Freckles

"Peter! Have you seen my copy of 'Curses to Cure your Complexion?'" Remus Lupin yelled across the chaos that was the 5^th year boy's dormitory in the morning. "I know you had it last," he continued as he saw Peter's eyes widen as if to say 'oops' from the mirror in which he was looking. "You needed it to curse off that pimple before your date with Maggie Galm last week!"

Yep. Just another Monday morning. Peter set aside trying un-wrinkle his robes and instead began looking for Remus's misplaced book.

"Remus has a zit?" James asked mockingly from the top of Sirius's bed, on which he was jumping, trying unsuccessfully to wake the sleeping animagus. "Merlin, even the oh-so-fairly-complected aren't safe!"

"No, I haven't got a zit. . ." he smiled to himself. He never got zits and his skin was one thing he could take pride in seeing as most of the other boys his age resembled pizza more and more each day. "I got a little to much sun by the lake yesterday, and I have been blessed with the unlucky fate of freckles."

He turned to show James who was now sticking his wand in Sirius's ear (Just 5 more minutes, Mum. . .) A light smattering of brownish dots covered his otherwise milky nose and cheeks.

James smiled as he withdrew his wand. "Oh I dunno Re, I think they make you look kinda. . .cute."

Remus scrunched his nose in disgust. "Cute? Bunnies are cute. Babies are cute. Pink is cute. Werewolves? I don't know about you, but I do not think werewolves should be considered--"

"Sorry, Remus. I really can't find it. Maybe I left it in a classroom. I'll look for it later. We should really be going. I need to finish my essay for McGonagall." And with that Peter went out the door. Remus sighed.

"Oh, you'll be fine. He's right though, we really should be going." James looked at his watch. "If only this git would wake up. It's usually not nearly this difficult. Must be having some damn good dream. . ."

As if on cue, Sirius moaned something that could only have been "Remus. . ."

James turned to smirk at Remus, who was now blushing.

"That's one way to hide the freckles, though I dare say some might find it just as cute. . ."

Remus glared at James, blush now departing. It hadn't been a real shock that Sirius has said his name while dreaming. There relationship had recently developed into. . .something. Long glances, close sitting, whispers, reasons for body contact and, recently, a few innocent snogs.

"You get him up. Seems to me like you're the person he'd rather wake up to, wouldn't you say?" James smirked. Remus hated that smirk.

"Fine, but this now counts as my turn so you still have to wake him up tomorrow." James nodded in agreement and started gathering his things. Remus climbed atop Sirius so that he was sitting on his stomach.

"Maybe I should leave. . ." Remus just looked down at Sirius and ignored what he knew was another James smirk.

"Wake up, Siri," he whispered. Nothing. He shrugged. "Aquis Fluevus" A jet of water shot out of his wand and directly into Sirius's face.

"James!" Sirius screamed as he shook his wet head. He pushed the wet strands out of his face and noticed that although James was clutching his side in hysterical laughter, Remus was the one chuckling with the wand.

"Morning. . .Sunshine," he managed between laughs.

Sirius growled in a very doglike manner and began tickling Remus until their positions were reversed and he was sitting on a giggling, squirming Remus. There was nothing in the world better than a giggling, squirming Remus.

James let out a subtle cough to let them know he was still in the room. " I think I'll just be heading. . ."

"Coming" Remus replied quickly just as Sirius said "we'll be down in a minute."

He gave Remus a look, but merely sighed and began dressing as Remus headed out the door with James.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Peter! Find that book, now!" Remus yelled as they returned from that night's detention. Remus rarely raised his voice, but the day had made him a bit. . . distressed. He had heard nothing but whispers and giggles about his freckles all day.

First, it had been the Slytherins. Snape had the audacity to ask if he could play connect the dots with Remus's face. That had actually been tolerable; it's not as if he liked the things either.

But then came the giggles and whispers. Everywhere he went. Giggling girls in the hallways, the Common Room, Great Hall, Classes. He just knew they were all talking about his freckles. He had even seen McGonagall blush when he caught her staring at them in their detention.

But worst of all was the number of times he heard the word 'cute.' If he heard it again, he thought he just might scream.

He wasn't exactly sure why he hated it so much. But he supposed it had something to do with people dismissing his gentle exterior as cute while he fought and internal battle to not rip and kill whenever he was the wolf. Words can be deceiving.

"Here you Re, I had left it in the showers," Peter handed him his slightly damp copy of 'Curses to Cure the Complexion.' "Sorry about that."

Happy enough to be rid of his bloody 'cute' freckles, Remus avoided the chance to give Peter a little lecture on the proper treatment of other people's property and a general statement that books and water do not mix.

"Finally!" he exclaimed as he plopped down of his bed, searching for the page, "I can get rid of these blasted freckles!"

"What?" Sirius asked, taking off his shoes. "Get rid of them? You can't!"

Remus looked up from his book. "Mmm? Yes. Yes, I can" and he resumed flipping through the warped pages.

"But. But they're so--"

"Dear Merlin, Sirius, if you say cute I will never kiss you again." Remus glared.

"I wasn't gonna say cute." He lowered his voice. "I was gonna say that they are so, sexy."

Remus blushed as Sirius's face, now very close to his, gave James the 'get-outta-here' nod over his shoulder. He leaned in and gave Remus a soft kiss.

Peter nearly choked on the nuts he had been munching across the room. "C'mon, Pete," James urged. "Let's go see if Maggie wants to go on that second date. . ."

"Subtle, Siri," Remus declared as they left the room. "But very sweet."

"I thought so," Sirius smiled, contented.

"They're still going though," Remus finished. "Ah-ha. Found it!"

Sirius pouted. "But, Remus, I love these freckles. If they're leaving, I just can't see them go without saying goodbye to them." With that he grabbed the book out of Remus's hands and pulled him down on the bed. "Each. . .and every. . .one. . .of them," he punctuated with kisses on various freckles.

"Goodbye" Kiss. "Goodbye" kiss. "Goodbye" Kiss. . .

Remus sighed as he pulled the bed curtain closed. Considering he had freckles ALL over his body, well, maybe these freckles weren't so bad after all. . .