A/N: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter universe and no copyright infringement is intended.

This is based off a LiveJournal prompt that was simply titled "Roses" (the community is all about smut, so putting those two things together created this one-shot). Feedback, whether positive or negative, is highly appreciated!

Cliché

"Remember when we said we wanted the first time to be as clichéd as possible?"
"Yes, because it was one of your many ways of stalling, love."

Remus laughed, a bit of colour springing to his cheeks. The two prefects had just finished their weekly patrol of the corridors and the Gryffindor was walking his Ravenclaw girlfriend (of sorts, they had never really had "the talk") back to her common room on the seventh floor. The torches were burning low this time of night, making the shadows thick and numerous. Everything had a yellow-orange glow and the walls seemed bathed in mystery. The castle was magnificent at night.

"Y-yes, well, I think I have something to show you," he stammered, tripping over his words a few times.
"Why Remus Lupin," Doe began in faux-shock, "are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"
"Unless," he continued, as if he hadn't heard her at all, "you're too tired or have loads of studying and homework to do."
She couldn't help her laugh. "I always have too much studying and homework," she said, giving his hand a light squeeze. "But you should know by now that I'll always make time for you."

Remus gave a curt nod of his head and began to change trajectory, heading for a completely different stairwell than the one that would eventually get them to the one that lead to the entrance to the Ravenclaw's domain. Doe, however, did not turn with him, or follow in any way. She instead came to a complete stop, still holding his hand so that after only a step or two, Remus was pulled against his momentum.

"However," she said, "you're still unsure. I told you that we'd wait."
Green met green as he looked into her eyes. They were so much darker in this lighting than otherwise, disappointing him. "You've been waiting a long time already."
A smile – kind and small, but no less gorgeous than any others she had ever worn – appeared on her face as she took a step towards him and took his other hand. "For you, Remus Lupin, I would wait a lifetime. As clichéd as that sounds."

She stood on her tiptoes so that she could give him a very quick kiss on the lips. She was pulling away to stand flat-footed again when his hands released hers and instead gripped the sides of her head, pulling her back to him so that he could press his lips to hers with earnest. Doe's heart practically stopped in her chest and she reactively let out a small squeak from the surprise of such a gesture thus unseen from her sort-of-boyfriend. He pulled away a moment later, but did not remove his hands from her messy hair and touched his forehead to hers.

"I don't want you to," he said quietly. "I don't want to."
"Don't want to what?" she whispered, her eyes still closed. She wouldn't be surprised if he were to say that he never wanted to do… that. There were plenty of reasons and excuses for them not to, after all.
"Wait," he said. "I don't want to wait any longer. I'm ready."

Doe opened her eyes and pulled away so that she could look into his eyes more closely. He didn't resist and his hands left her head to instead hold her arms just below the shoulders as his sort-of-girlfriend studied him. She searched for uncertainty and doubt, but all she could really take notice of was the faint flush on his cheeks, which did wonders for him, as it made him less sickly-looking.

"Trust me," he said.
Automatically, "With my life," was her answer. She saw the look in his eye at that and gave him a pleading look. "I know what you're thinking – that I shouldn't. But I do, Remus. I do, and you're just going to have to accept that."

He nodded solemnly at first, but at last he seemed to decide to forget about whatever was bothering him, because his face broke into the wide smile that she adored so very much.

"Come on, then. You'll get a kick out of this," he promised, taking one of her hands in his as he once again set about climbing the alternate stairwell. This time she kept up with him, following close by. She didn't question where they were headed – by now she was used to the Marauders knowing about places in the castle that others did not. So even though she didn't recognize this route, she wasn't worried and didn't raise doubts. She kept silent and paid more attention to various landmarks so that she could remember it, instead and not get lost should she ever have to repeat the journey on her own.

They climbed several flights of stairs, past the fourth and fifth floors. They had to pause briefly at the sixth because of a changed staircase. Remus surprised her yet again when he pinned her against the railing and began snogging her eagerly. She craved to wrap her arms around him and to pull him ever closer, but his hands held hers against the stone of the railing. His hips pressed against her with more weight than he'd allowed ever before and Doe's body tingled in response as her mind thought of all the things that possibly lay in store that night. By the time the stairs had arranged themselves in the way that was needed, both were breathless. They broke apart, though only enough for Remus to once again rest his forehead to hers.

"Still doubting my resolve?" he asked.
"Not as much," she replied breathily, still quite shell-shocked at the moment.

He took her hand in his and began to lead them up the stairs. They walked the rest of the way in silence and there were no more stolen kisses. Briefly, Doe wondered if they were headed to the Gryffindor Tower, which, as it happened, was on the seventh floor, along which they now walked. She discarded the idea quickly, however. There was a more direct route than the one they were currently taking, and surely there would be absolutely no privacy there this time of night.

"I'm not sure a broom cupboard is one of the clichés," she said after a while.
"Why Doe, you're not having second thoughts, are you?" he teased. "Not trying to stall?"
"Never," she replied.
Remus squeezed her hand. "It's alright if you are, though. I'd understand."
Doe pulled her hand from his and stopped walking, crossing her arms in annoyance. "Remus John Lupin, just how often will we be going over this?"
"I just…"
"I know all of your arguments already, Remus. You're defective. You're a freak. You're a monster. You're not good enough. You can't give me anything. You'll never be able to properly provide for me – I. Don't. Care. I can provide for the both of us. And you can so give me something. At the risk of sounding incredibly and embarrassingly cheesy, you'd be giving me the world just by giving me you."
Remus closed the distance between them and cautiously placed his hands on her hips, his eyes lingering there for a moment before lifting to look her in the eyes. They were still so dark from the low lighting. "I know all of that," he said quietly. "And I believe you. Or… I try to. I just… I just want to make sure that you always know that you have an out."
Doe's face softened and she unwound her arms, placing a hand on his chest to where she was pretty sure his heart would be. "And that's why I don't want it."

Remus nodded silently, his throat tight. He carefully pressed his lips to her forehead before stepping back and taking her hand in his.

"It's not a broom cupboard," he said.
"What? Then… what?" she asked as he began walking down the corridor again.
"You'll see," was all he said.

It wasn't much longer until he came to a stop at a dead end. There were no doors anywhere, no hint at anything.

"Remus?" she asked sceptically.
"Close your eyes."

Doe took a breath and rolled her eyes in amusement, but obliged.

"No peeking," he added.
"Never," she said, miming the old 'cross my heart' routine.

She thought she heard his footsteps pacing back and forth a few times, but it must have been her imagination. Either way, she didn't have long to wait before she felt his hands taking hers. He began to lead her forward.

"Don't open yet," he said quickly.
"Alright…"

Suddenly, the reality of the situation hit her like… well, like a ton of bricks, if you'll forgive the cliché. Butterflies swarmed in her stomach and she felt the temperature of her body rise. Godric, they were going to… he'd… bloody hell.

He continued to lead her forward, and she began to notice something. A scent. Well, several, to be honest. There were candles… certainly cliché. And… flowers. If she was not mistaken, they were roses, specifically Grand Prix roses. Not that she could tell that from the scent – just from the typical clichés. A smile grew upon her face and she couldn't help a nervous chuckle. There were so many ways in which this could backfire. And with the presence of candles, that might just be literal.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now," he said softly.

She complied and at once gave a great laugh.

"It's perfect!" she exclaimed, unable to think of any other words.
"It'll do," he conceded, looking around. "I mean, ideally, there would have been a cheesy, supposedly romantic dinner, maybe some sort of sparkling alcoholic libations and strawberries… chocolates… this room can give you just about anything, but not food, unfortunately."
"What is this room?" she asked, looking all around.

It was fairly average-sized, perhaps the same size as the dormitories, but held only a single large bed draped with crisp white and deep red to match the roses (which were the Grand Prix, just as she had assumed). There were so many pillows upon it that Doe wouldn't have even tried to fathom the logistics of it. Candles flickered from seemingly every surface and there were several dozen floating in the air, though not like the ones in the Great Hall. No, these were a good deal smaller and, for lack of a better word, "daintier". For that reason, they didn't provide nearly as much light as elsewhere in the castle, but created a warm, ambient glow.

Covering the floor and the bed were hundreds, if not thousands, of rose petals.

"It's often referred to as the 'Come and Go Room' or the 'Room of Requirement'," he explained. "Very secret – only appears when there is a great need of it."
Doe couldn't help but laugh. "This constitutes a "great need"?"
"Well, it doesn't exactly seem picky, to be honest. I guess it just likes helping out in any way possible."
"Hmm, yes, I suppose the castle is just as desperate as everyone else to get you a lay." They shared a quick laugh, though his was more embarrassed perhaps, but still amused. She went on, "But there isn't anything about this in Hogwarts, A History."
Remus shrugged. "You might be surprised at just how much that book leaves out. But no, this room isn't mentioned in any text I've seen thus far and you'll never find it on a map – completely unplottable."
Doe raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "You know that last part how?"
Remus shook his head and smiled, stepping closer and brushed a lock of messy hair from her face. "That's a Marauders' secret."

The conversation ceased then, when their lips came together. It was much the same kiss as always, but at the same time, completely different because of the location and situation. It was different because of its implications – because it was not the endpoint as usual, but the start.

His hands tentatively found the knot to her necktie and loosened it carefully. His lips against hers were soft and gentle, but there was a touch of boldness and of a hunger than was normally kept under control and locked away.

The silken fabric slid away from Doe's neck and soon her outer robe was pushed off her shoulders and fell to the floor with the discarded necktie. Her hands performed the same tasks with his necktie and robe, her fingers delicate, but much more confidant than his had been. She undid the first few buttons of his shirt – the ones that stood above the neckline of his jumper, but paused when notes began to waver through the air.

"Cheesy, romantic music too?" she asked, laughing into the kiss.
"Not all of it's cheesy," he replied with a grin.
"You, Remus Lupin," she said, pausing to kiss him quickly, "are absolutely," another kiss, "positively," yet another one, "one of a kind."
"As are you, Doe Meadowes," he replied.

They continued to kiss, slowly and deeply. Doe could feel his hands on her waist, pulling the hem of her jumper up. They broke apart for him to lift the wool over her head and off her raised arms and then it was unceremoniously dropped to the side. Remus took this moment to remove his own jumper and Doe kicked off her shoes, nudging them out of the way. One of his hands tangled itself in her mass of curls and waves as he pulled her back to him in the most passionate kiss they'd shared so far.

Though soft, his lips were insistent against hers. There was only the very slightest hesitation, as was common for him, and then his lips parted hers and then his tongue entered her for the first time. Surely they had snogged like this before, but it was always Doe who played the role of the bold initiator. She had been the first to hold his hand, the first to kiss him, the first to ask him out, the first to… nearly everything.

Remus' other hand gripped her hip tightly for a moment, and then he pulled her shirt from under the waistband of her skirt.

They took their time in removing each article of clothing, always pausing before doing so, to give the other a chance to pull away should they so choose. Neither ever did.

Eventually they found their way to the bed – probably the most comfortable one Doe would ever find.

"Silk sheets?" she asked, running her hands over the fabric. "Very clichéd. I approve."

Stripped to just their undergarments now, they each took seemingly ages to allow the vision of the other to be seared into their memories. Remus had gazed in wonder at her perfect skin, her graceful yet muscular frame, and the way her arms tapered to create delicate wrists. She might have been nervous or uncomfortable, if not for the look in his eye. Not judging, not critical – perfectly in awe. She knew he was thinking about how he couldn't possibly deserve to be sitting on that bed with her in that moment, and her heart broke a little at just how harshly he treated himself.

He had come very close to trying to cover up a number of times as his clothes had come off. While the wolf had thus far spared its (and his) face, the rest of his body could not speak the same. His skin was a battlefield of scars, each one different from the next. Some were incredibly old and nearly faded. Others were newer, but still seemed months old. Some had obviously been quite deep, others, not so much.

"Horrifying, isn't it?" he asked with grim humour.
Doe looked him in the eye for a moment and then crawled into his lap, kissing him briefly. When she pulled away, she brushed the hair from his eyes and kissed him on the forehead. "They don't frighten me, and they don't make you any less handsome or beautiful in my eyes," she assured him.

It was after many more kisses and exploring of their bodies – learning everything possible – that Remus laid Doe on her back, carefully holding himself above her with his hips between her hips.

"Is this where I ask you to be gentle?" she asked with a humoured, yet nervous smile.
Remus frowned. "I think I should be the one saying that, actually."
Doe laughed and playfully punched him on the shoulder, causing him to remark: "My point exactly, Ms. Meadowes."

"Fireworks, Remus. There were real, honest-to-Merlin fireworks."
He laughed, pulling her closer against him in the bed and kissing her on the cheek. "Of course there were."
"Do you realize what a fire hazard this whole scenario was?" she asked, turning on her side to face him.
"Mm, but what's life without a little danger?"
"Spoken like a true Gryffindor," she said, kissing him on the nose.
"So," he said, rolling her onto her back again and laying on top of her, "clichéd enough?"
"Absolutely," she replied with a grin.