sturgis podmore

Smile lingered on his lips as he made his way to the Great Hall. Nothing better than sleeping for... an extended period of time, to put him in a good mood. Well, there was Remus too, but quite frankly, he wasn’t sure where they stood anymore. Or what even was going on with them. But he tried to shake that thought off his mind; he was well-rested, and on his way to get breakfast, he was happy.

Until he wasn’t anymore.

Joy was a funny thing, one second he’d be the happiest he’s ever been, and the next, his smile would drop the moment he’d see his boyfriend at the Gryffindor table. And the feeling of happiness would fleet in an instant. He wasn’t mad, or anything, just... uncertain. Scared. Because Remus was the best thing in his life after his family, and now he was scared he’d lose him. And part of him couldn’t help but to think it was his own fault, for reacting so strongly. But he still could barely accept the words he’d heard from him, he wasn’t sure he was ready to move past that just yet.

So he gave him a brief nod, small smile tugging on his lips as he walked past to sit further down the Gryffindor table with some of his friends. Soon enough, a large smile slipped on his lips again. It was just as easy to pretend joy as it was for it to disappear. He wasn’t sure that was a good thing, really, but he’d rather his friends believing he was in a good place rather than having to try and explain to them what was going on. It was just so much easier that way.

And as his eyes caught sight of his boyfriend that was exiting the room, a small frown formed on his lips, as he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d one day be allowed to have that kind of unconditional joy some people have.

“You.” The word rolled off his tongue with a groan. If it wasn’t clear by the look on his face that he was angry, his tone was making it obvious. “You-” He started, but hos eyes were drawn away for a moment as he spotted Mary in the distance. This was her night, he didn’t want to ruin it by causing a scene, so he tried to keep his voice lower when he spoke again. “How could you do that?” He snapped his attention back to her. He knew it wasn’t entirely the anger speaking, but also the alcohol, but if she’d been a guy, he might have punched her right there. So much for not causing a scene.

Sturgis Podmore + Outfit

|| @finestra-starters​

Laughter left Mary’s lips as she sipped her drink, eyes roaming the festivities around her. Her thumb mindlessly playing with the ring now on her finger, the smile wide on her features. Ever since they’d decided to get married, the smile had never left Mary’s lips and she was the happiest she’d been.

She’d been watching her husband as he talked to someone, smiling fondly. It was only until she vaguely heard someone say something that she turned to see someone standing besides her. “Oh, sorry, I— yeah I have no excuse, I was too busy staring at Sirius.” She admitted with a grin.

Spotting Mary not too far, Sturgis couldn’t help the playful smirk that made its way on his face. It felt like an oddly familiar situation - although the roles were now inversed -, and he just made his way over, not even saying anything. He just wanted to see how long it’d take her until she noticed him. But seeing as she wasn’t reacting, he cleared his throat instead. “Nothing, really. I was just admiring how smitten you look.” He teased, pressing on smitten. “It was a beautiful wedding, by the way. Thank you for having me. Maybe I’ll invite you to mine as well.”

But as they moved to the Great Hall for the reception, Sturgis couldn’t help the small frown that settled back on his face. He still tried to let a genuine smile slip on his lips as he headed towards his boyfriend. “Hey, stranger.” He said, letting his arms wrap around the other’s waist once he reached him. They hadn’t been able to talk during the reception, and he was well intent on making up for it now. And figuring out why he looked somewhat sad just earlier. “Haven’t seen you in so long. How have you been?”

He didn’t even bother closing her door, Barclay following him close behind as he went to find his brother. If possible, he’d rather keep their parents out of it, and he was almost thankful he woke up early. The last thing he wanted to do was to worry them. But he couldn’t handle that alone, so he just went straight to his brother, concern lacing his voice as he spoke. “Milo, hey. Wake up!” He said, shaking his brother’s shoulder. “We got a problem.”

“That… actually kind of terrifies me a little,” Remus joked lightly. However the other couldn’t help but frown as Stu seemed nervous, following the other in cautiously. “No, not different. Well, kind of. You seem nervous,” Remus looked down at the box in his hands, before placing it on the other’s bed, stepping closer towards him. “It’s just me, Stu.”

“And I’m a little ashamed of that now.” He replied, trying to lighten up, but he could only bite on his lower lip as he noticed the actual mess he’d left his dorm in. If he’d known Remus would be coming over later, he definitely would’ve made an effort. “I’m not, I’m just...” He started before letting out a sigh, looking at Remus. “Alright, maybe I am a little. But you have no idea how hard it is to find a good gift.”

Remus hated not telling him, but it was for the better, wasn’t it? He didn’t want to possibly lose what he had with the other because he thought he was a monster. But he really, really hated keeping things from Stu. “I promise, I’ll tell you eventually, I just – it’s not an easy thing to talk about. But I’ll tell you, soon.” He murmured softly. Remus was glad the other wrapped his arms around him, some of the tension in his body fleeing. That was, until the other pulled away and Remus realised what he’d said. He definitely hadn’t planned to let that slip out. “I-” His cheeks flushed crimson, and he chewed on his bottom lip. “Yes. Yeah, you did. You don’t have to say it back–” Remus spoke quickly, “I just– yeah.”

Sturgis chewed on the inside of his cheeks as Remus spoke. Somehow, he was starting to feel like he might just never know what the other was hiding, but he wanted to believe what he was saying. So he didn’t say anything when the other was done speaking, only glancing away for a moment. He tried his best to put that thought aside as he kissed the other, a smile stretching on his lips. And as the other explained, it only increased. “Are you kidding me? I’ve been wanting to say it, I was just... I thought I’d scare you away if I did.” He said. “I love you, Remus Lupin.” The words left his mouth softly, and he quickly pressed a kiss on the other’s lips before leaning his head on his shoulder. “I have for a long time now.” He added in a whisper.

“You’re telling me that wasn’t planned? Remus Lupin was being spontaneous? Is he feeling okay?” She teased, but her smile vanished at the admission it had gone on for two weeks. “You- two weeks? Okay, no, we are no longer friends, Stuey. You’ve actually broken my heart.” The girl huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Well at least that’s— hold up, you’re telling me Gideon Prewett knew you two were a thing and the boy kept his mouth shut? Did you blackmail him or something? Also, I’m still pissed Gideon and Peter knew before me. I thought we were best friends, Stuey.”

“Definitely not planned. But I’m not complaining, quite like this new spontaneous Remus.” He said, the grin on his face only increasing at her reaction. He’d never really been good at keeping secrets, but maybe he should try harder. Because that reaction was worth it. “I thought you’d be proud I managed to keep my mouth shut about it for two weeks.” He joked. “Well, it’s kind of hard to keep that a secret from your roommate. Let’s just say I... knew a few things, and it was incentive enough to keep it silent.”

“Oh you’re definitely going to pass if this is how you study,” Gideon scoffed with a laugh, shaking his head at his friend. However as the other frowned, Gideon’s brows furrowed together. “Am I not allowed to be happy?” He mused, before rolling his eyes. “No I’m not! Just… things have happened and I’m in a good mood because of it. I’d tell you but I’m pretty sure you’re gonna judge me for it. You don’t … exactly like him.” Gideon muttered with a grimace, knowing Stu wasn’t Evan’s biggest fan. He flopped on his bed, before turning to face the other, watching to see if he’d figure it out.

“I swear I was studying. Just... taking a small break.” He replied with a shrug, sitting up a little better on his bed. Maybe if he wasn’t lying down, he’d be able to stay awake this time. “I’m not saying you can’t be. It’s just... it’s been a while since I’ve seen you happy.” He pointed out, a frown slowly forming on his face. As Gideon spoke, Sturgis took a moment to think over his words. And he stayed silent until he finally clicked the pieces together. “Am I about to see Rosier here more often? Because if that’s a yes, I’ll just stay over at Remus’ for a while.”

“I–” Remus wanted to push, but thought better of it, a sigh escaping his lips. He wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted to know.

Remus couldn’t take his eyes off the other, the intimate gesture terrifying him slightly. He wasn’t entirely sure how long he’d been pushing aside what he felt for the other, but in this moment they were almost impossible to ignore. There was just something about Sturgis Podmore that pulled him in, and Remus wasn’t sure he entirely wanted to fight against it anymore.

As the other stayed still for a moment, Remus panicked. He was about to pull away when he felt the other smiling against his lips. He leaned into Stu’s touch as he moved his lips against the other’s, his own lips curving up in content. He’d thought about kissing the other before, but this was far better than he’d imagined. Except, Remus could taste the liquor on the other’s lips, causing his smile to fade. He pulled away, breathing heavily as he rested his forehead against the others. “We should get some sleep,” Remus murmured softly.

It felt almost... surreal, and for a moment, Sturgis wasn’t sure he was imagining it or not. Or maybe this wasn’t even Remus. But he knew this was him, and this was happening. Honestly, his heart might have just stopped at that moment and he would’ve been fine with that. But it didn’t and so he moved his lips against the other’s, moving his hand to meet the other’s face. Except it didn’t have time to get there, as Remus had already pulled away, so he just let his hand fall back down with a small groan. What was he expecting, anyway? Sturgis pouted as Remys proposed they slept, but quite frankly, it wasn’t such a bad idea. He wished this would’ve lasted longer, but sleeping was also incredibly tempting. “M’kay.” He mumbled, letting his body fall on the bed next to Remus. And it didn’t take much longer for his eyes to be closed.

“Yeah, yeah it was,” Light laughter left his lips, before his smile grew wider at the boy’s words. “Yeah. I do want that. A lot,” Remus admitted, biting down on his lip as he looked at the other. “Oh, you raise a point there.” He mused, eyes fluttering shut as the other played with his hair, letting out a hum of content. “Well, because I did want to talk, but, since we’ve technically done that now,” Remus pulled away from the other’s shoulder, lips curving into a smile as he pressed his lips against Stu’s once more.

His smile grew a little as Remus agreed. “You know, I’d also love to refer to you as my boyfriend. Instead of just my friend.” He joked, his smile never leaving his lips. He was content when Remus kissed him again, his lips moving against the other’s. At least, until he realized someone was watching, and he pulled away. His eyes almost instantly fell on Mary, and he let out a small chuckle. “Well, seems like I should deal with her now.” He commented, briefly pressing his lips against Remus’ before walking towards the girl.

“Just this once, got it. I’ll refrain from making any mistakes in the future.” Thea teased back, but then nodded a little bit. “That’s how I saw it too. I just hate rushing, it’s too stressful.”

“I think you should, or people might think you don’t really belong in Ravenclaw.” He joked before letting out a small sigh. “Yeah, it is stressful. But I somehow always wait last minute.”

Thea nodded at what he said, completely agreeing. “It is. And you deserve some happiness right now.” She told him firmly, specifically not mentioning his sister’s name. “Awkward? No. You wouldn’t care if I started dating someone else, would you?” She pointed out, just assuming that the answer would also be no, that he wouldn’t be bothered. “It’s been almost a year, don’t worry about it.”

He let his smile linger for a little longer as she spoke. “I think I needed that right now.” He said, omitting to mention the fact Remus came along just around the time he was about to reach the bottom. At her comment, he let out a small laugh. “Yeah, I guess I wouldn’t mind too much. I’d be happy for you, actually.” He admitted with a nod. 

Remus knew Stu had said something, but couldn’t make out the words, causing him to frown. “What was that?” He asked, brows furrowing together.

He’d noticed the other staring at the little skin he’d shown, and Remus felt his cheeks heat up. Would you do it? Well fuck, Remus hadn’t expected the other to say that, and as the other leaned closer he chewed on his bottom lip. “Okay,” He breathed out, words barely audible. Remus turned his body to face the other, taking a deep breath before he reached out towards the other, fingers gripping at the bottom of the fabric as he slowly pulled it upwards. Remus swallowed as he pulled the shirt over the other’s head, before tossing it to the side.

His eyes flickered downwards to the other’s bare chest, unable to help himself. His gaze trailed upwards, slowly, before reaching the other’s lips. Remus felt himself drawn to the other, and while every part of him was telling him it was a bad idea – Remus leaned forwards, pressing his lips to the others.

He shook his head briefly when Remus spoke. “It’s not important, forget I said anything.” He said, trying to wave it off. The last thing he wanted was to say something that could upset the other.

As Remus moved to grab his shirt, he originally didn’t move, only biting his lips softly. But as he started pulling on his shirt, Stu started moving his arms, just to make it easier for him. And when he pulled it off, he stared down for a moment before slowly looking up. When he asked him if he could do it, he fully expected him to back off before he even lifted his shirt. It was a good surprise he’d actually gone all the way, it felt almost... satisfying that he did it.

But what came after was even more unexpected. He noticed the other’s gaze, and he’d be damned if he said he didn’t want to act on it then. Except he knew Remus, and he thought he’d just pull away if he moved closer. So when Remus himself made a move, Sturgis stayed in place for a moment. But it wasn’t long until a small smile started to stretch his lips, hands reaching up to meet his face.

“Yeah I think that was the most impulsive decision I’ve ever made in my life,” Remus mumbled, cheeks flushing. “I know, but I just, I get to call you my boyfriend now, right? Bloody hell, I sound like a fifteen year old.” He groaned, but a smile was on his lips as Stu’s head fell on his shoulder. “Good, because she kinda scares me,” He admitted with a laugh. As he pulled back, the smile on his lips made Remus let out a whine, burying his face in Stu’s shoulder. “You’re making it really hard for me to resist kissing you, when you look at me like that,” He murmured against the other’s skin.

“It might’ve been, but it was a good decision.” Sturgis said, smile lingering on his lips before a let out a chuckle. “Yes, yes you get to call me your boyfriend if you want.” His eyes took a quick glance around to try to spot the girl, but he didn’t see her, she brought his attention back to Remus. “As long as she’s not walking around with her bat, I think I can handle her.” As Remus let his head rest on his shoulder, his hand reached up to play with his hair. “Then why are you resisting?”

Then it can be just us. Remus wasn’t sure his cheeks could get much darker, but the heat they were giving off seemed to prove differently. His teeth tugged on his lower lip as he followed the other. “Well, you live with Gideon Prewett, that doesn’t exactly surprise me,” He mused, a soft, amused smile gracing his lips, before it faded slightly as he noticed the other seemed nervous. “Hey, Stu, are you alright?” He asked, reaching out to take the other’s hand in his to stop him slightly as they stood outside the other’s dorm.

Sturgis was chewing on his lips as he walked towards his dorm, his hand stopping on the doorknob as Remus mentioned Gideon. He pulled a small face, slowly turning to face the other. “Actually, he might be cleaner than I am.” He said, hesitantly opening the door. Why was he so nervous? He stopped again before walking in, taking in a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m fine. Do I look... different?” He asked, trying to make it sound as natural as possible.