Written for the QLFC season 5, round 5.

Title: The Book of Love

Team: Wigtown Wanderers

Position: Captain

Prompt: Red rose (as inspired by Rose Weasley): Write about a character in love during their time at school

Word Count: 2,180

Betaes: The Wanderers

I'd like to dedicate this to screamersilent. Thank you for your encouragement, and I think I'll take your advice.

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked Remus, who was huddled by the flames he had summoned, still fully dressed.

"I'm a little cold." He was a little cold, what could Sirius do? He dropped to his knees in front of the Werewolf. He was still wet and his lion-print briefs were sticking to him. He hadn't planned it that way, but he was aware that some people on earth might find the sight warming. Sirius picked up his cloak, which was covered in dirt but dry, and draped it over Remus's shoulders. His belly brushed off of Remus's bent knees as he leant over him.

"You're soaked," Remus complained, and shrank back.

"You're actually much warmer than I am, I don't know why you're giving out." Sirius imagined crawling on top of him, rubbing his hard cock against the other boys thigh, and kissing him. Would he punch him? Kiss him back?

"Have I got something on my face?" Remus asked. Sirius had sort of hoped staring at Remus in all his wet, sitting-too-close splendour would have an effect, but evidently not. He was just ready to laugh it off, to back away, when he realised there actually was something on Remus's face.

"Yes, you do. Have you been hoarding snacks?" Sirius asked. Remus laughed, lifting a hand to rub away the evidence of whatever chocolate treat he'd smuggled down with him. Sirius caught his wrist.

"Are you intending to submit the smudge on my face as evidence?" Remus asked.

"Your hands aren't clean," Sirius explained. Sirius held up his free hand to show that his was much the same. "But I won't let you go down for this."

"Are you going to valiantly offer me a tissue?" Remus asked, but Sirius was already closing the space between them. He crawled on top of Remus, pushing him back against the sand. He ran his tongue up the side of the boy's scarred face, tasting the chocolate. The edge of his mouth touched Remus's for a moment, they both felt it.

"I swear Sirius, I sometimes wonder if you're more dog than man," Remus laughed, pushing back on Sirius freezing, dripping chest. Sirius would've laughed too, but he was at that moment trying to bury his flaming attraction for Remus somewhere his cock would never find it before… Remus stopped laughing. He stopped pushing.

"I'm sorry," Sirius said.

Remus wondered if it would at last be alright to kiss Sirius then, and then he stopped wondering.

It was that day that Remus figured out that Sirius was reading from the same book even if he wasn't on the same page.

Was it worse that Sirius could look at him and almost see what Remus saw when he looked back? He wondered if they might've been better off as friends as they panted against each other in a broom closet on the third floor.

It would later be explained that they were trapped waiting for Filch to pass and Sirius, being claustrophobic, had needed the distraction.

"You were never claustrophobic when we were in any of the passages, or when we've hidden in that exact cupboard before."

"People change Moony, get with the times!"

Remus was desperate for Sirius, craved how real everything felt under his hands. Remus couldn't stop thinking about how it actually felt good to be in his body when he was with Sirius, but he was close to the end of his rope hearing Sirius's shockingly weak justifications.

"This isn't just a cover for some prank, I'm doing actual work here," Remus insisted, bent over a roll of parchment nearly black with ink. Sirius had found him as he so often did and insinuated himself into Remus's day. He was like… well, a dog with a bone.

"But James told you to do it in the library! Why do you think he wants you out of the dorm?"

Remus pressed his lips into an impatient line, hard pressed to answer. "Maybe it's you he wants out of the dorm." The prefect stood, pulling the pile of books he had assembled into his arms.

"Then why would he send you away?" Sirius asked, seeming to enjoy the sight of Remus in his natural environment a little too much as he followed him toward the back of the cabinets holding Herbology diagrams. Remus felt his stomach fill with butterflies.

"I don't know. You don't seem busy, why don't you run some intel?" Remus tried in vain to stack a shelf, but Sirius began to pull books off as they were placed, investigating them like pivotal clues.

"You don't think he asked you to leave for a reason?" Sirius asked, Remus tried to remember that Sirius was unlikely to ever actually read the book on advanced Arithmancy he was now perusing, but still felt flushed even at the idea of Sirius translating ancient algorithms.

"I do as a matter of fact, I just also happen to think it's for the reason he gave me." Remus carefully pulled the item from his friends grip, sending it whizzing to the other end of the shelf with a flick of his wand. He forced the image of Sirius in a pair of glasses staring down some big question in contemplation to the back of his head.

"I'm not humouring that tripe about him needing sleep after staying up all night with Lily in the hospital wing, the woman's never been sick."

"And you think that makes her immune to all future ailments?"

"It's nearly April first, you're a prefect, do you really think James'd waste your time out of the dorm with sleeping?"

"Some of us do have to sleep your wakeful majesty. Maybe he's encouraging me to work now so I can get a job. Then I could buy, I don't know… food?"

"I can buy you food."

"Clothing?"

"Over-rated."

"We both know you could nearly afford to buy me in cash, body and soul, if I didn't know what sort of mad services I'd be expected to provide if I allowed it."

Sirius narrowed his eyes and pointed at Remus with a perfect finger.

"Don't try and flirt your way out of this one, Lupin."

"I couldn't flirt my way out of a paper bag," Remus said, his mouth pulling up at one corner. "You just happen to be incredibly easy."

"For fuck sake, I can't stand it when you talk like that."

"Like what?" Sirius was on him then, and part of Remus was already wondering how this kiss would be erased by one of Sirius's excuses.

"Like you have the vaguest idea what you're doing," Sirius complained right against Remus's mouth. "It's completely unfair."

Remus pushed Sirius back into the solid oak shelf and apologised.

Flushed and rather delighted with himself, Sirius walked alongside Remus back out of the library toward the Great Hall for lunch.

"Have you prepared an explanation for me yet?" Remus asked, tired and pink.

"Hm?"

"Back there, what possessed you to frot with another bloke in the library for the last half hour?"

Sirius was initially going to reply that he couldn't help himself, but he hesitated, his stomach knotting. "Maybe this was James's plan all along."

Remus rolled his eyes, and shook his head. "You know you don't even have to try to break my heart anymore, you've had so much practice."

Sirius thought he might get sick on himself at these words, and his stomach only twisted more when Remus turned to walk away.

"You'll miss lunch," he called lamely, Remus didn't look back.

No one was going to talk Sirius into doing what he wanted to. No one knew, and no one would be able to look him in the eye if he told them. How was he supposed to figure this out all alone?

Remus wasn't prepared to attempt to unravel Sirius's confusion if Sirius couldn't meet him halfway. He fumbled around his thoughts for a moment, his lip fidgeting with words unsaid.

"What is it?" Sirius asked, coming to stand beside him and stare out over the lake. In the returning summer heat they'd left their cloaks behind. They nearly looked like Muggle business men in their button downs and their slacks.

"What is what?" Remus replied, past the point of being surprised by Sirius appearing out of nowhere. Sirius's pursuit was borderline rehearsed.

"What is it that you're dying to tell me?" That I love you. That you can fuck off.

"I want to talk about it," Remus began, trying to interpret the other boys reaction without actually looking at him.

"Are you worried that I'm just using you to settle some sort of weird forbidden fruit kink?" Sirius asked. Remus snapped to attention and turned.

"Sirius, I know that's what you're doing." He could've said something suave like: 'If that's the case let's settle it right now', and then pulled Sirius in and run his hand up the back of his thigh...

Sirius still hadn't said anything, but like he was reading Remus's wandering mind he took a step closer. Too close. The air between them was heated.

"I don't like to see you worried," Sirius confessed, or spoke like it was a confession. His pale eyes drawing Remus in like a moth to a burning flame. It was a rather weak statement, but Remus wanted to buy into the intimacy of it.

"Tell me what's going on in that foul brain," Remus requested after too long, letting that moment pass.

"I'll tell you, since you asked," Sirius said and paused thoughtfully for a moment. He pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket and took his time lighting one. Remus thought for a moment that maybe he could drown him if the moon was closer. "I woke up this morning in my deliciously warm bed, alone unfortunately," he winked and Remus forced a laugh in an effort subdue a groan of complaint. "Then I said to myself, I said: 'self, what will we wear today to really stand out and get ourselves noticed?'. So, I put on my favourite outfit and baby," he grumbled the pet name in distress smoke blooming from the corners of his mouth and Remus's heart may have actually skipped a bloody beat which was ridiculous. Sirius was ridiculous. "I'm sure you can imagine my dismay at breakfast when I discover all of my fellow Gryffindor's wearing the exact same thing."

This time Remus's laugh was nearly relieved. "I don't what it is about you that makes me want to shag you and screw you at the same time. Can you even tell when you're being confronted any more?"

"Let me finish! Hopes dashed, I was pleased to at least know that my underthings would probably stand out if it came down to it, since I spent a half an hour last night personalising the knickers I'm wearing."

Sirius was looking at him now, his perfect brows arched in a near threatening display of curiosity. Remus was a logician trapped in a romance novel. He prayed for patience. I'm going to kill him.

"Well?" Sirius asked, his grin toothy.

"Well what?" Remus asked, rubbing his eyes in distress. What is it about you that renders me completely helpless?

"Don't you want to see them?" Sirius pressed, one hand moving to play with his belt buckle. Remus's eyes couldn't have zeroed in on the movement any faster if he'd practiced.

"If you think stitching my name onto your gaudy briefs if going to fix this, you've got another thing coming."

"Probably best to be sure though," Sirius replied, flicking the butt of his cigarette into his lake to Remus's ire. Then with all the grace and elegance the job deserved: Sirius was kissing him. Sirius with all his bounding energy had practically leapt forth and seemed delighted to have gotten his hands back on Remus. He tasted of smoke and was bloody brilliant once he stopped talking, as usual.

"Sirius!" Sirius was trailing kisses over Remus's ear to his neck.

"I'm bloody good at embroidery, I promise your name is beautifully rendered." Sirius was untucking Remus's shirt, slipping a hand over his stomach in moments.

"You're such a bastard."

"Let's lie down." Was Sirius's only response, and he dropped to his knees on the grass tugging Remus down with him by his tie. Remus's knees hit the ground with a dull thud and in the next moment Sirius had pushed him back with one hand on his chest, the other pulling his hips forward with a considerable tug. Remus felt the wind swept out from his lungs and then there was tongue and to his own embarrassment he was groaning all over again and they were back at the bloody lake.

Sirius wondered if it was at last the right time to say what he'd gone to the lake to say, and then he stopped wondering.

It was that day that Sirius figured out that Remus was reading from the same page. They'd been reading from the same page from the bloody start.