Smitten - James Potter x Reader
AN - Here's a little James fluff that I wrote and completely forgot about lol. Enjoy <3.
He’s smitten. Completely and irrevocably captivated. One glance from her and the world shifts on its axis. When she smiles, his imagination soars and his brain is all white doves and champagne toasts.
Her laugh isn’t just a sound. It’s church bells on a spring afternoon. He’s not a religious man, but for her, he’d build a cathedral with his bare hands and worship at her altar forever. A simple curve of her lips and he’s envisioning vows under a canopy of twinkling lights, her name being the only prayer he’ll ever need.
Pathetic. That’s what he tells himself when her hand brushes his. The fleeting touch sparking fireworks he swears other people could see if they looked close enough. In his mind’s eye, he’s already down on one knee, slipping a pretty ring onto her finger. He doesn’t even know her that well yet, but one thing he knows for sure: he’s done for.
This isn’t like anything he’s ever felt. He’s dated before – flirted, kissed, even thought he’d loved once – but none of that prepared him for this. His heart races, his palms sweat, his cheeks flush whenever she’s near.
“Mate, you’ve got it bad.” Sirius drawled, taking a long sip of his beer, “I’ve never seen anyone go full Romeo like this before.”
“Romeo wrote poetry. I’m not writing poetry.” James shot back, leaning against the table.
“Yet.” Sirius quipped, “Give it a week. You’ll be sitting in your room scribbling odes to her in your journal.”
“That’s Moony’s thing, not mine.” James teased, raising his glass in mock toast towards Remus.
Remus raised an unimpressed eyebrow but didn’t miss a beat, sticking two fingers up at James and rolling his eyes, “At least I have the self-respect to not get googly-eyed over someone I’ve spoken to, what? Twice?”
“Three times.” James corrected automatically, only to wince when his friends dissolved into laughter.
“You fall in love quicker than Sirius can down a pint.” Remus quipped, clearly enjoying himself.
“So, when’s the wedding?” Sirius tormented, “or have you not planned it yet? Here, Moony, do you think Prongs is a spring wedding guy, or more of an autumn kind of thing?”
“Spring.” Remus replied dryly, “Flowers blooming. Birds chirping. All very poetic.”
“Obviously, there’ll be doves,” Sirius added, gesturing grandly as if arranging the scene.
“Maybe throw in a harpist for good measure,” Remus suggested, deadpan.
James groaned and dropped his head into his hands, “You two are insufferable-” He froze, mid-protest, his groan dying in his throat as the sound of laughter drifted across the pub. It wasn’t loud or dramatic, but the soft sound hit him square in the chest.
She was here.
Of course she was. The universe had an impeccable sense of irony.
Sirius, ever observant, followed James’s line of sight and grinned like the Cheshire Cat, “Oh, would you look at that.” He said, far too loudly for James’s liking.
“Keep your voice down!” he hissed, “Shit. What’s she doing here?”
Sirius and Remus exchanged a shifty glance with each other and Sirius took a slow sip from his pint, his grin growing more smug by the second.
“You bastards!” James gasped, realisation dawning on him, “You knew she was going to be here! I thought it was weird that you picked this pub and not the Broomsticks!”
Remus snorted, his mouth splitting into a cocky smile as he nodded. Maybe the universe wasn’t cruel, but his friends sure were.
“Guilty as charged.” Remus sniggered.
“Yep.” Sirius replied, popping the ‘p’, “Mary mentioned that they were coming here tonight. Thought you could do with a little push in the right direction.”
“You planned this?” James said incredulously, “You’ve been conspiring behind my back!”
“More like wingmanning really,” Remus shrugged, “You go on about her all the time Prongsy. We were just... facilitating the inevitable.”
“Right, and what was the grand plan?” James pretended to look annoyed but his heart was racing a little, “I’m supposed to just walk up to her now and –what? Spill my heart out?”
Sirius quirked an eyebrow, “If you want to. Or you could just start with ‘Hello’. You know, like a normal bloke.”
“Or go and buy her a drink.” Remus drained the last drop of his beer and waved the empty glass in James’s face, “It’s your round anyway.” he winked.
James hesitated, glancing across the room to where she stood.
“Fine.” He muttered, raking a hand through his hair, “but if this goes sideways then I’m blaming you.”
Sirius grinned, “Oh, it’ll go brilliantly. Go get her, Romeo.”
Okay, Potter. Play it cool. Don’t trip. Definitely don’t trip.
James’s heart hammered in his chest as he crossed the pub, the hum of chatter and clinking glasses fading into the background. All he could focus on her- and the pounding in his chest. She looked so effortlessly radiant, standing with Mary and Lily, a drink in her hand.
Just say hello. He told himself. It wasn’t hard. Two syllables. Completely manageable.
When her reached their table, she turned, her smile softening when she saw him. “James, hey! I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Step one: complete. She remembers your name.
He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from fidgeting, leaning casually against the table. Or at least, what he hoped looked like casually.
“Hey. Yeah, funny coincidence, huh? Was just on my way to the bar when I saw you guys. Thought I’d come and say hello.”
From across the room, Sirius fake coughed something that sounded suspiciously close to “liar!”. James ignored him, focusing entirely on her. As always.
“Are you out with Sirius and Remus?” Mary asked, smiling at him knowingly.
“Sat planning their next scheme I assume?” Lily grinned.
“Probably.” James tried to slyly wipe his clammy palms on his jeans, “I’ve learned not to ask questions.”
“Smart man.” Y/N smiled softly, “So, are you here to escape them?”
“Something like that.” the tightness in his chest eased a little, “I’m just heading to get a drink. Do you want anything?” he directed the question towards her.
“Oh, I'll come with you.” She said, standing up, “It’s my round anyway.”
He barely managed to keep his face neutral as she fell into step beside him, the warmth of her presence making his brain short circuit.
“So,” she said, glancing at him as they approached the bar, “Did Sirius and Remus drag you here, or was this your idea?”
He hesitated for a second, scared that he’d been caught red handed. He could like, pretend this was all a coincidence, but something about the casual way that she asked made him think that she’s just making conversation. She doesn’t know. She can't know. She has no idea how often she’s occupied his thoughts, how ridiculous he’s been about her.
“They had opinions of the venue,” he settled on, trying to keep his tone light, “Remus often drags us here – cheaper pints and all that.”
She hummed, considering his answer and then picked up the menu, “So, what’s your usual?”
James blinked. “My what?”
“Your usual drink,” she clarified, throwing him a bemused look, “Please don’t tell me you’re one of those blokes who just orders whatever.”
“Absolutely not.” James lied.
Y/N narrowed her eyes playfully, “You so are.”
James shrugged, trying not to look thrown off, “I like to keep things interesting.”
“Yeah?” she said, clearly unconvinced, “So what are you ordering then”?
He opened his mouth to speak before realising that he doesn’t actually care what he drinks. He couldn’t order a beer, could he? That was far too predictable. A cocktail maybe? Then, to his horror, he blurted out, “What are you getting?”
She lifted an amused eyebrow, “What, are you going to copy me?”
“No,” James scoffed, as it that would be ridiculous, “I’m just... curious. Looking for inspiration.”
She pursed her lips a little, scanning the selection of bottles behind the bar, “I was thinking a rum and coke.”
“Excellent choice.” James said, as if he had any thoughts on rum and coke whatsoever.
“That’s what you’re getting, isn’t it?” her lips twitched into a smile.
He gestured vaguely, “I mean, if I happen to want the same thing-”
She laughed, shaking her head as she places their order. James exhales, wondering if this conversation is going as awfully as it feels, but she seems relaxed, like this is normal.
Which for her, it probably is. She doesn’t know.
“You didn’t properly answer my question earlier.” she turned back to him.
“Which one?”
“Why this pub?” she tilted her head, “You guys are always at the Broomsticks.”
Shit. Shit.
“Oh, are you stalking me now?” he teased, “Change of scenery I guess.”
She hummed again, clearly not buying it, but before she can dig deeper, the bartender returns with their drinks.
James latched onto the distraction like a lifeline as he paid.
“Cheers,” he said, lifting his glass.
She clinked her against his, smiling easily, “Cheers, Potter.”
His name sounds too good when she says it.
When he returned to the table, Sirius is grinning like he knows exactly what’s going on.
James pointedly doesn’t look at him.
She doesn’t know.
And maybe, for now, that’s for the best.
“You’re gone, mate.” Sirius smirks.
“Completely gone.” Remus agrees.
“Yeah, I know.”
