A rather tall boy was leaning heavily against the stone wall outside of the tallest tower on the castle – the astronomy tower. Sirius was staring up at the dark sky, a cigarette hanging from his lips and three other boys sprawled around the close area, one looking through a telescope. The tallest was feeling dreadfully sorry for himself.
"He's an angel, you know," Sirius spoke, lifting the cigarette from his mouth with two fingers and exhaling smoke in two long trails from his nose. "He's so beautiful, and yet, he doesn't have girls falling all over him like I do. It's the perfect combination of attractive and intelligent."
"Shut up about Roger," Remus snapped from his position at the telescope as he took a drag. "We're tired of hearing you bitching."
James looked rather uneasy, tapping ashes over the ledge of the tower. Seeming reluctant to either go against Remus' statement or support it, he said somewhat meekly, "You know Sirius, Remus is right. We really don't like Roger as much as you do, obviously. Just go ask him out, Padfoot. He's probably already part of your fan club."
"I don't" –
"Do something about it, mate," Peter said with a roll of his eyes and a deep exhalation of smoke that he'd kept in for nearly half a minute. "Like Moony said, we really are tired of your dissatisfied complaining, all right? Don't just stand there; do something. That's what I did with Lucy, right? And here we are, almost together since late third year, yeah?"
"That's different!" Sirius shouted exasperatedly before lowering his voice until all that could be heard was Remus' quill scratching on a scroll; it was nearly midnight and they all had to keep their voices down to avoid being caught in their newfound late-night hangout. "Roger is smart and beautiful and he's perfect."
"He's you," James said, almost as if disgusted. "You're like twins. It's sickening how alike you are yet you don't ever notice it. Really, Sirius; you two are perfect. You've gone on three dates and do you see the way he looks at you. He's obviously infatuated; just ask him to be your boyfriend, you twat."
"Shut up James. He's nothing like me – he's perfect."
"Yeah, as if dozens of girls every day don't say that about you," Remus said, annoyed. "Get over yourself, you fucking idiot, and go ask the poor boy out."
Peter, standing to crush his cigarette (James tossed him another), said "Hey Remus, calm down all right?"
"No, not all right. He has half the school wrapped around his finger and all he can do is wallow in his own self pity." Remus took a drink from a bottle sitting on the ledge next to him.
"Stop drinking that shit, Remus, you know it makes you moody," James said aggressively and Remus made a sound deep in the back of his throat, causing James to back away slightly and light another cigarette warily.
"Don't you see it, you stupid ignorant prat?" Remus said, turning to Sirius, "Roger loves you already. He's been head over heals for you since you ran into him in third year. Put the poor boy out of his misery and kiss him or fuck him or do something so that he isn't feeling worthless like you are. Go. Right now. Go snog with him or something, but do not sit here and pity yourself when you could be in bed with a perfectly attractive boy."
There was a long stretch of uncomfortable silence, four cigarettes lighting in the relative dark night, and one bottle of, well, whatever it was, maybe vodka or gin or scotch, but something that made Remus quite the angry drunk. Nobody spoke until Sirius shifted uncomfortably, and then Peter spoke up.
"Moody or not, Padfoot, Remus is right."
"No, he bloody well is not, and I doubt he knows anything about love himself. To say Roger's in love with me… Yeah, right. And Lily will go to Charms with only her knickers on" – James choked on nothing at that – "It won't happen. And you, Remus, like I said, stay out of it. You know nothing of love."
It happened so fast that Sirius wasn't sure Remus had done it – he crossed over to Sirius and backhanded him right across the face, hard enough for a rather harsh sting. Slinking back, he leaned against a telescope. "Shut the fuck up, Padfoot. You know nothing about me. Whether I've loved or not, well, it's no concern of yours. And if it was, you'd obviously be much too thick to notice. Leave. Now. Go find Roger and snog his brains out."
"I'm not good eno" – he was interrupted by something thoroughly unexpected. Remus was kissing him. And it was completely lovely. A tongue was sliding into his mouth and he didn't resist, just clutched his cigarette with one hand and a fistful of Remus' hair in the other. It was awkward and angry – Remus was very angry, obviously, and Sirius smiled through the angry kiss. The shorter boy was biting his lip viciously and it split open, flooding Sirius' mouth with the strong taste of blood before Remus pulled away.
"Why did you do that?"
"I – go away, Sirius."
The tallest boy slipped back through the door, inside the tower, and out of sight.