Chapter Thirteen: I Wasn't Looking for This

When James sent Lily a message a few days ago asking to go to the cinema, he hadn't expected that Sirius and Remus would also be tagging along with them.

Not that he particularly minded, of course. He had gone along with the pair of them before to see several movies, third wheeling it plenty of times. Going to the cinema with his mates was nothing new, and it was actually quite nice to have his own date for once. Someone to turn to and whisper whenever something particularly exciting was happening in the film.

Or, more so, if he lost interest and got bored, someone to pester.

Lily never seemed to mind his pestering out of boredom, humoring him on more than one occasion and allowing herself to become distracted as well. Distractions were the best sorts of times to steal kisses, after all.

Who could complain about that?

So, no, James didn't particularly mind that they were on an unexpected double date.

He just thought it was a bit… odd. Not necessarily the date, but the behavior of his girlfriend - girlfriend! - and his mates. Those parts were odd.

From the moment they entered through the front doors, shuffling towards the back of an unfortunately slow-moving ticket line, he noticed the oddities.

It started with Remus. He was shifty, nearly pale, and looked like if he managed to actually eat any of the theater's popcorn, it would threaten to come back up. Did he have a stomach bug he was trying to avoid telling people about?

"Is he okay?" James whispered to Lily, figuring she would be the one to know. Remus had always seemed quite close to Lily, even before the whole Val/Lily saga. They had at least been on a first name basis before she and James ever had been. Perhaps something happened at work to frazzle him.

"He's fine," she answered, though Lily didn't even look over at Remus before saying it. She looped her arm through James' and pulled him closer to her side, which was nothing that would get a complaint from him. "We may have gotten into a minor literary disagreement about the merits of Mr. Bingley, but I'm sure he's over it."

James frowned. "He got that upset over Bingley? He looks nearly green."

"He's fine," she said again.

The next thing he noticed were the looks.

He noticed it when he first picked Lily up for the evening. Sirius got out of the front seat to give it to Lily and, before moving to the back, they traded this look that James couldn't quite decipher. It had only lasted two seconds, but there was something in it that made James raise an eyebrow.

He saw the look again when he purchased the tickets. It was nothing more than a small smile between his best friend and his girlfriend, but it was enough for James to raise his suspicions.

Sirius was amused at something. James just didn't know what.

Nothing good came out of Sirius Black being amused without James being in on the joke.

"What?" James asked him, unable to help himself. Sirius looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "What's so funny?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, mate," Sirius said once he had the tickets for himself and Remus. "No one's laughing at anything."

"We'll need popcorn," Lily decided. "Should we get a big one to share?"

Remus stayed quiet.

"We can get a refill and make it count," James said, absentmindedly. Grabbing the tub, he moved to the station to fill his popcorn.

Maybe he was being paranoid. All this scheming against his girlfriend and trying to keep up his Prongs persona was probably just getting to him.

He was probably losing his mind, that was all.

"James, you're overflowing the popcorn!" Remus cried, snapping James out of his spiraling.

James looked down, immediately letting go of the popcorn lever. He had made a complete mess. Popcorn scattered all across the counter. His bucket was spilling over, and falling onto the floor.

He saw the employee behind the counter give him a glare. It was well deserved, he knew.

"Shit," he cursed. "I guess I wasn't paying attention."

"I'll get it," Lily offered, taking the bucket from him and trying to keep as much of it contained as possible. She bumped her hip against his familiarly. "What has you so distracted?"

"You weren't even kissing him that time, Evans." Sirius stepped up beside him and started sweeping some of the popcorn into the trash with his hand. "Have a lot on your mind?"

James blinked at the two of them.

They were… chummy.

He didn't know how else to describe it.

Why did it bother him?

Why was it so suspicious?

"James has always been easily distracted," Remus chimed in for him when too much time passed without him speaking.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I guess so."

"I'm always the one distracting us during movies. Good thing we came on a weeknight so fewer people will be upset if I start talking." Lily presented him with the popcorn bucket again. "Wednesdays are perfect for date night, don't you think?"

"Of course," James said, smiling down at her. She smiled back and his world became centered again. He was being ridiculous. Nothing new. "Maybe we should make it a regular thing."

"Gag," said Sirius, strolling past them. "Come on, love birds. Let's get in there before the previews start."

The lights were already off when they entered their theater. James instinctively reached back for Lily's hand as he guided them to the nearest row with the fewest people in it, thankful that they had chosen to see a movie that had been out for a while. It was relatively dead.

If he became distracted with Lily, it was less likely that he would gross anyone out this way.

And if he grossed Remus out, he would point out that his current cardigan was still missing a button.

"I haven't been to a movie in forever," James whispered. "I guess that much is obvious since I seemed to have forgotten how the popcorn dispenser worked."

"Me neither," Lily replied in the same whispered tone. "To be honest, I've watched more movies with you than I have in the past year otherwise." A beat passed. In the dim theater, it almost looked like her face fell for a moment, but it was back before James could be sure. "Even if it's only the one."

The same movie twice, he finished for her but kept that part to himself. She didn't give any indication that she knew he was Prongs just yet.

He was beginning to wonder how long it was going to take her to figure out. He wasn't sure what her progress was on the matter, and it wasn't like he could exactly ask her as James. It had been a few days since they had texted each other as Val and Prongs. Surely, she was putting the pieces together by now. Or at least trying.

It was both blissful and maddening to be in her presence when she didn't know.

"Do you -" He started, but before he could get his question out, the opening credits started, drowning him out.

Lily leaned her head against his shoulder. The arm rest between them was raised, so they didn't have to accommodate it. She looked up at him, brow furrowed, and mouthed a silent, "What?"

He wasn't even sure what he was going to ask her now.

Do you want to do something after this?

Do you feel the same way I do?

Do you know I'm Prongs?

He shook his head instead, smiling. "Nothing."

Group Chat: Welcome to Pettyville

Me: was I being too subtle?

Padfoot: Idk

Padfoot: I think he's broken

Remus: You know what's not subtle?

Remus: TELLING HIM!

Padfoot: Wow Remus you're sitting right next to me

Padfoot: No need to shout

Me: but then he wins!

Me: whose side are you on?

Remus: The side that makes this end.

Padfoot: I think we all know that I'm…

Padfoot: TEAM VALLY

Remus: Well done, Pads.

Remus: You managed to put two words together and have them make sense.

Me: I'm flattered Padfoot 3

Remus: I think we can just be team Lily now.

Me: we all need to be Team Make James Admit It

Remus: Ugh.

Remus: I hate this team.

Padfoot: You need to lay on the charm Evans

Padfoot: Use your powers of...persuasion ;)

Remus: oh my god

Me: you think that will work?

Padfoot: Um let me think

Padfoot: YES

Padfoot: He's literally the stupidest I've ever seen him around you

Padfoot: I'm pretty sure you could snog the answer out of him

Remus: Oh god please no.

Remus: Not in our shared house.

Me: as if your house hasn't seen worse

Me: need my sewing kit again?

Remus: Damn you and your needlework, Evans

Me: I can give it a try

Me: always good to have an excuse to kiss my boyfriend (:

Padfoot: okay I don't need details

Remus: Yeah, agreed.

Padfoot: Just get him alone

Padfoot: He'll be putty in your hands

Me: roger that

Admittedly, when Lily roped Remus into the still-forming plan in her head and made a group texting chat to include Sirius (Padfoot, as he was saved in her phone), she didn't think the plan would actually last very long.

Her goal was to make James admit who he was, just as she was starting to suspect he was doing to her.

Once she knew that he was Prongs, his choice of movie on their study date (not that they got much studying done, to be honest) had another meaning. He was leaving the crumbs so she would follow them and declare that she knew.

Well, if he was messing with her, she could mess with him right back.

At the same time, her relationship with James was taking a subtle but decidedly clear shift.

She didn't feel strange coming by his house with little warning. His friends invited her to sit on the couch and hang out with them while she waited for James to finish class. They went on a double date with his best friends and didn't hide the fact that they sometimes wanted to pay more attention to each other than the movie in front of them.

James fit into her life like he had always been there. She hoped, when she saw him grinning at her or instinctively knowing to grab her hand, that he felt the same.

After the movie and even without a formal invitation, the whole car knew Lily was returning to the house with them. They didn't have a solid plan, but that didn't matter. She wanted to be there. They wanted her there too.

It was already getting dark when James pulled the car into the driveway. Sirius, always full of energy, bounded out of the car and went to unlock the front door.

"Do you think we should bother with real dinner?" Lily asked James over the roof of the car. "Or do we embrace our status as college kids and skip it?"

"I don't think I can eat anymore," James said. "All that popcorn… ugh."

"No one asked you to eat two buckets of popcorn, James," Remus grumbled.

"Movie popcorn is an experience. If you don't leave feeling sick from it, you're not doing it right."

They'd been holding hands over the gear shift as he drove, but that didn't stop Lily from taking James' hand again as they walked through the front door.

"So maybe something to drink," Lily said. "Something that isn't a movie theater size soda."

"And something that won't get anyone hungover before class tomorrow," Remus added.

"One would be fine," Lily countered. "But water's always good."

"Are you guys really having a conversation about drinks? Geez, I go inside and all the fun goes along with me, doesn't it?" Sirius teased, peering his head around from the kitchen with a plate of leftover pizza. He apparently was the only one left with an appetite, even though he offered Remus a bite.

"Get that away from me," Remus groaned, his nose curled. "I don't feel so good."

"You didn't look too well at the cinema," James commented. "You don't think you're coming down with something, do you?"

"I don't -"

"Sirius," Lily said, effectively cutting Remus off, "aren't you going to take care of your poor, sick boyfriend?"

"Oh yeah." Sirius theatrically winked at her like this was part of a master plan. She had to hold back a groan. He was bad at this. "C'mon, Rem, let's get you to bed."

"I don't want to go to bed. I want a warm bath and a book." Remus grumbled but allowed himself to be guided away.

James watched them go, his expression quizzical. He waited until they were gone, the door shutting behind them, before he spoke. Even then, he kept his voice hushed. "Did they seem a bit off to you?"

"Maybe they want time alone," Lily offered. She turned so they were facing each other and found his other hand. "Or maybe they thought we did."

"Sirius never usually just leaves me alone," James muttered.

Lily could see the little seed of doubt sprouting behind his eyes. Quickly enough, it faded by her simply taking a step closer to him and raising herself up on her tiptoes so that his focus was on her once again.

He was easily distracted, wasn't he?

He eyed her appreciatively.

"Not even to be with Remus? Maybe he didn't want the rest of his date to be double." She dropped a kiss on his cheek and stayed close. "Plus, you're not alone. You're with me."

"Hmm," he hummed. He looked positively lit up. "My favorite place to be."

"Mine too."

That was true. Once his hands were in hers, she didn't want to be anywhere else. Carefully, she angled her head to the side, asking permission to kiss him properly.

He responded instantly, pressing his lips to hers and tangling a hand in her hair.

If sitting next to James sent sparks through her nerves, kissing him was a full lightning storm.

Her mind went blissfully blank. She wasn't thinking about Prongs or plans or pranks. She was thinking about James and kissing him and how wonderful it was that her fingertips found skin under the hem of his shirt.

"Do you want to take this to my bedroom?" he asked through their kisses. Then, seemingly realizing how that sounded, he leaned back enough to add, "If you're comfortable, of course. I'm not expecting… anything more than this."

Her lips tried to follow his when he pulled back, probably giving him an answer to his suggestion without her having to say anything. Only his solid presence stopped her from being a complete fool who might have tripped on her own feet. One hand of his went to her elbow to steady her.

She was very far gone if a hand on her elbow made her feel like this.

"Bedroom sounds great," Lily answered. "Lead the way."

He grinned, leaning down to kiss her again. This time, he didn't break the kiss. Instead, he eased her down the hallway until her back came in contact with the hardness of a door with a small thump.

Hands fumbling for the handle, it took them longer to get the door open than it would have if they weren't so preoccupied, but neither seemed willing to part for air at the moment.

Lily had never been kissed like this before. It was making her head spin. So out of it was she that when the door finally did manage to give way, she stumbled slightly, her fists balling into the front of James' shirt, hanging onto him for support.

Her mind searched for something to grasp, something to ground her, but her body found it first in the form of her back hitting a mattress.

His mattress.

"Is this okay?" James asked, lifting his lips away from hers to get the question out.

He was angled slightly on top of her, though not crushingly so. Their legs were an intertwined mess, their hands finding different pathways to explore.

"More than okay," Lily answered, breathless. She was almost proud of herself for managing three entire words. With his weight on top of her, all of her thoughts turned into pleasant buzzing. "Don't stop."

Following her own instructions, Lily lifted her head enough to close the gap between their lips. His hands knew where to go without prompting.

She could only hope that she was making him feel the same as he made her. Like she was floating and surprisingly present at the same time. Like she had these hands and lips her entire life but didn't know exactly what they were made for until right now. Like his fingertips contained a rare form of magic that made her feel beautiful and bright and alive.

Until she felt something that was decidedly not James brushing her cheek. A dignified and clear, "Meow," by her ear pulled her out of their kiss-fueled state.

"Hello," Lily said.

Upside down from her point of view, a cat stared squarely at her. The animal withdrew its tail from her face and sat, as if awaiting an explanation.

James groaned, the sound long and low against the crook of her neck. "Lily, meet Sir Purr. He's an asshole with exceptionally bad timing."

Seemingly satisfied with his introduction, the gray feline let out another mew before reaching down to bump heads with Lily. With his loud purr vibrating and tickling her forehead, she didn't have to guess how he earned his name.

"Hello, Sir," she said again, smiling at his acceptance of her. "You look even more handsome than your profile pic."

Like his owner, Sir Purr appeared to love compliments from her. His sounds turned into faint rumbles. After studying her, he looked up at James and let out a short meow.

Lily hoped it spoke of his approval.

"You can kick him off the bed if you'd like," James told her. "If he's bothering you, that is."

"Only that he interrupted us," she replied. "I've wanted to meet you, sweetheart, but maybe we can cuddle another time?"

When her eyes returned to James, she could see where his hair was made even messier than usual and not by his hands alone. Her lips still tingled with the memory of his and the sweetness on his breath from a Coke at the theater.

He smiled down at her. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Letting out a laugh that was part joy and part nerves, she made herself tell him what she was thinking. "I really, really like you, James Potter."

"I really, really like you too, Lily Evans," he said, sealing it with a kiss to her forehead. "It's crazy how much I like you. All of you."

Val.

Lily.

She knew he meant both.

Lily wondered if he could feel her heartbeat. Could he see something in her eyes that told him how happy she was? She wanted to kiss him again and again and be able to keep doing it because they were Lily and James and that meant something.

"Would you, um, not want to give me a ride home tonight?"

"You want to stay the night?"

A small but not insignificant part of her worried that she overstepped. If her mother saw her now, she would tell her that it was rude to invite herself into someone else's home.

If her mother saw her now, though, she might have a lot more than that to say.

"Is that okay?" Lily asked, echoing his question from earlier.

"Yeah! I mean - yeah," he said, attempting to mask his overly enthusiastic tone. His smile ruined it for him. "Of course it's okay. I wouldn't mind not giving you a ride home at all."

Lily laughed, delighted and smitten. "That's settled. And we found out that Sir Purr likes me. That sounds to me like a good reason to celebrate."

"Hmm." He lowered his head, nuzzling her nose with his own. "And what sort of celebration did you have in mind, exactly?"

Lily tilted her chin up, hoping his lips would brush hers. "We were getting pretty good at it a few minutes ago."

"Before we were so rudely interrupted, you mean," James said. His lips hovering above her own nearly distracted her from the way he stretched his hand over her head, scooping his cat up and gently dropping him to the floor.

The scattering of little feet underneath the bed and the jingling of what Lily assumed was a cat toy told her that their previous distraction was otherwise preoccupied.

"Yes," she said softly and almost against his lips. "Where were we?"

"Right about here."

She could feel the curve of his smirk against her lips before she melted into it.