Mischief Managed Year One: Mayhem of the Moon

Chapter Eighteen- A Black Birthday

TW: Mentions of Bullying

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Remus sat squared off against Sirius who seemed to have no qualms that he had come out on top of their interaction.

"You stop yourself from having fun. Stop yourself from enjoying things. Because you want to be my friend desperately and you know it," Sirius taunted all but gloating at his win.

Remus feigned amusement. He too could play this game. He had been taking notes from James and Sirius' interactions and he was able to mimic their banter quite well now.

"Aren't you rather full of yourself," Remus pointed out slowly.

"I'm the birthday boy so I get to be! And I get a wish!" Sirius bounced up and down letting out a victorious whoop which almost caused Remus to lose his composure entirely.

"Do you now?" Remus was trying very hard not to smile but the confusion on Sirius's face made it impossible.

"What? Why are you smiling like that? Remus tell meeeee," Sirius whined using his obnoxiousness to hide his uncomfortableness. Remus quite liked having the upper hand, it made him bold, and perhaps a bit foolish.

"Tell you what?" He teased feigning innocence.

"This isn't fair. You can't tease me, I'm the birthday boy!" Sirius complained flopping on the bed and kicking his feet in the air like a little child throwing a tantrum.

"So you've mentioned." Remus remained calm, watching Sirius' flailing with an outer detached indifference.

"That means you have to be nice to me," Sirius pouted, sitting up and bouncing on the bed once more while making purposefully silly faces at Remus. The blank-faced boy almost laughed. Once more Remus found himself enjoying his interactions with Sirius no matter how hard he tried not to.

"I don't remember agreeing to that," Remus pointed out, now sounding a bit smug himself.

"But you agreed to give me a wish!" Sirius hollered, his bouncing stopping abruptly.

"So your wish is that I will be nice to you today?" Remus asked with a slight smile.

"Yes! Wait, no...no no-no." Sirius backtracked quickly realizing his mistake.

"Too late," Remus teased.

"Wait. No. That's not fair!" Sirius pleaded, scooching closer to Remus and holding out his hands in a distinct threat of being on the verge of commencing tickling.

"Alright fine. What's your wish?" Remus asked quickly, wondering what it was about boys his age and wrestling, pillow fights, and tickling. Surely such activities couldn't be that much fun!

Sirius looked triumphant and pointed at Remus joyfully.

"You have to be my friend!" Sirius taunted.

Remus wasn't surprised by the wish. He had in fact been expecting it. Part of him wanted to simply give in and agree. But even if he decided that having friends was acceptable, which he hadn't, he was too stubborn to let Sirius win.

"I will take that into account for next year," Remus mused, watching the cockiness fade from Sirius' maddening grin.

"Hah!...wait...what?"

"I did say I'd grant you a birthday wish, but I didn't say when."

Sirius' eyes bugged as his face flushed. The young Black looked livid, unused to being the one who was a step behind. Then the birthday boy seemed to calm down quickly and just looked begrudgingly impressed.