Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor am I J.K. Rowling.

A/N: A drabble written for the first ingredient of the Elixir to Induce Euphoria, peppermint sprigs. Enjoy!

I Like You In Green

Being sick sucked. Especially when you're the kind of sick that can't be fixed easily with a Pepper-Up Potion. Somehow, she'd caught a severe case of the dragon pox and Madame Pomfrey had wanted to keep her in the infirmary to monitor her health. Ever since then she'd been so isolated from the world it was driving her insane.

Lily sighed, wrinkling her nose as another wave of flower scents filled her nose. James had practically showered her with flowers ("Lilies for my Lily," he had said with a flourish and even though it was incredibly cheesy, Lily couldn't help but smile – it was just so James) and surprisingly Severus had shuffled in with a bouquet of tulips, her favourite, as well. They still weren't exactly on speaking terms, so talking to him had been incredibly awkward, but she'd be lying if she didn't miss him. So much could change in a year …

Before she could get lost in her thoughts, though, the door of the infirmary opened with a loud creak. Followed by an exasperated, "Bloody Merlin, don't they ever use a Greasing Charm around here?"

"James?" Lily hissed, heart beating fast in her chest and breathing labored. "Is that you?"

"You sound disappointed, love? Waiting for another midnight lover?"

And with that, James dropped the invisibility cloak, stuffing a strange piece of parchment into his robes before walking over to her bed.

"You look horrible," he said with a frown.

"Thank you, James, charming as always," she snapped, but part of her wanted to pull her blanket over her face and hid herself from him.

Dragon pox sure as hell wasn't the most attractive disease out there and from the glimpses she'd caught of herself in the mirror, she knew he was right. Her skin had turned a sickly green colour, making her look as if she was about to vomit all the time, and to add to that, she was covered in purple bumps.

"Sorry, damn it, I didn't mean to … The green isn't all that bad, it kind of compliments your eyes – jeez, that doesn't make it better, does it? Lily, you are the most beautiful woman and I'm such a jerk, bloody Merlin, it's just –"

"Stop it, you're giving me a headache," Lily cut him off, giving him a soft smile to take off the edge of her words. "Why are you here?"

He looked at her as if she'd grown another, probably just as green, head. "Why am I here? To give you comfort, of course! Scoot over, love."

Now it was her turn to look at him wide-eyed. "You want to get in bed with me?"

James wiggled his eyebrows and gave her a large grin. "Sure I do. 'Course it would be more awesome if you weren't all green and sickly, but you know, a guy like me takes all he can get from a lady like you. Besides, the green is kind of growing on me."

She rolled her eyes and laughed, heart skipping a beat at his words. A year ago, she would have probably taken those flowers and beaten him with them as long as it took for him to make a run for it, batting away his compliments like annoying flies, but now … There was a certain kind of honesty and love in his eyes that hadn't been there before. Or maybe she'd been too blind to see it?

"So, are you gonna let me into your bed or do I have to sleep on the cloak?" James asked her with a wry smile, but oh, was that a touch of nervousness in his voice?

"Seriously, James, what part of 'contagious disease' didn't you understand? Do you want to call dibs on the sick bed next to mine?"

"I'd rather call dips on your bed," he said. "Besides, I talked to Madame Pomfrey this morning and she said you're not contagious anymore. Which is great, because tomorrow's the game against Slytherin and I betcha the snakes will need all the beds they can get once we're done with them. Your days as the lone residence of the infirmary are counted, dear!"

"You are horrible," she responded but when he pulled the blanket back to get in next to her, she didn't stop him.

After a lot of shifting and moving around, they'd found a comfortable position. Resting her head on his chest, she took a breath in and closed her eyes. A content sigh escaped her lips as she felt his hand moving through her hair and his other arm hugging her closer. She felt save in his embrace, as if his arms could protect her from the war that was raging inside of her.

As if reading her mind, James leaned down to capture her lips in a kiss. It was soft and sweet, chaste almost, which was strange because James was always so demanding, fast and passionate, but it felt … wonderful. It felt as if he was kissing it all better.