More Nocturnal Emissions - 3. Explanations and Expectations

Sirius, by this time, manages to yank himself out of Hestia's rather strong grip, and pushes her off of him with an irritated howl. He thinks he’s heard a noise, but by the time he looks, there’s nothing to be seen. He has a sinking feeling, though, regarding what he might have heard. "Don't do that again!" he bellows at her. "James was wrong. I wasn't expecting you, I was expecting someone else. And so help me, you better not have messed it up for me...."

"Oh pooh." Hestia grimaces. "I knew it was too good to be true." The brunette frowns, taking an uninvited seat on Sirius' comforter, putting her chin into her hands. "Don't worry. It wasn't your new girlfriend that saw us..."

"How do you know?" Sirius asks, as he attempts to tactfully dislodge her from her position without actually pushing her off.

"’Cause I saw. It was just Remus," she tactlessly replies.

Remus! Sirius moans to himself. What he must surely be thinking! And there and then he does push her off, unceremoniously, as she cries out, "Hey!"

"Hestia, this might have escaped your attention, but you and I—we are not dating!" Sirius cries out in agitation. "Arghhhh!" He grabs up the comforter, not bothering to shrink it now—he has other things on his mind—and in his haste to leave he merely becomes entangled in it.

"But we could be," Hestia adds wistfully, as she helps him up from the hard floor of the observation platform.

"Hestia..." Sirius sighs, as he rubs his bruised ego, along with his chin."I'm sorry, but I happen to be seeing somebody. In fact, I happen to be in love with this somebody, so I'm not available for dating, all right?"

"In love? Oh, Sirius, how romantic!" Hestia is somewhat mollified to learn that Sirius' heart is actually taken, that he’s just not merely disinterested in her. Even if it means her dreams of him must end. At least ... well, maybe not. People break up all the time, don't they? "Who is she, Sirius?" she asks, jealousy prompting her curiosity.

"Not telling," he irritably replies, but as he’s already flying down the stairs, she totally mishears what he says, thinking he’s answered with something that sounds suspiciously like Lily Evans. Her eyes fly wide, for everyone in Hogwarts knows the redhead is the object of James Potter's affections, and James is Sirius' best mate. Oi vay! A triangle in the making! And juicy gossip just dying to be spread!

Meanwhile, Sirius is beside himself, as his first and foremost thought is to find Remus and explain the situation to his boyfriend, make him see that he was not necking with Hestia, nor would he ever, it was simply a comedy of errors. Minus the comedy. His first stop is the Common Room, where Lily sits in serene indifference before the fire, studying, while James is engaged in.... What the hell is James doing? He’s striding up and down at the other end of the room, assuming a posture of devout pomposity, but whatever for is impossible to determine, and Sirius is simply not interested enough to ask. It’s enough to know Remus is not here. But when he would simply fly from this room, up toward the dorm, James spies him. Seeming to leer obscenely, or knowingly, or something, James catches Sirius by the arm.

"That was quick." He winks.

"What?" Sirius pauses long enough to give him his best baffled what the fuck look, then realizes what he must mean. "Oh. Yeah. Thanks a hell of a lot, mate. With friends like you, who needs enemies, right?" And he pulls away, his long legs already scaling the steps. If he’d paused to listen, he could have heard a very unladylike snort coming from a particular redhead.

"Wrong again, Mr. Potter?"

"Of course not." James strives to maintain a modicum of dignity, although his face resembles a poinsettia at this point. "I guess he isn't ready to share the news just yet...."

A carefully lifted red eyebrow denoting surprise. And a great deal of doubt. "You seem very sure of yourself. From where do you derive your information, if I might ask?"

"From Sirius, of course," James demurs, now convinced more than ever that’s what he heard his friend say. Convenient memory, eh?

"Been wrong much?" Lily shakes her head, and turns her attention back to the book on her lap, just as Sirius hoves back into view, his mission having been an obvious failure. "Seen Remus?" he asks in a rather breathy voice, which they put down to so much running on his part. They dutifully shake their heads and he exits the Common Room without a backward glance.

So, the question remains, where can Remus be? And what is he thinking? Sirius winces inwardly at the idea that Remus is upset because of him, that he’s hurt the boy he loves, although it wasn't his fault, in all fairness, and he damns both James and Hestia again, mentally. Library? Maybe. Shack? Not likely. And then he snaps his fingers knowingly. Of course. The lake. And he tears off in that direction, robes flying, quidditch-muscled legs pumping in his haste to find his boyfriend.

Sure enough, even before he reaches his destination, he spots a familiar figure, even in the darkness, pacing in obvious agitation around a tree near to the lake. The figure glances up and upon catching sight of Sirius breaks into a run—in the opposite direction. Sirius pursues him, of course, and as he’s possessed of dogged determination, and has the added advantage of the heated adrenaline pumping through his veins, he catches up with him before Remus reaches the Forbidden Forest, which is actually a good thing as it wouldn’t do for either one of them to be there, actually. Especially not at night.

Sirius latches onto Remus' arm, struggling to get his breath so he can explain, while Remus merely struggles to get away. "Leggo me," the tawny haired boy insists, but Sirius persists, of course. He wouldn't be Sirius if he didn't.

"Remy, let me explain..."

"Explain what, Sirius? I saw what I saw, and what I saw was you and Hestia. Together. Snogging." Remus manages to pull his arm away from Sirius, but he stands there, looking at him accusatorily, poised for flight should the other boy's attention flag even for a moment. "What do you want to add to that? How good it was?" His face is flushed, his tone both angry and hurt.

An angry Sirius resents the fact that Remus can even doubt him in this way, the evidence of his eyes to the contrary. "What you saw was Hestia snogging me!" he cries out, "and if you'd stayed, you'd have seen me tell her not to do that again!"

"What? " Remus obviously hasn't considered the possibility that Sirius was not a willing participant in the scene he saw, and he’s taken aback by the boy's vehemence. "You mean... you didn't...."

"I mean I didn't," Sirius repeats, "she did. She said James said something that made her think I was there waiting for her, and she snuck up on me and kissed me!" His breathing is now approaching normal levels, as his indignation at being misunderstood mounts. "I was waiting for you, you know, you silly git. If you'll recall, we had a date for tonight. A very important date...."

"I know that," Remus retorts, even as he begins to squirm guiltily. How quickly he’s jumped to all the wrong conclusions apparently, and he feels bad at having painted Sirius with such a black brush, no pun intended. "Why do you think I was there?"

"Why do you think I was there?" Sirius counters, "not to meet Hestia. To meet you. ‘Cause I love you. ‘Cause I want to make love with you." His chest heaves with righteous indignation, and Remus realizes he has to soothe his wounded puppy, make everything all right again.

"Sirius, I'm sorry," he says recalcitrantly, as he attempts to make amends, pulling Sirius toward him. But now the dark haired wizard is resisting, perhaps a bit childishly, as he begins to pout, pushing out his lower lip beyond its normal capacity. Oh Sirius, you surely don't fight fair, do you?

Remus' heart melts at the sight, and he reaches up and plants a soft kiss on that pouty lower lip. And then another. And the pout simply melts away as their lips mesh together, and then their arms are enveloping one another in a gentle embrace as they put away their differences and make up.

"What did you tell Hestia?" Remus asks curiously once they have come up for air.

"That I love someone else," Sirius replies honestly, "and that I am not available for dating."

"Good." Remus is satisfied with that response. "You are mine, and don't you dare forget that...."

"As if I could," Sirius murmurs into those soft lips. "Why don't we finish what we were going to do.... I want you to make love to me.... please, Remy...."

Oh Merlin, those words, that voice.... Remus is already hard, and very willing to do just as Sirius asks. Maybe this isn't the best place to do it, so close to the creatures that inhabit the Forest, but love is often blind to location, and they want each other so very much. A gathering mist which has risen from the lake lends an air of mysteriousness to the proceedings as they sink together to the ground. Sirius forgets all about the comforter, forgetting about everything but the boy in whose arms he finds himself, and the moment of union which is rapidly approaching, and which he wishes for so badly....

...until a sudden whoop rends the air, and instantly they pop up, springing apart, as two figures can be seen bearing down upon them.

"There you are!" James exclaims, pulling up short in his wild gallop as he reaches them, a goofy grin upon his face, while behind him a panting Peter brings up the rear, echoing, "There you are!"

The two boys are very annoyed at being thus interrupted, as well as grateful for the cover of the darkness which has effectively concealed their figures from their friends' observation, and their robes which hide so much more. "It's almost curfew," James points out, "and before Evans goes all prefecty and takes away house points, I thought I 'd make sure you two weren't out too late." Currying favour, eh, James?

"Out too late," Peter echoes obediently.

"I have an idea, why don't we raid the kitchen?" James suggests, as the four boys turn back toward the castle, slinging an arm about Sirius' shoulder companionably. Sirius turns his head, casts a longing glance at Remus, and sighs. Why is fate so cruel sometimes?

"Sure, why not," he agrees. And if James hears anything amiss in his friend's voice, he doesn't show it, while Remus sighs himself, falling into step beside Peter. This will happen, he vows to himself. Soon.