A/N: Inspired by the shirtless James Potter fanart and accompanying blurb by ConstanceZin, available on tumblr.
Thanks to Mah for the beta!
Summer is almost here, bringing a lot of finals with it.
Namely, the Quidditch final, and the final exams.
Lily Evans only really cares about the latter. She's a top student, aiming to be Head Girl next year. So far her track record has been impeccable and she has no intention of spoiling it.
Quidditch, on the other hand, carries precious little significance in her life. It brings home some House points, which is nice. And the victories are cause for partying, which isn't so bad either.
Other than that, though, she has no interest in Quidditch.
And she certainly, most definitely, has no interest in Quidditch players.
So she sits in the Gryffindor common room, on the window ledge, doing what really interests her: studying Charms from the heavy book lying open on her lap.
If her gaze drifts outside, it's got nothing to do with her classmates flying around on their broomsticks. And especially, nothing to do with that insufferable swellhead of a captain, who has removed his shirt and is zooming around the pitch, his chest and back glistening with sweat under the May sun.
The May sun, that's the real culprit. Shining its bright light on the blossoming nature, catching her eye, warming the castle walls to the point where sitting inside and studying is almost torture.
So she moves her studying session outside, to the grounds.
The fact that the Gryffindor Quidditch team is still visible from where she sits is purely coincidental. They're up high; they're visible from everywhere, really.
She's much closer to them now than before, that said, but the spot she's chosen is honestly ideal for studying. The grass is soft, the sun rays fall on her book at a perfect angle and a soft breeze caresses her exposed neck, as her hair is styled in a high ponytail that keeps it off her face.
Sometimes – often – a voice carries over to her from the Quidditch pitch. It's strong – not loud for the sake of it, but firm and commanding, its timbre clear and just low enough to remind her that its owner is not a child anymore.
It draws her attention – sounds are meant to do that, aren't they? – and makes her look up, her eyes involuntarily following the underdressed figure it belongs to, until the blinding sunlight forces her to turn away.
She continues her highly effective studying, until the voice announces the end of practice; she watches the team – the whole team, of course – until they land and disappear from sight, then returns to her textbook, to discover all the secrets of the Liquifying Charms.
Several minutes pass until she hears the voice again, much closer to her now.
"You're gonna get a sunburn, Evans."
She looks up; James Potter is standing a few feet away from her, still shirtless, still sweaty, the hint of a smirk playing on his lips.
"What about you, then?"
"I'm not a redhead."
Indeed, he's not. His messy, windswept hair is jet black, and his skin is a natural, Mediterranean tan that seems to love the sun. It glows with a healthy flush after the intense exposure, and Lily notices the way it spreads all over his body, her eyes shamelessly scanning his torso, following the thin hairline starting right below his chest and running all the way down to the hem of his sweatpants.
It's all fair game, really. If he didn't want her to look, he shouldn't have shown up half-naked and interrupted her.
His hand reaches up, fingers combing disobedient strands of hair away from his forehead; his eyes, golden like the sun above them, are trained on her, his mouth half-open to draw short breaths that may or may not be due to the hours of exercise.
She's noticed it before; her gaze makes him uncomfortable. For all his cockiness, and the sheer nerve of exposing his body in a way that invites everyone's eyes, her stare seems to be more than he can handle. And if the deliberately provocative way she observes his body could justify his discomfort, Lily is certain that she could be looking straight into his eyes and he'd still be just as flustered.
So she does.
And he is.
He tries to swallow, and his tongue runs over his upper lip – dry with dehydration from the exercise, she's sure, and nothing else.
"I'm going to take a shower," he croaks, and his hand tangles in his hair once again before he hastily scrambles away, headed to the castle.
Her gaze idly follows him until he disappears behind a row of tall shrubs surrounding the building, then it falls on the book resting on her lap again.
She throws a contemplative glance at it, then snaps it closed and rises to her feet.
Her studying concluded for the day, she returns to the Gryffindor common room to hang out with her friends; only much later does she decide that she ought to take a look at the Solidifying Charms tomorrow morning.
And the fact that this happens mere moments after James Potter announces an extra practice session for tomorrow morning is purely coincidental.
I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a comment if you liked it!
For more content and updates on my writing, find me on tumblr (annabtg) and AO3 (AnnaBtG).