James had been woken up on Sunday morning by an owl at the window and Sirius telling somebody to shut it up before he jinxed it. They'd rolled back to the dormitory about one and it was only eight right now. Seeing as James had been forced next to the window because he and Lyra annoyed the others by writing to each other, he got up and was surprised when it was indeed Archimedes at the window. Frowning, James opened it, the owl hooting in a familiar way and rubbing his head against James's hand which did admittedly make him smile.
"Hi boy, it's been a while" he murmured, the owl hooting in apparent agreement as he stuck his leg out. James untied the letter, Archimedes gently nipping his hand before he flew off, apparently not hanging around for a reply. Opening the letter, he found it was Lyra, asking him to meet her in half an hour in their usual spot, promising to have breakfast. Seeing as Archimedes had flown off, he assumed she was going to just wait for him there and so hauled himself out of bed and into the shower, wondering what it was she wanted. They hadn't spoken privately like this in over a month now, but he was excited, wanting to see her and spend time with her. As such, he made his way to their spot with a smile on his face, sneaking into the classroom and finding Lyra around the side of the desk, legs outstretched and the smell of bacon wafting from the general area. Lyra looked around when she spotted him, beaming smile on her face which only widened his.
"Hey stranger" she greeted him, making him chuckle as he sat next to her, helping himself to some food.
"Ditto" he replied, Lyra laughing at this as he felt her eyes on him and, glancing up, saw her watching him. "So, what's with the breakfast meeting?" he asked her curiously, surprised when she blushed. He realised, quite possibly for the first time, that when she blushed it seemed to just highlight the freckles over the bridge of her nose and the dusting over her cheeks which momentarily stunned him. Lyra bit her lip, pulling him from it as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and he realised she was nervous. These were her nervous tells and so he stopped putting himself a bacon roll together, giving her his full attention.
"Is everything okay?" James asked, hoping nothing bad had happened.
"Yes everything's…. everything's great" she told him, blush still on her cheeks as she looked at him, eyes catching the sunlight so he could see the green flecks in her usually brown eyes. Huh, maybe she had hazel eyes. "I um, well, I wanted to tell you myself that" Lyra took a breath, shaking him from thoughts about her eyes as she gave him a shy smile. "Well, Jake and I are going out" she said, looking at him. James was momentarily stupid.
"Jake?" he questioned, Lyra blushing as she nodded.
"Sure, Jacob Richardson" she told him casually. Jake. Of course, why would she call him Jacob.
"You're going out?" he already knew this so why was he questioning it? Lyra nodded and he could see how happy she was, how happy Jake apparently made her. "Is that, well, is it okay with you?" James was startled that she was asking, and this evidently showed as she sighed. "I know you're both on the quidditch team together and I know how…protective you can get" she scrunched her nose up at this, frowning for the first time. He couldn't remember being overly protective when she was going out with Tom Brooker. "You can" it was like she could read his mind and he couldn't help but chuckle slightly at that, Lyra still frowning. "So, I just wanted to make sure it was okay with you?" he realised she wasn't checking whether her going out with Richardson was okay, she was telling him not to go all alpha male about it.
"Ly it's your choice. Who you go out with is up to you" he told her, seeing her look at him warily for a moment longer before she seemed to relax, smiling. "As long as he treats you well, of course" he tacked on, Lyra scowling and punching him which only made hm laugh.
"Joking" he told her, knowing full well they both knew he wasn't joking. At all. There was a small silence then as James weighed up what he wanted to say. "He makes you happy, doesn't he?" he asked her, surprised at how quiet his voice came out. Lyra blushed but nodded and James forced himself to smile.
"Then that's the most important thing" he told her, Lyra smiling widely at him as he moved without thinking, pulling her in for a hug. He heard Lyra shift the breakfast food to enable her to sit closer to him as they hugged, James having really missed this from her.
"I've missed you, you know" he told her, trying to dispel the discomfort from hugging her at a sideways angle. He heard her sigh, but she stayed where she was, shifting in his embrace slightly.
"I've missed you too" it made him smile as he squeezed her…then got tighter which made her laugh as she squirmed away from him, James laughing.
"Can we be best friends again please? I promise, whole heartedly, I won't ditch you for Lily" he told her, already crossing his heart. Lyra looked at him carefully, seeming in two minds. "Please Ly, I hate not talking to you" he saw her smile before she nodded.
"Well, when I hang out with Jake you can hang out with Lily" she compromised, James nodding quickly, enthusiastically and in a way which made her laugh.
"So bestie, tell me what happened with Richardson" she arched an eyebrow but he went back to making himself a bacon roll and eventually she settled down, sounding exceptionally happy as she regaled the build-up of her new relationship.
Over the next few weeks, James found himself…struggling somewhat. It wasn't that he was unhappy, not at all it was just that. Well, he was perhaps too happy. And not in the way he had immediately thought. James found himself seeing Lyra, his best friend, the girl he'd known since he was eleven, the girl currently in a relationship with his quidditch captain, in a…different way. It was small things, James thought. Even though Lyra looked great, always, he found that he…missed the way she used to look. The way her hair would often fall out of her ponytail and slip into her eyes, the way she used to brush it away. Now…of course she looked fantastic, that was a given, but James knew she grew frustrated with the way it fell around her, the way she furiously shoved it away. It made him smile, and he had to work hard to keep in a laugh, but he was unsure why she didn't just put it up. Although he suspected it was something to do with Jake. True, Lyra only said good things about him, and James saw the way he made her smile, but he knew Lyra wasn't stupid, was aware her boyfriend was one of the most popular boys in school. And as such he was starting to suspect it was something to do with that.
"James are you okay?" he jumped, only now realising he was staring at her and she was looking at him concerned. "Oh Merlin have I got ink on my face again?" she asked, with a frown. Recently, rather unfortunately, James found himself watching Lyra as she worked. Naturally, whenever they hung out it involved a lot of time in the library, but this didn't stop him from…thinking. And his thoughts quite often strayed to Lyra. Unfortunately, this meant his eyes also strayed and there had been too many times when she had caught him looking. Flustered, he had told her that she had ink on her face and now…now it was something of a pattern. It wasn't his fault if he found her freckles fascinating, the way she frowned slightly when encountering something trickier, how she tilted her head to the side and how sometimes the way she did it meant her eyes caught the light…
"James?" fuck what the hell was wrong with him? Lyra opposite him was pointing at places on her face, evidently wanting to 'get the ink off'.
"Sorry it's just" he paused, seeing her waiting expectantly as he took a risk…and shuffled his chair closer to hers.
"Here" he reached forward, seeing her surprise but tentatively raised his hand, Lyra leaning towards him. He couldn't remember the last time they'd been quite this close and took a deep breath, reminding himself that this was just Lyra. He brushed his thumb over her cheek, making the mistake to look into her eyes, seeing how deep brown they were today. His body gave an involuntary response to this close contact; his heart gave a strange leap; one he was unfamiliar with. It took him by surprise, his thumb staying where it was on her cheek, the two of them so close he was sure he would be able to count her individual freckles if he wanted to. And shit, he bloody well did want to.
"Has it gone?" Lyra whispered, James finding his eyes darting to her lips. James found himself inching closer to her, not acting of any consciousness that he knew of. He looked back to her eyes, seeing that they had widened slightly, and he could have sworn he heard her take a small intake of breath. He ran his thumb over her cheek once more, slowly, softly, noticing how soft her skin was…beginning to wonder if all her skin was this soft. Lyra jerked back, shaking her head, and running her hand over her cheek. "Thanks" she whispered to him, giving him a fleeting smile before looking back down at her work, James realising he looked like an idiot with his hand outstretched and quickly dropped it, sitting back.
"No problem" his voice shook as he cleared his throat and moved his chair back, unable to keep from glancing around, ensuring nobody saw…whatever it was that had happened. But everybody was engrossed in their own work, James unable to keep from glancing at Lyra. She was totally absorbed, and he wondered if he had imagined her reaction to their proximity…whether it was something his mind had just imagined.
"There you are" he could have sworn he jumped about a foot at the hand on his shoulder and turned, finding Lily there. Shit, he had a fucking girlfriend. What the hell was wrong with him?!
"Where else would we be?" he remarked drily, feeling a little more like himself with the comment, Lyra looking up and scowling up at him.
"Well, if you'd rather be elsewhere, please, feel free" she told him, shaking her head and making Lily laugh. Since Lyra started going out with Jake it was weird how her and Lily seemed to better tolerate each other. They wouldn't necessarily say they were friends but…Lily wasn't as mean about Lyra and Lyra didn't seem as…adverse to Lily either. It was strange but it made his life easier finding a balance between his best friend and girlfriend. Well, he thought it made it easier but the way his thoughts had been straying lately…maybe it hadn't made things easier but more…confusing. Lyra chucked a ball of parchment at his head, once more making Lily laugh.
"Lyra, Jake was looking for you by the way" shit the way her face lit up at this as she nodded, beginning to pack her own stuff up.
"I assume you don't mind seeing as you found our time together oh so entertaining" Lyra said sarcastically to James as she paused in her packing to look over at him. Lily squeezed his shoulder, and he got the idea, shaking his head, seeing her beam at him as she finished up. "See you later" she gave him a smile and even a small nod to Lily before she was off, leaving James watching her go, his mind a tumult of thoughts and questions.
No matter what James did, nothing seemed to be able to remove the memory of him wiping away the 'ink' from Lyra's face. The way he was so sure that her reaction had been as a result of his proximity. It was driving him crazy, the way that he couldn't seem to shake her. She was his best friend, for fucks sake. It was entirely inappropriate to be having thoughts like this about her. Both of them were in a relationship and he should only be thinking about Lily this way. But…that was the thing…he really wasn't thinking about Lily in this way. He was so far from it, in fact that he'd been feigning illness to not have sex with her. It was why he so often found himself wandering the castle alone, trying to sort through the myriad of thoughts and feelings which were weighing him down. This was Lyra Thompson. His best friend of 5, nearly 6 years. And she knew something was up, watched him carefully in the way only she ever seemed to do. But he shook her off saying he was fine, just a little run down. At first, she had believed him but now…now she knew it was more than that. And he usually confided in her but how could he when what was on his mind was her? Instead, he tried to distract her with Hogsmede which he knew she was thrilled about going to with Jake and even though it pained him to hear her talk about it, to imagine her with him, it stopped her asking him questions about how he was doing.
He had agreed to take Lily to Hogsmede, but he found that he wasn't looking forward to it, hence his prowling of the corridors the night before. Lily had wanted to sneak off, but James had shrugged her off, in a way which he knew he shouldn't do. And he was really thinking that maybe he should heed his thoughts and feelings and break up with her. It would have to wait until after Hogsmede but…James sighed, shutting down the temptation to hit a wall in his frustration. It wasn't right to be with her when he clearly wasn't…having the same feelings as he used to. That and the fact that he…fuck, he clearly needed to sort his head out regarding Lyra. And he couldn't do that whilst still with Lily. Shit, look at him being all grown up and mature about it.
He was just on his way back when he paused, hearing a movement up ahead. It was in his nature to step to the side into a recess, despite not being out of bounds or even out of curfew. A giggling, however, made him realise he'd made the right choice, having no interest in seeing any sort of happy couple right now. Deciding to wait a moment, he figured it was okay after a few minutes had passed and stepped out, only to feel like he'd had the breath ripped from him. Jake and Lyra were busy making out, Lyra pulled tightly against him, his hand tangled in her hair. Fuck, the sight of it made him wat to act out rather irrationally, namely rip Richardson from Lyra and hit him. Shit, he was in really deep water if that was his first thought. Turning, he put as much distance between him and…them as possible, heart thumping, trying his best to not think about his best friend.
"James come on" Lyra was pulling him by the hand, laughing as she ran through the corridors, aiming, he realised, for the entrance hall. "Come on slow poke" she was looking at him in a way which made his heart thump, made him want to kiss her as they ran down the stairs together. She was still pulling him but outside he'd decided he'd had enough of it and caught her up, putting his hands on her waist and lifting her. Lyra laughed loudly, proclaiming her annoyance but he just grinned as he marched her across the lawn and towards the lake.
"James put me down!" she exclaimed but he saw the lake, felt the heat on him and knew exactly what he was going to do, kicking his shoes off as he went. He pulled Lyra's shoes and socks off her, her laughter making his smile widen. "James Potter if you dare put me in that lake" she knew him too well, but he continued on. "James" she warned, hitting him on the back only making him laugh. The water was biting cold, but he splashed loudly in, Lyra shrieking and wiggling as he finally put her down, holding her waist so that she didn't hurt herself.
"Fucccck" he always liked it when she swore, found that it was so unusual, so out of place that…well, it kind of turned him on.
"Here, let me warm you up" he pulled her to him and kissed her, Lyra responding with just as eager passion, winding her arms around his neck. James pulled her flush as her hands wound into his hair, James deepening the kiss, slipping a hand up her shirt. It made her gasp and pull back, scrunching her face.
"James your hands are freezing!" she exclaimed, making him laugh as he withdrew it, making a show of rubbing his hands together. He grazed her cheek, feeling her lean into his touch which made him smile.
"Better?" he asked her, his voice dropping in a way he just knew she liked. Lyra gave him a coy smile before nodding, James grinning as he kissed her again, his hand slipping up her top and he felt her arch into him, his hand straying round to her front, skimming over her boobs which caused her to moan and fuck, did it turn him on.
BANG
James started, sitting bolt upright, completely confused and groggy and…shit he was so turned on right now. He heard footsteps on the stairs and realised it was somebody coming down the stairs as he sighed and flopped back down in his bed. Fuck that dream…. he ran a hand through his hair and realised he needed a very cold shower. Thinking it best if he sorted himself out before the others got up, he quickly went into the bathroom, locking the door as he ran it, still hard as anything. He got undressed, the shower hot and he was about to change it when he stopped himself, water streaming down him when he reconsidered. Instead, he took a breath, leant his head against the wall and wrapped a hand round himself. Closing his eyes, he thought of Lily as he started moving his hand but…it was doing nothing for him. Unbidden, a flash of his dream came back to him, how he had imagined Lyra's skin under his hand, the memory of her boobs…and found his hand moving faster, imaging what would have happened if he hadn't been woken up. If he'd had the chance to take her top off, to slide a hand down her thigh, between her thighs, imaging what she might sound like as he moved his hand between them, imagined what sounds she might make…his release found him quickly, James stifling any sound, especially as he feared that what might come out would be Lyra's name. Shit, he was in such deep fucking shit.