Work Text:
The metal of the roll-up door squeaks and grinds as James swings it upwards, sweat already beading on his forehead. Why he and Sirius chose the hottest month of the year to move into their first apartment, he’ll never know. But they’re here, hopping into the back of the moving truck, belongings all mixed together in front of them. James grabs the nearest box, heaving it into his arms and flashing Sirius a grin.
“I'll meet you up there?” James nods his head towards the apartment complex behind them.
Sirius is pulling his long, dark hair off his neck, tying it up on top of his head in a messy bun, a scowl on his face. The best James gets is a short grunt of approval, Sirius waving one hand at him as he goes to pick up a box of his own, testing a few for weight.
James turns to cross the sidewalk, shaking his head with a fond chuckle. If there is anything that encompasses all of Sirius’ least favorite things, it’s moving. Lugging heavy things up and down flights of stairs, having to unload and organize things, and just change in general. James has known him since they were eleven, and Sirius has never been good at new things.
Not to mention the temperature today, the end of July, a record breaking heat-wave rolling through the city.
So, Sirius is a little grumpy. Fine by James, he knew today was going to be hard. But it’ll all be worth it when they get to sleep tonight in their own place. James feels incredibly lucky to have found this unit at all, and the fact that he’ll be living with his best friend is just the cherry on top.
James has to remind himself how excited he is when, about an hour later, he’s walking backwards up the narrow stairs of the complex, arms aching. Balanced on one shoulder is the armrest of a deep red couch, something his mom got for them from a family friend who was ‘getting rid of it anyway’. James swears that half their apartment will be furnished by various pieces from the Potter family’s friends.
They’ve climbed up and down the stairs more times than James can count, Sirius getting more and more agitated with each trip. And now, the couch won’t fit around the bend of the first flight.
“Just breathe, okay Pads? We’ll get it up the stairs,” James calls down below him, where Sirius is probably freaking out just a little considering the panicked tone of his voice.
“Just, twist it— that way,” Sirius replies from underneath him, teeth gritted.
James tries, but the bottom corner is still stalled against the wall. “Can you lift up that side just a bit?” he calls down to Sirius, who huffs.
“No, I’m fine— you need to swivel it. Left,” James pulls his end to the left, and Sirius hisses, “other left!”
James can’t help the small, exasperated laugh that escapes from his lips, tugging the couch in the opposite direction.
James can’t see him over the plush fabric inches away from his nose, but he swears he can hear Sirius rolling his eyes. “What is funny about this, Potter?”
James gives one last energetic tug, and the corner comes free, the momentum sending him stumbling back just a little. He hears Sirius gasp and mutter a swear under his breath, but James is already letting out a breathless laugh, throwing his head back in triumph.
“See?” James teases, “Told you we’d get it.”
Sirius’ response is to shove his body weight into the couch, knocking James into the wall for just a second.
“Dick!” James shouts in mock outrage.
Sirius just scoffs, “Asshole.”
Hours later, after the sun has set and James returns the rental truck, he and Sirius sit in their new living room, lounging and sprawling out on the very couch that had been the source of their ire earlier.
It hadn’t taken too long, with just the two of their stuff, but James was still utterly exhausted. They ordered a pizza, not in any mood to cook, even though they had unpacked most of the kitchen supplies. One thing Euphemia Potter was good at was packing efficiently, and she passed down all of her knowledge to James. Everything essential for the first night should go into the same box, and that box should be the first thing you touch once everything has made it from the truck.
Their living room currently consists of the hand-me-down couch, two very tired men, and a TV just resting on the floor— they don’t have a stand for it yet. James throws on a show, just something to watch while they eat, and devotes himself fully to his pizza slice.
They eat in silence for a few minutes, before Sirius clears his throat, wiping at his mouth with a napkin and turning to face James.
“Prongs?” he asks tentatively, and when James turns to look at him, he can see a hint of guilt in Sirius’ eyes.
James quirks an eyebrow, taking another bite of his pizza. “Yeah? What’s up, Pads?”
Sirius lowers his head, not meeting James’s gaze. “I’m… sorry,” he mutters, voice low, but he takes a deep breath— seemingly steeling himself before looking back up at James, “for being snippy earlier. Fucking hate moving.”
James can feel the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and crinkling his eyes, and he lays a hand on Sirius’ shoulder. He definitely didn’t need an apology, but it’s nice to hear one all the same. It makes his chest warm, eternally grateful for his best friend.
“I think everyone hates moving, dude,” James jokes, shaking Sirius’ shoulder a bit until his stoic expression cracks and the hint of a smile plays on his lips.
“Seemed like you were having a good time,” Sirius teases back, shoving James’ hand off him playfully.
James laughs, the sound vibrating through his chest, making Sirius’ smile grow wider. “Well, we both know I’m bonkers. Can’t use me as an example for proper emotional states,” James takes the final bite of his pizza, brushing his hands together to clean them of crumbs as he rises to his feet. “Come on, I know something that’ll cheer you up.”
Sirius follows him wordlessly, James leading them to a box with ‘decoration’ scrawled on the side of it in thick marker. He grabs the scissors off one of the other boxes stacked up in the corridor, slicing it open and pulling out what he’s looking for.
A framed picture of James, his parents, and Sirius from their vacation to the beach last summer. Sirius with a bad sunburn, dark glasses pushed on top of his head, James on his back with an arm slung around his neck. Monty and Effie standing side by side, arms around shoulders and waists, staring at the two boys with exasperated, loving expressions. It’s one of James’ favorite pictures just for the dazzling smile on Sirius’ face, happiness radiating off of him.
He digs around in the box a second time, hand snagging on the box of nails and metal edge of a hammer. He’s so glad he put them in here too, he certainly didn’t want to go digging around trying to find the tools in another box.
James turns back to Sirius with a lazy grin, holding up his prizes and swinging them in the air. “You take the nails and hammer, I’ll hang the frames?”
Sirius beams, grabbing the tools and bouncing just a little on the balls of his feet. James had figured hitting something would help Sirius get out his pent up moving day frustrations, and it seems he was right.
“You’re the love of my life, you know that?” Sirius announces, smacking a kiss to the side of James’ head before he takes off to start his assault on their brand new walls.
James chuckles, following after him with the frame, letting him take the lead on where the picture should go. “It’s good to be reminded.”
They spend the next thirty minutes decorating the walls with all of their favorite memories: a graduation photo of James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, an older photo of Sirius and Regulus as kids, arms thrown around each other and smiles missing their front teeth, a candid of Remus catching Sirius by surprise with a kiss on the cheek. Once the box is empty save one secret thing, James pulls Sirius over to admire their work.
James reveals the polaroid camera from behind his back, hooking an arm through Sirius’ to catch his attention.
James beams at him, waving the camera through the air. “C’mere, we have to memorialize today.”
James drags Sirius in by the shoulder, draping an arm around him and holding up the camera, beaming as he clicks the shutter. Bright light flashes, bringing spots to James’ vision that he blinks out, watching the polaroid emerge from the top of the camera.
He brings it over to the kitchen counter, picking up the sharpie from the earlier unpacking list and scribbling below the developing photo: ‘Moving Day :)’. As the seconds pass, the outlines of James and Sirius materialize on the glossy white paper, and James can see the ghost of Sirius’ stuck out tongue, holding up two fingers behind James’ head for bunny ears.
Grabbing one of the magnets, James tacks the polaroid to the fridge, right in the center in its place of honor. Sirius sidles up next to him, shoving James’ shoulder with his own, before James traps him in a headlock, rubbing the top of his head with his knuckles. Sirius swats at him, jumping away with a bark of laughter, James not doing anything to conceal the bright grin on his face.
James thinks he’s going to love living with his best friend.