Fic: Crackling Fire for kingzgurl
Nov. 22nd, 2013 01:34 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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small_giftsTitle: Crackling Fire
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mustntgetmy
Recipient:kingzgurl
Rating: PG
Contents or warnings: None
Word Count: 1,175
Summary: It's a stormy night and Sirius can't sleep, and, alas, Remus won't stop studying.
Outside, the wind howled round the castle, lifting tufts of recently fallen snow and blowing it across the grounds. The light spilling from Hagrid’s hut was an island of gold in the darkness until the groundskeeper decided to try his luck at falling asleep in the gale and the light flickered out. This turned the view of the grounds from Gryffindor Tower into a strange, billowy darkness. It was possible, if Sirius squinted, to see snow crystals glittering across the grounds.
He stared out the window as wakefulness returned to him. This didn’t take too long, since he hadn’t been able to fall entirely asleep. The wind was too loud and the dorm room was too quiet. He only liked certain noises to sleep by, thank you very much, and gale force winds weren’t one of them.
He had stumbled out of bed and onto the cold floor without thinking better of it, and then, cursing the iciness of the floor and himself for his lack of foresight, made his way back to the common room where he had left his warmest socks.
(The socks had been discarded in an attempt to distract Remus from his studying. A firecracker and a salamander had also been involved.)
By the time he had passed the common room window he was fully awake and aggrieved to see that Remus was exactly where he had left him, studying Herbology on the couch nearest the fireplace. He shuffled forward, intending to go on a tirade about the ill effects of studying during the holidays, when he stepped squarely on a branch the Christmas tree sitting in the corner had shed, and an innumerable number of pine needles stabbed themselves into the sole of his foot.
He hopped around, unleashing his usual curses, and staring murderously at the Christmas tree. “Should’ve gotten you when I had the chance,” he snarled, referring to Christmas party, when he, James, Peter, and Remus had been the only ones left in the room and he had turned into Padfoot and attempted to desecrate the tree before Peter, of all people, intervened.
“Padfoot, sit down before you step on another branch,” Remus said without looking up from One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.
Sirius grumbled as he plopped down beside Remus on the couch. Half a minute later, and with an air of distraction, Remus said, “See, that’s better, isn’t it?”
Sirius glared at Remus. There was much that he liked about Remus, but Remus talking to him when his attention was clearly elsewhere was not one of them. But in the wake of his misadventure with the Christmas tree branch his rant on the perils of studying during the holidays abandoned him and he could think of no rebuttal to give to Remus. He knew that the reason Remus was studying (and, indeed, the reason he had opted to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays) was that the full moon had fallen square during the week when teachers had given their first practice NEWT exams, and a few teachers had given him the option of taking a make-up exam during the first week back from the holidays. This meant that since James and Peter and most of the rest of Gryffindor had left two days ago Sirius had been very bored and very lonely. The boredom was bad, but there were always new tweaks that could be made to the Map if it came to that. It was the lonesomeness, really, that had prodded him from sleep and out of bed. It shrieked and swooped within him almost as loudly as the wind outside.
When they were younger, he might have just wrenched the book from Remus’s hand and flat out demanded his attention, but now, it had not even been a year since he had sent Snape to Remus during the full moon, and though Remus had long since let him back into his good graces, his forgiveness still felt newly minted to Sirius. On top of that, there had been some recent – ah – alterations to their relationship. Lately, every time there was a party following a successful Quidditch match they’d end up in Remus’s bed, snogging into the early hours of the morning. This meant that sometimes Sirius was left at a loss of what to do or say around Remus. He didn’t want to mess things up again. Especially now, when he felt like he might be falling in love with him.
“Your socks are in the fire,” Remus said quietly as he wrote a note in the margin of his book.
“Sorry, what?”
Remus blinked and looked up from his book, staring at Sirius as if he were the one who had said something mad. “Oh, sorry,” he said after a moment. “I meant that your socks are by the fireplace. I put them there so they’d be warm.”
Sirius glanced at the fireplace and saw that his socks had been laid out near it. When he looked back at Remus, meaning to thank him, he saw that he had already put his attention back to his book. He let out a little sigh and got up, treading carefully toward the fireplace. He bent, picked up his socks, and then felt Remus’s arms encircle him from behind.
“I think I need a break,” Remus murmured into his ear. “Been studying for hours.”
“Oh, yeah? I’d hardly noticed.”
Sirius mentally cursed himself – the words had been out of his mouth before he’d thought them through, as usual – but Remus let out a chuff of laughter that tickled Sirius’s ear. He tightened his grip around Sirius’s middle and leaned his head on his shoulder.
“You should go to sleep,” Sirius said.
Remus shook his head and his lips skimmed Sirius’s neck. “Have lots more to do. Just need a little break.”
Sirius laced his fingers through Remus’s and leaned into the little kisses Remus was starting to plant on his neck and jawline.
“A little break, huh?” he whispered.
In answer, Remus took Sirius by the chin, turned his head and kissed him. They lowered themselves to the floor, where the fire’s warmth rolled over them. Sirius heard its pleasant crackling – now there was a good sound to fall asleep to – as Remus kissed him. Remus’s kisses were whisper soft and sleepy. Sirius ran a hand through his hair and pulled Remus so that he was lying with his head pillowed on Sirius’s chest.
He placed a last little kiss on Sirius’s collarbone before murmuring, “Sorry. Wanted to spend time with you but I’m…” He yawned, which better punctuated what he had been unable to say.
“It’s okay, Moony,” Sirius said, ruffling his hair. His own eyes were feeling very heavy and the heat of the fire was making this – Remus curled around him, their limbs tangled together – seem like the best of all possible options.
Sirius held Remus tightly to him, and soon their breaths rose and fell in tandem, and the fire’s flickering light danced over them, ensconcing them in its heat.
Author:
mustntgetmyRecipient:
kingzgurlRating: PG
Contents or warnings: None
Word Count: 1,175
Summary: It's a stormy night and Sirius can't sleep, and, alas, Remus won't stop studying.
Outside, the wind howled round the castle, lifting tufts of recently fallen snow and blowing it across the grounds. The light spilling from Hagrid’s hut was an island of gold in the darkness until the groundskeeper decided to try his luck at falling asleep in the gale and the light flickered out. This turned the view of the grounds from Gryffindor Tower into a strange, billowy darkness. It was possible, if Sirius squinted, to see snow crystals glittering across the grounds.
He stared out the window as wakefulness returned to him. This didn’t take too long, since he hadn’t been able to fall entirely asleep. The wind was too loud and the dorm room was too quiet. He only liked certain noises to sleep by, thank you very much, and gale force winds weren’t one of them.
He had stumbled out of bed and onto the cold floor without thinking better of it, and then, cursing the iciness of the floor and himself for his lack of foresight, made his way back to the common room where he had left his warmest socks.
(The socks had been discarded in an attempt to distract Remus from his studying. A firecracker and a salamander had also been involved.)
By the time he had passed the common room window he was fully awake and aggrieved to see that Remus was exactly where he had left him, studying Herbology on the couch nearest the fireplace. He shuffled forward, intending to go on a tirade about the ill effects of studying during the holidays, when he stepped squarely on a branch the Christmas tree sitting in the corner had shed, and an innumerable number of pine needles stabbed themselves into the sole of his foot.
He hopped around, unleashing his usual curses, and staring murderously at the Christmas tree. “Should’ve gotten you when I had the chance,” he snarled, referring to Christmas party, when he, James, Peter, and Remus had been the only ones left in the room and he had turned into Padfoot and attempted to desecrate the tree before Peter, of all people, intervened.
“Padfoot, sit down before you step on another branch,” Remus said without looking up from One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.
Sirius grumbled as he plopped down beside Remus on the couch. Half a minute later, and with an air of distraction, Remus said, “See, that’s better, isn’t it?”
Sirius glared at Remus. There was much that he liked about Remus, but Remus talking to him when his attention was clearly elsewhere was not one of them. But in the wake of his misadventure with the Christmas tree branch his rant on the perils of studying during the holidays abandoned him and he could think of no rebuttal to give to Remus. He knew that the reason Remus was studying (and, indeed, the reason he had opted to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays) was that the full moon had fallen square during the week when teachers had given their first practice NEWT exams, and a few teachers had given him the option of taking a make-up exam during the first week back from the holidays. This meant that since James and Peter and most of the rest of Gryffindor had left two days ago Sirius had been very bored and very lonely. The boredom was bad, but there were always new tweaks that could be made to the Map if it came to that. It was the lonesomeness, really, that had prodded him from sleep and out of bed. It shrieked and swooped within him almost as loudly as the wind outside.
When they were younger, he might have just wrenched the book from Remus’s hand and flat out demanded his attention, but now, it had not even been a year since he had sent Snape to Remus during the full moon, and though Remus had long since let him back into his good graces, his forgiveness still felt newly minted to Sirius. On top of that, there had been some recent – ah – alterations to their relationship. Lately, every time there was a party following a successful Quidditch match they’d end up in Remus’s bed, snogging into the early hours of the morning. This meant that sometimes Sirius was left at a loss of what to do or say around Remus. He didn’t want to mess things up again. Especially now, when he felt like he might be falling in love with him.
“Your socks are in the fire,” Remus said quietly as he wrote a note in the margin of his book.
“Sorry, what?”
Remus blinked and looked up from his book, staring at Sirius as if he were the one who had said something mad. “Oh, sorry,” he said after a moment. “I meant that your socks are by the fireplace. I put them there so they’d be warm.”
Sirius glanced at the fireplace and saw that his socks had been laid out near it. When he looked back at Remus, meaning to thank him, he saw that he had already put his attention back to his book. He let out a little sigh and got up, treading carefully toward the fireplace. He bent, picked up his socks, and then felt Remus’s arms encircle him from behind.
“I think I need a break,” Remus murmured into his ear. “Been studying for hours.”
“Oh, yeah? I’d hardly noticed.”
Sirius mentally cursed himself – the words had been out of his mouth before he’d thought them through, as usual – but Remus let out a chuff of laughter that tickled Sirius’s ear. He tightened his grip around Sirius’s middle and leaned his head on his shoulder.
“You should go to sleep,” Sirius said.
Remus shook his head and his lips skimmed Sirius’s neck. “Have lots more to do. Just need a little break.”
Sirius laced his fingers through Remus’s and leaned into the little kisses Remus was starting to plant on his neck and jawline.
“A little break, huh?” he whispered.
In answer, Remus took Sirius by the chin, turned his head and kissed him. They lowered themselves to the floor, where the fire’s warmth rolled over them. Sirius heard its pleasant crackling – now there was a good sound to fall asleep to – as Remus kissed him. Remus’s kisses were whisper soft and sleepy. Sirius ran a hand through his hair and pulled Remus so that he was lying with his head pillowed on Sirius’s chest.
He placed a last little kiss on Sirius’s collarbone before murmuring, “Sorry. Wanted to spend time with you but I’m…” He yawned, which better punctuated what he had been unable to say.
“It’s okay, Moony,” Sirius said, ruffling his hair. His own eyes were feeling very heavy and the heat of the fire was making this – Remus curled around him, their limbs tangled together – seem like the best of all possible options.
Sirius held Remus tightly to him, and soon their breaths rose and fell in tandem, and the fire’s flickering light danced over them, ensconcing them in its heat.
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no subject
Date: 2013-12-02 04:13 pm (UTC)This was absolutely wonderful, and you manage to say so much about the two of them in so few words.
I love your vivid descriptions and the way your language flows.
This made me all warm inside :)
no subject
Date: 2013-12-03 03:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-02 05:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-03 03:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-02 06:44 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2013-12-02 07:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-03 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-03 03:24 am (UTC)Lovely work.
no subject
Date: 2013-12-03 05:10 am (UTC)And, of course, it was not without humor. (The socks had been discarded in an attempt to distract Remus from his studying. A firecracker and a salamander had also been involved.) That made me giggle.
no subject
Date: 2013-12-03 07:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-04 05:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-04 01:19 pm (UTC)I really love stories where you can tell the familiar kind of fondness that rests between them, and it was certainly present here.
I loved that Sirius was kind of cautious on how far he could push things after the prank, and that Remus was honestly not thinking anything of the sort. It was just the sweetest little window in time, and a lovely thing to read first thing in the morning, so thankyou for that :)
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Date: 2013-12-04 05:39 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2013-12-15 02:26 am (UTC)