FIC for a_t_rain
Title: Stag Night
Recipient: a_t_rain
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: PG-13 (Teen), for language mostly.
Characters: James Potter, Sirius Black
Warnings: James/Lily in the background
Summary: Yes, James is going to marry Lily, but he has to have a stag party, says Sirius Black, and it will be the best damn stag party ever! But things don't always go the way you plan them, now do they?
"C'mon Jamie boy, just because there's a war on doesn't mean I'm not going to give you the best bloody stag night ever! It's a stag night. STAG night. If I didn't give you one, it'd not only mean that I'm a piss-poor best man, but it would practically be blasphemy, Prongs."
James shook his head. Despite Sirius' infectious enthusiasm, James Potter was quite firm that a bachelor party was not something that he wanted to have. Things were far too tense, and with all the people that Sirius would presumably invite, who would be left to protect their resources? And Merlin forbid something actually happen at the party itself! They'd all be too drunk to properly defend themselves. No, it was simply too dangerous.
"I swear, James, you're about as bad as Moony, for fuck's sake! You're getting married. You need to have a party to let off some steam, some tension here." Sirius Black threw his arms open wide in a gesture of humility so out of place on him, James nearly laughed. "Maybe we all need a moment of levity."
"And a wedding isn't enough?" James responded, with a twinkle in his eyes to rival Dumbledore's.
Sirius gave him a wolfish grin in response. "You'll get a happy ending that night, but what about the rest of us poor saps?"
Clapping his best friend on the back, James laughed. "Somehow I doubt you'll have any trouble with that."
"All right, but what about Peter, then?" Sirius replied, mischievously. "Give the kid a break?"
"No!" James replied, less firmly than he had originally. Knowing Sirius as well as he did, he figured that his best friend could tell that he was slowly but surely winning the argument. Sirius surprised him then, though.
Running his hand through his longish black hair, Sirius looked up at his taller best friend, expression for once almost completely humorless. As he spoke, his tone was sober, almost grave. "In all seriousness, James, you need this. It's your last night as a free man, and I want you to spend it with your pals, all right? Let me do this one thing for you. C'mon, if I never get to do anything else this important for you, at least let me have this one thing. Please?" Sirius extended a hand, as if to be shaken.
Exhaling sharply, and feeling as though he was doing it against his better judgment, James took the proffered hand and shook it. "Sirius, if this is the last important thing you do for me, it better be one hell of a party."
Sirius let out a bark of laughter as he pulled his best friend in for a brotherly hug. "Mate, you're not going to know what hit you."
James joined in laughing as he slapped Sirius on the back. "That, Padfoot, is what I'm afraid of."
Sirius then bent James at the waist and dug his knuckles into his best friend's head. "You're gonna have a great time, mate. I swear it."
--- --- --- ---
The party, as promised, was intensely satisfying, or at least it was satisfying to literally everyone else in attendance except for James Potter. The large cake had been promising, until a half-naked woman burst out of it and proceeded to gyrate all over his lap. It wasn't nearly as sexy as everyone seemed to think it was; it was actually just messy. Had James been drunk, like the rest of them, he might have thought otherwise, but as it was, he was nursing his first beer of the evening, and the party had been going on for at least three hours now.
Sighing almost melodramatically, the groom-to-be heaved himself out of his chair of honor and walked over to the bar to have a seat next to Sirius. The latter had certainly been having a great time, and it was obvious from the loud laughter that kept erupting from his lips every couple of minutes.
"Oi, you great bloody git, whasswrong?" he slurred happily, nudging James in the side.
The scruffy-haired man folded his elbows on the bar and rested his head down upon them. "Sirius, I'm really not having any fun," he replied honestly.
"Seriously?" the other asked. He then burst out in almost hysterical laughter at the awful pun that he, under normal circumstances, couldn't stand to hear -- and he heard it quite annoyingly often.
James sighed again. He was well aware that Sirius was having a good time at the bachelor party, as was everyone else in attendance, and he certainly didn't want to be a downer on the night before he was to be married, but there was something that was just bothering him. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it wasn't allowing him to have the good time that he wanted to have.
Pushing his glasses up on his nose a bit, James finally turned to Sirius. "I want to get out of here," he said.
Sirius froze mid-laugh. After a second of looking at his best friend, he pushed his drink away and turned in his seat so that he was facing James. "Why, Prongs?"
James paused before answering. In all honesty, he didn't quite know what was bothering him so much. He chose to reply with the first thing that came to his head, that didn't sound completely ridiculous. (Not, however, that Sirius would ever laugh at him or judge him.) "I don't know…I guess I just want to be alone."
Sirius seemed to contemplate this for a moment, before he got up off his stool and extended a hand to James. "All right, so we'll go then."
Surprised, James didn't reach out. "What?"
"You wanna go, then we'll go. This is your bloody night, mate, so we should do what you want." Sirius then reached into his inside pocket, and pulled out the keys to his flying motorbike, only to toss them at James. "Here, we'll take my bike."
James smiled, eyes widening, as he caught them. "You're actually going to let me drive?"
With a drunken chuckle, Sirius stepped forward to hook an arm around James's shoulders. "I'm bloody pissed, I can't very well drive it." He looked around, furtively, before continuing. "But don't tell Lily, or she'll have my bits through a vice."
"So that's why you never let me drive, then?"
"Too right," Sirius replied, as James started to lead him from the club. "I happen to like my bits too much to let them be sacrificed for the likes of you."
James shook his head and laughed. "Well, I appreciate it, Padfoot. So where should we go?"
"Wherever you want, mate. It's all you tonight."
James decided that he was just going to drive and let the sky take the lead.
--- --- --- ---
The pair ended up on an obscure hill in the English countryside. James was fairly certain that they were at least somewhat near to Godric's Hollow, but it didn't really matter, as he was content to just lay there in the grass with the bottle of wine that Sirius had magically produced from within his robes, drinking himself into a stupor and really coming to the realization that he was about to marry the single most perfect woman he had ever come to know.
And in that instant, he realized exactly what was bothering him.
"Bollocks, mate, am I doing the right thing?" James suddenly said. The question floated up onto the air, and when no answer came for several minutes, James turned his head to see if Sirius had heard, or was even still awake.
His friend's eyes were closed, and with a dejected exhalation, James threw his arm over his own eyes, feeling stupidly sorry for himself and wondering why he had dragged Sirius along with him if the latter was just going to fall asleep and leave him to his miserable, confused thoughts.
"You love her?"
James was lost in his thoughts and almost didn't hear the question. He propped himself up on his elbow and turned to look down at Sirius, who was laying just next to him. "What was that?"
The corner of Sirius's lip perked up into an amused little smirk, though his eyes remained closed. "I said, do you love her?"
James sat up fully then, looking down at his best friend in all seriousness. "I love her."
Sirius offered a crooked smile and finally opened his eyes. "Then, of course, you're doing the right thing, Jamie. Marry her. You're not going to regret it -- not for a second."
"But am I being fair to her? I mean, can I just do this? Subject her to this life that we lead…this danger."
Suddenly all the worries that he had about marrying Lily poured out of him in a torrent of confusion. He couldn't stop himself. Thought after thought about the war, and the rumors that Lord Voldemort was targeting him personally, and especially the idea that what if he really wasn't good enough for her? After several minutes, he wasn't even sure if he was making any logical sense anymore.
"Can I really do this, Padfoot?" he finally said, falling flat on his back again and staring up at the stars.
Sirius responded almost immediately. "Of course you can. You're James Fucking Potter. You, my friend, can do anything -- hell, you finally got the girl to like you after trying forever." He paused, chuckling lightly before he continued. "And you know, if she didn't want to be a part of this life, she could have said no…but she didn't. She accepted. She isn't going anywhere, and I'm pretty sure she'll try to kick your arse if you try to call it off now, Prongs."
Silence fell over the pair again, as James contemplated what Sirius had to say.
"You know, I'm not going anywhere either," Sirius then added, with uncharacteristic softness.
James didn't want to admit it, but that thought gave him a warm feeling in his stomach that he couldn't totally chalk up to the alcohol coursing through his system. "Thanks, brother," he replied, swallowing the lump that had come up in his throat.
"Aw, you're welcome, you great git," Sirius replied quickly. "Now stop trying to make me cry…there might be birds around."
Laughing, James closed his eyes, allowing the night air to wash over him. "I think you're safe, Sirius, and I promise I won't tell anyone."
It hadn't started out as the night he'd envisioned, but as the cool evening breeze passed over the pair of them, James had to admit that this stag night hadn't been so very bad at all.
Recipient: a_t_rain
Fic or Art: Fic
Rating: PG-13 (Teen), for language mostly.
Characters: James Potter, Sirius Black
Warnings: James/Lily in the background
Summary: Yes, James is going to marry Lily, but he has to have a stag party, says Sirius Black, and it will be the best damn stag party ever! But things don't always go the way you plan them, now do they?
"C'mon Jamie boy, just because there's a war on doesn't mean I'm not going to give you the best bloody stag night ever! It's a stag night. STAG night. If I didn't give you one, it'd not only mean that I'm a piss-poor best man, but it would practically be blasphemy, Prongs."
James shook his head. Despite Sirius' infectious enthusiasm, James Potter was quite firm that a bachelor party was not something that he wanted to have. Things were far too tense, and with all the people that Sirius would presumably invite, who would be left to protect their resources? And Merlin forbid something actually happen at the party itself! They'd all be too drunk to properly defend themselves. No, it was simply too dangerous.
"I swear, James, you're about as bad as Moony, for fuck's sake! You're getting married. You need to have a party to let off some steam, some tension here." Sirius Black threw his arms open wide in a gesture of humility so out of place on him, James nearly laughed. "Maybe we all need a moment of levity."
"And a wedding isn't enough?" James responded, with a twinkle in his eyes to rival Dumbledore's.
Sirius gave him a wolfish grin in response. "You'll get a happy ending that night, but what about the rest of us poor saps?"
Clapping his best friend on the back, James laughed. "Somehow I doubt you'll have any trouble with that."
"All right, but what about Peter, then?" Sirius replied, mischievously. "Give the kid a break?"
"No!" James replied, less firmly than he had originally. Knowing Sirius as well as he did, he figured that his best friend could tell that he was slowly but surely winning the argument. Sirius surprised him then, though.
Running his hand through his longish black hair, Sirius looked up at his taller best friend, expression for once almost completely humorless. As he spoke, his tone was sober, almost grave. "In all seriousness, James, you need this. It's your last night as a free man, and I want you to spend it with your pals, all right? Let me do this one thing for you. C'mon, if I never get to do anything else this important for you, at least let me have this one thing. Please?" Sirius extended a hand, as if to be shaken.
Exhaling sharply, and feeling as though he was doing it against his better judgment, James took the proffered hand and shook it. "Sirius, if this is the last important thing you do for me, it better be one hell of a party."
Sirius let out a bark of laughter as he pulled his best friend in for a brotherly hug. "Mate, you're not going to know what hit you."
James joined in laughing as he slapped Sirius on the back. "That, Padfoot, is what I'm afraid of."
Sirius then bent James at the waist and dug his knuckles into his best friend's head. "You're gonna have a great time, mate. I swear it."
--- --- --- ---
The party, as promised, was intensely satisfying, or at least it was satisfying to literally everyone else in attendance except for James Potter. The large cake had been promising, until a half-naked woman burst out of it and proceeded to gyrate all over his lap. It wasn't nearly as sexy as everyone seemed to think it was; it was actually just messy. Had James been drunk, like the rest of them, he might have thought otherwise, but as it was, he was nursing his first beer of the evening, and the party had been going on for at least three hours now.
Sighing almost melodramatically, the groom-to-be heaved himself out of his chair of honor and walked over to the bar to have a seat next to Sirius. The latter had certainly been having a great time, and it was obvious from the loud laughter that kept erupting from his lips every couple of minutes.
"Oi, you great bloody git, whasswrong?" he slurred happily, nudging James in the side.
The scruffy-haired man folded his elbows on the bar and rested his head down upon them. "Sirius, I'm really not having any fun," he replied honestly.
"Seriously?" the other asked. He then burst out in almost hysterical laughter at the awful pun that he, under normal circumstances, couldn't stand to hear -- and he heard it quite annoyingly often.
James sighed again. He was well aware that Sirius was having a good time at the bachelor party, as was everyone else in attendance, and he certainly didn't want to be a downer on the night before he was to be married, but there was something that was just bothering him. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it wasn't allowing him to have the good time that he wanted to have.
Pushing his glasses up on his nose a bit, James finally turned to Sirius. "I want to get out of here," he said.
Sirius froze mid-laugh. After a second of looking at his best friend, he pushed his drink away and turned in his seat so that he was facing James. "Why, Prongs?"
James paused before answering. In all honesty, he didn't quite know what was bothering him so much. He chose to reply with the first thing that came to his head, that didn't sound completely ridiculous. (Not, however, that Sirius would ever laugh at him or judge him.) "I don't know…I guess I just want to be alone."
Sirius seemed to contemplate this for a moment, before he got up off his stool and extended a hand to James. "All right, so we'll go then."
Surprised, James didn't reach out. "What?"
"You wanna go, then we'll go. This is your bloody night, mate, so we should do what you want." Sirius then reached into his inside pocket, and pulled out the keys to his flying motorbike, only to toss them at James. "Here, we'll take my bike."
James smiled, eyes widening, as he caught them. "You're actually going to let me drive?"
With a drunken chuckle, Sirius stepped forward to hook an arm around James's shoulders. "I'm bloody pissed, I can't very well drive it." He looked around, furtively, before continuing. "But don't tell Lily, or she'll have my bits through a vice."
"So that's why you never let me drive, then?"
"Too right," Sirius replied, as James started to lead him from the club. "I happen to like my bits too much to let them be sacrificed for the likes of you."
James shook his head and laughed. "Well, I appreciate it, Padfoot. So where should we go?"
"Wherever you want, mate. It's all you tonight."
James decided that he was just going to drive and let the sky take the lead.
--- --- --- ---
The pair ended up on an obscure hill in the English countryside. James was fairly certain that they were at least somewhat near to Godric's Hollow, but it didn't really matter, as he was content to just lay there in the grass with the bottle of wine that Sirius had magically produced from within his robes, drinking himself into a stupor and really coming to the realization that he was about to marry the single most perfect woman he had ever come to know.
And in that instant, he realized exactly what was bothering him.
"Bollocks, mate, am I doing the right thing?" James suddenly said. The question floated up onto the air, and when no answer came for several minutes, James turned his head to see if Sirius had heard, or was even still awake.
His friend's eyes were closed, and with a dejected exhalation, James threw his arm over his own eyes, feeling stupidly sorry for himself and wondering why he had dragged Sirius along with him if the latter was just going to fall asleep and leave him to his miserable, confused thoughts.
"You love her?"
James was lost in his thoughts and almost didn't hear the question. He propped himself up on his elbow and turned to look down at Sirius, who was laying just next to him. "What was that?"
The corner of Sirius's lip perked up into an amused little smirk, though his eyes remained closed. "I said, do you love her?"
James sat up fully then, looking down at his best friend in all seriousness. "I love her."
Sirius offered a crooked smile and finally opened his eyes. "Then, of course, you're doing the right thing, Jamie. Marry her. You're not going to regret it -- not for a second."
"But am I being fair to her? I mean, can I just do this? Subject her to this life that we lead…this danger."
Suddenly all the worries that he had about marrying Lily poured out of him in a torrent of confusion. He couldn't stop himself. Thought after thought about the war, and the rumors that Lord Voldemort was targeting him personally, and especially the idea that what if he really wasn't good enough for her? After several minutes, he wasn't even sure if he was making any logical sense anymore.
"Can I really do this, Padfoot?" he finally said, falling flat on his back again and staring up at the stars.
Sirius responded almost immediately. "Of course you can. You're James Fucking Potter. You, my friend, can do anything -- hell, you finally got the girl to like you after trying forever." He paused, chuckling lightly before he continued. "And you know, if she didn't want to be a part of this life, she could have said no…but she didn't. She accepted. She isn't going anywhere, and I'm pretty sure she'll try to kick your arse if you try to call it off now, Prongs."
Silence fell over the pair again, as James contemplated what Sirius had to say.
"You know, I'm not going anywhere either," Sirius then added, with uncharacteristic softness.
James didn't want to admit it, but that thought gave him a warm feeling in his stomach that he couldn't totally chalk up to the alcohol coursing through his system. "Thanks, brother," he replied, swallowing the lump that had come up in his throat.
"Aw, you're welcome, you great git," Sirius replied quickly. "Now stop trying to make me cry…there might be birds around."
Laughing, James closed his eyes, allowing the night air to wash over him. "I think you're safe, Sirius, and I promise I won't tell anyone."
It hadn't started out as the night he'd envisioned, but as the cool evening breeze passed over the pair of them, James had to admit that this stag night hadn't been so very bad at all.