Sirius felt the rush in his hair, the catch of his jacket on the banister, the way his feet pressed against the hard steps with each forward motion. All thoughts besides Remus had left his head, throwing him forward, faster with every passing second. He’d been sprinting from the moment the professor dismissed them, antsy in his seat since James’ message on the mirror. They’d been quiet as to avoid being noticed by the teacher, and yet Sirius’ nervous energy had radiated off him like a heat lamp. He never had been one for subtlety, unable to mask his mood in the best of times, never mind this. The time had passed slower than it had in a while, and with every passing minute he fought the urge to excuse himself early, but exams were closing in, and the class time was crucial. This seemed beyond an exception, and yet he knew he had no permissible excuse that he could reasonably use in front of a class; he’d made the mistake of letting things slip to the wrong ears before. And so he waited, twisting his quill between his fingers with his bag ready to grab for forty minutes.
Now he flew, not literally but essentially enough, through the bustling corridors, dodging students and avoiding near misses every other step. None of that mattered to him right now though, his sole mission was to get back to his dorm. James and Pete had had a free period, surely on their way to the great hall for lunch about now. He barely even wondered whether he’d bump into them on his way amidst the weaving through crowds all moving against him. They couldn’t stop him though. Not this time. A grin plastered across his face and his feet to carry him, he moved up the moving stairs faster than he ever had before, unable to risk them shifting before he got up to the top.
The highest tower seemed miles away where it never had before, the people he passed giving odd looks to their friends as he blew past. He didn’t care. Swinging around the last stairway before the portrait, he almost slammed straight into James, stumbling back at the last second.
“Woahh there mate, don’t break a leg.” James chuckled back at him, giving a firm pat on the back as he stepped aside. James knew too well by now there was no stopping Padfoot on a mission. Sirius could only nod breathlessly back, a murmur of agreement before taking off again as Pete shook his head with a faint smile, returning to his and James’ conversation. Sirius didn’t catch what it was, James would fill him in later, surely.
He managed to catch the portrait before it closed, jumping through the opening into the Gryffindor common room. A small crowd of third years quickly slip down the middle as he came careening past, some fifth years on the couch jumping simultaneously. He’d be getting some snickers and looks for a couple days after this, but he’d had worse. Much worse than that. It was distant from his memory now, future him could worry about that, pull off another prank or something to divert the conversation around him if he felt it so necessary. Right now, the narrow, winding stairs caught his eye, as well as the sixth years currently filing down from their dorm.
“Fuck” A whisper escaped him, as he slid to a halt by the bottom of the staircase, trying not to look too on the edge as they slowly chattered past him, unaware of the sparks flying in Sirius’ abdomen the longer he stood and waited. The end of the train edged closer down, a silent countdown starting in Sirius’ head as one dropped a licourice wand on the steps, pausing to pick it up. It took far too much time for his liking, but he could feel his relief coming soon as the last of them scattered away off the stairs, and he could begin his ascent, running dangerously quickly up the steps.
He was half tempted to turn into Padfoot as he went, certain it would help with speed, but really he’d reached the very end of his journey anyway, the glow of warm light getting closer and closer as he neared his destination, only beginning to slow as he reached the half-open doorway, that ebb of sunshine illuminating his face on the landing outside.
Taking a breath as he pushed inwards, he allowed the warmth to fully enrobe him in, his eyes searching about the room quickly, finding their target almost immediately.
He was back. Stood in the centre of the room as if he’d known Sirius would be coming to find him. He probably did; James would have mentioned that he’d told Sirius. Still, it didn’t fail to take the air clean out of Sirius’ chest by the mere sight of him. Even more so as he sprinted towards Remus, grabbing him in the tightest hug Sirius could give.
Remus’ arms encased him, taking him into their warmth, their safety. All ideas of hurt or injury escaping their minds for this moment. Sirius could hear his heartbeat, strong in his chest, and that’s all he thought he’d ever need in his life, the only music he could never live without.
Days out on a mission followed by two weeks in the hospital wing without substantial visitation had left Sirius only longing for his moony more and more with every passing day. The empty bed, the vacant seat in the great hall, the unopened notebook in classes. It was like torture. Only for it to end when he couldn’t even be there…
No closeness was close enough, he wanted to forever be attached to Remus, become inseparable in every meaning of the word. Looking up into those swimmingly gorgeous eyes of him, seeing the freckles dotted about his face, the way the scar on his cheek cut through them like the slash of a spell, the way his hair fell in loose curls on his forehead. It could have been a painting, one Sirius would put up on every wall of every building ever to be looked upon by another person. But this was his, and his alone. Nobody else got to look at Remus the way he did, and nobody else got to look at him the way Remus did.
Looks turned to longing, and pushing up on his toes, Sirius connected their lips, pressing against one another to fill every crack and curve and imperfection. The sparks in him turned to fireworks exploding on his tongue, the white light bursting from his every move, his every motion or touch. The taste of him was better than anything he’d ever tasted, just as exciting as the first time every time. He felt a warmth on the back of his head, reaching up to hold Remus’ wrist exactly where it was, connecting them in the embrace as if they could live in this one perfect moment forever. The lines that zig zagged across the back of Remus’ hand felt like paths untrodden, earth unturned, a new venture for him to explore, to make his own.
As they finally pulled away for air, he opened his eyes once again to Remus’, two glittering moons in his eyes, seeing into his soul in the way only he could. His warm breath seemed to bring life to his pale skin, as they stood in the daylight, an open window letting in the gentlest of breezes. The world stilled for them.
“I missed you Moons.”
“I missed you too.”