The Rise And Fall Of The Stag And The Doe

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There was something reassuring about being able to fix something that is completely within your control. Your brain turns off and on goes the autopilot, your body moves and you act but you get this intense sort of calmness when you do. Because maybe you can't control whether you'll get a job you applied for, or whether your father will like the boy you are completely and entirely in love with, but for a few moments you can have a guaranteed win, something that is guaranteed to go your way.

And sometimes we don't know it, but we need that win. That little simple moment that won't matter in five years let alone five minutes, but in that second its just enough to push you along to get by.

To say Lily was nervous was such a serious underestimation it would be considered a blatant lie.

Though her father hadn't asked, expected or even noticed, Lily had cleaned the entire house; top to bottom. She'd come home in the early hours of the morning, the laughter of the night still lingering on her clothes and only grabbed a handful of hours of sleep before she went into her frantic cleaning. She wanted everything to be perfect. Obviously that wasn't possible, and Lily did know that, she just wanted everything to work out well.

Her father wasn't a harsh man. He was actually rather kind and understanding, but she supposed he had to be in order to raise two feuding daughters for seven years. The problem was, she actually cared about this guy. If he was just a boyfriend she happened to be dating, she wouldn't even go through this charade at all, but this one mattered and she needed her dad to see that and act accordingly.

It really wasn't her father that was going to be the problem, it was just that it was easier to counteract her father being protective then James screwing up and saying something stupid.

Guilt spread through her chest and her skin turned bright scarlet. Lily ignored those thoughts and remembered that she trusted James. He wasn't the same idiot boy who used to throw pick up lines at her while she was walking by. Sure he wasn't the most mature guy their age, but Lily needed to give him more credit. James had gone out of his way to show he could step up when she needed him to and if she gave him this chance, Lily knew he wouldn't disappoint her.

James fixed the black sweater his mother had made him wear and let out a low breath before ringing the doorbell. The gesture was still foreign to him, but after the handful of times he'd been over Lily's house in the past seven months he'd adjust to it.

The door swung open and the anxiety that had been building in his shoulders faded as a smile spread across his face. Lily's hair was perfectly straight and somehow looked a brighter color of red than usual. Her eyes were accented by more make-up than she usually used and she wore a modest but cute black dress that stopped at her knees and cut off just below her shoulders. There was lace at the top of her dress that hugged her perfectly.

"I've never seen...actually, this entire outfit..." Lily said her eyes going over him curiously, her hand hooked around the door handle.

"My mother literally laid it out for me before proceeding to give me tips on what to do and what not to say." He muttered furiously. "I told her I wasn't an caveman, and proceeded to remind me I spend all of my time with Sirius, while she picked lint off of my sweater."

"What did she tell you to do?"

"Open the door for you, pull out your chair...stand up when you leave the room." James rolled his eyes. "All things I'm fully aware of."

"Why would you have to pull out my chair...?" Lily questioned in bewilderment.

James gave her a look. "No guy has ever done that for you?"

"Noooo."

"You've dated some shite guys."

Lily hid her laugh. "Yes, we've established this. Now are you going to come inside, or are you going to stand out there and continue bashing my past suitors?"