#April Jily challenge

[blitheringmcgonagall]

P.S. I Still Wait for You

Every time I think of you I always catch my breath And I'm still standing here And you're miles away And I'm wondering why you left And there's a storm that's raging Through my frozen heart tonight I hear your name in certain circles And it always makes me smile

 I spend my time Thinking about you And it's almost driving me wild And that's my heart that's breaking Down this long distance line tonight

I ain't missing you at all Since you've been gone away I ain't missing you No matter What my friends say

Missing You by John Waite (1984)

 @jilychallenge @jilychallenge2023

@sosohh My partner in fic: just about made it in unfinished 🤣🤣

Prompt:

Words we should never have left unsaid and/or PS I still wait for you

  He still doesn’t know why she left. She never explained. Worse than that, she never said goodbye. He can’t even remember what she was wearing the last time he saw her. He hadn’t spoken to her for a few days, she had been busy with her new job, he’d been busy with his. They’d just won the war. A miracle. He was trying out for a place on the English Quidditch team, she had just been accepted onto the Healers Training Scheme in St Mungo’s. They had been together for two years, sharing a flat. He had never felt happier. Sirius had just done the preliminary exam for the School of Law – and been accepted, much to Walburga’s horror, if the Howler had been anything to go by. Remus had turned down his offer to finance him through an apprenticeship or to buy him a bookshop to manage, and instead had gotten himself a precarious job in a second-hand bookshop. Typical Moony. Peter had started a shit job in the Ministry of Magical Transport and promptly started looking for another one, rightly so.

It was a time of potential, excitement, euphoria. Voldemort was dead. And then she had disappeared.

She was fine. Marlene and Dorcas had been in touch with her. Relocated to Canada. Montreal. He didn’t even think she could speak French. He didn’t know what she was doing there. She had cut herself off from the wix world completely.

He isn’t missing her at all, since she’s been gone, it’s been nearly three years. He’s fine. He gets up every day, showers, apparates to Puddlemere United grounds in Dorset, and trains himself into the ground. Meets up with his mates regularly. Eyerolls at the obliviousness of two of them – dancing around each other, saying nothing. The evenings are the worst.

He spends too much time thinking about her. He needs to stop. She’s fine, he’s fine, they are all fine. He still has a tiny passport sized picture of them in his muggle wallet, taken at a funfair in a photo booth. He is grinning like an idiot, glasses askew. She has her head thrown back, mouth wide open, eyes shining. It’s in black and white and doesn’t move. He pretends he’s forgotten. But it’s still there, behind the pound notes he hardly ever uses. Like his heart. Still stuck in 1981.

He hears her name in certain circles – acquaintances from the class of ‘78. Despite everything, despite himself, hearing her name always makes him smile. He’s transported back to his school days. The incessant banter, the witty comebacks, the arguments over the tiniest things – excuses to talk to each other. Both smitten. Both madly in love. Or so he had thought. So had they all.

But they had been wrong.

“Lily Evans – do you hear much from her?”

“Do you guys keep in touch?”

“What’s she at these days?”

He pretends it doesn’t hurt, each time.

“We lost touch,” he says, making it sound so relaxed, so trivial, so grown up and disinterested.

He tried dating other people since she left. For two years. It wasn’t fair on them and it wasn’t fair on him. Now he doesn’t bother. He just needs to get his arse into gear and meet the right person. Or perhaps he still waits for her - an irrelevant, outdated postscript. He hasn’t tried contacting her. He isn’t a weirdo. He respects her decision. He just thinks if he knew what he did wrong it would somehow make it all more bearable.

 ***

 Remus and Sirius finally get together. He moved out, hoping that might move things along. He’s right. When it finally happens it’s domestic, uncomplicated. They talk late into the night one evening, over a bottle of red wine. Sirius has been hinting for years that he loves Remus, but the oblivious arse is too thick to notice it. And yet, he is the one to make the first move.

There’s no turning back. They get together in September – warm sunshine, hazy languid warmth hanging on to the glorious ebbing of summer. By October they are engaged. November and it’s done nothing but rain for weeks on end and they are planning a wedding. He and Peter are best men.

The date of the Wedding is December 21st, Winter Solstice. She had left on December 22nd, 1981. He isn’t missing her at all.

“She’s coming,” Sirius tells him, sticking his chin out, ready for a fight; but his eyes are guarded, like he’s concerned, protective.

“What?”

“We invited her.”

He knows who she is.

“Why?”

“Remus wanted her to be here. I wanted her to come. She was one of our best friends.”

He doesn’t answer, clenches his jaw and fidgets with the mug of tea in his hands. He can’t veto his best friends’ wedding guests. But he wants to. So badly. He clears his throat, stares at the grain of wood on the table, says nothing.

Sirius waits. He doesn’t feel anything. Except perhaps frozen.

“Alright,” he says eventually.

His voice sounds gravelly, scratchy, like someone else is talking. Sirius stands behind him, places a hand on his shoulder, squeezes it tight.

“Thank you,” he says.

Like he understands how big a thing this is.

He has four weeks to get used to it.

He doesn’t.

[wearingaberetinparis]

April Jily Challenge: If You Knew Who Was Talking

Fic written for the April @jilychallenge, loosely based on the prompt: “Haha if we lived together you would get more sleep because I would always make you come to bed with me.” “Haha, if you lived with me, we would get very little sleep, Hahahahaha.”

Word Count: 6532 Words

hopelessly_devoted and genuinely-conflicted form each other’s support system online, cheering one another on as they battle their way through an unrequited (and most definitely unwanted) crush on the person their parents are trying to set them up with.

In the real world, James Potter and Lily Evans find themselves hopelessly devoted and genuinely conflicted when battling their persistent infatuation with the last person they would have ever liked to fall for, stubbornly fighting their family’s and friends’ convictions that they were born to be together.

If only they knew who was talking.

[jilychallenge]

April Jily Challenge: Letters & Texting

Sign up for this month's Jilychallenge: Letters & Texting

Writing secret notes during class, writing love letters to each other during the long Summer months, finding a note with a secret, texting the wrong number or hitting send on a message you just wanted to type and look at? Sound like it could be Jily? We think it does! Come participate in the April Jily Challenge to create your version of a James & Lily love letter.

Each pair of creators will receive a prompt from us to spark your ideas. You are always free to use and interpret your prompt as loosely as you want.

how to enter:

Please reblog this post by the 31 of March, tagging with what you'd like to make (for example #one-shot, #writing, #art, #drawing, #mood board, #playlist etc. You can be as vague or specific as you like)

Alternatively, you may also sign up on the JilyChallenge discord.

At the beginning of the month, we will assign you a partner and you will receive your prompt (here or on JilyChallenge Discord). Keep an eye on this blog or Discord and please check your messages on Tumblr.

(optional) Please follow the jilychallenge Tumblrblog and @jilychallenge2023 for updates.

(optional) join the Jily Challenge on Discord (send an ask for an invite)

when posting: 

creators should try to post their entries by the end of the month

please tag your partner and the jilychallenge in your post (including the theme and your prompt, if possible)

we will reblog all entries tagged #jilychallenge

if you post your art or story on ao3, please add it to the collection of Jily Challenges 2023

If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to send us a message or ask! If you have an idea for a theme for an upcoming month, we'd love to hear it!

[sosohh]

@jilychallenge | Partner: @blitheringmcgonagall  | April 2023: Letters and Texting.

Prompt: First date - “ Words We Should Never Have Left Unsaid / P.S I Still Wait For You’.

I’m so sorry it’s late but I literally had to force this thing out of my birth canal. xoxo

Also mahoosive thanks to @blitheringmcgonagall who helped me decide the most embarrassing events to happen in chapter 1

Read it on AO3

Words we should (never) have left unsaid 

or 

I just keep waiting for the day when I’m not an idiot around you.

If you asked James Potter if he loved the theatre, he would answer very diplomatically that ‘yeah, it was alright’, and ‘sometimes the tunes get stuck in your head, you know’, and ‘my mother brought me up on a diet of show tunes, I can’t help that I sing them out loud sometimes, God’. 

As a matter of fact, being a naturally curious and inquisitive (and sometimes lonely) child, Euphemia Potter had enrolled her son into a summer of theatre classes in the hope that it would use up his endless energy and perhaps guide her son onto the path of acting so that she would always have some free theatre tickets. As naturally, if her son chose that path, she was sure he would succeed.

So when she was called into the theatre to ‘chat’ about James, she was surprised (yet also unsurprisingly unsurprised) to learn that James had gone AWOL for an hour, only to be found backstage watching the technical crew pull on the fly ropes for My Fair Lady – ‘accidentally mum, I swear!’ and had zero intention of retuning back to rehearsals about ‘being a tree in the ocean’ (James’ words). Euphemia Potter, being a woman of many talents, strong maternal instincts and an unprecedented prowess at sniffing out the places and things her son was interested in, managed to sweet talk the theatre into allowing her son to apprentice backstage on weekends, which lasted until he gained enough qualifications for him to earn a paid full-time technical position at the theatre.

And so, nearly 15 years later, James Potter found himself backstage during a performance of the touring production of Cats at the WNAC, having only just started the same week.

A few years ago he done a refresher training residential week and quickly became friends with an extremely tall Welsh man called Remus. They’d stayed in touch, Remus often staying at his and his best friends’ London flat whenever he was working on a production in the city, and a month ago Remus had been in touch about a technical position opening up at his venue. And James, looking for a change in life, scenery and jobs, had applied and got the job.

So here he was, backstage in the labyrinth of a new theatre, belting out Memory along with Grizabella who was singing over the tannoy.

‘Touch me’, he sang, ‘It’s so easy to leave meeee – oof!’.

Rounding a corner, James collided into something soft and firm.  Someone, he mentally corrected. Something soft and warm and -

‘You’re dangerously close to my boob right now.’

‘Oh my god’ – James jumped as though he’d been shocked and stepped back quickly, and in doing so, walked into some lockers which lined the corridor.

His curses now joining the clang of the metal and Grizabella’s voice, he could swear the silence from this stranger was louder – or maybe that was his embarrassment he could hear. Blowing through the corridor like tumble-weed.

‘That’, the woman deadpanned, ‘was either incredibly bad timing or I need to make a trip to HR’.

James cringed. He could well imagine the phone call to his mother if she found out he’d been suspended in his first week pending investigation into inappropriate conduct.

‘Oh, it was definitely incredibly bad timing.’ He closed a locker door which had swung open with the force of his hit and had come to a stop near his ear but the locker door popped open again and slowly creaked to a stop. ‘I would never -’ he cut off, embarrassed, just as Grizabella let out another cry of ‘Touch me!’

The woman laughed – prettily, he thought, before internally berating himself; ‘Not the moment, Potter!’ - and motioned to his head, which he still had a held in his hand to soothe the pain from the locker.

‘Do you actually need me to have a look? I’m a first aider.’

‘That would only honestly make this situation more embarrassing,’ James said, grimacing at the thought, before shutting the locker door again, only to hear it pop open a second time, ‘so no, I’m good. But, thanks.’ He dropped his hand, even thought his head was still smarting.

‘Um, right. Okay, well,’ she gestured past James and towards the crew room. ‘Is Remus in there? I need to have a chat about finding the WOC’s Gobo - I think they’ve definitely misplaced it but they’re looking to blame someone...’

‘Oh, good luck.’ James said wryly, ‘I’ve been trying to find him for ages. I think he’s ignoring my texts because I thought his dinner was ravioli and not tortellini and God forbid I don't know my pasta. Also, if I deviate from this path that I've learned around the building, I just know I’m going to get lost.’

She laughed again, ‘Yeah, this place is a bit of a maze, but you get used to it pretty quickly. Mind, if you’re only here for a week, maybe you need to put some chalk on the walls or something?’

‘Oh, I’m not – I work here, I’m not with Cats.’

She looked at him for a beat, and then with some confusion asked him;

‘Oh, sorry. I just thought – I mean, I could hear you down the corridor singing all the lyrics’.

James flushed and laughed awkwardly, his hand making his way back to the base of his head, willing himself to rid the redness he could feel creeping its way up his neck.

‘It’s my mum’s favourite musical so..’ he trailed off, trying to laugh through a smile, which in hindsight, surely made him look even more bizzare.

‘Right.’ She said, and when the silence almost got too painful she added; ‘Um, well, I better get – I’ll just teams Rem...’ before starting to walk away.

And for some reason, some strange reason which made him question his sanity for the next 12 hours straight and sporadically for a good few days later, he saluted and called after her;

‘Cool, okay, well, bye. And sorry for almost touching your boob. I honestly wouldn’t - well, I mean, you do have nice boobs - not that I’ve looked! Or touched! God. Sorry.’ And with a final note of desperation he added, ‘Bye’. Then he turned around and promptly walked straight back into the locker door.

He could’ve sworn he saw a second bail of tumble weed blowing past in his mind’s eye. Along with an actual trickle of blood with passed his eye from the now angry looking cut above the eye socket.

Ten minutes later, patched up and with a first aid form sheepishly all filled out, he finally located Remus, and accosted him with a nonchalant (or so he thought), ‘Remus, who’s the woman that works here with ginger hair?’

Remus, put down his fork of butternut squash macaroni and said, ‘That’d be Lily Evans, Front of House and she’s not going to HR.’

‘How do you know?’ James cried and sunk into a chair in mortification.

[writtenonreceipts]

@jilychallenge2023 @jilychallenge I was so excited about this month and the prompt and then my braid refused to function until the last week of the month.  I really do hope it’s decent, lol, I’m not sure how it’s working. 

Huge shout out to my partner for the event @dizzy--bird for the encouragement! 

Prompt: P.S. I never told you but I was falling in love

Summary: When James Potter needs help for his struggling farm, he sends for a mail order bride, much to the warnings and cautions of his friends.  But as soon as Lily Evans steps off the train, he knows his life will never be the same. Read on AO3 here.

Warnings: none? Maybe some angst, but not too much.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

The Post Script

May 6th 1887

At first, he paid no attention to the letter.  He had no desire to unfold it from its sharp creases or to see beyond the swirling ink of his name.  It had been a full day since it was left on the table.  A full day of him staring at it and wondering if he should toss it in the fire or the mire to be done with it.

Now, however, as dawn crested the far-off hills of the territory, James couldn’t quite bring himself to do it.  So he grabbed the note from where it lay on the kitchen table and left the cabin his father had built his mother over twenty years ago now.  The land was good, for more than just a few plots of corn, but for cattle as well.  For as long as James could remember this land had been in his family and he’d grown up to help with the harvest and cattle driving.  It was home.

Walking along a worn path to one of the pastures, James let the early mornings sun wash over him.  He kept going until he came to the fence line, pausing as he watched one of the new calves fumble after her mother.

The golden light of the sun stretched along the horizon in the distance causing the clouds to bleed pink.  It was certain to be a beautiful early spring day in the small town of Godric’s Hollow.  Not that James thought he’d enjoy it.

From his pocket, he pulled out the letter she left him.  Again, her neat script stared at him.  It was a reminder of what he failed to do.

A few feet away, Moony whined softly.  The dog was enormous, some mix that James had never been able to figure out but he was well-behaved…and never left James’ side.  Well, used to.  Since Lily left, the dog had been rather moody and wouldn’t even let James scratch his ears.

James glanced at the letter.

She had come so suddenly, so unexpectedly, into his life that the last two months still felt like a dream.  On a whim, he’d sent for a mail order-bride from overseas, he’d never expected a woman like her.  Red hair pinned neatly up, clean dress of yellow calico, and green eyes bright as sun overhead.

He knew as soon as she stepped off the train from the main city that there was something special about her.  Even in her travel worn daze and the hesitant way she stepped around the other passengers who were disembarking—she was beautiful.

James remembered that day like it was yesterday and not a few short months ago.

“Miss Evans!” He’d called, already knowing it was her.

When she fixed her gaze on him that hesitance faded away into cool confidence.

“Mr. Potter.” She’d spoken with ease, assurance, and without any trace of the worry he’d seen just moments before.  Her Irish accent was thick, but quickly turned into the most endearing thing about her.

“James, please,” he said and reached out to take her hand bag.  His mother had raised him to be helpful and a good man to his future wife.  It had been years since his parents passed now but their lessons remained with him.

Miss Evans frowned at his action, but said nothing.  She only relented in offering the bag.

“Lily,” she said. “If we’re to be married we may as well be on familiar terms.”

The words were stilted as she said them and he knew that she wasn’t quite comfortable saying them.  But she didn’t turn from his gaze and she didn’t shy away either.  Instead, those green eyes bore into him unflinchingly.

 He grinned.  Not that he could help it.  She was striking and there was a fire in her eyes that burned bright.

“Alright, Lily,” he said, “let's get your bags.  I’ve got a horse and wagon waiting with a friend.”

And the first day of a new future began.

As James thought back on it now, he couldn’t believe she didn’t immediately turn back around and board the train again.  Lily Evans was her own person.  She knew what she wanted and never backed down.

Which was why she came to America in the first place.

Why she agreed to be his wife after only one letter was exchanged between them.

He looked at the letter again.  Slowly, he unfolded it and read.

May 5th, 1887

Dear James,

I’m sorry if I come across as too forward in using your given name, but I find it better this way.  Better to talk as though we are face to face and not miles and miles apart by now.  Though, I will be honest, talking about myself…expressing myself…it has never been my strongest asset.  I think it will be easier speaking this way…

As you’ve dutifully pointed out during our time together, I am very well educated.  I came from a good family who sought to make sure I could have a way in life.  My parents, as I told you the night of the storm, they were good people.  Loving.  Their passing was not easy.  Not for me and not for my sister.  She was already married by that point and her husband…well he was not as accepting as my parents.

I don’t think I ever told you that, did I?  That he was a bit cruel.  Oh, not to Petunia.  Certainly not.  He doted on her like one would expect.  But he didn’t approve of me.  I took my education too seriously…

She brought an entire suitcase of books.  Not dresses.  Not stockings.  Not cross-stitch patterns.  But books.

“Well damn, I’ve never known women’s dresses could weigh so much.” Sirius Black, one of James’ best and oldest friends, helped him unload the few trunks Lily had brought with her.

“Shut up Sirius,” James told him.

Sirius only raised a brow, his black hair whipping in his face from the wind.  He was a handsome man who had put the town in an uproar when he’d begun his search for a wife a few years ago.  He came from one of the wealthiest families and was set to inherit the family business.

Marrying Marlene McKinnon had derailed all of that, but James had never seen his friend happier.

“They’re books,” Lily spoke up from a few feet away.  She was staring off to the cattle pasture as Moony leaned against her leg, desperate for scratches. “I attended university for a year before my parents died.”

It was matter-of-fact and unapologetic.  She didn’t look at either James nor Sirius as she reached down to pat Moony absently on his head.  

Later, James would learn that her brother-in-law had threatened to burn all her books if she didn’t get married or leave his home.  That Lily had been desperate for the freedom that would accompany leaving Ireland.  Even if it meant going straight into a marriage with a stranger.

As you’ve also pointed out—I do enjoy a challenge.  And I provoked him one too many times.

Which was what led me to you.

I never expected to sail to America.  Not for anything.  And especially not to be a stranger's bride!  Dorcas, who stole away to that suffragette meeting with me, she called me mad.  Insisted I couldn’t marry a stranger.  Mary too, even though she met and married her husband all within three weeks and is perfectly content in life.

But I couldn’t remain.

You know that restless feeling.  Where you cannot sit still knowing life is passing you by?  Where all you want is to see and taste and feel all that the world has to offer?

You said once to live in the moment.  You told me to look at the sun and sky and surrounding earth and live.  And I thank you for that.

You taught me a lot of things, James.

I’ve never milked a cow or kneaded bread or stared at the stars until I came to your farm.  And you taught me all those things.  

And patience.

Because you, James Potter, are still the most insufferable man I have ever met.

I know I’ve told you that and I mean it.  Tricking a lady into a snipe hunt is simply cruel and I stand by that.

James remembered walking through the barn with Lily.  He remembered her not caring about the way the hem of her dress ran through straw and mud, how she immediately took to the cows, crooning over an over affectionate heifer.  He remembered taking her out at night to stand in the middle of the pastures to stare up at the endless sky of the plains.  He remembered the way she looked at him, full of wonder over that first shooting star she found.

And he remembered teasing her for some of her naiveties.  Like the snipe hunt.  Like not knowing how to mount a horse.

Oh but she learned.  She learned and proved him wrong every day.     

Though, I supposed I repaid you by subjecting you to my cooking.  Growing up, we’d been fortunate enough to have a cook on staff.  After my parents died and the household sold off…well, I never really learned even the basics.

I will admit that dear Alice Longbottom helped me finally knead a loaf of bread properly.  

My return to London was inevitable, I suppose.  You didn’t deserve to be shackled to me--always underfoot and causing more problems than solving them.  I thought I could do something for myself by agreeing to this arrangement.  I thought…

Well.

I don’t think it matters much what I thought for myself.  All of my expectations were thrown out the window.  Things never do turn out the way we expect, do they?

I know you told me it was fine to leave, that I should return home and help my sister.  And I appreciate you looking out for me.  You always were good at that.  But…I do think I will miss you.

And the dog.  He deserves to sleep on the bed, even though I am no longer there.

Please tell Sirius and Remus I will miss them.  And Peter too.

Lily took to James’ friends as though they were her own.  Sirius, admittedly, was a bit estranged, though that was simply because James’ land was so profitable that he didn’t trust anyone new who came sniffing about a potential inheritance.  

But Lily soothed that over by mis-quoting Shakespeare with him.  Or when she’d met Walburga and displayed a perfect Irish accent.  Sirius decided then and there that Lily could, and should, stay.

And then there was Remus who often isolated himself due to a traumatic past, but Lily had treated him as though they’d known each other for years.  They’d exchanged books and theories after only one brief meeting.

She and Peter had far more in common than they’d realized, both hailing from London, both a bit lost in life.  But whenever Lily would visit the general store, Peter saved her a bit of chocolate or new fabrics received from various shipments.

She’d become a welcome sight in his world more than he’d been prepared for.

If her expectations had been thrown to the wind--his had utterly disappeared.  He was undone by her, completely.  And he’d never even realized it until now. 

I’ll reach New York in another day and then depart from the ports back to Ireland from there.

Thank-you.  For everything.

--Lily

James stared at her words, feeling a sense of panic rising in his chest at the thought of her officially leaving.  

They’d thought it wasn’t working.

Thought it was too hard.

They’d thought so many things that James wasn’t even sure what had gone wrong.  But after a dry spell raged over the land and a wildfire sparked in the west fields…something had changed within Lily.

The strength she’d so carefully exuded disappeared behind a wall that he hadn’t seen until it was too late.

It was his fault, he knew.  He’d let someone come between them, someone who never should have in the first place.  He should have known that letting Severus Snape of all people into the house would only lead to trouble.

The sheriff's deputy had come to investigate reports of stolen cattle in the night and thought that James for whatever reason had done the stealing.  Perhaps in his youth James might’ve hidden another rancher's cattle before releasing them with fresh pressed ribbons—but times had been hard.  He wouldn’t have played with another's livelihood.  Not now.

Snape—self-righteous, prejudiced, and a bastard—had never liked James.  They’d grown up together, from boys to men with all the nuances and trouble between.  

James should have realized that allowing Snape in his house would have ruined everything.

All it had taken was one singular comment and James watched the light dim and fade completely from Lily’s eyes.

He hated that sight.  Hated the way she reverted back in on herself and he couldn’t reach her.  

And then she’d asked to return home.

They were only a week away from a wedding date.  They had thought--James had thought--they were ready, willing, wanting to confirm the wedding. 

But all it took was one wrong thing said.

James glanced one more time at the letter to Lily’s last words and the loop of her signature.  It was then that he noticed it—one last note for him.

P.s. I never told you, but I suppose it doesn’t hurt now, but I was falling in love.  That entire time.

“Dammit, Evans,” he murmured.  He stuffed the letter in his pocket before spinning on his heel to run to the barn.

Moony howled a bark after him, likely affronted at being left behind.

In the barn, James hurriedly readied the bay horse he’d bought not long after his parents died.  The mare made no fuss as James settled the saddle and bridle in place.  For once.  Usually, the damned horse tried to kick him at least once.

From the doorway, Moony barked again.  In the last twenty-four hours since Lily’s departure, the dog had apparently developed attachment issues.  They’d work on that later.  For now, James had to get to the transfer station before Lily got too far away.

…

Lily knew she was impulsive.  She had known it for quite some time.  In fact, it was what caused two suitors to turn her down back home.  Hence accepting the offer come to America and marry a man she didn’t know.

She thought it would have been different.

And it almost was.

But she knew she couldn’t stay and ruin James’ life with her terrible cooking or her lack of knowledge of farm and cattle life.  She was just a girl from Ireland with a strange accent and stranger view on life.  Apparently.

James was too good for any of that which was why she’d suggested she leave.  It would be better for both of them.  James could find a young woman from the town--there were plenty who had cast her disdainful looks on occasion.  And Lily could live with Petunia and Vernon.  It’s what she’d expected of her life in any case.

And that was fine.

The train that would take her to New York, and thus the boat home, wouldn’t be leaving for another two hours.  Which was fine she supposed.  She’d left Godric’s Hollow so suddenly; she hadn’t had a moment to think about what she’d done.

The boarding house she stayed in the pervious night had been nice enough, but she couldn’t sit in the dining hall with the mistress of the house asking her question after question.  No, sitting at the train station would do just fine.

Except, it did leave her now with far too much time to think.

She hadn’t even spoken to James about all her thoughts and feelings.  Instead, she’d left them in a letter that he probably wouldn’t even read.  She’d seen the look in his eyes when she said it might be best for her to return home.  He’d been hurt and confused--which was well within his right, but he also hadn’t tried to stop her.

Now, Lily sat at the transfer station barely covered by the buildings awning.  Her trunks were piled around her as neatly as they could be.  She’d almost left them all behind just so she could get out of this tiny little town quicker.  That might have made things easier.

She adjusted her hat, hoping a new angle would protect the side of her face that leaned to the sun.  Her pale skin didn’t need any more of an excuse to burn and freckle up.  Though, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t love the sunshine.

The land was vast and wide, stretching on and on into flat prairies.  It allowed for the blue sky to appear endless.  Even along the horizon there never seemed an end to the blue dawn of day combining with the earth.

It was so different here as compared to Ireland.  The warmth, the colors, the people.  And Lily loved it.  She loved knowing there was more to the world than that small seaside village.  Loved knowing she could see and be more than what Petunia and even Vernon thought.

And she was throwing it away.

Lily tugged at the edge of her white lace gloves.  They were old, a gift from her grandmother before her passing.  Granmama told her that a woman needed only two things in life: a good pair of gloves and a good book.  Which was where her obsession with books and study came from.  Granmama also told her that a good man was the one who always respected those fundamental truths.  And who knew how to smile.

Lily blinked against the tears that welled in her eyes.  She told herself it was just the relentless sun that slanted harshly against her eyes and not everything else on her mind.

Clearing her throat, Lily shook her head.  She’d made her choice and she would see it through.

As the sentiment repeated through her mind over and over again, a disturbance at the far end of the station managed to draw her attention.  

Shielding her gaze to the sun, Lily looked down the long stretch of wood that led to town.  A group of men blocked her view, but she could have sworn she heard a familiar voice shouting.  It was a trick of her mind.  Given the high anxiety she’d been feeling over the last several days, Lily knew she wasn’t hearing things right.  Besides, it was mid-day and hot.  She wasn’t in a right state and--

“Lily!”

Well, she heard that.

Slowly, Lily rose from her seat to get a better look down the platform.

There, tossing the reigns of his horse in the direction of a young errand boy, was James Potter.  His spectacles glinted in the sun as he bounded up the steps of the platform and came towards her.  His messy black hair stuck out in far too many directions.

He didn’t seem to mind or care about any of that, however, not as he moved toward her with the sort of determination that had Lily’s breath catching in her lungs.

“Mr. Potter,” she managed to whisper at his approach.  He stopped just a foot away giving Lily a clear view of his scowl, the undone buttons of his linen shirt, the sweat clinging to his skin.  He’d ridden here, hard and determined.

“Did you mean it?” he asked, hardly paying attention to her mild distress at seeing him.

“Did I mean--?”

“Your letter.” And much to Lily’s horror he pulled the carefully crafted missive from his pocket and waved it at her. “Did you mean it?”

Oh dear.  This was unfortunate.  She hadn’t expected him to read it so soon.  And even if he did, she hadn’t expected him to do something about it.

“I—” Lily wet her lips, increasingly aware of the interested eyes surrounding them. “I did, yes.”

Admitting it was the last thing she wanted to do, but there was something about him that let her be vulnerable.  The let her want to be vulnerable.  And even knowing what she wrote in that letter, what she told him.

Her hands started to sweat and Lily wrung them together anxiously. “But you weren’t supposed to do anything about it!”

James looked as though he’d bitten into a sour apple. “Why wouldn’t I have?”

“Because,” she began, but he came closer which made her thoughts all disappear one right after the other.  Truly, she couldn’t think when he was so near.  She couldn’t even breathe properly.

James stood before her, entirely too close for propriety's sake, he smelled of horse and hay and sweat.  With his brow furrowed and that twist to his lips, he looked far too serious for the conversation.

He was upset with her, Lily knew.  And who wouldn’t be?  She’d run off, blabbered on and on in a measly letter trying to give them both some peace, and she hadn’t given him a chance to talk to her about her decision to leave.

“Lily Evans,” he said.  He paused and shook his head before continuing. “You are absolutely insufferable.”

Her jaw dropped but he gave her no chance to speak.

“You thought I wouldn’t really care if you left?  That I didn’t hate the fact you asked to leave?” he said. “That you didn’t teach me or help me?”

His words were a bit disjointed as he spoke quickly.  He seemed desperate to get these words out, desperate to have them out between them.  And it was that same passion that made Lily look into his eyes.  Gone was the contempt and fury she thought she’d seen.  Now it was replaced by something closer to…desperation.

“Lily Evans,” he said, “you’ve been the best thing that has happened to me.  And nothing would change that.  Not where you’re from or how you speak or act.  And I need you to know that.”

The confession was almost too much for her.  How on earth was she supposed to respond to it?  

“You still let me leave,” she said, because it was true.

He waved the letter at her again. “You never told me.”

The post script.  Of course.  She had no idea why she’d included it.  Perhaps for her own sense of closure on this endeavor.

“I didn’t think you felt the same.”  True.  But she’d also been terrified of his response.  If he did.  If he didn’t.

He’d come even closer to her now and she could see the flecks of his hazel eyes and the golden tan of his skin from all the long days he worked in his fields.  

“You didn’t think that I could be falling in love with you, too?”

The direct nature of the question stole her breath and Lily felt her entire body freeze.  As she stared at him all she could really think to do was throw her arms around him in a tight embrace like she’d wanted to do through the entirety of the last two months.  In truth, he’d been the only person to treat her as if she were her own person, to speak with her so candid and genuine.  It still shocked her even now.

“No,” she admitted softly.

James reached out, cupping her face with a hand.  His skin was rough, but warm.  It told a tale of someone who had worked his entire life but still knew compassion.  

“Lily Evans,” he murmured, “I think I fell in love with you the second you stepped off that train.”

She didn’t look away, couldn’t.  Not from his firm gaze with its open truth.  Not from that stupidly charming smile.  And she knew that James Potter had changed her.  Which perhaps wasn’t a bad thing.

“You love me?” she asked as she slowly, painstakingly slowly, brought one hand up to curl around his neck.

“Yes, ma’am,”

Lily nodded once. “Alright.”

“And?” he asked, one brow raised. “Are you going to tell me in person or write me another letter?”

Scowling, Lily made to pull away, but James had snaked his other arm around her waist and kept her firmly planted where she was.  And he called her insufferable.

“I suppose I love you too,” she said. “Arrogance and all.”

James grinned. “Then I’m going to kiss you now.”

“By all means,” she said, because really that didn’t sound terrible at all.

James swept in without another word.  His mouth was soft against hers, kissing her far more fervently than should be done in public, but Lily couldn’t find it in herself to care.  She drew closer to him, kissing him back with all the feelings and desires she’d kept to herself for weeks now.

Kissing him felt like coming home after a long day.  It felt like a breath of fresh air.  It was wonderful.

Lily didn’t know how long they lingered there on the station platform.  Long enough for men and women alike to whisper about indecency.  Long enough for Lily’s train to come and go.  Long enough that soon they were left alone on the platform.

“Take me home?” Lily asked, fingers still curled in his hair.

“Only after we stop by the pastor’s home for him to marry us,” James replied.

Lily snorted out a laugh even as the words sent a thrill through her.

In the end—James kept his promise.  They were married fifteen minutes after returning to Godric’s Hollow and Sirius, Remus, Peter, along with Marlene and Alice, could be rounded together.  

It was a simple and quick ceremony that left the pastor a bit confused and his wife bemoaning the fact that the ladies of the town hadn’t been able to provide a meal in celebration.  But as it was, Lily wouldn’t have had it any other way.

She had found a home in the most unlikely of ways and she was grateful she wouldn’t have to share the afternoon with anyone else.  And she supposed it was all thanks to a post script.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Thanks for reading!

Maybe one day I’ll expand this out for a multi-part adventure? Idk, I really liked this idea and the prompt and everything, so we’ll see…I want to give it more time to develop and not be so cheesy especially here at the end, lol.  I hope y’all enjoyed in any case…

[arianatwycross]

Hi my tumblr name is arianatwycross (this is not my real name but you may call me A or Ari) I'm a pommy that lives in Australia, I have a golden retriever that owns my heart and I'm addicted to cheesy romance novels.

I write mostly Jily but have been known to delve into Romione and am dipping my toe in some wolfstar!

last updated 18.03.24

Jily

Multi-chapters:

The Process of Wanting- University Muggle AU / Jily-microoops March prompts

Headlines - Muggle AU / Popstar James

once upon a dream - WIP Hogwarts AU / Lily has a crush

To send or not to send? - (Two Parts) 2023 April Jily Challenge / Theme: Letters, Notes and Texting

A (not so) bad day - (Two Parts) - Hogwarts idiots in love

We'll be a fine line -WIP a chapter a day for jilytober 2022 / a muggle au

Only for the Summer -WIP Rated E / Muggle Job AU / Friends to Lovers

Beach Reading -  Rated T. July 2022 Jily Challenge / Theme: Summer Prompt: “i really, really need this summer job, so please stop distracting me with your wiles/good looks. you’re going to get me fired”

The Art of Fake Dating - WIP written with @vertraymer / For the Mixed Up Writer Fest 2022 / Prompt: Fake dating AU!

Unlearnable - WIP, Rated M. Muggle AU. Angst.

Strawberry Lipstick State of Mind - Rated E. Canon. Seventh Year.

Just a touch - Rated E

Teenage Kicks - Rated E / Celeb AU with minor wolfstar

you are the sun - Rated M (Three-parts) Muggle AU/Secret Relationship

One Shots:

Skinny Dipping Part 1 - a jilymicrofic

Just the two of us - Hogwarts / Forced proximity, Hurt/Comfort

A Sweet Meet Cute - Muggle AU, small town romance

A romance of their own - Jily Valentine Gift Exchange 2023 / Celeb AU

Wet, Cold & Bothered - Rated M / 2022 Jily Challenge December Christmas challenge; prompt: Snowball fights

Muggle Christmas Traditions - Rated G/ 2022 December Christmas Jily Challenge. Prompt: The night before Christmas

The One Where Remus Has no Filter - Rated G. Jily Challenge December Christmas challenge

a year and 22 days - Rated T. Summer of Jily 2022 / lyric: all that I know is you caught me at the right time —"golden hour" (kacey musgraves) Scenario: late evening with friends in the garden

The One Where Petunia Can't Drive - April JilyChallenge / Meet uglies + prompt "i hit you with my car/broom and was the only one to visit you in the hospital"

two fools - Rated T / Feb 2022 Jily Challenge romance theme + prompt " “It’s not like I've thought about kissing you, or anything…”

Shut up & Kiss me - Rated M / December Jily Challenge, Winter theme. Muggle AU

Crush Phase - Rated T. Muggle AU

A Year Later - Rated M / Jily Challenge August 2021 . Muggle AU

consciously unaware - Rated GA / Jilytober 2021 bingo (5 prompts in one). Canon, friends to lovers.

Say my name - Rated M. Canon.

Romione

Multi-chapters:

Backseat Rider - Rated T / Muggle AU

One Shots:

Willow - Rated GA. Written for M.Windsor for the 2021 HP Romione Discord Secret Santa!

It’s better In the front seat… - Rated M (Backseat Rider One shot)

Confessions - Rated E / Canon

Books & Freckles - Rated T

Nobody Compares - Rated T / Muggle AU, professional football player Ron

Wolfstar

Skinny Dipping Part 2 - a wolfstarmicrofic

Teenage Kicks Spinoff coming soon!

[charmsandtealeaves]

Genuinely don’t know where this week went.

Read this week:

Choose your own (sexy) adventure by @ghostofbambifanfiction (Ch.52-53)

WIP, choose your own adventure Jily, Rated E

Too many cooks can occasionally write a story

if anyone were to kiss me, i'd want that person to be you by @jamesunderwater

Complete (629w), Hogwarts Jily, Trans James, Rated G

James lives with the unspoken wondering: if he'd just been born a boy, would they have had a chance?

Love for the Summer by @missgryffin (Ch.13)

WIP, Summer romance Jily, Rated E

It's the summer after sixth year, Lily Evans is realizing she fancies James Potter, and James has Sirius Black's motorbike to thank for getting Lily out of the friend zone.

The Favour by @petals2fish

Complete (825), Hogwarts Jily, rated T

Lily asks James to get detention for her, but James just loves her even more for asking.

Guilty as Sin? by Petals2fish

Complete (300), Jily smutty Saturday, Rated M

Without touching his skin, how can she be guilty as sin? JPxLE Smut for April's Tortured Poet's Challenge, and @jilymicrofic with a nod as a Smutty Saturday Entry

Bets off by petals2fish

Complete (744), Hogwarts Jily, rated T

Sirius and Lily have a bet that if Lily goes out with James, she'll owe Sirius twenty galleons, but James is making it harder and harder for her to not give in.

Quest for Camelot by Petals2fish (Ch.23)

WIP, quest for Camelot Jily, rated T

After the legendary Excalibur sword is stolen, Lily and James embark on a quest to retrieve the lost weapon. Lily searches for the sword to prove she is capable of being a knight despite being a girl. James searches because his falcon, Marlene, is desperate to find it for her master, Merlin. Along the way, they attempt to outwit the sinister Ruber, navigate through magical obstacles, decode puzzling prophecies, and uncover surprising similarities between themselves. As their journey progresses, they both cannot deny the feelings growing between them with each passing day. Will they make it out of the quest alive, or will one of them perish in the ever-growing darkness that threatens to swallow the entire realm if Ruber gets his hands on the sword? Based on the 1998 movie Quest for Camelot, but with more plot and less singing

[hp-flowers]

Prompt Challenges and Events for May

Here are some other monthly challenges or events to combine HP Flowers’ Spring Round prompts with, should you need some more inspiration for your flowery works: >> Microfic May- a May HP multi-ship daily microfic prompt challenge, all prompts are up! >> Sapphic Microfics- HP Femslash daily microfic prompt challenge, and all May prompts are up! >> More HP Microfic communities by ship (Drarry, Wolfstar, Jily, Hinny, Prongsfoot, Marauders era femslash, etc.) >> HP Coffeehouse- monthly prompts for coffee or tea based works >> Liquid Luck Drabble and Art Challenge- bi-monthly prompts for fic and art works >> Wood You Rather- Oliver Wood-centric prompt challenge (the event may be over after April, but late submissions are welcome)! >> HP Fruit Fest- low-key, chill fest that runs until June 21st for all the fruity goodness! >> House of Snarry- This Discord releases monthly prompts for creators to make Snarry content. May prompts have been posted up! >> Domaystic- a May multi-ship and multi-fandom daily prompt challenge based on the domestic trope, all prompts are posted up! >> Ageplay May- a May multi-ship and multi-fandom daily prompt challenge based on the ageplay trope, all prompts are posted up! >> Whumpay- a May multi-ship and multi-fandom daily prompt challenge based on all the whumpy and painful things, all prompts are posted up! >> Play the List Bingo- a multi-ship and multi-fandom bingo challenge inspired by songs and music; see all the bingo cards and prompts available >> May Mixtape Challenge- A May writing challenge where you can grab a playlist and let the music guide you! >> Year of the OTP- a multi-ship and multi-fandom event designed to encourage creators to make more content for a particular ship they love and end 2023 with 12 new works for an OTP. Prompts for the whole year have been posted! If you know of other challenges that should be added to the list, send an ask. :) Cheers, and have fun!

[practicecourts]

Fic Author Self Rec

Fic authors self-rec! ✨ When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you’ve written, then pass on to at least five other writers ❤️

Thank you for the tag @annabtg

In no real order below you'll find 5 stories that I'm proud of writing.

But first, I want to let you know how much fun it is to receive these kinds of questions that make you think about what you're writing/have written... so thanks for that!! Also, to anyone who takes the time to read any of my stories, I want to apologise for all my writing errors (if you see any feel free to point them out to me;-) If you did enjoy something it's an absolute high for me to hear about that as well. I've learned so much in the past year just by starting to write and post and getting hearts & comments. I've met some amazing people online through this that have become friends I hope, and I've learned a lot from their feedback. I also want to thank anyone who ever wrote me kind comments. You have no idea how much that has encouraged me to try new things (I'd never in a million years thought I'd be writing an alternative Animages story or anything actually smutty, let alone more than just one or two things.), and this encouragement has made writing even more fun! It's something else when someone tells you they like the world or story you've created. (another thing about going back and picking 5 works, is that it made me see some sort of growth in my writing, but also it makes me want to hide a bit under a rock somewhere or edit the hell out of my earlier posted things) Self-esteem is a fickle thing. so again thanks for this ask/tag. 1) It Was a Clear Black Night, a Clear White Moon Jily, 7k. Hogwarts jily-challenge One shot.

Lily Evans, Head Girl, sees Jame Potter, Head Boy, sneak out of the castle on a full moon. She decides to follow him, perhaps not the best idea she ever had.

I'm proud of how this story turned out quite thrilling and not slap-stick (or at least I don't think so- lol) and also has some sweetness, and humour mixed with seriousness. Werewolves & full moons are serious business after all.

2) Beggin' Jily, 7k. One-shot. A tale of Jily moments seen through the eyes of Peter Pettigrew. He tries to make sense of his life, the war and the big things in the world such as love, friendship and how to survive after Hogwarts. He also wants very much to apologise. (see the end notes for spoilers). This idea wouldn't let me go and that's why it's here. Don't read this if you don't like sad things. I feel this is bittersweet and personally, that's something I enjoy reading myself.

3) Head over Handlebars For You Jily, multichapter Muggle AU unfinished 11/15, currently 39k. My first ever Jily Challenge prompt was the following: I hit you with my car/broom and was the only one to visit you in the hospital. Because I ride a carrier bike (with kids, a dog, or groceries in;-) almost every day, I wanted very much to have this crash happen with a carrier bike. As I feel the stigma is very much a family/mother bicycle I wanted James to be riding it. This story also has evolved into something I didn't expect (It's still the general idea I once had but I severely underestimated how much more to the story there was, and I've learnt a whole lot, just from writing this. I think this story is fun, a bit sexy, has some excitement, humour and has some serious moments. And there will be romance. because it's a jily modern fairy tale after all. I'm hoping to finish up the last 3-4 chapters and post them in April/May. 4) Revelation 1,3 K One shot - microfic. I like Lily's thoughts in this, I loved to try to write something short but still have something big happen. And I'm very much in awe of all the people who do that (say a lot in little words) much much better than me! Difficult to pick the last one, as much as I want to hide under a rock, and how much I'd like to improve all of them, there was a lot of love and time put into writing them ;-) but rules are rules... 5) Not the Doctor this is a crazy texting fic that is very much based on real life facts ;-) the hilariousness of having a James Potter Face claim actually work in the gynaecology department, and the horrors of said visit were impossible to ignore and then the story basically wrote itself. It's not deep. I'm sure it's not very good either, but it was fun *to write*. Not to worry, it all ends well (both in this fic as IRL ;-)

Tagging @abihastastybeans @uncertainwallflower @turanga4 @glitterwitch1 @lanaturnergetup

[ginemrys]

happy accident

JILY CHALLENGE | APRIL 2022 | @jilychallenge

@ginemrys vs @redheadreader7

theme: meet-uglies

prompt: "you punched me in the face while gesticulating wildly to a friend"

word count: 3762

huge thanks to @practicecourts for beta-reading for me!

read on ao3

Breakups never usually hit her very hard. In fact, she was usually the one to end the relationship.

So when her boyfriend of almost a year broke things off with her, Lily didn’t know how to feel. She was hurt, of course, she had felt as though she’d come close to falling in love with him. But some tiny part of her had also been relieved. As if she had known the inevitable was coming. 

Still, that didn’t stop her from suffering for a while, her nose constantly red from crying, her eyes bleary. And her roommate, Marlene, had done her best to be supportive, supplying Lily with cups of tea, ice cream and a bottle of vodka on a particularly rough evening. But the time for mourning was over, as Marlene had so eloquently exclaimed one Friday afternoon as Lily wallowed in self pity on the sofa. Now was the time to let her hair down and get herself a rebound shag. 

Once she had squeezed into the tight dress that barely reached her mid thigh that Marlene had supplied her with, Lily let her friend paint her face in makeup, concealing the dark circles and puffiness that were the result of almost a fortnight of tears. For the first time in a while, as Lily looked in the mirror, she felt hot. 

“Ready to go, Lil?” Marlene asked from the doorway of Lily’s bedroom, eyeing her friend with a proud smile on her face. Lily couldn’t blame her, she’d done a fantastic job of taking her from a zero to one hundred in the space of a couple of hours. 

“Yeah. Fuck it.” Lily said resolutely, grabbing her small bag and throwing the silver chain around her shoulder. Both women wobbled down the staircase of their building and clambered into the uber that was waiting to take them to the bar Marlene had picked. Lily was already regretting her choice of skyhigh heels, but they did make her legs look fantastic. 

Marlene rambled on about a girl she had a crush on, some instagram influencer who had the most beautiful skin she’d ever seen, but Lily wasn’t really listening as the car drove through the busy streets of Central London. Lily and Marlene’s flat was a little further East, neither able to afford a place closer to their work in the West End. Lily’s dream was to one day be a performer on the West End, that’s why she was currently entrenched in drama school. But working as an usher in the theatres that she longed to perform in someday, seemed at that moment to be as close as she would ever get. 

With a sigh, Lily turned her eyes from the passing lights from outside of the window to look at  her best friend. Marlene understood what the look meant, understood that she needed to quit talking about crushes and the thought of relationships. Lily was still fragile. 

It seemed hours later that the uber finally came to a stop, the two women thanked the driver before climbing out of the car. The same old smell of London filled their nostrils, the air thick with the pollution of the capital city. It was a warm evening, the slight breeze sending Lily’s curls rustling against her cheek. 

Marlene let out a soft squeak, her hand wrapping around Lily’s as she dragged her over to the entrance of the bar. A short wait later, they finally handed their ID’s over to the bouncers and walked in.

Whatever Lily had expected from the bar, this certainly was not it. Usually when it came to Marlene’s picks they ended up in fairly dingy places that sold cheap shots or something new and indie. But this bar could only have been described as bougie. High walls covered in beautifully framed paintings and mirrors, low lights hanging from the ceiling creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. The place was loud, music pounding from large speakers in the walls, but not so loud that one couldn’t hold a conversation. Lily knew they were close to Knightsbridge, a place renowned for being posh and a popular living place of many celebrities, but never had she expected Marlene to bring her to a bar that looked like it was built exclusively for celebrities. 

“Oh my god, that’s Zendaya!” Marlene whispered in Lily’s ear, her voice incredibly high-pitched. 

Lily however was looking at her friend in shock, her jaw hanging open slightly. “How in the hell did you get us into a place like this, Marly?”

“That would be my fault.” said a woman’s voice, prompting her to turn and see the very same influencer that Marlene had been banging on about in the car. With a grin, Marlene leaned up to kiss the woman’s cheek. Once they parted, Marlene’s new… friend… reached over to shake Lily’s hand. “Dorcas Meadowes. I’m guessing from your expression that Marlene hasn’t told you about us yet…”

“You asked me to keep it quiet!” Marlene hissed, punching Dorcas lightly on the arm. “I respect your wishes, Dor!”

“Uh…” Lily had apparently forgotten how to speak, completely out of her element. “Hi, I’m Lily. Evans- Lily Evans. I’m um…”

“Yeah, your first time here will do that to you, Lils.” Marlene laughed softly, her arm now wrapped around Dorcas’ waist. “Listen, I hope you’re not mad I didn’t tell you about us? We’ve only got together recently and you were so sad about Fabian, I…”

“God, Marly, of course not! I mean- A bit of pre-warning would have been nice but… I’m just glad to see you happy.” Lily smiled, reaching forwards to hug her friend. “Now, I want to buy us all drinks so we can celebrate you two. Dorcas, what’s your poison?”

Lily squeezed her way up to the bar, waiting for the bartender to notice her. Her eyes were drawn by a group of rowdy men beside her, all of them drinking beers and laughing loudly. She sighed deeply, realising the bartender was all the way down the other end.

Pushing herself up on her toes, Lily leant across the bar and waved to try to get his attention. But she moved at the same time as the guy next to her, who laughed heartily at something one of his friends said, his hand flinging back across the bar as he responded eagerly to his friend's joke. It just so happened that Lily’s face had moved into the exact spot that his hand had decided to venture to, causing quite the collision.

“Fuck!” 

Both Lily and the asshole that had hit her cried out the word at the same time, Lily’s own hands moving to her nose which was throbbing painfully. 

“I’m sorry! Oh god, I’m so sorry.” The man said, turning to face her completely whilst simultaneously gathering up napkins from the bar for her to press against her nose, which had decided one punch was enough for it to bleed. 

Lily hated that her pain threshold was so poor as a few tears slid from her eyes, one hand moving from her nose to accept the napkin from the man. He was still spouting apologies as his friends chuckled behind him, one of them looked like he might throw up from trying to hold back his laughter. 

At least the man was nice enough to help her towards the bathrooms, Lily thought as he pushed through the crowd with one hand while the other rested on her elbow. Most men would shoot a small apology, not even acknowledge what they’d done, or worse try to feel her up as they led her through the room. 

The bathrooms were down a small corridor which was significantly quieter than the rest of the bar, the man no longer had to shout to apologise to her. 

“I’m so sorry I hit you, I can’t- I can’t believe I did that. I didn’t look…” 

“Clearly.” Lily mumbled, irritated. He had apologised enough in her eyes, now it was just starting to get annoying. 

He seemed to get the hint, blushing heavily under the dim lighting. Lily thought that he looked somewhat familiar, his messy black hair and stylish glasses that sat on his perfectly chiselled nose. Whoever he was, he was just her type. Maybe she would have even flirted with him, had he not just attempted to punch her lights out and given her a nosebleed that likely would ruin her dress.

Lily sighed as she pushed open the door to one of the disabled bathrooms, not really wanting to try to wash blood off of her face in front of a bunch of rich women who would do nothing to help except look at her disapprovingly. What she hadn’t expected however, was for the man to follow her inside, rushing to run the tap. 

“I… I can do this on my own, you know.” She said thickly, her voice still muffled by the blood soaked napkin. 

“You might think so, but I’ve had my fair share of bloody noses,” he replied, grabbing some paper towels to swap with the napkin, “it can’t hurt to have help.” 

She was so surprised that she let him steer her to sit on top of the lid of the toilet. She watched him as he threw away the napkin and soaked some more paper towels in warm water. 

“Lean forwards.” The man said when she went to tilt her head back. “They lie in films with that, you could choke if you lean back.” 

“Are you a doctor or something?” 

“Nah, just had basic first aid training.” He smiled brightly as she glanced at him, holy hell was he attractive. Lily sighed and did as he said, her eyes closing again. 

A few awkward minutes of silence passed between them before Lily finally pulled the towels away from her nose, no longer bleeding. A sigh of relief escaped her, the bleeding ceasing meant the less time she had to be in this uncomfortable situation. 

The man took a step closer to her, a damp paper towel in hand. “Are- Are you alright if I-? He gestured towards her face, which was undoubtedly covered in blood. 

Lily nodded, her body tensing as he crouched down in front of her to gently wipe the towel around her nose. She winced a little, it was very tender. He must have hit her hard for it to still be smarting like this, she just prayed it wasn’t broken. She didn’t fancy explaining that at work.

“I’m um… I’m James, by the way.” He said, causing her to meet his eye. He gave her a soft smile as he said it, his cheeks pink. “I… I feel you’re owed an introduction after my rudeness.”

“Lily.” She replied, her own face warming slightly. His eyes were such a beautiful shade of hazel she felt as though she might melt if she stared into them for too long. “And… I- It was an accident, I’m not mad. Annoyed, sure, because I really needed a good night out but… It wasn’t your fault, it was just bad timing.” 

His smile brightened and Lily thought her heart might burst at the seams. He was so… So beautiful. If she had found him hot before, it was nothing compared to how she felt when he smiled at her like that. His smile made him beautiful. 

“Well, at least once you’re all cleaned up, let me buy you a drink? As an apology?”

It was Lily’s turn to smile then as they gazed at each other, unblinking. She nodded slowly, her traitorous eyes slipping down to glance at his lips. “A drink…” She whispered softly, feeling herself start to lean towards him. His hand had frozen against her cheek, still holding the now pink paper towel. “A drink… Shit! Marlene!” 

James moved back like he had been stung as Lily dug in her bag for her phone, pulling it out to see a flurry of texts and missed calls from her best friend. 

Marleeeeene: Where are you?

Marleeeeene: Lily, I’m thirsty!

Marleeeeene: The queue can’t be that long!

Marleeeeene: Lily Evans, pick up the phone or I’m telling security you’ve been kidnapped, I can’t find you!

“Sorry.” Lily looked at James before hitting Marlene’s contact on her phone. Her friend answered after only one ring, the music from the bar pouring loudly from the speaker. 

“Lily!” Marlene basically screamed, sounding not far from hysterical. “Where the hell are you? I thought-”

“Marly, I’m fine! Some guy accidentally punched me so I’m in the bathroom sorting myself out, you know I bleed and bruise at the slightest touch. Don’t worry.” Lily rolled her eyes at James as she spoke, making him smile softly. He did look rather guilty as she explained the story to her friend, his eyes turning down to the floor at the mention of his mistake. 

Lily had to endure Marlene asking about a thousand questions, most of which were “are you okay” and “is the guy hot” which Lily had to surreptitiously avoid answering. As she spoke to Marlene, James had started clearing up the bathroom, throwing away the paper towels and washing down the surfaces. Lily checked her reflection in the mirror, impressed with the job he had done. He’d wiped off a lot of her makeup in the process, meaning her freckles were now on display to her annoyance, but he’d manage to wash away any traces of blood. The only evidence that remained of the injury was a slight swelling and redness to her nose. 

“I’ll be back in a minute, I wont worry about getting you and Dorcas drinks, yes.” Lily said to Marlene, her foot tapping impatiently on the floor. All she wanted to do was get out of this room and have a shot of something strong. “Yep, I’ll come and find you or text you if I find myself someone hot to go home with.” Another eye roll that led to a chuckle from James. “I love you too, I promise I’m fine. See you in a bit.” 

“She sounds fun.” James smirked, leaning against the wall of the bathroom as Lily hung up the phone and placed it back in her bag. 

���Yeah, she’s a good friend. Slightly deranged and too horny for her own good, but a decent human being.” Lily replied, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “Thank you, by the way, for helping. Not many people would do that.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he shook his head, “it was the least I could do after punching you in the face. I think I’ve gotten off lighter than you.” 

“Well, I appreciate your kindness nonetheless.” Lily smiled warmly, chewing on her bottom lip. “I should…” 

“Right, yes! Um… Go find your friend.” He took a small step away from the door. “Don’t forget that I owe you that drink, I’m sure I’ll still be at the bar with my hands firmly in my pockets.” 

She laughed softly, taking a step forwards to unlock the door. “I’ll bear that in mind. See you around, James.”

“See you later, Lily.”

---

“Lily Marie Evans, I can’t believe you got punched in the face by James fucking Potter and didn’t sleep with him as a thank you for cleaning you up!” Marlene basically yelled the next morning. Well, it was more like noon by the time her hangover had improved enough to allow her to crawl out of bed.

After the punching incident, Lily had found Marlene, telling her she wanted to go home. It had been too much for her, the whole ordeal. So she’d climbed into an uber, tears slipping down her cheeks as she mourned her broken heart once again before climbing into bed the second she’d gotten home. It hadn’t been until around twenty minutes ago when Marlene had entered Lily’s bedroom that she found out that the James that had punched her hadn’t just been any old James. No, instead he had been James Potter, lead singer and guitarist of the band The Marauders and the group of men he had been laughing with were his bandmates. 

When Lily hadn’t come back to cash in the drink that he owed, he’d found Marlene since he’d spotted them together once Lily had left the bathroom. He had explained who he was, what had happened and had handed Marlene a card with his name and number to give to Lily. 

Blushing, Lily looked down at his surprisingly neat handwriting. He had signed it simply as James, but Marlene had recognised him instantly. She was currently waving her phone in Lily’s face, his instagram account open.

“James Potter, Lily!” Marlene was almost struggling for breath, her hand on her heart. “The Marauders! How- How did you not recognise him?”

“Because I only listen to their music!” Lily snapped, her hand batting away Marlene’s phone. “I’m not like you, I don’t obsess over musicians. I like their music, that doesn’t mean I follow them on instagram or know what they look like!” 

“But…” Marlene sighed deeply, sinking down to sit on the edge of Lily’s bed. “But he’s given you his number, that must mean som-”

“He felt guilty, Marly,” Lily said, shaking her head, “he probably felt he really owed me that drink and wants to apologise again. It doesn’t mean he wants to see me or-” But her voice trailed off as she thought back to that one moment in the bathroom. He had been leaning in too, hadn’t he? Or had she just imagined that as she’d gazed into his beautiful, beautiful eyes.

“Just text him, please?” Marlene had an odd sort of smile on her lips, like she knew. Like she knew exactly what Lily was thinking. Damn Marly and her perfect perception. 

“What do I even say? Thank you for almost breaking my nose then dealing with the catastrophic nosebleed that followed?” Lily rolled her eyes and flopped back against her pillows. 

“Exactly! Maybe not quite in those words but… Just acknowledge that you appreciated the help and maybe he’ll offer to get you that drink another time.” Marlene winked at Lily, still scrolling through his instagram. “I mean, you’re both young, both hot. You both live in London and you would have quite the meet-cute story to tell your grandkids…” 

---

What was she thinking? Why had she agreed to meet James Potter for coffee in Central London, when she could be doing a hundred other things instead? Lily sighed and ran her hands through her hair again as she sat in the coffee shop where they had agreed to meet. She was twenty minutes early out of sheer panic. She had been in a right state ever since he’d replied to the text she’d eventually sent. What if Marlene was pranking her? What if the number wasn’t James’ at all and this was all some elaborate joke? 

She sighed again, fingers automatically clicking the lock button on her phone to check the time and see if he’d messaged her. Which he hadn’t of course, as it had only been thirty seconds or less since Lily had last checked. Was this a date? Or was it just two acquaintances meeting up? Or-

“Lily?”

Her stomach flipped as Lily looked up to see James standing next to her table, a cap covering his messy shock of hair. She couldn’t exactly blame him, even though she loved his hair since he was apparently some big celebrity. He couldn’t be seen meeting up with a nobody like her, could he?

“Hey.” She managed to force a smile, gesturing to the chair opposite her. “How- How are you?”

“I’m okay, I… Well, honestly, I was going to ask the same question of you.” His eyes searched hers as he took a seat, the look on his face making her breath catch. She hadn’t imagined how his gaze made her feel then. “You look as though you’ve healed nicely.”

“There wasn’t that much to heal,” Lily smiled, her fingers playing with her charm bracelet nervously, “you didn’t hit me that hard, don’t worry.” 

“Good.” He chuckled, seemingly relieved. “Can- Can I get you a coffee? You left before I could buy you a drink the other night.” 

“Oh, yeah… I didn’t really feel up to staying, I just…” Lily sucked in a deep breath. “It wasn’t all because of you as to why I went home. I- I got broken up with about a month ago and that night was my attempt to get over it. Obviously things didn’t go exactly to plan…” 

“Ah, I see…” James cleared his throat before scooting his chair a little closer. “I don’t blame you for leaving, I actually left after I gave your friend my number. I’m- I’m glad you texted me though.”

“You are?” Lily’s eyebrows raised, she hadn’t expected him to be so open with her. 

“Yeah, I am.” He grinned that same bright smile that made her heart flutter. “I hoped you might give me a second chance, a do over at meeting you. I mean- You’re someone that I would like to get to know better, if you’d let me…” 

“I’d like that.” Lily smiled back at him, her nerves starting to ebb away. “As long as I won’t get in the way of all of your fans.” 

He blushed, his eyes dropping from hers. “Damn, I was hoping-”

“-I didn’t know who you were when we met. I mean, I like your music but I didn’t know it was yours.” Lily interrupted, her hand instinctively reaching across the table to cover his. “I didn’t sidle up to the bar to get punched by you cause I’m a stalker fan. Marlene recognised you and she told me.”

“Does it sound crazy that I’m glad?” He almost winced as he said it, his hand moving beneath hers so that he could lace their fingers together. “I… It’s so hard to find… I don’t often bump into people that don’t know who I am.” 

“Bump into?” Lily teased, shaking her head. “It was a little more than a bump, Potter.” 

“And I am so sorry for that, I’ll never stop.” He shook his head, smiling again. “I- If you would let me, I’d really like to take you out on a date, Evans.” 

“Well, I guess…” Lily pretended to muse on it for a moment, her face warm and her smile wide. “I guess punching me in the face was a happy accident, wasn’t it?”

[wearingaberetinparis]

7 UP

Thanks @practicecourts for the tag! Rules of the game: post the last seven lines of your WIP (or the one you're currently working on?!).

Taken from my April Jily Challenge document. I've been paired up with the amazing @ohmygodshesinsane this month and am writing a oneshot titled If You Knew Who Was Talking!

(Read the snippet below the cut.)

I'm tagging @ohmygodshesinsane, @annabtg, @mppmaraudergirl, @annasghosts, @charmsandtealeaves and whomever else might like to do this!

“I’m just not keen on a blood bath today,” she answered breezily. “Hmm,” he nodded, lips twitching just the slightest, “I agree that it would definitely dampen the mood on the day we commemorate the fact that Jesus rose from the dead.” She didn’t have a chance to reply for he placed his hand halfway down her back – not low enough to make her lose her breath, but certainly unexpected enough to make it hitch – and applied some light pressure with his fingers. “Let’s make our way in. Mum has been slaving about the kitchen for hours –” “Typical,” she responded, her voice a higher pitch than it usually was, but luckily this didn’t seem to be something Potter truly paid attention to. “She’ll never change,” he agreed with her, a fond smile playing at his lips. That was another thing she had found she had a weakness for: she loved a mummy’s boy.

[jilychallenge]

Thank you for signing up for April Jilychallenge Letters & Texting 

This months pairings: 

@lynnelupin  💖 @efkgirldetective

@sapphire1616  💖    @arianatwycross

@blitheringmcgonagall  💖 @sosohh 

@practicecourts 💖 @joyseuphoria  💖@annasghosts 

@wearingaberetinparis   💖 @ohmygodshesinsane

@sirenicc   💖 @mppmaraudergirl

@dizzy--bird   💖 @writtenonreceipts 

@over-caffeinated-introvert  💖 @annabtg

@chierafied 💖 @abihastastybeans 

@harryissuchalittleshit   💖 @call-me-the-cassie

@sunnywhileitrains  💖  @charmsandtealeaves

When posting your work please tag this blog as well as @jilychallenge2023

Feel free to add your work to the ao3 collection jilychallenge 2023

Check your Tumblr DM or visit theJily Challenge discord for your prompts (they should be there whithin the next 24 hours!) Have fun!

[sosohh]

Words we should (never) have left unsaid

or

I just keep waiting for the day when I’m not an idiot around you.

Chapter 5 now up on AO3.

Thanks for joining me on my first multichap ride!

[ofmermaidsandmarauders]

quarantine diaries 2020

my submission for the april @jilychallenge! 

check it out on AO3 or FF

Week One, Day Four

“Hey, Lil? Do you know where the backup Lysol wipes are?” James’ voice was muffled due to his head stuck under the washroom sink, searching for said container.

“Yes, you put them in the bathroom closet. Remember? You didn’t want to bang your head on the-” Lily’s voice trailed off as James did just as he had predicted in the previous days, the back of his head smacking on the chestnut door frame. Her soft chuckles filled the space and the sound made him smile, despite the dull throbbing in his skull.

“Riiiiiight.” James moved to the closet and grabbed the wipes, doing another washing of the counters and sink. Lily stood in the doorway with a small smirk on her face as she watched him with amusement settled on her features.

“James, neither of us have used the bathroom since you came in here and did a deep cleaning of the washroom two hours ago. I don’t think this is necessary,” she teased, stepping into the bathroom. Lily stopped after a few steps when James held a hand up to keep her from coming any closer.

“Lily, we must take this virus seriously. They said during the press conference that we must be cleaning every few hours to ensure that things stay clean!” James sounded exasperated as he tossed another wipe into the wastebasket and then stared down his girlfriend. 

“Who said to clean every few hours?” Lily asked, genuinely sounding concerned for this directive.

“The government, Evans! Do you even watch the news?” James pushed past her at this, his eyes rolling back. Lily had to stifle a giggle as she followed him out to the kitchen, knowing that this cleaning routine would continue until he became sick of the scent of bleach products.

Week One, Day Six

 “Hey Lily, do you think I’d look good as a blonde?” James called from the bathroom, turning his head slowly back and forth as he studied his bone structure.

“You’re not dying your hair to look like, Joe Exotic!” Lily yelled back from the kitchen.

“Damn it. Lily said I can’t do it, Sirius,” James muttered, shutting off the fluorescent light as he picked his phone back up. Lily grinned to herself as she heard Sirius swear over Facetime, his plans obviously foiled.

Week Two, Day Three

 “Lily!” James scolded, stepping in front of her from moving any further into their home. “You need to put your clothes in the wash immediately, what are you doing?” He sounded very concerned, pulling his own sweatshirt over his head.

“I’m going to take it off in the bathroom… Where I’m going to go shower… And will put on clean clothes…” She took a few moments to tell him this, not fully understanding his point.

“During the press conference yesterday we were told that we should change our clothes and put them in the wash immediately after coming in from outside. I swear, if it weren’t for me you’d probably be sick by now!” 

“James Potter, you are being ridiculous. We were out in the garden, not interacting with other people.” Lily rolled her eyes and then pulled the sweatshirt over her head, taking her top with it. She couldn’t help but get annoyed with the constant stressors of James and the press conferences, but she understood he was trying to keep them safe.

“Oh… Well, thank you.” James’ cheeks turned pink, despite having seen her naked hundreds of times. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he cast his gaze down to his feet.

“You won’t catch coronavirus from looking at me, James.” 

“I know, I know. I’m sorry,” he murmured, stepping towards his partner. Lily glanced up at him, the corners of her lips tipping up a fraction.

“I’m just nervous. I don’t want either of us to get sick. It’s week two inside and I feel like I’m already losing my mind. I want to just go back to normal and have our friends over for a board game and movie night. Not that I’m not happy to be stuck inside with you…” His ears tinged pink as he realized he might be offending her. Lily, obviously not offended by the remarks, took a few steps forward and held his face in her palms.

“No touching faces,” James breathed out in a warning, though a smirk spread on his lips after he said it. Lily rolled her eyes and then tipped her own face up to meet his for a brief kiss. “Let’s go wash up.”

Week Three, Day Five

 James spent a few hours perusing social media, abandoning all hopes of working on the new advertising campaign that he was supposed to be developing and was due the following Monday.

“What should we have for lunch?” Lily asked, raising an eyebrow as she entered the spare room and noted James’ slouched position in his chair. She sat down at her own makeshift desk, opening her laptop as she opened Postmates to decide between restaurants.

“Hm?” He murmured, only half registering what she asked.

“I thought we could order in for lunch rather than try to put something together and be only half satisfied. Maybe falafel? Or barbecue?” Lily’s stomach grumbled as she glanced at the pictures from her favorites screen on the delivery app, only to be disappointed to find that the falafel shop was closed.

“What? We can’t order out. What if one of them has the virus? Then we contract it because we ate their food. No, no. I’ll just make us some mac and cheese again, don’t worry about it,” he quickly remarked, waving his hand as if the thought of ordering was absurd. 

“James, I’m not eating mac and cheese for lunch, again. No mac and cheese. No grilled cheese. No ham and cheese. I never thought this would happen but I am so sick of cheese. I just want something satisfying that we don’t have to cook. And the likelihood of us catching the virus because we ordered from a restaurant is so slim. I need you to… Just chill. Okay? I’m ordering us burgers for lunch.” As she clicked through to place their usual meal, she watched James as he huffed a bit, glancing down at his phone a few times. She could see that he had more to say on the matter but was keeping it to himself. “What?” “Well, if we’re ordering I’d prefer falafel.” 

“Too bad, they’re closed for two weeks,” Lily retorted, placing the order before he could say anything else.

“This virus has taken everything from me!”

Week Four, Day Two

 Finding some jolt of productivity, James finished two projects that he had been putting off for some time. At the end of the day, he realized he hadn’t taken the time to watch the daily press conference with coronavirus updates. For a moment, James sat back in his chair and started to freak out. How will he know what the statistics are for cases? How will he know the proper conduct for going out to the store should the need arise? His breathing quickened as he tried to think of all of the unknowns that had occurred.

Then, a follow-up thought occurred. It was the first day in weeks that he hadn’t had a gripe in his stomach as he watched the news, awaiting updates, hearing the death toll rise, wishing the world would go back to normal.

For the first day since quarantine started, James had been able to relax. He had taken the time to focus on his work rather than the impending doom happening outside of his door.

Lily popped into the room just then with a wide smile on her face and a mask in her hand. 

“Up for a walk?” She inquired, waggling her eyebrows as if she had suggested they engage in something much more sinister. Usually James turned down the opportunity for a walk. He was fearful of running into a stranger that would be a carrier without a mask. Instead, he felt motivated today. A walk would do them both some good, even if the mask was a bit difficult to breathe through.

“Let’s go,” he responded, taking the mask from her hand and pressing a kiss to her forehead. At least he had Lily to keep him happy.

Week Five, Day Six

 “I think if I have to stay in this house for another second I am going to go absolutely bonkers!” James exclaimed, slamming his fists on his desk. He was sick of waking up and walking into the other room to go to work, then ending his day and transitioning back to his bedroom. He needed space, freedom to do something.

“As opposed to your usual, calm and stable state of mine?” Lily teased, arching an eyebrow as she walked towards him, her arms outstretched. She placed her hands on his shoulders to try to calm him down. “Hey, it’s okay. Why don’t we go for a walk or something?” She looked outside at the impending storm clouds and chewed on her lower lip. “Or maybe we could go for a drive instead?” 

“No, no. I need to be out. Like, out as in out with friends sitting at a bar and just having a pint. Or wandering aimlessly around the shopping centre until I find a store that I want to go into. I just want normal,” James whined, pressing his chin to the top of Lily’s head, his hands holding her hips. “Why can’t life be normal?” 

“I know, James. It sucks, but life isn’t normal and the best thing we can do is stay home and keep ourselves and others safe.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean I can’t absolutely hate it,’ he mumbled beneath his breath, tucking his face into her neck now. “I think if I didn’t have you I would’ve gone insane by week three.”

“James, you wouldn’t have lasted a week.”

Week Six, Day Six

 “Sirius, no. You absolutely are not coming to sit outside my door and talk with me through the glass.”

“Why not? It would be fun. I miss your face, James!” Sirius pleaded over the phone, his handsome face filling the screen. James was adamant that he would not be participating in any social distancing meet-ups. He had read the statistics and knew that neither he nor Sirius had the actual willpower to stay six feet apart from one another. The two were like magnets and would accidentally break the social distancing. It was a risk he was refusing to take.

“You can see my face right now, Sirius. Don’t be ridiculous about this. You can see me when a vaccine has been found,” James told him, a sad smile on his lips. James really did miss his best friend.

“That could be over a year from now, mate. You’re the one being ridiculous about this.” Sirius was stubborn, but James’ anxiety was more stubborn. Sirius knew he was arguing for a losing battle. He wouldn’t be able to change James’ mind. Lily had been checking in with Sirius as well and had been trying to convince James that this would be a good idea, but he had held firm with her too. Even while laying naked in bed, where she was sure she’d be able to change his mind. 

“I know, I know. It sucks. I just…. I can’t risk it. I can’t let either one of us get sick. So we’ll stay here in Godric’s Hollow until it’s safe to go out again. Stay safe.” James waved and then hung up the call, feeling a wave of emotions take hold, ones that he couldn’t specifically identify. He put his head into his hands, taking a few deep breaths as he tried to just figure out what was going on in his head. James felt like he wanted to cry. A hard cry, like one he hadn’t had in years. He felt his eyes fill with tears and he became instantly angry at himself. 

James knew he was privileged. He and Lily both had the opportunity to work from home. None of their friends or family was sick, and they all seemed to be staying inside as well. There was nobody close to them they really needed to worry about, and yet James felt like all he did was worry. He just wanted to give his best friend a hug. It felt so stupid, something they didn’t even do regularly, but he couldn’t help it.

A soft cough came from the doorway, the light creating a halo behind Lily’s head.

“James? Are you alright?” She asked softly, stepping into the room. Lily knew the answer, but asked anyway. Giving him the opportunity to verbalize his thoughts felt important, especially as he had a conflicted look on his face. 

“I’m just being stupid, ignore me.” Despite his flippant tone, James’ hands stretched out to hold hers tightly.

“It’s not stupid. You’re allowed to be sad. And angry. And whatever else you’re feeling. You’ve been such a rock through all of my mood swings. I think you were bound to have one,” Lily reassured him, letting her hand slip from his so that she could massage his scalp.

If he was her rock, she was his lighthouse. She brought light in when he felt dark and brightened his spirits until he felt like he could continue on. 

“I just… I know we’re so lucky to have the privileges we do, but I just wish I worried less about the people I love. There’s no reason to worry, I know that, but I still do.”

Lily sighed and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, wiping under his eyes. “I think it’s absolutely normal to worry. We’re living in the middle of a global pandemic. It’ll be alright. And in the meantime, I’m here for you to share your worries with.” “Y’know, I worry about you most of all, Evans.” His lips quirked up into a small, cupping both of her cheeks.

“I worry about you more,” she teased, letting her lips hover over his for a moment.

“No way. I worry about you most.”

Week Seven, Day Four

 “Lily, NO!” He yelled, holding both of his hands up. “Stay back!” James reached across the counter to grab the Lysol disinfectant spray, holding it up as a weapon between them.

“Wh-what? James! You’re being ridiculous. Help me put the groceries away!” Lily was holding back her laughter, opening random cabinets to put away cans and cereal boxes. 

“We have to stay at least two meters apart at all times! Otherwise I could catch coronavirus if you have it. You could be asymptomatic!” Although his logic would be sound if she was a delivery driver, she was his wife and they had been living together for weeks now. She relayed this information to him again but he refused to listen. “All news organizations report that at least two meters between people, even loved ones, is important to avoid spreading germs!”

“James, you used my toothbrush last week until you could run out to the pharmacy for a replacement after yours fell in the toilet.” She rolled her eyes, pausing as she turned to him. Lily pretended like she was going to launch herself at him from around the island countertop, his eyes widening as he jumped back. “Lily!!” He screamed, the Lysol container flying into the air. He scrambled to catch it but the container fell to the floor with a clang, bouncing as it rolled over to her feet. 

“Hm, it seems I have the disinfectant now. How will you ever protect yourself?” She teased, tossing it back and forth between her hands before she set it on the counter. 

“Stop being ridiculous and put the groceries away.”

“Fine,” James muttered, but not without ensuring there was at least some distance between he and his wife at all times.

Week Eight, Day Four

 One more day and it would be Friday. That’s what he reminded himself as he climbed under the blankets on their large bed. James closed his eyes for a moment, only opening them as Lily joined him in their bed. It had been a long day of working at home, both of them fielding phone calls for their respective roles. He had been grateful when the day was done and they agreed to order in for dinner. 

Reaching over, James pulled Lily closer to his side of the bed. Her nose pressed against his bare chest as she lay silent for a few moments.

“It’s been a rough few weeks, hm?” She whispered, her left hand raising to rest on his cheek, thumb tracing his lower lip.

“Yeah. I know I don’t say it enough, but thank you. Thank you for putting up with me, and loving me, and just being you. I think I’d die without you, Evans,” he murmured softly. His lips pressed a soft kiss to the pad of her thumb before catching her hand in his own, holding it against his chest. 

“No one else I’d rather be stuck in quarantine with.”

[arianatwycross]

I have been chiseling at my April Jily Challenge fic for weeeeekks. I keep having rare spurts of inspiration and then nothing. I've been determined to get back to it but just nothing is coming to me! I have already written 3k words but I feel like it hasn't even gotten to the juciest part 😩

[cauldron-full-of-magic]

My story from @jilychallenge April 2022 prompts

This is unfortunately late from the April Meet Uglies challenge. I lost my original draft when it was nearly complete and didn't have it in me to recreat it until this week! My partner was @chierafied

*****************************************************

Lily was wandering through Diagon Alley, the warm July sun fell on her freckled shoulders as she followed the winding paths between shops. She had left her home early that morning on hearing the news that Petunia and her horrid boyfriend coming for lunch. She found herself longingly drawn back to the magical world that seemed so far away every summer There wasn't any goal for her trip that day, other than avoiding being at home for as long as possible. She'd been browsing through the shops for several hours now, and had just stepped back into the crowded main corridor after leaving Flourish and Blotts. Several new books weighed down the bag on her shoulder, and Lily had set her sights on a quiet table at Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.

Several minutes later, she was seated bellow the shade of an umbrella, a large sundae on the table in front of her. She rummaged through her bag before pulling out a book. The pages drew her in, and she was lost within the story soon. Shadows of the people who were passing by danced on the the pages as she read. Her spoon scraped the bottom of her sundae when a shrill laugh caught her attention. Lily looked towards the sound, but there were many people bustling by. She went back to her book, but a moment later the same shrill laugh erupted from the same spot. This time the crowd had thinned and she saw long blond hair. She recognized the girl as a Ravenclaw from the year below, Jillian something she thought crinkling her nose. The same girl who had asked James to the last Hogsmeade weekend of the school year. She felt her pulse rise at the annoyance of the memory. Her gaze lingered and as the crowd thinned more she saw a tall boy with messy black hair trying to back away from the girl. It was James, and he looked as though he was extremely uncomfortable and searching for any escape. But Jillian was pawing at his chest and something in Lily snapped. She stood up, heart hammering, and nearly toppled her chair.

"Potter!" she greeted enthusiastically waving towards him as she got closer to where the two stood. "What took you so long? I've nearly finished my ice cream waiting." James looked slightly confused, but Lily was determined to have him realize that she was giving him a way to get away from this girl who clearly made him uncomfortable. "Remember, we were supposed to meet?" she looked at her watch, "though I guess I'm a bit early."

"Erm," James fumbled looking nervously towards Jillian who looked completely livid. Before he could say anything more Jillian started to yell.

"So this is who you're supposed to be meeting then? You told me you were meeting the guys! No wonder you were being so secretive about why! All summer long you never have time for me because you're 'too busy with the guys' and the one day you have a few free hours you make plans with another girl afterwards?" Jillian's cheeks were pink and her chest heaved up and down as she glared at a wide eyed James whose mouth was hanging open slightly. Jillian let out a strangled scream, stomping her foot in frustration, "that's it James, we're over!" She spun on het heel and stormed off.

Lily felt the heat rising in her cheeks, and a heavy sensation in the pit of her stomach. James was staring at Jillian's retreating back and he let out a slow shaky breath. "James, Merlin, James I am so sorry! I had no idea! You just looked like you were trying to escape and Merlin James I'm sorry! I had no idea you're seeing Jillian. Hang on I'll go explain to her it was a prank, I'll fix this." Lily turned to follow Jillian, but she felt a hand grab her wrist and she felt her heart flutter at the touch.

"Don't" James said finally finding his voice. Lily looked up at him and he looked down giving her a crooked smile. "You don't have to do that Evans. I've actually been trying to end things with her since the end of the school year when she got it in her mind we were dating. But I couldn't ever do it. The guys have been giving me the hardest time all summer. They actually have a bet going on if things would be ended by tonight. Looks like I'll be making off with a nice bit of pocket money from them all. I'm the only one who wagered that things would be ended today." He gave her another wide smile, "shall we?" James said gesturing towards her table where her abandoned book and sundae sat.

As he moved towards her table Lily paused for a moment, unsure of exactly what had happened. Just then, James looked over his shoulder "are you coming?" The twinkle in his hazel eyes captured her attention and she followed him to her table. Maybe she'd thank Petunia for her day away from home, Lily thought as James pulled out her chair for her. He bounded around to the chair across the table and sat down enthusiastically before asking how her summer had been. "Oh, it's getting better now" she said with a grin.