Reaching an Agreement

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: Enjoy!

"I don't want you dating her," came a soft voice from the other end of the couch.

"What?" James said, glancing up from his Transfiguration notes. Head Boy and Girl were seated on a couch in the deserted common room, leaning up against opposite arm rests, their feet almost touching.

"I don't want you dating her," Lily repeated a bit more hesitantly, but just as firmly. She had been looking at him for the better part of the past quarter hour as opposed to studying, but she just couldn't help herself. Just like James had tried not to notice her gaze, similarly to no avail. His distracted mind had skimmed the same sentence about a thousand times without absorbing a single bit of information. He still had no clue what he was reading.

"Lexa?" James asked stupidly, smirking slightly, but Lily's face was flushed and pointed down, so she didn't notice. "What's wrong with Lexa?"

"Lexa Thorton? She's…she's…" Perfect? Beautiful? A bloody angel? "A slag!" Lily exclaimed finally.

"Lily, I'm her second boyfriend," James said in a low voice.

This, of course, Lily was aware of. Her red cheeks deepened in color; she was acting stupid, she knew she was, but now she couldn't stop.

"Well, she looks like a tart."

"She does not look—" Lily cut him off by snapping her head up and glaring at him.

"Fine, then," she continued, a little angry now. "All I'm saying is that she popped into the Hospital Wing last week while I was getting Pepper Up and she didn't even ask Joe Rogers how he was feeling—poor bloke's been in there for weeks!"

"Popped…Lily, popped in? She was unconscious from a bludger to the head!" James looked at the redhead with an incredulous expression, arguing faithfully.

"She didn't turn in the last Defense assignment."

"Bloody hell, Lil. Are you stalking my girlfr—"

"And besides!" Lily broke in shrilly before he could finish the word that had haunted her for the past two months, "She plays Keeper for Ravenclaw! That's just downright disloyal, James Potter."

James's brow furrowed in confusion. He was too tired to translate bird freak-out into normal language at this hour, but still he proceeded cautiously, especially now and especially with Lily. Because maybe—just maybe—this conversation was headed in the exact direction he wanted. Finally. "Lily…what's going on?" he asked gently. "Is this about what Remus said last week about slacking off on totaling point deductions? Because I told you I'd get caught up with my share and—"

"I fancy you! I bloody well fancy you!" she burst out, not even knowing the words were coming out of her mouth until they had already escaped. "That's why I don't want you seeing her."

Yet again, her cheeks warmed and her green eyes widened, mortified. Suddenly, James seemed wide-awake.

"Shit," she cursed, looking anywhere but at the wizard in front of her. "Bloody fucking… I…er…nevermind. Don't even—" Lily mumbled, turning her eyes down towards the notes she had barely glanced at in the last twenty minutes.

A few tense seconds passed, and Lily had nearly completed her escape plan in her mind (the portrait hole was ten paces closer than girl's dormitory stairwell: run and then proceed to lock self in prefects' bathroom until morning. Possible casualties: good Transfiguration marks; pride) when she heard a strange noise coming from across the couch.

Was that a…Merlin, was he laughing?

"Are you…" Lily sputtered, nonplussed. "Great. Billiant. Fabulous to know my unrequited feelings are so amusing to you, Potter," she said scathingly. She flipped her notes closed and got up from the couch, fuming and embarrassed.

"No, Lily—" more laughter, "wait!" James lunged forward before the Head Girl could get too far away and caught her wrist.

"Let go, James," Lily said in a low voice, glaring at his shaking form (still laughing, the prat). He was kneeling upright on the couch, and still he was taller than her standing figure.

"I swear to Merlin I'm not laughing at you," he managed to get out between spurts of laughter.

Lily raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes. "Really? Brill, good to know. Pardon, I must have been loony to mistake you laughing in my face for you laughing at me." She glared. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to storm away and maintain a shred of my dignity," she snapped, yanking away from James once more.

All it accomplished her was more chuckles from the Head Boy, who—due to his vice-like grip and her unexpected strength—was pulled off the couch. James stumbled clumsily to maintain his balance.

"Oh, I'm sure this is just hilarious," Lily ranted again, putting her free hand on her hip and glaring at the wizard in front of her. "Sure, let's all laugh at Lily's pathetic feelings…Bloody hell, would you just let go so I can at least escape properly? This is the most embarrassing—stop laughing!"

James had dissolved into schoolgirl giggles again, which Lily now used to her advantage. One last yank and her previously captive wrist broke free as a result of James's weakened state, caught up in debilitating laughter as he was. She immediately whirled around to make a run for it, which apparently sobered James up straight away.

"No, Lily, really," he protested seriously, catching her around the waist this time.

Lily groaned exasperatedly at her failure. Damn his quick reflexes.

"No, James, really," she mocked. The red head suddenly looked to be on the verge of tears, although her chin remained pointed up proudly nonetheless. It didn't fool James; he knew her too well. This was really bothering her. "While I'm sure it's enjoyable for you to have two witches fancying you—"

"I think it's more than two, yeah?" James broke through with a smirk, his hands still on her waist.

"Why is this so funny to you?" Lily exploded, not caring that it was at least one in the morning—not to mention the bloke in front of her had probably already woken up nearly half the tower with his obnoxious laughter by now. "I mean, yeah, I know it's normal for you to have girls chasing after you every minute of the day, but Agrippa's sake, James, I thought you would at least be understanding. I thought we were mates. But, hell, maybe I was wrong. Maybe this whole year has been—"

"Lily, Lexa and I broke up four days ago."

"A figment of my bloody imagin—what? You…what?" Lily sputtered incredulously.

"Broke up, " James confirmed with a resolute nod. "Four days ago."

Lily swallowed and cleared her throat. There was a long pause, the silence only filled with the crackling of the dying embers in the fireplace.

"Oh…er…right. Well, then…" Suddenly, the fact that he was still holding her around the waist, his body only a few centimeters away from her own, was not entirely lost on Lily. "I suppose we should just…erm…you know, go study then?" Lily suggested, biting her lip. She made to move again and succeeded in turning away slightly before James tightened his hold on her.

"Oh, no, you don't get off that easy," he said, spinning her back to face him and pulling her closer.

"Well, neither do you!" Lily exclaimed indignantly, though there was now a glint of teasing mischief in her emerald eyes. "I just told you I fancy you and you laugh in my face for about ten minutes—"

"So dramatic."

"And besides, I don't even know if you fancy me back! You've barely said a word this entire time and—"

"Lily, you're ranting again," James broke in, his words shutting her up. "And as for fancying you back…" he continued with a notorious smirk, leaning in closer so that their lips were nearly brushing as he spoke, "I'm sure we can work something out."

A/N: Please review to tell me what you think! Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

-TLGN