Writing again.
I finally had a chance to sit down and write about 1300 words today. Sadly, none of them were for any story that I'm supposed to be continuing. Instead I decided to take up a request from my friend Linda, who thought I should try a James/Sirius fic. The plotbunny firmly implanted in my head, I had a few interesting ideas yesterday and wanted to write them down before I forget them.
The following is what developed from that particular plotbunny. It's far from done, and only one-third (or one-fourth) of the story, but I thought I'd post it up anyhow. I kind of like it, despite it being in the working stages.
So if you're curious...
i.
Sirius entered the third-year boys dormitory looking positively mutinous. His fringe was slicked back from his face by a strangely translucent green goo, and a similarly colored sheen was pasted across his forehead and dripping down his nose. Even his robes were sticky and stiff, the folds in his robes unforgiving to his movement, as though they were heavily starched. On top of his current state of dishevelment, a repugnant smell wafted around him, so thick one could nearly see a hazy cloud surrounding him. His nostrils flared disagreeably and he pinched his nose, scowling.
Marching across the floor brusquely, he fixed his steely eyes on the second bed from the right. The curtains around the bed were drawn, unlike the other three beds in the circular room.
“James!” Sirius snapped, reaching his arm forward and yanking the curtains aside with gusto.
Almost immediately there was a strangled cry from inside of the curtains, along with a series of muffled thumps and the shifting of bed linens. James was sitting up on his bed, huffing crossly and looking quite flushed. His glasses were hanging precariously from his ear, and Sirius narrowed his eyes, inspecting the strange red welt on James’s nose just where the bridge of his glasses rested.
Sirius craned his neck, trying to look over his friend’s shoulder. “What were you doing?” he asked curiously.
James shifted nervously, blocking something hidden behind him. “Nothing,” he answered, though the tone of his voice made it quite obvious that it wasn’t ‘nothing’.
“No,” Sirius continued, inching around the mattress. “Really, what were you doing?” Again, he tried to peer over James’s shoulder, but James also shifted, adjusting his glasses so that they sat on his face properly.
James frowned slightly. “I was sleeping, if you must know. That is, I was, before your rude interruption.”
“Were you trying to smother yourself?” Sirius asked, eyeballing the red mark on James’s nose.
“Shut it, you tosser.”
Sirius wasn’t about to be distracted by pointless name-calling. “What are you hiding?” he queried. He started to reach around James in an attempt to grab whatever was being hidden, but James thwacked him soundly on the arm.
“Quit it!”
“Oi!” Sirius cried out. Now his curiosity truly was piqued. James shared everything with him, and whatever he was hiding was sure to be a very large secret. With a wicked grin, Sirius leaped onto the bed, tackling James and reaching beneath him to get hold of whatever was pinned between his light frame and the mattress.
James rolled over and cursed, elbowing Sirius in the ribs and kicking out furiously with his legs. “Sirius,” he shouted, “damnit!--” but it was too late. Sirius had firmly grasped what James had been hiding, wriggled it out, and was now staring at it peculiarly.
“You weren’t,” he whispered. The left corner of his mouth twitched twice, threatening to curl up into a smirk.
James scowled at him. “Give it here,” he demanded, grabbing a feather pillow that Sirius was clutching. James pulled it to his chest protectively. “You’re such a prat.”
Sirius ignored his chastising. “It had a wet spot,” he mused.
“A berk.”
“…And it smells like cologne.”
“Nosier than Snivellus,” James continued to grumble.
“I think I can see an indentation from your nose,” Sirius announced, eyes sparkling mischievously.
James raised his hand and made a terribly rude gesture.
Clicking his tongue, Sirius folded his arms across his chest and shook his head. “Lonely, are you?”
James opened his mouth and made a few odd croaking sounds before clamping his lips together tightly and putting his face in his hands.
Sirius began to laugh loudly, collapsing onto the bed and blinking back tears of amusement. “No!” he gasped between sharp bouts of laughter. “No, no, no. I’d have expected that from Peter, but James! You! Snogging a pillow, for Circe’s sake!”
James emitted a muffled groan and lifted his head slightly. “I was practicing,” he whinged.
“For what? Licking someone’s face off?”
“No,” responded James petulantly.
“Breaking a nose?”
“NO.”
“Then I hate to say it, Jamesy, but you’re clearly going about it the wrong way.”
“And you’re an expert, are you?”
Sirius paused thoughtfully before shrugging. “More than you are, I’d wager.”
James looked unimpressed. “So what’s the proper way to snog then, hm?”
Another chuckle bubbled up from Sirius’s throat, and he attempted to cover it up, coughing raucously. “That depends on who you’re planning on snogging.”
James, clearly still affronted from being discovered in the midst of a very personal act, tilted to his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. “Your mum,” he replied.
Sirius’s lifted an eyebrow. “Frightening. You’d be better off snogging Bellatrix.”
James snorted reluctantly. “Nah,” he shook his head, “I value my face, thank you.”
“So?” Sirius prodded him, “who are you planning on having a go with?”
“No-one in particular,” answered James. “I was just preparing.”
Sirius shook his head in disbelief. “Evans?” he guessed.
James made a face. “No, not Evans.” He patted the pillow self-consciously and flipped it over so the wet spot was no longer visible.
Intrigued, Sirius rolled over onto his elbow, eyeing his friend. “You’ve never even kissed anyone before?” He wrinkled his nose. “I’d have thought-“
“-I’ve kissed girls,” James interrupted irritably.
“Then why are you practicing?”
“To improve,” James replied, as though it were obvious.
“Well,” Sirius replied slowly, “it looks like you need it.” He jabbed at the pillow. “Were you mashing your face against it and drooling?”
James’s thin mouth pulled down into a frown. “Witty, Sirius. Really witty.”
Sirius grinned wickedly.
“If you’re such an expert,” James continued sharply, “then why don’t you show me how it’s done?” He tossed the pillow at Sirius, and it landed on his face.
Sirius brushed it off his face lazily. “I’m not snogging that thing,” he announced firmly.
James fixed him with a smug smile. “I knew it.”
“Knew what?”
“Knew that you didn’t know how to snog any better than I do.”
Sirius sat up abruptly. “I do too.”
Gesturing to the pillow in-between them, James shook his head doubtfully. “You won’t prove it,” he replied.
Sirius scoffed. “I’m not snogging your sopping wet pillow!” He picked it up and threw it at James’s face, attempting to knock off the smug smile that was still there, mocking him.
James caught the pillow and swung it down onto Sirius swiftly. “Because you’ll be worse than me, probably.”
“What?!” Sirius cried incredulously.
“Terrible!” James added lightly.
“Not bloody likely,” he replied through clenched teeth.
“Gnashing your teeth against your victim,” James continued, growing steadily louder and more arrogant.
“Right. ”
“Bumping your big nose-ARGH!” James’s commentary was interrupted when Sirius’s fist collided with his stomach. The two began to scuffle, fists and arms and legs flailing about in the air, a staccato barrage of curse words accompanying the fight. They rolled around the bed attempting to tackle one another, pushing the covers around until they ended up in a rumpled heap on the floor.
James sprawled out at the foot of the bed, his glasses lost in the pile of blankets. He was breathing loudly and shielding his eyes with the palm of his hand. Sirius grunted, landing on his hands and knees, and crawled over to the side of his friend. Neither seemed worse for the wear and tear.
“I’m a bloody fine kisser, I’ll have you know,” Sirius announced.
“Prove it sometime,” James said weakly.
“Ask around.”
“I will,” James replied, though it was obvious he had no intention of doing so.
Sirius frowned. “No, you won’t.”
“You’re right,” James agreed with a sigh. “I won’t.”
“Damn you,” Sirius said furiously, “for making me have to prove it to you.”
Without warning, Sirius leaned down and planted a kiss on James’s lips. He tilted his head carefully, managed not to bash noses with James, and tugged gently on James’s lip for a few moments before pulling away.
James’s eyes were now wide open, and he made a gurgling sound.
“That’s how you do it,” Sirius declared, unabashed. He rose to his knees and began searching for James’s glasses in the blankets.
James didn’t say anything for a long time. Finally, he sat up and peered around blindly. “Fine,” he said, sounding slightly begrudged. “You were fine.”
Sirius lifted his chin proudly, but said nothing. He handed James his glasses.
James put them on and sniffed loudly, wrinkling his nose. “What’s that awful smell?” He patted his clothing, which had remnants of Sirius’s sticky goo all over it. “It’s disgusting. Smells like arse.” His hazel eyes blinked at Sirius accusingly.
“That,” Sirius replied, “is a long story.”
The following is what developed from that particular plotbunny. It's far from done, and only one-third (or one-fourth) of the story, but I thought I'd post it up anyhow. I kind of like it, despite it being in the working stages.
So if you're curious...
i.
Sirius entered the third-year boys dormitory looking positively mutinous. His fringe was slicked back from his face by a strangely translucent green goo, and a similarly colored sheen was pasted across his forehead and dripping down his nose. Even his robes were sticky and stiff, the folds in his robes unforgiving to his movement, as though they were heavily starched. On top of his current state of dishevelment, a repugnant smell wafted around him, so thick one could nearly see a hazy cloud surrounding him. His nostrils flared disagreeably and he pinched his nose, scowling.
Marching across the floor brusquely, he fixed his steely eyes on the second bed from the right. The curtains around the bed were drawn, unlike the other three beds in the circular room.
“James!” Sirius snapped, reaching his arm forward and yanking the curtains aside with gusto.
Almost immediately there was a strangled cry from inside of the curtains, along with a series of muffled thumps and the shifting of bed linens. James was sitting up on his bed, huffing crossly and looking quite flushed. His glasses were hanging precariously from his ear, and Sirius narrowed his eyes, inspecting the strange red welt on James’s nose just where the bridge of his glasses rested.
Sirius craned his neck, trying to look over his friend’s shoulder. “What were you doing?” he asked curiously.
James shifted nervously, blocking something hidden behind him. “Nothing,” he answered, though the tone of his voice made it quite obvious that it wasn’t ‘nothing’.
“No,” Sirius continued, inching around the mattress. “Really, what were you doing?” Again, he tried to peer over James’s shoulder, but James also shifted, adjusting his glasses so that they sat on his face properly.
James frowned slightly. “I was sleeping, if you must know. That is, I was, before your rude interruption.”
“Were you trying to smother yourself?” Sirius asked, eyeballing the red mark on James’s nose.
“Shut it, you tosser.”
Sirius wasn’t about to be distracted by pointless name-calling. “What are you hiding?” he queried. He started to reach around James in an attempt to grab whatever was being hidden, but James thwacked him soundly on the arm.
“Quit it!”
“Oi!” Sirius cried out. Now his curiosity truly was piqued. James shared everything with him, and whatever he was hiding was sure to be a very large secret. With a wicked grin, Sirius leaped onto the bed, tackling James and reaching beneath him to get hold of whatever was pinned between his light frame and the mattress.
James rolled over and cursed, elbowing Sirius in the ribs and kicking out furiously with his legs. “Sirius,” he shouted, “damnit!--” but it was too late. Sirius had firmly grasped what James had been hiding, wriggled it out, and was now staring at it peculiarly.
“You weren’t,” he whispered. The left corner of his mouth twitched twice, threatening to curl up into a smirk.
James scowled at him. “Give it here,” he demanded, grabbing a feather pillow that Sirius was clutching. James pulled it to his chest protectively. “You’re such a prat.”
Sirius ignored his chastising. “It had a wet spot,” he mused.
“A berk.”
“…And it smells like cologne.”
“Nosier than Snivellus,” James continued to grumble.
“I think I can see an indentation from your nose,” Sirius announced, eyes sparkling mischievously.
James raised his hand and made a terribly rude gesture.
Clicking his tongue, Sirius folded his arms across his chest and shook his head. “Lonely, are you?”
James opened his mouth and made a few odd croaking sounds before clamping his lips together tightly and putting his face in his hands.
Sirius began to laugh loudly, collapsing onto the bed and blinking back tears of amusement. “No!” he gasped between sharp bouts of laughter. “No, no, no. I’d have expected that from Peter, but James! You! Snogging a pillow, for Circe’s sake!”
James emitted a muffled groan and lifted his head slightly. “I was practicing,” he whinged.
“For what? Licking someone’s face off?”
“No,” responded James petulantly.
“Breaking a nose?”
“NO.”
“Then I hate to say it, Jamesy, but you’re clearly going about it the wrong way.”
“And you’re an expert, are you?”
Sirius paused thoughtfully before shrugging. “More than you are, I’d wager.”
James looked unimpressed. “So what’s the proper way to snog then, hm?”
Another chuckle bubbled up from Sirius’s throat, and he attempted to cover it up, coughing raucously. “That depends on who you’re planning on snogging.”
James, clearly still affronted from being discovered in the midst of a very personal act, tilted to his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. “Your mum,” he replied.
Sirius’s lifted an eyebrow. “Frightening. You’d be better off snogging Bellatrix.”
James snorted reluctantly. “Nah,” he shook his head, “I value my face, thank you.”
“So?” Sirius prodded him, “who are you planning on having a go with?”
“No-one in particular,” answered James. “I was just preparing.”
Sirius shook his head in disbelief. “Evans?” he guessed.
James made a face. “No, not Evans.” He patted the pillow self-consciously and flipped it over so the wet spot was no longer visible.
Intrigued, Sirius rolled over onto his elbow, eyeing his friend. “You’ve never even kissed anyone before?” He wrinkled his nose. “I’d have thought-“
“-I’ve kissed girls,” James interrupted irritably.
“Then why are you practicing?”
“To improve,” James replied, as though it were obvious.
“Well,” Sirius replied slowly, “it looks like you need it.” He jabbed at the pillow. “Were you mashing your face against it and drooling?”
James’s thin mouth pulled down into a frown. “Witty, Sirius. Really witty.”
Sirius grinned wickedly.
“If you’re such an expert,” James continued sharply, “then why don’t you show me how it’s done?” He tossed the pillow at Sirius, and it landed on his face.
Sirius brushed it off his face lazily. “I’m not snogging that thing,” he announced firmly.
James fixed him with a smug smile. “I knew it.”
“Knew what?”
“Knew that you didn’t know how to snog any better than I do.”
Sirius sat up abruptly. “I do too.”
Gesturing to the pillow in-between them, James shook his head doubtfully. “You won’t prove it,” he replied.
Sirius scoffed. “I’m not snogging your sopping wet pillow!” He picked it up and threw it at James’s face, attempting to knock off the smug smile that was still there, mocking him.
James caught the pillow and swung it down onto Sirius swiftly. “Because you’ll be worse than me, probably.”
“What?!” Sirius cried incredulously.
“Terrible!” James added lightly.
“Not bloody likely,” he replied through clenched teeth.
“Gnashing your teeth against your victim,” James continued, growing steadily louder and more arrogant.
“Right. ”
“Bumping your big nose-ARGH!” James’s commentary was interrupted when Sirius’s fist collided with his stomach. The two began to scuffle, fists and arms and legs flailing about in the air, a staccato barrage of curse words accompanying the fight. They rolled around the bed attempting to tackle one another, pushing the covers around until they ended up in a rumpled heap on the floor.
James sprawled out at the foot of the bed, his glasses lost in the pile of blankets. He was breathing loudly and shielding his eyes with the palm of his hand. Sirius grunted, landing on his hands and knees, and crawled over to the side of his friend. Neither seemed worse for the wear and tear.
“I’m a bloody fine kisser, I’ll have you know,” Sirius announced.
“Prove it sometime,” James said weakly.
“Ask around.”
“I will,” James replied, though it was obvious he had no intention of doing so.
Sirius frowned. “No, you won’t.”
“You’re right,” James agreed with a sigh. “I won’t.”
“Damn you,” Sirius said furiously, “for making me have to prove it to you.”
Without warning, Sirius leaned down and planted a kiss on James’s lips. He tilted his head carefully, managed not to bash noses with James, and tugged gently on James’s lip for a few moments before pulling away.
James’s eyes were now wide open, and he made a gurgling sound.
“That’s how you do it,” Sirius declared, unabashed. He rose to his knees and began searching for James’s glasses in the blankets.
James didn’t say anything for a long time. Finally, he sat up and peered around blindly. “Fine,” he said, sounding slightly begrudged. “You were fine.”
Sirius lifted his chin proudly, but said nothing. He handed James his glasses.
James put them on and sniffed loudly, wrinkling his nose. “What’s that awful smell?” He patted his clothing, which had remnants of Sirius’s sticky goo all over it. “It’s disgusting. Smells like arse.” His hazel eyes blinked at Sirius accusingly.
“That,” Sirius replied, “is a long story.”