Waterloo
All's fair in love and thumb wars.
Lily snorted, giddy with laughter and perhaps the multitude of bottles of butterbeer that she had consumed. How many was it now? 8?
"No way!" She said, shaking her head a couple times more than necessary. She giggled and sat up on her heels, leaning considerably closer to where her Head Boy perched on the couch next to her. He looked completely comfortable, the arm closest to her draped around the back of the couch cushion, the other hand clutching a butterbeer and gesturing while he told his story.
"I swear," James promised, crossing his heart with his butterbeer-laden hand, perhaps spilling a bit on his chest in the process. Then again, it was fairly empty, so it would be hard for the drink to slosh out, even with the dramatic hand gestures that James tended to favor, even when he hadn't had one or two butterbeers too many. Lily giggled again.
"There is absolutely no way," Lily insisted, pointing a finger emphatically towards James' chest, "that you beat Remus at a thumb war. No way. He is too good!"
James pretended to look offended, bringing his lips together in a mock pout that, in Lily's mind, simply made him look absolutely ridiculous. She giggled again. "I swear on my love of all things mischievous and maraudery," James said. His serious tone was ruined by the silly look on his face.
Lily simply couldn't stop the giggles. "James," she chastised, "Marauder isn't an adjective."
James refrained from rolling his eyes, in too good of a mood to ruin things by criticizing her inherent know-it-all nature. Instead, he teased, "that's why I added the –y. It makes anything into an adjective. Lily-y, for example."
Lily giggled again, almost spitting out the sip of butterbeer she had just taken.
"If Lily-y is an adjective," she asked, adjusting her position on the couch so that her feet were no longer asleep, "then what does it mean, hmm?" she poked James in the stomach and he flinched.
"Hey!" He protested. Lily laughed as he said, "it means to do things in a Lily way."
"Oh and what does that mean?" Lily asked, her tone light and teasing. If someone had told her earlier that she and James would be sitting in their Prefect meeting room drinking all of the leftover butterbeer from the meeting because, as James had said, if Lily didn't help him finish it, then he would spike it and give it to first years, she would have told them they were crazy. Firstly because she knew that he knew that she knew that he would never actually do that. As silly as he was sometimes, she had to admit that his took his Head Boy position seriously. Secondly, because earlier that day she had not yet admitted to herself quite what that happy feeling she got by just thinking about him was. She still wasn't quite ready to put a label on it, but about 2 butterbeers in, she had been at least ready to accept it. And that was a step. A small baby step but a step nonetheless.
And now here she was, drinking the last of the butterbeers (out of 15!) and giggling madly as James explained what "to do things in a Lily way" meant.
"Well," he said. "You have to be a red head."
"Of course," she said, pretending to be in absolute agreement with him. "Because all Lilys are red heads."
"All the important ones are," he playfully retorted with a wink. And even though she lightly punched him and let out a quick, short, "Ha!" she couldn't help the blush that formed on her cheeks.
"And then," he continued, leaning forward to place his empty butterbeer bottle on the table with a soft thunk, "you have to always think you are right, even when you aren't." He grinned at her even as she lightly slapped his upper arm again.
"Hey!" she protested. "I don't always think I'm right." He gave her a look. "I just usually am," she added, sticking her tongue out at him.
He stuck his tongue right back out at her before adding, "And then you have to-"
"Okay, okay," she interrupted. "Enough with the Lily bashing. What about to do things in a James way, hmm?" She poked him in the chest again.
"Well, that's easy," James said. "All you have to do is be perfect."
Lily threw her head back and laughed loudly. "Ha ha ha," she said. "You, perfect?"
James made that mock offended look again which sent Lily back into the giggles. He looked so much like a constipated duck that she couldn't help it.
"Yes," he defended himself. "I am perfect. I don't blame you for not noticing, though," he teased with a grin, "you are quite dense."
The slap sound that her hand made when it connected with his upper arm that time was a little louder than it had been when she made the same motion before and James couldn't help but wince a little. He rubbed the hurt area and said "Ow!"
Lily just giggled again. "I think you just think too highly of yourself for I can assure you, dear sir, you are nowhere near perfect." She sat back and stretched out her feet on top of the coffee table in front of them, careful to avoid the empty butterbeer bottles littering the area.
"So I assume, fair lady," James said, playing along. He even slid down on the couch and stretched his legs out along the coffee table to match hers. "That if I am not perfect than you are?"
Lily nodded, "But of course." She turned to glance at him mischievously, "I am always right, of course." She tried to be serious but she couldn't help the giggle that escaped.
"Oh, really," he said, sitting up again. "Then if you are so perfect, dear Lily, then you wouldn't be afraid of losing to me in a game of thumb war, would you?" When she looked like she might protest, he added, "You did insult my skills earlier, after all, so you cannot possibly be afraid of losing."
She sat up too. "Me? Afraid? Never! If anything, I fear for your poor fragile ego. It has taken quite a beating over the past few years and I am afraid to crush it completely."
He snorted. "Ha. Yeah right, Lily Evans."
"So if I win," she said, tossing a long lock of red hair over her shoulder and then tucking it behind her ears, "you will admit that I am perfect?"
He stood up and moved to kneel on the other side of the table, moving a couple of the bottles out of the way as he said, "that's a lot to ask of a bloke, Evans, male pride and all. What will I get if I win?"
She thought for a moment. "I don't know. What do you want?"
He leaned in and grabbed her hand in preparation of the beginning of the game. She couldn't help but shiver at the tingles that spread throughout her body at his touch. "If I win," he said slowly, still thinking.
"Which you won't," she added, an impish grin on her face.
"Then I get to ask you one question, and you will answer it honestly," he said, emphasizing the "honestly." He knew she knew that she was a good liar. No need to hide the fact that he knew it too.
Lily pretended to look horribly offended as she let out a dramatic gasp. "James Potter, are you calling me a liar?"
James grinned deviously, "well if the shoe fits …"
"Well, you won't win," Lily said, ignoring him. "So even if you had said that I would have to buy you all of Australia, I would have said yes because it is not going to happen."
"Then you agree," he asked.
"Yes. I agree that when I win, you will agree that I am perfect and that on the slight chance that I am tragically injured in some freak accident during the game and you happen to win by default, then I will answer some question for you honestly." She stuck her tongue out at him again.
"So are you ready, Potter?" She asked.
"I was born ready, Evans," he replied. She, predictably, giggled again.
"One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war."
The next few minutes, the room was relatively quiet as both focused on the game. The only sounds were the occasional "mmph!" and "Hey!" as thumbs slid out from under thumbs and arms jerked around, trying to avoid losing.
Finally, James placed his thumb down on the intersection of their hands. Feeling overconfident, Lily fell for his trap, and as she placed her thumb down to trap his, he quickly moved his thumb so that his pinned hers down instead. "One Two Three Four," he counted excitedly, even as she wriggled her thumb to try and escape from his grasp. "I win!"
"You got lucky," Lily grumbled lightly, pulling her hand away from his. She was in too much of an inexplicably good mood to feel badly about losing one silly thumb war. He moved around the table to sit back next to her. Lily thought for a second that he sat back down closer than where he was before. Their cotton-covered thighs hadn't been touching before, had they?
"Hmm," James said, bringing his hand up to rub at his pretend beard in that universal gesture of thinking. His eyes twinkled mischievously and Lily felt a twinge of nervousness and excitement in her gut.
"All right," Lily said, "I'm ready for that question now." She thought that, for sure, in the theme of their evening, it would be silly and ridiculous and not a big deal.
James knew what question he was dying to ask her. It was also the question he was most terrified to know the answer to. Ultimately, he decided, that he would probably never have another chance to ask her this and so he might as well, even if it ruined such a lovely and silly night.
"You'll answer this honestly, right? No matter what?"
Lily rolled her eyes, but wasn't really irritated. "Yes James, I promise. Now what is it?"
"Do you," he looked slightly away, not wanting to see the expression on her face when he asked it, "Do you ever think that you might go on a date with me?"
Lily felt her heart drop. After all of this time he still thought that she …? She couldn't even say it. She couldn't even think it. She had been so sure he knew! He must've know, right? But looking at his hopeful yet resigned face, she instantly knew that he didn't know. SO she had to tell him. Even though it would hurt her pride. Even though she was scared. She had promised to tell him the truth and besides – she owed him that much, didn't she?
So, she will tell him.
She didn't want to tell him to the side of his face, though, so she leaned forward and pushed at the side of his face so he would turn and look at her. Looking him in the eyes, she said sincerely, "Yes. Yes I do."
His eyes lit up and his mouth widened into a huge grin. "Really?"
She thought for a second of saying a sarcastic "no," but instantly decided that would be too cruel so instead she smiled and nodded and said, "yes, really."
James laughed loudly and reached over to envelope her in a huge bear hug, even though they were both still sitting. Instantly, he had transformed back into the light-hearted James from earlier, the James that she was quickly developing a huge fancy for. "When?" he asked eagerly. "Tomorrow? The day after? How about right now, huh?" He waggled his eyebrows.
She giggled, caught up in his contagious energy. "Why Mr. Potter," she said teasingly, "what sort of role models would we be then, traipsing off into Hogsmeade in the middle of the night?"
"It doesn't need to be Hogsmeade," he said, the huge grin still not leaving his face. He couldn't take his eyes off of her either, almost as if he was afraid she might disappear. He sprang up from his seat on the couch and, within an instant, had pulled out his wand and began transfiguring various items around the room. Giggling, Lily stopped him just as he had transfigured one of the chairs into a chocolate fountain.
"James!" she protested through the laughter. "James, stop!" She reached forward to grab his wand hand, stopping the rapid transfiguration.
He whipped around to face her and then enveloped her into another big bear hug. To the top of her head he said teasingly, "Lily, you tease. When were you ever going to tell me?"
She leaned back into his arms so that she could see his face (he did have a good 6-7 inches on her). "Tell you what?"
"How much you love me," he teased, holding out the "o" in love a little longer than necessary.
Combined with the bright red of her cheeks, her inability to think of a proper comeback to that question may have given too much away. "I don't love you," she finally mumbled into his chest. It wasn't very convincing.
"I don't believe you," he said, grinning even wider. "But I'll thumb war you for it. If I win, you admit how much you loooove me. And if you win …" he trailed off.
"If I win," she continued, gathering up all of her Gryffindor courage, "then you have to kiss me."
He leaned back this time to look at her. She could see his eyes twinkling again when he said, "Silly girl, don't you know that you don't need to win a silly game of War to get a kiss from me?"
"Really?" she asked, coquettishly.
"Mmhmm," he nodded. "You're stuck with me now. That means random surprise kisses. You may never know when they are coming."
"Oh really?" She asked, subconsciously leaning closer. Why were they still talking? "Then when is the next one?"
He leaned closer so that their mouths were almost touching. "If I told you," he said softly, "then it wouldn't be a surprise."
"But what if I asked nicely?" She whispered back, her eyes briefly flitting from where they were transfixed by his vibrant hazel eyes to his tempting mouth and back again.
"Hmm," he said, leaning back a little, pretending to think about it. Lily almost groaned out loud. "Well in that case, I guess I could tell you that the next is scheduled to arrive in approximately five minutes."
"Five minutes!" Lily groaned, attempting to pull out of his arms.
Before she got all the way out, however, he pulled her closer and grinned, saying, "Surprise!" before swooping down and finally, finally, kissing her.
"Waterloo - I was defeated, you won the war.
Waterloo - Promise to love you forever more.
Waterloo - Couldn't escape if I wanted to.
Waterloo - Knowing my fate is to be with you.
And how could I ever refuse?
I feel like I win when I lose." –Abba, "Waterloo"
A/N: Abba was actually really big in the UK in 1977, when this scene takes place. The single "Waterloo" debuted a few years previous and was such a big hit that Lily, as a muggle teenage girl, would have definitely at least heard of it. I watched Mamma Mia! the other weekend and was inspired by this song. I wrote this story in 2 hours one night instead of doing a math problem set. As I sit here and edit this, I'm trying to work on that same problem set but I can't get this story off of my mind. Haha.
Also, I know that the characters seem a little bit unrealistic, especially in the beginning. My justification is that when you are a teenager and completely crazy in love (even if you are in denial) then you do crazy things. Am I right? :)
If you liked it (or didn't), I would really appreciate some feedback. I've been trying to get back into writing again but it's hard to motivate myself when I don't think people are actually reading what I am writing, you know? So please review. I really really appreciate it. :)
Love, Laura