August 5 - Fishing
The dogdaysofsummer series continiues. Still a bit behind, but working on catch up!
Title: Fishing
Author: Pandaimonia
Word Count: 640
This follows the previous posts I
II, III, IV
They did get up the next morning at six-“The bleeding crack of dawn,” Sirius grumbled-waking to Peter’s shaking and hovering enthusiastically on the side of the bed, with James crashing around in the kitchen, attempting to make a breakfast of toast with fried eggs, sausages, and tomatoes without using magic. It did not go over quite as planned, and Remus had to demonstrate the finer points of not burning down the kitchen, Muggle style. Sirius watched this affectionately, even if he and Peter were laughing at James and his singed bangs, telling him that Lily would never look at him again now that he didn’t have eyebrows.
But Sirius was still vaguely troubled. Remus wasn’t unfriendly and it wasn’t that he seemed down or depressed, exactly…but during the night when Sirius rolled over to shake his arm, Remus held very still and didn’t respond. Sirius was almost certain he’d been faking sleep, and this bothered him. Was he afraid of being caught? Could Sirius have done something to offend him?
There was no time to catch Remus alone, no time for a quick word in private before the four boys set out to go fishing. And it was indeed a very pleasant activity, standing in the still water with fish nibbling at Sirius’s toes as if they were sweets. Dragonflies flitted around, water bugs skeeted across the surface of the pond, and Sirius watched quietly, noting the dappled light coming through the leaves, casting mottled shadows on Remus’s long, white back. Just yesterday he’d felt that it was his natural state in life, to be curved against the line of that back, his lips pressed up against the soft fuzz on the back of Remus’s neck. Now Remus was still and unyielding toward him, his face expressionless whenever Sirius suggested they do something, like climb up on the rocks to the old rope swing dangling there.
Remus squinted at it and shook his head. “It looks rotten, and the rocks are awfully covered in algae. I’m staying down here.”
Naturally, James was willing to do it, and he jumped on the idea immediately, so in the end it was Sirius and James who went crashing up through the bushes, slipping and sliding across the rocks until they finally reached the rope swing. It was just like old times, laughter and joking punches and competition as the grabbed the old swing and swung out over the lake. They surfaced somewhat scraped and bruised, tapping water out of their ears and grinning like they had never stopped having adventures like this. This was why James was his best mate, why they had been inseparable since first year-and this was why Sirius felt a pricking on an unfamiliar emotion: guilt.
Maybe it hadn’t been such a wonderful idea to go on this holiday with Peter and James. Yes, Remus was getting out of his house and Sirius had a place to stay in un-interrupted human form, but it was as if he had become unused to being with a group. Of course James was his best mate, of course they’d always shared everything-but now he couldn’t talk about what was new and important in his life, what filled his thoughts and drove his actions. He was pretending to be the same old Sirius when he was really changed, with new thoughts and new ideas that he longed to talk about.
But right now, the only person who knew this changed Sirius seemed to be avoiding him. Remus’s hunched shoulders, his averted eyes and carefully held gaze told Sirius that he was not available, but it didn’t tell him why and this frustrated him to the point of rage. The inner space that he had shared with Remus was deserted now and he didn’t know how to ask why.
Title: Fishing
Author: Pandaimonia
Word Count: 640
This follows the previous posts I
II, III, IV
They did get up the next morning at six-“The bleeding crack of dawn,” Sirius grumbled-waking to Peter’s shaking and hovering enthusiastically on the side of the bed, with James crashing around in the kitchen, attempting to make a breakfast of toast with fried eggs, sausages, and tomatoes without using magic. It did not go over quite as planned, and Remus had to demonstrate the finer points of not burning down the kitchen, Muggle style. Sirius watched this affectionately, even if he and Peter were laughing at James and his singed bangs, telling him that Lily would never look at him again now that he didn’t have eyebrows.
But Sirius was still vaguely troubled. Remus wasn’t unfriendly and it wasn’t that he seemed down or depressed, exactly…but during the night when Sirius rolled over to shake his arm, Remus held very still and didn’t respond. Sirius was almost certain he’d been faking sleep, and this bothered him. Was he afraid of being caught? Could Sirius have done something to offend him?
There was no time to catch Remus alone, no time for a quick word in private before the four boys set out to go fishing. And it was indeed a very pleasant activity, standing in the still water with fish nibbling at Sirius’s toes as if they were sweets. Dragonflies flitted around, water bugs skeeted across the surface of the pond, and Sirius watched quietly, noting the dappled light coming through the leaves, casting mottled shadows on Remus’s long, white back. Just yesterday he’d felt that it was his natural state in life, to be curved against the line of that back, his lips pressed up against the soft fuzz on the back of Remus’s neck. Now Remus was still and unyielding toward him, his face expressionless whenever Sirius suggested they do something, like climb up on the rocks to the old rope swing dangling there.
Remus squinted at it and shook his head. “It looks rotten, and the rocks are awfully covered in algae. I’m staying down here.”
Naturally, James was willing to do it, and he jumped on the idea immediately, so in the end it was Sirius and James who went crashing up through the bushes, slipping and sliding across the rocks until they finally reached the rope swing. It was just like old times, laughter and joking punches and competition as the grabbed the old swing and swung out over the lake. They surfaced somewhat scraped and bruised, tapping water out of their ears and grinning like they had never stopped having adventures like this. This was why James was his best mate, why they had been inseparable since first year-and this was why Sirius felt a pricking on an unfamiliar emotion: guilt.
Maybe it hadn’t been such a wonderful idea to go on this holiday with Peter and James. Yes, Remus was getting out of his house and Sirius had a place to stay in un-interrupted human form, but it was as if he had become unused to being with a group. Of course James was his best mate, of course they’d always shared everything-but now he couldn’t talk about what was new and important in his life, what filled his thoughts and drove his actions. He was pretending to be the same old Sirius when he was really changed, with new thoughts and new ideas that he longed to talk about.
But right now, the only person who knew this changed Sirius seemed to be avoiding him. Remus’s hunched shoulders, his averted eyes and carefully held gaze told Sirius that he was not available, but it didn’t tell him why and this frustrated him to the point of rage. The inner space that he had shared with Remus was deserted now and he didn’t know how to ask why.