Valentines days
Sirius thought that at this point he deserved some kind of an award. The best friend of the year? The hype man of the year? He would happily take anything someone would offer.
It was currently 6am, so way too early for him to be awake. Not to mention being out of their dorm.
“You’re lucky I love you, mate”, he said as he once again charmed one of the paintings. It was valentine's day and James being the romantic person he is, had planned this perfect surprise for Evans.
“Oh don’t be like that, this is a great plan isn’t it?” James said from a couple steps away from him where he was also charming one of the paintings.
Sirius chuckled and looked at the wizard inside the painting that looked at him, very confused of what just happened. Sirius couldn’t blame him, the poor guy will have to sing Love of my life from Queen everytime Lily passes him.
“I mean sure if you like it when paintings sing to you”
James turned to look at him the same worry that had covered his face for weeks before he came up with this idea.
“No, don't give me that look, Prongs! I’m sure Evans will love this”, he really hoped she will or all this would be for nothing. Or maybe not for nothing, seeing Lily get annoyed with James was also very interesting to watch from the side.
As long as it was from the side.
“Well I hope so. Erm… don’t you have anything planned for...for Moony?”
The thing was his and Remus’ relationship was still fresh. Well not neccesary fresh to them, but to their friends. It’s been less than a month since they got to know about it. It wasn’t anything dramatic, like no one walked on them snogging each other faces off. No, it was actually very stupid.
One night all four of them were sitting in the common room. Sirius doesn’t actually know what James was doing. He and Peter were playing chess, well he was trying, like really trying. But as always he sucked at it. During one of their games, Remus, who had been doing his homework, had started to watch their game. Commenting now and there whenever Sirius made a questioning move.
Just this one time after many stupid moves from Sirius, Remus had sighed and said something like:
“Sirius, love, you can’t do that”
Well actually Sirius had no idea what he really had said, because the second ‘love’ had left Remus mouth James' head whipped up so fast it was a surprise he didn’t break his neck.
So that led to a conversation, where at first Peter was very confused. The poor lad didn’t understand what was happening, because apparently he had heard Remus call Sirius ‘love’ many times. He just thought it had been a joke.
Peter was and still is too pure, let Sirius say that.
It wasn’t that James or Peter were against the two of them dating. It was just a huge surprise.
And now, it still was kinda awkward. They didn’t talk about it, not even just Sirius and James who usually talked about everything and anything. James didn’t ask, because he didn’t want to seem rude. Sirius didn’t talk about it, because he didn’t want to make it weird.
He knew it wouldn’t be weird, but still something was and honestly… It was kind of a thin line they were walking on.
“No, actually Moony isn’t really like that”, Sirius explained. James stopped what he was doing and looked at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but instead of saying what he had in his mind he closed his mouth.
Sirius looked down and bit his lower lip before looking back to James.
“You know, you can ask about it. I mean if you want to”
James nodded
“He wouldn’t like it?” he asked, but Sirius could tell that really wasn’t what he had wanted to say.
Sirius huffed a laugh, “No he for sure wouldn’t like it. He’s really not that romantic, you know?”
Though James, the most romantic person on earth, probably didn’t know.
“I actually, I don’t know. Sorry mate, it's just that.. I, well, we don’t really know much about the two of you- I mean like yes we know the two of you. Like as separate persons, like I know you, obviously. And I know Remus, he’s my best mate too. But the two of you, together? It’s, we don’t- it’s not… Like you guys don’t really bring it out”
Sirius couldn’t help the laugh that left his mouth as he watched his best friend struggle with his words.
“Prongs I-”
“And I get that, Moony is a very private person, he always has been. And I kinda felt bad when your guys relationship got out like that, well just to me and Pete, but then you told the girls too and I was like okay, okay. I thought that maybe you guys would start acting more coupley? But you didn’t, it still seems like half of the time you annoy the shit out of Remus, which-, okay doesn’t mean you guys can’t like.. Be a couple? And I didn’t want to ask, because it really isn’t any of my business and Lily said I shouldn’t ask. She said you would come to me with it when you felt ready, like you always did with all the.. Um with- with all the girls, I guess. But well you didn’t, so. Yes”
At that point Sirius was just staring at James with wide eyes. He hadn’t known this all had meant so much to James. Though he should have known and now he felt bad, he hadn’t realised.
“Well, that was definitely a lot of words right there, Prongs”
“Padfoot I-”
“No, no”, he raised his hands up to show James not to talk. “Now it’s my time to explain, okay?”
He sat down on the stairs and patted the place next to him for James to sit too.
“Okay, so where should I start.. Hm.. Well it’s true you guys don’t know much. That’s on us for sure. It’s true Remus is a really private person, so I respect that and don’t go around yelling about us. I know I could have talked to you about it, but if I’m being honest I really didn’t wanna make you uncomfortable with any of it”
James shook his head from side to side so quick it was a miracle his glasses didn’t fall off.
“You wouldn’t make me uncomfortable, Pads”
“Yes, I know”, he bumped their knees together, “I really do know that, but still that thought didn’t want to leave my head. But let me continue. You said that I didn’t come to you about Remus like I did with all the girls. And yeah it’s true, but I had my reasons. You see, all the girls.. They didn’t really mean anything to me. Not if I’m being honest here. But Moony, he’s.. Oh James he means so much to me, you don’t actually even know. So I just wanted to keep that for myself, at least for a while. I have never had anything like this with anyone else”
James smiled at him.
“And I’m glad about it, Pads. I really am, but I just didn’t know what to think about it. But now I do so thank you”
“Yeah of course. And what comes to us acting more.. Coupley? I don’t think that will happen. Not in a while at least. Well, okay maybe sometimes like around you and Evans, but other than that not sure. We like to keep it to ourselves”, Sirius just shrugged off. It’s not something the two of them had talked about. Maybe Moony wouldn’t mind? Yeah they definitely will have to talk about it.
“And you know, we can’t just walk around the castle hand in hand the way you and Evans can. It’s just not possible”
There was something sad in Sirius' voice that made James wrap his arm around his shoulders.
“I know and I’m sorry about it, I wish you could”
Sirius just shook his head,
“Don’t worry about it, can’t help with it. Oh and what comes to me annoying the shit out of Remus, yes that still happens. Just because I also snog him, it doesn’t mean I’m not still a brat to him”, Sirius smirked and looked at James, who after a whole five minutes of not looking like he wanted to ask something, looked like he had something on his mind again.
James' face got red and he looked down to his shoes. Then he mumbled something that Sirius didn’t really catch.
“Pardon?”
James cleared his throat and repeated himself.
“So you guys like, you know.. Kiss and stuff?”
Sirius frowned and turned to look at his best friend. James clearly understood that his question was a dumb one, by the way his face got even more red.
“No, of course not”, now James just looked lost. Sirius wanted to laugh at the looks on his face. “We just lay in bed and hold our pinkies together. You know, leaving room for Merlin and stuff”
Silence fell between them. When it didn’t seem like James was going to say anything Sirius huffed.
“Of course we fucking kiss, Prongs! You think we act like two priests when we are together?”
James held his hands up in defence
“Well I don’t know what you guys do when you’re alone”
Sirius rolled his eyes, “Go on mate. You have things you wanna know, so ask me.”
“You sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable”
Sirius rolled his eyes again, “No, I’m done gatekeeping, come on now”
“Okay, okay!” Then James thought about it. He really did have a lot of questions, but he didn’t know how many of them Sirius was willing to ask so he had to choose wisely. “Like anything?”
“Well, maybe somewhere I draw a line, but just ask”
James hummed.
“What is Moony like with you when no one else is around”
Sirius couldn’t help but let a smile break free on his face.
“He is sweet. Like don’t get me wrong his still as moody and, well sometimes snappy, but that’s on me. But otherwise he’s really gentle and sweet like I said”, Sirius' face got redder, “He calls me love, but well you knew that already. And that’s like the only thing close to romantic he does. Like I don’t think he knows how to be romantic”
“Isn’t him being sweet the same as him being romantic?”
Sirius shook his head
“No, there’s a difference”, he smirked. “You just don’t get it, Prongs”
“Yeah maybe. Okay what else do I want to know”
Sirius glanced at him, “We both know what you want to know, James”
“Okay, true but I don’t want to be disrespectful”
Sirius sighed, “Yes we shag, James”, he sniggered, “Like a lot”
James shook his head and pressed his hands over his eyes, “Okay, okay. Maybe I’m not ready to know about my two best mates having sex”
“Oh, it’s completely natural, James. It’s normal for couples to shag, especially if the other one in the relationship happens to be a werewolf”
James came to a halt and looked at him behind his fingers, “Wait you mean like when it's nearly the full moon..”
Sirius nodded his head
“Okay, great! That’s it, thanks!”
Sirius laughed and a moment later James joined in the laughter.
It actually felt pretty nice to talk about all this with James. Felt like something heavy finally fell off his chest.
After the laughter had died down it was quiet for a while. Sirius felt how James was glancing at him from time to time.
“But like.. How does it happen? Like in general I mean”
“And that’s where I draw the line, James”, he said and got up from the step.
“Do we have more paintings left?” he asked to change the subject from awkward to something not awkward.
James stood up too and looked at all the paintings on the wall. It’s not like he could see which one of them had been charmet and which weren’t but he still looked.
“No, I think we are good”, he said and then turned to look at Sirius. He took a hold of the other boy’s elbow and pulled him into a hug.
“Thank you for talking with me. I promise I’m nothing more than supportive of the two of you”
“I know, James”, Sirius said to his neck, where his face was pressed to his shoulder.
“Why are we hugging?” The two of them separated when they heard third voice from the steps above them.
It was Remus. He looked like he had just woken up. He had thrown a sweater over his pyjamas and his hair was all over the place. Just the way Sirius liked it.
“Moony”, he said and walked up to him. On the stair below Remus he looked up at him and then slipped his hands around his waist and pressed his head to his chest.
Remus didn’t react at first, he just looked at James who seemed as surprised as Remus felt. Then he wrapped his own arms around Sirius’ shoulders. He moved his head down to speak closer to Sirius’ ear.
“Everything okay, love?”
Sirius smiled and nodded his head, before lifting his own head up to look Remus in the eyes.
“Happy Valentines day, Moony”
Remus raised his eyebrows at him, then glanced at James who was still staring at them. Not even trying to hide it.
“Happy Valentines day, Sirius”
He pressed a quick kiss to Sirius’ forehead. When he saw James smiling he dropped his hands and cleared his throat.
“So what are you two doing here? It’s 7am”
“Oh you know..”, Sirius said and moved to stand in front of one of the paintings where the witch from earlier still looked as unpleasant as she did before. “We were just working on James valentines day surprise to Evans”
“And?”
“The paintings start singing Love of my life from Queen whenever Lily walks past them”, James said proudly, a grin covering his whole face.
Remus raised his eyebrows with an unpleasant face
“That’s sound fucking awful”, he blurted out and then pointed his finger at Sirius. “You better not have done anything or I will literally shove my wand up your ass”
Sirius turned to look at James
“See? I told you”
“Okay fair, I guess” James said and then he stopped and first looked at Remus up and down and after that turned to look at Sirius the same way.
“Wait, is that how…”
Sirius shook his head and ran up to Remus so he could drag him back to their dorm.
“No, James no!”
“I was just asking”, James yelled after them
“Wait what?” confused Remus asked as he followed Sirius up the stairs.
Maybe Sirius had some explaining to do.