chapter 2: aftertaste
summary: it's valentine's day, and sirius can't find a moony.
Sirius had a problem. A major, time-stopping problem, one that made him stop extracting enjoyment from the pink frills in Madam Puddifoot's and start worrying. Sirius never worried. At least, Sirius never worried except when it came to that bastard brother of his, and Remus.
Remus had taken the Marauders' Map with him and receded somewhere in the castle, intent on avoiding the giggling hordes of teenage witches and wizards alike. And this was indeed a problem for Sirius because Moony was far too funny to be so serious so often, and he wanted his friend to enjoy himself. He would make his friend enjoy himself. Forcefully, if it came to that.
Keeping this motive in mind, he made his lonesome way back to Hogwarts, and began his search. He checked behind portrait-holes and tapestries, in shady alcoves and behind statues. Moony, fastest and most lithe out of all his friends, was an excellent hider, but Sirius was an excellent seeker. Making sure there was nobody watching him, he changed to Padfoot, holding his nose high in the air for Remus's scent. Upon finding it, he followed it until he reached a half-hidden boy reading a book perched on a wide windowsill.
He changed back to human form and gently prodded Remus, who didn't seem the slightest bit surprised at the sight of his friend. Instead, he sighed, saying, "I was hoping you wouldn't find me here."
"And why is that, dear sir?" Sirius replied. Extracting a pink cupid heart from his pocket, he waved it in front of Remus. "Do these crepe paper cut-outs scare thee?"
Remus rolled his eyes. "It's Valentine's Day," he said, like it was explanation enough.
"So? One would think you'd enjoy the attention, seeing how popular you are with the ladies." The sun glinted on a small smudge of matte rouge on Remus's cheek. Sirius smirked, raising his eyebrows. "And who was it you were snogging?"
Remus cringed and reached self-consciously to wipe the offender off. "Thought I'd removed all of it. Besides, it's you and James who are popular with the ladies, don't drag my name in for useless flattery."
"Why didn't you come with us to Hogsmeade?" Sirius persisted.
"Sorry, I thought I was implicit in my disgust of that dastardly thing you're holding in front of my face. Also, I don't particularly enjoy watching you exchange saliva with any moving thing that's below fifty and female. It's not really my taste."
Sirius brought his hands near Remus's face and wiggled his fingers. "Are you saying you'd rather watch me exchange saliva with 'any moving thing that's below fifty and male', because if you are, I'd have to reject. That's not really my taste."
Remus released a long-drawn breath of suffering but a small smile broke across his face nevertheless. "Well, don't knock it until you've tried it." He turned and began packing his things, quite unaware of the confusion of the man behind him
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Remus paused, realizing what he had said. "What? Oh, uh, nothing. Yeah. There's nowhere I was going with that, it was just a statement of sorts."
"No, I think you meant more."
"I didn't— it's not like—what?" Remus paused, choosing his words carefully. "Uh, see, I like you. Like, like you. And I know it's bloody gay, as if there's not enough wrong with me already. And maybe it's my imagination, but we're different than the other guys. Not different, you know, but different. And not like it's a bad thin—"
"You're rambling," said Sirius, half-amused, half-surprised.
"Well," began Remus but stopped abruptly. There seemed to be an acute shortage of words in that instance, and as Remus stood there, berating himself for opening his mouth in the first place, Sirius spoke up contemplatively. "Your theory, let's give it a try."
"Really? 'Don't knock it until you've tried it?' You're not joking?"
Sirius shook his head and pulled him closer by the front of his robes. He was staring at Remus's lips, examining them maybe, an action that would look attractive only on someone like Sirius, thought Remus. His throat was dry and his senses, keen so close to the full moon, had gone overboard. All there seemed to be was Sirius. Sirius's lavender shampoo he insisted wasn't girly, the intermingling smell of dog and boy, the smell of testosterone, the sound of Sirius's heart beating thud thud thud, almost as fast as Remus's.
"Shall we?" Remus spoke, possibly the most un-romantic words you could say before a kiss to an annoyingly good-looking lad who happened to be your best friend and the bloke you'd harboured a secret crush on for ages. Sirius nodded.
The kiss was… unexpected. Remus had prepared himself for a torrent of butterflies and an accelerated heart rate, and pure, unadulterated euphoria, but got none of that. It was different, it was perfect. He felt the oddest sort of sensation pass through him, like a Calming Draught was dripping down his body. It was truly magical, a temporary intimacy between two strong wizards, and he felt like he was rising above the ground, floating, drowning, Sirius's lips acting as a buoy. And as he brought Sirius's hand to rest on his waist and threaded his own through Sirius's hair, he heard the faint sound of an orchestra playing a symphony of love, the music reverberating till the tips of his toes, sending shivers of pleasure through him.
Too soon, Sirius pulled away, eyes glazed and lips red. "Whoa," he remarked knowledgeably, voice hoarse. Remus didn't say anything, not trusting himself to have articulate control over his vocal chords. Sirius chuckled in wonder. "How are you right about bloody everything?" he murmured.
"What d'you mean?"
"I mean, I've never felt that way before. Have you? I thought those romance novel descriptions were complete bullshit."
Remus gaped. "You've read romance novels? Talk about things I can't picture."
Suddenly, Sirius was pulling him in again, lips moving expertly, gently, unyielding. His tongue was inside Remus's mouth and then it wasn't, his hands were on Remus's cheek, neck, waist, and then they weren't. He was everywhere, moving, exploring, pleasuring. It was perfect and Remus would have melted into a puddle made of pure fluff right there if he wasn't holding on to Sirius.
"Stop, stop, stop," he said breaking away. "This isn't a one-time thing. This is real, and real scares the crap out of you."
"So does Minnie, but that doesn't make me stop flirting with her, does it? I like you Remus, like, like like you. Maybe I always have, but you know how oblivious I am half the time." Sirius paused, appearing to go over a few things. "Hell, I might even be in love with you. I mean, I can live without thinking about Prongs and Wormtail for hours at a time, and probably enjoy myself at it. I can't last five minutes without you popping into my head. And you've got a cute arse," he added, almost as an afterthought.
"Oh?" was all Remus seemed to be capable of saying, and before he think of anything else, Sirius asked, "Now that we're going to be snogging regularly, and you might as well call me your boyfriend, it is well within my right to ask who that lipstick on your cheek belongs to."
"A handsy fourth-year Ravenclaw," Remus replied, smiling down at Sirius. "Some kids have put up mistletoe around the castle like it's Christmas, not just fricking Valentine's Day, bloody immature—"
"—Really?" interrupted Sirius joyously, pulling a grinning Remus along in pursuit of some inappropriately hung decorations, Remus's bookbag and the frilly crepe paper heart forgotten behind.
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A/N: ahhh, wolfstar! i usually write only prose and poetry, and this is the first time i've used so much dialogue in a piece. and i've never written romance. critique me please!
Written for the following prompts at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments) forum:-
366 Prompts Challenge: 195. Love
Insane Prompt Challenge: 68. (word) Symphony
Writing Club- February: 1. Marvel Appreciation: 14. (dialogue) "Sorry, I thought I was implicit in my disgust."
2. Film Festival: 6. (plot point) first kiss
3. Bex's Basement: 25. "This is real, and real scares the crap out of you."
Assignment #4: Forestry: Famous Forests, Task #1: write about someone in the LGBTQplus community
again, i admire you for reading what i've written, and i appreciate it. thank you!
also, i'm having trouble with italicizing words, which often makes a few paragraphs lose their character. i haven't used in ages, please help!
DaisyFlowers