#i'm slowly working myself out of my writing funk someone pls be proud of me

[regscupid]

1/4 prompt: switch (367 words) part 1 - @jegulus-microfic

“Switch shifts with me on Saturday.” James leans against the break room door, blocking Lily’s way out of the coffee shop.

She startles, looking up from her phone. He grins his most loveable grin, earning a suspicious look before she locks her phone and lets her bag fall off her shoulder.

“You want my Saturday closing? What happened to 'weekend closings are cruel and having to work them should be considered unfit working conditions'?”

“Just do it. Please?” He changes tactics, trading out the grin for a pleading look; big brown eyes on display.

She doesn’t speak for a long moment and he feels himself start to get antsy. Just when he’s about to speak up again, maybe offer to buy her lunch or clean the bathrooms during their next shared shift, she rolls her eyes. “Regulus is scheduled for that shift, isn’t he.”

It should be embarrassing the way his heart skips a beat when she says Regulus’ name. It isn’t though, not when he’s transported right back to the night before, when they last shared a shift and he offered him a ride home like a gentleman, citing Regulus’ safety and the length of his commute as reasons he should give in. Eventually he did, after a barrage of insults and a promise that it was only because he didn’t want to fall asleep on the bus again.

The opportunity to spend a slow evening together and further chip away at that hardened exterior, maybe even convince him to go on a date, was too good to pass up. Never mind that he was willingly signing up for a back-to-back closing and opening.

“I’m supposed to open. Pandora opens.” He tries.

This seems to get through to her, the hopeful bubble in his chest growing as Lily purses her lips and looks off to the side.

“…deal.”

James all but whoops and Lily gives into a smile, shoving him out of the way so she can leave.

“Thank you,” He follows her out the door, throwing an arm over her shoulder. “Really, I owe you one.”

“Whatever. Just ask him out soon, yeah? I’ve got ten on Barty that you’ll be dating by next payroll.”