"Here we are!" Marlene exclaimed, pulling up in front of a sprawling house made of wood and glass sitting in a beautiful forest clearing. The girls piled out of the car and took in their surroundings, from the floor-to-ceiling windows and wrap-around porch on the front and side of the house to the tall trees and floral bushes nearby and the way the sun glinted off the lake in the distance.
Despite Lily's many reservations about this weekend excursion in the woods, she had to admit it was gorgeous out here.
"Ooh, it's beautiful," said Dorcas, echoing Lily's thoughts. "Great job, babe." She squeezed Marlene's hand, and Marlene beamed with pride.
Another set of car doors slammed behind them, and the girls turned to see the boys strolling up the driveway towards the house. Peter was struggling under the weight of a backpack nearly as tall as he was, and Remus was eyeing the dense trees on either side of the house warily, like he expected a bear to run out and attack them at any moment. Only James and Sirius looked completely comfortable with where they were.
Well, not completely comfortable. James came to stand next to Lily, his arms folded over his chest and his brow furrowed over his glasses. This camping trip had been his and Marlene's brainchild, enthusiastically agreed to by Dorcas, Sirius, and Peter, and attended under protest by Lily, Mary, and Remus. Yet, now that they were there, James actually didn't look too pleased.
Lily wished she didn't care what he looked like. But that wasn't fair – he was a friend, sort of, and she always wanted her friends to be happy. It wasn't unique to him. It was a normal emotion.
With that in mind, she gave him a half-smile and a shrug. "The house looks great, doesn't it?" she asked. "Maybe camping's not so bad after all."
James snorted his disagreement, though he did take Lily's duffel bag and swing it over his own shoulder. "This is not camping, Evans," he grumbled as Marlene unlocked the door and led them into the house. "Camping is sleeping outside." He gestured behind him, towards the open door. "Maybe in tents. But not a whole house, with a kitchen and plumbing and everything."
"I told you, I'm not sleeping on the ground," Mary chided. "And I'm not peein' in a bush. That's how you end up with a rash."
"There's a lot between that and—this," Sirius declared, surveying the high-ceilinged, three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom "cabin" they'd rented for the weekend. "These are luxury accommodations."
"This ain't luxury, it's a log cabin," Mary said, rolling her eyes even though Sirius wasn't far from wrong. "And we're in the woods. Sounds like camping to me."
"No. Camping takes place under the stars." James' jaw was set and his lips poked out in a pout that reminded Lily just how full and soft they really were. She forced herself to stop staring as he continued speaking. "In boarding school, every full moon we'd sneak into the forest with a case of beer and get drunk and sleep outside. Sometimes we'd bring that little propane burner and make franks and beans, remember, Sirius? That's camping."
"Of course." Sirius grinned. "That's how Pete made friends with that squirrel."
"I called him Nibbles," Peter said fondly.
"You're lucky you didn't get rabies," Dorcas said, giving Peter a stern look. She turned back to James. "Why'd you have to go during the full moon, were you planning a séance or something?"
"No, that's just when the forest was most alive." James shrugged and mussed his hair. "Everything's prettier under a full moon."
A slight shiver rippled through Lily's body. James' face had softened from its earlier scowl, making him look younger. His jawline was still striking, strong and full, but Lily could tell he was no longer clenching his teeth. His thick brows weren't drawn together anymore, and his eyes crinkled at the corners with a hint of a smile. His expression was almost…sweet. Nostalgic.
Lily bit the inside of her cheek to help herself focus. She'd been hypnotized by that soft expression before – the last time she'd seen James, in fact. It had been at Marlene's birthday party, the same day Petunia disinvited Lily from her wedding, and James' warm hazel eyes had led her to drunkenly spill her guts about her sister and then succumb to a kiss from this boy who'd once been a nuisance and had only recently become something like a friend.
It was a nice kiss, too. But afterwards, he'd apologized instantly, sworn he didn't know what came over him, and promised he just wanted to be there for her in whatever way she needed.
She'd appreciated that. She was a bit tipsy, after all, and what she really needed right then was an ear to complain to and shoulder to cry on. Right? She was pretty sure that was right. And although she was still just getting to know him, James seemed like a really good listener. And he had excellent shoulders. So, the kiss had only happened once, and she wasn't going to let it happen again, not this weekend. She wouldn't push boundaries or test the fragile trust growing between them, and she wouldn't let him do it, either.
Not even if his eyes looked like molten gold and his smile was sweeter than honey.
Sirius' obnoxiously loud voice released her from the trance James seemed to put her under. "Yep," he said, clapping a hand on Lily's shoulder. "That was camping. Just four men communing with nature. Surviving the wild Massachusetts night."
"You were hardly men," Lily scoffed, her eyes twinkling. Sirius flipped her the bird and grinned.
"And you're romanticizing it, anyway," Remus said. "Nine times out of ten, those trips were fucking miserable. It was usually cold or wet and the ground was rocky, and I was always afraid we were going to get eaten by a wolf or something." He hitched his bag up on his shoulder and glanced back towards the open door. "I'm looking forward to sleeping indoors, in a real bed."
"See, I'm not the only one!" Mary said. She glanced at Remus and added, "Maybe we should find the best bed to share, since we're the only ones who care about being comfortable."
"No, I'm gonna take one for the team and share with Pete," said Remus. "He snores like a chainsaw, but I can sleep through anything."
"I have sleep apnea," Peter said, shrugging apologetically.
"You should get that checked out," Dorcas warned.
Mary pouted. "Fine, leave me with Lily the human space heater."
"Hey!" Lily exclaimed. "At least I don't wrestle you in my sleep!"
"Whatever, I probably have to wrestle to get your hot butt off of me!"
"Sounds like you girls get wild at night, huh?" Sirius said with a devious grin.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Mary shot back, sticking her tongue out at him.
He laughed. "Not really. I've actually never been interested in, uh…" he gestured loosely at her torso and winked, "…whatever you've got there. You know."
"Excuse you, I am a whole snack!"
"Anyway, speaking of beds," Marlene interrupted, "we call dibs on the master bedroom!" She grabbed hers and Dorcas' things and hurried through the living room and down a hallway on the left.
"Wait, why do you get the master?" Mary yelled after her.
"Marlene booked the place! Plus, we're the only couple here," said Dorcas, following her girlfriend. "But there's two other bedrooms, a loft, and the living room sofa. You'll figure it out."
The kids scattered to inspect their temporary living space and divvy up the remaining sleeping quarters. Lily and Mary claimed a room with a double bed and a view of the cabin's spacious side porch, and Peter and Remus agreed to take what was clearly meant as a children's room, with blue-painted bunk beds and glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling.
That left James and Sirius sharing a futon in the cabin's loft, accessible by climbing a ladder to the platform overlooking the main living area. Despite their initial complaints about the luxury of the cabin, they scrambled up the ladder to the loft like monkeys and lay on their stomachs looking down at their friends from above, gleefully comparing the space to the treehouse they'd built as boys.
James' smile made Lily smile. A normal, friendly smile, she hoped.
But two hours later, Lily was not smiling.
It was Marlene's fault, or James', or both. Marlene had insisted that the group take advantage of the remaining daylight hours and get outside. She and James had even gone so far as to swear that hiking was fun.
They were wrong. Dead wrong.
Lily was sweating and panting, trying to keep up with her friends as they made their way over boulders and up a winding path to some overlook that Marlene swore had the best views in the state. There were mosquitos and flies swarming around them like heat-seeking drones, and Lily's butt and thighs were burning from the climb. Her mouth was dry, and when she removed her pack to get her water bottle, she realized how sore her shoulders were going to be later. She splashed some water on her certainly-red face and sighed.
Two minutes later, a large rock nearly sent her sprawling. She stuck her hands out before she face-planted on the dusty path, and Remus grabbed her elbow to help her back to her feet. She gave him a grateful-but-tired smile as she brushed the dirt and twigs off her palms and continued the tortuous climb.
James, meanwhile, was having no trouble at all. Of course he wasn't. He made everything look easy. With his long, muscular legs and a branch he was using as a walking stick, he and Sirius were already some fifteen feet ahead of Lily, Remus, Peter, and Mary.
Lily wanted to hate him for it, but, honestly, she was too busy enjoying the view. James' sleeves were rolled up tight around his shoulders, and his calves flexed with every step up the steep slope. The large backpack he was carrying interfered with Lily's view of his butt, but that was probably for the best, all things considered. That much distraction might make her lose her balance again.
As soon as she had that thought, she heard a yelp and a gasp from behind her. "Shit!" Peter cried, as he careened off the path and into a patch of shrubs.
"Pete!" Remus yelled, nearly stumbling himself as he spun to face his fallen friend. Marlene and Dorcas, who had been leading the pack, quickly turned and hurried down the hill, and James and Sirius were already running down the slope towards where Peter was lying, moaning.
"I've got the first aid kit!" Dorcas said, digging through her bag.
"I'm all right, I'm all right," Pete said, as James and Sirius skidded to a stop next to him and began pulling him to his feet. "Just let me—ow!"
He had tried to push himself up with both hands, but his left wrist had buckled under him. "Shit," he hissed, clutching his left hand in his right. "Ohh, that hurts."
"Let me see," Dorcas commanded, pushing James to the side. She dropped to her knees in the dirt and gently took Pete's hand. She flexed his wrist this way and that, and Peter winced. "I think it's sprained," Dorcas announced. "Doesn't seem broken, at least. But we should head back and put some ice on it."
"I'll take your bag, Pete," James offered, grabbing Peter's backpack like it weighed nothing and throwing it over one shoulder.
"Thanks. Sorry, guys," Peter said, looking forlorn as he cradled his injured wrist.
"It's okay, Pete," Remus assured him, and Lily thought she heard a note of relief in his voice. Whether it was because Peter's injury wasn't more serious or because they wouldn't have to hike anymore, she couldn't be sure.
She also may have been projecting.
"Let's get one group photo before we head down the mountain, all right?" Sirius prompted. "In case we don't make it up here again tomorrow."
"Oh, I'm definitely not doing this tomorrow, honey," said Mary, looking affronted.
"The view from the top is worth it, I swear," Marlene said.
"Hey! Let's take this picture so we can get Pete home," Dorcas reminded them. "Sirius, selfie-stick, please?"
Sirius handed the selfie-stick to Dorcas, and she and Peter took their positions in front as the shortest members of the crew, with everyone else crowding around them in a semi-circle. Marlene stood behind her girlfriend, and Mary linked arms with Remus and Sirius. After a bit of shuffling, Lily found herself sandwiched between Sirius and James. James threw a lean forearm across her shoulders and winked. "All right, Evans?"
He looked like some sort of wilderness guide from a catalog, with his golden skin and artfully messy hair, t-shirt tight across his chest as he carried two sets of hiking gear with ease. How on earth did he look so good? Lily was all dirty and flushed and sticky, while he looked refreshed and smelled all musky and natural, like the woods were a part of him. Totally unfair.
She wiped the back of her hand across her sweaty forehead, probably leaving behind a streak of dirt, and tried to scowl. "Do I look all right?"
"Of course." James sounded surprised. "You look great."
"What?" Lily felt her cheeks go even warmer, and she hoped James would attribute her redness to the heat. "I'm a mess."
James' eyes flicked over her face, and he rubbed a gentle thumb across her brow. Lily's breath hitched, and she forced herself to exhale slowly when his lips tilted in a crooked smile. "There," he said in a soft, satisfied voice. "Now you're perfect."
"On three, kids!" Sirius called, his voice once again saving Lily from getting lost in a James-filled fog. She turned to face the camera and hoped she'd stopped blushing. "One, two—" Sirius tilted his head and pursed his lips to highlight his cheekbones, and Dorcas snapped the picture.
Lily only got a glimpse of the photo before Sirius took his phone and tucked it in his pocket, but she was pretty sure Dorcas had captured James still looking at Lily instead of the camera.
Back at the house, Dorcas wrapped Peter's wrist and gave him four Advil and an ice pack. The rest of the gang took turns showering and changed out of their hiking gear and into lounging clothes. Then they gathered around the huge, rustic coffee table to eat the frozen pizzas prepared in their luxury kitchen, courtesy of chef Mary.
"Pizza is not camping food," James muttered as he grabbed a slice and settled onto the battered leather couch.
"No, but this is!" Sirius crowed, pulling a 24-pack of cheap beer from the fridge. "And I've got whiskey in my luggage."
"Drinking's the best part of camping, anyway," noted Remus.
"Oh, yeah, I brought some vodka," Lily offered, rising from her spot on the floor and heading off in the direction of her room to grab it.
"But if we're drinking, I'm gonna want to cuddle," Mary whined. "You can't expect me to get drunk in the woods and then sleep alone!"
"We're not in the woods," James muttered.
"We can totally spoon, Mare," Lily called over her shoulder, laughing.
James chuckled. "I bet you are a cuddly drunk, aren't you, Evans?"
"No! You're too hot for cuddling!" Mary yelled. "Literally, hotter than Hades' house cat."
Everyone laughed, and Dorcas teased Mary about her quirky southern idioms, but Lily wasn't paying attention to them. She wasn't sure whether James had intended to remind her of the way he'd held her while she ranted about Petunia's shriveled prune of a heart, but that was the effect of his words. And now she was back to having some more-than-friendly thoughts.
She shook her head as she pulled the bottle of vodka from her duffel bag. Alcohol made everyone let their defenses down, and she would need all her strongest walls up tonight. She made a mental note not to drink too much.
It wasn't too difficult, once they finished their pizza and stopped playing Never Have I Ever. Lily drank one-and-a-half vodka and sodas during that game, but when they moved on to card games, she switched to ginger ale. By the time they'd decided to settle in and watch a movie (over James' protests that video streaming was definitely not part of camping), she was totally sober.
Peter had long ago realized playing cards with one hand was more trouble than it was worth, so he'd taken another dose of painkillers and gone to bed early. Marlene and Dorcas stayed for cards but left before the movie, with Marlene saying she wanted to be up to watch the sunrise over the lake ("You know what would make that easier? If we were sleeping outside.") before resuming the unfinished hike.
That left Lily, Mary, Remus, James, and Sirius watching Pitch Perfect and trying to stay awake. They were giddy halfway through, with James and Sirius howling with laughter at all the projectile vomiting and Mary drunkenly singing along with all the acapella groups.
All of a sudden, Mary sat up and pointed an accusing finger at Lily. "You let me get drunk when you know I have no one to cuddle," she announced. "You know I get sad without cuddles."
Remus rolled his eyes, but Sirius had a sly expression on his face. "Macdonald, I'll come cuddle you if you promise not to take advantage of me," he said. "Your bed is probably more comfortable than that futon, anyway."
"Wait, but that's my bed!" Lily exclaimed.
"Please, Lily?" Mary murmured. "I wanna be the little spoon."
"But where will I sleep?"
"You can have my spot, Evans, no worries." Sirius winked as he scooped Mary up like a bride.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Lily said, standing up quickly. "I can't sleep with James!"
"Why not?"
"I just—" she glanced at him and saw he was watching her with a somewhat amused expression. "I just don't know you that well," she finished, averting her gaze. "It would be weird."
"You've known each other for months now," Sirius said, still holding Mary. "You'll be fine."
"The first three months don't count," Lily argued. "I didn't like him back then."
James snorted. "Thanks."
"I mean, you didn't like me either!"
Sirius was already walking down the hall. "That was then," he tossed back. "This is now!"
"But—" Lily sighed and watched him go, not sure how to explain that of course things were different now, and that's why she absolutely could not share a bed with James. He was cocky and handsome but also really nice, and he'd comforted her when she needed it and kissed her but not tried to take advantage of her when she was drunk, and she would absolutely fall for him if she was forced to share a bed with him. It would be completely humiliating.
Maybe some of that was written on her face, because James sighed, too, and dragged a hand through his hair. "Look, if it makes you that uncomfortable, Remus can share the loft with me, and you can take the other bunk in Pete's room."
"Are you sure?" Lily asked, glancing between Remus and James.
Remus shrugged. "Sure. But I hope you brought earplugs."
"Oh." Lily frowned. "Is it that bad?"
Remus walked to the first door in the hallway and opened it just a crack. Even from where she sat, Lily could hear what sounded like a herd of snuffling hogs feeding.
"Oh my god," she said, very nearly impressed. "He does that all night?"
"Pretty much," Remus confirmed. "So if you can sleep through that…"
"No, no. You've got it." Lily took a deep breath. "I'll go with James." She blushed and turned to James with an awkward smile. "It'll be fine, right?"
"Um, right." James ruffled his hair. "C'mon, I'll show you to your room."
James hadn't expected Lily to agree to join him on the futon, not after she'd made it so clear she barely liked him. Or maybe it was more that she didn't trust him. Whatever her feelings were towards him, they weren't positive.
He couldn't blame her too much if it was about trust, though, since the last time they'd spent any time alone together he'd ended up kissing her. She'd been upset, drunk-ish, and vulnerable, and he'd kissed her, like an asshole. No wonder she was nervous about sharing a bed with him. He'd never try to take advantage of her, of course, but maybe she didn't know that.
He hated to think he made her so uncomfortable. But also, if he were honest with himself, he had to admit…he was glad for the excuse to be close to her. He'd just have to show her he could be a gentleman and respect her boundaries.
She wasn't making it easy, though. She followed him up the ladder to the loft, then stood as far away from the futon as possible, her hands tucked into her long sleeves and a worried frown on her face.
She was adorable, even though James didn't like to see her looking so nervous.
He sighed. "C'mon, Evans. I don't bite."
"I know," she snapped, raising her chin. "That's not—it's just weird, that's all."
He spread his hands in confusion. "What's weird?"
"Sharing a bed with someone you barely know!"
"I don't feel like I barely know you, we've hung out a bunch of times. We've talked."
Lily wrapped her arms around her stomach. "Not like this."
Their last conversation before this trip had been far more intimate, even if it didn't take place in a bed. But he didn't think pointing that out would help ease her concerns, so he just said, "We're in a house with a bunch of our friends, we're fully dressed, and we're just going to go to sleep. It's not that big a deal."
"I didn't say it was."
"Then what are you so afraid of?"
"I'm not afraid!"
"Well, sure seems like it," James said. He sighed again and rubbed the back of his head. "Look, we can sleep head to foot, if that'll make you feel better."
Lily wrinkled her nose in a way that James found quite endearing, despite how frustrating she was being. "I don't want your feet in my face!" she said.
He rolled his eyes. "So what do you want, Evans?"
"Nothing! Let's just go to sleep."
"Great. Thanks." James pulled back the blanket and climbed onto the futon. "Best idea I've heard all night."
Lily sat on the edge of the mattress and eyed him cautiously. "Just…I'm going to stay on my side of the bed, okay? And you stay on yours. We don't have to touch each other."
James snorted, but her words stung. "Wasn't planning on touching you," he said truthfully, though he wished she wanted him to, even a little. He closed his eyes and took off his glasses, placing them on the bookshelf next to the futon. "Just get in the bed."
Reluctantly, Lily slipped under the covers and curled up on her side, her back to him. She was blurry now, without his glasses, which helped him imagine that it wasn't really her lying two feet away from him. But her thick red hair was in a loose braid, the tail of it creeping over onto the edge of his pillow. He was pretty sure he could smell it, a vague scent of wildflowers from the shampoo she used. He rolled away before he gave in to the urge to feel the silkiness of her hair between his fingers. That would definitely violate the "no touching" rule.
He lay flat on his back and stared at the ceiling, listening to the sound of Lily's breathing until he fell asleep.
He slept well, and surprisingly peacefully. He would've thought knowing that this beautiful, fiery woman was in the bed next to him and he couldn't touch her would've made his thoughts angry and discordant, but instead her presence wove enchantingly through his dreams like a perfect harmony. In fact, as morning neared, he specifically dreamt that he and Lily were dancing. Not quite together, but in synch – he'd glide towards her, and she'd tease him, smirking and beckoning before twirling out of his reach. But it was fun. And he was so close to catching her hand and pulling her against him. So close…
He woke with a start to the sound of dishes clanking together, followed by cabinet doors being closed and hushed voices.
"Shh!" Sirius hissed. "You'll wake them!"
"Sorry!" Marlene said quietly. There was a pause, and James could hear a tap running. Then Marlene continued, "Are you sure we shouldn't wake them, though?"
James yawned and started to sit up to let his friends know they'd already woken him, when he noticed a blurry pink and red blob stirring across from him. He reached for his glasses and put them on, blinking as Lily's sleeping form came into sharp focus. She was curled on her side at the far edge of the futon, facing him, with one arm gently extended as though she were reaching for him.
His heart turned a cartwheel in his chest. Very quietly, so as not to disturb Lily or alert the others to his consciousness, James settled back into his pillow. He kept his eyes on Lily's serene form as he listened to his friends continue their discussion below.
"You know Lil doesn't want to be up before ten on the best of days," Dorcas said, followed by the sound of the refrigerator opening and closing.
"But James is an early riser, usually," Marlene countered in a carrying whisper. "And you know he really wants to do outdoorsy stuff, he's been complaining about it all weekend."
"Trust me, he'll be fine with missing the hike," Sirius muttered. "Just leave him. Remus is still sleeping, too, and we're not bothering him, are we?"
"I guess not," Marlene agreed reluctantly. "Well, Dor and I will probably head out soon, then. The three of you are going down to the lake?"
"Yes ma'am!" Mary said. "Sunbathing is a better vacation activity than mountain climbing, for sure."
"And less dangerous!" Peter quipped, and they all giggled.
"Shh!" Sirius repeated. "Come on, let's get out of here before we ruin all my hard work."
"'Your hard work'?" Mary asked, but Sirius shushed her again and she fell silent.
James listened to the five of them file out of the cabin and close the front door behind them, and he shook his head fondly. He'd have to chew Sirius out – and then thank him profusely – for disrupting the sleeping arrangements and trying to mastermind a romantic moment for his best friend this morning. He wasn't sure Lily would appreciate it so much, but maybe…
Her hand was still extended towards him. James inhaled slowly, then brushed his fingers across hers ever so gently. She let out a contented sigh and her lips curved up just slightly.
James smiled to himself. Yeah. That was enough. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep with his hand on top of hers.
When he awoke some time later, James felt slightly confused and very warm. Almost uncomfortably warm, actually, but not quite. The left side of his body felt heavy and stiff, though, and that was somewhat uncomfortable. He felt sort of locked in place, and he wasn't sure he could move his left arm at all. Without opening his eyes, he rolled his shoulder, hoping to restore some feeling to his limbs.
Or he tried to, anyway. But the moment he flexed his shoulder, the weight on his arm shifted and...murmured something? James' eyes flew open, and the weight against him let out a little whimper and burrowed even more closely into his side.
He froze in place. Lily was no longer on the far edge of the futon, with only her fingertips daring to cross the imaginary boundary into his side of the bed. Now she was curled up against him, her head on his shoulder, hugging his left arm loosely to her chest. Her back was curved against his ribs, his left knee was just slightly between her calves. If he just shifted a little more onto his side, he could fully spoon her.
He didn't, because pressing his hips into her back in his current state would probably earn him a punch in the face. But for someone who'd been adamant the night before that they not touch at all, she certainly didn't seem to have any qualms about it now.
Numb arm and excessive body heat forgotten, James just lay there, still and silent, enjoying their closeness.
Lily suddenly arched back against him, stretching, and then jerked away so quickly she almost fell off the futon. James winced as she trapped his arm under her body, and his fingers curled around her waist. She let out a little gasp of surprise and sat straight up.
"Oh, shit!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry, was I laying on you? Did I crush your arm? I'm so sorry!"
James let out a low chuckle. "I'm fine, Evans. It's all right. You didn't crush me." He added a little white lie to soothe her nerves. "I barely noticed you were there until you started thrashing about just now."
"I wasn't thrashing," Lily said, relaxing just a bit. She poked him in the ribs. "You just startled me."
"I startled you?" He raised his eyebrows at her playfully. "How do you think I felt, waking up with you hugging my arm like your favorite binky?"
Lily covered her face with her hands and fell backwards onto the futon. "Oh, my god. I'm sorry," she said again. "This is so embarrassing." She offered an apologetic smile. "At least I didn't drool on you?"
James smirked. "You sure about that?"
That earned him another poke in the ribs. "Did I?"
"No. You're easy to sleep with," he admitted. He grinned but continued speaking before she had a chance to comment on the innuendo. "No drooling, no snoring, no kicking. It was nice."
She turned her head towards him, eyebrows raised. "Not like a mini-furnace?"
"Hmm." James cleared his throat but kept his voice low. "You were pretty hot."
This time, he let the innuendo linger.
"Hmm," Lily echoed. She studied his face for a moment, her eyes searching his, looking for something. He held his breath and hoped she found it.
He assumed she did, because her mouth suddenly curled into a secretive smile. "I slept really well," she confessed. She yawned and stretched properly, and James tried not to stare at her curves as she moved. She settled back into the bed, but farther away from him now, on her side with her head propped up in one hand. "But I could still sleep more. Do we have to get up yet?"
"Well—" James rolled over to grab his mobile "—it's after ten, so, maybe we should?"
"Ten is still early," Lily grumbled good-naturedly. She cocked her head, listening for a moment, then added, "Doesn't sound like anyone else is up, anyway."
"Oh, well." James cleared his throat again. "I think they may have left already."
Lily popped upright like a jack-in-the-box. "They left?"
"I think so. I woke up a bit ago and heard people in the kitchen, and then I heard the door open and close. I guess they went hiking." James shrugged and tried to look innocent.
"Why didn't you wake me?"
"There was no need! You weren't lying on top of me at that point, so—"
She bit back a smile. "Oh, shut up!"
"Well, you weren't, and I didn't think you were interested in an early morning hike, anyway."
"Argh. That's true," said Lily. She flopped back on the mattress. "But I can't believe they left us! Our so-called friends are the worst."
"You mean the best," James murmured, remembering his dreams of dancing and how warm he'd felt when he woke up practically spooning Lily.
"What?"
"I said you needed to rest," he said loudly. "Yesterday was a big day, climbing mountains and Pete falling and fighting over beds and everything."
"Shut up," Lily said again, but this time her smile shone through.
"C'mon," James said, emboldened by that smile. "Wouldn't you rather be here, warm and cozy, than back on that mountain trying to keep up with Marlene?" He reached out and traced a finger down her arm and let his hand come to rest on top of hers.
"Yeah." She looked down at his hand and then back up at his face. Her cheeks were pink and her expression shy as she admitted, "And this is kind of cozy."
"See?" James lips tilted in a grin, and he flipped her hand over and linked their fingers together. "After all that fuss, sleeping with me wasn't so scary, was it?"
"It absolutely was," she countered, her expression turning just a touch defiant. But she scooted towards him and snuggled back into his chest, facing him this time, and intertwined her legs with his.
James took a deep breath, inhaling her natural morning scent, and she tilted her chin up to smile at him. "Mm," he murmured. Lily's face was so close to his he thought he could count each one of her long eyelashes. He brushed his thumb over the curve of her cheek. "What about now? Still scared?"
"Yes," Lily whispered. And then she pressed her lips softly to his.
She sighed happily as she pulled away, and James bit back a groan of pleasure.
"And now?" he whispered, his mouth hovering over hers. He didn't wait for an answer before kissing her again.
"Terrified," she murmured as they separated, reaching up and running her hand through his curly hair. She placed another kiss on his jaw and tucked her head under his chin. He felt her smile against his neck as she whispered, "Don't you see? This is exactly what I was afraid of."
...
AN: Thanks for reading! I wanted to make a tropey birthday fic for my friend, so I started with the idea that the Marauders were going camping and Jily would have to share a bed, and this is where I ended up. Thanks for reading, I always love your comments! xo