Always

Once Severus and Lily arrived to her house, he wasn't surprised to see that it was the kind of warm and inviting atmosphere that he had been expecting. The walls were painted a beige color, the far wall being wallpapered in some floral print design that her mother had no doubt picked. There was a thick carpet on the floor, and the windows were shielded by heavy, dark burgundy drapes along with some white blinds that would block out the sunlight in the early morning. This room alone was far more beautiful than his home ever could be and he almost felt uncomfortable standing there, even if Lily was with him.

She seemed to take notice of the fact that he wasn't comfortable and she smiled before leaning forward to wrap her arms in a tight hug. All he wanted to do was make sure she felt comfortable.

"Are you alright?" She asked him with a small smile. "Come on, let's go upstairs. You'll probably feel better up there."

Severus nodded and then flinched when he saw Petunia giving him dirty stares through the corners of her eyes. He was alright with the fact that she seemed to hate him when they were outside, but now she was on her turf and he felt almost like he was infringing on her personal space. It made him feel guilty and he didn't like the fact that Petunia Evans hated him right now so much.

He pushed his hand back through his dark hair and allowed Lily to lead him up the stairs, presumably to where her bedroom was located. He couldn't help but wonder what her bedroom looked like. In all their years of friendship, he had never been able to see her bedroom. He was glad that he would be today, though it also made him nervous. What if she had photographs of James all over her walls?

She wouldn't, a voice told him in the back of his mind. She broke up with him and she wasn't dating him the last time she was home. And it wouldn't be anything to worry about even if he was all over her room, Severus. It's--

He cut the voice off and then blinked as he looked at Lily with a small smile. All he knew was that he was happy to be here with her. He didn't know what was going to happen for sure during the break; all he could hope was that this would be the beginning of a relationship between the two of them. He'd loved Lily for so long and now that they had at least two weeks of time with one another, he was going to make damn sure he spent as much time with her as he possibly could in an effort to get her to see how he felt.

She poked her head in through another door and said something to someone, presumably one of her parents before she grabbed his hand again to pull him towards the end of the hallway, She turned into another doorway, pulling him with her, and he couldn't help but smile as he looked around the bedroom. It definitely captured Lily Evans' personality and immediately, he felt more comfortable in this room than he had throughout the entire house.

The walls were painted a light shade of dusk pink, a typical shade in any girls' bedroom, but the walls were covered in both Muggle and Wizarding posters. He saw some sporting the logos of musical groups he'd never heard of; Led Zeppelin, The Doors, and the like. He wondered what they were, but he knew he'd never listen to them. He preferred the music of his world, though he knew that his Lily would always be half-immersed in the Muggle world. She was, after all, not a pureblood. Of course, neither was he. But he had grown in the Wizarding world and he didn't know anything about the music and the customs of Muggles.

"Okay, so this is my room," Lily murmured to him with a small smile before she pushed her hand back through her hair as she sat down. "Mum is still making the food downstairs, so you can make yourself comfortable."

Severus nodded, taking her up on her offer as he gingerly sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. He was still looking around the room at all the various little trinkets she'd collected. She seemed to have kept some toys from her childhood, and there were also a lot of photographs, both of her friends and her family. He was surprised when he saw one of himself and Lily back at Hogwarts. It was a photo that had been taken when they'd been in their Third Year, and he hadn't remembered that moment until he'd seen the photograph.

"So what are you planning to do during the break? Spend time at home or...?"

He shook his head and then looked down at the carpet before he stretched his legs out. "I'm not sure what I'll do," he muttered under his breath, though he definitely knew what he wanted to do.

He pushed his hand back through his hair for a third or fourth time, knowing that Lily would pick up on the fact that he was still somewhat nervous. She giggled and then grabbed his hand, stopping him from doing so before she pressed her lips lightly to his knuckles.

"Severus, it's alright," she murmured quietly. "My Mum and Dad never fight and Petunia will stay away from you. You don't have anything to be nervous about here."

I'm nervous because I'm with you, he wanted to tell her. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't let them fall off his lips. He wasn't sure how she'd respond to his words if he did that. She leaned closer and rested her head on his shoulder before letting him wrap one of his arms around her.

He was glad that she wanted to be so close to him. He allowed his head to rest on top of hers and then closed his eyes, content just being so close to her in this moment. Even if she made him nervous--this was, after all, her bedroom and he'd never before stepped so much as a foot inside of it--she made him feel at peace with the world.

With Lily, he didn't need to worry about whether or not his father was going to suddenly start yelling at him and slap at him. With her, he never needed to wonder if his mother was going to wake up in the morning or if she was just going to let herself slip into the shadows of their home forever, never to resurface. There was nothing to worry about with Lily. She was a bright ray of sun in his life and he always made her feel much better.

"You know, my Mum and Dad are really excited to meet you," she told him softly before she grabbed onto his hand, placing their interlaced fingers on top of her knee before she turned to face him. "They've never really met someone from the Wizarding world before."

Severus couldn't help but chuckle. He didn't understand why her parents were so ecstatic about the fact that their daughter was a witch, but he was pleased that they at least didn't seem to hate her because of it. Of course, her sister called her a freak all the time, but Lily never let that bother her anymore and Severus never paid her any attention if her sharp words and rude glares were sent his way.

"I'll probably be some kind of let-down," he chuckled. "I don't have a long grey beard or a tall, pointy hat or anything."

Lily couldn't help but giggle before she used her free hand to push it back through his hair. Severus bit his bottom lip to stop from letting out any sounds that would let her know that she felt right, and he smiled as she started to massage his scalp lightly.

The redhead didn't say a word. She could feel the change in dynamics in the bedroom. It wasn't a sexual sort of tension; she knew what that felt like thanks to James and the several times he'd attempted to get his hand up her skirt, but it was tension nonetheless. He obviously enjoyed the feel of her fingers in his hair, and he had never pulled away when she rested her head on his chest or his shoulder. She was trying to let him know that even though her feelings weren't quite as strong as his just yet, they could be if she was given time. She was attempting to flirt with Severus and all she could hope for was that he'd pick up on that and say the words she wanted to hear him say.