This was written for the second round of 'The Writer' competition in HPFC.
It's Remus/Sirius, and set during the first war. It's actually one of the only fics I've written during that period of time, so I hope it's ok :)
MY WORLD
The wind was blistery cold as it swooshed and swooped across the beautiful landscape, blowing trees over so that the very top branches were inches from the ground. The sea was crashing against the cliff hard as the waves rolled in fiercely, making a loud roaring sound. They sounded like a cruel invitation, just waiting for somebody to enter their wrath.
Had anybody been around, they would have noticed the absence of the usual squawks and caws of the seagulls that usually inhabited the cliffs.
Winter had shooed them off to warmer locations, leaving the cliffs lonely and silent. The only sound to be heard was that awful crashing of the waves many metres down.
Crack
Two small figures appeared out of thin air, wrapped up warm in huge coats, hats, gloves and matching scarves, both decorated in red and gold.
Subconsciously, the smaller person shivered at the glacial wind, and the taller person wrapped his arm around the person next to him.
"It's f-f-freezing," Remus commented pulling his hands up to his face and rubbing his cheeks to keep them warm. Sirius turned to look at him and sighed, his breath visible in the freezing weather.
"I know. Couldn't Dumbledore have sent us somewhere nice and warm?" Sirius complained.
"Where are we anyw-w-way?" Remus asked, looking around at his surroundings with interest. "It's a beautiful p-p-place."
"Dover. The white cliffs to be exact," Sirius said, peering over the edge of the cliff and gulping at the sheer drop that threatened him. Instinctively, he grabbed Remus' arm and pulled him further away from the edge.
"Why did we get sent here of all places? W-we don't even... there aren't even any people... why... oh, it's s-s-so cold!"
"Apparently that little town down there is supposed to be attacked today," said Sirius, attempting to point to a small village at the bottom of the hill they were standing on, but not succeeding. Instead, he nodded his head towards it. "Come here," he added to Remus who looked as if he were about to go into hypothermic shock.
Remus didn't need telling twice, stepping forwards and clinging to Sirius tightly. He rested his head against Sirius' chest and let out a relieved sigh at the warmth of the other boy.
Sirius smiled and rubbed his hand up and down Remus' back, running his other hand through Remus' hair and kissing him lightly on the forehead.
Neither of them spoke for a while, as they listened to the wind whistle through the branches of the few trees around them.
"How long are we supposed to be here?" asked Remus, turning his head slightly and staring up into Sirius' cloudy grey eyes. Sirius' grip around Remus tightened as he stared right back into Remus' large amber eyes.
"Until we hear from any of the Order, or if any Death Eaters turn up, I guess," replied Sirius. "Alice and Frank are in the village, and Marlene and Peter are down in those fields over in the distance. I doubt the Death Eaters would apparate up here any way if they were going to attack the village. Pointless really."
"Well not really," Remus said, with a slight smile. "We get to spend some time together."
"True. That's not something we get to do very often anymore," Sirius agreed, pulling his boyfriend in for a chaste kiss on the lips. As they pulled apart, Remus frowned.
"What's wrong?" asked Sirius in concern.
"When do you think this war will be over?" Remus asked. Sirius grimaced.
The question hung in the air for a minute, both boys knowing the answer.
"I don't know," Sirius finally said. "It doesn't look like it will be any time soon."
"I just wish we could get on with our lives," Remus said sadly, gazing out at the horizon on the sea. Sirius smiled sympathetically at him.
"Hey, think of this as a holiday," he said. "We're on holiday. Look at that view. It's gorgeous... not as gorgeous as you of course."
"Oh shut up," said Remus with a blush creeping into his already rosy cheeks. "These cliffs are scarily high," he said, stepping a little closer and looking over the side.
"Yeah. I heard that loads of Muggles come here to commit suicide," said Sirius, shuddering. "Imagine jumping into those waters... you'd die."
"Yeah Sirius, you tend to die when you commit suicide," said Remus rolling his eyes. "Any way, thanks for ruining the romantic mood."
"Romantic mood?" questioned Sirius, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't realise we were getting all romantic right now..."
"Well, I was heading that way," muttered Remus. Sirius stared at him in amusement.
"How kinky," he winked. "You want to get romantic on the top of a cliff for the world to see."
"Not that kind of romantic!" Remus shouted, his yell seeming to fly away with the wind. His face was getting redder and redder by the minute. "That kind of romance can wait till we get home."
"I like this side of you, Moony," Sirius said cheerfully. "Very sexy indeed."
"Uh huh," mumbled Remus, looking away in embarrassment. Sirius took hold of his hand and squeezed it softly, making Remus turn back to look at him. They smiled at each other briefly before Sirius leaned down and pulled Remus into another kiss, this time more passionate than the last.
Crack
They hurriedly broke apart, fumbling around in their pockets for their wands. Four masked, hooded figures were talking amongst themselves a little way from where Remus and Sirius were standing. They seemed not to have noticed the young men.
Remus gasped and tugged at Sirius' coat. "They're Death Eaters," he whispered, staring straight at the hooded people. Sirius nodded solemnly.
"They're the ones we're after," he said with a sigh. "We'd better get this over with."
Just as Sirius lifted his wand, one of the Death Eaters turned his head and yelled something undecipherable to the other three, who turned around immediately.
It was an eerie sight – the masks were deathly and skeletal looking, made of metal, and had very grim expressions. They took their wands out and pointed them straight at Sirius and Remus, who backed away a little.
"Sirius," hissed Remus. "Be careful. We're near the edge of this cliff."
"I know," replied Sirius, keeping his wand pointed at the Death Eaters. Remus gulped and peered back over the cliff, just as a Death Eater aimed a spell at him.
Sirius hurried to protect him by yelling 'Protego' and sending the spell straight back at the hooded figure. "Come away from the side, babe."
"Sorry," Remus mumbled, taking his own wand out. "Stupefy!" he said, making the Death Eater at the front fly backwards. He hurriedly got to his feet and stalked towards them. Neither Remus or Sirius were sure what expression he wore, due to the mask, so before he could do anything, Sirius pointed his wand at him.
"Incarcerous!" he said, sending a line of thick rope out the top of his wand which bound itself around the raging Death Eater. Remus glanced at Sirius, who was moving on to the next Death Eater.
"STUPEFY!" he screamed. Remus followed suit, aiming another stunning spell at the third Death Eater, who was thrown back against the grass behind him.
Just as Remus was about to stun the final Death Eater, he felt his leg being pulled suddenly and he fell backwards. To his horror, he didn't land on the ground. Instead, he was falling. He could hear his heart beating loudly in his chest as he threw his hand out, letting his wand fall, and grabbing on to the edge of the cliff.
The tied-up Death Eater had managed to wriggle to where he was, with a triumphant grin. "Ha!" he exclaimed, rolling over slightly, attempting to make Remus' hands slide off the side of the cliff. Remus, spurred into action by adrenaline, sidled over to the left with all the strength he could, and the Death Eater rolled straight over the edge.
Remus stared down in frightened shock as he heard the hysterical screams of the masked figure as he fell down towards the murderous waters below.
He hadn't meant for that to happen. He'd only meant to move aside to avoid being pushed over himself. Unable to think clearly, he felt tears form in his eyes. The wind whipped him dangerously and he felt as if he'd fall at any moment.
"Help," he croaked so quietly that even he could barely hear it. Mustering all the strength he had, he pushed hard against the cliff, and pulled himself up onto his elbows so that he could see the action that was still going on.
It seemed that two of the Death Eaters that had been stunned had disapparated, and only one remained. Sirius was standing, pointing his wand at the last Death Eater. Remus watched as he expected to see a spell shot at the hooded figure, but it didn't come.
The Death Eater pulled his hood down and his mask off. Sirius hesitantly lowered his wand and they began speaking. Remus had no idea what was going on – he couldn't see clearly from the wind blowing harshly in his eyes, and he knew that his arms were going to give in any minute. His throat was unbelievably dry with fear.
"SIRIUS!" he screamed as loudly as he could, though it still wasn't loud. "SIRIUS HELP ME!" he cried, feeling his arm slip. He was now only holding on by his left hand, and he knew that had he not been a werewolf, he would have fallen a long time ago. Only his werewolf strength had allowed him to stay up for so long. The fright made him scream, as he faced the dark waves that were taunting him one hundred metres below.
"Oh my God! Remus!" yelled Sirius from somewhere above him, and he let out a quiet whimper as that was about all he could bring himself to do.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I promise I didn't... I never... oh my... Sirius... I just... it wasn't my-" said the Death Eater who was beside Sirius. Remus couldn't recognise his voice, but maybe that was because of the strange buzzing in his ears.
"Shut up!" growled Sirius angrily. "Rem! Hold on, I'll get you up."
Was this what dying felt like, Remus wondered. The odd buzzing that made his head feel fuzzy, and that everything seemed to be going in incredibly slow motion. It was so easy to just let go...
"REMUS!"
Everything seemed to start moving fast again as his hand slipped and he felt his stomach turn horribly as he began falling again. He let out a terrified cry. He was going to die...
He stopped.
Arms were around him and he looked up to see Sirius hanging down over the side. He was holding him tightly, and how he never fell over the edge too, Remus didn't know.
"I've got you," Sirius said in relief, when really, there was no reason to be relieved. They were hanging off a cliff.
"D-d-d-don't let m-me go," said Remus shakily, tears rolling down his cheek. He had never felt so scared in his entire life.
"Come on. Let's pull you up," Sirius said, heaving Remus up slightly. Even though he was being pulled up, Remus couldn't help thinking that he would still fall.
"I l-l-love y-you," he said, looking right into Sirius eyes. Sirius looked straight back but didn't reply.
"Reg, pull!" he shouted. It was then when Remus realised that the Death Eater who Sirius had been talking to was Regulus Black. As Regulus pulled Sirius back, Remus was pulled up and onto the land again.
It was the biggest relief he had ever felt in his life, and he couldn't find the strength to stand up. Instead, he lay there on the ground in shock from the fall.
"He... I didn't want to... but he fell... I tried... I j-j-just... I d-didn't mean t-to," sobbed Remus, thinking about the Death Eater who had fallen into the sea below. Sirius ran over to him and pulled him into a hug.
"Shh, it's okay. It wasn't your fault," he whispered into Remus' ear. "I love you, too," he added.
"W-w-hy didn't you answer me bef-f-fore?" asked Remus. "I th-th-thought you were... I...I'm sorry..."
"What are you sorry about?" asked Sirius in worry. "It's alright now. You're okay. That's all that matters."
"I sh-should have been watching. I d-d-didn't see the Death Eater c-c-coming for m-me. I c-c-c-could have k-killed you. You almost d-d-died trying to save me," he said in guilty hopelessness. "I'm so stupid."
"It's not your fault at all. Don't say that," Sirius said, wrapping his arms around Remus. Remus sighed and peered over Sirius' shoulder.
"Thank you," he said softly to Regulus who was standing awkwardly a few metres away. Regulus shrugged.
"It's okay. I er... I guess I'll just be going then," he said, nodding towards Remus and then Sirius, who nodded in thanks to his younger brother. He then apparated away with a loud crack.
Sirius turned back to face Remus and smiled. "I'm so glad you're okay. I haven't been so scared in my life... I thought you were going to fall."
"So did I," admitted Remus, shuddering at the memory. "So why didn't you answer me when I told you I love you?"
"I didn't want you to think it was goodbye. Everyone knows that in a life-threatening situation, saying 'I love you' means you're going to die."
"I th-thought I was," Remus said, looking down at his shivering hands.
"I love you so much," said Sirius, gripping Remus tightly and pressing his face against his hair, taking in his scent. "All I could think about at that moment was that I had to be so careful. I was holding my entire world in my arms – do you know how that feels to know that everything you live for could be lost just like that?"
Remus felt his heart melt at those words, and smiled into the embrace. "I'm your world?"
"You're my world, my life, my friend, my lover, my soul mate. You're everything."
And at those words, Remus didn't care at all that he'd almost died. He didn't care that there were evil wizards roaming around trying to kill them. He didn't care that there was a war on, and he didn't care how long it lasted. He didn't care that he was a werewolf, and he didn't care that Dumbledore was sending them on dangerous missions every day.
Sirius loved him. Sirius cared for him, and that was all he could think about in that one, special moment.
~ THE END ~