The One Where The Stars Are Not In The Sky
At midnight, Remus finds himself walking the stairs to the Astronomy tower, his prefect badge glittering in the moonlight. In one hand, he holds the note he found on his pillow that afternoon, with the other he grips the handrail tightly while he walks upwards. One foot in front of the other, the old wooden stairs creaking underneath his weight.
Remus inhales deeply before taking the last step. He coughs softly to make the boy on the other side of the room turn around. Remus stops for a moment, watching as Sirius slowly walks towards him. There are no lamps in the room; the only light comes from the moon and stars.
Sirius sighs deeply before him. His right hand touches Remus’ hand only ever so slightly before trailing the sleeve of his sweater and resting on his shoulder and he looks up from where he was staring at the floor.
There are little lights in his eyes, like stars. And if Remus was the keeper of time, he would pause the whole world on this exact minute and live it a million times over.
The moment doesn’t pass; instead, Sirius places his hand on his cheek and traces the freckles there. Every gentle touch of his fingers makes Remus’ face tingle and burn, almost like his face is on fire.
Sirius steps closer to Remus, his left hand grabbing Remus’ right until their fingers are intertwined and their feet are touching. Remus swears on his life that Sirius asks if he can kiss him with the twinkle in his eyes and he leans forward only a centimetre. The other boy’s thumb is now against his lower lip and Remus holds his breath for a moment as Sirius leans towards him too, and touches his nose against the other’s.
After a moment, Sirius leans in further and kisses the corner of his mouth. Remus feels like his heart has stopped. He closes his eyes, tilts his head slightly, and suddenly, his lips are on Sirius’s.
It lasts only a moment before Sirius pulls back. He smiles at him softly, with a smile that only Remus has seen, before pulling Remus down and locking their lips again.