WRITTEN FOR QLFC, Book Club

These Violent Delights

Prompt:

[setting] China

AU! No war.

Stronger Than The Great Wall of China

James, Sirius and Remus visit the Great Wall of China where Sirius surprises them with something important.

After hiking up the steep steps to another one of the hundred towers in Jinshanling, the trio of wizards reached the top. Though their legs ached and they'd been complaining about Remus' insistence on walking instead of taking the cable car, the breathtaking vision that lay in front of them was well worth the effort.

The rest of the Great Wall stretched out before them, rolling down into the jasper-green valleys, climbing steeply up the mountains—like the spine of a sleeping Ukrainian Ironbelly. The fresh, crisp air filled Remus' lungs as he stood transfixed, gazing at the iridescent light of the setting sun that broke through the bank of abalone-grey clouds.

"Isn't it beautiful?" he whispered. "I could look at this all day."

Sirius squeezed his hand in reply, mesmerized by the look on Remus' face. "I could look at you all day," he murmured, his tone full of adoration and love.

At the soft praise, Remus' cheeks turned orchid-pink, and he lowered his gaze to look at Sirius' lips. Remus' voice was husky when he said, "Really?"

"Yes. Wǒ ài nǐ." Before Remus could correct his pronunciation, Sirius leaned in and kissed him.

"Don't mind me, people," James said, interrupting the moment the two men were sharing. He missed Lily, and not for the first time, he silently bemoaned the fact that she hadn't been able to get time off from her oh-so-important Unspeakable work. "I love being a third wheel. It's so much fun! This isn't sarcasm. No, definitely not."

"You're so overdramatic, James," Sirius said with a roll of his eyes.

"I am related to you, you know."

"Then, aren't you just a peach? An absolute darling!" Sirius cooed, reaching out to pinch James' cheek, who tried to bat his hand away. "Oh, don't be like that, sweetie! Come here and let Dadfoot give you a kiss."

"Moony! Keep your buffoon away from me!" James whined, attempting to run away from Sirius' octopus-like floundering arms.

"Can we please just behave like normal human beings? We're out in public," Remus grumbled, grabbing Sirius' arm and pulling him away. He leaned closer to them and whispered, "Besides, if you fall off the wall, you can't use magic to save yourselves. Muggles are all around us."

"Fine, I'll shower you with my love later, Prongsie," Sirius said, flipping his hair over his shoulder. "Now, Remus… Tell me something about the wall we're standing on."

"Why? You're usually not interested in facts and figures," Remus said, furrowing his brow.

Sirius smiled and reached forward to tuck a strand of Remus' hair behind his ear. "I like listening to you talk… Tell me something."

"Well," Remus said, straightening his shoulders and turning slightly to the left. He pointed at a tower in the distance. "You see that tower? Those are called signal towers—or beacons—because the guards used fire, lanterns, guns, or flags to signal to the other guarded towers when they were in danger."

Sirius nodded as he stepped behind Remus. "Go on…"

When James saw Sirius take out a small velvet box from his pocket, he almost shrieked, but Sirius shot him a quick glare to silence him. James quickly clasped his hands over his mouth and nodded emphatically.

"Another fact is that the previous emperors either neglected or improved the wall. But in 1368, when Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang took the kingdom back from the Mongols, the Great Wall became an important line of defence. His empire was known as the Ming Dynasty, and it lasted for two hundred years. During that time, the wall was made stronger with bricks and stones."

James watched Sirius get down on one knee behind Remus and let out a muffled scream. Confused, Remus turned around and immediately gasped. "Sirius! What are you—"

"Remus Lupin… Moony. I don't know how strong this wall is, but I know that we're stronger when we're together. You once told me that a strong relationship requires choosing to love each other, even in those moments when you struggle to like each other. I'm sure you weren't talking about me specifically, but still… You're just as important in my life as my heartbeat," Sirius said, gazing up at Remus.

The sky was littered with little specks of silver, and James was already crying in the background, but Sirius' concentration didn't waver. He swallowed and took Remus' hand in his. "I don't want to imagine a life without you. Because when I fell in love with you, I fell in love with my life… I want to spend the rest of my days by your side. Will you marry me?"

"Say yes!" James wailed, blubbering in his hands.

Remus' tears streamed down his face as he nodded shakily. "Yes… Yes! Oh, I love you so much, Sirius!"

Sirius beamed as he placed the ring on Remus' finger and got to his feet, wincing at the pain in his knees. "I love you, too, Moony." He pulled Remus into a fiercely tender kiss, and James wolf-whistled at the sight.

"I love you two!" James exclaimed, leaping forward and throwing his arms around the newly engaged men. "Wow! I can't believe you're getting married! My boys are turning into men!"

"Damn it, Prongs! You're embarrassing us!" Sirius whined, but he couldn't help but choke on his sobs when James dragged him into a tight hug.

"I'm getting married," he whispered in awe. "To Moony!"

"I call dibs on being the best man!" James cried, waving his hand, causing the other two to laugh.

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