Tip-Top Shape

"Look, Evans, I know that you think I'm a selfish, immature git, and while I'll admit that I don't always expose my finest moments when you're around, I can assure you, I'm really not that bad. The pranks don't actually mean anything. They're just funny. And hey, what's the problem with making other people laugh?" James Potter attempted to joke lightly as he stood in the corridor, merely a foot away from Ms. Lily Evans, who was looking at him incredulously and acting as if she was going to interrupt him at any moment.

James, catching on to the way her face shifted as she was about to insert something into the conversation, raised his hand quickly in defense and continued on. "'Not if it's at another students' expense, it's not.' I know what you're going to say. And I get it. Sometimes we don't always think about how they might feel, which is a right inconsiderate thing to do. But I'm not as much of a horrible bloke as you think I am. Shocking, I know, but sometimes the general consensus is that I'm alright. If you, I dunno, maybe tried to stop hating me, you might be able to come to this conclusion yourself."

James laughed breezily, flashing Lily a nonchalant, lopsided grin. He was aiming for a simple, light approach to the topic, to appear as though this was just the easiest conversation that he had ever had. Anyone that actually picked up on James nervous ticks and movements would know, however, quite quickly, from the way he kept running his left hand through his hair, lightly scratching the scalp, that he was absolutely bloody ticking with nerves. His senses were in overdrive, sprinting to keep up with the all around aura of Lily that was setting him on – the smell of her hair, the sound of her uneven breathing, the heat of her body standing close to him; it was almost too much. James had known Lily for about six years now, and even though they had more than their fair share of run ins, and had even gotten up close and personal during a couple of arguments, James still couldn't desensitize himself from the jittery feelings that consumed him whenever she was near.

It was these jittery feelings that sometimes kept James on edge, like he had to be constantly aware of his actions whenever she was around, just so no one would figure out how really absorbed by her he really was. It was also these same jittery feelings, however, that fueled his fire for her. After two years of really noticing Lily Evan's presence – the way she twisted her hair as she listened to lectures in class, or how she pursed her plump lips together right before she started to get really cross with someone – and he was still completely enamored. She had a temper and could be downright unreasonably stubborn sometimes, but she was fiery and clever and always kept James on his toes. Even more so, James had been privileged enough to see Lily at her brightest moments too, so he knew that she was caring and loyal and actually had a sense of humor. There was just something about her that pulled James in. After years of explaining it to his mates, James could easily summon up various reasons and excuses about what made Lily so great and why he was so fascinated by her, but when it really came down to it, an even greater feeling pulled James to Lily. He couldn't quite say that he was in love with her (yet), as he didn't know every intricate facet of her personality, but there were definitely warm, fuzzy feelings associated with her.

The only person James had ever mentioned that unexplainable pull to was Sirius, and that was after hours of prodding. When James finally cracked, he spent five minutes mumbling mixed up fragments, trying to explain himself without sounding like a love-sick pansy, but no amount of mumbled "accio" s would have helped him conjure up the right words. After five minutes, Sirius just shook his head and laughed, leaving James to fantasize about Lily Evan's by himself. Sirius never quite understood the fascination, as Lily Evans was just as rude to Sirius as she was to James, perhaps even a bit harsher, as Sirius always fired back insults, rather than attempting to laugh it off the way James did. Sirius only took the mickey out of James every so often, though, as some part of Sirius (though maybe not a part of him that he publicly recognized) saw that James was more than just infatuated with the red-headed minx. Sirius could admit that she was a fox, with a nicely sculpted body and pretty face, but he knew that for James, it was more than that. James legitimately felt for the bird – would defend her honor and all that –, so Sirius attempted to leave it alone. Even if James made the teasing entirely too easy.

To anyone else, the looks James gave Lily, the persistence he had in fifth year with asking her out (even after varying shades of NO), and how he immediately defended her whenever someone spoke negatively of her, made it quite obvious that he had it bad. James just liked to live in his oblivious bubble and attempted to protect every last shred of dignity he believed he had by trying to hid his blatant affections. It didn't work.

In fifth year, with the constant asking of Evans out, everyone assumed it was a crush. That was okay, they said. So James Potter, accomplished student, almost-brilliant Quidditch player, fancied the studious and occasional party-pooper prefect Lily Evans. No big deal. After the big blowout between James, Lily, and Severus Snape at the end of fifth year, just about everyone assumed that James would give up on his version of courting Lily and move on. He couldn't though. The feeling that coursed through James when Snape had called Lily a mudblood was too strong to forget – exploding rage, an urge to protect the strong-willed girl, even after she tried to shrug Snape off and act like she didn't care. During sixth year, James demeanor changed. He no longer asked Lily out whatever opportunity he had, but rather tried to win her affections in a calmer way. He held the door open, smiled at her whenever they crossed paths, and always exchanged pleasantries whenever she was near enough to engage in conversation. Lily still hadn't warmed up to him, though, and her lack of thought given towards his affection had started to become discouraging. A late night pep talk with himself had forced James to move matters quicker. He had decided on having a conversation with her, one more attempt to try and persuade her that he wasn't just the jokester prat she always thought him to be. If she took the bait, thank Merlin. If she didn't, James vowed to finally leave her alone, even if he was almost sure that the feeling he got in his stomach when she was around would never change.

Lily shifted uncomfortably, keeping her gaze away from James' intense gaze. If she was going to be perfectly honest, she didn't hate him. Thought him rude and obnoxious, yes, but she sometimes also found him to be unexpectedly kind and caring. Things had always been rough in the relationship between Lily Evans and James Potter. She'd spent most of her Hogwarts career scoffing at his childish pranks and badmouthing his immature behavior. At the end of fifth year, she'd had enough. In the course of five minutes, James had (once again) asked Lily to go on a date, and Lily's best friend, Severus Snape, had made it blatantly obvious that he wasn't as accepting and caring as Lily thought him to be. Though she knew it irrational, Lily had spent most of the summer before fifth year blaming James, thinking that all of his behavior had been the cause of the abrupt ending of her longest friendship. Sixth year had changed things. James had acted civilly towards Lily, shockingly polite as he held open doors and always greeted her "good morning" in the dining hall. He still kept up his witty banter and clever remarks whenever Lily aimed an insult his way (quite often), but it seemed like James no longer aimed to make her angry. If anything, he almost seemed to aim to make her…laugh.

Lily sighed, finally lifting up her gaze to match James' hazel eyes. She was going to be honest with him, here.

"I don't hate you, Potter." She said, her voice sounding hollower than she would have liked. "I…find you exceptionally immature sometimes, but I don't hate you."

James kept his expression neutral as Lily gathered the right words.

"I suppose you can be alright, sometimes." Lily conceded, finally letting her tone lighten. She was too tired to have such a serious conversation. "If you try."

James eyes nearly sparkled with delight. He'd expected more of an argument from her, as Lily Evans was always a fiery girl, with a sharp tongue and occasionally uncontrolled temper. All James wanted from her right now was to be her friend. Everything else could wait. He was positive that after she finally gave in to his friendship, she would slowly become more accepting towards his blatant feelings towards her.

"I'll be on my best behavior." He promised, sending her a crooked grin. "Tip-top shape for you, Evans."

Lily rolled her eyes playfully, letting out a small laugh. "Best not to start our friendship out lying, don't you think?"

James didn't even look offended. He continued to chuckle, too elated by the fact that she hadn't hit him or started screaming or even walked away. "I'm not lying!" He protested. And in all honesty, in that moment, he wasn't. James did plan on being on his best behavior. His definition of "best behavior" was different from Lily's, though. To Lily, James' actions would be appropriate if he kept the mindless ridicule to a minimum and could engage in polite, thoughtful conversation. To James, though, the definition meant so much more. It was that moment that he promised so much more to Lily. He would keep her safe. He would keep her happy and laughing and full of joy. He would do anything to see her eyes shine with elation as she threw her head back and giggled.

She'd been one of the most important people to James since the beginning of fifth year and had started climbing the ladder even before that. Now, she was up there with his parents, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. She was one part of "his everything" and now he would finally get the chance to show her.