AN: I'm not sure why this idea popped into my head. I miss my babies at work, that's probably where it stemmed from.
Anyway, I hope you like it!
Lily Evans to James Potter: You're late. Again.
James: I know, and I'm very sorry, but it was unavoidable
Lily: Of course it was.
James: I'll be there in ten minutes.
Lily: If you're any later than that, I'm going to lock the door and not let you in.
James: Completely fair! See you in a few
James: Also, I have to bring someone with me, hope that's alright!
Lily: I s2g, it better not be Sirius
James: it's not Sirius, he's on a date and he's a git and I'm never speaking to him again
James: I'll be there soon
Lily put her phone down and frowned. She tapped her pencil against her textbook and looked up at the clock. He'd said that he'd meet with her at six so they could finish this stupid group project that they'd been partnered by their professor to do.
James was not the person that Lily would have chosen to be her partner. Not only was it now six thirty, and he hadn't even texted to let her know that he was running late, but he'd been late to their last meet up as well. He hadn't even wanted to meet up the last time. He'd tried to convince her that they could just finish their project after class, even though Lily had another class to get to just thirty minutes after.
But it was fine.
She took a deep breath through her nose and then slowly let it out. This was the last time that they'd have to meet up, and then she could go back to hating this class solely for the damned TA's unjust disdain for her and the boring source material.
She looked over what she and James had scrapped together so far, and what she'd added for the both of them since she'd been sitting here for almost forty minutes now. It was a short presentation about economic principals. The work was tedious and monotonous, she'd almost offered to just put the entire thing together on her own multiple times just because he was always acting like he had something better to do and she was annoyed with him.
But she couldn't in good conscious, let someone else take a grade that she worked for, whether it had been difficult to get or not.
She had almost been looking forward to working with James when they were first partnered. He was cute, and he was funny, and he usually sat next to her and there had definitely been some flirting. She knew very little about him. He was a football player, he had amazing hair that he was constantly playing with, his eyes were dangerously mesmerizing, and he was late for class almost every day.
It was six thirty-nine when there was a knock on her door.
Lily felt both annoyed that he'd taken nine of the ten minutes, and a bit guilty for giving him such a hard time. People were busy, sometimes time got away from them.
But as she walked to the door, she got annoyed again because showing up forty minutes late said a lot about how little you thought of the person whose time you were wasting. Her time was valuable too, even if she wasn't a student athlete. She could have been working on her orgo homework instead of messing around with the font sizes and wording on their presentation while she waited for him.
"I'm sorry," James said as he walked into her flat. He always walked in like a storm. His hair was wild, his limbs moving with direction and purpose, his eyes flashing. Lily stepped back, giving him a wide girth.
Unlike every other time she'd seen him storm into a room, today, he was carrying a car seat.
"Sirius was supposed to watch Harry for me so that we could finish this project, and then he 'forgot' to tell me that he had a date until after I was already supposed to be here. I tried texting Remus, but he's got his calc lab tonight and Peter's working in the library- also I didn't want to be this late, so I didn't really reach out further than that." He was talking a mile a minute, but Lily could hardly register what he was saying, she just stared at the round little face in the carrier.
"You have a baby?" She asked, and then she was crouching down so that she could get a better look. "Harry," She reached out and took his little foot between her thumb and pointer.
"Yeah, Harry. He's eight months old." Lily looked up to find James' hand in his hair. "He'll probably fall asleep in a bit, so finishing our project shouldn't be a problem." He looked at the watch on his wrist and then pushed his glasses up to rub at one of his eyes.
"James, you could have just told me that tonight didn't work for you." Lily said, feeling guilty again. He should have communicated better, but he looked a frazzled. "If you need to take him home and put him to bed- I don't want this stupid project to ruin his night."
"What?" James' glasses fell back onto his nose as he looked down at her. "No, he sleeps like a rock, so he'll be fine. I just left his bag down in the car." He made to lift the car seat again and Lily shook her head.
"You can leave him with me if you want. I live on the third floor of a building with no elevator. Unless you're trying to impress someone, it's insane to carry this thing up and down again." She gestured to the car seat and he looked as though he was debating something. Lily almost started listing out the reasons she was qualified to be left alone with an infant.
"You're sure?" James asked before she could tell him that she was CPR certified.
"Of course." Lily was sitting cross legged in front of the car seat now, smiling at Harry who was smiling right back at her. She'd already forgotten about econ.
James watched her and Harry for a moment longer and then rushed out the door.
"Well isn't this a surprise," Lily said, speaking with Harry as though he was an old acquaintance and not an eight-month-old. "I don't know why your daddy thought I wouldn't understand that he needed a bit of leeway here. I thought he just wanted to hang out with his friends or play with his hair, but he was probably with you, yes? And who wouldn't want to be with you," She wiggled his foot again and Harry laughed. Lily fought the urge to take the infant out of its car seat and hug him to her chest. "Why are you so cute?" She shook her head and Harry laughed again.
It didn't take James long to run back up with Harry's diaper bag.
"I just need a third arm and then this will be easier." He said, closing her door behind him and setting Harry's bag next to his own.
"I'm sure your coach doesn't mind all the extra stairs you just had to scale." Lily grinned, though she was still looking at Harry. "He's like a perfect clone. Except for the eyes."
James crouched down next to her. "You been paying attention to my eyes, Evans?"
"No, I've simply noticed that they're not this brilliant shade of green." Lily said coolly, turning to give him a look. "Green eyes aren't nearly as common as people think. So for those of us with green eyes…"
"Sure." James nodded, "Pretend like you don't know what color my eyes are." They were still looking at each other and Harry laughed again, kicking his feet. "Alright, alright, I'll get you out of there."
Soon, the three of them were at the table, and James was paying much more attention to their econ assignment than Lily was. But Harry was eating cheerios and kept getting them stuck to his chin and Lily couldn't be blamed for being distracted.
"Do you want to hold him?" James asked after Lily had leaned across the table to help Harry find the cheerio that was stuck to the tip of his nose.
Lily bit the tip of her tongue and nodded. "I wasn't sure if it was okay to ask."
James laughed and held Harry out to her across the table. Lily held out her arms, making sure that Harry wanted to come and sit with her before she took him. He reached out to her happily, grabbing a fist full of her hair almost immediately.
"I like her hair too, Harry," James laughed, picking up a pencil now that his hands were free, and adding a few things to their notes.
"Are you using your child to flirt with me?"
"No," James looked back up at her, the corner of his mouth tugging upward. "I was flirting with you when he wasn't here. I'm just continuing to flirt with you now that he's here. I'm being consistent."
"Ah," Lily nodded as she gently pulled her hair from Harry's grip. She tossed it up into a quick plait to prevent it from happening again and then looked over at James again. "I'm sorry I'm not helping."
James laughed and shook his head. "I noticed that you added to it before I got here. And I brought the distraction. No need to apologize."
"You did bring the distraction," Lily agreed, letting Harry stand up on her lap. He started bouncing happily and Lily started singing nonsense that made him laugh some more. "I'm either hilarious, or you're delirious." Harry was still laughing, and Lily shook her head. "Delirious then."
"He normally goes to bed about now." James nodded, looking at his watch again. It was seven thirty and Lily didn't feel like they'd been in her flat for almost an hour. She pressed her lips together for a moment and then nodded.
"There's no reason we can't finish up the rest of this online. We've already got the outline for the rest of the project done."
"You're sure you wouldn't mind finishing it up that way?" James asked, and it was obvious that he would prefer to take his baby home before he fell asleep, so Lily nodded, even though she was not sure that she wanted to let Harry, or his father, go just yet.
"I don't mind at all. I told you that I didn't want to mess with his sleep."
"Thanks," His shoulders relaxed, and he started packing up his bag.
"And James," Lily nabbed his attention. "Next time you can just tell me that you need to reschedule."
"Oh? Are you going to pretend that you haven't been very annoyed with my being late all the time?"
"No," Lily shook her head. "Though I can be more understanding now that I know you're not blowing off econ just for fun."
"Right," James nodded. "It's not… I mean, it can be a little awkward telling people that I have a kid. And I don't want to use him as an excuse- unless my mates are trying to get me to go out and get shitfaced on a Tuesday." He ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. "And then sometimes I go too long without telling someone that Harry is around, and then it's awkward when they find out. I'm still trying to work out how to handle it all."
"Completely unacceptable." Lily deadpanned. James laughed.
"Right, well, thank you for being understanding and for not getting upset that I had to bring him with me."
Lily narrowed her brow. "Who would get upset?"
James shrugged. "People have all kinds of weird reactions when you ask them to be accommodating." James stood up and so Lily did too, sliding Harry deftly to her hip as they made their way toward the door.
"I suppose that's true. But if you want to bring him to any future projects we have to do, I'll do my best not to be annoyed."
James snorted, "Right. You look very annoyed right now." He put Harry's snacks back into his pack and then held out his hands to take Harry back.
Lily gave Harry a hug first and then handed him back. "I'm only a little annoyed."
"So, you like kids, do you?"
"What gave me away?"
James laughed and Lily grinned.
And then Harry was all strapped in and James was carrying everything he had brought with him. "Alright, well then, I'll text you when he's down so we can finish up our project. See in class?"
Lily nodded. "Sounds good," She waved at Harry. "Hope to see you around too, little one." Harry laughed at her again, but this time it was immediately followed by a big yawn. "I feel you," She nodded.
She opened the door for James and waved again, this time at him. "See you later."
As Lily has thought, their project required no further face to face meetings, which she no longer thought was a relief. Now that she knew James wasn't some inconsiderate ass who thought it was fine to show up thirty or forty minutes late, she found that she liked more than just his hair or his eyes.
James had texted her after he'd gotten Harry to sleep, only they hadn't stopped texting after they had finished their project.
And then they never really stopped texting.
And the flirting in class came back tenfold.
She was sitting on the couch, her feet propped up on the arm, her head resting on Mary's lap, and her phone glued in front of her face when Mary tugged on her hair.
"You texting that econ boy again?" She asked.
"You know that I am."
"I do know that. I was starting a conversation though, and I wasn't just going to jump right into the middle, was I?"
"You've been known to do worse." Lily set the phone down on her chest and looked up at her friend.
"Have you even seen him outside of class yet?" Mary asked, still looking at her own phone.
"No, but I didn't even like him until-"
"Until he showed you his baby." Mary sighed and looked down at her. "Babies are like crack to you."
"I don't like him because he has a baby." Lily said. "I forgave him for being late so often because he has a baby. I liked him before though."
"You mentioned his hair a couple times," Mary nodded. "But I wasn't really trying to give you a hard time for your weird fascination with small humans."
"It's not weird to like kids, Mary. You like kids."
"Sure, and do I wish that I had been home while there had been a baby right here? Where I am every day? Yes, but I was just trying to tease you, let it go so we can get to the point."
"If you started conversations with your point-"
"Are you going to ask this bloke out?"
Lily pressed her lips together. "Am I allowed to ask him out?"
"Do you want to?"
"I… want him to ask me out." Mary whacked her on the arm and Lily cried out. "Only so I know that it's okay! I've asked blokes out before, I'm not scared!"
"You are totally a scardy-cat, but have you considered that maybe he doesn't think it's okay to ask you out?"
"He said that he was still trying to figure things out with Harry." Lily said, twirling a piece of her hair around her finger.
"So the two of you are just going to keep obnoxiously texting one another to no end?" Mary asked. "And look, if that is the reason that he says no to a date, will it crush you? Will you be unable to go on?"
Lily pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. "No."
"Well then…"
"Alright. Alright I get your point."
Mary narrowed her brow and stayed quiet.
"What?"
"Well go ahead and ask him out."
"I can't do it now! We're talking about how The Voice was a better show before they made all the rule changes."
"I don't know why you're hung up on that-"
"They need to get Adam back, that's why."
"Ask out your boy, Evans. Or else."
"I don't like it when you say that. I never know what it means."
"You're not supposed to."
"You filled my entire pillowcase with shaving cream once."
"Well, you're the one that didn't listen to me, so who's fault was that?"
Lily shook her head and narrowed her eyes. "Definitely yours."
"You're stalling." Mary grabbed Lily's wrist and moved her arm so that Lily's phone was in front of her face again. "Ask him out. Ask him to dinner here, or for coffee or something else lowkey."
"You think asking him to dinner here, where I'd cook for him, is lowkey?" Lily's brow went up. "Remind me to help you out if you ever think about asking someone out."
"I didn't say you had to cook for him- you could order in- oh shut up and text him."
Lily huffed and then clicked on her phone again.
James: Last season was weird anyway just because everyone knew Maelin was going to win from the beginning
Lily: Yes, so I'm going to change the subject now
James: Thank you for the warning lol
Lily: right
Lily: I know that you're really busy, but I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime. Coffee maybe?
As soon as she hit send, she shoved her phone into the couch cushions.
"You did it already?" Mary asked, surprised.
"You told me to!" Lily pushed herself up and spun around toward Mary.
"What did he say?"
"I don't know, I turned off my screen."
"Well you gotta look!"
"I know that!" Lily pulled her knees up to her chest. "He's going to say no. He's going to tell me that he doesn't have time."
"You don't know that." Mary said. "He might say 'yes.'"
"He might say 'yes.'" Lily agreed and then dug her phone out of the cushions.
James: You asking me out, Evans?
"He didn't even answer yet, he just wants to know if I'm asking him out." Lily's heart was in her throat.
"Well then clarify! I should have proofread your text."
"I asked him if he wanted to go out sometime. That's pretty clear!"
Lily: Of course, I'm asking you out.
"Is saying 'of course' a bit aggressive? It's too late if you're going to say yes because I've already sent the message."
"No, it's cute." Lily looked at Mary. "Sort of aggressive, but in a cute way. Maybe."
James: Right, of course you are. Why wouldn't you?
James: I'd love to go out with you
"He said yes!"
"Okay, play it cool!" Mary was on her knees next to her now.
Lily: Love? Relax. I asked you to coffee
"That's a bit too cool," Mary laughed. Lily shoved her.
"Don't read over my shoulder."
"I'll do what I want!" But she sat back down.
Lily bit her tongue and settled back against the couch. She really liked this bloke.
James: It's your enthusiasm that's bolstering me thanks
James: You free before class on Thursday?
Lily: I am.
James: You were
James: Meet you at one?
Lily: So I should show up at one thirty then?
James: I can be on time occasionally
Lily: Proof?
James: I can tell that you really do like me
James: I'm so excited for you to tease me in person
Lily: teasing is 90% of how I flirt so
Lily: I hope you don't mind.
James: Nah, I don't.