For Sylvia, who is a genius for starting this lovely Gift-Giving project. You are wonderful :D
It's February, and the Shrieking Shack is an icebox. The floorboards are covered in frost and paw prints, and there appears to be an infestation of sorts - a very odd infestation if anyone were to stumble upon it.
But thankfully the night is almost over, and the four friends are eager to leave soon. Moony is on the edge of sanity again, and he thinks it might be the longest twenty minutes of his life. He chews on his tail to take the edge off the stress which always earns him a smack across the face from Padfoot. Every time.
Finally, the sun begins to rise. Its rays reach between the cracks in the boarded up windows, and even though it is cold, it is a glorious morning to be human. One by one, the boys become boys again and make their descent into the passageway.
Remus is always the last to leave. He insists upon it.
He sheepishly folds his arms and mumbles his thanks even though none of them want to hear it. Sirius winks as he walks by, and Remus grins, but then he notices something.
Something troubling.
And devastating.
And oh, so unexpectedly tempting.
Sirius' lips are blue.
It's summer, and Sirius has done the unthinkable. But then again, that's nothing new.
Remus puts a box of miscellaneous junk that Sirius probably doesn't need on a desk, and plops down on the bed.
"I can't believe you ran away."
Sirius comes over and lies down beside him.
"I can't believe it either. But I had to, Moony. I just had to."
They continue to lie there despite the fact that they can hear James and Peter struggling with a heavy box down the hall. They are too content to just stay like this, their shoulders pressed against each other, and a breeze flowing in through the window of Sirius' new bedroom. Remus looks over at Sirius who refuses to meet his eye and stares blankly up at the ceiling.
"Moony?"
"Yeah?"
"I wish I didn't have to."
Sirius' voice breaks just a little bit as he says it, and all Remus wants to do is kiss him and tell him it's all right and that sometimes friends are the family you choose. But now is not a good time, and James is yelling at them to get off their lazy arses and help out.
No.
Now is not a good time.
It's a much needed Hogsmeade weekend, and the Three Broomsticks is loud.
Correction: Sirius Black is loud.
And while Remus wants to think that he's being a bore and that they ought to go, he can't. Because he doesn't think Sirius is a bore. He thinks he is hilarious and endearingly stupid, and he can't sing for shit, but at least he tries. He barks when he laughs and the sound hits Remus so hard in the chest that it knocks the wind right out of him.
So all he can do is sit there and watch as Sirius works his charm on Rosmerta like always. And she's not the type to be amused by such behavior, but she indulges herself. Because it's Sirius, and he's a sweet talker, and he's so goddamn irresistible.
Remus needs some air.
He abandons his stool and walks outside and leans against the outer wall of the pub. But he is not alone for long because Sirius comes stumbling after him.
"Where d'ya think you're going, mate?"
Remus shrugs, and his eyes shift unwillingly up to Sirius' lips, and he bets they taste like firewhiskey. But that's not how first kisses should taste, so he restrains himself. He's always restraining himself.
"I just need some air."
It's almost the full moon, and Remus is feeling reckless. He can't sit still, and there's a wolfish impulsiveness running through his veins and no matter where he tries to look, he always ends up staring at Sirius.
Meanwhile, Sirius is lounging on the couch in front of the fireplace with the Marauder's Map in hand. He cocks his head and then smirks when he notices something rather astonishing. He taps the parchment loudly and gives Remus a meaningful look. "I do believe James is snogging Lily in the Charm's classroom. It's about damn time, eh?"
It takes a moment for this information to sink in because Remus is too busy thinking about who he'd like to snog. But at the questioning look on Sirius' face he shakes himself out of it. "What? Oh. Yeah…"
"You all right, Moony?"
"Mmhmm."
Clearly, Sirius doesn't believe him, but he doesn't push the subject. He takes one last scrutinizing look at the Map before pulling out his wand to wipe it clean.
And then it happens.
Sirius says 'Mischief Managed' and Remus marvels at the way he says it but never really means it. And when he turns to speak again, Remus notices just how empty the common room is and how all the reasons why he shouldn't kiss Sirius make absolutely no sense at all. And suddenly, all self-restraint is thrown out the window.
In a few short strides, Remus is sitting down next to Sirius and cupping his face in his hands. Then finally, he commits, and he's kissing him tentatively with shaking lips like a question he's afraid to know the answer to. And he can't believe he's doing this but it feels so right, and he thinks he ought to have done this months ago.
He pulls away and begins to choke out an apology, but Sirius shakes his head. "Really, Moony?"
Remus swallows hard and nods. For a moment his heart sinks because Sirius' face is completely unreadable. And just as he's about to bolt up the stairs to their dorm, Sirius finally speaks.
"Thank Merlin."
And with that, they are kissing again, and the answer to the question is yes, and it is right. It's perfect.
Neither of them notice when James walks in with Lily on his arm.