the_debt_of_time

"You bloody well need to relax, woman. The world's not going to end just because
we leave your little safety bubble." Sirius pouted when she had not started petting him,
reaching up and putting her hand on his head in silent demand that she play with his hair.
"And then he looked right through me... As if I wasn't there.. ."
"You don't understand." Mia frowned and pushed him away.
Standing up, she made her way over to Remus as though he were the only other
person there at the river. She sighed and sat down beside him, instinctively leaning her head
on his shoulder, still frowning.
"Do I need to drown him for you?" Remus asked with the smallest of smirks, not
even bothering to take his attention off his book, though he tilted his head slightly to the
side to gently rest it on top of hers.
"I'm sick of his optimistic view of everything. Just tells me to relax as though there's
nothing wrong in the world. Like I'm supposed to ignore all the things I'm worried about."
"Sounds familiar."
She sighed. "Don't start. Sirius trying to cheer me up is in no way like me trying to
do the same with you. He doesn't know me. Not like―" like he's supposed to, "—you."
"Fair assumption, I suppose. Except that he does know you. Just because he doesn't
sit around and talk books and dreams and fears with you on a regular basis doesn't mean
he doesn't care. He's just acting out because he thinks you fancy him," Remus admitted
and then sat back, watching her very carefully.
She shook her head, feeling herself blush. "That's ridiculous."
"Not so. You look lovely today, for the record," he said, turning back to his book.
Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart rate increased. She was used to Sirius's
blatant flirting, but Remus was... different. When their eyes met once more, she could
not help but think he actually looked a little smug.
"You look nice too." Mia smiled, and Remus scoffed. "What?" She quickly noticed
that not only was he the only one of them that had not stepped foot in the water the entire
time, he was also the only boy who was still wearing a shirt. James and Sirius basked in
their pale frames, and, despite being exceptionally lanky and in dire need of sun cream,
Frank was bare as well. Even Peter had taken off his shirt, eager to show that his leftover
baby fat was edging away thanks to a growth spurt that summer.
"You're staring at me," Remus commented and raised a brow.