First Kiss

"I love laying on the beach," Albus sighed. He rolled back and forth in the warm sand to prove his point.

Scorpius raised a platinum eyebrow. "Yes, I suppose it is a mighty fine beach to lay." He laughed carelessly at his own joke.

Albus punched him in the arm. "Perve. Weird perve, at that."

"Someone's got to balance out your normalness." He smiled a brilliant set of teeth toward Albus. "Besides, life would be so boring for you if I were … non-perverted-weird."

"Normal, you mean?" Albus asked and rolled on to his side, propping his face up with his hand and resting on his elbow.

"Mmm," Scorpius agreed, letting the wind blow his hair over his closed eyes. He opened one eye to see Albus watching him. "So what have you been up to, Potter?"

Albus sighed and rolled to lay on his back again. "I don't know. Merlin, how did I forget to tell you this? Mum painted my room pink."

Malfoy sputtered. "Why?"

"I don't know! I'm pretty sure it has something to do with her wanting me to be mortified when you come to visit in a week or so. Merlin, it's awful. She says it's red, but it's definitely pink. It's… a nightmare."

"A pink nightmare," Scorpius grinned.

"Shut up."

"Okay, fine. What do you want to talk about, then?

"I don't know."

Scorpius sighed and opened both eyes to look at Albus. "Your face is lovely when it's sunburned. All crispy and red."

Albus, who was quite accustomed to Scorpius remarking on the physical traits of other boys, was more than shocked when he became the subject of his friend's musings for no apparent reason. His eyes flew open at the comment.

Scorpius rolled his eyes and leaned over his best friend. "And it just gets more red when you blush."

Albus coughed. "Scorpius," he lightly chastised, "if you're going to come on to me, you might not want to do it when my family is watching." He jerked his head toward his parents. Ginny had fallen asleep basking in the sun with large sunglasses covering the majority of her face while Harry splashed in the water with Albus's sister, Lily.

"As if they care," the blonde replied, and with that, he leaned in closer and pressed his lips to Albus's. He smiled crookedly and went back to laying on his back, arms beneath his head.

Albus was frozen in place. Scorpius was always reserved, quiet and mousy during the school year. He had never encountered an extroverted version of best friend before. Albus was in the midst of these thoughts when Scorpius sighed.

"You know I'm a pouf, right, Potter?"

Albus choked. This day was not turning out how he expected. "Uh… yeah. Why?"

"Just checking." Albus thought this a bunch of bollocks, seeing as he had known about Scorpius's preference since second year. The two boys fell into a comfortable silence, Scorpius contemplating what to say next, Albus contemplating how to escape whatever his friend came up with.

"What would someone have to do to impress you, Al, like, in a relationship?" Scorpius asked with honest curiosity filling his eyes.

"Merlin, Scorpius, I don't know," Albus laughed, "Take my virginity and care for it for all eternity, I guess." He just did not feel like being serious today, not when the sun was perfect, the waves were beating in a steady rhythm on the short, and the wind was blowing Scorpius's white hair across his gorgeous eyes. Albus choked on his own thoughts. "Wh-what about you? What would a b-boy have to do to impress you?"

Scorpius chuckled, and Albus was immediately frightened of the answer. "Well, it involves a feather boa and the theme to A Summer Place. I can't discuss it here, though. Who knows who might overhear us! Merlin, then complete strangers could learn the secrets to my heart and I could have all kinds of sex-sick weirdoes trying to win me over!" He paused, as if just realizing something. "Oh, then again, I may not mind."

"You are," Albus frantically searched his vocabulary for the proper diction, and, coming up short with a fitting description, continued, "without any doubt, the weirdest person in the world."

"Well, you know me, Albus, darling. Sexual exploration and all that."

Albus froze at the turn of the conversation. They were both sixteen, so the topic of sex really should not have bothered him so much. Perhaps his parents raised him to be more old-fashioned about that particular subject. "Oh," he commented lamely. "So, have you had…you know, sex, then?" Albus stammered over his words, more embarrassed than he ever had been in the presence of his best friend.

Scorpius looked him over with a thoughtful glance, but his face softened in the instant afterward. "Again with the blush. It's the cutest shade of pink splattered with brown speckles on your cheeks. So pretty." Albus just stared with an open mouth. "Oh, don't be a breeze-head, Albus, of course I haven't. I've barely been kissed!"

It took a moment for Albus to close his mouth and process those words. "That was your first- Barely? What does that me- What the hell is a breeze-head?!" He was too flustered to ask all of the questions he wanted answered.

Scorpius looked at Albus with the trademark raised eyebrow and smug smirk. "How can you not know what a breeze-head is?"

Albus huffed. "I don't know. Maybe I haven't gained full access to your museum of made up words!"

"I'll say," Scorpius replied casually, brushing a clump of sand from his pale arm.

"So what is it?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. Some kid too absorbed in his summery surroundings to actually use his brain. It's a common trait among Weasleys and Potters, just ask Rose." "Shut up, plank."

"That's not very nice, Potter. How would your parents feel if they heard you using that foul language, and directed at your best friend at that!"

Albus crossed his arms and pouted playfully. He snuck a glance toward his side to see Scorpius smiling slightly with his arms crossed behind his head as if he had no care in the world.

"So… your virginity, huh?"

"A feather boa?"

"Yeah. It's unique, you know. It shows the person is really willing to go out on a limb for me."

Albus harrumphed at that, crossing his arms once again. "I think allowing you in my family's presence qualifies as going out on a limb."

"Well, yes, but you would look rather dashing with a stream of feathers wrapped around your neck wouldn't you?"

Before Albus could reply, a fat, juicy raindrop fell directly on his nose. He looked up, glaring at the sky and realized, as he glanced around, that his family was packing up.

"Scorpius, honey! Albus, let's go! It's going to pour soon!" Ginny called from the other side of the beach, heavily burdened with foldable chairs, watery toys and a large red cooler.

The boys sighed at the same time and rolled up their towels, resigned to the end of the day.

"Why does she call you honey? I'm the one who's related to her!" Albus teased.

"It's obvious," Scorpius remarked as they walked, "she likes me more."

"Prat," Albus muttered.

888

Potter,

Thank you for the vacation day at the beach. Our conversation, as usual, was uplifting. Please tell your parents I appreciate their generosity. I look forward to seeing you next week. My parents connected our fireplaces, so I'll be flooing in promptly at noon.

Scorpius

P.S. Attached you'll find a document ensuring the high quality attention and care I will pay to your virginity. Please sign and return. Until next week, then.

Albus smiled at the return of his friend's formal diction. He picked up the included piece of parchment and scanned the contents. After the first paragraph, Albus uncrossed his eyes long enough to take in the words separately. All of the whereas and hitherto words had sent his mind into overdrive. He rubbed his eyes, banging his head on the desk. "So. Many. Letters. In. The. Words. Don't. Understand." He growled and picked up his dictionary, but his eyes had unfocussed and instead of words he saw individual letters, divided into groups and dancing across the pages. "I can't believe this," he mumbled. "I'm going insane."

He sighed and quickly signed his name, knowing he would regret doing so later on.

Scorpius,

Can't you speak like a normal human? See you on the 5th. July fun, yay.

Albus