Lily woke early out of habit. She was a morning person who welcomed the sunlight filtering a golden line through the curtains. She rolled over and parted the temporary barrier between the beds, and was unsurprised to see the lump under the covers that was James still slumbering deeply. She gathered some clean robes from her trunk and started towards the bathroom.
Her gaze fell on James again, however, and she stopped in her tracks.
It was quite a switch from the energetic, talkative boy she was so used to. He lay there still, silent, and peaceful, the dim morning light diffusing evenly across his face; his hair was pressed down on one side from sleeping on it all night.
Lily cocked her head to the side, studying him, and then went into the bathroom and started the bath. Though she tried not to think anything more of it, his figure and expression as he slept was a sight that would imprint in her memory and affect her, try as she might to suppress it, in the days to come.
~*
The strangely dim light was unusual for James to wake up to; he was used to full sunlight coming through the Hogwarts windows at the crack of dawn. But now he pulled himself out of sleep slowly and comfortably as he gathered his muddled morning thoughts.
The first thing he noticed was that he could no longer hear Lily breathing behind the barrier. The second thing he noticed was the sound of the shower running in the bathroom. He grinned a little, allowing himself a few moments of thinking about Evans just beyond the wall separating the kitchenette and bathroom. He had never really been close to her like this. It was nice.
However, he knew she wouldn't think so if she came out of the shower to see him stretching in bed, so he got up and padded to the kitchenette with a marvelous idea; make some breakfast!
He was still half-asleep, so he decided to keep it simple; toast, coffee, eggs, and bacon. Basic and easy, less likely to burn down the hotel. He heard the water shut off in the bathroom, and Lily came out a few minutes later in clean robes, rubbing a towel through her wet hair.
She brought the towel down and threw it across the back of the chair as she sat down at the table with a sigh, and James was momentarily paralyzed by the sight of her, how fresh she looked -- her glowing skin, her uncombed hair. It was the first time in a couple years he'd seen her without makeup, and he wondered why the hell she bothered.
Then he remembered the eggs on the stove, and for the first time in his life, the concept of playing 'house' appealed to him.
"'Morning, honey," he cooed, setting a plate of eggs in front of her. Then he bent down and nearly scored a kiss on her cheek before she realized what he was doing and swatted him away.
"Ew! Ew, James, don't -- Go shower, please. And don't forget to comb your hair."
James let out a hearty laugh -- was it just him or had he seen a hint of a smile on her lips as she pushed him away? He shuffled happily towards the bathroom and took off his clothes.
Lily sipped on her coffee, trying to stop herself from noticing the way his drawstring pants fit him and how his white t-shirt hung on his body. His utterly ridiculous hair topped it off and prompted a smile from Lily's lips she never would have let James see.