Taming

Scorpius was still lying face-down on the bed when Rose came up to the bedroom. At least he’d stopped crying by this point, and the rage had faded to a numb ache.

She looked at his face. “Clearly it didn’t go well today,” she commented.

“Clearly.”

She sighed and sat down on the bed near his hip. “Want to talk about it?”

“Well, I know who told Albus whatever it was that made him so angry.”

“That’s incredible news! Who?”

“Mirabella Zabini."

“Do you know why?”

“Because she’s a psychopath.”

“Are you sure it was her?” Rose asked gently.

“Quite sure. She as good as admitted it. But she wouldn’t tell me what she said.”

“Did you try talking to her about it?”

“No, but I tried smacking the living shite out of her.”

Rose gasped. “You did not!”

“I may not be a total poof, but I’m close enough that I can smack a bitch like Mirabella without breaking that whole ‘don’t hit girls’ rule. Besides, she liked it.”

“What?”

“She’s clearly deranged. You know who she is, right?”

“Yes.”

“If you see her, get away from her. I don’t want you going near her. I don’t know why she did this to Albus. I refuse to believe that she actually has loving feelings for me. I think she just doesn’t want anyone else to be happy at all. Because she’s fucking insane.”

“Sweetie, what else is wrong? What did Albus say when you asked him about it?”

“I wouldn’t know. I didn’t get to talk to him about it, because he’s currently locked in the Slytherin dormitory fucking Kane Morton.”

“Excuse me? What?”

“I saw them in the corridor outside the Great Hall. They were… all over each other. Then they took off for Slytherin.”

“Oh, Sweetie, he was probably just trying to make you jealous.”

“He didn’t see me. He didn’t know I was there.”

“Maybe, but wouldn’t he have assumed that you’d follow him out of the Hall and try to talk to him again?”

“I guess. Maybe,” he said, but without emotion.

“I’m sure of it!” she said with obvious false cheer. “So what should we do this afternoon?”

He shrugged. “Weep?”

“Oh, Sweetheart…” she started, but he cut her off.

“Can we just not? I can’t take sympathy right now. I’m going to lose it completely, and I don’t want that. Okay?”

“Sure. I can do that. Do you want me to leave you alone?”

“I guess so. I mean, I don’t, but I kind of just want to lie here, you know?”

“That’s fine. I’ll go over to Gryffindor and see what they’re up to over there.”

“Rosie? Do me a favor and don’t tell them about this. I can’t bear everyone feeling sorry for me. And remember what I said about Mirabella. Don’t confront her, even with Hugo and everyone. I need to talk to Albus first before we decided what to do. And if she did this to me, I want to be the one to make her pay.”

She was disturbed by the tone in his voice, he could tell. But she just nodded and patted his arm. “I’ll be back early, okay?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I always worry about you.”

“I know. Thanks.”

She smiled a little and walked away, closing the door softly behind her. He almost called out to ask her to stay, but he didn’t. Instead, he spent the entire afternoon and evening torturing himself with visions of what Albus could be doing.

Albus on his knees, sucking Kane’s cock.

Albus on all fours, getting fucked.

Albus gazing at Kane with love in his eyes.

That image sent Scorpius running for the loo, where he proceeded to lose what was left of his lunch. Weak and shaky, he returned to the bedroom and stripped down to his shorts. He curled up under the covers and tremors wracked his body. He felt like his skeleton was going to come apart, but he couldn’t stop the shakes.

Damn Mirabella Zabini straight to hell. And Kane Morton, too. And Albus Potter for that matter. For ever looking at him with those big green eyes and sending his world out of alignment. He might not have been happy before he met Albus Potter, but he sure as fuck hadn’t ever been this miserable. Damn him.

********************

He was sitting on the bed, cross-legged, staring into space when Rose walked into the room.

“Hey Sweetie. Sorry I’m late. I started doing some studying in the library and I lost track of time.”

“It’s fine.”

“What have you been doing?”

“Sitting, mostly. And thinking.”

“Not torturing yourself, I hope.”

“Of course I have been. What did you expect?”

“I should have stayed here,” she said sadly, shrugging her robes off.

“No. I would’ve been doing it regardless.”

“I could’ve distracted you,” she said, stepping out of her skirt.

“Is that what you’re trying to do now?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes at him as she unbuttoned her shirt. “Says the man sitting on my bed in his underwear.”

But he wasn’t in the mood for joking around with her. In fact, watching her, he suddenly was in the mood for something else altogether. Something that smacked strongly of revenge, but also of lust.

She took off her bra and dropped one of his shirts over her head. “Shove over,” she ordered.

He dutifully moved over and laid down. She climbed in next to him and drew the curtains, cocooning them away from the world. Away from the pain.

He wasn’t entirely sure what made him do it. Maybe it was a desire for revenge. Maybe it was a desire to be close to someone. Maybe it was simple teenage hormones, but when Rose leaned over to kiss him goodnight, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, tangling in her hair, and deepened the kiss.

She pulled away from him, startled. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Not so much, no.”

“I’m trying to get you to sleep with me.”

“I’ve been sleeping with you every night for a week.”

“Don’t be deliberately obtuse. It doesn’t suit you, love.”

“Scorpius, I know you’re depressed and angry right now, but this won’t help anything.”

“Why does it need to help anything? My life is seriously fucked, Rose. Nothing I can do can help anything or change anything.”

“We have to keep trying.”

“You work on that, then. I’m giving up. Albus has obviously… moved on. Why shouldn’t I?”

“And you want to pick me, of all people, to move on with? Sweetie, I hate to state the obvious, but you’re gay.”

“Would you stop saying that!” he fairly shouted, suddenly angry at her for her stubborn refusal to see him as a man. “I’m not gay! I’ve fucked plenty of girls. And I enjoyed it, too. I just had the misfortune of falling in love with a male, and we know how well that worked out. I think it’s time to get back to basics.” He grabbed her neck again and leaned in, teasing her lips with his. He could feel her start to respond, but then she pushed him away again.

“Scorpius, this is wrong on so many levels that I don’t know where to start.”

“Then stop thinking so damned much, for once. Shut up and shag me.”

“Scorpius, you know I’m a virgin.”

“So? Virgins used to be my specialty. I know how to make it good. I know how to make you so wet you won’t even know you’re a virgin anymore. I know how to make you come, even your first time. I’ve done it all before, dozens of times.”

She was breathing a little heavily, but she still said primly, “I want to wait for someone who loves me. Not just someone who can ‘make it good.’”

“I do love you.”

“Yes, but you’re not in love with me. You’re in love with Albus, which is why you’re doing this. You’re hurt and you feel like he’s betraying you. Possibly right now. So you’re trying to retaliate.”

“Stop fucking analyzing everything! Especially me.”

“I see I struck a nerve.”

“You’re not the only smart one here, Rose. I know you think I’m hot. I know you’d like to fuck me. But you ‘can’t do that to Albus.’ Well, you know what? FUCK HIM! He broke up with me! He started fucking another guy! This wasn’t my choice! I didn’t ask for this! He left! He picked that piece of shite Kane Morton over me! And he isn’t talking to you, either, in case you don’t remember. We don’t owe him anything. Any fucking thing!”

“Fine, you fucking arrogant prick! Yes, I do think you’re hot, and if things were different, I might be interested. But things are the way they are, and doing this is only going to make it worse.”

“How can things possibly get worse? My life is shit. There’s nowhere to go but up. Your eyes are so pretty when you’re angry, Rosie. So blue. Please, Rosie? I need to know that someone loves me.”

“Stop it! Stop trying your lines on me! I’m not going to fall for it!”

“You know, you have a lot of fucking nerve, you little cock-tease! You keep stripping off in front of me like I’m some kind of eunuch. Well, I may be suicidal, but I’m not dead yet, and I’m not immune to tits when someone is shoving them in my face.”

He expected the slap, but he didn’t think it would hurt so badly. She whirled off the bed and stood in the center of the room, hugging herself. “Maybe you should leave.”

His heart sank. He jumped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She flinched like he was a rapist, and it hurt.

“Rosie, god, I’m so sorry! I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t ever know what I’m doing any more! Don’t make me leave. I don’t have anywhere else to go. Don’t let me be alone. I’m so scared, Rosie.” He could feel the tears start again. Surely after nearly a week, he should have dried out, but he seemed to have an endless capacity to make tears.

He buried his face in her hair, and she stepped away from him. “You could stay with Lily. As much as I hate to say it about my own cousin, she’d probably take you up on your offer.”

“Lily’s like my sister,” he complained.

“I thought I was like your sister.”

“You’re my everything.”

She sighed and finally turned to him. Shaking her head, she rubbed his arm a little. “Fine, get back in bed.” She still sounded hurt, but he was so relieved that he hardly noticed.

He climbed back in bed, and she followed, letting him pull her into his arms. “I miss it, Rosie. I miss being close to someone… sexually, I mean.”

“You miss Albus.”

“That doesn’t mean I wasn’t making a genuine offer.”

“I know. But I don’t want to be someone’s second choice,” she said quietly.

He winced. He hated himself for making her feel that way. He cupped her cheek. “Rosie, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. In a way, it was pretty flattering.”

“Don’t sound so surprised. I’m sure there’s some poor lovesick sap, probably several, out there who are just waiting for a chance to make a move.”

“Sure.”

“Why not? You’re smart, beautiful, kind, loving, and you have great tits.”

She hit him on the arm, but gently this time. He pulled her closer to him. “Will you just kiss me? Just for a minute? I need you,” he pleaded.

When he sensed her hesitation, he pressed his mouth against hers, softly at first. Then more insistently. He kissed her with all the pent-up pain and confusion and desire that had been building since Albus had broken up with him. Since Albus had betrayed him. When she drew a breath, he slowly slid his tongue in her mouth. He knew just how to do it, how to make her gasp, and how to coax her tongue against his. He was painfully hard. He knew that none of this was fair to Rose, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

She pressed herself more fully against him, and he skimmed a hand up her side, over her ribs, to cover one of her breasts and she moaned. He could feel her nipple against his palm, but the difference between her body and Albus’s made him feel better, not worse. He couldn’t touch another man just now.

He moved his hand off her breast, down over her hip to squeeze her arse. It was also undeniably different, and reassuring. When he tried to move his hand between her legs, though, she pushed him away.

She was breathing heavily. “We can’t do this.”

“Why?”

“I’ve told you why.”

“Please… I just need to be close to someone. We don’t have to shag. Just let me touch you.”

“Damn you,” she said, but without malice. “Don’t try to use your charm. Roll over and go to sleep.”

“I doubt I can.”

“Me either. But try.”

“Do you still love me?”

“Of course.”

“That should be enough.”

“But it isn’t, and you know it. Not for me.”

“I know. You deserve better than me.” He rolled away from her, facing the wall.

“I deserve someone who is in love with me. If you ever fall in love with me, tell me about it. We can pick up where we left off. But somehow I don’t see that happening. I think there’s only one person for you.”

“Well, then I’m fucked, Rosie, because I don’t have that option open any more.”

“You’re not giving up.”

“The hell I’m not.”

“Well, I’m not.”

His heart contracted painfully. “Please don’t. Don’t give up on me, Rose. You’re all I have.”

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his bare shoulder. “That’s not true.”

“Yes it is. And you know it.”

“No. You have Lily, and Hugo, and Kate, and a number of other people who would be glad to take care of you for one reason or another. And on some level, you still have him. Once you fall in love with someone like you, you stay fallen.”

“Are you speaking from experience?”

“It would be simpler if I were in love with you. Then I could steal you away, and we could stay up here and not worry about anything else.”

“That sounds good right about now.”

“Well, you’ll have to settle for having a best friend who is determined to help you put your life back together.”

“That sounds good, too. But tell me if you change your mind.”

“I will. Tell me if you change your mind.”

“It’s a deal.”

“Okay. Now go to sleep.”

“I love you, Rosie.”

“I love you, too, Sweetheart.”

“I’m sorry. Really.”

“Me too.”