The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix Part Three

Colors and Practiced Lines

James was reading a book. Lily stood in the kitchen, watching him from where she was leaning against the counter, twirling a strand of her ginger hair 'round and 'round her finger as she watched him. His nose was itchy - she could tell because periodically he would pause in his reading, reach up, punch his glasses up his nose with his index finger, then rub his nose for several seconds, sniff, and go back to page-turning. She tilted her head and her eyes trailed along his jawline and down the soft spot under his ear to his neck.. .his Adam's apple... She bit her lower lip.

Dora Potter had had an appointment earlier that day and was well asleep up stairs before James ever came home from the World Cup. He'd been buzzing with excitement and Lily had hoped it might have been energy he'd route into something else, but instead he'd calmed and was now sitting with his cup of tea steaming at his elbow, wearing socks and reading one of the old sci fi novels that had belonged to Charlus.

Lily wandered out to the living room and crawled onto the couch next to James so she was kneeling beside him, leaning against the back of the couch, one arm propping up her head as she stared at him. He glanced at her, then turned back to his book, turning the page.

She cleared her throat.

"Can I help you, Evans?"

"You sure can..."

"How's that?" he asked, eyes still on the page.

Lily puckered her lips up and looked at him through her eyelashes.

"Evans?" he asked, turning to look at her when she didn't say anything outloud.

Lily raised her eyebrows.

James blinked at her a moment, then reached up, punched his glasses up his nose, scratched his nose, and sniffed. "You alright, then?" he asked.

"James."

"Evans?"

"What's the matter, honey?"

"Nothing's the matter."

Lily frowned. "Well, what are you doing?"

James held the book up. "Reading?"

"Okay. I'm going to be really frank with you --"

"You're going to be Longbottom?"

"James Charlus Fleamont Potter."

"Hang on - you're three naming me? What am I in trouble for?"

She took his hand in hers, held it tight a second, gave it a good squeeze. When she took her hand away from his, it was to tug her jumper up over her head so that her hair fell 'round her shoulders, which were covered only with a soft cotton bra, white with tiny pink rosebuds all over it. Lily leaned against him, looking up at him, her cheek on his shoulder and said, "Please. For the love of Godric Gryffindor. Please. I am literally begging you right now."

James lost his breath as she stared into his eyes and her hand pressed to his chest, slowly moving across his sternum to his abdomen, and down... And James felt his entire body tense as she was unbuckling his belt and the. unbuttoning his trousers...

"Evans," he said suddenly.

"Mmm?" she asked.

"Am I awake right now?"

"Yes, James," she laughed, "What sort of question is that honey?"

"It's just - it's just I've had some weird - dreams lately," he said, words chopping as she leaned in and kissed his neck, "And they always - they've been starting out similar to this and then, well, honestly things go a bit wrong and I don't reckon I could - take it if - um - they - I -"