Chapter 10: Confusion, Just A Little
By Natali and Amanda, the LIBS and ROSE of RoseLibs
>~<~>~<
That day out with the mates had to wait a few weeks, because things kept popping up, but eventually, it was upon them. Going out with them was always something that James enjoyed, and now was no exception. Only this time, he had his nights with Lily to look forward to (and what nights those were).
Lily…
Though he was somewhat ashamed to admit it, this had been a good idea. He loved spending time with her, but he was beginning to think he was producing estrogen. He was a man, testosterone was his hormone of choice.
But for the moment, James was with the rest of the Marauders, and what better way of spending quality time with them than a testosterone-fuelled game of Quidditch?
"We wiped the field with your sorry arses!" James gloated to Sirius as the four boys walked into the locker rooms.
"Shut up! If Wormtail here could stay on his bloody broom, then maybe we would've had a chance," Sirius defended. "Honestly, next game we play, I'm inviting J. Mo to be on my team. That girl can kick some serious Quidditch arse."
James laughed, "Aye, she can. And the fact that you want to `play' with her in another way and `secretly' crushing on her for ages wouldn't have anything to do with it, right?"
Sirius looked down at his broom. "That's the thing. I've `played' and it was great."
"Great?" Remus asked, raising a brow. "You sound more put out by that than happy."
"We wake up, and she leaves, saying she made a mistake."
"But didn't Brandy and I see you two kissing in the common room a few days ago?" Remus muttered. "Yeah, we did, because I remember Brandy smirking and saying, `So that's who shagged her last night'."
"Still insists it was a mistake," Sirius shrugged, throwing off his sweaty shirt. "The only mistake I see is that it hasn't been repeated."
"Maybe she feels embarrassed about you seeing her naked?" Peter offered in a squeaky voice, hiding his fat when he took his shirt off.
Sirius snarled at him, making Peter whimper and cower in a corner. "Unlike you, Peter, we're not afraid of our sexuality. That is, if you've got any."
"Lay off, Sirius," James chastised, smiling nonetheless. "You're just mad because J. Mo didn't worship your spank-tastic sexual abilities."
Sirius grinned to himself rather than at them. "Nah, but I get the feeling she enjoyed herself." The grin slipped off his handsome face and he sighed. "I don't think anything's going to happen."
"You've fancied her for years, Padfoot," Remus said reasonably. "After all that, now you're suddenly going to up and decide `Oh, I should give up if it's not handed to me on a silver platter'?"
"It's not that easy, Moony."
James nodded, wiping his broom clean. "I can see that. Why do you think she's so upset?"
"Something about being a terrible friend. Which I can't see how that is. The only way she'd care about `stealing' me from one of her mates, is if it's one of the Divines," Sirius explained. "And I can't see that happening."
"Lily would hate your guts if you weren't my best mate," James chuckled. "Anyway, I'd like to think she's not interested in you either way. We can cross her off the list. Next there's Brandy…"
Sirius and James turned to look at Remus, who was blushing. Peter was glancing between them, trying to catch up on the conversation.
Clearing his throat, Remus mumbled, "Brandy can be crossed off the list as well. Shove off, you can pick on me later."
"Meggie?" Sirius asked. "I don't think she'd be interested, do you?"
"She's been dating this guy for awhile now," James said offhandedly, putting away his broom kit. "Lily mentioned it about a week ago. Meggie even runs off campus every weekend and every night she doesn't have anything to do to visit him in Chester, where he lives."
"Oh-ho!" Remus exclaimed triumphantly, pausing in the middle of changing. "Brandy!"
"I thought you said you and Brandy were-"
"She is-we are-I mean, she used to like Sirius!" Remus smiled. "But then she got to know me and-"
"Hang on a bloody minute, someone chose you over me?" Sirius asked, astounded.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Remus sputtered, wounded.
"Not how it sounded, just usually once you go Black, you never go back-"
"She never did go Black, just thought you were nice to look at!" Remus pouted, then chuckled in a purely male way. "But now she thinks I'm nicer to look at."
"Could you two ladies work out your insecurities later?" James interrupted, looking bored. "Does J. Mo know about this recent development between you and Brandy?" he asked Remus.
Who shook his head. "Nope, recent thing, we've been… Busy."
"Yeah, we know," James and Sirius chorused.
James propped his broom up against the wall and took off his shirt, stuffing it into his locker. "So all you have to do, Sirius, mate, is tell her-or Brandy could tell her-that she's no longer interested, and there's nothing wrong if she wants to-"
"Nice tattoo," Sirius snickered.
James turned around quickly. "That thing's still there?"
Remus knitted his brows together. "You mean it's not permanent? It looks like it."
James frowned. "Maybe it's supposed to stay on that long. I'll look at the bottle when we get back up."
Sirius elbowed Remus, chuckling. "So… You're her property now, eh?"
"Shove off, Sirius."
"Right nice little decoration," Remus added, grinning broadly. "After all, she wants to make sure that everyone knows James belongs to her. Very smart."
"Shove off, the both of you."
But even little Peter had something to say. "Very manly tattoo, too! All the swirls, and the colors, and-"
"I get it," James bit out, grinding his teeth. "Leave me alone. It was actually really kinky."
"She taking you for tea tomorrow? Or maybe you'll go shopping for the curtains you'll use when you two move in together after Hogwarts?" Sirius offered. " `I'd like the pink ones, please'," he said in a high pitched voice.
James rolled his eyes. "At least I'm getting some."
"Hey, I'm getting some too," Remus piped up. "And yet, Brandy hasn't yet suggested we get tattoos… I wonder… I'll speak with her about it tonight."
James grabbed one of his shoes that he'd taken off and flung it first at Sirius, grabbed another and threw that one at Remus, and threw a nasty look at Peter.
"Got it. It's. Gay. Leave. Me. The. Bloody. Hell. Alone."
>~<~>~<
"Fuck," Janet muttered to herself while pacing in her room. "Shit. How the fuck did I let this happen?" How could I let myself fall for him?
The dorm room door suddenly opened, and her mates all piled in, laughing hysterically.
"There she is!" Brandy exclaimed. "Where have you bloody been, J. Mo?"
"Yeah, we've been looking all over for you," Meggie added, heading for her trunk. "Get changed, Lily wants to go out to a club tonight. Girls' night out!"
Lily smiled, tugging off her tank top. "Yes, girls' night out! No guys. Even Meggie over there managed to leave her boyfriend for a night in order for us to properly have fun."
"Lils, what's that on your back?" Brandy asked, holding Lily still. "`Mine'? You got a tattoo?!"
"I didn't think it was still there, it's been about three weeks since we did that," she explained.
"Looks brand spanking new," Meggie smiled. "So… Getting serious between you and Potter, huh?"
"Just a bit," Lily said casually. "The sex is great."
"That sounds like something Lils would worry about," Brandy laughed. "That's kind of cave man possessive like, isn't it? I mean, `Mine, my woman, want sex!'"
Lily rolled her eyes. "You're so dramatic. It's just a playful tattoo, and it was fun, really."
J. Mo remained quiet, which was unusual for her. Meggie noticed but didn't say anything, adding, "Careful, Lily. Women have come very far in recent centuries."
Lily gritted her teeth. "Stop giving me such a hard time," she muttered.
"You were trying to keep us from seeing that, weren't you?" Brandy laughed, falling on top of Meggie. "Oh, he's such a terrible artist, you know. Remus always drew it for them. Writes just like a guy, too."
"Lay off," Lily sighed, turning to J. Mo. "J. Mo, aren't you getting dressed?"
"I don't want to go," J. Mo sighed. "I'm just not up for it."
"Hey, we all untangled ourselves from guys in order to go tonight!" Meggie whined. "You've got to go!"
"Even Brandy's managed to stop fucking Remus for an evening," Lily smiled, nodding towards the person in question. "Now that's a feat."
"Remus?" J. Mo asked.
"If you been paying attention at meals during the past three weeks, you'd notice that Brandy wasn't. She and Remus are shagging regularly now. Almost a couple, I'd even say," Meggie smirked.
"We are a couple," Brandy said, walking from the bathroom. "He asked me out last week."
"Thanks for telling-" Lily began, but J. Mo broke her off.
"You don't like Sirius anymore, Brandy?"
"No, I haven't liked him for over two months, possibly even three. Remus is much more my type, I just never realized it," she shrugged. "I thought you knew that, since you and Black were together."
"We're not."
"But you shagged."
"How'd you know?"
"I saw you two kissing!"
J. Mo stared at her. "Guys, I'll skip out on tonight. I've got to do something." She dashed out of the room.
"What was that about?" Lily asked.
Meggie shrugged. "You don't think that she thought that Brandy still liked Sirius and felt bad about fucking him and kissing him?"
Brandy burst out laughing. "No wonder I heard her muttering `Bitch, bad mate, blubber' over and over in her sleep!"
Lily shook her head, grinning. "Well, that takes care of that. And now, let's go party!"
*~*~*
"Sirius!" J. Mo called, stepping into the Seventh Year Boys' dorm.
"Huh?" he called from his bed. Three other boys were looking at her inquiringly as well.
"Could I… Erm, talk to you? In private, please?" she asked in a small voice, losing some of her courage.
"Done. Get out, guys," he said, voice stern. "Now, Marauders."
For once, they did so without raising a question. James looked back, smirking. "I guess we'll go on tonight without you," and he shut the door, making sure to lock it.
"I…" How could she explain that she really wanted to… do whatever they were going to do, and that it was all one big mistake? Not the one before, but a misunderstanding?
"You found out about Brandy and Remus?" Sirius asked, reading the question in her eyes.
She nodded.
"Then come here, it's been too long since I've kissed you," he grinned wolfishly. She laughed, and just like that, they were back to normal. There are some things only people who are so loyal they would die for their friends would understand…
And when his mouth met hers it felt as though no time had passed, the feelings were so intense. The spark they'd had a few weeks ago had grown to a flame, flamed by their time spent away.
His tongue touched her lip, requesting an entrance she quickly gave, and she felt her head spin. He was like champagne, making her drunk but tasting so sweet she kept coming back for more.
Soon, their movements became urgent. They needed to be together; it'd been too long since they'd had each other, willingly, completely. Now, with the weight of betraying a friend off her chest, J. Mo let herself go and poured all her being into their kisses.
Desperately, she pulled at his clothes, wanting-needing-to feel his bare skin. And he was in the same mindset as he ripped open her blouse, the clicking of the buttons hitting the floor echoing around the room.
They fell to the bed, struggling to pull one another out of their pants while trying to maintain lip contact. And then they were naked. They stared at one another a moment, lust and longing in both their eyes, before she rose to her knees above him, straddling his waist. No foreplay was needed; the sudden contact after their absence was enough to arouse both of them to no end.
His hands went to her hips, squeezing gently as she lowered herself on stiff member. Both moaned in contentment at the union. Gasps of pleasure joined the moans when she began to move atop, her hips moving in circles.
He groaned, relishing in the pleasurable feelings and wanting to thrust himself deep into her wet warmth. Then she did what he wished, as though reading his mind. Or giving into her own instincts. Her hands moved to his chest for leverage as she slid up and down on his length.
He took one of her nipples into her mouth, and she drew breath sharply, losing the beat for a split-second. "Oh, Sirius," she whispered, throwing her head back, circling her hips more.
Soon, too soon for either of their liking, she stiffened on him as her orgasm washed over her, and her muscles contracting pulled him over the edge with her.
She slumped onto him, panting with him as they caught their breath, his arms wrapping around her and caressing her hair softly.
"That was…" she began after a moment.
"Quick?" he supplied.
"But satisfying," she finished.
She could feel the mischievous glare he gave her and wondered what he was up to. She soon found out. "For now," he said, rolling her onto her back.
She giggled and squealed in delight, then moaned as she felt his member harden in her. "Up for round two, I see," she commented.
He nuzzled her neck affectionately. "Expect to go up to four or five tonight," he smirked. "I'm glad you're back, J. Mo."
She kissed him lightly. "Me too. Sorry about the misunderstanding."
"Don't be. The sex was awesome."
J. Mo laughed. "Yeah, I agree."
*~*
"Lils?"
"Yeah?" she asked from the armchair in the Gryffindor common room. James tugged her up, and sat down, pulling her down on his lap. "What is it?"
"The tattoos… Mine is still there, looking brand spanking new," James explained, whispering into her ear.
"…Mine too."
"I'm guessing you took a good look at that bottle, eh?"
"You've always been so bad at conjuring specific things out of nowhere," she muttered, smiling. "Yeah, I looked at it. You did too?"
"I did."
"What do you think?"
James let a small smile creep onto his face. "I think we're going to have quite a relationship after Hogwarts, don't you?"
Lily laughed, kissing him lightly. "I love you."
"Yes, I knew that already."
"Shut up."
"Love you, too," he whispered into her hair. They hugged intimately there, and the few students who were still up at that hour couldn't help but feel as if they were intruding on some sort of private moment…
…And they were.
*~*
Back in James's room, a bottle of tattoo ink sat on the bathroom sink. It read: "Madame Taminika's True Love Tattoo-Find Out If It's True Love, Just Brush On And Wait! If It Doesn't Disappear Within One Week, You Know You've Found Your Soul Mate".
***
A/N: Ok, so there's one more chapter left. Both Rosie and I worked on this chapter. The reason we have to
finish this before we'd thought to… Well, I'll just add that on the next chapter, which is going to be somewhat
rather short. I hope you guys enjoyed it, can't wait to read the reviews. I'll be doing the next chapter. It
will be posted after we get thirty reviews. Spanks!
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