HP fic: The Triumph of Time [Bill/Remus, adult]
Title: The Triumph of Time Author: celandineb Fandom: HP Pairing: Bill/Remus Rating: adult Warnings: I'm not sure 69 needs a warning? Summary: Bill first noticed Remus years ago, when he was still just a boy. Now he has the chance to make Remus notice him. Note: ~2500 words. Written for bruni for hp_springsmut 2008.
"Bill, I'm sure you remember Remus Lupin?" Molly Weasley gestured her oldest son over.
Putting out his hand for Remus to shake, Bill said heartily, "Of course I do. Good to see you again."
Not that he had known Remus before, but he certainly remembered him. During its first incarnation the Order of the Phoenix had met at the Weasley house occasionally, and Bill had several times seen some of its members, although of course he hadn't known then what they were doing and his father had warned him not to mention the gatherings to anyone.
He had always seen Remus together with Sirius Black, whom he'd admired but found slightly intimidating, whereas Remus appeared more easy-going. Bill had been fascinated by all of the scars that Remus had, as well, and had wondered what had caused them, but had known it would be rude to ask. What had struck him most, however, had been the way that Remus and Sirius looked at each other, very much as his own parents did. It was the first time he'd realized that two men might love each other in the same way as a man and a woman, and that knowledge had reassured him as he'd wrestled with his own emerging sexuality in his teens.
Now he let his hand clasp Remus's rather longer than required for politeness, and gave him a slow grin.
"You're looking well, Bill." The tips of Remus's ears had gone pink at the discreet sweep of Bill's thumb over his wrist.
"Come along, both of you." Molly urged them out of the kitchen. "It's nearly time; I just heard Severus and Minerva and they never arrive early, too busy up at Hogwarts."
Bill made sure that he stayed close enough to Remus that when the meeting was called to order and they all seated themselves around the table, he was able to take a chair next to the older man. Although he attended to the discussion, he also took advantage of the opportunity to press his knee against Remus's, and feeling an answering pressure, by the end of the meeting he had twice rested his hand on Remus's thigh without being rebuffed. Indeed he'd heard a soft intake of breath that made him quite anticipatory, although Remus did not return that gesture.
The self-doubt in Remus's eyes was apparent as he chatted with Minerva McGonagall after the meeting was over. He kept flicking glances in Bill's direction, but didn't move to speak with him again. Bill thought it over. He could try to pull Remus aside tonight before he left, ask him out for a drink or some such. There was no telling when the next meeting would be, and he didn't want to wait upon that chance... but that might be rushing things just a bit. He'd already made his interest plain tonight; hell, he'd been interested since he'd been a kid too young to recognize what it was he felt. Remus wouldn't have considered Bill in the same light then, though, and it might take him a little while to get used to the idea of Bill not as Arthur and Molly's oldest child, but as a man in his own right. Perhaps the best thing would be to wait a few days or a week, and then send Remus an owl.
He nodded to himself, found his parents to say goodbye – with the promise that he'd come to Sunday dinner next week – and went home to his small and chilly flat. Quickly he started a fire and pulled his favorite chair closer to the fireplace. After all his years in Egypt, his blood was thin, he decided a little glumly.
Six days after the meeting, Bill sent Remus an owl asking if he'd like to meet for a drink on Friday evening. He had a reply that night; Remus regretted that Friday was unfortunately not possible for him this week, but if Bill were free another time, he would be pleased to accept.
Bill frowned slightly, but then a thought occurred to him and he looked at the calendar. The full moon was that Friday. He kicked himself mentally and scribbled a note in response, suggesting the following Monday instead. Three days ought to give Remus time to recover, he supposed.
He'd thought about it carefully before suggesting a Muggle pub as their meeting place. Bill wasn't ashamed of the fact that he found himself attracted to both women and men, nor of fancying Remus in particular, but he was quite aware that the majority of the wizarding population did not share his views, and he had no interest in contributing to any gossip – certainly not until and unless anything came of this. He wasn't certain exactly what he wanted, other than to live out a boyhood fantasy, but discretion was always the safest plan.
When Remus came into the pub, glancing around, Bill was already well into his first pint. A little smile crossed Remus's face and he slipped into the seat opposite.
"Spend much time in Muggle London, do you?" he asked, his eyes flickering to the other customers, who were exclusively men, except for one female couple groping each other in the corner.
Bill shrugged. "Enough. I thought we might both be more comfortable here than at, say, the Leaky Cauldron. Can I buy you a drink?" He knew from his mother that Remus found it impossible to get steady employment... and having been the one to do the asking, it was only fair that Bill also do the paying.
"Thanks." Remus hesitated, then shook his head and said, "Your invitation surprised me."
"Why?"
Remus's eyebrows went up. "Surely you can guess the reasons. At least some of them." He began to tick them off on his fingers. "I'm considerably older than you are."
Only ten years, thought Bill.
"I had no idea that you liked men," Remus continued.
Fair enough, we don't exactly move in the same circles and I've been out of the country for years.
"There's the little matter of my condition, which I assume you know about, given that it made headlines in the Prophet." Remus looked grim.
Yes, but that hardly matters, especially now that there's the Wolfsbane Potion.
"And I'm staying at Grimmauld Place with Sirius."
That last Bill hadn't quite realized. He licked his lips. "Are you staying with Sirius, or living with Sirius?"
"Azkaban was very hard on him," said Remus quietly, "and he's my oldest friend. Just now I'm only staying there, to help him adjust to life outside prison again. But you should know that he and I..."
"You used to be lovers," Bill interrupted. "I know."
"How did you know that?" Remus's eyes opened wide.
"I saw the two of you together, when I was a kid. I didn't understand then, exactly, but later on I guessed from the way that you looked at each other when you didn't think anyone could see."
It was true that Azkaban had changed Sirius. Bill hadn't seen even a trace of the look in Sirius's eyes last week that he had once seen when Sirius and Remus were together, but both from what Remus said and what he didn't say, Bill was sure that Remus regretted the change very much indeed. Though he wasn't necessarily looking for something permanent himself, he felt a need to prove that he could distract Remus from thoughts of his former lover.
"Ah." Remus drank deeply and set down his empty glass.
"Another?" Bill offered. "Please, let me get it." Without waiting for a response, he went and brought back another pair of drinks.
"Bill..." Remus shook his head.
"Look." Bill put his long freckled fingers over Remus's hand, feeling the pulse beat rapidly in Remus's wrist. "I'm not asking for anything beyond a shag, if you're even interested in that much." He gave Remus a lazy grin, the one that even his mother usually couldn't resist, certain Remus was interested. "Because frankly I'd like to pin you to the wall right now, or let you pin me, for that matter."
Putting it into words brought the blood rushing to his cock, and he shifted slightly in his seat, grasping Remus's hand more firmly.
There was an answering spark of desire in Remus's eyes, but the other man still hesitated.
"What if I want more than just a shag, though?"
Bill's grin broadened. "I'd say we should start with a shag and see where that takes us. What do you say?"
Remus downed half of his glass in a single gulp, swallowed again, and said hoarsely, "All right."
"Let's get out of here, then." Bill stood up without waiting for Remus to reply.
Outside, he tugged Remus in the direction of the nearest alley, intending to Apparate them back to his flat, but Remus's hands were all over him and so Bill stopped to push the other man against the dirty brick wall and kiss him hard, tipping Remus's head up with a growl and rubbing his already-hard cock against Remus's hip.
"Now," Remus growled back when Bill moved to suck a bruise into the skin of Remus's neck. "Don't fucking arse around. Let's go."
"Fine." Bill took hold of Remus's body, concentrated, and with a sharp crack they were standing just inside his front door.
"That's better." Remus's hands were already busy tugging at Bill's clothes, undoing the zip of his jeans and pulling them down until his cock sprang free, practically pushing itself into Remus's waiting hand. Bill gasped and grabbed Remus right back, twisting their bodies so that Remus was leaning against the door, his trousers lowered just enough so that Bill could get a hand between Remus's thighs, stroking the soft skin behind surprisingly large bollocks. He wanted to drop down and take Remus's cock in his mouth, taste the sweat and pre-come that he could feel and smell, but that would mean Remus letting go of Bill's cock.
Or no, it wouldn't, he realized as Remus said, " Down," and sank to the floor, pulling Bill with him and reversing his position so that his cock bobbed in front of Bill's mouth and his lips slid around Bill's prick in return.
Fuck, yes, this was what he'd been craving ever since he'd sat next to Remus at the Order meeting... longer, really, ever since Bill had realized that Remus was as queer as himself. Remus obviously knew exactly what he was doing, licking his way along the length of Bill's cock and then suddenly, unexpectedly, engulfing him completely, letting Bill sink deep into his throat and swallowing around him.
Bill groaned, the exquisite sensation distracting him from what he was doing to Remus for a moment. When Remus pulled his head back and let his teeth barely graze Bill's skin, however, Bill returned to the task at hand. Remus's cock was not especially long, but thicker than most, hot and smooth under Bill's tongue as he began to suck in earnest. He'd never quite mastered the technique of letting his throat relax as Remus was doing to him, but he gripped the base of Remus's cock with his thumb and two fingers, twisting and sliding them in counterpoint to the movements of his lips and tongue. Remus tasted of salt and musk, with a hint of bitterness that made Bill's mouth water.
Bill could feel Remus's breath stirring the hairs at the base of his cock, Remus's tongue massaging the vein that ran the length of it. His balls were pulled tight. He stopped tonguing Remus's cock to gasp, "Fuck – gonna –"
If Remus heard, he didn't seem to care, only sucking harder if anything, and Bill gritted his teeth, his back arching as he came deep in Remus's throat.
Panting, his cock still twitching feebly as Remus held him, Bill resumed his attentions to the straining prick in front of him, stroking and suckling with a fierce need to bring Remus to the same bright climax that Remus had just given him. He wetted a fingertip and groped behind Remus's balls until he found the tight wrinkled pucker of his arsehole, rubbing in tiny circles and finally sinking slowly into the cramped and clinging space, twisting till he nudged the bump of Remus's prostate and nearly choking when Remus's hips jolted in response.
"Bill..." muttered Remus, and Bill felt a rush that Remus had spoken his name, not slipped and called for Sirius or anyone else. He moved his head slightly along the heavy prick before him, flicking his tongue over the ridge between head and shaft, then using his lips to caress it again. Sliding his fist up and down the base of Remus's cock, faster and faster yet, distracted only momentarily when Remus's mouth relinquished his cock and cool air touched the wet skin, Bill was rewarded at last when Remus's fingers dug into his hips and warm bitter fluid spurted across his tongue. He had to let go to swallow properly, and a last feeble jet landed on his lower lip, dripping down his chin before he could swipe his tongue to catch it.
Remus sighed and stroked Bill's chest, fingers trailing slowly across his skin.
"All right?" Bill asked, suddenly worried that Remus might be having second thoughts. A scratchy chuckle eased his mind.
"Couldn't you tell?"
Bill smiled and with a last pass of his tongue over Remus's now-softening cock, propped himself up on one elbow and twisted to look down their bodies at Remus's face. "Just asking."
With a soft grunt, Remus levered himself up. "It's been a long time, but my memory is good enough to say that this was rather better than average," he said, making the blood rush up in Bill's cheeks at the compliment. Remus reached to push back a few strands of hair that had escaped the thong that held Bill's ponytail and were clinging damply to his cheek. "Much better."
"Thanks," Bill muttered. He sat up too, drawing up one knee and wrapping his arms around it as he returned Remus's direct gaze. "You were awfully good yourself, you know."
The network of scars on Remus's face showed white as the rest of the skin reddened. "Thank you," Remus murmured. "I'm really quite out of practice."
"Didn't seem like it to me," said Bill, "but I'd be more than happy to give you the opportunity to practice more. If you're interested."
"I..." Remus hesitated. "Yes, I think I'd like that." The brilliant smile he gave made Bill decide that he was going to want to spend as much time with Remus as they both could manage. He grinned back and took Remus's hand.