To Love Someone
Chapter 1- Mother Knows Best
Every year before going back to school, the Marauders would stay at James's for a few days to mourn their last few days of freedom. Sirius in particular was looking forward to this little tradition for a few key reasons. One- he'd finally have someone else to set James on when he started going off about his "Lily flower;" two- Dorea Potter always baked her famous firewhiskey cake for pudding the night before they left; and three- Remus Lupin. Potter Manor had no shortage of guest bedrooms; however, those were all in a separate wing from where James and Sirius's rooms were, so the boys always ended up bunking together. Peter with James and Remus with Sirius. That's just how it went, it was as much a part of the tradition as the firewhiskey cake and stories told by Charlus Potter.
Of course, not every spare minute of their days were planned out, they were the Marauders after all, and they thrived on unpredictability and chaos. Three days in, the boys were lounging around the pool, bored out of their minds.
"James, your house is so boring," Sirius groaned, flopping down on the lounge chair next to his best mate's with a butterbeer in his hands. James snatched the bottle from Sirius and took a long swig.
"Oi, this is your house too, you prat," James retorted, shoving the bottle back at his friend.
"It's so boring, Pete fell asleep." Both boys turned to look at Peter, who was, indeed, asleep with a towel over his face.
"Pete's always asleep." Sirius chugged down the rest of the butterbeer and threw it into the bin next to James's chair.
"Where's Moony?" James shrugged.
Remus was listening to the entire conversation from just around the side of the house. He sat leaning against the wall, with one leg outstretched and the other one bent with his elbow resting on it, a cigarette balanced precariously in between the fingers on his right hand. He took a drag, definitely not thinking about Sirius Black in his swimsuit just around the corner, and held the smoke in his lungs for a moment before slowly releasing it. The act of bringing a cigarette to his lips calmed him, and after spending three whole days in close proximity to Sirius, he needed all the calming he could get. When the cigarette was as good as gone, he dropped it on the ground and stomped it out with his bare foot, burning his big toe a little, before banishing it with a flick of his hand and casting a silent scent concealing charm on his body.
"What are you lads doing, lounging around like a bunch of toads?" He called out, walking back onto the pool deck.
"Moony, finally! Prongs here is boring me to death," Sirius yelled back at his friend, earning him a smack upside the head from James.
Remus rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his messy curls as he stood on the edge of the water. James was shouting something at Sirius, but he ignored them and dove into the cold water, gliding for a few moments before pulling up to the surface and swimming over to the side of the pool.
"Come on, guys, the water's fantastic!" Peter grumbled in his sleep as Remus pulled himself out of the pool, flipping his now wet hair out of his eyes. Sirius's breath caught in his throat as he watched droplets of water slide down Remus's toned chest, down, down, down, until they disappeared underneath the thin fabric of the boy's swimsuit. He felt Little Sirius start to stiffen, and raced inside when Remus started making his way over to his three friends.
"Gotta use the loo," he mumbled, running a little funny into the house. When he was locked safely in the bathroom he let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the shut door, catching his breath. Merlin, that was close, he thought to himself, hoping that James hadn't seen anything. He slid down the waistband of his swimsuit and let his half hard member spring free. With a groan, he shut his eyes and let the picture of his friend dripping wet and practically naked overwhelm him for a moment before he focused his attention on memories from his childhood. Kreacher on a windy day when his tea cosy blew up just a bit too far, his mum on their annual vacation to Jamaica, the porno mags his dad had bought him after first year. Boobs were a huge turn off. When he felt confident that he wasn't going to embarrass himself in front of his best mates, he slipped back into his shorts and headed back outside.
James and Remus were splashing each other in the pool and Pete was still fast asleep when Dorea called out the open kitchen window.
"Boys, dinner in ten! Go put your clothes on!" That woke Peter up, and with a girlish squeal he sprinted into the house, with James hot on his heels, laughing hysterically at his friend.
"All right, Pads?" Remus asked, coming up beside Sirius, rubbing a towel over his hair.
"Peachy," Sirius replied, grinning at the taller boy, who grinned back. Remus dropped the towel on Sirius' head, making him groan. Sirius pulled it off and tried to throw it up onto Remus, but he couldn't quite get it high enough, and it fell limply to the ground.
"How's that working out for you?" Sirius glared at him as they made their way inside to Sirius' bedroom.
"Shut up. You're a giant."
"Ever considered that maybe I'm not a giant, you're just a midget?"
"I am not a midget! I'm a perfectly normal height for my age, thank you very much. I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet." Remus burst out laughing.
"Hate to break it to you, but I don't think you're ever going to have a growth spurt." As they reached the room, Sirius nudged his shoulder into Remus' arm.
"Just because you had yours at 13 doesn't mean everyone does."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Remus grabbed a pair of jeans and a plain white t shirt and disappeared into the bathroom, chuckling.
"It does!" Sirius sat down on his bed, arms crossed and bottom lip sticking out. He would have a growth spurt, and he'd be taller than Moony. That would show him.
Later that evening, over giant slices of firewhiskey cake, Dorea Potter pulled her son into the kitchen while her husband Charlus was busy entertaining the other boys with stories of his days at Hogwarts.
"Are Remus and Sirius dating yet?" she asked him, peering into the dining room where Remus was smiling fondly at Sirius as the other boy barked with laughter.
"What? Why would you ask that?" James asked, giving his mom a confused look.
"Oh, no reason, they just seem really close, is all."
"We're all close. Besides, neither of them is gay." Dorea smiled and patted her son on the shoulder.
"Of course not, dear."
After cake was eaten, the four boys retired to their rooms for the night. Remus was sitting on Sirius' bed, lost in a book, while the other boy was in the shower.
"Moony!" Sirius shouted excitedly, bursting out of the bathroom in only a loose fitting pair of plaid pajama pants that sat low on his hips. He leapt onto the bed, with one knee on either side of Remus, and knocked the other boy's book to the side. "I just had the best idea!" Sirius grabbed Remus' shoulders and shook them gently. Everything in Remus' brain came to a halt and was overwhelmed with thoughts of Sirius. Kneeling over him. Shirtless. The shorter boy said something, but Remus didn't hear.
"Remus, are you even listening to me?" Sirius scolded, shaking the other boy's shoulders again.
"Nnnghh," was all Remus could say, staring at Sirius' perfectly plump pink lips. His tongue poked out to lick his own lips, and something in Sirius' face softened. Remus tilted his head up towards his friend ever so slightly, and Sirius leaned in a bit. Their lips met in a clumsy bump, and both of them pulled away slightly, looking at each other with wide eyes, before Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus' neck and Remus grabbed the hair at the base of Sirius' neck, and they were kissing. Proper kissing. Neither of them had quite realized exactly what was happening, but Sirius knew that he was definitely in love with this boy. The things he was doing with his tongue, and the way he was nibbling on Sirius' bottom lip greedily, goddamn. All of the sudden it hit him, he was kissing Remus, and probably ruining everything. Remus was straight, for fuck's sake. With a terrified yelp, he pulled away and hopped off of the bed, racing out of the room and locking himself in the bathroom down the hall. Way to go, Sirius. You fucked everything up.
AN: It's been a while since I've done this, so hopefully you'll all forgive me for my complete lack of fanfiction knowledge. I've got the first few chapters planned out and partially written, so hopefully updates will be quick! Though who knows, it's also Christmas break right now. Anyways, thanks for checking out my story! xxx