as his mother said they'd be. They seemed similarly fascinated by magic as some wizards were with the Muggle world.

"Kind of like everything, really." The distaste in his tone makes James snort, though, and he rolls onto his side, leaning off and sort of hanging down over the bed, beginning to root through something beneath it. "You insult Al's stuff like that, too?"

Scorpius shrugs, glancing over his shoulder to watch James. "If he has boring things, I don't pretend to like them just so he thinks he's interesting." Scorpius was nothing if not bluntly honest. He'd spent a lifetime growing up under the knowledge that honesty was one of the greatest virtues. It was certainly all the Malfoys had to work with these days.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying-- to be a good host. Aha."

And then he leans back, dragging out a small bottle of- something, the green glass of it smokey. James shifts to push himself back against the headboard of his bed, crossing his legs and struggling to uncork the thing.

"And, you know, there's a difference between 'not pretending' and 'being an arse.' You're aware, aren't you?"

Edited 2014-04-07 23:43 (UTC)

"It's a fine line that I don't care if I cross," Scorpius says, grinning a little. A green bottle that's corked and smokey. It's either a potion that would make James's Dad bug his eyes or it's more alcohol. And this is turning into the kind of evening that he hadn't prepared for.

"Here." He strides close, taking the bottle to uncork it. He doubts James remembers he's a wizard right now, although maybe drunk magic isn't the best idea.

James relaxes a little when Scorpius takes the bottle from him, and when he uncorks it, he'll recognize the smell immediately: yep. More alcohol. (Maybe, possibly, part of James is just trying to show off. Look at how casually he pulls liquor out. Look at how relaxed he is. He's definitely and certainly an adult with all of his life ambitions in order, right?)

"Pretty sure you live on the 'arsehole' side, Malfoy. Those board games were fun and you know it."

"Oh shove off," Scorpius snarls, but his face does go a little pink. So maybe he enjoyed some of the games. So what? That doesn't mean anyone ever has to know. EVER.

One brow quirks. Tentatively, Scorpius sits on the edge of James's bed instead of at the desk. Easier to pass the bottle, right?

"You really think you ought to be drinking anymore tonight?"

haha and then I responded in your journal, d'oh

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;-; awww jaaaames *snuggles his face*

nooo he's the dumbest D:

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AHAHAH dies of embarrassment

hahahahaHAHAHAHA no jk i still lu bb xD i have a gazillion accounts too

i was doing modwork ;;

xD srsly, it's ok! also YUM that you like comics *_* I'm into DC stuffs

;-; awww jaaaames snuggles his face

xD srsly, it's ok! also YUM that you like comics _ I'm into DC stuffs