Pete Party
The night of Peters party had finally come around, and James Potter was realizing one very, very sure thing. He was an idiot of the highest degree.
Throughout the week he and Regulus had been talking as usual, the awareness of their feelings not even slightly tainting their unexpectedly comfortable air if anything making it more relaxed, as they fell into light teasing and prodding. Bets were on, and James would be lying to admit there wasn’t a small amount of thrill in the anticipation for one of them to break.
Tonight, Regulus was well and truly testing this. James realized with no uncertainty that he was a fool for ever thinking he would be able to resist.
Reg had not heeded his joking warnings of avoiding white silk, and he found himself nothing but grateful. He was wearing faded black flare jeans that almost had to be from Sirius, and the shirt James left at his door, the top buttons undone and slightly off his shoulders. Frankly it was sinful the way he fixed it to sit below his collarbones- which, something that James would never admit to another soul, he had one thought looking at ‘bite’- Black curls were mussed and wild, falling devilishly over stunning grey eyes. Eyes made to stand out even more with outlines of black and silver. The group had said they were going for a ‘Charlie’s angels’ theme, James would say Angel wasn’t quite the word he’d use to describe the way Regulus looked. Divine most definitely. James could never deny that Regulus’ beauty was something holy, but as they locked eyes, and Regulus’ mouth quirked up into a smirk, his eyebrows rising in question and his drink splashing dangerously close to the edge of its cup- in an almost intentional looking manner mind- James wouldn’t be so sure that he was a force so angelic at all. He was currently acting as temptation personified, and James would be happy to give in any day.
A stern cough from beside him was the only thing that would make James fight his gaze away from where he was hypnotized by Regulus. Knowing that cough very well, he schooled his expression to one of much, much, less desire, before turning to meet Sirius’- quite shocked- face.
“You’re actually whipped for him, aren’t you?” Sirius questioned, not a drop of malice in his tone as James might have expected, only a kind of tender curiosity.
James nodded a little, avoiding his friends’ eyes, “I swear Pads, I did not see this coming.”
Sirius only let out a hearty laugh, throwing his head back, “Of course you wouldn’t.”
“Oi, just what is that supposed to mean?”
“Look Prongs, I am not happy to admit it but after you two started with this…whatever this is. Its not hard to realize it was inevitable, face it mate- you’ve got a type.”
“Alright then genius, what might that type be?”
“People who are mean to you.” Sirius stated like it was fact, James nearly snorted out his drink. Sirius wasn’t wrong perse; he’d long made peace with the fact.Regulus calling him a cunt that one time was, after all, the final nail in the coffin of his feelings- it had really felt like a blessing. He just hadn’t quite noticed his own transparency.
“Thought we wouldn’t notice? Lily called you a ‘snotty git’ and you swooned. Honestly James that might be something you need to get checked out.” His comment earned two howls of laughter.
“You’re not mad?” James asked once their laughter subdued, he almost flinched at the vulnerability in his own speech.
Sirius’ face softened as he shook his head, “no, I was never mad. Given, I didn’t love the idea at first, mostly afraid of being put in a situation where I have to pick sides-“ before James could cut in, presumably to say some overly understanding, probably self-sacrificing, positively James Potter thing, Sirius raised his hand to shush his friend, “But, I trust you both enough to know you wouldn’t do that and to know you can take care of your own feelings. You’re good for each other, I’ve never seen Regulus so bright, and I’ve never seen you have the kind of surety in yourself you have with him. If it’s what you were waiting for, you should know you have my full support.”
James hated to say out loud that yes, part of his stubbornness was the fear of what Sirius would think when things became more, when they became real. He let his face split into a smile which was returned with equal sappiness before Sirius rolled his eyes and patted his shoulder.
“Alright, enough of that now. I have a small feeling a certain other, far less charming, Black brother is detesting your choice in company right now.” Sirius had his eyebrows raised, looking at someone behind James’ shoulder. He whipped his head around to catch Regulus’ burning gaze, neither of them would break it. With the way Regulus looked pointedly at him, moving like there was a pull that forced each part of him to sway towards James, still with that damn cup of what he assumes is once again wine. James was going to lose his mind, he was going to do something very, very stupid he’s sure, right in the middle of that crowded room.
Finally, he watched as the movement around Regulus pushed some of his drink just over the edge, James’ eyes followed as it ran down his neck to stain the crisp shirt collar.
He heard Sirius mutter something that sounded suspiciously like, “Shameless and disgusting.” But he didn’t stick around to find out if he heard right, moving as if by magic towards Regulus.
“Finally, he gets it” Regulus chuckles as James takes his place where Barty once was on Regulus’ hip- he wasn’t quite sure when either of the other two left, but he found he was thankful for their wandering anyway, “I really thought I was going to have to drag you over here forcefully.”
“Close enough,” James muttered, picking up the corner of his shirt where the wine spilt, “thought I ought to do something about this.” in a move bolder than he knew he ever had in him he leaned to meet the crimson blotting by Regulus’ neck and pulled the fabric between his teeth, sucking out slight remnants of the substance. With the encouragement of Regulus’ breath hitching, and the way he ever so slightly leaned into James’ touch. He gave in and swiped at the trail of it across his collar bone before stepping back.
“Nope, not coming out easy.” He quipped, shaking his head like the news was quite devastating.
Regulus chuckled, “Well then, I guess I’ll just need a new one wont I?”
With that they were leading each other towards James’ dorm, neither sure if or when they might reemerge.
**
“I can’t believe that” Lily said through her shaking laughter, as she saw the scene inside through the window, having chosen to go for a smoke break at just the wrong moment “they broke each other.”
Pandoras chuckle vibrated off the crook of Lily’s neck where her head was buried, “Does this mean the bets on who gives in first are off?” she joked.
Lily rested her head on top of Pandoras as she thought momentarily, “Actually, I’m pretty sure Remus called exactly this happening.”
“Of course, he did.” They said practically in tandem before breaking out in a fit of giggles. Pandoras eyes were shining brighter than the stars they were beneath, she was enchanting, looking up at Lily through her eyelashes.
Without warning she leaned closer, Lily felt the air get caught in her throat, she rushed to capture every point, the look in Pandoras eyes, the ethereal way her hair spread across her shoulders, which were covered in Lilys black leather jacket that was a bit too big on her, swallowing her shoulders and hanging past her wrists, she thinks she could look at Pandora in her clothes forever.
But just before Lily could move in, before she could even process, Pandora was gone. She had swiped a bit of Lily’s eyeliner off of her cheek and fixed a piece of her hair back, and then she was back leaning against Lily’s shoulder.
Lily let out a beath, hoping Pandora wouldn’t notice the way it sounded an awful lot like a sigh, she moved her arm to wrap around Pandora, carefully plucking one of the flowers from her long braid, if only just to provide something else to focus on.
“You know tangled is one of my favourite movies?” she asked.
What she hadn’t expected was for Pandora to admit quietly yet confidently, “Yeah, I did.”
And if Lily weren’t already soft for this girl, she may have been reduced to nothing but a puddle right then. Though instead of doing something her brain was telling her was the smart thing, like pulling Pandora into her lap and snogging her senseless, appreciating every moment until they saw the sun over the hill.
Ignoring that loud urge, she squeezed her tighter, breathing out a quiet “oh.” And then after a beat of silence, “You remind me of Rapunzel you know?”
“So I’ve been told. Do you think it’s the hair?” Pandora joked lightly, Lily chuckled along but eventually explained herself.
“Well yes, but also the way you use art, the way you got out from your parents and their cages and started going at life in your new adventurous way. Maybe it was a bad comparison, I have to say I am not totally thinking completely straight. But I don’t think that has to make any of it less true, truth be told Pan, I like who I am with you, all your dreams, and love for everything around you? it’s contagious. You’re something else Pandora.”
Beside her Pandora was deathly silent, when she turned her head about to make sure the girl was alright, that Lily hadn’t just massively screwed things up talking too much. She met those eyes again, blown wide and slightly glossed over, she almost apologized, almost. But then Pandora was squeezing her tighter, throwing her face further into Lily’s neck until she could feel the smile against her skin. She leant in further, like she thought she could transfer her thoughts to Lily’s mind through touch alone.
Too quickly for Lily’s liking Pandora moved again, tilting her head up under Lily’s chin, “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever told me. I don’t even know what to say.” She pressed a slight, tentative kiss to the soft line of her jaw.
“You don’t have to say anything,” Lily assured, “I just wanted you to know.”
“I like dreaming with you Lils, you make it so easy. Thankyou.” And then she was peppering more of those soft kisses to her jaw, her neck, her shoulder, the both of them cherishing every second of the sweet contact.
“We should go back inside.” Pandora whispered, breaking the moment with delicacy only she could manage.
“Yeah.” Lily replied nodding, her voice raspier than she would have liked.
Inside they stayed stuck together, Marlene immediately pulling them into her orbit, with more shots than advisable and nightmare karaoke with Dorcas, Sirius, and Peter. Bright smiles were on everyone’s faces, Barty and Evan were nowhere to be seen, James and Reg were absolutely not reemerging, Remus was stood with Emmeline and Mary watching their show with faux disgust but hardly hidden smiles.
By the time the night was ending, Lily had to admit she may have been a bit too daft with accepting drinks from Marlene and Sirius for hours, but she had made it to a bed that was warm and slept with memories of wide crystal eyes and soft flowery kisses.