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Remus was enjoying a quiet evening alone in the common room. It wasn’t often that he managed such a feat, especially when he could get the armchair closest to the fire and really settle into a good book. Usually at least one of his friends was trying to rope him into their newest idea, one he would have to help them with the logistics of and help them avoid getting caught, but this evening he found himself alone.
James was off on his own for his Head Boy rounds, Pete was studying for a change, and he actually wasn’t sure where Sirius was. That thought worried him for a moment, before he realized that if he was up to no good, Remus probably would’ve known about it by now.
It was only a couple of nights after the full moon, Remus’ joints still ached, his hip the worst of all as usual. He had been leaning on his cane to get up the stairs to his classes that day, the warmth of the fire on his tired muscles and bones and the peace and calm that came from his solitude was more than welcome. He had a warm cup of tea on the table beside him, a blanket over his legs, and a book open in his hands. There wasn’t much more he could want for in that moment.
“Lupin! Oi, Lupin!”
And just like that - his one moment to himself was interrupted. He bit back an exasperated groan as he looked up from his book, but did not keep his annoyance from his eyes as he found the person willing to disrupt his peace.
Marlene, a normally welcome presence in his life, was approaching him quickly. He loved the time he spent with the Gryffindor girls, sometimes more than the time he spent with the Marauders, not that he would say that out loud. They always tended to keep him up to date on the newest gossip and useless information around the castle, even when he had little to no interest in it, he was very willing to talk about it with them.
“Alright, put the death glare away, tough guy, you can’t really think you look scary right now. I think my grandad has that jumper, and you’re literally cuddled up reading.
Lily
is scarier than you are right now.” Marlene teased him with a laugh, sitting on the ottoman beside the armchair. Lily was actually bent over a book at the desk on the far wall, scribbling notes and not looking up. She was right, the usually friendly, lovely Lily looked like she was to be interrupted under no circumstances.
“Point taken. What do you want, McKinnon?” Remus sighed and shut his book, giving her his undivided attention, but hoping she didn’t want him to get up. He was still quite comfortable. If she was looking for homework help, which was usually why people asked Remus for anything, he would rather just tell her the answers and talk her through her confusion than leave the comfortable position he had finally found to follow her.
“You know your boyfriend is on a date right now?” She asked, her tone both teasing and a bit cautious. She knew how recently the full moon was and she wasn’t sure what state of mind or body Remus was currently in.
Remus laughed at her.
“I’m serious! He’s hanging out with this girl, and Mary said she was bragging just this morning about how she was going on a date with Sirius Black!”
“She might think she’s on a date, but he doesn’t.” Remus shook his head, not at all worried about whatever they thought was going on.
“Wh-” Marlene had expected anything other than this blind confidence in Sirius. He had been known to sleep around and he went out with more than his fair share of people before he’d gotten with Remus officially last year. “How are you so sure? Do you really trust him that much?” She asked, awestruck.
And truth be told, if she had asked him even two years ago, he wouldn’t have been able to give an answer. Sirius was very close to him, very important to him, and Remus trusted him greatly; but he knew he could because that trust had been tested and proven so many times. Sirius had only truly broken Remus’ trust once, in a very dangerous and short sighted way, and it had been a massive blow up within their friend group that had taken a lot of time to repair. He had taken his time healing from the pain Sirius had caused him, trying to understand why he did it and figure out if he would ever do something like that again. He had listened to Sirius apologize hundreds of times and had their friends try and repair things for them, and after time and effort and work, they’d repaired what had been lost between them.
Sirius loved him, and he wasn’t shy about saying it, while they just weren’t always vocal and public with their affections, they weren’t hiding anything either. They held hands while walking together, kissed in the corridors, they were always together (not that that was much of a change), and if people weren’t paying attention to their relationship, it wasn’t Remus’ fault. He wasn’t lying about it, he wasn’t hiding it, and Sirius wasn’t either. If some girl had made the mistake of thinking Sirius was single, he wasn’t going to blame Sirius when he was certain that the boy probably didn’t realize she was trying to ask him out. Remus had had his own difficulties in trying to get his romantic advances taken seriously at first, so it wouldn’t surprise him.
“Yeah, I do.” He shrugged. If he had any doubts itching in his mind he could always consult the map and find them. He didn’t think it would come to that though.
Marlene smiled warmly at him. “So cute, disgustingly cute actually. Maybe also a little mad, but cute.” She leaned on him a bit, enjoying his warmth even when he protested the pressure on his sore shoulder. “Alright, grandpa, do you need help getting up to come to dinner? You seem a bit worse for wear.” She offered, standing with an excited hop and a hand extended to Remus.
Remus usually hated being offered help, but today he really needed it. The moon had been rough on him this time, more so than he was used to with his friends helping him out. He supposed he’d been spoiled lately with the help of the Marauders. He took Marlene’s hand and hoped he didn’t need to get his cane to hobble to the Great Hall. He stretched the best he could, hearing his joints crack as he did. It gave him a bit of relief, and being able to be off his feet and rest for a while had him feeling better than he had in days.
“C’mon, old man, we might be able to catch your boyfriend with his new lover.” She giggled as she tugged him along by the hand she still held. Remus thought she was having far too much fun with the idea of catching his boyfriend on a date he wasn’t actually on. He did hear one voice of doubt whispering in his ear that she was right, but he pushed it away quickly. He didn’t want that voice to grow.
They made it to the Great Hall, Marlene walking slower so she could keep at Remus’ pace and not push him to go faster than he was really capable of in that moment. She held his hand both because she loved him, and also to make sure he didn’t stumble or if his knee gave out she would be able to support him without it being too noticeable. He knew that was what she was doing, and he was honestly grateful for her.
He was settling into his seat and Marlene was across the table from him when he felt a slap to his shoulder and looked up at her with a sharp glare.
“Look! There.” Marlene whispered, looking down the table and seeing a beautiful Gryffindor fifth year girl laughing with Sirius. So they’d gone to dinner together. Interesting. “That’s her. Looks a bit more than friendly, doesn’t it?”
Remus huffed. It did. And he was a bit annoyed that Sirius had come to the Great Hall without him when he was well aware of how hard this moon had been on him. Suddenly his peace and quiet earlier wasn’t so sweet.
“So? Are you going to go get her? Show her she can’t just have him? What’s the plan?” Marlene was more enthusiastic by the second at the idea of getting this girl and telling her off, making her regret putting a casual hand on Sirius’ arm as if she had any right. It was almost as if she was the one who was supposed to be jealous, the one who was actually dating Sirius.
He didn’t want to do all that, especially with how exhausted he was. Sirius wasn’t exactly the one putting his hands on her, so he had no reason to think that he was encouraging the contact. But he wasn’t exactly shaking her off of him either.
He looked at Marlene, and back to the pair further down the table, and finally looked down and away. He let out a high, chirping whistle. He didn’t have to look up, when he heard Marlene snort he knew his plan had worked.
Sirius perked up automatically at the whistle. He didn’t think twice about it, he knew that particular whistle was one Remus often used to get his attention and have him come back to him when he was Padfoot. He wasn’t used to hearing it as a human, though. He excused himself quickly and got to his feet. He took quick steps to Remus’ side, taking his seat beside him.
“Moony, did you need something? Did you call for me?” Sirius asked as soon as he sat down, not even acknowledging Marlene, he was looking only at the boy who was currently staring down like he was studying the beautiful staining on the table.
“I told you I wasn’t worried about her, McKinnon.” Remus looked up at the blonde girl with a smug grin.
Marlene broke, her laughter bubbling up loudly. “Like a dog! He came running to you, not a thought in his pretty little head.” She reached over and scratched Sirius behind the ear, but wasn’t brave enough to do it for more than a quick second. “What a good boy you are!” She told him in a cutesy voice, speaking to him like he was a dog. If only she knew.
Sirius scowled at her, swatting at her hand when she pet him. “Shut it, McKinnon. Moony, you only called me here to embarrass me?”
“Marls was just telling me you were on a date today, how did that go? She’s pretty.” Remus turned his head to face Sirius, raising a brow and watching his cheeks tint pink.
“Okay, in my defense, I didn’t know it was a date until we got to the Great Hall and her friends were asking about our date. She only asked if I had plans today, and I didn't, so we hung out! You were exhausted, Prongs is busy, Pete is Pete, what was I supposed to do? Die of boredom?” Sirius whined, holding his hands up as if he was completely blameless in this world.
“I was telling Marlene here that even if she thought it was a date, you wouldn’t, because you’re so bloody dense that it took me three dates to convince you they were actually dates. Not friend dates, not hang outs, dates .” Remus teased him, leaning on his shoulder without thinking about it, just enjoying not having to support all of his own body weight for a moment.
“Not that that has anything to do with it, if you come when he whistles for you!” Marlene cried through her laughter. “You’re really wrapped around his finger, aren’t you, Black?”
“Oi! I am not! I wear the pants in this relationship, thanks, McKinnon.” Sirius huffed, all his dramatics coming out in full force as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Remus sat upright and watched Sirius with tired eyes. He may be in pain, he may be exhausted, but he was always looking for ways to amuse himself.
“Sirius?”
“Yeah, Moons?”
“Will you stand up for a moment?”
Sirius did so without a second thought. “Why? Did you need me to get something for you?”
“No, no, never mind. Sit back down.”
He obeyed immediately. Marlene was holding a hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter now, not wanting to ruin Remus’ little display.
“Will you look over there for me? Who’s that sitting over there? I can’t think of his name.”
“It’s Julius Bursio, remember? He was in our Charms. Kind of a prat, if you ask me.” Sirius answered easily, looking over at Remus like he should’ve known that.
“Right, right, I remember now, thank you, darling.” Remus kissed Sirius’ cheek and bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing as he looked over at Marlene.
When Remus looked back to her Marlene couldn’t hold it in anymore, barking laughter came bursting out of her, Remus was even laughing too. Not nearly as hard, of course, with how his ribs ached, but he couldn’t help himself.
“What’s so funny? You know something about the guy? What is it?” Sirius watched them with a widening grin.
“No, nothing, I can’t spread rumors like that, Marlene wasn’t even supposed to tell me.” Remus lied easily, assuring Sirius it was nothing important.
“You’ll hear about it when he’s ready to tell people.” Marlene nodded solemnly, trying to keep a straight face and go along with Remus’ lie.
“You’re both the worst, you know that? You can’t dangle information in front of me and not tell me.” Sirius shook his head, wondering how Remus got so lucky as to be the one all the girls talked to about everything.
“You’ll live, I promise, it’s nothing life changing.” Remus rolled his eyes, they couldn’t even tell a quick lie about someone Sirius didn’t even like without him getting dramatic.
“Fine, but if it’s something funny about him, you have to tell me. I told you he’s a prick, no point in protecting his feelings.” Sirius mumbled, trying not to hate the fact that there was something between Marlene and Remus that he didn’t know. Remus usually passed their gossip to him at least, but now he was on the outside.
“I will, I’ll tell you later.” Remus promised, knowing he would have to or Sirius would never let him forget it.
The other two Marauders finally showed up to the table, along with Mary who was dragging Lily along. A welcome distraction to Sirius so he would stop asking about a secret that didn’t exist.
“Everyone tell Lily that she has to eat and that her revision can wait until she’s had a proper meal, and a break from all of those books with her friends who care about her sanity and well being.” Mary demanded, looking at each of her friends to back her up.
“Come on, have a seat.” James gestured to invite her to the seat beside himself with a beaming smile. “We’ll have a relaxing dinner break together and then I’ll come back with you to help you study, how’s that?” He offered, hoping to get some time with his girlfriend since his Head Boy duties and Quidditch Captain duties as well as his own studies and his plots with the Marauders, not to mention all of her own responsibilities, their lives had kept them both very separate lately.
The group took their break together, laughing and talking, teasing and sharing with each other easily as they always had.
At the end of the day, Remus relaxed in his own bed with his bed curtains drawn closed. It wouldn’t be long before he saw long black hair poking through the curtains, but he took a moment to enjoy the silence like he had before. He stretched his arms above his head and his legs the best he could. He was feeling better by the hour, and he was ready to leave this full moon behind and keep living without all the aches it had brought along with it.
“Moony.” He heard a loud whisper just outside his curtains, the curtains rustled as the speaker came closer. “Psst! Moony! Are you asleep?”
Remus sighed and pulled the curtain back to find a familiar face. Sirius very rarely wanted to sleep alone anymore, not that Remus was complaining, but it was nice to have him come into his bed in the night and just want to be comfortable and calm together.
“Come on then, love,” He whispered back, making space for Sirius in his bed as he always had and letting the curtain shut again.
Sirius happily settled in against his boyfriend, sighing happily as he wrapped himself up in Remus’ arms.
“Are you going to tell me your gossip from earlier? Whatever you’ve got on Bursio, I’m all ears, that prick needs to be taken down a peg.” Sirius asked him, his voice still low. Remus had almost forgotten about his and Marlene’s little game at dinner.
He laughed softly. “There’s no rumor, no gossip. We were just playing with you, since you decided to go on a date, and I was feeling shitty, we needed a quick laugh.” He admitted, not sounding the least bit embarrassed of the fact.
“What? So you were just making fun of me?” Sirius sounded hurt, moving to place a hand over his heart in his dramatics.
“Yeah, actually, a bit. But you went to dinner without me, and let that girl hit on you and flirt with you the entire day, so I think I’m allowed this one time.” Remus was a bit defensive. “It was nothing bad, though. Marlene had mentioned how you were on a date, and expected me to be upset, and I told her I wasn’t worried about you. I trust you, and I know you love me.” He shrugged simply.
“Wait, what? What does that have to do with you making fun of me with McKinnon?” Sirius tilted his head, any feigned offense had left his face and was replaced with genuine confusion.
“She wanted me to go over there and claim my man or something to that extent, and I was tired, but I also hated how that girl had her hand on you and how you didn’t even want to come to dinner with me… so I whistled like I always do, and like you always do, Padfoot came running back to me.” Remus gave him a warm smile. “The rest of it was actually a bit petty. After you said you wear the pants here, I gave you a bunch of pointless directions and you followed them without question, that’s why she was laughing. You were just proving her right, that I’ve got you wrapped around my little finger, love.”
Sirius’ mouth was agape. “You devious bastard, I didn’t notice at all!” He laughed, “Of course I listen to you, Moons, and I always come back to you. I don’t know where I’d be if I wasn’t with you.” He leaned to press a kiss to the long scar across the bridge of Remus’ nose.
“I know, I meant it when I said I trusted you. I just wanted to prove to Marls that I didn’t have to worry about some fifth year pining for your attention.”
“Glad it worked for you. If it helps at all, I think it really pissed off that girl I was with that I left all of a sudden.”
“Maybe she’ll think twice before she asks out someone who’s in a relationship again.” Remus grumbled, pulling Sirius against him in a moment of possessiveness. His boyfriend laughed.
“It was innocent, I swear, she didn’t even try to kiss me. All very proper.”
“You really are daft, she was probably trying her hardest to get you to kiss her, you dolt.” Remus laughed quietly with him.
“She’d be disappointed to know I’m not so easy anymore, I’m not kissing on the first date anymore. Actually, I’m not planning on going on a first date ever again, in all my life.” Sirius stated confidently, looking up from where he had his face buried against Remus’ shoulder.
“No, why would you? We’ve already had ours.” Remus murmured all too casually with an easy smile, his heart warm at the words and knowing that Sirius was just as sure of this as he was.
“Exactly, that, my love.” Sirius beamed at him before settling back against him and simply enjoying the feeling of Remus’ arms around him. The warmth of being loved.