WRITTEN FOR QLFC, SEASON 9
Puddlemere United, Chaser 1: Laziness
Prompts:
(pairing) Remus/Sirius
(restriction) no female characters
(object) bottle of wine
Word Count: 2794
The sound of a quill scratching woke Sirius up. He rolled over to get closer to the noise, only to find Remus hunched over the desk. Remus's eyes looked bloodshot, even in the poor lighting, as he scribbled something on a long piece of parchment.
Sirius rolled onto his back with a soft groan, the bed squeaking under him. He ran his fingers through his hair before picking up his wand.
"Tempus," he muttered, his voice thick with sleep, and squinted at the numbers floating in the air above his head. Merlin's beard…
At first, he thought he could just go back to sleep and leave Remus be, but the scribbling and soft growling of Remus' stomach caused Sirius' chest to ache with guilt. How could he sleep when Remus was working?
There was only one thing to do, then...
Sirius sat up and cleared his throat loudly, but Remus didn't notice. Sirius cleared his throat again; he received no response. Finally, he slid out of bed, yanking the blanket over his head and wrapping it around himself like a burrito.
"Moony, what are you doing?" he whispered, creeping up behind Remus.
Remus simply waved him off, his eyes still trained on his parchment. He flicked through an open textbook that lay in front of him and muttered, "Go back to sleep, Sirius."
"You're bonkers," Sirius whispered, but he didn't move. "You need to go to sleep." This time the whisper was louder, more forceful.
"I will. As soon as I'm done revising my Transfiguration studies." Remus still hadn't looked up at him, now busy scratching a whole paragraph out on the parchment before rewriting it.
"You've been revising for ages," Sirius whisper-yelled, his eyes widening. He clutched the blanket tighter to him, wishing he had been exaggerating—but it was the truth.
Sirius had never seen Remus so worked up before. Their NEWTs were coming up, and Sirius knew Remus hadn't slept a wink in the past week. Remus was up all night, memorising the definitions, spells, and enchantments as he paced in the boys' dorm room, his brown strands standing up on their ends every time he ran his fingers through. The bags under Remus' eyes were so dark that people had begun wondering if he had been turned into a vampire recently—the rest of the Marauders thought the rumour was hilarious, considering Remus's affliction. Sirius had strongly considered buying Remus a tub of eye-cream his mother swore by, just to minimise the bags.
Sirius had noticed Remus hadn't even bothered with eating the past few days. He barely came to the Great Hall for breakfast, was absent for lunch, and was holed up in the library during dinner.
When Remus' stomach growled, the sound echoed in the mostly silent room. Immediately, Sirius decided he couldn't let Remus run himself ragged. He knew Remus wouldn't take care of himself, and so, a plan began to form in Sirius' mind.
He waddled over to James' bed, his blanket still wrapped around him, and he whispered, "Prongs. Mate, get up." Sirius made sure to poke James for good measure.
"Five more minutes, Mum," James grumbled, rolling onto his front and burying his face in his pillow.
"I'm not your damned mother, Prongs. Wake up," Sirius hissed, tightening the blanket around him. It wasn't that cold; Sirius just liked the warmth (and weight) of the blanket surrounding him.
James groaned but pushed himself up to a seat. The moment he caught sight of Sirius, he screamed. "Dementor!"
"Oh, shut up," Sirius grumbled, whipping off the blanket and flicking his hair out of his eyes. "Come and help me do something about Moony."
"But I'm tired," James whined, flinging himself back onto the bed. He landed on his pillow with a soft thump. "Can't we do it in the morning?"
"No, no, we can't," Sirius argued, reaching forward to grab James' arm. "Remus is still studying, and he's not eating enough, and he's so tired, but he refuses to go to sleep or do anything relaxing, so I've decided—"
"Stop rambling and just tell me what you want," James muttered, rubbing his eyes. To be fair, it was three o'clock.
"Give me the bottle of wine," Sirius demanded. "The one you stole from your dad's cabinet."
"It's the middle of the night!" James cried, staring at Sirius with wide eyes. "Moony will be hungover in the morning—and I didn't steal it. I borrowed it."
"Without permission," Sirius said, letting go of James' arm. "Now, give me the wine or else I'll owl your dad."
James growled but scooted to the corner of the bed, reaching under it to pull out a box. He opened it and pulled out the wine. The bottle was almost clear; it was the sweet golden wine inside that gave it such a pretty hue.
James handed the bottle to Sirius and asked, "Now will you let me sleep?"
"Fine, yes, go to sleep," Sirius said, picking up his wand and the Marauders Map off the table. He hurried over to Remus, whose face was still buried in his thick tome.
Without hesitation, Sirius reached forward and slammed the book shut. Remus shot up in the air at the booming sound.
"Sirius, what are you—"
"I thought you could use a little nonsense," Sirius said before he slashed his wand through the air. "Stupefy!"
Remus' eyes widened as the spell hit him, and Sirius smirked when the brunet fell to the ground unconscious.
"You Stunned him?" James asked, sitting up in bed, his eyes wide with horror. "He's going to kill you when he wakes up."
"No, he won't," Sirius declared, Levitating Remus towards the door. He was too lazy to argue with Remus or even carry him himself. Why waste the use of logic and his strength when he could just use magic?
James simply shook his head and lay back down to sleep, not in the mood to deal with either of them.
Sirius used the map to successfully navigate through the dimly lit corridors of the castle. He reached the main gates and walked through, Remus floating behind him. Once he reached the edge of the Black Lake, Sirius gently lowered Remus to the ground before murmuring, "Renervate."
The moment Remus came to, Sirius promptly shoved him into the lake.
A string of swears—that almost made Sirius blush—left Remus' mouth as he surfaced from the clear water, spluttering and choking. Sirius grinned and called out, "Cannonball!"
Before Remus could swim away, Sirius leapt up into the air and came splashing down an inch away from him. Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus' waist and dragged him down under the water.
"Sirius Orion Black, let me go! I need to—"
"You don't need to do anything right now—except relax and have fun. Be lazy for once—like me. I haven't started studying for the exams yet and I'm not worried about anything at all," Sirius said, pulling Remus closer. He reached up and pushed Remus' wet strands behind his ear. "You're so stressed out all the time…"
"NEWTs are—"
Sirius shook his head, interrupting him. "Do you think you'll be able to remember anything if you're tired and stressed out all the time? Your health should be your first priority, or at least a priority, and because you're not focusing on that, I will."
Remus' gaze softened, and he nodded and placed his hand on Sirius' chest. "Very well, but I have to get back to work soon. And don't think I didn't forget you Stunned me!"
"I'll be quick," Sirius teased, his eyes glinting. Summoning the bottle of wine from the edge of the lake, he tried to pop it open.
Remus' eyes widened. "You're going to drink wine in the middle of the night? Padfoot! We have class in the morning!"
"We're going to drink wine in the middle of the night," Sirius corrected him, still trying to yank out the cork. "Blasted thing's not—"
"It's a Muggle bottle, Sirius," Remus said, amusement dripping from his tone. "You need a corkscrew for it"
"A what?"
"Here, let me," Remus said, taking Sirius' wand from him. He cast an Incendio, the flames flickering brightly in the darkness, and watched it heat the air beneath the cork. He motioned for Sirius to twist the bottle, and Sirius silently followed his instructions.
A minute later, the cork popped out, and Sirius grinned. "Wow, no one ever taught me that trick before. You've been holding out on us, huh, Moony?"
Remus rolled his eyes, but Sirius noticed his neck had flushed at the comment. He swam them away from the shoreline, and Remus allowed him to lead.
Once they were far enough, Sirius let go. They took turns drinking the wine, their fingers grazing as they handed the bottle to the other.
Remus sighed, leaned back, closed his eyes, and let the water wash over him. It did feel good to let go of all his worries for some time. Maybe Sirius was right—(okay, yes, Sirius was definitely right), but Remus wasn't going to tell him that. He didn't want Sirius to get too cocky.
Though Remus was trying to be lazy, the thought of all the research he had left to do made him feel panicked. There wasn't enough time for him to be gallivanting around the lake with Sirius. He was on a strict schedule. Just then, Sirius splashed him with some water, and Remus' eyes snapped open.
"Stop thinking," Sirius ordered, staring at him pointedly.
"Are you reading my mind?"
In an impulsive move, Remus grabbed Sirius' head and yanked him under the surface. Sirius squawked and came up spluttering, his wavy black hair plastered over his eyes. Remus burst out laughing at the sight, the sound echoing through the starry night. Sirius tried to glare at him, but his eyes were still covered with his hair.
Still laughing, Remus reached up to push Sirius' hair out of his eyes, slowly uncovering them.
Suddenly, the air between them seemed to change; it became evident when Sirius' gaze turned heated, his pupils dilating. Remus swallowed, unable to look away. Sirius inched closer, gripping Remus' waist tighter as he tilted his head up towards the brunet.
Heat rose from Remus' stomach to his chest as Sirius' lips got closer, and his heart skipped a beat. His lips parted, and Sirius' presence washed over him like a wave of warmth. Their lips finally met, and Remus' toes curled, the kiss dampening all his senses as Sirius' taste—combined with the sweet wine—nearly silenced all thoughts.
Remus' whole body tingled; the feel of Sirius' frame pressing against his as his own arms wound around the shorter boy's felt forbidden. Sirius pulled him in, claiming his mouth, hungry and intense until Remus' knees gave in. By the time Remus became aware of his fingers, they had already slipped under Sirius' cotton shirt, trailing over the smooth skin beneath them and warmed by the radiating heat. It was unlike anything Remus had ever felt before.
At that moment, nothing else existed for the couple as they tried to bring the other even closer.
When they finally parted for some much-needed air, Sirius' chest heaved as he choked out, "This wasn't part of the nonsense, was it?"
Remus shyly smiled, his ears turning red as Sirius cupped his face. "No, no, it wasn't."
Sirius beamed.
Remus' heart soared when Sirius pulled him down for another kiss. This time, it was both lazy and sweet, the taste of the wine intermingling with Sirius' own sweetness. Remus' shoulders relaxed as the feeling of languorous satisfaction washed over him.
Though he'd had a crush on Sirius since his third year, Remus hadn't ever expected to have a chance with him. But now that Sirius had him in his arms, Remus knew he wasn't going to let go so easily.
When they parted, Remus sighed and kept his eyes closed. The soothing warmth of Sirius' body radiated through his shirt, and Remus couldn't help but smile.
"Come swim with me," Sirius said, tugging on Remus' hand. He leaned back into the water, his hair almost floating on the surface, and Remus followed his lead.
The water was cool and refreshing as it rippled around them. They bathed in the soft light of the moon, and for once, Remus didn't hate the large, almost full, silver orb hanging overhead. He breathed out softly as he gazed up at the starry sky, and Sirius reached out to entwine their fingers, his palm smooth against Remus' calloused hand.
They floated peacefully on the shimmering surface, neither of them wanting to be anywhere else at the moment. Remus suddenly remembered a fact he had read long ago, and he couldn't stop himself from sharing it with Sirius.
"Did you know otters hold hands when they're sleeping so that they don't float away from each other?"
Sirius hummed and lightly kicked his feet, splashing Remus' legs. "That's cute. I don't blame them—if I were an otter, I'd do the same with you."
Remus' face reddened, but he remained silent.
A few moments later, Sirius murmured, "Hey, Moony…"
"Yeah?" Remus lazily gazed up at the stars and counted them.
"Do you want to be my significant otter?"
Remus laughed, but his stomach backflipped at the question. "Okay," he whispered, squeezing Sirius' hand, and Sirius squeezed back.
Later, when they returned to their dorm room, the almost-empty bottle of wine dangling from Sirius' fingers, Remus climbed straight into his bed, his previous worries forgotten for the time being. His limbs were lethargic, his head slightly fuzzy with the tart yet sweet wine they had consumed, and his heart was full of affection.
Sirius quickly climbed in with him, scooting down so he could place his head in Remus' lap.
"Now, don't you dare try to study tonight," Sirius warned him, his grey eyes narrowed in on Remus' form.
Truthfully, Remus hadn't even thought about it, and he answered, "I won't."
"Good." Sirius shifted onto his side and wrapped his arm around Remus' waist, burying his face in Remus' abdomen. "You're so warm," he murmured, a goofy smile playing on his lips.
"All the better to cuddle you with," Remus said, snickering at the reference he had just made.
Sirius chuckled, the soft sound reverberating through Remus' belly. "Go to sleep, my Big Bad Wolf."
"Okay," Remus whispered, running his fingers through Sirius' hair.
But try as he might, Remus just couldn't fall asleep. His limbs were heavy and so were his eyes, but something was still keeping him up. He sighed and used his wand to Summon the bottle of wine.
He slowly sipped on it, letting the tartness of the grapes and sweetness of the raspberries and vanilla notes mingle on his tongue before swallowing. He caught sight of his books and parchments strewn across the desk nearby, and a pang of guilt rushed through his chest. I really should be studying for the exam...
But then he looked down at Sirius, who was fast asleep, and his resolve wavered. When Sirius hummed and tightened his arms, Remus smiled and continued to stroke Sirius' hair, loving its softness and sheer volume.
Who'd rather study Transfiguration when Sirius Black was sleeping in their lap?
Remus shook his head and continued petting Sirius' hair, his heart melting at the look of absolute peace on his boyfriend's face.
Boyfriend...
Sirius is my boyfriend.
With that thought firmly in mind, Remus closed his eyes and fell asleep.
The next morning, James rushed around the dorm room, trying to get sorted for class. He noticed the curtains were still drawn around Remus' bed. He hurried over and peeked inside.
The two boys lay curled up together, their arms wrapped firmly around each other. Sirius' leg was thrown over Remus' hip, the sight both innocent and indecent.
Just then, Remus slowly squinted his eyes open, his brow furrowed as he tilted his head to look at James.
James raised an eyebrow at the two but didn't comment. It wasn't his place, after all, and if they were happy, who was he to say anything?
"Sirius got you to finally relax then, huh?" James said, looking at Sirius, who was still fast asleep.
"Guess he did, yeah," Remus whispered, a small smile playing on his lips. He made little circles on Sirius' hip, his eyes still glazed.
"Are you two coming or what? We've got Divination first thing after breakfast," James said, but he had a feeling what Remus was about to say.
"Nah, think we're just going to have a lazy day."
James chuckled but nodded, drawing the curtains shut again and leaving the couple to curl up and go back to sleep.