"I'd rather have you as a friend than not have you in my life at all."

- American Pie

He leaned heavily against the door as it shut behind him. His breath came rapidly, forcing his chest to rise and fall much more quickly than normal. Taking a slow, calming breath, he closed his eyes in an attempt to collect himself. If anyone else were to see him like this, they would surely question his sanity.

His emotional mask wouldn't have cracked if that insufferable, clingy wizard would have just left him alone. Didn't he understand that there was no way the two of them could be together? He was married with a son, his heir, able to toddle around the Manor's corridors, for Merlin's sake!

With a sigh, the blonde wizard stood up, squared his shoulders, and replaced the exasperated look on his face with one of boredom and disinterest. He opened the heavy, dark wooden door, and quietly snuck out of the library.

As soon as he began walking down the corridor, he heard it. That voice. The one he was trying to get away from.

"Luci! I knew you wouldn't get too far! Why'd you run away like that?"

Lucius Malfoy clenched his teeth in frustration. He turned to face the dark-haired wizard that seemed to find him wherever he went.

"I can't very well shirk my duties as Head of the Malfoy line just to spend time with you, Severus. Surely you know that," Lucius chastised the other wizard, hoping in vain that he would go away and give him some much needed peace and quiet.

Severus Snape stepped forward until there were only a few steps between himself and Lucius. He felt himself wanting to be close to the platinum blonde wizard ever since Lucius saved him from that vicious James Potter back at Hogwarts. He couldn't help it. During their time spent under the Dark Lord's reign, the two became closer than ever as they risked their lives, side by side, to fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes. That bond could not be replaced with the company of someone else.

Over the years, after the Dark Lord was killed by itty bitty baby Harry Potter, Severus felt the bond becoming more special. Any time spent with Lucius was precious. A look from the blonde wizard awoke the butterflies in his stomach. A touch sent sparks flying through his body. Sure, Lucius was married to Narcissa, and baby Draco was more than a handful, but they could still be together! Couldn't they?

Dark, almost black, eyes looked into light, silvery ones, "Luci, you know you feel it, too. This… connection between us… It isn't just me!"

"Severus, I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about. And stop calling me Luci! It's embarrassing. The only connection to you that I feel is a very close friendship. A friendship, I might add, that is on incredibly shaky ground at the moment." Lucius rested his hands lightly, hesitantly, on Severus' shoulders, "You've got to let whatever feelings you have for me go. I'm married. I have important matters to look after that concern my family. I have a child running around the Manor. This… relationship… between us can go no further than what it is now."

With a deep sigh, Severus nodded curtly, "I understand."

"Besides, you and I both know the only reason you're clinging so tightly to me is because Lily Potter, the source of all your infatuation during school, married the man you despised the most and got herself killed by the Dark Lord himself. There was nothing you could do about it. She chose her fate, Severus."

The dark-haired wizard blinked his eyes quickly, attempting to stop the tears stinging behind them. He bit his bottom lip to stop the quivering. Lucius was right. He didn't need to cling to someone in order to fill that empty void in his life.

Severus would be strong, independent. He didn't need to rely on someone else. "Alright, Lucius. I'll attempt it. It… it might take some time, but I understand why I have to do it. Just, please, promise me one thing?"

"What is it, Severus?" Lucius asked, a look of skepticism on his aristocratic face.

"Don't forget that sometimes a person can't help who they love. Think about that when Draco comes of age."

With a small smile playing on his lips, Lucius couldn't help but pull the dark-haired wizard into a hug, "Always thinking about others, you are. Are you sure you shouldn't have been a Hufflepuff?"

And just like that, the tension between the two broke. Severus let out a chuckle. It felt like old times. Before Severus thought he wanted to be with Lucius, before Lily sacrificed herself for her son, before he gave his free will over to the Dark Lord. He felt like he was back in the Slytherin common room, the only place where the Slytherins could show their real personalities.

"I'm positive, Lucius. You might want to keep an eye on little Draco, though. Wouldn't want him disgracing the Malfoy name by ending up there, now would we?" he joked, and then laughed as all color drained from Lucius' face.

Closing his eyes tightly and shaking his head, Lucius almost had a heart attack at the thought, "My son will not be a bloody Hufflepuff! He'll be in Slytherin, of course. But, since you will be teaching at Hogwarts soon, how about you form a bond with him after he's born? Make sure he knows he'll have someone there for him when I can't be?"

"What are you saying, Lucius?" Severus asked quietly. Surely he wasn't asking him what he thought he was.

Lucius took a deep breath. This was a very big deal to the Malfoy family. Naming a guardian figure for a child was handing over their entire well-being should something happen to the parents. Nevertheless, Lucius knew he was making the right choice, "I want you to be his godfather, Severus."

Severus' entire face changed. His eyes had a sparkle that hadn't been there in years, his cheeks tinted a light red, and his smile stretched from ear to ear. "Oh, of course, of course! I'd be honored, Lucius. This was so unexpected!"

The blonde gave him a playful shove in the shoulder, "No need to go poofy on me. I know it slips out from time to time, but honestly, Severus."

"Oh, I'll show you poofy!" Severus exclaimed before putting Lucius in a head lock.

The two scuffled down the corridor, trying to show the other up. It was as though there was never a one-sided romance causing awkward situations, weird looks, and general discomfort. They fell back into their close friendship so easily. If it was this easy for Severus to act like the feelings weren't there, were they really there in the first place?

Hi there, everyone! This is my first entry for the Your Goal: 34 stories, Our Gift: 106 Reviews Challenge :) The genre was friendship, but each pairing (Unless the 6th option is picked) must be romance. I'm not too sure how I feel about this one.. But, then again the challenge is supposed to put me out of my comfort zone, and I definitely was for this one.

They're a bit OOC, I know. I hoped to show just how dependent Severus became after Lily's death, and that Lucius wasn't yet the cold, conniving man he was after the Dark Lord returned. Did it come across as I hoped?

Review to let me know what you think!

xoxo Princess