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Sirius may be in the midst of swigging down his third flute of wine for the night but he’s still gut enough wits about him to plot out an elaborate and mutinous murder, namely directed towards the redheaded harpy that goes by Lily in the light of day. James might mourn for a while— her being the love of his life and all; And sure Harry might go through some struggles without a mum for a bit, but she deserves it. The murder is completely justified and they’ll see as much in due time.
Now listen, Sirius has never been much for dramatics, but he can solemnly swear that this bloke is officially the driest person he has ever had the misfortune of meeting, and there’s no way Lily wasn’t privy to as much when she diabolically set them up on this treacherous blind date— Truly evil, She’s probably getting him back for that business with teaching Harry that cursing during footie matches is perfectly allowed, or maybe how he had stuck a chewed up piece of gum onto the back of James’s head which resulted in him sporting a porcupine sort of hairdo for two months straight. Or maybe it’s because of how he ran over her hydrangeas the last time he was parking his motorbike in their driveway.
Well no matter, all of that withstanding, it doesn’t give her permission for this monstrosity of a date! It’s literally worse than last month when Sirius had gone out with that bird who tried saying people who aren’t strict, raw vegans are the scum of the earth while Sirius was cutting into his very juicy, very prominent steak. Or a couple weeks ago when he met up with that berk from tinder who ended up divulging that he doesn’t think Brexit is really all that bad. Or even the time— Right, well, Sirius hasn’t had any luck in the dating scene in a while, but that doesn’t deter from the fact that Lily Evans is pure evil incarnate.
Sirius shall get his revenge.
Benjy— his wayward date for the night— has now begun droning on about the woes of his job as an investment banker, and Sirius only keeps his head up for the mere purpose of collecting enough evidence for the impending murder trial.
“Oh blimey,” Sirius shouts in as believable of a way as he can muster, phone clutched in one hand as he scrambles for his jacket in the other once he’s had enough. “I’m sorry bout this mate but my younger brother has just texted me, apparently there’s a problem with him erm— His hair.”
Benjy blinks up at him, confused as all get out. “His hair?”
“Oh yes, yes. The damn bugger tried bleaching it himself but it seems to have went awry.” Sirius tells him hurriedly, tossing down a couple notes to pay for his drinks and untouched salad. “Rotten timing I know, but the woes of being the oldest, I’m sure you understand.”
“Erm, actually I’m an only child.”
“Ah, lucky you. Well Ta for tonight and get home safe, yeah?” Sirius smiles congenially at him while rushing off to the exit before Benjy can do something as stupid as asking to do this again some time.
He’s going to murder Lily Marie Evans if it’s the last thing he does.
.-
Sirius walks into the Potter abode— having a key since they bought the cottage almost a decade ago now— with his mouth already open for some choice words to flee at Lily, but shuts it immediately when he sees his God son in the living room in front of his parents’s perch on the sofa, playing a game of snap with another kid his age. And Sirius might be angry, but he has some tact, some modicum of propriety, even if he wishes he didn’t.
“Uncle Pads!” Harry crows when first spotting him, leaping up to tackle Sirius with a hug that makes him stagger back with its ferocity.
“Oi Haz, ‘s only been a couple days since we went to the cinema,” Sirius laughs, lifting him up effortlessly and carding a doting hand through his messy head of hair. “Have some restraint man.”
“Wonder who taught’m that,” Lily needles shrewdly, smirking at Sirius in a way that tells him that she knew exactly what she was doing when she set him up with Benjy.
Sirius only glares, mouthing bint at her from above Harry’s shoulder and making Lily laugh in pure delight.
“So he wasn’t a good fit, eh?” She asks once Harry scrambles back down.
“He was a bloody bore,” Sirius harrumphs.
“Oi, watch the tongue Sirius,” James scolds, standing up just to cuff him round the head. “I know you’ve ruined Harry already but Teddy’s not ours so we better not return him to his father sounding like a sailor.”
“Right, right, I’ll hold my tongue Potter.” Sirius sniffs airily, letting himself be dragged by Harry to the center of the room and showing him how he’s absolutely destroying the competition. “Nice Haz, you’re doing brilliant. Though looks like your friend here is right at your heals.”
“Ted’s the best Sirius!” Harry squawks with all the conviction of a six year old. “He can read as good as the third graders and he always picks me first when we play footie for Recess and we always trade lunches on Tuesdays!”
The other boy beams, and Sirius wonders if the pair of them will carry on the Marauders legacy that James and Sirius had left behind. “Da always packs me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich even though I hate peanut butter.”
“Ah, I see, and what do you get from my God son then?”
“Mum’s gross cheese and pickle ones,” Harry chirps, picking up the box of legos from the corner before plopping down besides Teddy again to begin building with him.
“See if I ever make your lunches again you ungrateful little sprog,” Lily harrumphs teasingly, tousling harry’s mop of hair and smiling down at the pair of them as she walks off to the kitchen to grab her ringing mobile.
“So he was a plonker then?” James says under his breath to Sirius before strolling back to the sofa.
“I seriously contemplated stabbing my hand for some entertainment value for a solid ten minutes.”
James rolls his eyes at the dramatics but the pair of boys only cackle over the shrilling of the doorbell. “I suppose I’m getting that Jem?”
“I’m just so tired,” James bemoans, , stretching his arms out and dropping them promptly.
“Lazy sod.”
“You gots to put five quid in the jar now Uncle Pads!” Harry instructs, and Sirius mock pouts.
“No mercy for your favorite God father Haz?”
“Only ten more and I can buy that lightsaber,” Harry retorts brightly, falling into excited chatter with Teddy about his own green one.
“None of you Potters have any loyalty, I swear,” Sirius grumbles as he putters back to the front entrance and swings open the door only to have him immediately second guessing that whole atheist shtick he’s got going for him, because damn. God fucking damn it. Holy shit!
Standing there, right in front of him, is the fittest bloke Sirius has ever had the pleasure of resting his eyes on. No not fittest— that’s to crude of a description. Angelic, beautiful, God damn gorgeous. He’s all lovely curls that fall artfully to one side of his forehead, and ridiculously large, ridiculously startling eyes fringed by thick lashes and the most precious, most lovely, most heart wrenching little half grin toying the ends of his lips.
Sirius is sure that this bloke is a heavenly vessel for some sorta of transcendent being, and he needs to repent whichever injustice he’s committed today, but simply could not string two coherent thoughts together to do as much. So it’s a miracle when the angel speaks first, large eyes glittering as he tilts his head back only a breath so to meet Sirius’s higher gaze. “”lo there.”
Oh God, even his voice is a gorgeous, syrupy tenner. “H—Hallo.”
A silence drapes over them, and it’s obvious that the Angel is waiting for Sirius to speak— as if he reckons Sirius is capable of thought right now while glancing at the man he’s surely going to wed— but then the standstill is shattered when Harry’s friend clammers between them and hops into the Angel’s arms, and Sirius wishes he could say something because even though Teddy’s a tiny, sprite of a thing, he’s definitely still too large for Angel to carry easily, and beyond that, Sirius really does not think a marriage proposal after being attacked by the askers God son’s best friend is not a good omen. But eventually Sirius is able to collect himself for long enough to hear Teddy babbling about Pokemon and toy cars and a game of tag with the word Da interspersing every couple breaths.
And oh.
This suddenly, excruciatingly, makes a lot of sense. Teddy and Angel have the same tawny brown hair, and the same dimples and the same shape to their eyes even though Teddy’s are a bright blue and his father’s are a glorious golden shade.
And yeah, everything fucking sucks. But before Sirius can put his foot in his mouth James is saddling up to his side and clapping Angel on the shoulder and calling him Remus and asking him to stay for a cuppa.
Angel— No not Angel, Remus— only smiles diffidently at him, setting Teddy down so to stretch. “Thanks James, but this one’s got to bathe before bed for school tomorrow.”
“Righto, fair enough. But you’ll both still come round for Sunday brunch?”
“Course, Ted’s been talking his Grams’s ear off about it.”
“Perfect,” James grins. “And don’t worry, we’ve just gotten finished feeding the boys.”
Teddy hops up excitedly in agreement. “Mrs Potter made us this awesome curry that she said she learned from Mr Potter’s mum and she said she can send you the recipe!” Teddy tells him glowingly, completely oblivious to the grimace passing his father’s face at that.
“Has he been talking about my disastrous cooking all night?”
Sirius is only sorta shocked that the question seems to be directed at him, amber eyes meeting gray. And God, he’s stunning.
Mercifully, Sirius is spared from answering by James’s booming laugh and assurances that he hasn’t been ribbing too harshly, and then Teddy and the Angel are waving goodbye and strolling to their car and Sirius can only stare after them dumbfounded.
“CLose your mouth mate, less you’ll catch flies.” James warns with a shit eating grin that turns to a squawk when Sirius shoves him indoors with no gentleness.
.-
Sirius does not lust after straight men. He absolutely does not. That’s not on, that’s pathetic, pitiful really. Sirius would never waste his time on that bollocks.
Sirius does not thirst after straight men damn it!
All of this said, it really does not make sense why he’s been unable to get the image of that rudding Remus fellow out his head all damn week long, or why he gets a nervous fluttering deep in his gut when he remembers the way Remus had smiled at him or how he had looked swathed in starlight.
Damn it, he’s pathetic.
.-
When Sunday morning comes around, Sirius decides to take his pup, Snuffles— (Thanks for that one Haz)— on a walk to the Potters. It’s completely innocuous, completely normal. Sirius practically spends all his time he’s not sleeping or working or going on disastrous dates over at his best mate’s house. There’s absolutely no other reason why he makes the track on this particular morning.
And yeah, maybe somewhere in the back of his mind he remembers a certain pair of sentences exchanged by James and a certain angelic looking man, but it’s so hazy if he’s being at all honest, he can’t remember it at all.
.-
Expectantly, no matter how steadfastly he tries convincing himself of the innocence of this move, the moment he steps into the Potter’s kitchen, he’s met by Lily’s narrowed eyes and flared nostrils and general air of knowing fucking everything without anyone even telling her a word.
“Morning love,” Sirius greets, faux relaxed as he let’s Snuffles flounce off to Harry’s room. The kid’s always been his favorite company.
“Don’t you spend your Sundays with Marlene working off your hangovers?” She asked with a single, red brow cocked.
Sirius grimaces, scratching the back of his head bashfully. “Not since Dorcas made an honest woman of her actually.”
Sirius definitely does not miss the way Lily’s face seemingly brightens ten fold before she settles back down her excitement, and he has no fucking idea what to think of that. “Oh? And would you like that? To be an honest man for some poor, unsuspecting soul. Finding your better half? Your something permanent?”
Indignant, Sirius tosses her the bird before sitting leisurely in front of the kitchen table. “Why? Got anymore Benjy’s to hook me up with?” He asks derisively, and Lily has enough class to bow her head apologetically.
“I thought it would be a laugh.”
“James has really rubbed off on you, hasn’t he?” Sirius snorts, privately agrees with her that it was in fact a great prank but he definitely won’t tell her as much.
“Yeah, well this time’s for real, alright.”
Sirius glances at her wearily, too hesitant to think of Remus but suddenly feeling his insides all twisting up with anticipation. “Oh?”
“Hmm,” Lily nods, goes back to stirring her coffee, the house is quieter than usual; Harry’s probably still asleep with the addition of Snuffles, and this is the time James usually takes his morning runs, and Sirius’s throat is clogged with an emotion he refuses to put a name on. Hates that it feels sorta like eagerness. “Tell me S, why’d you come on the morning you knew Ted and his Da would come visit?”
Sirius’s cheeks blaze. “Harpy.”
Lily grins like the sun, and they both know she’s won without effort. “I’d talk to him if I were you.”
“Bloody hell, I’m not really that obvious, am I?”
“You kept glancing up to space like a daydreamer after meeting him last Tuesday.” Lily snorts, winking conspiratorially at him. And all Sirius can do is flush.
“Stuff it Evans.”
She laughs before pinching his cheek teasingly, instructs him to grab the takeout menu so they can order brunch from that diner down the street. And Sirius must be an auto drive or something because he follows the command without even an argument, vision suddenly clouded with pictures of those amber eyes and that crooked grin and something like hope.
.-
The breakfast is a rowdy affair, as should be expected considering that there are a pair of six year old boys in the midst, and also James and Sirius who always inevitably act like as much when they’re together. But it’s nice, remarkable even.
The boys invent a game of who can make the most vile concoctions of food and dare the other to eat it, while James and Sirius spend most of the conversation regaling everyone with stories of them back in boarding school and all the mischief they had gotten up to. Lily and Remus only shake their heads and smile exasperatedly at them between chatting with one another about a new book they’re both in the midst of reading and their thoughts towards the elections happening in the States. (There’s absolutely no wonder why they were each the prefects of their respective years.) And it’s all just maddeningly miraculous, the way they all fall into one another’s spaces, how effortless and right it all feels. Though Sirius is concerned that for every soppily besotted glance James pins towards Lily, he himself is darting his own pious gaze at the image of Remus, a gaze that’s full of intrigue and wanting and probably a bit of enchantment.
Eventually the boys scramble upstairs with Snuffles to play with a new, toy car Sirius had bought Harry a few days ago and Lily is waving him and Remus to the back porch with their freshly poured cuppas. “Go off and relax, James and I can clean up here and meet you guys outside.”
Sirius is silently thanking all the stars above for Lily sodding Evans at the same time Remus is frowning abashedly at her. “Are you sure, I’m perfectly fine with helping.”
“’S fine mate,” James tells him with a congenial grin. “Honestly would be more help if yo distracted this plonker, else he’ll definitely break a few plates and make something explode.”
“Shut it Potter,” Sirius hisses with no malice. He can’t really be all that angry when the comment made it so Remus is letting out a small, shy chuckle, and it’s a dazzlingly dulcet sound that Sirius swears he can get lost within for an eon if Remus lets him.
Jesus fuck, Sirius really is in some trouble isn’t he??
.-
They sit down besides one another in the small, glass table that overlooks the yard, Remus grinning at Sirius, and it’s like he’s being bombarded with a thousand watts of adrenaline at the sight. “You and James are like a two man show. It’s brilliant.”
Sirius feels his features soften that bit more, “Yeah, he’s a total prat, but he’s my brother.”
Remus nods as if he’s expected as much, a single finger tracing an imaginary design against the tabletop. “You also seem to be in a better mood than when we first met.” Sirius raises a brow at him, confused. “Just, erm. You didn’t seem like much for talking on Tuesday.”
Oh fuck, Sirius can’t believe Remus took his standoffishness for being unwilling to speak to him, rather than the fact he was simply slack jawed by his presence. But maybe this can help? Maybe Sirius isn’t just a manic imbecile to him, maybe he has a chance.
“Yeah,” Sirius clears his throat, deciding it’s all or nothing. “Yeah, well I just got back from a date with the most boring bloke in the history of ever. And Lily set us up just for shits and giggles.”
Sirius has to wait for a pulse of silence before he suddenly hears Remus’s laugh— true and uninhibited— pouring out his lips, his tawny head thrown back and gorgeous eyes crinkled just for good measure.
“Oi, thanks for the sympathy mate.” Sirius sniffs, but can’t help the way the corner of his mouth curls up, endeared.
“No, no I’m sorry.” Remus stifles out between gasps, raising his hands in concession. “Just, hah. Let me guess, Benjy Fenwick?”
Stunned backwards a bit, Sirius composes himself once more and pins him with a one eyed squint. “Lily’s told you then?”
Remus bites down on his lip, obviously trying, and failing, to hold back another laugh. “A bit of the opposite actually.”
Sirius furrows his brows now, inching closer and pretending that the smell of him—a medley of citrus and cinnamon and sunlight— isn’t totally dizzying. “Explain yourself man.”
Remus ducks his head, running a hand through his curls and blushing ever so slightly. “Well actually, we went out a few weeks ago, and I told Lily that I wouldn’t wish the experience on my worst enemy— and well—“
Sirius stares at him, gobsmacked. “That absolute evil mastermind.”
“She’s amazing,” Remus toots, still smiling like the sodding sun.
“Bloody hell, I’m going to have to get her back.”
“Please don’t, I have the sense that she’d destroy you.”
“Oi!” Sirius reproves, hand clutched dramatically to his chest. “But I have to defend my honor Lupin! Dye her hair green or shrink all her clothes or, or”
“All of these are a bit piss poor if I’m being honest.” Remus tells him cooly, bringing up his cup for a sip, and Sirius definitely does not watch the way his tongue laps at the lip of the glass before he drinks. Absolutely not! The implication itself is absolutely risible. He swallows down for a completely different reason damn it!
Coughing, Sirius adjusts his seat and tries for joking once more. “This is some piss poor Bi unity if I’m being honest Lupin.” Sirius tells him, using the same turn of phrase just to taunt.
Remus snickers again and Sirius wonders when the sound will stop making him feel dazed. “I’m gay actually, so jokes on you.”
“Oh,” Sirius idiotically says out loud, confusion dripping from the singular word. Remus is smart too, he definitely doesn’t miss the way Sirius’s eyes flicker to the upstairs window to Harry’s room where he and Teddy are making noise loud enough that they can hear them from out here. Remus definitely makes the connection of Sirius being confused over him having a kid, and he can only blush in apology.
“Had him when I was sixteen,” he explains the non sequitur with a shrug. “First ever girlfriend and i was still figuring out my sexuality and all that bollocks.”
“Oh, I didn’t have a clue.” Sirius says, is slightly distracted by the mental mat he’s trying to calculate. He had just thought Remus was a couple years below him, with an incredibly fresh face, coupled with his more lithe build would naturally make him look younger. But now Sirius is being told that he actually is quite a bit younger. Nothing odd, but still startling. “James and Lily were twenty-three when Haz came around, and I swear that they would’ve gone mad if it wasn’t for my nappy changing expertise and their parents offering to take him practically any night.”
Remus grins more glowingly now and Sirius is sorta okay if he always feels this wrong footed whenever he favors him with one of his smiles. “That’s really nice, that you were there for them I mean.”
“Yeah course, I’d do anything for them, they’re family.”
Remus smiles a bit wider, and Sirius swears he sees something like adoration embedded into the sight.
“So you and Ted’s mum, was it difficult after—Erm.”
“After I realized I would never fall for the charms of the fairer sex?” Remus asks, cheeky as all get out and it’s like a punch to the gut with how much Sirius loves the sound of it.
“Hah, yeah, yeah. That.”
Remus breathes out amusedly before just shrugging with a single shoulder. “She’s not really around that much, is in Prague for university.”
Sirius is almost terrified how intensely he suddenly hates this faceless woman. “So what she just bounced?”
“She’s always been one to travel and explore the unchartered,” Remus tells him, glaring slightly at Sirius’s tone, obviously protective of Teddy’s mum. “I don’t begrudge her of it.”
Sirius nods slowly, adequately chastened at the reproachful tone Remus had taken on. “So it’s just you and Ted then?”
“I mean I’ve got friends who offer to help, and my mum’s only a train ride away in Wales, but he’s my son.”
“Right,” Sirius squirms a bit now, feels like he’s just made a blunder of things. “Just wish you could’ve done what you wanted too.”
“I like Godric’s Hollow,” Remus tells him, and it’s returning to that pleasant timbre from before so Sirius feels like he’s being forgiven, thank you to any and all deities above. “I like the quiet and stable nature of it, like my gig at the library even if the hours are funky. And maybe when Ted’s a bit older, and I’ve got some more spending money I’d love to take him out to travel like his mum. But for now, what we’ve got is bloody amazing.”
“Oh, I know. I never doubted that, I’m sorry.” Sirius says in a rush, feeling like a prick.
“I Know you didn’t mean anything of it,” Remus assures, dimpling up at him once more and Sirius feels his every nerve ending go ablaze.
“Go out to dinner with me.”
It’s Remus’s turn to look shocked, brows hiked and hand slipping from his flimsy grasp onto the cup. “Wha—“
“I like you, a lot, and it’s honestly to a quite ridiculous degree mate. So I reckon you should say yes and go out with me tomorrow night, or else I’ll feel like a complete knob.”
Remus seems to be floundering now, mouth opening and closing, while his cheeks turn a very bright, very fetching shade of red. “I’ve got a kid.”
“You think I haven’t put that together?”
“No— Erm, I mean. I just can’t find someone to sit him on such short notice.”
“Bring Ted with us. Oi, you know what, I can bring Haz too, those two get on like a house on fire.”
“Sirius—“
He doesn’t let him continue, barges forwards before Remus can convince himself to say no. “We’ll take them to that aquarium in the city, let the fish distract them, and maybe we can get some time alone too. And there’s that really brilliant frozen yogurt place on that same block. Oh, and—“
“Sirius,” Remus says again a bit louder and a bit more forcefully. “We’d love to.”
And God, Remus is like a dream come to life. So Sirius can only smile giddily as he collects his thoughts that only amount to, “Yeah.”
“Yeah,” Remus assures, grin a bit diffident but a bit mischievous too as he leans forwards, and the next thing Sirius knows is that Remus Fucking Lupin is kissing him, honest to god, mouth on mouth, spiked blood pressure kissing! And he tastes a bit like berries from breakfast and sugar from his tea, and sorta like the feeling of violet skies and kept promises and maybe like Sirius has found something real.
.-
It’s only three years later that finds Teddy dressed in a suit matching James’s own as they each flock Remus and Sirius’s sides as their respective best men. Lily’s in the front row tearing up, and Harry’s making the hands of his new baby sister clap after Sirius and Remus slip on the wedding bands to one another’s fingers.
And when he kisses Remus in front of the crowd of their nearest and dearest, there’s absolutely no doubt that he’s found his something permanent.