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I just wrote the word “platonic boner” can someone pls help me escape this hell

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Jily DarkSide AU

A 16k fanfic that I’m still working on lol but here’s the premise:

Lily’s family is attacked one night, a few months short of her eleventh birthday. A first starts in their home, killing both of her parents and her older sister. The only reason she survived was because of the kind soul of one Severus Snape

Snape is older in this AU, probably 6 or 7 years older than Lily. He’s there when she wakes up in a hospital bed, and explains the situation to her. Her family was killed by a rebel group because they knew too much. They would have killed her too if it wasn’t for the intervention of his organization, of he himself.

Lily is disoriented and reeling from the loss of her entire family. She looks to Snape for comfort, trusting him for reasons she herself cannot understand. He has kind eyes, she thinks.

His magic makes it easy to convince the young girl. He weaves his tale, telling her that the treacherous Order of the Phoenix was behind the murder of her parents, and that the prodigal son James Potter had been there to kill her. The thoughts are easy to implant in the distraught young girl, and she holds on to them like a lifeline

She spends the next seven years training with the Death Eaters, the saviors of the new world. They’re the good guys here. She rationalizes all of her actions with that thought. She has to do bad things sometimes. But it’s for the greater good. Through her training, Snape makes her into the perfect weapon. Fills her with hatred and fury, and aims it directly at James Potter. Lily swears if she ever meets this boy, she’s going to kill him.

James, of course, is not the devil incarnate. He’s a slightly spoiled boy, raised by members of the Order of the Phoenix. He’s a powerful witch, and has been training since his eleventh birthday. He remembers the fire that killed his uncle, he remembers the girl in the burning building that he couldn’t save. He remembers how she went missing, no where to be found. Her parents were killed, her sister left without a family. It was a tragedy for certain. It was a physical scar on James’ memory. He could have saved her. He was so close.

At seventeen, the two teens are destined to meet. Lily will come face to face with the monster from her nightmares. James will finally find the girl in the fire, the one he couldn’t save. It’s a battle of wills. Lily’s burning desire for revenge. James’ desperate trial to save her this time. 

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À la porte de la mort

Word count: 1939 Rating: Gen Warnings: Death in the background?? Description: Marinette is a Keeper - her job is to bring souls of those who have died on earth into the afterlife. It’s an emotional job sometimes, but she’s been doing this long enough that nothing is really unexpected anymore. That is, until she meets Adrien.

“What? Where… Where am I?”

Those are the first words he speaks to her. It’s not uncommon, she hears that a lot. Most people are confused and foggy when they come to her. He’s not speaking to her yet, though. She hasn’t revealed herself quite yet. She always finds it’s better for them to adjust to their surroundings before she approaches. She takes her time to look at the boy. That’s all he is, only a boy. Can’t be older than six. His blonde hair is windswept, his green eyes terrified. It’s time for her to come out.

“Don’t be afraid,” She says softly, appearing out of the mist. The boy jumps regardless of her words and nearly falls over himself in his rush to face her. His eyes betray his every thought. He is scared. So very scared. But he looks at her like she’s hope. And it makes her old heart ache. “I’m here to help you.”

“I can’t find my mommy.” The boy says. He thinks she can help. She wishes she could. But there’s only one thing she can do for him now.

“It’ll be okay.” The words are soothing for the boy, but she doesn’t mean them in the way he hopes. She isn’t going to help him back to his mommy. But when she helps him cross over, he will be at peace. “I’ll take you home.” She reaches out and takes his hand in hers. He holds on like she’s his lifeline.

She isn’t lying about taking him home. As they walk through the mist, pieces of the world around them start to fall into place. There’s a park to the left that swims into view, only to be engulfed by mist a moment later. A row of light posts appears, their light breaking through the fog before being diminished. The farther they walked, the closer they got to their destination. The closer they approached, the more transparent the boy beside her became. It wouldn’t be long before he himself was gone in the mist.

Before long they’ve reached the mansion. Not the real thing, of course, but what the boy remembers of it. He lets go of her hand in excitement, bursting through the front doors.

“Maman! Papa! I’m here, I’m here!” His voice echoes through the mist. Parts of the house appear and disappear as they flash through his memory. No one answers his calls.

“Adrien.” She says his name softly, and he turns those big green eyes on her. He looks so hopeful, so desperate. “It’s time to go.”

“No,” He shakes his head confused, almost frantic. “No, I’m home! You took me home! I can’t go! Maman and Papa will come for me!”

They were trying to. She could see them on earth, searching through the blizzard for the lost little boy. Cursing themselves for letting him out of their sight. Screaming his name in the wind. But by the time they find him, it’ll be too late. It already is. But the boy doesn’t need to know that. The next time he sees them is when their souls are reunited in the afterlife.

“They will come to you soon. But not right now. Right now I need to help you go.”

As heartbreaking as it is to help a child pass on after death, it’s routine. After doing it for so long, she practically had a script for how every interaction went. It hurt, but like everything else, that too passes on. It was time for this boy to go as well. It’s how it always went.

Until it didn’t.

The fog was clearing rapidly. Faster than she had ever seen it go. It didn’t make sense! Everything was too bright and too dark at the same time. The boy! Instead of fading through, passing on, he was coming into focus. His features sharpened, his colours flushed. What was happening? There was the sound of rushing wind that nearly deafened her, and then she was gone.

The last thing she saw was the boys wide, green eyes and dazzling smile. He was thankful.

It was very rare for someone to return to the land of living after meeting her. It had never happened in all of Marinette’s time as a Keeper, though she knew it was technically a possibility. Witnessing it was… otherworldly. Even for her line of work.

The little boy that had wandered off while on vacation with his parents and got trapped outside in a snowstorm had beaten death. She supposed she should have been happy. Or perhaps she should be neutral? All she knew was that she was incredibly curious.

Time passes, or at least she thinks it does. It’s hard to tell sometimes. Life, or whatever existence she has, moves forward. That’s the motto in her line of work: everything moves on. And yet sometimes she still sees those green eyes staring back at her in another lost soul. It’s never the same boy, only a trick of the imagination.

She’s good at her job. Restless souls are calmed, terrified children are soothed, the inconsolable are filled with peace. Sometimes she wonders if this was what she was like in life. Did she comfort people as a living being? Is that how she became what she is? Was she ever a living person to begin with? Such questions have no answers, and yet Marinette still wonders.

He’s here again. What a strange feeling, seeing the same person here twice. He’s older now. Fifteen. His hair is longer and combed carefully. His eyes are guarded. He’s the same person but he isn’t the little boy that she first met. She watches him with fascination. He’s beautiful. It almost seems like an abomination to have to guide him on. But she has a job to do.

“Don’t be afraid,” She says as a greeting. It tends to be the best way to let people know that they’ve died. “I’m here to help.”

“It’s you.”

She’s never had anyone recognize her before. Sometimes she appears to people as someone familiar, like someone they have met but can’t put their finger on. But this time it’s different. The recognition on his face is genuine. He remembers her.

“They told me I made it up. They said you weren’t real. But… You’re here. The lady in red.”

She held one gloved hand out to him. “Let me help you get home.”

He looks at her for a long moment. His eyes are guarded and she wonders what happened to him to make him so shielded. Finally, he takes her hand in his. They walk in silence, but he’s fidgeting in a way that suggests he has a lot to say. She’s used to that. She waits for him to find the words.

“What’s your name?”

The question startles her. She’s never been asked that before.

“I… I’m the Keeper. Keeper of the Keys. I unlock your door to the afterlife.”

“Keeper of the Keys… Wow what a pretty name. Are you like my guardian angel?”

She smiles at that. “Not quite. I don’t watch over you in life, but I do help you pass on after it.”

“So, I really am dead.” He quiets after that, and they walk on. The path ahead was as foggy as ever. Marinette watched as scenes played out in his memory. They walked passed school children gossiping with each other. They faded in and out of vision. Marinette was fascinated by the pop of flashing camera bulbs, but those too disappeared. Adrien wasn’t paying attention to any of it.

“How did I die?”

Now this was a common question. Marinette pauses their steps and turns to face Adrien. She takes both of his hands in hers and closes her eyes. The scene plays behind her closed lids, and it’s as if she’s there herself.

“You are running. Running away from someone, running towards something. You are in a hurry. There’s the sound of a bell in the distance, and that makes your heart pound faster. You imagine someone behind you is yelling your name, and your heart beats faster still. The school is within view and you can almost taste victory. You don’t look when you cross the street. You think about it but it’s too late because you’re already in the intersection. The delivery truck was late as well and was travelling too fast.” She doesn’t say what happens next. She imagines he can fill in the rest of the pieces. Such an avoidable death. They happen every day. Just bad timing. Bad luck. Had the boy not tripped over the crack in the sidewalk after leaving his house he would have made the crosswalk in time. If the truck driving had looked up a moment sooner he could have stopped. So many ways it could have gone differently…

And yet here he was. Staring at her, hands entwined. She lets go of him quickly, feeling the heat from his fingers burn through the thin red gloves she wore. Suddenly red was no longer her favourite colour.

“I’m sorry. But yes, you’re dead.”

They fall into silence as Marinette continues guiding the departed soul. The building ahead is coming into view. It isn’t his house this time, but the high school that he had been so desperate to reach. When Adrien saw the building, he huffed a sigh.

“If I lived, all Pere would have to say is I told you so.”

“Your father is in deep mourning.” Marinette said softly. She could feel the pain radiating off of Adrien. The connection was weak because of how faded Adrien had become, but she could still feel it. “He never wanted to be right, not like this. He never wanted to lose you again, not you too. He never wanted to be alone.”

Adrien stopped walking. Marinette knew immediately she had said the wrong thing. Why oh why did she have to say that?? Every Keeper knows you never bring up the pain of love ones left on earth. It only made the souls wistful.

“Adrien, there’s nothing we can do now. He will only find peace if you move on. The longer you linger, the more he hurts. Please, let me help you.” She hated using guilt to help people move on, but it usually worked. Adrien apparently liked being the exception.

“The only help I need from you is to help me get back.” He wasn’t angry or upset. He was determined.

“Adrien, that’s not how it works. I wish I could help you get back, but I’m afraid that-”

“You did it last time!” He interrupted, turning to face her with those damn hopeful eyes. It hurt her heart to see how desperate he had become in just a few short seconds. “Last time, you brought me back! You saved me. Do it again! Please, you have to!”

Marinette opened her mouth to say something, to tell him that it wasn’t her who brought people back to life, but her throat was closed shut. She felt like crying. It was a strange feeling. She couldn’t remember wanting to cry before. And then things got strange. At least this time she knew what it meant. She felt all the air leave her lungs in one large gush, heard the rushing wind, watched the fog roll away.

And she was gone.

It happened again.

She sat in the darkness trembling.

Who was this boy.

Who was the boy who escaped death not once, but twice? Accomplishing a feat never before heard of in all of her existence?

Who was he? And why did he refuse to die?

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Waiting Room Blues

Word count: 4943 Rating: Gen Warnings: Descriptions of violence/ injuries Description: Lily has been going sitting in the ER waiting room for so long, she’s about to go crazy. Luck (good or bad) has brought her an unexpected visitor. (I have no idea what world exists where James and Lily go to the same school yet never interact, but here it is!)

The waiting was endless. She had been sitting in one of those ridiculously uncomfortable waiting room chairs for hours. Her back and bum was sore as hell and she was totally exhausted, but she hardly noticed any of that. Deep-seeded panic consumed and destroyed every thought in her head. Lily had been waiting in the Emergency Room for far too long, and no one would tell her anything. She had watched countless people enter through those front doors; some were ushered through the emergency room, some sat and waited along with Lily. But they were all gone now. Either they had been assigned a room or released to go home, but not Lily. She was stuck waiting.

“Where is he?!” A strident voice shouted, making her jump. The voice came from outside the double doors to her left, and before long the man the voice belonged to entered through them, followed by a strained-looking nurse. “Where is he at? I need to see him! What’s his condition?”

“Sir, please control yourself if you’d like to stay here! There are other people waiting,” They both turned to look at Lily, the only other occupant of the ER waiting room. Lily recognized the man instantly and suppressed the urge to groan. He turned back to the nurse exasperated and angry.

“I don’t care who else can hear me nurse, I need to see him, I need to know he’s okay!”

“I can’t tell you anymore at this time Mr. Potter, please take a seat and a doctor will be out to see you as soon as possible.” Her look was pleading, and eventually Potter sat down, a few seats from where Lily was trying to look like she wasn’t eavesdropping.

Of course she knew who Potter was. Everyone did. But that doesn’t mean she has to like him. He’s loud and obnoxious and thinks he’s the most important person in the world. Lily thinks she probably should’ve been more surprised to see him in the same small hospital that she was in, but she supposed it really is a small world after all. Besides, she was too busy thinking about how non surprising his dramatic entrance was to consider the likelihood of another member of the wizarding community to pop up in her vicinity on summer vacation.

The room settled into silence, and the worry and panic began to seep back into Lily’s subconscious again. The scene had allowed her to take her mind off the waiting, but now that it was over, the waiting seemed even more excruciating. She allowed herself to look at the man a few seats to her left. He had his head in his hands and elbows on his knees, giving him an almost child-like look. He moved and readjusted himself, and it took Lily another couple minutes to realize he was crying.

She looked away in a hurry, feeling mildly uncomfortable. Potter was known to be a lot of things. A good quidditch player, a brag, a snob when it comes to transfiguration. But he wasn’t known for being emotional. Feeling like she was invading something personal, she turned back to her own thoughts. It was mostly just a constant thought of please be okay on repeat. She looked at her watch for the hundredth time to see she had officially been there for four hours. She couldn’t help but sigh, and she felt the exhaustion settle in her bones. She tried to steal another glance at the man beside her as a distraction, and was met with a pair of hazel eyes. Her loud sigh must have caught his attention, and now she was caught in his gaze. His eyes were calculating for a moment, and then they set in grim determination. He stood and shuffled another 2 seats over, so that there was only a chair separating the two.

“James Potter,” He said, extending his hand.

“I know who you are,” She said, shaking his hand. She watched his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “We go to the same school, everyone knows who you are.” He looked mildly taken aback by her comment.

“Really? What year are you?” He asked, leaning forwards slightly. She noticed how tired his eyes looked, but they weren’t dull or empty; there was life buried under a lot of stress.

“Same as you Potter,” She chuckled, but it sounded off in this cold, quite place. “I'm in Gryffindor with you, but I'm not surprised you haven’t noticed me. I tend to avoid the raucous parties and I don’t usually fawn over quidditch stars.” Her words elicited a small smile from him, which felt like a victory for her.

“Well it seems I’ve been looking at all the wrong people for the past six years,” He said, and his smile turned cheeky. She rolled her eyes. James Potter, the flirt, she thought. But that didn’t stop a small smile from forming on her face. Silence fell between them, and the worry pricked at the back of her mind again. They both looked away from each other, Lily focusing on a specific spot on the ground. They stayed like this for a minute or two.

“How long have you been here for?” He asked quietly, shattering the silence.

“Four hours.” She said, mimicking his quiet tone. The longer she thought about how much time she had been there, the worse she felt.

“Really? Has anyone been out and talked to you?” James asked, sounding incredibly concerned. She chanced a look towards him, and was once again captivated by his hazel eyes.

“A nurse has been out and offered to get me a coffee or tea, but none of that will calm my nerves right now.”

“I dunno about you, but I could use a tall glass of firewhiskey right about now,” He tried to laugh, but it died in his throat. He looked lost.

“I could go for that,” She offered quietly, trying to catch his gaze again. He managed a smile, but the conversation was done for a while.

After about five minutes sitting in silence, James jumped up. He looked agitated again. “I can’t stand waiting,” He mumbled. “Going to have a smoke.” Lily was left alone again with her thoughts. The events of earlier in the day washed over her, and she was overwhelmed with grief. “Please be okay.” She whispered to herself, squeezing her eyes closed.

It was another half hour until James came back into the waiting room. In his hands, he held two Styrofoam coffee cups. He sat down next to her and handed her one of the cups.

“And here I thought you were just having a really long smoke break,” She said, accepting the Styrofoam cup, taking small comfort from the warmth seeping through.

“Nah, I tried to but my hands were shaking too damn bad to even light the thing,” He said softly, eyes downcast. “I thought this might cheer both of us up though,” He lifted his cup. She did the same, and they knocked glasses. “Cheers.” James said, taking a long sip from his.

Lily went to do the same, taking a big gulp and then spitting it all back into the cup. “What the hell?” She exclaimed, standing as James laughed.

“Shh, or you’ll alert the nurses!” James teased pulling her back down into her seat. “It’s whiskey and coffee, didn’t you say you could go for a glass?” There was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“I should have known,” She said with a huff. She knew her irritation wasn’t at all convincing by the grin on Potters face. “Mr. Prankster. You could have at least told me!”

“And miss out on that fun bit? Never.” They smiled at each other, and James took another swig. Lily followed suit, and managed to swallow her mouthful this time. The whiskey taste was strong, but she liked the way it felt as it burned her throat.

“You never told me your name, by the way.” He said after they each had a few more sips. The whiskey burned as it went down, and Lily welcomed the sensation.

“Lily Evans,” She extended a hand, mimicking him at the beginning of this evening.

“James Potter,” He repeated with a crooked grin, shaking her hand. “A pleasure to meet you.” He continued, kissing the back of her hand. She pulled away and unsuccessfully tried to hide the laughter that bubbled up, taking a larger gulp of her cup.

It wasn’t long before their cups were running on empty, and Lily was a little tipsy. She didn’t drink very often, and her small size made it easy for her to get drunk. James wasn’t anywhere close to tipsy, but he was in better spirits than he had originally been, and seeing Lily tipsy had a permanent smile plastered on his face. She was telling him a story that was making her laugh so much she could hardly get full sentences out. It was kind of cute.

“Honest to Merlin, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed harder, Billy from three doors down was beat red. I laughed so hard I fell off my bike!” Her laughter puttered out as she noticed the smile fall off James’ face. It was something she had said, something which struck closer to home than she meant to go.

“What’s wrong?” Her voice sounded panicked, and James quickly tried to compose himself. “No, no, nope, stop that James Potter, don’t hide from me. What’s the matter, did I say something?”

“It’s not your fault Lily, it’s nothing.” But the worry was back on his face and her expression was stubborn and determined. “It’s Sirius,” He started, but quickly broke down. The words clogged in his throat, and a broken sob escaped instead. He lowered his head and let the tears fall, feeling much less embarrassed than he thought he would’ve, crying in front of Lily. He felt her arm wrap around his back, and her head rested on his shoulder.

“It’s okay James, it’s going to be okay.” She repeated the words softly, rubbing circles onto his back. He quieted after a few minutes, but they stayed in this position for a while longer. It was nice for James to be comforted, and Lily to be the one to give comfort.

“He was in an accident,” James continued softly, sitting up straight. His eyes were red and still teary, but his voice didn’t shake when he spoke. “He was stupid, had been at a bar and was riding his motorcycle back to his flat. I was supposed to be there with him, but I was mad, we had gotten into a fight... So I was at home, and he was drunk on his bike. The truck driver didn’t see him I guess, Sirius just sort of appeared in his lane. He couldn’t stop before he hit him.

“The driver called an ambulance immediately, and they brought him here. My parents are listed as emergency contacts, but I was the one who took the hospitals phone call. And now I’ve been here for over an hour, and I haven’t heard anything, and I'm trying not to panic, Lily.” He finished and slumped against her.

“Oh James,” She said softly, rubbing circles on his back again. “That’s awful, I'm so sorry. He’s going to be okay though, you know Sirius. He’s a fighter, especially when he’s drunk.” James couldn’t help but smile at that, and he thanked whatever god was out there for giving him this companion tonight.

“What about you?” He asked after a few minutes. “Why’ve you been here for five and a half hours?” She sat up straight and remained quiet for a moment too long. James was worried he pushed too far. He was about to take back his question, to apologize and offer to get her another drink, when she began to speak.

“My mom’s been sick for a while I guess. She never told me or my sister, she didn’t want to worry us apparently. I found her earlier today though. I had just gotten home a bit before dinner, and was in the kitchen about to heat up leftovers. There was a loud crash from upstairs, like something got knocked off a table, except bigger. My dad’s away on a work trip and my sister’s out of town with her boyfriend, so I shouted up the stairs for my mom, to see if she knew what it was. There was no answer.

“I took the stairs two at a time, so it didn’t take me long to get to her room. I knocked on her bedroom door but there was no answer. When I opened the door I saw her laying on the ground, having a seizure. It was awful. She was choking, and flailing and I just couldn’t do anything. I called an ambulance and watched after her until they came. I’ve been waiting here ever since.”

“Lily,” He started, but couldn’t continue. James was dumbfounded. He had no idea what to say to her at all, he had no idea how she must be feeling. To watch someone you love convulse on the floor, knowing you can’t do anything, can’t even touch her without risking hurting her or yourself, and not knowing if the ambulance will get there in time to save her. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to watch his mother go through that without going insane.

“I'm so sorry Lily,” He said, grabbing her hands. “I'm sorry you had to go through that, and I'm sorry you’re still sitting here, not knowing. I wish I could help take some of that stress and worry away... I'm just really sorry that you have to go through this.” He squeezed her hands, and she rested her head on his shoulder again. They stayed like that for their own eternity.

They broke apart, startled by the sound of a door opening. A doctor came out of the hallway that led to the OR, his face unreadable. James continued to hold Lily’s hand, and she squeezed it in anticipation and panic. The doctor smiled at them both, but in a professional way that showed no real happiness.

“You must be Mr. Potter, and Miss Evans?” The doctor said, flipping through his medical clipboard. “Miss Evans, would you like to step into my office?” She squeezed James’ hand again, fear evident on her face.

“James is a friend, could we discuss it here? I don’t mind.” Lily asked, her voice very small. James had a feeling she didn’t want to get potentially bad news alone.

“Your mother is out of surgery now and has been given a room. She is sleeping and recovering there, and will need to stay here for a few days so we can track her health. You will be able to see her for a moment if you’d like, but then I have to urge you to go home and sleep. She won’t be awake any time soon, she is properly sedated so that she can sleep pain-free. The surgery was difficult, and we thought we lost her, but your mother is a fighter.” Lily was crying again, the relief so huge it was painful. “She’s not out of the woods yet Miss Evans, but she’s stable again.”

“Thank you Doctor,” Lily said through her tears, and gave him a watery smile. “If it’s alright with you, I think I’ll take you up on the offer of going to see her. I need to see it with my own eyes, that she’s okay.” The doctor agreed with a smile, but informed James that only immediate family is allowed in. James hugged Lily tightly, and she promised to be back after. The doctor led her out the doors, and past the OR.

James was left to wait by himself. He had been relieved that Mrs. Evans had been okay, and he was truly happy that Lily’s agony was over, but he couldn’t help the feeling of envy creeping into his thoughts. Sirius was weighing heavy on his mind, and every minute that passed only made him feel worse. At least with Lily here, he had someone to distract him from the misery and fear of waiting. He distracted himself thinking about Lily. He couldn’t believe he never remembered her. Someone like her, as funny and cute and interesting – she’s not the kind of person you overlook in a crowd. It’s strange to think of how close they became in the last hour. Is that a normal thing to happen when you spend hours together in a waiting room, trying to think of anything but what’s happening on the other side of the double doors? He’s not sure, but he’s glad it was Lily. Although, he isn’t sure if their conversation tonight will mean anything when they both leave. As much of a distraction as the redhead is, it’s not enough for long. His thoughts stray back to his best friend. He would like Lily too.

It was another half hour until another doctor appeared. It was a woman this time, and she came to sit beside James in the waiting room. Her blonde hair was cut short, and her eyes looked weary, but she put a smile on anyways.

“Mr. Potter, I presume?” She asked, and continued after he nodded wordlessly. “I was told I was only allowed to disclose this information to your parents, but Nellie behind the counter has told me you’ve been waiting here for two hours, and I couldn’t bear not telling you. He’s going to be okay. He broke his ribs and punctured some of his internal organs, so that he was bleeding internally. It’s a good thing he was brought to the emergency room when he was, because it was close. He’s going to be very sore for a very long time, and he might need to stay here for a few days.” James sighed deeply, content for the moment knowing that it was going to be okay.

“I'm not sure whether the truck driver plans to press charges or not,” The doctor continued. “His blood alcohol level was very high, so he could have some legal trouble for a while. But all things considering, I think that makes him a very lucky man.”

“Can I see him?” James asked quickly, feeling like Lily had felt; He needed to see Sirius to truly believe he’s okay.

“I'm afraid not, Mr. Potter.” She said sadly, shaking her head. “He’s sedated and needs his rest if he’s going to go through this recovery. Also, the hospital has very strict Family-Only visiting hours when they’re still in critical condition. If you come back tomorrow with your parents, I will fight to make sure you get to see him first thing. Go home and get some sleep kid, you look exhausted. Your friend’s okay, he’ll be here in the morning.”

He nodded slowly, not liking it. As the doctor walked back behind the counter to fill out paper work, he schemed how he could get ahold of the room number and visit Sirius anyways. Before he could think of any concrete plan, someone burst through the double doors.

“I'm back! I'm sorry it took me so long James, I'm here, have you heard anything yet?” A blur of red hair rushed over to him, and he instinctively wrapped her in a hug. Lily hugged him back, and he felt a smile forming on his face.

“He’s okay, Sirius is okay. He had a lot of internal bleeding and it was close but he’s okay and he’s going to be fine.” James whispered into her hair, and tears pricked at his eyes.

“I'm so happy James, that’s good news, such good news,” She whispered back, and he didn’t let go of her. They stayed that way for a while longer, and James explained he wouldn’t get to see him until the next day, so he was probably going to go home and sleep.

“I should go home too,” Lily said softly, stepping away from him. The prospect of going home wasn’t a nice one though. Her dad wasn’t flying in until tomorrow, and she hadn’t been able to reach Petunia yet, meaning her house was empty and dark.

“Can I take you home?” James asked softly, sensing her mild distress.

“I’d really appreciate it actually, if you don’t mind. I'm exhausted.” She admitted sheepishly.

“No, I’d love to,” He said with a smile, and escorted her out of the waiting room. “Side along apparition alright with you?” He asked. She agreed, and gave him her address. With a flick of his wand and a twist, they were at her doorstep. The house was dark and quiet, and not at all enticing.

“Would you- would you like you come in? I could make a pot of coffee, if you’d like.” Lily asked, feeling nervous. The house was dark and looming, and being alone wasn’t something she looked forward to.

“That sounds lovely,” James said with a smile, despite the fact that he was definitely exhausted. Lily unlocked the door and turned on the light, illuminating the front hall. She led James to the kitchen, where she put a pot of coffee on to brew. They sat on the kitchen counter, and Lily told James about visiting her mother, about how tiny and frail she looked connected to all those tubes. It sounded pretty awful.

She told him stories of growing up in this kitchen, pointed out a tire swing that could be seen from the kitchen window if it wasn’t so dark out. She talked about the first time her sister brought her awful boyfriend home, and the little pranks that Lily would pull. Petunia was mortified at the fact Lily was a witch, something that James couldn’t understand. She showed him the sitting room, and watched him fiddle with the muggle telly. She turned on the radio that they keep in the den, and he asked her to dance. She showed him her secret stash of whiskey, which she poured large helpings of into their coffees.

An hour later, their coffee cups were drained and they were lounging on the sitting room floor, choosing to sit on the floor and lean against the couch instead of actually sitting on the furniture. They had been passing the whiskey bottle back and forth. Lily was sufficiently tipsy again, and James could feel the effect of it as well.

“You know what, I do remember you!” James exclaimed.

“Well I’d hope so, I am laying next to you here,” Lily said with a giggle, which escalated to a full fit of laughter. James laughed along with her before continuing.

“No, I mean from school. I remember seeing you around. You’re in the library lots, right? Hanging with the little people?” That made he and Lily giggle more.

“I tutor the younger kids dummy,” She said, poking him in the side and taking another huge swig from the bottle.

“So, you’re like really smart. I don’t like to brag, but I'm pretty smart too.”

“And handsome,” Lily agreed with a laugh.

“Was that supposed to be sarcastic Lily Evans?” He asked, turning on his side to face her.

“Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t.” She said with a wink, and took another sip. James snatched it away, taking a large gulp.

“Hmm,” He said, thinking. “I thought you had a boyfriend. I remember you hanging around with that weird fellow all the time, the one that Sirius hates.”

“You hate him too, last time I checked,” Lily said. “But no, he’s not my boyfriend. As of right now, he’s not even my friend, really.”

“Well, he’s a git, so I'm glad. Sorry, was that rude?” He laughed and then hiccupped.

“Just a bit,” Lily said with a smirk, and grabbed the bottle back from James. “Last I checked, you had a girlfriend though, right? I don’t usually keep up with the latest gossip, so I don’t really know.” She seemed to think this was really something funny, and she dissolved into a fit of laughter.

“Oh no, I haven’t had a girlfriend since a month before school ended. Summer flings don’t ever last, yanno?” He said, trying to shrug while leaning on his side.

“No, I don’t really know,” Lily said. “I’ve never had a summer fling, or a school fling either, really. I dated this one bloke last year, Aaron Dunmore. He’s in Ravenpuff. I mean Ravenclaw! Ha!” He laughed at her mistake, but he was trying to remember who the Dunmore kid was. “He was pretty stupid for a Ravenclaw though. He cheated on me, with Sally McDougal.”

“He’s a foul idiot, that Dunmore! I know McDougal, she’s a Puffle right? A Hufflepuffle? She’s not nowhere near as pretty or smart or funny or kind as you are!” Lily began to blush, and he realized that he absolutely loved making her blush. And it wasn’t like he was lying either. He had gotten to know Lily today, and she was all of those things and more.

“Well it was my own bloody fault for trusting Dunmore, right? My friends warned me too, said that he’s one of the popular quidditch boys, they get lots of girls’ attention,” James suddenly realized who Dunmore was. He was one of the chasers for Ravenclaw. He made a promise to himself that next Ravenclaw quidditch match, he would knock Dunmore straight off his broom. Hopefully he’ll break something.

“Hey, that doesn’t make it your fault! He’s the dimwit, not you. Don’t let me hear you say it was your fault again, you’re too amazing to put that kind of shit on yourself Lily.” She was blushing again, and James had the strangest urge to kiss her crimson cheek.

“James Potter, you don’t even know me,” She said with a giggle. “You don’t know the true expanse of my amazingness.” The whiskey bottle is empty now, and Lily scoots down until she’s lying flat against the ground. James follows her example, and they stare at the rotating blades of the ceiling fan above them.

“Hmm. That is true I s’pose. You’ll just have to show me some time.”

“Is that your way of asking me out Potter? Because it’s a little sad, not gonna lie.” She giggled again. He turned his head to steal a glance at her profile. She had a pretty profile.

“Go out with me Evans?”

“The amazing James Potter, asking me out, me? Lily Evans, a complete nobody? Mark the day folks, Potter has officially run out of fan club chicks.”

“I don’t think you’re a nobody,” He said softly. “I like you. You took my mind off of the worst day of my life. I didn’t really think it was possible to smile today, but you were there. So I think I owe you at least one date.”

“You helped me out today too. I would’ve gone crazy if you hadn’t started talking to me. So I think I owe you a date.”

“Why don’t we just call it a tie and go out with each other?” He suggested, sending her a smirk. She laughed, not unkindly.

“I think I can agree to that.”

Another half hour later and the two peeled themselves off the floor of Lily’s sitting room. The sun was just about to rise, and Lily brought James out to her back porch so they could watch the sunrise.

Today was the worst day of Lily’s life. This was worse than the fight with Severus, worse than meeting Vernon Dursley for the first time, worse than the time she almost failed that transfiguration test. She could never imagine looking at such a horrible day like this, and being thankful. Because it was a horrible, horrible day, but she made a new friend. Her mom would be okay for now, her dad was on her way home to help, and James had made her smile. All in all, it was a pretty good way to end a horrible day.

There was no guarantee that they would remain friends after this, Lily wasn’t under any illusions. They’d be back in school in a month and then things would continue on like they always did. But who knows? Maybe she’d go to one of James’ parties this year. Maybe he’d smile at her in the halls. Maybe she’d join his friends for lunch one day. There was a world of possibility ahead of them, and it all started today.

It was a nice sunrise. The mark of a new day, one that would hopefully be much better than the last. A nice sunrise with good company. In another half hour James would leave, wanting to get home in time to shower and head back to the hospital with his parents. Lily and James would hug, lingering a little longer than normal – they both would excuse it as nothing, just exhaustion after a long night – and James would promise to write. Lily would return to the sitting room to clean up the empty bottle, put a fresh pot of coffee on to brew, and try to sleep for an hour until her dad got home. The rest of the day would be spent running around a hospital, caring for loved ones and being thankful they’re alive. Neither James nor Lily would have time to stop and think about the other for most of the day. But when they collapsed into bed that night, they’d both think about that sunrise. About the nice sunrise and a newfound friend.

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A Look to the Future

Word count: 943 Rating: Gen Description: This is a story I wrote about an unnamed couple and their life. I originally wrote it over a year ago and it’s technically about myself and my boyfriend, and what our future could look like. 

She works five days a week at a forensic lab where she analyses evidence for criminal trials. Occasionally she is the expert witness in a trial and has to take a few days leave to testify in court. She comes home every day to the arms of her loving husband, who understands some days she just needs to stand in the middle of their kitchen with her head on his chest, just breathing him in. The fact that her career revolves around crime and injustice is very difficult for her to bear sometimes. He understands that and holds her for a little longer, reminding her that he loves her and that there is good in the world.

She hears little feet and a brown-haired girl with uneven pigtails turns around the corner, stuffed dog in one hand. The girl grins and runs towards her mommy, arms outstretched and puppy long forgotten. She only lets go of her husband to pick up the beautiful little girl. “You’re home, you’re home! Me and daddy coloured a picture for you! We also made cookies but Daddy burnt them and they tasted kind of yucky, but I told him they tasted good so I wouldn’t hurt his feelings!”

“Wow thanks!” Her husband pouted, pretending to look hurt. She could see the bags under his eyes and leaned in to give him a kiss. “Go get some sleep babe, you look like you need it before work.” She smiled at him and gave him another kiss, longer this time. The little girl squirmed in her arms and made a sound of disgust. He did as he was told, bidding both his wife and his daughter goodnight. She knew that this life was hard on him, and she wished she worked less for both their sakes. She looked down at the toddler in her arms and she knew she wouldn’t have done anything differently, but she wondered if her husband felt the same.

“Come on sweet-pea, why don’t you show me the picture you drew me today?” The little girl complied happily, jumping out of her arms and running into the living room. She followed her daughter out, and saw two crayon-coloured pictures on the stones in front of the little fireplace her husband had built for her a few years ago, before their baby was born. The first picture was obviously drawn by the five year old who was now sitting at her pink plastic table on her blue plastic chair. It depicted three stick people with absurdly large heads, labelled as Mommy, Daddy and Me written in her husband‘s messy scrawl. She smiled at the big red smiles and blue scribbled eyes. There was another big scribble at her drawn foot, and she pointed to it. “What’s this?”

“It’s my puppy!” The little girl said excitedly.

“But sweetie, we don’t actually have a puppy.” She reminded her daughter with a laugh.

“Oh I know, but Daddy said that if I’m really good, then Santa might be planning something really good for me this year!” She rolled her eyes at her husband. He wanted a puppy as bad as their daughter did, and it would only be a short amount of time before she herself gives in to her family’s demands.

She turned her attention to the second picture. This one definitely didn’t belong to her daughter, the body proportions were slightly more accurate than the five-year old’s. It had a boy who was sleeping in a bed, and a big dream cloud coming from his head. In the cloud, there were two other people, a woman and a little girl, holding hands. Beside the picture were the words The Loves of my Life. There was an arrow pointed towards the stomach of the woman, with a picture of a little boy and a question mark.

“That’s Daddy’s picture!” The girl said, noticing where her mommy’s attention was. “He wrote something on the back of it too.”

She reached over and picked up the picture, turning it over. There her husband had written: “Once upon a time, I dreamed I’d marry my best friend and we’d live happily ever after. Now I live a dream come true.” She smiled and felt tears in the corner of her eyes.

When 8:30 came around, the little girl was tucked in bed, after bedtime story, prayer and two goodnight kisses, one from Mommy and one from a half asleep Daddy. His nightshift started at 11, so after their daughter was asleep, the couple cuddled in their master bedroom for another few hours. She let her husband fall back asleep again, and she watched his eyes fluttering beneath their lids. She smiled and kissed him gently, and he instinctively held her tighter under the covers.

Her life wasn’t easy. Her job was difficult and emotionally trying, her house was a mess and loud and busy, and there was always more work to do, bills to pay, groceries to buy. But the moments she spent playing with her daughter in the sprinkler, or baking cookies, or even listening to her make up bedtime stories enforced how much she loved her life and how difficult it was. Her house wasn’t messy, it was lived in. It was loud and busy and full of love and laughter. Her job was hard on her but coming home to her family was a vacation every day. And quiet moments to cuddle with the love of her life made everything seem beautiful.

Their life certainly wasn’t perfect, and they had plenty of long, tired days, but they got through it together, and they made the most of everyday.

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Score

AKA a Jily Hockey AU Word count: 5855 Rating: Mature/ Explicit Ship: Jily (James Potter/ Lily Evans)

She wasn’t a hockey fan, not by a long shot. She’d watch the sport with her dad sometimes when she was young, and a couple of her friends had played back in school. But now a days? The only time hockey was mentioned in her life was at bars when people ran out of other conversation starters. So, did you see the game last night? No, she’d tell them, she did not. Why then, was Lily Evans currently shuffling along a line of people to get to her seat at a professional hockey game? Why was she shivering and bundling her scarf tighter around herself? Why was she clutching her beer tightly to avoid being jostled by the red and gold clad fans sitting beside her? As usual, the answer was found in her best friends Marcie and Alice.

“Oh come on Lils, we have to go! Alice already bought tickets!”

“That’s fine, you two go without me. You’ll have more fun that way anyways.”

“We can’t, I bought three tickets! We can’t let the extra one go to waste!”

“They’re good tickets too! We’ll be able to actually see the players up close! Isn’t that exciting?”

“Why on earth would I find that exciting?”

“Don’t be a spoil sport,”

“It’ll be fun, I swear!”

“Watching it in person is so much better than on the television.”

“And even if the play isn’t that interesting, those hockey boys are fiiiine.”

“Oh alright, I’ll go if you just stop bugging me!”

“Yes!”

“I knew we’d break you down eventually!”

Lily didn’t quite regret it, yet. Yes the arena was cold, and there wasn’t a lot of space between her and the overly sweaty sports fan beside her, and she was fairly certain the intoxicated man sitting behind her was one goal away from sloshing his drink all down her back. But Alice was right about one thing; hockey was more interesting in person than it was on T.V. Especially from their seats, which Marcie was right about. She was so close she could see the look on the player’s faces as skated past.

Alice wasn’t wrong either, about some of these hockey boys…

She banished that thought from her mind right as the home team swoops in on net and the captain makes a sweet goal. Lily hasn’t got down all the hockey lingo yet but she isn’t in control when she shouts out “Fuck ya top shelf!” Alice and Marcie are both laughing at her now, because they were right and they knew they were right. You can’t go to a professional hockey game and not somehow get involved. And Lily is absolutely not the person to do anything half way.

The captain skated by, celebrating his goal with his team. He and Lily caught eyes for only half a second max, but Lily’s damned brain was already thinking holy shit he’s hot. He winked at her before skating off to the bench to high five the rest of the team. Potter is written on the back of his jersey. The stands thrummed with energy from the goal, so loud and vibrant that Lily could feel it running through her veins. Someone had started a chant, and she felt her heart thumping along to the rhythm. And that’s when Lily knew she was totally and completely hooked. Hockey ruled.

They got invited to an after party. Lily isn’t really sure how? Apparently, Alice’s boyfriends went to school with this guy whose sister was dating one of the player’s best friends, and Frank, being the cool guy that he is, managed to score them a spot on the guest list. As someone hands Lily a fruity alcoholic beverage, she can’t find it in her to ask how she got in this position. She was floating on the high of that awesome win from earlier. Captain Potter had managed to score another two goals (completing something called a hat trick, as Lily discovered. Alice is still laughing at Lily’s clueless expression when the stands started chucking hats onto the ice) bringing the Gryffins to a 4-3 win.

“Shots!” A voice called, as an arm was draped around her shoulder. She was impressed that Marcie had managed to avoid sloshing the tiny cup full of alcohol as she meandered through the crowd of bodies, but that was just something Marcie was good at. She would rather have her skirt fall to her ankles before she spilled a drop of alcohol.

The three girls drank the tequila back in one go. Alice coughed violently and dove for a lemon, while Marcie simply sighed as the liquid gold rushed through her. Lily sucked on her lemon with a smile, enjoying the rush.

“You alright love?” Alice was being patted on the back from a tipsy Frank.

“Tequila,” Lily supplied as an answer. Frank nodded in understanding.

“Well hopefully you aren’t too drunk yet, I want to introduce you to a few people!” Frank led the girls through the crowd, holding Alice protectively under one of his arms. They were so cute together, Lily thought was a sigh. She was glad that Alice found someone like Frank. They just seemed to complete each other.

“There you are!” They were being greeted by a tall man in a deep purple blazer, which complimented him wonderfully. “Been looking for you, you said you wanted to meet the boys!”

“Sorry, had to grab my lady first. Alice, Marcie, Lily, this is Kingsley. He’s the gent from school, the one who managed to hook us up tonight! Kings, this is my girlfriend Alice, and her two besties.” Pleasantries were exchanged before Kingsley grabbed a passerby and steered him towards the group.

“Aha! Glad I caught you,” He said to the newcomer, before gesturing to the group in front of him. “Got some friends I want to introduce you to! Frank, this is Remus Lupin. Amalie’s boyfriend, and the fact that I’m acknowledging him as such should tell you great things about his character!” They all chuckled amicably, introducing themselves.

“It’s great meeting you all,” He says politely, somewhat shyly. Lily thinks it makes him look even more gentlemanly. He looks around slightly, sizing up the room, before looking back at the group. Lily can spy a mischievous look there that she wasn’t expecting. It doesn’t look bad on him, though. “Look, I can’t stay around long. I’m supposed to meet the boys somewhere a little more private. But they said I could bring some friends, and you guys seem pretty cool. Any chance you’d like to tag along?”

“Hell yes!” Marcie shouts before anyone has a chance to deliberate. “Any opportunity to become a VIP is an opportunity worth jumping at.”

“I have a friend who would mimic that sentiment,” Remus said with a wink. And it was decided. They followed Remus through the crowd, and Lily found herself getting lost in the noise and lights and bodies. It was a miracle she didn’t manage to get lost in the crowd itself. When they finally stop moving, Lily’s head is spinning. Maybe she’s had more tonight than she anticipated.

“Welcome to the Sin Bin,” Remus says, opening a door the VIP entrance. The space was smaller than the rest of the venue, but still bigger than Lily thought it would be. There were more people in here too, and Lily wondered if any of them were particularly famous. She didn’t recognize anyone until Remus shouted about the crowd. “Aye! Prongs, Padfoot, get your asses over here!”

The fog in Lily’s head cleared immediately when she saw who was being called over. Even though this was the first game she had ever watched, Lily recognized the two men immediately. Sirius Black was on the right. Right-winger and handsome as hell, he had a devious smile and dark eyes that invited you to join him in nefarious things. Until he smiled that is. Because as soon as he saw Remus, he smiled large and bright and suddenly Lily was reminded of an oversized puppy. How was it possible for one person to jump that much?! She was distracted from her musing from the gentleman on the left, the one that was looking straight at her with those eyes and that smile and fuck.

Potter. Captain James Potter. Cocky little shit on the ice, but Lily found that she liked it far more than she thought she would. It made her chest tighten and a small shiver of anticipation roll in her stomach. His hair was tousled and had that perfect pull-me look, and Lily wasn’t sure how much will-power it would take to stop herself from running her fingers through it.

“Moony! You brought friends!” Black was saying, regarding their little group.

“Hope you don’t mind fellas. This is Kingsley, Ame’s brother. The rest are with him. Frank and Alice, if I’m not mistaken? And then… Marlie and Lily?”

“Marcie,” The blonde piped up. “Marcie Major, pleased to make your acquaintance.” Lily watched as she leaned over to shake Black and Potter’s hands. She also noticed how her eyes linger on Black, and the way he took her in.

“That would make me Lily. Lily Evans,” She adds, and waves for good measure. She hopes she isn’t staring at Potter for too long. God, why did he have to be so attractive in person?

“Awesome! We’re always glad to have new friends. Let’s say we grab some drinks, celebrate our new found friends?” Was it just her, or did Potter’s eyes flicker to her as he said friends? She sucked in a deep breath and told herself to calm down. She was going to come across as some stupid fan girl (puck-bunny is the term that Alice used), which was the last thing she wanted. Just play it cool, Lils!

They all make their way over to the bar, where shots are ordered and conversations break out. It’s louder over here, and Lily feels the bass thrumming through her. It reminds her of the way the stands were deafening when Potter broke the tie earlier… It makes her feel alive.

“What are you drinking?” A husky voice says from behind her. Lil whirls around, her cheeks already singed pink from her third tequila shot of the night. At least, that’s what she’s going to blame it on. Not the fact that Potter’s voice was so fucking sexy and that his buttoned shirt was pulled tight across his broad chest and that his hand was currently running through his hair in a way oh so similar to how she wanted to…

“Whatever you’re having.” She says, realizing that she hasn’t answered him yet. He smiles at her and its sort of crooked and so endearing and shit.

“Sounds good to me,” He says, before leaning over and ordering two rye and cokes from the bartender.

“You didn’t have to do that,” She says as he hands the drink to her. She supposes that it was probably more polite to have just said thank you, but the words are already out and Potter is smiling at her again so she thinks it’s safe.

“I think it’s customary to buy the pretty girl a drink in most cases,” He said softly, and Lily noticed just how close he was standing to her. She had been leaning against the bar when he walked up, and now he was leaning his hip against it, facing her, his left arm grazing her right. She feels gooseflesh rise on her arm, and she wonders if he can feel it. Damn, she’s blushing again. She sips her drink to avoid speaking.

“If it would make you feel any better, I can let you buy me one too,” He adds, and he winks at her when Lily gets the courage to meet his eyes again. She tries to fight off the blush with a snort, but that fails.

“I’m sorry, last time I checked I wasn’t the one with a hockey player salary.” She found herself saying. Oh my god, why was she utterly incapable of flirting? Why did her flirting happen to consist primarily of insults? Jesus Christ! She expected Potter to glare or to walk away, and was completely surprised to hear him bark out a laugh.

“That is true.” He conceded, after his laughter subsided. He still wore a look of glee on his face as he leaned ever closer. “I guess that just means I’ll have to buy all of your drinks for the rest of the night.”

“That really isn’t necessary Mr. Potter,” She said with a laugh, and tried not to notice the way his breath hitched when she called him that. Part of her blamed it on her imagination, while the other part of her tried to determine how to work a sir into the conversation. “I may be a broke college student, but buying my own drinks is a little pleasure that I can afford.”

“Pretty girl like you, I’m surprised you’d ever have to pay for your own drink.” He said suavely, and Lily cursed how smooth this guy was.

“Alas, you’re the first tonight. It would appear that my many suitors are out of town tonight.” She said, reaching out to touch his chest gently. Why?! She had no idea. Her hand had developed a mind of its own. She waited for him to step back, to remove her hand from his body, to demand she leaves. Instead he moves closer, encouraged by her breaking the unofficial touch barrier.

“Well I for one am very glad that you’re here alone.” His voice was low and yet he was close enough that Lily could hear it despite the music blasting around them. She watched the way his eyes darted from her eyes to her mouth and back again, and felt her heart rate pick up exponentially. She licked her lips subconsciously and watched as his eyes travelled the same path.

“Lily! There you are! Come on, come dance!” Alice’s voice cut through the tension surrounding the pair at the bar, causing Lily to jump and immediately retract her hand from Potter’s chest. Potter seemed to follow suit, stepping back and putting some space between them.

“Come, come, come, come!” Alice was attempting to pull Lily’s hand, apparently completely unaware of what she may have just interrupted.

“I’ll catch up with you later,” Potter said softly, smiling that crooked smile again. “I need to find Padfoot anyways. I’ll refresh your drink too.” He winked at her once more, and Lily finally let herself be dragged onto the dance floor. She loses herself in the crowd of bodies dancing against each other. Alice and Frank are pressed together, and Marcie is alternating between grinding up against Lily, and dancing solo. Lily is laughing and dancing and singing and can’t think of another time that she’s had this much fun. It can’t get better than this, can it?

She’s dancing with Marcie, grinding and shaking and popping when she feels a set of eyes on her. She looks over her shoulder to see who it is, dancing all the while. She nearly stops when she sees who it is. Potter. He managed to find her in the entire crowd. She doesn’t stop though, not when she notices the hungry look in his eyes. He’s watching her dance with the kind of attention that no one’s shown her in a long time. And she likes it. So instead of stopping, she does her damn best to dance as sexy as possible. She goes low before popping up again, making sure to shake her ass on the way up. She grinds against Marcie in a positively sinful way, laughing as the other girl plays along and dances with her. She’s not expecting Marcie to smack her ass, but really shouldn’t have been surprised. She glances over her shoulder again, and saw that it had the desired effect. Potter was still there. Was still looking at her, watching her. Possibly wanting her?

They maintain eye contact as she grinds against Marcie again. She turns back to Marcie to explain the situation, but her best friend is already raising her eye browns and subtly gesturing to the boy over her shoulder. The blonde steps away and winks at the redhead, before turning and finding a new dance partner.

“Mind if I step in?” He’s behind her, voice slightly hoarse as he whispers the words in her ears. Fuck, did he know how hot he was? Instead of answering, she turns around to face him. She smiles at him coyly before taking his hands and placing them on her waist. When had she gotten this bold? It was something to do with the alcohol and the music and the way he was looking at her. It made her want more.

It wasn’t her first time dancing with a man at a club. She knows the game, the push and pull, the dance. But it feels different this time. It’s probably because this is Potter, and he knows what he’s doing. He isn’t some amateur trying to pick a girl up at the bar for the first time. Hell, this was practically his bar. He had home ice advantage.

His hands wandered but they didn’t go far. He ran his hands up her back, pressing her closer to him until their bodies were flush against each other. Back down to her hips, where he guided them to move against him in a positively delicious way. Down to the top of her thighs, which he would squeeze gently, causing her breath to catch ever so slightly. Meanwhile, she was having a hand-placement-conflict. Where was the best place to grab a dance partner? She started at his hips, ensuring that he was as close to her as possible. Then up to the shoulders where she could grab his neck and pull his face closer, so that it was inches away from hers. But shoulders were a dangerous place to be, because of such close proximity to that just-been-fucked hair. She couldn’t stop herself. As he was rubbing circles into her thighs, she ran her hands through the hair at the base of his neck, and was gifted with a throaty moan.

“Fuck,” He breathed into her ear, mimicking the exact thoughts going through her mind. Apparently his hair was the key to unlocking dirty talk, because he was rasping in her ear with no signs of stopping. “Dammit Evans you’re so fucking hot.” He punctuates his words by grinding against her. “You’ve got me all riled up. I thought watching you dance was hot, but fuck dancing with you is dangerous. I’m about to do something very, very bad.” He was definitely riled up. She could feel just how excited he was when he grinded against her, which did absolutely nothing to abate her own excitement.

“Like what?” She whispered, and was surprised at how thick her own voice sounded.

“Like kiss you.” He said, his mouth already inching towards hers. She licked her lips and watched with satisfaction as he was drawn even closer. Their hips never stopped swaying to the beat, and yet Lily felt like they were standing still.

“Then kiss me.” She said, and she’s not sure if he even hear her. But god she hopes he heard her. She has never wanted someone this much, she thinks. But then he surges forward and captures her lips with his and she stops thinking altogether. He’s kissing her like her needs her, like he’s starving and she’s his salvation. It’s hungry and almost desperate and so fucking hot. His hands are gripping her hips and hers move to tangle themselves in his hair, which elicits another moan out of him. She swallows it and deepens the kiss. She’s feeling brave tonight. Her tongue darts out to flick his lips and he’s more than receptive. His tongue tangles with hers and she feels like she’s floating. She tugs on the strands of hair between her fingers and feels him buck against her.

“Fuck Evans,” He says when they finally pull away for air. He’s breathing heavy and is running his own hand through his hair now.

“Please,” She says without thinking, and watches the way his head snaps back to look at her. The hungry look is back in his eyes, and she feels her breath catch.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” He says before capturing her lips again in a frenzy. His hands are on her hips and he’s inching back, slowly, as if asking for permission. Growing impatient, Lily slides his hands onto her ass without breaking the kiss. He hums against her mouth before squeezing, causing Lily to squeak in surprise.

Lily’s the one who pulls back this time, feeling more eyes on her. She grows self-conscious when she realizes that Alice, Marcie and Black are standing close by, watching them. Alice has the decency to look away, act like she wasn’t watching. Marcie and Black, meanwhile, wore matching grins.

“We have an audience,” She says to James. He retracts his hands from her ass, though he doesn’t appear too happy about it.

“It would appear so.” He says, sounding slightly displeased. He takes a deep breath before stepping away from her fully, turning to go over to their friends. Lily follows, although she can already feel a blush creeping up her cheeks from the way Marcie keeps looking at her.

“I was going to see if you wanted to meet some friends, but it looks like you had your hands full,” Black says, over exaggerating the wink he threw at the pair. Potter punched his arm in retaliation.

“If you only came here to be a pest, I’m going to go get something to drink.” He said, sending a glare at Black as if daring him to argue. When Black held his hands up in surrender (looking anything but sorry), Potter turned back to Lily. “Coming?”

“Hopefully.” God, she really needed to stop speaking before she thought it through completely. She heard both Alice and Marcie snorting, but had only eyes for Potter. She watched as he inhaled sharply, his eyes wide and staring at her. Black was guffawing but Potter didn’t seem to notice. She watched as he licked his lips, before he gained his composure and put his arm around her shoulder. He nodded at the threesome that rudely interrupted their make-out session before guiding Lily to the bar.

“Sorry about Padfoot,” Potter said, leaning against the bar. He waved the bartender away as the man approached. Apparently getting a drink was only their getaway excuse.

“He’s no worse than my friends, don’t worry. Excuse me, two tequilas,” She directed the last comment to the bartender, which caused Potter to raise his eyebrows at her. “Do you not do shots? I mean, I can do both if you don’t.”

“No, I do shots,” He said, but he was still examining her closely. He looked like he was about to say something when the bartender returned with the shots, a salt shaker and two lemons in a separate shot glass. Potter paid for the shots before Lily could even get her wallet out.

“Do you do body shots?” She asked innocently. Potter smirked at her in a way that made her insides turn.

“Fuck yes.”

“Good,” She said, snagged a shot off the table. Traditional body shots called for lying on a table and drinking off ones stomach, but there was a significant lack of tables in the general vicinity. Oh well, she guessed she’d have to improvise. Pulling her shirt down to reveal even more, Lily stuck the shot glass in the centre of her cleavage. She watched Potters eyes, how they followed the glass to her breasts, the way he licked his lips in preparation.

“Evans you are a fucking minx.” He practically growled. She winked at him before grabbing the salt shaker and tilting her head back. She handed the shaker to him.

“Lick,” It was practically a command. She heard the way he hummed but refused to look back down. She felt him lean into her, his tongue tracing a line across the top of her breast. She tried to not jump lest she jostle the precious tequila sitting in her cleavage. She felt him sprinkle the salt on the line he just drew, before he slipped the lemon into her hand.

“Put it in your mouth,” His voice was husky and hot and she did as she was told. She had to stop herself from answering with a yes sir.

Having a body shot done to you is a very strange experience. Having one done on her breast was even stranger. His tongue both tickled her and seduced her. His face between her breasts was simultaneously awkward and hot as hell. And then he was taking the lemon from her mouth, spitting it out and kissing her passionately. It was an experience, that’s for sure. One that Potter seemed to really enjoy, if the hardness pressed against her thigh was any indicator.

He was looking at her in a way that screamed let me ravish you. They needed to get out of here, pronto, but not before Lily took her own shot. She grabbed his hand from where it was around her waist. She brought his hand to her mouth. She dragged one of his fingers into her mouth, wrapping her tongue around the digit to make sure it was thoroughly wet. She heard him let out a strangled sound, and quickly popped her mouth off. In one swift motion, she was sprinkling salt on the finger and grabbing her own shot glass. This time when she sucked his finger, she made sure to keep eye contact the entire time. She heard him mutter fuckfuckfuck under his breath as she sucked all the salt off his finger, before downing the shot and sucking on her lemon.

He was pressed up against her before she even got the lemon out of her mouth. His fingers dug into her hips and he pressed himself fully against her, letting her feel every inch of his hardness. She could feel the thrill that shot through her body at the contact.

“Let’s get out of here,” He growled in her ear. She nodded eagerly and he led the way to a back door. He was calling a cab before they had even made it outside of the building. She was texting her friends to let them know she wasn’t coming home. She wasn’t sure they would make it that far before she grew impatient and took his shirt off right then and there. She did somehow manage to wait until the cab before she got the buttons on his shirt open. She was sitting in his lap and sucking bruises into his neck as they pulled up to the curb at his apartment. His hand, which had been positioned directly in the junction between her legs, grappled with the doorknob. He pulled her out of the cab, overpaid the cabbie, and practically carried her through the doors. She managed to get his shirt off of him completely in the elevator, and her bra had been undone by his clever hands.

By the time they finally made it to his apartment door, Lily was ready to be thoroughly fucked. Potter shut the door before launching himself at her, pinning her to the wall and rubbing himself against her. He got her out of her shirt. She got him out of his pants.

“The bedroom is, mmmm, down there,” He gestured absently as Lily ran a hand down his chest, fingers slipping under his boxers to cup him fully. He groaned into her shoulder as she wrapped a hand around him, stroking him. She managed to get them turned around, so that his back was against the wall.

“No time,” She answered, before pulling his boxers down to his ankles. She stayed on her knees in front of him, looking up to catch his gaze. He opened his mouth to respond, but as she wrapped her own mouth around him, nothing came out buy a loud moan. His hand tangled in her hair as she treated him the way she treated his finger previously; wrapping her tongue around him, making sure he was wet with her saliva.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” He groaned, thumping his head against the wall behind him. “God Evans you’re so fucking hot. Fuck, I want to fuck you so bad.” She hummed against his cock, and he groaned again. She released him with a pop, and he was already dragging her to her feet. He made quick work of her pants, discarding them and her panties before hoisting her up. She yelped in surprise, wrapping her legs around his waist.

He had them flipped around again. Her bare back was pressed against the cool wall and it grounded her. She locked eyes with Potter as he held her up, just inches away from where they both wanted to be. But he was hesitating….

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” He asked softly. “It’s okay to say no. Anytime, no matter what. Just. Let me know. If this is okay.” She could tell it was getting harder and harder for him to hold back, but she did know he would if she told him to stop. It was a good thing that stopping was the last thing she wanted.

“I have never been more okay in my life,” She murmured, before she recaptured his lips with hers. That was all the consent he needed it would seem, and he eased her down slightly, so that the tip of his dick was pressing against her. She needed him, god she needed him right now. He pressed against her and inhaled sharply as he slid inside of her.

“Fuck you’re so wet,” He hissed. She herself was having a hard time breathing right. He was bigger than she was used to, but she was more than lubricated enough. He just felt so good. She told him that, earning a few faster strokes. They didn’t stay there for long though. Potter growled in frustration before lifting her up again and carrying her across the hall. He stayed inside of her the entire time.

His room was dark and his bed was soft. She heard the mattress sink beneath them as Potter repositioned himself in front of her. She whimpered as he pulled out of her completely, but gasped sharply as cool breath breezed over a very sensitive area for her.

“Time to return the favour.” He whispered, and every syllable was felt on her bundle of nerves. That was the only warning he gave before his tongue swiped over her clit, and she choked out a sob. One hand bundled in the blanket at her side, and the other buried itself in his hair. She scraped her fingernails against his skull, and he responded enthusiastically. His tongue fluttered over her clit enough times to push her closer and closer to the edge, before he’d back off and press kisses to her thighs, her lips, darting his tongue inside of her. And then he’d be back on her clit, just enough to send a spike to her nerves. Never enough to push her over the edge.

“Please,” She whined, needed him.

“Tell me what you want.” He rasped.

“Fuck me. Please, god, fuck me. Make me come.” She sounded so wrecked, but she didn’t have it in her to care. She was too riled up. He removed himself from between her legs, getting off the bed completely. She missed his warmth and his weight and was about to protest when she heard a drawer next to her opening. There was the crinkle of a wrapper and a moment of silence before he was settling back on top of her.

“Fuck Evans, come for me.” It was something between a beg and a command. Lily couldn’t deny him even if she wanted to. He slid inside of her and she wrapped her legs around him, allowing him more access.

“Faster,” She begged, feeling the pressure building steadily inside of her. He obliged immediately, quickening his trusts. “Mmm you feel so good Potter.”

“Call me James.” He said, breathing heavily.

“Yes Captain,” She teased, unprepared for the reaction this would elicit. He grunted, breath hitched, before fucking her senseless. His hand snuck down between her legs, massaging the little bead of nerves while he thrust into her as fast as he could. She felt like she was on fire.

“Oh fuck, fuck Pot-James. God, god, god! Don’t stop, oh god James don’t stop! Ah!” She came with a strangled sob. Through the haze of euphoria caused by an absolutely mind-blowing orgasm, Lily felt Potter lose his rhythm, thrusting deep and long and panting as he himself came. He slumped over her, kissing her neck as he panted into her skin. He gave one last shallow thrust before pulling out completely.

She waited while he quickly disposed of the condom before rejoining her on the bed. She rolled onto her side to meet him. He pulled her flush against him, and she pressed her face into his chest. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark enough to make him out, and she practically crooned at the sight of his naked chest. She really hadn’t appreciated it enough when she first de-shirted him. Her hands traced over his pecs down to his abs and back up again.

“I suggest you stop, unless you’re interested in round two,” Potter said softly, his hand coming up to rest against hers. His dick stirred slightly against her thigh, as if to confirm his sentiment.

“Nap first, more sex later,” She said, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

“Is that a promise?” He asked, and she nodded against him. “Good.”

They ended up going four rounds total (that’s called going into Overtime, Marcie would later tell her) before Lily would head home the next day. Once more that night, once in the shower the next morning, and one more time against the kitchen counter. What can she say, he was hot as hell and was definitely good at scoring for a reason. They cleaned the kitchen counter off and had breakfast together, because apparently he’s also a gentleman.

Lily was fairly certain that her opinion on hockey had changed drastically overnight, although that was only partially due to the actual sport. She definitely wasn’t against going to a few more games to get more acquainted with the sport though. In fact, as she sat in class the following afternoon, Lily looked up the Gryffin’s playtimes and how much it would cost to get season tickets. The boy sitting next to Lily peeked at her screen.

“Oh, you follow hockey? Did you see the game last night?” Lily’s smile was slightly too pleased as she confirmed that she had, indeed, seen the game last night.