helllooooo!

i'm back w another potter boys notes drabble, except this time i chose to do things a little differently. there's very little dialogue, most of it is just remus' observations and musings but the premise of it is something i feel very deeply about. it's no secret to anyone at this point how much i absolutely adore james and sirius and the relationship they share, in any capacity (be it romantic or platonic) and i love the idea of fully buttoned up, proper pure blood heir, apple of his parents and hogwarts' eye james potter secretly rocking a whole lot underneath his collars lol

i also have two little bits i'll upload in the next two chapters, one is the hc that prompted this and the other is a little drabble about james' first tattoo (can you guess which one is it from all the ones i've mentioned below?)

title is from 'achilles come down' which is an achingly beautiful song and i would encourage everyone to listen to it atleast once (although it's entirely possible you'll just okay it on repeat like i did after that so be prepared ;)

(its unedited bc these notes drabbles i do r more raw and on the spot? i just write as things come to me, which is why its a bit all over the place too lol but i still hope u enjoy jt)

remus always knew that james and sirius were close, closer than they were with anyone else, even himself or peter. this wasn't surprising. anyone who knew the two boys could figure that out in a matter of minutes. they just had a way of gravitating towards each other, of never being too far away from each other even if they weren't physically beside each other. it wasn't uncommon to be talking to one of them and hearing the others name come up, often repeatedly. even when they were together, they were always close in some capacity: either an arm slung around the others waist, or one's chin resting on the other's shoulder, or sitting in each other's laps; there were a lot of hugs, and kisses on the cheeks, and hair ruffling action also constantly going on (mostly started by james, but which sirius eventually picked up over the years as well)

so, it wasn't a secret to remus how tight knit the bond between the two boys was. they'd been attached at the hip since their first day at hogwarts. and yet, despite this knowledge, he was still taken aback one fine summer day when they were all lounging around the Black Lake.

it was the end of 7th year, they'd just got done with their NEWTS and were soaking in both the warm sunshine and the feeling of being free of all responsibilities and duties...atleast for a little while until it all started back up again when they got their results back.

most of their batch, from all houses (surprisingly, even some of the less straight-laced slytherins) were spread out over the grounds, in varying states of undress and leisure. a large group was swimming around in the lake, and a particularly adventurous bunch were attempting to play catch with the giant squid (and losing spectacularly). a group of girls were sunbathing, muggle sunglasses (which were introduced in hogwarts by an entrepreneurial muggleborn a few years ago and became a staple henceforth) perched on their noses, and witch weekly or which witch? in their hands.

it was in the midst of this fun, lighthearted environment that the marauders (or specifically, james and sirius, per usual) were up to their usual brand of chaos. they were using their wands to direct thin streams of water into increasingly extravagant shapes (while casually exhibiting a kind of magical control and ability that very few around them could even attempt, let alone execute so flawlessly, which was par for the course for them, really) the way one would with, say, balloons. eventually, as remus could have predicted, it turned into a competition of who could successfully direct their themed water streams at the other. james started it by attacking sirius' hair with a sword (made of water, of course), which elicited a scream of painful proportions and many promises of retribution. everyone knew his hair was considered sacred by him, after all. they went back and forth for a while, trying to one up each other before sirius ended the fight by creating a huge dragon that ended up clomping on james' chest and face, leaving him dripping and spluttering.

'i give up, i give up,' james tried to say, although the words were muffled by the giggles that were escaping him (sirius hadn't relented after his substantial win. he kept sending thin streams to tickle the other boy under his arms and behind his knees).

'hm, i'm not sure you've learnt your lesson though, jamie,' sirius smirked wickedly before directing a powerful jet of water straight at his face, knocking his glasses straight off his face.

'sIRI!' james groaned, 'you know the glasses are off limits. how am i supposed to look for them now?'

said man was entirely unrepentant, however, ' well, you can ask one of your many admirers, i'm sure. you can even take your shirt off in repayment for them.'

and he wasn't wrong, remus noted. many people, most notably the sunbathing gaggle of girls, had been side eyeing the pair for as long as they'd been dicking around, sending many appreciative glances their way and giggling behind their hands when they got a look back. (which they often did. the dark haired duo were nothing if not showmen)

james scowled lightly and retorted, 'maybe i will. merlin knows you won't be helping me out.'

and with that, he took off his shirt.

now here's the thing. remus lupin had seen all his dorm mates, including james potter, shirtless many, many times before this day, nay, this moment. he'd also seen their bare arses more times than he'd care to think about. modesty just wasn't a thing in british boarding schools, alright?

he just hadn't realised that all this time he'd been seeing a glamored james potter all this time because how would that thought even enter anyones mind?

but looking at the pale skin marked with an astounding amount of ink in front of him, remus had to begrudgingly conclude that was the only option. because a spread like that wasn't new, it had to have been cultivated over quite some time (definitely not the one week in which remus had seen james with his shirt off last)

looking around, remus notes with some amusement that the others were reacting very similarly to him, with surprise and astonishment and outright shock (he could count atleast six dropped jaws). on the other end, he was pretty sure that james' perceived attractiveness and popularity had just increased astronomically (as if the man needed any more encouragement, honestly)

but he could see where they were coming from too. james had always been the 'perfect' one- whether it be as a son, a friend, or a student. despite the chaos he tended to leave in his wake, he never crossed a particular line that turned him from well liked class clown to try hard wannabe that everyone disliked. he'd always been looked at favourably by the other students and the faculty. and that's not to even mention how pampered and adored he was at home. in return, james was the most ideal, socially acceptable person it was possible to be. he was the perfect pure blood heir, good looking, likeable and social; he was smart and consistently excelled in school; and in addition to all that, he was popular and had a variety of friends (which could be turned into a well connected network in the future if he was so inclined). he was polite, charming, and sincere in the best way possible, always aiming to please the people around him. and so, tattoos, something that were still considered relatively edgy by the time's standards. were not something anyone expected him to have. sirius black, sure, everyone knew that he was the white sheep of his family, that he thrived on rebellion and being a contrarian, and the few (visible) tattoos and piercings that he had just reaffirmed that view. but james potter? nah. he was as prim and proper as they come. and even remus, who being a part of his inner circle, had a better front row view to his antics (and knew that he was only 75% prim & proper at best) was of a similar mindset. james wouldn't ever get a tattoo, that was his best mate's arena.

and yet. here we are.

speaking of sirius, remus turned to look at him and really, he should've known. there was not a trace of surprise or betrayal (which was his go to if he ever found out that james had hidden something from him) on his face, just a slightly guilty, 'oh shit' expression that told remus that this was definitely something he both knew about and was actively helping james hide.

and although there was a slight sting at not being included by the two of them (even for something as trivial as tattoos; they didn't think remus would judge him for it, did they?), it was something he'd gotten used to. james&sirius were almost like two bodies, one brain, and the moment one started thinking of them as a singular entity and stopped getting hurt by their closeness (and the exclusion that naturally came with it), life became a lot easier for them.

and honestly? looking at the patchwork of tattoos spanning james' chest and back (and truly, there were so. many. even if remus ever thought james would get a tattoo, he definitely did not expect all...this) he could even kind of understand why they only kept it to the two of them. the artwork seemed unimaginably, heartbreakingly intimate.

there was a large constellation tattoo on his upper back, and remus didn't need to be an astrology genius to realise it was canis major, not when one star was highlighted above all others, and the corresponding dog was traced over in dotted line. it was done in the muggle way, which meant it stayed still, but that only added to the beauty of the art, in remus' opinion. it was a wonderfully done piece too, not over exaggerated or dramatised, but simple and really cutting straight to point if you knew to look for it.

over his heart, james had a pair of shaggy canine ears, a furry nose, and a doggie tongue tattooed the wizarding way, which meant they moved when they felt like it. it added a layer of realism that he could definitely connect to their common mutt. remus' mouth actually went a little dry at how perfectly it captured padfoot's enthusiasm and actions, from the twitching nose to the perked up ears to the wagging tongue. it really was quite exquisite.

and really, that was the theme for the canvas that was james' body. it was various stills of either the marauders, or the potters, or most prominently, sirius black.

he could see the potter crest tattooed on his forearm, a frame with line art of two people, where the man has the woman in a bridal carry, both of them laughing too hard to stand straight (which remus recognised as his parents' wedding portrait), and 'RANI' written in a beautiful, flowing script just under his ribs, for the house elf who was his first friend and who died to protect him.

there was a muggle record player on his inner bicep, coloured in shades of green and silver and black (and wasn't that something? that james branded himself with the colors sirius always proclaimed to hate) and a stick motorcycle on his other bicep, one with a stag and dog riding it, comically enough.

and across his whole body, remus could see footprints popping in and out of existence, the exact same way they did on the marauders map, and he couldn't image how complicated and intricate magical tattooing had to be to perfectly capture the essence of what took them hundreds of hours and so many spells that it left them mentally wrung out for days after they'd completed their project.

it didn't take him more than a couple minutes to notice all this, even though he wanted nothing more than to sit james down and interrogate him about the origins of each and every one of them, especially the magical ones. he just clinically ran his eyes over every single one of them, cataloguing and shelving each one for further discussion.

what he was more interested in, atleast for the moment, was james' expression. it was clear that he hadn't quite realised what had happened when he took his shirt off (probably thinking his glamours were still in place), but now with the sudden hush and restarting of excited chatter, and more tellingly, sirius' face (he was so very rarely guilty, so to see him like so was always a cause for concern)

james blinked owlishly for a few seconds, and then as if a lightbulb going off over his head, his gaze widened comically and he looked down t himself in panic.

'well shit,' remus could just barely hear him whisper to himself.

he could also see the way he took a deep breath, releasing it slowly, and by the time he looked up, there was a smile plastered on his face like nothing had happened. only those who really knew him - like remus, peter, and of course, sirius - could tell that he was still shaken up inside.

which again, remus could understand. james' personality wasn't a exactly a front he put up for others' sake. he was genuine in his interaction with the world but while he liked the way he was with everyone, there were some things he liked keeping private, only for the ones closest to him. and things like venturing into the muggle world and adopting parts of their culture, getting drunk and singing along to celestina warbeck, (and now tattoos and piercings, apparently) were just a few of those things. so to have this carefully cultivated divide blurred, and accidentally at that, was a little unsettling for him.

before remus could even try to figure out how to help him out though, sirius had stepped in. he took off his own shirt (and apparently he also had glamours that hid a lot of stuff. go figure.) while at the same time pulling james into the lake behind him with a strong wall of water crashing into him, seemingly in a (slightly delayed) continuation of their previous goofing around.

removing james' from public sight while showing off all his (seriously extensive) body art was enough to get peoples attention to shift almost immediately (atleast for the time being. remus was sure that people would still be talking about this day for months to come, but, well, you had to work with what you could).

everyone knew sirius black was a rebel. they saw his nose piercing and the ear studs. the long, wavy hair. they saw the poorly hidden knuckle tattoos and ink riding up from the waistband of his trousers (which always drove people mad. there were literal bets dedicated to discovering what sirius black was hiding under his pants but maddeningly enough, no one had ever gotten close to finding out. except remus, he knew it was just a stupid assortment of whips and chains that he got on a dare in sixth year when they were all drunk off their arse and didn't particularly like these days so he always kept it mostly hidden, leaving a little part visible for the ~drama). so, it shouldn't have been a surprise that sirius black was inked. or pierced. but oh boy. oh. fucking. boy.

remus actually had to take a minute to calm down because let's be honest, no one was immune to the unreal amounts of sexual charisma that dripped off that man. even on a bad day, sirius could beat the majority of their population easily in the looks and grace departments. both him and james could, really. but while james was more of a clean cut, nice neighbor-next-door attractive that you would like to take home to your parents, sirius was like sin personified, one that you know is a bad idea you should stay the fuck away from, but you can't help yourself either.

so, him dripping wet and shirtless, with everything on display? yeah, everyone would need to take a deep breath at that point because he certainly knew what he was doing when he chose to divert attention using this particular tactic.

remus noted that sirius apparently had one of his nipples pierced (which. his brain momentarily shut down at the thought but he forced himself to keep things as clinical as could be). and when he turned to blow a kiss at the girls dramatically fanning themselves, remus didn't know why he was surprised to see a pair of large antlers spanning the breadth of his shoulders (again, bearing perfect resemblance to their *cough* common acquaintance). keeping with the theme, there were hoof prints running along the length of his arm, starting from his shoulder to his wrist in a winding pattern.

on his flank on the other side, there's a pair of very obvious rectangular frames (which are, interestingly enough, done wizarding style so that they're animated and dancing around instead of staying still. it's different but weirdly works, remus thinks)

the most unusual tattoo (although in hindsight, it really shouldn't be) was the matching potter crest that sirius had on his wrist (unlike james' who had it on his upper forearm and remus couldn't help but think it was because it was so sirius could look down at his wrist whenever he needed to be reminded that he wasn't alone and had a proper family now, one that chose him over and over and over again and remus really had to shut that line of thinking down before his wolf started growling out loud in public or his eyes turned golden)

and then there were the usual suspects, of course. a (predictably red and gold) motorcycle helmet, a (very detailed) drawing of a pair of chocolate eclairs (and remus really had to snort at that because sirius was proper obsessed with those), a line drawing of the hogwarts silhouette on his lower back, with a night sky in the background.

there were also a lot of random doodles that were too small to be deciphered from so far away scattered across his entire body, which made sense to remus. sirius probably got tattoos as soon as he got the urge to, and the taboo nature of the act itself would have appealed to his sensibilities whereas james was more sentimental (not to say that sirius' wasn't plenty sentimental as well), more reserved (if you could call it that) with his work. he only had things of utmost meaning drawn on his skin, the kind of stuff you could see fifty years down the lane and still have a story attached to it. strangely enough, it fit the both of them perfectly.

remus could see sirius basking in the glory and attention, even more so because he deliberately placed himself there to take the focus off james who was now floating on his back with his eyes closed. remus could see that lines on his face had smoothed out now, with most of the attention off him (which was a statement that very rarely applied to james potter)

and as remus looked over the sun slowly setting behind the castle, casting its rays over the assorted group of students, most of who were still subtly looking over at james and not so subtly ogling sirius, he couldn't help but feel a strong rush of fondness for these two idiots, who were as bright as a burning star but would of course be tripped up their own stupid antics.

it was, all in all, a very insightful day, remus thought. one that no one could have seen coming, but he was glad for it regardless. will they have a long conversation about it in the dorm later? probably, but he couldn't bring himself to feel bad about it. after all, while it was generally accepted that secrets were kept, the consequences of doing so upon being found out were also a necessary evil to maintain the harmony of the marauders.

being caught was unacceptable, after all, he didn't make the rules.