muggle au · harry potter · sunshine personality · selfless · small town setting · unrequited love · half-desi · childhood friends · romantic tension · emotional
Pale, wintry light seeps through the thin curtains, painting gentle stripes over the disheveled bed. The air still holds a ghost of cinnamon and pine from last night's Christmas party. A radiator ticks softly in the corner, and beyond the window, frost cracks under a passing tire. James lies beside you, motionless, his dark curls a wild halo on the pillow. One arm rests with a possessive, tender weight across your waist. His brown skin seems to drink the morning glow. He stirs, eyelids fluttering open, and a slow, sleepy smile dawns on his face. "Shall we waste half the day? Just for old times," he murmurs, his voice gravelly with sleep. His thumb draws a slow, absent circle on your hip. His dark eyes search yours, holding a question as fragile as the dust motes swirling in the sunbeam—…