Deflating
Chapter Nineteen: What I Like About You
***
~For Cassie, who beta-read and yelled at me when I stopped writing. You have her to thank for this.~
***
Still Friday, 15 February
Approximately 1:00 p.m.: Mr. Moony wishes to inquire as to what happened when Mr. Prongs's fellow Marauders made the mistake of leaving him alone with Miss Lily.
Yes, because Mr. Moony hissing instructions into Mr. Prongs's ear is enough to make any girl throw off her clothes and say, "Take me, I'm yours!"
That was really long winded and kinda pointless.
Kinda was, wasn't it?
Anyway, Prongs?
Mr. Prongs declines to comment.
On?
Anything.
Oh, come off it, Prongs! We've been helping you with this girl for, like, six months. She's like our little project as well. We're entitled to hear what happened.
You're not entitled to anything. And she's not a project. She's a person. A very beautiful, intelligent--
She's not here, Prongs.
Yeah, but every time I say or write something pricky, it comes back to bite me in the arse, so I'm not taking any chances.
Yes, James, stop karma before it starts. Spiffing plan.
Whatever. And why'd you call me by my birth-given name?
I am annoyed that you won't JUST TELL US WHAT HAPPENED.
Just tell us. We'll find out anyway.
Are you living vicariously through me?
Wormtail and Moony, maybe, but Padfoot has his own social life. A much more successful one, at that. Padfoot knows how to handle his girls.
See, this is why I can't get anywhere with Lily-- I spend too much time with you.
Don't say anything you'll regret on your wedding day, Prongs. Best man, remember?
Padfoot, at the rate you're going, you'll be lucky to be invited to my wedding. You know, on the off chance I'll ever have a wedding.
Oh, shut up, Prongs, you'll have a wedding.
I'm still not telling you.
In that case, you will die a lonely, lonely man with 67 cats.
***
James didn't see Lily at all after class or at dinner. When he looked for her after dinner (without the aid of the Marauder's Map, which had gone mysteriously missing), he didn't find her in the library, the Common Room, the Quidditch pitch, Hagrid's hut, or the Astronomy Tower (as a teenage boy, he was disappointed and a little saddened when she didn't turn up there). He was traipsing up to the Common Room in defeat, when he spotted one of Lily's twin friends outside the Great Hall, sitting cross-legged on the floor and reading a book.
He jogged up to her. "Hi," he said, sitting down next to her.
Twin looked up from her book. "If you want me to tell you where Lily is, I'm afraid I'm under strict orders not to tell anyone."
James sighed. "Oh, well, I'll talk to her tomorrow."
"However," Twin continued, as though she hadn't heard him, "I hardly ever listen to Lily when she gives me orders. And I'm sorry to say that I've taken a liking to seeing the two of you together, so..." She sucked in a breath and drew herself up importantly. "She's in the dormitory."
James's heart dropped in disappointment, even though he'd been expecting this. "Oh, well, I can't get to her in the girls' dormitory. So, I guess I'll just talk to her tomorrow."
Twin flashed him a smile. "I never said she was in her dormitory."
James could've sworn he stopped breathing. "W-what?" he stammered, his voice cracking like it hadn't since he was thirteen.
Twin smirked. "Don't get your overactive hormones all excited there. She's fully clothed."
I can fix that, James thought to himself, glad for the first time in his life that Remus wasn't there. "W-what's she doing in there?"
"Waiting for you," Twin said, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. Which it probably was, but James was not thinking very clearly right now.
"Oh, God," James muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Um, okay. Okay, I'm gonna go...gonna go talk to her." He stumbled to his feet and started running. He tripped the first few steps before regaining himself and speeding down the hall.
He reached the Fat Lady after about three minutes, spat out the password so fast she had to ask him to repeat it twice before she finally understood what he was saying, and burst into the Common Room.
Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all sitting on a sofa, the Marauder's Map between them. They looked up when he came in, all grinning.
"I suppose you've heard that Lily's in our room," Peter said.
James only nodded; he was quite winded from his impromptu exercise that he couldn't really talk.
"We didn't have time to straighten up before she kicked us out," Remus said apologetically.
"So she might see your underwear before you see hers," Sirius added.
"Don't care," James managed to sputter.
"You will," Remus said dismissively.
"James, much as we love chatting with you," Sirius began, "we can do it anytime. There is a girl up in your room. Lily Evans is up in your room. Waiting for you. Possibly naked. With whipped cream."
"Sirius," Remus interrupted disapprovingly. Then, looking to James, who was standing, frozen, in front of them, "Aren't you going to go?"
"I'm just trying to fully realize the gravity of this situation, give me a second," James muttered, eyes closed.
"Well, do it faster," Peter told him impatiently.
"You cannot rush these things, Wormtail," James began, but Sirius got up and started pushing him towards the staircase.
"Go up there!" he commanded, and James obeyed, albeit very slowly.
He knocked on the door when he reached it, swallowing. His mouth was very dry again.
"Just come in," he heard Lily's voice say. Oh, my God, she's really in my room. "It's your room."
James sucked in a breath and pushed open the door.
Lily was standing by the window, fully clothed, whipped cream nowhere in sight. She bit her lip when he entered.
"Close the door," she said.
Oh, dear God. He did as told, then turned back to face her.
Lily sighed, then asked, "Which one's yours?"
"What?"
"Which bed, James?" she said patiently. "I've been standing up for twenty- five minutes because I didn't want to risk sitting on Sirius Black's boxers."
"Oh," he managed, then pointed to the one nearest the window on the left side. "That--that's mine."
"Can I sit down, then?"
"Y-yeah. Go ahead."
It was unbelievably hot in the room all of a sudden. James tugged at his tie as Lily lowered herself onto the edge of his bed.
"Um, can I ask why you're in my room and not in the Common Room?" James asked, trying to mantain composure.
"I didn't want your friends and mine breathing down my neck," she replied.
"Oh," he muttered, taking a seat on Peter's bed, which was directly across from his. "Um, what did you want to talk about?"
"The kiss."
He'd been expecting this. James's hand flew to his hair. "Yeah, I..."
"Don't talk."
He glanced up at her, but didn't say anything else.
"That was very unfair of you," Lily said in a matter-of-fact voice, "to pin me in the middle of a classroom--"
"I didn't pin you anywhere!" James interjected angrily.
"I recall telling you not to talk."
"And I recall you kissing me back in the classroom!"
Lily closed her eyes. "You caught me off-guard."
"Lily," James said, trying not to laugh, "my friends catch me off-guard all the time, but I never stick my tongue down their throats when they do."
"It would render me completely unnecessary, so maybe you should."
"When you're quite finished," James said, "maybe you could finish your lecture."
"I don't lecture," Lily hissed.
"Yes, you do. You lecture me all the time! But, by all means, continue. I personally never get tired of it."
"James, what do you like about me?"
This question took him completely aback. It wasn't really like Lily to be so forward, or to drop an argument so abruptly. "What?"
She actually blushed. "If you tell me what you like about me, I'll try to tell you what I like about you."
Eager to hear her end of things, James just started talking. "I like the way you smile. I like your eyes. I like that you look pretty, even when you cry. I like that you can make me laugh, even if I'll never admit it. I like that you can take things lightly, and that you sometimes can't, because that reminds me that not everything is a joke. I like the way I can't even blink when you look me in the eye. I like that I can see myself with you, a year from now, five years from now, ten years from now, fifty years from now...." He trailed off. "And I like that there are so many things I like about you that I'd be talking for hours if I wanted to list them all."
Lily stayed silent for quite awhile, before inhaling deeply and looking up at him. "Yes," she said softly.
"Yes what?" James asked, thoroughly confused.
"Yes, I'll go out with you."
***
A/N: ::grin:: Like I said, cliffhangers are fun.
So, yeah, with this chapter in place, that means that 20 is the very last one. ::sigh:: Yep, had to end sometime, friends.
I also apologize for the fluff in this and the past three chapters, because I fully realize that it's kinda suffocating :)
Is it wrong of me to say that I like James a whole lot now? I mean, I always liked him (hello, all I write is L/J, practically), but I like him more now....
Chapter Nineteen: What I Like About You
***
~For Cassie, who beta-read and yelled at me when I stopped writing. You have her to thank for this.~
***
Still Friday, 15 February
Approximately 1:00 p.m.: Mr. Moony wishes to inquire as to what happened when Mr. Prongs's fellow Marauders made the mistake of leaving him alone with Miss Lily.
Yes, because Mr. Moony hissing instructions into Mr. Prongs's ear is enough to make any girl throw off her clothes and say, "Take me, I'm yours!"
That was really long winded and kinda pointless.
Kinda was, wasn't it?
Anyway, Prongs?
Mr. Prongs declines to comment.
On?
Anything.
Oh, come off it, Prongs! We've been helping you with this girl for, like, six months. She's like our little project as well. We're entitled to hear what happened.
You're not entitled to anything. And she's not a project. She's a person. A very beautiful, intelligent--
She's not here, Prongs.
Yeah, but every time I say or write something pricky, it comes back to bite me in the arse, so I'm not taking any chances.
Yes, James, stop karma before it starts. Spiffing plan.
Whatever. And why'd you call me by my birth-given name?
I am annoyed that you won't JUST TELL US WHAT HAPPENED.
Just tell us. We'll find out anyway.
Are you living vicariously through me?
Wormtail and Moony, maybe, but Padfoot has his own social life. A much more successful one, at that. Padfoot knows how to handle his girls.
See, this is why I can't get anywhere with Lily-- I spend too much time with you.
Don't say anything you'll regret on your wedding day, Prongs. Best man, remember?
Padfoot, at the rate you're going, you'll be lucky to be invited to my wedding. You know, on the off chance I'll ever have a wedding.
Oh, shut up, Prongs, you'll have a wedding.
I'm still not telling you.
In that case, you will die a lonely, lonely man with 67 cats.
***
James didn't see Lily at all after class or at dinner. When he looked for her after dinner (without the aid of the Marauder's Map, which had gone mysteriously missing), he didn't find her in the library, the Common Room, the Quidditch pitch, Hagrid's hut, or the Astronomy Tower (as a teenage boy, he was disappointed and a little saddened when she didn't turn up there). He was traipsing up to the Common Room in defeat, when he spotted one of Lily's twin friends outside the Great Hall, sitting cross-legged on the floor and reading a book.
He jogged up to her. "Hi," he said, sitting down next to her.
Twin looked up from her book. "If you want me to tell you where Lily is, I'm afraid I'm under strict orders not to tell anyone."
James sighed. "Oh, well, I'll talk to her tomorrow."
"However," Twin continued, as though she hadn't heard him, "I hardly ever listen to Lily when she gives me orders. And I'm sorry to say that I've taken a liking to seeing the two of you together, so..." She sucked in a breath and drew herself up importantly. "She's in the dormitory."
James's heart dropped in disappointment, even though he'd been expecting this. "Oh, well, I can't get to her in the girls' dormitory. So, I guess I'll just talk to her tomorrow."
Twin flashed him a smile. "I never said she was in her dormitory."
James could've sworn he stopped breathing. "W-what?" he stammered, his voice cracking like it hadn't since he was thirteen.
Twin smirked. "Don't get your overactive hormones all excited there. She's fully clothed."
I can fix that, James thought to himself, glad for the first time in his life that Remus wasn't there. "W-what's she doing in there?"
"Waiting for you," Twin said, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. Which it probably was, but James was not thinking very clearly right now.
"Oh, God," James muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Um, okay. Okay, I'm gonna go...gonna go talk to her." He stumbled to his feet and started running. He tripped the first few steps before regaining himself and speeding down the hall.
He reached the Fat Lady after about three minutes, spat out the password so fast she had to ask him to repeat it twice before she finally understood what he was saying, and burst into the Common Room.
Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all sitting on a sofa, the Marauder's Map between them. They looked up when he came in, all grinning.
"I suppose you've heard that Lily's in our room," Peter said.
James only nodded; he was quite winded from his impromptu exercise that he couldn't really talk.
"We didn't have time to straighten up before she kicked us out," Remus said apologetically.
"So she might see your underwear before you see hers," Sirius added.
"Don't care," James managed to sputter.
"You will," Remus said dismissively.
"James, much as we love chatting with you," Sirius began, "we can do it anytime. There is a girl up in your room. Lily Evans is up in your room. Waiting for you. Possibly naked. With whipped cream."
"Sirius," Remus interrupted disapprovingly. Then, looking to James, who was standing, frozen, in front of them, "Aren't you going to go?"
"I'm just trying to fully realize the gravity of this situation, give me a second," James muttered, eyes closed.
"Well, do it faster," Peter told him impatiently.
"You cannot rush these things, Wormtail," James began, but Sirius got up and started pushing him towards the staircase.
"Go up there!" he commanded, and James obeyed, albeit very slowly.
He knocked on the door when he reached it, swallowing. His mouth was very dry again.
"Just come in," he heard Lily's voice say. Oh, my God, she's really in my room. "It's your room."
James sucked in a breath and pushed open the door.
Lily was standing by the window, fully clothed, whipped cream nowhere in sight. She bit her lip when he entered.
"Close the door," she said.
Oh, dear God. He did as told, then turned back to face her.
Lily sighed, then asked, "Which one's yours?"
"What?"
"Which bed, James?" she said patiently. "I've been standing up for twenty- five minutes because I didn't want to risk sitting on Sirius Black's boxers."
"Oh," he managed, then pointed to the one nearest the window on the left side. "That--that's mine."
"Can I sit down, then?"
"Y-yeah. Go ahead."
It was unbelievably hot in the room all of a sudden. James tugged at his tie as Lily lowered herself onto the edge of his bed.
"Um, can I ask why you're in my room and not in the Common Room?" James asked, trying to mantain composure.
"I didn't want your friends and mine breathing down my neck," she replied.
"Oh," he muttered, taking a seat on Peter's bed, which was directly across from his. "Um, what did you want to talk about?"
"The kiss."
He'd been expecting this. James's hand flew to his hair. "Yeah, I..."
"Don't talk."
He glanced up at her, but didn't say anything else.
"That was very unfair of you," Lily said in a matter-of-fact voice, "to pin me in the middle of a classroom--"
"I didn't pin you anywhere!" James interjected angrily.
"I recall telling you not to talk."
"And I recall you kissing me back in the classroom!"
Lily closed her eyes. "You caught me off-guard."
"Lily," James said, trying not to laugh, "my friends catch me off-guard all the time, but I never stick my tongue down their throats when they do."
"It would render me completely unnecessary, so maybe you should."
"When you're quite finished," James said, "maybe you could finish your lecture."
"I don't lecture," Lily hissed.
"Yes, you do. You lecture me all the time! But, by all means, continue. I personally never get tired of it."
"James, what do you like about me?"
This question took him completely aback. It wasn't really like Lily to be so forward, or to drop an argument so abruptly. "What?"
She actually blushed. "If you tell me what you like about me, I'll try to tell you what I like about you."
Eager to hear her end of things, James just started talking. "I like the way you smile. I like your eyes. I like that you look pretty, even when you cry. I like that you can make me laugh, even if I'll never admit it. I like that you can take things lightly, and that you sometimes can't, because that reminds me that not everything is a joke. I like the way I can't even blink when you look me in the eye. I like that I can see myself with you, a year from now, five years from now, ten years from now, fifty years from now...." He trailed off. "And I like that there are so many things I like about you that I'd be talking for hours if I wanted to list them all."
Lily stayed silent for quite awhile, before inhaling deeply and looking up at him. "Yes," she said softly.
"Yes what?" James asked, thoroughly confused.
"Yes, I'll go out with you."
***
A/N: ::grin:: Like I said, cliffhangers are fun.
So, yeah, with this chapter in place, that means that 20 is the very last one. ::sigh:: Yep, had to end sometime, friends.
I also apologize for the fluff in this and the past three chapters, because I fully realize that it's kinda suffocating :)
Is it wrong of me to say that I like James a whole lot now? I mean, I always liked him (hello, all I write is L/J, practically), but I like him more now....