Fic: The Season Insists They Must, for: orngsnapdragon, PG-13

[maraudersaffair.livejournal.com]

Title: The Season Insists They Must
Author: maraudersaffair
Written for: orngsnapdragon
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: I incorporated all three-- the quote, mistletoe, and the santa suits.
Summary: Remus and Sirius kiss for the first time during the holidays at the Potters'.
Any other notes, warnings, etc.: Sorry it was late, orngsnapdragon. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Also, a great thanks to my beta, marauderswolf!



"Beasts, Birds, Fish, Flowers do what
the Season insists They must,
but Man schedules the Days on
which He may do what He should."
-W.H. Auden

The house stood atop a grassy hill, which in the summertime was easily seen and a great spot to tumble down. Though, it was winter at the moment, only one day until Christmas to be exact. Thick snow covered the grass, and the stepping stones that led up to the house were slick and unbearably difficult to climb.

A strange feeling of despair echoed through Remus as he stood at the bottom of the hill, head thrown back to get a better look at the familiar house. Though he had been a guest at the Potters' residence before, it felt as if he were intruding on their family celebration, something that should've been sacred and held together by secret memories.

He held a small gift in his thin arms, wrapped neatly in red paper and topped with a ribbon bow. It was all he could afford to show his gratitude for the Potters' hospitality. A chilly wind blew through his recently trimmed hair, scratching his forehead and he hugged the gift closer to his chest.

Taking a deep breath, he began to ascend the steps, his awkward teenage limbs unable to feign a sense of grace while trying to steady his careful movements. His knees ached from the sudden height he had gained in the past months, and his feet were still unused to his extra weight.

A light sheet of white covered his shoulders and snowflakes dotted his hair when he stood in front of the decorated door, staring at the needle pine wreath as anxiety coursed through him for many reasons, some known and others not. Raising a hand, he hesitated only for a moment before knocking quickly, his cold knuckles numb against the wood. He could hear a low hum of music and voices, then some commotion and laughter, the door flung open to show a grinning James, red ribbon wrapped around his glasses as if to hold them together.

"Moony! Hey, Padfoot and Wormtail, Moony's here!" James waved for him to come in, his cheeks flushed and hazel eyes beaming with excitement.

Remus took off his coat and bundled it up in his arms, handing James the gift with slight embarrassment. Shaking the snow from his hair, he glanced up to see Sirius smiling down at him, mouth wide and bright teeth gleaming. There was something hidden beneath his eyes, a sense of hesitancy and melancholy shining through his joyful exterior. Remus wondered if he was the only one who noticed it.

"Hey, Moony," Sirius said, punching him gently in the arm, "how have you been?"

"Just fine, I'd say. What about you?" Remus felt slightly awkward, trying to make conversation. It shouldn't be this hard.

Shrugging, Sirius looked over his shoulder at James, who was setting his gift under the Christmas tree. Remus shuffled his feet, then glanced to the side to find Peter sprawled on the sofa, reading a comic and eating caramel holiday treats.

"Eh, how long have you been here?" Remus glanced up into Sirius' eyes, then down at his feet, tracing the scuff marks on his shoes with an embarrassed stare. He felt Sirius' eyes upon him, and he flushed deeply, unable to mask his discomfort.

"Not long -- flew here yesterday morning, Wormtail a few hours ago."

Gasping, Remus looked up at him, ignoring the sudden fluttering in his stomach as their eyes met. "On your broom? You are mental for such a thing!"

Sirius laughed, then reached out and knocked Remus with his knuckles once more, a bright smile on his face. "It's wasn't too bad -- quite fun, actually. Good to get away from the old bat."

Remus then turned his attention to James, who was helping his father walk slowly from the kitchen to his designated chair. The man's face was flushed from the exertion of movement, his thin peppered hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. No one would doubt that Mr Potter's time in this world was very limited.

Mrs Potter followed behind with a hovering tray of red and white mugs, wand out and directing it toward the sitting table. Peter sat up hurriedly and moved the vase of poinsettias, mail-order gift catalogs, and a small ceramic Santa Clause that was charmed to bellow Jingle Bells in an Anglo-Bulgarian accent.

"Eggnog," she chimed, setting the tray down on the table carefully, "Drink it while it's cold. Peter, darling, thank you for moving those things. Please set them down on the mantelpiece for right now." Peter moved quickly to comply with her direction.

She looked over her shoulder and spotted Remus, her wrinkled face lighting up. "Remus! I didn't hear you come in -- come over here, let me have a look at you."

Remus couldn't help but grin broadly, his spirits suddenly lifted by her gracious welcome. He began to walk toward her, then realised he was still holding his coat and looked for a place to hang it up.

"In the closet, darling," she said, pointing with her wand at the closet near the tree. The door popped open and Remus felt his coat lifted from his arms; it floated through the air and hung itself neatly on one of the hangers, then the door closed once more.

Sirius followed him, and she handled them two mugs of chilled eggnog, her eyes twinkling at the two boys. "Oh, Remus, you have grown since the last time I've seen you! I wonder how your mother is keeping up with you."

Remus smiled. "I think it's more Hogwarts' fault -- all their delicious food."

"But not as delicious as your meals, mother," James said, wrapping his arms around Sirius and Remus, smiling devilishly. "A masterpiece, a new spin on modern cuisine that --"

"Oh, James, stop blowing smoke," Mrs Potter said, her cheeks reddening slightly, "If you think flattery will get you that new broom -- whatever it's called, you are very wrong."

James acted as though heartbroken. "Oh, mum -- how could you forget the name? The name of all holy in the world of Quidditch!"

Snorting into his mug, Sirius said, "Let it go, mate. You'll get it when you get it."

"This is very good eggnog, Mrs Potter. I can really taste the nutmeg, very delicious," Remus said, pointing to his mug and watching as the small reindeer on the side pranced around his fingers, their noses lighting up.

"Yes, very good," Peter agreed, his cheeks flushed and his fingers smudging the mug with sticky caramel, the small santas trying to wipe it off with their beards.

"I'm allowing the boys to open a gift tonight -- I have one for you, Remus," Mrs Potter said, looking directly at him. "Will you be staying the night?"

Remus reddened slightly. "Oh, you didn't need to do that. I was under the impression that I was, staying the night that is."

"Stop being such a wanker, Moony," Sirius said, throwing his arm around Remus' shoulder and pulling him closer. "We all here bought you gifts. There's no way you can refuse to take them, too."

Mrs Potter gave him a stern look for the language, but seemed to decided against pointing out his mistake. She walked over to sit next to her husband.

A tingling sensation ran up Remus' spine at the proximity of the other boy, the warmth of his body radiating through Remus' layered clothing. His cheeks redden even more, chest tightening with a feeling of arousal. He hung his head forward, hoping the other boys didn't notice his strange response.

"Let's go up to my room, leave these two alone," James said, motioning his head toward his parents and giving his mother a quick wink as he walked to the stairs.

Sirius bit down on his knuckles to stop himself from snorting. His hand was pale, with slender fingers and strangely protruding knuckles. The movement drew Remus' eyes to his full mouth, and he couldn't help but lick his own lips absently.

It was as if they had manufactured their own reality, just Sirius and him with James and Peter only outside occurrences. Sirius still hadn't pulled his arm away from Remus' shoulder, and it was awkward as they began to climb the stairs. The other boys didn't seem to notice their proximity. James fell ahead of them, and he kicked open his door for his friends. Dropping down on his bed gracelessly, he stared at them with a meaningful grin on his face.

"Get comfortable, mates. Today we become men!" His voice was high, sarcastic but still very excited.

Sirius nodded as he joined Remus on the edge of the bed. "We have a surprise for you. It was fucking hard, but we --"

"nicked some fags from the girls down at the garden!"

Sirius seemed a bit put off by James' interruption, but smiled nonetheless. Remus felt an odd pain deep within his chest, staring down at the carpet and unable to meet his friend's gaze. Girls. . .down at the garden. What did that mean? The idea of Sirius with girls made him want to vomit.

James stood suddenly, his arms raising in the air, and he gave his best charming smile. "We got those girls. No idea what had happened until they looked inside their purses. Knew then, I bet. Stole them from right under noses!"

Laughing, Sirius added, "Yeah, absolutely no clue. Thought we'd like them. They looked like pigs with wigs, almost like Wormtail over here!"

Peter's face reddened, but he grinned nonetheless. "Hey! I take offense to that!"

"No matter," James said, his smile growing, "It's not like any of us care. Do you care, Mr Padfoot?"

"Sure don't, Prongs."

"I care!" Peter's voice was high with emotion.

"I repeat -- no one cares." James couldn't continue -- he fell back to the bed, laughing as he tugged a pillow over his head.

"Maybe this is a good time to suffocate the bloke," Remus suggested, covering his mouth with a hand to stop himself from laughing too loudly.

"Yeah, I'd say that's fair game," Sirius said, his voice heavy from laughter. He moved to his knees and fell atop James, twisting the boy's arms to lay flat against his back.

James made a disgruntled noise, almost as if he wanted to say something, but the shock of finding himself pinned to the bed overwhelming his speaking ability.

Sirius laughed, his voice echoing through the room. "Moony here, he thinks we should suffocate you with this here pillow. What do you say, Prongs?"

"I'd say Moony was a right prick, for this sabotage!"

"I protest!" Remus looked to Sirius, waiting for his next move. Peter was glancing from Sirius to James, obviously wondering which side to take.

"Wormtail, Jesus, help me here! Moony and Padfoot, traitors they are!" James' voice was slightly muffled by the pillow.

Peter nodded, then suddenly jumped onto Sirius and James, forcing Remus to lose balance and fall to the floor, one trainer-clad foot left on the edge of the bed.

James gave a soft groan, his glasses digging into his cheek and his breath taken away by the weight on top of him. "Wormtail, you idiot, get off me!"

"Fucking hell," Sirius muttered, pushing the boy off him and scrambling to his feet. His chest was heaving, his cheeks and neck flushed from the exertion. "Fuck, fucking hag, let's just get the fags and go somewhere we can smoke."

"Agreed," James sighed, sitting up and righting his glasses. "I'd say the trees over there --"

"Not outside, you fucking wanker. I'll freeze my bollocks off."

"Where then?" James looked at Sirius pointedly, waiting for his response. Sirius shrugged with a lazy movement of his shoulder, turning his attention to Remus, a grin that spoke volumes curving his lips.

"What do you think, Moony? Where should we go?"

He thought quickly, his mind flashing back to the numerous summer visits and all the places they had hid when James' parents had wanted them to do work around the house. "Eh," he said, thinking with a bit of anxiety, "how about the attic?"

James' face lit up, his hazel eyes beaming with a mischievous gleam. "That's fucking genius. What do you think, Padfoot."

"Very, very." Sirius nodded, staring at Remus as his mouth grew into an even wider smile. He looked almost ridiculous.

"Yeah, I wanted to show Moony something up there, anyway," James said, standing up and motioning to the door. "Don't make too much fuss, don't want to let them know we are up there."

Nodding, Peter followed and Sirius stared down at Remus, raising his hand to help him up. He couldn't help but blush, his cheeks warming in a very exposing way. Clasping the hand, he felt warmth spread through his arm and up to his chest, forcing him to bit his lower lip.

"Come on," Sirius said, something very strange surfacing in his eyes. It was as if a window had been opened, light shining through the darkened pupils. Remus gulped and allowed himself to be pulled up, the feel of slightly sweaty fingers tight around his.

They walked down the hallway, and James motioned silently for Sirius to give him a hand up. Kneeling, Sirius wove his hands together and allowed James to place his foot against his hands, pushing up for leverage as James unhooked the latch and quietly crawled into the dark space.

A few moments later an unsteady stairway formed and the other boys quickly climbed up. The ceiling was low, the air smelling of mildew and dust. He was crammed next to Sirius, bodies pressed together. His heart began to beat rapidly in his chest, the feeling of the other boy's hard arm and shoulder forcing Remus' stomach to twist, arousal forming deep within. Something knocked into his foot, and Remus looked down, realizing that he was staring at a brand new broom.

"What is this?" he asked, pointing to the broom, wondering if James had noticed it.

James looked down and shrugged. "Oh, yeah. It's the broom I've been asking for. Padfoot and I found it up here a while back." He saw the look of confusion on Remus' face. "I just pretend that I don't know they have already got it."

Nodding, he allowed Sirius to light a fag and pass it to him with steady fingers. Their hands brushed and it sent a surged of excitement through Remus. He took a quick drag, then passed it to Peter, allowing the smoke to escape his lips without inhaling. The boys sat there for a few minutes, watching Sirius make circles of smoke in the air. There was sudden comotion from below, then footsteps.

"James! Come here, your father wants to show you something!" It was his mother. James looked at them, then quickly scrambled to the door, lowering himself onto the stairs. They followed him quietly, each boy climbing carefully down and landing on the carpeted floor without making any disturbance.

James' hysteric laughter echoed from the front room, and they rushed to see what had caused it. His father sat in a chair, wearing a santa suit with a charmed white beard and rosy cheeks. James cupped his hand to his mouth, trying to stop his laughter, bowled over and clutching at his stomach. His mother came up to Sirius and Remus, fitting reindeer antlers on his head and a santa hat on Sirius'.

They both laughed, then blushed deeply. Sirius reached up and touched his cheek gently, just the tips of his fingers brushing Remus' flushed skin. It sent shivers down his spine, creating trembles throughout his body.

"Look, boys," Mrs Potter said, pointing above their heads to mistletoe that had suddenly appeared. James snickered quietly, wand in hand and smiling at the two of them.

Inhaling deeply, Sirius leaned forward and pressed his lips against Remus', a soft touch of friendship and longing. Remus brought his hands up to his shoulders, pulling the other boy closer and deepening the kiss. His fingers curled into Sirius' jumper as deep arousal began to surge through his body, forcing his knees to grow weak and unsupportive. They broke away, gasping, and Remus reddened with harsh embarrassment, realising what he had done in front of everyone.

There was silence, then Mrs Potter said, "Oh, thank you, Remus, for the photograph frame. I will be sure to use the charm for all the photographs of you boys."

Remus nodded, then spared a glance up at her beaming smile, his anxiety disappearing.

"Now, who wants hot chocolate?"