The Houses Competition (or THC)
House: Hufflepuff
Class: Herbology
Category (Standard), Prompt(s) chosen: Sneaking Around, I Know You
Word Count: 2,490
Disclaimers, triggers (which would make it a high T - abuse, non-canon death): Warnings are for teenage boys and their strong language and foul mouths, but nothing's ever explicitly described
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'You're not going to be expelled, you're not going to get chucked in Azkaban!' Remus kept chanting to himself as he shuffled along up the secret passage. 'Sirius does it all the time without getting caught,' he scolded himself as he turned back for the fifth time, further delaying his absence and taking twice as long. The trip would have likely been over by now if he would stop over thinking everything! 'Just because you're doing something minorly illegal and against school rules isn't the end of the world!' He wished Sirius were here, but that would kind of ruin the point of surprising him with something new for once. He'd been toying with the idea on and off all week to ask Prongs to do this with him, but James would laugh himself stupid because he knew Moony didn't need their help with this; he was more familiar with the Muggle world than them! Prongs would inevitably tell Sirius before he got the chance anyways so finally he'd impulsively come here at the worst time possible, of course, probably earning a detention later!
'Just because Sirius did it first didn't mean I couldn't do it better, right?' He groaned at his own stupidity, smacked his head against the dirt wall and forced himself to take off at a run to quit hesitating already, finally bursting out into Hogsmeade gasping for breath as if he were actually in fear for his life. He was very grateful he was alone so nobody could see how pathetic he was.
"Stop that," he scolded himself. "Just having some fun." He so rarely did something like this without one of the other Marauders around, but he couldn't blame his behavior on them forever. Soon he was ducking in between buildings and had his own little triumphant grin on his face for his little bit of mischief as he imagined King's Cross Station and twisted into thin air. Platform 9 ¾ was deserted, of course, being the middle of the school year, but now the greater world of London was open to him from a discreet exit point and he was beaming at his own genius already, doubting Sirius had enough subtlety in his life to have pulled that location off when he illegally apparated into the Muggle world to buy the things he snuck back into school. It certainly wouldn't surprise him if he just talked his way out of appearing in the middle of the street at any rate.
His little trip was made all the better when Padfoot was beside himself with jealousy. Moony refused to tell him where he'd been and he was actually smug and even more pleased with himself Sirius wasn't going to see this coming as he kept his mouth shut about it all day.
"Just a hint?!" He was pleading in the common room as Lily and Peter sat down. "I'll sew my mouth to your knob for a whole weekend, just tell me!"
Remus went scarlet. James sat right beside him circling potion ingredients at random on his homework assignment and ignored them.
"One of these days I'm going to collect all of the drool you create, that I have to wake up in, and drown you in it," Remus groaned in response.
"Is that a threat or a promise?" Sirius laughed in delight.
"I worry about them," Lily told her boyfriend.
He scoffed as he began rooting around in her bag for her notes. "Please, those two wouldn't know what domestic bliss was if it bit them on the arse."
"Probably because they'd enjoy it," Peter agreed, only causing the most minor of distractions as Sirius flipped them off and Remus, pretending to go back to his own studying, kicked Padfoot under the table any time he tried feeling him up.
Remus held out all the way traveling along their favorite seventh floor corridor. The room they conjured up was old hat to them at this point, and they were sure they weren't the only couple who did it. This little mystery spot that could supply a room with a one way door, and as large a bed as they wanted. Their personal touches were likely originals, the thick, soft red carpet, the scarlet bedding.
"I love it when you get rotten on me!" Sirius laughed in delight and ran in first, turning on the spot to watch him hopefully now as Moony kept playing with the sleeves of his robes nervously but grinning as he hid his prize in his rucksack. He set it carefully on the ground, and cleared his throat the second Sirius shifted his weight so he couldn't launch at it.
"I'll tell you if you catch me." Remus grinned and took a tantalizing step to the side.
Sirius's eyes widened so much in surprise it should have been insulting; there was zero secret of who would win this, but Padfoot took to the challenge regardless and even crouched eagerly in place as Remus took off.
It wasn't a large room, and Moony had no doubts Sirius was going easy on him as Padfoot jogged lightly at best, but both were snickering and jumping to the side, his boyfriend making wide sweeping gestures with his arms and barking his enjoyment as Remus ducked under them. The game only ended when Moony started to slow due to the burn of his muscles. Sirius finally launched himself at him properly, the two tumbling together to the plush ground and still laughing as Remus valiantly attempted to fight back, elbowing him and shifting just enough that Padfoot still had to roll before settling atop his prize.
"Come on, love." Sirius wasn't even winded, and Remus's chest was stuttering as he grabbed Sirius's legs and ran his hands up and down his calves in wonderment. He leaned up and kissed him in pure delight and Sirius only pecked him back as his eyes strayed longingly to the secret.
"Okay," he sighed, "let me up." He squeezed his legs one more time.
"That wasn't the deal," Sirius pouted, putting one hand over his own heart in betrayal, the other over Remus's, which was still thundering along.
"Marauder's swear." Remus didn't want to wait anymore either. "I'm going straight over there to hand it to you!" Padfoot was still huffing and muttering about traitors as he got up, so Moony took his hand and dragged him eagerly. Sirius was smiling again already even as he flipped open his bag and set the radio in his hand.
Sirius beamed at the Muggle contraption he didn't recognize even before Remus began to explain. "Your wireless won't work in here, and um, I wanted to dance with you tonight." He smiled as he stepped forward and brushed at his hair. His boyfriend as always leaned into the touch, fiddling with the knobs in fascination. "I know it's no sex toy and I'm lame, but—"
Padfoot snatched his tie and wrapped it threateningly around his hand as he leaned in clutching the prize to his chest.
Remus laughed and corrected himself. "I know you and the gifts you'd actually want from me."
"That's my Moony." Sirius leaned in the rest of the way and kissed him fiercely before leaning back and eagerly demanding Remus show him how it worked.
They were dancing calmly after the twelfth song, no fast craziness or slow ballads, just revolving casually on the spot and snickering at their prize still when Remus casually asked, "did you know her name?"
"Hmm?" Sirius asked absently, still in time with the lyrics.
"The girl with the necklace?" Remus asked softly enough he wouldn't miss a beat.
Padfoot had been loitering outside the girl's bathroom waiting for Alice to come out when he saw it happen, the little fourth year asking the unknown bloke eagerly, "want to meet up in Hogsmeade?"
He'd smiled and reached out to touch her on the hip very forwardly as he said, "yeah, I know a great little spot we can get lost in."
She blushed scarlet and stuttered her correction, "no, I um, I meant like a date."
"Oh," his enthusiasm dropped at once, he cleared his throat and then told her bluntly as he pulled his hand back, "sorry, um, not my thing."
"Ah," she tried so hard to keep that smile up as she nodded. "Um, okay, thanks for being honest."
"Yeah." He looked a little sad himself to be turning her down as he walked off, but that didn't stop the way her head bowed and she gave an uneasy little sigh of disappointment.
Sirius's heart broke for the poor thing, and he finally corrected his own past of doing that one too many times as he went up to her with a cheerful smile. "That's a lovely necklace."
That's when Remus had backed up the corridor, out of sight, to begin his trip with a smile for what his boyfriend had done, vanishing those red rimmed eyes.
She turned in confusion and brightened at the compliment, touching the cord. "Thanks!" Then her eyes widened in shock to see who she was talking to, but Sirius kept up the candid, mild flattery and charmed her into a sweet laugh as Alice finally came out and took his arm to lead him off. "Shame about my boyfriend." He gave one last long, exaggerated sigh as she laughed again. "I'd take you up on that!"
"Laying it on a little thick there, aren't we?" Alice scolded with her own snicker, Sirius still flirted with her like that.
"Everyone needs a confidence boost." He shrugged remorselessly.
"I did not, no," Sirius was grinning in surprise that he'd been caught. "Found us on the map? Alice tell you?"
"Saw it," he corrected as he pressed his face into his shoulder. "Have I mentioned how much I love you?"
"Frequently, it never grows old." Sirius hummed in delight, before brightening all the more for a song coming on repeat already and he recognized it! A real Muggle tune! He turned in Remus's arms, making him splutter and laugh as he began humming along in delight and half-grinding on him.
The full moon had them on a rather predictable cycle. At this point in the month it was only fifty fifty if Remus would want to sleep with him tonight, and Padfoot never tried to tease another answer out of him.
"Do you miss it?" Remus asked as he wrapped his arms around his stomach and leaned into him, only a tad remorseful to make him stop as he enjoyed his distraction of still working on memorizing the lyrics with all his concentration. This time next week Padfoot could walk around this room to catch him. "The thrill of not knowing if you were getting turned down this time?" He so rarely told Sirius no, they both well knew; but his boyfriend wouldn't even ask for this in just a few days' time. He'd be in here by himself, Remus too exhausted to do more than sleep and be passably functional. "Flexing those flirting skills?" Padfoot was already shifting his weight under him to be free, Remus started playing with the black strands of his hair and tightened his arms for just a moment.
Sirius pulled away, turned on the spot, and slammed against him without warning, back where they started.
"I know you weren't," Remus corrected, neither head nor back hurting from the soft landing. He'd hoped the gift and making sure Sirius knew he was speaking past tense would assuage any doubts on his part as he curled his hands behind his knees while Padfoot stared down at him, "I was just...curious."
His boyfriend released his shoulders and began playing gently with his hair, brushing at the silver bangs. "I learned a new word today," he said practically, shifting his weight around as he looked into those green eyes; the golden flecks stood out like troves of treasure for him to find. "Misnomer. Alice used it on how something was classified in Herbology, she lost points with Sprout for arguing it with her in class."
Remus snickered and shifted his weight with him as he imagined it, smiling himself as he started to feel the warmth of his pressure.
"Made me think of something," he added as he leaned farther forward, his long hair folding a bit in the carpet around them, "that saying I liked; can't teach an old dog new tricks. Muggles are so silly, of course you can! He'll still remember before, but you have to find something he wants more, a better reward."
His boyfriend froze, he stopped pressing his weight curiously against Sirius and fell on his back, Padfoot could practically feel his heart tremble with shock as he leaned down and pressed their noses together. "I love chasing you Moony." Then he grasped his chin and kissed him.
It was in the familiar nickname he'd hated at first and learned to love with Sirius's usual relentlessness. His boyfriend had not fallen in love with him because he was the exact opposite of what his parents would want and some dangerous creature he could vicariously claim some semblance of control over. Padfoot adored his mouth, he'd told him repeatedly, that snark he only graced his friends with, the verbal sparring they did near constantly at all hours no matter what else was going on. Sirius had fallen in love with him back when he realized he could lose Remus as just a hook up and made the decision for himself he wanted more.
Remus hooked his hand on the back of his neck and was more than pleased for both of them to feel his blood rush south as he leaned up eagerly to kiss him.
When they woke up Sirius would somehow have rolled back on top of him in his sleep, Padfoot would probably be in the mood again and offer him a little something extra to see if he was as well. Maybe it would work, and maybe Remus would sheepishly say, 'would you hate me if I said, not right now?'
Sirius would just smile and play along as he lied that he'd only been teasing, responding with, 'would you still love me if I agreed?' They'd whine and swat at each other for being sweaty and gross while holding hands back to the tower. Sirius always got the first shower and Remus just grabbed a fresh uniform before going down to the Prefects bathroom and leaning into each other the rest of the day.