writers_muses: 28.1C. Escape.

[worldfromafar]

"This has got to be the most pretentious and absolutely boring party I've ever attended. Do you think we could manage an escape?"

"I'm sure we could, but..." Remus kept his expression neutral as he turned to look at Sirius. "Don't you think Peter's mum would be offended if we left? And Peter himself?"

Sirius sighed. "You are honestly going to tell me you're having fun here, aren't you."

The truth was, Remus wasn't having much fun either. They had all agreed to attend a party that Peter's parents had organized, mainly so that Peter wouldn't be alone during it, but they hadn't counted on just how... well, boring it would be. Peter was nowhere to be found, James and Lily had also disappeared somewhere, so now only Remus and Sirius remained at the table that had been set aside for all of them.

"And I really do not like how that lady keeps looking at us," Sirius added as he pretended to casually take a sip of wine he was drinking. "Who is she again?"

Now it was Remus' turn to pretend as he reached for his own glass as he looked in the direction Sirius had motioned towards. Sure enough, three tables away there was a woman who was indeed staring at them. Or, rather, at Sirius with a little too much interest. "...she's a cousin, I believe."

"Merlin, she's frightening."

"Sirius," Remus said in a strained whisper as he choked a bit on the wine he had just taken a sip of. "She's... ...all right, yes, she's frightening." A beat. "Has she been staring at you like that this whole time?"

The question, but mainly the tone of voice from his best friend, made Sirius turn to him with an amused smirk on his face. "Are you--"

"No."

"Moony..."

"Padfoot..."

"You're--"

"No."

Sirius' smirk turned into a grin. "Really."

Remus opened his mouth but, at the look on Sirius' face, he just muttered, "You're a git."

"And you're jealous."

Rolling his eyes, Remus downed the rest of the wine that was left to try and ignore the look on the other Marauder's face. If Lily and James were there he was sure James would probably tease him as well, and for once he was glad that they were nowhere to be found at the moment. Otherwise he already knew that that burning feeling on the back of his neck would be even worse, because the truth was that he really was a bit jealous even if he knew he shouldn't be. Even if he had no reason for it, really, but he couldn't help the way something in his stomach seemed to turn whenever he caught sight of that look on the face of Peter's cousin. Which she was doing. Again.

Suddenly Sirius stood just as Remus was about to reach for the wine to refill his glass, but before he could reach the bottle he was already being hauled up to his feet as well. "...Padfoot, wh--"

"Shh, I have an idea."

"Oh no..."

"Oi! Just trust me, all right? We need to have some fun. Besides," he added with a cheeky grin, "if we stay we'll just encourage Peter's cousin, I think."

Rolling his eyes, but unable to hold back a small laugh, Remus just let Sirius lead the way. "We should still come back, however. In case Peter, James and Lily start to wonder where we are."

"Of course we will. Now c'mon, let's go."

Some time later the two emerged back to the hall where the party was being held, and sure enough Peter, James and Lily were already back at their table. But that wasn't really what the two Marauders focused on at first, because just as they were making their way back they caught sight of Peter's cousin staring at them with a blank expression. Especially because of how Sirius kept trying to fix his disheveled hair, and Remus tried to straighten out his clothes, and the two of them shared a look and a smirk as they walked towards their friends again.

"Are you two having fun?" Peter asked with a smile as soon as they were within earshot.

Remus nodded, his smile widening. "We definitely are."

"This is a great party," Sirius responded with a nod of his own, grinning as well.