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Stood in front of the mirror, Sirius slid his palms over the front of his leggings, his fingers barely poking out of his white, fluffy cashmere jumper sleeves. He was just getting ready for the group James had talked him into joining, both trans and ace inclusive which was perfect for Sirius who identified as a genderfluid—mostly demi boy—and was asexual and sex-repulsed. But he was incredibly romantic and was finding himself more and more lonely as none of his potential partners ever truly understood who he was.
The last was a bloke who thought his agender and female days were more of a laugh than they were something to be respected. He walked round snickering on one of Sirius’ female days every time Sirius used the word girlfriend, or every time James said she. Needless to say, the relationship hadn’t lasted out the rest of that afternoon, and left Sirius curled up against James with a massive bowl of chocolate-drizzled popcorn between them.
James, however, had been told of the group in his BSL Level course and immediately brought it back to Sirius who scoffed at first, but eventually looked up their Facebook group and thought maybe—just maybe—he could give it a go.
“It’s not like it could hurt anything, and even if you don’t meet someone,” James said over tea the night before, “you might make a few new friends. And you like people.”
Which was true. Sirius very much liked people. He liked attention, mostly, and that’s what people were best at.
It helped he was incredibly good looking. One of the only benefits he’d taken away from his shite family. He was short, slender, with a sharp-cut jaw, round nose, and narrow grey eyes. He looked a lot like more like his mother than his father. Born and raised in Thailand to a too-wealthy family, she sank her claws into the English Ambassador Orion Black, and quickly gifted him two heirs to the aristocratic fortune who carried only the steel grey eyes which came from centuries of selected breeding.
Unluckily for her, both sons deflected before they reached eighteen, and Orion had the displeasure of knowing his children were nothing more than a disappointment in his eyes before he passed.
Not that Sirius much cared for the man who had beat him and thrown him out of the house at sixteen, really. He had a family in the Potters and that was good enough. They’d even taken in Regulus when he escaped two years after. His brother was in Paris now, studying art like a pretentious, poncy arse although secretly Sirius loved that about him.
Sirius and James chose to stay in London, taking up residence in one of the blocks Fleamont owned in Hampstead. Sirius was digging his claws deep into astrophysics, something he never reckoned he’d be any good at, and yet found himself with top marks and loving it.
James was going into architecture the way his father had, primed to take over the company when Fleamont decided to finally retire back to India—James insisted that would be never, though last time Sirius had gone over for Sunday lunch he caught his pseudo-father staring at a brochure of a hotel in Mumbai, and he had muttered something about buying it when Sirius asked what he was up to.
But they were content, the pair of them, living together although both were growing oddly lonely now that they’d crossed into their twenties. James had finally, after several failed relationships and Sirius knocking him about the head a little, got over his crisis of sexuality and declared himself, “Irrevocably homosexual,” and proceeded to have a string of spectacularly disastrous relationships—one with a rather prominent footie star which thrust both him and Sirius into the media for a short time.
Things had settled since, James now looking for someone he could settle down with—and having rather shite luck about it. But Sirius was in the same boat, so they suffered together.
Taking a breath, Sirius quickly tied his hair up into a very high bun, then ran the edges of his thumbs under his eyelids to make sure everything was neat and tidy. Grabbing his clunky motorbike boots from the front of his bed, he toed them on, ignoring the laces, and tromped into the kitchen where James was leant against the counter, the paper in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other.
“Alright, mate. I’m off,” Sirius said, pushing the paper down to steal a kiss.
James nuzzled his nose into Sirius’ cheek. “Be good, and behave. Don’t be too rude, and try to make friends.”
“Yes mum, thanks mum,” Sirius said, rolling his eyes as he stole a sip of James’ too-sweet, too-milky coffee. “You’ve your BSL today?”
James hummed round his mug. “I do, but I’ll be home before you will. Don’t you have your lab this afternoon?”
Sirius nodded, pulling a face. “Yeah. Want me to pick up something for tea?”
“Swing by Andi’s,” James said with a nod. “See if she’s got gai haw bai toey on the menu yet. Also some pad kra prao.”
“Shrimp?” Sirius asked as he reached into the bowl by the door for his keys.
“Mm, please.” James blew him a kiss, which Sirius caught and pressed to his heart. “And text me after, let me know how the group thing went.”
“I will. Love you.”
“Love you, too,” James said as Sirius shut the door.
Clomping down the stairs, Sirius let himself out of the building, and walked to his baby parked at the kerb. His one true love, the bike he and James had built from an old frame and used parts, was the one thing besides the Potters who had never let him down.
Stroking his hand along the seat, Sirius threw his leg over and switched it on. He was all nerves about the new group, but the potential for people who understood who he was as a person was just far too intriguing to pass up.
***
The group was set to meet at a small café near the campus. Sirius found decent parking, and he stood back a bit, thumbing through the messages James had sent him about it.
The one you’re looking for is a ginger called Gideon. They/them pronouns, hard to miss. Super tall, really excited about everything. I showed them a photo of you so they’ll prob recognise you first.
Just before Sirius put his mobile back, it buzzed with James’ name on the screen. He flicked the messages open to read.
Fuck me. Why am I doing this class?
Because dad said BSL is going to be incredibly helpful in your business.
Yeah well…I have to apparently find a Deaf or HoH person to practise conversation on this week, and also about their experiences in Deaf culture. I don’t know how to meet people, Sirius. That’s your job.
You want me to go meet a Deaf person for you? Because I’ll go out right now and do it.
Stop avoiding the group. Go have fun. I’ll…figure something out. Love you xxxxx
Love you too.
Sirius sighed and shoved the mobile into his pocket before checking to make sure his hair was in place. Then he headed up the pavement, turning the corner to a smattering of outside tables where a loud ginger stood talking to several people. He assumed it was Gideon, and tried not to look intimidated or sheepish as he approached.
The ginger looked up, raised a brow, then smiled. “Oy! Sirius, right?”
Nodding, Sirius walked up and stuck out his hand. He let out a small squeak as he was pulled into a hug instead of a hand-shake, then unceremoniously turned to the group of five. “Er…?”
“Everyone, this is our new recruit, Sirius. Sirius, go on and introduce yourself. You’re the last to arrive and we’re always excited to get a new member.”
Sirius tried not to blush as he shuffled his feet. He might have been personable, but meeting new people always left him tongue-tied and confused. “Right erm. Where shall I start?”
“Well important bits,” Gideon said. “Name, preferred pronouns, coffee drink since it’s all on Lily today,” Gideon paused to wink at a gorgeous, curvy redhead who was scowling prettily.
Sirius licked his lips. “Right ah. Well. I’m Sirius—like the star, not the er…emotion. I usually use he-him, but I will go by she-her on my more fem days, and I’m always down with they-them. And were you just having me on about the drink?”
The redhead grinned. “Nah. We try to take turns since there’s not a lot of us, so it’s on me. I’m Lily, she-her, and I’ll go and get everyone’s order if you want to give me yours.”
Sirius rather liked the way her green eyes met his, her confidence which matched his own, like she was proud of who she was and she wasn’t going to let anyone take that from her. “Ah. Okay well just a latte then, with soya if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” She winked at him, then jumped up and sauntered off.
Sirius rubbed at the back of his neck, and looked back at Gideon. “No idea what else to say, really. I mean, my mate James—you met him, yeah?”
Gideon nodded. “Indian bloke, bloody good sort. He’s in the BSL class with my brother, Fabian.”
“Right,” Sirius said. “Well he and I live together, and he thought it might be good for me to find a group I could identify with?”
The last of his sentence came across a question, his face looking down until he heard a slight cough, and a voice ask, “What did he say, I missed that.” It was heavily accented, and Sirius’ eyes snapped up to see someone with a mop of wild, dark curls wearing a patchwork jumper, and very obvious, bright blue hearing aids in his ears.
Sirius cleared his throat and met the other person’s eyes as he repeated what he had said a moment before. “Sorry,” he added.
“No worries, I can usually pick stuff up, but it’s an off day,” and gave his hearing aids a flick. “I’m Remus, he-him.”
Sirius took a seat, and eventually the rest of the group was introduced. There was Mary, demi-girl who had been with Gideon and Lily when the group started. Dorcas was Mary’s girlfriend, a trans woman with incredibly long, blue-tipped Senegalese twists and a shade of lipstick so red it almost glowed against her dark skin. There was Remus who had introduced himself before and Sirius learnt a trans man who worked at the University Library, though a shift Sirius never saw him for. Then there was Lily, who was a cis woman, pan romantic, and asexual which Sirius immediately appreciated because it wasn’t just his gender he was hoping to connect with, but someone who understood what asexuality and dating were like. She and Remus were flatmates, although he was the newest addition to the group, just before Sirius had joined.
Ten minutes in, he felt absolutely at home.
An hour later, they’d talked about absolutely everything and nothing at all, and Sirius found himself inviting them over two weekends from then for a small party. “Jamie will love to have you all over,” Sirius was saying. “Honestly. Any excuse to cook. So yeah?”
They all exchanged numbers, and not long after, the only three left were Lily, Remus, and Sirius sat at the table.
“You have to dash off soon?” Lily asked him.
Sirius looked at the time. “I’ve got another hour before my lab. You two don’t have to hang round, you know.”
Lily smiled at him, making something flutter in his chest, which surprised him a bit. “We’re fine. Re, you alright?”
Remus blinked, then grinned and nodded. “Absolutely.”
It was just then something occurred to Sirius, and he leant forward, making sure he had Remus’ attention. “Can I ask you a question that might be completely rude?”
Remus laughed. “Alright.”
“Are you Deaf?”
Remus licked his lips, and did a quick glance at Lily. “I identify as Deaf.”
“Do you use sign language?”
This time Remus frowned. “Why?”
Sirius flushed a little. “James is taking his BSL Levels and he was currently having a panic attack over his assignment to find a Deaf person to sign to. So erm…I mean it’s not like I want to…god okay I don’t know how to even say this without being the biggest twat ever.”
Remus then shook his head, but he was smiling. “You know what, I think that’ll be fine, really. So long as he doesn’t ask me to just teach him all the swears…”
“He wouldn’t,” Sirius said, then amended. “Well he might offer to exchange them for swears in Hindi, but honestly, the course isn’t a laugh for him.”
Remus shrugged. “Alright.”
“I’ll give him your number, yeah? You can text and work it out. Maybe come over.” Sirius dared a glance at Lily. “You could as well, you know. If you like.”
She smiled widely. “Alright.”
His eyes zeroed in on her winged eyeliner. “We could trade makeup tips and watch youtube tutorials or something whilst they do their thing.”
She laughed and reached out, her purple polished nails glinting as she touched his wrist. “Sounds perfect. Why don’t Re and I bring something to eat.”
“James is vegetarian—well he does fish sometimes, but no meat other than that. And it’s a date. Or er…you know. Whatever.” Sirius wondered how the hell he was so flustered around these two. He had never been before, but for some reason when her green eyes locked on his, his brain refused to connect to his mouth properly.
Lily giggled again and sat back. “Looking forward to it, darling.”
Sirius flushed and nodded his head. “Me too.”
Just before his lab, he sent a text off to James. Mate, I think I solved your problem. You’re going to love the hell out of me. Tell you about it when I get home.
***
Over their delicious food Sirius had grabbed from his cousin Andi’s restaurant, Sirius explained in detail how his afternoon had gone. He spared no detail, embellishing a little, leaving out delicate bits like how he’d been a bit of an anxious mess, but he came round to his point with Remus shortly after talking about the meeting.
“He’s incredibly nice, and says he identifies as Deaf and I reckon he signs, otherwise he wouldn’t have offered, right?”
James shrugged, a small frown on his face. “I suppose?”
“Well anyway, I’ll send you his number and you can text him. He and his flatmate will come by.”
“Is she his interpreter?”
Sirius frowned. “What? No, he said he’s alright with speech and everything. I just thought…she was nice as well so…”
James’ eyes widened. “Oh my god, you fancy her.”
Sirius’ blush crossed his entire face. “It’s not that. She’s just…”
James’ mouth broke out into a shit-eating grin and he reached out, cupping Sirius’ chin. “Is she very pretty?”
Sirius rolled his eyes, crossing his arms defensively, but he couldn’t help a stupid smile. “Yeah. Incredibly pretty. And amazing makeup. We’re going to sit round and watch youtube tutorials whilst you and Remus are all swotty with your lesson.”
James rolled his eyes, but dropped his hand. “And you two can cuddle and snog and pretend like you’re just doing us a favour by being there for your mates and their learning needs.”
Sirius flashed James a V, mostly because James was a little bit right. Just a teeny, tiny bit.
***
Sirius woke with a craving for mochas, and all-but dragged James from his bed. His best friend was less than thrilled, demanding that Sirius keep him warm, so the pair were found walking with Sirius cuddling his much taller flatmate close to his body as they approached the café.
Yanking open the door, Sirius pushed James in, grimacing at the sight of the early morning queue, but was determined to get his chocolate fix. He laid the side of his face against James’ shoulder and his eyes flickered round the café until they landed on a very familiar mop of dark curls.
It was Remus, sat near the window with massive, white headphones covering half the sides of his head, with a book in front of him, and a cup of tea at his elbow. He looked absolutely oblivious to everything round him, and Sirius wondered how invasive it would be to go over and say hello.
Although Sirius rarely cared about being invasive or rude.
Tapping James on the elbow, he jerked his head in the direction of his new friend. “Oy, that’s him. That’s Remus.”
James looked over, then his eyes went wide and he swallowed audibly. “That one?”
“Headphones?” Sirius clarified. “Yeah.” He blinked up at James slowly, then realisation dawned on him. “Shit. You think he’s fit, don’t you!”
James let out an involuntary cough. “I well…I mean. He is, isn’t he?”
Sirius raised a brow. “Reckon so. I…well…hadn’t been paying much attention when we were having coffee.”
James’ grin spread across his mouth as he tugged Sirius up to the counter to order. “Right. Cute ginger.”
“Cute ginger?” came a voice from behind the pastry counter, and Sirius’ face erupted into a blush when Lily’s face popped up from behind a tray of scones.
“You work here?” Sirius blurted.
Lily smiled at him and he felt a flutter in his belly. “I do. Which is why I’m always happy when it’s my turn to order the drinks.”
“That’s fairly dastardly,” Sirius said, rather impressed. “Fancy seeing you here though. This is James.”
“I’ve heard a great deal,” Lily said with a wink, and James rolled his eyes. “You know this one thinks the sun shines out your arse.”
James’ grin returned as he pulled Sirius close. “He’d better.”
Sirius laughed as he leant forward, putting his hands on the counter. “You think Remus would mind if I brought James over to introduce him?”
Lily grinned, shaking her head. “Not at all. Tell me what you want and I’ll bring drinks over.”
Sirius ordered his mocha, “With extra mocha. And soya. You are a dream, Ginger Blossom.”
“Nicknames now?” Lily asked with a small laugh.
Sirius shrugged. “All the brilliant people get them.”
She rolled her eyes, but waved them off. “Go on, and maybe I’ll take my break and join you.”
Sirius felt a rush up his spine, and ignored James’ pointed look as they stepped away from the counter. Before they reached Remus, James grabbed Sirius’ wrist and pulled him back. “She’s very pretty.”
Sirius licked his lips. “I…I know. I dunno what it is, Jamie.”
There was no time to discuss it in depth as they’d reached Remus’ table. Sirius hesitated, then reached out and tapped him on the shoulder. Far from being startled, Remus turned his head, and his frown turned into a wide smile as he reached up and pulled the headphones down.
“Sirius?”
“Hi. Erm. Lily said we could come bother you.”
Remus’ eyes flickered, then lingered, on James. “Of course.”
“Yes er and…so this is James. I told you about him. From the BSL class.”
“Right, yes. Hello.”
James looked ridiculous and awkward, and Sirius being the loyal and loving friend he was, excused himself to the counter to help Lily with the drinks. “You two just get sorted, back shortly.”
James looked like he wanted to murder Sirius just as long as it took for Remus to lift his hands up and sign something that James clearly understood because he lit up like a bloody menorah and lowered himself into the chair.
Sirius snickered to himself as he reached the counter, and he caught Lily’s eye who was just putting a dusting of cocoa powder on the top of his mocha.
“I know that look,” she said, waggling her finger at him. “I’ve seen that look before on people. What have you done?”
Sirius glanced back over his shoulder before curling his fingers round the mug. “They’re rather cute together, don’t you think?”
Lily’s gaze flickered over and she rolled her eyes. “Remus is very fussy, don’t get your hopes up.”
“Well but…James is great. Really great. And he’s learning sign and he’s…”
“Really great?” Lily repeated.
Sirius scoffed. “It’s too early for proper adjective usage. But yes, he is. Remus could only be so lucky.”
“So why don’t you date him?” Lily asked.
“Because well,” Sirius swiped a bit of foam from the corner of his mouth with a delicate finger, “we’re practically related. And he’s got a strong libido which doesn’t work for me as I’m sex-repulsed and I don’t ever want to feel like I’m making my partner compromise. And also we did date briefly during sixth form and he can’t handle me.”
Lily snorted a laugh into her cup of tea. “Right. Too much for him.”
“Don’t underestimate my powers of dramatics, my love.”
A faint blush covered her cheeks. “Your love, am I?”
Sirius licked his bottom lip, and though his insides felt like he had fireworks exploding in them, he gave her a casual shrug. “But Remus seems nice.”
Lily glanced over again, and saw the pair of them engaged in a slow but comfortable sign conversation. “Well Remus hasn’t scared him off so far, and he does that when he doesn’t like people. His level of sarcasm is…enthralling, really. And terrifying.”
“So good sign?”
Lily grinned. “Definitely a good sign.”
***
They left with a date each.
Well, so Sirius was calling it to James’ embarrassment, but he also didn’t argue which Sirius knew was because Remus had actually flirted, and it had been ages since James had any proper interest in anyone. He ended up having a conversation with Remus long enough to forget about his coffee, and even Sirius for a while, so when Lily took her break, she and Sirius took a table nearby and took the piss quietly out of their friends.
“I like her,” Sirius said as they got back to the flat and he flopped all over the sofa, spreading out his arms and legs so there was no room for James. “I fancy her.”
“Clearly,” James said, rolling his eyes as he sank to the floor. Resting his cheek on Sirius’ thigh, he looked at his friend. “You think she fancies you back?”
“God I hope so. She said she’s bringing loads of munchies and queuing up YouTube videos for us to watch whilst you two do your sign thing. Although I predict the night ending in snogs.”
James turned his face and lightly bit Sirius on the thigh. “Don’t be a prat.”
With a laugh, Sirius reached down and carded his fingers into James’ hair. “I like him too, you know. You could do much worse. You have done, in fact.”
“Yes, thank you Padfoot,” James said with a groan. “But…well…I certainly wouldn’t hate the idea.”
Sirius laughed and brushed through James’ hair again. “I bet you wouldn’t. Then again, I certainly wouldn’t mind having Lily round all the time either. She’s…I dunno. Fantastic.”
“She suits you,” James said quietly. “You know Pads, I just want to be happy. I want you to be happy.”
Sirius let out a small laugh. “Same, Jamie-boy.”
***
Sirius attempted to get through his week without interruption or over-thinking things, but found himself stopping off at the café at every possible chance he got. To his surprise, she seemed excited to see him each time, and hurried to end her shift so they could head back to hers.
Thursday she dragged him to Tesco for shopping, and he put up very little protest. “I’m very posh, so shopping here goes against my nature,” he said, but took over pushing the trolley whilst she banged in ridiculous amounts of junk.
“Do posh people like cheesy crisps?” she asked, waving them in his face.
“They like salt and vinegar ones better,” Sirius said, and grinned when she grabbed several. “They also like chocolate cakes.”
“Oh good,” she said with a wink. “So do the working class.”
They found a rather decadent one and they both took a solemn vow not to have any of it until Friday night. “We can’t tell Moony though,” she said.
Sirius blinked. “Moony?”
“Oh. Remus. His sign name is…” She showed it to him. “And so it just sort of became his verbal name as well.”
Sirius snickered. “Excellent. James will like it. Then again he seems to like everything about him. He hasn’t said, but I know they’ve been texting non-stop. It’s sickening, really.”
Lily rolled her eyes, and gave him a nudge in the side. “Well they can’t be all as incredibly cool as we are, can they?”
Sirius bit down on his lip and shrugged. “They can come close, but they can never reach our lofty heights.”
They split the food between them, so Sirius could take some and she and Remus would bring the rest the following day. As they were splitting up between bus and tube, Lily caught his hand. “I was thinking about bunking off tomorrow and going shopping. You want to come along, or have you got lectures?”
“If you swear not to tell Jamie,” Sirius said, unable to tell that smile no, “we can meet round lunch?”
Her eyes lit up. “Excellent. I was walking by this funky little shop yesterday and saw a dress that I swear would look amazing on you and I almost bought it, but I thought it would be more fun if you came along.”
Sirius felt her hand warm in his, and the desire to never let go. In fact, he found himself pulling her in close for a hug, and his lips pressed against her temple as she hummed slightly and leant into him. “It’s a date.”
She blinked up at him, then grinned. “Absolutely. A date.”
He felt like he was walking on clouds as he headed back to his, and even James’ insufferable comments about his mood couldn’t bring him down.
***
He didn’t tell James about skiving off lectures, and he met Lily by the café before she grabbed his hand and dragged him down the street. “Okay it’s really funky, but I’m afraid someone else has thought so and took it down.”
Sirius laughed. “I wouldn’t worry too much, love.”
“No but you don’t understand, Sirius. This dress was crafted for you, I swear. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and all night I was worried it was…” She came to a halt and pointed.
The dress was in the window, and Sirius caught his breath. It was gorgeous. It was a halter neck, cinched round the ribs, and layered at the skirt. By the length it would fall to just below his knee, and the colour was a gorgeous steel.
“See?”
He stared at it until she dragged him into the shop and asked for it to be taken down. The woman at the counter complied, then showed the pair where they could go to try it on, and Lily all-but shoved him behind the curtain and waited.
He came out a moment later, twisting from side to side in front of the mirror as he admired himself. It was amazing. It fit like a dream and the material was so soft he wanted to curl up and fall asleep in it.
“I’m buying it for you,” she insisted.
“Darling, no,” he tried to protest, and she quickly put a hand on his cheek.
“Absolutely yes. I cannot live in a world where you do not own this dress. You can wear it for our next date.”
Sirius’ cheeks went hot. “There’s going to be another?”
For the first time she looked somewhat unsure of herself. “Well I…thought maybe? If you’re keen?”
Sirius was nodding almost hysterically as he dragged her in close. “Yes. I mean…if it’s…” He took a breath. “You seem to get me. Like you’re not hoping I’ll be different.”
She stood up on her toes a bit and kissed his cheek. “You’re bloody fantastic as you are, Sirius. So don’t over think it. Tonight we binge on youtube and then you can take me out on some posh fancy date and wear this dress and make everyone on the planet envy you. Meanwhile our less than cool mates will also fall in love and go have gay babies or something.”
Sirius laughed and buried his face in her neck. “Sounds brilliant, love.”
***
Lying back on his bed, Sirius had Lily straddling his hips, leant over his face with liquid eyeliner. His eyes were closed lightly, and her breath ghosted across his face as she practised winging on him. He already had perfected lipstick in a cherry red, and she had contoured to perfection.
“Darling,” Sirius murmured as she ran the edge of her fingernail under the side of the wing. “Nearly finished? Because I’m starving and I know there’s munchies in the kitchen just waiting for us.”
Lily scoffed, refusing to answer until the second eye was finished. “Alright, munchie time.”
Sirius opened his eyes, blinking a bit, then he smiled at her. He felt a wash of affection and his hands lifted to her ribs, squeezing gently. “Thank you.”
Lily’s smile was soft, and she leant down close to him. “Can I kiss my canvas?”
“Mm, I would love nothing more,” he murmured.
Her lips ghosted over his, lightly, pressing close-mouthed, then she trailed them along his cheeks, finishing to the tip of his nose. “Gorgeous,” she whispered.
Unable to stop himself, he reached up and cupped her cheeks. “You, my darling flower, are gorgeous. I want…” He let out a puff of a breath. “Be mine?”
Lily giggled, then pressed several smacking kisses to his mouth. “I think I was yours the moment you walked up to the café, Sirius Black. So yes.”
Pulling her down, they kissed softly again before he pushed her up and rolled over. “Alright. Munchies. Popcorn and chocolate immediately.”
Lily threaded her fingers in between his and they crept into the corridor, heading for the kitchen. Sirius came to a stop after a moment, when they both heard some soft singing, followed by giggles. There was music on in the background, and Lily leant her head toward the lounge.
“Is that…REM?”
Sirius rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that End of the World song. He perfected it in lower sixth and loves to drag me to karaoke to show off his stupid skill of singing all the fast parts.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, he’s singing to Remus.”
The pair crept up, peering round the corner, and saw James laid out on the sofa with Remus on top of him, his ear pressed to James’ chest, his hand pressed against the side of James’ neck as he sang the rapid lyrics. Remus was laughing, pressing a kiss to James’ jaw every few moments as James ran his hand up and down Remus’ spine.
Sirius felt something warm blossoming, at the sight of his best friend looking so happy, at the warm feeling of Lily’s hand in his. At the echo of her kisses on his face, and knowing that she would never push him to be someone he wasn’t, or to do things he was uncomfortable with. She wanted to be with him for who he was.
Instead of moving forward, Sirius turned, pressing Lily to the wall and cupped her face. “I fucking fancy the hell out of you, Lily.”
She grinned, leaning into his hand. “And I fancy the hell out of you.”
“Can I kiss you?” he asked.
Her smile widened. “Absolutely, yes.”
Their lips crashed together again, and when he pulled away, he pushed his forehead against hers. “Are we as cute as they are?”
She laughed and took his hands. “Cuter, even. Now come on, ply me with salty sweets and more youtube tutorials. We have forever ahead of us to keep being cute.”
He grinned as she pulled him into the kitchen and realised that yeah. They really and truly did.