It had been a long day. Lily Evans couldn't remember a day in which classes seemed to go by so… so excruciatingly snail-paced. Scratch that, the snails would win any race against this day. Marlene, Alice, Mary and Dorcas had all wanted to go down to Hogsmeade for a butterbeer to celebrate the weekend, but Lily had declined.

She had homework to get started on and Head's duties to attend to.

But she declined mostly because of Head's patrolling duties which she shared with James.

James Potter: the boy who had been the bane of her existence for the past 6 years… and who, this year, had somehow eased his way right into her heart. She supposed it was inevitable. The first day she had ever seen him he had drawn her in with his bad-boy personality. He'd proven himself a mischief-maker, but he'd also displayed how clever, intelligent and loyal he was. He might have been a bully for five of his years at Hogwarts, leading Lily to turn down any interest he'd shown in her, but he'd matured, and had never waivered in his devotion to his friends. He was a Marauder. She had no idea what that meant, in his case, but she supposed, that if anyone was a Marauder, it was James. And she loved him.

At 9 o' clock she met him outside the Charms classroom to start their rounds. He gave her the usual greeting, but then unusually remained quiet, pensive; a prisoner of his own thoughts.

"James?"

James jumped a little, and then glanced over at Lily, his caramel gaze penetrating her emerald gaze.

"Cor, Lils, startled me there." He laughed clasping his hand over his heart.

"Sorry," Lily blushed, "Just wondering if everything's okay? You're awfully quiet. No pranks on Snape to share with me today?"

James gave her his trademark smirk.

"Wouldn't risk you yelling at me, Love." He winked.

They were silent after that. Lily could still tell he was uneasy about something.

"Lily?"

It was Lily's turn to jump this time.

"Taste of my own medicine there. Merlin, James."

"Oops."

Lily grinned and elbowed him slightly.

"What did you want to say?"

"Oh. Erm, we're friends now, right?"

Lily stopped. Why was he asking this?

She wanted to be more than friends, but she wasn't about to bring that up.

"Yes." She announced confidently.

"So… we can share things with each other now, right?"

"I suppose so."

"Then you'll tell me who you fancy?"

This caught her off guard.

"Wh-what?"

"Who do you fancy?" James asked. He was genuinely interested; his eyes sparkled questioningly.

"N-no one."

"Girls always say that when they do fancy someone. Who do you fancy?" he crossed his arms and waited.

"I told you: no one. Drop it, Potter." She replied nervously.

Silence once more, and they commenced walking down the empty, torch-lit hallways.

James had noticed that she had been acting differently around him since they started their co-Headship. She talked to him civilly. She laughed at his pranks and jokes. She touched him. She could bear to be in his presence for more than one minute, and without an argument brewing to boot.

Something had changed. He could sense it, and he was determined to get it out of her, no matter what it took. He was still in love with her as ever—maybe even more-so, and he was hopeful that she was softening up to him. Maybe she returned his sentiments, finally, after all the years of chasing.

Half an hour later found them in the Slytherin Dungeons.

"So, who do you fancy?" James started again, conversationally, as if he'd never asked before.

Lily gasped.

"This again, really? I thought I told you to let it go. Also, no one."

James smirked.

"C'mon, Lily. You can trust me. I won't tell anyone. Marauder's honor."

"I don't know what 'Marauder's Honor' is and I'm not going to have you pledge by it. For all I know, it could mean 'tell everyone I know and make sure the school finds out in less than a day.'"

James laughed.

"No. Alright then: friend's honor. Please, Lily?"

"Why are you so interested?"

"We're friends. I want to make sure you're happy. See if it's anything I can help with. Maybe I know the bloke and can put in a good word for you."

"As decent of you as that is, I wouldn't ask that of you, even if there was someone, which there isn't! I don't fancy anybody!"

"Okay then." James lifted his arms in surrender and backed off.

To Lily's relief, he was quiet for the remainder of the rounds; at least about the whole "fancying" thing. They maintained a "fancy" free conversation that eventually dwindled to comments every now and then.

They were back in the Head's Common Room and it was just after midnight.

"I think I'm headed for the shower, and then off to bed." Lily announced.

"G'night then, Evans." James said, affectionately referring back to her old title.

"'Night, Potter." Lily smiled.

Two in the morning.

James couldn't sleep.

He got out of bed, slightly stretching to loosen up his muscles once more. He debated putting a shirt on, and decided against it. As he exited his room, his eyes automatically found themselves looking at Lily's closed door. A light was on; he could see it melting under her doorway.

She was still awake.

Slowly and as silently as he could, James opened Lily's door and crept in, shutting it softly behind him. He chuckled a little at the sight he saw. Lily wasn't awake. Her tableside lamp was on, revealing that she had never made it beneath the covers. In fact, her only "blanket" was a book, open and sprawled face-down on her belly: Sense and Sensibility.

James shook his head and grinned, quite amused. Leave it to Lily to stay up reading into the wee hours of the morning on a weekend. As quietly as he could, he gently lifted the book off of Lily and found a small marker to keep her place and set it on the table. He turned down the covers on the opposite side of her four-poster she was on, and, returning to her side, lifted her into his arms bridal-style and walked her over to the awaiting sheets.

Lily gasped awake as she felt herself lifted.

"Wha… James? I… what are you doing in here?"

"Couldn't sleep. Saw your light on. Thought I'd come in and chat, but you were sleeping. Sorry I woke you."

"N-no… it's okay. Really. You could have just, you know, left me to my own devices."

James looked appalled.

"Evans. How could I call myself a gentleman if I left you to freeze during the night?"

"It's only late September. I'd be fine."

"Nonsense."

Neither of them noticed that James was still holding her and had stopped walking to the side of the bed where the sheets were turned down.

Instead, they were both gazing intently into the others' eyes. Both had darkened considerably.

Lily took in his bare torso, his chiseled jaw, straight nose and dark eyelashes. His eyes were the color of burnt caramel, but there were some hints of green and gold in them as well.

Lily's camisole revealed her perfect porcelain neck. James' eyes ravaged her face: eyes the color of polished emeralds, with one hundred times the faceted glitter. Her eyebrows curved up, always in a slightly questioning manner. Her dark red hair tumbled down her back.

He couldn't help himself. It's like the both of them were magnets; he couldn't refuse the pull.

"Who do you fancy, Lily?" James whispered, mouth closing in on Lily's.

"How many times are you going to ask me that?" Lily whispered back.

James glanced down at her lips, which she had moistened with her tongue and which were now parted, anticipating his next move.

He came ever closer, and his response, she felt on her mouth as he closed in:

"As many times as it takes before you say my name."

And with that, their lips met hungrily, pressing together fervently, releasing the pent-up tension that had built-up between them for the past several years.

They both surfaced for air after an indeterminable amount of time.

Their foreheads pressed together, Lily looked into James' eyes:

"You. I fancy you, James."

James smiled and pressed his lips to hers once more, feeling her lips turn up as well.

AN

Just a late-night inspiration. Might not be one of my best works, but it demanded to be written, and who am I to deny a fluffy LilyxJames?