So… I needed a bit of a break from writing my series, and I saw this idea and had to write it. I've never had to write multiple series at once, so I've been a bit stressed. But don't worry, I'll start the next chapter after this!
"Remus, bloody ask him out! He won't say no! He's pining! God, he's annoying when he pines!" James groaned exasperatedly, throwing his hands up.
Remus, walking beside him on the way to Care of Magical Creatures, shook his head firmly, "He's not pining! He's been whiny, as usual, you know Padfoot-"
"Exactly, I do!" James cut in insistently, "And I say he likes you- ouch!"
Remus smirked, shaking his hand out after contact with the back of James's head before he continued, "As I was saying, we don't even know he's bent! He's always dated girls, he probably doesn't even like blokes!"
"Has Sirius ever told you he doesn't like blokes?"
"Well- no, but-"
"So you can't just assume that! Merlin, Moony, you're dense sometimes!" This time James blocked the smack with a smug smirk.
Remus grumbled "Then why hasn't he asked me out yet? He always makes the first move!"
"Because you've shown no interest in him, you pillock! Padfoot always tries to sit by you, to ruffle your hair, stuff like that, and you brush him off!" James huffed, "Seriously, Moony, get your act together!"
Remus caught his bottom lip between his teeth, releasing it when James tutted and tapped his cheek, "I-I… he'll reject me, he'll laugh, he won't want to be my friend anymore- what the fuck, Potter!" James had slapped the back of his head, hard.
"Stop thinking like that! If you won't do it, I bloody will!"
"Wait, what? James! Get back here!" But James was gone, cackles echoing throughout the corridors.
~~~discidium~~~
James approached his friend, who was lounging in the common room, long black hair pulled into a ponytail as he chatted with Marlene.
"Oi, Padfoot!" James called, causing Sirius to look up.
"Yeah?"
"Go out to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"
Sirius's eyes widened fractionally, but as they met James's, they gleamed, instantly getting it, "Sure, Prongs. What took you so long?"
James smirked, shrugging "Sometimes you need a push!" He threw a pointed glance at Remus, who was gaping, much like everybody else in the room, eyes fixed on the two troublemakers.
Sirius followed his gaze before it flickered back to James, this time questioning. He smiled as James nodded wryly, jerking his head upwards. Without further ado, James and Sirius vanished upstairs, presumably to gossip in the dorms.
Remus huffed, knowing he wouldn't be allowed back up for at least an hour, and wandered over to Lily, who looked furious.
Before the werewolf could even open his mouth to ask what was wrong, Lily burst out, "That bastard! How fucking dare he, flirt with me, try to act like he genuinely cares, then ask his best friend out!" she fumed.
Remus tried to talk, but was cut off "Wait! Remus, go out with me this weekend?"
"I'm gay." Remus said slowly, frowning.
"Not this weekend, you aren't! We need to get them back- er, I mean, get back at them!" Lily declared, green eyes smouldering at Remus, who realized he wasn't getting out of this, with or without a fight.
Groaning, Remus nodded, "You owe me one."
Remus was fucked.
~~~discidium~~~
Sirius hopped on James's bed as they walked up to the dorms, stretching out and leaving no room for James.
"Budge over, Sirius."
"No."
James rolled his eyes and sat on Sirius's legs as he spoke, "I'm assuming you had a reason to do that besides that you're desperately gay and in love with me, regarding Remus?"
Rolling his eyes as Sirius's hopeful expression, James nodded, "Yep. Remus fancies you. A lot. But he was too shy to ask you out, or give literally any sign he likes you, so… I took matters into my own hands."
Sirius arched an unfairly perfect eyebrow, "And your idea was, naturally, to ask me out?"
James mimicked his expression mockingly, and also, in Sirius's opinion, woefully inadequately, "Did you have a better idea?"
"Well, you could have just told me that Remus fancied me, so I could ask him out. You know, like a normal person does?" Sirius talked as if explaining something to a small child, yelping when James smacked him on the arm for the tone.
"But I wasn't supposed to tell you Remus fancies you!" James said, rolling his eyes, then faltered as he realized his mistake, "Oh…."
"Yeah, Prongs. You already told me. Now, come again, who's idea is better?... Hey, ouch, what was that for!?" Sirius shrieked as James launched himself on top of him.
"For being arrogant and infuriating!" James said smugly.
Sirius whined like his dog namesake, writhing under James in a futile attempt to escape as the other pinned his hands and used his weight to keep him down. James cackled, starting to tickle his neck, causing Sirius to squeal in a deceptively high pitch for a teenage boy, struggling with renewed vigor to dislodge his so-called "friend".
"Traitor!" Sirius shrieked, trying to hit him, missing as he thrashed from the relentless onslaught of tickles.
"You deserve it." James grinned, hubristic in his apparent victory.
Sirius huffed, falling still, except to shield his neck. James beamed smugly, shifting more comfortably, confident now. Silver eyes gleamed wickedly, and when James saw them, he knew it was too late as suddenly he was bowled over by a massive dog, larger than a wolf, and assaulted by a slobbery tongue on his unprotected face.
"Ah! That's cheating you bastard -urgh!- get off!" James shrieked, wriggling underneath Padfoot.
Padfoot merely nipped his nose in response, looking unfairly smug for a dog as he pressed his cold nose to James's collarbone. James gasped and frantically shoved his muzzle away.
"Bloody hell, Sirius, why is your nose so cold!?" Padfoot just let his tongue hang out of his mouth in reply as he moved his nose back to position.
James thrashed some more before falling still after the much larger form of Padfoot refused to be cowed, "Fine, fine, you win, now stop!"
Padfoot sprang off him, smoothly transforming midleap. He had most certainly not practiced for hours to be able to do that. And if he had, it was worth it.
"Smug prat. Why do I like you again?" James huffed, sitting up and 'fixing' his hair, which was to say he ruffled it the right way.
Sirius smirked, smoothing out his own glossy black locks as he sat back on the bed, "You started it."
~~~discidium~~~
` Remus was pacing furiously in Lily's dorm, naturally having found a way around, or rather, over, (hint; it involved levitation, for those idiots who aren't creative enough to think of it) the sliding staircase.
He'd been kicked out of his own dorm, since James and Sirius were getting ready for their date, which was basically James trying not to look at Sirius as he applied makeup and fixed his hair, since James didn't want a high, dramatic shriek of "Don't look at me yet, I'm hideous!" that Remus could hear from Lily's dorm.
Speaking of the devil, the ginger appeared beside him, hair pulled back in an elegant bun, lip gloss and eyeshadow applied. Remus suddenly felt underdressed, wearing his neatest sweater and trousers.
"Are you ready?" Lily asked, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
"Y-yeah." Just because Remus felt no attraction at all to Lily didn't mean he couldn't appreciate that she looked amazing.
Lily looked him up and down and nodded, "You neatened up."
"So did you."
"Yes, I did. Let's go, maybe we can intercept the idiots." Lily declared, taking his hand in a more guiding way than romantic, and dragging him downstairs, annoyed groans rolling off her back.
Letting out a faux delighted greeting, she waved at Sirius and James, who were about to leave the Common Room. Sirius huffed and murmured something to James, who looked offended and elbowed him before leading him forcefully over.
Remus's eyes were immediately drawn to Sirius and Sirius alone. He looked gorgeous. His glossy dark hair fell in gentle waves midway down his chest, and he was wearing a dark, tight shirt, which perfectly displayed his body. Remus bit his lip. Sirius's jeans were skinny, dark, and ripped, while his silver earring glinted in the light. It wasn't drastically different from his typical style, but it was the way he wore it as well.
Remus was fucked.
Lily smirked briefly at his awestruck expression, nudging him and whispering, "Stop staring at pretty boy."
Remus blushed furiously and cleared his throat, averting his eyes, oh-so-typically oblivious to Sirius looking away as James whispered a near identical thing to him.
"Stop staring at lover boy."
In a state of not-so-blissful ignorance, Remus looked back up, this time at both of them, but, for safety, eyes fixed mainly on James, "So, you guys going to Hogsmeade now?"
James smirked almost imperceptibly, noticing where Remus's eyes had been lingering, and where they were now avoiding, "Yep. Siri and I, we're going to have so much fun!" He winked at Sirius, who smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear.
Remus's teeth gritted slightly. He wanted to be the one who made Sirius smile like that, to make him beam and laugh and joke. He wanted to hold Sirius's hand and walk with him to Hogsmeade. And he wanted to snog him until they were both gasping for breath. Not bloody James!
Lily watched his expression carefully as she talked lightly to Sirius, then cleared her throat, "Double date it is, then? Let's go, boys!"
Remus's eyes widened fractionally. No. There was absolutely no way he could handle being jealous and watching Sirius all evening. He just couldn't deal with it. He shot Lily a pleading look and was ignored as Sirius and James agreed enthusiastically.
Remus was fucked.
~~~discidium~~~
Sirius watched Remus carefully as the two couples (Who was with who shall remain unspecified) sat down at a booth in a newly opened restaurant on the outskirts of the village, the only proper one there. He could tell by the way Remus's eyebrows furrowed ever-so-slightly, by the way his eyes flicked downward then back up, by the way a tiny frown tugged at his lips, that Sirius's friend was nervous, but frustrated.
Of course, being enlightened by James cleared up why Remus was feeling like this quite well, and now Sirius was just enjoying the show. He obviously intended to ask Remus out soon, but it was amusing to see him squirm, to view the jealousy flickering in those, usually so gentle, amber eyes. As much as Sirius adored Remus, he quite simply couldn't leave such a perfect opportunity to tease him left untouched, he would toy with him a little longer. It would all be worth it once Sirius saw how happy Remus was- unless James was lying.
No, not lying, James wouldn't do that, but what if he was mistaken? What if he misunderstood what Remus was telling him, maybe Remus was saying someone else liked Sirius, which wouldn't be preposterous. Merlin, what if Remus actually despised him, and was just pretending- no.
That was the most un-Remus-like thing Sirius could possibly think of, that was impossible. But…
No. Bad Sirius. Stop being negative, you can do this! You're hot and amazing and everyone loves you, including Remus!
Sirius gave himself a pep talk as conversation flowed around him. Sirius suddenly felt a gaze on him, and saw Remus staring, from the corner of his eye, amber irises fixed on Sirius.
Sirius smirked, meeting his gaze and arching an eyebrow, watching Remus turn the most adorable shade of red, just making Sirius smirk wider as Remus looked away.
Oh, he was going to enjoy this.
~~~discidium~~~
James was watching his plan unfold before his very eyes with the distinct feeling of satisfaction that came with a job well done and a plank well plotted. Though, this particular situation wasn't a prank, but the relish was all the same.
And by the time they had started to order, James could see Sirius plotting how to tease Remus, an expression James knew all too well.
"Sir? Your order?" A waitress broke James's train of thought, and he blinked when he realized everyone was staring, waiting for him to order.
"Er- yes, a cheeseburger, please."
Sirius snickered, probably something Remus said, he made Sirius laugh a lot, James reflected, then ordered, "Fettuccine alfredo, thank you!"
As the waitress turned her gaze to Remus, he bit his lip and looked away, "Er, I'm fine, not really hungry-
"Remus, eat something." Sirius cut in sternly, giving him a look.
Amber eyes met silver with a glare, "Sirius, I'm fine-"
"No, you're not! No starving on dates, okay? Just order something!"
The waitress watched with a bemused expression, flipping dark brown hair over her shoulder, "So, you two are a thing?"
Remus blushed, while Sirius smirked, which is quite honestly a good example of their personalities. They both answered in unison, and was it just James, or did Remus sound sad?
"No."
Remus mumbled something after.
"What was that, Moony?" Sirius grinned.
"Could I have some spaghetti?" Remus said, a little louder, but softly.
Sirius gave him an approving nod, while the waitress simply wrote it down, took Lily's order, then left, leaving nothing but the sound of heels on a hard floor behind.
Remus grumbled, "You're not my mother, Sirius, I can handle my own food."
"Yeah, if you eat any." Sirius snorted, "You'll thank me later, Moony"
~~~discidium~~~
Remus was confused. Best-friend-flirting-with-him confused, and heart-fluttering-at-every-look confused.
Because he needed to know. Was Sirius just playing, joking, teasing, like he usually did, or was it something more? It hurt Remus to think all of this was a game, to be constantly wondering what Sirius really felt.
Because Sirius may be able to handle rejection but Remus could not. Not from Sirius.
But the way Sirius looked at Remus curbed his doubts, even if just for a moment. Silver eyes would soften, despite the smirk twisting on his face. They would seem to smile, light up, even as Sirius teased him playfully, his eyes would give it away.
Had Remus mentioned how much he loved Sirius's eyes?
They were the color of the purest, brightest shade of silver, clear and enrapturing in a way that snatched your attention and kept it.
Remus wanted to stare into them and get lost in their argent depths, to forget everything but them, but Sirius, Sirius and his ridiculously tight shirt, his beautiful long hair, his warm smile that lit up Remus's heart. He wanted to get lost in Sirius, be utterly surrounded by him and never return.
Someone cleared their throat. Remus blushed when he realized he'd been staring at Sirius, "Er, sorry, what?"
Sirius sent him another wicked smirk that only made Remus turn a deeper shade of red as James spoke, "We were just saying the food was here."
Remus bit his lip as he looked over. Indeed, the food had arrived, and somehow he'd missed it, and he could just hear the echoes of the waitress's footsteps. Remus's stomach growled loudly at the smell of the spaghetti rising in steam. He snatched the plate before Sirius's teasing grab could touch it, glaring at him.
Sirius chuckled and ruffled Remus's tawny hair playfully, leaving Remus a bit frozen at the casual touch. Was it just him, or did Sirius's long fingers seem to linger a bit, running through the fluffy locks before pulling away.
Remus blinked up at Sirius, slightly owlish, chewing his lip. Sirius shot him a bright smile that made Remus's heart flutter and twirled his fork in his pasta absently.
Remus turned his amber gaze back to his spaghetti. It had always been his comfort food, something he could rely on. His mother made the best, filling and delicious, always there after a rough moon or a fierce argument between his parents. Remus thought it would be fitting to soothe him throughout this nerve-fraying night.
Remus took a bite, keeping his eyes fixed on the table, not wanting to face Sirius or anyone else for the next ten years, minimum. He could hear conversation flowing easily around him, mostly James and Sirius. Lily was still, most likely, glaring jaded daggers at them for doing this in the first place, no time for such frivolous matters like speaking civilly.
Remus was fucked.
~~~discidium~~~
James pulled Sirius out of the booth with a shackle-like grip on his wrist.
Sirius stifled a yelp, "What? What's wrong? Bloody hell…"
"Stop messing with Remus!" James hissed.
This was not going to plan. Sirius and Remus were supposed to exchange soft, secret smiles, not teasing smirks and red cheeks! James should have known to count on Sirius's flirtatious and teasing nature, but no, James completely forgot and everything was out of control!
Sirius was rolling his eyes and speaking, "He loves it. Besides, I'm going to put him out of his misery and ask him out by the end of the night. Relax."
James glared at him and slapped him upside the head, ignoring Sirius's yelp, "He's confused! And when Moony's confused, we're all confused, because he's never confused! Stop confusing our mastermind, bad things happen! Do you want to damage the Marauders?"
Sirius blinked in surprise, "I- I don't know?"
James stood up to his full height, a bit on his toes so he was taller than Sirius, who had a couple inches on him, "Then stop playing with him!"
Sirius still looked shell-shocked, "Okay?"
Satisfied, James backed off and started walking to their booth, calling over his shoulder, "Come along, then, Padfoot!"
Sirius ran a hand through his hair, giving him a look and following him, settling next to James, across from Remus.
~~~discidium~~~
Finally, the date had drawn to a close, everyone saying their goodbyes, fully aware they would see each other in a few short hours. Remus let out a silent sigh of relief and stepped out into the night, the cool air soothing his mind and calming his raging emotions, which he fully blamed Sirius for, mind.
He wished he could smoke, but he was trying to break the habit. Remus's estimated lifespan was short as it was, he didn't need to cut it in half by poisoning his lungs. He really needed a stress reliever, right now, anyways.
Remus nearly jumped out of his skin when a warm hand touched his shoulder, resting there and soothing the goosebumps that had risen on his chilled skill, "Sirius?"
"The one and only. What are you doing out here, all alone in the cold, Moony?"
Remus shivered as dark hair brushed his shoulder as Sirius leaned close to whisper in his ear, deciding to blame it on the cold. That was definitely it.
"Just needed some air. It was crowded in there, you know. Too many people."
Remus blinked as an arm slipped around his waist, pulling him flush against a well-muscled chest, a blush spreading across his cheeks, "Siri-Sirius, wh-what are you doing?"
"Why, Moony, keeping you warm, of course!"
Remus was tempted to push him away, but Sirius was right, it was warm, and he was only wearing a sweater. Reluctantly, he relaxed a bit, "You couldn't have just given me your coat?"
"But then I would be cold! Now we're both warm. Much more clever." Sirius pointed out smugly.
Remus huffed and looked up at him. Remus wasn't short by any means, but he was shorter than Sirius by a couple inches, and heavily resented it, almost as much as Sirius was unbearably smug about, to nobody's surprise.
"So clever." Remus deadpanned, earning a smirk in response.
A sudden rush of courage rampaged through him, sparked by the way Sirius talked and breaking the wall of shyness and timidness that usually held Remus back from asking the important things. He would ask. Remus would know.
"Sirius, do you like-"
"Moony, I like you. Would you like to accompany me on a date?" Sirius spoke at the same time, cutting Remus off.
Remus gaped, words desperately trying to form in his mouth, trying to voice his questions, his doubts, his disbelief, but shock left him unable to respond as he stared up at Sirius.
Sirius's eyes widened fractionally, clearly distressed, "Do you not like me? God, I'm so sorry, Moony-"
Remus slapped a hand over his mouth to silence him as he managed to speak, "Of course I do, you idiot! Is that why you've been acting all.. acting all flirty tonight?'
Sirius, doubts washed away, grinned, "Of course that's why, Remus! You're simply irresistible!"
Remus groaned, "Why did you have to do that? It was so painful!" But a smile played on his lips, amber eyes lighting up.
Sirius smiled at him, a hand going to tangle into Remus's hair and pull him a little close, in silent question. At Remus's nod Sirius pressed their lips together.
They fit perfectly, like a puzzle just finished, melding together in harmony that Remus wanted to cherish forever.
Remus could taste the lip gloss on Sirius's lips as they pulled apart, gazing into each other's eyes.
"We should do that more often." Sirius murmured.
"I agree."
This time, Remus pulled Sirius in.
Eh? This took me a while, but I really love the result! After this, hopefully I'll start a new chapter for The Last Rose, then back to the schedule. I hope you enjoyed this, and as always, comments are appreciated!
