(no subject)
Title: With This Ring
Pairing: Remus/Sirius
Disclaimer: Characters belong to JK Rowling
Notes: This is a silly fluffy bit of silliness I wrote in response to this challenge.
Sirius gazed through the glass at row upon row of gleaming rings, all glinting gently in the soft, carefully arranged lighting of the shop. He must have looked at dozens - no, hundreds - of the things today, and they all looked EXACTLY ALIKE.
‘Just pick one already,’ he begged, for the umpteenth time. ‘Please. For my sake. For my sanity’s sake. Just pick one so we can both go home.’
‘I can’t “just pick one,” Padfoot!' his companion hissed. ‘This is important. This is the rest of our lives. This ring will be a symbol of our love for one another…’
‘That will last for all time blah blah blah wippity dippity doo,’ responded Sirius. ‘Right. A lovely sentiment. It was lovelier the first time you said it, and then lost quite a bit of loveliness through constant repetition, but still, I appreciate the feeling behind your tired phrases. And in return, I’d like you to appreciate that my feet hurt, I’m hungry as bloody hell, and I’m three seconds away from removing certain parts of your body, the absence of which, I assure you, will put one serious crimp in your plans for future domestic bliss.’
‘That’s it,’ James snapped back at him. ‘You are no longer my best man.’
‘Well, good,’ replied Sirius testily. ‘Had I any idea it entailed all this I never would have agreed to it in the first place. Now that I know that “best man” in Muggle parlance means, “the bridegroom’s donkey,” I’ll be sure to avoid such obligations in the future.’
James abruptly switched gears in that unnerving way he had developed lately. ‘Look, Pads,’ he said, a plaintive and slightly frantic note in his voice, ‘it’s just…Lily wants to do this the Muggle way - you know why that’s important to her, especially now - and I want to get it right. Can you understand that?’
Predictably, Sirius relented. ‘Yes, Prongs, I do understand that. What I don’t understand is why you feel you must look at every single wedding band on the face of the earth. Lily loves you. You love Lily. Does it make that much difference whether the ring is yellow gold or white gold or pink gold or new or antique? I just think you’re making things more difficult than they need to be.’
‘Possibly,’ said James, running his fingers through his hair again. Which was a mistake, Sirius thought, since at this point James looked as if he’d been playing Quidditch with angry harpies in a windstorm for about three days. ‘But I want to put in the time to make sure the ring’s perfect. After all, she’s doing the same for me.’
‘And another thing,’ Sirius continued, as if James hadn’t spoken, ‘why do Muggles have so many damned shops? I mean, wizards don’t have ten thousand stores all carrying the same bloody…wait. What? She’s getting you…you’re going to be wearing a ring as well? I didn’t know Muggle men did that.’
‘Some do, some don’t,’ said James. ‘Lily wanted us to exchange rings, rather than just me giving one to her, and she thought it would be nice if we each picked out a ring for the other. I think it’s a good idea,’ he said, a tad defensively. ‘Why should it only be the woman who wears one?’
‘No reason at all.’ Sirius was eyeing the rings a bit more speculatively now. ‘None whatsoever.’
‘Well, I’m glad you approve,’ said James, with only a slight tinge of sarcasm in his voice. Then he clapped Sirius on the back. ‘Padfoot, you know I’m really glad you…’
‘Yes, I know, don’t go all goopy on me,’ Sirius cut him off. ‘So happy I’m assisting you with this whole monumental undertaking, best friends forever, big manly hug. Now. Let’s get on with this, shall we?’
‘You know what your problem is?’ James asked. ‘You’ve got no finer feelings whatsoever.’
~~~
Considering the care with which Sirius had arranged the ring (on red velvet, in the precise center of Remus’s pillow), Sirius was not encouraged by the fact that, when he entered the bedroom, Remus was prodding it gently with his wand. And then he leaned down to…was he smelling it?
‘Sirius, is this yours?’ Remus queried, in a slightly worried tone, at the same time Sirius exclaimed, ‘What are you doing to it?’
‘Well,’ said Remus, looking a trifle embarrassed, ‘I thought that if it came from the Black family coffers or something, I should make sure that it was safe for me to handle.’
‘It’s not mine, and it certainly isn’t my family’s,’ responded Sirius. ‘You know I wouldn’t have anything like that in the house.’
‘Well, then,’ said Remus, ‘whose…’ and then his face cleared. ‘Oh, it’s Lily’s wedding band! I forgot all about that. You shouldn’t leave it lying around like that though, Padfoot. Prongs will have your hide if you lose it.’
‘It’s not Lily’s either,’ said Sirius, becoming rather exasperated by Remus’s uncharacteristic obtuseness. ‘Why would I have Lily’s ring?’
‘Because that’s the best man’s job, isn’t it, taking care of the wedding ring?’
‘Is it?’ asked Sirius, distracted. ‘Damn it, nobody told me that! Prongs made it sound like it was some sort of honour, being his best man, when instead he just wanted me to do all the work! He’s going to be entrusting me with her ring, is he, so if anything happens to it, I’m to blame! That wanker. There’s no way I’m getting him those Muggle strippers for his party now!’
Remus listened to the diatribe with a faint smile on his face, waiting for Sirius to wind down, and then asked, mildly, ‘Then what is this ring doing here? It looks valuable.’
‘Well…it’s…James said…okay.’ Sirius took a deep breath, suddenly inexplicably nervous. ‘You see, Moony, apparently Muggles…sometimes...if they…then…well. It’s for you. ‘
‘Okay,’ said Remus, still looking a bit puzzled, then, ‘Oh.’
‘You don’t have to wear it or anything,’ said Sirius, quickly. ‘I mean it was just a thought…it’s silly anyway, and it’s not even…I mean it’s not a tradition for people like us, I don’t think…but James said and I saw it and, well. I can return it, I asked the shopkeeper, or, you know, I could donate it or something, maybe there’s a charity for impoverished Muggles who want to get married, you know these things really do cost quite a bit, not that I minded of course, it’s just it must be hard for your average working-class Muggle to afford them, so we’d probably be contributing to the happiness of a deserving couple if we…’
But Remus had already slipped the ring on his finger.
‘I like it,’ he said. ‘Thank you, Padfoot.’
‘Er…you’re welcome?’ ventured Sirius, a little thrown by Remus’s casual attitude. ‘Um. You do understand, right, that it, that it’s supposed to, er, symbolize eternal, erm, something…’
Remus cut him off with a long, deep kiss that lasted at least five minutes. When they finally came up for air, Remus said, smiling, ‘I think you’re supposed to have one as well.’
Sirius let out a sigh, equal parts happiness and relief. ‘Well, yes.’
A slow smile spread over Remus’s face. ‘Okay, but you're going to have to help me pick it out.’
Pairing: Remus/Sirius
Disclaimer: Characters belong to JK Rowling
Notes: This is a silly fluffy bit of silliness I wrote in response to this challenge.
Sirius gazed through the glass at row upon row of gleaming rings, all glinting gently in the soft, carefully arranged lighting of the shop. He must have looked at dozens - no, hundreds - of the things today, and they all looked EXACTLY ALIKE.
‘Just pick one already,’ he begged, for the umpteenth time. ‘Please. For my sake. For my sanity’s sake. Just pick one so we can both go home.’
‘I can’t “just pick one,” Padfoot!' his companion hissed. ‘This is important. This is the rest of our lives. This ring will be a symbol of our love for one another…’
‘That will last for all time blah blah blah wippity dippity doo,’ responded Sirius. ‘Right. A lovely sentiment. It was lovelier the first time you said it, and then lost quite a bit of loveliness through constant repetition, but still, I appreciate the feeling behind your tired phrases. And in return, I’d like you to appreciate that my feet hurt, I’m hungry as bloody hell, and I’m three seconds away from removing certain parts of your body, the absence of which, I assure you, will put one serious crimp in your plans for future domestic bliss.’
‘That’s it,’ James snapped back at him. ‘You are no longer my best man.’
‘Well, good,’ replied Sirius testily. ‘Had I any idea it entailed all this I never would have agreed to it in the first place. Now that I know that “best man” in Muggle parlance means, “the bridegroom’s donkey,” I’ll be sure to avoid such obligations in the future.’
James abruptly switched gears in that unnerving way he had developed lately. ‘Look, Pads,’ he said, a plaintive and slightly frantic note in his voice, ‘it’s just…Lily wants to do this the Muggle way - you know why that’s important to her, especially now - and I want to get it right. Can you understand that?’
Predictably, Sirius relented. ‘Yes, Prongs, I do understand that. What I don’t understand is why you feel you must look at every single wedding band on the face of the earth. Lily loves you. You love Lily. Does it make that much difference whether the ring is yellow gold or white gold or pink gold or new or antique? I just think you’re making things more difficult than they need to be.’
‘Possibly,’ said James, running his fingers through his hair again. Which was a mistake, Sirius thought, since at this point James looked as if he’d been playing Quidditch with angry harpies in a windstorm for about three days. ‘But I want to put in the time to make sure the ring’s perfect. After all, she’s doing the same for me.’
‘And another thing,’ Sirius continued, as if James hadn’t spoken, ‘why do Muggles have so many damned shops? I mean, wizards don’t have ten thousand stores all carrying the same bloody…wait. What? She’s getting you…you’re going to be wearing a ring as well? I didn’t know Muggle men did that.’
‘Some do, some don’t,’ said James. ‘Lily wanted us to exchange rings, rather than just me giving one to her, and she thought it would be nice if we each picked out a ring for the other. I think it’s a good idea,’ he said, a tad defensively. ‘Why should it only be the woman who wears one?’
‘No reason at all.’ Sirius was eyeing the rings a bit more speculatively now. ‘None whatsoever.’
‘Well, I’m glad you approve,’ said James, with only a slight tinge of sarcasm in his voice. Then he clapped Sirius on the back. ‘Padfoot, you know I’m really glad you…’
‘Yes, I know, don’t go all goopy on me,’ Sirius cut him off. ‘So happy I’m assisting you with this whole monumental undertaking, best friends forever, big manly hug. Now. Let’s get on with this, shall we?’
‘You know what your problem is?’ James asked. ‘You’ve got no finer feelings whatsoever.’
~~~
Considering the care with which Sirius had arranged the ring (on red velvet, in the precise center of Remus’s pillow), Sirius was not encouraged by the fact that, when he entered the bedroom, Remus was prodding it gently with his wand. And then he leaned down to…was he smelling it?
‘Sirius, is this yours?’ Remus queried, in a slightly worried tone, at the same time Sirius exclaimed, ‘What are you doing to it?’
‘Well,’ said Remus, looking a trifle embarrassed, ‘I thought that if it came from the Black family coffers or something, I should make sure that it was safe for me to handle.’
‘It’s not mine, and it certainly isn’t my family’s,’ responded Sirius. ‘You know I wouldn’t have anything like that in the house.’
‘Well, then,’ said Remus, ‘whose…’ and then his face cleared. ‘Oh, it’s Lily’s wedding band! I forgot all about that. You shouldn’t leave it lying around like that though, Padfoot. Prongs will have your hide if you lose it.’
‘It’s not Lily’s either,’ said Sirius, becoming rather exasperated by Remus’s uncharacteristic obtuseness. ‘Why would I have Lily’s ring?’
‘Because that’s the best man’s job, isn’t it, taking care of the wedding ring?’
‘Is it?’ asked Sirius, distracted. ‘Damn it, nobody told me that! Prongs made it sound like it was some sort of honour, being his best man, when instead he just wanted me to do all the work! He’s going to be entrusting me with her ring, is he, so if anything happens to it, I’m to blame! That wanker. There’s no way I’m getting him those Muggle strippers for his party now!’
Remus listened to the diatribe with a faint smile on his face, waiting for Sirius to wind down, and then asked, mildly, ‘Then what is this ring doing here? It looks valuable.’
‘Well…it’s…James said…okay.’ Sirius took a deep breath, suddenly inexplicably nervous. ‘You see, Moony, apparently Muggles…sometimes...if they…then…well. It’s for you. ‘
‘Okay,’ said Remus, still looking a bit puzzled, then, ‘Oh.’
‘You don’t have to wear it or anything,’ said Sirius, quickly. ‘I mean it was just a thought…it’s silly anyway, and it’s not even…I mean it’s not a tradition for people like us, I don’t think…but James said and I saw it and, well. I can return it, I asked the shopkeeper, or, you know, I could donate it or something, maybe there’s a charity for impoverished Muggles who want to get married, you know these things really do cost quite a bit, not that I minded of course, it’s just it must be hard for your average working-class Muggle to afford them, so we’d probably be contributing to the happiness of a deserving couple if we…’
But Remus had already slipped the ring on his finger.
‘I like it,’ he said. ‘Thank you, Padfoot.’
‘Er…you’re welcome?’ ventured Sirius, a little thrown by Remus’s casual attitude. ‘Um. You do understand, right, that it, that it’s supposed to, er, symbolize eternal, erm, something…’
Remus cut him off with a long, deep kiss that lasted at least five minutes. When they finally came up for air, Remus said, smiling, ‘I think you’re supposed to have one as well.’
Sirius let out a sigh, equal parts happiness and relief. ‘Well, yes.’
A slow smile spread over Remus’s face. ‘Okay, but you're going to have to help me pick it out.’