A/N: I don't own Harry Potter, it's all JKR. This is just what I imagine James might have gone through before finally asking Lily that very important question. I've always loved the type of relationship James and Sirius have, or at least what I picture their relationship might have been. This is just a one shot, but who knows? I might branch off of this into a full length story whenever I'm done with the one I'm working on now, I hope you all enjoy.
He didn't think he had ever been this nervous in his whole entire life. I mean come on, what had he ever had to be nervous about? He was James Potter for goodness sakes! Well, I suppose that's a lie. He had been nervous at that first Quidditch match back in his second year. And he had been nervous the first time Lily actually agreed to go out on a date with him, but that one was understandable, after almost six full years of begging for a date, there was no way he could get away with making their date anything less than perfect. And he had been nervous the first time they had made... well anyways. To say that this was the most nervous James had ever been wouldn't be a far stretch of the truth.
He was pacing around the living room of his flat, waiting for his best mate, Sirius Black to arrive. James kept wiping his sweaty hands off on his trousers. He would have to change them before he actually left. He decided to sit down on the couch, but after tapping his foot, crossing and uncrossing his legs a couple times, and adjusting the couch pillows more than once, he stood back up again.
In an attempt to do something other than pace, he walked over to the mirror over the mantle to look at himself again, but he realized with horror that he looked ten times worse of a nervous wreck than he felt. His glasses where askew and his hair, which he had managed to make lay flat just twenty minutes ago, might as well have all been standing on end from all the running his fingers through it he had done. That wouldn't do at all!
James had just decided to take another shower when he felt the rush of heat from the fireplace, and Sirius Black stepped into his living room, brushing the soot off of his cloak in annoyance.
"I don't know why I bothered flooing here, my motorbike might be a tad bit slower, but it's most definitely more enjoya... Prongs, you look like shite." He exclaimed looking up at James.
"Oh really Padfoot? I hadn't noticed! I'm a nervous wreck! Look at me my palms are sweaty, my hair is mused, my glasses won't sit right, I think I see a zit coming in, I don't get zits!" James almost yelled in exasperation. Sirius chuckled.
"Calm down old boy, what do you have to be nervous about?" He asked, dropping onto James' couch with an elegant air of laziness that only a man such as Sirius Black could achieve.
"What do I have to be... What do I have to be nervous about? Are you kidding me?" James couldn't believe his ears, he couldn't count on one hand the things he had to be nervous about, he had nothing but things to be nervous about! "Well for one thing, I'm about to ask to love of my life to marry me, that's what I have to be nervous about." He explained. Sirius just blinked at him.
"I fail to see your point."
"My point Padfoot, is that my whole entire life depends on tonight, what if I do it wrong? Then where will I be? I might as well Avada myself if I don't do every single little thing perfect tonight! For all I know I've already ruined tonight! I could have done something wrong throughout our entire relationship, and that could be the deciding factor for her! I mean she spent six years turning me down for a date Padfoot, six years! And that was just for a date! This is marriage we're talking about, what if it takes another six years for her to say yes?" James asked, making wild hand gestures.
Sirius looked at his friend with a mixture of worry and amusement, before he shook his head and sighed. He stood up and pointed at the couch for James to sit back down, which he did willingly. Sirius walked into James' kitchen and rumaged around for a bit before returning with a brown paper bag, which James grabbed at hungrily before opening it and proceeding to breath in and out of the paper bag at regular intervals. 'What a good friend you have in me old boy.' Sirius thought to himself before sitting back down on the opposite end of the couch.
"Prongs, Lily is madly in love with you, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. She's probably been gossiping with Alice for the past six months wondering what's taking you so long to pop the question. Why in the world would she say no?" Sirius asked, cocking an eyebrow.
James seemed to calm down a bit at that and dropped the hand holding his coveted paper bag. He breathed in and out on his own a bit while he considered Sirius' statement.
"You really think she loves me that much?" He asked uncertainly.
"Are you kidding me James?" Sirius scoffed. "Everyone knows that, I don't know what you don't, all that lovey dovey crap you force us fine upstanding single blokes to endure. I tell you what, Moony, Wormtail and I will forever be scarred by some of the scenes we've witnessed throughout our years. Look, you have nothing to worry about, I made sure of your reservations like you asked, you've had that ring professionally cleaned and polished three times now, by goblins no less, and the only thing you have left to do is get yourself presentable, keep yourself that way, and make sure not to forget the flowers!" Sirius ended his speech as if he had never been anything but right.
"Flowe... FLOWERS! I forgot to order the flowers Padfoot!" James jumped up again and ran to the kitchen where he kept spare parchment. Sirius laughed and followed him.
"Look mate, take yourself a shower, put on some clean robes, those look like you ran a marathon in them and pick them up on the way to get her, any old flowers will do, it's Lily, you know you don't need something grand to impress her, she'll still love you if you present her with pretty weeds and you know it." James stopped ruffling through the stack of parchment and sat down at the kitchen counter.
"You're right Sirius. I just need to calm down. It's Lily, I love Lily. What's there to worry about right?" He asked, still sounding a little uncertain.
"Exactly right! Now I tell you what you're going to do." He said, going to James' fridge and pulling out a bottle of Old Ogden's. "You're going to do a shot with me to calm your nerves right now." He took two shot glasses out of the cabinent. "You're going to take that aforementioned shower." He poured both shots to the brim. "You're going to dress smartly like the sexy bastard you are." He picked his glass up. "You're going to take Lily on an amazing date tonight." He clinked his shot glass into James'. "And you're going to make that girl your wife!" He knocked his shot back and poured a second.
James downed his shot and set his glass back on the table for Sirius to refill. Sirius was right, the alcohol did help to calm him down a bit.
"Okay, I think I'm going to be okay." James amended.
"Damn right you will be! That's the Marauder Spirit!" Sirius cheered, and they both finished their second shots before magicking the empty glasses to the sink. James got up and clapped a hand on Sirius' shoulder.
"Thanks Padfoot. I'm feeling a lot better now. Regardless of what happens tonight, you're my best man. Just don't let those other two scraggly fellows we tend to associate ourselves with know, they might accuse me of favoritism or some rubbish." Sirius grinned despite feeling a tad bit emotional at that statement.
"That's a right good job, the best man always gets the nicest looking bridesmaids." He joked. "And I tell you what's more James, those two scraggly fellows and I will be going to The Three Broomsticks tonight to have a drink, and you better not show up because we'll be dishearteningly toasting the end of your days as a free man, we wouldn't want you to rid us of our only reason to drown our miseries now would we? Although I suppose if you do show up we can toast the poor bloke that does have to deal with Silly Lily the rest of his life if it isn't you, and rest assured that the Marauder's days aren't yet coming to an end." James smiled and the two shared one of those rare, brief hugs between men before walking back into the living room. Sirius grabbed a handful of floo powder from the pot beside the fireplace and stepped into the grate, but not before adding, "And James, I expect I'll be miserable tonight." He laughed and with a whoosh of green flames was gone.
James shook his head and laughed too before heading to the shower, and the woman he knew he was meant to love, live and die with.