A/N: Enjoy, and review! :)

Wicked Lovely

"James, I need your help," announced Lily Evans as she danced into their shared common room.

James looked up from his potions essay he'd been working on for the past hour. "You need my help?" he asked with a gasp.

"That's what I just said, isn't it?" she demanded, tapping her foot on the carpeted floor impatiently.

James waved his hand and pushed the parchment aside casually, ready to help. "Just clarifying."

Lily narrowed her eyes at him, but plopped down in the seat across the table. "Will you do my toes?" she asked bluntly, propping her feet up on the table, and waggling them at him.

James coughed uncomfortably into his closed fist. "Er, come again?"

"My toes, James. Will you paint them for me?" She pulled a little square bottle from the deep pocket of her cardigan, and wiggled it.

Giving one last cough, James nodded and took the bottle from her fingers. He stared blankly at it, blinking swiftly. "Er…yeah, I suppose I could do that," he agreed hesitantly. He'd never painted nails before.

The request seemed a little odd, though. Lily had always been best at Charms-what was wrong with charming her toes pink? But nevertheless, he unscrewed the cap of the little bottle, and beckoned her closer.

Lily grinned happily and scooted her chair over to his side of the table. She positioned her left foot on his knees so her toes curled over onto his thigh.

James stared warily at her perfect toes.

"Nervous, Potter," asked Lily in a teasing voice. She raised her eyebrows delicately.

James gulped. "Just don't want to spill, is all.

Her brows inched higher, nearly disappearing into her hairline. She hummed her understanding a little suspiciously.

Ever so cautiously, James grabbed onto her toes, pinching the smallest one between his thumb and middle finger.

Lily had to smother her giggle in her hand. "No, go on," she instructed, waving her free hand at him. "I'm fine. Just a bit ticklish."

Now it was James's turn to quirk his eyebrows. Ticklish, did she say?

He bent his head back down, and began polishing her nails carefully. He dipped the miniature brush in the sparkly, light pink polish, and then dragged it along the nail. It wasn't so hard, really. It worked fine as long as he kept inside the lines. It was just like those silly coloring books he'd often endured as a child when he waited in the Ministry lobby for his parents.

When he adjusted his grip, skimming his fingers across the back of her toes, she giggled madly, kicking her feet up, and drawing them back toward her.

"Sorry," she said between giggles. "I can't help it. I hate it when people touch my feet."

Despite what she'd just said, James grabbed her feet and pulled them back to rest on his knees. "So…you asked me to polish your toenails?" he asked, shooting her an inquisitive glance.

She just shrugged. "Believe it or not, I've never been good at this sort of thing, she explained, gesturing to the bottle of nail polish. "It was always Tuney."

"I doubt that."

Lily froze. "What?"

"You're good at everything," said James, ducking down to hide his blush.

"Except Transfiguration," she amended with a grin.

James chuckled, and dabbed at her nails carefully. "Except Transfiguration," he repeated, nodding his agreement.

He dragged the brush across her nail with a flourish, and then bent down to inspect the final result. He shrugged after a moment or two, and then patted his knee, motioning for her to switch feet.

Lily moved the freshly painted toes over to the table, and propped her over foot up on his knee. "Ooh, those look lovely," she cooed toward her feet.

James grinned, excited by her approval and his newfound talent for painting toenails. "Wicked." She giggled again as James took a hold on her littlest toe.

Shooting a mischievous grin at her, James brushed his rough, calloused fingers across the back of her toes.

Her laugh was gasoline on the fire; he allowed his hand to drift up farther, and then tickled the arch of her foot.

"James!" she squealed, her foot flying reflexively toward his face. He snagged it out of the air and promptly attacked it with his fingers. "Stop! Stop that tickles!" she howled between pants.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize," said James, wearing a teasing grin. "Does this tickle too?"

And then he lunged.

His arms flew out as he leaped forward, knocking her backward out of her chair. His fingers immediately found her sides and began squeezing and pinching at the skin there.

"Aah!" Lily screamed, rolling around on the floor, trying desperately to free herself from his grasp. Her fists pounded on the ground, and pulled at his thick, tousled hair to no avail. The pang in her lungs made it difficult to do anything but gulp for air between bouts of hysterical laughter.

"Stop," she wheezed, painfully out of breath. "Please."

James grinned, but moved his cruel fingers from her sides to the rug on either side of her head.

"I guess you weren't lying then," James concluded, smiling brilliantly at her, "when you said you were ticklish."

Lily returned his grin, her bright green eyes twinkling wickedly. She wasn't oblivious to their close proximity and her heaving chest. Not in the least. "Oh no, I was," she assured him, winding her fingers in my messy black hair, "I'm actually very good at painting nails."

"Hmm… I was hoping that was the case," he chuckled, and allowed Lily to pull his face toward her own.

A/N: You'll have to forgive me for the fluff factor in this one. Honestly, a tickle war. Pathetic. But what can I say? I'm a monster. Drop me a review by clicking that little rectangular button below. (What color is it these days?) Please?

Much Love,

Livelier