James lay on the floor, grasping his tender nether regions and biting his lip in pain. Lily - he was forced to remember - had a rather good aim. And her knees were kind of skinny, perfectly made for kneeing men in he crotch. Or so Marlene said anyway. James wasn't much of an expert in that area.

"Padfoot," he gasped, his eyes scrunched up of their own accord. "If she really liked me she wouldn't have kicked me in the nuts. Are you sure she does?" The insecurities overwhelmed the pain for a moment and he hoped to Godric she did.

Sirius laughed, "You know our Damma, she's quite feisty. You should be happy she's even considering dating you." Even Sirius was surprised the pair had taken so long in getting together. He knew them the best and could honestly say they were hopelessly in love with each other and while they were both rather oblivious about it, they really should have noticed before then.

James' eyes opened wide behind his glasses. "What do you mean considering dating me?" The aching pain was forgotten in his surprise.

"Well you know her. She won't say you're dating until you ask her and make it official. Remember that tosser that forgot to do that before?" James nodded meekly and Sirius continued, "You should make it really romantic. We all know you're a romantic at heart and you need to do something really sweet, she's like a typical girl beneath the steel layers." Sirius almost laughed even though he knew it was true. Lily was quite the sappy girl when it boiled down to it.

James nodded and painfully stood up, hands still cupping himself. Merlin it hurt! Trust Lily to get him hard just as they kissed.

Sirius looked amused. "Come on mate," he said sniggering, "It's not as if you have anything to hold there."

James growled and stood straight despite his wincing. "I'll have you know, it's no secret us Potter's are well-endowed. Rumour has it the Blacks are on the small side, if you catch my drift." He gave his mate a teasing grin before limping off to see exactly where his mates and - soon to be - girlfriend were.

~O~

"Lily," James began, suddenly feeling awkward around his best mate.

Lily turned to face him, absent mindedly making room for him on the bench beside her. "James, don't even say a word until I've spoken to you about what you were just about to speak about."

James' eyes widened slightly; evidently Lily read him better than ever.

They sat in silence throughout the feast, a silence that continued until they were in the Common Room. Lily dragged him towards his dorm and piled onto his bed, drawing the curtains before James could say a word.

"Now. I'm honestly not too sure about us dating, Jamsie." Lily couldn't meet his eyes as she said the words she hoped wouldn't break both his and her heart.

James got angry. "Why the bloody hell not?" Surely Lily knew he wouldn't play her. Surely she knew he loved her completely and irrevocably.

Lily sighed and James caught sight of the tears building up in her eyes. "I don't want to ruin our friendship, Jamsie. Your friendship means more to me than anyone else's. I don't want that to change because we're going out."

James crawled down the bed to Lily and pulled her into a hug. "Don't be ridiculous, Lils. We've been practically dating since before Hogwarts. Officially dating isn't going to change anything only that we wouldn't be able to date other people." He felt awful about his moment of insecurity at the Gryffindor table now, surely he knew Lily was exactly the same only his now on a whole new level.

Lily's watery eyes gave him a look. "Honestly James, you know I didn't date because of you. I was asked a few times but you know I never accepted, not really." There had been the guy she had almost dated, until he had informed the entire school they were dating without asking her officially.

James grinned, "That's because of my amazing good looks. You know there is nobody out there better looking than me."

Lily's answering smile made something in James' chest beat faster. "Padfoot is better looking than you, you arrogant git!"

James stared, "You think Padfoot is better looking than me?" Did his Lily honestly want to date Sirius over him?

"In a traditional sense, yeah," Lily sniggered. "You know me though, Jamsie. I'm not really the most traditional witch out there."

James hugged her closer. "Will you go out with me, Lils?" he asked peering into her green eyes.

"I suppose I may," Lily replied, though her eyes sparkled with happiness. "I hear it's the norm to date someone before you get married."

James shook his head in disbelief, "Do you know, Lily Evans, just how many girls would give their wand to date me and you 'Suppose you may'?" It was just like Lily to make such a huge commitment into something blasé.

Lily snuggled closer to him, "You know I love you, Jamsie. There's nothing more to say."

There was a dull roar in James' heart that almost made him cry. "I love you too, Lils," he said thickly, much to the amusement of Lily.

"Come now, Jamsie. Don't be such a girl, I've told you I love you more times than I can count."

James sniffed, his smile showing a hint of tooth, "I know it's just different now I suppose."

Lily curled up beside him, dragging him with her so they could sleep peacefully.

~O~

Lily was wearing a long white dress.

It was with a slight pang of sadness that she realized her mother, father and her soon to be in laws wouldn't be there to see them married. They had passed away the previous summer after a Death Eater attack on Potter Manor. James - despite his best efforts - hadn't been able to save them and had only just succeeded in saving the life of the woman that was walking down the aisle to marry him.

Sirius was grinning like a loon by his side and Marlene was standing to the side as bridesmaid. Remus, seeing as he was unable to be James' best man also, was giving Lily away - a job she insisted her father would have wanted him to do.

James was so happy at that moment that he barely heard their vows and made his promises before he pulled Lily close to his body and kissed his wife as if his live depended on it.

Everything else faded away as Lily's lips moved beneath his. Sirius' jeering catcalls were unheard, Remus' wolf-whistling couldn't penetrate his cloud of happiness, the only thing there was him and Lily. He opened his eyes to see her bright green ones and was transported back to the day he had proposed to her.

-o-o-o

"Are you sure you're okay with this, Mr Evans?" James asked Lily's father one more time.

The man smiled at him, suddenly remembering his long forgotten stray thought that James would be the man to wed his daughter. "Of course James. I know you'll take care of her."

James grinned widely and thanked the man that would some day become his father in law.

He didn't propose to her that day, nor the next, it wasn't until almost two weeks later that the words popped out of his mouth.

He and Lily were sleeping in the Head dorms - James' bed - when he awoke to the sound of birds singing. Lily woke at his incessant shuffling and turned to face him.

Her green eyes met his brown and he was smiling and leaning to stroke her red hair unconsciously.

"Will you marry me, Lily?" he asked, barely thinking before he spoke.

Lily had beamed at him after a moment of stunned silence and pulled him into a kiss. "I suppose I may. I promised you I would already."

It was her way of covering her girlish moment and he found he was okay with that.

-o-o-o

Lily drew back, her eyes warming as if she knew his exact thoughts.

"I love you, Jamsie."

James smiled and stroked a stray curl away from her face, "I love you too, Lils."

A/N: So that's the end of On the Subject of Growing Old.

The last two chapters were pretty crappy. But I couldn't really find anything to write, I was bored with it.

Maybe you enjoyed it, maybe not but review anyway please! *shakes box of cookies*

I'm not really too sure if I'll be writing much soon, school is a pain in the butt and I've still got homework to do.

Sláinte!

~ShazzaBlack...x