Work Text:
“So? Will you be my valentines?...”
“I don’t know...”
“Please?”
“If I say yes, what would you want to do?”
“We can go to a fancy restaurant?”
“And you’ll propose?”
“I’ll do anything for a free dessert, idiot!”
“Alright, Rem,” Lily laughed loudly. “Valentine’s day for the third year in a row.”
“What can I say?” he shrugged. “It’s entertaining and we’re both single anyways.”
It was a tradition that Remus and Lily had done since they were 14. They both looked older than they were so it was easy to get away with. Mr Evans would drive Remus and Lily to a fancy restaurant and drop them off outside only to pick them up two hours later and listen to the dramatic retelling of their night.
“Mr Evans?”
“Yes, Remus?”
“I proposed to Lily tonight.”
“Will you two finally get married this year?”
“No, Dad,” Lily would laugh. “You know that I can’t deprive the world of tying down the Casanova of Hogwarts High and The Order!”
“And I can’t marry Lily or all the men would lose their hope that Lily may one day return their feelings,” Remus would add.
Every Valentine’s day, Remus would propose to Lily and a lovely old couple in whatever restaurant they were in would pay for a dessert for the ‘young and happy couple.’ Did they feel bad about scamming old people? Sometimes, but they wouldn’t care once the dessert was delivered to the table. It was innocent fun they would do before spending the night in one of their room’s and diving into their love lives, chocolate, movies, and more than enough blankets deemed acceptable by any mentally stable person.
“Do you think this might be our last one?” Remus asked quietly and Lily pressed play on the movie and wrapped the blankets around the two of them.
“I don’t know,” Lily whispered back. “I want to say no, but...”
“You will probably have James as your valentine’s date next year,” Remus smiled lightly, Lily smiling only just as much.
“You could also have someone.”
“I don’t think I will, not any time soon.”
“Why’s that?”
“We do this every year, Lily,” he sighed, dropping his head on his honourary sister’s shoulder.
“I know, but you answer every year.”
“Because I’m… I’m not ready to let anyone in yet.”
“And?”
“And I don’t want to date anyone while I can’t love myself.”
“You’ll get there, love,” Lily whispered, kissing Remus’ head. “It’s a process and I’ll make sure you love yourself one day.”
“It would be easier if you hypnotized me into loving myself.”
“Are you the one who tells me to enjoy the journey and not the ending?”
“First of all,” Remus laughed with a look of disbelief and amusement on his face, “you butchered that saying.”
“You get what I meant!”
“It’s ‘focus on the journey, not the destination’ but that is about living in the moment and not missing the now.”
“Oh...”
“I’m not particularly fond of the idea of enjoying focusing on my excelling at self-hatred-”
“Remus!”
“But if you insist, I will spend all day every day focusing on that- Ow!”
“I wouldn’t have had to slap you if you were being nice to yourself!”
“You started this!”
“Tomato potato,” Lily shrugged.
“That’s not...”
“I’ll hit you again.”
“You’re so sweet,” Remus mumbled in a monotone voice. “Having a sister is so fun...”
“You’d be lost without me,” she teased, nudging Remus with her shoulder.
“You’re right,” he smiled softly. “I wouldn’t be here without you.”
“And I’d be lost without you,” she whispered. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Lil’s.”
(The Next Year)
( Remus / James )
7:03 am: Hey, are you up?... Sorry…
7:04 am: I don’t even know what sleep is at this point in life, James. What do you need?
7:05 am: Can we talk?
7:06 am: Is that not what’s happening right now?
7:07 am: In person, I mean. Are you able to meet me at 8 on the football field? I have practice this morning but really need to talk to you before school.
7:08 am: I can be there, sure. Are you okay?
7:09 am: I’m okay, yeah… Thanks, Remus, I’ll see you soon.
7:10 am: See you soon.
“James?” Remus asked as he walked towards his friend.
“Hey, Remus,” came the strained response.
“What’s going on?”
“I… come sit,” James sighed, patting the spot on the bench next to him.
“James,” Remus replied sternly as he sat down, “what’s going on?”
“It’s about Lily-”
“I swear to God that if you hurt-”
“No no no!” James exclaimed, fear covering his entire face and tone. “No, I didn’t do anything and I never plan to hurt her! Please stop glaring at me!”
“Sorry,” Remus nodded as he relaxed against the back of the seat. “So, for the third and hopefully last time, what’s going on?”
“It’s Valentine’s day.”
“Good observation, James,” Remus slowly nodded. “Happy Valentine’s day to you?”
“Uh, no,” James laughed awkwardly and he ran his fingers through his hair nervously. “I just… I have to ask you something.”
“Okay?”
“I want to ask Lily to be my Valentine.”
“Okay?...”
“Yeah...”
“James,” Remus began with a raised eyebrow, “I’m not a mind reader and I’m not following what’s going on. You and Lily are dating, you know that, right?”
“Of course I know that,” James laughed, “but you’re her brother.”
“We aren’t in some gross Wattpad book or some incest cult, James!”
“Oh gosh,” James sighed, dropping his head into his hands. “Can I start over?”
“Please do because I’m so, so confused!”
“You and Lily always do something on Valentine’s day,” James explained. “I want your… blessing to take her out tonight for dinner and a dance. I would have her back by 11 pm.”
“Shouldn’t you be asking her dad?”
“I did,” James nodded, “and now I need to ask you.”
“May I ask why you’re asking me?”
“I’m asking you because you’re her brother and you two have been doing movie nights on Valentine’s day for as long as you both can remember and have done dinner and fake proposals for the last three years. I’m asking because I know it’s a change and I don’t want to take her from you.”
“She’s your girlfriend, James,” Remus shrugged, “Valentine’s is for couples, of course you can take her out.”
“I will have her back by 11 and you two can have your movie night.”
“Lily and I can cancel movie night-”
“Nope,” James laughed as he stood from the bench, Remus following his lead. “You two need your cheesy romance movies, tradition is tradition.”
“As long as you’re sure...”
“I’m positive,” James smiled. “Anyway, let’s go meet Pads and Lily?”
“Sounds good,” Remus smiled back. “Thanks for… well, understanding?”
“I know how much you two need each other and believe it or not, I’ve grown particularly fond of you.”
“I’m glad me saving your ass in school hasn’t been for nothing,” Remus mumbled with an eye roll.
“Oh, yeah,” James loudly laughed. “You can’t get rid of Sirius and me that easily, you’re stuck with us until the end of time!”
“Great, so I’ll never have a moment of peace?”
“And neither will Lily!”
“Rem!”
“And the love bird arrives,” Remus teased, tossing his book beside him as he watched his sister crawl through his window. “How was it?”
“It was amazing,” Lily sighed as she lay beside him on his bed. “We went and had supper and then he brought me to a park and there was live music and dancing! We were the only young people, but...”
“But?”
“It was perfect,” she smiled.
“You look like you had fun,” Remus grinned, poking Lily’s cheek. “I’m really glad you had a good time.”
“Me too… Oh!”
“Do I need to beat him up?”
“Stop threatening him,” Lily rolled her eyes and she pulled a box out of her bag. “He asked me to give this to you.”
“Should I be worried?”
“I honestly don’t even know,” she shrugged, giving Remus the box. “He told me to not open it and that it was for you.”
“I should definitely be worried,” Remus mumbled to himself, slowly and carefully opening the box.
As soon as Remus saw what was in the box, a laugh escaped from his throat. He took out the two cupcakes and took the ring out of the frosting, holding it out to Lily.
“You picked a good one,” he smiled genuinely, barely holding back happy tears, Lily being in the same state once she saw what the box contained.
“I did,” she smiled as Remus put the ring pop on her finger and she took the ring pop from the other cupcake and put it on his finger. “Time for some cheesy romance movies?”
“Time for cheesy romance movies,” Remus agreed.
( Remus / James )
11:20 pm: Thank you, James.
11:21 pm: Thank you for sharing her with me, Remus. Enjoy the awfully cheesy movies, thank you for saving me from having to watch them.