Burned truths.
The guys got out that morning from Mr. Weasley's car, who, before returning home, helped them set up the tents, go over the to-do list and make sure the place was safe.
Remus checked the book under his armpit, staring blankly and thinking that he would have rather stayed in the house, than there; out in the open, with the unpleasantness of Sirius and the presence of the insufferable dirt. He was someone homely, who was only there because he had committed to it.
Before going on vacation, they assigned the specific tents for the three couples and the girlfriends. Not wanting to spend extra money, they settled for narrow tents with one bed and, in Mary's case with Marlene, two single beds. Remus looked at the tent that had the acronyms of his name and Sirius (R+S) Something that made him a bit miffed.
He walked in knowing Sirius was already inside. The two of them when they saw each other snorted in annoyance, and Lupin, with a quick flick of his wand, set his bag on top of the bed, before heading back out.
They went to the beach, where everyone enjoyed themselves in their own way. Remus, not having Sirius to motivate him to go into the water, lay on his towel, enjoying a book. Listening as ambient sound to the laughter of his friends, but the book never seemed to connect with him, so he put it aside and lay down, ready to take a nap.
He had only been angry for a day, and he realized that it meant significant effort. He awoke hours later, when Lily shook him from side to side, very nervously as she reached for something from her purse.
“Remus, you didn't put on sunblock!” He saw her legs exposed by her shorts and her arms, which were red hot and burning “I think I brought some healing lotion for burns!”
Only, to be more insidious, Sirius glanced at his boyfriend and let out an evil chuckle; Lupin confirmed that Sirius, when he wanted to be annoying, could do it wonderfully.
Lily spread that cream over her injured skin, feeling a refreshing pain. Then they went back to camp, whereby the girl's own instructions, and to avoid heat shock, he was to lie down for at least an hour. He barked his orders but found that every slightest movement hurt.
He heard Sirius come in, and he pretended to be asleep. He looked like he was fresh out of the shower, because of the towel around his waist. He changed into light clothes so quickly, that in less than a minute he was ready. The boy glanced sideways at Lupin and without a second thought, walked over to the bed to pour him a glass of cold water, put a cloth on his forehead and moisten his lips with his fingertips.
He left without a word, and Lupin stared at the doorway, feeling a smile settle on his lips, until he finally did fall asleep.
By the time he awoke, his skin no longer ached, but his stomach demanded, imperiously, a good meal. He headed outside to find that night had already fallen over the campsite, and his friends were around a campfire, with the music playing and the dirty dishes on one side. His friends greeted him and told him that his portion was inside the mini-freezer they had brought.
He took out his plate, which consisted of an insipid salad, and then sat around the campfire, facing Sirius, trying not to look directly at him.
The rest of the group just wanted everything to go back to normal, for both boys to stand off some rough edges and forget about yesterday's situation.
“How about we play a game?” proposed James, with a smile and looking for the beers he bought in the city from the freezer “I'm bored to death.”
“Yes! Truth and dare!” added Marlene, taking a beer, and opening the cap with the tip of her wand, “Who's first?”
Lupin bit into a pickle and rolled his eyes. Sirius, on the other hand, shrugged, while tying his hair into a small bun.
“I've got one” Lily spoke, glaring her green eyes at Remus. “Truth or dare, Lupin?”
He realized his friends' intentions in that instant, they were hoping he would choose to dare, so he could go with Sirius to reconcile, but he was sure that would only end very badly. The hurt was still felt in his heart because what hurt him the most was the fact of indifference. Who was supposed to respect him.
“True” Lupin replied, accepting the beer James offered him.
Lily smiled and pulled out a bottle from her pouch with the tag “Veritaserum” on it. Everyone looked at her in shock as she opened it.
“I made it last year, and I always bring a dose just in case” Lily said. “This will make sure we tell the whole “truth” so it's more entertaining, isn't it? One drop, it will last for five minutes” suggested taking out an eyedropper “Are you sure you want it, right Lupin?”
He bit his lip, and thought twice before accepting the truth again, the girl put a drop on his tongue. Lily turned to her friends and in a small round they all ended up nodding. At that moment both James, Peter and Sirius were worried.
“Lily, is it about what you told me in the water?” James questioned, and the girl nodded, “I don't think Lupin would want to answer a question like that.”
“Whatever, I've already agreed, haven't I?” Lupin muttered. Lily winked at her boyfriend. “It's just one question, remember. If you ask me two, I'm going to get angry.”
“Tell me Lupin, how did you get those scars?” Lily asked.
Remus swallowed dryly, took a sip of his drink, and answered,
“Because of the monthly transformations. It's unavoidable.”
The girls looked at each other, and the boys at each other.
“Monthly transformations?” Dominique asked, by mistake.
Sirius pulled out his wand and just as Lupin mentioned the first syllable of the answer, he conjured a palalingua that left him speechless.
“A QUESTION” Sirius said in frustration. Lupin's speech returned, and he felt as if the effect of the potion itself had completely dissipated.
“What a stupid game!”
Lupin got up from the campfire, and without looking back at his friends went into the tent, his heart pounding. He lay down, trying to go back to sleep.
It really had been a bad idea, that whole camping thing. A few minutes later he felt Sirius come into the tent and lay down on the bed, who only murmured to him:
“Do you want to talk?”
“No, not really.”
“I understand”
And no one said anything about it, Lupin rolled over and closed his eyes forcing himself to fall into a not at all stormy sleep.
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