Fic: Early Morning Cold for [livejournal.com profile] yndigot

Nov. 26th, 2009 09:20 pm
[identity profile] rhye.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] small_gifts
Title: Early Morning Cold
Author: [livejournal.com profile] planetgal471
Recipient: [livejournal.com profile] yndigot
Rating: PG
Highlight for Warnings: *NONE*
Word Count: 1008
Summary: The heat's out in their first muggle flat.
Author's notes: Beta'd by [livejournal.com profile] wandersfound

Early Morning Cold

Sirius awoke to the somewhat pleasant sensation of being blinded by fresh December sunlight. He preferred not to be awoken at all, as a rule, but if something must wake him, sunlight was better than many things (and not as good as others). This first sensation was ruined by the second, though. He noticed, as his eyes cracked open, that his fingers were aching where they curled around the tops of the down comforter. He also noticed that his nose was so cold that it was running. Underneath the blankets seemed pleasant enough, but outside of them, the air was cold enough that a pane of ice coated the inside of the bedroom window. The sunlight that had awoken Sirius came to him through this window, warped and somehow exaggerated.

The third sensation of the morning, however, was the best of all. Remus Lupin, fully curled under the blankets rather like a pup, sidled closer to Sirius. Remus pressed ice cold fingers up under Sirius's shirt and against the flat of his stomach, and Sirius took in a sharp breath.

"You awake then?" a muffled voice asked from beneath the covers.

"Yeah."

"You feel that?"

"Feel what, your ice-cube fingers?"

Remus laughed, but his voice was serious when he answered, "I think the heat's gone out." He was still curled under the blankets.

"Are you... Is that why you're under all the blankets?"

"I'm cold." Remus said it with a slight whinge, like a child who felt that being cold was one of the worst things a person could be.

"Alright," Sirius sighed. He did not want to get out of bed, especially as he suspected that Remus was correct about the heat. The damn flat had been such a bargain, but this was the second time the heat had gone out. He knew, though, that Remus would not budge from his circle of warmth under the covers until the heat was fixed. Remus was oddly cold-blooded like that. Not a werewolf thing, just a Remus thing, and it made Sirius laugh, especially because people thought 'werewolf' and expected the exact opposite. That just went to show what people knew about anything.

Sirius swung back the blankets, and Remus yelped pitifully as the cold air hit him. Sirius chuckled and pulled the blankets back over Remus, but not before stealing one to wrap around his own shoulders. The bare floorboards felt like ice, and he padded across the pint-sized bedroom to the hallway, still half asleep. There was no radiator in the bedroom but the one in the bathroom, sure enough, wasn't warm. Sirius also checked the ones in the kitchen (it was generous to call it a kitchen, at its size) and main room, but none were warm. He cursed and returned to the bedroom.

"Remus," Sirius whinged.

"What?" Remus's voice was still muffled under the covers.

"The heat's out."

"I know, you berk. I told you that."

"I can cast a few atmospheric warming charms, but I don't know how to use the felly-what's-it. You've got to call the building manager."

Remus groaned and answered, "You cast those charms first."

Sirius gladly would have done, but it took him a good fifteen minutes to even find his wand. When he did, it turned up underneath the futon couch and inside a shoe he had lost weeks ago. "I swear it has a mind of its own," he muttered to himself. He put on the one shoe so that he would not lose it again, and cast the atmospheric charm in each room as he limped, one-shoed, back to the bedroom.

"It's warmer out here," he called to Remus. Only then did Remus's head slowly appear above the covers. The distorted, magnified sunlight coming through the melting ice on the windowpane illuminated his face. Only under such brightness could you catch them, but Sirius could easily see, in this light, the peppering of pale freckles that ran across the bridge of Remus's nose. Sirius dove into bed.

"I suppose I have to call the manager." Remus frowned, turning to see Sirius right up against him, though on top of the covers.

"Yeah, don't know how long the charms will hold."

"Your wand?"

Sirius, entirely unsure why it was needed, passed over his wand without question. Well, he did have one question: "Where's yours?"

Remus frowned. "The freezer, I think."

Sirius nodded. This made perfect sense to him. He vaguely remembered Remus getting into a raging brawl with a tub of ice cream late on the night before.

Remus pointed Sirius's wand toward the kitchen and muttered, "Accio telephone." Luckily, when the phone came flying into the room, stretched to the very end of its long, curly cord, Remus deftly caught it, preventing it from rebounding.

"Nice. You should have been a Seeker," Sirius smiled.

Remus said nothing other than a small curse.

"What?"

"The numbers to dial are on the base. In the kitchen. I didn't think this through."

Sirius laughed and jumped back out of bed, limping to the kitchen. "Tell me which ones."

Sadly, their apartment had been in poor enough repair of late that Remus seemed to have the building manager's number memorized. He recited it dutifully to Sirius. Sirius pressed each number on command, and Remus carried on a softly insistent conversation that Sirius could only hear the half of. When Sirius had hung up the phone, he dove back into bed as though he hadn't done that exact same thing only a minute earlier.

"Ok, so," Remus frowned at him, "Why are you wearing one shoe?"

Sirius didn't answer, but kicked it off and shoved it under the bed, where it was sure to be lost for another good while. He pushed the covers down and crawled back underneath. "I'm sleepy," he mumbled. "Any way we can restart the morning?."

"I think it can be arranged," Remus smiled.

Sirius curled up against Remus and both of them promptly fell back asleep.

*****

Sirius awoke to the extremely pleasant sensation of being cradled in warm hands. Soon, he was aware that the hands were moving, angling skin and bodies. Sirius turned into the warmth that was like sunlight but richer. This was by far the best way to be awakened.

Date: 2009-12-03 03:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] brighty18.livejournal.com
That was beyond adorable, my dear. From the first brilliant paragraph to the charming last line, I loved it through and through. Such a lovely look at the small, intimate moments of their life.

I do feel their pain, though, for I've had enough furnaces die to last a lifetime. There seems to be a natural law stating that the furnace always goes out on the coldest day of the year. It's always snowing and below freezing. LOL. And my husband is such a whiney Remus about it, too.

Siriusly, though, this was very sweet and cute and I totally relate to Sirius here.

Well done!

Date: 2009-12-03 03:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] werewolfsfan.livejournal.com
Absolutely adorable!

Date: 2009-12-03 03:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dear-tiger.livejournal.com
Hehe, I remember waking up to find ice on the inside of windows :) It's fun when you are a kid, but only then. There is something fundamentally wrong with the fact that when you wake up in a freezing apartment, you have to first get out of the semi-warm bed to do something about it. I could not help but admire Sirius's bravery in the situation; he actually walked to the kitchen twice.

And a separate bucket of love for you for the "Remus thing", for not getting into the special werewolf powers and all that. I love it when he is just a normal person for the rest of the month.

Putting on the shoe so it would not get lost again is bloody brilliant and makes perfect sense if you think about it :)

Date: 2009-12-03 03:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] leafyaki.livejournal.com
Oh wow, that was adorable! ♥ I love how Sirius is the ever dutiful boyfriend and trudges to the kitchen twice! He wins best boyfriend award. And Remus curling under the covers like a puppy is just so very cute. *squishes both of them*

What a lovely, warm fic ♥ Very much enjoyed!

Date: 2009-12-03 04:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mezzopianoforte.livejournal.com
Okay I'll just say that I love how my timetable means that I arrive home basically just as the art/fic is posted ha. :D ANYWAY. This was lovely. Living as I do in a house with no central heating (we have three open fires and a stove, but no radiators ;_;) I most definitely feel their pain. (I'm wearing my coat right now)

Date: 2009-12-03 06:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] yndigot.livejournal.com
*SQUEAKS*!

Oh, it's so domestic and squishy... And FRECKLES.

Okay, now for something more coherent. You did an amazing job of showing the dynamics of their relationship in just 1000 words. You get a sense that this is what it's like all the time -- touching and teasing and gentle nagging and not needing a real explanation for things that people on the outside would find truly bizarre, like the wand in the freezer and the one shoe. It's this kind of comfort and understanding that only really comes from being together for a long time and it's so perfect in this story...

Date: 2009-12-03 06:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mysecretashes.livejournal.com
Awwww. :) I love fics like this, just a small snapshot of their lives together without there being any undertones of angst and war and what's to come. <3

Date: 2009-12-03 06:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lotrwariorgodss.livejournal.com
Very sweet. There's nothing better than snuggling under the covers during the winter (though it is much nicer when you don't have to out of fear of freezing)! I love the way you've told us so much about their relationship just through showing Sirius braving the freezing apartment for Remus - twice! - they just seem to fit so well together. Lovely job!

Date: 2009-12-03 10:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] archduck.livejournal.com
He put on the one shoe so that he would not lose it again, and cast the atmospheric charm in each room as he limped, one-shoed, back to the bedroom.

This is a brilliant image! The whole fic is so adorably sweet. :D

Date: 2009-12-03 10:53 pm (UTC)
From: [personal profile] starkdependant
I loved this. It was beyond perfect, just so lovely and warm and comforting.

Date: 2009-12-03 11:09 pm (UTC)
ext_76727: (rssmallgifts)
From: [identity profile] remuslives23.livejournal.com
This was gorgeous! I loved the easy, comfortable relationship you created between them here. :)

Date: 2009-12-04 12:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cindergal.livejournal.com
Very sweet!

Date: 2009-12-04 12:18 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] secretsolitaire.livejournal.com
This was wonderfully charming and real. And warm too, despite the chill. ♥

Date: 2009-12-04 12:19 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chiralove.livejournal.com
Awww, this is so very sweet!

Date: 2009-12-04 12:39 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bewarethesmirk.livejournal.com
With a lot of pairings this kind of scene could be very boring - a slice of domesticity, everyday life - but this pairing is so adorable that when done well, it's a delight to read about Remus and Sirius snuggled in bed and dealing with the trauma that is the heat going out. :) Sirius was so wonderful - quirky and a bit lazy and loving - and Remus just a bit exasperated but so fond. The writing was wonderful, and I was thoroughly entertained by the lost wands and Sirius hobbling about in one shoe. *g* And the ending? So sweet. ♥

Date: 2009-12-04 01:37 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] zeldadestry.livejournal.com
Awwww, they are so cute together! I'm glad they both got a second, and much better, start to their day. Thank you for sharing!

Date: 2009-12-04 04:22 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kingzgurl.livejournal.com
*squees happily*

This was absolutely adorable <3 I adore all the little details like the freckles on Remus' face and Sirius' nose being frozen.

Date: 2009-12-04 07:00 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mindabbles.livejournal.com
This is utterly charming. I love the easy, domestic banter and the ending is wonderful! :)

Date: 2009-12-04 10:13 am (UTC)
arobynsung: (slash)
From: [personal profile] arobynsung
That was so wonderfully fluffy!!

This just said so much about their relationship:

"Your wand?"
Remus frowned. "The freezer, I think."
Sirius nodded. This made perfect sense to him.


Date: 2009-12-04 06:20 pm (UTC)
ext_41195: (hp → small gifts 09)
From: [identity profile] crooked.livejournal.com
how adorable! i have a fondness for fics that offer glimpses into these everyday domestic situations like this. ♥

Date: 2009-12-04 07:33 pm (UTC)
From: [personal profile] besamislabios
Loved the part where Sirius looks at Remus through a ray of sunshine, beautiful and loving imagery. This was adorable, very heartwarming despite the cold. :)

Date: 2009-12-05 12:26 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lady-luthienne.livejournal.com
This was so cute! I love their quirkiness and their wands ending up in strange places. And you've really captured the atmosphere of their age group.

Date: 2009-12-05 03:03 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dogsunderfoot.livejournal.com
"I'm cold." Remus said it with a slight whinge, like a child who felt that being cold was one of the worst things a person could be. I always thought being cold WAS one of the worst things a person could be. Isn't it? *tilts head in question*

There are so many things I love about this fic. The fact that Remus hates the cold is probably the best thing of all--if only because I feel that way. But, oh, gosh, the misplaced wands: "I swear it has a mind of its own"; "The freezer, I think." HA! So much for constant vigilance!

Sirius' shoe, the mention of a "raging brawl with a tub of ice cream"... Gosh, it's all incredibly funny and sweet and adorable. I love it! So, very, very well done!

Date: 2009-12-05 04:52 am (UTC)
woldy: (Remus)
From: [personal profile] woldy
Very cute! I can totally empathize with Remus' reluctance to leave the warmth :-)

Date: 2009-12-05 06:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] remeciel.livejournal.com
That was at the same time incredibly sweet and really realistic. :)

Date: 2009-12-05 06:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ladyannikaa.livejournal.com
squeee!!! So cute! I love it!

Date: 2009-12-09 03:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sea-shtick.livejournal.com
This has so made me want to crawl into bed. What a perfect little winter fic! My favorite touch - Sirius putting his one shoe on so he wouldn't lose it.

Date: 2009-12-11 03:47 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bookgrrrl2006.livejournal.com
i've never lived anywhere cold, but your writing makes me feel as if i totally understand. did that make any sense? i totally mean that as a compliment. you write so well that i very much felt what these boys were feeling even though i've never felt it. that makes you a very good writer.

Date: 2009-12-17 12:03 am (UTC)
ext_14568: Lisa just seems like a perfectly nice, educated, middle class woman...who writes homoerotic fanfiction about wizards (xmas-R/S tongue pole)
From: [identity profile] midnitemaraud-r.livejournal.com
Awww! This was really sweet! I'm totally like Remus - I hate getting out of bed in the cold! :-P

Date: 2009-12-18 02:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] liseuse.livejournal.com
This is adorable! I grew up in houses that were that cold. In fact I am wearing a scarf, a hoodie and fingerless gloves right now. It's so much worse when you've just woken up though, and you captured the petulant edge it lends to the voice and your actions perfectly!

Date: 2010-01-10 03:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sirimusea.livejournal.com
Aww that was so cute! Sirius and Remus snuggling under a blanket >.< It's just so adorable :D >.<

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