"Not forest green like hers, but chocolate brown like hers"

Chapter 6

"Oh for the love of—I don't have enough—what the fuck" The exclamation echoed through the room, a tumultuous cascade of frustration that seemed to punctuate the charged air. Each word tumbled from his lips, carrying the weight of exasperation and an unmistakable edge. His dark eyes flashed with irritation, a storm brewing beneath the surface.

"— and you didn't even—she told you—," Sirius spat out, his hands gesticulating wildly, expressing the depth of his exasperation, fingers clenching and releasing with every syllable. "Moony say something to your best friend,"

Remus, sitting nearby, shot a sharp look at his husband. The lines etched on his face mirrored Sirius's intensity, an unspoken understanding passing between them. "Oh, so he's my best friend now? He's your best friend too, asshole," he retorted, his anger a match for Sirius's fire. The air seemed to crackle with tension as their exchange unfolded.

"You reacted the same way he did when it happened to us. Don't get me started—" he began but was quickly interrupted.

"At least I kissed you, not like this asshole here," Sirius interjected dramatically, a sweeping gesture directed at their best friend sprawled on the floor. Their friend lay there, a pitiable sight, whimpering pathetically and muttering unintelligible things.

Remus couldn't help but roll his eyes in exasperation, a deep sigh escaping his lips. "Oh, for the love of Merlin, James, please summon whatever shred of dignity you have left and get yourself from the floor," he commanded, his tone a mix of frustration and concern. His hand firmly gripped by him the arm, attempting to coax him into a more upright position, away from the embarrassing scene he was causing.

James, however, remained obstinate, clinging desperately to a half-empty bottle of firewhiskey as if it were his only anchor in the tumultuous sea of emotions. His disheveled hair and disoriented gaze painted a picture of a man on the verge of unraveling.

"No, Moony," he whimpered, his voice cracking. "I'll get over it, but first, I need to make a scene."

"You're being so utterly uncool right now, Prongs," Sirius mocked, his usual wit temporarily abandoned. "I can't even come up with any jokes to lighten the mood, and you know I always have a quip for every occasion. Always . That's how profoundly affected I am."

James, now seated on the cold, unforgiving floor, looked utterly defeated. His fingers traced the label of the firewhiskey bottle, lost in a spiral of regret and self-pity. "I know, I—I don't know why I did that," he murmured pathetically, his words a pitiable confession. "She's going to hate me."

Remus let out a heavy sigh, his fingers tightening around James' arm as he pulled him upward. "Your biggest concern at this moment isn't just her, James. It's your son. The one who, when he discovers what you did, will hex to death. You, my friend, are on the precipice of idiocy. You're going to need to kneel and grovel for forgiveness like your whole life depends on it if you want her to forgive you for that little stunt."

Sirius leaned casually against the polished oak of the door frame. "Let's run through this again because it sounds too absurd to be real," he remarked, his tone a blend of incredulity and irritation. "You thought it was a good idea to corner her and get her horny in the darkest nook of the library, and surprise, surprise, it blew up in your face. She gave you the mother of all blue balls. Then, in a moment of emotional vulnerability, she spills her heart out, confessing her love for you. And what do you do? Chicken out and leave her stranded there? James, mate, I'm so fucking tempted to knock some sense into you with my fist. Or maybe you just don't love—"

"Don't you dare, Pads. Don't you fucking dare finish that sentence," James snapped, his hazel eyes ablaze with a mix of vulnerability and anger. The room seemed to shrink, shadows dancing across the walls as emotions flared. A tense silence hung in the air, thick with the weight of unspoken words."I panicked, okay?" he continued, his voice tinged with regret and frustration."One thing's to fool around with her, harmless flirting, and another thing entirely different is... for her to confess that she loves me. That she truly loves me."