.... what? Was she.... undressing him one last time or something? A bit frazzled Jimmy looked at his buttons where her fingers fumbled at them and the at Neptune again. "Most of me wants that. The friends thing." Mostly. Other parts that his brain wasn't in complete control over were interested in more than that.

"We'll.... try it for a while and... I dunno. If it doesn't work we can go back to hating each other." He didn't want that. Jimmy's expression, as much as he tried to hide it, made it clear. He was kinda an open book right then and all. "I really missed you being around, you know? But... I was so mad. And not just at you. I dunno."

He breathed out. "I'll sit with you. And partner up with you in class." He caught her hands up, freeing his poor buttons, and dropped little kisses on her fingertips.

...

now what?

Again, he was WRONG. "I won't hate you, as deserving as you may be sometimes. But Hayley. And Hailey. And Mia. And Marie." Despite all that though, Neptune found a version of a smile.

It made her happier than should have been allowed to have his word that he'd sit with her sometime - for everyone to SEE. And know. And be GREEN with jealously.

"You're always mad at me, Jim. You're always saying no, and just... being you." SIGH. "I get it though, I think. I don't get the bit in the gossip paper, that I don't get," she added flippantly, turning her hand over for him to kiss there, too please, "but you I get. I didn't even tell on you for being so mean to me." ...... giggle.

Well. She didn't. And telling Ellsworth and Kellen didn't count.

Well.

At least she could not hate Hayley. The Gryffindor was completely innocent and hadn't even had the pleasure of a Jimmy snog. He WOULD sit with Neptune though. He would. Maybe even they could EAT together. House table and all.

Like, regularly.

"Well everyone else always says yes to you." He pointed out. "Thats not always a good thing either." And... "I get mad at myself more than I get mad at you. But... mad at you for making me mad at myself." So. Yeah. Mad at her. He did drop a few kisses on her upturned palm.

......

Mean?

Well.


Well....

.......


"Sorry."

Neptune wouldn't outwardly admit it, but... she DID like that Jim told her no sometimes. It made things fun, and .. well... that much better when he DID say yes. "I can't help what other people do. I speak, they listen." She said this like it was something between a gift and curse. Oh to be a Bott.

"You're a very complicated sort, James Wilkes." Neptune fed him a bit more of her arm, the inner part of her wrist now. Kiss that bit too?

"But I like you. And .... I'm a little sorry, too. I'm going to hold you to all this, you know? The big chair in the Common Room is big enough for us both." Pause pause pause. "What about this summer...?" He'd visit? Invite her over to his pool...? Rent a magic carpet again?

"Yeah yeah." Jimmy rolled his eyes but he was smiling a bit. He'd NEVER be the kind of person to just do anything she said whenever she said it. She could not snap her fingers and expect HIM to come running.

Of course, he might stroll over...

... in his own sweet time.

"Well. You'd get bored if I wasn't." He went back to hugs, dropping her hands in favour of wrapping his arms around her. Was it just him or was she shrinking?

Just a little sorry?

"Yeah. You can help me with my homework and all next term. Maybe. If I can be bothered."


As for summer?

"What about it? I figure we'll have to spend time together. So. Its kind of good that we're.... okay?"

They were okay right? Ish?

Neptune rubbed her cheek along the outside of his shirt. He was so familiar, and yet... somehow a little bit new. Maybe it'd just been THAT long. "Right. Me help you." It had pretty much been the other way around the ENTIRE time they were home schooled together. Jim knew all SORTS of things and wasn't afraid to USE his magic.

It made no sense to her why he tried to hide it. Neptune would have, and often did, flaunted the heck out of her talents.

"We're.... we're okay, I guess. I sort of," entirely," wish I was special though." Sniff. Sniff. "Maybe you'll see it again this summer." Like, when they weren't at school and things would be like they were before..? Maybe? Hmm. Why was it so hard to be "normal" at school....?

"You do help." Jimmy protested. "You're good at inspiring people. Well, me at least." Almost to the point where he was happy to almost-but-not-quite push himself, since it was nice when she appreciated stuff he did.

Well okay was good. The special thing though...?

"There's only one of you. And you'll always be my Neptune, my best friend." You were allowed more than one, right? And It wasn't like Neptune and Finn were in competition with each other. Anyways, he meant it.

"We'll go somewhere." He suggested. "We'll get permission," Even though he knew she'd think it was funner without permission, but after the Christmas thing, permission was a good plan, "And we'll go on an adventure, me and you." Jim informed her, still hugging her and now rubbing her back gently.

....

"You should dry your eyes, you're prettier when you haven't been crying."

Lexi was on her way to her common room when she stumbled across... Jimmy and Neptune. Eep! She got the distinct impression that Neptune didn't care for her one bit. Which didn't bother her too much to be honest. She tried to wipe her tears away butthey kept coming without her permission. Stupid tears. Clearing her throat to let them know she was trying to get around them she said in a small shaky voice, "Hey Jimmy. Neptune. Sorry, excuse m-m-m-meee." She started to cry harder as she stopped in the corridor and just... cried.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tegz

"You do help." Jimmy protested. "You're good at inspiring people. Well, me at least." Almost to the point where he was happy to almost-but-not-quite push himself, since it was nice when she appreciated stuff he did.

Well okay was good. The special thing though...?

"There's only one of you. And you'll always be my Neptune, my best friend." You were allowed more than one, right? And It wasn't like Neptune and Finn were in competition with each other. Anyways, he meant it.

"We'll go somewhere." He suggested. "We'll get permission," Even though he knew she'd think it was funner without permission, but after the Christmas thing, permission was a good plan, "And we'll go on an adventure, me and you." Jim informed her, still hugging her and now rubbing her back gently.

....

"You should dry your eyes, you're prettier when you haven't been crying."

Neptune wasn't REALLY into settling. When things didn't GO her way, she usually stomped or had something up her sleeve to sway things in her favor. But... she could settle for being the best friend. His Neptune.

And special adventures. She nodded against his shoulder, being all FOR it.

"'s all your fault," that she wasn't pretty and a little bit wet. She wiped her eyes on his shirt and...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pink Ninja

Lexi was on her way to her common room when she stumbled across... Jimmy and Neptune. Eep! She got the distinct impression that Neptune didn't care for her one bit. Which didn't bother her too much to be honest. She tried to wipe her tears away butthey kept coming without her permission. Stupid tears. Clearing her throat to let them know she was trying to get around them she said in a small shaky voice, "Hey Jimmy. Neptune. Sorry, excuse m-m-m-meee." She started to cry harder as she stopped in the corridor and just... cried.

... then they were interrupted. Lexi wasn't exactly right about Neptune's opinion of her. Neptune didn't really HAVE an opinion of her. If she had been on Jim's list? That'd have been different, but she wasn't. She was Finny's girlfriend or whatever and that was okay.

Neptune used Jim to shield her a bit. She didn't want to be seen puffy and red and with Jim. She didn't want to end up in that stupid gossip paper again, and have awful things said about them. Maybe if they just stood REALLY still, Lexi would forget they were there entirely..?

"I'm sorry..." For the puffy. And the wet. But that was it. Jimmy blinked down at his shirt, which now had wet patches all over one side and gave Neptune a little squeeze.

"Hey..." Jimmy trailed off, looking up from Neptune at the sound of Lexi's voice.

"Hey." He repeated, quieter, "Whats wrong Lexi? Don't apologise... whats up?" Where was Finn? He looked around. "Where's Finn?"

Please. No more crying females on the sixth floor. Not without back up.

Jim slipped his hand into Neptune's even as he broke their hug so he could see what was up with Lexi.

Err....

He only had ONE handkerchief!

Lexi didn't really pay much mind to the fact that Neptune was ... trying to hide? Odd girl, that one. She sniffled a bit and dabbed at her eyes with her robes as she looked at the pair. It made her even more sad to see people hugging when her boyfriend thought she was crazy.

Lexi sniffled at Jimmy, her bottom lip jutting out as he asked about Finlay. Taking a few calming breaths she said, "I saw him last in the Entrance Hall where I threatened to get my beater's bat and have a go at his face. Then I told my brother on him. He was terrible to me, Jimmy. He said mean, hurtful things and then told me if I wanted a NICE boyfriend maybe I needed to find someone else... How can you be friends with someone so MEAN?!" Wrapping her arms around herself she looked off down the corridor as she cried in earnest now. Finlay Carmichael was SO mean to her. She just didn't understand why she put up with it.

Neptune squeeeeeeeezed Jim's hand. They were already starting with the public ..thing? She pressed her lips to the outside of his arm and had a happy little moment all to herself.

She DID listen though, mostly. She knew all ABOUT men boys. Ahem.

"That's because they're best friends. And best friends stick together no matter what."

... she pressed her lips to the outside of Jim's arm again. It was tempting to BITE him for being mean, for having a mean friend, for .. funsies.

Hahh.

Hahahaha.

Jimmy's first reaction was to laugh. It'd be HILARIOUS to see Finn after a beaters bat got at his face, because the other boy would definitely get all vain and upset and all. Not that he wanted his buddy to be in pain. If there was a way for that to happen without the hurting that'd be perfect in Jim's book. He did manage to squelch that reaction enough to nod and tip his head on one side, listening face on. Yep. Jimmy Wilkes, good listener. Sympathetic.

"Maybe its because I'm meaner." He suggested softly and then gestured for Lexi to come closer. Of course at the same time he tugged Neptune with him and put his free arm about Lexi's shoulder.

"Its true. The best friend thing. I do sometimes call him an idiot, and he does the same to me. We talk about you a fair bit you know, all good things. You confuse him and it makes him do and say stupid things. Probably he said stupid things, right?"

He kept a tight hold on Neptune's hand, even while giving Lexi a comforting sort of half hug.

... did girls have a never ending well of tears inside them? Surely they'd dry up after a while?

Lexi turned to look at Neptune as she spoke and nodded her head. Boys were stupid like that. No matter what they did to other people they were ALWAYS friends. "Even when they're being stupid... Yeah I know. I feel the same way about my best friend. It just infuriates me sometimes," she said in a tiny voice.

Lexi shuffled closer to the pair and let Jimmy put his arm around her shoulders as she used the sleeve of her robes to wipe her face off again. All of the makeup she had been wearing was long gone leaving the scar under her eye visible. She kept her face turned away as best she could so as not to let them see it fully.

Sniffling she listened to Jimmy talk about Finlay. "I think you're nice. He is the mean one. SO mean," she mumbled. She didn't know Jimmy all that well, but he was always nice to her...

She was shocked enough by his next statement to turn her head a bit to see him more clearly. "He talks to you about me?" she said softly. That was surprising. He never wanted to admit how he felt about her when they were in front of people it seemed. "He seems to always be one person when it is he and I... but he acts like a jerkface in front of people. He told me loved me over Christmas break. You know today is the first time he has said it in front of anyone else. And that is when he was screaming in my face... He always says stupid things, Jimmy. I am a really sensitive person and he is always hurting my feelings with the stupid things he says," she said softly as more tears poured down her face.

"Don't be fooled. Jim's plenty mean sometimes." Neptune had JUST been telling him as much. But she was also clinging to his hand and almost in giggles because... just because. "They must practice in all the ways to make their girls cry."

That was JIM TOO! Someone DIFFERENT .. Neptune was so nodding along, even still keeping a bit hid behind him. She stopped suddenly at the love bit.


EEEEP. She shrunk back further. "Finny and the L word," she whispered, mostly to Jim. That seemed... strange, no? And familiar? And strange?!? Neptune didn't want to think about it too much.

"When you think about it, isn't that what friendship is? Even when someone is a complete idiot, you're loyal and you do your best to help them through whatever it is thats getting at them?" He gave Lexi a little squeeze. The suck thing about this was it wasn't like he'd even be rewarded with kisses.

"Yeah of course. He talks to me about everything." Shrug. And Jimmy was good at the advice thing. He'd told Finn he was acting like an idiot on more than one occassion.

"Well, do you suppose theres a reason for it? Him acting like a buttmonkey I mean." There probably was. Maybe even something similar to his own little... problems.

"Yeah." He agreed cheerfully. "I'm a meany." Practicing? He thought about it. Hmm. In some ways. He supposed.... like fireworks and all? Pranks? He was beginning to outgrow that sort of thing though.

Sigh. there were so many ways to make girls cry.

Jimmy preferred it when it didn't happen by accident.

... L word.

He shuddered but didn't comment.

Lexi actually cracked a smile as Neptune spoke. She sniffled and smiled. "I am starting to wonder whether they truly are conspiring against us," she said jokingly as she wiped her hand across her face again. Taking a few calming breaths she looked at the two of them and sighed. Hearing her whisper though she frowned a bit. What was so shocking about that?!

Lexi listened to Jimmy intently and nodded as he spoke of friendship and then again gave him a look of shock at the idea that Finlay spoke to him about her. She found it hard to believe. "He said I am crazy... maybe he acts like that because he thinks he's justified because in his mind I am crazy." SO not true. St. Mungo's said she wasn't crazy... you know... anymore. Heh.

Neptune nudged Jim and eased back around so she could sort of see Lexi. Maybe she WAS crazy....? Finny seemed pretty level to Neptune and Neptune didn't know anything about this Lexi... so maybe...?

Or maybe the nudge was due to a mention of a monkey. Jim really ought to be ASHAMED of himself for not introducing his "new" pet to her YET. Really.

She clasped her other hand around Jim's, holding his with both of hers in front of her. "Maybe he just says things he doesn't mean." Like, you know, the time Jim had said Neptune was NOTHING to him in front of Lexi. Like that. "I do that sometimes." To Ola. She deserved some of it though!