(no subject)
Who: Neville and Remus.
What: Remus is done gardening, now. And Neville's done grading papers. No one told Remus that Neville found dirt so darn arousing.
When: Last Sunday.
After Neville had left for his classes, Remus slowly made his way back to his in-construction garden. Leaving the greenhouse, he breathed a sigh of relief. The change in the air cleared his mind and as he got back to work, he decided that he'd ask Neville soon. He wasn't quite sure what had come over him, he only intended to ask Neville to come and visit, a question that wasn't completely unjustified. Or so he hoped.
Hours later, as the sun rolled towards the horizon, Remus sat on the ground with his back against the greenhouse, staring out into nothing. He was dripping with sweat and completely covered with grime, but felt accomplished and surprisingly happy. He had finished weeding, pulling, and plucking what he wanted gone and was partway done planting a mix of flowers and vegetables that if he was lucky, might grow before they left for the summer. Remus had spent the last few minutes watering and watched droplets of water roll across his fingertips as the sky turned amber.
In his office, Neville and pinched the bridge of his nose. Thankfully, he and his students would be heading out into the greenhouses soon enough and he wouldn't have such boring papers to grade, even if he did assign them. He stretched back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head, the picture of relaxed. Peeking one eye open, he glanced at his glass of iced tea and it immediately refreshed itself. Smiling contentedly, he took a few small sips.
Remus pressed the heels of his hands into his thighs and dug his feet into the soft ground beneath him to stand, keeping his back against the greenhouse. Arching his shoulders into a stretch, he looked down at himself and couldn't help but laugh. The knees of his pants were dark with mud, and dirt had somehow managed to work its way up to his elbows. He couldn't even imagine what the state of the rest of himself was. Stepping away from the wall, Remus turned and walked into the Greenhouse, heading for the spigot to at least wash his hands off before heading back to the school for a well deserved hosing off and perhaps a visit with Neville.
Pacing by his window, contemplating how exactly he should write the explanation for the failing grade he had just given, Neville saw Remus head back from the garden area, covered from head to toe in soot. Neville smiled his private smile as he saw Remus pass by a couple of walking students, nodding his head in greeting. He felt extremely lucky to have gotten to know this man, this man who happened to look positively scrumptious while covered in dirt.
Closing the curtains, Neville resigned himself to breaking the bad news on the latest paper, before smirking a bit. Hurriedly, he scribbled a note and ran down the hall to slide it under Remus' door, then ran franticly back.
Remus made his way to his office as quickly as possible, looking forward to cleaning off, only stopping briefly to answer a question that was tossed his way. Unlocking his door and shutting it behind him, his state of mind changed instantly when he noticed a note on the ground. Brow furrowing in question, he knelt and picked it up, unfolding the small piece of paper.
As he read it, a grin broke out over his face. It was short and to the point and Remus quickly forgot about his intentions to shower.
Rem -
My office? As soon as possible?
-Neville
Stuffing the note into his pocket, he locked the door behind him walking briskly to Neville's office, and knocking on the door.
Neville called out, "Enter!" while he finished pouring two glasses of wine and setting them on the little table that acted as the coffee table for the small sitting area. After securing the cap on his ink well, Neville walked straight to Remus and gave him a passionate kiss. He loved the smell of dirt on anybody, but when mixed with Remus, his Remus, well, that simply drove Neville mad.
"Did you get much more work done today? And tell me you've eaten something."
Peering around Neville's shoulder, and raising an eyebrow amusingly at the wine, Remus then turned back, searching for a way around Neville's question. "I got quite a bit more done, actually. Nowhere near done yet, but that's a good thing. Means I can work more. And, of course I've eaten, Neville. That way I can say that I have when you ask me."
Wrapping a hand around the back of Neville's neck, fingertips grazing short hair, Remus brought them close for another kiss. "And what'd you accomplish?"
Neville slowly licked a clean stripe up Remus' neck where it wasn't completely covered with dirt. "Well, I finished grading papers. Horrendous, really. Hopefully once I get them out into the greenhouses and teach them with their hands," here Neville paused to paw at the button on Remus' jeans. "Because I find hands-on learning just so much more effective, hmm?"
Closing his eyes briefly at the feel of Neville's tongue, a shiver working its way up his spine, Remus brought his other hand to Neville's collar. "I completely agree. Always seems to bring about the best reaction." Unbuttoning Neville's shirt, Remus kissed the newly exposed skin. Shifting his weight so he could bring himself closer to Neville, Remus ran his hands downward, pulling Neville's shirt from his waistband.
"Remus, Remus, Remus. Do you have any idea what you do to me? Do you?" Neville murmured into Remus' ear before gently nipping at the lobe. He twirled them, as a pair, around until he could nudge Remus backwards towards the couch, hands gliding along his sides easily, due to the sweat that had already built up.
"I had planned on seducing you with the wine first, but then you came in and I just couldn't help myself," he all but giggled.
"And I thought the wine was just because you missed me." Remus said as the back of his legs hit the couch. Tipping Neville's face towards his own, he spoke against Neville's lips, his own creeping into a smirk. "You should know by now that you don’t need anything to make me want you." One hand slipping around to Neville's arse, Remus brought there hips together as he kissed Neville hard enough to bruise lips.
Neville grunted with the force of it all, which made him stumble forward, spilling Remus onto the couch in front of him. He looked down at the man sprawled beneath him, dirtied already, and Neville all but lunged himself, attaching at the hips, chest, legs, anywhere, everywhere.
"Want has nothing to do with it. Need is more like it."
Remus could've sworn that he was able to breathe only a few moments ago, but now he could only gasp as Neville moved over him. "Need," was all Remus was able to mumble, only capable of reiterating that much of the statement before he lifted himself towards Neville, kissing the corner of his lips, teeth nipping at his jaw, his tongue following. His hands were under Neville's shirt, at his sides, fingers sliding across his ribs.
And then Remus pushed himself away from Neville, or at least he attempted to, his fingers digging softly into the skin at Neville's waist, pressing himself back as far into Neville's couch as he could. Remus opened his mouth, had to literally force the words out. "Neville. Neville, wait."
Neville's head was still bent forward, insisting on mapping out every inch of Remus' neck before pulling away to look into Remus' eyes. "Wait?" The word made no sense to him at the moment. "Wait for what? Is everything ok?"
"Everything's perfectly okay." Taking his hands away from Neville, Remus figured that he should at least follow through on what he was saying. Pressing his lips together, he exhaled heavily, wrapping an arm around himself to keep from temptation. He looked back up at the other man, his chest rising with a sigh. "But, Neville. You were the one who said you wanted to wait."
Confused, Neville’s brows drew together. "But, you see, that was before you came in looking, well, looking like that. But, if you'd like to wait, we can still wait. I mean, I'd understand, and all." Deep down, Neville was already thinking that the past couldn't hold him back forever.
"If I'd like to wait? Neville." Remus tipped his head down to look at Neville, eyebrows raised in sarcastic question. His eyes trailed down himself and stopped briefly at the less than obvious bulge in his trousers before coming back to Neville. A content smile slipped onto his face as his hands crept up Neville's thighs. "But, really, all joking aside, I’ll leave the decision up to you.
"Remus, quite honestly, I think I'm a little bit past waiting at this point. But if you'd really rather stop," Neville sat up, still basically sitting on Remus, however. "If you'd really rather stop, I won't force you to stay."
"Neville," Lifting himself away from the couch and pressing his lips to Neville's softly before moving away to tilt his head up and look at the other man, "You'll never have to force me to stay. It's more like you'll have to find a way to kick me out." His fingers ran across a seam along Neville's inner thigh.
Stifling a shudder, Neville growled before shoving Remus back down and once again attending to his neck. "I mean really, you only have yourself to blame for this. Working in the dirt like you don't know what it does to me." He punctuated his mild anger with a bite to the place where neck meets shoulder.
Tugging Neville's hips against his own, Remus gasped. "If I’d have known it did this, I would’ve done it sooner." His hands ran up Neville's sides and then, frustrated with the lack of available skin, moved to unbutton the rest of Neville's shirt. "You're the one who wanted to seduce me. Not that it was altogether necessary."
"What? Oh. The wine. Well, that was just in case you weren't in a good mood when you came back up here. Turns out, you're in a fantastic mood," Neville smirked against Remus' skin before sitting up again and flinging his shirt to the side. "Really, bloody, fantastic mood."
Laughing, Remus reached for Neville, and realizing he had no shirt to grab, hooked his fingers in Neville's belt loops and pulled his own self up flush against Neville. He kissed him aggressively, biting at his lower lip, a growl rolling deep in his throat. "You're the one who put me in the good mood." Remus said, the words spoken between quick kisses scattered downward across Neville's chest.
"Hey, Remus? Two questions. One: Why are you still talking? Two: Why're you still clothed, hmm?" Neville used his hands to guide Remus dirty shirt up and off, then sprinkled kisses on both shoulders, sometimes licking, just to get a taste.
Scoffing to cover up a quiet moan, Remus poked Neville in the ribs, teasing. "I could say the same for you." His hands trailed lower, fingertips barely touching Neville’s stomach, but touching enough to feel Neville's skin twitch. Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead against Neville's shoulder, eyes clothed, trying to catch his breath.
"You mustmustmust garden more often." Neville wrapped his hands around Remus' back, caressing, learning, kneading, before slipping lower and deftly teasing where the top of Remus' pants met his waist.
"How is this.. er, um.. how would you.. would you rather--"
Remus leaned back enough to turn and look at Neville. Unable to ignore Neville's hands and what they were doing, his voice quavered. "I think, that. Anything.” Pushing his hands, palms down, into the couch at his side, Remus stretched upward with heated groan, longing to feel closer to Neville. His nose against the underneath of Neville's chin, he breathed hotly against Neville's neck.
Neville's head fell backwards as their groins connected for a heated moment. He blushed, bit his lip, looked away. Shakily, he climbed off of Remus, off of the couch, and stalked over to where the wine was. Neville gulped the whole glass in one go before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Resolutely, he didn't meet Remus' eyes with his own.
Blinking, Remus looked at the empty space that Neville once possessed, his eyes turning to follow the path the other man took to the wine. Unsure of what was going on, Remus stood uncomfortably, feeling rather like he needed a pillow to cover himself. Or perhaps a very cold shower. Walking slowly towards Neville, Remus dug his hands into his pockets, clearing his throat. "Neville? Everything all right?"
"It'sreallysuperembarassing," mumbled Neville, turning away slightly from the older man. Scratching at his head, Neville slowly turned to face Remus, face still flushing prettily. "Listen, I-- I dunno what happened, er, but, well, could you pass me my wand so I could cleanup a bit?"
Looking at Neville curiously, it took a few moments before understanding finally passed across Remus' face and he silently turned, picking up Neville's wand from his desk. Handing it to him, Remus smiled in sympathy. "Should I..." Remus thought briefly, chewing his lower lip as he tried to ignore his own problem, "I could go back to my own office, if you'd like."
Mumbling a quick cleaning charm, Neville tossed his wand on the table next to the wine glasses. "Well, that'd be rather rude of me. I mean, this situation, it's not ideal, listen, I mean, whatever. Do whatever. I'd understand if you'd rather leave. And.. shower. Since, y'know. You're still generally dirt-covered," Neville laughed nervously. He mentally cursed himself for what could be the only time him and Remus might, well, get together.
Raising an eyebrow, Remus smirked. "Yes, because that's the reason I’d be taking a shower." Exhaling, Remus shrugged his shoulders, trying to will himself back to composure. "I'd really rather not leave. And anyways, getting back to my office without being seen would be a challenge unto itself. I just." Remus kept his eyes trained on Neville, and tried not to move too much. "I'll be fine."
"Do you-- Should I-- I mean, that can't be--" Neville plopped down on the couch and put his head in his hands. "Iamsosorry. This wasn't supposed to happen like this, I swear." Neville reached for his shirt, only to put it down, ashamedly.
"Don't be sorry. Really, it's. I'm not upset." Remus turned, following Neville with his eyes. He still felt unsure of what to do with himself and he shifted his weight awkwardly from foot to foot. Finally walking back to the couch, Remus dropped himself into the corner, bringing his knees to his chest. "The best laid plans...er, nevermind, I'm terrible with proverbs.
"Well I'm terrible with-- well." A sigh. "Do you think you could possibly forget that ever happened?" One could always hope, right?
"Forget what ever happened?" Smiling, Remus tilted his head towards the back of the couch. Wrapping his hands around his shins, Remus was secretly frustrated that he couldn't be curled up next to Neville, for fear of exacerbating his problem. "I hope it's all right if I just sit here for awhile."
"Feel free to do whatever. If you need me to-- do anything, er, just ask?" Neville could probably kill himself now. This embarrassing feeling was horrible.
"I will, but, Neville, please stop feeling so bad." As much as he wanted to, Remus figured crawling over and trying to be comforting wasn't the best idea he'd ever had. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. Really, it's not worth it."
"Damn right it's your fault," grinned Neville. He could only imagine how juvenile Remus must he think he was; he blushed a bit more. If Remus hadn't gone gardening and gotten dirty along the way, Neville might not've reacted the way he did. There was something about him, though, intoxicating, really.
Laughing outright, Remus scoffed. "I didn't expect you to agree that much!" Rolling his eyes with a smile, he shook his head at Neville, still vaguely amused by the whole situation. Curling his toes, Remus was suddenly reminded of something, and during the momentary silence, he allowed the question to tumble out of him.
"Neville, will you come visit during the summer?"
"Well, if your garden here needs as much work as your garden at home, I'd be more than happy to drop by and lend a helping hand. I could even stay weekends, if you live close enough. Or, maybe, you could visit me, observe the master at work, and all that." Neville was rambling. Truth is, he'd love to visit Remus for more than just gardening, but Neville liked to think of things with a long-term perspective; if he up and asked Remus to move in with him, he didn't think it'd go over all that smoothly.
"That sounds fantastic." Putting his chin on his knee, he rested an unfaltering gaze onto Neville. Now it'd be even more difficult to wait for summer: thoughts of breakfasts to themselves, evenings outdoors, and lazy afternoons on the couch. Remus snapped his eyes open, not even realizing he had closed them onto his daydream. But the fact that he had opened them to Neville, who was actually there, not fantastical in the slightest, and was somehow, amazingly his, made Remus ecstatically happy.
"It'll undoubtedly be a privilege to watch the master."
Neville put his hand on Remus' knee and slowly rubbed soothing circles with his thumb. "Er, thank you for being so, um, understanding, uh, tonight, Rem. Really. But it's not like you could blame me! I mean, erm, y'know, if Trevor meets new people, he becomes terribly fond of them. You'd have to come over quite a bit, you understand. Otherwise he'll get cranky and try to run away. Are you ok with visiting a lot?"
"I wouldn't want to upset Trevor and have him escape. I'll be there as often as I can. If only to just see him." Plopping his cheek against the back of Neville's hand, he looked up at Neville happily. "I’ll be there so often that, in all truth, you'll probably have to kick me out."
Thoughtfully, Neville cocked his head to one side. "I suppose I'll have to buy another guest bed. The one upstairs is far past its prime, but I just haven't had the need to replace it. Ah, I suppose it's just as well." With a twinkle in his eye, Neville gauged Remus' response: would he be offended and force his way into Neville's bed (the preferred response), or would he go the gentlemanly route and respect Neville's wishes.
"I'm not quite sure I’m alright with being stuck in the old guest bed, Neville. And even if you do get a new one, which I’m not sure why you would, I've always found it difficult to sleep in new places." Drumming his fingers against his shins, Remus pretended to be lost in thought. "Though, if there was something, or perhaps someone, vaguely comforting to sleep with..." His expression of deep thought slipped easily into a grin.
"Oh, really? Is that how it works? I'll have you know, Mr. Lupin, that I may very well kick in my sleep. Or drool. Or even snore. A plethora of unpleasant things; now, would you want that as a sleeping partner? I should think not. I'll make a call right now and order that bed." With an air of faux-superiority, Neville reached for his wand and made as though to cast a fire call.
Remus moved suddenly, arm jutting out as if to stop Neville from making any rash decisions. "And why would any of those things bother me? I'm not the heaviest of all sleepers, myself. And, you know, I have a rather high core body temperature. If it gets cold outside, I may be useful to you."
"Remus, you'll be visiting in the summer. Don't be silly. I wouldn't want to bother you, really." Neville loved forcing responses out of people, whether with his words or with his actions. Of course, he only pushed people he was close to, but that fact didn't matter with Remus, the person he was most close with. "Unless, of course, you insist on sleeping on the couch or something..."
"I'd rather sleep on the couch then have you buy a new guest bed." Settling back against the couch, Remus really couldn't have cared much either way. The fact that Neville had invited him over, for more than one day at a time, was more than enough to Remus. But sleeping in the same bed together? Would just be a bonus. A really, really good one. "But I'd really rather not sleep in either. And you wouldn't bother me. Especially since I might not be sleeping much."
"Is that a promise or a threat?” Neville smirked, as he propped his feet upon Remus' knees and rested his back on the opposite arm of the couch.
"What if I said it was both?" Remus wrapped his hands around Neville's feet, pressing his thumbs into the arches, smiling up at Neville. "And seeing as it'll be the summer, there'll be no reason to get up early. Therefore, I won't let you sleep, and therefore there's no reason you're snoring will bother me."
Neville closed his eyes and sunk even deeper into the couch, humming slightly. "Well, you'll have to let me sleep sometime, won't you? What'll you do then? Become a zombie?" Neville giggled a bit at his rather lame attempt at a joke, but at the feelings reverberating from his feet at the moment, he couldn't be arsed to care, really.
Enjoying Neville's reaction to the impromptu massage, Remus continued, careful for the moment to not cross the line into tickling. Though, at Neville's question he quickly changed his mind. "I suppose I'll have to. Maybe that's when I'll garden." Teasing Neville, he pulled his socks from his feet, running his fingertips lightly across the bare skin.
His foot twitched, partially because of the cool air now on his foot, and partially due to Remus' light touches. "So, what, are you just spending the whole summer with me and my garden?" he asked as he practically shoved his foot closer to Remus to wring out more of those amazing feelings again.
Remus almost laughed at the foot that waggled in his face, but he complied, finally tucking his own feet beneath him so he could hold Neville's in his lap. "Maybe not the whole summer. As often as you'll have me, I suppose." Working his fingers against the balls of his feet, Remus was tempted to crawl over to Neville and ask if he would mind if he never left at all.
Stretching contentedly, and very nearly half-asleep, Neville murmured, "If you were often as much as I'd have you, Rem, really, you probably wouldn't ever leave. In fact, I'd just install you as a permanent gnome in my garden. Sure, people'd ask questions, but--" Neville shrugged a very nonchalant shrug and beamed at Remus.
"Except for the being a garden gnome bit, I don't think I'd mind any of that." Grinning back at Neville, he realized he was equally as tired as Neville seemed to be. "I should let you get some sleep," he said, running his hands down Neville's legs, stretching his back,
Full out grinning now, Neville reached forward and tugged Remus into a horizontal hug. Awkward, sure, but totally worth it. "And I think you could use a shower," mocked Neville, even though what was once garden fresh had mellowed out to match the scent of the room. Languidly kissing Remus, Neville asked, "See you tomorrow at breakfast?"
"Don’t worry. I fully intend to take one." Remus half grumbled through a yawn. Kissing Neville back, he managed to extract himself from their tangled limbs and stand himself upright. Pulling his crumpled shirt from between a cushion, he slipped it on and tried to tug it into wrinkle-less submission. Giving up, he looked back up at Neville.
"Breakfast it is."
What: Remus is done gardening, now. And Neville's done grading papers. No one told Remus that Neville found dirt so darn arousing.
When: Last Sunday.
After Neville had left for his classes, Remus slowly made his way back to his in-construction garden. Leaving the greenhouse, he breathed a sigh of relief. The change in the air cleared his mind and as he got back to work, he decided that he'd ask Neville soon. He wasn't quite sure what had come over him, he only intended to ask Neville to come and visit, a question that wasn't completely unjustified. Or so he hoped.
Hours later, as the sun rolled towards the horizon, Remus sat on the ground with his back against the greenhouse, staring out into nothing. He was dripping with sweat and completely covered with grime, but felt accomplished and surprisingly happy. He had finished weeding, pulling, and plucking what he wanted gone and was partway done planting a mix of flowers and vegetables that if he was lucky, might grow before they left for the summer. Remus had spent the last few minutes watering and watched droplets of water roll across his fingertips as the sky turned amber.
In his office, Neville and pinched the bridge of his nose. Thankfully, he and his students would be heading out into the greenhouses soon enough and he wouldn't have such boring papers to grade, even if he did assign them. He stretched back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head, the picture of relaxed. Peeking one eye open, he glanced at his glass of iced tea and it immediately refreshed itself. Smiling contentedly, he took a few small sips.
Remus pressed the heels of his hands into his thighs and dug his feet into the soft ground beneath him to stand, keeping his back against the greenhouse. Arching his shoulders into a stretch, he looked down at himself and couldn't help but laugh. The knees of his pants were dark with mud, and dirt had somehow managed to work its way up to his elbows. He couldn't even imagine what the state of the rest of himself was. Stepping away from the wall, Remus turned and walked into the Greenhouse, heading for the spigot to at least wash his hands off before heading back to the school for a well deserved hosing off and perhaps a visit with Neville.
Pacing by his window, contemplating how exactly he should write the explanation for the failing grade he had just given, Neville saw Remus head back from the garden area, covered from head to toe in soot. Neville smiled his private smile as he saw Remus pass by a couple of walking students, nodding his head in greeting. He felt extremely lucky to have gotten to know this man, this man who happened to look positively scrumptious while covered in dirt.
Closing the curtains, Neville resigned himself to breaking the bad news on the latest paper, before smirking a bit. Hurriedly, he scribbled a note and ran down the hall to slide it under Remus' door, then ran franticly back.
Remus made his way to his office as quickly as possible, looking forward to cleaning off, only stopping briefly to answer a question that was tossed his way. Unlocking his door and shutting it behind him, his state of mind changed instantly when he noticed a note on the ground. Brow furrowing in question, he knelt and picked it up, unfolding the small piece of paper.
As he read it, a grin broke out over his face. It was short and to the point and Remus quickly forgot about his intentions to shower.
Rem -
My office? As soon as possible?
-Neville
Stuffing the note into his pocket, he locked the door behind him walking briskly to Neville's office, and knocking on the door.
Neville called out, "Enter!" while he finished pouring two glasses of wine and setting them on the little table that acted as the coffee table for the small sitting area. After securing the cap on his ink well, Neville walked straight to Remus and gave him a passionate kiss. He loved the smell of dirt on anybody, but when mixed with Remus, his Remus, well, that simply drove Neville mad.
"Did you get much more work done today? And tell me you've eaten something."
Peering around Neville's shoulder, and raising an eyebrow amusingly at the wine, Remus then turned back, searching for a way around Neville's question. "I got quite a bit more done, actually. Nowhere near done yet, but that's a good thing. Means I can work more. And, of course I've eaten, Neville. That way I can say that I have when you ask me."
Wrapping a hand around the back of Neville's neck, fingertips grazing short hair, Remus brought them close for another kiss. "And what'd you accomplish?"
Neville slowly licked a clean stripe up Remus' neck where it wasn't completely covered with dirt. "Well, I finished grading papers. Horrendous, really. Hopefully once I get them out into the greenhouses and teach them with their hands," here Neville paused to paw at the button on Remus' jeans. "Because I find hands-on learning just so much more effective, hmm?"
Closing his eyes briefly at the feel of Neville's tongue, a shiver working its way up his spine, Remus brought his other hand to Neville's collar. "I completely agree. Always seems to bring about the best reaction." Unbuttoning Neville's shirt, Remus kissed the newly exposed skin. Shifting his weight so he could bring himself closer to Neville, Remus ran his hands downward, pulling Neville's shirt from his waistband.
"Remus, Remus, Remus. Do you have any idea what you do to me? Do you?" Neville murmured into Remus' ear before gently nipping at the lobe. He twirled them, as a pair, around until he could nudge Remus backwards towards the couch, hands gliding along his sides easily, due to the sweat that had already built up.
"I had planned on seducing you with the wine first, but then you came in and I just couldn't help myself," he all but giggled.
"And I thought the wine was just because you missed me." Remus said as the back of his legs hit the couch. Tipping Neville's face towards his own, he spoke against Neville's lips, his own creeping into a smirk. "You should know by now that you don’t need anything to make me want you." One hand slipping around to Neville's arse, Remus brought there hips together as he kissed Neville hard enough to bruise lips.
Neville grunted with the force of it all, which made him stumble forward, spilling Remus onto the couch in front of him. He looked down at the man sprawled beneath him, dirtied already, and Neville all but lunged himself, attaching at the hips, chest, legs, anywhere, everywhere.
"Want has nothing to do with it. Need is more like it."
Remus could've sworn that he was able to breathe only a few moments ago, but now he could only gasp as Neville moved over him. "Need," was all Remus was able to mumble, only capable of reiterating that much of the statement before he lifted himself towards Neville, kissing the corner of his lips, teeth nipping at his jaw, his tongue following. His hands were under Neville's shirt, at his sides, fingers sliding across his ribs.
And then Remus pushed himself away from Neville, or at least he attempted to, his fingers digging softly into the skin at Neville's waist, pressing himself back as far into Neville's couch as he could. Remus opened his mouth, had to literally force the words out. "Neville. Neville, wait."
Neville's head was still bent forward, insisting on mapping out every inch of Remus' neck before pulling away to look into Remus' eyes. "Wait?" The word made no sense to him at the moment. "Wait for what? Is everything ok?"
"Everything's perfectly okay." Taking his hands away from Neville, Remus figured that he should at least follow through on what he was saying. Pressing his lips together, he exhaled heavily, wrapping an arm around himself to keep from temptation. He looked back up at the other man, his chest rising with a sigh. "But, Neville. You were the one who said you wanted to wait."
Confused, Neville’s brows drew together. "But, you see, that was before you came in looking, well, looking like that. But, if you'd like to wait, we can still wait. I mean, I'd understand, and all." Deep down, Neville was already thinking that the past couldn't hold him back forever.
"If I'd like to wait? Neville." Remus tipped his head down to look at Neville, eyebrows raised in sarcastic question. His eyes trailed down himself and stopped briefly at the less than obvious bulge in his trousers before coming back to Neville. A content smile slipped onto his face as his hands crept up Neville's thighs. "But, really, all joking aside, I’ll leave the decision up to you.
"Remus, quite honestly, I think I'm a little bit past waiting at this point. But if you'd really rather stop," Neville sat up, still basically sitting on Remus, however. "If you'd really rather stop, I won't force you to stay."
"Neville," Lifting himself away from the couch and pressing his lips to Neville's softly before moving away to tilt his head up and look at the other man, "You'll never have to force me to stay. It's more like you'll have to find a way to kick me out." His fingers ran across a seam along Neville's inner thigh.
Stifling a shudder, Neville growled before shoving Remus back down and once again attending to his neck. "I mean really, you only have yourself to blame for this. Working in the dirt like you don't know what it does to me." He punctuated his mild anger with a bite to the place where neck meets shoulder.
Tugging Neville's hips against his own, Remus gasped. "If I’d have known it did this, I would’ve done it sooner." His hands ran up Neville's sides and then, frustrated with the lack of available skin, moved to unbutton the rest of Neville's shirt. "You're the one who wanted to seduce me. Not that it was altogether necessary."
"What? Oh. The wine. Well, that was just in case you weren't in a good mood when you came back up here. Turns out, you're in a fantastic mood," Neville smirked against Remus' skin before sitting up again and flinging his shirt to the side. "Really, bloody, fantastic mood."
Laughing, Remus reached for Neville, and realizing he had no shirt to grab, hooked his fingers in Neville's belt loops and pulled his own self up flush against Neville. He kissed him aggressively, biting at his lower lip, a growl rolling deep in his throat. "You're the one who put me in the good mood." Remus said, the words spoken between quick kisses scattered downward across Neville's chest.
"Hey, Remus? Two questions. One: Why are you still talking? Two: Why're you still clothed, hmm?" Neville used his hands to guide Remus dirty shirt up and off, then sprinkled kisses on both shoulders, sometimes licking, just to get a taste.
Scoffing to cover up a quiet moan, Remus poked Neville in the ribs, teasing. "I could say the same for you." His hands trailed lower, fingertips barely touching Neville’s stomach, but touching enough to feel Neville's skin twitch. Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead against Neville's shoulder, eyes clothed, trying to catch his breath.
"You mustmustmust garden more often." Neville wrapped his hands around Remus' back, caressing, learning, kneading, before slipping lower and deftly teasing where the top of Remus' pants met his waist.
"How is this.. er, um.. how would you.. would you rather--"
Remus leaned back enough to turn and look at Neville. Unable to ignore Neville's hands and what they were doing, his voice quavered. "I think, that. Anything.” Pushing his hands, palms down, into the couch at his side, Remus stretched upward with heated groan, longing to feel closer to Neville. His nose against the underneath of Neville's chin, he breathed hotly against Neville's neck.
Neville's head fell backwards as their groins connected for a heated moment. He blushed, bit his lip, looked away. Shakily, he climbed off of Remus, off of the couch, and stalked over to where the wine was. Neville gulped the whole glass in one go before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Resolutely, he didn't meet Remus' eyes with his own.
Blinking, Remus looked at the empty space that Neville once possessed, his eyes turning to follow the path the other man took to the wine. Unsure of what was going on, Remus stood uncomfortably, feeling rather like he needed a pillow to cover himself. Or perhaps a very cold shower. Walking slowly towards Neville, Remus dug his hands into his pockets, clearing his throat. "Neville? Everything all right?"
"It'sreallysuperembarassing," mumbled Neville, turning away slightly from the older man. Scratching at his head, Neville slowly turned to face Remus, face still flushing prettily. "Listen, I-- I dunno what happened, er, but, well, could you pass me my wand so I could cleanup a bit?"
Looking at Neville curiously, it took a few moments before understanding finally passed across Remus' face and he silently turned, picking up Neville's wand from his desk. Handing it to him, Remus smiled in sympathy. "Should I..." Remus thought briefly, chewing his lower lip as he tried to ignore his own problem, "I could go back to my own office, if you'd like."
Mumbling a quick cleaning charm, Neville tossed his wand on the table next to the wine glasses. "Well, that'd be rather rude of me. I mean, this situation, it's not ideal, listen, I mean, whatever. Do whatever. I'd understand if you'd rather leave. And.. shower. Since, y'know. You're still generally dirt-covered," Neville laughed nervously. He mentally cursed himself for what could be the only time him and Remus might, well, get together.
Raising an eyebrow, Remus smirked. "Yes, because that's the reason I’d be taking a shower." Exhaling, Remus shrugged his shoulders, trying to will himself back to composure. "I'd really rather not leave. And anyways, getting back to my office without being seen would be a challenge unto itself. I just." Remus kept his eyes trained on Neville, and tried not to move too much. "I'll be fine."
"Do you-- Should I-- I mean, that can't be--" Neville plopped down on the couch and put his head in his hands. "Iamsosorry. This wasn't supposed to happen like this, I swear." Neville reached for his shirt, only to put it down, ashamedly.
"Don't be sorry. Really, it's. I'm not upset." Remus turned, following Neville with his eyes. He still felt unsure of what to do with himself and he shifted his weight awkwardly from foot to foot. Finally walking back to the couch, Remus dropped himself into the corner, bringing his knees to his chest. "The best laid plans...er, nevermind, I'm terrible with proverbs.
"Well I'm terrible with-- well." A sigh. "Do you think you could possibly forget that ever happened?" One could always hope, right?
"Forget what ever happened?" Smiling, Remus tilted his head towards the back of the couch. Wrapping his hands around his shins, Remus was secretly frustrated that he couldn't be curled up next to Neville, for fear of exacerbating his problem. "I hope it's all right if I just sit here for awhile."
"Feel free to do whatever. If you need me to-- do anything, er, just ask?" Neville could probably kill himself now. This embarrassing feeling was horrible.
"I will, but, Neville, please stop feeling so bad." As much as he wanted to, Remus figured crawling over and trying to be comforting wasn't the best idea he'd ever had. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. Really, it's not worth it."
"Damn right it's your fault," grinned Neville. He could only imagine how juvenile Remus must he think he was; he blushed a bit more. If Remus hadn't gone gardening and gotten dirty along the way, Neville might not've reacted the way he did. There was something about him, though, intoxicating, really.
Laughing outright, Remus scoffed. "I didn't expect you to agree that much!" Rolling his eyes with a smile, he shook his head at Neville, still vaguely amused by the whole situation. Curling his toes, Remus was suddenly reminded of something, and during the momentary silence, he allowed the question to tumble out of him.
"Neville, will you come visit during the summer?"
"Well, if your garden here needs as much work as your garden at home, I'd be more than happy to drop by and lend a helping hand. I could even stay weekends, if you live close enough. Or, maybe, you could visit me, observe the master at work, and all that." Neville was rambling. Truth is, he'd love to visit Remus for more than just gardening, but Neville liked to think of things with a long-term perspective; if he up and asked Remus to move in with him, he didn't think it'd go over all that smoothly.
"That sounds fantastic." Putting his chin on his knee, he rested an unfaltering gaze onto Neville. Now it'd be even more difficult to wait for summer: thoughts of breakfasts to themselves, evenings outdoors, and lazy afternoons on the couch. Remus snapped his eyes open, not even realizing he had closed them onto his daydream. But the fact that he had opened them to Neville, who was actually there, not fantastical in the slightest, and was somehow, amazingly his, made Remus ecstatically happy.
"It'll undoubtedly be a privilege to watch the master."
Neville put his hand on Remus' knee and slowly rubbed soothing circles with his thumb. "Er, thank you for being so, um, understanding, uh, tonight, Rem. Really. But it's not like you could blame me! I mean, erm, y'know, if Trevor meets new people, he becomes terribly fond of them. You'd have to come over quite a bit, you understand. Otherwise he'll get cranky and try to run away. Are you ok with visiting a lot?"
"I wouldn't want to upset Trevor and have him escape. I'll be there as often as I can. If only to just see him." Plopping his cheek against the back of Neville's hand, he looked up at Neville happily. "I’ll be there so often that, in all truth, you'll probably have to kick me out."
Thoughtfully, Neville cocked his head to one side. "I suppose I'll have to buy another guest bed. The one upstairs is far past its prime, but I just haven't had the need to replace it. Ah, I suppose it's just as well." With a twinkle in his eye, Neville gauged Remus' response: would he be offended and force his way into Neville's bed (the preferred response), or would he go the gentlemanly route and respect Neville's wishes.
"I'm not quite sure I’m alright with being stuck in the old guest bed, Neville. And even if you do get a new one, which I’m not sure why you would, I've always found it difficult to sleep in new places." Drumming his fingers against his shins, Remus pretended to be lost in thought. "Though, if there was something, or perhaps someone, vaguely comforting to sleep with..." His expression of deep thought slipped easily into a grin.
"Oh, really? Is that how it works? I'll have you know, Mr. Lupin, that I may very well kick in my sleep. Or drool. Or even snore. A plethora of unpleasant things; now, would you want that as a sleeping partner? I should think not. I'll make a call right now and order that bed." With an air of faux-superiority, Neville reached for his wand and made as though to cast a fire call.
Remus moved suddenly, arm jutting out as if to stop Neville from making any rash decisions. "And why would any of those things bother me? I'm not the heaviest of all sleepers, myself. And, you know, I have a rather high core body temperature. If it gets cold outside, I may be useful to you."
"Remus, you'll be visiting in the summer. Don't be silly. I wouldn't want to bother you, really." Neville loved forcing responses out of people, whether with his words or with his actions. Of course, he only pushed people he was close to, but that fact didn't matter with Remus, the person he was most close with. "Unless, of course, you insist on sleeping on the couch or something..."
"I'd rather sleep on the couch then have you buy a new guest bed." Settling back against the couch, Remus really couldn't have cared much either way. The fact that Neville had invited him over, for more than one day at a time, was more than enough to Remus. But sleeping in the same bed together? Would just be a bonus. A really, really good one. "But I'd really rather not sleep in either. And you wouldn't bother me. Especially since I might not be sleeping much."
"Is that a promise or a threat?” Neville smirked, as he propped his feet upon Remus' knees and rested his back on the opposite arm of the couch.
"What if I said it was both?" Remus wrapped his hands around Neville's feet, pressing his thumbs into the arches, smiling up at Neville. "And seeing as it'll be the summer, there'll be no reason to get up early. Therefore, I won't let you sleep, and therefore there's no reason you're snoring will bother me."
Neville closed his eyes and sunk even deeper into the couch, humming slightly. "Well, you'll have to let me sleep sometime, won't you? What'll you do then? Become a zombie?" Neville giggled a bit at his rather lame attempt at a joke, but at the feelings reverberating from his feet at the moment, he couldn't be arsed to care, really.
Enjoying Neville's reaction to the impromptu massage, Remus continued, careful for the moment to not cross the line into tickling. Though, at Neville's question he quickly changed his mind. "I suppose I'll have to. Maybe that's when I'll garden." Teasing Neville, he pulled his socks from his feet, running his fingertips lightly across the bare skin.
His foot twitched, partially because of the cool air now on his foot, and partially due to Remus' light touches. "So, what, are you just spending the whole summer with me and my garden?" he asked as he practically shoved his foot closer to Remus to wring out more of those amazing feelings again.
Remus almost laughed at the foot that waggled in his face, but he complied, finally tucking his own feet beneath him so he could hold Neville's in his lap. "Maybe not the whole summer. As often as you'll have me, I suppose." Working his fingers against the balls of his feet, Remus was tempted to crawl over to Neville and ask if he would mind if he never left at all.
Stretching contentedly, and very nearly half-asleep, Neville murmured, "If you were often as much as I'd have you, Rem, really, you probably wouldn't ever leave. In fact, I'd just install you as a permanent gnome in my garden. Sure, people'd ask questions, but--" Neville shrugged a very nonchalant shrug and beamed at Remus.
"Except for the being a garden gnome bit, I don't think I'd mind any of that." Grinning back at Neville, he realized he was equally as tired as Neville seemed to be. "I should let you get some sleep," he said, running his hands down Neville's legs, stretching his back,
Full out grinning now, Neville reached forward and tugged Remus into a horizontal hug. Awkward, sure, but totally worth it. "And I think you could use a shower," mocked Neville, even though what was once garden fresh had mellowed out to match the scent of the room. Languidly kissing Remus, Neville asked, "See you tomorrow at breakfast?"
"Don’t worry. I fully intend to take one." Remus half grumbled through a yawn. Kissing Neville back, he managed to extract himself from their tangled limbs and stand himself upright. Pulling his crumpled shirt from between a cushion, he slipped it on and tried to tug it into wrinkle-less submission. Giving up, he looked back up at Neville.
"Breakfast it is."