Work Text:
Sirius had taken to walking through the park on his way home. He had never quite bothered with things like parks and such before, after all, they were full of people jogging.
Jogging was for people who liked to get sweaty and that wasn't Sirius. He liked his hair staying shiny and clean; he liked his clothes staying dry. He liked wearing his boots and jeans and not some of that namby-pamby exercise crap.
The only time the park was worthwhile was when James had custody of Harry and the pair would take him wherever he wanted to go - mostly to the park.
But since he had gotten out of prison, he had taken to the outside much more than before - they didn't have beautiful parks in prison.
Sirius slowed down at the sight before him. A small group had laid out mats and were relaxing on them. After a moment they all changed positions, and Sirius slowed. People were doing yoga.
He snorted at the sight, his eyes moving across the group. Women of course. What man in his right mind would do…
That was the moment his eyes fell on Remus Lupin.
...oOo...
"So, I've always been interested in yoga," Sirius said, having waited around until the yoga group had departed. "I've… been away. I haven't… I have no idea where to start. I'm not big on going to the gym, I'm more of an outdoors sort of guy, so… how do I…"
"Sign up?" the man asked, smiling softly at him. "We usually rent a hall but with the nice weather, we've decided to do additional classes out here. I could give you the website information, if you want to sign up. We're meeting again here on Thursday evening, about six. The weather should be nice, otherwise we'll head to the hired hall. The website is always updated -"
"Great," Sirius said, cutting him off and eagerly taking the card. "I can't wait. So… what sort of things do people wear for yoga?"
Remus smiled, taking in Sirius' outfit.
"Track-suit bottoms, a comfy top, and some trainers would work," he said. "Just anything that you can exercise in. Any sports shop could help you. Also - it would help if you had your own yoga mat." His eyes lingered on Sirius' long hair. "It may also be more convenient for you if you were to tie your hair back."
Armed with the information, Sirius headed home to check out the website.
...oOo...
Thursday rolled around quickly, and Sirius looked dubiously at the bags of clothes he had purchased.
He scolded himself for being so stupid to be swayed by a pretty face and was convinced that Remus had used some sort of sexy-librarian power on him to get him to sign up for the yoga.
Not that it cost that much per lesson - he had signed up for four classes and it was quite reasonable, the problem was the sports clothes that he would never usually wear. He was probably going to look really stupid.
He stripped his clothes off, throwing the dirty clothes into the washing basket and putting his clean jeans on his bed, before taking the new purchases and lining them up.
He tried on the track-suit bottoms he had bought, hating them just as much as he had done. He quickly stripped them off, checking for the receipt and sighing in relief at the sight. He moved to the second bag, pulling out some yoga leggings that he had picked up in the women's section.
Sirius wasn't the type to be fussy about gender specific clothes, he just knew that if he liked something, he would wear it.
Plus it would give the organiser something to look at. He pulled on a tight black vest and the plain black trainers, checking himself out in the mirror.
Perfect. If this didn't get his attention, nothing would.
Sirius headed into the bathroom. He had decided to put his hair up into a messy bun, but it had to look perfect. It would take a while to get right.
...oOo...
Sirius didn't care about the looks he was receiving in his pink leggings. He couldn't care how many people were looking at him like he was a freak, and how many of them were checking out his package or his arse, which were looking perfect in the leggings.
He knew he looked amazing.
He walked over towards where the group had been, finding only a few members of the group there already. One girl looked up, her eyes moving down his body, and she grinned.
"I think that's your colour."
Sirius grinned back. "Thanks," he said. "So… do we just wait here?"
"Remus will be along any moment now," the girl said. "He usually turns up early and has us warming up before the session starts."
"Remus… he's the…"
"The organiser," the girl said. "Have you done much yoga before?"
Sirius shook his head. "None at all."
"Ah. Well, set your mat up here with me. I have no idea what I'm doing either - I only joined a few sessions ago."
"What do you think of it?" Sirius asked, unrolling his floral mat onto the floor.
"It's relaxing. I've got a little boy at home - Neville - and it's nice to have these sessions twice a week. My husband is more than happy to deal with dinner and stuff so I can relax."
Sirius nodded.
"I'm Alice."
"Sirius," he replied, taking a seat on his mat, whilst waiting for Remus.
...oOo...
It was only a couple of minutes before Remus showed up, a smile on his lips and a ring-binder in his hands.
"If you begin warming up, I'll mark your names down," he said, barely looking around.
Sirius got up from his mat and walked over to Remus. Remus looked up, his eyes widening.
"Hi again… I… your leggings are very… pink."
"Do you like them? The lady at the store said they were very popular this season!"
"Did she happen to mention they are popular for women?"
"Yes, but I thought I'd start a trend. It's a shame there seems to be nothing like this for men!"
"A real sha-I mean, for a good reason."
Sirius grinned. "Well, I couldn't wear the tight jeans and I don't like clothes that are loose, so it was the only thing I could do. Couldn't resist the colour. Also, how am I supposed to warm up?"
Remus stared at him. "Have you never warmed up before?" Taking Sirius' shrug as an answer, he nodded. "Okay, completely new to all of this. I'm going to start warming up when I've checked the names off the list, so if you can wait a minute, I'll set up next to you and show you."
Sirius was totally for that.
...oOo...
"Okay, you need to spread your legs a bit more," Remus murmured, from next to him.
"I bet you say that to all the girls," Sirius murmured, doing what he was told and turning his head to look up at Remus.
Remus ducked his own head, moving out of the stretch. "I think that should be enough warming up," he said. "Anyone else that has arrived, I just need to mark you on my list, and then we'll start."
A couple of minutes later, Remus unrolled his mat at the front of the group.
"Okay ladies… and Mr Black, we're going to start easy. Once we've gone over the basics, I'll split you into two groups. Marlene here will go through the more advanced poses, I'll stay with the beginners and help. Any questions before we start?"
After a moment of silence, Remus moved over to his mat. "We'll start with Downward Dog," he said, shifting into position.
It took a nudge and a wink from Alice before Sirius remembered that he was supposed to be copying Remus, rather than staring at him.
In Sirius' defence, it was a beautiful view.
Sirius copied the movement as best he could.
"Now the Downward Dog is more of a strengthening pose," Remus said, straightening up again. "You'll be doing a lot of this one in between other poses, or when I ask you to rest, so it's important that you get this one right. I was taught this wrong when I first started yoga which led me to hate it, as I found it very uncomfortable, but it doesn't have to be if you do it right."
He moved closer to Alice, murmuring to her, but Sirius couldn't hear a word that was said. He tensed when he felt a hand touch him.
"Sorry." Remus quickly withdrew his hand. "I usually guide the others by helping move them into the right… I could just tell you, without touching, if it makes you uncomfortable -"
"It's okay, I just wasn't expecting it," Sirius said quickly. "I'm not used to being touched, it's… it's no problem."
Remus put his hand on Sirius' lower back again, more gently this time, and pressed down slightly, causing Sirius' back to straighten a little. "For a start, don't put your feet flat down on the floor, that'll hurt your back. You need to align yourself first."
"How do I do that?" Sirius asked.
"Well I've gone over it with each person here, so I don't really need to do this at the front. Alice is our newest member before you, so I've asked her to move up a little bit. I'm going to take the space between you for now and go through it. If you keep that space empty, I'll go over it each time I ask for the position."
Sirius nodded his head, watching as Remus moved gracefully into the pose.
"Now, the last thing to do in this pose is put your feet flat. First things first - your hands should be shoulder width apart. So you need to spread your fingers wide and align your wrist crease to the front of your mats."
Sirius glanced at Remus' hands before moving his own.
"Next, your feet need to be hip distance apart."
...oOo...
Sirius wasn't sure what he preferred. When Remus was at the front of the class, he was in Sirius' sights, but when he was between Sirius and Alice, Sirius had his almost undivided attention. He was disappointed when the class ended.
Sirius rolled up his mat and lingered.
"So… how did I do?" he asked, clutching the mat to his chest nervously.
"I was quite surprised," Remus said. "I only corrected you once, and you remembered what I said. Most people drop the corrections when I walk away, you held the poses nicely."
Sirius nodded. "Well, this was better than I expected," he admitted. "I feel more relaxed, and that's saying something.
"Not a naturally relaxed person?" Remus asked.
Sirius shook his head. "I used to be, but… things happen and I think I'm quite tense. The yoga will help with that, won't it?"
Remus nodded. "It certainly will. Does that mean you'll be returning?"
It was Sirius' turn to nod. "I think I will," he said. "I've paid for a few more classes, and if they all have me feeling like this one, I'll be up for it. So… I'd like to talk more about this yoga business…"
Remus smiled. "I'm free if you want to take a walk? That's if you don't mind people staring at you?"
Sirius grinned. "The leggings really work for me, you should have seen the looks I got on the way here," he said.
...oOo...
"So, is it work that tenses you up?" Remus asked.
Sirius shook his head as they stopped at the pond, taking a seat on the bench with the bottles of water they had purchased - Sirius had wanted something fizzy but bought the water to impress Remus.
"Nope, that's not it. I… I was in prison for a bit… don't worry I didn't hurt anyone," he added, hoping not to scare Remus away. "It's been a bit of a struggle since I've returned."
"What happened?" Remus asked, causing Sirius to turn around in disbelief. There hadn't been an ounce of judgement in his voice.
"Fraud," Sirius admitted. "I was a bit stupid. I ran away from home and thought my parents would find me if I used my real name. I couldn't go to my best friend as he was dealing with a pregnant girlfriend who had sworn up and down that she had been on the pill. So I was stupid and got caught and arrested."
"Fraud… so, you go by your real name now?"
Sirius nodded. "My uncle left me some money when he passed. I'm living on that at the moment, finding it hard to get a job. I think the yoga is a good investment, maybe it'll help me relax and stuff?"
"Yoga is good like that," Remus replied. "So… if you're using your real name… what about your family?"
"Oh, they don't want to know," Sirius replied. "I've disgraced them and I've been disowned."
"I'm sorry -"
"It's okay, I was never like them and now I'm free. Me and James have our own place, so it's not too bad -"
"James is your partner?"
"James is my best friend. He split from his girl, and he got a place for me to share when I got out. It's nice living with him again, we used to go to boarding school together."
"Posh," Remus murmured.
"Yep," Sirius agreed. "So… away from my life story. What's yours?"
"I live nearby," Remus said. "I started a stressful job in business, straight from college, and almost had a breakdown. It's not for me. Now I have an enjoyable and stress-free job at a library and the yoga class to run. I don't have the best income, but at least I'm happy. Money can't buy happiness."
Sirius nodded. "It can't. My parents were stupidly rich, and I was utterly miserable," he agreed. "So, this may be forward of me, since I have a record and I'm not the most desirable bloke because of it… but can I ask if you like blokes? I usually flirt and stuff to work this out, but I like you, and if you're not into blokes, I'd like to be friends - I don't want to mess that up if you're not into guys and I cross a line."
Remus bit his lip. "Gender has never held any importance to me," he admitted. "And as for your criminal record… well, that doesn't bother me. I mean, it would if you hurt people or killed or something… is prison why you're not used to people touching you?"
Sirius nodded. "Though I wouldn't mind if you touched me."
Remus laughed but moved his hand to rest on Sirius' knee. "Look, I never considered starting anything with any of my yoga group, but… what can I say? I can't resist the leggings."
"I knew they'd get your attention," Sirius said, looking around.
"They do," Remus agreed.
"Well, let's hang out and see where things go?" Sirius suggested. "Coffee after the next group, perhaps?"
"I like the sound of that."
...oOo...
"That's a perfect Downward Dog," Remus murmured, walking around the group, his hand gently touching Sirius' lower back.
Sirius acknowledged the compliment with a nod of his head.
Remus moved them into a couple of more familiar positions, before he moved back to the front. "We're now going to try the easy-plow pose," he said. He waited until all eyes were on him before laying on his back.
"Start by lying on your back and bend your legs. Keep your legs together and your feet on the floor. Lift your feet and pelvis - and use your hands if you need to - from the mat, and lower your knees on your forehead. You can press your arms against your back, or clasp your hands and lower them onto the mat behind your back. To move out of this, you carefully roll your backbone onto the mat. Any questions?"
There was no reply.
"Okay, those that have done this before, go right ahead, I'll come around and check your posture in a moment. Those that haven't, feel free to try. If you're not certain, just stay on your mat and I'll help you after I demonstrate the pose for you."
Remus lay on his back and quickly moved himself into position.
"Oh fuck," came a whimper, and he looked around to find Sirius staring at him hungrily. He quickly moved out again, blushing, and quickly moved his eyes over the students that had more of an idea.
A few seconds of correcting a couple of them, he moved over towards Alice and Sirius, taking his time to assist Alice, before turning his gaze onto Sirius.
"You did that just to tease me, didn't you?" Sirius said, accusingly, as he lay on his back, smiling at the feel of Remus' hand helping him keep his balance as he moved awkwardly into position.
Remus said nothing, only fixing Sirius into place, before leaning down.
"You should see what else I can do," he said, before returning to the front and taking the pose up again.
"Uncle Sirius! What are you doing?"
"Yeah Uncle Sirius, what the hell are you doing?"
Sirius slowly rolled out of the position, getting up and jogging out of the group, not wanting to disturb the others.
"Keep it down, this is a relaxed environment," he said, glaring at James.
"You know, I thought you were seeing someone," James said. "You sneak out a lot these days and are so secretive."
Sirius grinned. "Yoga helps, James. It relaxes me. I'm enjoying it."
James looked around, his gaze falling on Remus, who was watching them.
"You're shagging the bloke, aren't you?"
"What is 'shagging'?" Harry asked.
"I'm not," Sirius said. "But we are… working towards something, I mean. I told him about… prison and stuff, so no more terrible secret between us, and he's interested still. I was thinking of taking him out next weekend. Look, if you're still around in fifteen minutes, you can meet him, what do you say?"
"Any man that can get you doing yoga for three months is worth meeting," James agreed. "We'll be in the playground; we'll come back over."
Sirius turned and headed back to his mat, stopping next to Remus.
"Any objections in meeting two of the most important people in my life after class?"
"None at all," Remus whispered. "Now, we're going to move from this soon, so go into Downward Dog."
"You just want to stare at my arse in the air."
Remus smirked. "Of course I do," he admitted.
Sirius leaned closer. "Well, after you meet James and Harry, how about me and you go back to mine and you get a closer, more naked look?"