s p i r i t s . i n . t h e . n i g h t

Spirits in the Night
[by victoria p.]

Rating: R

Summary: "Fuck destiny."

Notes: Thanks to Dot, Jen, Meg, Melissa'n'Pete. Inspired by the Springsteen song of the same name.

Date: September 23, 2004

It is their last night at school, but it may as well be their last night on earth, James thinks. Everything changes now. Everything.

Lily laughs when Sirius shifts into Padfoot and tackles her to the grass; she squirms and shrieks as he nuzzles and licks, going in for the kill.

"Gerroff, you hell beast," James says, pushing the big dog off his girlfriend. "You're slobbering all over her. How'm I s'posed to snog a girl who smells like dog?"

Padfoot's rough tongue swipes across James's face, knocking his glasses askew, getting them wet and sticky. Lily laughs and drinks from the bottle of gillywater that had been on the ground next to her. James stares, mesmerized by the curve of her jaw, the slim column of her neck, the way her throat moves as she swallows. He takes the bottle when she offers, though he's already had enough firewhisky to float a barge. He imagines the taste of her lingers on the glass as he puts it to his lips.

Remus lies with his head back, pointing up at some constellation or other, and even through his firewhisky and Lily-induced daze, James can hear him pontificating at Peter.

"'S ridiculous, really, that people believe in astrology," Remus is saying. "Those stars aren't even there anymore." He pauses to take a drink from the bottle of rum he's clutching in his right hand. "Maybe they were there five thousand years ago, but they're not there now, so how can they mean anything now? I mean, if you believe in destiny and all that shite, then you're just stupid, you know?"

"Fuck destiny!" Sirius shouts, pouncing on Remus.

Peter grabs the rum from Remus's hand as Remus and Sirius roll around on the grass. Peter's face is scrunched up in disgust as he tips the bottle and pours the liquor down his throat, not even noticing that Sirius and Remus have stopped rolling around, and now --

James blinks, because Sirius is straddling Remus's hips and licking his face, but he's not doing it as Padfoot.

That's new.

"Come on," Lily says, distracting him. Though there's no moon, her hair shines red in the dim light of the castle, far behind them. She pulls her t-shirt over her head and drops it onto the grass, shimmies out of her shorts. Peter stares wide-eyed, but Remus and Sirius don't appear to notice.

When she unhooks her bra, James makes a strangled noise, but she doesn't seem to care; she just tosses the flimsy garment to the ground and hooks her thumbs in the waistband of her knickers.

"Lily!"

"James!" she answers merrily, pushing her knickers down, hands running over long, slim thighs in a way James wants to emulate, right now.

Peter lifts the bottle of rum to his lips again, then crumples to the ground soundlessly, eyes wide and mouth open in a surprised O.

Lily stands there for a moment, pale skin glowing. With a rakish grin, she swivels her hips before running into the lake. She flips her hair over her shoulders and shouts, "Come on, Potter! I dare you!"

She constantly amazes him, surprises him, and this is no exception. He thinks he could spend a million years with Lily Evans and still not learn everything about her, but god, he wants to try.

He shucks his clothes quickly and follows her into the chilly water, hoping no merpeople can see them. His glasses are spotted with water, but he's not running blind and naked into the lake.

Lily jumps on him and attempts to dunk him, but he's ready for it, years of roughhousing with Sirius giving him sharp reflexes. She wraps her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, and he realizes vaguely that Sirius hasn't prepared him for this. And then Lily is kissing him, her mouth hot and wet. She tastes of lake and gillywater.

He thinks he could drown in her, and enjoy it.

She lets go suddenly, swims off as confident as a dolphin, sleek and pale in the starlight.

He looks behind him to see Sirius is still on top of Remus. They're moving together, and if he holds his breath, over the beat of his own heart he can hear groans and gasps and the soft, wet sound of kissing. He turns away, pretending not to notice, because if it's not the liquor, it's one more change he's not ready to deal with right now.

He jumps as Lily fondles him under the water, stroking his cock and balls until he's not sure he can stay upright any longer. He grabs her and slings her over his shoulder, lowering her to the bank when he reaches it and covering her body with his.

She opens beneath him and they flow together like water, and James believes, he knows this is where he's meant to be.

"Fuck destiny," he mutters in her ear.

"No, Potter, fuck me," she answers before pulling his mouth down to hers, and thrusting her hips up to meet his.

Then there's nothing but heat and pleasure and the feel of Lily's body clenching around him as she comes, making those guttural noises low in her throat that never fail to drive him crazy. Pleasure blazes through him as he pours himself into her, everything he is or ever will be, everything he wants, he wants to give her, to have with her, and he wants to share everything she is or ever will be.

"Love you," he murmurs against her throat, "love you so much, Lily. So much."

"I know," she says, kissing him, her hands tracing circles on his shoulders. "Love you, too."

Just the sound of the words makes him hard again, and he rolls them so she is on top; he wants to look up at the stars framed by the curve of her shoulder as she moves over him, lighting stars beneath his skin.

When they are done, bodies of liquid fire cooled to flesh again, she falls asleep on top of him, her head nestled in the hollow of his neck.

Peter is passed out on the grass above them, empty bottle of rum clasped loosely in his slack fingers.

Sirius and Remus are curled up together off to his left; he can hear the hum of their voices, so soft he can't make out the words, but he sees Remus's fingers combing through Sirius's hair and Sirius's hand snake between Remus's legs before he looks away.

James lies on the grass and, just before he falls asleep, he thinks, This won't change. This can't change.

But he knows it will.

end

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