December 23 ½-- Best Deceptions
"This is how it's going down: whoever can get into Remus' bed first—with him in it and lets you in willingly—wins."
"That's a little, uh, comfy."
"That's how it's gonna be. Don't like it, then you forfeit."
"Fine. I'm in."
"Me too."
"Me three."
"Good...let's begin..."
----Earlier---
"So, as I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted..."
"Blah, blah, blah. That's all you do James, is just blah." Sirius waved his fork and pointed it at the messy haired boy. "No one wants to hear at this table how you'll capture Lily's heart, 'cause you won't."
"I think he's romantic." Marie countered, grinning at James. "He knows what he wants and he goes after it. I bet you'll win her over. Just give her some time."
Remus rolled his eyes. "Doubt that'll happen." Sirius coughed on his food while laughing.
"Me either." Nicolas joined. "You need to be a girl just to be noticed by them."
Sirius scrunched up his face in disgust. "That was the dumbest thing I ever heard." Nicolas' eyes widened and Remus' went into a fit of giggles.
"How about," Joseph suggested, "that we talk about tomorrow. I'm sure Sirius and James would like to know about traditions on Christmas Eve."
"Ah, yes." Remus nodded his head. "We get drunk on expensive wine and fall over everything, breaking all the glass—that's why there's none out right now—and then..."
"The truth Remus." His mother scolded.
"Ah...the boring story." Remus cleared his throat for a show. "We get drunk, but usually just fall over each other." Remus smiled at his mother.
"Try again."
Remus frowned. "Singing and hanging around by the fireplace." His mother smiled her approval. "But we still get drunk." Her smiled turned upside down. James and Sirius laughed heartily. Remus was in a really good mood today, compared to the past couple of days.
After dinner everyone went there separate ways. Some guests came over, but Remus took his friends away and hid in the study.
"Why are we hiding, again?" Sirius asked nonchalantly, while glancing at the books on the shelves.
"They're on the list of my pains of Christmas." Remus replied sitting on a desk and flipping open a magazine.
"So they're the Doors, Leaves, Aims, and Blanks?" Sirius questioned.
"Dorsets, Lefebvres, Ames, Blancs, Laurents, and Bournes." Remus corrected.
"Oh, well, let's get technical." Sirius pulled his eyes away from the books and walked over to James. He whispered, "Occupy him."
James looked at him questioningly. "Why?"
"Because, I need to help him out with his L-B-Z problem." Sirius sneaked out of the study without drawing Remus' attention. He could hear James talking loudly to Remus about quidditch and who should've won what. "Great," Sirius whispered to himself, "Talk about something he'll enjoy, idiot."
"HEY! WHERE YA GOING REMUS?!" James voice bellowed. "NAH! YOU DON'T NEED TO FIND HIM! HE JUST WENT TO THE LOO!"
"Way to stay cool, James." Sirius shook his head in disbelief and quickly climbed the stairs to a certain someone's room.
Sirius knocked on the third door on the right. A small voice said, "Open."
Sirius cracked the door open and stuck his head inside. "Hello there." The young boy inside looked at him crazily.
"Sirilu!"
"Yeah, actually, that's Sirius..." The boy jumped down from his bed and hopped over to Sirius. He was as tall as Sirius' waist, so the boy craned his neck upward.
"Does Sirilu want to play with me?" His high voice pierced through the room like a needle.
Without trying to offend the boy, Sirius casually stuck his fingers in his ears. "Actually, I needed a favor from you and possibly that little girlfriend of yours."
"EWE! Girlfriend?! Girls are ucky."
"Have you been talking with Nicolas?"
"No, he's a stoopyhead."
"Agreed. But do you mind doing me a favor, Philip?" Sirius squatted down so he was face to face with Philip.
"Sure. What does you want?"
"I need you and your friend, Claire, to distract some people."
"OHHHH! Fun! Who?"
"Lara, Brigitte, and Zoe. Oh, and James too."
"Ha! Too easy!" Philip jumped up in the air and started speaking immediately in French.
"Hey, simmer down now." Sirius grabbed hold of Philip's arm and pulled him close. "I need you to start in an hour.... You do know what an hour is right? You're older than that right?"
"I'm nine."
"Oh...So you know time."
"Yes."
"Well then." Sirius straightened up. "In an hour I better not see Lara, Brigitte, Zoe, and James unless you're chasing them or something."
"When do I stop?"
"Make sure to keep them occupied throughout the night."
"Okay! This is gonna be soooo much fun! I'm gonna go tell Claire, she has these really neat color changers..." Philip bounded from the room.
"Sounds like me." Sirius chuckled. "Step one: accomplished."
Sirius knocked on another door and patiently waited outside.
"Coming!"
The click of several locks clinked and the door was thrown open. "Sirius!" Lara bounded from her room and squeezed Sirius tight. "What brings you up here?"
"I had a little plan for you."
Lara's blue eyes sparkled. "A plan? Involving what?"
"Remus."
"I like that..."
"I will explain things, but I need Brigitte and Zoe here too."
"What? Why them?"
"So I don't have to explain things again and again."
"Fine. I'll get them." Sirius moved out of the way so she could pass, but she didn't move. "BRIGITTE! ZOE! COME HERE!"
Two doors opened and out came two equally baffled girls. They spit angry words at Lara, but quit when they saw the handsome man standing beside her.
"He wants to tell us something." Lara explained.
"Oh." The sisters said in unison.
"I'm just going to come right out and say it." Sirius made a show of clearing his throat. "Remus likes someone in this hallway, and I'm not saying who, but I have a contest for you three."
The girls glanced at each other anxiously.
"This is how it's going down: whoever can get into Remus' bed first—with him in it and lets you in willingly—wins." Sirius explained.
"That's a little, uh, comfy." Brigitte commented.
"That's how it's gonna be. Don't like it, then you forfeit."
"Fine. I'm in."
"Me too." Lara agreed.
"Me three." Zoe added.
Sirius' mischievous glint came back in his sky blue eyes. "Good...let's begin..."
"That was a long time in the restroom, Padfoot." Remus commented, not even glancing in Sirius' direction.
"I got lost...Speaking of lost, where is James."
Remus pointed to a door."He annoyed the hell out of me...So, naturally, I locked him in a closet."
"HELP ME!!!" A muffled cry bellowed.
"Sorry, Prongs, but you probably deserved it." Sirius called back. "I think he should stay in there for a while."
"So do I." Remus closed the book he was reading. "Just for further notice, if you ever start a conversation with 'werewolves rock' you'll end up just like him."
"Werewolves rock?"
"You would've had to have been there."
"Sooooo....Moony....Wanna get outta here?" Sirius offered.
"From James? Of course I do." Remus stood next to Sirius. "Where to?"
"I haven't been outside."
"It's cold."
"So." Sirius grinned. "I'll keep you warm." Sirius made to put his arm around Remus' shoulder.
"Touch me and die." Remus stalked off, Sirius at his heels. Together, they gathered their cloaks and treaded through the soft snow.
"How long should we let James suffer?" Remus asked staring into the empty sky.
"Couple of hours should do him some good. Besides it's better than what he would've gotten."
"Would've gotten?"
"Don't ask."
"Uh huh."
Sirius carefully closed the distance between himself and Remus and soon their shoulders collided, and Remus didn't kill him...at least not yet. /He may later/.
"For one house, this is a lot of land." Sirius noted.
"Sixty-two acres, all trees."
"Lots of hiding places."
"Indeed... I know all the good ones too."
Sirius was hit with an idea. "How about some hide-and-seek?
Remus' eyebrow arched. "What are we? Five?"
"It'll be fun. Since you know the land better you can seek first."
"Okay..."
"But if you don't find me in...let's say, a half hour, be scared for my life."
"Gotcha. Thirty minutes and pray for your death."
"NO! Don't pray for it! Pray against it!"
"Oh, right." Remus turned around and started to count. Sirius silently laughed and hid behind the nearest tree.
"I don't remember what you say when your done counting." Remus shouted. "But I am...so..." He turned around and looked through the trees. He started walking in the wrong direction, looking behind and up every tree.
Remus kept getting farther and farther away and Sirius wouldn't allow that. Hiding behind oaks as he went, he caught up with the wandering figure.
"I hear you, Padfoot." Remus turned around quickly, but Sirius concealed himself behind the tree once again. Spinning around again, Remus continued searching for his companion, who all the while kept getting closer.
Getting colder by the second, Sirius decided it was time to end the game. As quietly as he could he sneaked up behind Remus and engulfed him in his arms.
"HEY!" Remus shouted. "I thought I was the one who was supposed to catch you!"
"You're slow." Sirius rested his head on Remus' shoulder. "I am really supposed to believe that you didn't know I was following you?"
"Uh, ya..." Remus' voice hitched. "I, um, didn't know."
"Right..." Sirius put his lips next to Remus' jaw. "You couldn't hear or smell me?"
"Uh...n..n..no."
"I see." Sirius twisted Remus around their faces inches apart. "I think you're lying."
"I may have...um, scented you a few times...but, uh, not always...There's just so many scents in the forest...can't keep them straight..." His voice was higher than normal.
"Earlier you said that if I touched you I would die...So will you kill me after this?"
"After wha—"Sirius closed the space between them, and kissed Remus tenderly. Sirius let up after seconds flew by and studied Remus' expression that was utterly shocked. Sirius backed away giving Remus his space. When Remus didn't say anything, Sirius took that as rejection.
"I'm going to go and let James out." Sirius walked away feeling hurt. He ignored the falling footsteps behind him and kept walking. Sirius didn't really feel like talking or anything else right at the moment.
But you have to give your attention when someone slams you against a tree.
"Quit running away."
And that was all that was said before Remus claimed Sirius lips with his own.
"AHHHHH!!! GET HIM AWAY!" Several slams erupted in the hallway. "PHILIP I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"
"MY HAIR IS PINK!"
"WELL MINE IS GREEN!"
"YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS PHILIP AND CLAIRE!"
"What the hell is going on?" Remus asked safely inside his room.
"Oh, I'm guessing Philip turned the girls' hair different colors." Sirius smirked.
"Sounds like something you'd do."
"Does it now?"
Remus bent down and kissed Sirius briefly, "Yes, it does... You don't have anything to do with it, do you?"
"Of course not!" Sirius grinned. "I never told Philip and Claire to turn anyone's hair a different color."
"Uh huh."
"It's late. Let them deal with it." Sirius pulled Remus down into bed with him. No more than five minutes went by until Remus fell asleep.
"Guess I win." Sirius murmured before sleep claimed him as well.
"This is how it's going down: whoever can get into Remus' bed first—with him in it and lets you in willingly—wins."
"That's a little, uh, comfy."
"That's how it's gonna be. Don't like it, then you forfeit."
"Fine. I'm in."
"Me too."
"Me three."
"Good...let's begin..."
----Earlier---
"So, as I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted..."
"Blah, blah, blah. That's all you do James, is just blah." Sirius waved his fork and pointed it at the messy haired boy. "No one wants to hear at this table how you'll capture Lily's heart, 'cause you won't."
"I think he's romantic." Marie countered, grinning at James. "He knows what he wants and he goes after it. I bet you'll win her over. Just give her some time."
Remus rolled his eyes. "Doubt that'll happen." Sirius coughed on his food while laughing.
"Me either." Nicolas joined. "You need to be a girl just to be noticed by them."
Sirius scrunched up his face in disgust. "That was the dumbest thing I ever heard." Nicolas' eyes widened and Remus' went into a fit of giggles.
"How about," Joseph suggested, "that we talk about tomorrow. I'm sure Sirius and James would like to know about traditions on Christmas Eve."
"Ah, yes." Remus nodded his head. "We get drunk on expensive wine and fall over everything, breaking all the glass—that's why there's none out right now—and then..."
"The truth Remus." His mother scolded.
"Ah...the boring story." Remus cleared his throat for a show. "We get drunk, but usually just fall over each other." Remus smiled at his mother.
"Try again."
Remus frowned. "Singing and hanging around by the fireplace." His mother smiled her approval. "But we still get drunk." Her smiled turned upside down. James and Sirius laughed heartily. Remus was in a really good mood today, compared to the past couple of days.
After dinner everyone went there separate ways. Some guests came over, but Remus took his friends away and hid in the study.
"Why are we hiding, again?" Sirius asked nonchalantly, while glancing at the books on the shelves.
"They're on the list of my pains of Christmas." Remus replied sitting on a desk and flipping open a magazine.
"So they're the Doors, Leaves, Aims, and Blanks?" Sirius questioned.
"Dorsets, Lefebvres, Ames, Blancs, Laurents, and Bournes." Remus corrected.
"Oh, well, let's get technical." Sirius pulled his eyes away from the books and walked over to James. He whispered, "Occupy him."
James looked at him questioningly. "Why?"
"Because, I need to help him out with his L-B-Z problem." Sirius sneaked out of the study without drawing Remus' attention. He could hear James talking loudly to Remus about quidditch and who should've won what. "Great," Sirius whispered to himself, "Talk about something he'll enjoy, idiot."
"HEY! WHERE YA GOING REMUS?!" James voice bellowed. "NAH! YOU DON'T NEED TO FIND HIM! HE JUST WENT TO THE LOO!"
"Way to stay cool, James." Sirius shook his head in disbelief and quickly climbed the stairs to a certain someone's room.
Sirius knocked on the third door on the right. A small voice said, "Open."
Sirius cracked the door open and stuck his head inside. "Hello there." The young boy inside looked at him crazily.
"Sirilu!"
"Yeah, actually, that's Sirius..." The boy jumped down from his bed and hopped over to Sirius. He was as tall as Sirius' waist, so the boy craned his neck upward.
"Does Sirilu want to play with me?" His high voice pierced through the room like a needle.
Without trying to offend the boy, Sirius casually stuck his fingers in his ears. "Actually, I needed a favor from you and possibly that little girlfriend of yours."
"EWE! Girlfriend?! Girls are ucky."
"Have you been talking with Nicolas?"
"No, he's a stoopyhead."
"Agreed. But do you mind doing me a favor, Philip?" Sirius squatted down so he was face to face with Philip.
"Sure. What does you want?"
"I need you and your friend, Claire, to distract some people."
"OHHHH! Fun! Who?"
"Lara, Brigitte, and Zoe. Oh, and James too."
"Ha! Too easy!" Philip jumped up in the air and started speaking immediately in French.
"Hey, simmer down now." Sirius grabbed hold of Philip's arm and pulled him close. "I need you to start in an hour.... You do know what an hour is right? You're older than that right?"
"I'm nine."
"Oh...So you know time."
"Yes."
"Well then." Sirius straightened up. "In an hour I better not see Lara, Brigitte, Zoe, and James unless you're chasing them or something."
"When do I stop?"
"Make sure to keep them occupied throughout the night."
"Okay! This is gonna be soooo much fun! I'm gonna go tell Claire, she has these really neat color changers..." Philip bounded from the room.
"Sounds like me." Sirius chuckled. "Step one: accomplished."
Sirius knocked on another door and patiently waited outside.
"Coming!"
The click of several locks clinked and the door was thrown open. "Sirius!" Lara bounded from her room and squeezed Sirius tight. "What brings you up here?"
"I had a little plan for you."
Lara's blue eyes sparkled. "A plan? Involving what?"
"Remus."
"I like that..."
"I will explain things, but I need Brigitte and Zoe here too."
"What? Why them?"
"So I don't have to explain things again and again."
"Fine. I'll get them." Sirius moved out of the way so she could pass, but she didn't move. "BRIGITTE! ZOE! COME HERE!"
Two doors opened and out came two equally baffled girls. They spit angry words at Lara, but quit when they saw the handsome man standing beside her.
"He wants to tell us something." Lara explained.
"Oh." The sisters said in unison.
"I'm just going to come right out and say it." Sirius made a show of clearing his throat. "Remus likes someone in this hallway, and I'm not saying who, but I have a contest for you three."
The girls glanced at each other anxiously.
"This is how it's going down: whoever can get into Remus' bed first—with him in it and lets you in willingly—wins." Sirius explained.
"That's a little, uh, comfy." Brigitte commented.
"That's how it's gonna be. Don't like it, then you forfeit."
"Fine. I'm in."
"Me too." Lara agreed.
"Me three." Zoe added.
Sirius' mischievous glint came back in his sky blue eyes. "Good...let's begin..."
"That was a long time in the restroom, Padfoot." Remus commented, not even glancing in Sirius' direction.
"I got lost...Speaking of lost, where is James."
Remus pointed to a door."He annoyed the hell out of me...So, naturally, I locked him in a closet."
"HELP ME!!!" A muffled cry bellowed.
"Sorry, Prongs, but you probably deserved it." Sirius called back. "I think he should stay in there for a while."
"So do I." Remus closed the book he was reading. "Just for further notice, if you ever start a conversation with 'werewolves rock' you'll end up just like him."
"Werewolves rock?"
"You would've had to have been there."
"Sooooo....Moony....Wanna get outta here?" Sirius offered.
"From James? Of course I do." Remus stood next to Sirius. "Where to?"
"I haven't been outside."
"It's cold."
"So." Sirius grinned. "I'll keep you warm." Sirius made to put his arm around Remus' shoulder.
"Touch me and die." Remus stalked off, Sirius at his heels. Together, they gathered their cloaks and treaded through the soft snow.
"How long should we let James suffer?" Remus asked staring into the empty sky.
"Couple of hours should do him some good. Besides it's better than what he would've gotten."
"Would've gotten?"
"Don't ask."
"Uh huh."
Sirius carefully closed the distance between himself and Remus and soon their shoulders collided, and Remus didn't kill him...at least not yet. /He may later/.
"For one house, this is a lot of land." Sirius noted.
"Sixty-two acres, all trees."
"Lots of hiding places."
"Indeed... I know all the good ones too."
Sirius was hit with an idea. "How about some hide-and-seek?
Remus' eyebrow arched. "What are we? Five?"
"It'll be fun. Since you know the land better you can seek first."
"Okay..."
"But if you don't find me in...let's say, a half hour, be scared for my life."
"Gotcha. Thirty minutes and pray for your death."
"NO! Don't pray for it! Pray against it!"
"Oh, right." Remus turned around and started to count. Sirius silently laughed and hid behind the nearest tree.
"I don't remember what you say when your done counting." Remus shouted. "But I am...so..." He turned around and looked through the trees. He started walking in the wrong direction, looking behind and up every tree.
Remus kept getting farther and farther away and Sirius wouldn't allow that. Hiding behind oaks as he went, he caught up with the wandering figure.
"I hear you, Padfoot." Remus turned around quickly, but Sirius concealed himself behind the tree once again. Spinning around again, Remus continued searching for his companion, who all the while kept getting closer.
Getting colder by the second, Sirius decided it was time to end the game. As quietly as he could he sneaked up behind Remus and engulfed him in his arms.
"HEY!" Remus shouted. "I thought I was the one who was supposed to catch you!"
"You're slow." Sirius rested his head on Remus' shoulder. "I am really supposed to believe that you didn't know I was following you?"
"Uh, ya..." Remus' voice hitched. "I, um, didn't know."
"Right..." Sirius put his lips next to Remus' jaw. "You couldn't hear or smell me?"
"Uh...n..n..no."
"I see." Sirius twisted Remus around their faces inches apart. "I think you're lying."
"I may have...um, scented you a few times...but, uh, not always...There's just so many scents in the forest...can't keep them straight..." His voice was higher than normal.
"Earlier you said that if I touched you I would die...So will you kill me after this?"
"After wha—"Sirius closed the space between them, and kissed Remus tenderly. Sirius let up after seconds flew by and studied Remus' expression that was utterly shocked. Sirius backed away giving Remus his space. When Remus didn't say anything, Sirius took that as rejection.
"I'm going to go and let James out." Sirius walked away feeling hurt. He ignored the falling footsteps behind him and kept walking. Sirius didn't really feel like talking or anything else right at the moment.
But you have to give your attention when someone slams you against a tree.
"Quit running away."
And that was all that was said before Remus claimed Sirius lips with his own.
"AHHHHH!!! GET HIM AWAY!" Several slams erupted in the hallway. "PHILIP I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"
"MY HAIR IS PINK!"
"WELL MINE IS GREEN!"
"YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS PHILIP AND CLAIRE!"
"What the hell is going on?" Remus asked safely inside his room.
"Oh, I'm guessing Philip turned the girls' hair different colors." Sirius smirked.
"Sounds like something you'd do."
"Does it now?"
Remus bent down and kissed Sirius briefly, "Yes, it does... You don't have anything to do with it, do you?"
"Of course not!" Sirius grinned. "I never told Philip and Claire to turn anyone's hair a different color."
"Uh huh."
"It's late. Let them deal with it." Sirius pulled Remus down into bed with him. No more than five minutes went by until Remus fell asleep.
"Guess I win." Sirius murmured before sleep claimed him as well.