James was so busy looking for Earth-shattering signs that he missed all of the little ones.

He missed how the distance between him and Lily getting shorter every meal until she sat next to him every day. He didn't notice that she never, ever turned him down when asking a scholastic question. He didn't notice the playful shoves or teasing or jokes that lacked any sort of malice. Sure, Lily had never been mean to him but in five and a half years she was rarely that friendly.

Remus was the first to notice at the start of their second term of sixth year. It was when Lily had finally come to terms with James' maturity and didn't give them a hard time when they sat near her at dinner. From there, she began to join their conversations and laugh with them.

Sirius was the second to notice in late February when Lily accepted a scarf that James wrapped around her neck on the way to Herbology. She didn't let her pride get in the way and make her shove it back in his hands. She wore it all through class and didn't return it until the next day. To Sirius, that was the one, true sign because there was always something going on when clothing made its way to someone else's dorm room.

The third one to notice was Lily in April of that year when she adjusted her sweater in front of her mirror and wondered what James would think if they ran into each other in Hogsmeade. She had nearly smacked herself silly. What had gotten into her?

Peter was the fourth to notice when Lily agreed to secretly help him study for exams in late May… Well, he didn't so much notice as Lily told him. He was sworn to secrecy on pain of one of her famous, well-aimed hexes.

But James? He never noticed.

Even well into their seventh year, because she wasn't pronouncing her love or asking for a date, he didn't notice. He'd gotten so used to the feeling of unrequited love that the change never occurred to him.

Even when she sat next to him on the couch in the common room.

Even when she touched his arm when they spoke.

Even when she met his eyes over breakfast and smiled and blushed and looked away.

What he did notice was when she stopped one day. That's all it took- one day. She didn't sit near him at breakfast and only greeted him in passing instead of joining him in the queue for class. She didn't put any effort into their conversation when he caught up to her on the way to lunch. By dinner, he was going nuts. His hands were sweaty and his legs were jumpy and his appetite was gone.

"Lily withdrawals," Sirius supplied. Remus hummed in agreement. James pushed his picked-at plate away to make room for his forehead on the table. They were right. He'd gotten used to Lily's presence but he hadn't appreciated it. Had he done something wrong? Had he scared her away somehow? Why had she stopped?

Sirius ruffled the back of James' stubbornly messy hair with brotherly affection. "I love you mate, but you can be a bit thick," he said.

James turned his head to look up at his best friend pathetically. "I'm in utter agony and you choose now to insult me?"

"He's right to do it," Remus agreed. "You've probably hurt her feelings. To be honest, I'm surprised she lasted as long as she did."

"How-" James moaned.

"Subtlety never was Prongs' strong point," Peter added, feeling a bit full of himself for not being the one left out of the loop. James straightened to look down the table where Lily was standing from her group of friends. He strained to hear her say something about studying. She walked by them without so much as a 'hello.' That was the final straw. He pushed up from the table and jogged to the door to catch up with her in the hallway.

"Hey!" he called. Lily paused and waited for him with that sweet smile of hers.

"Hey James," she said simply. They meandered down the empty corridor at a slow pace.

"Are you avoiding me?" he asked outright. Lily gave a short, surprised laugh.

"Way to beat around the bush."

James shrugged. "What else am I going to ask if that's what I want to know?"

"I don't know maybe 'busy today?' or 'I haven't seen you around.'" Her words sounded bitter, an edge that he hadn't heard in her voice for a long time. "But yeah… I was avoiding you."

"Did I do something?" He pushed. "Did I say something stupid? Because if I did, I'm sorry. I am so sorry."

"You didn't do anything," Lily said forcefully and stopped walking. "You didn't. Do. Anything."

James turned on his heel, lips pulling back into a nervous, twitching smile. His palms were cold and wet and his heart was beating a mile a minute. This wasn't like their other fights. This wasn't him teasing her until she was angry. She looked hurt and he didn't understand why.

"Why are you so upset?" he asked, trying not to let his own frustration come out.

"Because I fancy you, James. I have for a while and I was waiting to see if you did, too. Obviously you don't so why should I keep trying so hard?"

He took a step back, mind reeling and smile disbelieving. "Psh." He let out a little laugh. "No. Noo. You don't fancy me," he said matter-of-factly. Lily smacked her hand to her forehead.

"Are you thick?" she groaned out.

"You know, everyone seems to think that and I have no idea why." He thought out loud. Lily removed her hand from her face and brought both of them to either side of James'. She stared hard into his eyes, willing him to understand her simple words.

"Do you fancy me?" she said in short, clipped notes. James raised his own hands to squish her cheeks in a similar manner.

"Right down to your toes," he answered and kissed her swiftly on the lips.

Pages: 2 ¼
Words: 1,030
Disclaimer: Don't own
Notes: Much better than my last one. Much lighter and the plot isn't all herpaderping.