Dec. 22 '77: Green Eyes, Red Handed: Lily

[Lily Potter]

“Yes. I do. You don’t like my pillows?...Wait, you better not be going to sleep…James…Stay…” How could she really begrudge him, when she herself said all of this from her very comfortable position on his chest, her own eyes having long given in and closed to rest themselves? She couldn’t, she could only smile and snuggle closer, enjoying the feeling of the rise and fall of his breaths and the sound of the steady beating of his heart. It would be so easy to get used to this, going to sleep this way every night, wrapped up in one another. Lily was suddenly very much looking forward to that kind of life. James’ being the first face she saw every morning and the last before she closed her eyes for sleep. Sleep….

The next thing she knew, she was hot. Literally. She was smoldering inside, a light sheen of sweat covered her body and her face, particularly where it rested on James' chest was very warm. James… “James!” Lily’s head popped up, her eyes opening to the sunlight that was streaming into her bedroom from the window. The sun, coupled with the absolute furnace that was James Potter, Lily was burning up and in a slight panic. They had fallen asleep! No part of the plan. Well, none of it was part of the plan really, he wasn’t even supposed to be here! If her parents found out…As if on cue she heard a noise from the kitchen, her mother probably, starting breakfast and her head snapped in the direction of the door. Her mother would be coming to wake her when the food was ready.

“James.” she said again, more quietly, looking back to his sweet sleeping face. He looked so peaceful she almost felt bad disturbing him, almost. “James, wake up!” Lily gave him a firm shake, trying not to get distracted by the feel of his shoulders under her hands. They only had minutes before they were busted and she was in big trouble. Huge trouble.

[James Potter]

"I'm awake. It's alright, Lily, I'm awake," he murmured blearily, heavy hand giving the one at his shoulder a squeeze, letting a wide yawn escape before blinking his eyes open. And James smiled. "Morning, love. How'd you sleep?" The tiniest bit of panic in her eyes didn't wholly overshadow the affection he saw in them, and while their situation raced to catch up with him with each passing heartbeat, James was...giddy and groggy, all in one. There would be time to talk about this later, to think on the madness that had overtaken him and convinced him to sneak in, to let it sink in that she really had been happy to see him, to discover if she'd had as good a sleep as he had...later. For now, he needed to help ease her stress away, and get himself home without being found out. He'd slept deeply and wanted to hustle, for her sake, for their sake, if he could only wake up properly...

"Alright." He sat up and rubbed his hands to his eyes, up through his hair, and let out a breathy, incredulous chuckle. He hadn't thought this through last night, hadn't thought this through before he'd drifted off - but he'd gotten out of more tenuous situations than this one without raining down too much trouble. They'd be fine. Well - she would be, and he'd accepted what was waiting for him at home. "Alright," James repeated with more confidence, keeping his voice low. He sent her a reassuring smile and pressed a quick kiss to her lips, whispering, "We've got this. Just need a minute and I'll be out of your hair, they'll never be the wiser." 

Shoes, shirt, sweater, wand. If he and three other lads could for years creep about under the cloak without being heard or seen, he could make it out of here without giving them away. He hadn't lost his touch. Right? James looked about for his missing things and slipped his feet to the floor. Feet into trainers, shirt and sweatshirt picked up from their discarded places on the floor, wand from her desk. The clinking of cutlery and smells of cooking coming up from the kitchen below, the sun far too high in the sky outside, even the birds had started up - there was no time to waste. Unless he was extraordinarily lucky, his disappearance wasn't about to go unnoticed at his place - but he couldn't find it within him to mind, and Mr. and Mrs. Evans didn't need to know. Whatever talking to his parents - and Sirius - were about to give him, it was worth it.

"Your window, what's it facing?" he asked, another stretching yawn partly hidden as he pulled on his things quickly as he could. "I'll climb out and pop home."

[Lily Potter]

Oh dear God. Was he this difficult to wake up every single day? She shook him again, fighting the urge to whoop when he seemed to be stirring, speaking with a voice thick with sleep. Great, now she was hot all over for another reason. It might be worth all the trouble of getting him out of bed just to hear his voice first thing in the morning. She returned the pressure of his hand with a chuckle, ducking down to give him a quick kiss on his forehead before dodging the ghastly morning yawn. “No, you’re not.” she countered, scooting back on the bed to allow him more room and casting another anxious glance at her bedroom door. When she looked back, brown eyes were staring at her and Lily could only smile back for a moment. “Good.” she managed. “You?”

She wanted to say more, so, so, so much more but now, unfortunately, was not the time. Because they had no time. If her parents walked in on them now… It wasn’t so much what her mum and dad would think they did in here all night, alone, which of course they hadn’t done anything of the sort. It was more that they would be disappointed in her, and her mother especially, would feel betrayed. So, there was no time, James had to go. It made her heart ache to watch him rub the slumber from his face, and run his fingers through his hair, her own fingers itched to do the same. When he leaned over and kissed her, quick and sweet, and with an air that he kissed her this way every morning like it was normal and natural and part of their day…

Lily swallowed thickly as James stood, reminding herself that she had to refrain from these kinds of thoughts, and scrambled from the bed to help him collect his things. Quicker than she wanted, last night was seeming such a long time ago. “Back garden.” she answered automatically to his question. The haste caught up to her again and she went over to the said window and slide it open all the way, gritting her teeth against the instant temperature change. When he joined her at the preferred escape route, she indulged herself in one last lingering kiss.

"Alright, time to go. Be safe. “ Okay, maybe one more quick kiss before she started pushing him out of the window. “Count ten Quaffle, Bludger, Snitch’s, and then go down. I’ll distract them.” Lily paused with one hand on her door to give her boyfriend a final goodbye smile before wrenching it open and pounding down the stairs. “Morning everyone!”

[James Potter]

"Really good." Better than he would've expected, if he'd taken the time to think about it beforehand. James wasn't used to sharing a space to sleep like this. and sure, one of his arms was full of pinpricks as it came back to life and while he always ran hot, he practically felt embers where he'd been her pillow. But he'd slept soundly. And sure, he was more used to taking chances than he was to feeling uncomfortable in situations - but if any part of their night had gone differently, things could have turned so easily, and he was so relieved it hadn't. Even if Lily now seemed a bit worried, which made him start to worry, and hope it was just nerves about being found out and nothing more...when they had time, later today, they'd talk. To make sure they were okay - even if her goodbye kisses were quite the assurances themselves - and to make plans and troubleshoot a code...

Lily got the window, the December air disrupting the furnace inside her room, and James didn't want to go, didn't want to let her go as Lily kissed him once more. He wanted to get back into bed with her and wake up slowly, talk in their full voices without care as they laughed about the night and set goals for the day while in each other's arms, play with her hair and tease about where she'd hidden his present and give nonsensical clues to what hers might be to keep it a surprise as she liked. He wanted time to think about what the night had meant for them, think about it enough to properly put into words how close he felt to her, how dumb and in love he really was.

James grinned as she pushed him back towards his exit route, but turned back to her as soon as he'd climbed up. How could he just leave? She knew this had meant something to him, that he hadn't been after a snog, that he'd just hoped to share time together and see how she was... "Lily, I - thank you. If there's any trouble, it's on me, and I'll come and explain. See you soon, love, I'll write soon as I'm home." He returned her smile and waited after the door had shut, counting until the time had passed, looked over the edge of the roof to plan for landing - and jumped.