BLACK MOON ⍋ Remus Lupin

Chapter 113- Gentle.

Suddenly we were both hit with a numbness that started in our toes and we both pulled away from the kiss.

"I need to get warm!" I said more seriously, yet the smile formed by our confession still lingered on my face.

"Me too!" He agreed and we quickly, manically swam to the surface pulling ourselves out of the water as quickly as we could.

We rushed over to our pile of clothes and held them up closely to our bodies.

"Should we risk it?" I said, gesturing to just running inside naked to our room.

"Quick!" He said quietly and we both sneakily rushed inside, praying that no one was up getting a late night snack or had passed out on the sofa.

Thankfully, the coast was clear and we both quietly giggled our way into our room, shutting the door behind us. Remus rushed to get two towels that were in a cupboard on the tiny en-suite at the side of the room. One that was shared with Marlene's room, meaning you had to lock two doors if you wanted privacy inside it.

"Come in, quick!" He said shivering and I shuffled after him, jogging on the spot whenever I stopped to encourage my blood to warm up.

He locked both doors of the bathroom and turned on the shower, which we waited to began to steam up. When it got warm enough, Remus dropped his towel and stepped inside, holding out his hand for me. I copied him.

We both huddled under the steamy water, sighing with relief as our freezing cold skin came into contact with heat.

We simple stood there for a while, letting our shoulders relax and body soften. Both occasionally dipping our heads under the stream to feel the hot water run through our hair and across our cold noses.

Once we had warmed up to the point our skin began turning a happy shade of pink, we properly opened our eyes and stared into each other's.

We began to wash each other, like we had done when I helped Remus with his recovery. This time being a different kind of slow and gentle. We took our time on each other, this time not because of injury but because of adoration.

As I washed his body, tracing over his scars that varied in all shades of pink and white, he looked at me like no one had ever looked at me before. With such intensity, as if he was seeing my soul. There was an indescribable deepness to the emotion that consumed his hazel eyes, his pupils growing large and reflecting the dim bathroom lighting around us, which made them seem to shimmer brighter than the running water that dared to steal the reflection of the light, but failing.

"Sometimes I wonder if moments like this are real." He expressed in a wondrous whisper.

I searched in his eyes for a deeper explanation.

"I'm loved. I know I am. My friends are so kind to me." He smiled.
"But no one has ever been this gentle with me. I don't have to be 'the strong one' with you."

and suddenly it made complete sense.

The gentleness that exudes from Remus,
the acceptance,
the soft physical intimacy,
the reassurance,
the unconditional care,
the patience,
the worry out of love,
the softly spoken words,
the warmth in his smiles,

They were all things he thought were so important, because he wanted to receive them too.

"You can be whatever you want around me. I want to experience it all." I said honestly, feeling overcome with emotion.

His chin wobbled a little, obviously overcome with emotion too but instead of tears he let out a quiet laugh and a toothy, lopsided smile found its way onto his face and he buried his face between my shoulder and neck. Kissing the skin slowly.

My head lulled backwards at the sensation. Sending goosebumps to appear across my arms.  The sound of the shower tap quietly squeaked off, and the shower head closed off only letting a few warm droplets escape.

Remus carried on kissing my neck as he opened the shower door, lifting me up and holding me. My legs instinctively wrapping around him as they did before in the lake.

He pulled away from kissing my neck to look and reach for the large towel that I had placed on the hook, reaching out and grabbing it and wrapping it around mainly me. Holding me up with only one strong arm as he did.

He began kissing me again, as I was wrapped in a warm fluffy towel. The sound of droplets falling off the end of my hair tapping on the floor.

He began to kiss me all over, reaching my mouth and smiling against the kiss. Not being able to contain his happiness.

I unwrapped my legs from his torso and he softly placed me on the floor at the change. I pulled away from the kiss and picked up his disregarded towel and wrapped it around him. I huddled close to him, planting small warm kisses on his now slightly exposed chest.

I pulled away and looked up. My heart thumping in my chest. My face beginning to heat up like the shower water had.

I simply nodded at him, a longing in my eyes that he instantly picked up on.

"Are you sure?" He asked in a low whisper, reaching his hand out to graze my face and ring out my dripping hair. Giving it a very soft pull, which made my eyes instinctively close and make the tingling heat from my face start to spread.

"Yes." I said quietly.

The speed in his breath increased and deepened as he searched deeper into my eyes, as if he was seeking for any clue that I wasn't ready. But I was. I really was.

This felt like the best and the right moment. I felt it deep within my heavily beating heart and warm tingling skin. I knew looking into his eyes that he wanted it too and the way he was waiting for me to be ready, only made me want it more.

He let out a deep exhale of warm breath, his mouth parting and a pink flush appearing on his face. His expression looked like a mixture of calculated nerves, primal passion and dazed amazement. He was running off of pure desire for a moment that had been building for years.

"I know you wanted aggressive," he said lowly his eyes flickering between my lips and eyes.
"But not now." his eyes stopped and lingered on my mouth and down to my chest.

"I want you to be gentle." I said honestly. That aggressive love that I was craving couldn't touch what this sweetness was doing to me.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are." He whispered in amazement, both of his hands reaching up to my face and guiding it towards his. His pouted lips brushing against mine softly, barely touching. Our breath tickling each other in a soothing manner.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are, Remus Lupin." I said against his mouth and with those words, his lips met mine.

(Just please listen, you won't regret it.)