Remus had always been a bit protective over his friends. He liked to watch out for them, help them out if necessary, and overall just be there for them. He liked doing things with them as well, going as far as playing Quidditch with James when it was freezing outside that one time. Remus didn’t like the cold, nor flying, but James had asked (read: begged) him for a game, and Remus had -albeit a bit reluctantly- agreed, and seeing James’ beaming face right after had been so worth it. Because making his friends happy was his priority, often placed above his own happiness. This also meant that by now, barely anyone dared to badmouth his friends. Remus could throw a mean punch, something the students of Hogwarts had to find out the hard way. Never insult Peter’s art or complain about Sirius’ dramatic personality, things like that were common knowledge around the castle. Because nobody wanted to be on the receiving end of Remus’ wrath.
Lately, however, Remus noticed he had grown to feel a bit more possessive as well. Especially about Sirius. And Remus hated it- he hated the thoughts that would swim around in his mind whenever Sirius was approached by other students who they weren’t close with, he hated how he loathed almost every person Sirius leaned on while laughing at some stupid joke, and most of all, he hated how jealous his possessiveness constantly made him feel. He didn’t want to feel possessive of Sirius- because there was nothing to poses. Sirius wasn’t his, to begin with. He simply had no right to feel that way. But he still did, and he hated himself for it. More specifically, he hated the werewolf within him for it.
Remus had been crushing on Sirius for well over a year now, so it wasn’t as if it was all new to him- having to see Sirius flirt with other girls, watching Sirius lean on others in search for support as loud laughter was escaping his throat. But after the summer break, seeing Sirius again for the first time after two months at the start of their sixth year, it had somehow felt… different. It was if his feelings had only grown stronger, instead of weaker like Remus had hoped.
And Remus had been trying so hard to hide it. Because Sirius could never find out- no, he refused to ruin his friendship by letting Sirius find out about his feelings for him. Because Remus had to be honest with himself- it was no longer a crush. He had full-on, strong feelings for him. Remus would even go as far to say that he thought he might already be in love with him. And maybe that was the reason his possessiveness had come forward in a way like that.
In order to not raise any suspicion, Remus bottled his feelings up. He tried his best to not let any of his possessiveness show to any of his friends, least of all Sirius Black. But turns out, even Remus had his limits.
It happened on a Saturday evening.
There was a party in the Gryffindor common room, as Gryffindor was celebrating their first Quidditch win as well of their first match of the year.
Remus was sitting in a chair in the corner of the common room, observing everything that was happening as well keeping a close eye on his friends. His eyes drifted to Sirius more often than not, as the black haired boy was dancing like his life was depending on it to the loud music engulfing the room.
Sirius was often the life of the party, and tonight was no exception- he was already drunk of his ass, and kept taking swigs out of the bottle of firewhiskey in his hands as he continued to dance with Peter and Marlene.
Lots of people had already tried to dance with him, but he had ignored all of them in favour of dancing and drinking with his friends. Remus understood why so many wanted the black haired man’s attention; he was very handsome- stunning, even, in Remus’ eyes. He had a great sense of humour and there was just something charming about him. Needless to say- at least half the school had tried to ask him out already, even though he had turned down almost every single one of them.
Remus sighed as he took a sip of firewhiskey, the alcohol leaving a burning sensation in his throat. The werewolf couldn’t actually get drunk, due to his werewolf genes- he had already tried a bunch of times, and never managed to succeed. So instead of downing drink after drink like his friends, he chose to savour the flavour of the drink in his hands instead.
A frown appeared on Remus’ face as he watched a fourth year girl try to get Sirius’ attention. His friend simply ignored her, but the girl didn’t seem like giving up, unfortunately. She threw herself over him, wrapping her arms around his neck as Sirius leaned away from the girl- clearly feeling uncomfortable. The girl didn’t seem to take a hint, though, and instead started to move her body seducingly to the rhythm of the music. Marlene was laughing before turning to say something in Peter’s ear, and the two moved away- leaving Sirius and the random girl alone. The girl only seemed to take that as encouragement, and planted a kiss on Sirius’ cheek.
And just like that, something inside of him snapped.
He got up, his drink forgotten on the armrest of the chair, and made his way over to Sirius. He pushed a few people out of the way with ease, and within seconds Remus found himself standing next to Sirius.
“Excuse me, it’s my turn now,” Remus literally growled as he pulled the girl off of Sirius in one swift movement. The girl looked offended and opened her mouth to protest, already reaching for Sirius again, but Remus pushed his friend behind him in a protective manner before sending the girl a glare.
Without saying anything, the girl turned around and left the two boys behind.
Remus turned to Sirius, giving him a concerned glance.
“Are you okay? I noticed you were a bit uncomfortable under her touch,” he frowned.
Sirius, however, was too drunk to properly registrate what Remus had said, and simply grabbed his hands with a wide smile.
“Finally, you’ve come to dance with me!” he cheered as he threw their linked hands in the air. He started jumping around, and with a roll of his eyes, Remus let himself be dragged a little bit further on to the dance floor.
~
The second time Remus snapped, was only two weeks later.
He and Sirius were studying in the library for a Herbology test, when a Hufflepuff made her way towards them. Remus heard her approach before he saw her, and he was already dreading the interaction between them. Between Sirius and the girl, that was. Because he had no doubt on his mind that she was about to ask Sirius out, and with the full moon only two days away, Remus’ self-control was shit.
Just as Remus had suspected, the girl had stopped in her footsteps right next to their table. She called out Sirius´ name, resulting in him looking up at her as he let out a distracted “huh?”
Remus kept his eyes on the book in front of him, He wasn’t reading anything, hell, he couldn’t even tell which word he had forced his eyes to focus on, as he tried his best to tune out the conversation next to him.
He heard the girl ask Sirius out in a very confident tone, and Remus decided then and there that he absolutely despised her. To feel so confident in getting a bloke to say ‘yes’, to feel so confident about Sirius saying ‘yes’ to you… he hated it. Especially since he knew Sirius liked confidence, and just as he thought about that, he heard Sirius reply with a “depends on when, really”.
Remus didn’t even have to look at him to know he shrugged while replying to the girl with a cheeky grin on his face. Ever the charming guy, he was.
“How do you feel about tonight?” the girl asked.
“I’m studying for a test,” Sirius answered her. “Tonight, still?” the girl questioned, obviously not believing him. “You bet! I can’t disappoint my favourite Hufflepuff by getting bad grades, now can I?” Sirius smirked. “Pomona would be so disappointed in me”.
Remus couldn’t stop the small smile appearing on his face. Sirius had a talent for turning people down without actually hurting them- a part of his ever so wonderful charm.
“Friday evening, then? After your Herbology test?” the girl insisted. “No can do, I already have plans with the boys,” Sirius said as he shook his head. Friday was the full moon, so obviously Friday night was a no-go. “Well then, move your ‘boys night’. I know a perfectly well hidden closet on the sixth floor, if you know what I mean,” she wiggled her eyebrows.
Right- that’s it. Remus couldn’t hold his tongue anymore. Sirius had obviously tried to make it clear he wasn’t interested, but this girl just wouldn’t stop. Mentioning the closet, what she implied with that, on top of trying to get to agree with that on the night of the full moon, was the final straw.
“He’s trying to turn you down gently, but since you can’t take a fucking hint, let me spell it out for you; he doesn’t fucking want you. Now move along, please, we’re trying to study here”.
“Sirus can speak for himself, no?” The girl said as she folded her arms in front of her chest. She gave Remus a challenging look as she did so. Then, she turned to look at Sirius again.
“Look, I can work with any day, really. Just tell me when and where,” she told him. “As I said, I know a perfectly well hidden closet on the sixth floor”.
Remus was getting a bit fed-up with this girl now.
“Sirius will be busy for the foreseeable future. He will be busy any other time you want to fuck him in a closet, either. So, goodbye, have a nice rest of your day”.
The girl wore an offended look on her face as she stared at Remus with her mouth hanging open- it didn’t look to flattering, really.
“Moony! How many times do I have to tell you not to always be so blunt?” Sirius whined. “Sometimes being blunt is the best way to go about things. Especially when they can’t take a fucking hint,” Remus scoffed.
Sirius let out a sigh, before turning back to the girl.
“I’m sorry about him, really. But he’s right though- I’m not interested in anything right now. But you never know; things might change in the future, who knows?” he grinned as he wiggled his eyebrows.
“Boys,” the girl scoffed as she turned around and walked away- her head held high.
“Bloody hell, Moony. It’s no wonder you can’t seem to find yourself a girl if you talk to girls like that,” Sirius laughed. Remus merely shrugged, not really caring. “I don’t want to find myself a girl, anyway,” he told his friend truthfully. Sirius laughed at that, shaking his head.
“Come on, you were about to tell me what to right down in my summary,” Sirius smiled. Remus let out a sigh, but nodded anyway. “You better write fast- I’m not going to repeat myself”.
~
Two days later, on the fay of the full moon, was the third time Remus’ limits were reached. Truth be told, as Remus already felt the effects of the full moon flowing through his body, he didn’t need much. He didn’t need anything, really. Every little thing just set him off.
He was having lunch with his friends in the Great Hall when Sirus was approached by yet another girl. She wore a yellow Hufflepuff tie, but was notably less confident then the last Hufflepuff girl that had approached the ever so charming Gryffindor.
Remus tried his best to ignore the girl, which was a bit hard considering she was now standing behind him. Sirius was sitting next to him, and Remus had to contain an groan- why had he chosen to sit next to him this afternoon? At least he wouldn’t have to deal with the distracting smell of a very nervous person standing behind him.
In order to distract himself, Remus turned to face Frank who sat on his other side.
“How’s your mother doing?” he asked the older lad. Frank had mentioned at yesterday’s breakfast that his mother had fallen unexpectedly ill, so he would be going home for the weekend to see her and help his father take care of her.
He heard the Hufflepuff address Sirius, and he felt the latter turning in his seat to face the girl. Remus took a deep breath, trying to focus on Frank as much as he could.
“According to my dad, she’s doing even worse then yesterday,” Frank frowned. “I’m just glad McGonagall gave me permission to go see her tomorrow,” he confessed. “I would be, too,” Remus nodded.
“I wanted to ask you out on a date, if that’s alright?” the Hufflepuff asked Sirius, and Remus felt the jealousy flare up inside his chest. But Sirius wasn’t his, so he had to keep his mouth shut. Frank was talking to him, but it wasn’t really registering what he was saying. No matter how much Remus tried to put his focus away, he couldn’t.
“Well, no one’s stopping you, no?” Sirius grinned.
And suddenly, Remus decided he couldn’t take it anymore. Not if Sirius was actually playing into the girl’s advances.
Abruptly, the werewolf stood up.
“I forgot I had to be somewhere,” he excused himself, before making a beeline towards the doors of the Great Hall. He needed to go before he said something he’d regret- something he couldn’t take back. On his way past the girl, though, he couldn’t resist shoving her just a little by bumping into her shoulder.
As soon as he was out of the Great Hall, Remus came to a halt. He pressed his back against a pilar, letting his head fall back against the cold stone. The coldness helped him keep himself stable, in control. It felt rather nice, to have the coldness slowly spread though his entre body. It was rather calming, he thought.
“Remus!”
With a groan, Remus opened his eyes. Sirius was jogging towards him, and Remus couldn’t figure out for the life of him why. Why would he chase after him, when there was a beautiful girl waiting for him?
“Are you okay?” Sirius asked, his voice filled with concern. “I- yes. Yes, why wouldn’t I be?” Remus shrugged, plastering on a fake smile. He really didn’t want to face Sirius right now.
“It’s just- you left so abruptly. Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?” “Positive,” Remus nodded. The fake smile hadn’t left his face yet, though it took him quite some effort.
“Okay, but then-“ Sirius started, but he was interrupted by the Hufflepuff girl. Apparently, she had followed Sirius out of the Great Hall. Remus couldn’t help but roll his eyes as the girl tapped Sirius on his shoulders, and he folded his arms in front of his chest- his smile, no matter how fake, was gone now.
“I’m sorry, but I’d like to agree on a set time beforehand,” the girl blushed. “Oh, sure,” Sirius nodded. “After lunch?” he then suggested. Before the girl could respond, Remus opened his mouth.
“No,” he snarled.
Both Sirius and the Hufflepuff girl looked taken aback by his reaction, so Remus took a deep breath.
“We’re meeting with Marlene, Frank and Kingsley this weekend,” Remus helped remember Sirius. It was true, after all- they had all made plans to go to the Three Broomsticks the week before. “I know, but she can join us, right?” Sirius suggested. Remus huffed as he rolled his eyes. “She’s asking you out on a fucking date. She’s romantically interested in you, she doesn’t want to hang out with your fucking friends,” Remus explained to Sirius. Really, Sirius didn’t need that explanation. He had been well aware of that fact, but he had once again made an attempt to let the girl down gently.
“I’d like to hang out with just you,” the girl confirmed. Sirius didn’t know what to say to that, except let out a small “oh”.
“He’s not interested,” Remus bluntly stated. “So I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s not happening”.
“Sirius can tell me himself what he wants, thank you very much,” the girl huffed. Then, she turned to look at Sirius. “is that true? What he said, I mean?” she asked. “I… well, I’m not really looking for someone to date at the moment, no. But we could still hang out!” Sirius tried. The girl sighed as she shook her head. “Never mind. Have a good weekend, though,” she mumbled, before turning around on her heels and walking away.
Sirius took that as his cue to turn back to face Remus.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” he let his frustrations out. “You can’t just keep rejecting girls for me!” “But you don’t want to go out with them, anyway!” Remus protested. “But that doesn’t mean you can speak for me, you idiot!”
And really, Remus knew he was right. He had no right to speak for Sirius- he had no right, no claim for him at all. It stung, but Remus tried his best to ignore it. It was the truth, after all.
“I know,” he whispered as he looked down at his feet.
“Then why do you do it?” Sirius asked gently.
“It’s just… you know I can be a bit possessive over my friends, right? And with the full moon tonight… it’s a bit hard to get a grip on the wolf, sometimes,” Remus admitted. “I don’t see you turning down girls for Peter, though,” Sirius said as he raised his eyebrows. “He’s actually interested in them, though,” Remus defended himself. “Okay, true. But you don’t even seen bothered by that- while you are bothered when I’m the one who gets approached”.
Remus really hoped that Sirius wouldn’t look into it that much. Of course, that would be false hope.
“So?” he shrugged, trying to not look too bothered by Sirius’ words.
“I’m gonna try something. And if I’ve been reading this wrong, you can punch and yell at me for all you want, but… close your eyes for me, Moony. Please?”
Remus had no idea what Sirius was implying- well, no, that was a lie. He hoped that Sirius was implying something, but at the same time he was too afraid to hope for it. So he pushed the thoughts away, and listened to Sirius; he closed his eyes.
Only two seconds later, he felt a soft breath against his lips. Remus held his breath, and then he felt a pair of lips pushing softly against his own. Before he had even time to react to it, the touch was gone, and Remus opened his eyes in shock.
Sirius was looking up at him with a flushed face, a twinkle of hope visible in his eyes.
“So… did I read this right? Us?” he asked, a slight tremor in his voice.
Remus didn’t know what to say to that- so instead, he showed him. He grabbed Sirius’ face softly between his hands, angling his face up a bit as he looked down into Sirius’ eyes for a second. Then, he moved closer and his eyes shuttered close as his lips pressed against those of Sirius once again- using more pressure this time.
Sirius’ reaction was instant- he pushed Remus back against the pillar as his hands pushed against his chest, before he moved to stand on his to toes for a better angle and kissing Remus properly back- using just as much force as he was given.
When they broke apart, Remus didn’t remove his hands from Sirius’ face. Neither did Sirius remove his hands from where they were resting against Remus’ chest.
“It seems you have every right to turn down any person who wants to go out with me, after all,” Sirius breathed out. There was a small smile on his face, and his eyes held a mischievous twinkle. “Yeah?” Remus breathed out. “Uhuh,” Sirius nodded, “I think I rather like it, actually. It’s pretty hot when you’re being possessive. Especially if it’s over me,” he confessed.
Remus couldn’t help the smirk appearing on his face.
“Is that so?” he asked, a matching mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
“Yeah,” Sirius nodded again. “It really makes me want to kiss you,” he admitted. “Well, no one’s stopping you,” Remus grinned, and the next moment Sirius’ lips were back on his. As Sirius’ hands moved up to grab onto his shoulders and their kiss got a little more heated, Remus found himself thinking that maybe his possessiveness wasn’t so bad, after all.