Chapter 8 -"Tastes like I'm going to puke tonight" Part 2
"This is the best song ever!" Lily shouted, grabbing James by the hand and leading him out onto the dance floor, their pool sticks forgotten.
"You've already said that about at least three other songs tonight," James pointed out as he followed Lily across the tightly-packed dance floor and towards the stage.
"I know! They've been playing nothing but winners." They finally reached the stage, and she began using her empty pint glass as a microphone as she belted out the lyrics of the song.
"I think you've impressed the lead singer," James observed, gesturing at the tattooed man on stage who was eying Lily with a look of admiration. Moments later, he reached out a hand to her and whispered something, and her face lit up as she allowed him to pull her up on stage and hand her the microphone. James watched in amazement as she sang the entire song word-for word, dancing around on stage without a hint of self-consciousness. Her hair fell forward into her face and her eyes sparkled with that particular sort of drunken, uninhibited elation that he'd last seen when they had danced on top of a table in the common room months earlier. She had caught the attention of several men in the crowd, but she ignored their eager attempts to catch her eye and simply enjoyed the music until the band played the last bars of the song and the lead singer wrapped her in what James could only guess was a very sweaty hug.
"That was bloody amazing!" he exclaimed after he helped her down from the stage and told a hopeful-looking bald bloke to go to hell. "You fucking stole the show."
"I did, didn't I," she said, smiling and pushing her damp hair out of her face.
"Hard to believe the girl who turns into a rock star after her third tequila shot is going to be Head Girl in a few weeks," he remarked, holding up his fist and striking a pose in an accurate imitation of one of her signature moves.
"Oh, shut up, who says I'm going to be Head Girl." She grabbed his hand and forced it down to his side. "And quit mocking me. This whole crowd thought I was brilliant." She did not release his hand, and James kept his eyes locked on hers, afraid to disrupt the fragile strands of the moment, held together only by the tenuous grasp of her fingers on his.
"Well, they'd be stupid not to," he murmured. "Even if you are a terrible dancer."
She smiled and glanced down at their clasped hands. Rather than pulling away, however, she tightened her grip and leaned in closer. "I'm having a lot of fun," she whispered. Her face was inches from his; he could count the tiny freckles that dotted her cheeks.
"Me too," he said, or had it only been in his head? He couldn't tell, and he was scared to repeat himself in case she laughed and broke the mood. Instead, he inched forward to close the gap between them, his heart pounding, barely daring to breathe as their lips grew closer and closer together.
"Prongs! Evans! We have to go!" The sound of Sirius's voice close to his ear jarred James out of the intimacy of the moment, and he had to blink several times and run a hand through his hair before he was able to form a coherent response.
"What? Why?" He looked at Sirius, and his friend's expression told him everything he needed to know for the moment. "Right, doesn't matter. Evans, let's get out of here," he said, and he grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him towards the exit and out into the night. He couldn't see Sirius, but he could tell he was right behind them because of the occasional muttered swears as he pushed people out of the way in his hurry to leave. As they spilled out of the pub they caught sight of Remus, Peter, and Mary a short way ahead, and they all took off running in the direction of Diagon Alley. Or at least, they thought they were heading for Diagon Alley, until they slowed five minutes later and realized they had no idea where they had actually ended up.
"Where are we?" Lily asked, bent over gasping for breath. "And Mary, why are you carrying a bottle of liquor?"
"Oh, shit, you stole that, didn't you?" James turned to Sirius, a grin of admiration on his face. "Nice one, Padfoot!"
"I did. Also, Moony got felt up by a sexy blonde in a race car. It's been a fucking night," Sirius replied. "Come on, let's go sit down in this park and we can have a drink and tell you about it."
The group collapsed onto the grass and lay there in silence for a moment, panting and clutching their sides. When they all caught their breath, Sirius pulled himself up into a seated position and motioned for Mary to pass him the whiskey bottle, then began recounting the events of the evening with Mary and Remus chiming in occasionally.
"The real tragedy of the night," James said, breathless from laughter after Sirius brought the story to a close, "is that Moony didn't get to shag the blonde girl." He reached over and gave Remus a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Such a bloody shame."
"Hang on!" Remus reached into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper. "She gave me her phone number!" he said, holding it up triumphantly. "I forgot to tell you earlier, Padfoot." He frowned. "Not sure how useful it will be, seeing as I have no bloody idea how to use a telephone."
"Moony, it would be my pleasure to teach you how to use a telephone," Sirius said, passing him the bottle of whiskey.
"I need to stand up," Lily said, heaving herself to her feet with some difficulty. "I think I would've fallen asleep if I kept laying there."
"Peter fell asleep at the bar," Remus remarked, then his eyes fell on Peter and he laughed softly. "And he's asleep again, should've seen that coming."
Mary rolled onto her side and rested her head on her hand. "Lil, you were supposed to show this lot how strong you are," Mary reminded her, motioning for Remus to pass her the bottle of whiskey.
"Oh yeah, I forgot!" Lily surveyed the group gathered around on the grass, sizing everyone up. "All right, who should I carry? Come on, don't be scared, I won't drop you."
James shrugged. "I'll do it." He stood up, then hesitated. "You sure I won't be too heavy? I don't want to hurt you."
Lily raised her eyebrows at him and chuckled. "No offense, Potter, but I think I can handle it. You can't weigh much more than I do."
James widened his eyes in indignation. "Don't underestimate me, Evans! I'm solid muscle." He lifted up his shirt to display his flat stomach. "See? Quidditch muscles!"
"Quidditch muscles are a load of rubbish," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "There's no way they're an actual thing."
"Merlin, Evans!" Sirius exclaimed. "Are you trying to make him cry?"
"You're joking, right?" James ignored Sirius and gaped at Lily in disbelief. "Evans, I'm actually offended. Quidditch muscles are real! I run at least three miles a day and I train bloody hard - it takes a lot of core strength to stay on a broomstick." When she continued to stare at him with a blank expression on her face he pulled off his shirt and stood in front of her to demonstrate his point.
"Oh," she said, blushing slightly. "I mean, all right, maybe I underestimated…" She shrugged and stooped down in front of him. "Doesn't matter, I can still carry you regardless. Hop on, Potter."
He did so, and she strode off across the grass, hardly straining at all under his weight. It became more difficult when James started to laugh, because the situation suddenly became hilarious and she found herself unable to stop laughing as well.
"Quit laughing, Potter," she protested as she reached the bench on the other side of the park and turned to head back toward the group. "You're making this more difficult."
"I can't help it," he replied, still laughing. "When I thought about how the night would go, I never imagined you'd be carrying me piggyback through a park for no apparent reason."
Despite their inability to stop laughing, she finally reached the starting point and bent down to let him off. Everyone cheered, and she gave a silly little bow.
"Who's next? Remus, will you try?" She accepted the bottle from Mary and took a sip, then set it down on the ground and gestured for Remus to join her. "I think I'm going to run this time."
Remus stood and looked at Lily uncertainly. "I'll do it, if you're sure you're up for it."
"Yes, of course I'm up for it," she said impatiently, stooping and waiting for him to climb on her back. His long legs nearly brushed the grass, but he tried to scrunch up to make it easier for her as she took off running across the grass. She made it most of the way to the halfway point before her high heeled sandal sunk deep into the grass and she went sprawling, dropping Remus in the process. They both landed in awkward positions and burst into laughter as they struggled to right themselves.
"Merlin, Remus, I'm so sorry!" she said between peals of laughter. "I really thought I had that under control."
"That's all right," he replied. He climbed to his feet then offered her a hand up before brushing grass from his jeans. "I suppose it was my Quidditch muscles that tripped you up."
This made her laugh so hard that she almost ended up on the ground again, and she only managed to stay on her feet when Remus wrapped an arm around her waist and led her back to the group. At this point they decided it was best to go home, so James nudged Peter awake and they backtracked until they found the road that led to Sirius's flat.
"Hang on, we need food," Sirius announced as they passed a chip shop on the other side of the street, and he took off without even bothering to check that no cars were coming.
"Don't you have food in your flat?" Lily asked, scrambling after him in her heels.
"That's unlikely," Mary pointed out, jogging to catch up with them. "Probably just bread and a jar of peanut butter. Maybe some Bertie Botts if we're lucky."
"Hey!" Sirius protested. "I also have half a bag of crisps! Wait, actually, no, I don't, I ate those."
"Padfoot!" James called. He waited for a car to drive passed before crossing the street with Remus and Peter following. "Why don't I just go in and order for everyone?" He glanced at Remus and Peter, who were leaning heavily on each other, and at Mary and Lily, who were now in hysterics over Sirius's crisps comment. "We might cause a bit of a scene if we all go in."
Sirius shook his head. "Nope, nothing doing, Prongs. We're all going in. No man left behind." He did not wait for James to argue, but instead pulled open the door of the shop and ushered everyone inside.
"Hullo, mate," James said, giving the man behind the counter a friendly wave in hopes that it would start their interaction off on a positive note. He made no reply but gave the merest nod; James did not think this was a good sign.
"What do you want, Lil?" Mary asked, turning to Lily over her shoulder to take her order.
"Chips," Lily replied.
"She'll have chips," Mary said to the man behind the counter.
"Yes, I gathered that," he snapped. "Heard her with my own ears."
"No need to be bloody rude," Sirius said, crossing his arms and glaring at the man.
The man sighed. He glanced over at Peter, who was slumped against Remus with his eyes closed, then at Remus, who had just taken a sip from the bottle of whiskey when he thought nobody was paying attention.
"No," he said in a flat tone.
"No what?" Sirius asked, frowning.
"No, I'm not serving you and your drunk friends. That one's asleep over there, that one's drinking in the shop, and these girls can't even stop giggling long enough to order bloody chips. It's been a long day already, and I'm not dealing with it. Get out of my shop, mate."
Mary and Lily gaped at the man in astonishment, then looked at each other and burst into laughter. Remus tapped Peter on the shoulder and attempted to urge him along, but Sirius made no move to leave.
"I'm not bloody leaving," Sirius replied, staring back at the man with a stubborn expression on his face. "We have a right to order food, even if we are a bit drunk. And if you refuse to serve us, what sort of bloody proprietor are you, anyway?"
"A smart one," the man answered. "Get the fuck out."
"Come on, Padfoot," James said, putting a hand on Sirius's shoulder. "At this point he's just going to spit in our food anyway." He glanced at Remus and Peter. "We should get back while Wormtail's still capable of keeping his eyes open. Plus, I'd say Moony has maybe 45 minutes before he pukes, less if he keeps drinking."
Sirius sighed but nodded. "Yeah, all right." He began walking towards the door, then turned back and pointed at the man behind the counter. "I don't like you," he said, scowling.
"The feeling's mutual, mate," the man said, and he didn't take his eyes off the group until the door had swung shut on the last of them.
The rest of the walk back was uneventful, and after navigating the stairs with difficulty they all tumbled through the door of Sirius's flat and collapsed in various spots in his living room.
"What a night," Lily remarked, taking another sip of whiskey as she sat down cross legged on the floor.
"Do you think you need any more of that?" Remus asked, plucking the bottle from her grasp and taking a long swallow.
"Do you?" Lily asked pointedly, and he grinned and set it on the coffee table.
"Yeah, fair," he replied, stretching his legs out on the floor and leaning back against the sofa. "Mary, did you have a good birthday?"
"It's been brilliant," Mary said. She sat curled on the couch with her head on the armrest. "Lily, I wish you could've seen me drive that car. It was wild."
"I know, I can't believe we missed that," James remarked, returning from the bedroom where he has deposited a snoring Peter on the bottom bunk. "Although you lot missed Evans serenading the entire pub."
James had just finished describing Lily's performance, complete with a reenactment of her dance moves, when Sirius came in from the kitchen with a plate of peanut butter sandwiches.
"It's not chips, but I suppose it'll do," he said, handing them around before sprawling out next to Remus. "Prongs, put on some music, will you?" He retrieved the bottle of whiskey from the coffee table and took a sip, then held it out of reach when Remus made a grab for it. "Get out of here, Moony, you don't need any more. Eat your bloody sandwich."
"Don't tell me what to do, Padfoot," Remus argued, trying in vain to snatch the bottle from Sirius's grasp. "I don't want a sandwich, I want another drink." He grabbed Sirius's wrist and reached for the bottle with his other hand, completely forgetting about the sandwich he was holding and watching in amusement as it fell onto the rug.
"Ooh, now you're in trouble," Lily said, pointing at the sandwich before meeting Remus's gaze and bursting into laughter.
"Remus Mortimer Lupin, you better eat that bloody sandwich!" Sirius picked up the sandwich and thrust it at Remus, but he waved it away.
"I'm not eating that, it fell on the floor," Remus protested. "You eat it, if you're so keen." He fell silent for a moment, then his face lit up. "You have any chocolate? I would eat chocolate. Even if it has fallen on the floor, although that would not be my preference."
"Ooh, I have chocolate!" Lily exclaimed, reaching into her bag and pulling out a set of keys, a lipstick, and handful of coins. "It should be in here somewhere…" Her face fell. "Wait, shit, I ate it." She rested a hand on Remus's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, I lied! What a rubbish friend I am."
Remus tilted his head sideways and grinned at her. "That's all right," he said, chuckling. "You are not a rubbish friend. You are an excellent friend, because you cover prefect duties for me and you appreciate a quiet afternoon of reading in the common room and" he jabbed a finger into the air for emphasis "you don't try to force feed me sandwiches from the floor." He glared at Sirius and stuck his tongue out.
"Aww." Lily leaned over and hugged Remus. "That's so sweet." She rested her head back against the sofa and let her eyes drift shut.
"Evans, I notice you didn't eat your sandwich either," Sirius pointed out, shaking his head in disapproval. "You're both going to puke, and I'm not going to feel bad at all."
"Liar," Remus said. He turned his head to face Sirius, an expression of lazy, relaxed contentment on his face. "You always feel bad when I puke, except that time I puked on your jacket and you were bloody furious, which was understandable."
"Oh, shut it, Moony, you're drunk," Sirius muttered, grinning.
"What's everyone doing tomorrow?" Mary asked, licking peanut butter from her fingers. "I've got the day off tomorrow. First Sunday off all summer."
"We've got Sunday lunch with my parents," James said. "You should come."
"Oh, that's all right. I wouldn't want to impose," Mary said.
"Don't be silly," James said, spotting a Quaffle lying underneath the coffee table and reaching for it then tossing it from hand to hand. "They'd love to have you. They always make extra food to send Sirius home with anyway because they assume he'd starve if they didn't, which is probably true, actually." He grinned at Sirius then held the Quaffle aloft for a moment before tossing it in his friend's direction. Apparently Sirius was accustomed to having Quaffles thrown at him with very little warning, because he caught it one-handed and threw it back while eating his sandwich with the other hand.
"Evans, you should come too," James added, standing to catch the Quaffle, then climbing onto the arm of the sofa to throw it behind his back to Sirius.
"No trick throws, mate," Sirius complained, catching the Quaffle anyway. "This is drunken, lazy, throw from a seated position sort of pass." He tossed it back, and James reached out and snatched it out of the air.
"Really?" Lily asked. She looked over at James, still perched on the arm of the sofa, and he grinned and nodded.
"Yeah, really. My parents would love it if you came. We can all go in the pool after, or play a bit of Quidditch or something. It'll be brilliant."
"Yeah, all right," she said, nodding.
"Watch it, Evans," Sirius cautioned, and she ducked, expecting to see the Quaffle flying at her head, but it was still clutched to James's chest. A moment later his meaning became clear when Remus lurched to his feet, and she hastily drew her knees in so he could stumble past her to the bathroom without tripping.
"How did you know he was about to do that?" she demanded, staring at Sirius in astonishment. "What, do you have some sort of sixth sense that tells you when someone's about to puke?"
Sirius smiled wryly. "I suppose you could put it that way. I just got good at recognizing the signs after the aforementioned jacket incident. Won't make that mistake twice."
"Is he all right?" Mary asked. She had slumped down on the sofa and had her legs dangling over the armrest. "Should I go check on him or bring him some water or something?" Her brow was furrowed in concern, but she made no move to sit up.
"No, don't," James replied. He jumped down from the sofa and lay down on the rug, then began to toss the Quaffle into the air. "He's a very private puker. Doesn't like it when people make a fuss. He doesn't even make a lot of noise when he pukes. He's very… Damn, what's the word I'm looking for? Moony would know."
"I bet you're a bloody loud puker, Black, aren't you?" Mary asked. She swung her legs down and placed them on either side of Sirius's head, then began tugging his hair into a French braid.
"'Course I am," Sirius said, leaning back so she didn't have to pull so hard. "But to be fair, I'm loud when I do most things." He reached up to feel the top of his head, but Mary slapped his hand away.
"Wait till I'm finished or you'll wreck it." She finished braiding the ends of his hair and secured it with a hair tie from her wrist. "Don't you lot think he should wear his hair like this all the time?" She surveyed her work with satisfaction, then slumped back against the couch cushions as though exhausted by her effort.
"I think it's brilliant," James said, tugging the end of Sirius's braid and grinning. "Although it'd look better with a bow or ribbon or something, don't you think?"
"I agree," Remus added, returning to his spot on the floor next to Lily. He looked slightly pale and clammy, and he seemed to be having trouble staying awake.
"Go to bed, Moony," James urged him. "You can have my bed."
"No, that's all right," Remus argued. "I'll take the top bunk, it'll be fine."
"Don't be stupid, you'll fall and break your neck. Take my bed, and I'll either crawl in with you in a bit or fall asleep on the floor out here - the rug's actually quite comfortable."
"Why don't you just sleep on the sofa?" Lily suggested.
"You're sleeping on the sofa, Evans," James said, rolling his eyes.
"Oh, am I?" She blinked several times, trying to clear her head. "I thought I might apparate home."
James laughed. "Not bloody likely. You'll splinch yourself or puke or both. Take the sofa, it's quite comfortable."
She shrugged and nodded, mostly because she lacked the energy to argue.
"I suppose I'd better go to bed," Mary said, hoisting herself to her feet and stifling a yawn. "You coming, Black, or are you going to stay up a while longer?" She looked at Sirius, a sly smile on her face, and he raised his eyebrows at her and got to his feet.
"I'm coming," he replied, then glanced at James and Remus and grinned. "See you tossers in the morning. Sleep well, Evans, and try not to puke on my sofa." He turned and followed Mary into the bedroom, shutting the door behind them.
James stood, then offered Remus a hand up.
"I'm all right, Prongs, really," Remus assured him, declining James's offer to help him to bed. "Have fun, you two." He looked from Lily to James, a knowing smile on his face, before walking unsteadily into the second bedroom without bothering to shut the door. A moment later they heard the sound of the bed springs squeaking as he collapsed onto the bed, fully-clothed.
James crossed the room and gently shut the door before heading for the kitchen, returning a moment later with a box of Bertie Botts.
"You tired, Evans?" he asked, plopping down on the couch and shaking a few beans into his hand before offering her the box. "You can come sit up here if you like, by the way, unless you prefer the floor."
She smiled and sat down next to him, accepting the box and digging around until she found a grass-flavored bean. "I don't fancy going to sleep, to be honest." She popped the Bertie Botts into her mouth, chewing and swallowing before she continued. "Things are a bit spinny. I don't think closing my eyes would help."
He frowned and touched her shoulder, his eyes full of concern. "You all right? Sorry, I shouldn't have made you drink so much."
She laughed. "Don't be stupid, you didn't force the tequila down my throat. I'll be fine, just talk to me for a bit to take my mind off it." She reached for the Chudley Cannons blanket thrown over the back of the sofa and draped it over her legs. "Unless you're tired and would rather go to bed."
He shook his head. "Nah, I'm not that tired." He reached for the Quaffle resting by his feet and began to toss it idly from hand to hand. "You done the summer homework for Transfiguration yet?"
She glanced sideways at him and burst into laughter. "Three tequila shots and countless pints in, and you want to talk about Transfiguration?"
He shrugged. "I dunno, I thought it'd take your mind off the spins. We can talk about Potions if you'd rather, or, I dunno, music, or Sleekeazy's, or goblin rebellions, or, hang on, what do you think about Sirius and Mary?"
She held up a hand and tiptoed across the room, then pressed her ear against Sirius's bedroom door for a moment before hurrying back to the sofa.
"Are they asleep or shagging?" James asked, smirking.
"Shagging, which is probably better, to be honest, because they're less likely to pay attention to anything we're saying out here," she replied, though she lowered her voice nonetheless. "Anyway, I think they're absolutely head over heels in love with each other, and it's so bloody obvious to everyone except them."
"Completely fucking obvious!" James agreed. "How can they not realize it?" He stopped tossing the Quaffle back and forth and began spinning it on one finger, watching it rotate until it made him dizzy and he set it down on the couch cushions.
"Cause they're idiots," she said with a shrug. "Sorry, I didn't even ask if you wanted any blanket." She tugged the side of the orange blanket and offered it to him.
"Sure," he said, tucking the blanket around his legs even though the breeze drifting in from the open window was balmy and he did not feel cold at all. He was acutely aware of how close their legs were, how close their hands were resting on top of the Cannons blanket, and he cast around for something to say to distract himself.
"I'm excited that you're going to come tomorrow," he blurted, then immediately wished he hadn't, because maybe she had changed her mind and was trying to think of a way to tell him without hurting his feelings.
"I am too," she said, and the open, earnest smile on her face surprised him. "I'm looking forward to talking with your parents."
"You are?" He glanced sideways at her, trying to read her expression.
"Yeah, I am. I'm going to offer them my condolences that they've had to put up with you for the last seventeen years." She laughed, then ducked as he tossed the Quaffle in her direction. "Hey! I told you my head's spinning. How's hitting me with a Quaffle supposed to help?"
"Relax, Evans. I aimed high on purpose. If I'd intended to hit you, I would have." He leaned back against the couch cushions and rested his feet on the coffee table, careful not to pull the blanket from her lap. "But I suppose that wasn't very nice, I'm sorry. You want some water or something?"
"No, I'm okay." She shifted position and smoothed the blanket over her legs, brushing her hand against his. Neither of them moved for a moment; James was sure his heart was pounding loud enough for everyone in the flat to hear. Slowly, as if afraid to startle a butterfly or bird into flight, he moved his hand until it rested on top of hers before lacing their fingers together. He stared down at their entwined fingers, gently tracing his thumb over hers, then looked up to meet her gaze. She smiled at him, a nervous, uncertain smile, and she opened her mouth to speak, but then abruptly yanked her hand away and rose from the couch, knocking the Cannons blanket to the floor in a tangle of orange fleece as she raced to the bathroom.
"Shit," James muttered, taking several deep breaths to get himself under control before rising and following her to the bathroom. "Evans?" he said, knocking softly on the door.
"I'm fine, be out in a minute," she called, before the unmistakable sound of vomit splashing into the toilet met his ears.
"Evans, I'm coming in," he said before pushing open the bathroom door and kneeling down next to her.
"Go away, Potter," she pleaded, wiping her mouth and trying to hold her hair out of her face. "I'll be fine in a minute." She met his gaze, then sighed and went back to staring into the toilet bowl. "Merlin, this is embarrassing." She lost her grip on her hair and it tumbled down around her face.
James ignored her entreaties and gently combed her hair back from her face and gathered it in his fist. "Don't see what there is to be embarrassed about," he replied, then began counting on his fingers as he listed each incident. "Remus puked earlier, Peter fell asleep at the chip shop, Sirius had to run from the pub to avoid being arrested for stealing a bottle of liquor from behind the bar, and I have possibly the worst dance moves in the entire country, besides yours, of course." He paused for a moment, wracking his brain. "I don't think Mary did anything too embarrassing tonight, except being completely oblivious to her feelings for Sirius, but it's her birthday, so I suppose we can give her a pass. Point is, we're friends, so there's no need to be embarrassed about something you have no control over, and you can continue to tell me to leave, but I'm not letting you vomit all over your hair, so you may as well save your breath."
She turned to face him, a grateful smile spreading over her face. "Thanks, Potter. That means-" she began, before whipping around and vomiting once again, barely making it into the toilet bowl this time. James kept her hair held back in one hand while he rubbed slow circles on her back with his other hand. After a minute her shoulders stopped heaving, and she wiped her mouth and flushed the toilet.
"You good?" he asked, maintaining his grip on her hair just in case.
"I think so." She tried to stand, and he released her hair and helped her to her feet. "Do you know where Sirius keeps his toothpaste? I'm just going to swish some around my mouth and hope it makes me feel less pathetic and disgusting."
He pointed to a drawer below the sink, then left to give her a moment to herself. When she emerged a few minutes later and joined him in the living room, he handed her a glass of water and some of the clothes he kept at Sirius's flat for nights he stayed over.
"I figured you might want to change into something more comfortable," he said, tactfully avoiding looking directly at the small amount of sick that now spattered the front of her dress. While she changed in the bathroom he spread a blanket on the floor in front of the couch and removed his shoes, then sprawled out, finding it to be more comfortable than he had expected.
"Aren't you going to change, too?" Lily asked. She stood by the sofa, barefoot and clad in James's sweatpants and a t-shirt he had gotten at the Quidditch World Cup years ago. It felt odd, seeing her wearing his clothes, and it somehow seemed almost more intimate than seeing her naked.
"Oh." James glanced down at his own t-shirt and jeans and shrugged. "Well, I usually get too hot for actual pajamas in the summer, and I thought it might be too weird if you came out to find me sitting here in my underwear."
She laughed and sat down on the couch. "You just held my hair while I threw up. I think we've reached the level of friendship where I can see you in your underwear without it changing the way I think of you."
He grinned. "Yeah, that's fair." He stood and stripped off his clothes, tossing them onto the floor and sitting down on his makeshift bed, trying not to notice if Lily was watching him.
"You're really going to sleep on the floor?" She lay down on the couch and pulled the Cannons blanket over herself, rolling over to face him with her legs curled into her body. "What if I wake up and puke on you? Wouldn't you be more comfortable sharing the bed with Remus?"
"Nah, I'm just as likely to get puked on sleeping with Remus. Plus, you wouldn't think so, but he's a total bed hog. I don't mind the floor." He stood to shut the light off, then padded back to his spot. Her face was now in shadow except for the dim moonlight that crept in through the window. "Do you feel better now?"
She pulled the blanket up higher so it stopped just above her chin. "Sort of. I won't die or anything, but the world is still spinning a bit." She hesitated. "Maybe, that is, if it's not too weird, maybe you could rub my back like you were doing before?" A wan smile crept over her face. "It was nice, and it helped a bit."
Her small request made him so happy that he forgot to consciously not think about wearing only his underwear in front of her. "Course it's not too weird," he replied, grinning like an idiot and hoping it was too dark for her to properly see. "Like you said, we've reached a new level of friendship." He scooted closer to the sofa as she rolled over, then he began to run his hands over her back as she let her eyes drift shut.
"Thanks, Potter," she murmured, her voice already heavy with sleep. "Thanks for being so nice to me."
He didn't reply, but continued to rub her back for another five minutes to ensure she was actually asleep before kissing her head softly and stretching out on the floor. He replayed the best parts of the evening as he drifted off to sleep, a smile still on his lips.
"Guess what I just saw?" Mary set down two glasses of water on the bedside table and crawled back under the covers, settling her head in its usual resting place on Sirius's chest.
"Hmm?" Sirius lay in a satisfied stupor, too lazy to even reach for his cigarettes. He reached up to brush a strand of Mary's hair out of his face, then wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer.
"Lily's in your bathroom puking her guts out - not a quiet puker, by the way - and James is fucking holding her hair back and rubbing her back. Cutest bloody thing I've ever seen in my life." She sighed and pulled the blanket closer around them.
"Aww, Macdonald, that is bloody adorable." He gazed up at the ceiling, feeling an uncharacteristic upwelling of hope and excitement. "I mean, as adorable as puking can be, I suppose."
"Listen to our cynical, non-sentimental arses gushing over romance like love isn't a bunch of overrated rubbish," she said, chuckling.
"Well, for them it's not," Sirius pointed out. "For them it's the real thing. It's rare, but it's so bloody nice to see, isn't it? Don't tell anyone I said this, but it kind of gives me hope for the state of this fucked up world."
"I feel the same way," Mary replied, letting her eyes drift shut.
I feel the same way. Something about her words sparked a memory, and all of a sudden that drunken conversation at the payphone came crashing back to him. Sirius lay there, unable to move or speak, as the tangle of emotions weighed on his chest. He thought about Mary, curled up next to him like nothing had changed, and he had to remind himself that nothing had, in fact, changed, except he now remembered what a bloody drunken idiot he had been several weeks ago. Did Mary remember that conversation? Had she been drunk, too? He couldn't be sure. Or did she remember but hoped refusing to acknowledge or talk about it would make the whole situation fade from their memories? I feel the same way. He could hear her speaking these words, could recall the exact feeling of the telephone in his hand and the way his heart had leapt when his drunken mind had grasped the meaning of what she was telling him. But had she meant it, or was it just a throwaway comment, something she'd said in the heat of the moment only to regret it the next day? He turned these thoughts over and over in his mind, finally slipping into a fitful sleep.
When Sirius opened his eyes the next morning and threw his arm over his face to block out the bright sunlight, the other side of the bed was empty.
"Macdonald?" he called, but there was no reply. "Macdonald? Prongs? Moony?"
Peter poked his head into the room, rubbing his eyes and frowning. "Why are you shouting?" He crossed the room and sat on the edge of Sirius's bed, then rested his head in his hands. "I feel like I fell asleep in public last night. I did, didn't I?"
"Twice," Sirius confirmed, grinning. "Where's Moony? Is he alive?" He raised his voice. "Moony!"
"Bloody hell, stop shouting." Remus stood in the doorway; he was clad in one of his usual cardigans and his pale face was drawn into a scowl.
"Moony!" Sirius pushed himself into a seated position. "Did you snog some random blonde girl from the pub last night, or did I dream that?"
"That really happened," Peter said, glancing at Remus and flashing him an approving smile. "I was awake for that much, at least."
"Excellent," Sirius said, grinning. "Best day of my life!"
"That's my line," Remus complained.
"Where's Prongs?" Sirius asked. He opened his mouth to shout again.
"Padfoot, if you shout again I will fucking murder you," Remus said, crossing his arms and glaring at Sirus. "I think he's gone out for a run, because it's just Lily and Mary out there."
"I hope he thinks to pick up some breakfast for us on the way back," Sirius said, before throwing back the blankets and heaving himself out of bed. He headed into the kitchen, pulling a jar of peanut butter and a spoon from a cabinet before wandering into the living room.
"Morning, Evans, Macdonald," he said, sitting down in the armchair and unscrewing the jar of peanut butter. "Want some breakfast?"
Mary lay slumped on the couch with the Cannons blanket pulled over her head and made no reply. Lily raised her eyebrows at him. "By breakfast, do you mean peanut butter straight from the jar?"
He nodded, his mouth full, then swallowed and licked the spoon. "I had bread, but we ate it all last night. Also, I think this is the last clean spoon, so you'll have to wash your own, or you can use this one if you don't mind."
She laughed. "I'm good, thanks."
Sirius shrugged, then dipped his spoon back into the jar of peanut butter. "Suit yourself." He surveyed her borrowed clothes and gave her an appraising look. "Nice outfit."
She glanced down and blushed. "I borrowed some clothes from James," she explained.
"Yeah, I gathered that," he said, popping the spoon into his mouth and speaking with his mouth full. "How are you feeling this morning?"
She frowned at him, then covered her face with her hands and groaned. "Did everyone hear?"
He shrugged. "Just me and Macdonald, I think. No need to be embarrassed. I got really drunk at a family Christmas party, must've been 3rd year, and threw up all over my cousin Bellatrix's shoes." He grinned at the memory. "She lost her fucking mind, it was actually brilliant, so sorry, that was a bad story to tell to make you feel better, but I'm sure you can think of at least three other examples of things I've done that are more embarrassing than you getting drunk and throwing up in the actual toilet like a responsible adult."
"Responsible adult?" James strode into the living room, clutching a takeaway bag and a tray of coffees. "I assume you're not talking about yourself." He wore trainers, running shorts, and an old t-shirt, and his face was slightly sweaty.
"You did bring us breakfast!" Sirius set down the jar of peanut butter, not bothering to remove the spoon, and held out his hand for the takeaway bag. "Prongs, you're such a pal."
"I figured you didn't have anything besides a jar of peanut butter," James said, reaching into the bag and tossing Sirius a bacon roll, then handing him a coffee from the tray. "Evans, you hungry?" He set a bacon roll and a cup of coffee on the table in front of her. "Macdonald, that you under the blanket?"
She peeked her head out, then sat up and stretched. "Thanks for breakfast," she said, accepting a cup of coffee and taking a large gulp. "Did you go for a run, you freak?"
"He always does," Remus remarked. He took a seat on the floor in front of Sirius's chair, clutching a glass of water and squinting against the sunlight streaming through the window. "Nice jumper, Macdonald." He nodded at the old cardigan Mary had taken to wearing and grinned.
"Ooh, this is yours, isn't it?" She glanced down at it and smiled guiltily. "Sorry, it's just so comfortable. I've been wearing it all summer, to tell you the truth, but you can have it back-"
He shook his head. "Nah, that's all right, keep it. I have plenty more." He gestured down at the jumper he currently wore. "No, it's all right, Sirius can have mine," he said to James, waving away the bacon roll and looking slightly sick.
"Figured you'd say that," James said, pulling a bar of chocolate from his pocket and handing it to Remus, who accepted it with a grateful smile. "Eat up, everyone." He passed the bag to Peter, who sat down next to Remus and unwrapped it eagerly. "You all need to be alive and well in a couple hours, because my parents are expecting us, and it looks like an excellent day for Quidditch."
"Bloody hell." Sirius crammed the rest of his bacon roll into his mouth and reached for the second one. "How is it that every day I'm hungover as fuck is an excellent day for Quidditch?"
James settled next to Lily on the sofa, careful to maintain enough distance between them; he didn't want to push his luck. "That's because most days are excellent days for Quidditch. Also, you are hungover as fuck more often than the average person."
Lily held up her arm, examining a conspicuous-looking bruise. "Anyone know where I got this?" she asked.
Remus grinned. "Same way I got this, I think." He rolled up the sleeve of his cardigan to show off an even larger bruise. "I have another one on my arse, too, but I won't show you that."
"What happened?" Lily said, then her hand flew to her mouth as an expression of recognition spread over her face. "Oh, Merlin, I dropped you, didn't I?"
Remus nodded. "It's quite all right. I enjoyed the piggyback ride, even if it was cut short."
James glanced at Lily. "I'll forgive you for dropping my friend if you promise to come to my house. You're still coming, aren't you?"
She swallowed her mouthful of coffee and nodded. "Yeah, I'll have to go home and change first. I think it'd be weird to show up at your parents' house wearing your clothes. But I'll come." She looked suspiciously happy for someone who had consumed such a large quantity of alcohol the night before.
Mary looked over at Sirius and raised her eyebrows, and he gave her a tiny nod. Things were definitely moving in the right direction on the James and Lily front. The words I feel the same way echoed in his head once again, but he pushed this to the back of his mind to examine later. Today was too bright and sunny for complex emotions. Today was for lunch at the Potters, with way too much food and everyone talking at once, and for makeshift Quidditch games even though Peter was only mediocre and Remus could barely stay on a broom, and for cannonball contests in the pool and games of Exploding Snap and making elaborate plans for the coming school year. There would be time to examine this newly uncovered memory later.