Liquid Luck [Sirius Black]/editing

Chapter 124

"You cut your hair!" Remus gasps, staring at me in the small space of the bathroom.

My hair now reaches my shoulders.

I play with the ends of a lock. "Pete cut it for me. You'd be surprised what that boy can do with a pair of scissors, I know I was. And I needed a change...do you hate it?"

"No! It suits you. Truthfully, I don't think it's possible for you to look bad. Though you do know all the girls here are going to copy you now, right?"

"You flatter me, Moons." I smile down at my brightly coloured socks. "And I do know. I think it's nice though. You know how I love to be loved." In sync, both Remus and I grab our respective toothbrushes and start brushing in our usual routine. "Sirius is asleep so he hasn't seen it yet. He's always liked my hair long so I'm not sure what he'll think of it this way."

Remus doesn't answer, he just continues brushing his teeth. Remus doesn't like to talk late at night so I usually just run my mouth while he listens. I continue on about the homework I'm proud of myself for completing when he bends over to spit out some toothpaste and his shirt rides up a little reveal big splotches of purples and reds.

I stop talking abruptly and pull my eyebrows together. "What are those? Are those...bruises?"

He turns around and follows my gaze to his abdomen and starts embarrassedly fixing his shirt to cover up what I've already seen. "It's nothing." He tries to ignore my looks and act as though I didn't see what I did.

I move my eyes up to meet his, worry filling them. "Remus, those look bad. What happened? Did someone hurt you?" I try to reach out to lift his shirt up a little but he only pushes my hands away.

"They aren't bruises. Just leave it alone, Keeks." He spits toothpaste into the sink.

I gently shut the bathroom door and flip back around to face my tallest friend. "Remus, if someone's hurt you you can tell me. I-I promise I won't do anything you don't want me to. I won't tell a soul if you ask me not to. I just don't you to go through anything alone. Or if you want me to kick someone's arse, all you have to do is ask. No one touches my best friend."

His eyes find the floor and a guilty look overtakes his features that would pain me if I weren't so confused by it being there at all. "They aren't bruises." He tips his head forward, amber begging me to understand without him actually having to speak the words.

"Well what else would they...oh." My eyes widen and his cheeks flush red as I figure it out.

Sneaking a brief glance in the mirror behind him, I find my face is just as red as his.

I freeze and questions begin flooding into my brain. "Who gave you those? How come you didn't tell me you're seeing someone? Who is it, do I know them? When did this happen?"

"I wasn't ready for anyone to know about us just yet." He bashfully rubs the back of his neck. "I still don't know what it is he and I are doing."

I jump around in place like an excited little bunny. "He! A boy! You're dating a boy!"

He lets an amused laugh leave his lips but puts his hands on my shoulders to calm me down. "Don't go around telling anyone, alright? Especially Padfoot and Prongs." Why, I want to ask him. They'd be supportive, I don't say. "And we aren't dating...yet. I'll tell you all who he is eventually, I swear. Just give us time to figure out what we have and what we want to be. It's still new to me."

"I promise I won't say anything." I assure him. "But could I ask you one thing?"

"Okay," He says hesitantly.