My eleventh fic for littlerose13writes's 12 Days of Shipmas! The prompt for day 12 (because I've skipped number 11) is "'it's Christmas Eve and you're not here?'" :)

I can't believe this is the last Shipmas fic! What am I going to do with my life now?

P.S.: There are a couple of references to my second Shipmas fic, 'Periwinkle', so you can check it out if you want to!

Albus had spent a lot of time thinking about what his and Scorpius's first Christmas Eve as an engaged couple would be like.

He'd thought they'd have a nice, quiet dinner that would end with them curling up together on the sofa, talking about whatever came to mind or perhaps not talking at all, but simply enjoying each other's company. They'd drink eggnog and tell awful jokes, or play a game of chess, or watch their fairies flutter around the Christmas tree.

The reality he now faced was, unfortunately, quite different.

Out of the hundreds of scenarios he'd envisioned, not a single one had even considered the possibility of Scorpius not being there. It was unthinkable. It was Christmas Eve, and this was their home, and Scorpius simply couldn't not be there.

But he wasn't.

Albus knew he could have gone to visit his parents; he'd been invited to, in fact. Draco had been there, and so had Lily, and James had probably dragged his girlfriend along too. But family reunions weren't half as fun without Scorpius, and if Albus was going to spend the whole evening missing him it was probably better for him to do it on his own, rather than dampen everyone else's festive cheer.

So he stayed in his depressingly empty home and moped as he pleased, because there was no Scorpius to tell him awful puns or tickle him until he cracked a smile. By the time the clock chimed eight, he'd retreated to the sofa by the window, where he was currently sprawled. With bored indifference, he tossed their pet Pygmy Puff, Strawberry, up in the air and caught her as if she were some kind of tennis ball. Every now and then he glanced at the fireplace, hoping the flames would burn green and his fiancé would stagger onto the carpet in that half-clumsy half-graceful way of his, even though he knew that wouldn't happen until at least half-past seven in the morning.

Periwinkle, one of the fairies that decorated their tree, fluttered over to him and tugged at his hair, chittering loudly. She'd been making squeaky noises for some time now, trying to catch his attention, but he just couldn't be bothered.

"I'm fine, Peri," he mumbled.

Periwinkle didn't seem convinced. She flew over to his left hand, which was resting against his forehead, and poked his ring finger. His eyes flickered to the elegant silver band that Scorpius had chosen for him and he felt, if possible, even more miserable than before.

"Scorpius isn't here," he said morosely. "And he won't come back until tomorrow. He's working."

After two years of Healer training, Scorpius had finally started working in the children's ward of St Mungo's. He loved everything about his job: his hideous uniform robes, being able to use his magic to help people and, most importantly, the little witches and wizards that he spent most of his time with. As far as Albus knew, they were children who were prone to dangerous bursts of accidental magic or who had illnesses that required long-term care, which didn't allow them to leave St Mungo's often. This, of course, meant that they needed constant supervision every single day, including Christmas Eve.

The fact that Scorpius was the one who had to stay in the ward that night was no accident. He hadn't drawn the short straw. He'd volunteered because he was Scorpius, because he was kind down to the tips of his fingers, because he couldn't bear the thought of anyone being sad or lonely, least of all the children that were in his care. And Albus understood this, he really did, but still…

Periwinkle kicked him in the cheek.

"Can you not?" he said dryly.

She was so tiny it was hard to tell, but Albus could've sworn she rolled her eyes. She went up to his ring finger again and grabbed it this time, tugging with all of her strength, which really wasn't that much. Albus played along so she wouldn't feel bad, because he really couldn't deal with a sobbing fairy right now, and noted with some surprise that she was aiming for the fireplace.

"What do you want, Peri?" he asked slowly.

And with a look that Albus had come to identify as her 'Merlin, humans are thick' look, Periwinkle tapped his engagement ring, then pointed at the crackling fire and the jar of Floo powder that stood on the mantelpiece.

And everything clicked into place.

"If he can't come to you, then you should go to him, you idiot."

As he stood in front of the old-fashioned, red-brick department store that housed Britain's largest wizarding hospital, Albus began to get cold feet, both metaphorically and literally, since it was snowing heavily. Two witches had already gone through the entrance, so St Mungo's would doubtlessly be packed at this hour. Would he be a nuisance? Would he distract Scorpius from his work?

He gave himself a little shake. 'Merlin, get a grip.'

He stepped through the window and found himself in the reception area, which was full to the brim. Grateful that he wouldn't have to wait in the queue or interact with the irritable-looking Welcome Witch, Albus discreetly wandered over to the stairs, sidestepping a tap-dancing wizard that was frantically trying to pull off his shoes. Once he'd reached the fourth floor, he passed by ward after ward, shuddering at some of the more bizarre magical maladies he saw on the way. St Mungo's was, as always, louder than he'd expected; apart from the voices of the Healers, he could hear all sorts of noises coming from the patients, which included whistling, quacking and, in one case, very off-key yodelling. Thankfully, the children's ward was considerably quieter than the rest, despite being one of the largest in the hospital. It was also separated from the others, so as to prevent the children from wandering off and bothering other patients.

He stopped when he reached the open door, hesitating once again. He'd peek in, and if Scorpius was busy, he'd leave. Seeing him wouldn't be as good as actually talking to him, but it would be better than nothing, and at least Albus would have something a little brighter to think about that night.

But Scorpius wasn't busy. He was sitting cross-legged on a bed in the middle of the room with an open book in his hands, looking adorably gangly compared to the little boys and girls who surrounded him. There were about a dozen of them, and they were all gazing up at him with something akin to hero-worship.

"The Fountain shimmered before them, set amidst herbs and flowers rarer and more beautiful than any they had yet seen," Scorpius read, his grey eyes flickering from the book to the children. He spoke slowly and clearly, emphasising just the right parts, his voice melodious and perfectly reflecting the switch from narrator to character. Albus found himself as entranced as the children, who were clinging to his every word.

He'd thought he couldn't possibly be more smitten with Scorpius than he already was, but as he watched him try so hard to keep these little witches and wizards happy at the cost of his first Christmas Eve with his soon-to-be husband, he fell a little bit more in love.

The children clapped when Scorpius finished, and he beamed.

"Another one!" a little boy with almost Weasley-like hair said imperiously.

Scorpius wagged his finger at him sternly, though his eyes were twinkling. "How do we ask for things, Colin?"

Colin mulled it over for a moment. "Please?"

"Please, Scorpius!" the children chorused. A girl with dark hair actually clung to his arm and looked up at him pleadingly, her bottom lip sticking out in a pout. Scorpius melted instantly. Merlin, he was putty in their hands. They could have asked him for the moon on a string and he would have given them that, too.

"One more and then it's bedtime, all right?" he said. The children all nodded eagerly. "Right. Well, we've already done The Fountain of Fair Fortune and The Wizard and the Hopping Pot…" His brow furrowed in concentration as he muttered to himself. "And we're not doing The Warlock's Hairy Heart because that one's just awful, I really don't know what Beedle was thinking… How about Babbity Rabbity? And I can bring new stories next week so we don't have to read these ones all the time. Maybe some Muggle ones? Or," he leaned forward conspiratorially, "maybe Father Christmas will give you new storybooks and we can all read them together."

Every single child looked absolutely delighted at the prospect of getting books for Christmas, because of course Scorpius would make nerds out of his patients. Albus smiled fondly.

"Babbity Rabbity it is, then," Scorpius said brightly. He flipped through the pages, found the one he was looking for, and raised his left hand to brush away a stray lock of hair.

The dark-haired girl gasped loudly, making everyone jump. For a split second, Albus thought something was wrong, but then he saw that she was pointing at Scorpius's hand, her brown eyes wide.

"You're married," the girl said in a hushed voice.

"What?" Scorpius said blankly. His eyes darted to his hand, and comprehension dawned in his eyes. "Oh, no, that's just an engagement ring."

"What's that?"

Scorpius smiled at her. "It means I'll be married very, very soon."

Albus felt a rush of pride and excitement. In just a few months, they'd be the Potter-Malfoys, as they kept reminding everybody who would listen. If it were up to Albus, they'd elope tomorrow, but he didn't want to deprive his fiancé and his future father-in-law of the privilege of organising an extravagant wedding. He'd go along with just about anything as long as it meant he'd be able to call Scorpius his husband by the end of it.

"Who are you marrying?" the girl demanded. "Is she pretty?"

"He," Scorpius said lightly, "is very pretty." The children were completely unfazed by this revelation. And because they were all looking up at him, clearly expecting him to continue, he went on, "He's got the loveliest green eyes. A nice green, not like this one." He gestured at his uniform robes, which were an obnoxious shade of lime. "And he's got freckles. Lots and lots of freckles. As many as there are stars in the sky, I think. And his hair is messy when he wakes up in the morning and it's even messier when I come home at night, because he makes potions and it gets all damp and fluffy and mad." He was full-on smiling now, and his eyes had gone all soft. Albus wished he could kiss him.

"Healer Malfoy has a crush," one girl whispered to another.

Albus snorted, momentarily forgetting that he was supposed to be quiet.

Everybody's gaze snapped to him.

"Who are you?"

"Is that him?"

"He's freckly!"

"Are his eyes green?"

"They are! It is him!"

And then, above the sound of chattering children, he heard, "Albus?"

Scorpius was staring at him, torn between disbelief and delight. He couldn't stand up because half the children were still clinging to him, but he was leaning forward, as if subconsciously reaching for him.

"Hi," Albus said, feeling suddenly bashful. "Is it okay if I… er… come in?"

"Yes!" Scorpius said immediately, still looking completely stunned. And stunning, of course. "Yes, yes, you can come in. It's okay. Very okay, actually. Hi. Hello." He waved his hands, as if he didn't quite know what to do with them. "Um. Why are you here? Not that I don't want you here, because I do, but it's very… unexpected. And nice. Unexpectedly nice."

Albus wandered over to the bed with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He felt the weight of a dozen curious stares, and his cheeks flushed. "I just… wanted to say hi. There wasn't much to do at home, since you weren't there, so I… I thought I'd be with you. Because you couldn't be with me."

Scorpius was looking at him so tenderly that his heart skipped a beat. "That's sweet, Albus."

Albus looked down, his cheeks now bright red, only to meet the gaze of the dark-haired girl, who'd marched up to him. She gave him an appraising look, scanning him from head to toe.

"Do you like Scorpius?"

Every single boy and girl was watching him intently now. Albus shifted a little, uncomfortable under all the scrutiny. Merlin, this was almost as bad as when they'd announced their engagement to Draco.

"Er… yes?"

"But do you like like him?" The girl pressed. "As much as he likes you?"

"I reckon I like him more than he likes me, to be honest." Scorpius aimed a playful kick at him, and he grinned.

"That's good." The girl seemed satisfied.

The red-haired boy, Colin, approached him curiously. "Do you know any stories? Because Scorpius knows a lot of stories, but he's already told us all of them."

When he'd first gotten the job at the children's ward, the first thing Scorpius had done was ask everyone he knew what their favourite bedtime stories were. Ginny had known loads, of course, since Molly and Arthur had had to get creative throughout the years, coming up with new tales and digging up old ones in order to keep both babies and toddlers entertained. She'd always been the one whose voice lulled their children to sleep while Harry listened too.

"I don't know any that Scorpius hasn't already told you," Albus said cautiously. "But I can read one to you, if you'd like."

By popular demand, Scorpius and him took it in turns, automatically dividing the roles between them without having to discuss it. There was barely enough room for everyone on the bed. It was a little awkward, trying to hold a book while a toddler wrapped himself around his right arm like a koala, but Albus managed. And it was more enjoyable than he'd expected; it reminded him of when he used to read out loud to Lily when they were both little, so he could practice, because if James was learning how to read then Albus had to learn too. The children were as taken with him as he was with them, and he began to wonder, in the back of his mind, what it would be like if Scorpius and him had one of their own. A little boy or girl that they could read stories to at night. A little Potter-Malfoy.

It was much too soon to think about such things, so he tucked that thought away. But he met Scorpius's eyes once or twice, and there was a gleam in them that made him think he wasn't the only one who was considering this.

"Bedtime!" Scorpius announced when they were done. The children pretended to grumble, but they were tired, so they were able to tuck them in without too much fuss. Scorpius made sure everyone had taken the potions and medicine they needed, and then, with a sweet 'goodnight' and the promise to visit tomorrow so they could show him their presents, he turned the lights off.

He led Albus to his office, which was connected directly to the room. It was very small, and he had to share it with Healer McCarthy, but the bit of space that belonged to him was cheerful enough. He'd decorated just about every surface with tinsel, and a discarded Santa hat hung from the back of his chair. The wall behind his desk was covered in photos, most of which Albus recognised: the Malfoy family when Scorpius was seven or eight, Scorpius and Astoria before he'd gone to Hogwarts for the first time, Scorpius and Draco sometime after fourth year, Scorpius with the Slytherin Quidditch team, Scorpius and Albus on their graduation day, another one of them wearing matching Christmas jumpers at the Burrow, Albus with his hair sticking up in all directions and a dark smudge on his cheek as he stared pensively at a bubbling cauldron…

Overcome with a wave of fondness for his fiancé, Albus pulled him into his arms. Though surprised, Scorpius was all too happy to return the embrace.

Kissing was fantastic, and what came after that was even more fantastic, but hugs were something completely different and incomparable. He could focus focus on nothing else besides Scorpius's scratchy robes, the scent of his vanilla shampoo, the fact that they were together now, which was the only thing that mattered.

"You don't have to stay all night, you know," Scorpius murmured after they'd separated. "You can go home, get some sleep…"

"I'm not going anywhere if you're not coming with me," Albus said firmly.

"It'll be very boring."

"I'm never bored when I'm with you." And it was true. Even when they were younger, he hadn't minded listening to Scorpius ramble on about History of Magic, or Transfiguration theory, or any of that geeky stuff he loved to read about. He couldn't always keep up, but that didn't change the fact that Scorpius could make anything sound interesting. There was never a dull moment when he was around.

"You're being very sweet today." Scorpius sounded pleased.

"I missed you."

"You saw me at lunchtime."

"And you missed me too, didn't you?"

"Maybe a little bit," Scorpius conceded playfully. He brushed the hair out Albus's eyes. "Is it snowing outside? Your hair's damp."

"Damp and fluffy and mad?" Albus said, grinning.

"Ah." Scorpius blushed. "Right. You heard that."

"Tell me all about my lovely green eyes," Albus teased. "And what was that about my freckles being like stars?"

"I meant every word," Scorpius said defensively, though he was smiling. "They are lovely. You're lovely." And then his eyes went all soft again, and he leaned forward so he could brush his lips against Albus's. One kiss, two kisses. He tasted of mint. "I love you," he whispered, pressing another kiss to the corner of Albus's mouth. "I love you very, very much."

"Let's elope, then," Albus suggested for the umpteenth time.

"Albus."

They bickered for a little while, enjoying the familiarity of it. Albus ended up perched on the desk, while Scorpius sat on his usual chair. With a rush of smugness, Albus noted that he was the taller of the two for once. He made the most of this rare opportunity by running his hand through Scorpius's hair, messing up his neat style slightly. His hand trailed down, down, down, caressing Scorpius's cheek, his lips, his chin. With a Seeker's reflexes, Scorpius snatched it and pressed a kiss to his knuckles.

"Thank you for coming tonight," he said quietly, a little more serious than before. "And I'm sorry–"

"Don't be," Albus said hurriedly. "I know why you wanted to stay, and it was a very kind thing to do. You wouldn't be you if you didn't do things like this. And that's why I love you."

Scorpius pursed his lips. "Still, I know you wanted us to spend Christmas Eve at home…"

Albus shook his head and smiled. "It doesn't matter where we are, as long as we're together." And then he leaned forward and kissed him again.

They didn't sleep a wink that night and they were barely be able to keep their eyes open during the Potter-Weasley-Malfoy family reunion at the Burrow the following day. Albus dozed off and almost ended up face down in a bowl of cranberry sauce, Scorpius couldn't stop yawning, much to everyone's annoyance, and they'd both fallen asleep on the same armchair by early afternoon, but they didn't care, because it was worth it.

Reviews are very much appreciated! (And they'd make excellent Christmas presents! *wink wink*)