chapter 11 - in my veins
you're all i taste
at night
inside of my mouth
“cor!” corvus sighs, rolling her eyes as she continues across the courtyard.
“merlin, you're fast.” james breathes out, his hands clutching his sides.
“people tend to be faster when they're trying to avoid someone, potter.” corvus replies, avoiding eye contact.
“come on.” james says, motioning his head for corvus to follow him as he segways to the right.
“what makes you think i wanna go with you?” corvus asks, crossing her arms over her chest.
“the fact that you're following me.” james grins, picking up his speed as he leads corvus out of the courtyard.
“where are we going?” she asks. it's getting later, and dinner won't be too long away now.
“patience, love.” james assures, slowing down so he's standing beside her instead of in front.
“don't.” she warns, staring at him with cold eyes.
“what do you want me to call you then? sweetie? darling? baby?” the boy pauses, gauging corvus’ reaction to each. he gasps. “you like baby!”
“i do not.” corvus disagrees, looking away from him again. “shut up.”
“why don't you shut me up? you have some interesting ways of doing that.” james smirks, stepping slightly in front of her so that he's looking at her face to face again.
“lapse in judgment.” corvus informs without a beat, though she knows that that isn't entirely true.
“well, for both our sake, i hope you make the same one again in the near future.” james smiles, turning away and picking up pace again.
“where in merlin’s name are we going, potter?” corvus asks suddenly, stopping dead in her tracks as she notices where they've made their way to.
“don't worry. i'll keep you safe, love.” despite everything that she tries, corvus feels her heart rate pick up ever so slightly at the name.
james is holding his hand out, but corvus ignores it, walking in front of him instead. he seems unfazed by this, just continuing to smile to himself and letting out a pleased hum.
“so, this lapse in judgment,” james starts, jogging forward to catch up with corvus. “will it be happening again? in the near future?”
“over my dead body.” corvus declares, lying through her teeth.
“near enough.” james shrugs, and corvus wants more than anything to wipe that smirk off his lips.
“ah, here we are.” james announces, coming to a stop in front of a large wooden cabin.
“you led me to a cabin in the woods?” corvus questions, looking over at the brown skinned boy and quirking a brow.
“i prefer cottage in the forest, but yes, this is our destination.” james informs, holding one arm out like he's presenting something. “go on.”
“i am not turning my back to you after you just lured me to a cabin in the woods, potter.” corvus argues, standing planted in her spot.
“as you wish.” james says easily, taking the lead as he opens the door to the cabin and steps inside.
corvus stays rooted to the ground, her curious eyes running all along the area surrounding her. for something called the forbidden forest, it's actually quite peaceful.
the trees are half stripped of their orange and yellow leaves that now litter the ground. there's the sound of a creek running somewhere in the distance.
the cabin itself is also very nice. it's small and has a trail of rocks leading up to its entrance. like a pathway.
“you coming?” james asks, his voice gentle as he peers at her from the doorway.
his eyes are soft. genuinely questioning. not pushing. just wondering.
corvus answers his question by walking towards the entrance of the cabin. she walks along the pathway of smoothed out dirt and onto the steps.
james holds out his hand. another question.
corvus takes it. his touch is soft. his hands themselves are rough, dry. like he works with them. but his touch is soft, gentle.
it's warm in a way that makes corvus’ stomach turn over. her hand isn't burning, though. it's just warm.
it feels nice, she notices. it's different from regulus or evan or barty. different from pandora or dorcas.
but it doesn't hurt. this doesn't hurt. james doesn't hurt.
she pulls her hand away out of sheer instinct. it freaks her out. james potter’s touch should burn. but it doesn't. james doesn't burn.
james looks corvus in the eyes, not angry, just concerned, before he drops it and looks away.
“i found it last year. about a month before the summer. haven't told anyone about it.” he informs, suddenly seeming more reserved.
corvus black has never seen james potter reserved.
“it's nice.” corvus says, looking around the small, one room cabin. “pretty.”
it's true. the cabin is pretty.
it looks as if james has decorated it a bit. there's curtains hanging at the sides of the windows. there's fairy lights strung up around the edge of the ceiling. there's pillows and blankets laid out on the window seat. there's even a plastic deer on the side of a small coffee table sitting in front of a couch, along with a stack of books and some other random things.
“yeah?” james asks, voice so soft, it's almost a whisper.
his gaze is unbearably soft. looking as if he's begging for the answer that he wants.
he wants her to like this place, she realizes.
corvus steps forward, grabbing one of james’ hands gently in her own.
“it's perfect, james.” she assures, looking at him significantly.
james lets out a breath, leaning his head forward so it's resting against corvus’. it takes her by surprise, but she doesn't move away.
“good.” he says, his eyes closed, a content look plastered on his face. “i thought, maybe it could be, you know, ours.”
“ours.” corvus repeats, weighing the word in her mind.
ours, ours, ours.
“yeah.” james breathes, pulling back slightly and opening his eyes. “if you would want that.”
his eyes now look slightly panicked, and corvus wants to wipe it away. tell him there's nothing to be worried about. she's here. she's his. this is theirs.
“yeah.” corvus agrees, pulling his head back to where it was, tentatively pressing her lips against his cheek. “yeah, it can be ours.”
“and that one's aries, right?” james questions, pointing to the cluster of stars in the sky.
corvus just hums, nodding.
“i'm an aries.” james comments, looking over at the side of corvus’ face.
he traces the line of her jaw. the curve of her lips. the swoop of her eyelashes. he is mesmerized by the sight of corvus black.
“makes sense.” corvus states easily, eyes still glued to the sky.
“how's that?” james asks, no longer paying attention to the sky. though, he wasn't paying much attention to it to begin with. “i don't understand much about astrology and all that.”
“aries are known as competitive. eager, too.” corvus informs, shutting her eyes.
she looks peaceful here. something she doesn't typically show to him outside of here.
their space.
ours, ours, ours.
“what're you?” james pushes further, still not breaking his eyes away from her.
“scorpio.”
“what're the traits for that?”
“loyal.”
“i can see that.”
“jealous.”
“you jealous, cor?”
“a little.” corvus looks at james quickly before looking away, a small hidden smile on her lips. “secretive.”
“now that one, i completely understand.”
“shove off, potter.” corvus grins fondly, shoving him to the side.
a moment of silence passes between the two of them. both of them are back to looking at the sky, gentle smiles playing on their faces.
“we should get back to the castle.” corvus sighs, seeming reluctant.
“why don't we stay here? in our cabin.” james suggests eagerly.
“think it's a little early into whatever this is to be having sleepovers, jamie.” corvus teases, ruffling his hair as she pulls him up from the ground. “another time. for now, it's already well past curfew.”
“you called me jamie.” james breathes out, his breath seemingly caught in his throat.
“oh, merlin, what have i done?” corvus groans, hiding her face in her hands.
“no.” james insists, pulling her hands away and keeping hold of them, looking her in the eyes as he steps closer to her, closing the gap between them. “call me jamie for the rest of our lives. please, call me jamie. always.”
corvus doesn't even know how to respond to this, just that it deserves the immediate kiss she pulls james into.
“jamie, it is.” corvus declares once they break away, resting her head on his and pecking his lips once more. “always.”
ours, ours, ours.