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From the top of the Astronomy Tower, the stars are so visible, Remus almost feels that he can reach out and touch them. He raises one hand up, stretched out in front of him, constellations half visible between his splayed fingers.
There's nothing to grab of course, but Remus sighs contentedly regardless, dropping his arm back down to rest on his stomach. The noise draws Sirius' attention, who looks up at him. The two boys are sprawled out on their backs, staring up at the sky and more baked than fresh bread.
"Moony..." Sirius gives Remus that look, the wide eyed puppy dog face that was impossible to resist. Remus chuckles. The other boy doesn't even have to ask with words anymore. Just as wordlessly, Remus' hand raises to Sirius' long, inky hair and he begins stroking it. Sirius lets out his own sigh of contentment, and in the dark haze, Remus can just imagine Padfoot's tail wagging even though he's not petting a dog.
There's something about being high that turns Sirius into a cuddle bug. It was odd at first, but Remus has come to appreciate the closeness, and Sirius' need to touch and be touched after a joint. In turn, it morphs Remus into a chatterbox. Half the time, he doesn't even know he's talking.
"-glad there's no moon tonight," he hears himself say, dragged back into the present by the sound of his own voice. Sirius looks over at him, wearing that complicated look on his face that he always seems to get whenever Remus mentions anything related to his own monstrous-ness. That odd mix of pity and sympathy and other feelings Remus has never been able to translate sober, let alone while he's stoned. Sirius stares at him with that intense look and Remus stares back, stunned into silence. He is reminded, not for the first time, how deeply intelligent Sirius is, when he wants to be. All that secret brain is pointed at him right now, under the mystery.
Remus swallows, and breaks the silence with his rambling. "Not just because, you know, I hate it. When there's no moon, it makes the stars brighter, and it makes the night sky more peaceful."
Tearing his gaze away from Sirius, he looks back up at all the stars... Looking for one in particular. His free hand not tangled in Sirius' hair reaches up again. "There you are, Sirius."
The Dog Star shines brightly, almost as strong and bright as the personality of the boy lying beside him. For once, Remus doesn't want to hear his own voice. "Padfoot... Will you point out your constellation to me again?" he asks.
From beside him, Sirius laughs. "Yeah, Moony. I'll show you." Sirius reaches up with his own hand, but instead of pointing with his fingers, he takes Remus' wrist, using his hand to trace the constellations into view.
"So... There's me, of course, and the rest of Canis Major. And up here is Orion..."
Sirius' voice is soothing, and Remus finds himself transfixed, staring up at the stars and constellations as they're being described. He hardly hears the words anymore, until one of them rings out more sharply than the parade of murmurs flowing in one ear and out the other.
"Moony?"
Remus looks away from the stars to see Sirius staring at him once more. "Yeah, Pads?"
Sirius opens his mouth like he's going to say something, then sighs and chuckles, giving a shake of his head. "Nothing." He rolls himself closer to Remus, resting his head on his shoulder. Remus allows him into his personal space, a place few people are ever allowed.
"I wish we could just stay up here forever. This is perfect. I know that leaves out Peter and James, but it's their own fault they got detention... So it's not exactly perfect I suppose, but as perfect as it can be without the rest of the Marauders. And some snacks. Peter would insist on having snacks, for when we got the munchies. I suppose I wouldn't mind having a pillow as well, and you're already using me as one so-"
His rambling is interrupted by light snoring. Sirius has fallen asleep. Remus smiles down at him, and resumes petting his hair. The way Sirius twitches in his sleep is more dog like than boy. "Night, Pads," he whispers, watching Sirius for a few more moments before looking back up at the stars. A contented smile spreads across his face. The warmth of the boy beside him is like a blanket, and soon Remus' eyes are too heavy to keep open as well. He falls asleep as well, and dreams peacefully, until the boys are awakened by sunrise.