three_broomsticks | Marauders AU

Characters: Mingle
Warnings: Gen to mature, smut warning?
Timeline: Fluid, this is an AU post, anything from Hogwarts to distant future
Preferences: AU'd characters. Feel free to use this as a mingle, post your top levels. And if someone out there plays James, I'd love to see you in this post too! Multiple versions of characters welcome and pile-up threads encouraged. So don't be shy to thread jack or start your own things.

WHAT IF JAMES AND LILY HAD LIVED
It's as simple as that. Maybe they picked Remus as their secret keeper after all and managed to mount an attack against Voldemort otherwise. This is just a silly what if scenario, go as wild with it as you like. I'll give some prompt suggestions below but feel free to invent your own, too.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

One of them has to be the one to think of things sometimes, and Remus accepts the duty with dignity. Even when it ends up with things happening that have no dignity attached to them at all.

"I could laugh at you on the outside, it would be very easy, but you'd just complain about your head vibrating," Remus counters, carding his fingers through James' ridiculous hair and resting his hand on his head.

Why doesn't he visit more often? The question makes Remus pause in the little rubbing movement his fingers are doing, which he generally did to Sirius more often than to James. "Oh, well. You know how it is. You get busy," he says vaguely, because it's easier than confessing he sometimes wonders if it would be a bother for him to show up too.

"You are very right about that," James mutters against Remus' stomach. "Please don't laugh on the outside." He might be sick if his head will start to shake.

Besides he's enjoying the head scratches with a small murmured groan, his fingers curving around Remus' lean hips as if he were fluffing up a pillow. It feels fantastic, please don't stop.

But of course he does. James gives a small whine when the hand pauses in his hair.

"I do get busy. But I will still want to see you. Sirius checks in almost every day. He doesn't really add to the busy. You wouldn't either. We'd love to see you come by more often. We all would. Me in particular."

"I solemnly swear I will not laugh on the outside," Remus says gravely, and after a few moments, after James speaks again, he starts the gentle petting again.

It feels like school, one of the not infrequent days when James had crawled into Remus' space and begun groaning about something or other, an essay or Lily Evans or whatever he and Sirius had overdone the night before. It had taken Remus time to get used to it, but not as much time as he might have expected.

"You in particular?" he asks, quietly amused. "You miss being able to complain endlessly to someone just innocently trying to do his homework, is that it?"

When Remus' hand is moving again, James gives a content little groan and melts against him. He's easy to please, what of it?

He's never been exactly careful with Remus' personal space though, so this is nothing new to either of them. Back in school it would be Remus' bed they often piled on and James in particularly. He and Sirius click on a completely different level, always egging each other on for some reason or another. But Remus, Remus is the calming force for both of them and the voice of reason for James in particular because sometimes he gets lost in his own mace of a logic.

"Please, you're just saying that so you can laugh on the outside even if you promised not to. You know perfectly well I adore you."

"Are you insinuating I would go against my word? The sacred oath of the Marauders? Prongs. I'm hurt. Absolutely cut. I don't even need to laugh on the outside," Remus says, pressing a dramatic hand against his heart, the hand not currently occupied with rubbing slowly along the nape of James' neck. "Laughing on the inside is working just fine so far."

It feels good to tease like this again, even if he's somehow gone from reading a book to lying on the floor with one of his best friends pillowed on his stomach. But that's the way life is with James. If he hopped up and said he'd thought of something brilliant to do, Remus isn't even certain he'd ask many questions before tagging along, though he always reserves the right to ask them once there's no going back.

That's why Remus is the absolute best. He has the adventure and humour but also brain power to make it all happen. Besides he's reliable in a way that gives James a sense of safety, a solid presence that is so easy to lean on. He's also adorable. Of course he is. Why else would they have gone out of their way to become illegal animagus for him?

Finally James tilts his head up, chin propped on Remus' stomach for a brief moment as he smiles up at the melodramatic hand on heart and twinkling eyes. He sees your game, Remus Lupin.

"You think I'm so funny, do you?" he asks as he pushes up, crawling on hands and knees up along Remus' body, until he can sit back on those thighs and dig his fingers into Remus' sides, tickling him mercilessly.

Too late, Remus realizes his game and yelps and squirms, trying to escape, but James has him well and truly pinned and at his mercy. "James, no, stop!" he manages through the laughter, "I thought you didn't want outside laughter, how's this meant to help anything?"

But reason, as always, falls on deaf ears, and Remus can only strain to get his arms free and begin pushing back, grinning in spite of it all. "Prongs, you wanker, I'll have my revenge," he vows before James hits a particularly sensitive patch on his side and he loses track of the laughter and the words.

Remus is so easy to hit with a tickle attack. He's too clever to really nail down with anything but purely physical, surprising acts of taking away his right to choose if he's tickled or not.

James grin and grins and laughs with him because it's hilarious, okay, Remus squirming like there's an actual attack going on here, trashing from side to side with uncontrollable laughter.

"Mate, I can't hear you," he says, leaning closer and moving his hands up until he can reach Remus' armpits. Hoho. "What are you trying to say?"

"James," Remus yelps, far more high-pitched than he'd wanted to be, and heaves and manages to roll them over, crashing across his sitting room floor. His knee hits the floorboards harder than expected but he doesn't care about that, he's on top now and able to sit up enough to get his armpits out of the reach of James' treacherous fingers.

"Stop that immediately, that's what I'm trying to say, you're hideous," he says, still laughing almost too hard to get the words out as he starts grabbing for James' wrists, and if he gets hold of both of them he's pinning them to the damn floor above his hideous friend's head. That'll teach him.

James goes around pretty easily, letting Remus find himself on top and trap his wrists above his head onto the floor.

Oh, you think you're in control now, little wolf?

There's something very amused and teasing in the grin that curves over James' mouth. He watches Remus for a moment quietly. He's cute like this, flushed and and laughing, smiling with all his face. It suits him.

Then James applies his muscles to the struggle, twists his hands around and grabs Remus' wrists, pushing their joint hands up until Remus is left with no choice but to lean closer over him.

"How hideous are we talking about here?" he asks and totally lifts his head to lick Remus' cheek with the flat of his tongue. Hi, mate, you love him, don't you?

Marauders AU

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