Ruse by phineasjones
Title: Ruse
Author: phineasjones
Summary: A plan, a plot, a ruse. And a Yule Ball.
Rating: PG
Recipient: lisew
~*~
Ruse
"Quick, hold my hand," Sirius whispered into Remus' ear as he took the seat next to him.
Remus jerked away quickly, prickles crawling up his spine from the breath on his ear. "What?" He squinted at Sirius.
Sirius feigned exasperation. He rolled his eyes and reached under the library table to grab Remus' hand, pulling it up and resting their joined hands on top of Remus' parchment.
"What are you doing?" Remus whispered, his hand growing instantly warm and sweaty.
Sirius glanced over his shoulder, then leaned in to whisper into Remus' ear again. "I just broke up with Anna Cowles. She's a nice girl, you know, I didn't want to hurt her feelings." Sirius paused and Remus followed his gaze to their hands, still intertwined on the table.
"So..." Remus prompted.
"So I told her it wasn't personal or anything. I told her I was... you know," said Sirius, nodding at their hands.
It took Remus a moment to catch on. And then he thought he might be sick.
"You can't be serious." Remus said, knowing full well that he could be. Sirius just grinned and waited for Remus to realize what he had said.
"Uch," Remus spat, in no mood for puns. He pushed Sirius' hand away suddenly and stood to gather his parchment. "This is just too much, even for you."
"Come on, Moony, help me out here. I was just trying to be nice. But I don't want her to think I was lying, now, do I?"
Remus didn't bother to answer. Instead, he walked quickly out of the library.
When Sirius arrived at dinner, he shoved Peter over to make room for himself next to Remus.
"Oi!" Peter protested, but Sirius just smiled sweetly and said, "Sorry, mate, need to talk to Moony here."
Remus looked down at his plate, ignoring Sirius. He jammed his fork into his potatoes, mashing them flat and trying to ignore how tightly Sirius was pressed up against his side.
"Oi, Moony," Sirius said into his ear, invading the last inch of personal space Remus had left, "Did you think about it? Will you do it?"
Remus sighed heavily. "Do what, exactly?"
"You know," said Sirius, nudging him in the ribs, "What I told you about in the library."
"I don't see why that has anything to do with me."
"Well, I need Anna to think I'm a poofter, right? And it takes two, doesn't it?"
Remus squeezed his eyes shut, willing the whole room away, potatoes and all, but especially Sirius.
"Moony, please? Just for a little while."
Remus opened his eyes and turned to Sirius, "Aren't you worried that you'd convince more than just Anna? Do you want everyone else thinking that, too?"
Sirius shrugged. "Nah, not really. I reckon most people don't pay that much attention. Anyway, we're six months from graduating and I've already dated most of the girls here. And I can always say it was just a phase or something."
Remus knew his mouth was hanging slightly open, but he couldn't seem to do anything about it. James, who had apparently been listening, spoke up instead, "Sound enough logic, Padfoot, but what about Moony here? You're going to take his reputation down with yours?" James waggled his fork at Sirius.
Sirius looked genuinely startled at the thought. Remus could have hit him. "Well, I didn't... Hm. Well... Are you keen on anyone, Moony?"
Remus shook his head slowly. At the moment, it was almost true.
"There you go, then! No harm, no foul. So you'll do it?"
Remus was annoyed with himself even as he got up from the table and made for the door. He was very much aware that this was the second time he had run away instead of just telling Sirius no. The thing was, it was extremely hard for Remus to tell Sirius no. Even when it was clearly the smartest thing to do, which was usually the case.
Much like the present situation. Why should this ridiculous scheme be any more startling than any other of Sirius' crazy plots and plans? In truth, it wasn't. Except this time Sirius had no idea what he was asking.
Remus crawled onto his bed and pulled the curtains closed. He was angry at Sirius for being so thoughtless, so selfish. But more than that, even, Remus felt sad. He'd imagined a thousand scenarios in which Sirius had taken his hand, and held it, and they had been warm and sweet and happy. And when it finally happened, it was a joke, a plot, a trick on some girl he'd been dating. If Remus admitted he was disappointed, he'd have to admit that he had hoped for something more. And that would just be silly.
Remus woke the next morning when he felt his bed shift under him. He cracked one eye open and saw Sirius sitting beside him, smiling down at him.
"'Morning, sleeping beauty." Sirius said, ruffling Remus' hair.
Remus squeezed his eyes closed. "Is it Saturday?"
"Yep!" Sirius' was far too chipper for the hour.
"Then go away. I'm sleeping."
"Oh, no. I'm not going anywhere until you agree to help me out. And this time," Sirius said while he bounced up onto the bed and threw one leg over Remus, straddling him, "You're not going anywhere either."
Remus was grateful he had been sleeping on his stomach. The last thing he needed was Sirius discovering his morning… condition. He shuddered to think where that would lead at this point.
"I'm not asking so much, just a cuddle or two when Anna's around and... I need you to go with me to the Yule Ball."
Remus buried his face in his pillow. He tried to recall whether he knew any spells to make beds open up and swallow their occupants.
"Come oooonnn!" Sirius sat up a little and wriggled his knees - and Remus' hips.
Remus jerked his head up, "All right!"
Sirius stilled. "All right?" He sounded surprised.
"All right, I'll do it. Now go away." Sirius bounced up from his seat on Remus' behind and jumped down off the bed. He reached over and tousled Remus' hair a second time.
"Thanks, mate," he said, then turned and walked swiftly out of the room. Remus groaned and buried his face in the pillows once again.
Remus usually sat next to Peter in Transfiguration, one desk in front of Anna Cowles. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised when Sirius sat down in Peter's seat and a quick glance over his shoulder showed him that Peter was sitting across the room with James in Sirius' usual place.
He turned back around when he heard chair legs scraping the floor and saw Sirius scooting his chair closer. He couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Sirius leaned in to him and whispered, "Moony, you agreed."
"I know. Believe me, I know."
"Ok, then. No eye-rolling." Before Sirius pulled his head away from Remus', he leaned just a little further forward and nudged Remus' ear with his nose, grinning as he sat back in his chair. Remus felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. This was going to be impossible. He forced himself to smile weakly in Sirius' direction.
It was even worse in the library, without the fear of McGonagall to subdue Sirius. Remus tried to read as Sirius sat beside him, twirling his fingers in the ends of Remus' hair.
"Must you?" He hissed at Sirius.
Sirius had the gall to look wounded, but then recovered, "I thought you prefer this to public snogging. Was I wrong?" Remus said nothing, trying to ignore the excited fluttering in his belly that accompanied that thought.
Sirius distracted him by licking his lips slowly and Remus watched the sweep of his tongue. He was so taken in that he started slightly when he felt Sirius' hand on the back of his neck. Sirius pulled him forward until their foreheads were touching and then he spoke lowly, "Look, the Ball is this weekend. And then we're done, OK?"
Remus drew a shaky breath, "OK," he said, horrified by the low, raspy sound of his own voice. Being this close to Sirius all the time was having disastrous effects on him.
"OK," Sirius repeated and let go of Remus, turning to his books and leaning forward to read. Remus sighed with relief and went back to his own work only to jump up with an embarrassing squeal when Sirius squeezed his thigh under the table.
Ignoring the librarian's glare, he whispered furiously at Sirius, "Anna can't see under the table!"
Sirius didn't turn away from his book, but his lips quivered with repressed laughter as he said, "Shh, Remus. I'm trying to work."
Getting dressed for the Yule Ball was a disheartening experience. Remus frowned at himself in the bathroom mirror, taking in his battered, graying robes and the way they made him look tired and slightly ill. It was a few days after the full moon and he still had dark circles under his eyes. He wet his hands under the faucet and tried to pat down his dry, fly-away hair.
"Ready for your big date?" Remus spun around to see Peter in the doorway, wearing his new, blue dress robes and grinning like a fool.
"Funny," said Remus, pushing past him and heading back to their room.
He paused in the doorway, watching Sirius and James tie each other's ties. Sirius' robes were as black as his hair, though they didn't gleam half as brightly. James finished with Sirius' tie and pushed his shoulders back, making him stand up straight and tall. Remus held his breath. It wasn't fair. Sirius was an unfairly beautiful person. Remus silently forgave himself for caving in to this ridiculous scheme. Who could blame him?
Sirius turned then, and noticed Remus in the doorway. He smiled widely, and swept out his arms in an elaborate bow. Remus grinned, "You'd better not expect me to curtsey."
James laughed and Sirius extended his arm, "You look simply dashing tonight, Mr. Lupin."
Remus sighed heavily and exchanged grins with James, then followed him out of the room, leaving Sirius' arm empty.
Remus felt strangely nervous as they approached the Great Hall. James, Lily, Peter and Maggie had gone on ahead. When Remus hung back a little as they approached the entrance, Sirius tried to reassure him, "Don't worry! Everyone but Anna will just assume we didn't get dates and we're just going stag."
"Why are you so sure Anna won't tell anyone?"
Sirius looked away and shrugged. "I just don't think she would. She's thinks it's… you know. She said we're…" Sirius trailed off until he turned back to Remus and saw his confused expression. "Cute," he said. "She thinks we make a good couple."
"She actually said that?" Remus was finding this whole thing completely surreal.
"Yeah, she did. And I think she's absolutely right. So let's go." And Sirius linked his arm through Remus' and led him into the Hall.
When Remus could relax enough to enjoy himself, he had to admit that he was having a really good time at the Ball. He loved seeing everyone shining so brightly, so many faces flushed with heat and excitement. And it was great fun to watch James trying to dance, twirling around and flailing his arms and making Lily cry with laughter.
And best of all, really, was that Sirius hadn't left his side all night. Remus had figured that Sirius would get bored with his own plan once he saw the room full of girls in their bright and frilly dress robes.
But instead they had spent the evening very much together, wandering among groups of friends and even briefly dancing with James, Peter and some of Lily and Maggie's friends. Now they were drinking some punch at a table on the edge of the dance floor. As much as Remus had been dreading this night, he was slightly disturbed to find that a date with Sirius was actually a very pleasant experience.
"Hey," Sirius said in his ear, pointing across the hall, "Anna's heading this way." Remus looked and saw her, smiling sweetly at them and weaving her way through the milling students. Remus liked Anna, but right now, he would really rather not have Sirius fawning all over him just for her eyes.
"I could use some air. Want a walk?" He asked Sirius, trying to sound casual.
Sirius looked slightly surprised, but agreed easily, taking Remus' punch and setting their cups on the table.
The cool air felt wonderful on Remus' heated face and he and Sirius walked silently along the paths for a while, occasionally nudging each other and grinning at the sounds of fellow students rustling the bushes. They paused by the willow tree that was one of their favorites for climbing in their first years at school.
Sirius broke their comfortable silence, "Thanks for helping me out. I hope it wasn't too horrible for you or anything."
Sirius sounded sincere, and Remus wasn't sure what to say. "It's… fine." His punch hadn't been spiked quite heavily enough for Remus to admit that he was actually a little disappointed that it was almost over. "Not too horrible, no."
"Good," Sirius smiled warmly and then, glancing over Remus' shoulder, gasped in surprise. He grabbed Remus' shoulder before he could turn to look. "It's Anna," he said, and then tugged Remus forward, sliding his hand to the back of his neck, and kissed him.
It happened so quickly, Remus didn't think about how he should react, he just kissed back. Sirius' lips were cool and soft and his mouth, when he opened it, was incredibly hot, making Remus gasp and clutch at Sirius' arm. His eyes fluttered closed as Sirius' hand pressed into his back.
When Sirius slowly pulled away, it occurred to Remus that that was it: their first kiss. And, like all the rest of this, it was a ruse. Instantly, he felt himself getting angry again. He hoped Anna had enjoyed the little show, at least, and he turned quickly around, ready to say as much to her.
Sirius made a grab for his shoulder again but not in time to stop him from turning and looking down the empty path. Anna was nowhere to be seen. He turned back to Sirius, furrowing his brow.
Sirius was looking down at his shoes, uncharacteristically quiet.
"Sirius?" Remus asked.
"Mmm," Sirius answered, biting his lower lip.
"Where's Anna?"
"Er, well…" Sirius wouldn't look directly at Remus. "Actually… I have no idea."
"She wasn't…?" Remus gestured behind him.
"No. She wasn't."
"Then," Remus stammered, entirely confused, "Then what was…"
"I'm sorry," Sirius said quietly. "I'm sorry, I just… wanted to kiss you."
"You wanted…" Remus stopped and just let his mouth hang open. Nothing was making any sense.
Sirius took a deep breath and started speaking rapidly, "I never told Anna anything about being… you know. I just split up with her. But I thought maybe you would… I thought I could maybe convince you…" Sirius put his hands over his face, "Oh God, I'm sorry. This was so stupid."
Remus stared, wondering if there had been more firewhisky in his punch than he had realized. He shook his head, "Of all your ridiculous schemes-"
"I know," Sirius said, "This one was the most stupid."
"Actually," Remus grinned, "I was going to say it was my favorite."
Sirius peeked out from between his fingers, "You mean... it worked?"
Remus laughed. "No, it didn't work, you git. It was just completely unnecessary." He stepped forward and pulled Sirius' hands away from his face, holding them by his sides as he leaned in and whispered, "Not at all," into Sirius' ear. He rubbed his cold cheek against Sirius' and felt Sirius' chest rise and fall against his as his breathing accelerated.
"Is Anna watching?" he whispered.
Sirius laughed breathlessly, "No."
"Good," Remus said, and he kissed Sirius.
~*~
Author: phineasjones
Summary: A plan, a plot, a ruse. And a Yule Ball.
Rating: PG
Recipient: lisew
~*~
Ruse
"Quick, hold my hand," Sirius whispered into Remus' ear as he took the seat next to him.
Remus jerked away quickly, prickles crawling up his spine from the breath on his ear. "What?" He squinted at Sirius.
Sirius feigned exasperation. He rolled his eyes and reached under the library table to grab Remus' hand, pulling it up and resting their joined hands on top of Remus' parchment.
"What are you doing?" Remus whispered, his hand growing instantly warm and sweaty.
Sirius glanced over his shoulder, then leaned in to whisper into Remus' ear again. "I just broke up with Anna Cowles. She's a nice girl, you know, I didn't want to hurt her feelings." Sirius paused and Remus followed his gaze to their hands, still intertwined on the table.
"So..." Remus prompted.
"So I told her it wasn't personal or anything. I told her I was... you know," said Sirius, nodding at their hands.
It took Remus a moment to catch on. And then he thought he might be sick.
"You can't be serious." Remus said, knowing full well that he could be. Sirius just grinned and waited for Remus to realize what he had said.
"Uch," Remus spat, in no mood for puns. He pushed Sirius' hand away suddenly and stood to gather his parchment. "This is just too much, even for you."
"Come on, Moony, help me out here. I was just trying to be nice. But I don't want her to think I was lying, now, do I?"
Remus didn't bother to answer. Instead, he walked quickly out of the library.
When Sirius arrived at dinner, he shoved Peter over to make room for himself next to Remus.
"Oi!" Peter protested, but Sirius just smiled sweetly and said, "Sorry, mate, need to talk to Moony here."
Remus looked down at his plate, ignoring Sirius. He jammed his fork into his potatoes, mashing them flat and trying to ignore how tightly Sirius was pressed up against his side.
"Oi, Moony," Sirius said into his ear, invading the last inch of personal space Remus had left, "Did you think about it? Will you do it?"
Remus sighed heavily. "Do what, exactly?"
"You know," said Sirius, nudging him in the ribs, "What I told you about in the library."
"I don't see why that has anything to do with me."
"Well, I need Anna to think I'm a poofter, right? And it takes two, doesn't it?"
Remus squeezed his eyes shut, willing the whole room away, potatoes and all, but especially Sirius.
"Moony, please? Just for a little while."
Remus opened his eyes and turned to Sirius, "Aren't you worried that you'd convince more than just Anna? Do you want everyone else thinking that, too?"
Sirius shrugged. "Nah, not really. I reckon most people don't pay that much attention. Anyway, we're six months from graduating and I've already dated most of the girls here. And I can always say it was just a phase or something."
Remus knew his mouth was hanging slightly open, but he couldn't seem to do anything about it. James, who had apparently been listening, spoke up instead, "Sound enough logic, Padfoot, but what about Moony here? You're going to take his reputation down with yours?" James waggled his fork at Sirius.
Sirius looked genuinely startled at the thought. Remus could have hit him. "Well, I didn't... Hm. Well... Are you keen on anyone, Moony?"
Remus shook his head slowly. At the moment, it was almost true.
"There you go, then! No harm, no foul. So you'll do it?"
Remus was annoyed with himself even as he got up from the table and made for the door. He was very much aware that this was the second time he had run away instead of just telling Sirius no. The thing was, it was extremely hard for Remus to tell Sirius no. Even when it was clearly the smartest thing to do, which was usually the case.
Much like the present situation. Why should this ridiculous scheme be any more startling than any other of Sirius' crazy plots and plans? In truth, it wasn't. Except this time Sirius had no idea what he was asking.
Remus crawled onto his bed and pulled the curtains closed. He was angry at Sirius for being so thoughtless, so selfish. But more than that, even, Remus felt sad. He'd imagined a thousand scenarios in which Sirius had taken his hand, and held it, and they had been warm and sweet and happy. And when it finally happened, it was a joke, a plot, a trick on some girl he'd been dating. If Remus admitted he was disappointed, he'd have to admit that he had hoped for something more. And that would just be silly.
Remus woke the next morning when he felt his bed shift under him. He cracked one eye open and saw Sirius sitting beside him, smiling down at him.
"'Morning, sleeping beauty." Sirius said, ruffling Remus' hair.
Remus squeezed his eyes closed. "Is it Saturday?"
"Yep!" Sirius' was far too chipper for the hour.
"Then go away. I'm sleeping."
"Oh, no. I'm not going anywhere until you agree to help me out. And this time," Sirius said while he bounced up onto the bed and threw one leg over Remus, straddling him, "You're not going anywhere either."
Remus was grateful he had been sleeping on his stomach. The last thing he needed was Sirius discovering his morning… condition. He shuddered to think where that would lead at this point.
"I'm not asking so much, just a cuddle or two when Anna's around and... I need you to go with me to the Yule Ball."
Remus buried his face in his pillow. He tried to recall whether he knew any spells to make beds open up and swallow their occupants.
"Come oooonnn!" Sirius sat up a little and wriggled his knees - and Remus' hips.
Remus jerked his head up, "All right!"
Sirius stilled. "All right?" He sounded surprised.
"All right, I'll do it. Now go away." Sirius bounced up from his seat on Remus' behind and jumped down off the bed. He reached over and tousled Remus' hair a second time.
"Thanks, mate," he said, then turned and walked swiftly out of the room. Remus groaned and buried his face in the pillows once again.
Remus usually sat next to Peter in Transfiguration, one desk in front of Anna Cowles. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised when Sirius sat down in Peter's seat and a quick glance over his shoulder showed him that Peter was sitting across the room with James in Sirius' usual place.
He turned back around when he heard chair legs scraping the floor and saw Sirius scooting his chair closer. He couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Sirius leaned in to him and whispered, "Moony, you agreed."
"I know. Believe me, I know."
"Ok, then. No eye-rolling." Before Sirius pulled his head away from Remus', he leaned just a little further forward and nudged Remus' ear with his nose, grinning as he sat back in his chair. Remus felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. This was going to be impossible. He forced himself to smile weakly in Sirius' direction.
It was even worse in the library, without the fear of McGonagall to subdue Sirius. Remus tried to read as Sirius sat beside him, twirling his fingers in the ends of Remus' hair.
"Must you?" He hissed at Sirius.
Sirius had the gall to look wounded, but then recovered, "I thought you prefer this to public snogging. Was I wrong?" Remus said nothing, trying to ignore the excited fluttering in his belly that accompanied that thought.
Sirius distracted him by licking his lips slowly and Remus watched the sweep of his tongue. He was so taken in that he started slightly when he felt Sirius' hand on the back of his neck. Sirius pulled him forward until their foreheads were touching and then he spoke lowly, "Look, the Ball is this weekend. And then we're done, OK?"
Remus drew a shaky breath, "OK," he said, horrified by the low, raspy sound of his own voice. Being this close to Sirius all the time was having disastrous effects on him.
"OK," Sirius repeated and let go of Remus, turning to his books and leaning forward to read. Remus sighed with relief and went back to his own work only to jump up with an embarrassing squeal when Sirius squeezed his thigh under the table.
Ignoring the librarian's glare, he whispered furiously at Sirius, "Anna can't see under the table!"
Sirius didn't turn away from his book, but his lips quivered with repressed laughter as he said, "Shh, Remus. I'm trying to work."
Getting dressed for the Yule Ball was a disheartening experience. Remus frowned at himself in the bathroom mirror, taking in his battered, graying robes and the way they made him look tired and slightly ill. It was a few days after the full moon and he still had dark circles under his eyes. He wet his hands under the faucet and tried to pat down his dry, fly-away hair.
"Ready for your big date?" Remus spun around to see Peter in the doorway, wearing his new, blue dress robes and grinning like a fool.
"Funny," said Remus, pushing past him and heading back to their room.
He paused in the doorway, watching Sirius and James tie each other's ties. Sirius' robes were as black as his hair, though they didn't gleam half as brightly. James finished with Sirius' tie and pushed his shoulders back, making him stand up straight and tall. Remus held his breath. It wasn't fair. Sirius was an unfairly beautiful person. Remus silently forgave himself for caving in to this ridiculous scheme. Who could blame him?
Sirius turned then, and noticed Remus in the doorway. He smiled widely, and swept out his arms in an elaborate bow. Remus grinned, "You'd better not expect me to curtsey."
James laughed and Sirius extended his arm, "You look simply dashing tonight, Mr. Lupin."
Remus sighed heavily and exchanged grins with James, then followed him out of the room, leaving Sirius' arm empty.
Remus felt strangely nervous as they approached the Great Hall. James, Lily, Peter and Maggie had gone on ahead. When Remus hung back a little as they approached the entrance, Sirius tried to reassure him, "Don't worry! Everyone but Anna will just assume we didn't get dates and we're just going stag."
"Why are you so sure Anna won't tell anyone?"
Sirius looked away and shrugged. "I just don't think she would. She's thinks it's… you know. She said we're…" Sirius trailed off until he turned back to Remus and saw his confused expression. "Cute," he said. "She thinks we make a good couple."
"She actually said that?" Remus was finding this whole thing completely surreal.
"Yeah, she did. And I think she's absolutely right. So let's go." And Sirius linked his arm through Remus' and led him into the Hall.
When Remus could relax enough to enjoy himself, he had to admit that he was having a really good time at the Ball. He loved seeing everyone shining so brightly, so many faces flushed with heat and excitement. And it was great fun to watch James trying to dance, twirling around and flailing his arms and making Lily cry with laughter.
And best of all, really, was that Sirius hadn't left his side all night. Remus had figured that Sirius would get bored with his own plan once he saw the room full of girls in their bright and frilly dress robes.
But instead they had spent the evening very much together, wandering among groups of friends and even briefly dancing with James, Peter and some of Lily and Maggie's friends. Now they were drinking some punch at a table on the edge of the dance floor. As much as Remus had been dreading this night, he was slightly disturbed to find that a date with Sirius was actually a very pleasant experience.
"Hey," Sirius said in his ear, pointing across the hall, "Anna's heading this way." Remus looked and saw her, smiling sweetly at them and weaving her way through the milling students. Remus liked Anna, but right now, he would really rather not have Sirius fawning all over him just for her eyes.
"I could use some air. Want a walk?" He asked Sirius, trying to sound casual.
Sirius looked slightly surprised, but agreed easily, taking Remus' punch and setting their cups on the table.
The cool air felt wonderful on Remus' heated face and he and Sirius walked silently along the paths for a while, occasionally nudging each other and grinning at the sounds of fellow students rustling the bushes. They paused by the willow tree that was one of their favorites for climbing in their first years at school.
Sirius broke their comfortable silence, "Thanks for helping me out. I hope it wasn't too horrible for you or anything."
Sirius sounded sincere, and Remus wasn't sure what to say. "It's… fine." His punch hadn't been spiked quite heavily enough for Remus to admit that he was actually a little disappointed that it was almost over. "Not too horrible, no."
"Good," Sirius smiled warmly and then, glancing over Remus' shoulder, gasped in surprise. He grabbed Remus' shoulder before he could turn to look. "It's Anna," he said, and then tugged Remus forward, sliding his hand to the back of his neck, and kissed him.
It happened so quickly, Remus didn't think about how he should react, he just kissed back. Sirius' lips were cool and soft and his mouth, when he opened it, was incredibly hot, making Remus gasp and clutch at Sirius' arm. His eyes fluttered closed as Sirius' hand pressed into his back.
When Sirius slowly pulled away, it occurred to Remus that that was it: their first kiss. And, like all the rest of this, it was a ruse. Instantly, he felt himself getting angry again. He hoped Anna had enjoyed the little show, at least, and he turned quickly around, ready to say as much to her.
Sirius made a grab for his shoulder again but not in time to stop him from turning and looking down the empty path. Anna was nowhere to be seen. He turned back to Sirius, furrowing his brow.
Sirius was looking down at his shoes, uncharacteristically quiet.
"Sirius?" Remus asked.
"Mmm," Sirius answered, biting his lower lip.
"Where's Anna?"
"Er, well…" Sirius wouldn't look directly at Remus. "Actually… I have no idea."
"She wasn't…?" Remus gestured behind him.
"No. She wasn't."
"Then," Remus stammered, entirely confused, "Then what was…"
"I'm sorry," Sirius said quietly. "I'm sorry, I just… wanted to kiss you."
"You wanted…" Remus stopped and just let his mouth hang open. Nothing was making any sense.
Sirius took a deep breath and started speaking rapidly, "I never told Anna anything about being… you know. I just split up with her. But I thought maybe you would… I thought I could maybe convince you…" Sirius put his hands over his face, "Oh God, I'm sorry. This was so stupid."
Remus stared, wondering if there had been more firewhisky in his punch than he had realized. He shook his head, "Of all your ridiculous schemes-"
"I know," Sirius said, "This one was the most stupid."
"Actually," Remus grinned, "I was going to say it was my favorite."
Sirius peeked out from between his fingers, "You mean... it worked?"
Remus laughed. "No, it didn't work, you git. It was just completely unnecessary." He stepped forward and pulled Sirius' hands away from his face, holding them by his sides as he leaned in and whispered, "Not at all," into Sirius' ear. He rubbed his cold cheek against Sirius' and felt Sirius' chest rise and fall against his as his breathing accelerated.
"Is Anna watching?" he whispered.
Sirius laughed breathlessly, "No."
"Good," Remus said, and he kissed Sirius.
~*~