Remus woke up with an intuitive bad feeling and only through valiant effort did he open his eyes to face the world and its evils.
Sirius was sitting naked on his bed, which certainly wasn't the course of his emotional discomfort. The other boy had taken to intruding his four-poster, hot and passionate, ever since that night in the Shrieking Shack. Remus couldn't say he minded. But the fact that he was faced away from him and speaking bothered the werewolf, because Sirius didn't talk to himself.
Which could only mean one thing, he realized as his mind stopped feeling sluggish in a hurry, that made him make an inconspicuous grab for his covers and was relieved to find them shielding his own naked modesty.
"--Haven't anyone taught you not to de-spell a security spell placed on someone's bed, you git?"
"As a matter of fact, no. Besides, a spell that obviously reeks of Sirius Black is like a piece of red cloth before a bull, you're just asking for me to break it--"
"You're a stag. And a competitive one at that."
"Thank you. And as I was saying, Sirius Black's spell placed over Remus Lupin's bed is certainly rather suspicious, don't you think?"
Sirius just shrugged. "How many dorm mates would investigate the spells on their mates' beds anyway?"
Remus closed his eyes again in resignation and wished they would stop the ridiculous, pointless conversation and get it over with already.
"And good morning to you too, Remus." Well, his small movements hadn't gone as undetected as he would like, then.
"Good morning, James." He returned evenly, thinking that he would have a much better morning if he didn't wake up to his lover quibbling with their best friend in a very… compromising situation. Sirius had tilted his head back to verify that he had waken, and Remus avoided his gaze on purpose, though he did note the way the dim light and tousled hair enhanced his appearance.
James resumed staring at the both of them a moment longer, expression unreadable. Remus suspected he was at a loss of words now that the absurd exchange had terminated.
"Okay… What the bloody hell is this?"
Sirius shrugged again. "It is what you see." Remus prayed that he knew what he was doing this time. The nonchalance was a double-edged sword. Besides, he rather let Sirius deal with an upset James.
The bespectacled boy sucked in a huge breath and released it as he dropped onto the empty bed beside--Sirius'. "Right." He ran his hand through his hair, a gesture Remus recognized from when he was puzzling out a particularly challenging problem in the making of the Marauder's Map. Sirius turned his head again, slightly and gave Remus a glance out of the corner of an eye.
"How long now?"
Sirius leaned back, supporting himself with an arm behind him and scratching the side of his head with a finger of the other. "A week or two."
There was a pregnant pause.
"I should never have let you two alone there."
Sirius lifted his shoulders again, and yawned.
"You…" James started, then stopped. Remus decided he didn't like their current position. James on one bed, them on the other. It was too much like an altercation. He deliberated breaking his policy of non-intervention and take up appeasement instead, because the current representative certainly isn't doing enough of that.
"I'm sorry, James."
The prefect turned his gaze to the speaker. "What for?" There was a note of assessing in the way he asked it, and Remus almost aborted his input for fear of giving the wrong answers, failing the test.
"For hiding." Yet again. He remembered James' speech on trust at their discovery of his concealed identity. "And disrupting." He added. Sirius eyed him again, frowning a little. He ignored it, because he knew dealing with change isn't a piece of cake. Because his parents should never had to deal with a werewolf son.
James returned to stare at Sirius, who had finally remained still, but Remus still couldn't see his face.
Eventually their friend lifted his hands and rolled his eyes, then started to get off the bed. The two exchanged another quick look.
"I should have known to quit being surprised by you two." They heard him intone as he strode to the bathroom door. "Get up and get dressed. Pete is waking any moment now." There was an answering moan from across the room, and he lowered his voice. "Or if you tell me I'm the only one left in the dark I'll personally hex you into next week, Black."
"Oh you've nothing to worry about, Prongs. No one is sharper than you."
"Flattery, Padfoot, gets you nowhere."
"Oh yeah? It seems to work all the time."
"Mr. Prongs will like to advice Mr. Moony that there are greener pasture elsewhere than a smooth-talking git."
"Mr. Padfoot begs to differ and asks Mr. Prongs to shut up."
"Mr. Moony will like to clarify that it had nothing to do with Mr. Padfoot's gift of the tongue, or at least, not in the way previously stated."
"Oh God, Moony." The door fell shut behind him. "For that I withdraw my forgiveness." Came his muffled voice.
"Oh dear. Tell me I didn't just make void all our efforts."
Sirius had turned fully this time, grinning, at the same time pulling up his legs, which had been dangling outside the covers on his lap. Remus gave him a disapproving frown and moved his own legs when cold feet that were now rubbing against each other brushed his.
"You got him." He crowed, pleased.
Remus rolled his eyes. "I'm glad you got your revenge. Hurt much that he was able to break your spell?"
"Nah, you didn't think I actually spent hours over crafting a lock-them-out, did you?"
"No, I suppose not." He finally sat up. "Then couldn't you at least make the effort to get out before he wakes?"
"Accidents happen."
"What accidents?"
Two pairs of eyes widened and hands reached to hastily yank canopies close.
"Now what?"
"Too much excitement in a morning." Remus complained.
"Sirius?" The sleepy voice continued. "Hey… where's everyone… Remus?"
"Oh great. He's gonna check your bed."
"Get James…" they could hear laughter through the heavy cloth and bathroom door. "… Or maybe not… Spell it again."
"Wand's outside."
"… Drat."
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Started: 5 August 2004, 15:30
Completed: 5 August 2004, 17:00