Assignment 11 - Unsolved Mysteries - Task #2: The Yeti/Abominable Snowman: Write a fic set during a snowstorm.
Challenges & Chill - 21. Sleigh Ride - The Ronettes - We're snuggled up together
It's okay to forget
When Sirius gets amnesia, he (wrongly) deduces that Remus is his boyfriend.
Sirius rubs his hands together, trying to stop his fingers from feeling too frozen. The broomstick is cold under his hands and he's sure his hands will freeze onto it if he doesn't let go. He can barely see with the snow falling around them, but that doesn't stop him from staying near the stands, searching for Remus.
He catches a few glimpses, barely anything, but enough to be able to tell that his best friend is laughing and joking with Gideon Prewett in the Ravenclaw stands, much to Sirius' displeasure.
He resists the urge to throw the bat at the other teen's head (not that he could reach from here) and turns his attention back to the game, trying to figure out from the noises where everyone even is. No one had expected this freak snowstorm to hit so suddenly, but with the Quidditch rules, the game had to carry on.
He shifts the bat again, glancing back towards the Ravenclaw stands. He squints, certain that he'll get a look if he goes closer, so he loops around for a better look. Before he can return, however, he hears James calling his name. He twists in the direction of his friend just in time to catch a red ball heading his way.
He grabs the Quaffle and listens for the sound of James' whistle, aware of Fabian Prewett coming up behind him. He follows the sound before dipping down towards the ground.
He hates the cold, hates the wind on his face and wishes he had something warmer than this jumper to wear. The charms Remus put on it for added warmth are not enough against the chill and the snow and Sirius can't stop shivering. He hopes their Seeker hurries up so they can finish here. He can go and sit by the fire with Remus, fingers wrapped around a nice mug of hot chocolate whilst he demands all of Remus' attention. And Gideon Prewett doesn't get a single look in.
Sirius pulls up, knowing James is following the move. They've practiced this many times now, and he knows he can do it with his eyes closed (and in the snow, which is pretty much the same thing, though more distracting) and he chucks the ball towards his friend. He sees a glint of maroon through the snow and knows at least one team-mate is in that direction.
"Yes!" he hears James exclaim as he gets the ball, and Sirius grins, gaining height. He sees the royal blue of the Ravenclaw stand and grins, hoping Remus has seen his excellent pass and his excellent flying. He continues over, but his eyes lock with the pair almost immediately.
Remus saw nothing because his lips are locked with Gideon Prewett's, and Sirius feels a flare of anger as he slows down,, his gaze on them.
Darkness swiftly follows a pain shooting through his head. Sirius falls from the broom as a Bludger hits him straight in the back of the head, and he crashes into Fabian Prewett who was unlucky enough to be underneath him at the time.
He feels himself falling.
He doesn't hear people screaming his name, nor does he see the panic.
There's not really much to say to this woman as she heals him and runs her tests and forces him to stay in bed. Sirius merely watches her bustling around. She, in return, watches him as though she expects him to break something or run out of the doors. He does neither.
He's bored. He assumes he's in a hospital, because where else would he be if he has no memory? He's already been told that it's been a week and that dinner will be brought up soon. He wants to sleep, but she's distracting him, but eventually she heads into her office, leaving him alone. He turns his gaze to the window and watches the snow falling heavily.
"Finally," comes a voice, and another teenager appears next to him. Sirius jumps out of his skin, almost falling from the bed.
"Ow, shit," he mutters, nursing his wrist as he bangs it against the side-table.
"Sirius, are you alright?" the teen asks, fixing his glasses and moving closer. Out of the corner of his eye, Sirius realises there is a second person there.
Sirius. That's his name then? Sirius realises he should be panicking over the fact that he didn't till this point even know that, but there's a strange numbness that he associates to the ache in his chest that is stopping the panic. Or holding it back, at least.
"James, I'll draw the curtains," the other boy says, moving to do so, and Sirius mentally makes a note of the name. James is watching, waiting for a response.
"I've been in here a week, my head hurts," Sirius offers. His voice sounds strange to him, but again, he's not sure what he even expected when he opened his mouth. He feels strangely detached from everything that is happening, as though this is happening to someone else.
"Are you alright?" the other boy says, moving forward. "Maybe you should lie down for a bit longer?"
Sirius doesn't want to be there alone. "Can you stay with me?" he asks quietly, and the boy smiles and nods. "Of course. We came to cheer you up but I have a book. You sleep, I'll read."
James smirks. "You're going to let him cuddle up to you again, aren't you, Remus?" James snickers and Sirius focuses properly on the other boy. Cuddling? Clearly this must be his boyfriend, and he's completely adorable with his beautiful, worried eyes and the way he's nibbling at his own lip. Clearly the Sirius before the accident had wonderful taste.
"I could really use a cuddle," Sirius murmurs. "Come on, Remus. James, you can go now." He heads over to the bed and climbs in, giving Remus a hopeful look.
Remus' cheeks redden as he sits down to take off his shoes. James gives Sirius a wink that would be really obvious if Sirius had a single clue what the wink could mean, and he's out of the doors again by the time Remus is taking off his cardigan.
Remus climbs into the bed, and Sirius sits there, staring at him.
"I was really worried," Remus admits. "A whole week, Sirius. I thought maybe you wouldn't wake up and—"
And whatever else is never mentioned because Sirius chooses this moment to kiss his boyfriend, and Remus' relief at Sirius being alive and awake is obvious in the intensity of his kiss, the way his long fingers desperately card through Sirius' hair and around the back of his neck.
When Remus starts to pull away, Sirius is eager to follow his lips, and as he does, it's as though Remus has changed his mind about stopping, because lips press against his once more, moving desperately as though he doesn't ever want this to end.
When they finally do part, both needing air, and Remus looking delighted, Sirius grins, reaching his hand to trail down his boyfriend's face.
He can do this. He can handle this memory loss and everything, because he'll have Remus to help him through it. But Remus has already worried enough, so Sirius won't tell him just yet.
"You're so sweet," Sirius murmurs, wondering how long they've been together. What if Remus is the only guy he's ever kissed? He wouldn't be surprised if they've been together for ages, first loves because he's sure that he's in love with Remus. "Your lips feel nice. We gotta do more of that…" he trails off as he feels his mouth stretch into a yawn. "I wanna do that with you all the time, but maybe I should sleep first." He's feeling strangely shy now. Because whilst this might all be normal for the old Sirius, it's very new for him.
"I mean, I'd like to… to do that again. We can when you wake up," Remus says, cheeks red. "I'll do some reading, come and cuddle me like you always do."
Sirius snuggles into Remus' chest, content. The world makes no sense, but it doesn't need to. He has Remus.
"I'm never going to stop," Sirius declares, as he snuggles even closer and closes his eyes. The last thing he hears before sleep overcomes him, is the sound of Remus' page turning, and he feels fingers stroking gently across his shoulder.
Sirius walks fast as he follows James around the castle. He listens to James as he talks about their last game and about the results and how they've won the Quidditch cup and about the party he missed.
Sirius' mind is only half on James. The other half is thinking about Remus. He's been missing his boyfriend since Remus left earlier. When the food arrived, Remus had insisted he go downstairs for his own food and that he needed to talk to Gideon about something important, before they can continue kissing.
Though Sirius had tried to convince Remus to stay by kissing him. It had almost worked all five times, but finally he reluctantly let Remus go, with the promise that he'll get Remus alone later, and there was just something about the way Remus looked at him as though all his dreams had come true, before he left the Hospital Wing, and Sirius had gone back to his bed for dinner.
He tries to remember the path between the Hospital Wing and the dorm in case he needs to return.
"Nevermore," James suddenly says, causing Sirius to spin around. "Oh, it's the new password," James explains. "It changed two days ago because of the party we had. All the houses were here, and…" James grins sheepishly.
"Is Remus in there?" Sirius quickly asked.
James nods as they step through the portrait and into the common room. "He's been so worried these few days," he says. "He's been sneaking into the Hospital Wing all hours to see you. He's barely slept, he's been so worried."
"Well, he doesn't need to worry anymore," Sirius says. "Me and Remus are good. He was very happy to see me awake, judging by that kiss earlier."
James raises his eyebrows. "Nice." They high-five and Sirius feels pretty proud of himself as they finally step into the common room.
"Sirius, you're awake," he hears someone call. Another voice calls his name, and then someone else moves closer. A girl with blonde curls.
"Hey Marlene," James murmurs. "Sirius is a bit tired from things—" He nudges Sirius.
"Yeah, gotta go upstairs, Remus is waiting for me," Sirius tells her, before following James to the stairs.
"Sirius!" Remus jumps up from the end bed and rushes over, stopping halfway between them. "Uh. So… you're here. What do you… should we…" his cheeks redden and Sirius isn't sure about where this is going. Maybe Remus wants to get back to that wonderful kissing?
Sirius just takes his hand, ignores James and the other stranger in the room, and takes him over to his own bed again.
"Shall we continue where we left off?" Sirius asks, and Remus can only nod.
.
Snogging is most excellent, but Sirius craves more of Remus. Everything. His lips press against Remus' neck, and Remus tilts his head enticingly, allowing him to do whatever he wants. Remus' fingers slip underneath Sirius' pyjama top.
He has no memories of Remus, but there's just something about his amber eyes that make Sirius' heart race, that cause butterflies in his stomach and make him want to say the most stupid things. Remus is precious and beautiful, and so talented with his lips.
"Sirius, can I…" Remus asks, as Sirius' own fingers slide under Remus' t-shirt pushing it up. It feels natural - has he done this before? Probably with Remus. Of course with Remus, why would he want anyone else?
"Yeah, course," Sirius murmurs. "Whatever you want."
Sirius pushes Remus' t-shirt up, and with a bit of shifting around, both t-shirts get thrown to the side, and Remus' fingers pull at his trousers for a moment, before he starts to push them down. Sirius is eager to strip Remus, but he can't help but feel quite nervous. "I can't believe this is happening," Remus murmurs.
Sirius can't believe it either. "So… have you done this before?" Sirius finds himself asking, because he's not sure what he's doing himself. It's like he's going through familiar motions, but he has no memories to back them up.
Remus pulls away suddenly. "I have," he murmurs, looking at Sirius strangely.
"Oh. Good," Sirius says. "With me?"
Remus slowly shakes his head, frowning now. "Not with you," he murmurs. "Sirius… what's going on?"
"I…" Sirius frowns a little. "Nothing, kissing is nice, yeah? Let's do more!"
Remus shakes his head slowly and he grabs his t-shirt, pulling it over his head. Sirius doesn't point out that it's actually Sirius' t-shirt, or that it's inside out. He just stares trying to figure out what's happening. The curtains are opened and James lets out a groan.
"What did he do?" James asks. The question is aimed at Remus, meaning that he's talking about Sirius.
"Oi? What makes you think I did something?" Sirius gripes.
"James, there's something wrong with him," Remus says. "Look." He turns to Sirius and Sirius smiles widely at his boyfriend.
"Look, everything is fine," he says, reassuringly. "It's fine, why don't you believe me? What on Earth did I say wrong?"
"Sirius, when's the next full moon," Remus says.
"Uh…" Sirius takes a moment, his eyes darting to the window as he tries to figure it out, and he can feel a tension in the silence.
James scrambles from the bed. "Mate, you have the dates memorised, what's going on?"
Sirius shrugs. "People forget things," he mutters. "Drop it."
"James snogged your brother at the party that we had to celebrate winning the cup," Remus blurts out, and James backs up urgently.
"Oh," Sirius murmurs. "That's good. I mean, I suppose since he's my brother he should date someone nice like you."
"Hospital Wing," James says, striding forward. "Because you'd sooner punch me than give me permission to date your brother."
"Wait," Remus says. "What are we?"
"Well, we cuddled up on the bed and fell asleep together, so… you're my boyfriend, right? Look, maybe my memory is a bit… you know, but I just didn't want to worry you, my love." He stands up and reaches for Remus because he wants to kiss him and make him smile again, but Remus turns his head away and Sirius can see that he's upset him somehow.
"Sirius, what's your last name?" James asks.
Sirius shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know," he admits quietly. "But that's fine." His voice gets louder. "I don't need to know these things, right? I've got you, James, and I've got Remus and… uh… that guy." He points at the last person in their room who has been watching on, shocked at events.
"He doesn't even remember me. Sirius, I'm your friend - Peter."
The name rings no bells.
"Sirius, we never kissed before today," Remus tells him softly. "And now… now I'm scared. I thought maybe you felt… but…but when you get your memory back, you won't be interested in me."
"Of course I will," Sirius scoffs, though he's actually pretty scared at the idea of losing Remus because of this. "I don't want my memories back, I'd rather keep you instead."
Remus runs a hand through his hair.
"We were going to have sex," he mutters, suddenly. "Oh, fuck. I almost took advantage of you. You're not well and I was planning to do all sorts of things to you. How could I exploit this? What is wrong with me?" He sinks back down on the bed and as much as Sirius wants to snuggle up to him, he decides it's probably not the time.
"And… we've not had sex before?" Sirius checks.
"Because you're straight! Or… you only dated girls, and… now I'm not so sure of my assumption, but we've not even kissed before, Sirius." Remus looks devastated.
"Well, don't blame yourself. I didn't tell you. I mean, you're my…" he trails off. "I assumed that you're my boyfriend and… and you were so worried and I didn't want to make you worry more. This is my fault."
James shoves Remus' discarded t-shirt at him and once he's dressed, they head to the Hospital Wing.
Remus has been avoiding him. It took an hour to sort his head out, and when he returned, the curtain was closed over Remus' bed.
Sirius is so conflicted. Of course his friends have assumed he's straight - he doesn't talk about his sexuality, no matter how much he fancies the hell out of Remus. He's always been mad about him. But he's always been scared to discuss it or admit to anything.
Remus eats breakfast early, finishing up by the time Sirius goes down for food, and he never leaves the map so Sirius can find where he's hiding.
And the days of Remus running from him turn into a week, and they're drawing close to the last day of school, with Sirius confirming plans with James to get a flat with him (because whilst James insisted that Remus was joking about that kiss, Sirius does not trust him in the slightest), when Remus comes in to drop something off.
Remus gives them both a smile and rushes out again.
"He's off to Hogsmeade," James says, after a couple of minutes of silence. "You've missed your chance."
"I… what? But the snow?"
"Snow stopped yesterday," James points out before letting out a heavy sigh. "Sirius, I know you've always had feelings for Remus. You're not as secretive as you think you are. I've seen it, and… well, I approve and I'm rooting for the both of you. But… but Remus broke up with Gideon the other day."
Sirius nods slightly. He's kinda figured that out.
"He broke up with Gideon because you kissed him and he's head over heels for you," James continues. "He thought that you were choosing him, and because of how he feels for you, there's no one he wants more. He didn't even need to think about it. But… but if you don't want to make a move, he's not going to sit around in hopes that you'll choose him. He's meeting Gideon and he's going to get back with him."
Sirius stands up without even realising what he's doing. "What? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because I was debating whether to get involved," James admits. "But just stop doubting your sexuality. Me, Peter and Remus know the truth. Even with memory loss, you went straight for Remus and blanked Marlene."
"I don't know what to do," Sirius admits quietly. "My parents—"
"Don't control your life anymore," James finishes.
"And people at school—"
"You won't see them all after next week," James adds. "Remus said he's not coming to live with us. He thinks it'll be awkward. So you're going to go and fix this, okay? If you don't tell him how you feel, you're going to lose him."
"What if…"
"What? If he doesn't feel the same? I mean, you're the one who lost your memory. Remus was very aware of his own actions. You know whatever he said or did was something he wanted. So go and fix this now."
Sirius nods his head. James is right. What do these people at school matter? Who cares what his parents think? He's in love with Remus and wants to be with him.
"You're a really good mate, you know that?" he tells James.
James smirks. "You're so gay," he replies. "But hurry the fuck up and sort this out with Remus, yeah?"
Sirius nods. He deserves to be happy, and Remus… Well, Remus deserves someone who doesn't have to keep hiding who he is.
"I'll fix it."
Sirius rushes from the castle, words swirling around his head as he tries to think of words. He'll need something clever to say, something amazing. Something to make Remus swoon and fall into his arms. It takes longer than expected because of the snow, but he manages to trudge all the way to Hogsmeade, and he starts looking out for Remus. He'll be either at Honeydukes or the book shop, unless he's gone straight to Gideon. Sirius hopes for one of the former.
He goes straight to Honeydukes, and Remus is there, alone, glancing at the display in the window and it's endearing. Sirius knows Remus' internal debate - he'll try and work out if he actually does need the chocolate. He'll talk himself out of buying it, then he'll give in and buy it anyway. They do this every single time.
He strides over and Remus turns. "Sirius," he murmurs nervously. He looks like he's ready to bolt at any second, but this time Sirius isn't going to let him.
Sirius has no words for this situation. He's not so good with the words. Plus, who needs words when they have actions? He needs to show Remus his choice and what Remus means to him.
He reaches Remus and without missing a beat, he grabs Remus' cardigan and pulls him closer.
"What is my boyfriend doing in Hogsmeade alone?" he asks, before crashing their lips together. Remus' hands move, wrapping around him, but Remus pulls away from the kiss. Sirius nudges Remus' nose with his own, hoping to entice him back.
"When's the next full moon?" Remus asks, biting his lip.
"Next week, and don't you worry, luv, I've got all my memories. I just needed to find the bravery to stop caring what the world around us thinks, and just be with you."
Remus grins widely. "Good," he murmurs. "I'm glad you chose me. I'm… I'm so glad you're here." With that, he leans down, pressing his lips against Sirius' once more.
"Now, forget about meeting Gideon today, because it's you and me now," Sirius insists.
Remus raises an eyebrow. "I haven't spoken to Gideon in ages. What makes you think I'm seeing him today?"
It takes Sirius a moment to realise that James had blatantly lied to him.
"James is so dead! But first… our first date, sweetheart. The first of so very many." He reaches out and takes Remus' hand in his. "I should have done this a long time ago."
"You can do that and whatever else you like," Remus tells him, his amber eyes lighting up as he looks at their joined hands.
Sirius smirks. "When we move to our flat after Hogwarts. How about it, Moony? Come live with us?"
Remus nods, and Sirius feels happier than he's felt in a long time. He leads Remus into Honeydukes, hand in hand, because they both know Remus can't walk away from this shop.
Sirius doesn't care who is watching.
Seasonal
Days of the Year - 19th November - Have a Bad Day Day: Write about someone having a bad day
National Author Month - 11. Edgar Allan Poe - Word: Nevermore
Indigenous Peoples Day - 2. (plot point) someone learning an important lesson
Comic Book Day - 1. Asterix: (dialogue) "What on earth did I say wrong?"
Colours - 4. Maroon
Crystals & Gemstones - 3. Amnesia!AU
Moony's Neon Cafe - Drink - 3. Caffe Latte - (weather) wind
Writing Club -
Gotta Catch Them All - 17. Vanilluxe - (weather) blizzard
Written in the Stars - 13. (trope) miscommunication
This or That - 13. (Dialogue) "I'm so glad you're here."
Showtime - 1. This is Halloween - (action) Screaming
Film Festival - 18. (plot point) getting scared for a silly reason
Lizzy's Loft - 14. Heights - Whatever you do, don't look down
Elizabeth's Empire - 14. (emotion) content
Amber's Anime Adventure - 11. There are No Memories It's OK to Forget (Fruits Basket)
Sophie's Smut Bucket - 5. (word) Strip
Lyric Alley - 9. It may be winter outside
Throwback - 29. Avobath - (because Slytherin) - determined
Hobby Hole - Trope: Mutual Pining
Buttons - Word: exploit / Action: laughing / Emotion: Joy
TV Spree - 20. (dialogue) "You're a really good mate, you know that?" / "You're so gay."
Christmas Fight Club - Heal - (character) James Potter
Funfair
Naught Elf on the Shelf - 10. (dialogue) "I should have done this a long time ago."
Naughty or Nice List - 17. (dialogue) "Can you stay with me?"
Guess the Name - Snowman - 6. Jingle - (Trope) Amnesia
Decorate the Christmas Tree - 17. Inflatable Snowman - (Emotion) Hopeful
Snowman dressing - 9. Derby - Hurt/Comfort
Postal Panic - 27. Acceptance - Write revealing a secret
Hot Chocolate - Section 3 - "I can't believe this is happening."
Fill A Christmas Stocking - Sirius
Treasure Hunt - c8: (setting) hospital wing
Shoebox to charity - 20. Stuffed animal: (emotion) tired
Advent Calendar - Day 22: Theme: Illness
12 days of shipmas - 2nd day - (action) flying
Magical mistletoe - 5. Slytherin Common Room - (action) shivering
Ice-Fishing - Quidditch Pitch
Gobstones - Copper Stone - Jealousy
Accuracy - 15. (genre) hurt/comfort
Power - 9. (trope) amnesia
Technique - 10. (color) crimson