Quarantine Prompt #2 from where-the-stars-end on Tumblr: James buying Lily kitten!Juniper for a birthday or some holiday
A/N: Juniper is the cat from 2 of my fics called Reputation and Fearlessly Red
The front door to the flat opened, Lily knew it for sure. She called out for her boyfriend James, who'd run out for groceries. No one answered and she pouted her lower lip as she shifted uneasily on the sitting room sofa. The blanket she'd been using for warmth fell to the floor as she tiptoed barefoot across the room to peer around the doorway.
Lily's extra-large t-shirt from visiting New Orleans with James hung just above her hips and she tugged it down, irritated, as she looked around the hall. If it was a burglar, they'd better be prepared for her wrath and then James' wrath when he came home from grocery store to find blood on his fancy area rug—
Lily paused in her silent monologue, eyes falling on something small and black on the floor. For a second she thought it was a sock, oddly positioned. Lily tilted her head as she realized it wasn't a sock at all, because the tiny little creature let out an ear splicing meow that went right to Lily's stomach.
"Sweet baby!" Lily got down on her knees and hands, starting to crawl towards it.
The small kitten was no bigger than the size of her hand. It was fluffy and black as night, with eyes bluer than an iceberg. To her left, someone chuckled as she lifted the wee bairn to her chest lovingly. Lily turned her cheek to find her boyfriend grinning at her, hands in his pockets as he leaned up against the wall.
"Like her, do you?" James asked.
Lily stood up, clutching the creature to her chest as she rocked on her toes, "where did you find her?"
"Old Lady Bertha's cat had kittens a few weeks back, asked if my girlfriend would like one."
Lily cupped the small kitten to her breast, "I love her!"
James smiled, his kindness reaching his eyes, "did you happen to check her collar?"
"For her name?" Lily asked, puzzled as she held out the fluffy ball of fur and claws, "don't tell me you named her Elvendor—oh."
Lily felt like someone had pulled the rug out from under her feet. There was a black ribbon tied around the young kitten's neck. A small diamond ring was glittering like a tag about her neck. Lily touched the ring softly, pondering it before she looked at James. He was already down on one knee, a wide grin stretching across his tan face. Lily used one hand to hold the kitten while the other hand crashed to her own mouth to stifle the sob that erupted from it.
James chuckled, "alright, Evans?"
"Ask me the damn question, James." Lily managed, coughing on her own tears.
James stood up, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his forehead to hers, "Marry me?"
"Yes!"
The kitten responded to James and Lily's heartfelt kiss by smacking James across the jaw with her tiny little paw. James yelped and jumped away, rubbing where the tiny kitten nails had sunk into his skin. Lily laughed, pulling the kitten back up to eye-level.
"You're a sassy girl," Lily said, "aren't you Juniper?"
"Juniper?" James asked, looking at Lily quizzically.
Lily tugged the ring lose of it's ribbon as she explained, "like the tree?"
James checked his chin in the closest mirror, "she's certainly as prickly as one."
Juniper would spend the rest of her life reminding James Potter just how prickly she could be.