Word Count: 1,548
Pairings: Remus/Sirius
Era: MWPP
Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of the Harry Potter-verse, as created by J.K. Rowling. I also have no ownership on the plot, script, or songs of the musical Bare: A Pop Opera, upon which this is all based. Furthermore, I am aware that this is anachronistic. Bare didn't open until 2000 and the Marauders were in school long before that. But musicals often require suspending disbelief, so I would ask you to do that now. Also, I know many people who are annoyed by mis-describing Sirius's eyes as blue. That happens in this chapter, but because of song lyrics, not my own mistake.
In this chapter...: You'll hear the song 'You & I," which is on youtube if you'd like to listen before or after you read, because it's beautiful and sexy (search 'bare a pop opera you and i' and it's 4:01 with stained glass on a black background). Lyrics are noted by italics and by context. As always, if you're not familiar with the plot of Bare, I recommend giving the Wikipedia summary a quick scan. It's a quick read and it will help, I promise.
The cast was gathered in their new Muggle Studies classroom— a large room, with a high, cavernous stone ceiling. At the beginning of the week, when rehearsals first began and they first arrived in this new location, Remus marveled that this classroom wasn't used more often. It felt so open, despite the large furnishings, though he doubted whether those fittings were always present. On the far end, a platform had been constructed, to serve as the stage. Heavy, velvet curtains hung from the ceiling, concealing enough space to form the wings. The rest of the room was full of chairs, all set into raised levels, like their Charms classroom. Only, instead of forming a valley, with rows of seats rising up on either side, everything went straight back to the far wall. Although the room maintained the austerity and formality of other Hogwarts classrooms, it had become a proper theatre.
Rehearsals were going well. If 'well' in the Remus Lupin Dictionary meant 'extremely uncomfortable' and 'far too revealing,' then they were going very, very well. All that had really been accomplished so far were several afternoons and a few evenings— for those with bigger roles, which had made James cringe as he cancelled Quidditch practice— filled with people singing and dancing to the song of Remus's newly-hatched understanding of his sexuality. The only comfort was that people thought he was blushing because he was a little stage fright, a little nervous about singing or acting in front of them, when really it was the subject matter that was making him flush with embarrassment. Today, it seemed, would be getting no better.
"You two are close friends, aren't you?" Professor Andersen asked, as Remus and Sirius stood facing each other on the makeshift stage, tactfully held scripts keeping their bodies comfortably apart. They nodded and she continued, "Then I'd like to see a little more chemistry! It doesn't matter if you actually feel this way about each other. The point is, you're close and the audience should be able to see that. Stop being afraid and just get on with it!"
Remus made a solemn vow, then and there, that musical theatre would never become one of his interests. He would have rather melted into the floor to never resurface than perform this song with Sirius in front of all these people.
"From the top, boys," Professor Andersen instructed, gently prodding an old piano with her wand, which began to play of its own accord. Although convenient, that didn't seem to be much in the spirit of Muggle Studies. Remus didn't have long to ponder that, though, because he soon started the familiar hurry across the stage, murmuring the "Hail Mary."
And then there came Sirius, all bravado and charm.
"Hey little boy, would you like a ride? A lollipop? A puppy? How about a baseball bat? There's one in my pants," Sirius swiveled his hips in a manner Remus assumed was supposed to be seductive. He blushed nonetheless.
"No, thank you. My mom, she said to never talk to strangers."
Sirius had crossed towards him, and was leaning too close, a smile playing at his lips as he sang. "So a kiss is out of the question, then?"
"I'll take a chance," Remus sang back, and Sirius leaned in, but pulled back just before their lips met, as the two characters reacted to other students passing through. The near-kiss made Remus falter when singing his next line.
They continued, lines overlapping, other characters coming on and off the stage to do their bits, while the two boys remained center. Sirius made sure to keep Remus as close as possible— be it with a hand on his waist, the proximity of their faces, or the way Sirius leaned towards him. This was seduction. It didn't matter that it was Remus. Sirius knew what to do.
"Jason, have a date for prom yet?" Lily chorused as she passed by.
"Jason, did you lose my number?" A Hufflepuff girl blew a kiss with the line.
"This is all just a game. You and I. You take my hand, leaving me breathless," Sirius grabbed both of Remus's hands in his, and pulled up against him. Remus could feel Sirius's breath against his face with every note. He assumed his face betrayed some measure of fear, because Sirius smiled so gently, so reassuringly. "Take a look in these big blue eyes, so you'll understand and know why we whisper in hallways. I'll be with you always, running together, forever you and I."
Sirius reached up to brush Remus's jawline— a new move, which caught Remus off-guard. He tripped while backing up from Sirius, though he was still thankful the staging gave him the opportunity to pull away, to turn his back, to see something other than the rather entrancing way Sirius's lips looked when he sang.
"Tell me why I should trust you when the girls all lust to touch you," Remus demanded forcefully, brief images of Sirius's short-term girlfriends from the past two years swimming to the forefront of his mind, much against his will.
Remus felt arms wrap around his waist as Sirius hugged him from behind, "Cause when I have you near me I go out of my mind. Need help there?"
"You're cute and it's tough to argue with a hard-on. Think that you could lend a hand here?" He tried to cast a flirtatious glance over his shoulder. Remus was certain it wound up more of a grimace.
"If I had the time," Sirius cooed in his ear, giving the top of Remus's head a playful ruffle.
On they sang. Jason-Sirius promised to never leave Peter-Remus, which made real-Remus feel slightly gelatinous. Peter-Remus proposed coming out to his mother, which made real-Remus really just nauseous. And then Sirius was off on the refrain again, flirting, and tangling their hands, and all around getting too close for comfort— not because Remus didn't enjoy being close to Sirius, but because he was so keenly aware of how much he enjoyed the proximity.
"There's something that I want to ask you— Don't say no, just hear me out. After school they hold auditions. Something just to think about," Remus trailed off, his eyes falling to his shoes. He knew the response that was coming, not only because he knew the song, but because Sirius had given the same response just the other day, in the Common Room.
"God, you said the same thing last year! You know acting's not my thing. Plus, I might go out for baseball and I neither dance nor sing."
Remus rounded on Sirius, a little too much real-life hurt coming out in his voice, "You have never mentioned baseball. You haven't played since we were twelve! And as for 'acting's not my thing,' it's obvious it's something else."
"I don't act," Sirius replied, resolute. But the Peter character was right— there was something else. Though he couldn't speak for Jason, the reason for Sirius was Remus and how little Sirius wanted the same physical closeness that now had Remus's head spinning.
Remus laughed ironically, "I think we're the best act this school has ever seen!"
Their bickering singing was interrupted by Sirius, playing the flirt again. His limbs had wound their way around Remus, strong arms against his back, one ankle inching its way behind Remus's legs. This resulted in a new closeness that more or less stopped Remus's heart, though it was impossible to tell whether from fear or from longing. They had entered into the scary realm Remus dubbed "crotch closeness."
If that weren't bad enough, they were also forehead to forehead, lips centimeters apart. Every word Sirius sung felt like its own kiss.
"We'll think about it tonight, when everything is right. We'll shut off all the lights and cuddle in bed, and see how far we get," Sirius's hand drifted along Remus's torso, sliding down, and down, till it rested teasingly, on the top of his thigh.
"Is that supposed to shut me up?" Remus asked, the familiar sensation of I-can't-maintain-this-stern-expression creeping through his face, while Sirius's eyes twinkled deviously.
He drummed his fingers on the inside of Remus's leg. "Yeah."
"Jerk," Remus replied, with a playful shove and a laugh that felt more Sirius-and-Remus than it did Jason-and-Peter. He couldn't tell if he imagined it or not, but there was a new energy in Sirius, as though he, too, felt the closeness of being themselves, rather than acting.
"You and I. You take my hand, leaving me breathless. Take a look in these big blue eyes so you'll understand. You'll know why we whisper in hallways. I'll be with you always, running together…" Sirius trailed off, throwing a wink and an unfairly attractive smile in Remus's direction before he exited. "Miss me."
Remus was left alone on stage, staring off into the wing, where Sirius was now watching him, "Forever you and I."
The enchanted piano stopped. The rest of the class gave Remus and Sirius a brief, modest applause.
"Better," Professor Andersen cooed with a smile and an approving nod, "But Remus, next time, try not to look so terrified."
