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Remus Lupin’s house was small. It sits on the edge of the little Welsh town, in a clearing of trees. It was brown with a hint of orange in the paint that was peeling from sitting, roasting in the sun for too long for too many days. The shutters were dark green, as well as the door. The car parked in the front yard was also green, but about three shades lighter. Sirius remembered Mr. Lupin calling the car a 1963 Ford Thunderbird. Sirius had seen Remus drive it once. He has the top down letting the wind blow his short curls around his face.
It was nice seeing Remus when he was most comfortable. He always said school was his home but Sirius never got to see him in shorts and flip-flops at school. At school, he would never have taken his shirt off, without hesitation, and jumped into the lake in just his underwear like he did one summer after they had finished washing the car.
The lake in question was more of a pond that was located about half a mile behind the Lupin residence. On the especially hot days the boys would just float around in the water under the shade of the trees. On the afternoons that weren’t so sweltering it was big enough and deep enough to dive in and go swimming, but never enough to fish in. Sirius knows from experience, one summer he had dragged Remus down to the lake because he wanted to catch a grand fish because he had never done anything like it before. Of course, nothing came of it. After half an hour of sitting trying not to fidget or disturb the water, like Remus had told him, he had thrown the rod down and given up. Remus was probably right too when he said there were no fish in the pond anyway.
Sirius loves Remus. He loved his home and how he was able to see Remus like no one else saw him. He loves him so much that Sirius knew he would always end up wherever Remus went. It was something he had always felt but finally realized as he made his way down the dirt drive on that particularly cold night. He gazes down at the house that no longer shines bright with warm yellow lights. Even without the lights, it is not cold but peaceful. Holding people filled with so much love as they rest. Something his house could never have. That was the exact reason he has apparated here.
Sirius stumbled down the hill. When he approached the house he checked in the front window. Behind the window was the living room. It was smaller than any room in his mother’s house but it was wonderful. The coaches were made of a felt material and the color was a horrid orange, like a clementine starting to brown. In the corner in a mustard yellow chair made of the same material. over the back of every piece of furniture and empty table is an item that was hand sewn passed down but grandparents. There were at least three bookshelves overflowing with books, the flood piles up on top of the shelves and the coffee table.
The house was empty.
Remus’ room was on the other side of the house. His window is in the back. Sirius winds the thin bed sheet around him. He was able to grab off his bed before his mother kicked him out of the house for the night.
When he reached the window he pressed his cold fingers on the even colder glass, gazing into the room. Remus’ bed was a small twin size pushed into the other corner of the room. He slept with his back to the window curled up, knees to his chest. Blankets were twisted around his figure. He looked so calm and comfortable.
Sirius almost didn’t want to disturb him but the wind was picking up and he couldn’t feel his nose anymore. He curls his shaky hand into a ball and lightly raps on the glass. Only after several fairly harder beats in the glass did it cause a disturbance among the blanket clad mass on the bed. When Remus rolled over and a somber ridden face surfaced, it must take a moment for his eyes to adjust because he blinked many times before a look of utter bewilderment and horror took over the once restful face.
In a matter of milliseconds the window is flown open and warm hands are holding his checks. The touch lit his skin on fire, taking away the frigidness that was once there. He can only close his eyes, feeling the glow from inside the room. Only now he realized that his teeth had been beating together trying to generate some warmth.
Remus’ lips moved, saying something but Sirius couldn’t make anything out. Remus pulls him in through the window and helps him walk to the bed. Once Sirius was through the window, Remus grabbed a jumper from a pile of clothes stacked on a chair and pulled it over Sirius’s head and before he knew it he was bundled in his boyfriend’s jumper.
Finally Sirius allowed himself to fall back into the bed behind him. A moment later he felt his shoes being pulled off his feet and Remus’s hands moving his legs under the blankets and pushing him back into the pillows. Remus joined him a second later in the twin size bed.
“Now,” Remus snuggles up around him and slides his warm hands under the jumper he had stuffed his boyfriend into. “What are you doing here?”
Remus’s voice was quiet and still sleepy but also held worry. Sirius rolls over in his arms, “Mother,” he says with a sigh.
To some people that would not have answered the question but Remus knew what it was like at his boyfriend’s house.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Remus pulls back to see all of Sirius’ face.
Sirius in return buries his nose in Remus’ neck. “She saw the playboy magazines I put up on the walls to annoy her and she’s been making me sleep outside the past week.” He barely mutters.
Remus runs his hands through the inky black hair in hopes of comfort. “Pads...”
“It’s fine, If she didn’t I wouldn’t have gotten to climb through your window.” Sirius was trying to avoid the conversation and he knew Remus knew.
“Yeah, but you wouldn’t have almost froze to death.”
“Mmh,” Sirius didn’t want to talk any more. He did not sneak into his boyfriend’s room to have a conversation on how horrible his parents suck. Instead he catches Remus’ lips in a kiss before he could say anything else. No amount of freezing nights had anything on Remus’s warmth. It was not long before Sirius was burying his chilly nose into Remus’s neck and muttering something that sounded like a “good night” and drifting off to the sounds of Remus' breaths.
* * *
When Sirius woke up, fingers were winding and slowly raking through his hair. He couldn’t help the sign that slipped out between his lips.
“Sorry,” one thing Sirius quickly resolved in the first few months of dating Remus was that apologized an inappropriate amount of times. “Did I wake you up?”
“No,” Sirius would alway assure him there was nothing wrong. “I wouldn’t have cared if you did.”
“It would be pay back for waking me up at three this morning.” They laughed.
A sudden knocking on the door silenced them both. “Remus dear,” It was Mrs. Lupin. A smirk grew on Sirius’ face, finding the current situation beyond hilarious.
“Yeah, mum?” Remus didn’t make eye contact with Sirius.
“Breakfast is ready,” when Remus was sure she was gone he looked at Sirius' grinning face. “Oh Sirius, Love, are you going to stay for breakfast too?” The grin was gone and pure horror and shock were left on his face.
Knowing he was caught, he shut his eyes, “Er, yes ma’am, if that’s fine,” he said loud enough for her to hear.
A few beats passed and Sirius opened his eyes, knowing she had gone, he looked to Remus before both burst with laughter.
“How do mums always know?” Sirius says with seriousness. “I mean Effie always knows everything as well!” This only causes the laughter to increase.
When Remus finally insists on getting out of bed and dragging Sirius with him, they slump down stairs. Sirius walks a step behind Remus realizing how awkward the situation is. Mrs. Lupin just caught Sirius in her son’s bed. She must have known he had snuck in. If she knew he snuck in and didn’t stop him was she okay with it? Normally parents didn’t like their kids sleeping with the person they’re dating, out of fear of them sleeping together. Oh God, surely that’s not what she thought they were doing.
* * *
“Good morning Remus, Sirius,” Mr. Lupin nods at them from behind his new paper.
“Morning,” Sirius nods back quietly, taking the seat next to Remus at the table as Mrs. Lupin sets a huge plate of steaming pancakes.
Remus leans over, “you should stay the night more, mum hasn’t made pancakes in months.” This brings a laugh from everyone's lips and the unease sinks away through the floorboards.
Sirius loves Remus. One of the many things he loves about Remus is the family he belongs to. He’s not jealous. He could never be jealous. He now belongs to another family that will love him. He likes the change, the small, soft kind of love.