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Sirius was running through the forest, chasing after a large ginger cat with wiry-looking fur. When he looked down, he could see large, shaggy black paws beating against the ground with each step, and he could hear his panting breath. In his brief distraction he had lost sight of the cat, to his disappointment and annoyance, so he slowed his run to something a little more relaxed. A clearing opened up in front of him, and suddenly he was at the edge of the lake. He stepped up to the edge of it, looking at his reflection in the dark, calm water, and he saw the face of a large dog staring back at him. He was happily surprised - he loved dogs. Much better than being a bear. As he stared into the water, it began to ripple, though there was no wind to stir it. Sirius squinted at it in confusion as the movement increased, but he could feel the dream slipping away. Sirius felt annoyance prickle at the recesses of his mind. Not this again.
Sirius was standing in a vaguely familiar room. It wasn’t his dormitory, but it looked very similar. Maybe the girls’ dormitory, or one of the other houses? He couldn’t be sure. A girl walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body as she used a smaller towel to wring water from her dark hair. His eyes seemed to focus on the rivulet of water that was running from her shoulder down her chest and disappearing under the towel. He - well, his dream self - seemed to be getting very aroused by the sight of this girl. She seemed familiar to Sirius, but he couldn’t quite remember her name.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, though the soft smile playing at the corner of her mouth said she was not at all upset about the intruder.
“I…”
“What’s the matter, something leaving you speechless?” the girl teased, taking a few steps closer.
“If you had this beautiful a view, you’d be speechless too,” Sirius heard himself reply, still frustrated by his inability to place his soulmate’s voice. It shouldn’t be so hard, this school wasn’t that big.
Sirius rolled his eyes, but the girl laughed, seemingly pleased by his comment. Though Sirius supposed this was a dream, so it would be weird if she didn’t like it. She took a few steps closer, now only a foot away, within arms reach if only he would make a move. She was close enough now for her features to be clear and Sirius felt her name click in his mind. Emmeline Vance. She was a hufflepuff girl in the year above them.
“Well, are you just going to look?” Emmeline invited, and it was all Sirius’ dream-self needed to move forward, his hands finding her waist as she slid her arms around his neck.
He kissed her passionately, and Sirius felt like groaning - in a very different way than his dream-self was currently moaning. Emmeline’s towel had fallen away and she was tugging his shirt off, and Sirius had a pretty good idea exactly where this was going, and he most definitely did not want to be along for the ride. But Emmeline was walking him backward towards one of the beds, pushing him lightly so he fell backwards onto the soft golden quilt. Sirius got a good look at her imagined body and felt the arousal tugging at his dream-self, and then she was climbing onto the bed, straddling his lap.
And then, mercifully, his alarm went off. Sirius blinked his eyes open and sat bolt upright, thoroughly disturbed by his dreams. He was going to need to get that image out of his mind, hopefully forever. Vaulting out of bed, Sirius grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and threw them on, noting as he looked around that his dormmates were still sleeping. If he was fast, he could probably get in a good run before breakfast. He shoved his uniform in a bag so he could use the locker room showers and then quietly departed from the dormitory.
His run - about 3.5 miles - was good, but it failed to erase the images of the night from his mind. It would likely take a lot more than just a run to make him forget about that. Frustratingly. Even in the shower, he tried to picture something else, anything else, that would be pleasurable for him, but every time his mind started to drift in that direction, flashes of the dream would return to him, completely spoiling the mood. Eventually, Sirius gave up, washed himself off, and got out of the shower. He dried himself off, ruffling the towel over his dark curls - he absolutely was not reminded of the way Emmeline dried her hair in the dream - and patting his skin dry. Sirius pulled on his grey uniform and tied the crimson tie around his throat in a neat half-windsor. Rolling his neck to get out the cricks, he made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast, his mood beyond foul.
Sirius stalked into the hall with a dark expression on his face and slammed his body into his usual seat across from James and Remus. Peter was still in the infirmary with the flu, so his seat was empty, though a few seats down, Marlene threw him a dirty look for making such an entrance.
“I have a major problem,” Sirius said dramatically, looking at his two friends.
“Shoot,” James answered, well accustomed to his best friend’s dramatics, as he continued to eat his scrambled eggs.
“My soulmate had a sex dream last night,” Sirius blurted out.
Remus spewed orange juice over the table in his surprise, but James just grinned.
“Well was it anyone good?” James asked. “Maybe that guy from the movie you liked, what was his name?”
“It was not Dylan O’Brien,” Sirius answered, lowering his voice to share his horrific revelation. “It was Emmeline Vance .”
James couldn’t help but burst out laughing, clutching at his stomach with one hand as he rocked backward in his seat.
“Shut up!” Sirius hissed. “It is not a laughing matter!”
His stern expression only made his friend laugh harder, until Sirius landed a hard kick against James’ shin, which had him sobering up quickly.
“Alright, alright,” James surrendered, struggling to suppress his grin. “So what’s the problem exactly?”
“You don’t see the problem that my soulmate is having sex dreams about girls ?” Sirius pointed out.
James shrugged, taking another large forkful of egg. “Maybe he likes both.”
“But what if he’s in love with her?” Sirius asked, scandalized.
“Well, I guess he’ll get over it,” James said, glancing over at Remus quickly.
“Honestly, I don’t even know what he sees in her,” Sirius pouted, stabbing his sausages viciously. “I guess she’s sort of pretty, if you squint.”
“Jealousy is ugly on you, mate,” James observed, looking at Sirius with a knowing expression. “Besides, she’s got a rockin’ body and she’s super smart. Every preppy boy’s dream.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Sirius scoffed. “Every preppy boy wants a punk boyfriend.”
James snorted at that but otherwise didn’t say anything.
“It was a nightmare, James, honestly” Sirius continued, shuddering at the memory. “I mean, having him be all over her… it’s just wrong! It’s an abomination! I mean, how would you feel if it was your soulmate dreaming about getting it on with someone else?”
“If Lily was dreaming about doing it with Emmeline Vance, I would be so on board with that,” James joked, though his eyes did get a little glazed over as if he were imagining it, and Sirius wanted to slap him.
“You don’t know that Lily is your soulmate,” he snapped, irritated.
“Well if it’s not Lily, I’m gonna fling myself off the roof, so let’s hope it is,” he joked again, his smile letting them know that he wasn’t at all serious about it.
“You two are useless and I’ve just acquired an enemy for life,” Sirius huffed, standing up and grabbing his belongings. “Nobody stands between me and my man!”
“Where are you going?” James called out as Sirius stalked off.
“To class!”
James watched as Sirius left the hall and then turned to Remus with a knowing expression.
“You’re awfully quiet,” he said, his eyes narrowing accusingly. “Have any interesting dreams last night?”
“I…” Remus started, though he couldn’t seem to find any other words. His cheeks flushed an even brighter pink than they had been, confirming James’ suspicions.
“You forget that I know about your little crush,” James interrupted, but his expression softened into brotherly affection and reassurance. “Did you know that it was him?”
“No,” Remus whispered, shaking his head. “I wondered, maybe even hoped a little bit, but I didn’t think it actually could be him.”
“You should tell him.”
“Are you nuts?” Remus asked incredulously. “He’s furious with me!”
“Yeah, but only because it’s the abstract concept of you,” James shrugged. “If he knew it was actually you, he’d be better. Especially if you tell him the whole thing about hoping it was him. That would really help.”
Remus smiled slightly, tentatively, worry still knotting his stomach.
“Hey, you know that just because the universe has designated you as soulmates, it doesn’t mean you have to be together, right?” James asked, trying to understand the myriad of emotions his friend was feeling. “You could still go out with Emmeline if you wanted to.”
“It’s not that,” Remus answered, biting his lip. “It’s just… I know Sirius is all into the idea of a soulmate, but… what if it’s just that? What if he just loves the idea of a soulmate, but doesn’t actually love me? I mean, if he didn’t love me independently of the soulmate thing-”
“Can I stop you there?” James interjected, bringing the other boy’s speech to a halt. “Sirius is absolutely mad about you. He doesn’t know it because he doesn’t want to fall for someone and be disappointed, so he won’t admit it to himself. But I can tell. He wants it to be you.”
“You really think so?”
James nodded, scooping up another forkful of eggs and returning his focus to his breakfast so he could give Remus some privacy to think things over.
“I...think I’m going to go find Sirius,” Remus said after a long moment, grabbing his bag and standing quietly.
“Sure thing,” James replied, nodding again. “I’ll meet you there in a few.”
Remus left the dining hall and made his way quickly through the corridors. His first stop was the history classroom, since that was their first class of the day, but he didn’t really expect Sirius to be there. He hated the notion of being early - or even on time - to class and always said it would damage his reputation. Remus glanced up and down the corridor, trying to think where Sirius would be. He spotted a little alcove where he knew there were some bay windows, and instinctively he knew that’s where Sirius would be.
Sure enough, Remus was right. Sirius was sitting on the window ledge, looking out over the grounds with his arms wrapped around his knees.
“Hey,” Remus said, breaking the silence with barely more than a whisper. “You okay?”
“I know you think I’m just being dramatic,” Sirius huffed, not even looking at Remus.
“I don’t, actually,” he replied, earning a surprised look from Sirius. “I mean, dramatic, yes, but not just dramatic. You had some valid points too. And I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?”
“For upsetting you,” Remus answered, forcing Sirius to move his feet a little as he sat down on the other end of the window ledge. “I didn’t do it on purpose, obviously. But I would never want to hurt you.”
“What are you talking…?” Sirius drifted off as comprehension dawned across his face. “It’s you?”
Remus couldn’t tell whether Sirius was more surprised or offended, but he sure didn’t seem happy. His heart felt like it was seizing and he briefly wondered if he was having a heart attack.
“I know you’re upset about the dream, but it’s honestly nothing, just a stupid crush,” Remus babbled, aware that he words were not likely to comfort Sirius at all. He took a deep breath and steadied himself. “That dream, any dream when I’m asleep… that’s just my subconscious. I don’t choose those. But the daydreams? The things I think about when I’m awake, the ones I choose to lose myself in? Those are always of you, Sirius.”
Sirius looked at him blankly for a second, and for a moment Remus was terrified that he’d messed up. He’d meant the words to be romantic, but maybe they weren’t. Maybe Sirius still hated him for that stupid dream. It wasn’t like Sirius to be speechless, and it made Remus very nervous.
And then Sirius leaned forward, grabbing the front of Remus’ shirt and dragging him forward too, until his hand could cup Remus’ face gently. Sirius seemed to hesitate for a moment, his grey eyes reading the multitudes contained in Remus’ own eyes - every thought and emotion laid bare. When he was satisfied with what he saw, Sirius kissed Remus, and it was better than anything either of them had imagined in their wildest dreams. And it ignited a craving within Remus that he didn’t think would ever go away, chasing Sirius’ lips as the other boy pulled away.
“Sorry,” Sirius mumbled, thinking after the fact that maybe his actions had been too hasty.
“Don’t be,” Remus assured him, reaching out and grabbing Sirius’ hand and placing it back on his cheek, slyly sneaking a kiss to his palm on the way. “Don’t ever be sorry for kissing me. And for the love of god, please do it again.”
Sirius chuckled as he leaned forward, capturing Remus’ lips with more fire this time. Remus felt like a drowning man gasping for air, desperate for more Sirius. His fingers found their way to Sirius’ hair, winding amongst the soft curls. Sirius smiled at the touch, his grin effectively breaking their kiss, though he peppered a few more chaste kisses across Remus’ lips and jaw before he pulled away entirely.
“Come on, don’t wanna be late for class,” Sirius said, reaching for Remus’ hand.
“What about your reputation?” Remus teased, allowing Sirius to pull him to standing, definitely a little closer than was strictly necessary.
“Your perfect record is more important,” he shrugged in reply, unable to contain his smile.
“Hey, you know what this means?” Remus mused as they began to walk back toward the history classroom.
“That you’re my boyfriend now?” Sirius answered, phrasing it as a question but fully confident in his response.
“No,” Remus said, earning a raised eyebrow from Sirius. “I mean, yes, obviously, but that’s not what I was thinking of.”
“What then?” Sirius asked.
“No more sharing dreams,” Remus answered with a smile, earning an ear to ear grin from his new boyfriend as well.
“No more sharing dreams,” Sirius echoed, practically enchanted with the idea.
Though it was probably safe to say that both boys would likely be sharing a very similar dream later that night, to both of their delight.