Work Text:
Sirius was not looking forward to an entire summer spent with his family. He had hoped to convince his parents to let him stay with the Potter’s but instead he had been dragged along to the resort town of Sanremo in Italy to suffer alongside his brother as his parents tortured the locals with their overly specific demands. While normally he would have been thrilled to spend a summer somewhere other than London he wished he was doing it at James’ side rather than with his parents. James was in Paris with his parents this summer, and Sirius had grumbled about how Paris was utterly wasted on him since he was already with Lily. James had retorted that Italian women were supposed to be absolutely beautiful but Sirius didn’t speak much Italian and all his French was going to go to waste!
Instead of a summer spent flirting, now that the last of his baby fat and voice changes were gone, he envisioned a summer spent by the pool hearing Regulus whoop and yell as he splashed about. Regulus still managed to cling to childhood on vacations like this. At least if mother and father were not around. Regulus, however, was very much mother’s favorite and did stay in line. Meaning all their swimming would be confined to the resort pool and not the sea. It seemed like a bit of a waste to build a pool when the sea was right there but posh rich brats were always spoiled. Sirius knew this fact well.
Sirius heaved a long suffering sigh as he followed Regulus out onto the sunny patio that housed the pool. Regulus was already getting them two sun chairs and Sirius winced slightly as there was not a cloud in the sky. The Italian sun was going to have its way with him. He predicted he would be unfortunately red by the end of the day. He smelled like sunscreen and sweat and the stale air of the plane still seemed to cling to him despite his morning shower. He settled himself down on the plush poolside chair as Regulus stripped off his shirt and headed towards the pool, diving in flawlessly. Why his brother wanted to spend time at the pool was beyond Sirius. Regulus already was a competitive swimmer back at school and he was always in the water. What a waste to come all the way to Italy just to swim more laps.
Sirius himself would much rather be wandering the streets, practicing his rudimentary Italian, and picking up souvenirs for James and Peter. He imagined long days spent doing nothing but looking stunning as he walked around the seaside town, his hair all windswept and majestic, making everyone fall for him. Instead he was going to be bright red and burnt before that ever happened.
Suddenly a bit of shade fell on him and he looked up in surprise to see someone setting up an umbrella beside his seat. The other boy was tall and dressed casually, though he must have been a resort worker since he handled the pool umbrella with practiced ease.
“Grazie.” Sirius said quickly, sitting up slightly as the pool boy just turned to go.
The boy turned and gave him a little nod and the barest of smiles and said something in Italian that went right over Sirius’ head.
Sirius watched the boy walk around the pool, picking up a net on the way, and easily skimming the early morning debris off the surface.
The boy was tall and tan and had a mop of brown curls on the top of his head which were partially bleached to a honey color from the sun. He was wearing a loose cream linen shirt and bright red shorts that barely covered his thighs at all. His legs were incredibly long and he walked barefoot with a surety around the edge of the pool, head down and focused on his job. He made Sirius' mouth go dry in a funny sort of way. He looked like some holy apparition with the sunlight shining off his golden tanned skin and catching like a crown in his curls. He carried himself with poise and purpose and his lips were set perfectly firm and steady. This boy knew who he was and Sirius was exceptionally envious of it.
Sirius suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable in his own skin. He had dressed in black swim trunks this morning, with a white vest thrown over his chest, and designer sunglasses on his face. It was just as simple an outfit as the other boy was wearing except now Sirius felt like somehow he himself was trying too hard and looked like a posh tosser. He shoved the sunglasses up into his hair and tried to relax. There was no need to be getting all intimidated by this handsome local. Regulus was going to be doing laps for a while, he couldn’t stay tense the whole time. Besides, Sirius figured if his looks didn’t beat out the other boy, then at least his money did. Would girls argue with that? Not that this was in any way a competition with the pretty pool boy, he was just being ridiculous.
His eyes kept straying to the pool boy though. He felt like he couldn’t look away from him for some reason, and he couldn’t figure out why. He’d finished skimming the pool and was now crouched and adjusting something by the edge of it. His nose was big and crooked from this angle, maybe it had been broken before? Who would punch someone like this? It didn’t detract a bit from how handsome he was though, and that thought lodged itself in Sirius’ brain.
Sirius knew he needed to stop staring and so he tugged out the book that he had been planning to read at the poolside while Regulus did his laps. He opened up to his spot but he couldn’t focus. He kept sliding his eyes up to long tan legs and honey curls. He was completely distracted. What finally broke him from his reverie was his younger brother hauling out of the pool and padding over to flop onto the pool chair beside him.
When he glanced up again, to look for the pool boy, he was gone. He didn’t leave Sirius' mind though, not one bit. He kept thinking about his careful grace and how perhaps he was happy to be here rather than in Paris. Those two thoughts seemed to be linked in his brain though he was sure there was no connection there at all. None at all.
---
That night, and several others afterwards, he tossed and turned in his bed, images of the boy flashing through his mind. It was a bit unsettling to lay there, sticky with sweat, and unable to stop thinking about the way the boy had walked or gripped the pool skimmer. What was wrong with him? He didn’t even have that big of an interaction with him. He’d said something, but the language barrier had kept Sirius from understanding it at all. He hadn’t even tried to see if the other boy spoke English or could talk slower so Sirius’ rudimentary Italian could keep up.
As it was he spent an utterly sleepless first week and emerged from the resort in the mornings feeling bewildered and set on edge. This morning he stepped out into Sanremo alone, feeling like his thoughts last night were chasing after him. His legs carried him to the sea in a bid to escape the pool, which he visited every day like a pilgrim of devotion, and the glorious suntanned Saint that cleaned it.
He found the sunrise instead, just shining up over the lip of the sea and casting the day into light. The light danced across the waves, illuminating the white sand beaches and the bright colorful houses of Sanremo. He watched as the sun rose and evened out its tone. The sea was calm today and Sirius was sure a bunch of eager tourists would soon be flocking to throw themselves into its cool embrace. It was going to be another hot one, the mugginess in the air was already growing, settled slightly by the breeze blowing off the sea. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes to breathe in the salty fresh air. How his mother hated the sea he would never know.
“Ciao.” He heard a warm and morning rough voice beside him and he started from his reverie and looked over.
“Ciao.” He said back instinctively, though his mouth had gone dry.
Today the boy wore no shirt at all, just another pair of those small red shorts. He had a bag slung casually on his shoulder and a towel tucked under one arm. It seemed Sirius was not the only one who had decided to escape the confines of the pool and had sought the sea. Sirius rubbed his hand on his jean shorts and offered it to the other boy, fumbling terribly through a basic introduction.
“Ah, um. Mi chiamo Sirius” He said, sighing slightly when the boy gripped his hand.
“Remus.”
The boy rolled the name off his accented tongue in a way that made Sirius’ thighs quiver for some damn reason. He gripped his hand and shook it before dropping it when the boy smirked at him knowingly. Remus seemed to see right through him and seemed to understand why the hell Sirius was dry mouthed far more than Sirius did himself.
“Passeggia con me?” Remus said, pointing down the beach.
Sirius stared at him blankly. He had heard some of those words before and he understood vaguely, but the first word was giving him trouble. Remus had mercy on him then, a benevolent saint, and laughed.
“Walk with me.” Remus said, in English this time. His accent was heavy but the words were understandable and Sirius grinned knowing that at least they had basic communication.
“Sure.” He said easily, shrugging happily. His mouth split into an eager and wide smile. “Si!”
Remus snorted and rolled his eyes. “Si si” He said, and Sirius got the feeling he was slightly mocking Sirius’ limited Italian. That was fine. To be mocked was to be noticed and to be noticed by this tall tan boy was...more than enough.
Remus started down the beach, his long legs carrying him several steps ahead of Sirius. The sun was already blazing and the heat was settling along Sirius’ shoulders. Remus’ bareback stretched in front of Sirius’ eyes in a new and tantalizing way and he found himself admiring the way the planes of muscles moved and how the rising morning light graced his skin. Maybe he was a touch jealous of the other boy’s body. Sirius had been working on his muscles with James but they didn’t look nearly as lean and defined as Remus’.
Remus was leading them away from the main beaches which were set up with a myriad of lounge chairs and umbrellas that could be rented out by tourists for the day. Instead he was leading Sirius towards the end of the white sand beaches and Sirius was surprised when his new friend clambered up onto some large dark rocks at the edge of the beach. Sirius wasn’t used to doing things like this. Sometimes he and James would go on adventures, of course, but they were mostly confined to the city of London. Adventuring about in nature was completely foreign to Sirius and he found himself slipping and tripping on the rocks. When he got to the top with Remus, his new friend was bent over laughing.
“Ah, povero bambino!” Remus was saying and Sirius gave a rueful grin and shrugged. He didn’t know what that meant which only sent Remus into further amused laughter, definitely at Sirius’ expense. Remus defeated his giggles and gestured at Sirius’ legs.
“You are short and clumsy.” He informed him.
Sirius effected a gasp and gestured to Remus’ own legs. “We can’t all be giraffes!”
Remus snorted and repeated the word “Giraffe” But it sounded much more lovely rolling from his tongue, all the vowels and consonants changed entirely to Sirius’ ears. A hymnal to a language that was much more holy when dripping from the lips of Remus.
He found himself blushing and he rubbed at his cheek. Was he getting heat stroke already or something?
Remus had pity on him, not saying anything more before starting down the other side of the rocks. Suddenly Sirius found that they were on a small private beach. It had more rocks and pebbles than the tourist beaches, and perhaps that's why nobody came here, but it was secluded and quiet. There was evidence that other people came here, but for right now they had it to themselves. The beach stretched in a small U shape and butted up against rolling greenery on the other side. The top edge of it was lined with olive trees and bright yellow flowers that were blowing in the sea breeze. The water somehow seemed an even brighter blue in this small cove, verging almost on a teal green that Sirius had thought was only in movies. He wiggled his toes in the sand and pebbles and looked about in awe. This was the smallest little slice of heaven, wasn’t it?
Remus had claimed a spot in the center of the small beach and was chattering in Italian as he spread out his towel and dropped his bag beside it, but now his tongue was moving so fast that Sirius couldn’t keep up with what he was saying at all. He raised his hands and laughed.
“Slow. Please?” He begged and Remus shot him a look and muttered something else in Italian.
“Sei fortunato ad essere carino.”
“See I don’t know what that means either.” Sirius said with a sigh. “Should have taken more Italian classes, huh?”
“Si.”
“You absolutely understand English, don’t you?”
Remus put his hands on his hips and tilted his head. There was the smallest of smiles on his lips and Sirius felt quite sure the other boy was messing with him.
“Maybe.” Remus said
Sirius grinned back at him and crossed his arms. “Okay, well then maybe I am just pretending to not know Italian.” He said cockily.
Remus raised one eyebrow and then spouted off a ton of rapid Italian that had Sirius’ head spinning with both the speed and the musicality of it. Ah, he was blushing again. He raised his hands in defeat.
“Alright alright. I admit it. I am rubbish with Italian. I only know how to say my name and order wine for the table at dinner.”
Remus laughed again, “That is all you need.” He said with a teasing wink.
“Your English is really good though.”
Remus scoffed, “Tourists won’t learn our language, so we learn theirs.”
Sirius flushed again, feeling a bit bad that he had indeed come all the way here to partake in the city without bothering to learn much Italian. Remus seemed to sense this and shook his head.
“Sit.” He said instead, sitting down on his towel and making room for Sirius. He pulled things from his bag then, a tin of strawberries and several loose apricots, two large bottles of sparkling water. He tossed one of the apricots to Sirius and then bit into his own, the juice dripping down his chin in a way that had Sirius briefly entranced.
Sirius bit into his own apricot but rather than affecting the causal suaveness that Remus exuded, the juice shot straight up into his nose and left him spluttering and rubbing at it. Remus kindly didn’t laugh at him this time, just grinned in his direction. It was a wolfish sort of smile, higher on one side than the other, and it made something hot and curious pool in Sirius’ stomach. He found his eyes lingering on Remus’ juice slick mouth long after the smile had stopped.
The apricot tasted different when sitting by the seaside almost bumping shoulders with this Italian boy he had only just met. Sirius thought about how his parents were probably just waking up now, sitting down to a fancy breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Walburga would be dressed for the parties of London society rather than the beaches of Sanremo. Orion would be reading an English paper rather than the local Italian news. Regulus would be with them as well, probably utterly pissed at Sirius for ditching him. After breakfast they would probably go on a tour of the local Olive tree groves, sample wine at a tasting, and generally be hoity toity and boring . Sitting here beside a local enjoying a simple breakfast of water and fruit seemed to be the best possible breakfast Sirius could hope for.
Remus finished his apricot and flicked the pit towards the sea. He pressed a strawberry to his lips then and Sirius was fixated on the way the juice briefly strained those lips red like the Campari his mother liked to have after dinners at the bar.
Remus looked over at him and his eyes looked bright and eager and glinting in the sunlight. Sirius knew he was staring. Remus stood smoothly then and Sirius lifted his eyes, feeling like a humble servant sitting before this sun kissed god.
“Come swim.” Remus said simply and Sirius scrambled to his feet with a nod.
He tugged off his shirt, dropping it in the sand, only to lift his eyes to find Remus shimmying out of those red shorts. Suddenly the Italian boy was nude, his shorts tossed on the towel. Remus stretched his long tan body upwards towards the heavens, clearly loosening up his muscles. All of him was tan and long and lovely. Sirius must have made a noise of surprise because Remus gave him a look.
“It's fine here.” He said simply. “Not on the other side of the rocks. But here, it is fine. Besides, I don’t want tan lines.”
Sirius couldn’t argue with that. As someone with skin far paler than Remus’ he knew well how a bad tan line could persistently stick around. He still remembered the fateful summer that James had, unbeknownst to him, drawn a smiley face on his back with sunscreen, dooming him to an entire year of teasing whenever his shirt was off.
So, not wanting to stick out as the silly prudish English boy that he most definitely still was, he tugged his shorts and boxers down as well. Remus was already starting down towards the water and Sirius found himself once again admiring the easy poise with which the other boy walked. He wasn’t a bit shy to be naked to the world. He didn’t glanced towards the rocks or the cliffs above like Sirius did.
The long planes of his back tapered to a slim waist and an ass that was round and just as tanned as the rest of him. Sirius couldn’t look at Remus without feeling a stirring in him that had him startled beyond belief. To quell this stirring he broke into a run, passing Remus with a loud whoop, and crashing headlong into the surf. He heard laughter behind him and then his friend was right at his side. Both boys fought the exhaustion of running in water until they both were deep enough to sink under.
Sirius felt the refreshing but shocking cold of the sea wash over him and luckily it stilled whatever weird feelings he was having. He burst backup then and smiled over at Remus. Remus’s curls were plastered against his forehead now but he still looked effortlessly handsome.
“Andiamo!” He said before beginning to swim away from Sirius easily, his long legs carrying him away.
Sirius was used to swimming. He swam laps in solidarity plenty with Regulus. He considered himself a decent and strong swimmer. He couldn’t really keep up with Remus though and his view of the other boy was mostly his arms rising gracefully from the tea water and plunging back in.
“Remus!” Sirius yelled, stopping to tread water. They were far out from shore now. “Where are we going?”
Remus managed to hear him and turned around and pointed towards a strip of grey out in the sea. “The rocks! Breakers! Come on, pretty boy!”
Sirius felt a shock of adrenaline leap through him at that and he had no choice to commit himself to this pilgrimage. Saint Remus decreed, and so he must follow. He started to swim again, trying not to think about how deep the sea was beneath him. Despite his depths he could see well down to the bottom; pale sand and lines of dark debris and rocks. Occasionally there would be the silver glint of fish or a waving patch of kelp. The deeper they got the colder it got as well. His thighs were burning and his arms were jello and he was starting to wonder whether he could probably swim this or if he was going to die here, sunk beneath the turquoise waves. Walburga would have a field day in his eulogy, waxing on and on about how Regulus would have made the swim flawlessly.
Sirius glanced up to ascertain how much further he had to go, just in time to see Remus bracing his arms against the first dark rock and heaving his body upwards. The sea water rained down from Remus’ shoulders and traveled in rivers down his back and over his bottom. Sirius briefly floundered, sinking beneath the water and coming back up with a splutter. A hand was there then, brown and insistent, and he grabbed onto it. Remus helped pull him up and steadied him with capable hands and an easy smile.
“Attento.” Remus murmured. “Careful. Are you okay?”
Sirius nodded, taking a few heaving breaths. Remus’ hands, despite having done the same cold swim as Sirius, were warm on his shoulders. Sirius shivered from the touch and Remus moved his hands down his arms in an attempt to warm him up.
“Why are we here?” Sirius said, trying to grasp at something other than the way the other boy’s hands felt on his skin.
They were standing on a long line of black rocks that seemed to stretch across the entire mouth of the harbor. On one side he could look back and see all of Sanremo spread behind them, a colorful town of yellows and oranges nestled in a swath of green and rimmed with cream sand. On the other side of the rocks was the sea. It was wild on that side, all roaring waves and deep dark blue. None of the crystalline teal that marked the coves of Sanremo. It was raw power and Sirius was a bit intimidated by it.
Remus wasn’t. Remus easily hopped across the rocks, barely looking as his long legs easily carried him over to a flat and slightly slanted one. Sirius followed much more timidly. He hopped down to join his friend and Remus stretched out on his back, lifting his arms above his head. The plane of his stomach tugged upwards and his cock flopped against his thigh and he looked radiant.
“Best place on the island to get a nice tan.” Remus cracked a golden eye open. “You need one.”
Sirius looked at Remus in disbelief then and burst into laughter. His legs were shaking from the swim, he was exhausted beyond belief, and all this because he was pale? He sat down beside Remus and shook his head.
“What was the plan if I drowned?” He asked, smiling down at him.
“Hmmmm no plan. Knew you would make it.”
Sirius leaned over him a bit. Remus’s eyes were closed. “Oh? How come? You’ve been watching me swim then?”
Remus’ eyes opened and Sirius regretted the way he was hanging over him. He couldn’t breathe now. Remus’ eyes were a deep brown but close like this he could see there was just as much sunkissed gold in them as there was in his hair. Sirius’ mouth was dry again and he blamed it on the long swim.
“Sei una bella vista” Remus' voice was a light soft whisper, almost drowned out by the noise of the sea.
Sirius dared to dip slightly closer. “What does that mean?” He asked, though he thought he knew.
“You’re a good view.” Remus said coyly.
Sirius swallowed past the strange lump in his throat. “Sei un bello, uh...view. As well. You are too. A good view, I mean. Fuck.”
Remus laughed then, bumping their faces together in his joy over Sirius utterly butchering what would have been a golden moment. Sirius didn’t mind though. It meant that Remus’ nose was against his cheek and his laughter was ringing in his ear. He felt a bit dizzy from it all. That feeling was back again, the tight and coiling thing in his stomach, the warmth in his chest. His breath kept catching in funny ways and he realized his bare cock was slightly hard. He pulled back from Remus but seeing the happy bright smile on the other boy’s face was just as devastating. He should have been embarrassed or confused, but right at that moment he wasn’t. What was there to fear? Together they had already conquered the sea. Sanremo was at their back, a mile distant, and they were alone out here together.
Sirius leaned forward and kissed Remus. Remus responded easily, propping himself up on his elbows to kiss Sirius back. Remus tasted like apricot and strawberries and the salt of the sea. His hand tangled and tugged on Sirius’ hair and Sirius responded with a gasp, opening his mouth further. Remus devoured him, taking charge of the kiss and shifting slightly so it was Sirius whose back was pressed against the black sun hot rock. Remus' hand slipped down to his shoulder, holding him there, and who was Sirius to deny him?
Then Remus’ lips lifted off his own and Sirius wondered if he looked as kiss drunk as Remus looked. His lips were puffed up and there was a flush high on his cheeks, framed by salt mused curls.
“Merda.” Sirius whispered.
Remus looked at him in surprise and then clasped a hand over his swollen lips and burst into more laughter at Sirius’ expense.
“You know nothing but you speak swear words?” Remus asked between laughs.
Sirius propped himself up on his hands and grinned, tilting his head to the side and hoping that his hair fell dramatically like in movies. Probably not, it was stiff with salt.
“I told you, Remus, I only know the important things.”
Remus rolled his eyes and shoved lightly at his chest. “Stupid silly boy.”
Sirius bobbed his head in agreement. “Oh absolutely! I followed a madman out to the rocks and I’m still not sure if I can swim back.” He winked. “You might need to do mouth to mouth with me when we get back.”
“Bad line.” Remus retorted.
“Can’t help it if you make me speechless, Remus.”
“Oh, if only I did.” Remus said lightly before leaning in to kiss him again.
They didn’t talk much after that, spending the time out on the rocks kissing instead. Sirius, who had only had a few fumbling kisses with girls before, found that kissing a boy was much more enjoyable. Knowing his parents couldn’t get to him here definitely helped in his confidence levels as well. He didn’t try to pull away from Remus’ eager administrations and he dared to try a few things out himself, knowing he got something right when Remus would let out a sigh or, bless, a moan.
It couldn’t have been hours, but it felt like it, until Sirius was laying with his eyes closed and his head lolling against Remus’ warm shoulder. He could smell the musk from Remus’ armpit as well as the slightly fishy smell of the rock. It should have been gross but it wasn’t. Nothing could seemingly touch this lovely floating happiness he felt.
He was gay.
Why hadn’t he seen that earlier in life? It made sense now. His pursuing after women with James had always been a bit performative. A goofy bit that he played along with his friend. Really that had changed when James had started dating Lily. Sirius hadn’t been so keen to josh around with his best mate about finding himself a girl. It had felt too real then and Sirius hadn’t really known what to look for in a girl. They were nice, and pretty, but he really hadn’t ever had much luck kissing them. Mary McDonald had let him feel up her breasts last summer, and that had been fine and all, but it certainly had been more fun to get the riotous pride of all his best mates clapping him on the back when he had told them the story.
He’d always thought James was handsome too, and he told his best mate that, but he had thought maybe all best friends were like that. James told him he was handsome too, though more jokingly and such. Sirius had found other boys attractive before too but he had assumed that was a bit of jealousy on his part. He was envious of boys who got to do what they liked with their fashion and their bodies. It had taken him years to grow his hair before Walburga had given up. Now he was wondering if that wasn’t just jealousy at all. He hadn’t wanted to be those boys. He had wanted to kiss them.
He shifted his head now and carefully kissed at Remus’ neck. He’d already figured out he liked that and he’d left a trail of hickies along the tan column.
“Cane cattivo.” Remus said, poking a finger into Sirius’ forehead and wiggling away.
Sirius wiggled after him, wrapping his arms around his waist. “What does that mean?”
“Bad dog.” Remus said wryly. Sirius huffed and turned on his very best puppy dog eyes. The sort of eyes that always broke James Potter. They didn’t seem to have quite the same effect on Remus, but the other boy did turn in his arms and plant a kiss on nose. Good enough.
Remus stretched then and Sirius had the pleasure of feeling his back pull taunt beneath his fingers. He was left breathless at the sensation. Remus rolled from his arms and stood, offering a hand down to Sirius. Sirius thought it was more appropriate to stay kneeling at this saintly boy’s feet, but he allowed himself to be pulled up. As he was he felt the sting and tug of his own taunt skin and he groaned as he realized he was incredibly sunburnt.
He looked down at his red thighs and let out a whine. “I didn’t put sunscreen there. Can you get a burnt dick?”
Remus laughed, shoving at him. “Come on. Let's get you back. Aloe will help.”
Sirius followed Remus back along the rocks, now not a bit shy in watching the other boy move. Why had he been denying himself the pleasure of admiring that ass all morning? He needed to make up for lost time now. Remus looked even better than before now, with all those hickies on his neck. Sirius stumbled as he wondered briefly if Remus was intending to be the one to apply the aloe. His brain short circuited and was revived just in time to see Remus effortlessly diving from one of the taller breaker rocks and into the sea.
Right. Focus. Sirius scrambled up to the rock and prepared to jump in. He stopped briefly though, looking into the clear water that showed the depths below. He could see fish flitting about in the rocks down there and a long silvery barracuda hunting after them. He could see starfish and sea urchins clinging to the rocks as well. The sea was teeming with life and he was properly scared to jump into it.
“Sirius!” He heard his name called by Remus for the first time and it sent delightful shivers all through his body. He looked up to see Remus treading water, his long legs flashing under the surface. “Jump!”
Sirius had to follow. He jumped, crashing down into the sea with a shock of cold. After sunning on the rocks the cold sea washed over his skin with a bit of a sting. He kicked away swimming as he remembered the teethy barracuda somewhere below him. He caught up to Remus and this time they swam together. Remus had to be slowing his own pace to match with Sirius. Their arms rose together in synchronicity and precision. It was something he was used to doing with Regulus, matching his brother stroke for stroke to help him train. This was more intimate though. He and Remus breathed towards each other. Stroke, stroke, stroke, breath. During the breath he caught flashes of Remus’s face, heard his own ragged breathing, and he felt connected to him in that swim.
Much quicker than the first swim he found himself back at the beach, stumbling out after Remus who barely managed to seem winded. He stumbled slightly and Remus wrapped a sturdy arm about his waist and Sirius supposed it wasn’t so bad to be weak right now. He followed Remus back to the towel and chugged down half of the sparkling water when it was given to him.
Remus sat down beside him and drank his own water. Sirius put the cap back on his and leaned over to kiss at Remus’ neck again. Remus snorted and pushed him away and waggled a finger at him sternly.
“Slow, Sirius.”
Sirius sighed and flopped onto his back. It wasn’t his fault he was having his sexual awakening and now only wanted to kiss pretty boys. That was entirely the fault of the pretty boy beside him! Remus eventually finished his water and then turned to rummage in his bag. He pulled out a thing of aloe and squirted it without warning on Sirius’ stomach. It was cold and Sirius flinched out of instinct.
“Rub that.” Remus informed him. Sirius blushed but complied, rubbing the aloe into his fevered skin and pointedly not looking at Remus. He needed to survive this day.
“Sirius.” His name was whispered and he glanced up to find that Remus was right there.
“Remus.” He whispered back with quiet adoration before Remus was leaning back in to kiss him again. He sighed against his lips and gripped his arm with an aloe covered hand.
Sirius was more nervous kissing on the beach than he had been before though and he pulled back sooner than he would have liked. Remus reached out a hand and pressed back his dark curls from his face.
“Come to the bonfire with me tonight?” Remus asked. “Its locals mostly but some tourists always tend to wander in. You can be my date.”
Sirius' breath left him and he stared back at him. “Won’t people mind?”
Remus leaned in and planted a very small kiss on his lips. “No, bello, they will not mind. Not with me.”
Sirius nodded then, still a bit nervous but eager to explore this new part of him. He’d always been rash and over zealous. His parents hated that about him but he thought it made life interesting. Who cared that he had only just figured out he liked boys? He was ready to flaunt it. He grinned and shot Remus a wink.
“Si.”
---
Hours later found Sirius half asleep by the fire, but unwilling to close his eyes entirely on the most wondrous day of his life. He had a loose grip on a beer and currently his eyes were trained on Remus who was across the fire dancing to some Italian song that Sirius didn’t know. His friend had a drink in one hand and his other hand was up in the air as he shimmied his hips to the beat with a group of other Italian teens.
The firelight danced along the planes of Remus’ skin making him appear like a golden idol in the night. Everything about him had Sirius ready to drop and worship at his feet for all remaining days. He was still in those bright red shorts and he’d pulled a loose fitting shirt at some point. His feet managed to move so gracefully even in the sand and he never spilled a drop of the wine in his hands.
Remus glanced up as the song ended, his chest heaving, and their eyes met. Remus was around the fire in an instant, dragging Sirius back upright.
“I can’t keep up!” Sirius protested as another driving dance song came on. His words didn’t seem to matter to Remus who already had an arm about his waist and was starting to dance again already.
“Do I need you to remind you we swam all day?” Sirius shouted above the music. Remus laughed and leaned in to kiss him.
“Il Ragazzo elegante non sa ballare?” Another Italian girl shouted over at Remus. Remus threw back his head and howled with laughter before pulling Sirius’ hips closer and sticking out his tongue to his friend.
“What did she say?” Sirius asked, leaning down to Remus’ ear.
Remus smirked and turned his face into Sirius’ neck and pressed a kiss there. “She says pretty rich boys like you can’t dance.” He said, his voice all teasing and sultry.
Sirius felt a fire ignite in him then. He was not sure if it was from the insult or from the way Remus’s voice tingled against his skin. Either way he was determined to end this night with a bang. He let his beer fall from his hand onto the sand below before he wrapped an arm around Remus’ waist and pulled him into the circle of dancers. He heard Remus’ friends around them let out wolf whistles and whoops, but Sirius only had eyes for Remus as the beat of the music pounded through his veins. It matched with the beat of his feet on the sand, the beat of Remus’ heart against his own chest, and the very rhythm and breath of Sanremo around them both. Sirius leaned forward and met Remus’ lips with his own and thought that it was a rather wondrous thing to discover yourself.
He thought about his day with Remus and how Remus had seemed to know what everything was going to come to. The two water bottles, the knowing smile, and the aloe that would have never been needed by Remus himself. It was as if the other boy had known before waking that he would steal Sirius away from the world and ravish him out on the sea rocks. Perhaps he did know that. There was something wise in his brown eyes, hidden behind honey lashes. Something laughing and timeless and blessed. Something that had known Sirius needed to be dragged far away into the safe embrace of the sea and the sunshine before he was ever going to come to his senses.
His senses now were Remus. Their lips and their body locked in tandem. The music of Remus’ language thrumming through his ears. The feeling of those red shorts under his grasping hands. The taste of wine and apricot on his tongue. There was something holy about Sanremo, about Remus, and Sirius intended to devote himself fully to both for the entire summer.
There you can shine like a star
There's a place for you whoever you are