#Remus doesn't scare easy

[lulublack90]

Prompt 14 - Scream

@wolfstarmicrofic October 14, word count 224

“BOO!!!” Sirius yelled, jumping out from behind a suit of armour. Remus just continued walking, not even flinching at the sudden appearance of his boyfriend. “Damn it, Remus,” Sirius grumbled as he made the latest attempt to make Remus scream failed. He’d never heard him make more than a shocked huff. He had no idea why he needed to hear this sound, but he’d become obsessed with the idea, and poor Remus had so far endured about twenty attempts to make him scream, including Sirius throwing a transformed Peter into Remus’s lap in Arithmancy. But Remus had simply picked up the trembling rat and placed him safely in his pocket while he finished off his equation.

It took him a while to realise that scaring Remus wasn’t the way to go; he was a werewolf for Merlin’s sake, and of course, he wouldn’t scare easily. So Sirius did the one thing he knew would get a reaction: he bought Remus a book. But not just any book. The first edition of his favourite book, including illustrations by the author themselves. He left it on Remus’s pillow, neatly wrapped and waited. 

An excited scream carried down the stairs into the common room where Sirius was waiting. He smiled, yep an excited scream from Remus Lupin was way better than a shocked one could ever be.  

[ihaveopinionsonalotofthings]

I hate it when Peter is ignored. I hate it when he isn't included. I hate it when he barely says anything. I hate it when he's just the other guy in the marauder's dorm room. I hate it when he's the one that's always scared. I hate it when he's the one that's always nervous. I hate it when his entire character is just 'the one who doesn't fit in'. 'The one who doesn't belong'.

Because he did belong. He was probably funny. He was probably just as excited for their pranks. Sure, he wasn't as smart as them. He wasn't as powerful. But he still became an animagus for Remus. He was still a part of all their schemes. James, Sirius and Remus would never exclude him. Because to them, he wasn't pretending. He wasn't an imposter.

He was chosen to be the secret keeper because he was trusted. Because he was their friend. Because he was one of them. Somewhere along the way, that changed, yes. But he wasn't always like that. That's why his betrayal hurts. That's why no one saw it coming.

It's easy to forget that he really was a marauder. Yes, when it mattered the most, he chose not to be. But he was. And that meant something.

[luveline]

𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 | 𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

five | chapter list

Finding out you’re a princess isn’t half as intimidating as suddenly acquiring a full-time bodyguard. Especially when that bodyguard is disarmingly handsome, charming, and can’t seem to stop flirting with you. 

bodyguard!james, fem!reader, implied chubby!reader, shy!reader, princess diaries au, all characters in their 20s or older, star-crossed lovers/ forbidden romance, slowburn, background wolfstar

˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

James can tell you're nervous, though you hide it exceptionally well. Years of training and years before that of being the best friend to two natural born fibbers has given him a professional understanding of the ways people will pretend.

There's no need to pretend. It's your father's funeral. 

James sits behind you on the pews. There are guards posted at all four entrances and exits to the church, but the level of security doesn't relax you, because it isn't why you're tensed. 

He has to bite his tongue to stop from speaking. Has to cling to his own hands rather than lean forward and inquire if you're alright. He's lucky he'd been allowed to sit as close to the front of the room as he had been, and that was only after a convincing speech to the Queen herself on the dangers your first public outing may entail. He hadn't been exaggerating. 

James hadn't been as succinct as he could've been, either, but no one else needs to know. 

He looks around the front of the church rather than the back of your head and your tight shoulders. The room has all the furnishings one would expect of a royal funeral, garish white tapings and mammoth crystal chandeliers with their metal fixtures waxed to a burning shine. Light floods in multicolour from gargantuan stained glass windows, reds and greens and buttery orange-yellow kissing the floor, the walls, and the brown lacquered casket at the front of the room. 

The proceedings had been in Genovian. James understood the majority, and he's sure Remus caught the rest. Your shoulder had started shaking somewhere between psalms, which means your arm had been shaking, and that's likely from a jigging anxious knee. You're unsettled. 

James is unsurprised. There are huge cameras in several places across the room, and at times they'd been pointed at you, your cousin, your aunts and uncles, and, of course, the Queen. 

Your identity has been officially broadcasted to the entire world —though thanks to now redundant members of the Royal staff, that had already been true to some extent. You are a princess in the gaze of billions, even if you do choose to give up the role as you're intending. This won’t be easy to leave behind.

Crown Princess or not, you're of royal blood, entitled to royal protection, and so. James can follow you anywhere you want to go for the foreseeable future as long as you allow him. You are just scared enough to say yes. (He hadn't exaggerated the state of things to you. No part of him wants to scare you. But he told you the truth, and he'd scared you anyhow.) 

Sitting next to the Queen is the Queen mother (your great-grandmother), and beside her is your uncle, your aunt, the Princess Julianna, and then you. Julianna is clearly unhappy with your untrained decorum but won't risk talking lest she end up on the front page of the newspapers scolding her newly instated cousin. 

"Might we all bow our heads for the final prayer." 

You bow your head too quickly and too low. James winces and does the same. Hopefully they'll think you miseducated rather than stupid, though to many that's the same crime. 

The prayer ends, and pallbearers step forward to carry the casket back out of the church to the hearse, a mixture of royals and paid actors strong enough to take the weight. The first row stands, James sticking out like a nettle among flowers, though his all black uniform isn't out of place for once. 

He slots himself behind you in the procession as it begins to walk down the aisle. He can speak and get away with it due to both occupation and occasion, a melancholy orchestra plays as the King is carried home. 

"Hello," he says, his face tilted near imperceptibly toward yours. "Everything okay?" 

He wants to ask the same question, but better. How are you feeling? I'm sorry I can't give you an out yet. 

"Okay," you say. 

"You're doing so well," he says.

You relax slightly. You pass Sirius at the very back of the church, where he taps his chin, prompting you to lift your own. The photography outside of the church is respectful, but Sirius and James alike have already quizzed you on what expression to keep. You can't smile. You can't frown. You have to look heartbroken but not hysterical —being branded as an attention seeker so early would fry your reputation. The last thing you need is a smear campaign before the funeral is over. You have to look grateful to be here. 

It is not an easy balance to strike. 

James thinks you're doing wonderfully either way, and the point of the funeral is to respect your father now he's passed, but he'd also say it was a successful launch. You look sweet, and remarkably made up. 

"Can we go home now?" you ask. 

"We can. You don't have anything else on the docket." 

"I don't have to go to, like, a wake?" you ask. 

James shakes his head. "No. I think most of the family want to grieve in private after a spectacle like this." 

"An event," Sirius corrects. 

"Are you hungry?" James asks. 

"Why, does Genovia have McDonald's?"

It's a credit to both James and Sirius that they manage to hide how funny they find you. "We do, but we can't take you to McDonald's. There'll be paparazzi following your car as soon as we leave the lot." 

"I don't want McDonald's," you say. 

"We know. I'm just asking so I can call ahead," James says. 

"It's my job, really," Sirius says. 

It's neither. You should've had a lady in waiting by now, a professional one to handle every aspect of your day by day, but the sudden nature of your arrival and now incoming date of your departure has left you without one. Sirius and James (and Remus, at times) have been happy to pick up the slack. 

"Is it bad that I am hungry?" you ask. 

James guides you away from the procession as the hearse pulls away, eager to get you in your own car sandwiched between a crowd of bodyguards. His men fall in without prompting, surrounding you on all sides. You visibly wither at the precaution. 

"It's not bad. Grieving is hungry work," Sirius says. 

James can't keep up with your conversation. There's suspicious movement at the barricade, the gathered supporters strangely rowdy for the occasion. He gestures with two fingers for the guards at his side to pull in tighter. Unsatisfied, he clears his throat and says, "Fall in, guys." 

He doesn't need to say what he's worried about. The guards under his employ and under any branch of Palace security should have enough sense to feel the difference in the atmosphere. 

"There's the Princess!" someone shouts. Hundreds of eyes find you. 

"I don't wave, do I?" you ask, turning to look at James. You realise the guards have tightened ranks, a frown twisting your pretty smile down. "What's happening?" 

He hates the sudden fear in your voice. 

"Nothing," he says, hand hovering behind the small of your back, eyes at the crowd. There's a man standing too still to be natural. "Don't worry. What are you having for dinner?" 

"That was an awful lie, you didn't even try," you complain, following his line of sight as best as you can to the crowd. 

"Seriously, Princess, what are we having for dinner?" Sirius asks.

"Am I in danger?" you ask.

"No," James says firmly.

"They're protecting me," Sirius says, which would be more believable if he didn't have to shout it over someone's shoulder. 

"You're not in any danger," James says, firmer still, a bite to his voice that makes Sirius wince. You stare. "You're still on camera, Princess." James is on camera. Your safety comes first, but his job is his job. Mary already berated him upon her return about his mishandling of the first airport disaster, and if James can't handle these situations, they'll find someone else to do it.

They manage to get you to your car without any incidents. James covers the roof and ushers you in, closing the door behind you. He takes the passenger seat, and your driver for the day, Munroe, starts the short journey back to Bellaverden House. 

James stays sitting prim, the light of the police escorts fronting your procession gaussian blue on his hands. 

"Are you okay?"

James is surprised that you're asking him, turning to meet your eyes from over his shoulder. "I'm perfectly fine. How are you, are you alright?"

You look a little seasick, hands either side of you in the empty seats. "I'm sorry if I made you mad." 

It's an expression he's seen on Sirius a hundred times, uncertainty, the anxiety of not knowing if you're in trouble with someone. He does as he would with him. "I'm not mad, Princess. I have to… I have to be someone else when I'm working to make sure I perform the way I need to. I’m sorry if that feels personal, but I can assure you it's just work. Okay?" He starts professional, ends soft. "Now, are you alright?" 

He keeps waiting for the reality of your situation to press upon you. Grief for a man you never knew, even anger at his inactive role in your life, but you stay quiet and cagey as a nervous cat. 

"I'm fine, James."

"Are you?" James watches for it, finds the tremor in your hands that betrays you even if you don't think there's anything wrong. 

"Fine," you say. 

—

Two days later, you take a flight home. Private again, less than ten passengers, six of which are following you. You’d wanted to escape the royal duties and they’re practically tucked in your back pocket. 

“Don’t look so scolded,” Sirius says, ineffectual as he gets comfortable beside you, a tray of biscuits in his lap. 

“What?” 

“James isn’t angry.” 

You hide a small fluster with a swallow. “I know.” 

“Well.” Sirius eats another biscuit. You honestly like him as much as you like James, though you’re starting to think he might end up being a pain in your side. He’s… opinionated. “You don’t look like you know. Can you eat something so everyone can stop worrying?” 

“Sorry.” 

You eat a chocolate biscuit, frown, eat a shortbread. Your stomach rumbles with a sickly lurch, but after a bit the sugar kicks in and you feel better. You peer around Sirius to spot James and Mickey pointing at different things on an iPad across the aisle. Just behind them, Remus sleeps, sitting next to Marlene. And, for reasons unbeknownst to you, Lily and Emmeline chatter in the seats just ahead. 

You tried very hard to get out of being a princess, and yet you’ve been trailed back home anyways. 

“You’re like Remus,” Sirius says, with surprising affection for both of you, “a bit of chocolate and the sulking stops.”

“They’re nice biscuits.” 

“They’re Genovian, obviously they’re nice biscuits. You’re used to that English shite–”

“Come on,” you reprimand lightly, “have you ever had a Welsh shortbread? Get a grip.” 

“I’ve had many Welsh shortbread. My Remus is very Welsh.” Sirius sinks down in his seat a little, seemingly sated by even a mention of Remus. The more you know them, the more you realise ‘my Remus’ is accurate. Sirius doesn’t even really say it with fondness or anything so saccharine, but just the addition of the word packs a punch. He’s said ‘my James’ before too, and that had been the same. 

A little nibble of jealousy blossoms in your chest. 

“Have you and Remus always been friends?” you ask. 

Sirius tilts his head back. His nice chin points at you, his eyes lazily opened but friendly all the same. “Yes. Despite his wishes, some of the time. I was friends with James first, the day we met, but Remus shared a room so he couldn’t escape us. He was friendlier with… we had another roommate. So for a while we were natural pairs, but eventually we became a right group of messers.” 

“I find it a bit difficult to make friends.” 

“Me too.” He closes his eyes for a second. “If I hadn’t been forced to see them every day, I wonder if I would’ve managed it.” 

You’re late for boarding school, but seeing people each day might be manageable. After all, you’ve a trapped posse of advisors with you at this very moment, destined to trail after you for what could be months. 

You hope that, when they inevitably return home, they might still want to be friends. 

The plane begins descending half an hour from the airport. Sirius squeezes the arm but doesn’t fuss. Then, suddenly, the landing gear is out, the seatbelt lights are on, and Sirius is encouraging you to ram the last of the biscuits in with him so he can bin the plastic tray they came in. “Go on,” he whispers, forcing the last, huge slag of caramel and chocolate in your direction, “before Marlene can see we’ve ruined dinner.” 

“She’s not actually going to cook for me, is she?” you ask, frowning. 

“Of course she is.” 

Of course she is. You cringe through the landing, but can’t stop yourself from smiling when James makes his way to your chairs to get your bag from the overhead. You know it’s lame, but it’s just like having a boyfriend. 

“Remus, will you get mine too?” you hear Sirius ask as he slinks around James’ body. 

“Get your own.” 

“Nice flight?” you ask James. 

He smiles. “Awesome. You look better off than the last time.” 

Last time you’d been exhausted, with red-rimmed eyes and a shiner. This is decidedly better, but you’re thrice as tired emotionally. 

“I can’t wait to go home.” 

James puts a hand behind your shoulder like he’s known you for years. “I bet you can’t,” he says. 

“Will you be, uh, sleeping on my sofa again?” 

He laughs and encourages you down the plane’s aisle. “Not this time, Princess. The proper arrangements have been made. I’ll miss your floral pillowcases, rest assured.” 

“I’ll miss getting decked by my door.” 

James’ gaze snaps to yours in shock. He pauses with his mouth just slightly open, and then a laugh jumps from him, a sunny, warm, crackly chuckle that heats your cheeks. “Yes!” he praises, giving you a poke. “I knew we’d make a comedian of you. And a dark one.” 

The sheer look of joy on his face buoys you as you journey home. It was out of character, sure, but worth it to have made him laugh. You find you like the feeling of it, the pleasure, even the satisfaction of making him laugh. You’ll have to do it again. 

You seem to have avoided any leaks of gossip or press, ushered by a small, tight group of security through the airport and to a jet black freelander. 

James opens the back door for you. “No SUV?” you ask, climbing in. 

“They’re not exactly common here, are they? This is less eye-catching.” 

“Less impressive,” Sirius says, nudging you across to climb in after you. 

You find yourself shuttered to the opposite side of the car as Remus gets in behind him. “Idiots,” James mutters. 

“I thought we should’ve had a G-wagon,” Sirius says. 

“That’s ridiculous,” Remus says. 

“Or something stylish, then. A Benz.” 

“This is nicer than the bus,” you say. 

Sirius wrinkles his nose. “Too right.” 

“So, where are we going?” you ask. You can’t work out why they’ve gotten into the same car. 

“I thought we’d stay with you for a bit,” Sirius says easily. 

“Why?” 

You flush as you realise what you’ve said, and how bluntly it came out. 

Sirius doesn’t flinch. “I was thinking you might want company. No?” 

“You don’t have to–”

“No, we don’t,” Remus says, resting his weight on Sirius’ arm, “but we want to if you’re alright with it.” 

You settle in your seat for the drive home, a small smile playing on your lips. It would be nice to have friends right now. 

—

It turns out that time spent with the boys can get out of hand. Even James, oh so serious, begins to play into their shenanigans. Being together relaxes them, evident in their huge dopey smiles and the tactile way they go about the evening. 

James was supposed to leave sometime after eight when Mickey arrived to relieve him, but he’d hunkered down with Remus on the sofa, stealing sips of his tea and attempting to push his socked feet under Remus’ thighs. “No,” he says now, giving Remus a prod, “you knocked the Genovian pear juggler clear off of his feet! And you blamed Sirius!” 

“And I took the blame like a proper man,” Sirius says, tipping his head back to lay on Remus’ knees. “You’re welcome.” 

“You owed me.” 

A vague tenseness lines James’ shoulders, but Sirius only says, “Yes, I did.” 

“He had to wash dishes for a month,” Remus says. 

“I accepted my punishment. Besides, it gave me plenty of opportunity to pilfer the kitchens. We ate enough chocolate to make ourselves sick of it in a week.”

You curl up tighter in the armchair. The TV is playing quietly, an old movie flickering in muted colours, dabs of it caught on James’ arm. 

He pushes his glasses further up his nose. You like them, the glasses, though he says they aren’t practical. They look good on him, bringing an extra darkness to his eyes, already a nice honey brown. All these brown eyed boys in one place isn’t good for you. 

Marlene had, to your horror, come around to make you and your guests a late supper. You’d asked her how the royal kitchens would run without her and she’d asked you not to insult her workers. She’s bullied you into three plates worth and promised to be back tomorrow morning. 

You’d said oh, no, please don’t, and James had reminded you that you’re going to be a princess for the rest of your life. Get used to extravagance. 

And company! Sirius called. 

He hasn’t moved since he got here, not even for dinner, though it’s not like you all would’ve fit around your teeny kitchen table anyhow. He picks at a plate of buttered bread and Genovian grapes, which Marlene had apparently gotten for him on special request. He has a planner in front of him, a heavy looking silver pen between lithe fingers scribbling across the pages, scratching things out, drawing big arrows as he moves dates around. 

“You’re busy,” you say sympathetically. 

Sirius snorts. “This is your planner, babe.” 

“My what?” 

“I’m trying to fit driving lessons around your classes. They’re quite random, aren’t they?” He lifts his gaze to meet your confusion. “James wants you to learn.” 

“Well, I haven’t asked her yet, mate,” James says. 

Sirius shrugs. “If I’m going to work it out, I need to do it now before bed.” 

“What about my shifts?” you ask. 

Sirius tilts his head ever so slightly to one side. “You still want to work?” 

You remember the shock of the inheritance all over again. Weird to think a lump sum will have cleared in your bank account before you got home, the accruement of years spent unaware of your heritage. It will be strange to quit The Morgan —you know so many of the regulars, and you’ve spent the last two years living off of that paycheck— but the idea is a sudden warm blanket. 

“I can quit?” you ask. 

“Sure,” Sirius says. “If you want. You don’t have to worry about it anymore. That’s not to say you can’t work, but I can’t imagine you’ll spend what you have soon…” 

You smile to yourself, guilty and so, so relieved. “You wouldn’t believe how horrible my manager is. I don’t want to be spoiled–”

All three boys roll their eyes. It’s unnerving. “It’s not spoiled,” Remus says. 

“It makes my life easier,” James says. “Besides, the Royal Family might demand it.” 

“Mm, it’ll look bad if the heir keeps her pub job,” Sirius says. He scratches out a last corner of the page. “Alright, darling, listen up. You can fit in two hours of driving a day, three times a week, is that gonna be something you can do? In about two months you should have your forty five hours of practice. We can study theory twice a week. If it’s too intense we can slow down, there’s no rush, really, just James–”

“Doesn’t like the bus,” you say. 

“Hates public transport,” Sirius agrees. 

“It’s good for the environment,” James speaks up, leaning further and further toward the arm, sinking into your battered throw cushions, “bad for princesses.” 

That awful p-word. 

“Alright. That sounds perfect, Sirius. Thank you for working it all out.” 

“You’re very welcome. You might not like me so much when you see how many hours I’ve given Remus.” 

You put your hands between your legs. “Oh, do I still have to do all that? Even if I’m not going to...”

“Become the crown princess of Genovia and rule the country?” Remus asks. “Yes, you still have to do all that. If only the basics.” 

“But why?” 

“‘Cos I said so,” Remus quips, leaning forward as Sirius leans back, a scarred hand falling naturally against his sharp shoulder. 

“Ooh, you’re in trouble now, Princess,” James says. “An angry Remus is formidable.” 

“I’m not angry.” Remus reaches over Sirius for a grape, his nose brushing black hair. 

Sirius softens from the brush of touch alone. It is an intense thing to see, not private but intimate nonetheless. They must be seeing, you decide, curling tighter again in the armchair and craving another box of biscuits. For the first time since the funeral, you aren’t feeling off centre. You just feel like you, home again, an itch to sketch in your hands battered down by fatigue. It’s been such a long day, yet you stay your leave. 

“Scratch my hair?” Sirius asks. 

Remus hums. “No, thank you.” 

“Oh, please, Remus. Just scratch it, don’t be selfish.” 

“He’s a sponge for it,” James tells you. “Couldn’t be touched when we met him, mind, but now he won’t leave you alone once you’ve said yes. If he asks you to draw shapes on his arm, save yourself and say no.” 

You wouldn’t mind, you don’t think. Sirius sees it on your face and grins. 

James decides to appease Sirius while Remus refuses and ushers him his way. He runs a big hand through Sirius' hair, fingers combing to the ends, and then he goes up the back of his neck, where he begins to scratch long circles. “That’s better,” Sirius says, falling back against James’ leg. “I always thought I should be a prince, you know. I like the royal treatment.” 

“Didn’t get much royal treatment as a lord, did you?” Remus asks. 

“You’re a lord?” you ask. 

“I could’ve been. I was the heir,” Sirius says, tone taking on a dripping disdainfulness that seems tired of real emotion. 

“Lord of the most Noble House of Black,” James says. “Only he ditched them. Quite dramatically.” 

“Thank goodness,” Remus says. 

Sirius looks at you again. Both exhausted and unaffected, like the deepest pain has passed. You can see the weariness of someone who’s spent days at a long dinner table, though now he sits slouched and cared for against your ratty sofa, and it suits him more. “My family is traditional, and I’m less so. I could never have lived the life I was supposed to. It probably would have killed me. So I left, and I was lucky enough to be taken care of by another oh so noble family.” 

“The Potter’s aren’t noble,” James says quickly. “I’m not a lord or heir or anything.” 

“Well, you are heir of the Potter name and riches and all,” Remus says, taking Sirius’ plate of snacks into his lap. He folds a thick piece of the bread and butter and offers it to Sirius before eating the last one. 

“Yes…” James gives Remus a pointed look, which Remus ignores. “But it’s not like the Black family. You might actually meet them, one day.” 

“Pray not,” Sirius says to himself. 

“Hmm. The Potter’s are an older family too, but not like the Black’s. The Black’s have deep Genovian roots, my family are–” James’ cheeks take colour. “Rich, yes. Very rich.” 

“But you work,” you say. 

“I think I’d go mad if I couldn’t.” He must spot the look of guilt you fail to thwart. “But it’s different. To grow up completely looked after, I’ve never had to do anything I didn’t want to do.” 

“That’s not what I’ve been led to believe,” Remus cuts in, laughing, meeting James’ eyes, “all that homework you needed my help with, you did that willingly?” 

You laugh at James’ faked annoyance and their matching chuckles. Time that night seems to slip away, and it’s well past midnight when you fall asleep, still curled in your chair. 

In the morning, you wake up in bed. 

You pull a pillow over your face, cold underside to your boiling skin. How did I get here? you ask yourself, terrified of the answer. 

—

Honestly, your flat isn’t the nicest. It’s clean as you can manage, but there’s damp in the bathroom and it’s rather squashed. James finds himself squinting in disgust at the door at the front of the building which still doesn’t open properly (and so can be jimmied) despite his annoyed email to the landlord where he’d cited a few chosen laws and threatened to withhold the rent, though he supposes it had no weight because James isn’t the one paying it. Still, he can’t deal with this. He has to convince you to move. A gated community might be a shout; he’d worry less if you lived among the rich and their security cameras. 

But he doesn’t suppose the best course of action here is to displace you again. You like your flat, he thinks, hadn’t you told him before that you liked the quiet? Or was it the noise? It’s not like London has a reputation for peace. He’s still not sure how you ended up living in central London: he commits to ask. 

James isn’t going to give up on you. He wants you to be princess, The Princess, he wants you to take your place as Queen of Genovia one day. Not because you’re the only one who can stop fucking Baron Riddle from ruling Genovia as a tyrant bastard, but because it’s your birthright. You run from something that could be so special to stay here, alone and lonely. He knows it’s harsh to think of it that way, and yet he does. And, selfishly, he wants to stay with his friends. He wants to be your friend. If the Riddle family control Genovia he can say goodbye to his job, and he can say goodbye to the life he’s made. He could make another one, of course, but he has a feeling about you. 

He takes the stairs past the huge discarded mattress and a floor covered in mail to your flat. The door is propped open which he hates, but Mikkelson is inside, sitting at the kitchen table with you, drinking a polite cup of tea. Sirius leans up against a counter with his own.  

“Good morning,” James says. 

You’re wearing jogging bottoms, socks, and a t-shirt with a charcoal smudge on the neck. It has short, short sleeves, showcasing the lengths of your arms. James is only a boy, following the curve of one down to your hand. 

You glance at your arm, then him. “Good morning?” 

“Aren’t you cold?” he asks to save himself. 

“It’s warm out?” you say, peering around Mickey to check the sunshine coming from the window. “It’s warm in here, at least.” 

“Mickey, are you ready?” James asks. 

Mickey thanks you for the tea and leaves, tired in the eyes. James slaps him on the shoulder as he goes. 

Sirius stretches backwards. When he rises up, he fixes James with a cool look. “Jamie, I’ve just heard from our royal sweetness that you’ve been calling me her stylist.” 

You flinch. “Uh–”

“Well,” James says, grinning as he settles against the doorframe, “it is how Lily introduced you.“

“Ah, yes, Lily Evans. Longtime frenemy. I expected it from her. I didn’t realise you were driving the narrative home in my absence.”

“Sirius, you do style her, you realise.” 

“I’m a media coach!” Sirius sniffs. “And a gentleman in waiting, for the time being.” 

“You’re more than a coach,” James says. 

“Yes, well. I’m not a stylist. At least, that’s not my first priority. I’m miffed with you now, so steer clear of me.” Sirius says, ferrying back to the living room. 

James hears the clunk of his modest briefcase being opened. You start to apologise, but he shakes his head with a grin. “Please ignore him, he’s kidding.” He traces the side of your face in the light. “Your bruise is almost gone.” 

Your fingers flit to your cheek and the well of your eye. “Yeah. Yeah, it's only sore now.”

“Little yellow in the crease.” Hard to see if you’re not really looking.  

“It feels like it was a really long time ago,” you say, standing from your chair with a wobble. 

“You alright?” he asks. 

You make for the kettle, flicking it on. “Fine. Tea, coffee?” 

“Sure, I’ll have some tea. What’s Sirius doing up so early?” 

“He didn’t say yet.” 

You take a mug from the cupboard printed in autumn leaves. James hears a rough sound and turns to the living room on instinct, hard pressed to hold in a laugh as he watches Sirius right your knocked coffee table. James had taken Remus back to the accommodation last night while Sirius insisted he’d stay. It’s not nice to be alone, he’d said simply. When James turns back to the kitchen, you’ve placed a tea bag and a teaspoon in the mug, jug of milk waiting, jar of brown sugar cracked. “It’s gone solid,” you warn, “there’s nothing wrong with it though, I promise.” 

“I only have a little. Here, I can do it. Have you eaten?” 

“Yeah, we had toast. Did you?” 

“Don’t worry about me,” he says. 

James has said goodbye to professionalism. Not safety, not doing his job, but if what you need to be the crown princess is a friend, James will be your friend. He can do that easily. It feels a little odd after fighting it for the time you spent in Genovia, but he’s done with pretending you’re not cutesy. 

“What are you going to do today?” he asks, coming up behind you, close enough to see the dark pupil of your eye and the white of the kitchen light against it.

“Um, well, Sirius is going to help me tender my resignation at the bar, and then I guess I have a driving lesson? I should probably try to catch up on my assignments, or. I don’t know, maybe I’ll drop out.” Your eyes widen slightly. “Not because I want to do nothing. I just– I can– can try again. A fresh start at a proper university.” 

James holds the top of your arm. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. You don’t have to decide anything today. I’m sure you can take a sabbatical for your current term, Sirius can help you sort that out, just until you decide. Or you could drop out tonight and think about it all later. You have time. I didn’t think for a second it was because you want to do nothing, and even if I did, that’s not bad either.” His thumb crests a small circle, pushing up the line of your sleeve. 

Your lips part for a moment before you answer, as though practising. “Thank you, James.” 

“I haven’t done anything.” 

“I bet you don’t think so.” 

James pats your shoulder gently, then reaches for the kettle as it flicks off, boiled. “Can I suggest an addendum to your calendar?” 

“Sure.”

“I was thinking you could try another counselling session.” 

You blink, stopped with a tea bag in hand. “Why?” 

“The first one went well, didn’t it?” 

“But I’m home now.” 

“That doesn’t erase the last week.” Nearly two now, since you found out.

You push your mug toward his and he fills it with hot water. He follows suit and adds his own milk, stirring it together quickly. His spoon on the sides is a biting clink, clink, clink. 

“Things have felt a bit staccato, haven’t they?” he asks. 

You nod, toying with the handle of your mug. 

“It would be nice for you to have something constant. Some stability. And we can arrange for you to have private care here, you know.”

“I have stability,” you argue unsurely. “You and Remus and Sirius, and Frank, too. Is he coming back?” 

“Frank’s having some time off with his partner, but he’ll be here soon.” He laughs, pushing the body of his teabag against the side of his mug, the brown of the tea seeping into the milk in a wave. “I don’t think you can get rid of me, however hard you wanna try.” 

“I wasn’t trying to get rid of you.”

James looks up. He catches your eye. Again, the dark of your pupil shines and shakes, not sure where to look, but your lip stays in a firm line like you’ve been chastened. He remembers flicking you under the chin the last time you’d looked at him like that. He could do it again, but he fears Sirius’ judgement. “I know,” he says, voice soft with his low volume. “I’m teasing.” 

“Would you not?” you ask. 

“So spritely today! Alright, is your tea done? Let’s go sit in the living room and make a list.” 

“A list?” 

“Of things you want to do,” he says, scooping the tea bag from his mug. 

“I don’t know what I want to do.” You take his spoon to remove your tea bag. 

You chuck it in the sink, pulling your mug to your chest. You don’t sound happy about making the list, but you follow him obligingly to the living room where Sirius is brushing his hair from his face, a list of his own coming to life on his knee. 

“Not more duties for me?” you ask tentatively. 

Sirius makes grabbing hands for James’ mug. James, with a sigh, lets him have it. Sirius takes a glutinous sip and doesn’t offer it back. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t clear up your job status when talking to the Princess, Pads. Can we ever be friends again?” James says in defeat. 

“I’ll think about it,” Sirius says, not bothering to meet James’ eyes. “And to answer your question, your sweetness, it’s not for you, don’t worry. I’m trying to make sure Remus’ medical information is being properly swapped over. It’s…” Sirius takes another sip of tea and then thankfully passes it back. “A headache. Doctors.” 

“Does Remus know you’re doing that?” James asks, sitting on the empty sofa. You take the seat beside him. 

“Not yet. It’s not– not like it’s not part of my job. He works for the princess, I work for the princess, I might as well make sure he’s tip top shape to do that.” Sirius gets that look James recognises for not wanting to talk about the thing he’s talking about anymore, his eyes lighting up predictably. “What’s on your agenda today?” 

“I suppose we’ll be taking the Princess to the shops at some point. You needed some bits?” he asks. 

You noticeably fluster but don’t answer. 

“And then after that I’ll be taking her for her first driving lesson.” 

Your jaw drops. “Wait, you're teaching me?” 

“Well, just to begin with,” James says. He squints at you. “I’m a good driver, I’ll have you know.” 

Sirius rolls his eyes. 

“I am! And besides, who do I trust more than me? And you trust me, don’t you?” he asks you.

You cross your arm over your chest. “Yeah, ‘course.” 

James’ grin is evident in his tone. “Good. Because after that we’ll be endeavouring into the land of self-defence.” 

“What?” 

“With a safety mat, don’t worry.” 

You nibble your bottom lip. “Well, I wasn’t until you said that.” 

[inkdrinkerworld]

Thank God you mentioned dealer!Remus I was the anon that asked for the Christmas one and was too scared to ask for more

Can I get dealer!Remus just being domestic? Like him and reader just at home quietly maybe one of their friends sees and is like "WTF??"

Ohh this is so cute!! You never have to be afraid to request babe, especially if it's dealer!remus, he's our husband.

Summertime in London means a vacation at the Potter's, which also means lots of domestic moments with your friends and your boyfriend.

James and Lily are the earliest risers and that means more times than not, they're on breakfast. You and Remus wake next, so you start the coffee and set the kettle on to make everyone's tea. Sirius wakes last, grumpiest of you all.

James is flipping pancakes, Lily is getting the iced tea started and you're still groggy from sleep as Remus comes down from the room behind you.

"Go lay down, dove." he murmurs, kissing the side of your head as you yawn.

"No," you groan. "Wanna help with the tea."

Remus rolls his eyes, "Go lay on the sofa, I'll make your tea and bring it for you." When you don't move, Remus cups the side of your face, thumb stroking your cheek as he tilts his head to catch your eyes better. "Please, love?"

James is shocked to his core at how blatant Remus is with the affection. He's usually a more reserved lover, but with you, it's like he's been turned completely upside down.

He can't say that he doesn't love seeing his friend so in love, but it is a shock to the system. It seems Sirius gets the same shock when he comes down to the kitchen just in time to hear you,

"Kiss?" you ask Remus, eyes barely open and head already tilted to him and Remus smiles. He plants two kisses to your lips and you turn and go off to the sofa with a contented smile on your face.

"What the fuck? Have you been replaced by a fucking body snatcher?" Sirius asks, indignant at the Remus' open and easy affection.

Remus only rolls his eyes. "What are you on about Pads?" he moves into the kitchen, scooping out the coffee grounds for the percolator and then filling up the kettle.

James joins Sirius too, "You just kissed her. Right there." He points to where you and Remus had been standing not even five minutes ago.

Remus shrugs, "I kiss her all the time." He starts your cup of tea first as the kettle whistles, two tea bags, brown sugar, and a little milk. "Lils do you want a cuppa?" he asks as she joins you in the living room.

Remus turns in time to see her shake her head, "M'okay." he nods and turns to the boys, who shake their heads.

"Not in front of everyone you liar!" Sirius is practically screaming for nine in the morning. "You're usually very private about it."

"You didn't even want to cuddle us till three years had passed, Moony." James cries and Remus shakes his head, a little smile playing on his lips.

"I don't remember that," he starts out of the kitchen with your cup of tea in hand. "Don't let your pancakes burn, Jamie boy."

Sirius and James watch in a mixture of amusement and horror as Remus sets your cup on the coffee table between the settees in the living room and then kneels so he's just in front of you. Not even caring a little that Lily's just there.

"Everything okay? Not hungry are you?" He asks quietly and you shake your head. James flips his last three pancakes and starts on the bacon.

"It's sickening, how in love he is." Sirius murmurs, filling his cup with black coffee and taking a sip.

"It is nice though, that he's happy." James says, though the shock of how easy and practically eager Remus was to give you affection.

"You don't suppose that now he'll give us a cuddle without the gripe?"

James laughs, "I wouldn't push it, Siri."

[moonstruckme]

Hello! So, I was wondering if you could write poly!marauders with a reader with anemia (iron deficiency)? Where she usually doesn't take her pills bc she forgets or straight up just doesn't want to, so sometimes she'll stand up and will completely fall back onto where she was sitting bc she will black out for a few seconds or lose her balance?

Obviously, only do it if you wanna and feel like it!!! Thank you and have a terrific day <3

Sincerely, :]

Hi my lovely! Thanks for requesting <3

poly!marauders x fem!reader ♡ 656 words

When Remus calls you for dinner, James races you to the kitchen, both of you shoving at each other and giggling like children as you pound down the stairs. He wins, of course (he loves you, but he’s not going to let you beat him just because of that), but when he turns around to gloat, you’ve faltered a couple of steps from the bottom. 

A glaze has come over your eyes, no less alarming for its familiarity, and James' heart stutters as you put out a hand, feeling for the handrail. 

“Babe?” James wishes his voice were a little less panicked, but for all he knows you could be about to keel over and fall down the stairs. 

You sit back on the step behind you, your hand slipping down the banister while you hold the other out in front of you as if to placate him. “I’m okay,” you say, though you don’t sound entirely certain yourself. “I just need a second.” 

“Oh, fuck,” Sirius says, coming around the corner. He pushes his hair out of his face. “Baby, again?”

“Sorry,” you mumble, blinking as though to clear a film from your eyes. In the kitchen, James hears Remus sigh, and knows he’s caught onto what’s happened as well. The tap turns on. 

You blink some more, your gaze clearing bit by bit until you’re able to focus on James and Sirius in front of you. You stand, too quickly for James’ liking, and he steps towards you, taking your forearm in one hand and using the other to support your lower back. 

“Take it easy, sweetheart,” he worries as you flounce dismissively down the remaining steps. 

“It’s fine,” you say breezily, “I’m fine. Just got dizzy for a second, sorry.” 

Sirius raises his eyebrows, arms crossing in front of him. They’re all familiar with this act. Anytime you black out like this, you pretend as if it’s a normal part of everyone’s day (or, if you can get away with it, as if it never happened at all) in an attempt to nullify your boyfriends’ worry. “You looked like you went blind,” he says. 

You appear a tiny bit sheepish at that, but it’s gone in a second. “It was a blip.” 

It’s clear you’re campaigning to move on and forget your near-fall and James’ near-cardiac arrest, but no sooner do you round the corner into the kitchen than Remus is standing in front of you. 

He holds your medicine in one hand and a glass of water in the other, and there’s no shortage of judgment in the quirk of his one eyebrow as he passes them to you. James feels for you; if Remus leveled a look like that at him, he might turn to ash on the spot. But you’re braver than he is, so you only flush, downing the pill with a sip of water. 

“Thanks,” you mumble, not quite looking at him. 

Remus hums, taking the glass from you and setting it on the counter. He curls a finger under your jaw and places his thumb on your chin, tilting your head up (Yup, James would be dead. Perished. Six feet under.) until you meet his eyes. 

“You set an alarm on your phone for a reason,” Remus says softly. “Start taking your medicine as soon as it goes off, understand? It’s dangerous when you don’t.” 

You nod mutely, and Remus bends, kissing the highest point of your cheek. 

“Alright, dove.” 

He leaves you there, looking somehow more dazed than when your vision had gone out a minute before, and starts bringing plates to the table. 

“Merlin,” Sirius breathes, he and James watching the scene from near the stairs. “He gets so scared when she doesn’t take them. She’s lucky he didn’t find some way to punish her for forgetting like that.” 

James scoffs, going to help Remus with setting the table. “I think that was her punishment.”

[sincerelybubbles]

hi ! i love your writing! 🫶🏼

i saw you were open for james and the marauders so could you possibly do one where the reader is still a bit shy around pda but james just doesn't give a shit bc he wants to parade her around and love on her? sirius and remus are teasing them and the reader is like "but jamie 🥺 we can't! your friends are here!" 🥺

tyty! 🤍 (feel free to ignore!)

James doesn’t care. He never does—not when it comes to this, to you. He’s never been the kind to hold back, not when he loves something, and he loves you. That much is obvious in the way his fingers press firm against the small of your back, in the way he tilts his head down, eyes burning with something raw, something that makes it impossible to breathe properly.

Sirius’s laughter cuts through the moment, sharp and teasing. "Merlin, Prongs, d’you think you could give us a break? Some of us don’t need to see whatever this is at all hours of the day."

Remus hums, his voice lighter, but no less amused. "She looks like she’s about to bolt, James. Maybe rein it in before you scare her off."

They’re joking, but it doesn’t make the weight of their words any less suffocating. You press your palms against James’s chest, not really pushing, not really resisting, just something to ground yourself. Your voice comes out quieter than you mean it to. "James, we can’t. Your friends are here."

It’s an unspoken plea, a quiet request to let you retreat before the warmth in your chest swells too big to contain. But James doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t let go. His hand slides higher, slow, deliberate, tracing the curve of your spine like he’s memorizing the shape of you. His head dips closer, his voice barely above a murmur.

"I don’t care who’s here."

And you know he means it. You know, because his eyes tell you everything—because when James Potter loves something, he loves it loudly, shamelessly, and completely. There is no halfway with him, no hesitance, no space between wanting and having.

You swallow, glancing away, but he doesn’t let you escape that easily. His fingers find your chin, tilting your face back up to his. "Don’t hide from me," he whispers, and it’s not a command—it’s a plea, softer than anything else about him, edged with something almost fragile.

You want to tell him you’re trying. That it’s not easy, being wanted like this. That it terrifies you, the way he loves so freely, the way he doesn’t seem to question it, not for a second. But James has never been afraid of the things that make his heart beat harder, and for some reason, he refuses to let you be afraid of them either.

Sirius groans, exaggerated. "Prongs, honestly, we get it. You’re obsessed."

James doesn’t even blink. His thumb brushes against your cheek, his lips curve into the smallest, softest smile, and you know—Sirius could go on all day, and it wouldn’t change a thing.

James Potter doesn’t believe in loving quietly.

[allllium]

my head has many headcanons for so many different characters and they're all bumbling around my head at the same time so excuse my little ramble 🙏

Jason Todd who loves to cook - hates ordering take out because he doesn't know how they're making it. Instead he makes whatever craving you might be having. Whether it be something he's made a million times or never before, he'll always prefer putting on music in the kitchen, sitting you on the counter next to him, and dancing around as he cooks.

Simon Riley with a single parent partner - he'll never admit it but he's a little scared of being around your kid but not for the reasons you'd think. Yes he has a fear of being a kids father figure, especially early on in the relationship, but he's more scared of what the kid will do to him. I mean kids are strong and completely unpredictable. The first time you ask him to watch your kid, even for just a minute, he freaks out because the kid will just sit there and stare at him. Like they know something he doesn't. He'll complain to you about your kid staring into his soul and knowing his secrets. It makes you laugh every time.

James Potter who has a problem with poking you - Whether he wins or loses a quidditch game the first thing he does is poke your nose. You don't know why, he doesn't know why but it's become so normal that no one questions it. If he wants your attention he won't call your name or do anything normal, he'll just poke you in the strangest places. Including but not limited to the back of your neck, your side, the side of your leg, or your chest. Just because it's closest to him. And even when you're on the opposite side of the room he still finds a way. He'll use a spell to poke you without touching or put a bunch of straws/sticks together till it's long enough to touch you. You genuinely don't know why.

Lily Evans who has a popular ASMR channel in modern time - whether you're a fan of ASMR or not you're gonna be hearing it a lot and more often than not be involved in it. If you're someone that gets repulsed by ASMR she'll make it her mission to find something you enjoy, just so she can involve you. She claims it's because it's relaxing and an easy way to make money, but you think it's because she likes touching you. Which is why she is constantly playing with your hair and giving random massages.

Remus Lupin who loves to help you get ready every morning - whether you have a set routine or not he's right there with you every step of the way. If you're okay with it he'll even do your skincare or makeup for you, kissing your nose after every step. Some days he does things like help pick out your clothes or paint your nails if you'd like. If you ask him about it he'll always say "Cuz it makes you feel good, I want you to feel as good as possible." Seriously makes my heart melt

[northlt03]

Rick is known to mirror myths a lot (Silena-Clarisse and Patroclus-Achilles, Polyphemus' cave, Hercules' labors, etc) He could and SHOULD have mirrored the Trojan war in HOO.

Let me set the scene. Gaea doesn't pop up until the last couple books. It's easy to be scared of something that is mentioned but not seen, which in my opinion, is why Gaea in the HOO books just wasn't scary enough.

So the antagonists in the first few books are the Giants working under Gaea's orders. Percy is kidnapped by them and given to the Romans in the hope that the Greeks and the Romans will go batshit crazy in a fight and forget all about the prophecy of the seven and destroying Gaea or whatever.

Camp Halfblood is fully ready for war. As soon as they find out (through an oracle or smth idk) that the Romans exist and they have Percy, not even Chiron can stop them. Percy is the hero of the Battle of Manhattan, of course, and the hero mentioned in the last great prophecy. He's like their modern Aristos Achaion.

Meanwhile, the Romans have no clue what's going on. There's this guy he's funny, he has no memories, he just shows up at their wolf goddess and trains and gets sent to them. Cool.

Juno can't stand to see New Rome be attacked. Whether or not they would win is a whole different story. So she plucks Jason from CJ and brings them to the Greeks just for some sort of a balance.

This mirrors the Trojan war in the sense that Troy was a fortified city, so is New Rome with tons of forts and walls. Aeneas' lineage went on to be Remus and Romulus, the founders of Rome. And Helen of Troy was stolen from the Greeks.

Anyway so there's that conflict, but at the same time Camp Halfblood is getting ready to attack, Jason, Piper and Leo get sent on a quest to rescue Hera who has been captured by Porphyrion and Enceladus.

On the way, Jason starts to regain his memory a little bit, though he doesn't know everything yet. He's still super conflicted with everything. A pretty girl thinks they were dating, Leo says they were best friends, Annabeth says the Romans are enemies. But whom should he really believe?

Piper's whole arc through the first book could be about how she's the daughter of the goddess of beauty, she wrongly assumes her fake crush on Jason was her mom's fault. And she's learned so much bad stuff about her mom from myths, she outright rejects feminity and anything remotely girly at first but then slowly she gets to know Aphrodite isn't as bad as some myths make her out to be. Bonding and shit bc why should Poseidon be the only present godly parent?

Leo, meanwhile, has no idea he can essentially fire bend in the first book. His arc could be about discovering his mother's death was his fault, slightly and coming to terms with it with the help of his friends.

Reyna on the Roman's side is freaking out bc Octavian wants to go to war with the Greeks who are close to attacking them, there's a strange dude who keeps trying to pick fights with gods, a horse girl and not to mention monsters won't fucking DIE.

SON trio go on their quest to Alaska to kill Alcyoneus/ release Thanatos and things are getting clearer to them as well. Just when the Greeks are about to attack on CJ, Polybotes and the monsters attack as well. Somehow, both sides end up fighting the monsters together.

They're not friends, but they're not enemies either, bc Percy is reunited with his gf and Jason is returned to his home.

The Roman senate and the Greeks somehow come to the same conclusions- that a quest needs to go to their ancient lands. Over the next few months the work of the Argo II commences.

Things seem smooth for a while. But Gaea grows restless. She poisons Octavian and manipulates him through dreams and stuff like Kronos did to Luke. As is the nature of most Roman emperors, Octavian overthrows Reyna and declares himself the leader of New Rome like his namesake Octavius Caesar. (HAHA! HISTORY PARALLEL BITCHES)

This puts the actual quest on hold bc the seven now need to find the Athena Parthenos to bring together the Greeks and the Romans and to stop Octavian's plan of trying to fuck as much shit up as possible.

Reyna, Nico and say idk, Grover, are the ones to deviate from the quest and bring the statue to USA again. But the Seven are still very much in Europe after rescuing Nico.

Percy and Annabeth fall into Tartarus which helps close the Doors of Death, except this time since Nico isn't there, Hazel has to take on control over ghosts and the dead in the House of Hades and leading up to it. The powers of mist, in my opinion, should have gone to Piper since charmspeaking is a lot like bending the mist verbally.

Piper's arc through the third and fourth book is starting to discover herself and with the help of her mother, figuring out she doesn't like Jason romantically like she thought she did.

Hazel's arc is gaining control over what she once was (dead). She's jealous her dad was there more for Nico than her, but she pushes past it and never lets her anger and grudges get the better of her which is like breaking boundaries for children of Hades/Pluto.

Frank's arc in HOH was really cool, I like that. So no change to that.

Jason, poor guy is still very much confused about everything really. He's used to being the leader, he feels lost in the large group. He has his moments to shine ofc (please take away his excess amounts of head injuries), but he starts to feel inferior, which is where Leo helps him bc the guy knows what that's like.

Anyway, in the absence of Percy and Annabeth, Jason has to take charge. He discovers he doesn't really like it. That's not what he was meant for even though he had greatness thrust upon him at a very young age.

His BOO arc is earlier this time and takes place throughout HOH and BOO. He's content with himself, even if he isn't with anyone. HE'S THE ONE THAT GETS SENT TO OGYGIA!!!

And Calypso eventually does fall for him bc he's smart, nice, and just an overall swell guy. But he helps her to realize that she can be content in herself as well. And he promises her that he'll help her.

Show me Leo, Jason and Percy trying to think of ways of helping the goddess.

In any case. BOO could have been like Iliad pt 2 also known as the Odyssey. It takes them the whole book just to get to Athens. Meanwhile, they've understood that Gaea is the main main villain. She's even raised some of the other primordials against them.

Percy and Annabeth already saw Tartarus, and then there's Oceanus who makes their travel much harder than necessary. Something something about how they get tossed all over the place and somehow manage to gather all the correct ingredients for the potion (i forgot the name lol) on their small adventures in the different places. In the end they finally make it to Athens. Except this time, there's only a few giants there bc they killed the rest before.

Annabeth and Percy are taken hostage, like it happens in the books, but PERCY WILLINGLY GIVES UP HIS BLOOD TO RAISE GAEA RATHER THAN LETTING ANNABETH GET HURT BC OF HIS FATAL FLAW LIKE ATHENA TOLD HIM WOULD HAPPEN EVENTUALLY!!

The Gods DON'T SHOW UP PLEASE!! That was so lameee. Why even do the whole quest if their mommies and daddies were going to show up to help them????

So while Percy and Annabeth are battling the remaining few Giants, Leo, Piper, Hazel and Frank go up against Gaia herself. In the old myths four titans held Ouranos down while Kronos chopped his essence up. In the same way, they battle Gaia away from her turf in the air, keeping her distracted enough. All these demigods are needed because she's a primordial dammit!

Jason, my guy, comes in a clutch, chops her to pieces and sends her essence to Tartarus!!

The world is saved, the end!

[lilacella]

Hello hello I have an angsty idea for you!

Young Sirius and Remus are out on an order mission and are ambushed by death eaters

They fight most of them off, but right before the last one flees, Sirius is hit with a really bad spell of some kind that leaves him v injured

Remus is so shocked and scared and desperate to save Sirius that he's off his game, hands shaky and he can't remember the proper healing spells and is frantically trying to figure out what to do while Sirius bleeds out. His vision is blurry he and can't breathe properly and keeps dropping his wand and just cannot get it together

Other order members eventually find the both of them and at that point, someone has to shove Remus out of the way to help Sirius, and maybe the injuries are now much worse/harder to reverse and Remus has to live with that guilt forever! ❤️

Okay so this has been marinating in my inbox for a bit, I AM SORRY 🦥💕

So, I do love this - absolutely horrible - concept!! Poor Remus fucking up really really badly and feeling like he has failed in the worst possible moment. That would defined give his already tiny ego a big crack 😭

But! Sirius wouldn't let him feel guilty for it. He would be adamant that it wasn't Remus fault and that he should stop "rolling around in his self-pity" and rather practice his stress response so this will not happen again!

So while Sirius has to stay back from missions because he is still recovering and Remus doesn't trust himself to go on one they do just that! They practice!

Obviously they cannot keep cutting Sirius up but they can get a bogart and after what happened it is easy to get it to turn into a very realistically screaming Sirius. Now combine that with the real Sirius who is also screaming at Remus in addition to hurry up (to stress him out further) and you've got a perfect little healing practice scenario!

Needless to say, Remus is a little bit of a shaking crying mess afterwards and to calm him down they cuddle up on the couch (totally platonic of course 😊) and watch a bit of muggle TV to cheer him back up ❤️

[neverenoughmarauders]

We need to talk about Peter Pettigrew - and why he reminds me of Lockhart

Fics about the marauders tend to ignore Peter - and posts trying to advocate for his inclusion tends to argue how valued he was by the marauders, and how he wasn't really that cowardly or slow...

So please, let's take a quick look at canon, because the reality was that he was a bit slow, quite cowardly and at the end of the day, somewhat of a Gilderoy Lockhart (wait, what?) But he was also a trusted and close friend (and all that can be true at once)

Peter was a coward

Peter chose to betray his friends, not because of some deep held resentment or jealousy, but because it was easy and he, the rat, is all about self-preservation. This is what the author has to say on it in an interview:

But then you have Wormtail, who out of cowardice will stand in the shadow of the strongest person. What's very important for me is when Dumbledore says that you have to choose between what is right and what is easy. [Interview]

And this is what he says himself on the matter:

“Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord . . . you have no idea ... he has weapons you can’t imagine. ... I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen. ... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me — “DONT LIE!” bellowed Black. (…) “He — he was taking over everywhere!” gasped Pettigrew. “Wh — what was there to be gained by refusing him?” [POA]

What was there to be gained by refusing him? I absolutely love the reply:

“What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?” said Black, with a terribly fury in his face. “Only innocent lives, Peter!” [POA]

But that tells you the difference between Peter and the rest of the marauders. They all thought they were fighting a losing battle, but for the rest, it was better to die fighting for what was right. And that goes to the core of the next few books, as JKR says in the interview I was just quoting earlier:

This is the setup for the next three books. All of them are going to have to choose, because what is easy is often not right. [Interview]

Peter was their close friend, but it wasn't an equal friendship

It's canon (ish - the wizarding world article on Remus) that Remus forces the friendship initially between James/Sirius and Peter:

Remus, always the underdog’s friend, was kind to short and rather slow Peter Pettigrew, a fellow Gryffindor, whom James and Sirius might not have thought worthy of their attention without Remus’s persuasion.  Soon, these four became inseparable. [Wizarding world]

In other words, they became inseperable - but they wouldn't necessarily have become friends without Remus.

This is what JKR has to say about Sirius and James' relationship:

Pettigrew, who they, in a slightly patronizing way, James and Sirius at least, who they allowed to hang round with them. [Interview]

And of course we see this in the source text:

“How thick are you, Wormtail?” said James impatiently. “You run round with a werewolf once a month — ”

“Put that away, will you?” said Sirius finally, as James made a fine catch and Wormtail let out a cheer. “Before Wormtail wets himself from excitement.”

So... I think it's clear from canon that yes they are being patronising towards him and they don't respect him very much. That doesn't mean they weren't close friends or that they didn't trust him.

We see them in pictures together (OOTP and DH), we know they made him secret keeper, the Wizarding World article on Remus describes the four as 'inseparable' and let's not forget that Rosmerta identified Peter as James and Sirius friend:

“Pettigrew . . . that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?” said Madam Rosmerta. “Hero-worshipped Black and Potter,” said Professor McGonagall.

Peter was a bit slow - but he wasn't as slow as everyone thought he was

Peter is repeatedly noted as being slow - this isn't just some fandom creation:

McGonagall: “Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him." [POA] Voldemort: "Wormtail, I need somebody with brains, somebody whose loyalty has never wavered, and you, unfortunately, fulfill neither requirement" [GOF] James: “How thick are you, Wormtail?” [OOTP]

My favourite comparison is to Lockhart. The plot twist at the end of COS isn't in my view that Lockhart took the glory for other's achievements - we knew he was a talentless thing from the start. We see example after example of what a fake he is. The real plot twist is how dangerous Lockhart really is and how good he is at research and memory spells.

Peter, of course, is good with guidance. He learns to become an animagi thanks to Sirius and James, and he seems to learn some pretty dark magic to blast that street open by Voldemort or his followers; and of course we see him brew that potion with Voldemort's guidance.

Here's a fun comparison between the teachers view of Lockhart and Peter after school (vs in school)

Lockhart: Many of his ex-teachers began to feel that they might have misjudged him because he was demonstrating both bravery and resilience in ridding various far-flung places of dangerous, dark creatures. [Wizarding world] Peter: “Hero-worshipped Black and Potter,” said Professor McGonagall. “Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I — how I regret that now. ...” She sounded as though she had a sudden head cold. [POA]

Both are viewed less than favourably, but both turn out to have more magic and cunning than their teachers and peers thought possible.

Peter and Lockhart are also similar in how they (attempt) to make their escape when they are cornered. Lockhart doesn't try to put up much of a fight with Harry and Ron once Harry has disarmed him, just as Peter doesn't try to fight Sirius and Remus. They are both aware of what they are good at, and what they are not good at (well Lockhart seem to only find this self-awareness when a wand is pointing at him, but never mind).

Lockhart eyes his chance when they find the snake skin, and his ONLY mistake is taking Ron's wand which is broken. Had Ron's wand been okay, that would have been the end of Harry and Ron. We know what Peter does. He surrenders until the full moon comes out and just like Lockhart stumbled upon the present of the snake skin, so did Peter luck out with the moon and Remus' transformation. No broken wand means Peter can escape.

In the end, Harry and Ron underestimated Lockhart, but were saved by a broken wand. James and Sirius underestimated Peter, but were less lucky with the outcome:

"I thought it was the perfect plan … a bluff. … Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they’d use a weak, talentless thing like you." [Sirius in POA]

Pettigrew, who they, in a slightly patronizing way, James and Sirius at least, who they allowed to hang round with them, it turned out that he was a better wizard than they knew. [interview]

[firewolf111]

This time we're projecting onto Remus, so..

Tw: intrusive thoughts, heavy mentions of gore/self mutilation and murder/torture, some mild cussing, and hating oneself/thinking oneself is a bad person for intrusive thoughts.

So be warned.

Remus had gotten used to people hating him and his ideas. It was his normal. He had also gotten used to the usual mentions of "intrusive thoughts" as a joke. He had gotten used to ignoring them. But today has been a bad day and the week had been even worse, so he was on the edge and so close to snapping. Though maybe it was more than just a bad week that had him this way, maybe it was the years of repression and denial. The why doesn't matter, it never seemed like it did. Either way, he ends up here despite it starting like every other day.

Roman: *watching a movie* Now, that's not accurate. An alligator wouldn't be that fast on land.

Logan: Actually, alligators can run decently fast. Some say they can sprint up to 35 miles per hour, though only in brief bursts.

Roman: That's disturbing. Imagine just minding your own business and an alligator comes sprinting at you.

Virgil: Now that's an intrusive thought.

Remus: *without thinking* No, that's not.

And he really should keep his mouth shut, but he wasn't known for his filter. So his bad day and awful week bubble beneath his skin and make its way through his blood and into his lungs. He breathes it and coughs it out for all to see. Maybe it was a long time coming. He had grown tired of drowning in it.

Virgil: *looking over* What was that?

Remus: I said, no, it's not.

Virgil: What's not what?

Remus: That isn't an intrusive thought.

Virgil: *rolling his eyes* Okay, sorry, Mr. thought police.

And normally, Remus would make a joke. Usually, he was good at playing along. He was the big, scary Duke. But right now, he felt more scared than scary. He felt small. He was so tired.

Remus: That isn't an intrusive thought. I wish it was. I wish it was that simple. That easy.

Virgil: *catching on to the seriousness* Woah. You're right. I'm sorry for downplaying intrusive thoughts.

Remus: *growing frustrated* But it's not just you! It's all of you! It's everyone! It's all a joke to everyone. Because to you, I'm nothing but a poorly timed sex joke or a weird fact. But that isn't the half of it! That's what I let out. What little I can release without being thrown away like the garbage fire I am!

Everyone is looking at him now. Some horror, some concern. A weird mix of the two. He hates it. He craves it. He doesn't know.

Roman: Remus-

And it's that tone of voice. That tone he used when they were younger. When Remus would get hurt fighting monsters in the imagination or wake screaming from a nightmare. He hates it. He craves it. He still doesn't fucking know. And it burns and it boils and it builds and builds and he breaks.

Remus: Stop. *It's more a plea than a command, and he wants to take it back. To try again. To undo the entire conversation because it is too open for him*

Janus: *taking a step forward* Remus, listen-

He doesn't, because he is a fire that burns too bright. An explosion waiting to happen. He's a stomach full of gasoline, and he's been choking on matches for a while. He tries to swallow down the smoke, and instead, he lights the blaze.

Remus: No, you listen! Stop trying to silence me! You don't like the things I say? Try being in my brain! Try dealing with them constantly! The thoughts you hear are tame compared to what goes on up there!

And oh, he's crying. He wants to tear out his eyes. To stop the traitorous tears that run down his cheeks. Will they eventually erode his skin? Will the others realize how broken he is and leave? A thousand thoughts. Like always. He never gets a break.

Remus: *dejected* You don't get it.

Janus: Then tell us.

He debates screaming that that had never worked before, but he is tired. So he complies.

Remus: Do you know what it's like to see people talk about their intrusive thoughts? How much it burns when someone makes a joke about it or assumes it's the same as impulsiveness. For fuck's sake, it burns enough when someone explains their intrusive thoughts to be about throwing something at someone or pushing someone.

Remus: *running his hands harshly through his hair* And how fucked up is that? To be jealous of something like that? But I wish my thoughts were just shit like that. Those are tame for me. I feel relieved when my thoughts are those ones.

Remus: But I rarely see people talking about the extreme ones. Is it just me? Because most people don't talk about the vivid images of murdering your family in brutal ways. Of torture methods and having such intense thoughts of using them on someone or doing something worse. Or losing your appetite because all you can think about is how it would feel to throw up your organs into the trash or tear your intestines out of your gut. To stare at your wrist and want to tear out your tendons, fighting the urge to dig into it. I have to be careful when scratching my face near my eye so I don't mindlessly dig my fingernails in because I get the strong urge to just pluck them out!

Remus: And don't get me started on the detailed thoughts that don't just stop on one image. The ones that are so detailed and thought out that it forms a plan in your head. A plan so carefully crafted, you can't help but wonder if you actually want to do it. *he's yanking at his hair now, unsure when he started* I don't. I swear I don't. But I have an entire plan in my head that plays out and I can't stop it. What if I do want to do it? Maybe I am a bad person.

Everyone looks horrified. He's done it. Now they'll kick him out for good because they know the monster he truly is. And yet, when he speaks the final sentence, something shifts. Roman and Janus snap out of it and step forward, already speaking reassurances.

Janus: You can't control your thoughts. They don't make you a bad person.

Roman: Re-no. That's not true

But he isn't listening. He's sinking out with a muttered "I'm a monster." Janus and Roman shout after him. Maybe Virgil does too. Maybe Patton and Logan call out, or maybe they don't. It doesn't matter.

The question isn't who comes find him, or how long or where. The question isn't what they say to him.

The question is: Will he finally find relief?

Because when the enemy is your own mind, that's a hard thing to do.

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Switched Around | Kept

Hello hello! I love your writing so so so much!!! I have a prompt request partially inspired by the Switched Around series for Sanders Sides if you have the time and interest for it! I was thinking about the song Wishin’ and Hopin’ by Dusty Springfield and how that could be applicable to all of the sides trying to do nice things for Roman because they want to date him. At first, Roman and Remus are both oblivious, but Remus catches on first and has a Conversation with the others about “You aren’t being nice to my brother just because you want to date him, right? Right?” Anyways. – anon

Might I request a fic where the sides are soft to Roman? I desire hurt/comfort in these desperate times – anon

Hi so I had a random idea. What if Virgil was weirdly flexible? Maybe he spiraled or something and just taught himself so he could hide somewhere if needed. Just a thought tho thanks!! – anon

Read on Ao3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Warnings: sort of homophobia? kind of? not really? it's hidden under weird purity culture veneers and it's only mentioned in passing

Pairings: prinxiety

Word Count: 4255

Virgil learns three things about Roman.

One: Roman loves to cuddle.

The Imagination has several spots that are basically their own private little rooms, whether they happen to be inside or out. The one Roman has a not-so-secret preference for is tucked up along the side of the coastline below the mesas overlooking the ocean leading to Patton's realm, right on the border between the forest and the beach. Flowering trees and bushes have grown together in a thicket, creating a small overlook of warm, flat stone just above the nesting grounds for the sea dragons. It's large enough that all six of them could sit there comfortably without risk of falling off, but small enough that it covets the right amount of safety for his little dragon.

"C'mere," Virgil murmurs as he eases himself to the ground, holding out his arms, "come sit with me, baby."

Roman sniffles, scrubbing an arm under his nose. He heeds Virgil's instruction and slots himself into the crook of his legs, burying his face in his neck. Virgil closes his eyes and breathes in the warm scent of saltwater, fresh flowers, and Roman's favorite shampoo, rubbing his back.

"Hey," he whispers, "I'm really proud of you, you know that?"

"Why?"

"You stood up for yourself when you were really scared. That's hard to do. God knows I don't make it easy on you."

"You don't," Roman mumbles, prodding his side just to make him yelp. "But…thanks."

The breeze ruffles his hair as he kisses his temple. The sun hasn't quite begun to set yet, but it's low enough in the sky that they're no longer at risk of being cooked alive. Still, he has the presence of mind to shift them slightly into the shadow of an overhanging tree, just so Roman won't be blinded when he looks up. He keeps tracing idle shapes across the space between Roman's shoulder blades, keeps running his hand through Roman's hair. He gets a few more sniffles and shivers for his efforts, but Roman also snuggles against him a little more so he's counting it as a win.

Then he hears a soft growl from over his shoulder and turns to see a curious wolpertinger peering at them from the shadows. Roman goes stiff in his arms and he doesn't hesitate, twisting around and stretching out his leg to tap it lightly on the nose with his foot. It stiffens and squeaks before scampering off.

"Sorry, little dragon, it didn't mean us any harm. Just curious as to who stole its favorite sunbathing spot." He looks back to see Roman staring at him with wide eyes and he can't help the coo that slips from his mouth. "It's okay, baby, we're not hurt, it's not hurt, we're okay."

"How did you do that?"

"Do what? Most of them are harmless, baby, and I didn't do anything hard enough to—"

"How did your leg move like that? Since when are you that flexible?"

Virgil blinks. Oh. Right. He, uh, doesn't really have to do that very often around Roman. Roman, who's currently staring at him like he just grew a third leg as opposed to moved it in a way that he didn't expect.

Only belatedly does he realize that Roman's gone all still and warm in his grip again, and when he blinks, he notices those cute little ears have gone all red at the tips and Roman's looking everywhere but him. He frowns, going to ask what's got him so worked up, only to replay their conversation in his head.

Oh.

Oh.

He can't help the small grin curling up his face, chuckling when Roman catches sight of it and flushes bright pink. As soon as his lip starts to wobble, though, he pulls him right back in and kisses his cheek.

"I know you didn't mean it like that, little dragon, it's okay. 'M sorry, I was just trying to think of the best way to answer you."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, I will, I just—" he sighs, adjusting his grip so they're leaning up against the trunk of a nearby tree— "I don't think I've ever…told someone this before."

His soft admission is enough to jolt Roman from the worst of his flustered state. He sits up a little more, looking at Virgil with a cocked head that definitely does nothing to discourage the puppy allegations Janus keeps throwing at him. Virgil allows himself a moment to internally freak out about how adorable that is before he takes a deep breath.

"Growing up with a strong connection to the Imagination was difficult sometimes. Not just because it was hard to remember what was 'real,' so to speak, but it was really hard to figure out how to turn the 'make stuff' thing off."

"What do you mean, the 'make stuff' thing?"

In response, Virgil reaches a hand up. The branch above them sprouts a new vine, curling down through the air to hover just above Virgil's outstretched fingers. A small red flower blooms at the very end, just large enough for Virgil to tuck behind Roman's ear. Roman watches him with that familiar wide-eyed expression and he can't resist the urge to sweep his fingers across his cheek.

"That's the 'make stuff' thing," he says softly, "the way Patton and I control stuff in here. I've got a pretty good handle on it now, and so does he, but when we were growing up, it was really hard to figure out."

"How does it work?"

"Well, normally I just have to picture what it is I want to appear or happen, but—yeah," he murmurs when Roman goes pale, "I think you can figure out what made that hard growing up."

"Oh, God," Roman whispers, before surging forward to wrap his arms tightly around Virgil's shoulders, "I'm so sorry, it's—it's bad enough when they stay in my head but seeing the things that freak me out appear right in front of me—oh, God, Virgil—"

"Hey, hey, little dragon, it's okay. I'm okay now, see?" He taps the flower and ruffles Roman's hair. "I'm all okay. You're so sweet, baby, but it's okay. We're all okay."

Roman's mouth is still all tight and pinched but he relaxes a little under Virgil's ministrations. He slumps, his head against his shoulder, one hand still curled protectively into the fabric just over Virgil's heart. He tries not to melt at that and fails miserably.

"You're kind of right, though," he murmurs, "it was…hard. And I wasn't the brave and dashing knight you know and love—" he chuckles when Roman lightly smacks his chest— "so I couldn't really fight them off."

"So you had to hide."

He blinks, looking down at the certainty in Roman's voice. Roman looks back, something way too close to understanding flickering behind his eyes. Which does mean that Virgil has to pull him a little closer and kiss his forehead about it, because he is a brave and dashing knight now, thank you very much, and he is more than willing to fight off every single one of Roman's monsters.

"Yeah, I had to hide. And there aren't really convenient hiding lockers and closets like there are in horror movies and stuff, so…had to get good at squeezing into anywhere I could. Or climbing on top of or under the nearest bigger thing."

"Why couldn't you make a place to hide?"

"Because—because—shut up," he mumbles as Roman laughs, "don't bring Janus into this."

"I guess it would look pretty suspicious if a locker just appeared out of nowhere."

"Yeah, see?"

Roman narrows his eyes but lets it go, giving him another squeeze. "Thanks for telling me, Virgil. I…well, you know I get what it's like to be really scared, so…I get it."

"I know you do."

"So, like, how flexible are you?"

This time, Virgil does not let him get away with it, waggling his eyebrows until Roman splutters and shoves at his shoulder. He snags his wrist—gently!—as he goes to pull back, clicking his tongue. "Don't start fights you won't win, little dragon."

"Big talk from a guy who couldn't figure out how to make a convenient hiding place."

Virgil just smirks—not just to hide a way fonder smile that Roman's really comfortable enough to tease him back, finally—and hooks one leg over the arm he's holding, the other around Roman's hips, using his weight to push Roman back until he's splayed out along the rock with Virgil on his hips. He has one hand under his head to cushion the fall—obviously—and the other pins his free wrist to the ground. The cutest squeak leaves Roman's lips as he tries to figure out how they got here, staring up with those big puppy dog eyes that make Virgil want to tease him so bad—

—but Roman's still a little fragile from earlier so he settles for a chuckle and a tilt of his head.

"What was that?"

"You—how—what—Virgil!"

"Yeah, baby?"

Roman struggles a little against the hold but Virgil's got him pretty well and truly stuck—he is careful he's not hurting the poor thing, though, he promised he wouldn't do that, after all—before he subsides with a criminally adorable pout on his face. He chuckles again, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

"I told you, baby, don't start fights you won't win."

"You made your point, lemme go now."

"Hmm…"

"Virgil!" He lets out another cute noise when Virgil can't resist the urge to tickle him just a little bit. "Virgil!"

"Okay, okay, I'm done, I'm done, I promise." He lets Roman out of the hold, immediately sweeping him into another cuddle right up against his chest. "I gotcha, little dragon, you're okay."

Roman grumbles a little but snuggles back under Virgil's chin with a contented sigh. "I like this new method of apologizing."

"Yeah? Does that mean I get to cuddle you all the time?"

"Mhm. Shut up now, no more talking. I wanna take a nap."

"Shutting up, little dragon."

This works out great, because Virgil is also a snuggle monster, which means he now has an excuse to sweep Roman into his arms all the time. Which does come in handy because two…

Two: Roman's really easy to startle.

Now, did he sort of know this already? Yes. Did he take advantage of it sometimes? Also yes. Is he gonna do that anymore?

Only sometimes.

But he keeps his word: he no longer sneaks up behind Roman to scare him and he doesn't loom over Roman's shoulder to startle him. Instead, he'll walk up slowly from the side so Roman has a chance to see him before he gets right next to him, leaning down to call his name or whisper boo before wrapping his arms around him. Roman normally jumps a little and occasionally swats his arm before relaxing into the hold. Then Virgil just climbs onto the couch behind him and holds him like a little dragon teddy bear while Roman rambles about whatever he wants.

Logan's in the living room when he does it once and fully puts down his book to smile fondly at them. "Well, isn't that precious?"

"He is, isn't he?"

Roman swats his leg. "He was talking about both of us, you menace."

Virgil gasps. "You think I'm cute?"

"Oh my God, shut up, Virgil."

"You think I'm cute," he teases, leaning forward to press a smacking kiss to Roman's cheek, just to hear him yelp.

"Virgil!"

"Aw, don't worry, baby, you're still the cutest thing I've ever seen."

Roman grumbles and mumbles as Virgil kisses his shoulder a few more times, a grounding hand on his stomach to help him calm down. When Roman slumps against him, he leans them both against the back of the couch and then remembers that Logan's still smiling at both of them. Only this time, his gaze is only on Virgil and it's very knowing.

Virgil may or may not mouth at him to shut up over Roman's shoulder.

Or when Patton has next pick at movie night and although he picks a Disney movie, he happens to pick one that has a nightmarish sequence involving worshipers of the literal Devil coming to burst into flames to an admittedly impressive score but…yeesh. This is a kid's movie? This is the Disney movie that Patton picked?

(That one…actually makes a little more sense when he thinks about it, but he can't think too much about it without getting a little sad.)

So it's not too much of a surprise when Roman lets out a very quiet oh when the screen goes a dark blue, and then promptly buries his head in the crook of Virgil's neck and hangs on for dear life as the music builds and builds and builds. Virgil immediately squishes them further into the back of the couch, reaching down to snag a free blanket, wrapping it around them under the guise of warming up. Really, he's got a little dragon to snuggle and he'll be damned if he fails at his job.

Roman's so still, so quiet, the only noise the soft panting breaths at Virgil's shoulder. He flinches a little when Virgil's arm moves away to grab the blanket so he leans in to whisper in his ear.

"Hey, little dragon, it's okay. I'm right here, you got me, see?" Blanket wrapped around them both, he shuffles Roman a little closer, tucking a bit of hair back from his face so he can stroke his cheek. "It's okay. You're okay. Just hang onto me."

Roman snuggles gratefully into his hold as a plume of fire engulfs the screen—okay, Virgil might have to have a word with Patton after this—that is, if Logan doesn't get to it first, he can see the glances Logan's been giving Patton for a while now. He can't stop the disapproving huff that leaves his mouth as he turns his attention back to Roman, scratching along his scalp and humming under his breath. Out of the corner of his eye, though, he sees Janus watching them. He glances up with a wordless 'what?'

Janus just rolls his eyes and looks away, like he's offended by something. Virgil frowns, huddling a little more around Roman. Roman manages to watch the last bit of the sequence once the dawn actually arrives and—wait, that's the end? Okay, forget having a conversation with Patton about picking better movies so Roman doesn't get scared, they need to have a conversation about goddamn standards. But that can wait for a time when Roman's feeling better and not still barely trembling in his arms.

"Hey," he whispers as the credits start to roll, "what do you need, little dragon? What can I do?"

"C-can we go watch something stupid so I can sleep?"

"Of course we can. Your room or my room?"

"Mine?"

Virgil smiles, ready to sink out right there with Roman still in his arms, when he catches Janus staring at him pointedly. "I'll be right there, okay? I promise."

Roman nods and sinks out, which gives Virgil precisely no time to figure out what the hell he's done to make Janus stare at him like that before said Janus is sitting right next to him. "You'd better not be doing what I think you're doing."

"What?"

Janus glares at him. "I said, you'd better not be doing what I think you're doing."

"Well, what do you think I'm doing?"

"If you're luring Roman into a false sense of security so you can scare him—"

"Whoa, whoa, what? No, J—he's scared as hell right now, he asked if we can go watch something stupid so he can sleep. I'm not gonna do shit right now, what the fuck?"

Janus visibly relaxes, tugging on his gloves. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to accuse you."

"Kinda sounds like you did, J."

"Yes, and I'm sorry for that. I suppose I'm…caught off guard by the movie as much as Roman was."

"Believe me," Virgil mutters, glancing at the conversation happening between Logan, Patton, and Remus right now, "you're not the only one."

"I'm glad Roman has you to rely on," Janus says quietly, "now go, make sure he can sleep."

Virgil tips him a lazy salute before sinking out, knocking on Roman's door. Roman opens it with a shy smile and all his previous irritation melts away before he can even remember that it was there. And if he's a little extra affectionate as they watch something that night, well, he's only making sure he lives up to Janus's expectations.

Which leads him neatly to three: Roman has a very protective older brother.

He's not quite sure how he ended up in Remus's room with Remus glaring at him like he just ruined his stuffed Kraken, but here he is.

"Don't even fucking think of lying to me," Remus growls, voice as deathly serious as Virgil's ever heard it, "you got that?"

"Yeah, Remus, I got it."

"Good. Now: what the fuck are you doing with my brother?"

"What? I'm not doing anything with Roman!"

"Bullshit." Remus gets up and stalks over to him, prodding him in the chest. "You've been acting all mushy-gushy with him for ages. And he's falling for it. So I'll ask you again: what the fuck are you doing with Roman?"

"God, is Logan gonna interrogate me next? I'm being nice to Roman because he deserves someone being nice to him. He's my friend, Remus!"

"But you want him to be more."

That shuts Virgil up. Because that's true, but technically he and Roman are already working on that part. The thing is, they've agreed that they're not telling anyone that yet.

Unfortunately, Remus takes his silence the wrong way.

"You're fucking unbelievable," he snarls, "are you stringing my brother along for some sick entertainment? Is that all he is to you, one of your fucking stories?"

"Hey, hang on—"

"Or are you only being nice to him 'cause you wanna get in his pants? Is he a prize to you? You gonna dump him and break his heart as soon as you—"

"Shut the hell up, Remus," Virgil growls, finally pushing himself to his feet. "I know you like to think you know everything, but you have no idea what the fuck you're talking about. No, I'm not just being nice to Roman to string him along, no, I'm not just trying to sleep with Roman and then break his heart, and no, I'm not treating the person I love like a game! And for the record, the reason I'm not answering you is because I'm trying to respect his boundaries!"

He stops, panting from the force of his outburst. Remus is staring at him, eyes wide.

(Not as cute as Roman, part of him whispers, but enough for there to be a family resemblance.)

"You love him?"

Ah.

Shit.

He did say that, didn't he?

"Yeah," he says, because he's not going to lie to Remus, he gave his word, "I really do, Remus. Not a joke, not a game, just…yeah. I'm not going to hurt him."

"You'd better fucking not," but it's more of a playful threat now, and Virgil can't help the relieved smile. "Or else I will get Patton to kill you in the worst way possible."

"I swear on my honor."

"Yeah, yeah, your honor."

"Remus, I'll put you in a headlock, I swear."

"On what, your honor?"

And it probably would've continued from there, had there not come a timid knock at Remus's door, followed by a heartbreaking sniffle of: "Re?"

Remus sobers instantly, darting to the door and yanking it open to reveal a teary and sniffly Roman. He catches sight of Virgil and draws up short.

"Oh, baby, what happened?"

"Y-you're busy," Roman stutters, "I'll—I'll just g—"

"You're not going anywhere." Remus pulls him inside and shuts the door. "Who do I need to kill? What happened, Ro?"

"I'm—I—" he won't stop glancing at Virgil— "I'm not—I don't—"

"Do you need me to go, little dragon?"

"No!" Roman grabs his arm. "Please, please don't go, I'm sorry, I just—"

"Whoa, hey, hey, baby." He pulls Roman into a cuddle, slipping Roman's shaking hands around his neck. "You got me, sweetheart, see? 'M right here, cutie, I'm not going anywhere."

Roman sniffles again, weakly clutching Virgil's collar. He leans down to kiss his forehead.

"You gotta cry some of this out first, Princey, or you good to talk to us first?"

"Can—I can talk."

"Okay. You gonna let me hold onto you while you do it? I'll turn you 'round so you can talk to Remus, just hold onto you 'round your waist, okay? Yeah?" Virgil takes Roman's hands and gives him a little spin, wrapping his arms tightly around Roman's middle and pressing him against his chest. Roman grabs onto his sleeve with one hand, the other still wiping the tears from his face. Virgil hooks his chin over his shoulder and closes his eyes. "There we go, little dragon, you're safe."

He catches a glimpse of the approval in Remus's gaze before it switches fully to concern as he grabs Roman's free hand. "What happened, Roro?"

"P-Patton told me we needed—needed to talk. An'-an'-an' I didn't know what—what about, and he said that I've—that we've—that Virgil's—"

"That Virgil's what, Roro?"

Roman's stomach hitches so badly Virgil has to smooth his hand over it, shushing him lightly. "He said that we've been too—too vulgar."

Something dark and furious sprouts in Virgil's chest. Vulgar? What, cuddling and chaste kisses are vulgar now?

"You've been what? Unless I've missed something, I don't think you've been anything other than tooth-rottingly sweet to each other. Which is its own thing, but we'll talk about that later. No, Ro-Bro," Remus says, reaching up to cup Roman's cheeks in his hands, "you and Virgil aren't being vulgar or anything like that."

"H-he kept saying we were being inappropriate and that we—that we knew better and that we shouldn't be—"

Remus gently cuts Roman off by covering his mouth. "Listen to me, Ro, I'm being 100% honest right now: there is nothing wrong with the way you and Virgil have been acting. Cuddling is fine, him kissing your forehead or your cheek is fine, you getting comfort from him when you're scared is fine."

"He's right," Virgil murmurs, "don't listen to Patton, not about this. We're not being vulgar."

Roman mumbles something behind Remus's hand and Remus takes it away. Roman sniffles. "P-promise?"

"Yeah, Roro, I swear. Virgil swears too. On his honor."

Virgil rolls his eyes but kisses Roman's temple anyway. "I promise you, Princey. We've…I know we've talked about this."

"Wait, you have?"

Roman's still sniffling, but he manages to summon up a bit of snark. "Yeah, Re. We talk about stuff."

"Shh, it's okay," Virgil soothes, "your brother's just being protective."

"I told you it wasn't any of your business!"

"You're my brother, that makes it my business. Especially when your soon-to-be-suitor starts dropping the 'L' word."

"Wait, what?"

Virgil glares at Remus, who just grins at him. He sighs, letting Roman turn around to look at him. And when he sees that hopeful little face looking up at him with tears still shining on his cheeks and his little red nose…fuck, what is he supposed to do, not melt?

"Well, I didn't want the first time I told you to be right after your brother gave me a terrible shovel talk and you've been crying," he says softly, "but…yeah, Roman. I love you. So much, little dragon. And you don't have to say anything, you don't have to—"

"I love you too."

And yeah, that's a kill shot. Virgil's gone. Too cute. He's passed away from too much adorableness. And he's smiling like an idiot and Remus is snickering at him but he is just gonna lean down and kiss Roman's cheek before he spontaneously combusts.

"Is that what I look like when I get all red?" Roman mumbles.

"Nah. You're still cuter."

"Shut up."

"Alright, that's enough being sweet in my room," Remus announces, "now, you two go frolic in the nice part of the Imagination while Logan and I go have a nice chat with Patton."

Which…maybe he should be fearing for Patton's safety? A little bit? But he's too preoccupied right now.

Oh, right. Virgil actually learns four things.

Four: Roman loves him too.

General Taglist: @frxgprince@potereregina@gattonero17@iamhereforthegayshit@thefingergunsgirl@awkwardandanxiousfander@creative-lampd-liberties@djpurple3@winterswrandomness@sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes@iminyourfandom@bullet-tothefeels@full-of-roman-angst-trash  @ask-elsalvador @ramdomthingsfrommymind@demoniccheese83@pattonsandershugs@el-does-photography@princeanxious@firefinch-ember@fandomssaremysoul@im-an-anxious-wreck@crazy-multifandomfangirl @punk-academian-witch@enby-ralsei@unicornssunflowersandstuff@wildhorsewolf @thetruthaboutthesun @stubbornness-and-spite @princedarkandstormv  @your-local-fookin-deadmeme @angels-and-dreams@averykedavra @a-ghostlight-for-roman @treasurechestininterweb @cricketanne @queerly-fluid-fan @compactdiscdraws@cecil-but-gayer@i-am-overly-complicated@annytheseal@alias290@tranquil-space-ninja @arxticandy @mychemically-imbalanced-romance@whyiask@crows-ace @emilythezeldafan@frida0043 @ieatspinalcords @snowyfires@cyanide-violence@oonagh2@xxpanic-at-the-everywherexx@rabbitsartcorner @percy-07734@triflingassailantofmyemotions @virgil-sanders-the-gay-emo@cerulean-watermelon@puffed-up-bees@meltheromanstan@joyrose-fandomer@insanitori@mavenmush@justablah65@10paradox10@uhhh-hi-there-i-am-nervous@cutebisexualmess@bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti@ultrageekygirl@raven1508

[wizardingworldlibrary]

Polyamory Slash Masterlist

A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love (ao3) - R33sesPieces Sirius/Remus/James E, 22k

Summary: When Sirius Black bumps into his favourite Omega camboy at a work event, it doesn’t go even remotely as he expects. He smells wrong, for one thing. For another, he has a partner Sirius didn’t anticipate. But when Sirius snags an invite home with him anyway, what else is a lonely Alpha to do?

Aim For My Heart (ao3) - tackytiger Draco/Harry/Ron M, 3k

Summary: Harry's in love, Ron's in control, and Draco just wants a nice lunch. They say three's a crowd, but Harry doesn't always agree. Not when he gets to be in the middle, anyway.

In which Harry's in love with Ron, and Harry's in love with Draco, but they're not all in love with each other. Not yet, anyway.

Bullying? No, Terrible Flirting (ao3) - bearwithmeasitryandfinishthings James/Tom/Snape G, 13k

Summary: (James unwillingly develops a crush on the two most studious, socially separated Slytherins in his year)

Devilish Romance (ao3) - Madriddler Draco/Harry, Draco/Harry/Blaise, Sirius/Remus E, 81k

Summary: Harry Potter, a warlock on the crux of his sixteenth birthday, is both excited and scared to become a full member of his coven. With more feminine interests than his peers, Harry is scared of being mocked and ridiculed, both for his interest, and being The Coward’s Son. Raised by his Uncles Sirius and Remus, Harry finds an unlikely friendship in fellow warlock Draco Malfoy, who has huge aspirations for both him and Harry: summoning a demon, and binding him to their service. They just wasn’t expecting on summoning the Son of the Devil

don't wanna be the bad guy anymore (ao3) - badgerinbloom Draco/Goyle/Blaise G, 980

Summary: Blaise, Draco and Goyle get split up during the battle, and when they find each other again, Draco realizes that he doesn't want to fight Voldemort's fight anymore.

Electric Light (ao3) - orphan_account Draco/Harry/Neville E, 18k

Summary: His gloves are from last year and the left one has a small tear in the charmed leather that he has to keep out of sight of Professor Sprout, who would go into a whole lecture on health and safety if she saw it, and then insist he wore a pair from the lost and found bucket in the corner of her mouldy old office.

Finding What's Missing (ao3) - SumthinClever Draco/Neville/Blaise M, 9k

Summary: Blaise goes missing and throws Draco's life into a tailspin. Neville is the lead Auror on the case, and he helps Draco find himself just as much as he is on the hunt for Blaise.

Will something develop between Draco and Neville? And what will happen when Blaise returns?

In Between Ley Lines (ao3) - Aeliius Orion/Abraxas/Harry M, 68k

Summary: His magical education had missed many things. Ley Lines, he learned, one of the most important of them.

The past was confusing and foreign, and the war awaiting him threatened to destroy all that he had built in it.

Love wasn't easy, living was outright hard. Good thing Harry Potter didn't know how to give up.

Never Too Careful (ao3) - DrSalazar2U Sirius/Albus/Gellert E, 100k

Summary: "So that, when my mother died, and I was left the responsibility of a damaged sister and a wayward brother, I returned to my village in anger and bitterness. Trapped and wasted, I thought! And then, of course,

he came..." (HP&DH; 716)

Gellert presents a life changing opportunity to discover more about the powerful and dangerous Deathly Hallows while also learning so much more about the power and danger inside himself.

Personal Heaven (ao3) - LennyDark Sirius/James/Snape E, 223k

Summary: Professor Dumbledore is tired of James and Severus fighting 24/7. So he has planned the ultimate summer punishment for them, but is it really a punishment.

Promises in the Dark (ao3) - tryslora Neville/Harry/Ron E, 2k

Summary: Six pints into the evening, the alumni of the Gryffindor boys’ dorm make a bet, and Harry gets much more than he bargained for on his way to trying to win it.

Small Comforts (ao3) - keyflight790 Neville/Draco/Harry E, 3k

Summary: A slice of life in this beautiful triad.

This Fever (ao3) - gracerene Seamus/Neville/Harry/Dean/Ron E, 6k

Summary: A chance encounter opens up a world of discovery for Harry.

Triad Trials (ao3) - Misty Shadowbrook (Dagger_Stiletto) Draco/Harry/Snape N/R, 3k

Summary: Draco can feel their happy world starting to crumble, but he and Severus are determined to keep their love afloat, no matter what it is that's trying to destroy them.

Unconventional Relationships (ao3) - Vorabiza (Biza) Lucius/Harry/Blaise E, 23k

Summary: Harry has always stood out from the norm, and his relationships with Lucius and Blaise are no different.

we’ll win together, you and i (ao3) - sadie18 (orphan_account) Marcus/Percy/Oliver N/R, 16k

Summary: the ministry meddles in the young lives of the sixth and seventh years, and the sorting hat as sorted percy, oliver and marcus into the same bed.

it turns out just fine, if they had anything to say about it.

[rr-shattered-memory]

You go to speak but Roman shuffles past you, "I'll clean this up, I made the mess."

He leaves the fort.

"Wait wait wait!" you rush after him stepping on a piece of the glass, "oh ffffu- ah whatever" you shrug and continue on following him to the kitchen, your foot trailing blood after you.

"I have so many questions!"

Roman looks at you with a pained expression, "I don't know how much I can answer you."

You cross your arms with a huff, "well I think I deserve to know things about my life."

Roman looks down avoiding eye contact.

>Probably shouldn't push him any more...

Nah uhn Bitch Boy I'm not backing out this time.

"It's about time I'm told-"

"Are you bleeding!?" Roman cuts you off.

"Yeah yeah I've got glass in my foot, that's besides the point!"

"Remus, we need to fix that" he says worried.

"No we don't, it's just a little blood."

"It's pooling! that's not a little!"

"I don't even feel it" you wave off his concerns.

"That's even more concerning!"

"Fine, give me answers and you can do something about it" you insist.

"I'll tell you what you want to know while I'm cleaning you up!"

You squint at him.

"I promise."

"Deal" you turn and limp-march to the bathroom, Roman follows closely.

"Sit on the toilet" Roman instructs and you do as he says.

He rummages through the cabinets and drawers for things, "what do you want to know?"

He doesn't sound enthusiastic about this.

>This is a bad idea, maybe I should just change the subject.

Not happening dickbutt.

"I'll start easy on ya" you say with a smirk, "gonna ease it in for ya."

"How altruistic of you" Roman deadpans as he sets a number of items on the counter, "set your leg up on the stool for me" he says pushing said stool towards you.

You prop your leg up, "do you an Janny always argue so hard?"

Roman breathes in as he wets a cloth, "not as much anymore - we don't spend enough time around each other to get that far."

"Anymore?"

Roman is quiet trying to choose his words, "in the... beginning we'd be at each other's throats almost constantly and it would get in the middle of our good times so we just, stopped being around each other as much as possible."

He starts to wipe down your bloody foot gingerly, cloth in one hand tweezers in the other - he plucks shards and wipes in a pattern, "I got all the glass" he says putting three shards in the trash.

"Did he really do those things you said he did, cause that's kinda fucked up in a maybe flattering way" you ask as he washes the cloth out.

Roman sneers, "yeah he has - more than once, but again it was mostly in the beginning."

Wonder what he means by beginning, beginning of what?

"He just doesn't like you huh?"

Roman wipes away the fresh bleeding with the damp warm cloth and holds it there with pressure, "no... he's justified to be honest" his voice is low as he confesses that.

"That's stupid" you blurt.

Roman looks up at you, "you can't say that with certainty."

"Just did, will again" you say very matter of fact like.

"You don't have all the information."

"Yeah well that's not my fault" you say to him as you have said multiple times before, "I didn't choose this."

Roman sighs, "I know I know - is there something else?" he asks.

He seems a little more at ease with the questions, maybe cause they've mostly been centered on his relationship with Janus.

>Stopping here would be safe, we don't want to scare him off.

I'm not doing that.

"Are you actually jealous of him?"

This question stills his frame, his hand squeezes your foot a little tighter.

"I mean I wouldn't put it past you, I'm great."

Remus, perhaps you should back down now.

"I-" Roman begins slowly, "I don't know..."

Seriously, you shouldn't press anymore.

"What don't you know?"

So you're going to ignore me when you said you'd listen - I understand you want answers but this is not the right time.

"All these years I honestly thought you two were an item" he admits.

"How?" you snort out a laugh.

"How wouldn't I? the pet names, the soft touches, the fierce protectiveness - you always talk about him and what you do together - every conversation has Janus in it."

"We have different rooms, and I don't need memories to know that talking about someone who you live with and are best friends with is probably normal."

"You have a good point on that second part" he smirks at you.

"And not the first?"

"No offense brother, but have you noticed that you're a little bit gross and he has a cleanliness thing - I have no doubt he'd want his own room, besides you don't need to share a room if you're together."

"I'll give you that one, I am pretty nasty" you accentuate with wiggling eyebrows.

He chuckles, checks your wound and wipes a little bit more, "you're not gushing anymore, I'll wrap this up."

He goes to the counter, deposits the cloth in the sink full of sudsy water and takes an antibiotic tube and bandages.

"So, you were jealous because you thought we were together - but why would you be jealous?"

He hesitates, "for the reason you said in your theory."

That doesn't sound very truthful - I'll get it out of him eventually.

"Yeah sure but, what'd he mean by 'a little too much?' it was very pointed."

Roman's brow furrows with genuine confusion as he slathers your gash, bandaids and wraps your foot up.

"I don't actually know..."

There's definitely more to that sentence.

First Save Start.

Second Save Start.

Third Save Start.

Fourth Save Start.

Previous.

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Taglist: @light-me-on-pyre

[gilmore-angel]

MERRY SWIFTMAS !!

for christmas this year I wanted to try to FINALLY get back into writing!! so on the days listed below, I will be posting fics based on taylor swift songs set in winter with some of my favorite characters from many different fandoms! now I can't guarantee that I'll always be able to post them on time since I'm a student and I have a job, but I'll definitely try lol💋

navigation🦢🥂☃️🧸🧣🎅

December 1st

teardrops on my guitar with Ellie Williams !!

summary ♱ your best friend ellie can't seem to understand that she's tearing your poor heart apart.

December 4th

you belong with me with Steve Harrington !!

summary ♱ you love Steve, but he must be stupid if he doesn't realize you two are meant to be together.

December 7th

back to december with James Potter !!

summary ♱ James can be overwhelming with his love, and in a want for freedom, you gave away the best thing you had.

December 10th

everything has changed with Aaron Hotchner !!

summary ♱ working at a daycare has its perks, a big one being a certain single dad.

December 13th

i know places with Helaena Targaryen !!

summary ♱ eyes are constantly on princess helaena and you, her lady-in-waiting. but you know places they don't.

December 16th

gorgeous with Aemond Targaryen !!

summary ♱ prince aemond makes you want to scream. he's polite, intelligent, and oh so handsome, and you hate every bit of it.

December 19th

i think he knows with Remus Lupin !!

summary ♱ you're pretty sure you've made it obvious enough to your friend-with-benifits that you're ready for something more.

December 22nd

exile with Joel Miller !!

summary ♱ after months and months of an unhappy relationship you finally leave, but Joel doesn't see how you could do this to him.

December 25th

tolerate it with Eddie Munson !!

summary ♱ Eddie's musical success has seemed to make him forget to appreciate the person who helped him get there.

December 28th

the great war with Aegon Targaryen !!

summary ♱ aegon has never made your relationship easy, but the best things in life are hard.

December 31st

christmas tree farm with Nancy Wheeler !!

summary ♱ a cozy winter day with your girlfriend.

tagging some moots cus I'm scared this will flop😶

@imabee-oralizard @sweetercalypso @dizzyntrr @heartmorgue @takecareluv @fclklqre @jacevelaryonswife @ghostlyfleur @evermoreal

[dufferpuffer]

I know people have a problem with bookworm!remus because he only is seen reading one book in canon (even though I don’t think that’s a fair reason to completely dismiss that hc) but I often think about the fact that for all of his childhood before hogwarts he literally didn’t have any friends and couldn’t even really interact with other kids, if that’s his situation it makes a lot of sense to be giving him hobbies like being interested in movies (though I don’t think he’d have easy access to them given the whole wizard thing), music and books. I mean it’s very common for lonely children to take interest in books because it’s a way to live in another world where characters can give you comfort, I really don’t think it’s a stretch to hc Remus as a bookworm. I also recognize that the pushback might be coming from frustrations with fanon in general, as fanon Lupin apparently doesn’t look much like canon Lupin (I wouldn’t really know I don’t really interact with that side of the fandom) but still I feel like it might be misdirected anger.

Oh! Oh oh! I LOVE bookworm Remus! I love 'does little crafts' Remus! Baby Remus reading books and colouring in and staying inside all the time - because he can't go make friends with the other kids - and they are scared of his scars, anyway!

I LOVE 'Remus that has a soft spot for fiction'! He doesn't' get to have friends growing up, he doesn't get to have many friends as an ADULT - and he is always acting a role... why not those roles be based on characters in the many books he has read? Plus books are cheap, easy to carry and easy to replace.

'Learned how to cook and clean muggle-style because he was at home with a sickly mother and wanted to help scrub the rental property before they had to move again' Remus!

I have a HC that he grew up with music and the radio I find it hard to believe they would carry a TV with them from house to house when they need to move so often - maybe a small black and white? Ha, baby Remus watching Dr Who in the 60s... It's a shame the 3rd Doctor started when Remus was going off to Hogwarts - I think he would have liked him...

I don't know if there is a backlash on bookworm Remus as much as there is on smart Remus. Like... smartest of the bunch Remus. Because thats just not true - and isn't how he is as an adult, either. He really isn't that studious or... idk... research-y...? Albus and Severus are pushing the boundaries of magical knowledge in the fields they are interested in. Sirius and James were child genius' doing the near-impossible. Remus... doesn't do that. He is specifically excluded from that.

But Remus isn't DUMB. He knows his stuff. We DO see him with his nose in a book, and I think that MEANS something. It just doesn't have to mean much. "Remus likes books" Or "Remus studies even when outside"

But it will always be hilarious how the text goes "James and Sirius were INCREDIBLY smart and RIDICULOUSLY talented, doing things that were basically impossible" And yet people go "Remus was the brains. He read... a book"