Dear To Me
by EMPG22HoPe

She blew in like a warm winter gust.

Scorpius tossed distractedly in his sleep–well, lacking the sleep, that is. He wasn't very used to staying at other people's homes. Just even going to parties initiated by Grandma Cassandra from his mum's side gave him social anxiety. All his life, he had lived in solitude at Wiltshire with his family in the fear of his parents not knowing what the world would do to him. It took some time to adjust to sleeping in a boys' dormitory at Hogwarts with Albus, and even more so now sleeping at the The Burrow. Scorpius had been invited to several of these family holidays due to his friendship with Albus, but never so long as to actually sleep in one of their guest rooms.

The Burrow was such a tall but very small space, yet it was homey compared to the harsh cold of Malfoy Manor. And though they had so little room left in the place, they still found a way to provide Scorpius with a bed in a room with Albus, James and Hugo.

They were all fast asleep after supper, but it took Scorpius a while… perhaps it's even been hours… to toss around finding the right position to settle him to sleep. It wasn't that the place wasn't giving him any comfort, but perhaps he was just a little homesick. He thought of his mum, sporting the weight of her blood curse. A part of him had felt guilty for having to stay at the Burrow for some part of the summer, but his mum had insisted he still go. The simply thought of him having friends was enough to make his mum smile, and somehow, that was enough.

After his 80th toss—yes, he kept count—of the night, he heard the door crack a smidge open. Scorpius bolted from his bed, trying to make out the person that had opened the door–but all he saw was the little light in the hallway. Eventually, he brushed it off as a trick of the light, or that maybe the door had actually been open all this time. But then he saw something move under his blanket. A figure he couldn't quite describe, and it was coming right up to him. He scrambled to take his wand from the nightstand, pointing it at the moving object or… whichever. And before he could cast a spell he could only hope would toss it away, he saw Lily Luna's bright, red head pop up from underneath his blanket to his left.

"Merlin, Lily—" Scorpius whispered in relief as he put his wand down.

Lily giggled a bit as she scooted up the bed to lie down next to him. He lied back down and turned to face her with a quiet chuckle. Normally he'd panic at the very prospect of being this close to Lily. But her presence gave him a comfort he couldn't quite place.

"What are you doing? Your brothers and cousin are literally right in this room. How did you even–"

"Used James's invisibility cloak, silly." Lily said with a bright grin, the small light from the hallway illuminating her features. Her grin sobered into a frown, though, as she clutched onto the blanket atop her. "I couldn't sleep… I had a nightmare and… I don't know… I kinda missed you."

Scorpius felt his cheeks heat up at her last sentence. If he were being honest around the 40th toss of the night, he kinda missed Lily too. She was quite literally a ray of sunshine in the midst of all the happy galore during meals. Even more so when they all tried to play Quidditch in the backyard or tossed gnomes foots away from the Burrow. Summers at the Burrow always were a bit better with Lily in it.

"I kinda missed you too…" Scorpius admitted in a small voice, looking away briefly in the hopes of hiding the blush on his cheeks. He wasn't very charming like his father or charismatic like his mother. So banking flirtation or any compliments came as a rarity to him. "I couldn't sleep, you see. Not that it's the bed! The bed's amazing, very soft and supple, cozy, even! I just… I'm not used to sleeping in other people's houses. It's silly, isn't it? I've been going here for ages, and I still have trouble sleeping."

Lily nodded, a cheeky smile gracing her lips before she reached out to place a hand on his cheek. "I can stay if you want, at least until you fall asleep… or try to, at least."

"But your brothers–" Scorpius started, but Lily placed a finger to his lips, shushing him gingerly.

"–can go sleep in another room if it bothers them so much." Lily finished for him with a playful roll of her eyes before shaking her head bemusedly. "I'll be out once you fall asleep. Now scooch and turn on over so we can cuddle."

And so they laid there, Scorpius with his back on Lily. Lily had her arm over Scorp's body as she nuzzled the nape of his neck comfortably. It sent shivers of contentment and delight down his spine. He knew what they were doing felt wrong in hindsight, and yet it felt so right. Like Lily fit the messy puzzle that was Scorpius Malfoy. And for the first time that night, he didn't toss–only did so once to wrap his arms around Lily unawares during his sleep.

Prompt(s):

16. Write a fic set in Next-Gen era (Fanfiction Resolutions Challenge)
17. Write a fic set in one of the spin-off eras - Cursed Child. (Fanfiction Resolutions Challenge)
10. Write a pairing you've never written before (Fanfiction Resolutions Challenge)
119. Era - Next Gen (365 Prompts Challenge)
967. Word Count - 810 words (Insane House Challenge)

Word Count: 818 words

Character(s): Scorpius Malfoy, Lily Luna Potter

AN: It's very short, but I hope it was enough to get the idea on what Scorp and Lily's relationship is like. They're two shy beans that have crushes on each other, and only a matter of time before one of them admits their feelings.

I do hope you enjoyed reading! Please leave a review to tell me what you think. :')

EMPG22HoPe