All Tied Up, Interlude I: The Crux of the Problem
TITLE: All Tied Up
Interlude I: The Crux of the Problem
Rating: G
Word Count: 724
Genre: Romance, humor
Ships: L/J
Status: WIP
Summary: Now that she's finally figured out what she wants, Lily's hoping for a more permanent arrangement.
Sequel to The Price of Freedom. #2 in the Freedom Arc.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything even remotely related to Harry Potter, except a little bit of merchandise, and I’m making $0
Back to Chapter 2
Sirius is sitting on his bed, fiddling with a smoke bomb-James knows he’s trying to make the smoke come out colored-when James throws the door open. Sirius glances up distractedly and offers James a grin in greeting, then goes back to muttering and waving his wand over the bomb.
“Pads, I have a problem,” James announces, storming across the dorm with little care for the state of Sirius’s concentration. He reaches his bed in several long strides and tosses his bag down at the foot of it.
“You have so many problems, Prongs,” Sirius replies without looking up. “Which one are you on about?”
James lets out a silent huff and flops down face-first on his bed in response. Sirius goes still and silent. James can sense his expectant stare burning into the top of his head. James just groans and reaches blindly to tug at his already mussed hair. He can practically feel it when Sirius’s left eyebrow goes up.
“That bad, is it?” Sirius asks mildly.
James gets up, digging through his trunk until he finds a small, brown-wrapped parcel, then chucks it at Sirius’s head.
Sirius catches it easily. “James! You shouldn’t have!” He bats his eyes at James and clasps the package to his chest. “I shall treasure whatever it is for eternity.”
James waves him off and flops down again, still face down but this time across the end of Siruis’s bed. There’s silence for minute or two, then comes the sound of paper crinkling and tearing. James turns his head to the side and opens one eye, watching Sirius’s reaction when he uncovers the little box inside the wrapping and slowly lifts its lid.
There is silence for heartbeats upon heartbeats, then Sirius lets out a long, low whistle.
“Well, your taste in jewelry has certainly improved since third year, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he finally says.
James winces at the reminder of the hideous Potter family ring he’d found in the attic and then insisted on wearing for nearly a month before his amused father had given in to Sirius’s begging and forbade James to wear it to school.
“When did you buy it?” Sirius asks in a neutral tone.
James hesitates, weighing Sirius’s persistence in finding out against the likelihood that Sirius would take the mickey out of him. Finally, he decides to suck it up and take it.
“January.”
“Jan-” Sirius chokes. “You mean right after you started dating Lily?” he finally forces out.
James takes some time to curse under his breath. When he finally answers, his “yes” is barely audible.
Sirius cackles.
James scowls down into Sirius’s comforter. “Belt up, Padfoot,” he says and snatches up a pillow to chuck at his friend’s head.
“You’re so done for,” Sirius crows. “Does Lily even know how whipped you are?”
“Belt. Up!” This time James skips the pillow and just swings at Sirius with his fist. Sirius easily dodges.
When James settles back on the bed, this time on his back, his best friend is suddenly serious.
“So, how are you going to ask?”
“I don’t know!” James groans. He scrubs his face with his hands. “She’s going to live with Alice after graduation and she’s always talking about all these plans she’s got for her life. I hardly feel like I’m a part of it. I don’t want...I don’t want to mess up her plans. And I don’t have the slightest notion how to ask in a way that’s...that’s good enough!”
“It won’t mess up her life, James. And she loves you. Trust me, she won’t care how you ask.”
“I know she loves me. That doesn’t mean she...” James trails off, then runs his fingers through his hair in frustration.
“If you’re really worried about how to ask, you know Pete and Rem and I can help with that.”
“I know. I know!” he adds when he catches sight of Sirius’s ‘James is being thick’ face. “But...”
“She’s going to say yes, Jamie,” Sirius says, knowing, as he always does, what’s really bothering James.
James glances at him, hesitates. “Yeah?”
Sirius looks down at the sparkling engagement ring in the box he’s holding and smiles. “Yeah.” Then he shoves his foot into James’s ribs. “Now budge up, you smarmy git. I think you’re laying on my smoke bomb.”
On to Chapter 3