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The black tie event her parents hosted happened to be a rather tedious affair, despite the crowded area and busyness; almost everyone seemed deep in discussion with those around them.
Champagne glasses clinked and voices chattered in the background as Remus Lupin maneuvered through the crowd, an awkward, lopsided grin on his face. His fingers tugged uncomfortably at the collar of the suit James Potter had wrestled him into wearing, and he loosened the tie the moment he found himself at her side.
"What's with all these well-behaved children?" Remus mused, running a hand over his mouth in an attempt to hide the smile we wore. "I'm trying to convince them to sneak themselves some extra desert, and no one's taking it." He exhaled a breathy laugh, his bunched up muscles relaxing as he basked in the comfort of her company.
She shifted in her stance, the heels she wore causing her slight discomfort. She held onto the champagne glass close to her body. "Did you sneak some for me?"
"Would I let you starve at an event? Of course I did." He smiled, motioning to his suit pocket as he tipped his head to the side to observe her with a playful smirk. Seeing her in the tight form-fitting dress she wore was a treat to behold, with her curves highlighted with each movement she made and the way she carried herself with grace and confidence was one of the things he admired most about her.
"You make the dress look good." He noted, his eyes lingering on her for a moment longer than they should have been.
"What a gentleman.I'm surprised you are even dressed up." She referred to his suit that was so out of his comfort zone. "I do have to admit that it fits you well."
"You say that like I would show up in my pajamas." Remus teased, his lips curling back into a smirk. "I didn't have much choice in the outfit. I may have given James the impression that I would be happy to wear whatever he wanted me to, but believe me when I say this suit is the bane of my existence." He said with a pout, running the tips of his fingers around the collar.
"It's not that bad, you'll get use to it by the end of the night." She reassured as she moved his hands away. "Messing with it is only going to make it worse."
"It's not just the suit." He muttered, his eyes drifting towards her lips, his gaze lingering there longer than he intended. "Something about this whole affair is just off-putting — the formality and the rules are not quite my cup of tea."
His gaze shifted upwards, back towards her face, and a small smile tugged at his lips at her reassuring words. "I'll survive with the suit. Not sure if I'll ever get used to the events, though."
"Perk of being friends with pure-bloods." She admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. "You'll find yourself dressed up more than you could imagine."
"Yes, the perks are just overflowing and there are so many to choose from." He quipped with a light, ironic chuckle. "Do you actually enjoy all of this?" He asked, gesturing to the whole event. He raised a brow in curiosity, his gaze now falling to her hands as they fidgeted with the stem of her glass, his eyes scanning her form — the fitted dress, heels, and how they made her look — once again.
"This?" She questioned as she motioned towards the crowded room with her champagne glass before taking a sip of it. "Of course not, I just do it because I'm expected to."
"I'm glad to hear that you hate them as much as I hate the suit I'm wearing." He muttered, another soft chuckle escaping his lips. "Well, what would you rather be doing right now than attending such an event?" He asked, his eyes flickering down to her hands again, noticing the slight fidgeting movements, and then back to her face.
When a man passed by with a tray of champagne, she replaced her empty glass for a new one. She took a moment to look around the room, making sure no one was looking before she took Remus' hand and guided him outside where it was much more peaceful. Kicking off her heels into the distance, she sighed in relief as her feet went flat against the cool grass.
Once they were outside, with nobody around to watch or eavesdrop on their conversation, he relaxed, his body letting out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding. Looking down, he took note of her kicking off her shoes, a small smirk tugging at his lips at the sight.
"Take off that stupid tie." She ordered, laughing, not looking at him but at the beautiful lake in front of them, how the moon twinkled off the water.
"Yes ma'am." Remus responded. He reached for the tie, loosening it first before tugging it off to free himself. The relief was instant; he felt a weight lift from his shoulders, as though the tie had been restricting his movements.
"What more are you going to command me to do?" He quipped teasingly, glancing to her, a playful grin creases the corner of his lips as he tilted his head to the side, his expression now one of curiosity.
"To sit with me." She simply said before moving closer to the body of water where she found a patch of grass to sit down on, patting the spot next to her.
He couldn't help but roll his eyes at her authoritative tone, but he did as she said, taking a seat next to her with his body angled towards her as he looked out to the lake. "I'll admit, you're not half had at commands."
"Oh, shush." She laughed. "Are you saying you would rather be inside with that tie constricting your neck?"
"Oh hell no — this is definitely a better alternative." He quipped, his smirk growing. But with that statement, he also came to the realization that he was now spending his time outside, with her, without the uncomfortable suit weighing on his shoulders or the crowd of people around him. "Honestly, if I knew we'd be out here, I wouldn't have spent so long agonizing over that damn tie."
She flicked her hair back behind her shoulder before she turned her head towards him, gazing at him through the night. "It may have been handsome, but it did not suit you."
Remus' eyes widened as he took in her gaze, her words, and the way she fixed him with a look that made him feel as though she was studying him. Something about the way she looked at him, the fact that the suit wasn't him, the fact that she was calling him handsome.
Those little things, along with the fact that they were spending time together outside, away from the crowd, and without the annoying tie restricting him, those things made his heart beat faster and his heart flush with heat.
She laid back, using her elbows to prop herself up as her legs crossed. Her gaze never left him as she watched him blush. "Cat got your tongue?"
"Shut up." He mumbled in a muttering, a teasing playful smirk tugging at his lips as she caught him out. He let out a soft chuckle, turning his head to the side to hide his blush, but it was an effort that failed as his cheeks still remained flush, his heart still beat rapidly.
As she laid back and propped herself up using her elbows, he could not help but look at her, taking in every curve and line on her figure, her form, and the way the moonlight danced across her.
"Let's have some of those deserts." She reminded him, causing him to dig around in his pockets for the deserts he snuck from the party.
