A/N: Final chapter... I think. It seems like a good place to finish anyway. I may do a spin off of their first time if people would like that? Let me know if you would! I hope you enjoy this final instalment as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter world and characters don't belong to me.
Now it was James' turn to look surprised. He ran a hand through his hair, narrowing his eyes at her as though trying to determine whether she was joking or not.
"I think we need to backtrack," he said slowly, carefully.
Lily nodded in agreeance. Clearly.
She was thrumming with anticipation. If James had thought he was being turned down, then surely that meant there was something to turn down.
"This is what I thought was going on," James began, "you found out that I liked you, which was why all the touching started to creep you out. Am I close?"
Lily stared at him, dumbstruck.
That's what he had thought? Had her efforts to hide her feelings been so effective, that she had given the exact opposite impression?
She laughed lightly in shock, shaking her head at him.
"Oh. Well – I have no idea what's going on then," James exclaimed in frustration, throwing his hands in the air.
His cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, presumably realising that Lily hadn't known about his feelings before now, and he had just blurted them out thinking that she already knew. She wanted to reassure him, so she scooted closer until their knees were touching. Then, hesitantly, she reached for one of his hands and held it.
"I asked you to stop touching me because it made me nervous," she said in a rush, needing to get it out.
James' hand twitched in hers.
"So I was creeping you out," he muttered, looking darkly at the ground.
"No," Lily trailed, looking at him pointedly. All she received in return, however, was his blank and slightly irritated stare. He just didn't get it.
"Seriously, James, do I have to spell it out?" she huffed.
James arched an eyebrow upwards.
"Obviously. We're both naff at this," he retorted.
Lily frowned in annoyance. They really were naff at this, so it looked as though cowardly-lion-Lily was going to have to go on holiday. She resolved herself to - as Sirius had put it – Gryffindor up.
She chewed at her lip, which was now sore from all the nervous chewing she had been putting it through of late. Again, Lily wished that she had rehearsed some kind of speech. Never, in the history of witches, had there been a girl so utterly incapable of stringing words together.
"Its – well - I guess most people would describe it as a good kind of nervous, though Merlin knows why they would."
Wait a go, Lily, she thought bitterly. If that wasn't a confusing and evasive place to start, I don't know what is.
Taking a deep breath, she tried again.
"You touching me is very similar to be tickled," she began to explain, feeling strangely like a parent who was about to embark on that wondrous conversation regarding the birds and the bees.
Too mechanical.
It feels nice – in a way – but it is also unbearable."
Lily sighed in frustration. She might as well be talking in tongues, and judging by the flabbergasted look on James' face, he thought so too.
"I can't think properly, I can't breathe, and I'm not in control."
Slightly better. She was inching closer to the heart of it, albeit at a painfully slow rate.
"I want you to keep going as much as I want you to stop. It makes me want to kiss you and –"
James squeezed her hand, pulling it so that her body turned to face his.
"Woah – hold up," he interrupted abruptly.
"It makes you want to kiss me?"
Ah – finally she had said something to drive the message home. The galleon had dropped.
Lily nodded numbly, her stomach somersaulting at the look of excitement on James' face.
"Well – that's all I needed to know," James murmured, his gaze dipping down to her lips.
Before she knew it, she was on her back with James leaning over her, smirking wickedly. He had both of her hands pinned down above her head, and their faces were so close that she could feel his breath tickling her skin.
The change in position was disorientating to say the least.
"Wh-what are you doing?" she stuttered.
"I've got to see this for myself, Lily."
Lily barely had time to gulp nervously before James kissed her.
His lips were softly pressed up against hers, remaining still for a few moments, seeming to know that she needed time to adjust to the shock. Then, ever so slowly, he moved them, caressing her lips.
Lily responded shyly, gently moving her own lips with his, falling into a rhythm with him. She reached her hands up to his hair, tangling her fingers in it - something she had always wanted to do.
Every time she took a step forward, however, James would up the game, doing something new to make her nerves explode all over again. He wasn't going to give her any chances to calm down.
Her heart was stuttering as fast as a hummingbird's wings as his hands stroked at her hips, her waist, her neck. Then, ever so slowly, he inched her top up so that her stomach was bare. He traced a single finger along her skin, back and forth, circling until she gasped and shuddered.
Chuckling, he then lowered his body onto hers but kept the weight on his arms, so he didn't squish her whilst simultaneously giving her a heart attack - that would be bad manners.
His tongue traced the crease between her upper and lower lip, before pushing through it firmly. Lily felt a spasm shoot from her stomach to her throat when the tip of his tongue made contact with hers.
Oh, mother of Merlin.
The kiss started to take over Lily. The nerves were still there, but at some point, she had clearly made a truce with them because they had shifted from unbearable, to unbearably nice.
Lily stroked his tongue with her own, feeling powerful whenever he moaned into her mouth as a result of something she had done. She allowed him to kiss her neck, biting the skin there and sucking.
That she really liked, not being able to control the way her hips bucked upwards.
James jolted above her in response, raising himself up so that his own hips were a safe distance from her misbehaving ones. He looked down at her warily, as though she was both the scariest and most tempting thing he had ever seen.
"Woah - easy tiger," he warned in a low voice, panting slightly.
"Don't insult me. I'm a lion," she whispered back, smiling cheekily up at him.
"Well - how about that," James gasped raggedly.
Then they went back to it, kissing each other's merry little socks off.
Somehow, they managed to make it back to their shared common room, with many kissing stops along the way.
They were currently on the sofa, James face buried in her neck, both of them breathing heavily.
"I can't believe I didn't know," he rasped against her skin.
It's so obvious looking back."
Slowly, he trailed his tongue up her neck, all the way to the ear. Then he nibbled lightly at her lobe, causing her whole body to shiver. She could feel him smirking.
"You've got it bad," he whispered tauntingly.
Lily pushed him off her, climbing on top of him before he had the chance to resist. She returned the favour, nibbling teasingly at his neck until he groaned, grabbing at her hips.
She sat up then, arms crossed against her chest and looking down at him victoriously.
"So have you," she quipped back.
"You got me. Don't stop," he begged, his eyes dark.
She smiled, coyly, leaning down to kiss the tip of his nose.
"We've got all the time in the world," she murmured into his ear, before springing off him.
Lily sauntered off to the stairwell which led to her bedroom.
"Sweet dreams, James," she called mischievously over her shoulder, and ran quickly up the stairs in case he chased after her.
She had to go to bed. It was late and if she didn't, they would end up rushing through all the good things in a single night.
When she reached the top, she heard James call out to her.
"Wait, Lily!"
Lily turned to see James looking wildly up at her, his shirt collar hung open and hair dishevelled.
"I forgot to ask – you're my girlfriend now, right?"
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Strange way of asking, but yes – I suppose I am," she called back, unable to prevent the pink flush that painted her cheeks.
James grinned widely, giving her two thumbs up before dancing out of sight.
Lily shook her head in amusement, entering her bedroom. Why did she like that buffoon again?
Grinning, she flopped onto her bed and snuggled into her pillow.
Who the Merlin cared why? She had it bad.