AN: This was written for a LiveJournal fic exchange, fandomcommerce, for my friend Kerrie. Enjoy!

Poisoned Apple

Shadows flicker over Sirius’s face as the sun begins its descent from the evening sky, contrasting with the light glimmering off the surface of the lake. Remus kicks off his shoes, stretching his legs out on the soft blanket they’re sitting on. He looks at Sirius, allowing himself to drink in those perfect features—dark hair falling into sparkling grey eyes, ruby lips curled into a smile. He takes a sip of Butterbeer, savoring the warm, bubbly taste.

Sirius reaches into the basket of food they brought, and withdraws an apple. He shudders and makes a face at it, turning it to view it from a different angle. His nose is scrunched up, and his eyebrows are creased, but Remus still thinks he looks adorable, even when he’s glaring at an apple.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s an apple,” says Sirius, as if that explains everything.

“And?”

“Well, we read this Muggle fairy-tale in Muggle Studies today,” replies Sirius. “It was called Snow White.”

Remus groans. He can already see where this is going.

“And she eats this apple, but it’s poisoned—”

“Sirius, that doesn’t mean that every apple in the world is poisoned.”

“But they could be.”

“You’re thinking too much.” Remus hits his forehead with his palm. “I can’t believe I just said that.”

Sirius smirks at him. “But what if someone poisoned it because they want me to die? I wouldn’t put it past Snape.”

“The house-elves packed that basket, remember? I don’t think they have anything against you. They love you. I have to compete with them for your attention.”

“Well, what if the tree—”

Remus rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure a random tree somewhere decided that it hates Sirius Black and wanted to poison one of its apples on the off chance that the apple ever got to you,” he says sarcastically.

“It’s a possibility.”

Remus sighs, and takes a bar of chocolate out of the basket. “Here, eat this instead.”

Sirius breaks off a large chunk of chocolate and stuffs it into his mouth. He moves closer, pressing his lips to Remus’s, then slides the chocolate into Remus’s mouth with his tongue. The rich, chocolaty flavor fills his mouth, blending with the taste of Sirius’s lips. Remus decides that chocolate and Sirius is the best taste in the world, and that it should be a flavor, but he’s not sure that he wants to share that wonderful synthesis with the rest of the world.

By the time the sun has set completely, they’re both sweaty and breathless, with chocolate staining their lips like lipstick, and Sirius can’t find his pants.

--

“So, what were you two doing last night?” asks James, grinning slyly. “Howling at the moon?”

Remus goes pink, and mutters, “Shut up.”

“That’s hilaaaaaaarious, James,” Sirius says dryly. “So very clever of you. How long did it take you to think of that?”

Peter looks confused. “But it’s not the full moon yet.” His eyes widen. “Oh.”

Sirius flicks scrambled eggs at him, and slathers butter on his toast. He leans over Remus to get the coffee and sees a bowl of fruit.

“Moony, they’re stalking me.”

“They’re not stalking you. They’re apples. They’re not alive—they can’t think,” Remus tells him. “He’s afraid of apples,” he informs James and Peter.

James grabs an apple out of the bowl and throws it in the air. “Ooooh, scary.” He catches it.

“They poison people,” Sirius protests.

James throws the apple at him.

--

Someone—most likely James—puts apples in Sirius’s bed, and he refuses to sleep there until all the sheets are ripped off the bed to ensure that there are no more apples.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little ridiculous?” says Remus, putting the sheets back on the bed. Sirius has obviously never had to make his own bed—he got tangled in the sheets when he tried. Now he’s leaning out of the window and throwing the apples outside.

“He’s always ridiculous,” James yells from across the room.

“So are you,” mutters Remus.

Sirius flings the last apple out the window and laughs at it. James points at random objects with his wand, transforming them into apples.

“Moony, help,” pleads Sirius.

Remus just sits there and laughs at them.

--

Sirius stares at the shiny, dark red apple sitting innocently on his plate the next morning. Remus glares at James, not fooled by his expression of childlike innocence.

“I had nightmares about these things last night,” says Sirius.

“Oh, so you weren’t dreaming about Remus, then?” mutters James.

Remus glares at him, and Sirius throws the apple at him, laughing when it bounces off his forehead. Remus can see Lily Evans rolling her eyes at them. James notices too, and rakes his hand through his messy, dark hair, his face softening as he catches Lily’s eye. She puts her head in her hands, and next to her, Marlene McKinnon laughs, shaking her head at James.

“You have maple syrup on your chin,” says Sirius, then moves closer to Remus to lick it off.

James covers his eyes with his hand. “Not here, not while I’m eating,” he groans dramatically. “Save it for somewhere dark, and private, where I am not.”

Peter sniggers. Remus can feel heat flooding his face.

“Padfoot, if you really die from that poisoned apple—” James says it mockingly—“then you can have Remy kiss it better.”

Sirius smirks at Remus. “Why don’t we skip the part with the apple and just do the kissing instead.” His full, perfect lips are tempting, and all Remus wants to do is capture them with his own.

“That sounds like a good idea,” he whispers.

James groans. “You two are disgusting.”

Sirius pouts. “Don’t listen to him, Moony. He’s just jealous.”

James snorts. “I can to much better than you, Padfoot.”

“Yeah, well, I haven’t seen Evans fall for your charms yet.”

“She’s just in denial,” retorts James, sounding both arrogant and confident.

“Actually she looks pretty happy to be far away from you.” Sirius points to Lily, who’s laughing at something that Alice or Marlene has just said.

“She’s pretending.”

Remus shakes his head. “I think you’re the one in denial.”

“You’re delusional,” adds Sirius. “And you need someone to release your sexual tension on.”

“You know, I’m really not interested in what you and Moony are doing when the rest of us are trying to sleep,” James cuts in.

“Yes, you are. You just don’t want to admit it,” says Sirius, smirking.

“No, I’m positive that I don’t want to know what you two get up to. I don’t want that image in my mind every time I look at one of you. And I don’t want to hear it, either.”

“Don’t worry, we both know how to cast Silencing Spells,” Sirius tells him, looking arrogant.

“Can we have this conversation another time, preferably when I’m not eating?” suggests Peter.

James nods in agreement. “I second that.”

“Well, Moony, I guess we’ll just have to go somewhere where they’re not,” Sirius says slyly.

And that’s how they end up on Sirius’s bed, kissing each other dizzily. In a few minutes, they’re going to be late for Defense Against the Dark Arts, but in their opinion, this is far more educational. Remus’s hands are tangled in Sirius’s long, dark hair, and Sirius’s fingers dance over the hem of Remus’s shirt, ready to pull it over his head. And even though there’s no poisoned apple involved, Remus still feels like the prince, kissing Sirius’s life back into him.

--

Many years later, but to Remus it seems like it’s merely seconds, he watches Sirius fall backwards through a dark, tattered veil, laughter mingling with the faded beauty on his face. And maybe it’s veils and curtains and things used to cover windows that he should have feared, instead of poisoned apples, because not even Remus’s kiss can save him now.

-The End-

AN: Reviews greatly appreciated; flames are not.