Summary: A few moments in the middle of a summer that will last forever. Implied Sirius/Remus.
Other Notes: written for barefootboys prompt #14
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any of its characters, including and especially Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter, or any of its settings.
x
James
Sixteen years old and thinner than he wants to be, he forces himself up through the water and splutters to the surface, pushes his wet hair from his eyes. His friends are still standing on the dock and he calls to them that the water feels great. Come in, come on!
Above him, the sky is dark, cloudy, and the air smells of rain, but the temperature is still high and this summer feels like it could last for the rest of his life.
x
Peter
Every day, his life changes because of his friends. They make him more than he is: more powerful, more in control, stronger and cooler and braver, hopeful and ambitious.
They are, the four of them, not at their height but close, drowning in possibility, overwhelmed with options—everything that is wonderful in the world is ahead of them.
He stands just at the edge of the water, light waves washing over his feet, and lifts his camera up to freeze them in this time.
x
Sirius
Moments like these pulse through him, a second beat over the beat of his blood, forcing him to feel every meaning of ALIVE. He wants to jump. The water is a dark, mesmerizing blue, almost green in certain tints of the sun, and James is farther out, waving to him, yelling to him.
He needs to steady himself—careful, just right—almost there—but he's ready. Summer air and cool breeze on bare skin and fingers clutched tight in his and he's ready. He is.
x
Remus
A bit of terror mixing with excitement always hits a certain spot in him: life is real and it is worth living. Sirius's hand in his. The water blue before them and the sky gray above them and their friends only shadows around them. Life is real and it is concentrated in this one presence in his life.
Last night he asked, are you ready, really ready, for this, for us
He's still waiting for the answer.
But at this moment it doesn't matter—his feet are at the edge, his grip is sure, his lungs are full of summer air—
And they jump.