A/N: Part of the series based on Fall Out Boy's Infinity on High that I'm writing with SunlitDays. This is "The Carpal Tunnel of Love."

Lily had never, ever been so furious in her life. In that moment, she hated absolutely everyone around her. She hated the waitress for being sympathetic and letting her have her butterbeer for free. She definitely hated all the other couples who were there and happy. Most of all, she hated James Potter.

He'd asked her to Madame Pudifoot's a week earlier. For some reason that was still unknown to her, she had said yes. Looking back on it, it was either a temporary lapse of sanity or her finally admitting defeat. All week, she kept imagining how her date with him would go. It was their last Hogsmeade visit of the year, so she imagined it would be brilliant outside and she'd be wearing a cute white and blue sundress and all would go well. Instead, it was rainy out and she'd spilled tea on her lap that morning at breakfast. James also never showed up for their date.

She'd been sitting there for two whole hours now, just in case he'd done something stupid like forget what time he was meeting her at. That obviously wasn't the case. Her anger swelled as she watched Frank and Alice walk through the restaurant holding hands. Both looked perfectly happy, Alice eating a white chocolate lollipop with her other hand. The two of them were always so fucking happy and here she was after waiting six blood years to say yes to James Potter, absolutely miserable.

"If you say one word about how I waited too long to say yes, I will kill you." Lily growled, causing Alice to laugh.

"Not saying a word. Just wanting to see how your date was going." Alice grinned. "Where is he? In the loo?"

"No. He never even showed up." Both Alice and Lily were frowning now.

"I'm sorry, Lily."

"Wait a minute," Frank furrowed his brow, deep in thought. "You didn't hear about the prank Sirius pulled on him this morning at breakfast, did you?"

"No, I left early because I got tea on my dress. Alice went with me, remember?"

"Oh, well, Sirius thought it would be funny to slip James some peanut butter on his toast under the jam. Turns out, he's rather allergic to it. He's been in the hospital wing all day. Sirius kept laughing about it in the common room because James's eyes were practically swollen shut," Frank explained. Lily's anger melted away in seconds.

"Will he be okay?"

"I would think so," Alice reassured. "You should go check on him."

"I will. Thanks for telling me." With that, Lily raced out of Madame Puddifoots, running as fast as she could in the rain and in sandals. She was thankful that very few people were outside because of the weather. They all would have stared at her. That didn't really matter to her anymore though. Neither did the rain. She just wanted to see James and make sure he was okay as soon as she could. She just forgot one crucial part of the plan – she had to get past Madame Pomfrey.

"Who would you like to see, Miss Evans? Mr. Lupin happens to be sleeping at the moment if you're here for him." Madame Pomfrey eyed Lily curiously from behind her desk. It wasn't every day that dripping wet students came in for visiting hours.

"No, I'd like to see James Potter."

"I'm afraid he can't actually see you, unless the medication's started to work."

"Just let me see him!" Lily practically shouted. Madame Pomfrey seemed taken aback, allowing Lily to finally have access to the wing. She found James Potter in the sixth bed, next to the sleeping Remus Lupin in bed seven. She only recognized him by his disheveled hair. His face was red and very swollen, the eyes she adored barely visible under their gigantic lids.

"What the fuck was Sirius thinking? You could have died!" Lily screamed, causing James to jump. She thought she saw a smile on his lips, but it was hard to tell.

"He's an idiot, Lily, I know." James sighed, coughing a bit after he spoke. "I- I can't talk very long, seeing as how my throat almost c-closed up earlier but I'm really, really s-sorry for standing you up."

"It's okay." Lily smiled, taking his hand. She found she really meant it too. "I really want to kill Sirius right now."

"Me too." James almost laughed.

"We'll do it when you're better," Lily grinned. "I ought to go though, my clothes are soaked and I had to yell at Madame Pomfrey to come see you."

"Really?" James looked amused, or as amused as you could look when your face was as swollen as his was.

"Yes, I did. So get better and we'll go on a proper date soon, okay?" Lily smiled, kissing James's forehead gently.

"Did you just...?"
"Yes, I just kissed you. And yes, I just agreed to go on another date with you, regardless of what a disaster this one was. I must like you more than even I know." Lily began to leave then, not wanting to stick around to start regretting her decision.

"Thank you," she heard James whisper. She turned and smiled briefly at him one last time before walking away. In her happiness, she managed to walk into someone while exiting the wing. She recognized the black hair and the dog collar instantly.

"How is he, Evans?" Sirius asked, looking almost genuinely concerned. Almost.

"He's fine now." Lily remarked.

"Aw, did you give him a kiss better?" Sirius mocked, causing Lily to finally snap. She pulled her arm back and punched Sirius square in the nose. He fell back a bit, clutching his nose. "What'd you do that for?"

"Do not make fun of James and me," she scowled, starting to walk away. Then she stopped, realizing she had one more thing to say. "Make sure to have Remus check out your nose. I'm sure he'll be willing to kiss it all better too." And with that, she left the room, smirking at the stunned expression on Sirius's bleeding face.

A/N 2: Reviews are love.