Carve Me Open / r.l. + s.b. /

Don't Ask Me When, But Ask Me Why

"I don't know how to hide my feelings for you. You are my best friend. Today when we were at the Sydney Opera House, you leaned over the railing overlooking the city. You said, 'What an amazing view.' I looked at you, then you looked at me, and I thought to myself, 'What an amazing view.' But I just smiled at you instead."
-via KL

AN: And so it begins *devilish wink*

▬▬ι══════════════ι▬▬

Hogwarts, October 1972 (Second Year)

"Send it back," Sirius demanded.

Remus dipped his spoon into the cold, lumpy soup dejectedly, arms still aching from the transformation. While the sun had risen from the horizon and the hustle within the school's walls had long since passed, Remus and Sirius holed themselves in the infirmary. With his theatrics and melodrama, Sirius refused to leave his side after stowing him from the Willow to the Hospital Wing. When Madame Pomphrey tried to shoo him away, he argued that Remus needed a tremendous amount of moral support, seeing as she wasn't there to help him; the nurse wasn't adverse to Remus having company. As long as he stayed quiet and attentive, as any visitor should, he could stay with his friend.

"I'm not sending it back, Sirius," Remus groaned, unable to force the soup down his throat. Not even for Madame Pomfrey. Maybe he could tell her that he was simply nauseous? "I've sent back everything already."

Remus pushed the tray away from him, in no mood to eat. His stomach had rejected all forms of food that morning; whether it be soup, crackers, fruit, bread – not a single thing stayed in his stomach. Though his insides begged for something to eat, they recoiled in disgust when an attempt was made.

"It looks like troll snot," Sirius deadpanned.

He was still in his pajamas from the morning after the full moon, and Remus had never seen his friend so disheveled. Sirius's hair was a mess, pulled back in a loose bun at the nape of his neck, and stray strands dangled near his cheeks. There were light circles around his eyes as he only slept a few hours each night. He didn't want to be asleep should something happen.

"As if you know what troll snot looks like," Remus sneered, now playing with the gooey soup.

"You'd be surprised what Walburga keeps in her study," Sirius pointed out dryly. It was no use. The consistency combined with the putrid smell had chased off any appetite Remus had left in him. So, he concluded he'd much rather inhale another bar of dark chocolate before subjecting himself to the torture of swallowing whatever it was that was in front of him. "Just ask for something else, Rem!"

"Poppy has done enough for me," he shot back, digging under his pillow.

James had snuck in minutes ago with a few bars of dark chocolate for Remus; he was going to be obese by graduation at this rate. With the invisibility cloak now handy, none of the boys had to worry about Madame Pomphrey's latest rule: no more than two visitors at a time. Being the fair and just boy he was, James decided that leaving Peter to hang around outside the infirmary was cruel, but going in alone would be awkward. Besides, Remus didn't want them to find out. There was enough of a dilemma now that Sirius knew; if Lyall were to find out, Remus could kiss his summer vacation goodbye.

"Oh, so you're on a first-name basis now," Sirius smirked impishly.

"No," Remus shrieked, fighting the blush creeping up his neck. "We – I, er. I just – She –"

Sirius broke out in laughter, tossing his head back carelessly. Despite the circumstances and the pain that would follow, Remus laughed, too. It had turned out that he did, in fact, break a rib or two, and the tightness in his chest worsened when he laughed. But he couldn't help it, not when Sirius teased him so. For a moment, it distracted him from the heaviness in the air; the tension was so thick, Remus could taste it. It hung like fog around the boys.