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“Dee!!” Remus popped up in their common room, rushing in front of the couch with his hands behind his back and bouncing on his toes.
Deceit looked up from his book, looking at the other curiously.
“Yes?”
“You have to guess~~.”
“Oh I’m guessing am I? What exactly am I guessing?”
“What I’m holding right now.” he says, grinning.
“Is it living?” He wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t. Actually, he was expecting it to be.
“Maybe….? Who knows.” He giggles,
“You I hope.” He didn’t, he was sure.
“Well….” Remus’ voice droned off.
“How surprising, you do. Is it… a snake?"
"Close, but no."
That was a bit of a relief then, he wasn’t keen on seeing a dead snake.
"A worm?”
“Ha, I wish! All slimy, worming it’s way around.”
“A lizard?”
“Nope.” He popped the p, still grinning.
He rolled his eyes but had the hint of a smile on his face. “Do I at least get a hint?”
“Well, it has something to do with worms…”
“Dirt?” What could he have gotten him that was related to worms?
“No, silly, a little higher.”
“Plants?”
“Higher.”
He sighs, mind not coming up with anything that could apply.
“You’ve got me, I have no idea.”
He brought his hands out from behind him and gently tossed whatever it was onto Deceits lap.
“A gift!”
“Oh.” He closed his book, putting it on the end table and picking up the gift. He brought it close to his face, tongue flickering out as he inspected it. A dead bird, how… him.
“Did you wake up early to catch this?” He looked up at the other, something soft in his voice.
He winked. “Only for you~~.”
He snorted, amused. “And here I was thinking Virgil was the cat, clearly I must have been wrong. But still, thank you. I’m, quite sure of what I’ll do with this.” He wasn’t, but, maybe his snakes would like it.
“Yay!” He smiles, clearly pleased. “I’m really glad you liked it, it wasn’t easy to catch that. Especially with Roman around in the imagination.”
“A real game of cat and mouse then? I don’t suppose he ever saw you?” It would make for a fun story if he did. One filled with dramatics and taunts and more than a bit of cursing.
“Nope. Last time he caught me in his side of imagination, he pulled a sword on me. A sword.” He sat down on the couch, right beside Deceit and close enough that they were touching. “I mean, who does that?”
He put the bird on top of his book, glad that it wasn’t really bleeding, that would be a pain to get out. “Clearly not him. And you, although, same weapons.”
“Well, I’m also more stylish while doing it. But anyway, what were you reading? Something juicy maybe?” He waggled his eyebrows.
“Oh absolutely. It’s called The Rangers Apprentice.”
“Ooooh, never heard of it, what’s it about?”
“Well, this orphan gets chosen for an apprenticeship by this a man named Halt to become a ranger. They’re basically the FBI of their world. Anyway, the big plot point of this book is this lord who tried to overtake the kingdom some 15 years before has been working on a sort of revenge and try again. A very fun read so far."
"Hmm, interesting… Hey Dee?” demus slumped against his arm.
“Hm?”
“…could you read it for me…?”
“Of course not. Shall I start at the beginning?”
“Yea.”
“Alright.” He gently moved the bird off the book and picked it up again, opening it to the first page. “Morgarath, lord of the mountains of rain and night, former baron of Gorlan in the kingdom of Araluen, looked out over his bleak, rainswept domain…”
After a chapter or two Remus began to drift off, mind quieter as he focused on the calm drone of Deceits voice.
Deceit continued for about 3 chapters more before he stopped, slowly placing the book back on the table and looking down at Remus who was fast asleep, head in his lap. He smiled softly and ran a hand through the others hair, glad at the trust the other exhibited towards him. The warm sparkly feeling in his chest that came from their interactions was just a bonus.
He was tempted, oh so sorely tempted to just stay like this, but it was late, and he himself needed to sleep. Also, as warm as Remus was, he was beginning to get chilly.
Gently, he lifted up Remus’ head before standing up himself. He reached under the other, picking him up bridal style and carrying him to his room. Once inside he pulled open the covers and placed him down. After making sure he was comfy he slowly pulled the covers back up, not wanting to wake the other. When that was done he moved to leave but, he hesitated. The urge to just, kiss him on the forehead making him freeze. Well, that and the fact he didn’t really want to be alone, to leave Remus.
But then, he didn’t exactly have a history of getting what he wanted now did he.
He sighed softly, eyes tracing the others face, and finally turned to leave. He walked a few steps before he stopped, hearing Remus mumbling his name.
He turned back around, something almost like guilt tugging at his heart. He must have been too rough.
“Did I wake you?”
“I… no, not really. It’s just, the thoughts… Could you maybe stay for a bit? …..I don’t want to be alone right now….”
His heart skipped a beat, that fluttery feeling in his chest building again. “I mean, if I must.”
He walked towards the bed, stopping in front of it as he thought for a bit how he would get on, deciding on just climbing over Remus. It was kind of awkward but it worked.
“…thanks…”
He hummed an affirmation. “Now sleep, you totally don’t need to.”
From his right he heard Remus mumble something, but it was incoherent enough that he assumed he was already falling back to sleep.
He slowly got comfortable, switching his clothes into something more comfortable and pulling the covers over him as much as he could. If he inched a bit closer to Remus in the process, well, it was simply because Remus was so warm, and you could hardly blame him, it was in his nature to seek out warmth! That was definitely the reason, not because he wanted to be close to the other or anything, definitely not. He didn’t do that.
A few minutes passed and he could feel himself begin to drift off into that sweet haze of sleep, and then that was so rudely interrupted by none other than Remus himself.
He twisted, turned around, and grabbed Deceit, pulling him close and hugging him like a teddy bear.
It was unexpected, certainly, but he couldn’t find it in himself to pull away. Hell, it was taking everything in him not to curl up into the embrace even more.
A few minutes later he gave up whatever pretenses he had about such a thing and did exactly that. He wonders, has he ever felt so warm before? Both inside and out? He thinks there was, before. Before the split, before they were cast out, but that was then and oh so long ago, and this was now. He supposed it doesn’t really matter, he’d cherish this moment for as long as he could remember it.