UNDER THE MOON, Remus Lupin

xlv.

HINT OF JEALOUSY

⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒

The grime of the world. It sounds like the underside of your 50-year-old car. Or unpolished dress shoes. It sounds like anything that it isn't. Some people are fortunate enough to never become its witness. The people that have will never be the same they once were. A part of them will change. In some places, the grime is worse, dirtier, filthier, and more vulgar. The people who get subjected to that kind of grime have been through the worst. Those people are also usually what used to be the best people, turned bad.

What Sage had said left Alice thinking. The innocence she apparently had, would she lose it? If she didn't even know she had it, would she notice if she lost it? Alice was losing her mind and she didn't notice that. It wasn't a matter of being oblivious, it was a matter of not acknowledging insanity until all your sanity had disappeared. Too busy thinking about everything else. Such as what Sage had put her mind to. The grime.

Alice went to Remus asking if he'd ever seen the grime of the world. Remus didn't say this, but he considered himself to be part of the grime of the world. The big bad wolf who could kill anyone in the blink of an eye on a full moon. He was wrong. Remus wasn't grime, he wasn't even a monster. But if he were to define himself as one, he was a good one.

"So... he's gone for good?" Remus asked, realizing only after how harsh it sounded. He sat next to her on the couch, drawing a sigh from his lips.

"For now at least." Alice shrugged, making Angus float with her wand. She snickered. Angus was completely unbothered, just bored.

Remus glanced at Alice, then kissed her shoulder. "I love you." His hand crept up her inner thigh.

Alice shivered. "I love you too, Wolfie."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Alice smiled and kissed his cheek. If it were just her and Remus for the rest of their lives, she wouldn't mind.

Angus became restless eventually, so Alice had to put him back down. Remus was finding bite marks on every piece of furniture that he possessed. Alice would just laugh and then walk away, hiding her grin. Despite the spell she used to make Angus learn quicker, he hadn't learned that chewing on the furniture was driving Remus nuts.

"Have you decided if you're going to forgive Clint or not?" Remus asked her.

Now they were curled up against each other, Alice with her head on his shoulder, Remus with his arms around her waist. "No. I just... I'm not sure."

"That's alright. Take your time, if he's really your friend he'll wait for forgiveness."

"Ugh, Remus. Will you marry me?"

Remus laughed loudly. "How about you graduate first? Then we'll talk."

"How can I possibly wait that long?" Alice picked her head up and carefully positioned herself on Remus' lap. A playful grin grew on her face as she straddled him.

Remus inhaled sharply. He knew exactly what was coming. He was. He certainly would be once Alice got going. "You're driving me insane, Wonderland. I think I'm the mad one sometimes."

And she started. Remus felt Alice attack his neck with kisses. Then he felt them on his jawline and behind his ear. Alice could leave him shaking after just a kiss, she had a power over him that she didn't even know she had. Remus cursed under his breath and began unbuckling his belt.

"Oh?" Alice pulled away.

"Don't fucking 'oh' me. Take off your-,"